Jarans

The Jarans

WORK IN PROGRESS

Species created by: TheiaTheGondia and Eunacis

Summary

The Jaran are a species of Parahuman descended from the Laurasians. They are native to the Planet Jaris and also possess the colony world of Andor. Both systems are under the Nuna Conglomerate.

The Jaran have light skin, green/blue eyes, and blond/red hair and were in a medieval state of development before the Nuna arrived.

The planet Jaris is a planet very close to Pleistocene earth. Due to the nature of the initial seeding by the Vaalbaran, fossil fuels never developed and thus rendering industrialization impossible without offworld assistance. (This is because that fossil fuels developed on Earth prior to the evolution of certain species of fungi which is also why said fuels ceased being developed millions of years ago)

History

During the collapse of Laurasian society, (approx 900,000 years ago) a colony ship landed on the Planet Jaris. It was decided that the cause of the collapse was the over-reliance upon technology. The colonists decided to then adopt an agricultural form of preindustrial society and acclaimed the ship's Captain as their King. The first order of King Lawrence (Rei Lorens) was to proclaim his son, Prince Andor, (Prinse Andor) to be his heir. He then ordered that the colony ship to be completely dismantled. Much of it was reforged into the tools necessary for the people to begin farming the mercifully fertile peninsula upon which they landed. Whatever parts that weren't usable for their new lives were buried beneath a massive earthen mound topped with megalithic monuments. Around this, they settled their Capital "Premattire", a portmanteau of Old Jaran for "First Landing".

During the formative years, the Jarans settled the whole of the peninsula upon which they landed. The seeming newfound stasis was broken when Prince Andor renounced his claim to the throne of Jaris to pursue spiritual enlightenment. He took upon himself a number of students and founded the de facto religion of the Jaran. He is revered as the First Sage. (Premer Sage)

As the society expanded, Noble Houses were granted rule over lands beyond the peninsula upon which they landed. By the time that the whole planet was colonized, (which was easy as there was only one super-continent which wrapped around an inland sea) the world was divided into twelve duchies.

For most of their history, the King only held direct control over the peninsula upon which they landed. And even he was constrained by his Council and the Sages.

Feudal Titles:

1. Rei (King)

2. Prinse (Prince)

3. Duc (Duke)

4. Comte (Count/Earl)

5. Baron (Baron)

6. Chivaler (Knight)

7. Escuier (Squite)

The title of "Segnur" (Lord) is also applied to all nobles.

The Sages

One of Prince Andor's students later surpassed him becoming the Grand Sage who codified the tenants of Jaran Pantheistic belief through his seven principles:

1. Absolute truth of all truths. (Verté asolue de tutes li vertés.)

2. As above so below, and as below so above. (Cum sus dunc sos, et cum sos donc sus.)

3. All is one, and one is all. (Tut est un, et un est tut.)

4. The heavens are our father. (Li ciels sunt nostre pedre.)

5. Wisdom is our mother. (La sapience est nostre medre.)

6. Nothing is still. Everything is in motion. (Rien n'est fixe. Tut est movement.)

7. All truth is good truth. (Tute verté est bon verté.)

The histories also tell of a "Dark Sage" (Oscur Sage) who was either a pupil of the Grand Sage (Lord Hermes) or a classmate thereof under the First Sage. (Prince Andor) He gave himself over to The Primordial He painted a reality that was strictly Dualistic. Matter was wholly separate from Spirit and inferior. Those who could not command the greater were unworthy of either. This was a great divergence from the qualified Monism of Orthodox Jaran Pantheism with Matter and Spirit being emanations of Source. He was banished from the civilized parts of Jaris (greater Premattire) and was never seen again.

It is said The Dark Sage composed either one or two texts outlining his twisted philosophy and foul devilries. Some say they were destroyed, buried under the Temple, or great mound, secreted to a sympathetic noble family, or taken with him into the wild.

The books are actually composed as codices. The Pages are of an alloy of Iron and Lead, blackened by boiling in oil, and the etched words silvered with mercury. The binding is repurposed from a pair of Laurasian lock-boxes. The spine is made of interlocking rings welded to the pages like the Books in The Mummy. But the open end is a long cylinder locked to both covers by a Quantum Key.

The Last Civil War

The Last Civil War was 250 years Before First Contact when King Francis X passed away. He was of the Darcy family and another Darcy (Duke Francis, the former King's grandson) was a front-runner for Royal Election. While there was no law that forbade two consecutive Kings from the same Noble House, it had never happened in all of its recorded history. But Duke Francis was elected and presented to the Sages for examination. For two weeks they questioned him and consulted the auspices.

