History for Characters/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath

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[[folder:Kencyrath]]
--->''This and none other was her own god, the one who had taken the Three People--Arrin-ken, Kendar, Highborn--and made them one against the enemy from outside, Perimal Darkling, Father of Shadows. For thirty millennia, three thousand years on Rathillien alone, the Kencyrath had fought the long retreat from world to world, down the Chain of Creation, waiting for their god to manifest himself through them in final battle. Chosen they were and proud, but bitter, too, over long delay, and angry that, the task being set, their god had apparently left them to accomplish it alone.''
* CatFolk: Arrin-ken look like giant cats. Highborn and Kendar are more culturally than physically feline, although they do have some night vision. But they may have looked more catlike at an earlier point in their history.
-->'''Jame''': The rest of us used to be much closer to [Arrin-ken] physically and mentally than we are now.
* ClassicalTongue: High Kens
* CultureChopSuey: The Kencyrath have a lot of Jewish inspiration, being monotheists in a polytheist world, and having a tough, unforgiving God who cares more about obedience than faith or love. They have Temples and Books of Law and quite a bit of the whole Kabbalah-like secret knowledge in the priesthood. They're wandering tribes who don't fit in where they live, far from their long-ago-lost homeland. On the other hand, their honor code, ritual suicide, and martial arts have Japanese inspiration. The cloistering and covering-up of Highborn women is rather reminiscent of Islam. They're monotheists, but their God is a trinity of three aspects, per {{UsefulNotes/Christianity}}. And those aspects, creation, preservation, and destruction, is much like {{UsefulNotes/Hinduism}}.
* DreamLand: Every Kencyr has a soulscape which can be accessed during sleep, regular or ''dwar''. Shanir Healers work by determining the soulscape of the injured person and repairing damage to it.
* FantasyContraception: Highborn women can control conception at will, the social structure frequently puts them in social situations where they must use this control as part of a marriage contract, either having a child or not, regardless of what they would prefer. Kendar women can do the same with other Kendar--but not with a Highborn lover, which results in a number of half-Kendar children with mixed blood. It's implied that a Highborn woman wouldn't be able to control it with a Kendar man either.
* FantasticRankSystem: Among the randon, there are various levels of command. The smallest unit is a ten-command, and in a ten-command, the leader is called Ten and the second-in-command is called Five. Next, they're grouped into groups of 100, and a one-hundred commander leads a one-hundred command. Also, a sargent is a non-commissioned officer.
** FantasticHonorifics: Randon get the title "Ran". And sargent are "Sar".
* HealingFactor: The Kencyr possess tremendous powers of regeneration, albeit requiring ''dwar'' sleep, a period of hibernation where one is insensate to the world. Broken bones, lost teeth, and terrible illnesses are all shaken off within days of ''dwar'' sleep. Without proper medical care, this will result in crooked bones and scarring from the body setting in place. This becomes a plot point in ''Seeker's Mask''.
* HonorBeforeReason: The Kencyrath are obsessed with personal honor, and more than half in love with death and dying with honor.
-->'''Arribek sen Tenzi''': The race best known in Rathillien for a certain--ah--inflexibility in matters concerning honor
** BlindObedience: Obedience to your lord is one of the cornerstones of Kencyr honor.
** {{Seppuku}}: The Kencyrath have a tradition of suicide with a specialized suicide knife called the White Knife. It is a honorable death.
*** CyanidePill: The White Knife
*** DeathEqualsRedemption: In Kencyr honor, no matter what you did, an honorable death can redeem you.
---->'''Bane''': An honorable death wipes away all stains.
** WillNotTellALie: One of the cornerstones of the Kencyr brand of honor. Calling someone a liar is a mortal insult, and if a Kencyr lies, even for a good cause, suicide or finding a quick death in battle are the only ways to redeem oneself. Singers and diplomats are awarded the privilege of the Lawful Lie, however.
*** ExactWords: Of course, plenty of characters find ways to deceive without technically lying.
---->''How much a Kencyr could get away with by simply not telling a direct lie. "It might be… perhaps… it seems…" G’ah. The bland smile, the easy evasion--was that all that honor had come to mean to her people?''
* LongLived: Their lifespans are about 150% that of humans.
* MercyKill[=/=]ICannotSelfTerminate: After a battle, it is the duty of a high-ranking Kencyr officer to follow his empathic link to any Kendar he has bound, culling the fatally wounded. A Kencyr who could commit suicide themselves in such a situation would do so, but if they are unable to, they are assisted.
* NayTheist: The Kencyrath respect and to an extent revere their god, but ''like'' the thing? Not in a million years.
* OurElvesAreBetter: The Kencyrath are never explicitly ''called'' elves, but they fit a lot of the normal qualities, especially the Highborn: an ancient race with long life, mystical powers, a special purpose, etc. (And some of them have the arrogance to match!)
* PlanetLooters[=/=]InvadingRefugees: They have lived on a whole string of other worlds since their homeworld was lost to the Perimal Darkling. They're not awful to the native inhabitants--they're more like unwanted roommates than thieves--but the Merikit still aren't thrilled with them.
* ProudWarriorRace: The Kencyrath in general
** PrivateMilitaryContractors: Because the Riverland is too poor to support the Kencyr nation as a whole survives on the earnings of its warriors as hired mercenaries.
* PsychicLink: The Kendar have a basic need to be bound to a Highborn. The link allows a Highborn to find and feel the health of the Kendar, but also makes the Kendar susceptible to the emotions of the Highborn. It is easily abused, and is by many Highborn.
* RedBaron: Epithets are common among the Kencyr, and are chosen by others, not the bearer. It is possible to have more than one epithet, though this is uncommon.

