[[:Template:Jakara]]
Jakara
(pronounced: jah-kaRah)
The Jakara are a feline humanoid species that hail from the 8th moon, Riihthias of the giant planet Mhul Taht in a distant arphemhal known as the Giant’s Belt (an arphemhal 300 thousand lojosars from the Murcarsius arphemhal), the Jakara have been less than forth coming with this information, even with powerful divination spells the truth still evades the sages. What is known is that at some point in their past, their world(s) came under attack by some force of chase and evil that made them flee into the Omniverse.
Similar to the fate of the Ta’Jahu they fled into the void in thousands of void ships and through great gates of magic, their numbers were scattered across the Omniverse. It is believed that the last remaining clans of the vast Jakara empire are so scattered that they may never once again become a single people. Though ancient proverb and prophesy tell of a single warrior rising against the great darkness and bringing his people together in a new world.
Those clans that made their way to the world of Kralis and indeed Ta Los have become known as the “travelers”. They have taken up residence in the western realms in the mountains of Bayreesh that borders Alisanos and the Malthuran Empire.
Generally, most Jakara range in size from just under four-feet to over eight feet, are humanoid in shape with claws, a small muzzle with sharp teeth, pointed ears, and vertically slit pupils, lithe but strong bodies, and long tails.
Males tend to have dominate characteristics from thick beards, to long pointed goatees, powerful manes that cover their heads and a good portion of their chests. Females while physically the same size tend to not have these characteristics. Though females tend to have darker coats, brighter stripes or more vibrant colors with their coats.
Colors for Jakara range from short, reddish-brown coats to jet black to brown with spots to deep orange with black stripes. Jakara have almond shaped eyes that rarely vary in color from green, brown or black.
There are many different types of Jakara, there are eight known cultural apacik (pronounced: APA-sik) (clans) that exist on Ta Los, though there are suspicions that there are many other apacik that exist beyond this world.
Leonis Apacik
Predominately the Leonis apacik are the most common Jakara most other species are familiar with. The Leonis are known for their strength and skill in battle and war. Leonis tend to be golden in color with great manes. They often become powerful shava (fighters), ylahi (priests), and some of the most experienced khasif (merchants/explorers).
Lyank Apacik
Less common, the Lynak are smaller than most other Jakara standing between four and four and half feet in height and are known for their extremely large pointed ears, they tend to have a reddish-copper coat with white stripes. Lynak tend to drift towards being khorucu (rangers), and aracayi (sages).
Pantera Apacik
Of the known Ta Los apacik Jakara the Pantera are the most dangerous. They are incredibly cunning and strong willed, well known for their tactical thinking and often act as the elite security organization for the Jakara as a whole. Pantera are often either jet black in color or a rich yellow background and large black rosettes. They tend serve as khorucu (rangers), baju (magic users), or khasif (merchants/explorers). They are also well known as khajuh (assassins/spies).
Tigris Apacik
Very rarely seen outside of Ji-lak the apacik known as the Tigris, are thought of as the sages of the Jakara people. The wise and intelligent Tigris are a firm and agile people. They are soft spoken, and value harmony, civility and respect for elders. They tend to be have deep orange or silver white coats that are stripped with black, gray or rarely purple bands. They have close-cropped heads of hair, with the males sporting full beards.
Sabbatorri Apacik
Most revered and honored of the known apacik the Sabbatorri are powerfully built giants of the Jakara world. Standing between 7 and 8’ in height they are an imposing figure. They have powerful claws but are well known for their 6” long incisor teeth that seem able to tear through smaller targets in half with a single bite. Sabbatorri make powerful warriors, but are best known for their connections to the gods and often become ylahi (priests).
Psychology
All Jakara suffer from a strong streak of independence and aloofness that can be of putting for most other species. However, all Jakara believe that they are of one family, of one set of rules and of one vision.
One of the more important concepts for the Jakara is trustworthiness and honor. Theft is seen as the most embarrassing of all crimes. Nothing is more despised than somebody losing his self control, so it does not make sense if you lose your temper in front of a Jakara. Jakara are taught that their actions not only reflect on themselves and their families but on the species as a whole.
To all Jakara, social order is maintained through mutual respect, respect for laws and the ideal’s the apacik, which also includes the laws and ideals of whatever region or realm they are currently in.
Generally, the Jakara are a principled people. Most believe good must be pursued in all cases. Because of the Great Tragedy, all Jakara live by the high code of Ka-Kurnt, which has resulted in a very structured society:
- Honor before Justice
- Justice before Loyalty
- Loyalty before Courage
- Courage before Benevolence
- Self-Control before all.
Jakara, like many other species, have a deep and natural hatred for all things Chaotic. This is made more so for the Jakara as this hatred was stamped into their ancestral memory when they were pushed from their worlds a millennium ago. They have a strong belief that the more vile chaos that they can remove from the Omniverse, they will be able to return to their homeworld.
