The second important division in Varanyi society is the ey'vidra, or "clan." Family ties are very important to the Varanyi, and the clans form one of the backbones of Varanyi society; a Varanyi's clan name is written first, before his given name. As a result, nepotism runs rampant, and large clans or alliances of clans wield significant social and political power. The Varanyi have a total of 357 Varanyi clans - one for the entirety of the Ks'lch, and 356 for the crested Varanyi. It is generally accepted that male Varanyi may marry females who are beneath them in number of crests, but females only marry males who have as many or more crests as they do (in any event, no crested Varanyi would ever marry a Ks'lch.)