!!!Highborn
* AlphabeticalThemeNaming: Many Highborn have letter-themed names within each house, usually the first letter of the house's name.
* AristocratsAreEvil ({{Zigzagg|ingTrope}}ed): There are plenty of Highborn who abuse their power at the price of the Kendar. There are also plenty of Highborn who try to good leaders and take care of their Kendar.
* ArrangedMarriage: The norm among the Highborn. Marriage contracts are usually time-limited, or tell if children are allowed or not.
* BlueBlood: The Highborn, who are the lords of the Kencyrath.
* BrotherSisterIncest: Incest is quite normalized and accepted in Kencyr culture. It dates back to a time before the Fall, when people were trying to breed Shanir. It's become significantly less popular since the Fall, because a {{twincest}}uous Shanir couple caused it, but not unheard of--in the Shanir-friendly Ardeth, half-siblings Pereden and Distan were still consorts, and no one batted an eye.
** BreedingCult: Before the Fall, they were trying to breed the Tyr-ridan, to defeat the Perimal Darkling, and the best way to get powerful Shanir in inbreeding. After the Fall, they pretty much gave up on that, in no small part because Gerridon and Jamethiel were born of one of those inbreeding pairings.
* HeirClubForMen ({{Subverted|Trope}}): At first it looks like this, but Kencyr inheritance is actually rather different. Male heirs are the norm, to the point where most people ''believe'' it's law, but it's actually not--legally, women are perfectly acceptable heirs. Also, Kencyr inheritance doesn't follow the "eldest son" rule--lords can choose whatever relative they want for their heir, and given their long lifespans, grandsons and great-grandsons are more common choices than sons.
* ImmuneToDrugs ({{Downplayed|Trope}}): Highborn are pretty much immune to poison, and other drugs usually effect them… differently. They can consume hemlock as a sleeping-draught, for example.
* OurNudityIsDifferent: Highborn women constantly wear masks. The idea is that it conceals the lady's facial expressions--emotions are very personal after all. Highborn women going barefaced is ''really shocking''.
* WomensMysteries: The Highborn women deliberately cultivate mystery and outright subterfuge within the Women's World. It has "rings of secrecy", which young women are gradually told. ''As far as we know so far''--there absolutely could be more--the highest secret is sister-kinship, the traditional lesbian relationships of Highborn women, which are kept absolutely secret from men.
** NonindicativeName: Sister-kin aren't sisterly--they're lovers. Invoked, because its top secret, and the women absolutely don't want men to know what's really going on.

