When you’re here, your Kin
Meet your hosts. The Kin.
But who are the Kin you may ask dear traveler? Why, they’re the residents of the valley that have lived there since time forgot their arrival. So getting to know them will be your secret to surviving your visit to this scenic valley.
They know the secrets of the valley and how to avoid being beset by tragedy. It’s simple to stay on their good graces, like the caravans that have visited before. Why, it’s even been a place to hold a moot, hootenany, sturgis or other gathering of people in the past. The Kin treat those who respect the laws of the mountain like decent folk. So this whole situation is something very new.
When the raiders came the Kin would handle them like any other community, Then something changed. It seems that a figure of some significance to their beliefs disappeared after some injury or illness. The persons stepping into this role have yet to fill the vacuum fully and at the same time a steady increase in raider attacks proved a challenge to great for their ability. More and more by the day, now mixed tribes that used to be seen fighting with the mountain and each other. This strange behavior was spoken of in the tales of old. But nothing to be concerned about. Until the final portend of destruction was seen. The choking blue smoke of the coal wafting down from the mountain top. It was the mountain ablaze with flameless fire.
Now they contended with the destruction of their home and way of life. The wave of strangers coming in is just another sign of the trouble. While they're happy to host a caravan or two it’s the number of them coming in now that gives them pause. The destruction and looting of their homes is their greatest fear. It is our responsibility to make sure that isn’t happening. As they have said in the past “The difference between an invader and a neighbor is mud on the carpet.”
So meet our hosts a bit better to wipe your feet before entering.
Rowan Blankenship - The newly appointed leader of The Kin. They were only recently put in charge due to the passing of their old leader. They’re no stranger to strangers and have opened the homes of the Kin that have left for us to bunk in.
The Tall Teller - This is the oldest of the Kin in the valley. Treat them with respect and listen to them carefully. They’ve forgotten more about the mountain than most will ever know, but often say “The mountain knows even more stories long lost”. I don’t know why they didn’t evacuate with the rest of them, but here they are.
But why The Kin?
They call themselves that because those who live in these parts are like family. It’s easier to consider those you survive with closer than blood. They have a way about them that might not seem familiar to most. They’re forged by the mountain and its rules. You may know some simple ones, never leave a marked trail, never be in the woods from dusk till dawn. But then there’s some that are a bit different. If you hear your name in the woods, no you didn’t. There’s things in these woods that prey on strangers, and The Kin know how to keep them at bay. So don’t break their symbols, track mud on their carpet, or disregard what they tell you, lest you end up lost in the woods alone surrounded by trees and what they hold.
Report given by Bonded Inquisitor Liam Trembly
