Rihannsu(People)

This page is about the Veskan people, for their language click here.

The Rihannsu
Homeworld: Titan Language: Rihannsu Average Height: 1.81 metres Average Life Span: Men: 180 Years; Women: 190 years Skin Tone: Light to light brown

Cautious at best, xenophobic at worst, the Rihannsu people have a right to paranoia born of their violent history. The experience with the Orion pirates on ancient Za’aan burned a lesson into their minds forever: never trust an alien. In the mind of a Rihannsu, only a Rihannsu person is worthy of respect and civility, all others are discounted.

Physiology

As a branch of the Za’aan species, the Rihannsu have pointed ears, upswept eyebrows, and copper based blood. Their blood is green when oxygenated in the arteries and is copper or rust coloured when deoxygenated in the veins. In addition, many have a small V-shaped ridge above the bridge of their nose, uncommon to Za’aan. This may be a vestigial or atavistic characteristic from archaic generations of the Za’aan race. They generally have dark hair as well.

While Za’aan are much stronger than humans and have natural touch telepathic abilities, thousands of years of divergent evolution (or perhaps the lack of Vulcan mental discipline) seems to have stripped The Rihannsu of these traits. The Rihannsu are not telepathic and no stronger than normal humans.

Culture

At the centre of the Rihannsu code of behaviour is the importance of "mnhei'sahe". It is a measurement of inner strength and a status symbol in the culture. Mnhei'sahe, or "the Ruling Passion", centres on a strong appreciation of honour, duty, courtesy and strength. In all interactions between Rihannsu, it is imperative that all parties leave afterward feeling that their honour, their status, their "face", is intact. To do otherwise would be to deny the mnhei'sahe of the offended party. If the offending party feels he can apologize without HIMSELF losing face, he does so. Otherwise, a duel may be in order. Or, if the disgraced party is beyond recall, those present may simply kill him, in order to preserve the memory of his honour and prevent further disgrace. Above all, mnhei'sahe is sensitive to the context of the situation. It is not a hard set rule, in is an unspoken consensus which guides the actions of all Rihannsu.

Rihannsu honour their word, when it is given to another Rihanha -- to break with one's word means dishonour, a fate worse than death. Politeness, respect, and quiet dignity are always required if mnhei'sahe is to be satisfied.

Rihannsu honour power as much as they honour loyalty. The goal of each Rihanha is power -- if not for self or House, then always for the Empire. Rihannsu are always loyal to the Empire itself, not to any one person. For the Rihannsu, power can not be defined in the Teran terms of monetary wealth, it is the power of mnhei'sahe, and it defines the structure within Rihannsu society.

Mnhei'sahe is not a vague or academic term. Wars, executions and deaths of entire Households can be required to satisfy mnhei'sahe. If mnhei'sahe is always intact within the Empire, the Rihannsu believe that they can never lose.

Society

Respect is the basis of Rihannsu society -- to be disrespectful is to show a lack of mnhei'sahe. Showing respect to elders and superiors is a must in day-to-day Rihannsu life.

Every Rihannsu knows by the bearing and actions of another what rank and social status that person has. Non-verbal cues, reputation, military rank, and past experience all dictate the respect owed to each individual Rihannsu.

To an extent, Rihannsu social status and the rank of military personnel operate in parallel. Because the Rihannsu are a militarily oriented society, geared to the protection and promotion of the Empire, military service and accompanying rank are very important indicators of social status.

The person with highest status in the Empire is the "Fvillha", or Chief Praetor or Emperor, the Speaker of the Praetorate and the highest authority within in the Empire. Others peoples statuses are ordered according to rank and civilian status in a long chain until ending with the lowest status, that of a prisoner. Prisoners are considered even lower than slaves -- a prisoner is considered to be without honour and is almost less than Rihannsu.

Houses

At the root of Rihannsu political organization is the House system. Houses are family groups or clan-like organizations, with hereditary succession structures. Unlike feudal family organizations, however, Rihannsu Houses encompass a much broader spectrum of society. For example, servants of a House Lord are considered PART OF THE FAMILY, and adopt the House name and use it as their own. That is NOT to say that they are equal members, but they are included.

Each house that has its own rank and status accorded in Rihannsu society. Houses are considered either Great Houses or Lesser Houses. Great Houses have many family members that are high in the social standing of the Empire. The members of Great Houses have proven their service to the Empire in past honours and loyalty. Lesser Houses have not received the honour and glory, but serve an integral and vital role within the Empire. It is their quiet service that supports the Empire and brings greater glory to it. The status of House members reflects directly on the status of their House and vice versa.

The most important person in a House is the hru'hfirh or Head of House. The hru'hfirh is responsible for the members of the House, maintaining the House's mnhei'sahe, and the day-to-day financial and social dealings of the House. The eri'hfirh, or Heir, assists the hru'hfirh. The status of the House and the responsibilities are decided by the hru'hfirh, but usually the importance of House members is as follows: hfu'hfirh, eri'hfirh, Auethnen, and then Llaugh and Rianov with equal rank. The other status and importance follows as listed above. As you can see is the chart above, there is the added complexity of adoption. An adopted member of the family has the same rank and receives the same respect as a blood member, but with the added responsibility of another House, perhaps. Adoptions are commonplace.

