Bloody Flank Clan

The Bloody Flank Clan are a rogue clan of the War-Forged faction, and strongly oppose the existence of a War Lord. They value independence and self-reliance, and resent the fact that clans were forced to give up their individual cultures to form a larger herd.

Bloody Flank reference: click here

Bloody Flank NPC sheet: click here

**The Bloody Flank Clan is currently open for applications.**

## Overview

Once one of the War-Forged herd's most glorious factions, the Bloody Flanks are a banished clan living in the desolate northeast reaches of Onea. Decades after a failed rebellion against the warlords on Mt. Skeldr, the Bloody Flanks are rising from an era of destitution and disease to fight their way out of exile, no matter the cost.

Though historically a bloodline of unicorns and born-blessed Necromancers, the Bloody Flanks have grown apart from the old traditions in order to survive. Their agenda of equalty, intellectual liberty and freedom from the Warlord has spread across Onea's most desolate regions, and the new face of the clan is greatly diverse. The number of Bloody Flanks has been rising quickly as they do away with the prejudices of their homeland. Made up of all species, genders, and abilities, the Bloody Flanks present an even playing field not found in the core War-Forged herd. Those who find no tolerance in Skeldr Town have a place among the Flanks.

After all, it's the Bloody Flank belief that if you want a place in the world, all you must do is seize it.

The Bloody Flanks recently abandoned Ghosthold, a town they founded in the frozen wasteland of their exile.

## History

### The Summer

* As one of the oldest clans in Onea, the Bloody Flanks' grand history predates the God's War. Bloody Flanks were among the unicorns who died defending Mt. Skeldr from Ignacio and the Kirin hordes.
* Claimed a significant amount of territory and powerful allies in the fallout after Kaia's departure. Rose to power that rivaled the great Stone Hooves and became renowned for their military and magical prowess. Those who died at the hands of the Bloody Flank necromancers rose again to aid their cause.
* Enjoyed the liberty of feudal Onea, and held claim over much of the eastern coasts during the long war that began to unite the clans.
* Stood as the last bastion of clan independence until forced into forfeit by the Stone Hooves' siege. Submitted to the rule of the Warlord despite objections.

### The Freeze

* Occured in 1678
* Grew increasingly discontent with the rule of the Stone Hooves over Onea. Clan leader Thigain began to rally his aggravated allies into grumblings of rebellion, and a return to the feudal states.
* Thigain, along with many smaller clans in the south of Onea, stormed the capital in what would become a very famous and often-depicted event in Bloody Flank history; their great fleet of warships with red sails, led by Thigain's vessel the *Ghost Knife*, made a journey north along the east coast to Skeldr Town.
* In a long, bloody battle over the continent's future, Thigain successfully defeated the warlord Garok but was immediately slain by Hira, the Warlord's vengeful daughter. The troops of Skeldr Town, under Hira's command, beat back the Bloody Flank forces.
* Most of those who were directly involved in the coup were put to death, but the remaining Bloody Flanks were sent to exile in the farthest, most desolate reaches of Onea as punishment. Their fleet of ships was escorted up the coast by Hira's warships until they reached the world's end, and was left there. Unwelcome in the herd and branded as untouchable, they were expected to perish. Their great halls and abundant riches in the south were seized; the Bloody Flanks went into banishment empty-handed except for their ships.
* The clan's great numbers dwindled in the first winter as plague and starvation stripped the oldest and youngest horses from the earth. Over time, their armada sunk in winter storms or splintered in the unbelievable cold; even the great *Ghost Knife* seemed to simply run itself aground out of grief. Their Necromancy magic faded, and hope was frozen out of them.

