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The Clan; Women of Fire

Clan Origin Story

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Books

Natural Order

Worlds Collide

Bloodstained Innocence

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Primal Forms

Sometime between the ages of three and five the children of the Clan gain the ability to take their primal animal shape. The animal is generally the birth totem of the child and that animal alone, though there have been unique cases of another animal besides their birth totem choosing to be the child’s guide instead. Not only do the children gain the animal’s body, but many of the instincts and abilities as well. Usually, characteristics of the animal will be apparent in the child when she or he is in human shape, and visa versa. Time within a primal form can be tiresome, so often after long periods in their form the child must nap. Nowadays parents often convince a child to go “play” in their primal form because it’s an excellent way to tire them out.

Clan Blood

Among all the clan, the blood carries several abilities to help them defend their bodies against disease and injury. Minor damage is healed very quickly, often within a matter of hours. More severe wounds, that might take months for a human to recover from, can take a shifter days or weeks to heal completely. The shifter blood is resilient to blood borne and airborne pathogens, but have only mind defenses against natural and synthesized poisons.

Ingested toxins are another matter for shifters who are by nature more sensitive to pollutants in the food they eat or what they drink. Even commonly used household cleaners and pesticides can we too much for a shifter’s physiology. One of the Clan who has been exposed to toxins will often show signs when they shift into either their primal or sacred forms. Dull eyes, brittle fur and feathers, listless movements, all are often signs of a shifter’s need to detox after exposure to pollutants.

Sacred Shape

At the age of ascension, which for girls is at the time of their first moontime, and for the boys around thirteen or fourteen, there is a change that comes over these children of the Clan. Most of the boys lose the ability to take their primal form at this time, though in rare cases some keep it permanently. The girls, after a ritual of dedication to the Goddess, gain the gift of their sacred shape, a hybrid combination of their totem animal and their human form.

The sacred shape is meant only to be a gift used in battle to defend the Clan and their families. The shifter often grows in mass an height when they change from their human shape to that of the hybrid form. This state is very draining on the shifters body and it is generally advisable for them to find a generous amount of substance after a change, even if it was not an extended one. Because of the risk of revealing the Clans existence to those magically unawakened, it is the shifter’s law that the sacred form be used only in times of great need.

The Future of the Clan

There have been many prophecies handed down though the clan’s women and men who were gifted with sight beyond. One of the most well known occurred during the Hallows ritual in 1992. The herald did not occur at one local event. This message was spoken all over the world, through many of the clan’s women gifted in divination and channeling.

A lost daughter of the Goddess will come to live among the Clan. She will be ignorant of our ways, but carry within her womb the key to the Clan’s future. Our enemies will try to take the power for themselves. If the enemy succeeds, the Clan will fall and many other races along with them.

Through blood and pain the Goddess’ daughter must come, past the day she chooses a family as her own. Her gifted name will be whispered on the wind, and on the lips of the mother she never knew. She shall birth her child to be forever cast into blessed silence, and the blood that cleansing the sacred land will bring with it the touch of magic to the deep spirit of the Clan.

The Sacred Land of Snow and Wind and the Clan of the Ancient Oak.

The Clan of the Ancient Oak Council:

(Keep in mind these descriptions are as of their first appearance in the novel Natural Order which is set in 1993.)

Greer Archiquette

The matriarch of the Archiquette family and Keeper of the Sacred Lands located on her farm west of the town of Ashwaubenon in Wisconsin. Badger, a gentle mother who viciously protects her pups, guides Greer. The teaching of the badger is the reason she has taken the mantle of the Mother Guardian of the Clan of the Ancient Oak as well as a greatly gifted ritualist.

Greer is a first generation Irish American woman in her late forties (don’t ask her how old exactly, she will never tell) who moved to Wisconsin when she was a teenager. She has a gift for carpentry and woodworking, and a flair for creating durable and practical objects of art. She met Bardo Archiquette when she was on a college trip to the Oneida reservation and they were married the next year on the Harvest Moon. Over thirty years later, Bardo and Greer are even more in love now, than they were all those years ago. The Goddess gifted them with three children, Dusty, Mitexi, and Orion.

Their oldest, Dusty, was killed in March of 1993, and her pregnant lover, Elizabeth, came to live with them at the farm. Greer and Bardo adopted t Elizabeth into her family as one of their own. To Greer nothing is as important as family, and she would do anything to protect hers.

Of all the things Greer is, one thing that often steps forth in People mind about her is the seemingly endless love in her heart her people and the land she takes care of. Her once vibrant red hair has over the years has whitened with age, but with her active lifestyle and the healthy cooking of her husband, age does not seem to be slowing down this fiery Irish woman anytime soon.