They are willing to fight for causes or right and just. They tend to have an air of superiority and arrogance. Most are convinced that in general their culture and social structure is more advanced than others.
Historically, Jakara are isolationists. Preferring to keep non-Jakaras to enter their lands, in fear that non-jakarians will bring chaos and darkness into their realms. They are known to ferociously defend their borders having never retreated even against the armies of Szodrin the Savaruter during his reign over present day Alisanos.
Society and Culture
The Jakara species “family” is very large. Like seeds of wheat they were tossed into the Omniverse, to grow where they could. While there are four major kin within the Jakara species, they have survived by relying on a strong sense of culture that connects all the various apacik together.
The nation of Jakara is ruled over by the sharalarg, a council made up of the elected leaders from each of the five known apacik: leonis, tigris, pantera, sabbatorri, and lynak. These leaders determine the law of the tribes which is passed down from each of the sharalarg members to the various apacik.
Each pride or apacik is made up of 5 to 10 family groups that are lead by a leader, generally the most experienced and eldest within the pride are elected to this position, known as jhaga. While the sharalarg pass down Jakara law and rule it is the jhaga that enforces Jakara rule as well as any additional apacik law.
Jakara build a distinctive style of house for themselves called shinkuruk. This type of house, stands in the midst of a large garden, was symmetrical, and its rooms were connected with long hallways. It allows residents to enjoy seasonal events and the beauty of nature. Rooms are closed off with movable walls of paper. Generally, in the center of the home is a large open fire pit around which are piled other furs, pillows and blankets. Surrounding the fire pit is a large stone fireplace upon which there will be numerous kettles for tea, and many different types of cups.
Family and Structure
What makes up the core of a family generally only lasts for a short time, generally long enough for the young to mature enough to begin to take care of themselves, typically 1 to 2 years. While the concept of family is less stringent or even nonexistent within the Jakara world, the Jakara see the whole species as one family and young are welcome to make their homes with any Jakara for as long as they wish. Jakara fervently believe that it takes the full tribe to raise yavruh (hchild/children) and by allowing the Jakara youth to come and stay with anyone the Jakara spread their wealth of knowledge about their species, but the youth also learn various skills during these stays.
Community
Because Jakara consider every other Jakara family, their communities are very open to each other. Generally, each community is made up of 20 to 40 families and follow a very standard structure.
Jakara are very particular when it comes to community life. Each member of society has a very specific role to perform, and moving from one role to another is rarely known to happen. There is a strong social order within all apacik. This social order is rarely seen by outsiders, as it is an unspoken code of behavior in which all Jakara naturally gravitate. The apacik is generally divided into six castes: khorucu (rangers), shava (fighters), 'ylahi' (priests), 'baju' (magic users), 'aracayi' (sages), or 'khasif' (merchants/explorers).
While it is a strong social order, it is not overtly rigid, but it is very hierarchical. These castes bear a great deal of resemblance to trade guilds, and mobility between them is common. In order of hierarchical structure the most important cast is the khasif, followed by the ylahi, aracayi, baju, khorucu, then finally the shava. Jakara tend to be placed into one of these castes by the elders of the apacik, at a young age, typically around two years. However, once placed a grown Jakara with a talent for fighting, but was originally placed in the aracayi as a caster might be invited to join the shava caste.
Art
Jakara greatly enjoy visual arts. Sculpture and engravings are their primary art styles. Most Jakara communities are dominated by statues and sculptures depicting great events of Jakara history, heroes and legends. These sculptures are often highly detailed with a fine delicacy that makes them appear life-like. Jewelry, though not commonly worn, are ornately designed and engraved with embossed with beautiful designs made from all the rare and unique metals. Jakara jewelers are master craftsmen cutting gemstones, malachite and jade, which Jakara believe hold great mystic powers.
Jakara poetry is inspiring, often forming songs, passing on the history of the culture and the various apacik. There is a wealth of poems that speak of the Great Tragedy, though many fail to indicate the actual cause of the Great Tragedy.
Customs, Traditions and Beliefs
The Jakara are a species built around traditions and customs, more than just beliefs or even religion and spirituality. There are a great number of social norms that they must abide by else risk humiliation and social stigma.
First and most of important traditions amongst the Jakara is how they greet each other. More importantly is who the greet in which order. Firstly, there are the greetings that are done with those that Jakara do not know. When a Jakara first meets a new non-Jakara they will attempt to make eye-contact with the stranger, and will do so for several second. They believe that those that look away or do not make eye contact are weak, hiding secrets or are sinister in their nature.
