Arnadjanai

The **Arnadjanai** are a race of humanoids who originated from the distant planets of Wosono and Laduran.

## Characteristics

### Physical

Most Arnadjanai are peach-skinned (or tan in hot lands), with blue eyes and blond hair, and muscular bodies that would make them look like athletes. Their bodies tend to be tougher, stronger, and a little heavier than those of ordinary humans, although this also means that they can be clumsier.

Their brains are a little bigger and heavier than those of humans, allowing them to learn faster. However, their minds are more easily traumatised.

They can see better than humans in far distances or in darkness, but humans can beat them in reading smaller and nearer texts.

Female adult Arnadjanai may also tend to be more fertile than humans, usually bearing two or three children.

Arnadjanai live slightly longer lifespans than their Epadwaranai and human counterparts. They remain young adults up to around the age of sixty, and after that they start to become more elderly.

Although Arnadjanai females have a gestation time of around two to four months, eating certain herbs accelerates the pregnancy to up to one month at most, and four days at least.

#### Feral Arnadjanai

Without proper care and nutrition during the first week from birth, any Arnadjanai will rapidly age to adulthood in a timespan from one year to as fast as four days, with less intelligence and more aggression, and then they live as adults for around forty years. They also understand up to some basic conversations from the language of one of their parents and some combat, stored in their DNA: this ability also helped normal Arnadjanai learn faster. Such Arnadjanai are considered to be "feral", and they have a reddish tone in their skin.

Any offspring from ferals live and develop as though they were born from normal Arnadjanai parents.

### Psychological

Arnadjanai are more prone to aggression, irritation, and anger. When angered enough, any Arnadjan would enter into a frenzied state of violent rage that lasts for a few minutes. Males can be more easily-angered than females, although female Arnadjanai would also attack with much cruelty when provoked.

Violence is a frequent urge in many Arnadjanai, usually appearing from as young as eight years in childhood, puberty, or at one's sixteenth birthday. To satisfy their urge to fight and beat up something, most Arnadjanai have a dummy or object to punch and pick. If they do not fight for up to two or four weeks, they will become more frustrated and will seek a fight, as if they are starving, and only after they punch, kick, or get into a scuffle (and then hit something or someone), they return to normal.

Arnadjanai have stronger desires and fiery tempers than humans, but they can control themselves with a lot of training at a young age.

Due to their tougher bodies and heavier weight, Arnadjanai tend to be clumsy.

Arnadjanai love hugs, cuddles, and brushing their hair.

## History

### Ladura and prior

On the planet of Wosono, the Arnadjanai were descendants of several tribes and races of Wosonoi that migrated to an easterly continent, created by a team of Vigefionian scientists as mockeries of their debased civilisation. After millennia of savage warmongering, reckless violence, metallurgy, rampant multiplication, and assimilation into occasional Epadwaranai culture; they learned to fly and build spacefaring vessels by stealing ships in search of new lands and more resources to plunder, and to take vengeance against their creators. In times of shortage, they even engaged in cannibalism by killing weaker members and slaves to produce meat, or they raided other humanoids to eat their meat. It was the Arnadjanai who ended the Vigefionians' reign of terror by invading the Vigefionian research stations on and orbiting the planet, and eating their rulers before lauching raids and hunts across the Galaxy.

The Arnadjanai of Laduran developed into three races: the Naumakānir ("ship-folk"), the Lūvundarai ("horse-tribes"), and the Parapaxai. The Naumakānir follow the esoteric Transcendent religion; the Lūvundarai practice a nomadic lifestyle under the leadership of hundreds of patriarchal and matriarchal clans; and the Parapaxai follow a militaristic, sedentary lifestyle. The Naumakānir and the Parapaxai had modified themselves to become more organised and stable, and less promiscuous, and only in later times did the Lūvundarai adopt similar modifications as they became more intelligent.

The Naumakānir took over the whole planet from the Lūvundarai despots and built their own space empire; but in the process of "perfecting" themselves for their god, they became so sterile and weak that they had to clone themselves in order to reproduce. This opened their civilisation to attacks from the Lūvundarai and Parapaxai, who revolted and defeated the poor defenses of their Naumakānir overlords, and enslaved any that they did not kill in their bloodlust.

As the Lūvundarai outnumbered the other two races in Laduran, their clans split up and tore the planet into centuries of scattered rule by tribal clans and hordes. Many tribes also committed gruesome ceremonies where victims were either mutilated, killed, burned alive, or buried alive as offerings to their gods. When their planet was invaded by another galactic empire, many Lūvundarai fled to other planets, including Jerde where they raided and plundered as many nearby settlements as they found.

To stop their further attacks, the other civilisations enslaved the Lūvundarai, with several clans and runaways forming their own pirate kingdoms at the southwestern coast of Randros. These pirate kingdoms became more civilised as they learned from other cultures, until they were also enslaved by the Thralondian Empire. This caused many Arnadjanai to scatter into other countries, who either welcomed them as useful assets against the Thralondian invaders or kept them as slaves and beasts.