### The Thaw

* Occured in 1679
* At a hard winter's end, a son of clan leader Gidal was born; he was small, but at the infant's touch the withered grasses came back to life; for the first time since the great Thigain, a Necromancer had been born blessed. Clan elders took it as a sign from Kaia.
* All at once, luck seemed to change, or maybe spirits were simply lifted: new ships were constructed from the wreckage of the old in the safety of a harbor. The *Ghost Knife*'s bow was grafted onto a new vessel, which was eventually for the grandson of Thigain to captain.
* Newly mobile and inspired to rebuild, the Bloody Flanks built permanent structures from ice and wrecked vessels around the harbor and lived off of the sea; Raiding ships spread the Bloody Flank's gospel of liberty to the lost and hopeless corners of Onea. Their numbers grew, and so did their wealth. Food, medicine, seed and other necessities became commonplace, then abundant. What had been a hopeless camp turned into a lively town.
* Leading the circus of activity was Vidar, his father's chosen son, and the fire of vengeance in him was was enough to keep the whole clan warm. He talked of foreign lands, of endless seas of possibility, of a world the Bloody Flanks hadn't seen in years. *It's out there*, he insisted, *For us to take*.
* Red sails flew over the oceans of Onea once again. Villages burned as a statement to the warlord that the Bloody Flanks were here, and they weren't hiding. Bloody Flank raiders began to pass a phrase amongst themselves in singsong tones, almost like it was a joke: *She should have killed us when she had the chance.*

### Recent History

* The Bloody Flanks grew more bold as they grew more powerful. Raiding ventures into remote parts of Onea became common, and they even made an ally in Killian, a dubiously loyal War-Forged merchant who provided them with vital supplies.
* (Chapter 2) Vidar and Astrid are discovered on a raid in Onea, and must take a hostage to escape back to Ghosthold. The Flanks caused brief friction between the War-Forged and Aodh when they sunk an Aodhian merchant vessel in the Narrows. Rumor began spreading that the Bloody Flanks were back from the dead, and the Flanks enjoyed an era of unprecedented prosperity.
* Gidal arranged a marriage for his daughter Astrid in fear that she was distracting her brother Vidar from his mission. He intended to send her away, to keep Vidar in Ghosthold to continue his training, and to give command of the *Trespasser* to his eldest son Ansgar. Astrid fled before her wedding, and was killed by unknown invaders in the wilderness.
* (Divergence event) The Trespasser returned to Ghosthold, her hull full of life-saving supplies. When the ship made port however, they are not greeted by Astrid. Gidal and Ansgar informed Vidar that Astred had been married off, and Vladimir, a telepath, revealed their deceit. Ansgar refused to give Vidar the truth about Astrid's death, and the brothers fought, triggering the appearance of Vidar's lindworm, which destroyed the shoreline outside Ghosthold. In their battle, Ansgar sliced Vidar's skull vertically, removing the side of his face and head. Vidar was rushed back to the ship, and the Trespasser, full of the clan's winter stores, left Ghosthold behind to starve.
* (Chapter 4) The clan split. Vidar's crew escaped with the *Trespasser*. At Ghosthold, earthquakes rocked the broken ground and brought down the Ghost Hall, with much of the clan inside. Though many survived, clan leader Gidal was paralyzed by falling rubble. Ansgar and a group of Flank raiders failed to secure goods from Killian, their merchant contact, when their rendezvous was interrupted by War-Forged raiders.
* On the *Trespasser*, Vidar died from his mortal wounds, but was visited by his invisible goddess. She filled the wound in his head with Necromancy magic. His face was healed but grotesque, and his mind seemed to be altered by the process. Vidar, seemingly back from the grave, steered his crew towards Onea, hell-bent on finding Astrid. They raided a coastal village called Holmsa, and when it was determined that Astrid wasn't there, Vidar used his reality manipulation to sink the village (and its people) into the earth. There were no survivors.
* (Chapter 5) Following the collapse of the Ghost Hall, the Flanks left in the north abandoned Ghosthold. Ansgar took his crew and most of the clan's able-bodied horses on a long frozen voyage on foot, crossing the tundra separating Ghosthold from Onea. Meanwhile, with a city's worth of supplies, Gidal and the frailer members of the clan sailed south along the Northeast coast of Onea. Just before landing, they encountered a group of War-Forged raiders stranded by shipwreck. They made the decision to help the raiders ashore, then continued south. The two groups planned to rendezvous inland, trading or raiding on the way.
* Meanwhile, the *Trespasser* crew raided their way inland from Onea's Southeastern coast. Cutting across farmlands, they took shelter from a storm in a small farmstead, remaining there for the brunt of the winter before continuing inland.
* (Chapter 6) Vidar's group of Flanks run into Cultists, and they form a tense alliance. Meanwhile Gidal runs into the main herd but Cascade intervenes and the two groups meet peacefully. Ansgar's Bloody Flanks group investigates the remains of Holmsa.
* (Chapter 7) The Trespasser is run ashore, and the Cultists abandon the crew to their fate. The Clan moves inland but finds more Cultists, and just in time Astrid arrives to quell any violence. The Cult gives Grigori (the kirin child) to the Flanks. Later, Gidal's group finds the crew of the Trespasser and the Flanks are reunited once more.
* (Chapter 8) With them reunited, they find an abandoned city inside the earth. Here they make their new home, and make preparations for how to move forward.
* Gidal decides to retire as he can not lead the Flanks as he once could. Talk spreads, and a new leader steps forward. Lykos takes command of the Flanks, and begins to send out groups to distant villages in attempts to sway them to the Flanks. He asks for them to denounce Hira, and the Flanks slowly claim villages as their own. Their food supply increases, as does trade and member count.