!!!Kendar
* FloralThemeNaming: More than half of them have plant names.
* GenderIsNoObject: While Highborn women are quite cloistered, Kendar are remarkably gender-equal, with men and women serving together in the Host.
* {{Ronin}}: Kendar who lose their lord become ''yondri-gon'', or ''yondri'' for short--"threshold dwellers". Other houses may then take them in, but they don't always offer to bind them.
* ServantRace: The Kendar are the warriors and craftsmen of the Kencyrath, and live under their Highborn lords. They weren't originally like this, but their god ''made'' them this way.

!!!Arrin-ken
* AchillesInHisTent: They left because they got disgusted with he rest of the Kencyrath, but they say they'll return… ''someday''
* JudgeJuryAndExecutioner: Their role and duty in the Kencyrath
* PantheraAwesome: The Arrin-ken are giant cats
----
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Shanir]]
* BlessedWithSuck
* DifferentlyPoweredIndividual: Called "Shanir" or "the Old Blood", which is a fairly literal description of where the powers come from
* HideYourOtherness: Fairly standard procedure--things like white-haired Shanir dyeing their hair
* MagicIsEvil: Ever since the Fall, the Kencyrath have adopted this attitude toward Shanir.
* SuperpowerfulGenetics: Shanir traits are largely genetic. You need at least ''some'' Highborn blood to be Shanir, and there are plenty of mostly-Kendar who's little bit of Highborn blood is enough. But there are times in Kencyr history when they've purposely breed incestuously in order to produce powerful Shanir. This has had some nasty side effects--for example, the Knorth have lots of Shanir, but they also have a tendency to go mad.

!!!Shanir traits
These are specific Shanir traits that some, but not all, have. However, if someone has one Shanir trait, it's likely that they'll have others.
* BloodMagic: Blood-binding, in which one person gets power over another by ingesting some of their blood.
* BondCreatures: Perhaps the most common Shanir trait, people generally bond with an animal they've had experiences with, although sometimes it can be weirder. These bonds can be strengthened by and developed, both on purpose or with time.
* MysticalWhiteHair: White hair itself has no magical powers, but it always accompanied other Shanir powers. As it's one of the few physical indicators, it is very ''classically'' Shanir.
* WolverineClaws: Arrin-thari, like Jame and Bear have claws instead of nails on the hands and sometimes feet. (Jane has retractable claws on her hands; Bear has fixed talons on both hands and feet.) Steel-clawed gauntlets allow non-clawed Kencyr warriors to fight in the Arrin-thar style as well.
* CompellingVoice: Generally Highborn can compel their bound followers, but some prove able to command other Highborn and powerful Shanir as well. Commands can cause permanent effects, or they can "break" the person commanded if the command is degrading or dishonorable enough.
** In ''To Ride a Rathorn'', Gorbel managed to not only compel another Highborn, but the struggle caused the command to be permanent--the poor victim continuously tried to stand on his head from then on, unless he was physically restrained.
** Jame does it twice, in the same book, to two different people: she tells the Randir Tempter to "Never touch me again!" and the woman is physically unable to touch her from then on [[spoiler:even when Rawneth is riding her and has control of her body]]; and when she's told by a Highborn Lord to give Brier a command that she knows full well would break her (ostensibly as a training exercise), she snaps at the Lord, "Back off!" He does--literally. Right out of a third-story window. As is the case with Gorbel's victim, it's permanent: he continues to back up unless he's physically restrained.
* UnstoppableRage: Berserkers are Shanir who sometimes "flare"--when someone mashes their BerserkButton, they can cause considerable damage. This manifests itself in different ways, from TheBerserker to TranquilFury.
----
[[/folder]]

to:

