#clan utris

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

This may seem like a weird thing to ask but, I was rewatching kingsglaive and I wanted to ask, when they briefly showed Nyx's sister, what were those circle metal jewellery on her head?

Hi Anon!

In canon we don't have any information as to what the hair jewelery they both wear is. If it has a real life inspiration, I don't know about it.

But if we're talking my worldbuilding, it's a Clan thing that in Clan Utris replaces braids. Since they're a smithing Clan and they use their braids more as working braids to keep their hair out of their faces while they work. The hair jewelery is something they wear for days off and also holidas and such.

[giancarlonicoli]

20 DIC 2019 09:45

“GIANCARLO PITTELLI PER ME SI BUTTEREBBE DA UN PONTE” - LE INTERCETTAZIONI DI UNO DEGLI ARRESTATI NELLA MAXI-RETATA CONTRO LA ‘NDRANGHETA - I RAPPORTI CON L’EX PARLAMENTARE DI FORZA ITALIA E CON NICOLA ADAMO, ESPONENTE STORICO DELLA SINISTRA CALABRESE - SECONDO L'ACCUSA, L' AVVOCATO PITTELLI È “L'UOMO CERNIERA” TRA IL BOSS LUIGI MANCUSO, “E LA COSIDDETTA SOCIETÀ CIVILE” – L'INTERCETTAZIONE IN CUI PITTELLI CHIAMA IN CAUSA DELL'UTRI - ECCO LA RETE SEGRETA DEL CALN: C’E’ ANCHE IL SINDACO DI PIZZO CALLIPO E UN CARABINIERE

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«Dell' Utri la prima persona che contattò per la formazione di Forza Italia fu Piromalli a Gioia Tauro... Ci sono due mafiosi in Calabria, che sono i numeri uno in assoluto. Uno è del vibonese e l' altro è di Gioia Tauro, si chiama Giuseppe Piromalli...».

Giovanni Bianconi per il “Corriere della Sera”

Per capire il valore della politica per la 'ndrangheta, forse, basta ascoltare la definizione che ne ha dato Giovanni Giamborino, 58 anni, arrestato nella maxiretata di ieri con l' accusa di curare le «questioni economico-commerciali» della cosca Mancuso. Intercettato mentre discute con un funzionario del Genio civile da favorire nella carriera, spiegava: «Se lo raccomandiamo, poi... che ti esce... quando cerca una carta te la fa subito... va e te la prende... manda qualcuno che interessa a te e si mette a disposizione... questo è la politica».

E la politica nell' accezione dei boss abbonda nell' inchiesta del Ros dei carabinieri e della Procura di Catanzaro, coinvolgendo nomi di rilievo nazionale o locale (dal Parlamento ai piccoli Comuni) arrestati, indagati o anche solo citati in un verbale d' interrogatorio o in una registrazione.

Un terremoto che va oltre le responsabilità penali ipotizzate nell' indagine, destinato a condizionare la campagna elettorale che porterà al voto del 26 gennaio, tra poco più di un mese. Con il procuratore Nicola Gratteri che invita la parte sana della società civile a «occupare gli spazi che abbiamo liberato». Per far tornare bianca la zona grigia, nelle intenzioni del magistrato che ha costruito gran parte del suo lavoro sulle parole degli indiziati.

Per esempio quando ancora Giamborino parlava dell' ex parlamentare di Forza Italia Giancarlo Pittelli: «È stato due volte deputato e una volta senatore... Con me siamo fraterni amici... se gli dico che si deve buttare dal ponte si butta dal ponte». Poi gli investigatori dell' Arma hanno intercettato lo stesso Pittelli, che racconta passato e presente: «Dell' Utri la prima persona che contattò per la formazione di Forza Italia fu Piromalli a Gioia Tauro... Ci sono due mafiosi in Calabria, che sono i numeri uno in assoluto. Uno è del vibonese e l' altro è di Gioia Tauro, si chiama Giuseppe Piromalli...».

Abbandonata l' attività politica ufficiale, secondo l' accusa, l' avvocato Pittelli è diventato «l' uomo cerniera» tra l' altro numero uno della mafia calabrese, Luigi Mancuso, «e la cosiddetta società civile, mettendo a disposizione la sua fitta rete di rapporti conoscenze ed entrature, anche nel mondo istituzionale».

Sfruttando pure la sua affiliazione massonica.

«Lui opera tramite il dirigente, tramite l' assessore, tramite i consiglieri, tramite tutti», diceva ancora Giamborino. Che in un' altro colloquio del dicembre 2016 vantava ottimi rapporti anche con di Nicola Adamo, esponente storico della sinistra calabrese, passato dal Pci al Pd attraverso Pds e Ds, ora indagato per traffico d' influenze.

«Lui a Catanzaro fa quello che vuole... che di che se ne dica... per quanto riguarda l' assessore regionale della politica il migliore in questo momento è solo Nicola Adamo... perché Nicola Adamo comanda il presidente...», assicurava Giamborino. Al cospetto di tanta confidenza con uomini di opposti schieramenti politici il suo interlocutore esprimeva qualche perplessità, ma l' altro lo tranquillizzava tornando a parlare di Pittelli: «Non c' entra niente... e che centrodestra e centrosinistra, perché lui non era che mangiava e beveva con Loiero (ex governatore della Calabria per il centrosinistra, ndr )... e giocavano insieme, e facevano insieme, perché lui con Nicola Adamo non è... sta così... e poi se ci sono problemi... non ce lo dice subito?».

Giamborino di politica s' intende anche perché suo cugino Pietro, finito in carcere con l' accusa di un essere un anello di congiunzione tra le istituzioni e la 'ndrangheta vibonese, ha fatto il consigliere regionale per il Pd. Di lui un pentito ha raccontato come faceva funzionare la raccolta dei voti: «In piazza a Piscopio, o quando c' era la domenica la chiesa, o quando c' era qualche lutto, due minuti si parlava. "Quanti voti mi raccogli?".

"500". Basta, si fermava il discorso». E in un' intercettazione lo stesso Pietro Giamborino, commentando le elezioni del 2018, sembra confermare: «Vince perché noi gli abbiamo dirottato 5.000 voti del Pd...A Piscopio, sperduto paesino del vibonese, da 620 del 2013, senza il mio contributo sono passati a 159».

Del sistema politico-mafioso avrebbe fatto parte anche Gianluca Callipo, giovane sindaco di Pizzo Calabro, considerato un «concorrente esterno» della 'ndrangheta. Tra gli indizi, un incontro con Salvatore Mazzotta, «esponente di vertice» del clan locale sottoposto a sorveglianza speciale, che dopo la riunione imboccò un' uscita secondaria per evitare una pattuglia dei carabinieri. Eletto con il Pd renziano, Callipo (una parentela talmente lontana da sconfinare nell' omonimia con l' imprenditore candidato alla presidenza della Regione) s' era avvicinato al centro-destra. Ma questo, per i suoi presunti amici mafiosi, non rappresentava un problema.

IL FACCENDIERE, IL SINDACO IL CARABINIERE: ECCO LA RETE SEGRETA DEL CLAN

Mic. All. e Giu. Sca. Per il Messaggero

L'«affarista massone dei boss», il politico, il carabiniere al servizio del clan, il sindaco. La rete delle cosche arrivava ai piani più alti della pubblica amministrazione e in cambio di agevolazioni illecite offriva appoggio, protezione, raccolta di voti elettorali. Uno degli uomini del clan era Giancarlo Pittelli, penalista calabrese, ex parlamentare di Forza Italia - nel 2017 passato a Fdi -,«accreditato nei circuiti della massoneria più potente», si legge nell'ordinanza. Il gip Barbara Saccà sottolinea come sia stato in grado di far relazionare la ndrangheta con circuiti bancari, società straniere, università, ospedali, «con le Istituzioni tutte».

Era il «passepartout di Mancuso», grazie al suo ruolo politico, alla fama professionale, alle relazioni di altissimo livello. Per gli inquirenti era un vero e proprio associato: «Uno di noi», lo definisce un pentito.

Dagli atti emerge il ritratto di uomo d'onore che, per l'accusa, è confermato dalle intercettazioni. Come quando nel giugno 2018 Pittelli incontra il boss Luigi Mancuso: «Noi santi non siamo, ti devo dire la verità», dice. O quando racconta a un amico che il capoclan «mi ha voluto far incontrare i fratelli». Pittelli puntava sempre più in alto, per il gip era l'anello di congiunzione «tra gli alti vertici della ndrangheta e quelli della società».