Mitexi Archiquette

At the age of twenty eight, she is the youngest daughter of Greer and Bardo Archiquette, and mother of two beautiful children. Caradoc is age eight, and has been chosen by the Raven. Sanura is four, and the raccoon guides her as much as anyone can guide the feisty child. Mitexi’s husband John was killed three years ago, and Mitexi left the home that her mother and husband built on the northeastern end of the Archiquette farm. Since then, she and her children have lived at her parent’s home on the farm, and at Mitexi's request her former home was given to her brother Orion.

A flair for sewing and decorating has given Mitexi an occasional source of income to add to that of her parents self sustainable organic farm. Mitexi is a lover of passion and not one to sugar coat the truth before is spills forth from her lips. Even with a sharp tongue, Mitexi has the gentle and easygoing nature of the Bear that had chosen to share its gifts with her. She is one of the Clan guardians of the children, and in times of trouble, it falls to her to protect them. Mitexi is also a gifted Midwife.

Vesta Archiquette

Years ago Vesta and Orion wed and the thirty-two year old police officer became a member of the Archiquette family. Vesta parents moved from Taiwan before she was born, and were members of the Clan of the Quiet Sea.

The Red Hawk guides Vesta, and even in human form the gift of the Hawk’s sharp eyes serves her in Vesta’s job as a Brown County investigator. She and Orion have no children, and because of Vesta’s demanding job, it is likely they will have children for a long time.

Vesta and Orion both have a connection to the baby carried by the woman Elizabeth Crew. So that Orion’s sister Dusty would have a genetic connection to the child, Orion was asked to be a donor to artificially inseminate Elizabeth, and both he and Vesta happily agreed. Vesta is also a guardian of the Clan and one of the keepers of their laws.

Mirabella Soto Vega

Bella is a lawyer and a very well educated woman in her forties (though she had refused to celebrate her birthday since she thirty five). She was born in Spain, but has traveled many places around the world before meeting her wife Tala and settling in Madison Wisconsin. She is a ritualist within the Clan, as well as a keeper of their laws.

After Tala and her hand fasting, Bella had given birth to two sons. Alejandro, who is now five, wants to be just like his big sister Rune. Gazali, who as of last spring, is seven, dreams of becoming a lawyer. Bella and Tala’s boys were given the last name Sotomayo that is a mix of Bella’s surname, Soto Vega, and Tala’s name, Nqumayo.

Bella is not a woman who losses her temper easily, but when she does, it’s a magnificent display of verbal fireworks in Spanish and the unmatchable intellectual wit her opponents must fear to face in court. The Lynx guides Bella, and much like her feline counterpart, likes comfort and a quiet life with her family.

Tala Nqumayo

Tala speaks very little about her life before the death of her husband Niika Uttak (Tala kept her maiden name), save the pride of giving birth to her first child, Rune. Much like her mother, the African Red Wolf has chosen Rune. The nearly fifty year old doctor takes her post at the Head Guardian for The Clan of the Ancient Oak very seriously, as she does her duty watching over the Clan’s traditions. She is a well-respected OBGYN in Madison as well as a notable name in the field of neonatal surgery. Unlike many in her field, Tala believes in a balanced relationship between tradition treatments and “modern” medicine.

Wanda Krieg

Much like her animal match, the Coyote, Wanda is a trickster. She lives for shocking the people around her, but beneath her bold demeanor and twisted sense of humor, there is great wisdom and love for her people. She thrives for the feeling of battle and is known for “toying” with those she fights. Wanda believes fear is as great a teacher as pain, and is not apposed to using either to get the point across to her enemies not to mess with the Clan.

After kicking out the father of her youngest child. Wanda now lives for the freeness of her late forties and what she calls her sexual prime. She has four children that are all devoted to their mother. Her oldest son is Oberon, an ex-highschool teacher in his early-thirties who now works in a local homeschool program training residents how to create small schools in the area for a group of families to homeschool their kids together. Wanda’s second oldest son is Kevin, a skilled visual artist and a private art teacher, and is twenty-eight years old. Her youngest son is Boris, a talented mason in his mid twenties and owner of his own construction company that uses green and energy efficient techniques. Alexia is Wanda’s only daughter, a quiet spoken young woman in her early twenties, and a respected member of the Clan Council.

