Mr.Popper

If Odyssey is going to be a successful gamemode then this false dichotomy between "civilians" that sit around being helpless and elite jobs that hog all the fun needs to go because, while you still have a round if you're uninvolved in a secret gimmick, there is usually no one to roleplay with in Odyssey when you're segregated from most of the crew. Roleplay-wise, what makes a Security Officer, Engineer, or Paramedic that much more important than a line cook or Hangar Technician? They aren't superheroes trained for the high stakes situations that occur in non-canon rounds, they're normal people normally tasked with serving the crew of a normal ship; a Zeng-Hu research outpost infested with GMO abominations is just as much a fish out of water situation for a security guard as a line cook. Paramedics are EMT, not combat medics. Engineers keep the ship running, they're not combat engineers. Security Officers aren't badass commandos, they're goons that bwoink troublemakers and protect the crew. So bring crew for them to protect! Only bringing the people who are mechanically useful when there's room for Cooks or Hangar Technicians because "we have MREs" or "I can move all the crates" disregards roleplay in favor of getting to the shooty action as fast as possible. I don't even consider good involvement as non-sec to be picking up a gun and mowing people down, I just want to be able to visit the map everyone is at and roleplay with the given scenario. In defense of Command, there are definitely Odysseys which escalate to where it's fair to evacuate non-combatants. It's also excessive to talk about admin action when Odyssey is so experimental and there are no hard rules for it yet. Ideally, Storytellers should be discouraged from starting with the intensity cranked up to 100 or giving an opening announcement where non-sec aren't welcome. Not to disrespect the regular Storytellers because you guys do a great job and I can't even recall this happening, but if an Odyssey is so high intensity that it opens with "WAR: IT'S WAR DOWN HERE, ONLY SEND SEC AND MED" then that's just bad escalation. The Odyssey that provoked this suggestion didn't seem to be this; to my knowledge Command was using reports of a nuclear device to justify excluding the "civilians" even though the action was only occurring deep within the map. Engineering even made an extravagant FOB for Service to staff right beside the landing zone, so it's not like they would be in excessive danger. Most Odyssey maps are like this where there's a large safe zone around the Intrepid. Also bear in mind: the nuke is prebuilt into that map. Should non-sec and non-med just be barred from ever seeing that Odyssey because there's a nuke? That's ridiculous. TL;DR: sec, med, and eng's mechanical utility shouldn't be mistaken for them being the main characters; they're realistically just as unprepared for high intensity rounds as everyone else. There are points of escalation where it's reasonable to evac non-essential crew or stop sending them down as others have said, but an Odyssey shouldn't start and end that way. Maybe that could be a new escalation rule idk. Also cut Command and storytellers some slack it's a new gamemode 💋💋

Hi, I love the idea of fleshing out Auroranomics™ and it looks good so far. The biggest thing I would like to see from an economics expansion is a distinction between the different corporations: how their wages, insurance, etc. differ. I've gotten a lot of fun RP playing out the rivalry between corps, but I've realized with the current lore the actual differences between employees' experiences are pretty vague and this is a good opportunity to solidify them. A highly trained Zavodskoi Security Officer would make a lot more than some Grupo Amapola goon, a Hephaestus engineer would likely have lower pay but better benefits than their Zavodskoi coworker, Orion Express workers would benefit especially from overtime, etc. Distinguishing each megacorp's benefits would both highlight underused lore and give more accurate finances for characters. Ignoring my suggestion of making benefits corp-based for a moment, I think giving security (or at least secoff) lavish insurance would be wasteful. Their on-the-job injuries are already covered if I'm reading the insurance section right and offering anything more would be excessive for an entry-level position with presumably high turnover. Bridge Crew are roughly analogous with airline pilots with much higher qualification requirements, not to mention they're technically combat trained for serious emergencies now. I disagree with this for similar reasons. HoS is arguably one of the command jobs with the lowest qualifications second only to OM, while the CMO is the doctor to end all doctors. We know from a meta standpoint that the HoS is one of the most important command member as Horizon regularly gets into security emergencies requiring their expertise, but the vast majority of these situations are non-canon antag shenanigans. Looking at vaguely analogous IRL jobs, a chief of police and medical director, medical directors get paid almost double on average. (Based off here: https://www.indeed.com/career/chief-of-police/salaries, https://www.indeed.com/career/medical-director/salaries?from=top_sb) Both of these points also apply to the idea of raising secoff's pay, however I agree Shaft Miner should get a raise. There needs to be high incentive for taking the job with the highest casualty rate on the ship.

