Earth Kin

Of all the races, earth kin are the most physically powerful. Even the female earth kin can be found with musculature and strength not found in other races. Earth kin use earthlacing to build communities out of stone, and must learn to physically work the earth to make their way in the world.

Earth kin skin tends to be fair in color, with more facial hair than other races. Most earth kin stand close to 6 feet tall, if not taller. As the widest-spread race, different kinds of clothing and hairstyles have appeared across the vast expanse of former earth kingdoms. In general, earth kin tend to favor greens and browns in their clothing, with bits of gold. Symbols are important to earth kin and are often found adorning their clothing to signify wealth, status, tradition, or family.

While the air monks can trace their traditions back for thousands of years, and the obake for even longer, earth kin are the people most likely to adhere strictly to those traditions. The earth kin like structure, and tradition gives semblance to how an earth kin may live their life. They aren't total slaves to tradition and may find ways around rules that they do not agree with. Earth kin are not completely conformist, but do enjoy a life of fulfilled expectations, where others act in a way that doesn't surprise them, allowing them to temper their assumptions on how the world works.

The earth kin had several expansive kingdoms, all centralized under the city of Qiang Shi. These other kingdoms, Chongtu and Dan, have since fallen and lie abandoned. Qiang Shi still stands but is a shadow of its former glory. A great wall still surrounds the city, protecting those who make a living within it.

Several existing earth kin families can trace lineage back to one of the earth royal families. In recent times, the largest concentrations of earth kin can be found in Qiang Shi, and in Gongheguo City.

Earth kin are not ones typically up for adventuring and seeing the world. While some earth kin do travel, these are typically merchants and artisans, whose lot in life includes moving around Kara-Tur. Earth kin leaving their homes entirely to see new lands are much more rare. While on the road, an earth kin is the most likely to want to make it feel like home. They may perform morning rituals, say traditional words before each meal, or look for homely amenities in new towns.

While earth kin can be seen as untrustworthy, it is more that an earth kin has a long history that a new person is not a part of, and it can take longer to regard that person as a friend. But to someone an earth kin deems a friend, there is no better source of love and acceptance.

Fire Folk. "I don't understand how fire folk society even functions. It seems like they change who the fire king or queen is constantly. I've met the fire folk and they seem alright, but it's a strange culture."

Air Monk. "Air monks seem very structured in their tradition, but have you ever actually met one? They were a lot different than I thought they would be like. Constantly telling jokes, playing games, pulling pranks. Not what I expected from a monk."

Water Clan. "I have a lot of resepct for the water clan. They live in the worst palces in the world, and have made it work for them. They live off the land and have to use the environment forthemselves, but they don't use it selfishly or just take from the land."

Obake. "There are tons of stories of obake joining our communites as we've spread out, but I don't know how much faith I put in those. We live all over the place, adn there's not a single established obake community anywhere that we've been able to find? Something's fishy about that."

Earth kin names are given at birth and are usually passed down along family lines. An earth kin will almost always be named after a family member, but almost never a family member who is still alive. These names, while not "family names" in the traditional sense, are seen as family names in the sense that certain families see some given names as belonging to their families.

Earth kin in high society may have more traditional family names as well and are some of the only people who might have two names. These family names can typically be traced back hundreds of years, and the history of each holder of that name is often well-documented.

Male Names: Bai, Chang, Chao, Da, Eun, Fu, Guo, Gyeong, Heng, Hong, Huang, Hwan, Jia, Jiang, Jin, Kun, Kyung, Lim, Min, Mu, Myung, Qiang, Qiu, Ru, Seok, Shi, Su, Tai, Tu, Wei, Wen, Wu, Xiang, Xun, Yong, Zheng, Zhi, Zhong

Female Names: Ai, Bao, Bolorma, Bora, Cheng, Chun, Fen, Hai, Hua, Hye, Jian, Jing, Jong, Ju, Jun, Lan, Li, Lin, Ling, Mei, Ming, Ning, Nuan, Nuo, Ping, Qing, Rong, Shu, Shui, Shun, Sung, Xiu, Xue, Ya, Yeong, Yin, Yun, Zan, Zhou