Clans

Clans

The Clans of Abhaile still play a big role to this day in determining the culture and philosophies one is raised with. Each clan is still responsible for the tutelage of their young, and these methods of teaching vary drastically from clan to clan.

Aghalee

There is an idea often spread that the Aghalee are often distant in the mind, that their dreaming philosophy untethers them from the reality of the world. That they rely upon stone to protect them, or that they worship the Lunar Flowerage above with too much fervor. Other's praise them for the Architectural skills they have provided the city as a whole, while some criticize them for being led exclusively by crones who claim to interpret the laws laid down by the moon above, the myths of the Pale Wood and the starless sky. Others fear their connection the the High Path, and the way that they can make stone flow beneath their hands like water.
The Aghalee place vast importance on the Lunar Flowerage above, its form ever changing but it's presence in the night sky. This constant has inspired a philosophy around life that revolves around mental escape and detachment. In their minds, defense and detachment are the same thing as it is thought that the only way to survive in a world as cruel as this one is to allow horror to wash over and away from you. This philosophy manifested in the ancient stone walls of Aghalee, conjured from the very foundations of the mountains of itself, pulled up by magic of The High Path. Though its majority is long gone (razed by -King Patrick, the dividing builder-), some houses in the Steps and the Overlook are made from sections of their once massive and impenetrable walls, decorated from foot to head in columns of intertwining petals.
The Aghalee were the first ones to unlock the magic of the High Path. The High Path is a power that comes from the petals which fall from the Lunar Flowerage above, and through their observation of the beasts known as lunar princesses- they learned the secrets of how to draw out that power. It was through this power that they were able to carve stone so intricately, and how they were able to learn the secrets of stone architecture. To this day, their creations stand as a test of time, and the magical foundations they set up are still taught the young Draoi that enter the Covered Tower to learn the secrets of the High Path.
The Aghalee rely heavily on their dreams, and more importantly the divination of the Lunar Petals movements above as they move through the night sky. This divination is not seen as a means of predicting the future, but as a means of revealing the convoluted inner truths that we all carry inside of ourselves. The Aghalee believe that if one can let go of the things that hinder our personal actualization, they would become a perfect fighter- perfectly relying on instinct. This is why the Aghalee culture places heavy significance on the interpretation of dreams, as dreams are a means of connecting with their inner obscurities.
The Aghalee wear clothing that mimics the petals of the Lunar Flowerage above, regardless of whether they are made from Flowerage material. This loose fitting clothing catches the wind, and will always have designs that turn more grey as they approach the ground.

As a Aghalee you gain the following benefits:
Ability Score Increase: You can increase your Intelligence or Wisdom by 2, You can increase an ability score of your choice by 2
High Magic Upbringing: The Aghalee learn High Magic from a very young age. You may choose two Cantrips of your choice and one 1st level spell of your choice. Gain proficiency in your choice of Arcana or Religion.
Dreaming adept: The Aghalee have advantage on all saving throws to make them fall asleep from any means, and have advantage on perception checks while asleep.
Language: You Know Common and High Aghalee.