I considered posting this in the minor mapping suggestions thread, but seeing as it's possibly contentious I've elected to make a thread. Sorry if this is too minor. As far as I know 4 jobs (+ Captain) have access to the Horizon's weapons right now: Hangar Technician, Operations Manager, Engineer, and Chief Engineer. Atmos Tech I'm pretty sure doesn't and Bridge Crew only gets ammo access for loading the Canary. The intent, or at least the culture I'm used to, is that Hangar Tech is the main loader, followed by the OM and then Engineering in their absence. However, this doesn't seem to be actually codified anywhere meaning there are often people on the bridge going around Operations to make Engineers load the guns. This sucks seeing as weapon loading is one of the only unique responsibilities Hangar Techs get. There are 2 simple solutions: Remove Engineering's access to the weapons. I don't see any reason not to, especially when they're the only department that can hack into places. Elaborate on Hangar Tech's duty to load the weapons in standard procedures. Right now it somewhat vaguely states "operations personnel are expected to follow command team orders on usage of the many systems aboard". The idea here is to force the bridge to cooperate with Hangar Techs rather than ignoring them.

Actors are currently too reliant on there being a storyteller/staff's help in the absence of one. Uplinks would alleviate this by allowing the actors to still send announcements and spawn new props and equipment, ideally with access to more non-combat stuff than the antag uplinks. The uplinks could either be disabled when a storyteller joins or, ideally, split up the workload; the actors can focus on spawning their clothes/gear while the storyteller focuses on macro tasks like altering the map and spawning mobs. Either way, an uplink in a worst case scenario with no storyteller would be huge.

Posting to note that you can't see a hatch is open on an IPC if clothing covers it. Making them all visible or adding that info to the scanner would be hugely appreciated. Also: I love the idea of IPC viruses. Maybe ion storms could give every affected IPC a random one? Mechanical ones would be cool, but even flavor as simple as "You feel compelled to advertise Getmore's Carps Ahoy! Miniature Cookies" popping up repeatedly in red text would be great. The only issue is how IPCs would cope without a machinist, especially with more invasive viruses that affect movement or whatnot.

just another day in maints

This is not a salt suggestion intended to gimp a job out of malice. The point of this thread is to brainstorm low effort solutions to make engineering a more fully fledged department with distinct gameplay loops, rather than the current broken system of one unreasonably niche job (Atmos Tech) and another that is far too broad (Engineer). Can you honestly say every job in Engineering has unique gameplay that makes it worth playing over the other? I would say no, and that's a problem. Atmos Tech is borderline unplayable without an Engineer/CE to hold your hand and if their handicap, lack of insulated gloves, is "fixed" they just turn into normal Enginers. Engineer meanwhile can do everything atmos if they feel like it with only minor inconvenience. You'd be hard pressed to find any other department where one job so laughably outperforms another at its supposed specialty. Because that's what makes a job a job. Paramedics don't do surgery, security officers don't run investigations, and janitors don't mix cocktails. What makes engineering any different? I agree these things are nice, more variety is always better, but new branches don't address the rot at the tree's roots. Engineering has two jobs, the least of any department, and yet they still manage to be the two most similar jobs on the ship. Implementing even half of the six suggestions we've gathered would improve the situation. This goes beyond the scope of this thread but I 100% agree; power is way too cheap with far too little to spend it on. I would start by severely nerfing the INDRA (seriously, it makes 4x the power of the supermatter with a fraction of the setup time) and adding a consistent power sink, like reworking the shields, but that's for another thread. I know I'm repeating myself but I want to reiterate: adding a million toys that take time to code/map won't give Atmos Tech the access they need to do their job, nor will they give Engineer a niche. The jaws of life for atmos is a great idea because it's already mostly coded and it consistently pertains to their gameplay loop. The bluespace drive? The INDRA? These are cool add-ons but they follow the same life cycle: 1. Cool toy gets added 2. Someone finds the meta for the cool toy 3. The cool toy becomes mundane. It's unsustainable.