## Cultural Notes

* The Bloody Flanks, until recently, have been living in terrible poverty. Most things in their clan are very old and very used, stolen, or makeshift. They value resourcefulness, temperance and generosity, and as a clan have a tendency to be able to do a lot with very little. Pragmatism is the root of all of their core values, and the spirit of innovation and invention is encouraged.

* This pragmatism is the driving force behind their social attitudes; prejudice based on gender, race or disability is not practical when everyone must do their share. With so much death in their recent history, the Bloody Flanks do their best to preserve the life of every member of their clan.

* **The Bloody Flanks' progressive acceptance is fairly recent.**The older members of the herd tend to be fundamentalists who, despite open minds, struggle to be accepting. The idea that all people have *something* to contribute spread through the clan after the *Trespasser* crew began to make raiders out of anyone able to hold a sword. While most Bloody Flanks are practical enough to see the strength in unity, many are having to overcome prejudices of their upbringing.
* The Flanks currently inhabit the ancient city of Dolma, and are working on rebuilding what must be. They are slowly getting into farming as they gain more land.

* Because the ocean is so important to their survival (for both food and the Reaver ships that bring their supplies), many Bloody Flanks choose to worship Cascade as well as Kaia. **Every**Bloody Flank is devoutly dedicated to Kaia.

* Cut off from the rest of the War-Forged for decades, the Bloody Flanks have been deprived of culture; what art, mythology and stories they have came to them from all over Hireath on the tongues of their far-traveling Raiders. All of their favorite stories and songs are bastardized (and frequently brutal) versions adapted from Aquore and Sirith.

* Recently, the Bloody Flanks' numbers have increased significantly, and their prosperity has grown thanks to the strength of their vicious Reavers. The younger Reavers will often flaunt their newfound wealth with an abundance of jewelry or modifications to their person. Reavers take a lot of pride in their role, and are the rock stars of the clan; their expeditions (which bring home global news, foreign goods, and new technology as well as supplies) are seen off received with great fanfare.

* The fleet of Reaver ships is very small (six or seven local vessels, and then the huge *Trespasser*which is capable of international voyages) but every Reaver is a force on their own. All Bloody Flank children are trained in sailing and combat, and the best become Reavers. Horses of any age, gender, ability, etc are able to become Raiders as long as they are up to the task.

* Deceased Bloody Flanks are never destroyed or burned; their bodies are laid to rest as wholly as possible. Instead of graveyards, the Bloody Flanks bury their dead in subtly marked (or totally unmarked) graves around the perimeter of their settlement. This is with the superstitious hope that the dead will protect the living, or at least that their bones will be able to be summoned to life in times of need.

