The SunKin

BRIGHT FEATHERS, BRIGHT MIND.

The SunKin clan brave the arid heat of Noctus’s desert and claim it as their home. As the first of the clans, the SunKin gryphons are highly respected not only for their origin, but for their continued diplomacy throughout the moons.

The SunKin camp is situated around an oasis that has an island in the center. The trees that make up the camp were dragged there by the establishing gryphons of the clan from the RainKin territory. They lost their leaves, leaving behind hollow trunks with wicked branches that the SunKin gryphons call home.

Clan Camp Map

Appearance

SunKin gryphons are built to withstand the heat and blend into the dunes that surround their camp. Owl gryphons are most commonly found in the SunKin clan and the overall palette for gryphons in the clan is tan, brown, and white. Gryphons here are thinner than other clans but have more feathers and fur to handle cold desert nights. Their ears are longer, too, and they are more adept at hearing their prey as well as seeing in the dark with their large eyes.

SunKin gryphons are typically between 9 and 16 hands with the average height being 14 hands at the shoulder.

Tyro Trials

When a tyro completes six moons of training, they will be eligible to try to graduate from tyroship into their role. The tyro trials vary from clan to clan and role to role. Below are the SunKin trials for each role.

Warrior

The tyro faces a jackalope. After coaxing it out with meat, they will go head-to-head with the creature at Jackalope Den with no assistance. They have to drag it back to camp by themselves.

Hunter

The mentor will bring the tyro to the Harpyplace. Together, they will decide upon a harpy to hunt. If a harpy flies away from the roost, then it is the target -- harpies are easy prey if they are alone. After a countdown, the mentor and tyro take off towards the harpy. The tyro gets a five-second headstart. The first to catch the harpy wins.

Artisan

In all clans, the tyro must make armor from scratch. They will be provided the armor material, size it up for a specific warrior (even if the warrior already has armor), get twine from the hunters, attach a weapon of the warrior’s choice, and let the warrior test it by fighting a one- or two-star threat. The mentor will judge it with the warrior from there.

Locations

Below are the descriptions of SOME OF the roleplay channels you will find in the SunKin category.

The Wild Dunes

As the name suggests, the Wild Dunes are a nearly five-mile long stretch of sand dunes full of snakes, rabbits, and the occasional sand worm.

The Jackalope Den

This jackalope den and the area surrounding it is usually filled with carcasses, bones, and other precious items that wind up here by chance. During cooler months, it is usually safe to hunt, scavenge, and train here -- it is a good place to practice flight due to its natural hills -- but warmer months lead to jackalope hunting season.

Painted Valley

The Painted Valley is a small area just northwest of the savannah with gorgeous red rocks that appear painted. Many novices go here to train because it is normally less hot than the dunes or the Dustlands.

The Sunbathing Hills

The further you go through the Sunbathing Hills, the more lush it becomes. This is a clear border between SunKin and RainKin territory, with the northern half being mainly savannah hills and the bottom half becoming more deciduous and humid. Here, many twoleg cattle roam, but they are easy prey for any gryphon to catch. Gryphons are not the only ones seeking out these cattle; manticore take an interest to this area, too, and so do the rare chupacabra.

more channels to be found in the server

Sunstar

The amber hues of her eyes were of the desert her Kin claimed. The love behind them was an oasis, something that tempted her Kin to come closer, to trust her. Was it a mirage? Many believe so. Sunstar stretched herself so thin, it’s impossible that she loved all of her SunKin as dearly as she claimed. If it was not, then it would only go to show that what she did was from the depths of her heart. Sacrifice of a few for the success of many is not unheard of, even from the most gracious of leaders.

– excerpt from The Conflict of the Gryphons of Noctus by Djehutimes “Ibisdance”

Sunstar was the original founder of the SunKin, as well as the pioneer of Noctus for gryphons. She was born as Sun during Moon 35 P.N. to a large family of eagle-owl gryphons that was recognized for their strict yet caring demeanor. Taking from her family, she was well known for her diplomacy, gratitude, confidence, and composure. Those who remember Sunstar always have fond memories of her chivalry, though most of those fond memories would be from the earlier moons of her life; later on as the tides changed in Noctus, she began to grow weary, her personality hardening to something unrecognizable.

Sunstar was one of the driving forces behind technological advancements in Noctus. It began with the sphinx, who were willing to help SunKin move into their territory as long as the gryphons would leave them be. The sphinx introduced twine made from sinew to the gryphons and Sunstar used this to create the role of artisans across Noctus. From there, gryphons of Noctus would go on to invent sleds, buckets, armor, jewelry, reinforced nests, and paint, with more innovations sprouting up every few moons.

Sunstar’s philosophy was that peace was necessary if Noctus was to thrive. Even in times of strife, Sunstar took a leaf from the sphinxs’ book and would isolate the SunKin until it was safe. The SunKin were trained to handle threats, but not to go out and find them first. Many of the SunKin are lithe and built for speed more than they are combat thanks to her prioritizing flight over fight.

Despite her reputation, Sunstar made the first move that night. Many blame her for what followed, but they don’t blame her for starting it.

Sand Worm Wrangling

A more recent sport for SunKin gryphons is sand worm wrangling. The dangerous creatures are mysterious and elusive, but that doesn't stop the SunKin from trying their best to rouse them to the surface with jumps, whacks, and yowls in the dunes. Sand worm wrangling - colloquially known as wrangling - is a finicky sport, seeing the SunKin gryphons have a seconds-long window before they can latch onto the creature and ride them across the top of the dunes. Duos are typically formed with one gryphon guiding the worm in the front and another latched onto the worm itself.

