"And Patriarch El'ran's death, followed by his son's, wasn't helping the people of my clan."
"They are terrified of what might happen to them."
Kal'tun of the Nuwe'rak clan nodded grimly. His situation was marginally better with perhaps a few hundred survivors, but the mathematics were equally brutal. Even though they were saved by Jorghan, the branch families of the clan were mostly killed in the desert.
"The Empire destroyed our infrastructure, killed our scholars and craftsmen, and took our youngest and strongest. What remains are fragments."
Narmishina of the Ma'zenti clan, a woman whose once-proud bearing now carried the weight of survivor's guilt, added her voice.
"We've discussed this before. Individually, our clans are finished. But together, merged with a stronger bloodline, our people could survive. Our cultures might fade, but our lineage would continue."
Sashrutiena of the Dhra'ckin clan leaned forward, her expression intense.