In theory anyone in the department can run it, but the culture right now is a cooperative effort where Engineers setup the containment equipment and Atmos Techs do the fuel calculations. Preparing the fuel is a whole process in itself of modifying piping and preparing the right gas, while containment setup is as simple as wrenching and welding a few things. So it's technically shared but Atmos bears the brunt of the work.

These are great suggestions. Shields are in line with focusing Engineer on the electrical side of the ship and making them nonessential means piloting would be more strategic-- as it stands Horizon is borderline invulnerable most of the time. I almost suggested giving Technicians more fire axes to deal with inaccessible areas, but the jaws of life would be way more convenient. While it sucks that the door will have to be repaired, it's core to balancing that one job can't perform the same tasks as another at the same efficiency. I'll add these ideas to the original post even though the jaws of life already has a PR. The problem with the lack of gloves is how limited Tech's mobility is. It's a lose-lose situation: they don't get gloves so they can't hack autonomously, but they don't have access so they end up hacking with an Engineer's help anyway. Increasing their access and/or adding more ways to force entry (jaws of life) would make the gloves issue all but disappear. As for extreme situations like when a door is an electrical hazard or blocked by a blast door, I think it's fair enough for them to need an Engineer's help. Using the medical comparison, my ideal Atmos-Eng relationship would be Technicians acting as the "Paramedics" of the department, doing the most time sensitive tasks like fighting fires and sealing breaches, while Engineers are more like the Physicians or Surgeons tackling heavier duty problems (setting up emitters, cleaning up the 50 shattered windows the vampire made). I disagree because RCON is nonessential to the round. All of the substation bypasses start enabled, the only thing a lone Atmos Tech needs to do is start one of the 2 engines they have access to and they can ignore power for the rest of the round. Job identity comes from giving each job unique strengths and weaknesses. If an Atmos Tech can set up the power as optimally as an Engineer, then why do Engineers exist? Why don't they give the ship hot thrust as well and min-max atmospherics' setup? Because it would corrode Atmos Tech's empowerment as a unique job with only things they can do. Atmosphere Control is arguably essential compared to RCON because it can stop the ship from falling apart with the click of a button, but I still wouldn't want Engineers to have it for the same reason I don't want Techs to have RCON. Atmosphere is essential to keeping the round afloat, similar to a reactor being on, however Engineers can handle those problems with suboptimal tools like PAPs that Atmos Techs wouldn't waste time on. While in a perfect world Engineers and Techs would communicate what problems they're facing, an air monitoring program would be great QOL for solo Engineers just as power monitoring is for solo Techs, so I'll add it to the original post. I do want to maintain the skill overlap but we differ on where we want that overlap to begin and end. Electrical is the de facto realm of Engineer. They are in charge of (most of) the engines, they're the only job issued insulated gloves, they do the hacking, it's core to the job's identity. If you take that away then what does Engineer have that Atmos Tech doesn't? A solved and mundane reactor in the INDRA? Just as the current state of Atmos not getting gloves disproportionately favors Engineer, giving Tech full rein over electrical work would render Engineer an obsolete job. As for what I think should be shared, I agree on construction. The job dedicated to upkeeping the atmosphere of the ship should be able to seal breaches without external help, and the difference between building a borosilicate window and laying a floor tile shouldn't be getting anyone bwoinked. This creates a nice symmetry with the electrical-atmospheric divide where the two jobs share in general construction but one replaces cabling and the other piping. I also like the status quo of Engineer having PAPs/scrubbers and Techs having access to the supermatter. These things are essential to keeping the round going and it's not uncommon for a manifest to only have either Engineers or Atmos Techs. Here's a VERY rough venn diagram of how I think gameplay should be split: (pls don't make fun of my chart)

