Xaldtai Kin'toni Clan

History

Biology

Dark green irises with black sclerae and crescent pupils The Xaldtai have more money than perhaps many other groups of zu'aan or kin'toni, with the exception of the major cities. This allows them to buy the best money can offer, they feed themselves with the best food, drink the best wines, essentially all that they put in their bodies is of the best quality in all of Taerel, this means that the body of a Xaldtai clan member is usually in perfect condition, with the necessary amount of muscle mass. There are also almost no physical problems that the members of this clan go through in their lives.

There are no illnesses, no problems in the joints or muscles, the body is almost in its peak condition, even if only take relatively good care of it, this is already engraved in their genes. Additionally, the Xaldtai have unusual long lives, they seem to age much slower after they reach the age of thirty, one can look at the dark green irises with black sclerae and crescent pupils of a kin'toni that seems to be very young and only then realize that they are almost a century old. This could also be attributed to the quality of things the Xaldtai consume.

The oldest kin'toni of the clan is a woman named Threia and she is about two-hundred and ten years and although she does not look this age, her features are already those of an older kin'toni. Along with food, it is costumery for the Xaldtai to purchase many serums and herbs from different towns, these purchases that they make usually result in some sort of biological transformation, over time, in the body of a Xaldtai. For example, there is a valuable combination of herbs that grant the person who eats them the ability to go weeks without sleeping.

Many of the Xaldtai have bought this combination of herbs and, as a conclusion, their bodies now naturally resist sleep. This clan also has a particular connection with the moon and the tides, due to unknown reasons, they feel more powerful when the moon is visible and its light shines on the earth. This was not always the case, however, in recent years, many Xaldtai have reported to feeling this way, weather it is true or not that the members of this clan have a connection with the moon, it is true that they feel it. Unfortunately, being accustomed to high quality goods.

The Xaldtai have developed quite an adverse reaction to low-quality nourishment. Although this is rare due to the fact that they never willingly purchase anything that isn’t of the highest quality, a Xaldtai who consumes, for example, terrible food, may fall to the ground and have an intense allergic reaction, which in the best cases leaves the kin'toni out of breath and vomiting for days, and in the worst case can cause the airways to block and the member of the clan to suffocate. There were many assassination attempts using this method.

It is maybe the easiest way of attacking such a powerful clan in a more indirect fashion.

Culture

The culture of the Xaldtai clan is based on a couple of aspects, one of them being wealth. Wealth is regarded as the ultimate goal of this clan; however, this does not only mean monetary wealth, it means that the Xaldtai always strive for the best in every single thing they do. It is unthinkable for a member of this clan to achieve something that does not represent the full potential of what they could achieve. Being something other than perfect is a huge shame for the kin'toni of the Xaldtain clan. Although there is no punishment for performing in an average way.

The kin'toni often punish themselves through self-flagellation if they think that their actions are not redeemable. The society in itself is built on this idea of shame, kin'toni get promoted according, partially, to their opinion of themselves, every member of this tribe trusts each other to uphold the unwritten agreement that those who are faring better than other in specific areas will them rise in the ranks. Those who’s feats are not very impressive do not even try to achieve positions of power, because they know that they are not worthy of being rulers or important member of this society.

Woman as regarded as equals to men, the Xaldtai care about results, not how these are achieved, or by whom they are achieved. This was not always the case, after the outbreak, in the beginning of the second Era, the Xaldtai that existed were primarily a clan for male kin'toni, they thought that the way to power and wealth was through things that could only be obtain through the characteristics of male warriors. However, it was when the met the woman who later became their leader that they changed and minds and accepted that working together with other powerful kin'toni.

No matter their traits, was more likely to lead them to their goal. The kin'toni of this tribe are always striving for being as wealthy as one can be, which means that when a particular member loses a significant amount of his or her wealth in any way, they have a limited amount of time to recuperate that money, otherwise they will be stripped of every single thing they own by the clan and sent out into Taerel to survive without any help. Because most of the Xaldtai are accustomed to the highest quality of everything, this punishment ends up meaning an almost certain death.

Those who do not lose any item, but that lose the mentality that the Xaldtai all possess, are also cast out. One cannot be seen doing something that demonstrated a stark contrast between that action and the values of the clan, something as simple as giving money to a kin'toni beggar on the road can be a motive for banishment. The members of this clan also refuse to produce, they do not rely one bit on agriculture and other forms of production, be it food production or any other kind. Delving in such matters is only for the poor, according to the Xaldta.

It is not a respectful occupation and should be left to those who have no dignity or honor. To compensate this, the Xaldtai focus almost solely on purchasing those items or pillaging towns in order to obtain then. More recently, their alliance with Manyl also helped them with this.

Government

Lanaia is the one of the most powerful female kin'toni of the landmass, she is the second leader of the Xaldtai and is trusted by all her people and advisors. Although she rules with an iron fist, the kin'toni know that she would go farther for them than any other being, in their right mind, would. She lives in the biggest construction of the settlement and, from there, rules over every single aspect of the clan. Many have tried to take her place, but the people’s love for her is so strong that any coup attempts are taken care of by the members of the clan themselves.

