The World Of Twilight

Clan Uujoren

Landscape

 Clan Uujoren inhabits the eastern side of the mountains that divide the Argoran Wastes from the Argoran Territiories. The mountains block the humid, rain-carrying air of the western ocean, creating an arid, rocky landscape where erosion has transformed the area into a maze of mesas, canyons, plateaus, and caverns. The contrast between the day and night tempatures and the variety of microclimates can kill the unfamiliar and careless travelerer.

Physical Description

 Descendants of Clan Uujoren have dark brown skin. The clan’s militia and household knights wear tan colored armor.

Dwellings

 Clan Uujoren derives their name from the red castle-like sandstone formations that can be found throughout the region. The clan’s adobe-coated fortress-towns are found on the canyon floors, mesa-tops, and less commonly, cliffsides and caves.
 
Clan Life

 The arid environment requires careful and elaborate measures to ensure continued agricultural productivity. Canals, dams, and irrigation ditches are thus very important. Clan engineers can often be found ruminating on ways to create better water distribution systems and arranging elaborate rain collection devices on their houses.

 Traders are important to the clan's well-being and occupy an esteemed position within the clan, giving the trader council considerable say in the clan's affairs.
 
Economics

 The clan’s primary exports are silver, precious stones, textiles, and livestock.  Silver in the mountains is extracted and transformed into various works of art. Cloth is extracted from a highland adapted tree with coconut-like pods that open to reveal a cottony fiber and weaved by sempa into clothing, blankets, and baskets. Fur from livestock are also weaved into cloth as well.

History

 When clan Uujoren rebelled against the Devanu, they fled to the caves and cliffs to create the first fortress-towns for protection from Devanu reprisals. As the Devanu were subdued and expelled from the clan's territory, most of the clan moved to the mesatops and canyon floors for room and better access to food growing regions.

 The clan's control over a major source of salt has gained them imperial favor and great wealth. Knights are a common sight along the trade routes, ever watchful for Devanu predation.

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Some fun ideas there! Houses on stilts certainly seem in keeping with fubarnii building philosophies, even if it means they can't live beneath the ground.
Taller fubarnii would suggest they've got some casani blood in them - quite fitting for that locale.

Any interesting characters we should know about from the region?

Well, once again I've decided to redo the whole thing. I've long loved cliff dwellings and the adobe houses of the American Southwest's Pueblo Peoples so I'd rather do something more like that. No interesting people of note to talk about quite yet.

Cool ideas, looking forward to more. :D

HN

I polished my initial post into a more detailed sketch of the clan. Also, the city on the map is named "great valley", although I still need to translate that. Hope to draw or build a typical settlement next soon.

Awesome, I think you've really caught a sense of your clan without getting carried away on the word count. Thumbs up sir! :D

HN

It's never getting carried away, merely exposition!

Thank you Hairy Norseman.

I drew some possible housing sketches. I think I like the left one the most.

Yeah, I think that one looks better. I could see it being part built into a rock face.

HN

Liking the look of the clan a lot (even if I miss the stilt houses!). I think you've got the location spot on - close to the Argoran wastes, but a bit more protected.
They are relatively close to Clan Orelan, so I'm guessing they get on reasonably well, but possibly having a better relationship with the empire as it sounds like they have more useful stuff to trade so are likely to benefit from more help from the knightly orders.

Worth having a look at geckilian's clan and considering if there are many similarities. Do they train Grakukan themselves? Do they hire orelan mercenaries to bolster their militias? I think that seems quite likely, particularly as they do sound relatively wealthy for the region.

I visited Mesa verde a good few years ago and was very much taken by the cliff dwellings! I've always planned to build them into twilight, but I think you've found a good location for them.

Mike

Thanks! I agree about getting a lot of help from the Empire and having a good relationship with clan Orelan. The salt trade would be a valuable asset to the Empire and one they'd want to protect. Also, it's a good excuse for buying more knights!

I imagine that they do have grakukan, perhaps some desert or upland variety (example: desert iguana vs. central american iguana). Orelan mercs do seem likely and I like what I've seen miniatures wise. It'd be a good excuse to get those too!