Writing Portfolio 

"The Gybas are adaped to the harsh, cold, snowy Kalidra Boreal Plateau. They are powerfuly muscled, short and stocky of build as to aid in heat retention and move effectively through heavy snow. The downside of this is that as their They are adapted to move though heavy snow, putting them at a disadvantage on clear ground. The skin is coated in a dense, dual-layered coat of white fur, allowing them to stay warm in the frigid cold. This also means they are prone to overheating and sluggishness in temperatures above freezing.

The skin produces oils that are coated onto the fur using modified sweat glands. This oily, water-repellent substance helps the fur shed water, but it is flammable. Under the fur, they have large subdermal fat deposits, that are distributed evenly beneath the skin. These act as insulation against the icy cold of the Boreal Plateau. The deposits also act as an reserve of calories in cold winters. The downside of these deposits is both needing more blood to maintain and slowing due to more weight.

Climbing is also harder due to the added weight. The eyes are bright blue, and have an reflective tapetum lucidum layer for seeing in the dark in the long, dark winters. This leads to extreme sensitivity to sudden, bright flashes of light. The ears are small, close to the head and filled with white fur. With the hearing range, it is shifted to lower frequencies. This means they can hear subtle vibrations in the deep snow and ground, such as approaching prey or avalanches. Drumming or deep bass sounds can be confusing or distressing due to this.

The nose has an widened internal structure and increased mucus production as to warm the cold air before it reaches the lungs. This has downsides, such as being susceptible to painful congestion and temporary loss of smell in dust-filled or smoky environments. The teeth are long and thick, as to tear though tough frozen hides, but are prone to chipping or even breaking on harder substances. Claws are thick and shovel like, for digging shelter in the snow and climbing rock, but these claws are bad for fine manipulation.

The dense muscles are adapted for sudden bursts of extreme strength, but these rapidly deplete their energy reserves, needing an period of recovery afterward. Blood vessels are deep under the skin as to lower heat transfer and stop frostbite in the extremities. The bones are very dense and hard, due to hyper-calcification. This makes the bones very strong, but rigid. Rigid bones can lead to compound fractures from twisting or torsion forces. These bones also contribute to their very heavy weight.

They have large internal reserves of iron-binding proteins to deal with the high iron content of the local blood from local large mammalian prey. Being reliant on large mammalian blood means that if they do not have it, and have to live on non-mammalian blood, they weaken slowly over time. Their blood is adapted to resist clotting under extreme cold to allow for smooth circulation in frigid temperatures.

"

The Kha'orm Kin'toni Clan was founded in 4E 152. They are descendants of bunker-dwelling survivors of the nuclear fires. The Zatarrina city state had burned the area to a wasteland in an attempt to cleanse the kin'toni. Most kin'toni died, but some in bunkers did not. These kin'toni tried to rebuild their lives using the zu'aan technology left over from the fall.

In 4E 152, a charismatic pair of kin'toni called Tira and Mira united those scattered remnants. Tira and Mira were a pair of strange, mysterious, and unable to be separated twins. They appeared from the North. They gained leadership via their charms and the promise of a shared destiny. Slowly, the lost kin'toni were united. The twins' beauty was both haunting and unsettling.

"Nobody knows where Tira and Mira come from. The two graceful, in sync kin'toni speak and move as two halves of one. I saw them singing nonsense songs and playing a game together. Tira and Mira move as mirrors, their movements flowing like water. When I asked them where they came from; they said: "We have always been one. Ever since we remember. There was never two, only two halves of one."

- Ja'varael, 'On the Twins: Tira and Mira of the Kha'orm Kin'toni Clan' , 4E 154

The clan faced a new problem two years after the Twins appeared. The clan relied on crumbling technology. It could not be fixed due to a lack of parts, maintenance, and fuel. Over the years, the clan's technology deteriorated to Iron Age levels. Even with this lack of technology, the clan endured. Using iron tools, they started digging tunnels and building an underground Empire from their bunkers.

The bunker and tunnel networks at first were dug out of mud. Later parts were deeper and carved from stone. Tira and Mira ordered a large hall to be carved in their name. The hall took many years to build. It was hard work as the tools were primitive tools. No one understood why Tira and Mira wanted such a grand construction and luxuries such as the silks they wore.

Some of the clan's members also started to die of radiation sickness. Those who did not die adapted to the irradiated region. The clan replaced their losses by recruiting from nearby groups. The strong survived and the weak died. Over the years, the clan expanded to eight hundred people. The Twins had their eyes on the lands of nearby clans and plotted how to try and take over.

"I saw the Twins in their cavern hall one day. Their hair was the red of sunset, and their skin was the white of fresh snow. They heard me come and looked up at me with coal-black eyes. With voices like bell chiming they asked me "Tira wants to know what you are doing here. Mira thinks you should leave." Together they asked me "What are you doing here?". I asked them about their plans of conquest."

- Ja'varael, 'On the Twins: Tira and Mira of the Kha'orm Kin'toni Clan' , 4E 154

In the Shattering, the clan tried and failed to take over the nearby Zae'ik Forest region. The local clan used their greater strength and numbers to their advantage. The Kha'orm was a small and frail clan that struggled with violent conflict. Their region was shunned and the local bands were few in size and number. The clan managed to drive away the local packs and bands of the outlying wasteland.

Many joined due to the charms of Tira and Mira promising a safer and more stable clan. Often, packs were ambushed when they went out to hunt. To deal with packs, the clan used their greater numbers and killed if they did not join. The main band that the clan drove away was the Xerous. The Xerous camped in a small cave hidden by bush. To deal with the band, the Kha'orm poured boiling water to flood the cave.

After the Shattering, the clan had problems with a sickness called the “Lalii-Hailika,” or "the Spotted Sickness". It was known for causing large, spot-like lesions that wept and became infected. The clan, as isolated as they were, had not managed to develop the immunity that many local clans had. This sickness, along with their losses in the Shattering ravaged the clan. The three hundred or so strongest clan members survived both the Shattering and the Spotted Sickness.

"I asked the Twins how they did not die of the Lalii-Hailika and they just laughed and went back to playing hop-stones and singing their nonsense songs. In a way, they are kind of childish, but they are cunning leaders. I did manage to record their songs and some of it appears insightful. Maybe I should ask more about their origins next time, as their origin is very mysterious."

- Ja'varael, 'On the Twins: Tira and Mira of the Kha'orm Kin'toni Clan', 4E 154

As of 4E 500, the clan worried about the rumors of the ice sheets from the North and South. They trust Tira and Mira to lead them through the new, dark times. The cold was slowly affecting the Wasteland. Winters grew longer and summers grew shorter. The climate slowly became wetter from more rainfall. The local animals moved on to new regions south of the Wasteland. The Wasteland's lifeforms that moved in were adapted to a colder, wetter climate

"The Twins do not seem worried about the incoming cold. In fact, they are not cold in their sheer, skimpy silk finery and gems. They just flick their long hair through their pointed ears. I asked about the incoming cold and they just laughed in their bell like voices. Tira said "Tira thinks you are being silly." Mira added "Maybe you should not bother us about such silly things."

- Ja'varael, 'On the Twins: Tira and Mira of the Kha'orm Kin'toni Clan' , 4E 154