WIP Empire of Jinya

- Empire of Jinya -

- General –

One of the three alaerin stellar nations, separated from the Commonwealth Conglomerate of Syryesia by the Council Sovereignty of Alarie.  Of the three nations, they are the most militaristic, and the most closely rooted to their specie's tribal origins.  They place great emphasis on personal, familial,

- Political-

One of the three alaerin stellar nations, separated from the Commonwealth Conglomerate of Syryesia by the Council Sovereignty of Alarie.  Although they are not hostile to the CCS, nor the CSA, they are not necessarily hospitable either.  More than anything, they concern themselves with their own affairs, and would prefer that other nations do the same, no matter what specie they come from.  Of the three alaerin nations, the Empire has the most stringent immigration, trade, and visitation policies, not only relating to the ideology above, but also that too many conflicting interest would hamper national strength.

In general, they are the nation most closely resembling their tribal origins, with family and political structures reflecting that. The capitol world is Jinya, situated roughly in the center of the empire. The highest government is the High Council of Jinya, consisting of representatives form all Jinyan colonies. Within the Council is the Imperial Court, which reigns above the representatives, and are the most central authority. It consists of the most distinguished Jinyan generals, admirals, and heads of States on the planet of Jinya. While discussion is permitted, and advice often taken from representatives from other worlds, it is the Imperial Court which finalizes general policy among the empire.

Although empire wide policy is formed on Jinya, primarily affecting the general army and space navy, all colonies have some sense of self governance. Planets typically have a Planetary Council, made up of those deemed most capable of forming planetary policy, mostly consisting of military officials and some elected representatives, chosen either by extended family tribes or cities.  There are levels of governance on all planets, but all are more likely to answer from the top down than the bottom up.

- Societal -

Family makeup is very tribal/clan like in nature. Families are often large, and are led by elders within. Though mostly made up of non-psions, psions carry the strongest voices, as they carry the remnants of the old fathers.  In keeping in their ancient traditions, they wisdom and advice of psions carries more weight, due to their ability to form deep psychic connections with other family members.

As per their tradition, the line of the father takes the head of family leadership, and while alaerin are of mixed lineage, they are considered to members of the family of the fatheress. It is the fatheress's line which takes greater claim to a child than the birth mother's. If a child is born of parents from Jinya and either the CSA or CSS, Jinyan clans will claim greater ownership of the child, even if the fatheress was from one of the other two nations.

The most important aspect of an individual to Jinyan's is strength, whether it be of body, mind, or moral fortitude. Individual alaerin are encouraged to prove themselves in any way they can. It would be unfair to say that families don't always love their children, but strong children are favored over weak ones.  Refusal or inability of individuals to demonstrate their worth in some way is not viewed highly.  This does not mean that individuals are encouraged to do erroneous or excessively dangerous things just to say they can, but bringing honor through ones actions to one's self and one's clan is encouraged and supported.

As personal prowess is highly valued, especially in a marital sense, firearms and close combat weapons are highly common within their society. There are police on all colonies, usually just a more civilian branch of the military, but serve their purpose of keeping the general order. Crimes, such as theft and murder, are comparatively low, due to a widespread armed and trained populace. At the same time, dueling as a matter of conflict resolution is not uncommon, and while often not fatal, certain forms of dueling, depending on the nature of the offense, certainly can be.

- Art and Apparel -

Three things which usually identify an alaerin as a citizen of Jinya are their tattoos, clothing, and hair styling. Tattoos are extremely common among all Jinyans, regardless of social standing. Upon the outer shoulders are to be found the family crests of their father line, on the right, and the mother line, on the left. Beyond this, patterns can vary, though they often symbolize status, profession, a gift from family, or personal appeal. Often the most intricate and elaborate patterns are found on the front and/or back sides of the torso, and can run from the face down to the lower legs, covering the body depending on how intricate the pattern. These frequently symbolize the most significant events within the individual alaerin's life, and are sometimes representations of what might be considered "rights of passage," or actions which have demonstrated the capability of the individual. Body piercing is not practiced, viewed as self-mutilation, and destructive of natural beauty, rather than additive as tattoos are.