Another commonplace is a unique form of revenge, usually prompted by a mnhei'sahe in the case of the murder of a child, known as "hostage fostering". In this situation, a House steals the children of a rival House and rears them as their own. A family that has loses their child in this manner usually never sees them again.

Families

A typical Rihannsu family is made up of a mother and a father, with as many children as the parents desire. Each family unit is within a House, and Houses can be huge. The family unit does not look to one parent as superior; both mother and father have equal status. Although boy children are favoured, girl children do not have a social stigma. Divorce and separation are rare with Rihannsu families, because the bond between the husband and wife is so very deep. A typical Rihannsu family is very happy and devoted to each other, with the bond of love. Within the family unit the first lessons in mnhei'sahe will be taught, to ground a child in the basic morality of Rihannsu life. The family also includes every single blood member of the House. Each member of the House is responsible to see that all of the children are raised in the proper traditions of the House and that the lessons of mnhei'sahe are taught and learned.

Fashion

Most Rihannsu males wear pants or slacks that are cut close to the body, and either soft shoes or boots. At formal occasions a House uniform may be worn, unless they are in the military in which case standard issue uniforms would be worn. Robes are not uncommon casual wear.

Most Rihannsu woman wear the same styles as men, but do have a tendency towards more free-flowing garb. Dresses or robes are not uncommon. Females in military service wear the same uniforms that men do.

Recreation

Most Rihannsu play games such as D'elo which is a game of stones and sticks that can be traced back to an ancient Za’aan. There are Arena games, where athletes (both men and women) show their prowess with various Rihannsu weapons and fighting techniques.

Artistic abilities show the softer side of the Rihannsu personality, balancing a fierce warrior ethic with the sensitivity of an artist. Sculpting, pottery, and carving are the most popular media -- Rihannsu prefer to work in 3 dimensional forms. In addition to the visual arts, there is writing, literature, poetry, drama and lhi, a game of wits and riddles.

Rihannsu relish nature and enjoy the beauty of it -- most are avid hikers.

Legal System

The Rihannsu judiciary is based on the principal assumption that the accused is guilty until proven otherwise. Rihannsu court cases are judged by a tribunal of three judges, two chosen from the Deihuih and a chief judge from the Fvillhaih, who decide all cases. The defendant may represent himself or choose the option of having a separate legal representative. In times of emergency, barring objections by the Fvillhaih, this procedure may be abbreviated in the interests of the survival of the Empire. Note that innocence or guilt is decided by the authorities before the trial commences. A certain procedure is to be followed after the commission of a crime in the Rihannsu Star Empire.

First, the victim must contact the authorities, as vigilante justice will not be tolerated in the Rihannsu Star Empire. This generally means contacting one's superiors or if the violation of the law is serious enough and concerns the well-being of the Empire as a whole, the victim can contact a representative of the Tal Shiar. Unlike the rules of engagement and operation of police forces in other races, Rihannsu law states that any and all necessary actions may be taken by the authorities in the apprehension of suspects in a criminal investigation, including the use of deadly force.

Upon apprehension or death of the suspect, a notice of the apprehension and trial date must be immediately posted by the appropriate authorities. All trial dates must be within one week of apprehension barring unforeseen complications, as late justice is no justice at all. Apprehended suspects must make a full and complete confession of the truth of the situation. There is no right to council and refusal to confess the truth will only work against the suspect.

The appropriate authorities will perform an investigation and decide upon the guilt or innocence of the defendant, which is always decided before the trial commences in Rihannsu society. Generally, these authorities would be the suspect's superiors or in cases where the good of the entire Rihannsu Star Empire is concerned, the Tal Shiar. Upon decision of guilt or innocence, the tribunal will deliver its decision and sentence the suspect if he or she is found guilty. The defendant's only right is that of statement if said statement is not deemed to be destructive of the Empire's best interests and continued survival.

Following announcement of the tribunal’s decision, punishment is to be administered within one week of the decision. There is no right of appeal, and the punishment will be applied by the guilty party's superior officer or if the crime was sufficiently severe, by agents of the Tal Shiar.

As the basic treatise of Rihannsu law, let it be proclaimed that all citizens are created equal in honorable potential and retain the basic freedom to treat and be treated according to their relative merit. The Rihannsu Empire grants its citizens the following basic honorable freedoms under its law:

The suspect's right of statement at a trial tribunal. • The right to procreation. • The right to own slaves and to discipline them as necessary. • The right to commit honorable suicide. • The right to commerce, subject to the needs of the Empire. • The right to apprehend and charge as a private citizen any criminal or enemy of the Empire. While these rights are guaranteed to all Rihannsu citizens, the Rihannsu Star Empire has also seen fit to strictly prohibit from its citizens the following actions. Rihannsu are prohibited from bearing weapons unless so directed by enlistment into the military or Tal Shiar or by government degree. If the citizen is a member of the military or Tal Shiar, possession of weapons is a privilege granted by the citizen's superior officers. All Rihannsu are also forbidden from taking place in or causing to take place either directly or indirectly any action deemed to be against the interests of the Empire or any public or private dissention with the ideals of the Rihannsu Star Empire. Further, all citizens are forbidden from possessing, creating, distributing or causing to be possessed, created, or distributed any materials deemed in opposition to the interests of the Empire. In the past, this has included banned books such as The Fuo, among others.

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