Gybas Kin'toni Clan

History

Much of the history of the Gybas kin'toni was recorded in decades past; unfortunately, and regretfully, the documents of which said history was written were lost in a siege from a rival gang from another neighbouring region... until recently, when a Gybas clan member stumbled upon the ruins of a monument that was flooded during an event known as Great Wash. During Great Wash, the entire region of which the Gybas clan resides was flooded. The region had an unusually extended period of flooding that lasted for well over a week; by the time the flooding subsided, many of the trees had uprooted.

One of which landed on the Swaqa (a building that housed the clan's documented archives). The kin'toni responsible for having rediscovered said documents remained anonymous, having kept the discovery to himself until he was on his deathbed. Just before the anonymous kin'toni's death, he told the clan's leaders where the Swaqa was located. Having used what little information was provided to them by the nameless individual, they eventually discovered it and rebuilt the Swaqa in the image of their 'creator'. The reconstruction of said embassy took several years.

And when it was finally completed a search of the just-now rebuilt structure the tome containing the clan's early history was found to be in bad shape, albeit still legible. The Gybas clan's 'masters', who were responsible for governing the clan, were given the objective and task of rewriting the archived early history of the Gybas clan; this task proved most difficult, however, as most of the clan's 'masters' discovered the original tome had been written in a dead language that was only used by the clan's 'creator' and several historians that she turned.

After nearly a decade of rewriting the original tome, in both its original dead language as well as the clan's official language, the newly-completed documents were buried and put in a time capsule not to be opened until after the clan have gone extinct. Whether or not the clan is still around or not is unknown, perhaps because many within the clan are recluses who choose to live under an anonymous lifestyle and refuse to reveal their identity to anyone outside of their region. Given this, they remain an uncontacted tribe living in a land uninhabited by anyone besides them.

And anyone that has ever stepped foot on this land has either been seriously maimed or (in rare cases) killed due to the clan being overprotective of their residence.

Biology

The Gybas are adaped to the harsh, cold, snowy Kalidra Boreal Plateau. They are powerfuly muscled, short and stocky of build as to aid in heat retention and move effectively through heavy snow. The downside of this is that as their They are adapted to move though heavy snow, putting them at a disadvantage on clear ground. The skin is coated in a dense, dual-layered coat of white fur, allowing them to stay warm in the frigid cold. This also means they are prone to overheating and sluggishness in temperatures above freezing.

The skin produces oils that are coated onto the fur using modified sweat glands. This oily, water-repellent substance helps the fur shed water, but it is flammable. Under the fur, they have large subdermal fat deposits, that are distributed evenly beneath the skin. These act as insulation against the icy cold of the Boreal Plateau. The deposits also act as an reserve of calories in cold winters. The downside of these deposits is both needing more blood to maintain and slowing due to more weight.

Climbing is also harder due to the added weight. The eyes are bright blue, and have an reflective tapetum lucidum layer for seeing in the dark in the long, dark winters. This leads to extreme sensitivity to sudden, bright flashes of light. The ears are small, close to the head and filled with white fur. With the hearing range, it is shifted to lower frequencies. This means they can hear subtle vibrations in the deep snow and ground, such as approaching prey or avalanches. Drumming or deep bass sounds can be confusing or distressing due to this.

The nose has an widened internal structure and increased mucus production as to warm the cold air before it reaches the lungs. This has downsides, such as being susceptible to painful congestion and temporary loss of smell in dust-filled or smoky environments. The teeth are long and thick, as to tear though tough frozen hides, but are prone to chipping or even breaking on harder substances. Claws are thick and shovel like, for digging shelter in the snow and climbing rock, but these claws are bad for fine manipulation.

The dense muscles are adapted for sudden bursts of extreme strength, but these rapidly deplete their energy reserves, needing an period of recovery afterward. Blood vessels are deep under the skin as to lower heat transfer and stop frostbite in the extremities. The bones are very dense and hard, due to hyper-calcification. This makes the bones very strong, but rigid. Rigid bones can lead to compound fractures from twisting or torsion forces. These bones also contribute to their very heavy weight.

They have large internal reserves of iron-binding proteins to deal with the high iron content of the local blood from local large mammalian prey. Being reliant on large mammalian blood means that if they do not have it, and have to live on non-mammalian blood, they weaken slowly over time. Their blood is adapted to resist clotting under extreme cold to allow for smooth circulation in frigid temperatures.

