Sha’an

Information

Homeworld: Domo-Starako, The Blade
Pn: (shah-ahn)
Pl: shani

References

1. Ontiba 7
2. Hard Fought Truths
3. Children of the Shadows
4. Annals of Dystopia
5. A Warning on Mixed Relations

Like their parent Deity before them, shani were brought about without an explicit purpose, whether a directive to aid Sham’ayn with tasks, or incentive to complete a specific missive.¹ As a result the species as a whole has been left to its own devices, repeatedly leading to collapsing of civilization.

Description

In comparison to turths, shani stand shorter and lighter at 1.85 m. (6’1”), and weigh 86 kg. (190 lbs.) on average with bushier and shorter tails. Shani appear more canine, with a longer and thinner muzzle. Though there are no distinct races, their fur ranges from dark red to black, with several tones between.²

Culture

Each shani exists in one of two kinds of governing bodies—a Reign or a Remnant. Remnants are the most prevalent in numbers and distribution, as most Remnants are fighting amongst each other to become a Reign.² Reigns control larger sections of The Blade, almost always multiple planet-stars.⁴ Little family dynamics are preserved within these Remnants and Reigns, as the traditional family units of parents and offspring often become separated due to conflict or resource scarcity.⁴ Female shani can have litters of two or three from 15 to 35 years of age, capable of reproduction in roughly the first half of their lifespan.⁵ These mothers raise their young for as long as they can, or until the children leave to seek better lives elsewhere.

Religion is intertwined with the dynamics of the Reigns and Remnants.² The Reign of Vulpeck, a mythical Reign, has not been seen in The Blade for hundreds of years. Vulpeck was the first group of Sha’an recognized by Sham’ayn late in the Am’n. All factions seek the approval of Sham’ayn, and Vulpeck is the universally agreed sole recipient of her blessing.³ There are many ceremonies, rituals, and rites to be found across The Blade; one of these traditions is for young Sha’an to craft a small token of offering before they make their mask and offer it to Sham’ayn.⁴ This ceremony is said to bring luck to the shani for the remainder of their life.³

Shani are not outwardly hostile as a species to other Sentient Species, but due the actions of some members, or The Blade’s reputation for constant warfare, some other communities across Omneutta are known to be initially unwelcoming to shani.³ Many are expected to assimilate to the local culture, or in the case of many city-centres abandon what few aspects of their own culture they still posses.²

As a species there is only a few individuals with the technological knowledge to truly call the Sha’an a space-faring society. Many “space-craft” built by shani across The Blade are cobbled together haphazardly from the remnants of other crashed ships, or unfinished structures.⁴

Jazt’a (pn. jAz-t-A) is somehow a similar language to Jistlek, despite originating on opposite ends of Omneutta. The symbols are similar on a basic level, and many pronunciations of vowels and consonants are the same or quite similar. However, the characters are Jazt’a are morpheme based and represent words or abstract ideas rather than letters themselves. The language itself consistently follows a prefix-word-suffix combination, resulting in sentences that can be rather blocky but convey complicated ideas quickly and efficiently.

Some shani carry the howling from their religious ceremonies and rituals elsewhere after they leave The Blade. The odd melodies and harmonies from these traditions can be found permeating the local music of places across Omneutta where multiple Sha’an have settled over time.

Territory

Main Article: Sha’an-Space

The Blade is full of signs of the civilizations of yesteryear; abandoned dwellings, incomplete construction, and partially-industrialized landscapes cover Sha’an-Space.

Many tales weave stories about Domo-Starako, where Sham’ayn created the first Sha’an who formed together the Reign of Vulpeck.² Due to the Sha’an’s lack of record keeping, and the dilapidation of any of the structures created during the earliest time of the Sha’an, which planet-star was at one point called Domo-Starako is now a mystery.³

Sentient Species: