The Raesthe Clan

## Raesthe Clan

The Raesthe Clan Mark, which is scarred onto the right shoulder. The example shown would be of a woman who has 3 children.

## Heritage

### Patron Deity:

Menphina

​

## Summary

The Raesthe clan are a large Keeper of the Moon clan known to wander the furthest depths of the Black Shroud. They are a considerably old family, their oral tradition having stories coming from the Fifth Umbral Calamity.
There is no official pronounciation of 'Raesthe'.
A reclusive clan that is fundamentalist in many ways, few non-Keepers will ever encounter them. A lot of their unusual traditions have 'bled out' to other clans; particularly their habit of scarring patterns to ensure healthier children.

The word "Raesthe" is an old clan word that is actually onomatopeia, and can be understood as the sound that dry leaves make when blown by the wind. Mis'to pronounces it as 'RAY-sss-th', where the 'sss-th' part is spoken as barely more than a breath and the final 'th' made by the natural drawing back of the tongue while the 'sss' comes to a close. Morgana pronounces it as "ray-SEE-the". Both are correct and would be understood by the clan.

## Traditions

Like the majority of Keeper clans, the Raesthe have strong gender traditions. The Raesthe are particularly stringent on them and are known to viciously punish those who might dare step out of them. Their ways kept them alive during the Trial of Frost, and to stray from them would invite doom on the clan. It's unfortunate to say then that Raesthe who want anything other than the typical solitary male-female polygamy will suffer in order to be put back in line.
The clan is headed up by a matriarch, known as the Matron. She wears the history of the Raesthe Clan upon her very skin. Ruthless even for matrons, it is her duty to enforce the traditions of the clan, ensure that their history and heroes are properly preserved, and rule those under her care with a motherly but firm hand.

Women born to the clan will stay there all their lives. Although they are expected to bear children (a healthy woman is expected to have at least three children during her life), it is also their duty to protect and feed their clan and children. The women of the Raesthe clan are merciless warriors and more than capable of driving off most threats.
Men will be expelled from the clan at eighteen and expected never to return. That is, until they reach old age and become incapable of hunting for themselves. At such a time, they are expected to make their way back to the clan so that they might share their stories to the Matron. At that point they will stay, their venerable wisdom much welcomed, until they return to Menphina. Very few ever make their way back, and once a year the clan gathers to mourn those stories that have been forever lost.

## Values

The Raesthe highly value truth. They do not appreciate tales being twisted, or exaggerated.

## A Raesthe and Their Scars

The Raesthe Clan have no written language, their tales told through oral tradition and one other - their tradition of scarification.
A Miqo'te's story is told through their scars and as such, Raesthes wear their scars openly and proudly; after all, it's their history on show. For that reason, a lot of them tend towards clothes that reveal stories they are particularly proud of. It is highly taboo and a grave insult to heal a wound to the point where it will not leave a mark; even if the cause of the injury was insignificant. It effectively erases their history.
It is taboo for a Raesthe to scar themselves deliberately or tattoo themselves; with several notable exceptions:

**The Clan Scar**
The example image is the Raesthe Clan scar that identifies them as being born inside the Clan. It is given to a Miqo'te in several parts. The first - the stalk of the leaf - is received when they make their first unaided kill. The second that completes the leaf is granted when they come of age - for a man, that is when they reach eighteen and leave the clan, and for a woman it is when she becomes pregnant. Women also receive a third mark - the wind-like swirl - when they have their first period.

An unspoken tradition with the Clan Scar is to add notches in the form of leaf veins for every direct child the Miqo'te has. A tradition that started with men, it gained popularity as a form of status and thus was not stamped out as most other taboo actions would be.
**The Family Scar**
When a man may never know the children he sired, needs must that a way must be found to ensure Miqo'te don't accidentally sleep with those too closely related. The Raesthe's answer to this was the family scar; a deliberate scar that is passed down the male line of the family. This is a tradition some other clans have adopted due to it's usefulness.
The family scar is located on the right side of the chest, and is about 2 inches square in size. A decorative, personalized scar, each notes the male lineage that Miqo'te is descended from. If he returns to the clan and their child has not yet received their scar, it is the man's duty to do it. If he cannot, then the mother will do so, having made note of his unique scar. Should the father not have a family scar, then the mother will create one based on her own family scar and a (ideally) a particularly fetching scar found on the father.

It's easy to tell then which Miqo'te are related to each other by father. It's also easy to tell which lines have not bred outside of the Raesthe in a while, as their scars will be simpler compared to others. Matrons bear this in mind when selecting who is the suitable candidate to sleep with the next outsider male that wanders by.

**Tattooing to Preserve**
Some scars disappear with age; that is only natural. A particularly important scar may be enhanced or preserved through careful tattooing.

**A Matron's History**
Whenever the clan gains an important story from a Miqo'te who has either given their life or otherwise performed a great service for the clan, the wounds they received are added to the permanent record that is a Matron's skin. A matron receives these rich tattoos from her predecessor, whom at the time will decide if there are tattoes that are not worthy of passing down (usually when a recent hero has since proven to be a liar or otherwise a risk to the clan).

**Qh'varn** Some tales are too dangerous to be openly recorded. Such tales are qh'varn - dangerous tales - and are noted down by making marks upon stones. These are carefully guarded by the Matriarch.

## The Three Consorts of Menphina

The Raesthes have their own stories of heroes. Most revered amongst men are the Three Consorts of Menphina.

Legend has it that to guide her beloved clan through the horrors of the Eternal Frost, Menphina sent her three greatest consorts to their side, bestowing each of them with the spirit of a chosen animal so that they might best serve them. The Raesthe teach the stories of the Three Consorts to young men in order to pass on the qualities they consider to be vital.

**A'Oun, the Coeurl**
The strongest of the three, A'Oun was said to have mis-matched eyes - one gold, one silver - so that he could keep one on his enemies and one on his beloved family. A'Oun is said to be the prime Father, who wanders alone from the clan but stays ever near so that, should they need him, he is always ready to return.

**To'Liu, the Owl**
The swiftest of the three, To'Liu is known as the Spear, for Menphina gifted him such that he might defend the clan. To'Liu is the consummate survivalist and hunter. He is self-reliant, killing swiftly and without sound, so that none might track him down. More importantly, To'Liu is the messenger, the conveyor of information. When one clan learned information that may threaten - or save - another, it was To'Liu who would fly until his wings bled to ensure the message was delivered.

**Li'Nai, the Moth**
The cleverest of the three, Li'Nai may have been tiny and weak but above all he commanded power over aether. Li'Nai may have been given a spirit that was seen as weak, but he was a skilled mage and conniving trickster. Many of his tales involve obstacles that A'Oun and To'Liu could not surmount, only for the unassuming Li'Nai to trick his way past.