Engocha Kin'toni Clan

History

Biology

The Engocha are adapted to the flat, open and UV exposed Skelach Shrub-Steppe. They are tall, slender and thin, with muscular legs as to aid movement. Their skin is mottled shades of brown, to blend into the grasses and shrubs. They have an slow-acting, hormonal control their skin pigment. This allows them to change from an pale, nocturnal hue to a sandy, light-absorbing tone over several hours to blend with the open terrain. To protect from UV light, the skin has an unique, dense lattice of modified skin proteins.

This scatters harmful UV lighgt before it can go deeper, allowing the clan some resistance to sunlight. The skin is covered by a layer of dark dermal scales, each with a small muscle that allows the scale to be flared to gather or release heat. The scales are tough enough to act as some level of armor. Their thick, wavy hair is long, in shades of black and dark brown, never cut. Their eyes are are golden, and are tuned to as to see minute dust disturbances and the heat signatures of distant prey. The whites of their eyes are black.

Their ears are long, pointed and curved backwards, tuned to hearing the sounds of prey over the wind. As their hearing is highly directional and best at pinpointing single sounds. It can be overwhelmed with ambient noise, leading to severe directional disorientation. The nose is broad, with a rhinarium that varies from black to dark brown in color. The sense of smell is normal for a kin'toni, but the sinuses are susceptible to the dust and allergens of the steppe. The result of this is disorientation during windstorms.

Their jaws are short, with slender, curved canines, adapted for small prey. Their tongues have developed chemoreceptors to help find the best moisture content and subtle mineral deposits in flesh, this helps them find the beast prey to get needed minerals. The hands of this clan are rough and tough, with keratinized pads, tough bones and claws shaped for digging, allowing them to swiftly dig burrows to protect from the sun. Their lower legs and feet have elongated tendons and hardened padding on the feet, with blunt talons.

These legs are adapted stamina and speed for prolonged pursuit across hard, open ground. The tendons and ligaments are structurally simplified and prone to injury from sudden twists or impacts. The clan has an intersing adaption to their reduce heat signatures when resting in cover, the blood vessels have an increased number of valves and contraction points, this means they can constrict blood flow to the extremities. The digestive system has an increased number of lymphatic filters, given the fact non mammal prey make the bulk of their diet.

As they need more cellular energy to maintain their UV-filtering protein lattices, their cellular regeneration rates are slower than of other clans. Their cells include structural changes have adaptions such as ability to bind trace amounts of metabolic water as to allow for long times without drinking.

Culture

The Engocha kin’toni clan is the one with the most wit. Their leader decided to build their clan behind the waterfall he had discovered during his stay in this forest. To get to the place behind the waterfalls, he made a device which operated on levers. This device was called ‘Chaga’ meaning ‘efficient’. The device was connected to a gate at the top of the water fall by strong ropes, and when the lever was pulled, closed partly to slow the flow of water.

These gates were required to slow the flow to let a plank of wood, which was also operated on levers, emerge from behind the waterfall and part it in two. This looked breathtaking and could also let the kin’toni pass unharmed to the other side. There Kabacha found the ginormous cave that now serves as the clan’s home. They live protected behind this water fall and have built their homes here. This cave is wide enough to be able to fit all their houses easily and add some festival ground and military training grounds too, along with their inventory labs.

The Engocha are extremely sharp, they know the benefits of living behind a waterfall is that no one would be able to listen to them as the gushing of the water made anything else undetectable and secondly, they could make their clan a secret one which provides sanctuary to the newly turned and frightened kin’toni. Their wit goes beyond making homes for themselves. They have also made a device which would help them estimate time. The forest they live in is not a dense one and thus, allows sunlight through.

To estimate the time when the sunlight would be the strongest or the weakest, they have made a water clock, which works when a small hole in a bowl drips water into another. This has calculated measurements written on its side which helps the clan time the sun’s movements, so that they may know exactly when to come outside. Although they have never grown crops and thus never acquired thread, they have found a rather unique way to make clothing for themselves; the silk worm.

They invented the spindle too, to spin their clothes. They don’t interact much with the other clans and thus have to do most of their work themselves. Silk clothing does make them look elegant. Their jewelry is made from tree barks, shaped into leaves. Their clan preaches simplicity and so, their living style is usually very simple. They don’t overdo with their jewelry. They most anticipated festival is the ‘Pama Ja haka’ or ‘the day of the founded’. On this day they celebrate the day these lost kin’toni found the one who turned them.

