Raag clans

Raag males are extremely territorial, and the strongest among them don’t bend to the will of others easily. It was inevitable that, when so many of them were forced to live so close, fights would arise for leadership. When the females put a stop to the inner fighting, many of the alpha males decided to split off from the community and establish their own clan, and each took with him a large number of eager followers. Thus, the different clans were born. 
In the beginning, the clans were composed solely of warriors and each was led by a gladiator. However, the growing influence and power of the Cult saw that they were also included among the clan’s ranks. As time passed, the strongest clans grew from small camps to small cities. Workers became a necessity to maintain and expand the cities and so the clans turned from small armies into small communities. 
The weaker clans were eventually consumed by the others until only five clans remained in control of most of the land on Heimis. While there are still many minor clans, most of them have nomadic lives, living on the surface of the planet as hunters and following the movements of wild animals. Many of these clans are composed of raag that never went back to the Surani after their childhood.
== Kimora ==
The members of the Kimora clan are known for their physical strength, honor, and courage, and for despising treachery, cowardice, and mindless violence. They are the oldest and most respected clan; their influence and authority is second only to the High Council. Even so, their honorable ways and their concern for the well-being of the Surani has secured them the support of the High Council in most matters.
While not the most numerous clan, they possess the strongest army and their warriors are renowned for their prowess in battle. Even the workers and other civilians are given military training. They will sometimes work as mercenaries for the Corvo in exchange for vehicles, weapons, and food, although they will always do so under their own terms. 
Ever since the Cult started gaining power, the Kimora have disregarded them and attempted to limit their influence and status. The distrust the Kimora feel towards the Cult and their dislike for technology are only enhanced by the knowledge that they need both to survive. For years, the Kimora have tried to find an alternative to the Cult, but the Cult’s culture of fear within the High Council has caused them to prohibit the sharing of knowledge and technology with other species. The Kimora are extremely careful when choosing enginseers during the Culling, approaching only those that have proven their worth, and even then, they must pledge their loyalty to the clan as soon as they enter it. Being chosen by the Kimora is a great honor and they never lack enginseers among their ranks.
== Eferi ==
The Eferi clan is both mysterious and powerful. It was funded by members of the Shadow Council and, with the support of the Cult, it quickly rose to become one of the most prominent and feared clans. 
The members of the Eferi are ambitious and shrewd, and many raag who are invited to join the Eferi during the Culling are trained by the Cult. The warriors in their midst are usually smaller than those of other clans, but they make up in cunning and technology what they lack in brute force. 
Despite being the least numerous clan, their advanced technology, mysterious ways, and their alliance with the Cult have secured them a privileged status. They are led by a War Council composed mainly of enginseers, although the number of warriors in it keeps rising.
 It was through the Eferi that the Cult found a way to grow and become something more than simple counselors, advisors, and technicians. The Eferi became the means for the Cult to fulfil their ambitions and achieve their goals. It allowed them to expand by separating themselves from their dependence on the Surani, and by allowing them to recruit new members during the Culling, eventually allowing them to command their own army and ice fortresses. But as the Eferi grew and became more complex, differences between them and the Cult arose, and they were no longer comfortable being lackeys of the Cult. The resulting power struggle hurt both of them, and they were forced to acknowledge that they needed each other. An alliance ensued in which both were considered equals.
Ever since the Eferi was founded, they have been in conflict with the Kimora, who look down on them and their ways, and believe them to be nothing but pawns of the Cult. The Eferi wish to take out the Kimora, the only clan whose opinions carry more weight than those of the Cult in the High Council, but they are aware of the risks of an open battle with them and for now, only small skirmishes between ice fortresses have taken place.
== Noteri ==
The Noteri is composed of outcasts. Those who are not approached by other clans during the Culling are given the choice of joining the Noteri. Those who join understand the implications and the price they are paying for being part of the clan. They will be scorned by other clans for the rest of their lives, but they will also be feared. The Noteri favor smaller spaceships over the large ice fortresses, since they are more suitable for their savage raids. They will attack isolated colonies and ice fortresses of other clans, leaving no survivors and nothing to implicate them, ensuring that no retaliation can be taken against them. The members of the Noteri are savage, ruthless, and fearless. They respect nothing and they will stop at nothing to survive.
The Noteri don’t have any establishments on Heimis. Most of them live aboard their spaceships and those that remain on Heimis will never stay in the same place for long, to avoid being found by those in other clans. Their lack of ice fortresses and land means their survival depends solely on the success of their raids. As their numbers grow, they become more aggressive and their hunger for power and lust for battle leads them to more reckless raids, some of them against planets of other species.
They have frequent dealings with the Corvo, who find their lack of morals very convenient. While they are not as powerful as the Kimora, they are much more willing to do dirty work in exchange for new ships and weapons and a sizeable part of the loot.
== Velada ==
The Velada is the most populous clan, and almost one third of the raag population belongs to it. The members of the Velada are hard working and non-violent for raag standards and most of them work as builders, artisans, or farmers. Despite having a sizeable army, they show little interest in warfare and use it only to protect their cities - especially from Noteri raids (although being the largest clan means that they will be the target of most other clans at one point or another). This has led them to have frequent dealings with the Kimora, who will offer additional protection to their fleets and cities in exchange for the services of their builders and artisans.
They are the only clan to have established colonies on other planets, where they produce large amounts of food and have access to resources that cannot be found on Heimis. Unlike the other clans, they are capable of producing everything they need and, since they don’t need to roam the galaxy seeking resources, they can use their ice fortresses solely to move resources between the colonies and Heimis.
The Velada have started to show a keen interest in the enginseers during the Culling, as they have realized that they can enhance the productivity of their colonies and probably even improve the work of their builders and artisans with their help. The Cult has seen this as an attack against them that might risk their monopoly over technology, but they have been unable to do anything to stop it as it has the full support of the High Council.
== Jino ==
The Jino is a small clan of explorers. Its members are adventurous, curious, and so peaceful that during their childhood, when most raag are forced to leave the Surani due to their violent behaviour, they were allowed to remain there. Despite that, most of those who join the Jino choose to leave the Surani of their own will to venture into the depths of the Crystal Abyss, their curiosity driving them to explore the world around them. Bright and curious, many of those who are chosen to be Jino have been trained by the Cult.
Most of their population lives aboard small ice fortresses, and those that remain on Heimis live in small towns near the Surani. Their ice fortresses will be gone for years at a time, traveling deeper into the Labyrinth than any other species has ever traveled. They are the only clan that has a close and friendly relation with the Iz’kal, with whom they trade knowledge of the Labyrinth in exchange for advanced navigation technology and spaceships. Sometimes, they will take groups of iz’kal explorers and scientists on their travels, and some of their members have spent short periods of time living in the State. 
The Jino are the only clan that doesn’t have an army and also the only clan not led by a War Council. The captains of each ice fortress are the closest thing to a leader in the clan and they are in charge of the administration of food and resources for the entire clan. Still, most proposals and decisions are submitted to a referendum in which every member affected by it can vote. Since the different ice fortresses are filled with like-minded raag who share the same curiosities, the outcome of the referendums tends to be pretty unanimous and those who voted otherwise behave in a civil manner.
Category:Raag
Category:Faction
Category:Raag Factions