The problem is engineering's jobs suffer from a lack of identity. Engineer and Atmospheric Technician gameplay is mostly interchangeable, with random arbitrary differences that leave the division of labor confused. Currently, the trend seems to be people preferring Engineer over Technician because it's less specialized and restricted. Incentives need to be given for playing Atmospheric Technician without undermining the gameplay of Engineer. Fortunately, the department's culture is fairly good at dividing the gameplay, but there are still cases of Engineers intruding on atmos gameplay or vice versa. Ideally Engineers are the electricians of the ship and do most of the engine work, while Atmospheric Technicians respond to emergencies and deal with propulsion. Construction is a gray area where I think Engineers should usually take priority except in cases of breaches or pipework. There won't be a good solution to everyone in the department doing construction until skills are added, so I will ignore it in this suggestion. My goal with this suggestion is to give the jobs stronger identities with mechanical changes rather than policy ones, however these changes only target Atmospheric Technicians so far. I would especially appreciate feedback from the atmos players this will affect or suggestions to change Engineer in the same vein. Increase Atmospheric Technician's airlock access. It seems the biggest hurdle working against Technicians is the lack of insulated gloves forbidding them from accessing zones where they're desperately needed. This forces them to either: A. Be totally reliant on Engineers to do the very basics of their job, or B. Find a pair of gloves and start doing things outside their purview. I am against giving Technicians gloves; electrical work is one of the only things exclusive to Engineers and it should stay that way. However, it's awful that "emergency personnel" can't even access most departments during emergencies. So just give them wider access to the ship. I'm not sure where all Paramedics have access, but they would be a good baseline as I rarely see them have trouble getting into somewhere. Remember: Atmospheric Technicians are the de facto firefighters of the ship. Fires, contaminations, breaches, etc. kill people and they should be able to respond quickly without stopping to hack a door open. Remove Atmospheric Technician's access to electrical computer programs, namely RCON and Power Monitoring. This should be fairly self explanatory. Engineers don't have access to the atmospheric control program because it's not their job, why do Technicians have access to electrical systems? Unlike the supermatter, the RCON is not required for keeping the round afloat, it's just suboptimal to ignore it. One job shouldn't be min maxing the gameplay of another. Alternatively, keep Power Monitoring open access and add an equivalent "air monitoring" program for Engineers that shows the atmospheric status around the ship without access to air alarm settings. This would make solo Atmospheric Technician/Engineer a little easier without letting one invalidate the other. ID lock atmospheric equipment like pipe dispensers and the gas tank controls. This is one of the only non-hackable ways to keep Engineers out of the Technicians' toys. It would also make atmos grief much harder, not that it's really a problem. The downside is Engineers would be unable to make significant modifications to their reactors without a Technician present to unlock a dispenser. Jaws of life for forcing open airlocks. While wider access would be a huge boon to Technicians, there would still be the occasional high-security airlock their access wouldn't reach. This also works independently of point 1. Already PRed: https://github.com/Aurorastation/Aurora.3/pull/20138 Limit shield generator access to Engineer. The shields are one of the biggest power draws on the ship so it's only natural to give them to the job focused around the electrical grid. In the case of an Atmos only manifest, no shields means more breaches for them to fix, and ergo more gameplay. It would also make the shields a more valuable resource and hopefully give Bridge Crew pause before flying through an asteroid field. Give Engineer access to telecommunications. Telecomm outages, whether natural or malicious, are fairly common and it's annoying that only the head of the department has access to them. I understand why the Chief Engineer is in charge of telecomms, but it really just means Engineers end up hacking in and out constantly and it's tedious. Making it officially their responsibility would make sense considering telecomms problems tend to be electrical in nature. This goes beyond the scope of this suggestion, but if telecomms was ever updated so the coolant of the room actually mattered that would be a great way to involve Atmospheric Technicians and thus the entire department in upkeep.

I played actor in the latest test and what struck me most was the lack of drip (don't laugh). The premade role kits are a cool idea, but they seemed to be incomplete placeholders. Snowy, the storyteller, was very receptive to our needs and spawned in everything requested, but I can't imagine it was fun for her to custom-tailor every one of us. I also worry how a round without a storyteller would look with everyone wearing the same generic clothes. A few clothing cabinets in the spawn room like most offships have would be great. Other than that there were some issues with map compatibility, namely the station's undersized airlock. It really congested the away team and I hope the finished maps have more room to breathe.

