Iroughough Kin'toni Clan

History

This clan has had a difficult time surviving throughout the years, they are the weakest of the kin'toni and even nature is a formidable foe for the Iroughough, many die each year with simple fevers or by encountering a wild animals. It has been this way for many generations, although once a large clan, they are now reduced to about two hundred people that struggle to survive in a hostile world. Because of this inherent weakness, the kin'toni of other tribes hunt the Iroughouh, they believe they cannot portray what a true kin'toni is and are deeply ashamed that a kin'toni clan can be this weak physically.

They have been hunted since shortly after the second Era started and have not stopped running, from region to region, in order to escape their hunters, since that time. This is not the only reason they are hated by the kin'toni, it is common knowledge that the Iroughough have been striking deals and receiving protection from zu'aan tribes that do it because they see the Iroughough as being on their side, given that they all being hunted by the same enemy. Despite this aid, the Iroughough were still on the run until very recently. They were reaching what appeared to be a safe haven where they could lay low for a while.

The Iroughough were confronted by another clan: the Sirin Clan. There was a small battle in which, thankfully for the Iroughough, the leader of the Sirin Clan perished and they were forced to retreat. Afterwards, they hid themselves in the Umon Verdant Sands and have been staying there for the past years. The Iroughough are led by a very intelligent man that was able to do the impossible and keep this clan alive throughout several decades, even with minimal infections and many unfortunate deaths. Nevertheless, this man is nearing his death and despite their alliances with the zu'aan and the apparent safe-haven they are now at.

There is still a revenge-seeking Sirin Clan roaming the dunes, trying to find them. Thankfully, the desert is a baron land, there is very little food that is only available to those who know where to find it and even less water. Because of this, the Sirin clan cannot send out search parties forever, the Iroughough hope that one day, they, the Sirin will simply give up. On that day they will finally be able to live without always having to look back or expecting an ambush. What the Sirin do not understand is how the Iroughough can hide themselves in the dunes for weeks without needing to leave them in order to hunt zu'aan or even to acquire some other kind of less valuable blood.

This is what has permitted the survival of this weak tribe and it is a secret that will never get to the Sirin. Early in the second Era, shorty after the infection spread, a group of kin'toni started figuring that there was something that was different about them, the need for blood was not as strong as it appeared to be for other kin'toni.

Biology

Early in the spread of the infection, the Iroughough appeared to be looking healthier than all of the other kin'toni who were undergoing the gruesome process of actually becoming kin'toni. It was something that every other clan seemed to question: “Why were the Iroughough strangely fine?”. This is still something the kin'toni and especially the Sirin Clan do not comprehend. However, the Iroughough have learned what differentiates them from other kin'toni and how to use this difference as an advantage over the other clans that are hunting them down. Instead of having a need for blood and craving it to the point of risking insanity if that desire is not satisfied.

The Iroughough’s wish for blood is more nuanced. It is still something they want, but it is more of an impulse than anything else. It is still a necessity, especially for some members of the clan, but it is a controllable necessity, just like an addiction might be, for example. This means a member of this clan can weeks without consuming any blood and possibly months even if they are consuming below average quantities of it. Staying hidden in the Umon Verdant Sands is, due to this mutation, something that becomes a possibility. Although centuries have passed.

It is still unclear whether this mutation happened because of change in the super-soldier experiment in itself or if it was something else entirely. The mutation is what allows them to have an alliance with the zu'aan. They are given buckets of blood that are collected from several zu'aan tribes and that can last them for many months. Another consequence of the mutation is that there is almost no physical difference between a member of the Iroughough clan and a zu'aan of the first Era. Due to this, they are weaker than the average kin'toni, run slower and jump less than them as well.

One of the only positive physical abilities that they possess is that of endurance, walking for days on end poses no problem to a kin'toni of this tribe, they have been walking for as far as they can remember. Besides endurance, they have a particularly hard skin that cannot be easily pierced by arrows of cut open by swords. A dull blade will simply cause a mark on the place that it touches the skin of an Iroughough and an arrow with a wooden tip does not have the ability to fully pierce the skin, although it might do some damage.It is not yet known if this is also a consequence of the mutation, but the Iroughough clan seem hardwired for survival.

