| Arano | ||
|---|---|---|
 An Arano warrior hailing from Jord | ||
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Height |
5'8" to 6'5" | |
|
Weight |
140-180 pounds | |
|
Form |
Man | |
|
Lifespan |
70-80 years | |
|
| ||
The Arano (Aranese: Λɾɾʌᴀ, tr. Arran) or Arän (Doma: Λʀʌʌи) are a race of Men primarily inhabiting areas of southeastern Atheryin. They are distinct from other races of men, both culturally and physiologically, due to long-term isolation and interbreeding with nearby Trynra and Admáen early in their history. Arano generally is used as a blanket term to describe an ethnic phenotype of men along the Himara Peninsula and the Isles of Triamar, within which several distinct cultures have developed. The primary language among Arano islanders is traditional Aranese, though mainland Arano populations speak the more widespread Doma as a result of widespread influence from the Himara Empire.
Etymology[]
The term Arano is thought to find its roots in early Fínnan languages, with the term Ara referring to those Fínnan with an aptitude for magic. Historically, these Ara were known to be separate from the Déu, those with no ability in magic. Though the terminology had little weight in early Fínnan culture, as men spread off of Hithfaerthel, it became a cultural identifier to distinguish those who stayed in ancestral homelands, versus those who left. Often, Déu were more inclined to leave their homelands to travel elsewhere, with Ara remaining, as their practice of magic was crucial to religious ceremonies and ancestral history.
As Fínnan spread and diverged into broader ethnic groups, the term Déu began to fade, while the Ara developed a culture of their own. The term soon grew to include every man in Hithfaerthel and the southern isles and peninsulas, regardless of attachment to magic, as northern men began to separate themselves from their southern ancestors.
With contact from Admáen and Trynra from the north, encroaching on the Ara's homeland, new linguistic influences began to shape the cultures of men in the south. With Proto-Doma dialects emerging, the mainland Ara soon came to call themselves Ara'an, or possibly Arra'an among Triamar locales. The 'an prefix is believed to be an identifier of national or ethnic unity, similar to the modern Dunaan -an or Dael -ann or -aen. This is thought to be the result of encroaching Trynra influence in the area, leading the men to rally around a national ideal that put their people on a higher pedestal. Admáen scholars are known to have recorded this change, with Kaslea calling the men of the south "...loosely organized, but bound by common ancestry." He goes on further to say "...though strength between communities is sparse, their name, Arano, is often invoked as a powerful ancestral war cry." It is believed, based on Kaslea's Kings of the South, that the term Arano was an Admáen exonym that simplified the native Ara'an to a more palatable Elven term.
History[]
Origins[]
The concept of an Arano ethnicity began with local groups of men in the southeastern regions of Atheryin, whose ancestors were the original Fínnan. An Arano identity likely grew out of threats from outside peoples such as the Admáen and Trynra, in an attempt to rally around common ancestral homelands of importance to most men of the time. This shift from Fínnan to Arano likely occured during the Mid-Late Kudes Era, or perhaps Early Dawn Era, after the Fínnan Dissolution gave rise to several independent warbands along the Himara Peninsula.
The "first" strictly Aranese culture on record is believed to be the early Thjun, followers of Torid the Lion (Torid Hrår), who ventured southward from the Hebena Valley in search of a mythical promised land. The Thjun drew their distinction from Kul and the Leithin by worship of Kaibir as their chief god, rejecting the ideal that Kutsal was the savior of man. This religious distinction marked an attachment to early animist roots that would go on to culturally shape the Arano into a far different ethnic group than their northern brothers.