When male Jakara meet they place their right hand over their heart and give a slight bow of the head. When female Jakara meet other female Jakara they will extend their hands, palms outward to each other. When a male Jakara meets a female Jakara, the female bows her head slightly while maintaining eye contact and the male places his right hand over his heart. When greeting others the Jakara must greet the eldest first or the master of the home before greeting any other males, then females then any young adults. Young children are not ignored but are not sought out.
While not a tradition per say, Jakara have an obvious lack of personal space. Jakara tend to ignore personal space which can be quite disturbing for outsiders. The generally accepted amount of space when speaking with friends and family is an arm’s length. They are “touchy-feely” species during friend-to-friend encounters and often use their hands to touch others arms when speaking. In public females and males rarely ever touch, while females are much more liberated to their touching.
When speaking with a Jakara it is considered impolite not to maintain eye contact and should be attempted to be maintained at all times, though there may be times when females will avoid direct eye contact with non-male Jakara.
It should be noted that Jakara never eat alone and never take snacks on the go. They tend to eat three times a day, at precise times (unless unable to) they will stop what they are doing and fix themselves a meal. Traditionally, most Jakara meals are made from rabbit, fish, pork, or lamb. Very rarely will they eat fruits or vegetables.
Jakara fully believe in their 'Ka-Kurnt', and expect all other Jakara to abide these laws. Those Jakara or other species that live within a jakarian community that have disobeyed or betrayed the Ka-Kurnt will find themselves shunned or even exiled from the community or even their apacik.
Those that are shunned tend to be shunned for a short time as punishment. When a Jakara is shunned, the rest of the community acts as though the shunned Jakara doesn’t exist. They are not abused, but they will find that they are not able to interact with their community. Many times those that are shunned will simply leave the community.
A Jakara that has been shunned several times or has to utterly violated the Ka-Kurnt, the community will fully exile the Jakara. They are ceremoniously removed from the community, are marked with a brand and “tossed out on their ear”. They are allowed a day afterward to return to the community, by night, to said good-bye to friends and family, gather their personal belongs and to walk away, never to return to the community or any other apacik. If they have not left the community by morning they are hunted down and killed.
Marriage
Marriage within the Jakara is mostly unknown, though strong and important relationships between Jakara of the opposite sex do occur they are not monogamous, and tend to lean towards a polyamory life.
Though when a Jakara female decides to have yavruhi she tends to choose a single male Jakara that she is strongly attached to. They become a bonded pair for at least the next two years.
Female Jakara tend to carry their yavruh for 4 months, before giving birth in a very formal affair of celebration for the new arrival.
Holy/Dates of Importance
As a spiritual people, the Jakara have many numerous festivals through out the year. Several holy days are held particularly important. Kizlarhin Festival: Held during the 4th month of the year, Tavaz, typically on the day after the full moon. This is a celebration honoring daughters and sisterhood and their influence they have in Jakara life.
Ilkbah Ghundo: In the month of Menet on the 7th day, the Jakara welcome the end of winter and the beginning of spring. It is also a time to visit graves and honor their ancestors.
Dogh Gunu: Referred to as birthday’s in many other species cultures, the dogh gunu is the festival of birth. It is the formal celebration of female Jakara giving birth to new yavruhi.
Buyu Traje: This festival begins on the Feast of Ice and is a solemn day of remembrance the Great Tragedy that sent the Jakara fleeing their ancient home world (dimension) long ago. It is held over one week. It is filled with several days of meditation and honoring those ancient Jakara that fled through the Omniverse.
Dress/Clothing
Jakara clothing and dress is simple, comfortable, though they love having their linens, silks, cottons and wools dyed in number colors ranging from greens, blues, cyans, yellows, oranges, purples and grays.
Jakara craftsman have the unique ability to take the coarsest of fibers and spin them into extremely fine thread and create tightly woven garments with incredibly high detail. Jakara tend not to wear anything with fur on it but are not so shy with leather or metal garments. In a number of cases Jakaran armor and fabric smiths have created steel-like corsets for natural weapon )martial artists and brawlers) as easily as they make leather corsets for natural fighters.
Typically, garb for both genders consists of a tunic, a pair of trousers. The tunic is usually made of light, tightly woven material such as fine linen, cotton or silk. Trousers are woven from similar material. Occasionally, they will wear a type of long scarf that they can use for warmth, wrap themselves in for resting or even spread it on the ground to sit on.
Jakara rarely wear footwear as it impedes their use of their claws. At best they will wear a type of sandal woven from straw or from lacquered wood with colored straps, most of the time these are simple wooden bases though occasionally they are built with a pair of teeth (metal or wooden) that run perpendicular to the base’s long side. These are further secured with thongs laced up the calf.
Food
Jakara are by and large carnivores. They prefer either raw, or slightly cooked meats of all types, including fish. Though they prefer shellfish and other exoskeleton type creatures to be cooked to solidify their flesh.