I FAVORI

E poi, tra gli arrestati, c'è il sindaco di Pizzo, Gianluca Callipo, che ha «concretamente contribuito, pur senza farne formalmente parte, al rafforzamento, alla conservazione ed alla realizzazione degli scopi dell'associazione mafiosa». Era il punto di riferimento per risolvere i problemi locali, garantiva appoggio e favori, «ometteva i controlli sulle attività di interesse del sodalizio». In cambio, avrebbe ricevuto un massiccio sostegno elettorale alle comunali del 2017. Ma nell'ordinanza ci sono anche i nomi di altri politici, come quello di Nicola Adamo, ex parlamentare ed ex vicepresidente della Regione in quota Pd, accusato di traffico di influenze.

Gli sarebbero stati promessi 50mila euro per mediare con il Tar e «sostenere la posizione processuale» di un imprenditore catanese che aveva una causa pendente. E non è tutto. Perché il clan poteva contare anche su appoggi nelle forze dell'ordine. È il caso di Giorgio Naselli, ex comandante provinciale dei carabinieri di Teramo: acquisiva e spifferava notizie investigative segrete. Naselli, 52 anni, 4 figli, era arrivato a Teramo nel 2017, prima dirigeva il reparto operativo di Catanzaro e aveva curato indagini contro ndrangheta e cosche siciliane. Su richiesta di Pittelli, avrebbe esaminato dossier che interessavano al clan, «rivelando quali le criticità oggetto di verifiche coperte dal segreto istruttorio».

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

Your Galahkar Culture Masterpost is fantastic! I loved rereading all your fascinating lore ideas and it gave me so many questions. I will limit myself to three. ^_^ First, we know the water clans have rivalry? Do the smithing clans? Two, how did orange get the meaning of secrets? I’m sure there is a story. And third, what happens for funerals and weddings for people with no clan, or are the last of their clan, or their clan head is on a different island/separated by war? Thanks so much for sharing all your lovely ideas.

Thank you! I don't think I caught all the posts, but those are the big (and some small) ones. Took a bit to dig through them all.

You always ask such wonderful questions.

First:

Yes, the smithing Clans have a rivalry. Just not as extreme as some water clans. Clans Pontos and Najad have a feud because Clan Pontos accidentally destroyed one of the Najad's fishing grounds and refused to compensate for it.

Clans Utris and Gohlann are smithing Clans, but they have different specialities. The Gohlanns do the rougher work, the large pieces and things you need for building houses and so on. The Utris do the finer work. Household items, weapons and other small things. So their rivalry is more along the lines of "stay in your own lane" and "if you had done your job properly" and less "I'm going to murder you when I see you".

Two:

Red, yellow and orange are all associated with fire to certain degrees. They all take different aspects of it.

Red is the burning passion and destructive power, yellow the warmth of the hearth and orange the secrets whispered to the flames. As for why historically and context? As soon as I figure that out, I could propably write a dissertation about it. XD

Third:

People without a Clan are one of the very few exceptions where friends can build the pyre and be part of burning th body. They still get full funeral rites despite being Nameless since they still lived thier lives as Galahkari.

Normally, if the Clan is too small to handle a funeral, the family does it, blood and chosen family included. For Nyx that would include Libertus, Crowe and Ladone.

If it's the Clan Head who died, the chosen heir prepares the body. If the Clan is too small (like the Ulrics) then an Ostium will do the task. It's their task to make sure people get proper burials, so even if the Clan Head might be unable to come for whatever reason, the dead person still gets a proper funeral.

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

If Nyx was raised in Insomnia, would he still complete the First Hunt of clan Ulric? Or would he be an Utris or even Nameless in that au?

He would most likely be Nameless.

He would refuse to take the First Hunt of Clan Utris, not wanting to have anything to do with them for what the Clan Head did to his mother.

And the spirits would not guide him through the Ulric First Hunt because he is too closely connected to the Lucis Caelum part of his line.

In this au, Selena would earn herself the name Ulric.

[raven-6-10]

@ertrunkenerwassergeist @hamelin-born

Moving back to what this post was originally about, I realise I forgot a very important detail.

Clarisse Utris absolutely knows who is Nyx' father. She also hates Alyxa. If Regis or one of his people ever makes it to Galahd in their search, I can see her telling them where to look for Mors' son.

And then telling Alyxa that if she doesn't send the boy away, she will kick her out of the clan.

(oh, look, we've found angst. guess the plunnies escaped)

I had an idea for a Son of Mors au which is just a Pure Crack.

Basically, what little of Eos' consciousness remains decides "I'm going to ruin this guy's entire career prophecy".

Bahamut: *preparing to announce the next king*

Eos: *body checking him so he flies off the screen*

Crystal-Eos: Hail Vitale Lucis Caelum! Hail King of Lucis!

Regis and co: *extremely alarmed wtf expressions*

I mean it's can either be a Pure Crack (because a 5yo on the throne) or a Pure Angst (because a 5yo on the throne) and in this case I think I would prefer the first. Especially since Regis would have no idea where to even start looking for Nyx and also would be expecting somebody near his age and not a flipping kindergartener.

*shoos angst bunnies back under the bed*

Okay this is funny. And dramatic. In the over the top drama way one cannot help but laugh at.

On a meta level just... Bahamut used - something - to bind Eos. And it took her many human generations to scrape together enough power to jump on the opportunity presented to her. She takes the power of the human souls nestled within her heart, and speaks.

(That is just background meta for myself, because I need to have this make some amount of sense in my head. XD)

So

Regis is about to get the blessing of the Crystal as each new King does before the coronation. It should just be a formality, as it has been for nearly 10 generations already. Since there hasn't been more then one Lucis Caelum child per generation.

But then.

The Crystal surges and announces a name no one has ever heard of.

"Vitale Lucis Caelum, the Hidden."

No one knows what to do with that.

The coronation gets put on hold. Obviously. An announcement is made. The Gods have spoken and who is Regis to deny them? (He's secretly very relieved that it's not him who has to be King. Up until he meets the new King, that is.)

It's the scandal of the century.

Mors Lucis Caelum had another son. Someone fucked Mors Lucis Caelum of their own free will. At least Regis dearly hopes that's the case.

(It was totally a hate fuck. But very much consensual.)

And then come the shenanigans of trying to find Vitale Lucis Caelum.

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

Saw this writing prompt, and it made me wonder if there's a tooth fairy legend about either the fae or fihrie, and what the Galahdians vs Lucians would think of it

When Selena loses her first milk tooth, the first thing she does is to show it to her brother. She is excited. Losing her first milk tooth will mean learning how to make tea, learning how to hunt and all the other secret things the older children whisper about.

She shows her fallen out tooth to Nyx, her smile showing off the gap left behind, and his first reaction is not excitement like she has expected, but abject horror.

He closes his bedroom door in her face - it nearly hits her nose and actually cracks against her knuckles - before he starts screaming at her to go away and hide the tooth where he will never find it.

Selena does not listen. Instead she does what every nearly six year old would do and starts to cry, running for her mother.

Alyxa Utris had known this would happen one day. She had still thought she would have more time to actually find the words to explain this to her daughter, but it seems like time has run out. So she does her best to console her daughter and when her tears are dry, Alyxa takes Selena into the kitchen and makes her daughter's favourite sweet tea.

"Is it really so bad?" her daughter asks, hiccuping, staring at the tiny tooth on the wooden table top.

Alyxa sighs, scoots her chair as close to Selena's as she can and wraps an arm around her daughter. "It's a sign of getting older, si lehwiga. It's as much a cause for celebration as it is for grief. You leave something behind to gain something new."

"But why was Nyx so mean?"

"You know how your brother is different?" Alyxa asks slowly, carefully.

Selena looks like she has to seriously think about it. "He already has a Name."

That startles a laugh out of Alyxa. "Oh, that's not what I mean, si lehwiga."

"What then?"

"You know how he sometimes turns into a coeurl? Not everyone can do that. And it comes with a very special set of rules your brother has to follow."

"Oh," Selena says like it is an entirely new concept to her that not everyone has an older brother than can turn into an animal their little sisters can cuddle. "Is there a rule that says he's got to be upset about my tooth?"

"No, not that. But if he manages to find and keep it, you will owe him five years and ten months of your life. That scares him."

"Brother isn't scared of anything!" Selena exclaimes entirely scandalised at the very thought. "And he can have my years. Maybe then he'll teach me how to make tea."

