Kinj

The kinjes without hosts

A **Kinj** is the equivalent to a soul or a life essence, having originated from powerful otherwordly beings called The Seven. They had immense power that deemed them Gods in the Blackblood culture. A portion of their powers were stored in the kinj. These kinjes are semi-living beings that require a host to both survive and exhibit powers. There were seven kinjes in existence, each of a different color and power-set, to represent each member of The Seven. Once removed from The Seven, the kinjes granted new hosts with abilities based on their originators unique powers. The Seven were rendered unconscious after the separation of their soul, and awakened when they were returned.

Six of the kinjes were were destroyed along with their hosts when Talon banished them to the The Void. The only kinj that remains in existence is the Asterkinj.

## History

There were seven known Kinjes that originated from ancient beings from another world, who were called Gods because of the immense power they wielded. The kinjes were the keys to their souls, their being, and sources of strength. The Seven were separated from their kinjes by the betrayer of their group, Aster, who had grown fond of the humans who inhabitated the world. He didn't believe in killing his siblings, and instead, crafted weapons from a material not of the Green World. He made them into Ahl-Kora Blades and gifted them to trusted humans to wield, as he could not act against the interest of the collective. Once his siblings were stabbed with the blades, their kinjes were separated from their bodies and collected by Aster. He brought the six kinjes to Vor-Anden, where he sealed them away in compartments within a podium. He spread the bodies of the Seven across the realm in sarcophagus' buried in underground caves. Aster's kinj, however, was passed onto a Blackblood woman who was given the title "Guardian of the Asterkinj". With the separation of his kinj, Aster was given a cermonial burial in Vor-Anden. The Asterkinj was passed down through generations of the family bloodline to remain safe and protected. It was a contigency plan in case their was ever a need to awaken Aster.

According to Blackblood lore, the kinjes were bestowed upon seven great warriors that were tasked with protecting the kinjes and doing with them as they deemed fit to protect their people. Over time, others sought the kinjes powers for themselves and stole them from the shrine or the warriors. In recent years, The Three, who are not Blackbloods, each wielded a kinj to help them stay in power.

Certain kinjes were deemed too powerful to risk falling into the hands of those who would abuse its powers, notably the Terakinj and Vortakinj. The Terakinj had the power to kill anyone its host touched, while giving its host a seemingly immortal life. The Dragman's came into posession of the kinj until a slaughter nearly annhilated the race. A blackblood named Sai-vek Redwan inadvertantly took the kinj whie trying to save the Dragman's life. Upon realizing the depths of the power he now possessed, he had his wife, who bore the Asterkinj, to send him to the Plane of Ashes. He took with him a Meld Box that contained the location of Vortakinj.

The Vortakinj had unique mental manipulating powers that forced those infected with its offspring kinjes to conform to a hive mind. Because of its dangerous powers and the potential it held to ruin modern civilizations, it was secured in a citadel locked within a Yindrian labyrinth, thought a lowly outpost was built over it years later. The labyrinth tested the seeker's abilities both mentally and physically. It tested the seekers emotional traits to ensure they were suitable to bear the power of the kinj.

Because the Blackbloods became an endangered species through the acts of genocide, oppression, and inner turmoil, the lore surrounding kinjes was lost to the newest generation of inhabitants. Many believed those that wielded the kinjes had the powers of Gods, and ruled as a direct result of the Gods power.

## Physiology

The exact physiological elements of a kinj remain much of a mystery. They contain the subconscious souls of their originators, thus, holding fragments of thier memories, personality traits, and a portion of their supernatural abilities. Because The Seven cannot act against the collective due to their nature, their powers are obsolete against one another. Golu's power to manipulate minds was useless on Aster, a protective aspect that existed with every mentally volatile kinj. When separted from their originators, the bodies of The Seven fell into a deep state of unconsciousness that bordered on death. The Seven's kinjes only returned to them specifically when the Terakinj killed a host. Otherwise, the kinjes survival mechanism helped it find the nearest viable host to inhabit.

The new host could take the form of a person or an insect, so long as the vessel had viable conditions the kinj could survive within. It coud also leave a dying or weakened host for a healthier option. However, if the host was healthy, the kinj wouldn't allow itself to be forcefully removed. Rebb tried to carve the Asterkinj out of Talon's body, though the Asterkinj moved throughout Talon's body to avoid the removal.

