Niueyjara Clans

The Clans of Niueyjar

In the life of the Siufotur the clan one is born into determines almost everything about their life. Most clans are made up of a collection of related families and will normally marry within the clan unless a marriage is needed for a particular deal or alliance. The leader of a clan is called a Calif and familial heads are called Clan Fathers. The Clan Father normally holds authority over his children and those of his birth siblings and is listed as the father of them on all official records, this can sometimes lead to bitter rivalries between siblings over who is put in charge of the family. Many fairy tales and folk stories cover these disputes playwrights will often use that as the primary conflict in their works.

• Clan Snorstag - minor religious clan on the west side of the island
• Clan Helgen - largest of the northern religious clans, rival to Clan Erak. In ancient history they were Clan Kalifen’s largest rivals but over time have transformed into their strongest supporters. Their economy is largely stagnant due to their insistence on doing things the traditional way, and is only able to stay afloat due to most people preferring their good’s over those of clan Erak.
• Clan Erak - largest secular clan is located on the Northwestern portion of the island, responsible for a large percentage of the industrial might of the Siufotur. Disliked by the other major clans due to them only rising to power recently and questioning the status quo more than the other clans. Formed from the shattered remains of an ancient clan that had let their ancestors' remains become defiled, Clan Erak only gained legitimacy once they rescued the souls of their ancestors. Due to the nature of the clan’s founding Clan Erak was named “Those who spoil errors.” The name proved to be fitting as the clan has a strong culture of justice and refuses to sit idly by when they feel a mistake has been made. This has often put them into conflict with the other clans given that it has caused them to challenge many traditions and long held beliefs. This dislike is offset by their ability to draw in reformers and great thinkers who are often exiled from the Western clans. The Eastern clans on the other hand tried to emulate Clan Erak after seeing the success their strategy had brought them.
• Clan Plogen - Mid-sized Western religious clan traditionally in charge of maintaining the tombs of the ancestors
• Clan Ostag - A mid-sized secular clan near the center of the island, due to their central location and the harsh terrain surrounding it many prisoners are held near their lands.
• Clan Kalifen - Leading clan, won ancient trials and was chosen by the Dragon to lead the island. Somewhat small in number. They have become somewhat apathetic and out of touch in recent years, they have little interest in actually leading the people delegating most of the responsibility to Clan Erak and Clan Helgen. Following the calming of the seas many prominent members of Clan Kalifen committed suicide including the Calif and the Emperor himself. This has caused a large power vacuum on the island that the other clans are more than happy to exploit.
• Clan Tamak - A Mid-sized , secular, central clan that is responsible for most of the mining done on the island
• Clan Skogan - Southernmost clan, mostly neutral but with a slight secular lean for economic reasons, have had the title of keeper of the forest in the clan for generations giving them large amounts of leverage when negotiating with other clans. As hostilities between the Reformers and the Traditionalist built both sides put a large amount of effort into courting them.