Alyxa does her best to keep her panic from her expression and voice. "Selena no! Nyx'll teach you how to make tea without you having to give him your years. He just won't be able to be there until we burn your tooth later tonight."

"Oh," Selena says again. "But I can give him a hug later, right?"

"After we burnt the tooth and spread the ashes, yes, you can," Alyxa says, relieved that a bigger crisis has been averted.

After all of this is done, she thinks she will make that hare stew Nyx likes so much. It can't be easy for her poor boy. On days like these she silently curses the fihrie blood of the Ulric Clan.

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When Iris loses her first milk tooth, the first thing she does is to show it to her brother. She is excited. Now she has her very own favour to give, should she ever need the help of a fae.

Gladdy looks at it with all the seriousness the situation deserves and guides her into the living room. There, in the display cabinet next to one of the large windows, are three small handcarved wooden cases. Two of them, Iris knows, are already filled with milk teeth. One belongs to her father, the other to her brother. The last one, depicting beautiful iris flowers, is for her. It had been a present from King Regis for her brith.

"You know what to do?" Galddy asks.

Iris rolls her eyes. Of course she does! She's six and a half, not three.

Gladdy opens the cabinet for her and she picks up her wooden case. She carefully opens it and as she gently settles her tooth inside, she recites: "A favour for the future, for the fae of this house. I'll keep it safe until it's needed."

Iris looks at her brother, expectant. Gladdy nods and with an excited bounce the girl sets the wooden case back into the cabinet.

"Did you ever give away one of your teeth?" Iris wants to know.

"I gave one to Cor when I was seven," Gladdy admits with a grimace.

"What favour did you ask for?"

"I really wanted ice cream and dad had said no. Dad was furious when he found out about it."

Iris nods seriously. Silly brother. She would save hers up for something important. Like hot chocolate.

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

Thank your for indulging us and all the glorious fic and worldbuilding you spoil us with. If you like, I wish you’d write a fic where Selena and Nyx discuss if she should take the Ulric name (in any of your verses - selkie, games we play, hot, etc).

Thank you so much, Anon! Sorry this took so long, but I'm getting through to it! Hope this is along the lines of what you imagined.

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"Big brother? Can I ask you something?"

Nyx looked up from where he was stretching the bantha fur in the wooden frame. For a while Selena had been silently sitting on the ground next to him, nervously wringing her hands. He had been content enough to let her work through whatever was on her mind in silence, until she found the courage to speak up.

"Sure," he said. "I could use a break anyway."

Selena squinted suspiciously at him. At eleven years old, she looked mroe adorable doing so than anything else in Nyx's opinion. Not that he would ever tell her that.

"You've done nothing more than adjust the strings since I came here."

"Hey, that's important work, I'll let you know! I don't want there to be any creases. Those are really hard to get out again." He shot her a look. "Now, no more distraction. What is it?"

For a few long seconds Selena simply chewed on her lower lip, searching for words. Nyx plopped down on the ground next to her. A mild wind was blowing in from the sea, carrying the subtle smell of salt all the way to them.

"Do you think I could become an Ulric like you?"

Nyx froze in surprise. Sure, he had noticed her looking at their father's weaponry more and more, but he hand't thought this to be the reason. Until now Selena had always seemed content with both Nyx's and their mother's assumption that she would take the name Utris.

"What brought that on?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Selena crunched up her nose. It looked adorable.

"If I join mahir, you'll be all alone."

She said it so matter of fact, that Nyx's heart stumbled in his chest. For a long second he closed his eyes. Then he reached over and eveloped his sister in a one armed hug.

"I'll still have you, Ulric or not. You won't stop being my sister."

"I know that!" Selena sounded positively indignant. "But you don't have anyone to help you figure out Ulric stuff, and if I'm Ulric too, you'll have someone to figure it out with!"

For one moment Nyx let himself imagine. The knowledge of another living Ulric, the feeling of cameradery and security a Clan was supposed to have. Things he would do his best to provide. But he remembered the talk he had had with his mother after having overheard a conversation between her and her Clan Head.

Clarice Utris - may she be eaten by crows - had implied she would reduce his mother's Clan support, if she had another Ulric in the family. It had broken his mother's heart. It had broken his heart. They both had ended up crying in the kitchen over many cups of tea.

It was unfair. So, so unfair.

Alyxa Utris did great work. She was an amazing smith specialising in all kinds of knives and their maintenance, but she made barely enough to support their little family. Nyx had always had his suspicions, but to have them confirmed had been like a blow beneath the ribs.

"That would be a great help. But-" Nyx shot her a look before his sister got any ideas- "mahir needs your help more than me."

"But-"

"Selena." A deep sigh escaped Nyx's lungs.

His sister hung her head, blinking tears from her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled against his shoulder.

Nyx pressed his face against the crown of her head. "No, don't you ever be sorry."

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

When you created the clans did you have an idea of where they would live on the islands? Like which clans where next to which?

Hey anon!

Vaguely, yes.

Also, as a preface, how I see Galahd is nowhere on the worldmap. Because what is canon and I can do what I want. So to clear things up, Galahd is a group of five big and a few smaller islands situated between Lucis and Tenebrae.

I knew from the beginning that the Ulrics and Ostiums were located on the island closest to the Lucian mainland. There are also the Utris and Altius Clans who have their main compound on that island. The Drautos Clan also lives there, though since they are a Watcher Clan, they also live on Lucian mainland.

The Bellum and Furia are on the western most island along with the Fussura, who live inside a mountain. The Lazarus also partly live on that island, but they also live part time in Tenebrae (this is why most of them have blond hair).

To the very south are the Sarcina, the Pisca, the Aliquantus and the Gohlann.

On the north-eastern island there are the Khara, the Pontos and a good part of the Arra. They, like the Patientia, live scattered all over Galahd.

In the north we have the Dala and the Colophon, mainly, along with the Bog.

Clan Najad lives on the south-eastern island. They are the only Clan with a main compound there, since the island is basically a rock. But the Najad are stubborn people. Well, more stubborn than most Galahkari.

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

Sorry to keep flooding your inbox, and sorry for my lack of ability to connect dots on my own. In your fics, you keep blaming Libertus’s uncle for Crowe being nameless. Why couldn’t she have hunted to be Utris or Ulric? Too much tension with Clarice? Speaking of names and Clans, I was thinking last night about kinship patterns and Galahd culture. Are there different terms for cousins, etc. of your clan vs not? If we have storm-sister, is there storm-aunt? Thanks for this fascinating world!

Nothing to be sorry about anon. :)

I don't blame Libertus' uncle for Crowe being nameless. What he repensents in my stories is the prejudice many Galahkari have against those who weren't able to complete a First Hunt, or be a part of one at all.

And it's never been explicitely stated in my bigger stories, but Crowe did not meet Libertus and Nyx until she herself was 14 and so too old to complete a First Hunt. Maximum age for that is 13.

In rough strokes Crowe's backstory in my worldbuilding goes like this:

Her father, Aerugo Altius, made a deal with the Wise Witch. For her services the Wise Witch always demands a price. In this case, she wanted a child. An heir. Someone she could pass on her knowledge and magic on to.

So when she gave birth to Crowe, she was disappointed. Because while Crowe had a huge potential for magic, it could not be realized due to Bahamut's actions in shackling black magic to the Lucis Caelum line. If the Draconian hadn't done that, Crowe would have been an incredibly powerful black mage, but instead she was just a vessel full of empty potential.

So the Wise Witch gave the child to her father, who, considering how Crowe came to be, did not like this situation at all.

Normally, when parents can't or won't take care of a child for whatever reason, the Clan will step in, but Aerugo's hate and bitterness for the situation went to far that he managed to convice his Clan Head to bar Crowe from the Clan. (Which, after it became known, dealt the reputation of Clan Altius a huge blow.) And since Crowe did not get taken into another Clan, she could not complete a First Hunt.

I hope that makes some things clearer. If you're interested in the story of how Libertus and Nyx first met Crowe, I wrote it here.

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When it comes to kinship patterns, there are many, many terms. For the terms 'mother' and 'father' alone, there are three each.

namahir = mother (with 'mahir' being more informal), meaning someone's birth mother

maneth = stepmother (also used for an adoptive mother that is not from the same Clan as the child)

macri = adoptive mother

methuir = father (with 'thuir' being the informal/more affectionate term), meaning birth father

thune = stepfather (also used for an adoptive father that is not from the same Clan as the child)

mocri = adoptive father

Then there are the terms parents call their children depending on if they are related by blood, by Clan or not at all. Same for cousins and uncles and aunts. It can get very specific.

