The Clan of Niomi


The Clan of Niomi (Clan of Saber)

This Clan consists of warrior Saber, the head; warrior Rustan, the second; weaponsmith Dack, and Soft-born Niomi, the bride. As with all Wildlander  Clans, they are called by their head’s name until they acquire a bride. This Clan is notable for the fact that it might be the very first Clan with an Arcadian bride.


Niomi, Daughter of Mora Harpechel, Bride in the Grey Mountains
Niomi

Niomi Harpechel is an Arcadian woman, raised in the Northern Foothills District. She was born to Mora and Leonel Harpechel, who own a small farm. Her family is best known for the fact that her parents’ firstborn children were twin boys, called Willem and Garven. In a nation where male children are rare and cherished, this is considered to be nearly miraculous. Niomi also has two younger sisters, Glory and Elissa. Out of her siblings, she was always close to Glory and Willem.
Niomi’s greatest flaw is that she is impulsive. In spite of her parents’ strict discipline, she spent much of her childhood getting into one scrape or another. She was always interested in learning, which was not considered suitable for a girl. With the help of Willem, she was able to strike a deal with their wealthy neighbor Nelius Lawson, to help care for his ailing wife in exchange for access to his extensive library. For several years, this system worked well. However, Niomi eventually came across a book with graphic illustrations of sexual acts. Fascinated, she snuck more and more peeks at the book, and her sexual urges, forbidden in Arcadian society, were awakened. One day, Nelius caught her looking at the book and seduced her. Niomi became pregnant from the encounter.
An unmarried, pregnant woman is anathema in Arcadian society. For the first few months, her family kept her hidden in the attic. The intent was to hide her until she gave birth, and if the child was a boy, Mora would claim the child as her own. However, Nelius made it known that he intended to arrange for Niomi’s death, as he wanted no evidence of his indiscretion. Her parents and elder brothers concluded that it would kinder to take her out and feed her poison berries than to leave her to Nelius’s mercies.
Willem arranged for some Wildlander acquaintances to come and take Niomi’s body outside of Arcadia’s wall, so that it might never be found. But when Rustan and Dack of the Grey Mountain Circle arrive at the meeting place, they choose to rescue Niomi instead of let her die.

Niomi is described as being tall for an Arcadian, but small for a Wildlander. She has curly golden hair, blue eyes, and a mouth that is considered unattractively wide in Arcadia. Her Clanmates like it just fine, however. When Rustan and Dack rescue her, she's initially very frightened of them, but warms rather quickly when she experiences their kindness and observes their sexual prowess. During the course of the story, Niomi is uncertain of whether or not she will be accepted, first by Saber, who was not with his Clanmates when they rescued her, and then by the Circle of the Grey Mountains as a whole.

Saber, Son of Calesta, Guardian of the Grey Mountains


Saber
Saber was born in one of the Circles along the northern border of the Arcadian wall. His mother, Calesta, was renowned as a musician, known for having perfect pitch. She was also extremely skilled with her hands, so she travelled from Circle to Circle, making and repairing the drums and other musical instruments used in the many ceremonies the Wildlanders perform. His two fathers were a carpenter and a warrior. He is an only child.

Saber fell in love with Dack at a young age, and the two schemed to apprentice themselves in the same Circle. They became lovers at sixteen. When Rustan arrived at the Circle of the Grey Mountains, Saber knew immediately he would complete his intended Clan, and set out to court him. Though a powerful Clan head, Saber is known for being extremely affectionate toward his mates. He proved this at his Mating Ceremony, when he chose not only to speak vows, but to humble himself and fellate them publicly, indicating his willingness to serve their needs.

Saber never made any secret of the fact that, in spite of his love for Dack and Rustan, he sought a bride for his Clan. He enjoyed sex with women, and he very much wanted to have children. For two years, he courted Glynde, the one available female in the Circle of the Grey Mountains. Though his Clan mates were less enamoured of her, he told himself that once they were Clanned, love would grow with time. Though she'd promised him she loved him, Glynde chose a wealthier Clan to unite with, devastating Saber. In his rage, he went out alone, and took on a vicious Dark creature called a grypon. It might have killed him had Rustan not followed him out and rescued him. As it was, Saber suffered a painful broken leg.

He was overjoyed to see Niomi when his Clan mates brought her to the Circle. The chance for a bride and children!  He saw a woman who was in dire need of love, protection, care, and a father to her baby, and he knew that he and his Clan could give her that. Though he could not profess himself to be in love at first glance, he knew that if he treated her kindly, and accorded her the respect due to an honored bride, love would quickly grow.



