Post by Kinzokan Krypt on Nov 10, 2015 21:03:30 GMT -8
An Introduction to Ash Kin, by unknown author.
Far to the north-west of the main continent, beyond the shipping lanes and strategically valuable seas, there lies a peculiar, if not extremely dangerous island of no particular importance. It has no name, but exists solely as a huge desert of ash and dust; a volcanic wasteland surrounding a mountain peak that spews smoke and fire into the air on a daily basis. The island itself consists of many tens of square miles and navigating it is no easy task, for dangerous creatures who have evolved in this (what can only be described as nightmarish) landscape stalk endlessly for prey. These creatures come in many varieties, including reptilian, insectoid, amphibian and avial. However, the most dangerous by far are the native sapient race of the island, who refer to themselves as the 'Ash Kin Tribe'.
The Ash Kin, though considering themselves a single tribe, are in fact fractured into many smaller ones. They are extremely primitive both culturally and technologically, but make up for this through their speed, their strength and their savage, warlike nature. Honed through hundreds of generations of harsh conditioning and and an 'only the strong survive' evolutionary philosophy, the Ash Kin are frightening to say the least.
Physically, they somewhat resemble elves; it is possible they are a distant cousin to some of them, but the Ash Kin have grey, ash-coloured skin and stand as seven-eight foot tall warriors of might, with their females a foot shorter on average. In all other accounts, they are similar to their cousins, including knife-shaped ears and youthful, if not violent appearances and purple eyes. They reside in small, nomadic camps and wear little clothing; in fact it is common for them to wear none at all. What little clothing and cultural artefacts they possess seem to, in some way, make use of the bones of the island's native and dangerous wildlife; crafted carefully into trinkets, or even armour plates. Weapons, too, seem to be made from sharpened bones, for ore and metal are near non-existent, despite their being more than enough heat required to smith with even the strongest ores. As an interesting note, the Ash Kin are extremely resistant to fire and heat; I have witnessed several sleeping on beds of volcanic rocks, still red and sizzling, simply to keep warm.
Culturally, each tribe of Ash Kin are led by a chieftain. All adults, women included, are warriors and hunters and spend much of their day either training for combat or in other ways preparing for it. Children are often taken into dangerous situations, albeit not to directly take part, in order to condition them to the harshness of their reality. Only pregnant females and mothers with young children are exempt from their military duties. Sexuality itself seems to play a large role in their society, for they do not shy from it as we do in civilized lands and often embrace it as not only a means of reproduction, but a common hobby in daily life.
However, their enemies are many. Whether rival tribes or beasts, the Ash Kin seem beset on all sides. As of writing, their numbers are estimated to have dwindled down to only a thousand and many seem to accept when questioned that their people are dying faster than they can be reproduce. In a few short decades, they may well face extinction due to the variety of factors actively working towards their demise. While I have made vigorous attempts to investigate further into the challenges and beasts that they face, my guides have refused me access to leave the camp. Instead, I am stuck behind with mothers and children, the former of whom scare the latter with stories of a particularly fearsome predator beast that stalks and kills their people, though they refuse to elaborate when questioned on the origins of these tales. Indeed, there seems to be some form of strict cultural privacy surrounding the issue of-
(The remaining pages are missing.)
Far to the north-west of the main continent, beyond the shipping lanes and strategically valuable seas, there lies a peculiar, if not extremely dangerous island of no particular importance. It has no name, but exists solely as a huge desert of ash and dust; a volcanic wasteland surrounding a mountain peak that spews smoke and fire into the air on a daily basis. The island itself consists of many tens of square miles and navigating it is no easy task, for dangerous creatures who have evolved in this (what can only be described as nightmarish) landscape stalk endlessly for prey. These creatures come in many varieties, including reptilian, insectoid, amphibian and avial. However, the most dangerous by far are the native sapient race of the island, who refer to themselves as the 'Ash Kin Tribe'.
The Ash Kin, though considering themselves a single tribe, are in fact fractured into many smaller ones. They are extremely primitive both culturally and technologically, but make up for this through their speed, their strength and their savage, warlike nature. Honed through hundreds of generations of harsh conditioning and and an 'only the strong survive' evolutionary philosophy, the Ash Kin are frightening to say the least.
Physically, they somewhat resemble elves; it is possible they are a distant cousin to some of them, but the Ash Kin have grey, ash-coloured skin and stand as seven-eight foot tall warriors of might, with their females a foot shorter on average. In all other accounts, they are similar to their cousins, including knife-shaped ears and youthful, if not violent appearances and purple eyes. They reside in small, nomadic camps and wear little clothing; in fact it is common for them to wear none at all. What little clothing and cultural artefacts they possess seem to, in some way, make use of the bones of the island's native and dangerous wildlife; crafted carefully into trinkets, or even armour plates. Weapons, too, seem to be made from sharpened bones, for ore and metal are near non-existent, despite their being more than enough heat required to smith with even the strongest ores. As an interesting note, the Ash Kin are extremely resistant to fire and heat; I have witnessed several sleeping on beds of volcanic rocks, still red and sizzling, simply to keep warm.
Culturally, each tribe of Ash Kin are led by a chieftain. All adults, women included, are warriors and hunters and spend much of their day either training for combat or in other ways preparing for it. Children are often taken into dangerous situations, albeit not to directly take part, in order to condition them to the harshness of their reality. Only pregnant females and mothers with young children are exempt from their military duties. Sexuality itself seems to play a large role in their society, for they do not shy from it as we do in civilized lands and often embrace it as not only a means of reproduction, but a common hobby in daily life.
However, their enemies are many. Whether rival tribes or beasts, the Ash Kin seem beset on all sides. As of writing, their numbers are estimated to have dwindled down to only a thousand and many seem to accept when questioned that their people are dying faster than they can be reproduce. In a few short decades, they may well face extinction due to the variety of factors actively working towards their demise. While I have made vigorous attempts to investigate further into the challenges and beasts that they face, my guides have refused me access to leave the camp. Instead, I am stuck behind with mothers and children, the former of whom scare the latter with stories of a particularly fearsome predator beast that stalks and kills their people, though they refuse to elaborate when questioned on the origins of these tales. Indeed, there seems to be some form of strict cultural privacy surrounding the issue of-
(The remaining pages are missing.)