That is something even all the other clans seem to understand. What this clan now fears, is the coming of the next era, where the days will be short and they will have to move once more thus continuing the nomadic existence of this clan.

Culture

The Iroughough understood that being hated by every other clan of their kind that was aware of their existence was not a sustainable situation for survival in the long run. In the best-case scenario, they would be followed all throughout Taerel for the rest of the time this clan has left. However, they also understand what this external hate entails. Namely, a bond that is as strong as any bar of steel, something that can withstand the most difficult of tasks. Bonds are stronger when developed through a long-lasting period of common grief, pain and sorrow; and if there has been a clan that has experienced these emotions, it is the Iroughough.

Though this bond has proven fruitful and created a feeling of community that cannot be rivaled by any other clan, the nomadic nature of the life of an Iroughough clan-member means that there is no place to carry things in. Relying on material good means getting hunted by kin'toni poachers, some zu'aan tribes or even wild animals. These kin'toni understand that the need for objects does not compensate the risk that having them brings. This way, every time they stop at a new location, which it usually was for small periods of time until they reached the Umon verdant Sands, they had to build the things they needed.

Or simply rely on nature to provide the sustenance to keep them alive. Additionally, the nomadic nature of the clan does not permit that books, or any other items that could contain important knowledge are able to be carried with the tribe. The Iroughough have been forced to store knowledge in their own brains, each person carries a particular amount of knowledge, be it geographical, military, artistical, biological or any other type. This is the way this clan has found to avoid keeping knowledge in material objects. Of course, there is a major drawback, each time a clan-member dies, all the knowledge that that person had dies with them.

In order to overcome this problem, the Iroughough all carry a piece of paper around with the most important parts of the information they were supposed to have in their brains. This way, when someone new gets infected and becomes a member of the Iroughough, that person memorizes this piece of paper. The mindset that a kin'toni of this clan has is one of subtlety, every characteristic of the tribe fits into this description. The clothes they wear are simple, so is the food they eat and their activities throughout the days. Communication also fits this model, they have developed a form of communication that relies on signs and sounds.

The signs can be created using one’s hands and written on the ground or walls. The sounds on the other hand, mimic those of animals and natural phenomena, like the wind. This means that the communication between fellow members of this clan can sometimes be heard by strangers and be dismissed as simple sounds of nature. Secrets and the safe-keeping of said secrets is also a very important part of the culture of this clan. The main one is, of course, regarding the mutation that allows them not to be as dependent on blood, it is imperative that the kin'toni aware of this secret keep holding on to it until their dying breath.

For this is the edge of Iroughough tribe. If it is shared with the rest of Taerel, and especially the other kin'toni tribes, soon there won’t be any Iroughough left.

Government

Iafai is the beloved ruler of the Iroughough clan, he has been alive for almost a century and has led the clan through as much as four dozen of different regions and supporting each single member of the Iroughough through thick and thin, diseases and death. Not only is he a good leader and a strategic prodigy, but also a very caring leader, whose thoughts are always with his people. Furthermore, Iafai is in charge of every single decision that the clan makes, from food gathering to where to settle down for a while, to who gets what information to memorize. As the representative of the clan.

Iafai also memorizes all the knowledge every single member of the tribe possesses and is, therefore, the last safeguard of the Iroughough from absolute ignorance. Because of the age of the current ruler of the clan, the transference of power is already underway, mainly because it is a long process that happens over many years. The leader grooms a subject that he finds suitable for the position and teaches him everything he knows, then, little by little, the subject starts making more and more decisions for the ruler and, if the ruler finds them the correct decisions to be making, the subject eventually becomes the ruler, when the former deems himself unable to perform his duties.

Although this all seems like a lonely job, the leader is accompanied by advisors that prove themselves capable of giving advice. The diplomatic relationships with some zu'aan tribes are essential for the survival of the Iroughough and the danger that these will eventually stop existing is a source of constant worry for the leader of the clan. As a preventive measure, they are trying to improve their relationships with a specific group of kin'toni who are not hunting them. However, the difficulty in creating diplomatic alliances with other kin'toni derives also from the fact that no one would be interested in being an ally of a clan with a death-sentence.

