Mirril

The Mirril clan was once a Maris clan until all its members were eradicated by the Zebak in their first invasion of the island three hundred years ago. The first Keeper of the Crystal, Orin, had been a member of the Mirril clan.

History
The Mirril clan were famous for being experts in poison. They created 1001 deadly poisons, and for every poison, an antidote.

The first Keeper of the Crystal was a man of the Mirril clan called Orin the Wise. He found the Crystal in a cave beneath the Maris sea, underneath the Island, and brought it back to the town of Maris. Orin was clever, and he understood his people well, and knew that the Chooser of future Keepers had to be someone everyone could trust, so he decreed that the Chooser would always come from his own clan, Mirril. The Mirril Chooser would select from only three Candidates, one from each of the three other clans. In this way the Chooser’s clan would have nothing to lose or gain and the choice would always be fair. In return for this honour no Mirril could ever again be Keeper.

For roughly 700 years the Maris people were content, but 300 years ago, while the Keeper of that time lay dying, the Zebak attacked, attempting their first invasion of the island of Maris. Their very first act was to destroy the Mirril, to erradicate the Chooser clan and stop a new Keeper from being chosen, and since the power of the Crystal was fading, and the Keeper dying, there were no one to stop them. The morning they landed on Maris' shore, all the Maris clans were meeting in their separate meeting houses and no one had been left outside on guard. No one knew the enemy had come. The Zebak crept up to the Mirril house, which was closest to the shore, and threw an exploding fire inside. There was a great roar. Sheets of flame shot up to the sky. The building fell, and burned. Everyone died. Not a single member of the Mirril clan was left alive.

The warrior slaves brought by the Zebak, the ancestors of the people of Rin, saw the attack happen, saw the Zebak laugh as the fire raged, and the horror of the moment was one of the reasons they were roused to turn against the attackers at last. They broke their chains and joined the people of the land to fight and defeat the Zebak.

Rowan of Rin

 * Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal (mentioned)