The legend of Kinarc the Traveller dates back over 8000 years, long before the earliest recorded Natrof history. The legends are present all over Manwon with variations in every region. All that is known of the origin of Kinarc with any certainty is the name of his clan. All Natrof carry the name of their clan with their own name so as to identify themselves with their clan. Most of the Kinarc legends also refer to Kinarc as Kinarc Naron, indicating that he belonged to the Naron clan, what became of the Naron clan since then is unknown. Kinarc was very large for a Natrof but precisely how large is not known as the legends vary in each region with some having him (or her, again, the legends are not all in agreement - but as most of the legends refer to Kinarc as male, so shall this article) at about 1.8m and others as much as 2.4m. His ferociousness in combat matched his size and few would dare face him, however his intellectual ability was equally large and while still at young age began asking questions no one could answer. It is now thought that it was this lack of intellectual stimulation that led Kinarc to leave his clan and travel the land, though previously there had been no suggested explanation as most Natrof, not being of an intellectual nature themselves, overlooked much of Kinarcs intellectual achievements. While the legends of Kinarc vary from place to place, there is still a high level of consistency to them all across Manwon.
The Gara
Probably the most common feature to appear in the legends is that of Kinarcs two Gara
companions. While travelling with companions may not seem unusual, it should
be pointed out that the gara are among the most ferocious predators on
Manwon. They are lizards of about 1.6m in length with great speed, strength and
agility. The best comparison would probably be that they are reptile version of
a lion. How the two gara came to travel with Kinarc is not largely known but one
of the legends suggests that, for whatever reason, Kinarc killed two gara (which
is not something a sane Natrof would ever want to attempt) but then took pity on
the pair's two young hatchlings. Kinarc raised the two young gara, who
presumably then looked upon him as their parent. Although they are not always
mentioned in the legends, it is believed that Kinarc was rarely without his gara
companions.
Massacre of Toyo
clan
One of the most talked about battles in the Kinarc legends
is the massacre of the Toyo clan. The Toyo clan had become notorious due to
their refusal to accept surrenders, something which was highly dishonourable to
the Natrof. However, the Toyo clan did not seem to be concerned with honour but
only the conquering of others, clans that fell victim to the Toyo were doomed to
extinction. When Kinarc heard of the Toyo he was enraged, the death of the clan
was the first thing that could happen to the Natrof as they do not believe in an
afterlife or any other such thing but believe that death is the end, but so long
as the clan survives then they will always live on in memory. Kinarc refused to
let it continue and in his efforts, united several clans in order to face the
Toyo. Kinarcs army swept into the Toyo camp from all sides, completely
eliminating them all. Despite Kinarcs army having been hugely outnumbered, the
army believed that Kinarc alone was enough to overcome the Toyo, and so it seems
it was. The legends tell of Kinarc charging through the Toyo like they weren't
even there, easily taking on 5 or 6 at a time, showing no mercy at all. Very
rarely does a legend of Kinarc in battle not tell of great ferocity and
strength, so it is not surprising that this is what the Kinarc legends are most
famous for.
Creator of steel?
Intellects on Manwon now believe that Kinarc was responsible for the
introduction of steel. Evidence suggests that steel first started appearing on
Manwon around 8000 years ago, evidence which can be tied to some of the legends
of Kinarcs weaponry. Kinarc did not fight with the usual Natrof weapon of
preference, the Feek-Droth blades, but rather preferred the more uncommon swords.
Aside from his amazing skill with his two swords, the swords themselves were
something special. There are stories of opponents blades (of all types)
shattering under a blow from Kinarcs swords, suggesting that they were made from
a stronger material than other weapons as sheer strength along wouldn't be
enough. Coupled with the fact that many stories tell of Kinarc showing clans how
to make stronger weapons like his own, there is a very strong case indeed to
suggest that Kinarc was the first to create steel on Manwon.
Other Creations
There are many other things that Kinarc is thought to have introduced/created
but for which the evidence is not as strong. This would include writing, mass
production farming and better construction methods, all of which seem to have
been developed around Kinarcs time. It seems that there was no end to Kinarcs
talents, be it as a blacksmith, farmer, or anything else and even as a warrior
he invented chain-mail and possibly gunpowder.
The legends of Kinarc, while often ambiguous or incomplete on their own can most often be combined to give the full story (or as close as you can realistically get) but still there are many questions that remain unanswered. Kinarcs age is one of the most confusing issues, many legends suggest that Kinarc reached an age of at least 140 years (Earth standard), which is impressive even today given that the average Natrof lifespan is in the region of 110 years, never mind the estimated life span of 50 years 8000 years ago. While most of the legends seem to agree on Kinarcs age, it conflicts with the fact that most legends also suggest that Kinarc travelled with his gara companions for very early on until almost the end, which is very unlikely given the average lifespan of a gara is only 30 years. How such a major inconsistency developed may never be know.
The greatest mystery though is the death of Kinarc. In almost all areas, the legends tell of Kinarc, with only one remaining gara, leaving the village and never returning again. The only exception to this are two areas of Manwon (on almost opposite sides of the planet!) both having tales of Kinarc dieing in a local village. While it is obviously impossible for Kinarc to have died in both areas, there is no evidence in either area to prove that Kinarc did indeed die there, there is not even any mention of burial in the stories or of what became of his possessions - which would have been regarded as great artifacts given Kinarcs legendary status. Until some evidence is found to show Kinarcs final resting place, it may never be know what became of the greatest person in Natrof history.
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