Aarakan (Aah-rah-khan)

Aarakan are an alien species native to the Adran planet in the Eastern outer edges of the galaxy

Basic Information

Biological Traits

Aarakan are a bipedal sentient species much like humans. They have snow white skin that seems to be rather opaque, making it so the veins and arteries don't shine through the light pigment. Their eyes are very particular with a red sclera, medium gray irises and small circular pupils of a darker gray. Aarakan also have very sharp teeth all around, with small fangs in the front, followed by larger fangs in the teeth next to those and aside from those, the lower jaw also has 2 sharp "diamond" shaped tusks that cut through the lower lip. The tongue is also lightly pointed and of a bright red/pink hue. Their sharp silhouette is also seen in their elven like ears, its also notable to say that males typically have longer ears than the females. Their hair also tends to be very sharp with only slight curves in some occasions, mainly its seems to be worn long and spiky with a few layers. The hair also is the only area where coloration can vary, with the most common color being black, followed by gray off tones as a rare trait and a super rare trait would be very light creamy pale hair. Concerning the rest of their bodies, aside from having sharp fingers they tent to be very similar to humans with similar builds instead of most being largely curvaceous, although it can happen it mostly is due to conscious decision and care to shape it in that manner. That being said their way of life cultivates their bodies to be strong and hardy, often muscled.

Genetics and Reproduction

Aarakan males and females are infertile to anyone not of their species

Ecology and Habitats

The Aarakan home planet of Adran is overall a gray wasteland with only small variation in biomes. Icy mountains rising from black forests in the north and south caps and more rocks and mountains stretching down and a dry gray sand desert in the center of the planet. Adran only has 1 large ocean and the rest is dotted with seas and rivers of opaque beige water to mirror the heavy dark clouds often covering a great deal of the planet.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Aarakan are mainly carnivores and can digest both cooked and uncooked meat

Additional Information

Social Structure

The Aarakan dont have a unifying government like the Derovann and Nirien mainly because of infighting and rivalry, instead they are divided into many countries and lands ruled over by Aarakan Lords. These lands have their own alliances and rivalries with other lands, even their own cultural elements while still remaining very aarakan in nature. Differences between the cities would be more evident to the ones that have lived there for a time. Under the lords of a country there is an order of knights, the strongest Aarakan of that area and they basically serve as war generals. In the bottom of the command chain there are the slaves, both Aarakan and captured aliens.

Average Intelligence

Aarakan are masters in the art of war and intimidation using tactics to get the upper hand on their enemies. This however is their main focus and therefore lack knowledge in many other things the rest of the galaxy might find trivial.

Civilization and Culture

Gender Ideals

Aarakan aren't divided in gender and think everything a man can do a woman can too, same goes with punishments.

Relationship Ideals

Aarakan have no formal concept of polygamy or monogamy, and instead mate for either children or pleasure and move on, rather than forming a long lasting bond. Mainly Aarakan that form these bonds don't live in the home world and have been saturated with other traditions from the other species.

Average Technological Level

Aarakan are able to travel between planets in starships much like other sentient species in the galaxy, but they do so to pillage rather than to trade. The Aarakan ships have an outer shell that looks very much like bone but it has just been made to look that way with typical starship materials. The Ship's exhaust is the interesting part, giving off a bright red crackling flare upon ignition and trailing wispy black smoke, the same effect is made when Aarakan guns fire, and the sound they emit is somewhere between the crashing of thunder and a far off roar. The most important piece of tech for the Aarakan are the Arkal bloodblades. These weapons consist of a bone handle with a "blood pill" made from the concentrated blood of the Kelldren beast they kill in their trials, an activation crystal and a metal brace and trigger. When the trigger is pulled, red lightning cracks through the blood pill, activating and lengthening it to a shape pre-configured within the activation crystal's matrix and hardening it. These blades can cut through nearly any material in the known galaxy and with various activation crystals, you can change the shape of the blade, but bigger blades such as broadswords need extra components. Its also important to note that Aarakan don't use this technique with other types of melee weapons like spears, arrows or the like, just swords and knives. While Aarakan only carry one Arkal blade into battle, they may have a small collection of differect hilts and Blood pills already configured to specific blade lengths and shapes for unique situations.

Common Dress Code

All Aarakan dress in black, grays and off-blacks with metal and bone details. There are 2 pieces of clothing that every Aarakan warrior has, a hood that can be thrown on and off and a bone half mask made from the upper and lower jaw of a kill. While not entirely covered, they mainly like to show areas where strong muscles would be seen like abdomen, back, arms, etc. Some females might show more but mainly as a way to distract males. Slaves, and mostly pleasure slaves, wear black as well with bone and metal with the addition of red diamond shaped jewels but these outfits are far more revealing, often working more as adornments than actual outfits regardless of gender. The piece of clothing that pleasure slaves often wear more than anything else is a black sheer veil that covers their face to offset the typical bone masks of the proven hunters.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Aarakan are a highly violent people, focusing on killing and domination. Their entire culture revolves around blood, bones and death, but because of this fact, they often fall to infighting and betrayal, making them a manageable threat to the galaxy. One of their more lucritive and dispicable practices is slavery, both of the natives and aliens, even including the second sentient species that live in the planetary poles, the Vaquae. A species of large four armed humanoids with white fur covering over hallf their bodies.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