[[folder:Kencyrath]]
--->''This and none other was her own god, the one who had taken the Three People--Arrin-ken, Kendar, Highborn--and made them one against the enemy from outside, Perimal Darkling, Father of Shadows. For thirty millennia, three thousand years on Rathillien alone, the Kencyrath had fought the long retreat from world to world, down the Chain of Creation, waiting for their god to manifest himself through them in final battle. Chosen they were and proud, but bitter, too, over long delay, and angry that, the task being set, their god had apparently left them to accomplish it alone.''
* CatFolk: Arrin-ken look like giant cats. Highborn and Kendar are more culturally than physically feline, although they do have some night vision. But they may have looked more catlike at an earlier point in their history.
-->'''Jame''': The rest of us used to be much closer to [Arrin-ken] physically and mentally than we are now.
* ClassicalTongue: High Kens
* CultureChopSuey: The Kencyrath have a lot of Jewish inspiration, being monotheists in a polytheist world, and having a tough, unforgiving God who cares more about obedience than faith or love. They have Temples and Books of Law and quite a bit of the whole Kabbalah-like secret knowledge in the priesthood. They're wandering tribes who don't fit in where they live, far from their long-ago-lost homeland. On the other hand, their honor code, ritual suicide, and martial arts have Japanese inspiration. The cloistering and covering-up of Highborn women is rather reminiscent of Islam. They're monotheists, but their God is a trinity of three aspects, per {{UsefulNotes/Christianity}}. And those aspects, creation, preservation, and destruction, is much like {{UsefulNotes/Hinduism}}.
* DreamLand: Every *[[Characters/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrathKencyrCulture Kencyr ~~has a soulscape which can be accessed during sleep, regular or ''dwar''. Shanir Healers work by determining the soulscape of the injured person and repairing damage to it.~~
Culture]]
* FantasyContraception: Highborn women can control conception at will, the social structure frequently puts them in social situations where they must use this control as part of a marriage contract, either having a child or not, regardless of what they would prefer. Kendar women can do the same with other Kendar--but not with a Highborn lover, which results in a number of half-Kendar children with mixed blood. It's implied that a Highborn woman wouldn't be able to control it with a Kendar man either.
* FantasticRankSystem: Among the randon, there are various levels of command. The smallest unit is a ten-command, and in a ten-command, the leader is called Ten and the second-in-command is called Five. Next, they're grouped into groups of 100, and a one-hundred commander leads a one-hundred command. Also, a sargent is a non-commissioned officer.
** FantasticHonorifics: Randon get the title "Ran". And sargent are "Sar".
* HealingFactor: The Kencyr possess tremendous powers of regeneration, albeit requiring ''dwar'' sleep, a period of hibernation where one is insensate to the world. Broken bones, lost teeth, and terrible illnesses are all shaken off within days of ''dwar'' sleep. Without proper medical care, this will result in crooked bones and scarring from the body setting in place. This becomes a plot point in ''Seeker's Mask''.
* HonorBeforeReason: The Kencyrath are obsessed with personal honor, and more than half in love with death and dying with honor.
-->'''Arribek sen Tenzi''': The race best known in Rathillien for a certain--ah--inflexibility in matters concerning honor
** BlindObedience: Obedience to your lord is one of the cornerstones of Kencyr honor.
** {{Seppuku}}: The Kencyrath have a tradition of suicide with a specialized suicide knife called the White Knife. It is a honorable death.
*** CyanidePill: The White Knife
*** DeathEqualsRedemption: In Kencyr honor, no matter what you did, an honorable death can redeem you.
---->'''Bane''': An honorable death wipes away all stains.
** WillNotTellALie: One of the cornerstones of the Kencyr brand of honor. Calling someone a liar is a mortal insult, and if a Kencyr lies, even for a good cause, suicide or finding a quick death in battle are the only ways to redeem oneself. Singers and diplomats are awarded the privilege of the Lawful Lie, however.
*** ExactWords: Of course, plenty of characters find ways to deceive without technically lying.
---->''How much a Kencyr could get away with by simply not telling a direct lie. "It might be… perhaps… it seems…" G’ah. The bland smile, the easy evasion--was that all that honor had come to mean to her people?''
* LongLived: Their lifespans are about 150% that of humans.
* MercyKill[=/=]ICannotSelfTerminate: After a battle, it is the duty of a high-ranking Kencyr officer to follow his empathic link to any Kendar he has bound, culling the fatally wounded. A Kencyr who could commit suicide themselves in such a situation would do so, but if they are unable to, they are assisted.
* NayTheist: The Kencyrath respect and to an extent revere their god, but ''like'' the thing? Not in a million years.
* OurElvesAreBetter: The Kencyrath are never explicitly ''called'' elves, but they fit a lot of the normal qualities, especially the Highborn: an ancient race with long life, mystical powers, a special purpose, etc. (And some of them have the arrogance to match!)
* PlanetLooters[=/=]InvadingRefugees: They have lived on a whole string of other worlds since their homeworld was lost to the Perimal Darkling. They're not awful to the native inhabitants--they're more like unwanted roommates than thieves--but the Merikit still aren't thrilled with them.
* ProudWarriorRace: The Kencyrath in general
** PrivateMilitaryContractors: Because the Riverland is too poor to support the Kencyr nation as a whole survives on the earnings of its warriors as hired mercenaries.
* PsychicLink: The Kendar have a basic need to be bound to a Highborn. The link allows a Highborn to find and feel the health of the Kendar, but also makes the Kendar susceptible to the emotions of the Highborn. It is easily abused, and is by many Highborn.
* RedBaron: Epithets are common among the Kencyr, and are chosen by others, not the bearer. It is possible to have more than one epithet, though this is uncommon.

