Torii Gates

It was Clan Io that made the Toriis, and it was the Toriis that made Clan Io.

-- Ada, Europa Clanarch

A Torii on its own isn't much, just two beams holding up an archway for people to pass through. But on the hellscapes of planet Io, a string of Toriis is a challenge, a proving grounds for the bold and fearless in the most hostile of environments. The planetary crust of Io is under constant tranformation. Even before The Vulcanalia the planet was home to sufluric ion storms, raging lava currents, toxic gas plumes; and sheer brutal heats capable of melting iron bolts from their mourings and igniting the breath and the lips that exhaled it.

The first Torii was stabbed in the ground by Trieze, a young JF citizen who rang up a significant debt with his handler. The handler offered to cancel the debt if he would run a fiery gauntlet set along the duskline of the planet. It was never intended for him to survive. Treize conquered the gauntlet with the help of his lifelong friend, Raita, a quadrapedal racing Synth. Raita, Treize, and his handler Amelia, shared so much amusement that with the debt cleared, they began seeking support for their newfound source of entertainment. The art of Torii Running quickly became a presitgious aspect of JF culture.

It wasn't long before the Raita, Treize and his former handler, now wife, founded Clan Io. This afforded them official support for their activities and more importantly allowed them to reject prospective terraforming operations intended to neutralize the planets hostile environment. Today, Clan Io is not a powerful clan, nor are they rich or technologically advanced like their counterparts. Io is the spirit of Jupiter Faction, and the Toriis are the heart of Clan Io.