In the end, he came two votes short of the two-thirds majority required by Sacred Law. The Duke cried foul, claiming that three of his detractors were ineligible because of the phase of the moon during their ordination wasn't the same as when they were born. (a rule that only applied to the ordination of the Head of the Order) This was openly hypocritical since the previous King had strong-armed the ordination of at least a dozen of his bastard children; all of whom approved of the Duke. He rejected their rejection and presented himself to the people for their acclimation; which he narrowly received through subterfuge.

The Duke then, when confronted by the provisional Regents, (a Duke and Sage chosen by weekly sortition) accused the "establishment" of conspiring to deny him what was rightfully his. Claiming to no longer have to observe the traditions in light of this great offense, he chose the regnal name of "Lawrence" (both that and "Andor" were forbidden not merely as a regnal name but even as personal names) he then proclaimed that he would retain his titles as Duke in explicit rejection of the law of renunciation, and then he defied the entire system by proclaiming his infant son (also named Francis) to be his heir.

Five of the other Noble Houses sided with Anti-King Lawrence II. (Contrei Lorens II) The remaining six houses sided with most of the Sages against him and drove him and his supporters out of Premattire to the adjoining Duchy of Darcy. They then elected a proper King: Rei Olivier. King Oliver promised peace and clemency to any rebels who surrendered and was slow to rally troops. But the Antiking quickly mustered his forces. At court in the Darcy homeland, his Anti-Sages brought forth a mighty storm that ravaged the lands of those loyal to rightful King.

King Oliver was enraged by this act of devilry and raised the battle flag over Premattire. The loyal forces camped at the future site of Milford Fortress. By an old gristmill, they crossed the river separating Greater Premattire from the Ducal lands of Darcy. The battle was inevitable, bloody, and foul. The Antiking and his forces made short work of the alliance. He personally beheaded King Oliver and slaughtered all of the soldiers. Only one was left alive to tell the tale; blinded and carrying the message on a sheet of blackened iron akin to the books of the Dark Sage.

The Alliance, now both weakened but enraged by the Antiking's flagrant blasphemy, elect a new King: Rei Raoul. King Raoul raised a new army and publicly accused the Antiking of devilry. The lack of a "proper" rebuttal was taken as a confession and the King proclaimed a Holy War against the infidel army. When he proclaimed that he would give no quarter, the Sages scolded him to observe the (truly universal) Golden Rule. He offered grace to the common soldiers. But the leaders and Nobles in revolt would all stand trial for their crimes as their clemency died with King Oliver.

The war continued. King Raoul pursued a strategy of encirclement of the rebel Duchies. Two surrendered without a fight and the leaders were acquitted in court. The remaining three allied to the Antiking fell one by one each year. The Duchy of Darcy would hold on for two more years, with the final year being a protracted siege of the Duke's castle. At the end, during the Winter Solstice which also bore a Full Moon, the Antiking launched a sortie which cut through the alliance with the fury of the Jotunn. (Void Demons) The Alliance reorganized and after steeling themselves to observe moderation and collectively pantomiming a ritual adoration to Source, struck back against the enemy. As they swept through the opposing forces, the Antiking himself rode out from the citadel.

The Antiking, wielding a morning-star, began to lay waste to scores of men. Even when they dog-piled him, he blew them away with supernatural force. Standing in the center of the opposing army and clad in black armor, he proclaimed himself to be the absolute sovereign of the whole world and ordered all to prostrate themselves to their new God-King. The emboldened footmen piously refused, the nearest pikeman calling him unworthy of even the rank of a mere stable-hand because of his pride. He extemporaneously composed a short piece on the sin of haughtiness and its descent to tyranny. This drew the Antiking into a demonic rage where he uttered vile curses upon him, calling upon the (supposedly) deified Dark Sage to lay waste to the land.

As he pronounced his proscriptions, the ground began to shake violently. King Raoul was thrown from his nose-horse but saved by a squire. The pikeman rebuked the quake by plunging his weapon into the ground between himself and the Antiking; ending the ordeal. All who witnessed were in awe as this mere footsoldier shone with Sagely virtue against the ever unhinged Antiking. The Antiking attempted to stab him but the soldier grabbed his forearm and it began to burn through the armor and sear his flesh. The Antiking recoiled, dossing the affected armor, revealing a withered hand.

The Antiking now became, for the first time in his adult life, fearful. He dropped to his knees and begged for mercy. As he groveled before the soldier and as King Raoul arrived to dispense royal judgement, his armor began to shriek as the spirit of the Dark Sage manifested around his body. The Dark Sage had become a Jotnar (Archfiend) and was here to collect upon the deal the Antiking had made with him. In a matter of seconds, the Antiking began to decay rapidly into a blackened skeleton in his armor. But when he seemed to be finally dead, he arose, animated by the Dark Sage himself.