Clothing in Jinya is more oriented toward function than fashion, and of the three alaerin nations, the Jinyans adorn the simplest garments. While varying by family, ethnicity, city, region, colony, and climate, as well as personal preference, their garments include things from simple loin cloths, to slit skirts and tops, to what might resemble Chinese dresses, as well as pants and other comfortable wear. Clothing which restricts movement is considered foolish, and when attacked one should retain maximum range of body movement.  Thus dress which allows a body's full range of motion is favored. Though generally simple, some clothing is more ornate, depending on status and how much effort an individual puts into the design. Jewelry is not common, and often considered frivolous in general, as it can impair combative abilities by injuring the wearer. However, some forms of bracelets, necklaces, anklets, and decorative belts can be found.

Jinyans, like other alaerin, do wear long hair, though it tends to be the shortest of the three nations, rarely passing the waist, even in psions, as it will at that point interfere with movement. Those who believe hair is especially self-limiting, as it can be grabbed, will cut it especially short. More so than any other nation is the abundance of dreadlocks, as they allow hair to be worn longer and tied back more easily. Beyond that, artistry is much like any other nation.

- Military -

The Empire of Jinya boasts the largest standing army and navy of the three Jinyan nations by far, with around 20% of the total adult population in its general employ in some way. Beyond this, all able bodied adults are considered as militia, and are capable of aiding the standing army in times of invasion. Further, most children are trained in some type of martial training, often before the age of ten. It could be said that all Jinyans are part of their military, but this is an oversimplification.

The concept of soldier, in the sense of someone who participates in the armed service for a job or career, as is often seen in the CSA and CCS, is not really seen in Jinya. Instead, as a matter of societal and ancestral tradition, Jinyans prefer the concept of warrior, one for whom martial training and service are a life calling. They are trained form a young age, and continue to train in everything from unarmed combat to at least some basic vehicle operation for most of their lives. Duties range from active paroling of borders, law enforcement, to guarding important facilities in addition to being ready for any invasion.  This does not mean that warriors cannot engage in other activities and items of business, but they are secondary.

Warrior codes of honor are held to more strongly than in any other nation, with honor, sincerity, loyalty, patriotism, justice, and compassion being paramount, among other things. It is believed that she who protects others should have the moral compass to do so, and personal integrity is more expected of warriors than in the general population. At the very least, lack thereof is penalized more strongly in military than it is in the general population.

- Education -

The schooling system and apprenticeship systems are basically the same as the other two nations, though there is a much heavier emphasis on military oriented professions, such as weapon and vehicle design.

- Industry -

The excessive emphasis on military production over other facets of their economy means they have a large armada, ample troops, and fairly sophisticated military technology. However, generally speaking, consumer technologies are of inferior quality to those seen in CSA, and especially those in CCS.

- Relations with Other Cultures -

Jinyans, at least for a long time, are apprehensive of humans in general, especially since humanities first contact was the annihilation of a colony and a war which cost thousands of lives. As such, human travel within Jinya has been prohibited, and a large number of patrol ships have since been guarding their border worlds and their borders with the NSL and UEC, as well as those of the CSA due to increasing human presence. Humans at first are viewed as weak an inferior in many ways to alaerin, and Jinyans specifically. Whereas CSA and CCS alaerin were viewd as more juvenile siblings, humans seem as little more than toddlers, or even needy infants.

This holds even more true as the vaenia are discovered, to which many Jinyans don't even know how to respond - that creatures so minuscule could get anywhere in their existence is completely bizarre, but still looked even more down upon than humans.

The negativity though, seems to stem primarily from the eldest among Jinyans, most reluctant to change, and those who value strength especially highly, such as many in the military. Though alaerin whom are the least sensitive in general, they are still alaerin, and are fairly good natured, curious, and respectful. Many in Jinya do wish to interact with other species, some fiding the notion of having a smaller friend rather appealing, as well as some in the military viewing smaller races as something they can take care of and protect. While there may be more demeaning remarks to be found in Jinya than in the CSA and CCS regarding smaller races, courtesy is important for warriors, and they would not treat them poorly. As more and more other species are encountered, and the isolation that the Jinyan government has imposed on it's citizenry more unlikely to last, more Jinyans may get the chance to explore, it may be likely that the overall view they hold will change.

With regard to other alaerin, Jinyans still participate in multi-national conferences, sports, travel, and trade, for the view of their governments are not necessarily shared by their populace.