Contact and assimilation with small Trynra populations led the Arano to absorb bits and pieces of a unique culture of which little is known about. Much of rich Trynra customs helped to shape the Arano into distinct mainland and islander cultures—where mainlanders became more unique and pastoral, Arano along the Triamar Archipelago remained largely unchanged by outside culture, giving way to the Doma-Arano distinction. A cultural rift between the regions grew, and with contact from the enigmatic Pankaraan Hekame around Kudes 808, the Arano developed a more distinct culture from the Leithin in the north from which they originated. By the end of the Kudes Era, established Aranese settlements along the Himara Peninsula and the Isles of Triamar were beginning to grow into vibrant and distinct cultural hubs, marked by a large north-south divide between the Doma and traditional Arano, respectively.
The First Kingdoms (Early Dawn Era)[]
After a period of general unrest and migration throughout southeastern Atheryin, the Arano began to settle into stable communities that developed national identities very quickly. The first kingdom to emerge from the Aranese warbands was Thjunnis, a precursor state to modern Thunna. Thjunnis originally comprised several associated town, extending from its seat of power in early Jahwulth, and east along the coasts and plains straddling the Hath Mountains, loosely ending near a collection of large nomadic civilizations known as Lai. Torid the Lion and his successors conceived the idea of a united warband, in order to ward off increasingly intrusive Admáen, as well as itinerant Trynra missionaries. The creation of states among the Arano was as much about national unity as it was about religious sovereignty.
Threats of an overexpansive Thjunnis was a concern of Dekan Göro, a great and ruthless warlord commanding several locales across the western steppes of the Himara Peninsula, and led to the formation of the Skerheim, an alliance of towns and warbands in modern Biirun, Skagoe, and parts of Jord. War between the Skerheim and Thjunnis loomed overhead for several decades, but mostly amounted to petty skirmishes and squabbles over small settlements within Jord and the greater Hath.
Mounting concerns of violence led to the genesis of a state called Seonnan, whose holdings primarily consisted of fishing villages across Triamar, Gelinnastor, and Buchanor, as well as parts of southern Hithfaerthel. Although beginning as a relatively weak collective of towns, Seonnan grew to become a vast and expansive settlement across these isles, taking advantage of ample fish, whale, and crab resources in the reefs throughout the archipelago. The discovery of Mithril deposits within Triamar and Aringen's upper hills gave the Seonnan people an upper hand in trade agreements with mainlanders, as well as sturdy weaponry to defend themselves.
These three legendary warbands existed without widespread war for much of the Dawn Era, until the second coming of Reylas on Growth 1 sparked a religious awakening that would ultimately shape Arano history forever.
Return to Reora & The Rise of Thiudgarda (Growth Era)[]
The second passing of Reylas on Growth 1 was an immensely important day in Arano history, signifying to holy men that Sun Giant had overcome Kutsal's will and transcended, after he was thought to have perished during the Fall of Eolas. Following this revelation, Dymos the Wise, a great prophet and folk hero in Jahwulth, proclaimed that a great spiritual warlord, called the Thiudgarda, must rise up to unite the Arano and reconquer Hithfaerthel.
Naturally, this gave rise to nearly every major warlord in the region to lay claim to the title, especially those leading the three First Kingdoms. Many small warbands attempted to reconquer Hithfaerthel and Reora, but were largely unsuccessful due to a lingering Wraith population across Hithfaerthel, likely linked to the earlier Reora Exodus.
A young mercenary, named Keir Fire-Hand, attended a bailä between the Skerheim, Thjunnis, and Seonnan tribes in Growth 39. This meeting was being held to deliberate over a solution to the tumultuous power vacuum the change in ideology had caused, ultimately resulting in all attending warlords arguing drunkenly over territory and celestial birthrights. Keir appealed to the court, claiming he and his rogue warband could reconquer Hithfaerthel and Reora for the highest bidder. Outraged and insulted, powerful Hath warlords Thornheim and Skalthr challenged the mercenary to a vuur, a common Aranese duelling challenge issued when one feels their honor is insulted. This ended as none expected: Keir had been wielding what would later become a sought-after artifact throughout Atheryin, Keir's Hands, and killed both challengers in a flurry of magic flames.