Kin

"For tasks of terror, resolve, and resilience - Look no further than the Kin."

Many Kinde have been born to the Voidsea - Many have fallen to it. Even before the Age of Taekni, the void did not offer safety and comfort. Though wide, vast, and full of wonders, sights, memories, with an undeniable draw for nearly Kinde born within it, one must not mistake it for welcoming. It has always been a hostile sea, demanding an ingenuity, resourcefulness, and persistence from those that seek to sail it.

It is in this environment that the Kin came into being.

Diverse in the extreme, both in appearance and thought, the Kin are arguably one of the most successful Kinde native to the Voidsea, rivalled by the likes of the Elvendritch, Skarros, or the Ash-Hato. They are native to the Dagaz-Class Void Island of Verdrasil, in the Cairn of Light Void Archipelago.

It was within this system, and by their hand, that the Greater Solar Union first began to form - And would go on to become a massive federation that spanned nearly their entire Gyre, and became the dominant force of the Void Age. The subsequent Wars of the Iron Will, and the Technopocalypse, saw it all collapse, spreading the Kin in a thousand different directions.

Within the Sky River, the Kin are found just about everywhere. From worlds hostile to them, to ancient Void Constructs that house civilizations onto themselves - From those constructed by the Kin, suited to their requirements, and those that were not built by them, and are actively hostile to their needs. They are unique for their near limitless ability to both adapt to new environments, in the form of many mutant-Kinde, and to adjust whatever environment they find themselves in to suit them and their needs. The Kin are incredibly widespread, and found in every corner of the known Cosmic Tide. It is often said that, `To find a Kin, go anywhere you wish.'

Many Kinde in the Sky River who survived the Technopocalypse remember the Kin by another name - Humanity. This is a term that has fallen out of favour amongst the Kin themselves, only occasionally being used to refer exclusively to the bipedal Humanoid for more specific matters, such as medical issues, individual identification, or combat purposes. This is due to how the Kin have come to perceive themselves.

While there is a Kinde component and correlation to what makes someone Kin, the Kin themselves don't necessarily view it in this way - The Kin have developed a number of symbiotic relationships with many Kinde, such as the Argenravis or the Dire Wolves, and consider these to be 'Kin' as much as the bipedal humanoids that much of the Sky River and it's neighbouring Gyes will shorthandedly refer to the Kin as. While not every individual Kinde is a Kin, anyone who can trace their origins back to the homeworld are considered Kin.

The Kin have historically been one of the most successful and prominent Kinde in the Sky River both before, and after the Technopocolypse. When Voidsea travel became impossible, the Kin were already present on thousands of worlds - Some alongside other Kinde, like Xeo-Quartz, and some where they were some of the only life around, like Failstate. While plenty of these worlds fell, many did not, and survived into the Valhallan Age. This history has lead to immense diversity within the Kin, both culturally, and biologically.

Kin are an exceptionally diverse Kinde - They exist in many different governmental and social structures, and many different, often opposing Factions. While this is true for nearly every Kinde in the galaxy, it is notable that even among other Kinde, the Kin are noticeable for the sheer variety and diversity of structure, opinion, and political affiliation. Despite this, in the Valhallan Age, the Kin are usually associated with the Cosmic Union, a successor state to the Solar Union, which they founded on their own, during the Void Age.

Physical Description

The Kin are a bipedal Kinde, typically possessing two legs, and two arms, with five digits on each. Each limb possesses two joints - One in the middle of the arm, and one at the end of it, connecting the limbs to their hands and feet.

Their bodies are covered in skin, of various different colours.

Within the Sky River

Among several other Kinde, the Kin are an incredibly widespread people, present in not only the Sky River, but the many satellite Gyres that surround it. The Kin have long since spread themselves from the boundaries of their Kindes home world, though many still hold an attachment to it, referring to is as the Xerworld - The Parent Island. For those Kin not part of the Cosmic Union or it's allies, a major ambition is to see their Sphere reclaim it, and bring it to their vision of glory.

With the exception of Spheres that explicitly do not permit them, the Kin can be found in just about every Sphere within both the known Voidsea and Realmlands. The sheer political diversity within their Kinde is seen as something both welcomed and dangerous, depending on who is asked.

Mutant Sub-Kinde and Definitions

Across the Voidsea, the Kin are noticeable for their variety of mutant Sub-Kinde - They are more prone to such mutations than many other Kinde.

Culture

Generally speaking, the Kin are a communal and social Kinde - Though individuals may be solitary, as a whole, they require companionship. They thrive upon it, and it is said that any Kin is at their best when they are surrounded by others. Kin can find companion in just a out any other Kinde, be they sentient, or not.

For a Kinde as diverse and widespread as the Kin, there are many cultures, and many cultural variations that exist within those cultures. It is nearly impossible to singularly define the Kindes cultural tendencies due to their collective outreach.

Despite this, there are at least some similarities that can be pointed towards.

Names

Kin naming conventions are somewhat complex, anachronistic, and organic affairs.

Following the Technopocalypse, and a breakdown of communication across the Sky River, many Kin Worlds evolved down distinct cultural lines. Despite this, many evolved down similar lines when it came to names - It is suspected that Taekni and Traits were major reasons for this, as they gave a similar frameworks to people spanning tens of thousands of light-years.

This particular naming convention has become known as the Rite of Naming, or the Naming Rite.

At birth, a child is given a name, though this name is expected to be temporary. Typically they are named after sentimental events, precious objects, locations, or phenomenon that are important to the parents. Last names are usually a combination of the parents names, and are only used in the event that there are multiple people who share the same name.

At any stage in the individuals life, however, they may adopt a new name of their own choosing. These are usually based on their Traits, Taeknic skills, their abilities, role in society, or nicknames given to them by colleagues, but they can choose to defy these conventions if they so choose, and pick an entirely unrelated name. A Kin can go through many different names throughout their lives.

This same naming convention appeared organically across multiple different worlds where Kin were found - Some sociologists have suggested that this tendency was born by the emergence of Traits and Taekni.

Naming conventions for the Kin
Given Name	Homeworld	Role in Society	Nickname	Chosen Name
Snow	Earth	Navy Admiral	Steelside Earned due to both Trait, and for protecting the Tide Fleet from a flanking-manoeuvre	Steelside
Crimson	Mars	Helmsman/ Fighter Pilot	Dreadwing Callsign during time stationed on the Union-Imperium Border.	Dreadwing
Ember	Xeo-Quartz	Office Worker - Member of the "Villains" Movement	Cinder - In reference to the occasional moment of intense, emotional outbursts, but otherwise passive personality during work hours.	Burnout
Sunlight	Venus	Argenravis Rider	None given	Skybound