BYOND Ckey: Mr.Popper Discord username: mr.popper Character names: Manuel Barros (engineer) 👷 Dariiz Ranura (machinist) 😾 Ezho Guwan (miner) ⛓️🦎⛓️ Khidr (xenobiologist) 🤓 Vakrsh Ozeuoi (chief engineer) ☢️ Species you are applying to play: Vaurca 🐜 ------------------------------ General Whitelist Requirements What colour do you plan on making your first alien character?: 96B4FF (Mouv) Have you read the lore pages for the species you wish to be whitelisted for?: Yes. Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions in a paragraph format. One paragraph minimum per question. Why do you wish to play this species?: As an outsider, I love the sense of community Vaurcae have; it’s like every character is part of the same extended family. I could engage with it in the form of the Phalanx, but I have no interest in the militant angle and I would much rather play a native of the species. The external interactions are similarly great. Vaurcae are politically relevant to almost every major faction, and whether it be ostracization by Elyrans or subjugation under the Hegemony, there’s a lot to bounce off of. What makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a human?: Similar to synthetics, Vaurcae are purpose-built to fill a certain role. Where they differ is their communal society; almost all Vaurca are loyal to an Alate, Lesser Queen and/or High Queen who support them in turn. There’s a level of individualism among the unbound, but everything they do ultimately benefits their family and race. Likewise, a Vaurca’s life cycle is unlike any other species in the Spur, with most surviving indefinitely after death in VR. All of these alien quirks together make integration in the Spur a challenge for the less intelligent castes, and I appreciate how every hive offers a unique experience on Horizon. ------------------------------ Character Application Character Name: Ka’Akaix’Spol C’thur Write a backstory for your character. This may include their origin, education, personality and how they arrived to the SCCV Horizon. A Dreg would say Suits are born, but some are hatched. The Lesser Queen Mouv’s ventures into the Eridani Corporate Federation have come with an increased demand for Vaurca labor throughout the nation. Ever acquisitive, she meets that demand in her offspring; Ka’Akaix’Spol was destined for a career in Eridanian digital forensics. Its surrogate’s rationale was that a meek, non threatening Vaurca would fit the dull work of human information technology better than a hyperactive warrior, although this choice went on to make Spol an easier target for Vaurphobic coworkers. Spol’s year of virtual reality training was a strange childhood. Once it learned the very basics of being a Vaurca, the worker progressed to simulations of life as an Eridani suit, based on mostly accurate data collected by Mouv’s diplomats. These months of simulations engrossed Spol in the corporate world and molded it into the perfect Suit— or at least a bastardized, Vaurcaesian understanding of one. Equipped with a dictionary of poorly transcribed Suit slang and training in digital forensics, Spol’s Alate sent it off to Eridani I under an N4NL contract. Eridani life was nothing at all like the simulations in VR. Spol’s month in the Foreign Hire Program was arduous, not due to the trivial curriculum but the other contractors; every day was a worse hazing than the last with no sign of relenting. This mistreatment never completely faded, but died down significantly after Spol passed its internship and the contractors moved onto harassing newer recruits. Spol, meanwhile, took its abuse at face value as normal coworker behavior and never fathomed fighting back. Although Spol never noticed its hostile work environment, its Alate did. With multiple years spent in Eridani and only minor improvements to Spol’s situation, she decided it was time for a change in course. Unfortunately, Spol’s training in human culture as a member of the C’thur hive left it with little options outside of Eridani and within Mouv’s influence. Spol’s Alate deliberated for some time, both within the hive and with Spol’s EPMC superiors. Finally, she reached an agreement with N4NL. Spol would remain within the EPMC but be reassigned to its Biesellite operations, resulting in minimal shakeup while offering Spol experience in another human country— Biesel. Seeking utmost loyalty to Queen C’thur regardless of time spent in human space, Spol’s Alate influenced it in the Modern Pantheon. The long work days spent in human space have only cemented Spol’s faith, with mundane Suit life sharply contrasted by the fleeting euphoria of Her Aether. Although Spol has put little research into theology, it does have some thoughts on the other faiths. While Preimminence posits interesting questions about duty to one’s hive, Spol associates it with the Lii'dra due to its historical education and has avoided learning more. Similarly, Pilot Dream is just K’laxian nonsense made to cope with the tragic loss of their High Queen. While Spol is sympathetic, if not condescending towards the K’lax, it finds more common ground with the Zo’ra. The hive’s efforts to integrate with humanity were always of great interest to Spol given its upbringing. Comparatively, Spol has very little experience with the Skrell and struggles to relate its own struggles with those of its peers in the Federation. Its reassignment to the Republic is a source of excitement for the curious worker, who is eager to learn more about both humans and its Zo’rane relatives. How has the recent events of the Orion Spur impacted your character? Events such as the Phoron Scarcity, the Solarian Collapse or even the Invasions of Biesel for interstellar-wide affairs, while region-specific events such as the Peacekeeper Mandate, The Titan Rises or even Cold Dawn may impact your character. Although not alive for first contact and the subsequent founding of C’thur, LLC, Spol is a product of Mouv’s machinations for economic control of Eridani. Every one of her brood sent to Eridani or an EPMC is another piece of leverage for the recondite Queen, and Spol doesn’t even realize it. Outside of C’thuric influence, Spol is curious but oblivious. It was vaguely aware of the Solarian Civil War waging outside of Epsilon Eridani but never directly interacted with the conflict; Spol’s N4NL Asset Insurance team discreetly profited off the conflict through remote electronic warfare contracts, but these were just nameless clients to the Vaurca. The War in Heaven hits closer to home, yet another tragedy sparked by the tragedy of Mother K’lax’s death. While the technologically inclined worker is fascinated by the events in the Xathul Xon, its intrigue is dashed by horror at the bloodshed taking place. Spol’s biggest takeaway from the K'lak'iek is that the K’lax have fallen without the guidance of their original High Queen. Its not its place to judge a deity, but how can the lifegiving Queens create so much death? How does your character view the megacorporation they work for? Gullible enthusiasm. Integration into human culture is no different from work to Spol; a fun game to be played while outside the Aether. It doesn’t truly understand the discomfort its alien coworkers at N4NL feel towards it, instead mistaking their behavior as normal work culture. Consequently, Spol vastly overestimates C’thur’s influence in the Spur. If you asked it, Mouv basically owns Eridani already, and the other SCC corporations are small fry that will eventually be absorbed into C’thur, LLC. In the meantime, Spol will focus on its profession and serve the Conglomerate for the good of the hive.