Alexia Roberts

The nature of Alexia is not all that different from the gentle Tortoise that is her guide. She is a soft-spoken woman, with a great gift for the art of divination when it comes to reading the cards. She is the youngest member of the Council, but the wisdom often spoken by Alexia is far past that of her years.

She is also a gifted artist like her brother Kevin, and very often they will create piece together. In fact, Alexia and her brother made the tarot deck she most often uses. She also enjoys knitting and quilting, and often gifts the things she makes to the women and children in her community.

Janisa Castille

Life was hard for Janisa growing up. Raised by her single father in New Orleans after her mother ran out on them, she learned quickly that life wasn’t necessary kind to those who were kind to others, or gentle to those who possessed a gentle heart. Her father owned a bar beneath their flat, and many nights she was kept awake by the sound of a vicious fight, or people yelling in a drunken rage.

As a child Janisa was able to take the form of a river otter, and she played in the streams not far from town. Her father called it the “devil curse” and forbid her to give into the temptation. She tried to obey him, but the call of her primal form was too strong so she snuck out at night to give in to her guilty pleasure in secret.

When she was thirteen the bar was set ablaze on afternoon while Janisa’s father lay napping in his bed and she was out diving with the local otters. She ran to avoid being taken by the law she’d learned to fear. It was not long after that she had her first full change.

With no one to guide her and her father’s words echoing her mind, Janisa thought she was being punished for disobeying him. She swore she would never allow her body to change into the monster again. Janisa traveled deep into the bayou and past into the big cities beyond, but she was never able to escape herself.

One night the men of the Imperium found her hidden in some caves in northern Wisconsin. These men were drunk on wine they'd stolen during an evenings raid on a nearby farmhouse belonging to the Clan. The Imperium men were angry at their failed attempt against the enemy, and they took that rage out on Janisa. They didn’t know what Janisa truly was, but that didn’t stop them from punishing her, as they’d wanted to the people in that house.

The Goddess didn't abandon her daughter this night. Through a dream She sent word to Tala of their sister’s plight, and both the Guardian and her wife Bella rushed to Janisa’s aid. None who were present that night talk about what happened oi that cave anymore, but now Janisa has a beautiful baby girls and she is safe within the shifter community.

Isha Cheenu Shishir

Isha is a woman with a very guarded past that she speaks about with no one. She works hard to raise her teenage son Mark and keeps her head down like her mongoose totem, waiting to strike out at anyone who threatens her family.

Three years ago the death of John, the brother of Isha’s lover Brenna rocked the community. Brenna demanded revenge, and many of the younger Clan’s women were ready to join her. The Council said no, Isha and John’s wife Mitexi standing among them. Brenna became enraged, insisting if she and her brother had been “real Clan” the Council would’ve sent the Guardians to punish them people responsible.

Angry at the Clan for bringing disorder and chaos into her life, Isha left the Clan, and cut herself and her son Mark off from the community. Her son was angry at her for a long time for leaving, he liked being able to take his dog form and run and play with the other Clan children. Things got better between them, but part of Isha always missed her strange family.

1. Clan of the Ancient Oak
2. Clan of the Timeless Moon
3. Clan of the Whispering Pines
4. Clan of the Birthing Waters

Guardians of the Concrete Rivers (Madison) protects the area from highway fifty-one to the west end of Middleton, and from the North end of Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park to just past the town of Fitchburg. It's a good-sized territory, spanning about three hundred and thirty square miles, with about fifty full shifters in its membership, and over a hundred and seventy kin and allies.

“It wasn’t a pack of animals that took out your punk ass boys in that hole in the wall they called an apartment, just one bitch.”

Rune is twenty seven year old veterinary student at UW-Madison with a Bachelors of Science in Wildlife Ecology and Zoology. She has the ability to shape shift into an African red wolf, and to take a full hybrid wolven battle form. She is the daughter of Tala Nqumayo, and African doctor who is a high ranking official with the Clan (female shape shifters) Council, and Niika Uttak, a First Nations man who died when Rune was little. Rune is the pack leader of Guardians of the Concrete Rivers, but her real passion is working on cars and music.

Her long mahogany fingers widened into paws as they disappeared beneath long strands of red fur. The clothes and school bag simply melded into the body of the wolf as if they’d never existed at all. The change wasn’t painful, but the deep sensation of it affected her every nerve with a heavy vibration. As a child, assuming the primal form required a great deal of focus to call upon the animal

She’s been trained for the life of a hunter for as far back as Rune can remember, but it's not exactly what she might have chosen. Her mother is the head guardian for the Clan of the Ancient Oak whose territory stretches out over most of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa, as well as the northern half of Illinois. When she had come to Madison five years ago, Rune had been given charge over the Concrete Rivers pack, quite a burden for her twenty-two year old shoulders to accept at the time.

