Haraf'ne Kinah

Traditionally, Haraf’ne society has been made of various polities called Houses, or **Kinah** in their tongue. Throughout Haraf’s history, hundreds of Kinah have existed, each with their own identity and set of laws. Cannorians scholars have translated the term to “clan”, but the reality is far more complex. Generally, Kinah can be divided into two groups: the Great Kinah and the Minor Kinah. Recently, after a centralization effort under House Alas’gasidi, the Kinah system has broken down, with only House Alas’gasidi and House Leeti’haàt staying as modern political entities.

## Kinah Federation

The Kinah have been unified multiple times under Kinah Federations, a political system where the individual Kinah govern their territory and determine their foreign policy with relatively low oversight, but have to share a yearly tithe of men and gold to the leading Kinah, as well as obey to their decrees. This kind of political system existed three times throughout Haraf’ne history: the First Kinah Federation of House Duadir’iìlvitarn, which existed from 570 to 629, the Second Kinah Federation of House Hateil’ine, which existed from 931 to 934 and the Third Kinah Federation of House Alas’gasidi, which existed from 1178 to 1731.

## Great Kinah

The concept of Great Kinah appeared with the unification of the First Kinah Federation in 570. To shape it to their grand visions, House Duadir’iilvitarn direly needed support from the most influential Kinah. To do so, they were given special privileges and a foremost role among the Federation. These privileges would define what a “Great Kinah” was and are still important in Haraf. The most important of these rights were:

- A seat in the Great Council to advise the Neàn’aanii, the Federation’s leader.

- A small retinue of elite guards to protect the Kinah’s chief. These would later be expanded by House Alas’gasidi during their centralization efforts.

- A specialized district in the Nani Kinn, destined to house diplomats, travelers and immigrants from the Kinah.

- A share in the yearly tithe collected from the members of the Federation.

- No oversight to the Kinah’s foreign relations.

In fear that new powers rising in the Federation would obtain the title and the privileges that come with it, the Great Kinah limited, by law, their own number to five. As the concept became entrenched within Haraf’ne society, it became commonly believed that the number of five Great Kinah was sacred, and it would stay this way until the 17th century.

### House Datai'tsel

The first and most prestigious Kinah, House Datai'tsel was the home to most of the Nean'auvulin and some of the fiercest warriors in all of Haraf.

### House Duadir'iilvitarn

House Duadir’iilvitarn was in reality a federation of many small fortified villages. The members of the Kinah were known to be great city builders and the most sedentarized Haraf'ne.

### House Ch'oosh'marah

House Ch'oosh'marah was a Kinah primarily concerned with the hunting of sandworms for subsistence, until the Kinah Federation and subsequent trade boom allowed them to grow extremely rich.

### House Ch'in'sillch'il

House Ch’in’sill’chill was an arcane Kinah of plant gatherers and shamans, who were often feared by most Haraf'ne due to their strange customs.

### House Keiin'achi

The members of House Keiin'achi were famous for not concerning themselves with morals, instead continuously pursuing more power and magical knowledge.

### House Alas'gasidi

House Alas’gasidi is one of the two Kinah that continued to exist as a distinct entity after the breakdown of the Kinah system. It was for long a mediator in the Federation and legitimized their rule by divine right.

### House Hoila'kosu

House Hoila’kosu was famous for its oligarchic republic and immense agricultural produce, partly due to the well-maintained Qanats in their lands.

### House Leeti'haàt

House Leeti’haàt is the second Kinah continuing to exist after the breakdown of the Federation. The Kinah primarily concerns itself with expeditions into the Desert of the Haraf. It is composed of many sandworm riders, and later saw a rise in artificer numbers due to the Relics found in the desert.

### House Hateil'ine

House Hateil’ine was a relatively unknown Minor Kinah for most of its existence. It was extremely religious and were the founders of the Failed Federation.

## Minor Kinah

The Minor Kinah are a grouping of the Kinah not considered to be Great Kinah by the larger Haraf’ne society. However, this group is very large and the individual Minor Kinah weren’t often recorded, rendering a detailed collection of all of them practically impossible to make. The listed Kinah are only some of the most influential ones at the time of the Kinah Federations.

### House Alas'hateil'ine

House Alas’hateil’ine was created by House Alas’gasidi in 1154 in order to secure the Elder Singer’s support during their unification campaigns. The Kinah was a theocracy ruled by the Elder Singer of Dai’Nadeilhil. After the Elder Singer’s death, the new Elder Singer would be chosen among a council of Singers, and had to be approved by House Alas’gasidi’s chief. It was situated at the border between House Alas’gasidi and House Datai’tsel, and even though it would never hold an expensive territory, it had considerable influence within the Third Kinah Federation due to their religious significance.

### House Diyof'dianiil

House Diyof’dianiil finds its roots in the aftermath of the Flaming Sorrows. Some of the Keiin’achi who revolted at the time would realize the horrors and devastation that they had caused over Haraf. In shame, they secluded themselves far from society, in the southern reaches of Keiin’achi territory. They would live a penitent life there, until Da’kino Alas’gasidi won a duel against the Keiin’achi chief and placed the chief of the Kinah at the head of House Keiin’achi due to their far less rebellious nature.

### House Nai'nauferi

House Nai’nauferi was an unremarkable nomadic Kinah living primarily of hunting. Even with a unique succession, in which rule over the House was shared between all potential siblings, the Kinah would probably never have been remembered. However, it was where Tslakiir and Xogareil, the siblings at the origin of the Brothers’ Migration, were born. The Kinah would split up in the event and eventually its members would be an important part of what would become the Kooras and Mayte people.

## References

* Expedition Logs, Vren Mavliku, 1549
* Report on the Haraf'ne Kinah, Uho Losteye, 1587
* The Haraf Account, Vol. 1-4, Deldi Plinkplonker, 1629
* Diaries of a Singer, Eraii'no Leeti'haàt, 1770
* Silence in the Jungle, Naa'daiino Tsirwah'fyho, 1837
* Haraf'ne Federations: Through the Ages, Pai'ner Leeti'haàt, 1902