Vel’Kor’taari

## **Clan History**

Hailing from the now defunct kingdom of **Sholanan** in the vast desert of the East, the Kor'taari fled to the underworld both at the beginning and the end of the Great Wars. The first wave counted members of the royal family, alongside various nobles and servants, who took refuge inside an old mining outpost they had established deep in the cavern a few centuries ago. While it wasn't a proper location to live in, the fortified walls and stockpile of resources already in place would serve them well until the eventual end of the conflict. They lived in seclusion for a few decades until it became clear that the demon invasion wouldn't stop, the royal family then tried to push the boundaries of their territory to secure better lands. They soon realized that other groups of refugees had already settled the remaining caverns however, leaving the clan with a less than desirable home. The second wave of refugees arrived near the end of the Great Wars, composed of the few warriors that had survived and the commoners that were able to escape, all of whom had been defending what remained of the kingdom until now. As soon as they arrived, tensions between the two began rose. Both groups blamed each other for years for their current situation. When the feud of the past began to emerge again, a civil war occurred from which the current incarnation of the Kor'taari emerged. Nowadays, anyone that knows a little about the history and culture of the clan is aware of the strife between the two most prominent figures inside the clan,Ill'haress Yhl'behan and De'vess San'tohan. Representing the progressive and traditionalist views of the clan respectively, they share a temporary peace to keep the clan together, knowing that a divided rule is better than none at all. Politics are an ever-changing game, however, and the fragile state of power inside the clan often cause conflicts hidden from prying eyes.

Following the the great earthquake in the cavern that shook the entirety of the city, the Vel'Kor'Taari destabilized from a combination of critical failures in structures and a revolt that followed the earthquake when they were still working to get many of their golems back up and working. Currently they are now a defunct clan.

## **Clan Members of Note**

***De’vess San’tohan Uhl’byen Kor’taari***

## **Clan Culture**

Engineers, slavers and miners at heart, the Kor'taari clan is the main supplier of ore in the region. They extract the valuable resource, necessary for the expansion effort of most clan, before selling it to the highest bidder. Stubborn to the core, they rarely flinch once they have taken a stance on a subject.

In the more recent years, their pragmatic view of the world slowly led them to practice deliberate tainting, despite a strong opposition from the more traditionalist members, in order to thwart any future invasion by the demons. A highly controlled process where only the weakest seed is chosen, almost every clan member is subjected to this ritual once they reach maturity. While they accept any and all **Ver'drowendar** into their fold, they do it out of necessity and will kill every **Vel'akar or Velnari** they see on the spot.

A common sight in their territory, automated golems roam the landscape. Developed due to the necessity of a better and less fragile workforce, one that isn't slowed due to exhaustion or illness and requires little supervision. Multiple models have been created to fulfill the clan needs. The most seen are the Daas golems, used primarily for mining in the bigger tunnels or transporting crates of ore deep into the storage facilities which were constructed to hold gigantic quantities of the resources under constant vigilance, mainly keeping overly curious slaves or thieves from stealing the supplies.

Also steaming from their mastery over the subject are golem prosthetic limbs. Previously seen as a sign of power, dedication and willingness to sacrifice for the benefit of the clan and formerly one of the highest honor a member could receive, it is now abused to an extent rarely seen in other clans. Replacing healthy limbs and sometimes even organs, a dangerous operation which rarely succeeds, is becoming more and more common to the point that travelers can mistake for golems some of the rare exceptions to survive numerous grafting.

The slaves are treated like one would expect, worked until nothing remains. The bulk is composed of goblins, abducted on the surface and transported into the poorly lit tunnels of the mines where they will remain until their eventual end. The rest are primarily composed of prisoners and criminals, which they would consider a waste to execute, alongside various other faes. They have their own quarter, composed of tents located around the fortress, and while they can even become a commoner under the clan if they prove their worth, they rarely survive long enough. When they die, they are either fed to other slaves or used to tame young Kute'sa.

The economy of the clan is centered around the extraction of vast quantities of the various ores found throughout the Shimmering Cavern. From iron to silver, gold to lead, a wide range is mined to bolster the clan’s wealth. While it serves has the main source of Ori, the clan also possess other means to sustain itself. Known by certain circles around the city is the Black Market where hundreds, if not thousands, of “workers” are sold to anyone willing to pay, alongside various goods “requisitioned” from their owners. The stocks are usually refreshed every time raiders visit the cavern or a patrol of warriors come back from the surface with new prisoners. While the Vel’Kor’taari strictly deny their involvement with the market, stating that it violates the laws imposed in their district, some clever merchants often find it suspicious that products that have just been sold by the clan find its way back in their pockets. Its third exportation is a fluid produced by the slugs found on the walls of the cavern, which emits a light that doesn’t require mana nor fuel, doesn’t produce smoke and illuminate even under-water, it is particularly useful in enclosed space or regions where mana is low.