The zu'aan is who they partially depend on for water supplies and blood. Creating any sort of counter attack against the clans that desire Iroughoughs demise is absolutely out of the question. They are stronger, more numerous and better equipped for confrontation. This means that the only answer left is to avoid confrontation and prepare the clan defensively, which means that one of the main goals of the government is to strategize plans and ways to protect the population of the clan from invaders. There are already worries that the new ruler will not be able to protect the community.

Many members of the clan have requested for Iafai to choose someone older, with more experience and knowledge of what the rest of Taerel is like. Despite these requests, Iafai has shown no signs of regretting his choice and he keeps on instructing this relatively young boy on ways to rule over the clan. This has led many to question the capabilities of the adored, although old, leader. But in the end, the majority still trust his judgement for the days to come.

Military

As it is obvious, the Military of the Iroughough clan can barely call itself a military, they are underprepared and severely underequipped to fight an army of a small zu'aan tribe. The clan members that have volunteered for the army are the most physically gifted but there is still a degree to which a strong physique can compete against a well-equipped and trained soldier. This means that entering the military for this clan has two possible consequences, it can mean you never actually enter a war or it can mean a certain death protecting your tribe against militaries far superior. Due to the lack of power of the Iroughough military, they are forced to rely on zu'aan mercenaries to fight the Sirin.

Or even to protect themselves from clans with similar goals to those of the Sirin. However, having mercenaries is something that has a cost and unfortunately the Iroughough do not have a way to pay for these troops for large amounts of time, this means that several months a year, since they came to the Umon Verdant Sands, they are depending only on the lackluster military they possess. Nevertheless, the Iroughough also have some advantages that arise from their subtlety, guerrilla warfare is their preferred way of fighting, sending soldiers to perform small but meaningful attacks on the enemy is where this small army excels.

In the war with Sirin, the Sirin could barely attack the enemy because all that they saw was a group of two or three soldiers blowing a specific checkpoint or poisoning the water supply. These attacks performed by the Iroughough require little equipment and rely almost solely on planning, something this clan excels at. Apart from the guerilla warfare, assassinations and spy work is a way for this weak clan to pay the zu'aan for their military assistance. Sometimes the clan receives a message with a particular objective that they need to see through.Be it an assassination or acquiring intelligence on a kin'toni or zu'aan clan.

Using long-ranged weapons is their preferred method of fighting when there is a direct collision between to opposite forces. This allows them to pose somewhat of a threat without needing to be in the face of the enemy, hand to hand combat is something they would be unlikely to win. If by any chance the fight ends up being a situation where one is face to face with the enemy, the Iroughough prefer to use long-ranged weapons, such as spears, this way keeping the enemy at bay becomes an easier task. And the last advantage they possess is that of the motivation of fighting together to protect a bond that is as strong as theirs.

Doing thru what this clan went through and not gaining a special motivation when fighting side-by-side with your peers is next to impossible.

Religion

Although the Iroughough have no religious link to a particular god or a group of gods, they look at their own community and the link they feel between all of them gives them the sense that there is something spiritual in the clan itself. The leader, Iafai, as the leader of the community, is considered the source of the spirituality. In spite of this, dogmatism is something that the Iroughough are not fond of, a dogmatic set of beliefs is part of the reason that they are hunted by several kin'toni clans. This means that despite de spirituality, there are no particular rules and it cannot be called a “religion” per se.

The mutation is what originated all the hate for the Iroughough. But it is also what brought them all together, therefore, despite all the suffering that it brough about, it is still hailed as a miracle and something this clan is very proud to have been a part of. Lastly, there is a spiritual symbol that all the members of this clan are aware of, it consists of a circle cut in the middle by a line and again by another line just over the first one. There are no physical representations of the symbol.

Not in books, nor in pieces of paper or paintings, it is a symbol that lives in the heads of the kin'toni of this clan. This is something that has always been a part of the Iroughough, since the early days of the clan and it used to be, and still is, a way to keep what they consider holy, for themselves. Only when a member has been in the clan for one entire year, can he or she be taught this symbol. And in the case someone describes this symbol to a member of another clan, be it a kin'toni clan or a zu'aan clan, that person will be, despite the lack of aggressiveness the Iroughough usually demonstrate, instantly killed.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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Iroughough Kin'toni Clan

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