The physiology of the Vortakinj was fundamentally different than that of any other Kinj. When Yavalla bore the kinj, she created offspring kinjes that infected others who were then enslaved to her. They were forced to obey her every whim and joined a collective mindset where their individuality was lost. These offspring kinjes do not protect their hosts from the manipulation of other kinjes, unlike the original Seven.

When the hosts of the Terakinj and Vortakinj collided with each other, the hosts were destroyed. The kinjes than returned to their original host and awakened them from their slumber. Only with the touch of Tera did the other kinjes return to their original hosts.

## Powers and Abilities

Kinjes share universal powers and abilities outside of their individual gifts, such as the following.

* **Survival Instincts:** Kinjes have a unique survival instinct, as shown when they migrate from one healthy host to another. To avoid death, they move within the host's body to avoid being cut, burned, or surgically removed.
* **Kinj Immunity:** Hosts of a kinj are also immune to the effects of other kinjes, such as pain-inflicting from the Kultorkinj or Hive infection from the Vortakinj. The only exceptions are the terakinj, which kills everything it touches include the kinjes inside a host, and the gold kinjes which are offspring of the Vortakinj and are susceptible to the effects of all kinjes. The reason the gold kinj is not immune to the effects of the other kinjes is that it is not one of the seven original kinjes.
* **Enhanced Healing:** Every kinj gives their host advanced regeneration, presumably to save its own life. The kinj helps quicken the host's healing process. This is limited, however, as the host can still be killed. The exceptions to the host's death are the Terakinj and Vortakinj kinj, which both grant their host immortality. The gold kinjes are also exempt from the regeneration ability, as they are not one of the seven original kinjes, but rather, offspring of the Vortakinj.
* **Memory Containment:** Because the kinjes are a piece of their originators souls, it contains critical moments from their lives that can be accessed through the Skevicor device beneath the Yindrian Labyrinth. The memories are often seen in flashes that are hard for the receiver to understand. However, Janya was able to access Two's memories without the use of the machine.

## Weaknesses

* **Host Death:** Despite their survival instincts, a kinj can die when their host no longer becomes a suitable option. When expelled from a host, the kinj bounces off the ground before disintegrating.

## Known Kinjes

### Asterkinj

*Main article: Asterkinj*

The blue-tinted Kinj, also known as the Asterkinj, allows the host to open portals to the Plane of Ashes. When the portal is open, the Blackbloods and Lu-Qiri imprisoned there can escape. Because of this, the blue-tinted Kinj was sought after by many Blackbloods and even humans who feared the escape of the Plane of Ashes inhabitants. The blue-tinted Kinj was originally hosted by a Blackblood woman, who later passed it onto her daughter, Talon. The host of the Kinj is written into the ancient prophecy.

### Golukinj

*Main article: Golukinj*

This purple-tinted Kinj, also known as the Golukinj, was kept in the Blackblood shrine Vor-Anden. The shrine was once a sacred place used to store the Kinjes but was forgotten about over the course of history. Zed visited Vor-Anden and used a key to unlock a podium which revealed seven compartments. Within a compartment was this Kinj, which gives him the ability to manipulate the minds of all living beings. The victims are aware of their manipulated actions but are unable to do anything other than look in horror. However, the kinj can only be used on one person at a time, and from a relatively close range. The only people immune to its powers are those with a Kinj of their own.

### Kultorkinj

> "*Be careful with that red kinj. Everyone's who had it has been an evil bastard or has become one. And try not to lose your temper.*"
> ― Talon to Falista in *The Hardest Part of Being Queen*
>
>

*Main article: Kultorkinj*

This red-tinted Kinj was previously owned by One, a member of The Three and co-ruler over the realms. The Kinj allows the host to inflict immense pain on living beings, even to the point of their deaths. One used the Kinj to torture people who dared to speak out against the Three's orders. Before he died, he transferred the Kinj to Sana, who in turn, gave it to One's handmaid. The handmaid was killed by Jaaris on the way back to The Capital. The Kinj was used by Jaaris to inflict pain on Lu-Qiri and the residents of Gallwood Outpost, though it drained him to abuse the Kinjes power. Jaaris was eventually killed, though the Kinj survived the death of its host and managed to crawl into Falista a few seconds later. Falista struggled to learn how to control her power. She didn't realize she even had the power until she used it on Rosmund and Garret. Her emotions are tied to her kinj's power - if she becomes angered by someone her power hurts that person.

