Vaen

The Vaen are a tall, slender humanoid race native to the Alastean Island chain located to the east of the mainland, a place the Vaen call Avro’kenann. They are quite pale in coloring; a Vaen with pure white skin would not be uncommon. They have a long, thin tail with a tuft that starts a few inches from the tip and runs along the underside of the tail, extending a little past the tip itself. In young Vaen, the tuft starts closer to the tip. As a Vaen ages, the hair creeps further up the length of the tail. The backs of their legs are tufted from just below the knees to right above the ankles. This hair is the same color as the hair on their head and as the tuft on their tail. Some Vaen choose to let this hair grow long, but most keep it trimmed to a short length as it tangles easily.

Male Vaen have two horns in the center of their forehead, one right above the other. The uppermost horn is longer than the bottom one. Both horns have a slight backwards curve. In skin color, males tend to be paler than the females. Green eyes are most common for them while blond hair is the norm.

The female Vaen have a single horn in the center of their foreheads. It’s much wider and thicker than the horns of the males. It has a very slight backwards curve. They tend to have a darker coloring than the males, but remain quite pale. Blue eyes and red hair are normal colors for them.

An average height for both genders is 5’5’’, though there have been taller individuals. They are a little stronger than the average human and significantly faster.

Leadership
They are ruled by a Shan’torell, or Queen, who is elected to serve a four year term. Once her term is complete, it is possible to be reelected, but only one, so one woman could serve as queen for a maximum of eight years. Serving with her are eight individuals called Shandalla, who are both appointed and elected. They are usually female, but occasionally a male will be in that position. In such a case, the masculine form of Shandalla, Shandolli, is used. Four of the Shandalla are elected by the people are four are appointed from within the aristocracy. They are effectively extensions of the Queen’s power and authority, going places that she couldn’t. They also act as her advisors and emissaries.

Aristocracy
The noble class consists of six major families and a dozen or so smaller ones. The oldest and most powerful of these families is the tar Mat’shenn family. Many, Shandalla, and I’llant’shorenn has come from their line as well as the occasional dragonrider.

The Arutevarr, or Six Families, are: tar Mat’shenn, sha Jureenn, das Turann, eir Valaha, min Kutaha, and xiu Yadehann. These are the founding families of the Vaen race. The other aristocratic families vary in number as some gain rank and others loose it. Whatever the status of the others, the Six will always remain in their positions as pillars of society.

Families
Families tend to be small in order to keep things easier to maintain. Grandparents are revered in the villages for their wisdom and experience.

Diet
The Vaen are very strict vegetarians. They don’t disdain the eating of meat, but will not partake of it and prefer to avoid places where large amounts of it are being consumed.

Their diet consists largely of fruit and vegetables with a kind of bread they call tava as their primary staple. Several kinds of nuts and beans round out their dietary needs.

Food
ajnail--a kind of seasoned potato fried in butter

bentine--a small pie filled with an assortment of fruit topped with a dollop of thickened cream.

janjan--a dish made of three kinds of beans cooked in a garlic laced tomato sauce covered in melted cheese

tava - a kind of bread that is the staple of the Vaen diet

quavis--a dish made from boiled grain

yithenn – traditional Vaen dish consisting of a nut salad, tubers, white sauce, and a flaky fruit filled pastry for dessert.

Lifestyle
They live in small villages as small groups are less damaging to their surroundings and are easier to maintain and feed. They build their houses of brick. Each house contains an eating and cooking area, a sitting area, a bathing room, and up to four bedrooms. Furnishings are mostly stuffed cushions that rest directly on the floor. Tables are made out of wicker. Vaen sleep in hammocks rather than in beds. There are some chairs that have a wicker frame. Wooden furniture is quite rare.

In coastal areas, houses are made of a more flexible bamboo-like material and are built on raised platforms to reduce damage from flooding and from storms. Should a house collapse in a storm, it will be easier to rebuild than if it were made of a more solid material.

There is only one family per house. When a couple marries, they move out into their own home, usually close to the parents of at least one member of the new couple. Young men spend a large amount of their late childhood saving materials and funds to construct a house of their own as no woman will marry a man with no house of his own. Occasionally, young women will do this as well, but those instances aren’t as common.