The World and People of Tanjia

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Tanjia Itself

Tanjia (pronounced "Tahn-zhah") is a planet nearly the size of Neptune and Tanjia's sun is the star Procyon. Tanjia has two crystal moons, Ki'konia (Kee-ko-Nyah) and I'Ono, (aye-Oh-noh) with Ki'konia being the smaller moon and I'Ono the larger. The moons are always visible in Tanjia's sky due to their crystaline form. Every 3,000 years or so, they align with Tanjia in an eclipse, however, the eclipse does not darken the planet. The alignment instead magnifies the light produced by the moons, creating ( )ightened skies and auroras across the eclipsed area. The phenomenon is celebrated worldwide by the inhabitants.

The surface is 82% water. Vast oceans are broken by 6 continents and various archipelagos. Plant life is abundant where land is present and very few barren lands exist. The only deserts are Tanjia's polar caps, which are ice deserts.

The flora and fauna are varied and exotic, even by Tanjiian standards. The majority of Tanjia's flora boasts cool colors and broad foliage. Deciduous trees are uncommon, and most flora will instead retract their leaves for the winter months. Flower petals often have the texure of orchid petals, though size, shape, and color depend on the specific flower. Succulent plants are abundant and are most often edible. Animals on Tanjia largely display amphibious qualites, even the aviary creatures. The majority of Tanjiian fauna are herbivores or omnivores, but there are still powerful carnivores. The carnivorous creatures are normally passive unless hunting or provoked. There are domesticaed animals cared for by the Tanjiians. Many are livestock, but Tanjiians do keep pets.

The People of Tanjia

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The People of Tanjia are a humanoid race. They are a very long-lived species, having lifespans of up to 150,000 Tanjiian years. (80,000 Earth years) Tanjiian infancy lasts 200 years, childhood 6,000 years, adolescence 14,000 years, and adulthood lasting the remainder of their lifespan. The aging process nearly stops when they reach 30,000 years of age, and begin aging again when they reach 88,000 years.

The physical appearance of Tanjiians is nearly universal across all corners of their globe, with very little variations based on region or environment. They are tall, slender beings, between 7 and 8 feet tall. Tanjiians have a milky white skin that has a slight amphibious texture. The blood of Tanjiians is purple and very thin, and it creates a pinkish-purple hue across a Tanjiian's cheeks when they are flushed. Tanjiian bone structure is well defined. They often have high cheekbones and delicate brow bones. Strong jaws in men are seen as attractive. 

Tanjiian hair is dark, with black and dark brown being the primary hair colors. Midnight blue hair is rare, comparable to being a natural redhead on earth, and is greatly prized. Albinistic Tanjiians have stark white hair. Tanjiian hair turns silver with old age. Pale hair colors are considered divine, and dyeing one's hair a divine color is considered offensive. The texture of Tanjiian hair is overall very silky, and hair only grows on a Tanjiian's head.

The eyes of Tanjiians are nearly always almond shaped. Eye color is normally blue, green, or purple, with the rarity of the eye color being dependent on the saturation of the color. Pale blue eyes are most common, where deep blue eyes are rare. Purple eyes are often a middle shade with a greyish tint. Teal is the most often seen as a green eye color, but mint eyes are considered especially beautiful. Albino Tanjiians eyes are a dark reddish-purple.

Other features of Tanjiians include low-level touch telepathy and empathic sense. They also have a secondary transparent eyelid for improved vision underwater.

Tanjiian Culture

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Tanjiian religion is a large part of the lives of most of the Tanjiian people. They worship the Celestial Personifications of their moons, Ki'konia and I'Ono. In the Tanjiian creation myth, Ki'konia and I'Ono were Celestial beings that fell in love, and when they married, they created Tanjia and became the moons of the world they had made. Ki'konia is Tanjia's mother goddess and is revered as the Bringer of Life and Source of Springs. I'Ono is thus Tanjia's father god, and is seen as the Guardian of Life and Source of Strength. Tanjiians do not believe in an immortal soul, and are instead grateful to their two gods for their long lifespan. They believe other Celestial beings exist, but do not revere them as they do Ki'konia and I'Ono. Other spirits or magic practices are nonexistant on Tanjia. Blood is sacred to Tanjiians and thus the consumption of blood, and blood sacrifices, are condemned entirely.

The priestly class dwell in temples all across Tanjia. The largest temples are in the Imperial City and Taj'erii (Tah-zh-airy) City. Priests and priestesses practice prayers and hymns at dawn, noon, dusk, and midnight. They are not required to live a life of celibacy, but are required to be properly married before having any intimate relations. The occupation of a priest or priestess is a chosen one, never forced upon an individual. One may be born into a priestly life, but they are not required to live out that life if they do not wish it. The High Priest and Priestess are often wed, and hold places on The Grand Council.

Morality is very important to Tanjiians. Nudity is not taboo, but sexual promiscuity is illegal. Tanjiians mate for life with one partner, and divorce is only permitted if a mate is unfaithful. Sexual crimes are punished severely, up to and including execution. Lying is also a serious crime on Tanjia. Being low-level telepaths and empaths, truth is highly valued and lies are seen as betrayal. A liar with malicious intent, after being caught, will have their tongue forked. Theives are often punished with fines, and depending on what was stolen, public humiliation or jail time. Most criminals are given a chance at redemption, however.

Tanjia is an Elder-based Society, and thus there is no gender bias. The firstborn is the heir, and elders are shown great respect. The Grand Council is a collection of the eldest masters of the core occupations of the people, and is responsible for the majority of Imperial decisions outside of those made directly by the Emperor or Empress.

Socially, Tanjiians are very active. Social bathing is a favorite passtime of many nobles. As stated before nudity is not a taboo, so the bathers may choose to be nude, or wear special bathing beads. Depending on the group, various oils and fragrances will be added to the water, and music could be played during the bath. In addition to social bathing, other forms of entertainment include music playing, card or word games, and various sports and arts. Noblewomen will often practice flower arranging and caligraphy.

Dress and grooming is a key feature in Tanjiian society. For women, long hair is a staus symbol and the length of their heir is indicative of their place in society. The Empress has the longest hair of the nobles, and decorates her hair the most elaborately. Many other noblewomen follow her lead when styling their own lengthy hair. Draping styles are the most popular choices in clothing, both for men and women. Those in high society will usually wear many layers of sheer fa( )ic instead of a few layers of more opaque clothing. Tanjiians do not wear shoes. It is both culturally unnecessary, and physically unhealthy for Tanjiians to wear them. The faint magnetic currents in Tanjia's soil provide significant health benefits to the people, so as a whole, Tanjiians decided not to wear shoes. Jewelry and cosmetics are highly stylized, varying greatly with each individual.

(Education and Employment)

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Tanjiians receive a general eduaction through their childhood. They learn the basics of history, mathematics, language, and the arts and sciences. There are public schools scattered through each region, but if a family can afford it, they will often opt for a private tutor. Near the end of their basic education, Tanjiians will often choose a trade to enter and begin an apprenticeship. Most Tanjiians feel that knowledge is very important, and believe that understanding is of greater value to them and others. 

There are many trades and occupations a Tanjiian can choose from. Depending on the region, some careers might be more popular than others. For example, in the region of Ky'wiarr most of the men are employed in the mines. However, there are some proffessions are present in every region of Tanjia.

(Millitary Information)

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(Coming soon.)

(More will be added soon.)

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