SPINA DI COA
TRIVIAL
The Overgrowth must be protected from those that would tear it down bit by bit, and that is the job of the Thorn. The Thorn are the tribe most often encountered by colonists of Zenithstrand. The town of Unity Point lies within the territory of the Thorn, and in the years since the town’s incorporation, the Thorn have had cold relations with the town, allowing it to exist, but demanding the blood tax from those who venture too far into the Overgrowth.
THORN TRIBE WILD ELVES OF ZENITHSTRAND
It has recently been revealed that the leaders of the Thorn have harboured, and been, vampires almost since the tribe’s creation. This is a secret that the leaders of the Thorn had successfully kept for centuries, even from the majority of their own tribe.
HISTORY
The last words that Elandor Brier ever spoke to Coa were a promise. As the earth shook violently, Coa, the leader of all wild elves, had given her own life in sacrifice, ordering Elandor to run, to find safety, and to protect her infant daughter. The grove held together while the land around it broke and sank. The child, Elan, named for Elandor, as one of Coa’s closest friends, was all that was left of what used to be. The promise had to be kept; Elan had to be protected. No harm must be allowed to come to her, nor could she be allowed to die. Elan’s protectors became the first members of the Thorn tribe. Each of them in the end would give up their lives to protect her. The Thorn believed strongly that if Elan were allowed to die, that another catastrophe wout befall the island, and that it would mean their own undoing. With the help of two of Elan’s closest friends, Tazmet, a magus of the Cervid, and Feverfew, a master chemist of the Jackal, the Thorn embarked on a search for an elixir that would grant Elan eternal life. The result was not what they expected, as the elixir left Elan neither dead nor alive and subject to the corruption of the undead, a growing hatred for all that lives. For this failure, and for their role in the corruption of Elan, the Thorn wiped out the Cervid, and broke the Jackal, forcing them to become the Coyote.
For centuries, the secret was kept even from the rest of the tribe. Those that discovered the secret were either inducted into the elder council, the vampiric coven of protectors, or eliminated. The secret was revealed in 2261, and Elan was murdered. Her end sent the tribe into a frenzied rage, warring against the Cervid and Jackal who had wronged them, as well as the Hemlock and Vespen who had openly stood against their Vampiric heritage.
TRIBAL TATTOOS
All Thorn are marked with a thorny stem along their nose bridge.
Holly have three holly leaves, one around each eye and one on the forehead.
There are as many Rose variations as there are Rose within a tribe; as artisans, they design their own pattern for a thorny stem extending from their base markings and often tattoo themselves to continue the design all over their body.
Brambles have a tangle of thorns on their forehead, the better to protect their minds from intrusion.
CULTURE
The society of the Thorn is broken up into three groups, or branches
Thorn mark each of their tribe for their role as a protector (holly), artisan (rose), or intellectual (brambles). The Thorn believe that while each branch has unique skills and talents, all three branches must thrive in order for the tribe to be strong.
Children only bear the base mark of Thorn and are allowed to freely mingle with any of the three branches as the Brambles determine to what role their talents would best be suited. Once selected for a branch, a Thorn settles into that cohort. Though they all serve Thorn, they are most comfortable with their own branch.
Holly
Hollies are often seen as soldiers. They protect the rest of the tribe at all costs and are the most frequently seen branch by outsiders. Though they can make contact with outsiders, Holly's role is to assess and report to a Bramble who will handle official contact. Hollys defend the rest of the tribe and can use any means to do so, be it magic or brute force.
Rose
Roses are the artisans and craftspeople, those in the tribe with an artistic nature. Another important part of their role is to inspire creative thinking to Holly and Bramble to ensure the tribe does not become stagnant.
Bramble
Brambles help to direct the tribe and present an inscrutable face to prospective trade partners or allies. They assign roles to children in the tribe.
THE ELDERS
The Blood Tax
The Thorn view themselves as the first line of defence for the Overgrowth by land. They use bows and body spears to prick those who enter the Overgrowth, drawing blood without seeking to kill. When intruders persist, however, and do not heed their warning, the Thorn will draw blood before retreating. The blood was delivered to the elder council and what was done with the blood was unknown until recently, even to members of the tribe. It has been recently revealed that the elder council, being of vampiric nature, utilized this tax to sustain their own existence.
The Elder Council
The rulers of the Thorn tribe, since its inception have chosen a new Thorn to join them every couple of years. Joining the council, once one has been nominated by the elders, is never optional. The new member is removed from their branch and limited from further communication with their prior peers. The selection process has always been kept secret from the rest of the tribe, with no apparent rhyme or reason to which branch a member is selected from, or even what age the new “elder” will be.” The size of the elder council, and it’s members identities are a closely guarded secret. It is rumoured that the elder council has spies hiding in each of the island’s other tribes. The eldar council communicates only with the leaders of each branch. It has been recently revealed that all members of this council are vampires, who are turned upon joining the council. Before the death of Elan, the council’s purpose was for her protection, but in their death they have found a renewed purpose: revenge for all the Thorn.
PERSONALITY / SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
Due to the branches of the tribe, Thorns tend to be very introverted in nature. A Thorn is slow to trust or form a bond of friendship, though once that bond has been formed it is nearly impossible to break, as most Thorn also tend to be fiercely loyal. Because the loyalty of a Thorn is so strong, they tend to look very harshly on betrayal, and almost never forgive one that has wronged them.
RELIGION
During Elan’s vengeful rage towards the newly re-emerged Jackal and Cervid, and after Elan’s death, Lorenzo Rogi, an ex-holly Darkweaver of Raze rose to prominence on the Council of Elders. Until this point, the religion of the Thorn was never organized, and the tribe itself was dedicated to the protection of Elan, rather than any god or dragon in particular.
Now however, Rogi has rallied many of the Elders and meaningful portion of the population behind the banner of Raze, to seek revenge for the crimes committed against the Thorn, not only by those that killed Elan, but by anyone who has ever wronged the tribe in any significant way. The tribe’s shared pain contributed to a mass conversion of the majority of the tribe, as even the tribe members opposed to vampirism were enraged by the loss of their seat on the Kudzu council.
GRUDGES
As a tribe they have endured much hardship and suffered many betrayals. As such, they bear many grudges, all of which run deep.
Cervid & Jackal
The Thorn have not forgotten the role that these two tribes played in the turning of Elan, her discovery, and her eventual destruction. Their hatred for the Cervid and the Jackal burns more deeply than any other.
Hemlock & Vespen
The Hemlock and Vespen’s open hatred and hostility toward the Thorn tribe as a whole have caused a strong grudge to quickly form, to the point where a Hemlock or Vespen meeting a Thorn will most likely result in bloodshed.
Scavengers
The Thorn see themselves as protectors of what the Overgrowth has claimed and are especially present near the ruins ravaged by the forest. They bear a special enmity for Coyote and Raccoon, who live in and defile these structures. They despise the Kraken for abandoning the land, viewing this as a disrespect to Coa and to their shared heritage.
ROLEPLAY TIPS
Choose which branch of the Thorn you are from. The role of that branch will determine the values you were raised to respect.
As a PC, you will not have access to a vampiric template, but you may have known someone who joined the elder council. Decide how you feel about that.
Most of your tribe does not consider vampirism to be evil, but rather a necessity to which the livelihood of the island and of your tribe depended. The destruction of Elan was a great tragedy and caused your tribe an unbearable amount of pain and hardship. Decide whether you agree with this logic or not.
Pick a grudge which bothers you the most. Consider your grudges and decide whether or not you have turned to Raze.