They have an extremely delicate palate and tend to avoid harsh spices, though herbs and salt tend to be heavily favored. On some occasions Jakara will eat vegetables, though they prefer squashes and melons more than grains or heavy greens.
One of the most popular food items is known as calitalik. It is a recipe that combines a unseeded harvest squash, cooked slightly to soften the flesh with animal fats, butters and salt, the interior is then torn apart and finely chopped raw lamb, beef or liver is then mixed in with cooked eggs.
Religion and Spirituality
Tarkati is the indigenous spiritual and religious faith of the Jakara people. It is not rare to say that most Jakara are not a religious society. Tarkati is a strange believe of symbolism, exotic rites, ceremonies, festival and mysticism.
They have no divinity in the same manner as most other species would call deities or gods. This is not to say that they do not believe in the power of the divine, but they do not have set religious pantheon. Many believe that all creatures are better off when the gods do not involve themselves in going on’s of the mortal world.
This disenchantment with religion is a direct result of the Great Tragedy upon their home world, as they fell under the enslavement of beings that they refer to as khirlemek. A species of beings that appear to be more in common with demonkind than any other references. Yet, there is still those that have hope that there is more to this life, that there is a place for their souls in the afterworld a place of never ending happiness.
Jakara believe in a type of spiritual phenomena or holy powers that they refer to as Kutsu Ghul (holy powers). These forces are best described as forces of nature and the qualities that these power express. Much of what the Jakara call the ancient ancestors are Kutsu Ghul. These powers posses both positive and negative energy with good and evil characteristics a type of “Kai” that manifests the interconnecting energy of the Omniverse.
The Gods
To say that Jakara are not religious is a not a completely true statement, they are as religious as they need to be, more often believing in the energies and powers of ancient spirits. Unlike the Ha’vatu who flat believe the gods are nothing more than powerful energies or the Ta’Jahu whose deities are ancient ascended Ta’Jahu that have turned into powerful beings, Jakara venerate the energies and power of the natural Omniverse and recognize a number of Kutsu Ghul (holy powers).
Predominately, the Kutsu Ghul known as Amao Ghu Kan, is referred to the Queen of the Sun, her name means “she who shines in the heavens.” She is venerated for the warmth and power she gives the Omniverse. This Kutsu Ghul is thought to be the energy that gave birth to the Jakara people and is often referred to as Mother Intrigue.
Death and Funerals
Death in the world of the Jakara holds a great power over them, not because they fear it, but because it represents the natural order of change in the Omniverse, the passing of energy on.
When a Jakara dies of either injury or age, the body (if possible) is washed, painted with a white clay, wrapped in linen cloth and then burned in a funeral pyre. This is thought by the Jakara to return the energy of the Omniverse back to the Omniverse.
To the Jakara death is viewed as a challenge to the living to make life as meaningful as possible by words and actions.
After Life
Jakara have concepts of planes of existence that the energy that was their ancestors dwell within. These concepts are called duzlemzi (higher planes) and are have specific names: High Mountain of Heaven (Yukseki Daghi), the dwelling place of the most august Kutsu Ghul, the Realm of Eternal Life (Yasamu Alanzi), and the world of dead ghosts, evil spirits (ruhku koztu) and torment, that is, the World of Darkness (Kharnluz Dunzayi).
Most Jakara traditions of the afterlife lean heavily on the presence of kutsu ghul being present but not reincarnation. The spiritual energy, or kutsu ghul, is every living being is release and recycled at the time of death. These “spirits” of energy move beyond our mortal worlds into the three duzlemzi.
Jakara spirituality believes that the ancestral spirits will protect their descendants. The various prayers and rituals performed by the living honor the dead and memorialize them. In return, the Kutsu Ghul offer protection and encouragement for the living.
Tarkati also views that some creatures live such an exemplary life that they become deified in a process called tahnril (a type of apogee).
Language
The jakarian language is difficult for even the best linguists to be able to pronounce and speak with. There is a rolling of sounds with most words that make it difficult for most other humanoids to be able to create. Known as Al Zirr, Jakarian tends to follow a Verb-Subject-Object word order, though in more formal settings this can change to Verb-Object-Subject.
Because of the wide range of sounds Jakaran voice boxes produce, a Jakaran name is very hard to pronounce by most other creatures. Most Jakara take up easier names that can be pronounced by other races. Most Jakara do not take a last name, since the prides can differentiate between individuals with ease, noting scent and fur pattern differences. Each cultural type speaks al zirr with a slightly different dialect: Pantera speak the Udara Dialect; Tigris speak the Al Tiyasan Dialect); Leonis speak the Zedaron Dialect; Sabbatorri speak the Zhantir dialect; the Lynak speak a creole type of dialect that combines zedaron and al zirr.
