Jalenga

"We were this close to entering the realm of the gods before everything went wrong. Were my people still alive, we would no doubt try The Ascension again." ~Zivia Severa Vizori~

The Jalenga were an unnatural race of Serenza shapeshifters who could essentially alter reality itself. Limits to their transformative abilities were almost nonexistant, and because they were one of only two races not to have a deity that created them, many of them thought themselves as deities of some sort. They are also responsible for creating the Kumenza, as well as the Zaderei.

They fell from glory after a war against most of Mencu, but they fully disappeared in the 2548th year of the 181st Age, after migrating northward for what was described as "a massive and powerful ritual". What this ritual was or what it was intended to accomplish is unknown, but after this date, no Jalenga were seen again for millennia, and no male Jalenga were ever seen again.

A single female Jalenga named Zivia was rediscovered in the remains of Pikas-Jorgomna in the 4588th year of the 182nd Age, but she was proven to be the endling of her species. This aspect, coupled with the recessive aspects of Jalengan genetics, means that there is no feasible way for her to repopulate her race, and that Zivia is therefore the true last of her kind.

Origins
The sudden appearance of the Jalenga was actually the world-changing event that triggered the 2nd Age. While their cores, which serve as reservoirs of energy for their people, seem otherworldly, they are actually just a product of Jalengan alchemy. According to Mencuan mythos, the race was originally created by the god Leaxyk, who built them with endless curiosity and a drive to solve the world's mysteries. It was believed that there was a far more sinister purpose behind their creation, but whatever it might have been has gone the same way as the Jalenga.

181st Age (Jalenga Wars)
In the 1915th year of the 181st Age, King Ajun Vizori and his wife Zivia waged an intense war against the rest of Mencu. Ajun lost spectacularly, and while Zivia did a great deal of damage including nearly wipe out the Shinzoka, even she was eventually defeated, and by the year 2035, they had begun their decline. It took decades to actually destroy the empire, but in the 2102nd year Zivia was defeated by a Zukuren general, causing the Jalenga to fall back to make preparations for their final assault after a large ritual. However, this assault never happened, for on the 27th day of the 6th month, year 2548, all of the Jalenga suddenly disappeared, leaving nothing behind but Zivia's crown.

182nd Age (Post-Jalenga)
Despite people's original beliefs, the Crown of Zivia was not merely a trophy from a defeated Jalenga monarch, but was actually Zivia herself in an intricate form (that was actually devised by one of her disappeared daughters). As such, Zivia Severa Vizori, former Empress of the Known World, lived to see another age, albeit as the sole living member of her once-inexorable race. Despite her abilities and the magic she and her people were capable of, their abilities did not and do not entail reproduction, and as such, it is impossible for Zivia to continue her race beyond the legacy she leaves.

Effect on the Kumenza
As creations of the Jalenga, the Kumenza revered them as deities in their own right, and so Zivia's return was hailed as a miraculous and momentous occasion all across Shahar-Eka.

Language
The Jalenga actually played a major role in creating a common language for the races of Mencu to speak due to their freewheeling nature of finding homes in every corner of the world in the early ages. They of course had their own dialect, and while there is no telling some of its intricacies due to most of the speakers being dead by the 182nd Age, the Old Zaderic Language is a byproduct of the Jalenga as well; as is Kumenzic. The Old Zaderic language is also still commonly used by ritualists across Mencu.

Religion
Jalenga had no formal religion, but had a staunchly libertarian view on life, seeing bounds and restrictions as unnecessary roadblocks that were meant to be overcome rather than followed. Even against the deities themselves, Jalenga played by their own rules, bending and defying reality at any opportunity. They are, however, revered to some extent by the Kumenza, who were created by the Jalenga.

Biology
Because of their nearly limitless ability to transform, a Jalenga's "true form" was arguably nothing more than the spherical core on the back of their necks. However, in reality they had a humanoid form, with physical builds and heights similar to Renkida. Most Jalenga were dark-skinned, with dense wavy/curly hair that they usually wore long and wore down. Their eyes were often bright and exotic colours, including red, blue, green, gold, purple, orange, pink, and silver. While Jalenga were compatible with one another, it was unclear if they were biologically compatible with the other races, and Zivia's general behaviour seems to hint that they are not.

Physical Appearance
Most Jalenga followed the same model as other humanoids, with males usually ranging between 5'7" and 6'4", and females ranging between 5'3" and 6'0". Many of them generally chose skin tones in shades of brown, with hair colors in browns and blacks to match. Their eyes were often exotic colors like indigo or turquoise, and their clothing was usually elaborate and exotic, resembling that of gypsies. They generally kept themselves in fit shape, with lithe, athletic bodies, notwithstanding their unfair advantage of being able to change their forms at will.

The only major "rule" to the Jalenga's transformations barring equivalent exchange was that covering the core was not possible due to them gradually absorbing energy from the world around them. As such, it remains visible and exposed on the back of the neck, which in turn had all Jalenga wearing their hair long enough to pass the shoulders. Similarly, this "rule" extended to any object or creature the Jalenga morphed into. Thus the core once again had to be exposed in some way, furthering the belief that these cores drew energy from Mencu itself in some way. While sometimes a Jalenga would transform into someone of the opposite gender, the color of a Jalenga's core always betrayed their real gender: male cores were a soft sky blue, while female cores were amethyst purple.

Lifespan, Age, & Population
Because of their abilities, a Jalenga could essentially live on Mencu forever as long as they desired. Many of them did not mind aging, but when they grew too old they would often let their forms shift back into a younger version of themselves, or would simply "reincarnate" by disintegrating and bring born again somewhere else in the world. Sickness or injury could be abrogated in the same manner, and their enemies quickly learned that stabbing a Jalenga's heart would do nothing, and that decapitating a Jalenga would do one of two things: either the body would grow another head and get right back up, or the body would dissolve and the head would essentially grow a new body--depending on which half had the core.

These transformative abilities manifest themselves in Jalenga at birth, but it usually takes them 15-20 years to get a wide variety of shapes down. As such, Jalenga children are similar to the children of other races for the early part of their lives. Many Jalenga lived for literal ages, however, being thousands or tens of thousands of years old. Queen Zivia, for example, lived into the 181st Age while being born in the 170th Age.

Roles in the Series
See also: Zivia

Because the main series takes place primarily in the 182nd Age, Zivia is the only actual Jalenga met in the story, although an Eka-Zivia appears in some of the later volumes. On the other hand, because of the influence they have had on Mencu, a great deal of their old rites, culture, and even history are mentioned or brought up numerous times throughout the series.

The Crown of Zivia
The titular Crown of Zivia appears as a major object of interest in The Crown of Zivia, although it winds up having a much closer connection to Zivia than most people first thought. Zivia herself also obviously appears and is a major character throughout the story, but no other Jalenga appear in this manner.

The Crusade of Zulera
Zivia's role in The Crusade of Zulera is slightly smaller than in the previous volume, but much more information about the Jalenga's culture and magical abilities is disclosed. Like the other books, however, no other actual Jalenga exist in this volume.

The Shadows of Shinzoka
Zivia remains the only Jalenga to appear in person in The Shadows of Shinzoka, but since Isikiro's efforts to remove her vampirism are a key focus of the book, she explores a great many Jalenga ruins, including the glorious ruins of Pikas-Jorgomna.