Blair (Kin)

The home of the Ebb clan was spread across the Lok Islands. The islands were unique, beautiful and (to those who weren't from there) dangerous. No, not because of any killer flora or fauna, but because of the very ground it was built upon. The creation of the islands was much like any other but due to the unique nature of the vents much of the ground created was less than stable. Often brittle and hiding pockets that were caves or deep chasms in the earth, it took a seasoned survivalist who grew up in the area to navigate the islands safely. Like most people when faced with a challenge or a unique opportunity, the people of the Ebb clan decided to use the vents for an interesting craft. The ones who would bend the hot, mineral rich steam into sculptures, trinkets and jewelry were called Steamshapers and their craft, though mostly localized, was handed down by generations. A mix of artisanal cunning and magical manipulation, the Steamshapers were respected and lauded.

Kin was born into the clan of Ebb and though she had no knack for crafts or the sorcerous steam shaping, what she did have a knack for was song and dance. Well, at least their parents told them so. Kin had been a bit of a show off since they were six years old and their mother told them they danced just like a famous woman from the closest continent (whether or not this person existed didn't matter to them). Kin went to dance classes by their elders and branched out into singing with others. For most of their life the dancing and singing was a hobby. It was a good, peaceful life and she was thankful for everything they had; thankful for a home with her parents, her brother and sister. In time she was also thankful for her wife and soon to be child. Everything was wonderful...

Until the volcanoes erupted.

Drums. Whistles. Screaming. Crying. In what seemed like an instant everything was chaos. No one had any idea, there was no warning that the chain of volcanoes would all erupt one after another in the span of minutes. Kin and their family fled as fast as they could but the explosive force of the eruptions caused lava, rocks and other debris to rain down on the people of the clan. The tectonic force threw tsunamis crashing over the islands. Everything was destroyed in one way or another and if being crushed didn't kill them, the burns, drowning and smoke inhalation were enough. The boats weren't fast enough and most all perished. Everyone Kin had every cared for were gone in an instant. They woke up on a bed in excruciating pain on the closest continent, and for some time they didn't remember much of what had happened to their home. Slowly it began to come back as news spread of the devastation. But no one put two and two together, that Kin was, as far as they and any one else knew, one of the few survivors. They kept the fact that they had made it out somehow to themselves.

And they lived on. They went on to hone their craft, really the only craft they knew: song and dance. Kin wrote songs about their clan (though the details of said home were kept vague and fanciful to hide their origin) and danced with the emotion of their love and loss. She traveled to find others who survived and settled more or less with a clan who took her in. She would call the clan home when she was not traveling.

And then they learned of the humans.

It seemed odd to Kin that just a little bit after the humans showed up, her home was destroyed and while most people chalked up the disaster as something natural, the people of the Lok islands has no warning signs that the volcanoes would erupt. They were meticulous about monitoring the volcanic activity as any people would be living in such close proximity. Nothing was recorded or mentioned. Kin suspected after a time of foul play, some interference from the humans that triggered the eruptions. She had no evidence or any one saying such but she could feel it in her bones that they had something to do with it all.