Shanak People

The Shanak are a semi-nomadic cultural group which, until very recently, lived almost entirely within Southern Ischanor, with small communities living in Zilatra, yet are now almost entirely present within Zilatra. 
Their historical origins are disputed, largely due to the semi-nomadic lifestyle they lived in the path, although several members of the culture place their origins in Southeastern Kejafros. They are closely related to people groups such as the Baszku. 
== Etymology ==
The meaning of the word Shanak translates literally to ‘Those who walk a lot’, coming from the semi-nomadic lifestyle they have historically enjoyed. Some use different translations, pointing to various indigenous ethnic groups across Kejafros whose term for ‘savage’ or ‘raider’ or other such terms was some variation of Shanak, such as ‘Shanakan’ or ‘Shunuk’.
Shanak usually refers to the overall culture of the people, especially as their ethnicity is in no way a unified entity due to 'New Shanak'. However, it can be used ethnically when referring to those who descend from the original Shanak tribes, yet this is rarley used.
== Culture and society ==
=== Nomadicity ===
Due to the history of the Shanak, a semi-nomadic lifestyle prevailed long after other peoples began to centralise and settle. The Shanak lived mainly within a nomadic caravan, although the various Shanak villages which were established whenever the Host settled did provide a more settled life. These villages often played a major role in aiding the Host whenever it arrived, yet as the Shanak’s territory began to dwindle, these villages were abandoned, and their denizens rejoined the main Host. 
=== The ‘New Shanak’ ===
Due to their early martial history, the Shanak were extremely efficient warriors. This gave them almost free rein to raid with impunity, taking what they needed to keep the Host going. However, instead of grain or iron, some Shanak saw fit to take some of the people back with them. Oftentimes, these civilians would be integrated into the Shanak culture, being taught Shanak and taking up their various traditions and practices. At first, this was the work of a few groups within the Host, yet over time came to be all but official policy for the Host as a whole. This led to a unique makeup within the Host, with the ethnic Shanak merging with numerous other groups to create a melting pot of people who, while ethnically different, shared one culture. Many of the religions these 'New Shanak' brought with them were absorbed into the Shanak Pantheon, which created a unified religion while allowing the practice of other religions and the praise of other gods. 
=== Language ===
Due to the policy of 'New Shanak', a number of languages are spoken by many of the Shanak. These include Ischanic, Baszku, and a range of minority languages. However, the main language is Shanak, which is spoken by every member of the Shanak. While being part of the Abusku languages family, the semi-nomadic lifestyle of the Shanak has lead to a totally unique language unlike any of its root languages. 
== Shanak History ==
The history of the Shanak People is split into three sections, the Early, Middle and Modern periods.
=== Early History ===
Little is known of Early Shanak History, being shrouded in various myths and legends. These legends tell of a great number of competing tribe, scraping out a living in small settlements and raiding each other in order to supplement the meager living they could achieve. Tribe fought against tribe and a complex system of blood feuds between each tribes Thakmar, the Shanak term for the petty kings who ruled them, ensured a near constant state of war engulfed them at all times. While other cultures developed art and poetry, creating beautiful artefacts and structures, the Shanak focused on warfare. Their villages slowly became fortified, and everything they did was in support of their victory against this rival or that tribe. Yet this soon changed.
Legends tell of a chief's son, known as Khorvic Drazhan, whose birth was heralded by a great thunderstorm, which they took as a sign of the gods favour towards the newborn. When he was a young man, his father was murdered and his uncle, taking charge of the tribe, exiled him. Yet, the young man soon returned, riding a large, four legged creature of legend, the Myr. He told the tribe he had been visited by the Gods, who told him of great herds of the Myr and that he alone could tame them. The people of his tribe turned against the traitorous Thakmar and the young man ruled. Soon, the old name of the tribe was forgotten, replaced with one which struck fear into their enemies, the Drakmyr. 
Soon, this once insignificant northern tribe, led by the divinely ordained Thakmar Drazhan, was one of the most powerful of Shanak tribes. When Drazhan demanded unification, many of the tribes submitted and joined the rising power, yet the most influential tribes refused and attempted to fight back, believing they could destroy the upstarts, but were quickly crushed. The warring period of the Shanak was over, but their homes were ravished and their fields were barren and their towns were ablaze.  So, following the newly proclaimed Khanmyr Drazhan, they gathered together in a great Host and set off into the wilds.
