The Clans of the Rend

The Clans of the Rend are a collection of various tribes and families formed of both bloodline and aligned families who have sworn fealty to the main Nine Clans. These are the Clans of McCreegan, McGowan, Calderwoode, O'Dimm, McBride, Horryn, Kascarda, Roarke, and Stuardt.

Structure

Each Clan of the Rend has a designated Clan Lord who traditionally is of the namesake family of the Clan. Each one is identified by both a color and an animal sigil, which is exemplified by a variety of dress.

• Clan McCreegan, the Red Stag: Clan McCreegan holds the lands right beyond the Carrion Cross, and have the largest amount of Clansmen and thusly the largest amount of territory. Their Clan Lord is Ardys McCreegan and their seat is the forest town of Creegspire. Ardys McCreegan is also one of the only people to successfully climbing the Stormspire, rewarded with a golden sword that carries the blasting light and force of a lightning strike, Fulminas.
• Clan McGowan, the Golden Fox: Clan McGowan holds domain over the near-endless wheat fields and mountainous gold mines of the Rend's southern hills. Their Clan Lord is Floss McGowan and their seat is the wheat-filled plains of Mjoll's Garden, named for Mjoll McGowan otherwise known as Mjoll Almsgiver, who fed the whole of the Rend from her garden for two years during the Long Famine.
• Clan Calderwoode, The Verdant Hawk: Clan Calderwoode commands the whole of the forests surrounding Mother's Mesa, being known for their extensive work in tree-planting, druidics, herbal and plant collection and distribution. Their Clan Lord is Quenton Calderwoode and their seat is the massive keep of Caldermast.
• Clan Kascarda, The Azure Wolf: Ther Clan Lord is Wulfe Kascarda and their seat is Castle Karn.
• Clan Stuardt, The Royal Hare: The Stuardts swore full fealty to the kingdom of Sonora and have since enjoyed riches, land, and easier terms and tidings with the royals. As masters of the few orchards within the Rend, they see to the distributions of fruits, mead, and wine across the whole of the region. Their Clan Lord is Alan Stuardt and their seat is Fort Callebach, built into the sides of the cliffs of Mother's Mesa.
• Clan Roarke, The Brown Boar: Clan Roarke is known best for their providing of hides and pelts, and tangling and mastery over beasts, having the most Ferans out of any other Clan, followed closely by Calderwoode. Their Clan Lord is Rowena Roarke and their seat is the aptly Bear Mountain, due to it being shaped like a bear.
• Clan McBride, The Owls Grey: The Pale Owl of Clan McBride speaks to the tribe's powerful diviners and seers, the clan itself all born with the bloodline power of foresight and prophetic visions. This often has the other clans approaching them for wisdom on crop-planting, preparation for fierce weather, and even strategy during wartime. Their Clan Lord is Lawrence McBride and their seat is Aeleoch Tower, right below Loch Mason.
• Clan Horryn, The White Ram: The White Ram of Horryn covers their massive clan that spans over the entirety of the deathly, monster-infested Baelfrost. Hardened by needing to survive in the cold, snow-blasted plains of the frost, this Clan's warriors are known to be near-invincible to frost and exhaustion, their Whitewraith Berserkers nearly impossible to equal in frontal battle. However, this has not stopped the colonization of their lands by the Kingdom of Sonora, and while most of the Clans have long since bent the knee, the Bears of Horryn refuse to give up their ancestral home, and continue to rebel to this day. Their Clan Lord is Aelyn Horryn and their seat is Auril's Crown.
• Clan O'Dimm, The Black Bear: The harsh coastal clan of O'Dimm are masters of arms craft, having learned from the dwarves of olden times. Their Clan Lord is Claudius O'Dimm and their seat is Dimm's Hollow, built within the large mountains placed right above the Barbed Coast. Claudius O'Dimm is also one of the few individuals who survived the climb up the Stormspire and was rewarded with a hammer that contains the harsh force of a thunderclap, Seism.

These vassal clans sit under the various clans above, protected and serving them to the best of their ability:

• Clan Lionhardt: A vassal clan to Clan McCreegan.
• Clan Flannery: A vassal clan to Clan McCreegan.
• Clan Sygein: A vassal clan to Clan McBride.
• Clan McNeil: A vassal clan to Clan Mc Bride.
• Clan Greum: A vassal clan to Clan Kascarda.
• Clan Douglas: A vassal clan to Clan McGowan.
• Clan Boid: A vassal clan to Clan O'Dimm.
• Clan Cordan: A vassal clan of Clan Calderwoode.
• Clan Margan: A vassal clan of Clan Horryn.

Culture

• Kinfolds: From birth, each clan member has bestowed upon them a piece of cloth colored to match the Clan from which they are descended or are a part of. This cloth is known as a Kinfold, and is often worn in a variety of ways due to its versatile nature. Many wear it simply over the shoulder, but others don it as cloaks, capes, skirts, vests, and other ways based on their own preference. This allows them their Clan to be easily identified, and over the course of their lives they receive new Kinfolds to match their growth, particularly at their first and second decade of living. However, this does not mean that all discard their old Kinfolds, but rather integrate them into their outfit. The fineness and detail of their Kinfolds can also be based on their level of royalty and importance.
• Dueling: The Rend recognizes a man's right to declare, refuse, or take part in a duel in regards to grievances or in matters of honor. These can be either to first blood, until surrender, or until death, depending on the nature of the duel.
• Fera: The Clans of the Rend have a few members who engage in the Beast Rites of Fera, in which they pledge their loyalty and soul to the Wildmother, which then allows them to transform into animals that align with their personality. Wulfe Kascarda, for instance, is a Wolven Fera. Use of this ability allows them to serve as their own guard dogs, spies, shepherd dogs, and even mounts in some cases, but if a Feran remains in their animal form for too long, they can begin to lose their human sensibilities, resulting in heightened senses, emotions, and feral behaviors while they are in human form. This can reach to the point that a Feran can become an animal permanently, some of which can actually be a personal choice.

Assets

• Stormiron: Despite the rumors of the Stormspire being a place where you can be rewarded for climbing and meeting Kord at its peak. The mountain also houses a very rare metal whose properties support the myth, even if the god is not the one who actively bestows it to them. Stormiron is a highly conductive metal that holds a constant charge of electricity and must be mined with ether wood-handled, stone, or diamond picks to avoid being shocked. Even the small shards can shock an individual enough to cause heavy damage, and once mined it must be handled carefully with special non-conductive tools and gloves, as it is still conductive from ore to ingot to being fully smithed.

Demography and Population

Most of the Clans are made up of humans, with a small interspersing of elves, goliaths, and dwarves. This has also created a small demographic of half-elves and half-dwarves, and halflings and gnomes have been known to also be present within the lands as well.

Territories

The Clans control Mother's Mesa, the Stormspire, the Baelfrost, the Riven, Auril's Crown, Loch Mason, and many others.

Type

Geopolitical, Clan

Capital

Aeleoch Tower

Alternative Names

The Barbarian Clans, The Warring Clans to the East, The Quilt

Demonym

Rendish, Rendian, Rend

Power Structure

Semi-autonomous area

Economic System

Market economy

Official State Religion

The Gods of the Dawn War

Parent Organization

The Kingdom of Sonora

Location

Albion

Controlled Territories

• The Eastern Rend

Neighboring Nations

• The Arc of the Beryl Soul
• The Caste of the Starsoul