Now for siblings it's at once easier and more complicated. The three general terms are "fatrun" for brother, "pirir" for sister and "adohrtia" for sibling. Technically one can tack anything in front of them to reflect your history with the other person.

In dayly use people won't add on anything else to these three terms, but when you want to be specific, or the added on part has a very specific meaning you most certainly can.

That's where storm-sister/brother/sibling comes from. Surviving an autumn storm is a very significant feat and if you did it with someone else the experience creates a bond that can't be denied. That person is then seen as your storm-sibling. Since Libertus, Nyx and Crowe survived such a storm together, they are considered storm-siblings.

One can also have a storm-mother/father/parent. Aunt and uncle aren't really terms used in this situation. This is treated like having a third parent, or sometimes a godparent. (With the latter being more common for all that the situation of having a storm-anything is pretty rare to begin with.)

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

Heraldic Post Part 2

Hello and welcome to the second part of this post! Which has been named the heraldic post, and well, they’re not wrong. XD

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Clan Horwalt isn’t really a Clan, since it’s made out of only one person. Who is essentially an immortal witch, but it would be disrespectful to ignore her, so she is included in this list. She is associated with two animals: the crow and Naga’s kin. (Naga’s kin are two headed snakes I made up.) Her colour is white with a thin green line through it. The beads she wears in her Clan Braid are sapphire, obsidian and hematite.

The Utris Clan has the colours red and blue. Their animal is a jormungand. Their Clan Beads (they have three) are only made of tiger iron. The three beads stand for the grounding of energies, protection of the spirit and manifestation of will.

Clan Najad’s colours are dark blue and black. This combination doesn’t follow the traditional colour meanings and is instead supposed to symbolize the deep sea. Their sigil is a pearl oyster. As Clan Beads they wear Pearl, Moonstone and Coral.

Clan Patientia has the colours black and green. They don’t have an animal as a sigil, but rather a black rose. (It’s a rose growing on Galahd that is very poisonous - the smell alone can cause hallucinations - but, when handled right, is also used in medicine.) Their Clan Beads are made of quartz and Rainforest jasper, standing for purification, physical health, vitality and connection to nature.

The colours of Clan Dala are blue, green and brown. Their animal is a garula. Their Clan Beads are made of bone, and malachit for the animals they tend to, luck and confidence.

Clan Colophon has the colours green, red and brown. Their sigil is not an animal, but a bundle of ears of oats. (The most common grain on Galahd.) Their Clan Bead is made of moss agate, for nurturing, abundance and a deep connection to the earth.

Clan Pontos has the colours blue, red and white. They don’t have an animal. Their Clan Beads are made of moonstone for new beginnings and black tourmaline for empathy.

The colours of Clan Aliquantus are yellow and grey. They don’t have an animal. Their Clan Bead is a ruby, standing for adventure and courage.

Clan Gohlann has the colours orange, red and yellow. Their animal is a Galahdian firebird. They have two Clan Beads which are made of iron and silver, symbolizing protection agains evil (daemons), warding and enhancement of existing qualities.

Clan Pisca’s colours are green and blue. Their sigil is a mussel. They have Clan Beads made of coral and charoite for focus, clarity and purpose.

Clan Bog (their proper name is actually Horlach but no one ever uses it) has the colours brown and orange. They don’t have an animal. They have Clan beads made out of bogwood and smelted bog iron.

Clan Fossura has the colour brown. Their animal is a wingless jabberwock. Their Clan Bead is made of diamond. But they also have a second bead that shows direct family lines, so this one is of varying materials.

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

I just named all the Clan Heads for the Gathering in the next Born Into the Wilds chapter! I’m so damn proud of myself for this.

Have a list (in alphabetical order by Clan Name):

Oratio Aliquantus

Votano Altius

Lina Arra

Kataigida Bellum

Oneiro Colophon

Illyrios Dala

Titus Drautos

Shet Furia

Gerraruis Gohlann

Areion Khara

Nitor Lazarus

Phaiax Najad

Murus Ostium

Semele Patientia

Wellan Pisca

Batrachus Pontos

Ethin Sarcina

Nyx Ulric

Clarice Utris

And now I have to figure out who is in what political faction. Fun! At least I have the alliances already worked out?

Idk, would you guys be interested to see how I plan this? Just a thought. Because if you are I’m going to post (about) the planning process. Just a spontaneous offer.

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

What interested you about a Nyx selkie? How would you approach a story like that.

*squints at idea*

*pokes idea*

Jazz, are you trying to get me to actually write this?

What interested me most about this is that it’s another take at coeurls tightly connected to the Ulric Clan. And if I love one combination, it’s Nyx and coeurls. And it has a big potential for angst.

Also the chance to play around with another sentient race, living on Eos. Which is really cool.

So, ficlet inbound! *flexes fingers*

- Nyx was born human. There was nothing too special about him then. He was a healthy, screaming baby with beautiful blue eyes and a tuft of dark hair. Both his parents love him immediately and unconditionally.

- Nyx grows. He laugths and cries, he stumbles and he runs. He makes friends and plays pranks and loves his younger sister. He’s a boy. And he’s human.

- He’s human until his First Hunt.

- At nine years old he paints his skin in the Ulric pattern, takes his father’s hunting weapons and sneeks out into the jungle. He’s a boy, he’s human and he fears being nameless more than he fears Galahd’s wild animals. And so he prays to the Fathers of the Hunt and goes.

- He stalkes through the jungle, searching for prey worthy of gaining him the name Ulric. Nyx searches and searches until he follows a trail to a meadow and within this meadown resides a coeurl.

- It’s not just any coeurl, but Her. The Lady of the Beasts, Queen of the Jungle.

- She sits there, amongst the summer flowers, a dead hare at her feet that is nealy the same size as Nyx is. Her green, green eyes are trained on him, waiting.

- And had Nyx been anybody else, he would have run. He would have run to not try this Hunt again for some time. But he isn’t anybody else. He is Nyx, son of Alyxa Utris and Ilias Ulric.

- So he stays. And follows the unexplainable tug within him until he stands before the Great Coeurl.

- He stops before her and freezes when her massive head lowers to scent him. She rumbles deep in her chest in satisfaction. Purrs, Nyx realizes and doesn’t know what to think about it.

- She twists to pick something up that lays beside her with her long and sharp teeth. Her long whiskers move lazily around her. They could harm him so easily, but Nyx isn’t afraid. Not really. He’s curious, rather. Because it has been a very long time since anybody saw the Great Coeurl.

- What she picks up looks like a fur. It’s as white as freshly fallen snow and Nyx cannot help but stare at it. He cannot look away as it is laid down in front of him.

- A wet nose at his naked arm prompts him to touch it.

- It’s softer than anything he has ever touched. And it’s a coeurl’ pelt. Complete with the legs, tail and part of the head. It’s a cub’s pelt, no older than half a year judging from the stubby whiskers, but otherwise large enough to be from a cub at least twice that age.

- Cautiously, after making sure she won’t mind, Nyx picks the pelt up and thanks her as formally as he knows how. She is the Queen of the Jungle, allowing his people to live on these lands, and for this alone she deserves all the respect Nyx can give her.

- She does nothing. Just look down at him, her tail and whiskers swishing through the air. She waits for something and Nyx doesn not know what.

- He does not know for how long he stands there, growing more and more nervous. The pelt in his arms starts to grow heavy and so he slings it around his body without thinking.

- That is the moment he changes. When he becomes something other than human.

- A coeurl. A cub.

- It is disorienting and Nyx doesn’t know what is happening. But she is here to help him, to teach him.

- She lets him eat from the carcass of the hare and it’s messy. So she cleans him up, wrestling him down with a huge paw when he tries to escape. (Because which child truly likes baths?)

- It’s nice he supposes, the large tongue licking over his fur. And he tries not to think about that. But he has four legs now and that means he will be able to run even faster than he already can. (He cannot wait to try that out.)

- The Great Coeurl teaches him as if he were her own. And as the days pass and he learns how to walk and run and climb and hunt, he sometimes forgets that he’s supposed to have two legs and two arms with no tail and the only fur he’s got grows atop his head.

- He forgets that he has another mother, a sister and a friend that might as well be his brother.

- He forgets when he payfights with her tail and she looks in indulgently, or she carries him by the scruff of his neck because he fell into the stream again.

- The days pass like this until Nyx wakes up one morning with two legs and two arms, naked safe the pelt covering him like a blanket. Next to him lays another large hare.