They celebrate the day on which Kabacha agreed to take them all in and to teach them acceptance of their new forms. They celebrate this day by roasting meat on a spit and adding flavors to it. They officially admit the newly arrived kin’toni by a ritual that involves a few kin’toni dancing around these kin’toni while the leader takes their hands and applies a red paste on them. This red paste is made from crushed berries and flowers. They have no games and rely mostly on their inventions and their leader’s preaching to get through their days

Government

The Engocha clan is led by their leader of the clan, Kabacha. He has been the sole leader of this clan since its origination which was two years after the kin’toni outbreak. He has a number of advisors who offer help in running the clan. Unlike the other clan’s leaders, Kabacha hasn’t made his place into a heavily decorated palace. He doesn’t sit high above on a throne but has a simple house dedicated to him. He preaches simplicity and so wears simple clothing and sits on a cushion on the floor. His advisors sit in front of him on similar cushions and discuss the day's events.

Kabacha’s clan is a small but diverse one. This clan is comprised of kin’toni from all over the world who have come to seek answers from him. They are all turned kin’toni and carry the abilities of the kin’toni who turned them. Some may have webbed fingers and feet, others can jump really high in a single jump, some would be able to bear intense cold easily and etc. They come to seek guidance and that they do get, but this also makes sure that the clan gets a diversity of kin’toni who can help the clan in various ways. These multiple abilities make the clan stronger than all, even if they might be in a smaller population.

Kabacha treats all these newly admitted kin’toni nicely, offers them homes and accepts them into the clan. Preaches them daily too, so that they may get what they strived so hard for. The only condition is that kin’toni who arrive here are to be a permanent part of this clan, they can’t take their lessons and leave. This ensures loyalty to the clan. He also asks them to devote their time to this clan and to take part in their activities. These activities can be the inventions section, the military; including the army, defense, speculator forces. If a kin’toni is particularly hard working, they may get promoted to the advisory group.

The advisory group consists of kin’toni from all sectors. These are the army, defense and speculator advisors. They are also from the inventory huts, where the advisor monitors the progress of the kin’toni and reports to Kabacha. Some advisors are from within the clan, who monitor the clan’s production progress. This includes the food department, the clothing and weaving progress etc. One advisor even helps Kabacha with the religious preaching, which is done in Kabacha’s house with all the kin’toni sitting in front of him and listening intently to him.

The discussions and meetings are held regularly in which they discuss various topics such as the best ways to ensure the secrecy and protection of the clan. Or they discuss the division of assets, new training strategies etc. They also discuss the best measures to be taken for the survival of the clan in the winter season. This requires them to feed cattle properly throughout the year so they can provide them with meat and blood throughout the winter without the clan going out for hunt. All these ideas are presented by the advisors, who are the voice of the clan, and Kabacha.

Kabacha listens to them all and acts according to the suggestion which is agreed on largely by the others.

Military

The military of the Engocha clan is a small clan and much of those kin’toni are smart and intelligent kin’toni who like to spend their time inventing things rather than fighting. Thus, this clan’s military is quite small with only a 100 kin’toni. Their leader encourages the protection of this clan as it is the only one who has been formed for the sole purpose to provide shelter and purpose to the wayward kin’toni. Thus, even though most kin’toni aren’t officially in the military, they would gladly offer their lives in trying to preserve and protect the clan.

The military is based on a system which is divided in three parts; the army, the defense, and the speculators. The army is comprised of 60 kin’toni. These are not much skilled with using their weapons but they do know how to design fail-safe traps and use their inventions to kill or seriously wound someone. Their army trains in one of the huge spaces in their cave. They are given mild training and are tested thoroughly too. They have learned to swim in the waters of this waterfall.

Thus they are good swimmers too as the current of this water is strong and can carry the kin’toni with it, but because of their training, these kin’toni can easily swim against the current. This is just one example of the way they are trained. The defense forces are scattered throughout the forest and consist of 30 kin’toni. Their methods are also unique as they use the bushes to disguise themselves. It is all actually a costume and these kin’toni lie still to watch for any unusual sign in this forest.

Their hearing senses help them immensely in this task. If a new kin’toni is spotted, they sing a low tune which is of a bird and that alerts the speculators. They are also hidden around the perimeter of the waterfall and nothing escapes their vision. Together, they have managed to keep the clan’s location hidden for centuries. The speculators are the special force accustomed only to this clan. There are only 10 of them. They are the ones who are required to watch out for the helpless and stranded kin’toni.

They have built watch towers which are hidden among the trees. They watch over the forest from their vantage point. They stay hidden in the forest too and sometimes even outside of it and disguise themselves like the defense kin’toni do. They are responsible to oversee from far way the progress of the wandering kin’toni who might have ventured into this forest to seek Kabacha. They are especially cautious of imposters who might look like the stranded kin’toni but are actually spies from some other clan.

