Clan Jadthraxaka
| Jadthraxak Ruu'gan (Clan Jadthraxaka) | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Notable Populations | 97% Feni | |
| Capital | Varomuxanrakan, Hupaya Province, Fen | |
| Ruler | Ruxshaya-Uro, a Council of 9 Monarchs | |
| Official Political System | Hereditary Monarchies | |
| Evaluated Political System | Decentralized Neo-Feudal Minarchist Tribal Fiefdoms | |
Jadthraxak Ruu'gan
Jadthraxaka History
Jadthraxaka is a very old clan--among the clans of the northern hemisphere, they historically have claimed to be the oldest that still exists, but because they speak a language isolate with no living relatives, and academic distinctions are commonly made between the prehistoric Proto-Hupayan peoples and their Jadthraxakan descendents, this claim is contentious. What's more certain in the archaeological record is that roughly 8000-6000 years ago, their ancestors adopted metalworking and mounted warfare within a few centuries of their invention, achieved supremacy over their sizable but desolate homeland in the sheltered and elevated Hupaya Basin and surrounding Greater Sathraka Plain, and maintained a stranglehold on the great glacier-fed rivers that flow from it. Their 'foreign policy' (if it can be called that) has always been marked by a haughty aloofness, their isolationism broken every few generations by swarms of marauding Jadthraxaka warbands that would famously destabilize parts of the northern hemisphere before pulling back home. Historically as well as in the present, Jadthraxaka has been independence-minded and has always believed that they, as the best of all Rokhandans, owe outsiders very little beyond basic courtesy. All of this is only reinforced by the predominant religion, a semi-organized form of sacrificial ancestor worship called Dahyuzati. Because of their deep unpopularity with their neighbors and their insular attitudes, Jadthraxaka watched the development of flight with moderate disinterest, but began to push hard for spaceflight once its potential became more concrete. They poached or lured or kidnapped rocketry experts where they could, or made diplomatic promises to trade mineral wealth for expertise (not that any of their distrustful neighbors took them up on it), and participated in the first significant pushes offworld. When FTL travel was invented, this pace of Jadthraxaka expansionism exploded into a great migration of their administrative and industrial infrastructure off of Fen, as well as most of the Jadthraxakan population. Although they maintain an official seat of power in the Hupaya Basin still, it's an almost apocalyptic landscape dotted with abandoned towns, used as a hunting resort by Jadthraxakin elites and their guests. For a long while, the Ruxshaya-Uro showed no interest in joining the Directorate, and repeatedly migrated outside of its borders until First Contact with humanity. Being as practical as they are haughty, the council chose to finally ally itself with the species and properly join the greater Rokhandan cause.
Jadthraxaka Specialization
Jadthraxaka is largely self-sufficient as a result of their many centuries of antipathy with their neighbors, and this has come at the cost of specialization. Jadthraxakin engineers are generalists and not specialists, and they tend to roughly keep pace with the overall level of Directorate technological development. The one area they can really be said to excel in is drives; Jadthraxakan ships range far and move fast, with surprising fuel efficiency. Unlike many other clans, they have also dipped their toes into terraforming, but aren't enthusiastic enough to be called experts.
Jadthraxaka Reputation
Jadthraxaka is seen as cruel and insular traditionalists by the more progress-oriented clans, and as insufficienty honorable by the more warlike. Both sides agree, however, that Jadthraxaka holds too high an opinion of itself, and for that it's not a well-liked clan. Their disdain for outsiders is not hidden any more than their sense of self-worth, but ultimately the culture is highly pragmatic. Their prideful ways are sometimes admired by clans that never had close contacts with them, but their former neighbors are largely grateful that they've decided to all but abandon Fen.
Extra Info
Notable Tribes
-Uxtamazata (Golden Words): Uxtamazata serve as flexible negotiators at inter-clan summits, and as representatives to the central government. They are as diplomatic as Jadthraxaka ever get; many still consider them bullies.
-Xsaitafarni (With Bright Farna): The tribe with the proudest military record in the clan, with a founding date traditionally set nearly 4000 years ago. They frequently expect to take command of clan-level combat operations; this expectation is frequently met.
-Parathati (In Frontward Place): Navigators, outriders, and scouts. Stereotyped as sneaky.
-Tiyhratava (Arrows That Seek): Traditionally the base of Jadthraxaka food supplies. Now the clan's foremost scientists and engineers.
Jadthraxaka Glossary
Note that in Jadthraxakan, the X is pronounced as zh or jj. The R is almost always rolled, sometimes heavily. The H is pronounced as kh unless preceded by T or S.
- Jadthraxaka: (Tchawd-throa-zhah-kah) Etymology uncertain, has origins in the theorized Proto-Hupayan language, ancestor of Standard Jadthraxakan. Commonly thought to mean Shining/Noble Tribe. As an adjective, the form is Jadthraxakan, and the personal noun is Jadthraxakin, pronounced -een.
- Standard Jadthraxakan: The first language of most members of the clan. A language isolate, unrelated to any other extant Fenian language. Notoriously hard to pronounce for outsiders.
- Ruxshaya-Uro: The ruling body of hereditary tribal 'Kings'. The word for monarch (Xshaya) is unisex, and many Kings throughout history have been female.
- Dahyuzati: A faith with ceremonies overseen by a hereditary priestly caste. The word can be translated The Self-Made Way or The Way Made For Us. Sacrifices are performed to ancestral spirits, and walls full of family death masks are kept in special rooms in richer homes. The faith varies somewhat from tribe to tribe as a matter of ancestral distinction and pride. One chief similarity between the Dahyuzati branches is a belief in the supremacy of three gods: the 'King of Radiance' Xsaixshaya and its spouse Rdoxshaya, 'King of Open Sky,' as well as their son Koloxshaya, 'Axe/Scepter-Wielding King'. These are sacrificed to alongside ancestor spirits.
- Farna: A flexible word that combines the concepts: glory/blessing/authority/right/responsibility/battle standard/coat-of-arms/royal seal. It refers to a physical object, the symbol upon it, and the abstract concepts the object is thought to bestow on its holder. Emphasis is placed on the idea that Farna is only held, never owned, and can be lost or taken. Frequently used idiomatically, eg:
- "I don't hold Farna. [Not my problem./Talk to my boss.]"
- "Will you claim Farna for this [achievement]? [Good job!]"
- "Who held Farna [during this failure]? [What a mess.]"
Political Bloc
None. They are radical isolationists who do sometimes side with Houyani, but they refuse to join a bloc and nobody particularly wants them anyway. They are politically disinterested and in times of clan wars will attack whatever side looks weakest and/or has what they want, such as personnel or particular resources.