- It takes him nearly all morning to remember how to coordinate his limbs, how to walk on two legs instead of four and to stumble into the nearest village, the hare’s carcass in tow.

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

Born Into the Wilds - Chapter 14

I did it! My brain is mush now, but I managed to finish it. XD My patience is zero.

Here’s the Link to AO3.

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In which invitations are issued, future plans for the war are made and a wild Gladio appears.

Featuring: family drama, Galahdian Clan politics, crafty old men, a bitter old woman, a training exercise, Iris being a precious bean, Gladio being Gladio, Nyx and Libertus being idiot dorks, Tredd the flame brain and many more

Warnings: mention of not-quite incest (the relation is 3rd cousins, so quite close)

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Hadnissa glossary:

oirkar = chief, clan head; lit.: leading person; a title makti-oir = war chief, commander-in-chief, warlord; lit.: leading/first hunter limeschti = traditional welcoming tea mahir = mother; woman who birthed me; affectionate form gisdrauht = Storyteller ahtri = spirit; umbrella term for everything from actual nature spirits to the presence of their ancestors wognesfahli = insult; lit.: cloud head; describes a thoughtless and/or reckless person

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Organizing a Gathering of the Clan Heads on top of everything else was a logistical nightmare. They were all a very prideful bunch, which meant that over the next few days, while Insomnia slowly imploded with speculations, Nyx visited every single oirkar in person to announce the Gathering. It wouldn't have been half as bad, if he hadn't had to suffer through half an hour of drinking tea with every single one. Even Murus Ostium, Libertus' uncle.

It got especially awkward when he had to go to Clarice Utris. The old woman was oirkar of her Clan and also a relatively close cousin to his mother and held a strong dislike for everything with the name Ulric. It was so bad she had nearly cut all Clan support Alyxa Utris was due, when she had married Ilias Ulric against the wishes of her Clan Head.

“To what do I owe you the pleasure of your visit, makti-oir?” Clarice Utris asked with a caustic voice.

She had been old when they had still been on Galahd, and now she was even older. Her wispy snow-white hair was done in her Clan's braids – two thick braids that started at the temples and held the rest in a bun at the back of her head; men tended to pull it into a tail – and her gaze was as sharp as ever. Nyx felt like a child again that tried not to cower in front of this intimidating woman with her tall stature, wide shoulders and muscular arms.

“Thank you for granting me entrance to your lands,” Nyx intoned, despite the fact that none of them currently had any lands to grant entrance to, and held out his left hand.

He knew Clarice Utris was left handed and hated it, when people greeted her with their right hand. It was ridiculous, but right now he needed to be on her good side. Well, as good as he was ever going to get. She eyed it like a gryffin would its prey, before she grabbed his wrist in a greeting of equals.

Her grip was strong and firm despite her old age. Normally a oirkar would have declared a successor by the time they hit 70 at the latest, but the Utris Clan was one of the few exceptions. Age didn't count so much as the ability to swing a hammer in the forge did. As long as Clarice Utris could do that she would remain oirkar, even at the age of 87.

“No harm shall come to you, makti-oir, while on the land of the Utris Clan. Be welcome and take rest at our hearth,” Clarice Utris said with no inflection whatsoever in her voice.

Nyx nodded and followed her inside the apartment. It was small and utilitarian, with the largest room barely fitting a small couch, an armchair, a coffee table and a huge shelf. The highlight was the actual fireplace, which was most likely why the old woman had chosen this place to live. One of the only frivolities – if one wanted to call it such – was the wooden fire bird statue by the entrance.

It must have once been a large town house, made out of brick with large windows and an unusually sweeping roof. Located at the upper edge of Little Galahd, it was close to the stairs that led up to the main highway of the city. Nowadays five apartments were crammed inside.

Clarice Utris offered him the armchair to sit and wait, and vanished into the kitchen to make some tea. Nyx sat down and plugged at the clothes he wore. Tunic and trousers were a hunter's grey at the base and melted into intricate patterns of different shades of browns and greens with splashes of other colours in between. Athina had practically shoved them into his arms after rooting through his closet and declaring most of its contents unfit for meeting the oirkari in his role of makti-oir.

A tray with two earthen cups and a round bodied tea pot was set down on the coffee table. Clarice Utris did not spare him even a glance as she prepared what Nyx now identified as limeschti – the official welcoming tea.

Despite having already greeted him, she set a cup down in front of him and took her own in her hands and spoke the traditional words: “Be welcome. We grant you safety in passage through our lands, and a place at our hearth for as long as you wish to stay. No harm shall come from me and mine. Fire and sun as my witness.”

“May your hearth burn strong and bright. No harm shall come from me to you or yours, during my journey through your lands. Fire and sun as my witness,” Nyx said, raised the cup until it was level with his eyes and then took a sip.

The tea had a very smoky quality to it.

“Now tell me, makti-oir,” Clarice Utris spoke after she set her cup down, “why do you come to me only after you have already visited the Lazarus?”

Nyx blinked and bit the inside of his cheek to not blurt out the first thing that came to mind. Instead, he took a calming breath to keep his words as polite as he could make them.

“The Lazarus are brokering an alliance with Clan Ulric. Allies take precedence over the other Clans, as a woman of your standing is, without a doubt, well aware.”

“Family takes precedence over allies.”

It took everything Nyx had not to bark a bitter laugh. Though judging from her expression, the smile he gave her was too sharp. Family. What a joke. An Utris had been his mother. An Utris had been his sister. But where had the rest of that Clan been after Ilias Ulric's death? His mother had barely managed to feed the three of them during the winter afterwards.

“For there to be familial ties, they must be acknowledged first, Oirkar Utris.”

The wrinkles on Clarice Utris' thin face grew even more pronounced. “You had a mother and a sister that were counted amongst this Clan.”

“Mahir and Selena were family before they were members of Clan Utris.”

The old woman's lips twitched as she glared at him. Nyx was very careful not to let any of his inner conflict show on his face. He would have loved to call the members of Clan Utris his family. A long time ago. Now he didn't quite know how to feel about them, other than the dull ache he always got when he saw Archyll and Ariadne. They had been his sister's and his favourite cousins.

“Alyxa would have been happy with the match we had for her,” Clarice Utris said, and it sounded like a challenge.

“Maybe she would have. Maybe not,” Nyx said, trying to be as diplomatic as possible about this. “But in the end she found her greatest happiness with Ilias Ulric.”

“You could have been one of ours,” she said then, something wistful in her eyes. “You could have been my grandchild. The name Ulric brings nothing but death to those who are close to them.”

This time Nyx felt his jaw drop open. “You don't get to do that,” he whispered. “You don't get to do that. You don't get to hide your bitterness behind what happened to my Clan. The simple matter of fact is that mahir did not want to marry her third cousin, no matter how much you wanted it to happen.”

Fuck.

Nyx closed his eyes for a second in the following silence. He should not have said that. No matter how true it was.

“Out,” Clarice Utris breathed.

Her face had gone bone white behind her natural tan. Her hands shook as they balled themselves into fists on her knees.

“Get out!”

Nyx heart thundered in his chest as he stood up. For a moment he looked down at the old woman seething with anger, then he spoke the words he had come for in the first place.

“Clarice, Oirkar of Clan Utris. You are hereby invited to the Gathering of Clans, which is to commence in three days time at midday in the storyteller's yard.”

He marched out of the apartment without another word, down the stairs and out onto the street. The air was humid and it smelled nauseatingly of exhaust fumes. Nonetheless Nyx took a deep, calming breath. This could have gone better. Why couldn't that old hag simply let it go? He glared up at the underside of the road above him, as if his gaze alone could make it catch fire.

No, he told himself firmly. No, don't go there. Down that road lie too many painful memories.

With an annoyed grunt, he turned around on his heels and walked into the mass of alleyways leading further into Little Galahd. This had not been the last home he would need to visit today.

Ethin Sarcina welcomed him into his home with a jovial laugh and a firm shake of his wrist. The man was a welcome distraction with his good mood and truly delicious chocolate covered blackberries. Nyx listened for nearly ten minutes to the glowing praise the older man had for his grandniece, before he managed to inform the man of the Gathering.

“Clan Sarcina is honoured to be so high in your regard,” Ethin said with a solemn gravitas that was only pronounced by his mane of shoulder length hair.

Nyx didn't even bother to ask how he knew.

“It was a wise decision to go to the Lazarus after talking to the Ostium,” the older man continued and subtly shifted his weight on the cushion.