## Culture

See also: Arnadjanai languages, Arnadjanai glossary

Most Arnadjanai were descendants of the nomadic Lūvundarai ("Horse-tribes") race from the planet Wosono, so many of their traditions involve wearing (mostly-red) woolen robes, riding and tending herds of horses, archery, saunas (which are enjoyed especially by their women), fighting, sports, and burying their honoured dead in sacred mounds known as "kurgans". While they used to stay around the towns of their clans, modern Arnadjanai are permitted to live anywhere as they wish, provided that they are able to return to meet their families at least once or twice a year for their honour.

Arnadjanai cuisine mostly involves meat from deer and other ungulates, accompanied by herbs and fruit. They also distill milk and grape wine.

Like the related Heronoi race, Arnadjanai love the colour blue. They prefer darker shades of blue.

While ancient Arnadjanai traded using tokens carved from animals' bones, their descendants use metallic coins and paper notes like their compatriots.

All Arnadjanai are urged by their cultural traditions to be warriors from childhood, as that helped their ancestors avoid being enslaved, sacrificed in murderous rituals, or killed by rival tribes; although in many modern societies this custom has become more relaxed as social mobility and modernisation have led to a greater variety of available occupations. It is not just men and boys who were to be warriors, but also women and girls as well to ensure that the whole tribe will be able to fend off and fight their enemies -- hence myths by other peoples about dim-witted, golden-haired maidens who ride to pillage and plunder (and get as much cosmetics and men as possible). In fact, one ancient tradition no longer practiced required women to bring the heads of three slain enemies in order to be married: it is continued in some Arnadjanai communities in the form of using wind chimes. On the other hand, it had also led to widespread cases of bullying against both females and males alike to humiliate supposed "weaklings" and force them to become warriors.

The Arnadjanai dread lunar eclipses, or anything that looks like a red moon. In such times, some Arnadjanai begin copulating as a form of stress relief, while others simply stay away from moonlight. Any exposure to the light of a lunar eclipse can drive them into a frenzied panic.

### Gender

Aside from a need for survival or a hunger for power and adventure, their warrior customs were also shaped by their traditional gender roles, which divide their people into a duality of categories of males ("the protectors") and females ("the caretakers"). How much power, rights, and responsibilities the respective genders have vary between the traditions of each clan. The majority of Arnadjanai clans allow both males and females to have equal rights and responsibilities, but their decisions usually favour males as they are considered to be "stronger" and "more stable". A few other clans subject their females to be subservient to their males, and a bigger portion of those other clans (known locally as "Mazanarai" and by others as "amazons") make their females dominant.

## Modernisation

Most Arnadjanai today have become so assimilated into the cultures of their countries, that many of them do not practice their culture or speak their native language. The Bherusai of western Randros are more like the Pelarinoi of the north, worshipping the sun and valuing literature; the Arnadjanai who live on the tropical highlands west of Vozolaz live either as hardy mountain folk or pampered urban socialites like their brethren at Turodaron further south; those of southern Kitasa work in research stations or eke a living by catching seafood; and those of Bujan and Irajon mostly live as classy city folk who get conscripted, with a minority working as farmers and fisherfolk. Of all of these communities, the seafaring Arnadjanai of Jenomboro (from a word in their language that means "nine mountains") have retained most of their native culture.

Nowadays, as the Arnadjanai adapt into the modernised settings of their societies; even though sexism and the ensuing bullying is still a lingering problem in many of their communities, the influence of those varying gender roles have been loosened or displaced by local customs.

In many countries, Arnadjanai and Heronoi are allowed to practice polygamy, due to stereotypical views about their unusually-strong lust. However, this also leads to Arnadjanai being laughed at as stupid or primitive, as polygamy is seen as indicative of poor intelligence. Because of this poor treatment, Arnadjanai in those countries practice monogamy to avoid public ridicule.

### Bujanski Arnadjanai

See also: Bujanski Arnadjanai

For instance, in Bujan, most male Arnadjanai emulate any male subculture they stumble upon, ranging from military brats to formal gentlemen and scientists or street urchins; and a growing number of girls and women prefer the way of the proper lady over the path of the warrior.

Therefore, they emulated and assimilated themselves into Bujanski society, hoping that the wider populace would treat them with the respect that they needed. In return for helping the revolutionaries defeat and expel the Wannaenid rulers from Bujan, the Arnadjanai who chose to remain in Bujan are now regarded as one of Bujan's main populations. Their cultures are treated as protected minorities, and the city of Nasarpollo (which has an Arnadjanai majority) was given autonomy as a constituent "republic", at the same level as the native dukes.

Arnadjanai are permitted by law to practice polygamy due to their historical associations with open marriages and "debauchery". Although polygamy is not illegal for them, Bujanski society laughs at polygamous people as "stupid", and such households as "pigstys". Due to this, many Arnadjanai adopt heterosexual, monogamous relationships to fit into Bujanski society and avoid bullying.

