Clans on the Edges

# Clans and Other Outsider Groups to the Kingdoms

"Bandits... Slavers... Runaways... Scoundrels... Heretics and zealots... Every shade of scum the Void has to offer. Hiding away from the direct gaze of those Kings and rulers. Never forgotten, though. And they never will be." *-Unknown academic writing from Central Driegvale.*

## Terminology: What is a Clan?

A Clan, in this context, is a grouping that exists outside the formal Kingdom structures that nominally control all within the five regions of Driegvale. They could be isolationists deep within the wilds of Velltherea, the bandit descendants in the frozen edges of Falthrom, desert nomads of Carpathia, free settlers on the dispersed islands of the Emerald Coast, and the sort. They may go by different names or use different titles(Such as Host, Band, or Army as examples) but all can be properly listed in a formal way as 'Rogue Clans' to distinguish them from recognized clans that are more about heritage or a particular lineage.

## Clans and Impact

### Trade and Transport

The Rogue Clans do surprisingly have a hand in trade. That is, most of that hand is involved in terms of smuggling, fencing of stolen goods, or in vanishing goods that some want gone. Due to being less connected to the official rules and kingdoms, while often acting by their own morals and traditions, the Rogue Clans do make for excellent middlemen for those seeking to avoid paying taxes or tariffs. Or smuggling goods that normally would not be allowed.

However not all their influence is in the illegal realm. Taking for example the desert nomads and Falthrom clans in the west, they do play a heavy part in trade between Carpathia, Falthrom, and Central Driegvale due to their knowledge of routes through the cold deserts the three kingdoms border/occupy. That this sometimes slips into smuggling proper or selling off some goods that were 'lost' in transit is a price to pay for their services.

### Clan Law and Codes

For many Rogue Clans, they have rules and codes of conduct that govern themselves and their interactions with others. One Clan might have a rule allowing for violent feuds, another may declare martial pacifism (violence only as defense of last resort), and a third could mandate everyone follows a single faith. Often shaped from the kingdom/region a particular clan resides in or closest to, these numerous rules and codes can seem baffling to outsiders but often between Rogue Clans there is some mutual respect for codes. Likewise, those who often deal with Rogue Clans can start to follow some pieces of them both for practical reasons and out of habit.

### Violence and Warfare

Yes. The violence. This section is best left for two smaller sections. The first involving fights among the Rogue Clans or other groups, and the second is more proper raids and engagements with security forces or even troops of the Kingdoms.

#### Inter-Clan warfare

The first kind is that of Rogue Clans fighting either each other or other smaller groups that doesn't quite match the level of being a Kingdom concern or is not damaging enough to be of much higher concern. Cases of this often occur as parts of feuds between different clans, disputes over trading or territory, raids for loot, or even just for fun or because people are drunk. Any number of reasons can see violence erupt but often restricted to a series of skirmishes or running-fights. Other groups(mainly traders or groups such as the House of Cards) can be dragged in as, as it is not unknown for the House of Cards coming to collect bounties on a clan member to suddenly have to fight their way free of an entire clan.

#### Raids and Clan action against Kingdoms

What most violence between Rogue Clans and the Kingdoms fall to, is that of raiding and piracy. Looting what they can, slaughtering citizens and soldiers alike, and running away with all they can carry. It could be from general desperation, greed, or being blood thirsty maniacs. And it can range from the smallest theft of some food to grand alliances of Clans to ransack entire areas. From militias and mercenaries to full on army and elite units, the result is often not to destroy but to force them back and make them pay. Unless it is a punitive expedition to properly teach a Rogue Clan a lesson or destroy one, which is a more proper military affair. Also makes for great training and practice, especially of new recruit.

## Rogue Clan Groupings(By Region)

The Rogue Clans can best be divided based on location and region that individual clans occupy. While they may be very different even within these groupings it allows a more logical division. Each group tends to have a more specific name to apply to them with Nomads being the accepted word for those of the Frigid Wastes as an example.

* Nomads of the Frigid Wastes, surviving in the border region of Carpathia, Central Driegvale, and Falthrom
* Rythians or Frostkin of the North Ocean/Rythonic Ocean, plying the frozen waters often filled with icebergs of the far north
* Nature-Born, hidden away in the many forests and wetlands of the Velltherea region
* Freebooters, scattered across the Islands of The Emerald Coast and southern oceanoften with connections to Abysmal Port

## Afterword

No one knows much about those Rogue Clans who venture off into the lands of Thelmara, between the known territories, or through unknown portals. And with Rogue Clans falling apart or fading away to be replaced by a new group, it is hard for there to ever be a concrete list on what Rogue Clans are out there. With such a diverse set of customs, styles, preferences, locations, and more, the Rogue Clans are more snowflakes amidst the mountains called the Kingdoms of Driegvale.