Rustan, Son of Pella, Guardian of the Grey Mountains
Rustan


Rustan was born in one of the legendary Circles of the North, home to some of the fiercest warriors ever known to the Wildlands. Legend says that the men of the North are descendants of Emrys, a great supernatural being who gave up his chance at living in paradise for an immortal life on the mortal plane. Some say that the Emrys never die a natural death, but are only ever slain in battle.

There are few, however, left to prove or disprove that theory. Eleven years before the start of the story, the Dark creatures of the North waged a concentrated, planned attack on the Circles there. Almost the entire population was wiped out. Rustan and a few dozen others were the only surivivors of over a thousand.

With his fellows, Rustan made his way south to find a home amongst another Circle. Unable to bear living amongst those who reminded him of all he'd lost, he chose the Circle of the Grey Mountains, as no other from the Circles of the North had chosen to settle there. He was gratified to soon find Clanmates in the form of Saber and Dack, whom he loves deeply. Like many, but not all Clans, all three men are sexually intimate with one another.

Rustan is described as being tall and muscular, with many battle scars. He has long brown hair and a rather unkempt beard. His eyes are grey, and eerily all-seeing, as though he knows far more than he says he does. He claims to be thirty-seven years old, though he looks far younger.

As a man of the North, Rustan has a naturally fierce, feral nature. He does not cope well with being indoors for any length of time, and has a fearsome temper. He is a ferocious warrior, and can kill creatures singlehandedly that few warriors would dare take on alone. It is his natural volatility that prevents him from becoming a Clan head; he is built to fight, not to lead. Saber, though strong, does not challenge Rustan's wildness, and does not insist upon dominating him very often. He gives Rustan a wide berth to do his own thing, and this results in a comfortable arrangement.

When he has the opportunity to rescue Niomi from death at the hands of her brothers, Rustan does so without a second thought. It takes restraint for him to not kill her brothers for attempting to harm her. Though he's thrilled that she's willing to join his Clan, he worries that his feral nature will prove harmful to her. During sex, it's difficult for him to be gentle, particularly if he's in a dominant position (behind). His male mates enjoy rough play, but Niomi's smaller, more fragile body is not suited to such things, even more so due to her pregnancy. Rustan's fear that he could harm her is a very real thing, particularly as they navigate the public rituals of Wildlander mating, which must be done properly if their communit is going to accept Niomi as one of their own.



Dack, Son of Aylka, Weaponsmith in the Grey Mountains

Dack

 Dack was born to the medicus Aylka in one of the Circles that directly border the wall to Arcadia. For that reason, he has a little more knowledge than most of Arcadian life and culture. Growing up, he often played with Saber, whose parents travelled between several border Circles. When Dack came of age to apprentice in his chosen field as a weaponsmit, he chose to do so in the Circle of the Grey Mountains, two days' travel from the Arcadian border. He made no secret of the fact that this was largely due to the fact that Saber chose to apprentice there as well. The two became lovers around the age of sixteen, and it was immediately understood that they would eventually Clan. Saber, being the stronger leader of the two, would be the Clan head. Dack expected to become second. They did not seek to formalize the arrangements, though, in part because of their youth, in part because they both felt that their group was not yet complete.

When they were nineteen, a bedraggled, traumatized warrior from the massacred First Circle of the North came stumbling into the Circle of the Grey Mountains. Dack and Saber knew instantly that Rustan was the one they'd been waiting for. They courted him slowly, gently, giving him time to heal from the horrors he'd endured. Dack's first gift to the fierce warrior was a specially-made knife, which Rustan cherished.

When Dack and Saber were twenty-one, the Elders' Circle gave permission for them to formalize the Clanning. Dack was very disappointed when Saber took him aside and told him that he'd be naming Rustan as Clan second. The reason was that Rustan was simply too dominant, his nature too feral, to not have some position of authority within the Clan. Dack understood, in spite of his hurt. Much of the pain was healed, though, when, at the Mating Ceremony, Saber chose to go beyond the traditional saying of vows and show his devotion to his Clan mates in a physical way. Though this was not unknown, it was not a common practice, nor was it expected. In front of the entire Circle, Saber knelt before Dack and fellated him, showing his willingness to serve him, honoring him in a primal way.

Though large and brutish, Dack is slightly smaller than his mates. He's also the most sensitive, though he refuses to admit this. He's well-spoken and quick-witted, and his intelligence is highly valued by his mates. Though happy with his male mates, Dack has always longed to be a father, and sees in Niomi the chance to do this. He quickly realizes that she has appealing qualities beyond her pregnancy, and falls in love with her in a matter of days. In Wildlanders' Hope, Dack's quick mind is integral to his Clan's securing of Niomi as bride.

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