Zenéi

Zenéi is a fictional ethnolinguistic group and the language they speak, created for world-building and storytelling. In the imagined geography of Lysara, the Zenéi inhabit the eastern Valen Highlands along the Zephon River, with communities clustered in river valleys and terraced plateaus. The estimated population in this setting runs to tens of thousands, though actual numbers vary across different fictional timelines. The Zenéi are often depicted as artisans and traders with a strong sense of community and customary ritual life.

Etymology and language

The name Zenéi is presented as deriving from an ancient Zenéi root associated with peace, with the suffix -éi marking ethnolinguistic identity. The Zenéi language is described as agglutinative, with a basic SOV (subject–object–verb) word order. Nouns take postposed case markers, and the language features vowel harmony and a modest system of aspect and tense markers. The pronoun system distinguishes inclusive and exclusive forms in the first person. A traditional script, known as Zén, is used for ceremonial writing, while a Latin-based orthography is common in modern revival texts.

Culture and society

Zenéi society is portrayed as organized around extended matrilineal clans and an elder council that adjudicates communal matters. Craftsmanship—especially bronze work and weaving—plays a central economic and cultural role. Religious life is animistic, with ancestor veneration and seasonal rites tied to planting and harvest cycles. Music and dance accompany markets and festivals, and traditional dress combines woolen textiles with bronze embellishments. In contemporary fiction, cultural revival movements seek to preserve Zenéi language and crafts amid diaspora communities.

Current status

Within the fictional setting, Zenéi is considered endangered, with language transmission concentrated in older generations and relatively few fluent children. Cultural associations and localized schooling appear in later timelines as part of revival efforts.