Clans of Newhome: Malachite

Once the new six-limbed hatchling morphology had been established as normal, interest in attending the births of new Kin waned. Darktooth the Wise, however, had perceived a spiritual difference in one of the hatchlings, and was waiting to greet it when it emerged from its first Great Sleep as the founder of a glorious new clan.

Malachite Kin, so named for the beautiful swirling bands of green color displayed by their shorter feathers, would prove to have, on average, the widest wingspan of all of the new clans. They quickly established themselves as great fliers, able to soar higher and travel with less fatigue over long distances. The primary pinions on the wings and decorative growths on the tail could be gold, silver, or copper in color, with gold being the most common and copper being the rarest and most valued, in keeping with the elemental distribution of Newhome. Beautiful feathers often grow from the impressive, curved horns, made of the same keratin as the horns themselves but with added coloration.

The first Malachite Kin also showed a remarkable talent for the manipulation of gravitational forces. Any Stellar Kin could learn to provoke minor gravitational effects, provided they spent the time and energy to practice it, but the Malachite Clan members were able to achieve higher levels of mastery much more easily than any others. A gravity sorcerer among the Coba or a decently trained Kin of another Clan might be able to use gravity to slow an enemy, jump or fly higher than usual, and attract or repel small objects telekinetically, but a Malachite G-Master could use it to uproot a mighty tree, pin a creature completely to the ground, and more. The most powerful Malachite Kin on Newhome at the time of the Succession Crisis (also known by the Luxa as the Hierophant Resolution) was even known to have made a creature slowly implode in on itself, a painful, terrifying, and messy end, but one which certainly discouraged any other beings from taking that Kin lightly or being in any way disrespectful towards it.

Despite their reputation for restlessness, which is a byproduct of the natural love of exploration fostered by their broad wingspan and gravitational powers combining to make traveling a thousand miles a breeze, Malachite Kin are in fact no more "flighty" than any other Clan, and as always, knowing a Kin's Clan does not provide any meaningful insight into their individual mind or spirit, which are always unique. Still, even other Kin acknowledge that the Malachite Clan are the masters of the skies of Newhome, often frequenting the highest peaks where the air is thin and other Clans have difficulty flying, and within the Clan, having a flexible, mobile territory has become a common practice. One highly-respected Malachite has even declared themselves a "proud vagabond", two words which have rarely been used together in the past, and a new subculture of traveling Kin who simply hunt where they hunt and go where they wish to go is rising in the Clan. Other Kin have expressed concern (for the evolutionary implications) and annoyance (with having random Malachite Kin suddenly show up and hunt in their territories) with this new movement, but it remains a minority practice, with traditional territorial behavior still being more common.

Strangely contradictory rumors have been circulating among the gentas of Newhome regarding some kind of special relationship between certain members of the Malachite Clan and the mysterious Cloud Wardens (see attached image). Some say the two groups are at war, while others say they have formed some kind of partnership or alliance. The Malachite Clan is silent on the matter, a cause for concern among some; the Cloud Wardens, being both powerful and unpredictable, cannot be communicated with via mindsong or in any other known way. If the Malachite Clan has somehow decoded the Cloud Warden language (if it can be called that) then the implications could be extreme, as the Wardens are worshipped by many gentas around the planet. Both war and cooperation between the Kin and the Wardens would have far-reaching political implications.