The Sarcina came from the smallest island in the south. There, tables were low and people kneeled on cushions on the ground. Nyx had no ideas where that custom had come from, but he certainly was no fan of it. His toes were growing numb.

“If I may be so bold in asking: whom will you visit next?”

Nyx' gaze wandered over the tea set on the table between them. From the tea cups without handles made out of porcelain, to the flat teapot that looked like a disk in Nyx' eyes and the wide rimmed snack bowl, all set out on an intricate table cloth depicting colourful birds.

Should he answer? On one hand he didn't want to inflate Ethin's ego even further, on the other, he would know soon anyway.

“Khara and Najad,” he said at last. “Then the Arra, the Bellum, the Patientia and the Altius.”

Ethin hummed, gaze thoughtful. “A packed schedule you have there, Nyx Ulric.”

“Yes,” Nyx agreed and made a face.

Tomorrow would be even worse. He'd have to take a free day to manage them all, and if he was really unlucky, he would have to ask Libertus to tackle the lowest ranked Clans. Which wouldn't go over all that well.

A calculating gleam entered Ethin's eyes. “You went to the Lazarus after the Ostiums because you're brokering an alliance with them. But that can't be all. A personal favour? No matter. The Najad are high up the list because they were personal allies to your father. The Arra are the record keepers, they are always amongst the first ten Clans to be invited. But why the Patientia after the Bellum? The oldest gisdrauht is a Patientia, after all.”

It took Nyx a second to realize that this was a question he was supposed to answer. “Because it was the Bellum that got so many of us out of Galahd. They deserve to be honoured for that.”

“Very true. But following that logic you will deal the Pontos Clan a grave insult. Didn't they help as well?”

“The Pontos were amongst the first to flee, took nearly all of their ships, loaded them with what goods they could, and lost half of them to the waves anyway. Regard for them is low.”

In Nyx' opinion they had gotten what they deserved, though it pained him to think about how many Galahkari lives had been lost in their foolishness.

“And you would risk insult to everybody else should you place them too high,” Ethin nodded and took a sip of his tea.

Nyx tilted his head in acknowledgement and bore the older man's renewed gaze. Approval was clear in his green gaze, it made Nyx feel like he had just been tested without realizing it. It was disconcerting.

“Now, don't look at me like that, Nyx Ulric. You may have the standing, but I would never give my grandniece to an idiot.” Another lingering look. “I will personally see to an outfit for you to wear during the Gathering.”

Ethin held up his hand to pre-empt Nyx' attempted protest.

“Please, do not protest this. If we were on Galahd, this wouldn't nearly matter as much, but the sad reality is that we're not. The mainlanders will notice sooner or later and when they come to investigate, we need to make the most of it. For them, illusion is more important than fact, and it's high time we use that.”

This would be a lot easier a pill to swallow, if Nyx wasn't the figurehead in all of this. He had no particular desire to play into the Lucians grand notion that he was a king.

“Thank you for your help, Oirkar Sarcina,” he chose to say instead of all the other things tumbling through his head.

“Of course,” the older man acknowledged.

Thankfully the hard part of this conversation was over after that.

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After a light lunch and a change of clothes, Nyx went to work.

“I'm thinking of getting some units back into the old stealth tactics,” he said to Luche as they watched a mock battle between Troop Zwihr under Libertus, and Troop Kihna under Kepho No-Name.

Both troops consisted mainly of heavy hitter front line fighters. Libertus tended to go more in the direction of ambush tactics, while Kepho was like a hard hitting hammer. Blunt and blind force, but when directed very effective. Right now Libertus' people were winning.

Next to him, Luche frowned. “The tried and true method of hiding in trees and attack from above? That worked in the jungles, but won't do so on plains and within Niff bases.”

On Galahd the trees grew strong, sturdy and tall, able to carry people many metres above ground without trouble, but here on the mainland, trees were feeble things that looked more like tall bushes.

“That's not what I meant.” Nyx cast the blond a look. “What do you know about the Ostium way of fighting?”

Luche took a few seconds to contemplate his answer. Down in the field Libertus and his hunters had managed to encircle Troop Kihna, whose members started to drop out of the fight even faster now. It spurred them to fight with a grim determination.

“Very strong, but also very fast. They are most likely the only ones who can wrestle a gekkan bare handed and not only not die, but also win. They are cunning to a surprising degree.”

Nyx nodded. “Most people tend to only focus on their strength. But they forget the Ostiums also have a very close bond with snakes. Snakes are fast, snakes are cunning, and they also know how to hide, how to camouflage themselves and strike from an unexpected position.”

“You want to turn Zwihr into another stealth troop? That's not a good idea, Nyx.”

“That's not what I meant.” Nyx gave an exasperated sigh. “But it would be beneficial, if some of our units and troops weren't so static in their functions. Libertus makes a great front line fighter, he's strong and knows how to use the hunters under his command for maximum impact, but half the time I want to put him with Tahrolin Troop for an ambush. What if we make Zwihr Troop into both front line fighters and an ambush force?”

“It might work. Might, mind you. You'll need a diversion. A force that will manage to absorb first contact with minimal losses and stand it's ground.”

They both watched as down below Kepho managed to rally his remaining hunters into a circle formation facing outwards, using localized shield spells to defend themselves. No, that was not quite right. The hunters formed pairs, where one cast shields and the other attacked. Right at that moment it turned into a battle of attrition. If this were a real battle, losses would be heavy on both sides, though the defending force would make the enemy bleed for each step they took. Nyx whistled in appreciation. So Kepho was not just blunt force, he was also a tree with deep roots and a thick bark.

“I guess we found our diversion,” Luche stated.

A few minutes later the fight ended in a stalemate. Libertus stank of sweat and Lucian magic when he stepped up to them, after making sure his people were alright.

“Kepho's one tough son of a bitch. Hadn't expected that. Wait, since when are they here?”

“Who?”

Nyx turned around and saw Gladiolus Amicitia along with whom he assumed was his younger sister, lurking at the edge of the training compound.

“Don't turn around like an idiot, you dumbass,” Libertus hissed.

“Alright, alright. Still, what are the Lord Shield's kids doing here? Don't they have lessons or something?”

“His Grace must have told them the Gilgamesh story,” Luche concluded after a moment.

“'His Grace'?”

“Yes, Nyx, 'His Grace'. I learned some of the finer points of Lucian nobility – like you should, as well. The Lord Shield is a Duke, the Duke of Taelpar to be exact, and as such is addressed as His Grace. Lord Shield is the title used to show his capacity as the Shield of the King.”

“Great, that's just great,” Libertus grouched and rolled his eyes. “I'm not dealing with that. If those two want to talk, they better not expect me to come to them. So, any conclusions to that exercise?”

“Yes, actually. Luche and I were just talking about it. How do you feel about being the snake hiding in plain view?”

Libertus blinked, then grinned. “Ah, a snake amongst the leaves. You think it'll work?”

Nyx nodded. “If we take the initiative and attack instead of defend, yes. Everything east of Tealpar Crag is mostly clear of Niffs. If we find a way to stop their sovereignty over the airspace, it'll be firmly within the Crown's hand again. The enemy has currently only two bases on the western side of the Crag. The closest is Tollhends Stronghold. It guards the main crossing over the Crag. We have that, they can't just move their ground troops further inland.”

“Hmm. A surprise attack from within?”

“Basically yes. That's the general idea for now. Can you do it?”

Libertus scratched his stubble in thought. “With a whole lot of training, maybe. I'd need to talk to Draskelio, Ares and Nube about it.”

Draskelio Furia, Ares Bellum and Nube Dala were the lead hunters of the units under Libertus' command. All three of them were good hunters with Draskelio being the oldest in his mid forties and Ares the youngest at 33. Nyx didn't know them very well, but he was confident they would be able to pull it off.

“What do you think, Luche?” he asked.

“Ares will me on board without much prompting. Put a strategy in front of him and he can come up with the tactics to make it happen. And the bloodier a nose the Niffs get, the better. Draskelio is very forward, and he very much prefers to hit the enemy straight in the face, so to speak. But if you convince him to do it, he will keep to the plan. Nube I don't know very well either, but from what I have seen and heard, she fights smart instead of running straight ahead.”

While Luche talked, Libertus' eyes had flittered multiple times over Nyx' shoulder where the Amicitia siblings were lurking. Nyx concentrated and heard quiet shuffling over the sounds down in the training field, where Arl Unit was setting up a perimeter now that he fight was over. The next exercise would be a capture the flag kind of deal.