Culture

Culturally speaking, Gybaseans (as the clan refer to themselves) are masters in the crafts of sports and pride themselves on friendly, healthy competition; they also happen to do quite well under pressure when the time is right. Every year, in the month of Ryaxwyr, a regional Olympiad is held showcasing the Gybas clan's competitive skills, ranging from balancing acts to endurance tests. The Gybpyul (Gybasean Open) is typically held during the third quarter of the annual kin'toni calendar, and it features Gybaseans from all over the region across five different provinces, six in some cases depending on the willingness of the population.

There is no opening or closing ceremony in these annual games, only short moments of silence known as Zicgyra (memorials) where the Gybaseans gather as one to remember those who passed away during the year. Gybaseans aren't religious at all; but, they are spiritualists who believe that their higher power is the clan's original 'creator', living through the archives of their history in the museum that was rebuilt after Great Wash. They also believe in the concept of the deceased successors of the original 'creator' living as spirits who reside in the trees and forestry of their region.

They don't congregate in masses like other clans typically pride themselves on doing; instead, the Gybaseans go about it differently and choose to praise their 'creators' in privacy, going as far as to only speak three sentences annually in a manner similar to monks. Those that complain often find themselves being sympathized in a remorseful manner, but also mocked if their complaints have nothing to do about the struggles of their 'creators'. Most Gybaseans are sociable with one another, but they pick and choose when to interact. They're not as callous and cold-hearted as other clans; but, whenever they learn of other clans.

Especially those that they trust—sharing their information beyond bounds, then they consider it a breach of trust as they often value their privacy more than they would their very lives. Suffice to say, they don't want their business getting out there. Unless they choose to get their business out there themselves—lest any clan, regardless of alliance to the Gybaseans, want to risk going into extinction. The clan isn't very well-versed in the arts, but there is a minority of the Gybaseans within their region who dedicate their very lives to the arts. This minority among them are skilled painters who paint with a multitude of utensils.

Including certain liquids, grass, mud and (in rare but not uncommon cases) their own blood. This same minority are also polyglots who speak no less than five kin'tonian languages, although very few of them among the ranks actually inherit this trait from their predecessors. Despite lacking in physicality and sportsmanship, the artistic Gybaseans making up the clan's minority have near-perfect hand-eye coordination and also have total recall, hence why their predecessors. Most of them skilled in the same areas—were able to rewrite to near-perfection the archives of the clan's early history in both the clan's current and former languages.

Government

The Gybas kin'toni have no structured government, as they are a tribe that operates more like a commune than a Congressional body or parliament. Instead, the clan is led by their 'masters', who in most cases consider the clan to be resembling of an extended family. The 'masters', who are the majority leaders, often remain anonymous and just as nameless in identity as those who are governed by them. However, unlike the majority of the clan, they are actually sociable and interact with those within the clan in a manner similar to parents raising their children.

The bond between the 'masters' who lead the clan and the 'electors' who vote them into said positions is very strong, as the two entities almost always work together to protect their island. The 'creator' is a role given to those within the Gybas population who are most capable and responsible enough to lead. But, in some cases, there are several 'creators' that are given the objective of leading the clan. The adulation of the population makes the 'creator' role muchly sought after, despite the relentless responsibility that goes with all of that. One can also say that the overseeing and supervision of the region's protection from all others in Taerel.

Is among the most important responsibility in a region and clan in which there are really only several. Those given the role of 'protector' often find themselves with a massive amount of environmental maintenance. If they're not maintaining their ecological surroundings, then they will usually be responsible for either protecting the clan's rebuilt Swaqa, fending off 'invaders' with shield and sword or constructing various monuments in honour of the anonymous kin'toni who originally rediscovered the Swaqa and eventually called for its reconstruction.

The 'protectors' of the Gybas population are often looked at as the clan's workhorses and are almost always rewarded for the dedication which goes into their hard work. Those who come across the Gybas kin'toni are almost always dubbed 'invaders'. These 'invaders', as they are so-called, often have the intention of trying to socialize with or even befriend the clan and its members; but, as mentioned above in History. The 'invaders' are attacked for these good intentions through almost zero faults of their own. This is not because they're trying to infringe upon the clan's privacy.