Lenny is the resident Unathi Person in my brain, having taught me a ton about the species with their fun characters. I'm sure Blob will do the same for Vaurcae+1

justice for bluwan

In the aforementioned Evil Barros round, Fletcher unintentionally outed the impostor prematurely by calling the real Barros to his office. While it's unfortunate the antag couldn't complete his original plan, Fletcher did an great job of damage control by letting him escape and playing along with the doppelganger gimmick, despite how easy it was to identify the real one OOC. A bad head of staff wouldn't have even entertained that idea, and yet Fabian ensured it flourished despite the antag's handicap. When it comes to everyday play, Fletcher is good at organizing the department, makes frequent announcements, and is proactive in teaching newcomers. My only criticism comes from one round in which Fletcher assigned me and 1 other engineer to do a routine check on the reactor and fill out the accompanying form. While normally I like when Command remembers paperwork, there was no reason that I'm aware of to examine the reactor so it ended up feeling like 15 minutes of busywork. I would suggest saving mundane stuff like that for when the department has more people or when there's an actual reason. For comparison, he proceeded to send us to do the same thing with the sensor array, except it felt less tedious because the sensors were damaged, and we actually had something to report. Regardless, this one hiccup doesn't change the fact that Fabian is competent and has handled the whitelist with care. +1

imblue.mp4

My perspective is limited to a member of Operations and I haven't seen how Jasorn handles antags, but I can confidently say he knows how to lead a department. A recurring behavior I appreciate is how Fernand always provides the crew with shortwave radios during emergencies where telecomms are down. I can't say I remember another head of staff ever doing this, and it's exactly the type of contribution an Operations Manager should be making as head of supply. As a character, I also enjoy what I've seen of Fernand, particularly his seedier side; he shows hints of the crookedness you'd expect from a corporate stooge, yet without being blatant or overbearing. Altogether, Jasorn plays a good head of staff and I look forward to seeing more of his OM. +1