Politics was not terribly important for the first leader of the Xaldtai, their only mission was to pillage and amass all that they could and, to succeed, they had to roam Taerel for generations. This was definitely a tiring task, but after pillaging more towns than almost any other kin'toni or zu'aan tribe has ever pillaged, they finally decided that it was time to settle down. Unfortunately, shortly after this decision, the first leader of the Xaldtai, the woman they had found almost a century and a half ago, died peacefully in her sleep.

Despite this being a horrible time for the Xaldtai, it was a period marked by a change in their political attitude, it took many hours of discussions to agree to a cease-fire with the members of the Manyl clan, the whole process ended up benefiting both clans, but it was only possible due to the larger focus on politics that the new leader, at the time, Lanaia. This alliance with Manyl takes up most of the time of Lanaia’s political advisors, there are currently no wars and almost no kin'toni clan or zu'aan tribe dare to approach the swamplands.

This means that this peaceful time has allowed them to focus almost solely on improving even further the relationship that Xaldtai has with Manyl. The two clans are now actively sharing resources, soldiers, they are coordinating small attacks together, they are having discussions about the apparent beginning of a new era. Many members of both clans are already discussing the possibility of them becoming one single tribe; however, their leaders are not fully on board with this situation. There is a special task performed by a few members of the Xaldtai that consists in spreading their beliefs and trying to convince other kin'toni to join them.

Normally, this group of Xaldtai clan members travel for years, their mission is to go to as many places that they can and recruiting more people, even if this means giving up their lives for the cause. This means that over the years, the Xaldtai population keeps growing and their power increases with it. In the end, the Xaldtai hope that this means a complete and utter political domination over all kin'toni, they believe that there should be political ties with every single member of their species.

Military

The Xaldtai are very proud of their powerful military, it is incredibly powerful and it has been this way for almost two centuries now. This clan used to rely on their superior numbers and peak physical condition to have an impact on the battlefield. However, this has changed and over the years, the Xaldtai have been able to acquire, with the money they have accumulated, the best gear and weapons for their soldiers. Of course, it depends on the type of soldiers, but the armor is usually similar for all soldiers, despite its low weight, it is made from the best metals of Taerel and by the best blacksmiths.

With whom the Xaldtai have exclusive contracts. If the blacksmiths end up making armor for other tribes or clans, they will be killed instantly. This is not the only reason for this, there are almost no people in the world that are capable of paying for such an exquisite armor set. The metal has the color of silver and it is able to sustain quite a lot of power, a swing from an axe at the center of the breastplate will only dent it and leave the Xaldtai out of breath, but it will prevent an instant death. When light hits the armor, especially moonlight, its silver tone becomes blueish and can serve as camouflage.

There are three weapons a member of this clan can carry, the first one is a longsword that, although it is very thin, is able to cause severe damage to the enemy. It is especially good due to its reduced weight and, therefore, ability to be used quickly. The second weapon is a sort of trident that can be used as a normal weapon but it is also thrown by some soldiers, although this is not recommended due to the quality of the weapon. The third one is a set of daggers; they are both short but deceptively heavy and are able to cut a kin'toni or zu'aan in two with relative ease.

Together with any of these weapons, the Xaldtai carry a shield that is long and golden, just like the longsword, it is not at all heavy and warriors with an increased agility can benefit immensely from it. Although this was once an extensive army, their numbers have started to dwindle since they have settled down and the kin'toni members of the clan desired to focus on other aspects of society. Also due to their allegiance with Manyl, an army as big as they once had, is no longer necessary. However, if there is ever the necessity for these two clans to fight a common enemy.

Then there is nothing to fear, their numbers together and equipment quality will compensate for any lack of manpower there could ever be. In recent years, they have been, however, gathering men and training more kin'toni than they had for decades, some of the other clans know this and have started speculating what this could be about, the only thing they are sure of is that whatever it is, it’s not good news.

Religion

Xaldtai is not known for its connections with religion, however, some of their members do engage in the worship of the moon, it is seen as a representative of their current and beloved ruler, Lanaia. The moon is always connected with the females of the tribe, and the sun is connected with the male kin'toni. This has always been this way, the power of the moon is not as loud and evident as the sun, nevertheless, it controls the oceans and lights up the dark forests and paths during the night. She is always looking after the kin'toni when everything else has faded, at least according to Xaldtai.

Fortunately, there has not yet been a Xaldtai male leader, worshipping the sun appears to be a much more daunting task, it is precisely something that hurts the kin'toni, however, therein lies its power. Because of the respect they have for the moon and its kingdom, that they consider to be the oceans, the Xaldtai refuse enter them, there have been times in which days have been spent walking around a patch of land that could have simply been avoided by taking a boat. In spite of this making their lives increasingly difficult, it is something that they take as seriously as one can take it.

The day a Xaldtai traverses a large body of water is the day the world changes for the worse. The idea that all kin'toni should work together as one group, one species, is something that the Xaldtai also blindly believe. They think that there is a natural tendency between different kin'toni clan members to be strong allies, and their connection with Manyl has strengthened this belief. However, they do not think that every single clan is equal, not even that every kin'toni in one clan are equals, they think that there should be things that separate them.

These things that separate them are connected with their constant pursuit of “the best”, which is a religion in itself. If one does not achieve their potential, they are inserted in a particular, less privileged, part of the society. This ensures that there is a constant change in the society itself, the one at the bottom are not the ones at the bottom for long, and the same goes for those who occupy higher positions in society, even the leader isn’t safe from these constant changes.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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Xaldtai Kin'toni Clan

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