The soldier, unphased by the ordeal, took up his pike from the ground and swiftly plunged it down the throat of the skeletal remains of the false King. A horrendous shriek echoed throughout the land as the body exploded, sending a great cloud of soot to the four winds. The soldiers of the Alliance were miraculously unharmed and in the center, all that remained was the black armor of the Antiking (sans his right hand) impaled upon the pike. The soldier shouted in victory and there was much rejoicing in the land.

When the Alliance searched the Antiking's castle, they found that the temple had been desecrated and the body of the Antiking's young son ritually sacrificed upon an altar to the Dark Sage. The Soldier-Sage (he was proclaimed as such by the head of the Order) ordered the child to be buried with full honors and that the nobles of House Darcy were to dismantle the castle stone by stone. The rubble was piled into a mound and the traitors were hanged at the site.

The acquitted members of House Darcy were appointed to their new stations. The new Duke was a second cousin once removed of the Antiking (Duc Jean Darcy) and began the process of selecting a new seat of the Duchy; settling on constructing an unfortified manor beside a modest village on the main road between Premattire and another Duchy. This village would grow to become the second most populous city on Jaris at the time of First Contact. The black armor of the Antiking was impossible to destroy; so it was sealed in a lead-lined iron chest and buried deep beneath the new mound. Both the chest and the chamber were filled with cement to keep anyone from getting to it.

The Soldier-Sage was granted the title of "Lord" (Segnur) to commemorate his deeds. The pike, now bleached white by the ordeal, became a holy relic and was installed at a temple constructed by the Mound of Darcy. The laws of Royal Election were amended to both bar any consecutive kings from the same Noble House and also banned House Darcy from even participating in Royal Elections for nine generations.

There was then a peace which lasted for two and a half centuries.

First Contact

The Jaran made first contact not with the Nuna, but with the Gondia Cult of Tera. Their first attack was a small scouting party of 100 due to their underestimation of Jaran abilities. The Gondia were swiftly dispatched and their only survivor was detained. Her story and further details of the first Contact were famously canonized in "The Song of Theia and Helios". (Chancon de Theia et Helios) But a year after the first attack, the Gondia returned in full force and the results are almost a complete inverse of the first encounter. Four out of five Jarans were either killed or assimilated by the Gondia. The remaining Jarans were saved from total assimilation by the sudden arrival by the Nuna at the last minute, forcing the Gondia to retreat back to Aiden. The Jarans were then forced to sign a treaty of vassalage to the Nuna Collective and begin to adopt their ways and language. However they were promised that they could retain the institution of the monarchy in a ceremonial role and that when their population returned to pre-contact numbers then they would be allowed to settle a second world. The King's formal title changed from "King of Jaris" to "King of the Jarans".

The Nobles lost all power except in the election of the King, and instead the ranks were compressed into an assembly of 72 Peers. The Twelve Dukes, along with 60 Knights appointed by the King for life terms. The House of Peers has a ceremonial role in conjunction with the Jaran House of Deputies as a permanent committee on tradition and may exercise a veto on legislation thereof. The Jaran People are otherwise governed by the (de facto) unicameral parliament and an appointer Premier thereof. The Colony world of Andor is also allotted a rump assembly to govern on certain domestic issues.

Jaran Renaissance

Approximately 400 years after First Contact, a number of scholars began to reassess Old Jaran literature which snowballed into a revival of numerous aspects of their old culture. However these practices were always tenuous considering the Cultural Imperialism of their Nuna overlords. However a fragile balance was achieved around the time the colony world of Andor was first settled fifty years after the beginning of the renaissance.

Politics and Government

The Jaran have been governed by two main systems throughout their history: Before First Contact and After First Contact. Both systems are more similar than many expect.

Before First Contact

Power was decentralized among the twelve Duchies, each having their own laws and customs. The peninsula constituting Greater Premattire functioned as a de facto duchy under the King, but was directly administrated by the Councils. There were two Royal Councils: The Grand Council and Petit Council.

The Grand Council was the only body which could enact laws binding for all of Jaris. It was composed of one hundred nobles from each Duchy, and also the senior-most of the Sages numbering one hundred. Laws were proposed by the King or the Petit Council; and were passed by a simple majority.

The Petit Council was a smaller body which handled the day-to-day rule over Greater Premattire and advised the King on matters. Each Duke appointed a ward (often a younger brother) and were also composed of seven Sages and the Captain of the Royal Paladins. It also held the power to summon the Grand Council to consider legislation; but the Grand Council could only be summoned on the seventh year of a King's reign.

The Royal Paladins were twelve Knights who served as the King's personal guard and oversaw the security of Greater Premattire. Each Paladin also commanded a retinue of eleven footmen and one of twelve fortresses across Greater Premattire. The Captain commanded an additional troop of six horsemen.

