Perrenland clans

The Perrenland Clans are major political factions based in the nation of Perrenland.

The vast bulk of Perrenlanders, certainly those who are humans, are members of one of the country's eight major clans. The clans are the end result of centuries of intermingling between numerous tribes of Flan and Oeridian stock. Though the average Perrenlander has a strong sense of nationhood and patriotism, their true loyalty is usually to the clan and/or canton.

Historically the clans have ancient alliances and rivalries, which can sometimes break out into short conflicts. Such outbreaks of violence are tolerated - and at times even promoted - as it helps develop the military skills which are so important to the nation. That said, the nation's leaders ensure that conflicts don't get out of control and external threats have always ended such conflicts.

Historically, the human clans were strongly associated with specific regions of the country, but time and inter-married has eroded such generalisations. Traditionally the clans are divided into two groups - the lowlanders (Laaglanders) and the highlanders (Hooglanders). While the lowlanders are principally of Oeridian descent and the highlanders of Flan descent, such distinction between Flan and Oeridian is rarely, if ever, considered by modern Perrenlanders. It does, however, give some the historical context to clan origins and rivalries. Though each of the clans has a personality associated with it, these are mostly stereotypes, often used only for jokes such as "Did you hear the one about the Rosrijder who...". In general, a clan member's opinions and personality will have more to do with their environment and locality than with their clan. That said, the generalisations are more accurate in those cases where clans are strongly associated with a particular area.

Each clan also has several sub-clans (known as septs) that are linked to the parent clan. They are typically led by a Obstergraf.