### Janyakinj

*Main article: Janyakinj*

This green-tinted Kinj, also known as the Jaynakinj, was hosted by Two, a member of The Three and former co-ruler over the realms. The Kinj allows the host to resurrect people who have died. However, the Kinj demands a sacrifice for it to be used. The host must absorb the life of another in order to resurrect their target. The absorption process is triggered when the host extends their hand and focuses. Their target's life force is then drained from their body in a green smoke and absorbed by the host, who then releases it into the person they wish to resurrect. The longer a person has been died, the more lives that are required to resurrect the deceased. After Tera killed Two, the kinj flew back to its original host Janya.

### Levarekinj

*Main article: Levarekinj*

This Orange-tinted kinj was once hosted by Three, a member of The Three and former co-ruler over the realm. Upon his death, he transferred the kinj to Tobin Aegisford. This kinj allows the host to teleport from one location to another. Three used the kinj to escape The Capital when The Hive overthrew The Three. Its original host, Levare, used it to scout or go on solo missions of The Six

### Vortakinj

*Main article: Vortakinj*

This white-tinted Kinj, also known as the Vortakinj, was once hosted by Yavalla, a Blackblood high priestess. The Kinj was hidden away in a Blackblood citadel under Gallwood Outpost for thousands of years. The Yindrians designed a labyrinth to test the morality of anyone who sought it, due to the dangerous and infective nature of the kinj. It reproduces gold kinjes that allow the original host to control the minds of the infected, forcing them into a collective consciousness called The Hive. Those under the manipulation of the Vortakinj lose their sense of independence and free-will. Once reunited with Vorta, the Vortakinj connected the seven kinj-bearers through telepathy. Vorta also stored the gold kinjes, or Naviaspores, in her arm.

### Terakinj

*Main article: Black Kinj*

This is the seventh and final kinj, also known as the Terakinj. It is a black-tinted kinj with a white glow to it. This kinj has only one clear purpose; to kill anyone it comes into contact with. The host of the kinj can kill anyone with just a mere touch, donning its name the "death kinj". Unlike the other kinjes, people with kinjes inside them are not immune to the power of the death kinj. Sai-vek Redwan described that the Terakinj kills the host before it kills the kinj. It is the counter-opposite to the Vortakinj. The Terakinj was ultimately passed from Sai-vek Redwan to Gwynn Calkussar, who used the kinj to destroy Yavalla and the Vortakinj. The cost of destroying the kinjes was steep, as it killed both hosts and unknowingly sent the kinj to its first host, Tera. Additionally, the terakinj is the only known way to send one of the seven original kinjes to their first host. Otherwise, the kinj will find a suitable host within its vicinity.

### Naviapsore

*Main article: Naviaspore*
*Main article: The Hive*
When utilizing the reproductive aspects of the Vortakinj, Yavalla infected thousands of people and created a collective mindset that she called The Hive. The gold kinj, later known as a Navisapore, reproduced twice per day in a human It forced the human host to pass on the newly reproduced kinj to a new host. Failure to immediately pass it resulted in continued pain to the host. Each time it reproduced, it drained the hosts life force, and within thirty days, the host died. Yavalla was killed by the Terakinj which freed all of the infected. The Naviaspore were never intended for humans to possess, which could be why they were rejected by human hosts. They were intended for the Kahvi race as a means to reconnect them to the minds of The Masters and turn them into slaves.

## Hosts

### Transferring Hosts

The original seven kinjes can't survive long outside a host's body, and can only crawl into another host who is a few feet away. The creature wants to survive like any other living thing, so if the host is dying it can leave the host and find a new one. How and why the kinj transfers hosts might be selective to each kinj, seeing as how Talon inherited the Asterkinj from her mother, while Zed and Yavalla received their kinjes from animals that turned to dust as soon as the kinj passed into them.

### Known Hosts

*The following characters have possessed one of the seven kinjes. This list does not include members of The Hive or the [[Kahvi].*

## Trivia

* The placement of the kinjes on their host varies. The Three, who possessed the red, orange, and green kinjes, have their placement in the center of their foreheads. Zed and Talon's kinjes are on their temples. Furthermore, the placement of One's kinj fluctuated from his temple to his forehead.
	+ The placement of the kinjes on all The Seven is the center of their forehead in a slit.
* Every time a kinj is used in the series, a chime can be heard. This also applies to the offspring kinjes of the Vortakinj when they are ready to reproduce or be passed on.

## Gallery

Yavalla's Kinj reproducingThe Asterkinj rejects The HiveTwo absorbs a life forceFalista controls her kinjSai-vek uses the terakinjTransfering the terakinj