### Necromancy

The clan's original bloodline was almost exclusively made up of Necromancing unicorns, and Necromancy is considered by the Flanks to be the most prized of Kaia's blessings. Their great leader Thigain and countless of his predecessors (as well as his grandson Vidar) were born with Necromancy, and the power is central to many clan traditions. Though mostly used for practical tasks like reviving crops and spoiled food, the gift does have its place on the battlefield; warriors who perished by Bloody Flank swords had a historic tendency to rise again against their brothers. Rebirth and regeneration are pervading themes in Bloody Flank mythology and song, and even the clan motto alludes to a return from death. As the clan itself strives to be reborn from exile, this magic is more important than ever.

### Raiders and Trading

Raiding is the backbone of Bloody Flank culture. Because of the unforgiving nature of their homeland and its almost-complete lack of resources, farming and manufacture is nearly impossible. After a generation was nearly wiped out by starvation and disease, the Bloody Flanks have focused their efforts on military might, and used force to take what they needed from others. Today, Raiders are the clan's primary source of equipment, news, and culture. When they are at home, Raiders often serve as teachers, passing on to their clanmates the knowledge and innovations learned the world over. While abroad, Raiders trade and barter as often as they steal and pillage, and are known to trade Onean goods with outlaw Talori rogues for Aquore's finer things.

The crimson-sailed Bloody Flank armada is poised to expand soon with the boost in membership and wealth, but currently consists of a fleet of two medium-sized vessels. The fleet of smaller ships mostly stay in and around Onea (and occasionally Sirith), pillaging merchant ships and coastal settlements; the necessities they bring home are put to use by the clan, and the more frivolous goods are put aboard the *Trespasser* to be traded in Aquore and beyond.

### Clan Emblems

In recent decades, the symbols of the Bloody Flanks have undergone something of a transformation. The clan's old sigil, simply two white crossed bones on a brown or red field, has fallen out of use since their exile, and been updated into something more appropriate for their rebellious intent: the brown has been dropped from the clan colors, replaced with strictly red, and a vertical sword now punctures the middle of the crossbones. The colors of the sigil depend on available materials (and literal crossed bones and swords can be found on display near Flank territory) but always remain red, black or white.

Other important clan symbols include the bright red sails adorning all their warships; since the days of the rebellion, Bloody Flank vessels have worn crimson sails, and the sight of them is known to mean danger in Onean waters. More gruesomely, the display of a unicorn skull (or head) on the end of a spear or spike is something of a historic calling card of the Bloody Flanks; when no survivors remain, the Bloody Flanks leave this bloody trophy to identify themselves.

### The Fleet

Note: these are the only ships the Clan possesses. There will be no additional ships added to the Flanks for now.

* **Flagship Vessel: The *Trespasser,***captained by Vidar. A huge ship built for international travel. Built from the wreckage of ships from the Bloody Flanks' glory days (including the saw-shaped bow of Thigain's fabled warship the *Ghost Knife*), the *Trespasser* is easily recognized by its burned, blackened hull and bright red sails. She makes violent visits all the way down the Onean coast whenever she leaves on her six-month journeys to and from the Isles of the Dead, leaving a trail of dead and returning with riches. This ship has been sunk.
* **Reaver Vessel: The *Guardian*,** captained by Calder. The *Guardian* is the last of the original Bloody Flank fleet to remain afloat. Just like her captain, she is a veteran of the infamous attack on Mt. Skeldr. The crew of the *Guardian* is a place of high honor, for raiders who have dedicated their lives to the clan. Gidal himself is known to occasionally join the *Guardian* on her voyages around Onea.
* **Raider Vessel: The *Kismet*,** captained by Cormac. An agile schooner, constructed of rich, red wood, this ship is limited in range and capacity but makes up for this in speed. The smallest of the Fleet with an elite, exclusive crew, the *Kismet* takes brief but devastating voyages around Onea, often striking in the dark and vanishing before dawn.