While much of this is likely fictional and lumps together the work of many into one man, archeological evidence supports that following the domestication of the horse, Shanak society quickly unified, which gives some credence to these early legends. 
=== Middle History ===
The Middle History of the Shanak is much better documented, especially as the stories told by the Shanak are corroborated by numerous other contemporary sources, such as the early Ischanori and Baszku kingdoms. These sources show a vast, elite host of mounted warriors who settled in towns for periods of the year, and at other times lived on the move in a large caravan of people. They also speak of how the Shanak Host often raided settlements of weaker peoples, giving them a reputation for merciless raiders among several groups.  However, these sources also show them fighting in organised conflicts, such as being hired as mercenaries by several states during the First Warring States period of the Baszku Kingdom. This, among with agreements with other rising powers, saw them roaming through both the wild and claimed lands of Kejafros. Throughout the year, the Host could be seen migrating down through Southern Kejafros and the Baszku Kingdom, North through several city states and kingdoms, and back into the vast unclaimed wilds of the continent, where they would set up their villages. However, this semi-nomadic lifestyle did harm early attempts at industrialization and centralisation, with most still seeing their tribes as more important than the Host as a whole. 
Soon however, the inter-tribal system began to cause issues, which came to a head following the ascension of Khanmyr Drazhan IV. Several of the constituent tribes of the Host attempted to break away, stating their anger that only those of the Drazhan line led them as their main grievance. The Khanmyr, not wishing to see the Host collapse and the Shanak return to their old ways of constant warring, chose to establish a council known as the Thakkor, where each tribe had a representative voted upon by their tribal members, who would advise the Khanmyr. Thus, the Shanak Host abandoned its autocratic ways and a strong cultural support of democracy was born. 
As more and more states began to centralise and expand, the wild lands the Shanak made their villages in began to dwindle. Each year, there was less and less for them to roam freely, yet their treaties were still in place which allowed for their migration through various other nations. Khanmyr Drazhan VI attempted to negotiate treaties keeping some land available for the Host, yet the leaders of the various surrounding nations ignored these pleas and continued their expansion. The various Shanak villages which had been established were forced to rejoin up with the Host when their land was annexed, causing strain on their food and other supplies. 
After a while, the Shanak began to find issues migrating as the urbanisation of the surrounding lands created issues with their semi-nomadic lifestyle, and for the first time since their tribal period, they began to settle down in force, with the entire Host creating a sprawling settlement and beginning large scale agriculture to feed the mass of people. However, without their knowledge, Ischanor had claimed the land, assuming the Shanak would just migrate from the area at some point. When the first Ischanori settlers arrived, far from finding a lush paradise of unpopulated fields and forests, they found the sprawling encampment of the Shanak Host. The local king, who was apart of Ischanor, sent messengers demanding that the Shanak leave what he saw as Ischanori land, which they refused. He sent a small force to push them out, believing they were little more than a disorganised rabble, and was shocked when they were defeated. Before further escalation could occur, the Ischanori king began negotiations with the Shanak Host, which culminated with the Shanak acknowledging the Ischanori land claims, on the condition that they would not be acted upon until the Shanak Host had left the area. And this is how the Shanak stayed for years, living in their village in Ischanor, keeping their traditions alive and well while other groups perished or were assimilated. 
=== Modern History ===
Modern Shanak History began when one of the Ischanori constituent king’s sought to act on the claim to the land the Shanak Host was encamped upon. They first asked the Host depart, then demanded, and when they were refused both times, began to scheme. When a disease ran rampant within the Host, which killed a large amount of their population and livestock, they took advantage of their weakened status. They demanded the Shanak leave once more, threatening force, while also offering aid against the disease if they complied. Khanmyr Drazhan VIII gave the choice directly to the people in a referendum, who voted to accept the offer and leave the land. Thus, with a ravaged population but a strong spirit, the Shanak left Ischanor. They came across a small nation, the ‘Customer and Labour Protection Agency’, and were given permission to live within the nation. 