Her hair had gained the best qualities from both her parents. It was thickly textured and strong, like that of her African mother, and with a resilient curl. Her hair also grew swiftly, now easily reaching to the small of her back when permed straight. That she got from her Inuit father, along with the softening of the curl to a natural spiral wave.

Montana Brandon is a twenty five year old African American woman with a gift for cooking and a need to look after those she calls friends. Like Rune and the other Clan women, Montana is able to assume the primal animal form and the were battle form of her totem, the Puma. Montana is one of Rune’s lieutenants in the pack as well as her roommate and best friend. She is dating a clansman named Kuper, a wiz when it come to gadgets, but clueless when it come to keeping his lady happy.

Arizona Grant is a thirty year old Navajo woman who has the ability to shift into a horse. She is a serious environmentalist, and teaches at UW-Madison in their Wildlife Ecology division. She is dating Troi Johnson, also a member of the Concrete River pack. Arizona is the second of Rune's lieutenants and had a knack for battle tactics.

Troi Johnson is a dance teacher for the School of Madison Ballet, and is twenty six years old. She is dating Arizona, and must like her lover is a serious environmentalist. She has red hair much like the fur of the fox she can shift into, as well as her totem's gift for a quick wit.

Gilda Michaels is an tech wiz much like her brother Kuper, but unlike him she can also shape change into a spider monkey. Gilda is dateing Seda, and this sweet natured twenty three year old blonde is far more attentive to her relationship then her brother is. She does part time work at some of the local theaters as a technical specialist, and has a passion for FX and special effects work.

Seda Atam is a feisty Armenian woman, the youngest in the inner circle of the Concrete River pack at age nineteen. She is a UW-Madison student in art design and can shape shift into a porcupine.

Nuria Maali collects reptiles and works at the collage bookstore while studying linguistics. Her family originally came from Egypt, but she is very much Americanized. She is dating Akama, a thirty year old ex military Samoan man who is a night night guard at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and a member of the Clan. Nuria is very fond of Maa Iki, Akama's father, and his two brothers Nathanial and Kai, and hopes to become part of their family very soon. She, like her Clan sisters is a shifter, and her totem is the deadly asp.

Keepers of the Waterhearth (Milwaukee) watch over the territory reaching from just south of Ozaukee county down to just past Rainbow airfield, and from lake Michigan all the way west to encompass the whole of the Kettle Moraine State Forest Nature Center.

Terri Brandon, sister of Montana, Ashanti, and Jetsea Brandon. Terri is a thirty two year old shifter, who can take the form of an African Lion. She is the leader of the Keepers of the Waterhearth and self proclaimed caretaker of her young brother, Ashanti.

Mary Salgado teaches preschool near Terri’s house. She is great with kids has little patience for most adults. Solemn by nature, she is a shifter with the ability to assume the form of a Scorpion and is Brazilian. She speaks Spanish, Portuguese, English and French.

Hazel Kyung is twenty three year old goth and lives with her boyfriend Ben (he isn't Clan) on the east side of Milwaukee, though she keeps up her family's manor as well for Clan needs. She takes the shape of a rat, though her purple dyed hair (or whatever colors her hair is that week) amusingly seems to pass to her animal form. Her family is from Korea. Hazel is very proud of her family history, and it often shows in her fanciful art.

Kim Maddock takes the form of a red fox, which considering her bright auburn hair is not all that surprising. She is twenty eight years old and dating Nakita, also known as Nikki. Kim is a computer specialist working freelance.

Nikki Lopota comes from a long line of hunters and militiamen, but despises guns as a general rule. She is Latino by heritage on her mother's side but her father's family is from Russia. She takes the form of a broad-winged hawk and works at the wildlife rehab centerand is dating Kim..

Linda Varma dresses the part of a well to do family doctor and surgeon. She can shift into a cobra and is East Indian by heritage.

Sheryl Carlton is the youngest in the pack at twenty one and is dating Linda. She can take the shape of a barn owl, and takes a bit of ribbing from her pack mates about being a librarian with an owl for a totem.

Ashanti Brandon is twenty five years old and tired of living under the shadow of his sister Terri. He is an oddity among the clan for unlike most of the men, he didn't loose the ability to take his primal animal form when he reached puberty. He takes the form of a brindle colored Akita ands often hunts along through the street of Milwaukee. He is haunted by odd dreams of a strange little girl needing his help and is determined to either or find her or to prove it's only a dream.