Libertus' face morphed through several expressions before it settled on annoyed. Nyx shared a look with Luche, who returned his gaze, eyebrows raised.

“Alright,” Nyx said. “Libertus, after the Gathering you'll start the preparations. Do we have a plan or something for the Stronghold? One of the demolition units could rig something up for training, if we do.”

“I will look into it,” Luche nodded.

“What? Uh... yes, okay,” Libertus said. Then, he switched into Lucian. “Damn it, kids. If you want something come here and say it!”

There was a light scuffle behind his back, at which point Nyx decided to turn around. The moment his eyes landed on the Amicitia siblings, they both froze. At once the boy pushed his younger sister behind him and gave a deep bow of respect. The girl brushed off her brother's hand to do the same.

“Your Majesty,” the boy said. “We are very sorry to disturb you.”

His younger sister nodded.

Nyx made a face at being called that, yet again. Behind him, Libertus gave a snort.

“Don't call me that.”

“But father said you're a king,” the girl chirped from half behind her brother.

How old was she? Ten?

“That's not a title we use,” he answered, patient.

The girl just didn't know any better.

“Well, what do you use then?” she wanted to know.

Stumped, Nyx looked at Luche, who was looking at the siblings in consideration. The blond man was definitely planning something. The question now was: How much of a pain in the ass would it be for Nyx?

“If you need to use a title for him,” Luche spoke up, “then call him makti-oir.”

Gladiolus tilted his head. “Makti-oir,” he repeated carefully.

All three Galahkari did their best not to wince at the butchered pronunciation. The 'r' was articulated to far back in the mouth, the 'a' was too long and the 't' sounded wrong.

“What's that mean?” the girl asked.

“First Hunter,” Libertus spoke up.

At once both Amicitias' eyes were on him. The boy's considering, searching, and the girl's just plain curious. What by Pitioss had the Lord Shield been telling them? Before one of the two could open their mouth to ask another question, Libertus asked one of his own.

“What are you two doing here? You should know how dangerous it is to walk into an active training field!”

“Gladio wanted to see you, so I decided to come along, so he wouldn't do something stupid,” the Amicitia girl said and walked around her brother, more confident now, though she still stayed close to him.

“Iris!” Gladio hissed.

So her name was Iris. Nyx should really make more of an effort to remember it. Giving a charming grin, Nyx crouched down so he was closer to an eye level with her.

“Thank you for making sure your brother wouldn't get into trouble,” he said and winked.

“You're welcome!” Isis grinned.

Nyx did his best not to laugh at the face her brother made. “Now, would you tell me why you and your brother came here?”

Iris looked up at her brother who gave her a nod. “Father told us about the Blademaster, and the story Lord Ostium told him and King Regis. Is he really our cousin? We never had much extended family before. Father also said that Lord Ostium is your Shield now, because he beat the Blademaster in a fight, and that Gladio had to learn how to be a proper Shield.”

“You better ask him that yourself, Iris. It's very impolite to talk about people like they aren't there, when they're standing right next to you,” Nyx said and stood up.

The siblings looked expectantly at Libertus, though Gladiolus looked decidedly more embarrassed than Iris. He was not exactly a boy anymore. His features retained no baby fat, which made him look older than he was, though Nyx guessed him to be in his late teens. He was taller than all of them, and had a solid musculature that faintly reminded him of an Ostium, though that might just be him seeing things.

Libertus looked between the two siblings, clearly considering things, before he sighed in defeat. He had never been able to say no to kids, and had often looked after his younger relatives. Still did, when time permitted it, and to Nyx, it looked like the Amicitia siblings had just been added to the list, no matter how much his hunting-brother may grouch and complain about it.

“Okay, first of all don't call me Lord Ostium. Neither of you. I ain't no lord. I just make sure that guy-” he jammed his thumb in Nyx' direction “- doesn't kill himself with one of his stupid ideas.”

Nyx made a scandalized sound, which caused Iris to giggle. Gladio frowned, thoughtful.

“But you beat the Blademaster and proved yourself worthy of being a Royal Shield. You deserve being called a lord.”

No one who didn't know him well would notice, but by this point Libertus started to struggle to keep his temper in check.

“For you Lucians, that may be so. But to us Galahkari, it was justice served. We don't give people titles like lord, for doing something we deem important.”

It was Iris, with all the wisdom a child possessed, who asked the most important question: “What do we call you then?”

“... Libertus. Just call me Libertus.”

“Nice to meet you, Libertus! I'm Iris and this is my brother Gladiolus.”

Libertus gave a solemn nod as a greeting. Nyx had to stifle a grin at the scene. Iris' face gained an expression that was probably supposed to be business like, but could only be called cute.

“Are you going to do it?” she asked.

“Do what?”

“Teach my brother.”

Gladio hissed something at Iris while the Galahkari present shared glances. Libertus looked pleadingly at Nyx, who looked at Luche, who looked at them both in exasperation. They were saved from having to answer by a small explosion going off on the training field.

At once, Nyx whirled around, lightning crackling along his arms and hands, and hissed like a startled cat, ready to pounce at the source of danger. Only there was no danger. Down below, Tredd gave off a slew of creative curses, before he called up to their group.

“We're alright, in case you wanted to know!”

“Tredd!” hissed Nyx. “You fucking idiot!”

From the corner of his eye he could see the Amicitia siblings startle. Gladio had pushed Iris back behind him and gone into a ready position, a summoned sword in hand. Libertus had positioned himself at Nyx' shoulder, ready to fight, while Luche was ready to take the rear.

Now, Luche actually rolled his eyes and muttered something about idiot distant relatives, while Libertus spat his own curses back at Tredd, before making sure the siblings were alright.

“Fuck you, too!” Tredd yelled back, much to the scandalized looks of Gladio and Iris, who may not have understood the words but certainly their intent.

With a quiet growl Nyx jumped down – to the loud protest of his hunting-brother – and warped with the clap of a lightning bolt. This was still strange, warping without using much, if any, Lucian magic. Though his control of it was still pretty much hit and miss, so he overreached himself, stumbled, and tumbled to the ground.

Above him, Tredd laughed.

To save some of his dignity, Nyx could only do one thing: He kicked Tredd's legs away from under him. With a thud and a curse, he landed in the dirt next to Nyx.

“Very mature of you,” the redhead grumbled.

“Right back at you,” Nyx shot back, voice still a deep rumble.

“Whatever got your whiskers in a twist,” he heard Tredd mumble, but chose to ignore it.

This time.

They stood up and dusted themselves off as best as they could. Both of them were dressed in a strange mix of their Kinglsglaive training uniform and their traditional hunter's garb.

“What exactly were you doing?” Nyx asked.

Instead of answering, Tredd waved him over to where the rest of Arl Unit was standing. Two of them were putting out the burning dirt, while another tried to scrub off the soot from her face, and the rest were discussing amongst themselves what might have gone wrong.

On the scorched ground, still half visible, were lines made out of crumbled coal. They had been part of a circle along with a few sigils and runes. Nyx raised an eyebrow.

“A daemon trap? You tried to make a daemon trap with a fire element? No wonder it exploded.”

“Yes well, if it works with water as a base, I don't see why it shouldn't work with fire.”

“Maybe because fire is fickle with too much of a temperament?” Damn, that had sounded condescending, hadn't it?

Tredd sneered. “You got a better idea? We're nowhere near the ocean, and using earth as a base is a really bad idea anywhere close to Duscae.”

Nyx scrunched his face in thought. “Lightning?”

The redhead opened his mouth to argue, blinked, and closed it again, a thoughtful look on his face. The fingers of his right hand trailed over his chin.

“Damn,” he whispered. “That might actually work.”

Without another word he turned around and started barking orders. The members of Arl Unit scrambled to obey them. With a good-natured huff, Nyx turned away to leave the nut jobs to their work. Tredd knew all about weapons, true, but he was also an artisan, and one of their duties had always been the construction of new wards and other things.

That's what the Arl and Sevah Units were at their core: Trap and ward specialists respectively. Most of their members belonged to the Furia, Lazarus and Sarcina Clans as a result.

He warped back up to Libertus and Luche in two quick bursts of Lucian magic. This time he stuck the landing perfectly. The Amicitia siblings watched him with large eyes. Nyx ignored them for the moment. Maybe they would go away? Unlikely, but a man could hope.

“So what did Tredd do?” Libertus asked in Lucian.

Nyx raised an eyebrow but responded in kind. “A fire based daemon trap.”

