Val'Ezbehqesi

## **Clan History**

After establishing the first camps, (to call these ramshackle housings true settlements would be an insult to all settlements) there came a time of much bartering, threatening and diplomatic courtships, but after a generation had passed, the Val'Ezbehqesi had been properly established.

As is the custom for most clans, the early val'Ezbehqesi created a mighty clan fortress, a testament to the clans growing power, it's design was partly based on old descriptions from the Moon's age, with pillars and other kinds of decoration, however, instead of a legacy of greatness, the entire clan fortress was flooded by magma after sloppy building place inspections, the heat, and the poisonous gas killed many. Were other clans would fall into despair and self pity, the Val'Ezbehqesi refused to do so, and improved their designs for the next clan fortress, however, throughout most of history misfortune has been a constant follower of the clan, failed farming projects, drained or poisoned water supplies.

Truth be told, the Val'Ezbehqesi does not have more bad luck than other clans, but  when they do have bad luck, it's often in a spectacular way. Only recently the tide of bad luck seems to have turned, with improved trade with other clans, better safety for the workers, and more money in their coffers, only time will tell if this change will be permanent or if it is just temporary.

In the end, it truly was only a temporary improvement in luck, as tragedy would strike the clan swiftly. The great quake opened up new pits in the murmuring depths, one of which was in a place that destabilized the clan's fortress entirely, causing it to shift and fall forward into one of the bottomless pits and into the darkness along with a good portion of the population in the area. The tragedy has left a gaping hole in the region that has since been filled with a growing cult that had stirred up the population that survived to be more aggressive and becoming more akin to raiders.

## **Clan Culture**

Despite their history of Setbacks and failed ventures, the Ezbehqesi is known for rarely showing any sign of defeatism, choosing instead to see hope in the future. Plenty of Val'Ezbehqesi do show signs of mana-deprived aging, this is not seen as something shameful, but instead a mark of pride, "Willing to give it all for the clan" is the way the Val'Ezbehqesi sees it. While most foreigners dislike the constant sound of the  "Whisperings", however most members of the val'Ezbehqesi actually finds it comforting, to the point of meditation to the sounds is a common way to spend free time among all members, regardless of rank among the clan.

## **Economy**

The mining of metal ores and the harvesting of lichen for dyes are important to the clan wealth, with even high ranking members of the clan taking part in every step of the process. The handful of precious gems found during mining are often given away to other clans as a way to gain favour, wearing gems are among the few luxuries that the Val'Ezbehqesi are known to indulge. Food and Water are common imports for the clan, far too often has the clan been forced to fall back to cannibalism to stave off starvation, after various farming projects failed.

The Te're'vai, the Val'Ezbehqesi's own clan animal is frequently used to track down good spots for harvesting lichen for food and/or dyes, with well trained  Te're'vais becoming prized pets for Vals as well as commoners, that these creatures are also a good source for chitin is a nice bonus.

## **Slaves**

For pragmatic reasons slaves are not an option for the Val'Ezbehqesi,  as slaves are considered a resource sink, criminals or prisoners of war are either exiled, ransomed back to their clans (in the case of PoWs) or executed instead.

## **Military**

The val'Ezbehqesi standing military is small, consisting only of of house Thef, but more isn't needed in such an inhospitable location. House Thef mostly patrol the trade highway, hunt down bandits,  and secure places of importance for the clan.

Should the impossible happen, and the clan itself be in danger, then it will be a public call to arms, with most of the clan expected to join the militia, of course since this hasn't happened in a very long time, it's doubtful exactly how efficient such a militia would be.

## **Mana Arts**

Due to their mana poor environment, learning about mana arts is more ad hoc than elsewhere, clan policy is strict about warning all mana specialists about the dangers of mana deprivation, of course, due to the clan culture of self-sacrifice many teachers ends up teaching that a little dizziness and a few wrinkles is a small price to pay in exchange for a better tomorrow.

Golems, traditional summoning and most types of nether arts are not used by the clan, the only exception is the teachings of sealing stones and closing nether gates, as some bandits that tries to make it big ends up using demons to reach their goal.

Metal Affinity Is very common, Earth and Ice Sorcery too

## **Clan Fortress**

A single Teardrop shaped structure clinging to the cliff wall like a barnacle, surrounded by lesses structures of similar design,  all in all, a very unimpressive structure, that seems more like a smaller outpost than the main Clanfortress, However, as visitors enters they quickly realize that appearances can be deceiving, with large tunnels, halls and plenty of rooms carved into the cliff wall itself.