Arânzeni

Arânzeni
Image	Portrait of an Arânzeni woman Portrait of an Arânzeni woman
Plural	Arânzeni
Classification	Human
Homeland	Khamria
Average Height	5 ft 5 in – 5 ft 9 in (165–175 cm)
Average Lifespan	130–150 years
Distinction	Long-lived human people of the highlands of Khamria
Language	Arânzeni
Factions	Arânzeni Confederation • Barerte Tribes

Introduction

Arânzeni are a human people of Khamria, in the center of Méniail. They descend from settlers who left the Kingdom of Bóinbile in Gosterra and crossed the Bogh Mountains into Khamria in 300 ME, and they live longer than other humans, commonly 130–150 years. They number about 820,000. Most live in the Baviare Vale under the Arânzeni Confederation, whose capital is Lavierin; about 60,000 belong to the Barerte tribes of the Barerte Waste, who refused to join the Confederation. They speak Arânzeni, and their culture places great value on history, record-keeping and continuity, which is associated with Yala, the Ascendant Spirit of history and memory.

Etymology

Arânzeni means "people of the mountains" in the Arânzeni language. The ending -eni means "people of".

Origin and Nature

The Arânzeni share the common ancestry of all humans, descending from the Yendea of Haberria, who came to Dalel in the Great Migration. Their immediate ancestors were Gostaldi of the Kingdom of Bóinbile. They became a distinct people in Khamria, where they developed their own language and came to live considerably longer than other humans.

History

Emigration from Gosterra

After Tefar split in the 200s ME, the Parethist branch found followers in the Kingdom of Bóinbile, where the Yeparchist faith was established. In 300 ME a body of Parethist dissenters left the Kingdom, crossed the Bogh Mountains into the Barerte Waste, and from there entered the Baviare Vale. Their contact with the Mundari was violent from the time they crossed the mountains.

Lavierin and the tribal period

The settlers found the Namuril settlements of the Vale abandoned. In 302 ME they founded Lavierin on the site of a Namuril settlement beside the Gates of Origin; it was the first permanent human settlement in Khamria. For about 150 years the Arânzeni lived as loose tribal bands in the Barerte Waste and the Baviare Vale, with Lavierin as their only city. The Yacinsains emerged in about 310 ME, and the Council of Lavierin was founded in 340 ME. In 389 ME a Mundari force attacked the approaches to Lavierin and was turned back at the Arlindu Gate.

The Oinien of Orinilure extended their tunnels to the Arânzeni settlements in this period. The Lav-Gar Deep Road reached Lavierin in 372 ME, and the Lav-Lep Deep Road opened in 431 ME.

Confederation

In 450 ME a number of the bands united as the Arânzeni Confederation, a union of city-states under the authority of the Council of Lavierin. The tribes of the Barerte Waste refused to join. They held to stricter religious tradition and to religious law, and would not accept the civil law of the Confederation. Their descendants still live in the north and south of the Waste.

Later history

In 781 ME Lainer Station, the largest waystation on the Lav-Lep Deep Road, was destroyed by an unexplained tunnel collapse, and the road was closed for several years.

Biology and Physical Traits

Arânzeni complexions range from olive to light brown. Hair is dark, from deep brown to black, and eyes are usually brown. Men typically range from 5 ft 7 in to 5 ft 9 in (170–175 cm), and women from 5 ft 5 in to 5 ft 7 in (165–170 cm).

The Arânzeni live considerably longer than other humans, commonly 130–150 years.

Abilities and Osia

The Arânzeni have no innate Osia. The path most followed among them is the Path of Yairan, whose centers include Ierițairan. The Guzirias, the military order of the Council of Lavierin, are disciples of the Path of Yairan and can raise walls of stone and throw stone in battle.

The Path of Yala is taught at the House of Yala in Șire Bișit, and many Yacinsains are followers of it. The Path of Kúsi has very few disciples, numbering in the tens at most, who are generally regarded as eccentrics.

Culture and Society

Arânzeni society values continuity, and its institutions and customs are expected to remain unchanged across generations. The Yacinsains record and interpret history, law and genealogy, and hold half the seats on the Council of Lavierin; the Guzirias hold the other half. The principal festival is Ioriea, held in Lavierin at the turn of the year. Many Arânzeni buildings reuse or stand on structures left by the Namuril.

Most Arânzeni of the Confederation live in its cities and in the farming country around Ingur and Luropiră. The Barerte tribes live by herding and by farming at oases, in small towns and scattered camps. They are governed by religious law, and men among them may take more than one wife.

Notable Individuals

Loarpie, architect and early Yacinsain of the 300s ME
Bavisle Aită, historian, author of The Measured Earth: A History of Khamria
Gire Bialse, current leader of the Guzirias and member of the Council of Lavierin
Garbe Umăleanu, general after whom Fort Garbe is named

Notable Settlements

Arânzeni Confederation

Lavierin (about 150,000), capital
Lepigisțil
Yacinsa
Gareag
Ingur
Ipierbâni

Barerte tribes

Spirituality and Beliefs

Most Arânzeni follow Parethism, the branch of Tefar that holds that the afterlife is not yet complete. The Barerte tribes keep a stricter form of it.

Yala is honored throughout Arânzeni culture, chiefly through record-keeping and the work of the Yacinsains, but most Arânzeni do not worship her. A cult of Yala exists alongside Parethism, strongest in the country near her house in Șire Bișit. Yairan is honored at Ioriea.

Technology and Warfare

Arânzeni technology has changed slowly. Firearms are in use, bought from Gosterra and from the Oinien, and the telegraph runs along the Deep Roads. There are no railways in Khamria; the Deep Roads carry most travel and trade between the cities. Industry is limited to quarrying and stonecraft.

The Guzirias defend the Confederation's settlements and lands. In war, their use of the Path of Yairan supports ordinary troops armed with firearms.

Relations with Other Races

The Arânzeni are close partners of the Oinien, about 50,000 of whom live in Arânzeni cities, particularly Gareag. The Oinien maintain the Deep Roads beneath Khamria and have supported the Arânzeni against the Mundari.

The Mundari, organized as the Order of Servants, hold that humans are a pestilence on the land. They have been in conflict with the Arânzeni since 300 ME and hold most of the Barerte Waste. The Barerte tribes and the Confederation are on reasonable terms with each other.

There is little contact with the Gostaldi or with the League of Balúrail, since overland travel is difficult; a very small number of Arânzeni live in the League's port cities.