Bujanski Arnadjanai have developed three languages or dialects: East, Urban, and Nasarpollian. East Bujanski Arnadjanai is used by a minority of fisherpeople and farmers along the eastern coast; Urban Arnadjanai is used by those living near the capital of Koscheigrad; and Nasarpollian (the language of Nasarpollo) is used as the standard for Arnadjanai-speakers and school textbooks.

### Heronoi Arnadjanai

The earliest Arnadjanai who arrived at Heronoja were fugitives that sought refuge into the kingdom. For helping the Heronoi expel the Thralondians, the remaining Arnadjanai slaves of Heronoja were granted citizenship: like other recognised minorities, they can sit alongside Heronoi at reserved places rather than with the foreigners.

However, another group of Arnadjanai exist along the eastern provinces, that being the Waxeroi. The Waxeroi were descendants of Arnadjanai who intermarried with Heronoi centuries ago, and they still regard themselves as Heronoi in spite of their mixed ancestry. Waxeroi tend to be stronger and more obsessive than average Heronoi, and for their loose sexuality in older times they were regarded as disgusting freaks.

Many Waxeroi left Heronoja to avoid being murdered by angry mobs, who blamed them for the Thralondian Invasion. The series of deadly disasters that struck Heronoja afterwards were considered as a curse from the Gods for the murders of many Waxeroi men, women, and children.

Centuries later, King Atozajoro became an outcast in his own kingdom because he wanted to reconcile with the Waxeroi and pardon them. Some Waxeroi still live in Heronoja, mostly protected by the Arnadjanai, Norse, and Rakolan minorities, who re-registered them as Arnadjanai. In spite of their ID cards' status, they all still considered themselves to be as Heronoi as the purebloods around them.

## Religion

See also: Arnadjanai mythology

The native Arnadjanai religion, known as Javarau, is a polytheistic religion that worships many gods using idols.

Whenever a leader dies, he or she is cremated, and his or her ashes are interred into a mound-tomb known as a *kurgan*.

Most Bujanski Arnadjanai have converted to Rodnovery, as they consider the Bujanski version of the Slavic faith to be a path to modernity and freedom from poverty and suffering. It is also to avoid mockery from the rest of Bujan and stereotypes of themselves as primitive cavepeople.

## Terminology

* Arnadjan - a single Arnadjanai regardless of gender
* Arnadjar - a male Arnadjanai
* Arnadjari - a female Arnadjanai
* Arnadjanai - multiple Arnadjanai

### Positive

* Champion
* Darling
* Amazon (female)
* Hunk
* Chevalier, cavalier
* Vira (strong man, warrior, hero)
* Sakrar (hero)
* Bogatyr

### Negative

* Pointy-hats, pointy
* Ape
* Ogre
* Orc
* Blonde Orc
* Cannibal
* Barbarian
* Savage
* Brute
* Blonde brute
* Caveman, cavewoman, cavepeople
	+ "Pischa", crossing the word for "cave" with a curse word referring to women or failure, is considered a racist word in Bujan, preferrably not to be uttered. Not even Arnadjanai women, who consider vulgar words to be more acceptable, would dare use it among themselves.
* Stone Age
* Stone Age Boy/Stone Age Girl
* Doll
* Breeder
* Beast
	+ "Zvaeri", meaning "Beast" in Bujanski, was a commonly-used slur towards Arnadjanai people due to them being strong and primitive.

## Trivia

* The Arnadjanai were inspired by Nordic aliens; barbarians; Amazons; cavemen; and Orcs in fantasy works. Their traditional cultures resemble those practiced by Scythian tribes (as the author linked "Nordic" with "Aryan", and then "Iranian").
* In some way, the Arnadjanai correspond to orcs, even though they are blonde and blue-eyed like Europeans. It is from them resembling cavepeople with their muscular build and their aggressive and rude attitude.
* Whenever an Arnadjanai marries and produces a child with a human or an Epadwaranai, the resulting child is usually an Arnadjanai.
* In 2021, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu suggested making an army of clones from several Scythians found in a site somewhere in Tuva, in eastern Russia. This plan has not been implemented, as it is too difficult to clone a living human from a dead body in a similar manner to how Dolly the Sheep was made.
	+ Similarly, the Arnadjanai were created to be warriors, though not directed or commanded to fight an enemy. The Vigefionians who created them made the Arnadjanai as hunting beasts and prey.
* In 2022, Russian soldiers and nationalists are being called "orcs", because of their country's poverty and war crimes against the nation of Ukraine. It is also due to incidents where Russian tourists started harassing Ukrainian refugees or vandalising places with the Z-letter, a militarist symbol of hatred against everything Ukrainian.
	+ The author noticed that the Arnadjanai *are* the "orcs" in Bujan, a "Russian" society, a contrast against the Bujanski (who resemble Russians) who call them "orcs" for their vulgar behaviour.

## See also

* Epadwaranai, their more civilised cousins
	+ Heronoi
* Imdegabat
* Ontemazei
* Paxoti, an example of an Arnadjan from 1950s/2750s Bujan
* Lausorijo