!!!Highborn
* AlphabeticalThemeNaming: Many Highborn have letter-themed names within each house, usually the first letter of the house's name.
* AristocratsAreEvil ({{Zigzagg|ingTrope}}ed): There are plenty of Highborn who abuse their power at the price of the Kendar. There are also plenty of Highborn who try to good leaders and take care of their Kendar.
* ArrangedMarriage: The norm among the Highborn. Marriage contracts are usually time-limited, or tell if children are allowed or not.
* BlueBlood: The Highborn, who are the lords of the Kencyrath.
* BrotherSisterIncest: Incest is quite normalized and accepted in Kencyr culture. It dates back to a time before the Fall, when people were trying to breed Shanir. It's become significantly less popular since the Fall, because a {{twincest}}uous Shanir couple caused it, but not unheard of--in the Shanir-friendly Ardeth, half-siblings Pereden and Distan were still consorts, and no one batted an eye.
** BreedingCult: Before the Fall, they were trying to breed the Tyr-ridan, to defeat the Perimal Darkling, and the best way to get powerful Shanir in inbreeding. After the Fall, they pretty much gave up on that, in no small part because Gerridon and Jamethiel were born of one of those inbreeding pairings.
* HeirClubForMen ({{Subverted|Trope}}): At first it looks like this, but Kencyr inheritance is actually rather different. Male heirs are the norm, to the point where most people ''believe'' it's law, but it's actually not--legally, women are perfectly acceptable heirs. Also, Kencyr inheritance doesn't follow the "eldest son" rule--lords can choose whatever relative they want for their heir, and given their long lifespans, grandsons and great-grandsons are more common choices than sons.
* ImmuneToDrugs ({{Downplayed|Trope}}): Highborn are pretty much immune to poison, and other drugs usually effect them… differently. They can consume hemlock as a sleeping-draught, for example.
* OurNudityIsDifferent: Highborn women constantly wear masks. The idea is that it conceals the lady's facial expressions--emotions are very personal after all. Highborn women going barefaced is ''really shocking''.
* WomensMysteries: The Highborn women deliberately cultivate mystery and outright subterfuge within the Women's World. It has "rings of secrecy", which young women are gradually told. ''As far as we know so far''--there absolutely could be more--the highest secret is sister-kinship, the traditional lesbian relationships of Highborn women, which are kept absolutely secret from men.
** NonindicativeName: Sister-kin aren't sisterly--they're lovers. Invoked, because its top secret, and the women absolutely don't want men to know what's really going on.

