 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||
Clans |
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
The Deep Basket are a very low status portering clan based in the north west. They follow Karakan, and are known among the merchants of the area as a clan willing to leave the safety of the Sakbe road and the settled areas if the money is right. All members have Teamwork 1, Hiking 1, and the Stamina attribute, and half will have Wilderness Survival and/or Hunting and/or Sling skill. They are descended from a mountain clan from the Tlatkolel Heights and there is a branch of the clan in western Yan Kor. They hate Pijenani; traditionally the Khishan speaking tribes of Tlatkolel have resisted the rule of the Pijenan preist-kings, when the latter have been bothered to exert it. The Carved Stick clan are an low status agricultural clan in Do Chaka. In 240AS Tràkonel II ordered the clan to adopt several Pé Chói lineages from local tribes in order to bind them more closely to the Empire. The arrangement started to collapse when the Black Old One was rediscovered in 991 and the various Pé Chói lineages began to fight among themselves. The clan split three ways: the Carved Stick are the human lineages who remained loyal to their traditional god Avanthe; the Black Stick are those lineages, both Pé Chói and human, who adopted The Black Old One and Hrü'ü; the White Stick are those Pé Chói who stayed loyal to the father of Nests. The three clans have feuded intermittently ever since, and the remaining Carved Sticks are often prejudiced against Pé Chói. A Low clan of wood carvers who traditionally have the monopoly on producing the masks used by the Temple of Ksarul. They also make masks and headresses for other temples, most notably demon masks for Hru'u and Dlamelish, and will work for Stability priests. They make small wooden statues for private devotions and sacrifices, sold by the hawkers of small time mercantile clans. Their most exceptional artists have been commissioned to make entire wooden idols. Based in Purdimal with small clanhouses in all large cities. Smaller Ksarul temples will import their masks from the closest Wooden Smile clanhouse. Like all low clans devoted to Ksarul they are exceptionally pleased when one of their members joins the priesthood and provide members of the Temple guard. In Purdimal they are part of the consortium of artisan clans who finance the Temple of Ey'ún, Knower of Skills. The Long Tails are a medium-rank all-Pé Chói clan who are spread all over Tsolyanu. The integration of Pé Chói into human societies has been going on since Engsvanyali times, and this clan was apparently recognised by a ruler of Bey Su during the Time of No kings over 3000 years ago. They have clan houses in Bey Su and as far afield as Fasiltum and Chene Ho, as well as some of the small towns such as Yi'ita. They are mainly civil servants with a few apothecaries and doctors specialising in Pé Chói medicine. The Long Tails came to Tumissa about 1000 years ago and are regarded as a Middle Clan in that city; many members of the clan have served as Nipw-nchopk and a few have been Tii-petk for the Pé Chói district. They are equally divided between followers of the Father of Nests and the Black Old One; unlike their country cousins they are not deeply religious and all get along fine, though there is a little friction between those who join the priesthoods of the human temples. The Blue Carapace clan of Bey Su claim descent from members of the mythical contingent of Pé Chói sorcerers who fought alongside Ksárul at Domoron Plain in the same way as some lineages in human clans (Cloak of Azure Gems, Dark Flame etc) claim descent from Ksárul's human servitors at the battle. They in fact only date back to the reign of Nriqa Gachike (984-1010), and were formed by him from high ranking Pe Choi who had converted to the Black Old One. Still a powerful clan in Bey Su, considered to be a High ranking clan on a par with the Grey Wand, though less respected at their other clanhouses in Purdimal, Thraya and Usenanu. |