Silumgar Clan

{{Organization
 * orgLeader=Silumgar
 * hasSetting=Tarkir
 * hasDescription=Of the five dragonlords on Tarkir, Silumgar has the fewest followers—living followers, that is. When the undead are taken into account, his clan's numbers are unrivaled. Destructive, cruel, and murderous, Silumgar's underlings emulate their dragonlord in all that they do. The clan unapologetically embodies the draconic aspect of ruthlessness, as represented by their symbol: the fang of the dragon.

Aware that their worth is measured at the whim of their capricious dragonlord, Silumgar's subjects take care to curry favor and deflect blame. Assassination and extortion are commonplace as those in the inner circle jockey and kill for position. The naga translators are often the first and fastest to gain favor. They are also the first to abuse what they have earned. The naga have been known to take liberties with their translations, thinking themselves clever. But Silumgar has his ways of discovering those who attempt to undermine or manipulate him. And he does not hesitate to purge entire networks in order to root out a few seditious individuals. His clan would do well to remember that there is a reason the dragonlord has sat atop his mountain of gold for more than a thousand years.

Silumgar's clan values power. For clan members, knowledge is power, so they are exceedingly clever; like the Jeskai, they hold themselves as, and take pride in, being the best educated of the clans of Tarkir. They scour the land for fragments of lost scrolls and lore. Clan necromancers order their zombie hordes to raid Jeskai temples and carry back any items of worth for Silumgar's clerics to decipher. They've even been known to carry off treasures that help guard their other treasures.

Clan Structure
The clan of ruthlessness is a top-down hierarchy with Silumgar at the top and his dragon-kind immediately below him. His human priests come next, then the warriors, and finally the servants and zombies.

Favored humans within the clan gain a basic understanding of the Draconic language so as to communicate their master's demands to the others. They also know that keeping the dragon happy is the key to survival, so they sing the praises of Silumgar to the fullest extent possible. Humans hold high positions within Silumgar's clan, which is both a blessing and a curse. To have the favor of the dragon is to live a life of opulence and power, but the dragon's fickle favor makes this lofty perch a precarious one. It is easy to fall from such grace into Silumgar's gullet.

Rakshasas are a part of the clan, with an uneasy truce between the dragons and the demons. Silumgar is smart enough to know that their powerful magic makes the rakshasas useful allies, but also dangerous enemies. The dragon's paranoia gnaws at him. He constantly fears that the rakshasas might one day prove treacherous.

Behind closed doors, the naga claim to be related to the dragons, but in practice they hold minimal power in the clan. With her unmatched necromantic powers, the undead naga Sidisi is the only thing keeping the rest in any position of influence. Her ability to threaten, sway, and remove other politicians keeps Sidisi at Silumgar's side, whispering tales to the dragon—some to lull and some to disturb.

Clan Magic
Silumgar's clan still relies on the magic of necromancy and other offshoots of the dark arts such as withering, poisoning, and rot. A large part of the clan's magic comes from the repurposing of corpses. The extinct Sultai once used the cast-off bodies of other clans to create not only a tireless working class but an endless army of the dead. Although Silumgar's clan still does so in the present day, the necromancers have also found a way to enhance their arsenal of spells with unnatural power. They harvest not only the physical corpse but also the latent life-force that lingers in the dead flesh.

Clan Roles

 * Deathbringers: When Silumgar wants to lay waste to his enemies, he calls on these dragons. They breathe clouds of poison gas that choke armies and drool streams of acid that dissolve everything in their path.
 * Dragonspeakers: These humans and naga hold a high position within the clan. They are taught the rudiments of Draconic and act as interpreters for the dragonlord.
 * Necromasters: These necromancer dragons enhance their terrible magic by pulling the latent energy from dead flesh.
 * Infallible: This elite group of specially trained warriors and mages hunt dragons from other clans. Few can claim to have killed more than one, but some have slain several of the beasts.
 * Sibsig: The zombies used as warriors by Silumgar are known as sibsig. Unlike a risen undead, which is an animate corpse, the dark magic of Silumgar priests and necromaster dragons imbues sibsig with a twisted dark energy, making them stronger than a risen corpse.

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