The Jeweled Waters

The homeworlds. The colonies. These were the primary planets that the Jal'jin settled on which were subsequently lost in the Sundering.

Stjaralda

<i.“I was born after the Sundering, so the only memories I have of it are the stories I was told. I’m pretty sure they’re all exaggerated, but I really do resent that I might never get to see it. A beautiful jewel suspended in space...lost. “

The home planet to the Jal’jin, Stjaralda (loosely translated to Heavenly Wave) was a planet primarily composed of oceans with large islands spread over its entirety. It has been described as beautiful with crystal clear waters, sprawling coral reefs, and host to frequent storms (which the Jal’jin almost universally seem to enjoy). The planet was also home to truly terrifying sea creatures that put the Jal’jin into a constant battle against much more dangerous foes. Its exact location is unknown as the Jal’jin relied on the portal network for navigation and, as of now, it is not accessible. It is believed that the planet is either now inhabited by the Battalion now or has been wiped clean of sapient life.

Cheomcột

“It was the best place to live on the whole planet! You could go your whole life without ever fearing hunger or predators. A true technological marvel. It was the absolute center of just about every innovation our people enjoyed. Its loss isn’t just a tragedy. It’s a travesty.”

Loosely translated to “The Old Tower”, Cheomcột was truly a sight to behold. Originally a singular island, the entire land around the island was dug into and built on until there was nowhere left to build. That’s when they built up.

The great spire and island was surrounded by a powerful magical field which kept hostile creatures from entering the wide area around the tower, the surrounding islands acting as sort of a marker for where the field reached. It was the center of knowledge, culture, religion, and more. While the general culture was unique to the area and did not match the surrounding territory of Fjell Stjaralda, it was generally loved even by those outside of it.

Cheomcột was the last city to fall before the central portal hub was destroyed, its magnificence and grandeur forever lost to the sands of time.

Cultural Quirks

The city and its surrounding fielded area was the first of its kind which kind of made it the center of the universe for a long time. Those that lived here were generally very well off, highly educated, and had many opportunities you wouldn’t find outside of the city. As a result, those who came from the city had fairly high expectations and more often than not passed those expectations onto their children. The language that is predominately used in the city has qualities similar to Korean and Vietnamese. Hyeocu is directly derived from the old language spoken by the city’s initial founders and has been carefully preserved ever since. Fjellian was also fairly common in the city (especially given the fielded area is smack dab in the middle of Fjell Stjaradla), but city ordinances heavily encouraged the use of Hyeocu over other languages.

Fjell Stjaralda

“While the Cheomcộts lounged about in their towering dwellings, we were staking the hard claims. We braved the dangerous seas, staked claims throughout Stjaralda, and lay waste to the predators that threatened us. We truly were warriors of the land.”

If Cheomcột was the heart of the Jal’jin, Fjell Stjaralda, literally translated to Mountains of the Stars, were the lungs that helped pump life into it. While still mainly ocean, this region held the vast majority of the planet’s land masses and was quite uneven beneath the waves as well. While the environment was forgiving, the fauna was not. As this region held such great biodiversity, it also housed some of the largest and most dangerous beasts on the planet. Unsurprisingly, it also held a great number of Jal’jin’s hunters and warriors.

Cultural Quirks

Natives of the Fjell were known to be hardy and living on the thrill of the hunt. The many crevices and peaks of the area left a lot of room for predators and pray alike to hide, leading to the birth of many a skilled hunter.

Alooilo’ele ta Hoh!jonou

“Many who lived on the surface couldn’t imagine living in such darkness. But to us, it was life. The plants guided and sustained us while the cold waters embraced our tireless efforts to survive. It made us stronger, faster, more observant. When the ocean was aglow, it was one of the more beautiful sights you could witness.”

Often simply called Alooio by outsiders, life in this location was far more alien than other places on the planet. The waters were constantly chilly, there was scant light to speak of, and the water pressure forced a good deal of adjustment for those coming and going (not unlike the effect high altitudes have on humans). Despite the oddity of living somewhere the only significant light you’d encounter was from the bioluminescent plant life that found home there, it was actually one of the safer places to live on the planet outside of Cheomcot. It wasn’t exactly a walk in the park as the predators that were a threat to the Jal’jin in Alooio were quite dangerous, but that was lower in number.

What made it difficult to stay in one place in Alooio for the longest time was the growth pattern of the local plant life which would plunge areas of the sea into absolute darkness on a seasonal basis. It wasn’t until proper agricultural practices to cultivate the plant life could be solidified that long form towns could be erected.

Cultural Quirks

It was said that Alooians feared not the dark but the light because while things that hid in the dark were often more scared of you than you were of them, things that were not deterred by the light were often more brazen. They generally preferred more dimly lit spaces, but took great pride in the wonderful natural bioluminescence that lit their surroundings when the time came.

Il Marabir Atisdere

“Oh, sure. They say they had it rough elsewhere, but do you want to know where it was rough? Our homeland, that’s where. We never forgot the old ways of travel. The balancing act of gathering resources and not leaving the earth barren. It may have been hard living, but it was home.” Living in this region was hard work. While there were fewer predators to worry about, these vast expanses of open sea rewarded the patient and determined. Despite its rough unforgiving undersea weather and reliance on everything going well day by day, it was often seen as a favorable retirement destination should the city life not be for you. Unlike the Jal'jin in other areas who took to settling down after The Foundation, it was still necessary to move frequently to ensure the environment could replenish supplies faster than they were gathered.

Cultural Quirks

Food, fresh water, and shelter were among the most important things in life for natives to the Atisdere. Wasting anything was frowned upon severely.

Credits, Notes, and permissions

This was all/mostly dreamed up by @McSpazz and built up over several months of writing. If you have any ideas of other things to add to the species or even create your own Jal'jin, please let me know! I made this as detailed as I could to try and allow other people to play with the concept as well. If you have ideas on how to better format this page, please, feel free to have at it (so long as you aren't removing information. If you want to add a substantial new aspect to the Jal'jin lore, you are welcome to! Just know that I might not consider it entirely "cannon" unless you run it by me first. For the time being, no current Jal'jin can come from the home planets as they are all missing in action. Consider these planets to be origins to your character's ancestry.