## Notable Figures

* **Gidal, NPC Leader.** Gidal is the oldest surviving son of Thigain, the Bloody Flank leader who defeated Garok on Mt. Skeldr. He assumed leadership of the clan as they were sent into exile, and has carried the heavy burden of their survival on his shoulders. Gidal carries some of the old prejudices of the War-Forged, and has been an obstacle to the social change his children are attempting.
* **Thigain**, NPC. Father of Gidal, Thigain is the Bloody Flank leader who rebelled against the War-Lord Garok, and who wished for a return to the feudal clans in Onea. His coup was almost successful, and he succeeded in killing Garok, but Hira led an unexpected counterattack that killed him and drove the Bloody Flanks into exile.

## Herd Relations

### The War-Forged

The Bloody Flanks resisted the Stone Hooves' efforts to reunite the herds from the beginning. Unwilling to see all of Kaia's creation bowing to one War-Lord (who wasn't Kaia herself), they prized liberty over loyalty. They see the War-Lord's rule as a perversion of Kaia's independent vision for her people, and believe that the modern War-Forged are corrupt. Trade practice with Aodh, the sale of War-Forged convicts into slavery, and the War-Forged reliance on gender roles all earn the ire of the Bloody Flanks. They view the "lowlanders" (a name the Flanks use for anyone but themselves) of Onea as spoiled, unreliable and greedy. The Bloody Flanks are cautiously accepting of any WF horses who wish to abandon the Warlord's rule in favor of joining their own liberated clan.

### Aodh

The greed of Aodh and their acceptance of slavery are as abhorrent to the Bloody Flanks as the kirins who burned Onea in the God's War centuries ago. As devout followers of Kaia, the Bloody Flanks have not forgotten the role of the fire god in the desolation of the world, and their rage against Aodh is as old as the mountains. Unlike the main War-Forged herd, they would not consider an alliance with Aodh. In fact, Hira's friendship towards Aodh's impractical, oppressive, and flagrantly wasteful citizens is one of the things the Bloody Flanks hate most about the War-Lord. A number of Bloody Flank members are escaped would-be slaves, freed by Flank raiders on their way be to sold in Valore.

### Talori

Though there are no official ties between the Talori and the Bloody Flanks, it is not uncommon for Bloody Flank raiders to cross paths with Talori rogues, and several Flank ships --mostly the *Trespasser*-- occasionally make port in the more remote stretches of Aquore to trade. The Flanks have been known to trade with rogues and seafaring outlaws in Aquore, and occasionally to recruit any who would aid them in their fight against the northern tyrants. It goes without saying, however, that the average Talori citizen would be appalled by the Bloody Flanks.

### Breim

The Skytop Forest and coastal regions of Sirith are frequent stops for Bloody Flank ships, due to their abundance of resources and lack of population. These visits are brief, --usually just for collecting plants and scavenging-- and rarely include any encounters with the reclusive Breim herd. Contact with Breim horses has been minimal and tense but peaceful. Flanks have met and traded with curious members of the New Generation on a few isolated instances, but little was shared.

### Vagabonds

The Flanks are not unfriendly to respectful Vagabonds, and are often known to share what little they have in hopes of convincing strays to join their clan. Cultists and Vindicators alike are welcome, as there are elements of both philosophies that appeal to the Bloody Flanks. However, any Vagabond who would steal from or betray the Flanks is hunted or robbed with no hesitation; the Flanks are as likely to recruit a respectful Vagabond as they are to kill a treacherous one.

### Kirins

Historically, the Flanks have a hatred of anything Aodh-flavored. While the younger generation of Flanks are typically more accepting than the clan's elders, it would still take a lot of work and time for a Kirin to win over enough trust to be allowed into the Bloody Flanks. The Flanks are unlikely to choose Kirins as temporary allies or business partners (believing them to as worthless and conniving as all Aodhians), but one that went above and beyond to prove their loyalty to the cause would eventually be allowed to join the clan's ranks.

## Ranks

* Jarl
* Thane
* Reaver
* Sawbones
* Kin