The monarchy was elective and its laws were only amended once. Upon the death of the King, the Petit Council summoned the Royal Electors to Premattire. The twelve highest ranking Nobles from each Duchy were cloistered to elevate one of their own. Each week, one of their own was chosen by lot to serve as Acting King along with a Sage chosen likewise. The King was elected by a vote of two-thirds. The King-Elect was then summoned by the Sages of Premattire for up to two weeks of cross-examination. Two thirds were needed to ratify the King's election. But no person could hold any Noble title upon ascending the throne as to prevent both the King from amassing too much power, and from any Noble house dominating the others.

The Coronation of the King began with the King-Elect entering the Grand Temple, dressed in a red doublet and breeches, and standing before the Duke of the previous King's family and the Head of the Order of the Sages. They ask the King-Elect to renounce all noble titles. Upon recognition, the next in line for his former titles would come forward to receive blessings from the Sage and King-Elect. Then the Head Sage proclaimed numerous blessings and administered the Royal Oath. During this, the Duke from the previous King's family placed the royal mantle upon his shoulders. It was of blue velvet embroidered with golden quatrefoils. Then the Head Sage takes the Royal Crown and holds it above the King-Elect's head. Each of the twelve Dukes place their right index fingers under the rim before they all let go at the same time as the crown falls upon the King's head. The King the stood up and turned around, facing the audience who all genuflected to His Royal Majesty.

Society and Culture

Jaran society is similar to that of Medieval France.

• At weddings, the groom traditionally wears a tabbard (heraldic tunic) over their doublet and breeches.

• Elements of the Old Jaran language have seeped into the Jaran dialect of the Nuna language; such as the introduction of grammatical gender.

• Nuna is commonly written by Jarans with a simplified script resembling IRL Phoenician, like all uplifted subject races thereof.

• Old Jaran Language is written with a script that alternates between left-to-right and right-to-left and may-or-may-not-be just the Hylian alphabet from Twilight Princess.

• Jarans reincarnate and are able to converse with past lives through the Culveir (lit. "Back-Sight") Ritual.

Jaran Calendar

A Year on Jaris has been measured as 365.496 Jaran days at its equator. Because of this, the Jaran Calendar alternates between 365 and 366 day years. The Jaran Calendar is divided into twelve months. Each month is 30 days long and the Jaran week is nine days long. Two months make a season and between each season is a festival which exists outside of the weekly and monthly cycle. These are observed on the solstices and equinoxes. The Autumnal festival is two days long on leap years. Every 125 years, a leap year becomes a common year.

Old Jaran Language

• Dude, you must chill = Mec, tu tois alegir

• Gondia = Chevel-Vert (Green Hair)

Gallery

Jaris

Jaris is the home planet of the Jaran people and is under the suzerainty of the Nuna Collective.

Primaterre

Primaterre is the capital city of Jaris. It serves as the home of the Jaran Parliament and Nuna Transporter.

Great Mound / New Palace

The location where the Colony Ship landed and the non-salvaged remains were buried beneath a great earthen mound and megalithic structures. Was the place where Kings were cremated as to return them to union with Jaris and the Skies from whence they came. After first contact, the Nuna disassembled the mound, preserving the monuments at the request of the Jaran, and procured the remains of the ship since it was Laurensian. The location was then designated as the site for the newly established House of Deputies and Nuna Transporter. It initially resembled the old East German Volkskammer Building but was eventually remodeled during the Jaran Renaissance. It now resembles the Château Frontenac.

It's structured as an off-centered hall house. The main cross hall is slightly to the left, the Transporter is on the right, and the original Chamber of Deputies was on the left. After the renovation, a circular hemicycle was added to a rear extension as well as additional office space as the number of deputies had been raised from four hundred to five hundred. The old chamber was converted into conference space. The spire for the transporter was also hidden behind a buttressed tower and the new hemicycle boast an elegant stained-glass roof like that of the Galeries Lafayette in Paris.

The old Megaliths are now dispersed throughout the immediate area. One carved structure is the centerpiece of the atrium. One platform is recycled as the plenary dais in the Chamber of Deputies. The funerary altar now resides at the front of the Grand Temple. And most of the megaliths were used as foundation stones.

Grand Temple

The main feature is the Central Sanctuary beneath a high dome where rituals are performed. The floor is adorned with a mosaic of a squared circle.

The Inner Ambulatory is on the second floor overlooking the central sanctuary and above the supporting rooms. There is also a single storey Outer Ambulatory on the outer perimeter. Both ambulatories are richly adorned with esoteric artwork and inscriptions of the writings of the Sages.

The main structure serves as the corner of a kite-shaped cloister for additional facilities. Sages have their dormitories on the second floor of these.

Royal Palace

Similar to the Palais Luxembourg in Paris. One of the side galleries houses the Jaran House of Peers.

Millford Fortress

A Castle near the base of the peninsula. Was under the command of Lord Helios during First Contact and where Theia was detained for a time.