The most important event in a young Aarakan is the Death trial, a "coming of age" and proof of worth ceremony for teenage Aarakan celebrated every 3 years in the northern part of the planet, in the snowy mountains and dark forests. It's said this puts younglings right up in death's door to make them either fail and die or claim their superiority and rise above death. The trials are brutal and often more than half the Aarakan competing in them die. Those that survive the trials without passing them are then enslaved or thrown off the planet depending on how badly they failed, with the worst offenders being the ones made into slaves. The trial consists of ships from every country hovering above the trial grounds, a huge expanse of land in the north where frigid snow falls all year long, and dropping the teenagers in to begin their trials. Teenagers both from rich and poor families are thrown in naked and with only 1 bone dagger. They are given various goals they need to accomplish in the 3 month duration of the trial. Survive, eliminate the competition and kill your Kelldren beast. From this beast their Akral swords are crafted. Kelldren beasts are large monstrous animals that have been genetically modified from their ancestors to specifically be part of these trials. Each specimen has been mutated in different ways to pose more of a threat, some with larger claws or even spines over their bodies, others with more technical enhancements like better eyesight or hearing. Aside from this they all loosely fit a silhouette of a large semi anthropomorphic creature that stand in all four and hind legs equally, with very sharp teeth and claws with bright red eyes and dark hair covering the body. The most important and dangerous mutation of all, that ALL Kelldren beasts have is in their behavior, they have been feed small amounts of blood of their Aarakan counterpart for as long as the child has been growing, and their senses fine tuned to seek them out. Kelldren also have been made to hibernate and only live with the small blood doses and nutrient injections, while they use the mutations to maintain their bodies in perfect killing shape. Kelldren beasts are kept in high security containment facilities in the north of the planet, so when the participants of the trials get there, the cells are open and the beasts hungrily seek out the one Aarakan they have been engineered to kill. While Kelldren beasts can be killed in a variety of ways, the beasts don't fight themselves, and in fact they find the scent of other beasts repulsive, so pinning one against the other cant be done. This is the main goal of the trial, and those that reach this point before the 3 months are up are extracted along with the body of the beast, from which they will make their mask, sword, markings and be welcomed as a hunter. If the beast is killed with other Aarakan around besides the targeted one, the ship wont extract them until the other Aarakan are either dead or gone, this discourages teamwork. If the target is killed before the beast can get to them, the Kelldren will go, consume the corpse and then either the caretaker of the beast will remotely kill it or set it lose. Since they wont eat anything else that isn't their marked prey, Kelldren will often wonder the forest until they starve to death. Any Aarakan attacking another's Kelldren beast can make the beast attack them in turn but they wont be the beasts's focus, nor will the beast eat them upon death. If an Aarakan survives all 3 months without killing their Kelldren beast, they fail the trial and are judges to see how pathetic their 3 months were spent, then the lords of the country either banish them from the planet or enslave them. Because of this, many that reach the 3 months without their kill often commit suicide or run away in the wilderness. A victorious aarakan will smear the blood of their dead Kelldren beast on their body as a sign of dominance, these are the markings they will wear throught their warrior lives. A living kelldren beast's blood will not tattoo, once a kelldren beast dies, the putrefaction process starts incredibly rapidly, and it gives the blood that tattooing property needed. While it can burn into the skin of aarakan, it will not hold tight to their bodies UNLESS its the individual it was designed to hunt. If a warrior is forced into slavery, these markings will be washed off with chemicals in a painful process.

Common Taboos

One of the most prominent taboos in their culture is the use of weapons by slaves. Any slave, even a renown pleasure slave using a weapon can be executed on the spot without explanation or punishment afterwards.

Common Myths and Legends

The Aarakan religion is not something shared through the entire planet, and is only referenced lightly. Those that focus their lives on their religion are often called Zealots and mocked by the others. The Religion consists on a pantheon of deities that created the universe to entertain themselves, causing misery and loss everywhere, and a rebel god fighting to kill his brothers and sisters. This dark deity is the one they serve through ceremonies bathed in blood in order to fuel their god enough so he can kill the head gods. Its also to be noted, that many of these Zealots have found new and secret ways to manipulate blood and are called Hemomancers by the rest of the galaxy. These secrets are rarely seen and often misunderstood, helping their abilities with blood remain secret.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

There are a total of 3 cities in Adran where off-worlders can go visit with limited safety to engage in trade, and cultural enlightenment. The lords of these cities are the most open minded of the whole planetary Aarakan population, seeing the value in what other species can provide, even so there exists a strong prejudice against anyone not Aarakan and some shops and establishments either make separate areas for natives and outsiders or outright deny service to off-worlders.

Typical male Aarakan Warrior

Lifespan

50-70 years due to their extremely violent way of life

Average Height

average human height. 5-6 ft

Average Physique

Fit and strong bodies made for killing and war for the warriors, while slaves have softer curves

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Skin tone is snow white, but those that have passed the warrior trial mark their bodies with blood smears of their kill. This blood does not loose its vibrancy and dries quickly, making semi permanent marks on their body.

Geographic Distribution