Dromore

There is an idea often spread that the Dromorians stray too close to the natural world in philosophy. The first Drui came from Dromore, and it was their usage of the Low Path that prevented their territory being overtaken. Some fear that the rituals of community they enact out of ancient tradition are too close to the rituals of the Drui. Others fear the cohesion that their strong ties create. The intricate battle formations with living spears, the strength of complete trust, sagas are sung of how they moved as one.
The Dromorians raise their young communally. Dromorian belief holds firm the idea that one must be well-rounded to make it in this world, thus being raised by two parents is simply not enough. When a baby is born to the Dromorians, their parents state their skills and others will volunteer to fill in the gaps. This practice of communal family units continues to this day, as Dromorian education is still done by multiple parent-tutors, and it make Dromorians some of the most well rounded citizens of Abhaile.
Dromorians have incredible cohesion when fighting together. Stories are told of their rotating spear walls and the instincts they have when reacting as a unit. This all stems from their philosophy that the only true advantage the beasts have is their size and their ability to adapt. All people and all monsters are just flesh, so logically the way you fight a monster on equal footing is with an equal amount of flesh. Abilities and skill have their places and of course do help, but the only way the Dromorians believe that they can survive and fight to their fullest is by equaling the flesh of the monster by working as one unit.
Dromorians were also the first Clan to find the means of casting through the Low Path. Their is a tale of the mighty deadened thorn walls that used to surround the city, made in response to the stone walls of Aghalee. They had cliffside farms, and while the means of making these farms has been lost to time, the stone structures that they used to grow crops on still stand.
Dromorian's grow up very musically inclined, as they originally recorded their history through their songs. The Dromorians are where the roots of Many-Handed Music formed as with few instruments they had it was near impossible to decide who should own them and more importantly who got to play them. This spawned orchestras that made do with 4-5 instruments, relying on skill and cooperation to play.
As a Dromorian you gain the following benefits:
Abilitiy Score Increase: You can boost either your Charisma or your Constitution by 2. You can boost another ability score of your choice by 2
Dromorian Cohesion: Dromorian's train to fight together. If they are within 5 feet of an ally you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls. Gain Proficiency in Persuasion and either Nature or Animal Handling.
Dromorian Insight: Dromorians are highly adept at knowing what their fellow mortal is thinking. Gain expertise in insight.
Language: You know Common and Developed Dromnorian

Moam

There is an idea often spread, that the Moamians crave blood. A superstition fueled by the ancient stories of their ferocity in battle. How they compose poems to their weapons and cry with passion after each strike. The way they mastered the use of ancient blades of iron and steel, many of which have rusted to nothing like the powerful bodies of those ancient warriors. How each Moamian was unpredictable, as every one from their tribe fought to their specific ability and without formation.
Moamians pride themselves on personal strength and personal discipline. They have long been the clan that produces some of Abhaile’s fiercest and most cunning warriors. This is in part thanks to one of their philosophies The wolf-beast caught alone dies, where the lone bear-beast thrives”. Individuality, the skill that only one person can possess because of inevitable life experience is what makes one strong. This philosophy is plainly seen in Abhaile’s ancient mountaintop wars, the Moamians never once fought in formation. They would always run in loose and disorganized ranks with warriors allowing for lots of space between each other-to allow their allies to remain unimpeded as they did their bloody business.
Contrary to what the other clans will tell you, Moamians believe that if you have drawn your weapon, you either have already achieved victory-or somewhere you have made a mistake. This surrounds a philosophy gained from generations of experience fighting the creatures below- it is unwise to try and tangle with a creature that clearly overpowers you, or one that you know nothing about. Instead, allow it to act first- reveal its hand, and then drop on the flesh it did not know it had exposed. In everyday practice, Moamians carry this idea with them, choosing to deal with problems in every way they can see, before showing foes why their clan is known for their warriors.
Moamian Fashion developed from their silent speech. Long ago there used to be a language that allowed one to interpret hand movements to communicate, but this made too much motion which creatures could pick up. This developed over time into the Moamian Silent Speech, which involves the layering of one hand over the other, and through small taps of the fingers, sentences and ideas can be conveyed. When in situations when touch cannot occur, they have a vocabulary of face shapes that convey basic emotions and ideas like “Go, Stop, Forward, Left, Right” and so on. These face shapes over time developed into masks that are personifications of the idea that emotion represents.
As a Moamian you gain the following benefits:
Ability Score Increase: Raise your Strength or Dexterity by 2. Raise one ability score of your choice by 2
Moamian Combat Training: Moamians train as individuals, and work their best to rely on only themselves. When you’re not within 5 feet of any ally you have +1 to attack rolls. Gain proficiency in Athletics or Acrobatics.
Decisive Movement: You have been trained to read a battlefield, and learn to move quickly and decisevely. As a bonus action you can choose to move your speed as a bonus action. You can do this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus.
Language: You Know Common and Moamian.
Moamian Silent Speak: Developed in response to creatures with hearing keen enough to hear the slightest whisper. Up close it is a language enacted by finger swipes and taps on specific fingers to signify words with as little movement as possible.