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"The lesson will be taught in due time, Aloy. Until then, we wait." This article contains heavy spoilers. Read ahead with caution.
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The Clan Lands, also known as the Tenakth Lands, is the territory belonging to the Tenakth tribe within the Forbidden West. The Clan Lands make up the majority of the Forbidden West, stretching from the mountains west of Plainsong and No Man's Land all the way to the Pacific coast and are the most expansive tribal territory yet seen in the known world.
The Clan Lands are separated into three distinct regions, each inhabited by the three Tenakth clans.
Geography[]
The eastern part of the Clan Lands is the Desert Region which is home to the Desert Clan. The central part of the region is composed of arid, dry and barren valleys with ancient wreckage, salt flats, a rocky mountain chain and two settlements which include the Desert Clan’s capital, Scalding Spear. The northern part of the region has more vegetation along with a salt lake, snowy mountains and two more settlements. The southern part of the region is a large sand dune desert containing the ruins of the old world city of Las Vegas. This area is not frequented by the Desert Clan, but Oseram explorers have settled down there and made two settlements. Regalla's Rebels also frequent this area. Being the first region encountered when entering the Clan Lands, outsiders are often discouraged from entering it due to the harsh environment and the hostility of the Desert Clan as they are considered the most aggressive of the three clans.
The southwestern part of the Clan Lands is the Lowlands Region which is home to the Lowland Clan. The Lowland region stretches from the center of the Clan Lands where all three regions meet all the way to the coast in the southwest. A river also runs along this region. The Lowlands are mainly composed of lush rainforests and jungles with cliffs and waterfalls in the east and humid swamps by the coasts, where the Lowland Clan’s capital, Thornmarsh is located. The southern coast is mainly composed of mountainous cliffs along sandy beaches, while the northwestern coast is bordered by a large pine forest and the mountains from the Mountains Region.
The northwestern part of the Clan Lands is the Mountains Region which is home to the Sky Clan. This region is mainly composed of a giant snow mountain chain in the center which can be hard to navigate. Because of this, the Sky Clan mostly resides in the valley in the northern part of the region where the clan’s capital, The Bulwark, is located. The region also features a little valley with fields of flowers, trees and a lake in the eastern part by the foot of the mountains.
The central part of the clan lands features the Memorial Grove which is the capital of the Tenakth clan including The Arena, where Tenakth warriors can fight against machines.
Territorial boundaries[]
The eastern edge of the Clan Lands is an unnamed mountain range separating it from Plainsong and No Man's Land. At the northern edge of this mountain range rests the High Turning, a Tenakth border port that appears to be the main point of entry and egress. However, there are two other passages into the Clan Lands from the east: the best known one is the Spinebreak in the south of the mountain range, but a barely known central passage is situated in the mountains themselves. The Clan Lands proceed to stretch westward to the Pacific coastline, known to the Tenakth as the Long Coast.
History[]
Clan Wars[]
For most of Tenakth history, the Clan Lands were dominated by war among the three Tenakth clans. Much about the war, including territorial disputes and major events, remain unclear, although all three clans fought for control of the Memorial Grove they held sacred. Based on the accounts of the Considerate Udain, several outlanders from the east ventured to the Clan Lands during the Clan Wars, with some reaching as far as the Long Coast: however, the few that returned were often gravely wounded or driven mad.
The Clan Wars ultimately came to an end on the same day that GAIA received the Extinction Signal, when the Lowland Clan seized control of the Grove. The sub-function AETHER took refuge in a computer core beneath the Grove: in doing so, it briefly activated one of the Grove's inactive Visions, which would trigger a transition to unity among the once-warring clans.
Red Raids[]
The Clan Lands were invaded by the Carja during the Red Raids. However, the now-united Tenakth bought back with unmatched ferocity and tenacity. The Carja failed to trespass any further in the Clan Lands than the eastern desert, leaving the Tenakth capital and the territories of both the Sky and Lowland Clans untouched. Within two years of the Raids' conclusion, the Tenakth purged the Carja army from the Clan Lands, along with the whole of the Forbidden West, for good.
However, the Carja were not the only problems for the Tenakth. Alongside the Derangement, the Clan Lands were blighted by supercell storms, toxic algae growths, and a poisonous red blight, all stemming from the degrading terraforming system.
Regalla's Rebellion[]
Roughly three years after the end of the Red Raids, civil war reignited in the Clan Lands. Unlike the Clan Wars, which were fought amongst the clans for control over territory, the conflict was instead a rebellion aiming to overthrow the tribe's chief, Hekarro. Heading this rebellion was Regalla, a former Marshal who had turned against Hekarro for his pursuit of peace with the Carja following the Raids: alongside the rebels were the Sons of Prometheus, a band of Oseram mercenaries who shared their hatred of the Carja and supplied them with overridden machines.
After the rebellion's initial assault at the Carja border of Barren Light, the rebels quickly established a presence throughout the Forbidden West with a collection of camps and smaller outposts. With their efforts focused on containing the rebellion, the Tenakth begrudgingly tolerated outlanders who trespassed in their lands without rite of passage (provided they avoided settlements and any sign of potential hostility). During that time, numerous Oseram ventured into the Stillsands, establishing a settlement around the ruins of Dunehollow and a mining camp.
Largely due to the efforts of the Easterner Aloy, Regalla's rebellion was ended comparatively swiftly and the relative peace within the Clan Lands was restored.
Trivia[]
- The Clan Lands are located in the former US states of California and Nevada.