It was amusing to see how Luche's face grew slack and his eyes became unfocused as soon as the words registered. Meanwhile Libertus did a passable impression of a fish on land.

“He did what?” Luche demanded after he composed himself.

“You heard me.”

“That idiotic ahtrii damned wognesfahli...” The rest grew intelligible as Luche turned around and marched off. The last thing Nyx could hear was something along the lines of “That fire brained dumbass could have blown us all to Pitioss and back!”

Nyx looked at Libertus, who looked back. His lips twitched and the next moment both of them were howling with laughter.

“Did you see his face!”

“He was gaping! Gaping!”

They looked at each other and burst out laughing again. Nyx' cheeks started to hurt and tears gathered in his eyes. It took a while to calm down enough to notice that the two Amicitia were still there. Both were staring at the grown men like they had lost their heads. Nyx nearly laughed again.

“Shouldn't you two be at school or something? Does your father know you're here?” Libertus demanded.

Gladiolus' face gained a defiant expression. Oh dear.

“Lo- Libertus, I would be honoured to spar with you in the future.”

His hunting-brother tried to stare the boy down, but he held his gaze, head held up and spine ramrod straight. It came very close to a parade rest. After a while Libertus sighed and threw his hands up.

“You know what? Fine. You've got guts, kid. But we're going to talk about this. This evening, 19:00 straight at the Rose's Thorn. You're late even one minute and this whole deal is off.”

“Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!”

The kid saluted. Actually saluted. Nyx bit the inside of his cheek and did his best to make a serious face.

“Thank you,” Iris parroted.

They both bowed to Nyx with a mangled “Makti-oir” and finally left the Glaive's training ground. Nyx and Libertus stared after them.

“Libs.”

“Hmm?”

“I'm proud of you.”

“Fuck you, too. What the fuck did I just do?”

“Seems like you got yourself a little apprentice.”

“I don't even have a job that warrants an apprentice. And he's way too old anyway!”

“Now you're just being mean.”

Nyx grinned and took a step away from Libertus. His hunting-brother sputtered, then threw himself at his best friend with an echoing war cry.

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

I woke up this morning and remembered that it’s been over one month since I wrote something for Born Into the Wilds -.- So have the start of the next chapter I just cranked out in the last 30 mins^^;

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Organizing a Gathering of the Clan Heads on top of everything else was a logistical nightmare. They were all a very prideful bunch, which meant that over the next few days, while Insomnia slowly imploded with speculations, Nyx visited every single oirkar in person to announce the Gathering. It wouldn't have been half as bad, if he hadn't had to suffer through an hour of drinking tea with every single one. Even Murus Ostium, Libertus' uncle.

It got especially awkward when he had to go to Clarice Utris. The old woman was oirkar of her Clan and also a relatively close cousin to his mother and held a strong dislike for everything with the name Ulric. It was so bad she had nearly cut all Clan support Alyxa Utris was due, when she had married Ilias Ulric against the wishes of her Clan Head.

“To what do I owe you the pleasure of your visit, makti-oir?” Clarice Utris asked with a caustic voice.

She had been old when they had still been on Galahd, and now she was even older. Her wispy snow-white hair was done in her Clan's braids – two thick braids that started at the temples and held the rest in a bun at the back of her head; men tended to pull it into a tail – and her gaze was as sharp as ever. Nyx felt like a child again that tried not to cower in front of this intimidating woman with her tall stature, wide shoulders and muscular arms.

“Thank you for granting me entrance to your lands,” Nyx intoned despite the fact that none of them currently had any lands to grant entrance to, and held out his left hand.

He knew Clarice Utris was left handed and hated it, when people greeted her with their right hand. It was ridiculous, but right now he needed to be on her good side. Well, as good as he was ever going to get. She eyed it like a gryffin would its prey before she grabbed his wrist in a greeting of equals.

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

I’m baaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!! Well, more like tomorrow I’ll be back, but I managed to write something this morning before I start the last day of carnival.

(After today I won’t be talking to people face to face for like a week. Social interactions are exhausting, drunk people or no drunk people.)

Anyway, have this!

Selena came back with a steaming bowl of fish stew and a piece of flat bread made out of ground nuts, accompanied by a cup of fumir. The tantalizing smell hit Nyx full force and the sudden tumble of his stomach made him realize how hungry he really was. He hadn't really realized it with the anticipation before the raid and his injury. Thankfully before they had set out Ladone had practically crammed an energy bar down his throat, and he hadn't been the only one she had done that to either.

He fell over his meal like a ravenous coeurl over its kill.

“Mother will come tomorrow to look over the captured goods and see what she can use or repurpose,” Selena spoke up when Nyx was halfway through the delicious stew.

He swallowed the clump of seaweed he had been chewing on and said: “Really? I thought she was too busy repairing weapons and stuff to do it.”

“Of course she's coming,” Selena said indignantly. “You haven't seen each other in ages. You really think she would let this opporunity pass?”

“To be honest, I thought that's why you are here,” Nyx muttered around his spoon.

“You're impossible, Nyx. Maybe you should make the time and visit her. She would be really happy about it, you know?”

“It's not that I don't want to, I just have so much to do,” he shot back and it was only half a lie.

Between his work for the galadi lin puhnak and the bar he had opened with Libertus a year ago, his schedule was pretty much full.

“If you really wanted to, you could make time, and don't you dare tell me otherwise, Nyx Ulric,” his sister practically threw in his face before she deflated with a sigh. “I know it's difficult with Clarice, but please try. For me and mother. Next year that old hag will have to give up her position as oirkar. Things will be easier then, you'll see.”

Nyx could do nothing but nod even if he didn't really believe it.

Clarice Utris was the oirkar of the Utris Clan and a bitter old woman that held a deep disdain for everything having to do with Ulrics. When their mother and started to court their father she had been vehemently against it, and even gone as far as cancelling nearly all support Alyxa Utris was due, when she had married Ilias Ulric. The Clan had started to get closer again when Ilias had died, but animosities had flared up again when Nyx had gone on his First Hunt without telling anyone and earned himself the Ulric name.

Both Nyx and Selena hated the situation their mother was in because of one woman with an unexplainable grudge, and they both dealt with it in different ways. Selena with helping their mother where she could, even going so far and abandoning her dream of carrying the name Ulric, and Nyx with distancing himself no matter how much it hurt him to so it.

That's why he had moved into the main Ulric Clan house when he had turned 16. He had seen how much his mother had suffered from the distance of her Clan, the lack of help during difficult times, so he kept his distance, hoping against hope that it would soften Clarice's heart.

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

The Clans of Galahd

Worldbuilding time!

First thing to note is that clan and family aren’t synonym. Clan members can be pretty far away relations like 3dr of 4th cousins, but with the exception of adopting someone into it, clan members are always blood related.

When two people marry they keep their clan names. They are now family but still of different clans. Their children, if they have any, can decide which clan they want to belong to. It’s part of the rite to be counted as a fully capable member of the community.

But people don’t need to be related to be part of one family. The most beloved chaos trio of Libertus, Crowe and Nyx is the best example of that.

Children before their 13th birthday can be adopted into a clan. 13 is the absolute upper limit to perform the First Hunt and take a clan name. After that, if the child in question already has a clan name, they can be taken into a family as a ward. Children without a name and over the age of 13 go into an orphanage.

Economy wise most clans specialize in one occupation or other.

Clans and their specialization(s):

Furia = artisans (mostly wood work)

Ulric = hunters, tanners, sometimes merchants

Khara = seaweed farmers and fishermen (since they live by the shore)

Lazarus = jewellers and Watchers in the west

Drautos = fishermen and Watchers in the east

Arra = scholars and record keepers (like birth records)

Bellum = shipwrights

Ostium = innkeepers, brewers and sometimes hunters

Najad = fishermen and pearl divers

Utris = smiths

Altius = physicians

Patientia = apothecaries

Dala = animal farmers and buthers

Colophon = farmers (and a few things related to that)

Pontos = ferrymen

Aliquantus = ?

Gohlann = smiths

Pisca =

Sarcina = tailors and seamsters

Bog

Fossura = miners

Paratris = glasblowers, postmen

Aiolo

Not all members work in the family business, so to speak. Other occupations like the storytellers or musicians aren’t bound to clans.

Of course there are conflicts between clans, but after the fall of Galahd most feuds fell by the wayside. There was a time in history, however, that was so bad it almost escalated into a civil war.

That’s all I have for now. Gentle reminder here that I always welcome asks to talk more about stuff like this. :)