Ja'nakh (jə-nŏk)

Gokrenxia    Peoples      Kynekin      Ja'nakh

The past is like a shadow.
It is not you,
But a part of you.
It cannot be carried,
Yet cannot be left behind.
The past cannot be separated from who you are.
Even in the darkest of nights,
When all light is gone,
The shadow is but a star's breadth away.
So too, is our shared past.

— A Ja'nakh Proverb

Description

The beautiful and majestic ja'nakh people, are a highly social and community-minded humanoid species of kynekin manifesting physical characteristics similar to horses. Like so many things named under the Empire, "ja'nakh" was originally an extremely condescending moniker derived from a designation of their station. The phrase referred to their societal roles as "the carriers," literally meaning "those who carry."

Anatomy

As one of the tallest races populating Gokrenxia, ja'nakh typically stand around six feet tall, rivaling the height of the elves. Yet where the elves are slight of build, ja'nakh have wide builds closer to that of the dwarves. They are highly muscular with extremely efficient metabolisms leaving their body composition to be mostly muscle. On average, they weigh around 250lbs (113.4kg). Ja'nakh physical make-up lends to exceptional strength, stamina, and speed.

Coloration & Markings

Ja'nakh coat tones and markings range as broadly as those of their four-legged counterparts, manifesting in variations of four basic color groupings:

Black

Red-brown

Yellow-gold

Gray-white

Perception & Sensory Traits

Ja'nakh have large, complex eyes set high on their skulls. They move independently, allowing them to simultaneously maintain significant awareness of a wider visual field than the myndikin but has resulted in a less-developed sense of depth perception. To bring objects into focus, a ja'nakh must direct both eyes to the same object which often requires the raising or lowering of the head. This challenge has been cited by some human instructors as the primary reason competent ja'nakh archers are difficult to find.
Where their depth perception falls short, the ja'nakh's exceptional auditory senses dwarf even that of the elves. Their ears have the ability to rotate almost 180 degrees, allowing them to acutely draw in sounds from every direction. Astute communicators add that positioning of ja'nakh ears serve as excellent non-verbal cues to their overall emotional state, ranging from interest, calm, and excitement, to fear, anxiety, and displeasure.
Similar to their hearing, ja'nakh olfactory senses are much more highly developed than the myndikin. This has led to a rich and complex vocabulary unique to the ja'nakh people for describing the scents of the world around them.

Personality

While often stigmatized as brutes by their role as the manual laborers of the elven empire, the ja'nakh peoples are of equal intelligence to the smooth-skinned myndikin. They tend to be extremely observant with exceptional attention to detail. They are an open-minded, friendly, and hospitable people who tend to value relationships and simple pleasures over the accumulation of things. They share a love of stories over the fire, sipping an earthen mug of their famous boekomz spirits.

by Koragath via Wonderdraft

Type

Humanoid

Lifespan

60 Years

Laungauge

Taristwa

Distribution

Zuul’Hy Freelands

Related Historical Events

• 878
  Cask Conflict of 35-36

Ja’nakh Blacksmith by dream by WOMBO

Societal & Cultural Norms

Values

As a people, the ja'nakh demonstrate a surprisingly strong moral character with unswerving opinions around right and wrong, good and evil. They fiercely value community, family, hard-work, integrity, honor, loyalty, respect, and service. If forced to choose, most ja'nakh will prioritize the good of any community in which they have chosen to reside over their own interests.

Beauty

One cannot speak of the ja'nakh without highlighting their mesmerizing, long flowing manes. They go to great lengths to display them as a source of pride. Manes and tails represent a significant facet of attractiveness in ja'nakh culture.

Gender & Age

The ja'nakh tend to be egalitarian in regards to gender, seeing no difference between males and females or the roles they hold in the community. Age however, tends to be a much larger influence, where great deference and respect are attributed to elders. Some ascribe this cultural belief to their close proximity and extensive servitude of the dwarven people, who hold age in high regard. Others cite this as part of the reason the ja'nakh so willingly served, and refused to rebel against, their long-lived elven masters.

Relationships

With their strong commitment to family and community, the ja'nakh are largely monogamous, seeing themselves as devoted to the care and protection of their chosen family.

Lineage

Ja'nakh lineage is particularly complex and confusing to many outsiders. Where most societies in Gokrenxia trace their family lines paternally or maternally, the ja'nakh people trace lineage through coloration. That is, whichever parent the color of a child's coat most closely matches is the one through whom they trace their heritage. Thus at birth all members of ja'nakh society are considered descended from and related to one of the four color groupings: black, red-brown, yellow-gold, or gray-white. This commonly leads to situations where traditional "brothers" and "sisters" of different coat colors may claim completely different lineages.

History

The First Age: The Backbone of the Empire

True to their imperial names, the ja'nakh were considered the silent backbone of the Empire. It was on the shoulders of ja'nakh slaves the Empire was constructed. With the combination of their exceptional strength, stamina, and constitution, the ja'nakh were well suited for long and grueling hours of manual labor, toiling under the blazing sun. Further, with their cultural identity emphasizing honor, loyalty, respect, and service, they were rarely, if ever considered a threat to their masters even when subjected to undue hardships.

The Great War

Trickery and stealth. A complete disregard for life. Rebellion. Betrayal. Disgrace. Dishonor. The actions taken by their kynekin cousins under Amari Wa'la's banner of freedom broke the heart of the ja'nakh peoples. While some who had experienced greater suffering joined the rebellion, most ja'nakh - unless ordered to fight by their myndikin masters - preferred to remain out of the war. This led to some kynekin resentment in the early years of the war, but largely dissipated in the post-war years.
Ja'nakh neutrality came to the forefront at the signing of the Thee'nor Accord, when the tribes were granted authority over the expansive plains region which would come to be known as the Zuul’Hy Freelands. They were tasked to police this territory as a buffer zone between the kynekin peoples and the remnants of the empire in the lands of Lysandre, Al'Jymoor, and Shavomyr. In return they agreed to forego any opportunity to hold positions of power within the courts of any kingdom in Gokrenxia, regardless of whether they are kynekin or myndikin.

The Second Age: Protectors of the Freelands

The rich and vibrant modern culture of the ja'nakh in the Second Age is unique among the races of Gokrenxia and serves as a fascinating study in the blend of tradition and change. Where many of the kynekin races - and even some of the myndikin - sought to cast off the yoke of any tradition that smacked of imperial oppression, the ja'nakh retained many customs from the First Age. In ja'nakh thought, remembering their past - both the good and the bad - is impossible to separate from their identity.
They have embraced their role as protectors of the Freelands with an endless throng of plainswalkers roaming within their borders and ensuring no kingdoms attempt to violate the neutrality established by the Thee'nor Accord.