Shieldbreaker Clan

The bronze and blue dragonborn clan of Kethendia, the Shieldbreaker clan lives high atop Shieldbreaker Mountain in its home, Zorrinn's Citadel. Although this clan keeps to itself like all Kethendian clans and is self-sufficient, Shieldbreaker dragonborn are friendly to visitors who manage to make their way up the mountain to the valley where the clan's citadel lies.

Zorrinn's Citadel

The Shieldbreaker clan makes its home inside a well-fortified city, Zorrinn's Citadel. The citadel sits in the basin of an elevated valley between the twin peaks of Shieldbreaker Mountain. Here, the ground is fertile and the Shieldbreakers make use of as much land as they can for farming and livestock. The citadel is run by an elected chieftain, bound to a specific code, who can be removed from the position at the agreement of the citizens. A notable location within the city walls is the Council Circle, where cyclic meetings occur to review the state of the citadel and the clan. Zorrinn's Citadel, like other cities on Kethendia, was founded when Silvermere was destroyed and the dragonborn clans scattered across the island. The citadel is built atop a freshwater spring, which the Shieldbreakers have taken full advantage of. After the water exits the ground at a large fountain in the center of the citadel, it flows into deep canals running to the walls of the city. Passing through gated channels below the stone bricks, the canals are split into smaller streams which flow straight to the farms across the valley floor. Here, they are used by farmers to water crops and livestock.

Traditions

The Shieldbreaker clan places great importance on its agriculture. The fertile valley it calls home is said to be of divine origins, and the clan chooses to honor Vytos, the deity of agriculture, in gratitude for the home that allows the clan to be self-sufficient. Shieldbreaker farmers command higher levels of respect in the citadel, and the Feast of Vytos focuses on the clan's repayment for the farmers' hard work. The Shieldbreaker clan also spends a day each year remembering the destruction of Silvermere, a tradition which is unique to this particular clan. No other clan has been observed to follow this tradition. This clan is also unique in that it has managed to domesticate and raise stony anoa, a species of bovine native to Kethendia, for its wool, meat, and milk. Herds of this creature are brought from barns at the beginning of spring to the west slopes of the valley, and are slowly cycled around the valley throughout the growing season, until they are returned to the barns in late fall or early winter.

Foreign Relations

The Shieldbreaker clan is entirely self-sufficient and rarely, if ever, descends from the slopes of their mountain home. Indeed, encountering a Shieldbreaker dragonborn anywhere except Shieldbreaker Mountain is cause for serious concern. On the other hand, however, the Shieldbreaker clan is very welcoming to visitors and enjoys sharing its home with other folk who stop by for trade or sightseeing. Products of the stony anoa, especially the intricately woven woolen goods, are of high value in the outer world and often merchants will risk the dangers of travelling to the Citadel in order to buy and sell these goods. Frequently, the clan will include visitors in its festivities and daily life. Traditionally, visitors are appointed the wards of a particular family, which will feed and board its guests, treating them with great respect. The family serves their ward the best food it can make and give them tours of the citadel.

Clan Moonrider

Location

Kethendia

Zorrinn's Citadel

Government

Geniocracy, ruled by a council of elders

Founded

BV 433

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