Some in the Host wished to go back to their semi-nomadic traditions, but the size of the Host meant they had to settle down. Soon, smoke rose from their houses, sitting behind a sturdy wooden palisade. Children played in the streets, while their parents toiled away. Their herd of horses roamed free, with guards watching over them, still conspicuous of their new found allies. Crops grew in freshly tilled soil, while wild game still served as sustenance for the assorted Host. Yet behind all of this, the Thakkor was meeting, for they had choices to make. They saw how in the south, instead of the importance of culture and tradition, loyalty to the state and ideology was paramount. The reasoned that, in order to survive and maybe even thrive in these lands, they must adopt these ways, at least partially. A vote was held in the central hall of the village of the Shanak Host, from which a new way forward was decided. While the system of tribes was still important, and each Shanak could vote for their tribal Thakmar in the Thakkor, a shared Shanak identity was officially endorsed by the Host. Furthermore, the communal traditions of the Shanak and the Host were somewhat adapted, seeing communal storage created and the people’s work going towards aiding the Host as a whole, along with several other reforms to make the economy overall more Xeroist. The most important reforms, which broke centuries of tradition, were the political ones. The first was that a second person would rule alongside the Khanmyr, known as the Khanaka, who would share power with the Khanmyr. The second, more impactful change, was that the Thakkor took on a much more important role, going from merely advising the Khanmyr to having the power over several matters of internal policy, such as the law of the Host. Lastly, it was institutionalised that the Thakkor elect the Khanmyr and Khanaka, while it previously had just been convention. All of these changes came together to form the basics of 'Drazhanic Xeroism', adpoting the economic and political ideals of Xeroism, yet merging them with Shanak traditions. 
The people were split. The common people of the Host embraced it, the system being much more democratic and the economy more about aiding them. Most of the Thakmar also saw this, yet a minority pushed back against these changes, seeing their culture as being eradicated, which they had fought for generations to prevent. They had stormed out of the Thakkor when the first reform was mentioned, stating that the They armed in defence of tradition, while the people armed in defence of the new ways. Blood would be spilled, the tribes would once more be at war, the Host would collapse and the Shanak would fall. The traditional Thakmar gathered their small retinues together in the central hall, while the people and the loyal Thakmar gathered outside. But just before the first arrows were exchanged, the Khanmyr rode between the two groups atop a pure white Myr, reminiscent of the tale of the first Khanmyr. He chastened both groups, telling them he was ashamed to call himself Shanak, and that their ancestors would not wish to see their people at each others throats. Then, he told them that if this was the course they were set on, he would leave, as to not witness the disgrace they were to commit. Just as he turned his horse to leave, one of the warriors raised their bow in salute, before throwing it down. He stopped his horse. A second warrior followed the example of the first, then a third. As the assembled warriors did this one after another, those who had been loyal to the rebellious Thakmar drew their weapons on them, determined to show their loyalty to their Khanmyr. He called out to them, bidding they stay their hand. He rode over to the hall and addressed the gathered Thakmar, personally forgiving each one in turn. He promised them that, while the Host was changing, they were all still Shanak, and nothing would change that, and that the reforms would not compromise the Shanak people or their culture. The Thakmar thanked him for his mercy and rejoined their compatriots. Peace was restored to the Host, and the reforms began to be implemented. 
However, another large change would soon throw the future of the Host into flux. The nation which they had settled in sold its land to the Xeroist Republic of ZIlatra. Instantly, the Host found itself encamped upon land which they had no agreements to, and which was owned by those who were so different from the traditions and customs of the Host. The Thakkor convened and decided to send a delegation to the Zilatrans to attempt to come to an agreement about their encampment. The Khanmyr and Khanaka, along with a small escort, rode through the Zilatran lands. They marvelled at the cities and towns, so different from those their people had grown accustomed to. Almost immediately upon entering Zilatra, a large force of armed agents dressed in black met them, demanding to know their reasoning for entering Zilatra, armed as they were.  The Khanmyr assured the agents they meant no harm and simply sought to discuss with the ZIlatran leadership regarding several issues. Furthermore, he made a show of unstringing his bow, and bid his retinue do the same. After this, the agents escorted the party along the roads of Zilatra. After a while, the two parties reached the Zilatran capital of Gaszalasi. They rode up to the Worker’s Palace, where they were met by the General Secretary and Deputy Secretary. The Khanmyr requested that the Shanak Host be permitted to officially settle in the lands of their current encampment. Both Zilatran officials stated that they would agree to the official settlement of the Shanak Host in Zilatra, on the condition that the ZSD do checks on the members of the Host, as they do with all immigrants into the nation. The Khanmyr and Khanaka discussed and eventually agreed to their proposal. Thus, the Shanak Host settled down in Zilatra, beginning a new period in their history.
Category:Kejafros
Category:Abexilas
Category:Zilatra
Category:Ischanor