But because of the fact that a band of thugs stole important documents from the Gybas clan and built a temple for it just before Great Wash. In reality, they're only called 'invaders' because the Gybas kin'toni are merely trying to protect their land, albeit with their very lives.

Military

The Gybaseans have no military, but that doesn't mean they aren't protective of their land. As mentioned in Culture, they value their own secrets more than any kin'tonian alliance or diplomatic relations, and the same goes for their island and mausoleum. The Gybaseans, despite not having any kind of military, are very proficient in self-defence and take great care of their land as well as themselves. To stay healthy and in peak condition, Gybaseans spend most of not all of their time building upon, maintaining or nourishing their region. The clan (which, as mentioned before, operates more like a commune than anything else).

Also have numerous holidays dedicated to staying fit and strong. Because nobody within the ranks of the Gybaseans has any military experience aside from, in some cases, their experiences in other clans pre-turning. It isn't uncommon for groups of Gybaseans to walk unsynchronized; nonetheless, Gybaseans constantly practice discipline and can get along with each other far better than most clans. This expression of discipline, when shown, displays very vividly the typical Gybasean's immaculate ability to control oneself. It also shows that, should disagreements arise.

Gybaseans always manage to put their dissenting ideologies and disagreements on the back-burner. This is to focus their efforts on what tasks are at hand. The Gybas kin'toni, as a clan, also coexist better than most clans' militaries simply because of their unusual choice to not have one. They figure that having their own armed forces is a sign of weakness—not because of the constant assembly of the most physically fit in masses, but rather because literally, everyone within this clan finds themselves competent enough to make do. This is on any incoming, ongoing or future obligations (regardless of what responsibilities must be considered).

In any case, this clan works best in an individual setting, which may also explain their proficiency in groups; however, most Gybaseans choose to work individually and often go to any lengths to prove they can handle any task that comes to their attention.

Religion

To go into more detail into the religious life of a Gybasean you would most likely have to delve deep into one such Gybasean's recreational activities. To say that Gybas kin'toni is religious is a bit of a misguidance as well as a slight misunderstanding; needless to say, they are—as mentioned previously in Culture—spiritualists who worship the souls of their 'creators' who, depending on how and when what 'creator' existed. They say he resides either in the confines of the island region's museum or deep within the roots and leaves of this region.

The typical Gybasean's spiritualism is a trait that he or she takes very seriously, almost to the point of prolonged speechlessness, and it is this commitment to their beliefs that allow them to focus mainly on the nourishing of the trees and other plant life. In times of serious conflict, Gybasean spiritualists will often contemplate different ways to express their faith in those who have passed away and become souls. These ways include:

1. Engaging in literal writings and the readings of certain literature, namely free verse poetry;

2. Constructing and building shrines to house the souls of aforementioned 'creators', oftentimes for physical therapy, and;

3. Planting seeds for the growth and development of new trees can likely serve as the sleeping places of certain souls.

In any case, these spiritualists believe in spiritual transcendence during life as transcending the world of Taeral, as they understand it, can only be achieved by the completion of objectives that must be done in certain and specific ways in order to allow the soul of a 'creator' to grow wings and ascend to the overworld of reincarnation. All spiritualists believe in the process of being reincarnated and even reborn as another kin'toni, which is often a process that lasts for lifetimes. It takes one generation of Gybaseans to adapt to their land and its increasingly colder environment.

And after the proverbial torch is "passed" to its survivors it is their turn to preserve the land as the prior generation's 'protectors' to engage in lifestyles that will raise the temperature of their homes to where they won't worry about freezing as often anymore. They don't congregate in masses often at all; but, when they do, it's to participate in an annual ritual known as Biqardub (The Venting), where every year each member of the clan is allowed three sentences to showcase either their feelings or hopes for the foreseeable future, which any Gybasean can either express in writing or speech.

While most opt for the latter, other spiritualists within the clan, who are often called Zaarcis (Mutes), choose to receive a short, canvas-sized fabric with which to etch their three sentences in writing; a Zaarci can either write with mud, a bit of nonstick glue or, in rare cases, their own blood. The ritual ends with the chanting of an ancient prayer first uttered, as per legend, by the clan's first 'creator'.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

Unknown

Gybas Kin'toni Clan

Unknown