Lore:Jinan Va'ruun
| Jinan Va'ruun | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Race | Human | Gender | Male |
| Born | Pre-2190 | ||
| Died | 2263 | ||
| Reign | 2197-2263 | ||
| Successor | Jarek Va'ruun | ||
| Resided in | Dazra | ||
| Faction | House Va'ruun | ||
| Appears in | Starfield | ||
Jinan Va'ruun was the founder of the Great Serpent religion and first leader of House Va'ruun. Originally a passenger of the colony ship Archimedes, which launched from Mars orbit in 2190, Jinan claimed to have encountered the entity he called the Great Serpent during the ship's final grav jump into the Kavnyk system in 2191. Jinan built a religious following based on the Great Serpent's teachings, usurped the Kavnyk Colonial Council, and transformed the colonists of Kavnyk into the nation of House Va'ruun. Between 2240 and 2263, Jinan led House Va'ruun in the Serpent's Crusade against the other factions and inhabitants of the Settled Systems. Upon his death, he was succeeded by his son Jarek and interred within the Scaled Citadel in Dazra.
Biography[edit]
Meeting the Great Serpent[edit]
In 2190, the colony ship Archimedes departed from the orbit of Mars in the Sol system. Following the vessel's final grav jump into deep space in 2191 the Archimedes arrived into the then-uncharted Kavnyk system, one of the passengers, Jinan Va'ruun, claimed to have communed with a celestial entity known as the Great Serpent, an experience that he claimed lasted much longer than the few seconds of the grav jump. Jinan declared the Great Serpent had imparted to him that it would soon devour the universe, and only those who followed its teachings and prepared for its return would be spared. As the Archimedes colonists colonized the moon Kavnyk I-b, Jinan quickly built a following and became the de facto leader of the colonization effort, pushing aside the Kavnyk Colonial Council.
Early years of House Va'ruun[edit]
In 2193, Jinan named the newly founded capital city Dazra, and in gratitude for Jinan's efforts, the colonists renamed the moon Va'ruun'kai The Kavnyk Colonial Council formally disbanded in 2197 and relinquished all authority over the colony to Jinan, who began restructuring society by grouping families into multiple noble houses that were subservient to himself, forming House Va'ruun.
In 2200, the last vestiges of separation of church and state in House Va'ruun were swept away, cementing the colony's transformation into a theocracy.
In 2207, Jinan ordered the start of grav drive experiments to contact the Great Serpent, despite concerns about dwindling supplies.
Encounter with the Unbeliever[edit]
According to House Va'ruun scripture, at some point in Jinan Va'ruun's life, he met a mysterious stranger called the Unbeliever who gave him a false prophecy. Jinan's conviction in the Great Serpent was such, however, that he cut the Unbeliever down without hesitation. Despite that, the Unbeliever returned, Jinan thought this to be a test of the Great Serpent, and he would not be found to back away from the challenge. In total, they fought four times in over one hundred and twenty planetary rotations. "Remember these four battles, Jinan," The Unbeliever said, "Remember these one-hundred and twenty rotations". Jinan, seeing this as blasphemy, delivered the killing blow to the Unbeliever.
The Serpent's Crusade[edit]
The Archimedes was repurposed as House Va'ruun's flagship and renamed the Mourning. In 2230, the Mourning traveled to the Volii System system and made contact with the rest of the Settled Systems. For the next ten years, House Va'ruun established diplomatic relations with the United Colonies, Freestar Collective, and various corporations. While House Va'ruun presented its intentions as peaceful, claiming that it merely sought to spread the words of the Great Serpent, it secretly worked to amass information, weapons, and ships in preparation for Jinan's true plan: the eradication of all non-believers.
In 2240, House Va'ruun declared all-out war on the rest of human civilization, instigating the Serpent's Crusade. Over the next twenty-years of interstellar warfare, thousands of UC, Freestar, and independent colonists were slaughtered by Va'ruun fighters.
Death[edit]
The Serpent's Crusade came to an end when Jinan died in 2263. He was interred within the Scaled Citadel, the government and religious center of Dazra. One of Jinan's twin sons, Jarek Va'ruun, succeeded Jinan as Speaker for the Great Serpent, the leader of House Va'ruun, and then sued for peace with the other major factions. In a clear break from Jinan's reign, Jarek implemented an isolationist policy for House Va'ruun, but this change divided the people. Jinan's other son, Jandar, who headed the noble house of House Ma'leen, sharply disagreed with Jarek's policies and began opposing his brother in 2270. Finally, Jandar led House Ma'leen to split from House Va'ruun in 2274, creating the Va'ruun Zealots, who resumed terrorizing the Settled Systems.