Thank you for the response. Zhrdtuur was enthusiastic at the announcement of the humanitarian program in mid-2466. Already loyal to Hephaestus by this point, he had full faith in the corporate efforts to rejuvenate Moghes. One day, he hoped, the environment may even recover enough for his birthplace to be habitable again. Clan Azstak shared a similar, albeit more acquisitive, view, hoping to profit off the increase demand for guild work. His poorer kin in Skklet, however, were less enthusiastic. What good are promises from aliens when every day is a struggle to feed the clan? And, unlike the romantic warrior, their old village was now but a distant memory in the minds of the eldest. Mudki offered shelter in a time where it was sparse, why wish for anything else? Lord Izaku's betrayal, ironically, united them. Azstak's xenophilic, thrifty outlook often clashed with Izaku's xenophobia, while Skklet had held a grudge in secret ever since the death of Zhrdtuur's brother. Although Zhrdtuur was shocked to hear of the uprising and feared for his clanmates still in Mudki, another emotion came to him— vindication; Zhrdtuur had not betrayed his Lord with his disloyal thoughts following his brother's execution, his Lord had betrayed him in ordering it. Izaku's death was the climax of years of resentment and the start of a new chapter in Zhrdtuur's life, one in which he can forgive himself for the part he played in his brother's death and move on, like Moghes itself. The conclusion of the initial humanitarian mission and Hephaestus' hand in it have only strengthened Zhrdtuur's resolve. His homeland will recover, and Hephaestus Industries will be there with them every step of the way.