They follow the kin’toni’s progress and if the kin’toni manages to succeed, and the force is still not convinced of his/her innocence, then ask to mark them, these marking are of an unbreakable blood vow, which cannot be broken. The speculators also use their skills to disguise themselves and go in various clans to sway the turned kin’toni who might want to join this clan and may want to know about their existence deeply. This clan has probably one of the most variety of kin’toni.

Kin’toni from all over the world come to this clan to become a part of it and they bring their own special abilities with them, which is especially useful for any clan.

Religion

The Engocha clan worships their leader who is called Kabacha Engocha. He used to be a popular and intelligent zu’aan before the science experiment was conducted on him and he accidently turned into a kin’toni. He was overwhelmed by the experience and ran away into the woods. He wanted to be near no one so that he won’t cause much damage than he already had. Almost all kin’toni had long ago given up on finding him as they claimed that someone who didn’t want to be found was better off on his own.

But the zu’aan he had turned into kin’toni were adamant that they would find him. And two years later they did. By then he had somewhat accepted his fate as a kin’toni and had learned to live with it. The turned kin’toni were able to persuade him to let them stay and teach them about the ways he had lived. He was reluctant at first but agreed to form a clan with them. These kin’toni had brought with them the zu’aan they had turned in their wild hunger and so, the clan started off with a big enough population.

Kabacha used his wisdom and intelligence to light the way for others. He guided them about the way they should live their lives. He told them to control their feeding urges and to show some humanity as they had evolved from the zu’aan. They were instructed to use their intelligence for good causes and to make sure not to harm the planet’s habitat. While other clans preached superiority and that the kin’toni were simply meant to rule the world, Kabacha taught them to understand that though they were created as a part of an accident.

They were now in order with the planet’s other creatures and were meant to live in harmony with them, even if they did drink their blood. He also developed the way to drink blood without killing the creature, something that had never been thought of before. He told them to drink enough, that the animal would be a bit dizzy but after plenty of rest, would be able to regenerate that amount of blood in its body. All this made him a beacon of light for the kin’toni he had accepted into his clan.

Newly turned kin’toni from different parts of the world came to him, lonely and defeated, disgusted with themselves and their existence. But when they listened to him, they found hope. They worked to do better than the other kin’toni did. Kabacha forbade them to turn zu’aan as he said it is only the start of a wildfire. Turning one kin’toni would leave a taste for the kin’toni to turn more and then more, this would make the kin’toni wilder than even the wildest of animals and the kin’toni would be addicted to it.

All these teachings of his made him a respected figure amongst them and it wasn’t long before they decided to worship him. When Kabacha saw all the love and appreciation he received from his work, he allowed this act. The kin’toni of the Engocha clan still worship him and have offered to lay down their lives for him.

Miscellany

This clan has always tried to keep its existence a secret from others. They wanted to be the clan which stood for those kin’toni who had no sense of identity. The zu’aan who after being turned had no place to go, as their own had banished them, fearing that they might turn them into kin’toni too. This clan lived in secret behind the waterfall and till date no outsider clan knows of its location or of its happenings. They all know about its existence but not where it actually is.

Rumors place this clan in this very forest but no one has been able to decipher the true location of them. They could be living underground for all they know. The question now arises for the kin’toni who are actually sincere about this clan and want to submit themselves to its guidance. With the help of this clan’s legendary leader, they want to be able to accept this new self, to understand it and learn to harness its abilities. To do all that they need to find this clan first.

To do this they must enter this forest and search for the tree in which a riddle is written, which guides them to the next and then the next, which eventually helps them find their location. Though this method is pure genius, there would be chink in it as any ambitious and smart kin’toni would have solved these and reached the hidden clan easily. To prevent this, this clan placed the last riddle on a rock which was near to the waterfall.

This rock would have written on it that the kin’toni who gives the right answer would be able to see the entrance immediately and the wrong answer would get this kin’toni a spear through the heart. The riddle went like this; “I never was, am always to be, no one ever saw me, nor ever will, and yet I am the confidence of all, to live and breathe on this terrestrial ball” The kin’toni is presented with two levers, one of which contains the answer. On one lever is the carved face of their clan’s leader and on the other is a star chasing its tail.

Many kin’toni have able to reach this far but got killed when they couldn’t answer this one correctly. They assume that the answer is the leader but it actually is the star that symbolizes ‘tomorrow’. One more thing about this clan is that it also has an escape mechanism like in all kin’toni clans. Their cave is a large one and at the end of it, they have designed a hidden exit that leads to the other side of the forest and can evacuate the kin’toni out immediately. This was designed as a precaution in case of an attack.

These kin’toni also had the foresight to put a few packs of dried meat etc. on the other side, in a hut. So, if this clan is attacked, they would escape easily and would be able to survive and rebuild too.

Nearby Groups

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Engocha Kin'toni Clan

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