sentients
ARNASSIAN

It was rumored that several Voc!lad mercenaries were playing prostitute in Babylon 5's Downbelow. They had been using the skin trade to disguise their true specialty: assassination. Most victims were last seen in the Dark Star and were gifted (benefactor unknown) with a private “dance" session. A number of the victims were underworld rivals of n'grath, others appear to have been enemies of alien governments. In all cases the bodies were never found and the "dancers" never caught.

PHYSIOLOGY
From a cursory examination, the Arnassians appear to be a near-human species; however, like the Centauri, the internal biology of an Arnassian is radically different. Arnassians have a sturdy endoskeleton; however, females of the species are augmented by a cartilaginous exoskeleton covered by a thin layer of skin. Females are pure carnivores and can subsist on blood alone for limited amounts of time. Male Arnassians are smaller in stature and omnivorous. More males than females are born. After having sexual intercourse the female will eat her mate, thus keeping the male population in check.

PSI ABILITY
All female psionics are entered into the elite military corps, or Voc!lad. Those born of royal bloodlines with psi ability are given rigorous training and a chance to ascend to the Imperial seat. Male telepaths are reserved for the dynastic and Voc!lad harems and receive training only in being receptive to the needs of their mistress.

CULTURE
Males are held in high regard in Arnassian society, yet are given no real power. Most males are used as slave labor. Those males that carry desirable traits enjoy a form of individual freedom as breeding stock. While it is tradition to consume the male after copulation, many females holding the Presep philosophy allow their male to mate several times before he must die.

As it is the responsibility of all Arnassians to serve the Matriarch, all Arnaliv must perform a period of service, or Jem!i, that is to last no longer than three planetary cycles. This typically involves military or technical training, although talented Arnassians are given research grants or patronage to develop works for the dynastic collection.

RELIGION
There are two main Arnassian religions: Precepism and Val!hadon. Precepism is a fairly recent religion centering on the teachings of Tevik. Tevik taught that all Anassians are part of a great wheel. Precepism teaches that a universal oneness can be achieved through knowledge and the strict maintenance and regulation of the natural order. Val!hadon is the modern inheritor of several ancient warrior cults. Worshippers of Val!hadon are usually those in military or mercenary corps. The Deep is an ancient belief that is steeped in half-remembered folklore. It is said that Hevess, the Queen of the Deep, came from the depths of the earth and ruled from Kekshot Dulvec ("The Iron Pillar"). Worshippers were said to have eaten their enemies regardless of gender.

HISTORY

Readily identifiable community groups were widespread on Desmik Xil!Ger, the largest southern continent, by 500 B.C. Two other continents were sparsely populated, but were never influential in the development of Arnassian culture. Over the next four hundred years there was a trend among most fledgling cities to insure a stable system of resource distribution through a rigid hierarchy. The domestication of the bipedal Fegk in 350 A.D. greatly expanded the mobility of Arnassians. A fierce nomadic culture arose around the Fegk. Initially they were herders, but turned to raiding by 625 A.D. By 800 A.D. they had established an empire covering most of Desmik Xil!Ger. The empire was short lived, as political infighting fractured the empire into several independent states. However, the culture of the nomads left lasting impressions on Arnassian culture.

The individual nations were for the most part evenly matched, but this equilibrium was upset when naval technology was advanced enough to allow reliable transport to other continents. Foremost in exploration was the Imperial State of Kokven. Using foreign warriors and resources from the new continents, Empress Vanten sought to resurrect the former glorious empire that spanned the continent. Her successor saw the completion of the conquests in 1143. Instability in the empire began to show in 1204 when Empress Tiglao ascended the throne amid rumors that she murdered her predecessor1. Her reign is noted for her bloody excesses. She was ousted in a popular uprising in 1208. The new regime was quite the opposite of Tiglao's; individual freedoms were expanded and technological and cultural advancement was promoted2. These new ideas, however, came too quickly. The Verdu Clan had a weak hold over the traditional bureaucracies already in place; a weakness exploited by the Falin and Gesiu families. The military coup was brief and bloody. The Falin instituted a theocratic dominion dedicated to Hevess, Queen of the Deep. Many resented the heavy strictures and tithes to the throne3. These rebel elements, mostly outcast Verdu loyalists, waged a fifty-year guerilla war that ended in the establishment of the First Dynasty in 1277.

While the First Dynasty had reunited most of the former empire, the years of war had taken their toll. The new continents had announced their independence as had several outlying states. 1553 strained relations throughout the world community. A war of propaganda, later termed the Assassin Wars, started in 1558. Sporadic fighting broke out in 1592. In the end the superior technology and resources of the First Dynasty won. In 1637 with the Congress of Balio established the Second Dynasty.

In 1982, a Vree Explorer's Guild vessel was shot down when it cruised over a hidden Voc!lad base. The alien was thoroughly interrogated. The Arnassian's top scientists dismantled the ship. Although many points of the saucer's construction were centuries ahead of the Arnassian's atomic age technology, enough was learned to launch a space program. By 2021 the Arnassian Space Program made contact, peacefully, with a Vree survey ship passing through the system. Trade relations were eventually opened4 and a jumpgate was constructed in orbit of JesVikla in 2039.

GOVERNMENT
The Second Dynasty has controlled JesVikla and its territories for over six hundred years. The Matriarch is viewed as the mother of all. Everything within Arnassian territories is technically considered to be the property of the Matriarch.

INTERSTALLAR POLITICS
Despite their reputation as adept mercenaries, JesVikla is considered a second-rate world. Many alien races find the Arnassian reproductive cycle to be repulsive.

MILITARY
The core of the Arnassian military is the Voc!lad, an elite military organization with roots reaching back to 1502 when the First Dynasty Matriarch refused to honor the trade agreement with the Queen of Hin!tol. Knowing that the resulting war would be devastating to her people, the First Dynasty Matriarch gathered the brightest of her warriors and charged them with carrying out the assassination of the Queen of Hin!tol. Two days afterward the Queen was dead (despite her heavily guarded citadel) and war with Hin'tol was averted. To honor their skill and service, the First Dynasty Matriarch bestowed upon her warriors the title Voc!lad which roughly translates into "one who is born without death." Following the Congress of Balio, the Voc!lad became the military arm of the Second Dynasty. The Rite of Voc!lad gave Voc!lad members a strict code of conduct to adhere to. To defy the Rite was to invoke instant dissolution of one's assets and death.

HOMEWORLD
JesVikla ("Creche of Life")

COLONIES
The Arnassians have begun constructing several orbital facilities and have established a small mining colony on their planet's second moon.

TECHNOLOGY
Stellar; The Arnassions specialize in communications systems, medicine, and plasma weaponry.