Music/Jewelry/Art

Music

Unlike the other clans, the SunKin are not very musical in terms of their voices. When one does hear the music of a SunKin gryphon, though, it might be played on one of the many inventions the SunKin gryphons borrowed from the Children of Ra: the darbuka drum. Made from carving wood into a flared, cylindrical shape and stretching animal skin over the top, the drum fits perfectly beneath a gryphon or sphinx when they sit down. Once secure, they drum it with either their paws or talons. Some skilled artisans may be able to file their talons with stones and use them at different lengths to produce different sounds on the darbuka.

The main reason gryphons play the darbuka is to bring joy - and maybe show off a little - to their clanmates that gather in the clearing beneath the Sunseer’s roost. In recent times, the darbuka drum has been used by SunKin gryphons when they go to the Moonplace for full-moon gatherings to lighten up the mood afterwards. The sphinx also use specific rhythms on the darbuka drum for folkloric and dance purposes, but many gryphons are unaware of this and have made up their own rhythms depending on the player.

Jewelry

Thanks to how close the SunKin are to the Archipelago of Fire, they have easy access to ancient volcanic glass - obsidian - left over from past eruptions. As expected, the bird eyes of gryphons are naturally drawn to shiny things; this means obsidian has become a valuable resource for creating jewelry and adornments that a SunKin gryphon of any rank can wear. Artisans use their dexterous talons to carve wood into pendants that hold obsidian attached with Penghou blood, which are then attached to a gryphon using twine or are pierced into the ears. Obsidian jewelry is very captivating and a staple of SunKin culture. It is commonly passed down as a family heirloom or buried with the dead.

Art

Similarly to their music, the SunKin don't have much going for them in terms of art. There aren't many surfaces that haven’t already been marked by SunKin artisans in the camp. The most common paint one will see in use is of a red pigment. Dirt and sand are taken from the Painted Valley, which is then ground and mixed with animal fat and tree sap to form paint that stays for many moons. A lot of the art is very angular and bold markings that leave negative space for an eye-catching effect. Artisans will paint drums, jewelry, armor, and the trees in the SunKin camp with these markings. Some dunesledders will commission an artist to paint their sled, too, if they aren't already an artisan themselves.

Stories

The SunKin love to gossip and there are many stories, legends, and rumors that have seeped from generation to generation.

One of these legends is the Master Worm. Despite its silly name, the creature is a product of nightmares. It is rumored that deep in the Wild Dunes, one might feel the rumbling of a sand worm that never emerges. Instead, the rumbling grows louder, louder, and louder, more loud than any other sand worm recorded… then goes eerily quiet. Animals flee the area and gryphons are advised to do the same. Many theorize that it is a giant sand worm so large that all Noctus gryphons could fit inside of it, though it has yet to emerge. Roosters will often use this story to scare their cubs into staying in the camp.

As many might see, the culture of the sphinx has bled extensively into the SunKin clan despite the sphinxs’ effort against it. One story that the SunKin have picked up from sphinx is the creation myth of Noctus and the sphinx. It is said that Ra, a mighty sphinx with a bird head (not a gryphon), is the sun-god mirror to Andromeda’s connection to the moon. Just by speaking the names of other deities, the sphinx, and objects on Noctus, Ra brought them into existence. Some dedicated SunKin gryphons might learn more about the mythos of the Children of Ra if they ask politely.

The Children of Ra

Though the Children of Ra are sheltered, they have proven time and time again that they are superior to the gryphons of Noctus. The SunKin have developed a lot of their culture, techniques, and technology with the assistance of friendlier sphinx. Very little is actually known about the Children of Ra. Even Ibisdance, the well-known sphinx scribe who has moved in permanently with the SunKin, refuses to give up too much information about them. All that is known is that the Children of Ra have a hierarchy system similar to the clans, are much more highly advanced than gryphons, have different legends and stories than the gryphons, and have lasted for hundreds if not thousands of cycles.

It’s possible and common to run into other sphinx while hunting, but it’s hard to keep them for a conversation. Many gryphons suspect that despite their impartiality towards gryphons on the outside, there is something inside that makes them dislike the clans. Ibisdance has let it slip that there are prophecies only the sphinx know of. Maybe that’s part of it…

Burial Practices

Most SunKin deaths were buried just beyond the oasis in the Wild Dunes, but having such a large amount of fallen to bury following the Conflict made it hard to dig graves in the ever shifting sand. There were a few other options, like Ibisdance suggesting respected warriors be buried with the sphinx, but in the end, the gryphons agreed that the Sunbathing Hills would be the perfect location.

The Sunbathing Hills is where Sunstar lost her last life. Sunstar, the rest of the fallen warriors, artisans, hunters, and other gryphons of the SunKin who hadn’t yet been buried were transported and buried at the final battlefield in a lush savannah clearing. These graves are unmarked, but many brought trinkets, armor, pottery, and other goodies to be buried alongside the gryphon in their grave.

While most gryphons are buried in the Sunbathing Hills, not all stick to tradition. Newer generations of the SunKin have been drawing away from the uptight, diplomatic nature they’re well known for. It’s why you might find a few gryphons that have a special request: to get a ‘dune burial.’

Dune burials are not the same as the original way the SunKin buried their dead. Instead, the gryphon is wrapped in a tanned hide, taken to the dunes, and left to be consumed by a sand worm. Some gryphons may see this as a ‘hardcore’ way to be reclaimed by the ground while some see it as a way to connect intrinsically to Andromeda. It depends on who you ask.

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