!!!Kendar
* FloralThemeNaming: More than half of them have plant names.
* GenderIsNoObject: While Highborn women are quite cloistered, Kendar are remarkably gender-equal, with men and women serving together in the Host.
* {{Ronin}}: Kendar who lose their lord become ''yondri-gon'', or ''yondri'' for short--"threshold dwellers". [[Characters/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrathOtherKencyr Other houses may then take them in, but they don't always offer to bind them.
* ServantRace: The Kendar are Kencyr]] [[labelnote:(Unknown house)]][-Ashe-][[/labelnote]] [[labelnote:(Minor houses)]][-Rue • Marc • Willow-][[/labelnote]] [[labelnote:(Arrin-ken)]][-Immalai • the warriors and craftsmen of the Kencyrath, and live under their Highborn lords. They weren't originally like this, but their god ''made'' them this way.

!!!Arrin-ken
* AchillesInHisTent: They left because they got disgusted with he rest of the Kencyrath, but they say they'll return… ''someday''
* JudgeJuryAndExecutioner: Their role and duty in the Kencyrath
* PantheraAwesome: The Arrin-ken are giant cats
----
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Shanir]]
* BlessedWithSuck
* DifferentlyPoweredIndividual: Called "Shanir" or "the Old Blood", which is a fairly literal description of where the powers come from
* HideYourOtherness: Fairly standard procedure--things like white-haired Shanir dyeing their hair
* MagicIsEvil: Ever since the Fall, the Kencyrath have adopted this attitude toward Shanir.
* SuperpowerfulGenetics: Shanir traits are largely genetic. You need at least ''some'' Highborn blood to be Shanir, and there are plenty of mostly-Kendar who's little bit of Highborn blood is enough. But there are times in Kencyr history when they've purposely breed incestuously in order to produce powerful Shanir. This has had some nasty side effects--for example, the Knorth have lots of Shanir, but they also have a tendency to go mad.

!!!Shanir traits
These are specific Shanir traits that some, but not all, have. However, if someone has one Shanir trait, it's likely that they'll have others.
* BloodMagic: Blood-binding, in which one person gets power over another by ingesting some of their blood.
* BondCreatures: Perhaps the most common Shanir trait, people generally bond with an animal they've had experiences with, although sometimes it can be weirder. These bonds can be strengthened by and developed, both on purpose or with time.
* MysticalWhiteHair: White hair itself has no magical powers, but it always accompanied other Shanir powers. As it's one of the few physical indicators, it is very ''classically'' Shanir.
* WolverineClaws: Arrin-thari, like Jame and Bear have claws instead of nails on the hands and sometimes feet. (Jane has retractable claws on her hands; Bear has fixed talons on both hands and feet.) Steel-clawed gauntlets allow non-clawed Kencyr warriors to fight in the Arrin-thar style as well.
* CompellingVoice: Generally Highborn can compel their bound followers, but some prove able to command other Highborn and powerful Shanir as well. Commands can cause permanent effects, or they can "break" the person commanded if the command is degrading or dishonorable enough.
** In ''To Ride a Rathorn'', Gorbel managed to not only compel another Highborn, but the struggle caused the command to be permanent--the poor victim continuously tried to stand on his head from then on, unless he was physically restrained.
** Jame does it twice, in the same book, to two different people: she tells the Randir Tempter to "Never touch me again!" and the woman is physically unable to touch her from then on [[spoiler:even when Rawneth is riding her and has control of her body]]; and when she's told by a Highborn Lord to give Brier a command that she knows full well would break her (ostensibly as a training exercise), she snaps at the Lord, "Back off!" He does--literally. Right out of a third-story window. As is the case with Gorbel's victim, it's permanent: he continues to back up unless he's physically restrained.
* UnstoppableRage: Berserkers are Shanir who sometimes "flare"--when someone mashes their BerserkButton, they can cause considerable damage. This manifests itself in different ways, from TheBerserker to TranquilFury.
----
[[/folder]]
Dark Judge-][[/labelnote]]

!!!Houses

Deleted line(s) 91,92 (click to see context) :

* [[Characters/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrathOtherKencyr Other Kencyr]] [[labelnote:(Unknown house)]][-Ashe-][[/labelnote]] [[labelnote:(Minor houses)]][-Rue • Marc • Willow-][[/labelnote]] [[labelnote:(Arrin-ken)]][-Immalai • the Dark Judge-][[/labelnote]]

History Characters / ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath