The Lightfoot Clan: Introduction to an Atruaghin Clan

Aoleang Clan (Lightfoot Clan)

The Lightfoot clan has a rich tradition in Atruaghin culture. It is by no means the one of the oldest clans, since it is a second generation clan. None the less it wielded considerable influence over the Council of Elders in the last year of the Black War.

Soul Guide was considered one of the wisest Elders on the council, due in some part to his extreme spirituality as a shaman warrior of some repute prior to his ascension to Elderhood.

The clan was formed from the original Horse Clan after the raising of the plateau. They were known as historically fast runners, and were originally a warrior society within the Horse Clan, known as the Lightfoot. The peaceful schism happened over a period of 20 years around 500 BC. All 5 original clans fragmented as the clans had found a home.

The Lightfoot clan specifically is known for providing many of histories spiritbrothers, that acted on behalf of the Council of Elders, rather than the Lightfoot clan on it’s own. This led to a loss of power to begin with, but by the time the Black War was in full swing. Soul Guide was able to unite the Council in an operation to seek outside help following the incursion of the Plains. The “price” however was that his second son was the one chosen for the duty. Surprisingly Soul Guide had no hesitation in accepting the choice of Lightning Claw, which led to speculation he was divining the future.

Soul Guide, and the Council were also able to start the migration northwards to Sind, while Lightning Claw was building a mercenary army, and seeking help from outside.

In the last few months of the war The Lightfoot Clan was one of the few clans which actually stayed behind in total, due to so many of them being in the Spirithood, ranger societies and shamans.

Soul Guide and Graceful Arrow helped lead the defensive stance against the Blackguard to protect the Clans retreat into Sind. They both lost their lives, along with Lightning Claws entire extended family. This left Lightning Claw the last surviving member of the Lightfoot Clan, and he and the dwarves of Rockhome mounted an attack on a Blackguard facility, which ultimately led to the decimation of the entire army within 5 minutes, thanks to the traitor Dythix.

The clan has re-emerged in recent years, thanks to the marriage of Lightning Claw and Jesnia Falconwell.

Former Patriarch:

Spirit Name: Deo Hiamovi (Thyatian Translation: Soul Guide) – Elder: Deceased

Age: 65

Description:

A tall wiry man of around 6’3”, who had long pitch black hair (which is the norm), and had piercing blue eyes, and pale skin. He was heavily tattooed, and wore a councillor’s leather long vest. Preferred weapon was quarterstaff.

Former Matriarch

Spirit Name: Rath Flo (Thyatian Translation: Graceful Arrow) – Spiritsister: Deceased

Age: 48 (appeared mid 30’s)

Description:

Very athletic figure, who looked much younger than she actually was. She was 5’11” tall and had short black hair, and grey eyes. She often wore calfskin clothing and a bandolier as opposed to a backpack. One of the few spirithood who used bows as well as martial arts, and could even fire from horseback.

Current Patriarch:

Birth Name: Taran (Thyatian Name: Atton – “He who brings thunder”) – Elder

Spirit Name: Dealan Ahiga (Thyatian Translation: Lightning Claw)

Thyatian Married Name: Atton Falconclaw

Age: 55 (appears early 30’s)

Description:

Fairly muscular, and around 6’2” tall, with long black hair(usually tied back) and blue eyes, with various tattoos. Wears a mixture of Atruaghin calfskin and Karameikan clothing. Typically a calfskin jack (no arms) and pants, with a Karameikan shirt and boots. Finished with a dark blue robe worn over the top, especially in winter. Wears a satchel as opposed to a backpack, and walks with a quarterstaff, however his preferred weapon is his hands and feet.

Current Matriarch:

Birth Name: Jesnia Falconwell

Spirit Name: Rian Kanti (Thyatian Translation: Star Song)

Thyatian Married Name: Jesnia Falconclaw

Eldest Child:

Birth Name: Los (Thyatian Name: Nyssa – “The end”) – Spiritsister

Spirit Name: Gal Angeni (Thyatian Translation: Valourous Spirit)

Middle Child:

Birth Name: Bruinidh (Thyatian Name: Adric – “The spirit in the dark”)

Spirit Name: Not completed his spirit walk (Adulthood test)

Youngest Child:

Birth Name : Roth (Thyatian Translation: “The Wheel”)

Spirit Name: Not completed his spirit walk (Adulthood test)

Naming traditions:

When a child is born they are given a singular name by their parents, either from an omen, or a name they feel fits the child’s birth. In many cultures this is the given name for the rest of their life (with the surname changing on marriage). Atruaghin Parents will often call their children by this name their whole life in private as a pet name.

When the child reaches the age of maturity(16 onwards) and either marries or undergoes the rite of the spirit walk where they leave home and adventure on their own for a while. On return they are given their spirit name, which usually reflects the skills they have learned or a subtle play on their birth name. This is a multipart name by which they will be known to the clans, and use in their professional life.

Many birth names naturally have an equivalent name in the Thyatian naming traditions, and in the Lightfoot clan especially, they have tended to adopt Thyatian names due to living in Karameikos, though in Roths case, a suitable alternate just didn’t make sense, and he has remained with his Atruaghin name.

Clan Heirarchy.

The clan is led by a Patriarch and Matriarch, with one serving as the Elder on the Council of Elders. This is typically done through the eldest child regardless of sex. The patriarch’s duty tends towards raising the children physically, while the matriarch tends to raise the children spiritually. The patriarch tends to be a warrior or intellectual (fighter/ranger or mage/bard), and the matriarch a spiritual guide (either a spiritsister or shaman) though this is not a hard and fast rule. Clans tend to push the eldest son and eldest daughter towards these respective roles.

In the Lightfoot Clan this “tradition” has been broken following the decimation of the clan during the Black War. Lightning Claw was not the eldest son, and chose the path of spirituality, and yet he became the Elder. He also married “outside” the clans, and his wife is an extremely capable warrior and bard, so the roles have been swapped somewhat, though in the younger generation Nyssa is venturing down the spiritual path, and Adric down the intellectual, thus restoring the tradition.

Elders Duty

The Elder be it male or female is part of the council of Elders. Essentially they are politicians who represent their constituency (their clan) in a nomadic style parliament. They act as lawmakers, diplomats and if the need arises judges. While an Elder holds virtually supreme leadership of their clan, a clan member can take a grievance to the council of Elders, and the council can strip an Elder of the title, and confer it on the next in line. This led to numerous problems and factioning of the clans with power struggles as rival clans seek to gain influence over each other. This in turn led to political deadlock about getting involved in the Black War earlier, and eventually the near destruction of the Clans. The factioning has all but been obliterated in the wake of the Black War due to simple need of survival, and intermixing of the clans in Sind.

Spirithood.

In short they are basically a group of spiritual warriors who work for the council of Elders to protect and look after the clans as a whole. Their duty takes them all over the plains and it is said that Atruaghin himself founded the order. In other lands they would be considered a knightly order, as they follow the strict code of laws handed down from the council of Elders. They also enforce those laws and have been known to act as “police” in many a dispute.

Security however is only one of their roles. The other is teaching the word of Atruaghin, and learning to live in harmony with the plains themselves. In some regards they are like preachers interpreting the teachings of Atruaghin for the masses. They are not granted outward gifts of Atruaghins power in the form of spells unless they have also trained as a shaman. They do however dedicate their lives to his cause and with much training can achieve a form of spiritual enlightenment which in turn changes their physical body from that of a mere mortal to one more like Atruaghin.