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RacesUsajin

Homeworld: The Usajin are from Europa, one of Jupiter's moons. In many of their languages, it is referenced as one of the grooms of the Light (the planet of Jupiter itself), while the Dracion explorers that made true first contact called the moon "Kaagyarranill", after a legendary animal that could not be caught no matter how one chased it.

Physical Statistics

Usajin have good color vision normally, but do have trouble discerning between blue hues.

Diet

Usajin require 1,200~1,500 kCal worth of food each day, and are primarily herbivorous, though larger settlements have supplemented their diets with farmed insects. Greens and roots make the majority of Usajin cuisine, though many tougher veggies may be made into stews or baked. Plains Usajin also produce bread, using a corn-like plant as the primary grain, it is a sacred plant to the Lightwalkers and so the breads and ales produced from it are steeped in tradition and care, and are very high quality while being relatively affordable. The more mountainous clans replace the bread with many variety of nuts, and specially bred white-shelled varieties to represent the many stars in the sky.

Lifecycle

Population and nations

Approximate number of nations or factions on the home world: 58 major nations. (list goes here, maybe?)
Ethnicities:

• Alhegknir: The mountain-jumpers, primarily nocturnal. These usajin tend to be quite tall, with light skin and dark furs of black, brown, and grey. They usually have grey, blue, or green eyes, and are the only ethnicity to have green eyes with any regularity. Alhegknir are also known for their wide hips, and a common courting practice is for a female to lift a male by his hips to see how they feel.
• Fawlhwenin: The plainsrunners, primarily diurnal. These usajin have tanned skin and light fur, typically golds, yellows, and browns, though red is also common. Black, brown, and grey eyes are also the most common. Fawlhwenin also have the largest disparity between average heights for male and females, nearly a full 12 inches in difference. Being of the plains, the Fawlhwenin also have the longest tails of usajin, and it's a point of pride for both males and females to have long tail hair.
• Jao-hatlen: The ocean-travellers are evenly divided in habits of being diurnal or nocturnal, and usually have tanned skin regardless of cycle. Jao-hatlen tend to have black, blue, or grey hair, with brown or red eyes being the most common. Jao-hatlen have the widest prevalence of a mutation to allow them to eat meat easily, and they commonly eat fish in addition to the plants found in and around oceans.
• Lartrent: The hill-dwellers, mostly diurnal. These usajin have tanned or ruddy skin, and similar fur colors to the Fawlhwenin with red being more common. They usually have black or grey eyes, though blue eyes do show up. It is common for Lartrent females to grow their sideburns to great lengths and braid or decorate them. It is fashionable for males to pierce their ears with rings.
• Lekuleki: The river-bred, and mostly nocturnal. These usajin usually have pale, greyish skin, though they tan to a dark, reddish brown. Lekuleki usually have black, brown, or red hair, though grey shows up as well, and their eyes tend toward black and grey with the occasional blue. There is also a common mutation among Lekuleki that give them better vision through water, as well as ability to digest fish.
• Mamouninga: The hill-diggers, mostly nocturnal. These usajin have lightly tanned, greyish skin, though it darkens to brown, and to nearly black. Mamouninga usually have grey, blue, or white hair and fur, with black, brown, or red eyes. Mamouninga are also strongly affiliated with shadow magic, and are among the shortest Usajin, with females being 4-5 inches shorter than normal.

Approximate total population, rounded down: 1.2 billion as of 1950, with roughly 70% remaining on their homeworld.

Approximate tech level at the time of interstellar contact: Usajin were just beginning to work iron when the Dracion first visited, about 60 years before the Lielum made their own arrival and "officially" made First Contact. In those 60 years, the Usajin took knowledge from the Dracion visitors, quickly accelerating their growth of technology, and it is speculated had the Sinfin not arrived when they did, the Usajin and Dracion would have been the ones to make First Contact with the Lielum, perhaps in the 1960s.

Culture

Major works of art

• The Great Black One (Kwe-malaliru Tohany, in the original verson) is a poetic tale describing the creation of the Usajin from weak, four-legged beasts into the race they are now. The dragon dwelling in the night sky attempted to woo one of the grooms of the light, despite both being male. The dragon showered the groom with gifts of magic and insight, and even promised the groom children, if he would stay with him. The groom accepted these gifts, and even obeyed when the dragon asked him to cover his eyes while their children were being made. The dragon could not sire children with the groom, however, no matter how powerful his magic, and instead took several beasts, children of the Groom and the Light, and changed them, creating the Usajin. The Light later found out about this union, once she saw the "new" children upon her mate, and inquired about them. What happened next varies based on the tradition, but many say that the Light was angry, and the children keep to the dark to avoid angering her more. Some traditions, particularly by those who worship the Light, say that their true mother accepts them, and they worship their two fathers equally.
• Hetlabor, a beautiful sword of meteoric steel, said to bring victory to whosoever wields it in battle. It is light in decoration, though the crossguard and pommel of orichalcum could be considered works of art themselves. It currently is moved between one of eight temples throughout the plainslands at specified times throughout the year for ceremony.
• Veheynia t'y Kwastllin'a, a gigantic temple carved into a mountain over the course of 50 generations. It houses enough people to be considered a city, and is a repository for books and artworks from all over their world, forming one of the largest libraries on any inhabitable world.
• The Barrier of Lights, an enormous wall of lighthouses on the edge of the Dark Realms, built under Albahn the Brilliant's rule, it wasn't completed before her death, though work continued for some time afterward. It remains mostly unfinished to this day, with the original purpose behind its construction still wrapped in speculation. The amount of strange, magical beasts that can be seen on the other side of this wall lend some clue, though some are loathe to attribute any good to the brutal warqueen.

Heroes of History

• Aherynn Fwehelln is a legendary archer and medicine woman, known for her great intelligence and powers of shadow. It is said she was given one of the other Grooms as a mate upon discovering how to become immortal, as no record of her death is ever mentioned.
• Tehy Sworgall was a prince known for his trickery and bravery. Though he never ruled, he brought prosperity to his nation as an adviser, and actually fought on the battlefield with his iron blades, his skill with shadow arts spawning many a legend, and even thought he had body doubles because of his speed.

Villains of History

• Albahn the Brilliant, named instead for her extensive use of light-based magic, this brutal warlord conquered many tribes in the plains, uniting them forcefully under rule of the Light of Justice. She would obliterate entire settlements that fought against her, by army or by giant pillars of searing light. The united tribes remained so even after her reign, and the people of the plains still walk in the daylight. It is said the order of shadow assassins, the Nahateyny, was spawned out of the survivors of her attacks, and were responsible for her death.
• Mefisker and Majint, a married pair who wreaked havoc by attacking temples to loot and desecrate them. In the final fight to capture the couple, Mefisker lost his legs and Majint was blinded. They were sentenced to spend the rest of their lives bound in chains and crippled, and separated by iron bars and a torch that ruined any shadows, preventing them from ever escaping via their magic.

Common Taboos

Physical Expressions and Body Language

Supernatural Relations