## **Clan Military**

The Vel’Kor’taari army is segmented into five groups, each with their distinct role;

### ***The Warriors***

Trained and equipped to face many situations, they excel at dealing with crowds due to their extensive use against slaves outside of wartime. Each of them is given a small portable golem, wearable on the back, similar to a lung. Costly to produce, it is a vital part of their arsenal that pumps, and filter, air inside the suit at all times. It is no wonder then that some of the best ore dug out of the mines are kept by the clan to craft their armour. Some of them have been known to breed and tame young Kute’sa, using the centipede during their patrols or on the battlefield.

### ***The Hashat***

Composed entirely of untainted women from house Uhl'byen, they are trained to be the most skilled warriors of the Kor'taari. Each is equipped with a light power-armor, worn over a reinforced sealed suit used by the clan. The armor is lightly ornamented and sports a simplified version of the clan symbol. They are rigorously disciplined from birth to death by their Dev'ess in the use of foci, sealing stones, a wide range of weaponry and, more importantly, the traditions passed down since before the Great Wars. The Hashat are found guarding the Western Twin Gates, but sometimes serves as envoy or bodyguard for high-ranking individuals.

### ***The Guards***

Enrolled from the masses of commoners in their borders under the supervision of a warrior, their main function is to keep an eye on their fellow man and order in the streets. They are the first dispatched when problems arise inside the cavern unless a clear military threat is identified or a patrol of warriors is nearby. They can sometimes be deployed outside of the walls when reinforcement is absolutely necessary.

### ***The Velnari***

Also known as demon summoners, they are infamous in Har'Ol'Nek'Preya for being one of the only such public groups. They are heavily used against rogue summoners to keep nether beings in check. Contrary to popular belief, they rarely open nether gate during warfare, the practice being exclusively used during the tainting rituals or to send back demons to their realm. All of their members are enrolled, trained and certified exclusively from Vals of the main house. Under a trade agreement, they also police the nether summoners inside Val’Ruulk’naus territory. Any and all velnari caught, inside or outside their borders, without certification and unable to prove his, or her, identity are killed on site.

### ***The Golems***

Used almost exclusively as support platform by the military during wartime, golems are otherwise tasked with civilian duty depending on their model. The most basic typically used, the Daas, isn't dexterous enough to handle close-combat in a city environment efficiently. They make up for it with their resilience and strength, due to their design considering heavily their use in the mines, while also being able to use almost anything containing mana as a power-source. Daas are often equipped with portable tools and weapons, making up for their weaknesses by being able to fill a wide variety of roles both in and out of the battlefield. One of the largest and most known siege golem of the Kor'taari, the Narahaar, is as powerful as it is mana-hungry due to its armament composed of a mana-cannon, flamethrowers and mana-shields, among the rest of its systems. As opposed to most other golem of its class, it is surprisingly reactive and maneuverable due to its unique design and the expertise of the clan engineers.

## ***Clan Common Dress***

An extremely stratified clan, it is most obvious when one lays their eyes on a servant. Wearing old rags and cheap fabric is the norm among the lesser servants and the commoners. They nonetheless protect their nose and mouth with the best they can find, if only to thwart the smell of the cavern. Only a small amount of Ori is passed down enough for them to live properly, pushing many to enroll in the guard for a chance at a better life.

## **Note About Mana**

Metal is the most common affinity in their territory, with Earth being a close second, various other affinities can be found but are usually an exception. Using the knowledge passed down by generations of Keepers until now and the expertise offered by their many masters on the subject, powerful metal sorcerers are a common sight in the noble houses.

## **Clan Fortress**

The Vel’Kor’taari Fortress is divided in two main stronghold. The first is known as the Western Twin Gates, which controls the traffic at the entrance of the cavern, the second being the Fortress itself.

The Western Twin Gates is a heavily militarized commoner district at the limits of the Kor'taari borders. This is where the Val'Duran'desh highway ends in the western part of the city and a prime location for merchants, mercenary, slavers and even raiders to gather. The district, enclosed on each side by tall walls reinforced by a mixture of metal plating and mana-repelling crystals gathered from the ceiling of their trade-partner cavern, is under the supervision of house Uhl'byen. The house takes its responsibility as the first line of defense very seriously. The facilities located inside the walls host the bulk of the army, a large contingent of golems and is guarded at all times. At the center of each wall is a giant gate, with guards monitoring the traffic between the north and the south, housing various weaponry to ensure the safety of the residents and to uphold the clan rules within the perimeter. Outsiders, be they from a clan or not, usually have nothing to fear from passing through this region as long as they do not cause trouble.

The Vel'Kor'taari Fortress act as the second checkpoint to the rest of their territory, but also as a mining facility, an ore refinery, a slave camp and a habitation block. Most of the houses are relatively crude in their construction, offering the bare minimum for whoever inhabits it. The fortress itself is composed of thick walls, reinforced by means similar to the Western Twin Gates and sealed in an effort to negate the smell present in the cavern, using various golems and vents to achieve it. This is where the Ill'haress and her advisors, including a large contingent of guards, reside. The refinery has access to the complex network of mineshaft spawning the walls and the ceiling while also being linked to underground storages for the huge quantity of ores circulating through the Fortress. The camps are mainly composed of tents out in the open, leaving the slaves to breathe the heavy air, the smoke and mildew.