Clan: Efron
Culture
The Efron clan is too small to be recognized as its own political power and usually roped in with the Jerricks. However, their history is very different from the Jerricks. The Efron name originally came from Tazan Efron who served as the personal bodyguard to the Imperial line as they made their escape to hide among the Jerricks 200 years ago. Tazan, who was himself a distant relative to the ruling Imperial family, came to the kingdom of Gaulantis with no family or clan but because of his sharp wit and unmatched swordsmanship, Tazan quickly won over the hearts of the Jerricks and the Jashons. He married a Jerrick but had several illegitimate heirs from a particular Jashon concubine.
When asked which of the family lines he would join, Tazan responded “What is the name of that mountain lark?” to which the Jerrick lord informed him that it was known as the Efron lark. He said he would join the Efron family for it was prettier and sung more sweetly than any Jerrick or Jashon. In a mixture of both vindictation and humor, the Jerrick lord said it would be so. Tazan Efron was quick to adopt his illegitimate children as well as many of his reluctant Jerrick heirs. Though petty fights and trivial arguments are common place among the Efron, the love of family is one of the clan’s strongest traits. Even when Tazan had been accidentally impaled by his own grandson, leading to his death, through tear filled eyes he patted his grandson on the cheek and said, “Excellent form.”
Like their forefather, the Efron are haughty, prideful swordsmen, who have carried down the dueling styles of their ancestors from generation to generation. Truly there are no finer duelists than the Efron family. As their numbers quickly swelled over the dwindling Imperial line, the Efron split their protective duties between the Imperial remnant and the ruling family of Gaulantis. They guard their family practice sessions as if they were hiding a great magical talisman, considering it a direct insult to their family legacy and honor if one were to see or potentially even mimic the forms. The only thing that has outweighed the headache the Efron family has made for the royal families is the number of assassinations they have stopped and the fact they serve a dual purpose of protection and jester. Though it is always advised to all, save the king, that you laugh with them and not at them.
Physical Description
Efron men stand, on average, at 5 foot 10 inches with agile builds. Efron women stand at about 5 foot 6 inches and are no less lethal than the men, though to their great pride they possess more lethal “composition”. Men shave their hair short on the sides and grease the top of their hair together to form a point. This they do to replicate the pointed head feathers on a Efron lark. Efron women wear their hair long similar to the Jerrick fashion but will often tie their hair in more elaborate braid to ensure their hair doesn’t get in their way when dueling. It is also not uncommon for Efron women to cut their hair short to avoid any possible disadvantage when dueling one of their siblings or cousins.
The Efron possess darker skin ranging from tan to cocoa. Their hair is reminiscent to that of the imperial line being primarily white or platinum with small differences in the color of their roots depending upon their ancestry. Their eyes are either gold or light brown.
The Efron family take great pride in being employed solely for their duties as protectors and body guards of royalty. Though they don’t look down on manual labor, they are oftentimes disgusted at the prospect of having to participate in it. As such, Efron do not have working cloths, instead their dress is similar to that of the Jerricks but in a probably intentional slight bears many attributes that are similar to Gaulantis clothing. Like Jerricks, Efron casual wear includes white shirts and dark colored pants. Although the Efron men will always wear their shirts with a distinctive amount of loose fabric around the cuffs and wear their pants higher as well as baggier. In addition to this they do not wear boots, but tend to wear small shoes which are more conducive for training and dueling. Efron men have “perfected” the Jerrick leather garter, using them to hold up their tight dueling socks and causing the top of their pants to bunch up in a slightly more flamboyant manner.
They have stolen the Gaulantis’s trimmed vest which they use to keep their loose shirt tight and controlled around the waist and chest.
Efron women share the same white shirts as their male counterparts. However, unlike the Jerrick cut, they tend to wear theirs in a way that reveals more shoulder with a straight cut across the chest and upper arms. Additionally, they tend to add repetitious tufts to the sleeve. Efron women took the “oppressive” imperial gown and created the Efronian long-skirt. With a sash or belt, a long skirt is tied around the upper stomach and low chest area. The Efronian long skirt provides ample room to conceal a dagger or short blade within the folds of the fabric.
If she wishes to carry a sword openly on her hip, a vest can also be worn over the white and top of the long skirt, with a sash or secondary belt holding up the sword.
During more formal occasions, the Efron man or woman might add a Jerrick shoulder drape or they will wear a short cape. The mens wear is also fairly typical for what they might wear during training. During training, Efron women will usually don dueling clothes or practice clothes that are seemingly and purposefully an antithesis to the mens clothes. A sleeveless training shirt with tight training pants and tall boots which they hold tight with a leather garter similar to the Jerricks. Tight training gloves might also be worn to help support the joints of the wrist and elbow.
Weapons and Armor
When on duty, actively defending the king or whoever they’re assigned to, or during a public event, the Efron don their identical dueling gear which is very similar to the women’s practice gear save a thin padded coat and breastplate are added to the mix. To reduce undesired puffiness from the padded coat, Efron duelists will oftentimes tie a cord around their arms to keep the coat from obscuring their perception. Lastly, over the padded coat, a thick support belt is pulled tight around the waist. From this belt hangs their primary dueling sword and a secondary shorter scimitar or dagger.
On the battlefield, the Efrones skills become far less effective as the close quarters and individualist style of the Efron do not mix well. For this reason, the breastplate and padded armor are removed and replaced with a thicker leather riding coat or trench coat. Over this coat is placed a larger, more substantial breastplate. Thicker metallic armbands are placed over their training gloves. Metal shin guards are worn and shoulder and upper back armor is also added. A leather waistcoat is then wrapped around the rider or trench coat, pulling the fabric close and tight. Around the waistcoat, the duelist places his blades which usually include two full size scimitars. Then a lesser scimitar or dagger is placed on the belt at the small of the back.
A Efron only wears a Frellohelm during battle. He’ll very rarely ever wear on at court or on regular duty. The Efron Frellohelm is fairly light with only thin metal covering the crown of the head and cheeks. The only adornment it typically possesses is a small pointed ridge that runs along the top. Some Frellohelms among the Efron come with a part in the armor along the top of the helm allowing the duelist's own hair to form the ridge. This variant offers little protection.