BYOND Ckey: Mr. Popper Discord username: mr.popper Character names: Manuel Barros (engineer) Dariiz Ranura (machinist) Species you are applying to play: Unathi ------------------------------ General Whitelist Requirements What colour do you plan on making your first alien character?: Mudki Stone Have you read the lore pages for the species you wish to be whitelisted for?: Yes Why do you wish to play this species?: I like the lore for Unathi, which I was mostly introduced to during the latest arc. They have a similar “new kid on the block” vulnerability to Tajara but with very different execution; rather than being divided politically, Moghes’ divisions are more environmental. But that is not to say the Unathi are socially perfect, by any means. Feudal oppression is still alive and well, providing plenty of concepts for characters who benefit or suffer under the regime. The central conflict of Moghes’ nuclear trauma is also a great hook and I love how every Unathi has a different perspective on it. With Zhrdtuur, he feels cheated out of the life promised for him but has begrudgingly accepted his new path for the good of his clan. What makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a human?: There is the obvious that I will need to get used to, like mannerisms, but I am more interested in the social differences. The highlight is definitely gender, which I haven’t seen any other sci-fi race really play with. Gender is something an Unathi “does” rather than “is”. When I find myself thinking of an Unathi character, I always start with their gender and how that affected their life as each has its own varying expectations. Clans are also significant, with Unathi having a very collectivist culture that stresses the needs of the many more than most human cultures. Religion is another major consideration, dividing Unathi far more than it does other races like humans or Tajara. Unathi society is really in such a vulnerable state that a desperate Sinta will believe anything, and that drives conflict. ------------------------------ Character Application Character Name: Zhrdtuur Azstak Write a backstory for your character. This may include their origin, education, personality and how they arrived to the SCCV Horizon. Born into clan Skklet, Zhrdtuur’s formative years were what one might expect for a peasant in the Zazalai Mountains. Each day was a new lesson in the way of the fisher, preparing Zhrdtuur for the day they would have to provide for their village. But that day never came. The Contact War broke out in their teenage years, and suddenly the serene mountain range was flooded with invaders. The Skklet clan was able to escape to nearby Mudki, but not without a cost; Zhrdtuur was one of many non-warriors desperately called upon by Lord Izaku to defend the city. Thanks to his courage, or perhaps youthful naivety, Zhrdtuur fought with distinction for a levy. He was one of the few newly minted warriors to never desert a battle, fuelled by his hatred for the invaders who had sacked his home. For nine long years he fought, yet when victory finally came it was bittersweet. The village he was born in was gone for good, taking two thirds of his homeworld with it. It was not home he returned to but asylum, one of many haphazard shelters allocated to refugees. But that is where his clan was, wounded but alive, and so that is where he stayed. The aftermath of the Contact War was a confusing period for Zhrdtuur. They were nominally a fisher again, trying to pick up the pieces of life before the War, but life was so different from when they were a hatchling. The beautiful countryside was replaced with weathered walls, and the clan’s lake, once abundant with fish, was no more. For nearly a decade they had done nothing but fight, and it seemed they had forgotten how to do anything else. After months of contemplation and guidance from their shaman, Zhrdtuur officially decided to follow the life of a warrior. Zhrdtuur’s first few years as a warrior were spent in Mudki’s city watch. He considered an offer to become a man-at-arms for Lord Izaku, but his experiences as a fisher got the better of him; in the city he could finally pursue his childhood dream of becoming a guildsman. Leveraging his military experience, he secured an apprenticeship in the local Fighter’s Lodge chapter, providing far more for his clan than before. Yet even still, clan Skklet struggled in poverty, and so his clan leader began seeking a spouse for the warrior. After much deliberation an agreement was made with clan Azstak, a local guild family established in Mudki. Zhrdtuur was betrothed to the fisher Geslsid Azstak, promising prosperity for his impoverished clan. The marriage price afforded to Skklet may have saved the clan from an early demise. After many years of hard work, Zhrdtuur Azstak made his way up in the Fighter’s Lodge. He eventually earned a spot in the Lodge’s Chosen, traveling all around Moghes doing clients’ dirty work. One of these contracts was his first run-in with Hephaestus Industries. The corporation appreciated Zhrdtuur’s subtler approach at curbing unruly workers compared to his warrior peers, as well as his “self-made” story, so when Hephaestus absorbed the guilds in full he was a natural choice for a corporate enforcer. Zhrdtuur’s latest assignment is as a “workplace liaison” to represent Hephaestus’ interests on SCCV Horizon, although time will tell what the corporation really intended with his posting. How have the recent events of the Orion Spur impacted your character? Clan Skklet was profoundly impacted by the Sk’akh inquisition. Although a staunch Th’akh clan, Zhrdtuur and many of his clanmates fell for the hysteria surrounding alleged cult activity. This came to a head with Zhrdtuur’s discovery that his twin brother, a talented hunter and respected warrior in his own right, had converted to Si’akh. After failing to make his brother see the light, the two had a falling out. Seeing no other option, Zhrdtuur reported his brother to Mudki’s authorities. This decision would haunt the Sinta for the rest of his life, as the next day his twin was given a public execution as a message against heresy. Zhrdtuur was commended by his Lord but he felt only hollow, dishonorable. Closure only came to the bitter warrior six years later with Lord Izaku’s execution. Hephaestus Industries’ takeover of the guilds has drastically changed Zhrdtuur’s life for the better. While he previously would have had to settle for retirement from the warrior lifestyle as his age caught up with him, Hephaestus offered a transition into a less physical— but still honorable— role where his talents for crushing dissent could flourish. His new position also meant substantially more financial security for his once destitute clan. How does your character view the megacorporation they work for? Zhrdtuur sees Hephaestus Industries as a positive force in the Hegemony. Part due to his childhood as a fisher, part due to his distrust of nobles like Izaku, he genuinely believes economic forces like the guilds and Hephaestus to be Moghes’ salvation— not that he would ever say it to a noble. Himeans, Unionizers, Aut’akh, and anyone else who would oppose Hephaestus must be backwards Traditionalists who refuse to embrace progress. It is his duty as a warrior to out these dishonorable schemes and protect his employer’s interests.