[Accepted] Cairath's Aut'akh Unathi Application

[Cairath]

BYOND Key: Cairath

Character Names: Ina Cranston, Nae Yu-Jin

Species you are applying to play: Aut'Akh Unathi

What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Shiny Black

Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: 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 specific race: 

I've been meaning to look into playing Unathi for quite a while now and while reading into their lore, I was attracted quite a bit to the Aut'akh, their history and their evolution from a peace preaching group to an ostracized community of augmented individuals, all tied together by a network that boost communal synergy. I've been playing quite a bit of IPC as well, mostly shells, exploring the idea of a mechanical body without the ostentatious robotic speech patterns or decision algorithms. 

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: (One Paragraph minimum)

Unathi themselves are different to humans, on both a physiological level, where they are carnivorous and cold blooded, and psychological level where their clans and communes act with a tighter bond than most human communities. Aut'akh Unathi would also fit in differently compared to even normal Unathi, as they'd boast a metal shell that would feel more at home among robots than other breathing crew members. Not to mention the connection to the Mesh and Oss.

Character Name: Mahashik Shek'zora

Please provide a short backstory for this character:

Hatched in the year 2431 in S'th, Vrazi of clan Hraathi had her first few years fly by like a dream, with her future being written as that of a bride, learning much from her mother. It wasn't too long after that the Contact War happened and nuclear fire engulfed the land, turning what was once a normal, albeit somewhat dangerous living into a agonizing subsistence. Falling ill at a young age due to the radiation, Vrazi felt like she was a burden with each passing day, something that weighed even heavier on her when one of her parents passed away. Living in these conditions took a massive toll in how her mind was shaped, seeing desperate refugees flock towards places such as Skalamar, being exposed to all sorts of atrocities and seeing their last remaining guardian decay much like the planet. 

By the time the Contact War was drawing to an end, Vrazi was left alone, a maimed and sickly survivor with no future in sight. While out scavenging for whatever she could find in the Wasteland, Aut'akh followers came before her and told her of what they had been foretold and their beliefs. It was as if this Sk’akh themselves had brought her to them. This is when Vrazi had begun her conversion, shedding this battered vessel and assuming a new one, one under the moniker of Mahashik Shek'zora of the Miners.

She belonged now, being part of a community, having been connected to the Mesh and now becoming part of the Moghean Mahashik, spending her days mining and shedding the past behind. While this was a living she could not have hoped for in the past, a new horizon opened when an opportunity came about. Leaving behind her home in the Polar Bunkers, Mahashik Shek'zora took on a mining job with Nanotrasen, seeking to expand her horizons and see more about what the world has to offer.

What do you like about this character? 

A foreign character that has left hardship behind in order to start anew. While the scars have been replaced by a metal outside, they still remain on the inside no matter how hard they try. Looking forward to seeing how Shek'zora interacts with other races, which she has had minimal contact with, as well as Unathi of different faiths and backgrounds. Can past aggression be set aside in case of a crisis? Can curiosity triumph over discrimination? I'm looking forward to interacting with others as Shek'zora.

Notes: None.

Edited January 9, 2020 by Marlon Phoenix

[Skyglazer]

Have had plenty of good interactions with Cairath, they make for both a very interesting antagonist and very pleasant coworker. They have a very solid understanding of the server's lore and I think they would make a rockin' Aut'akh with this cool idea. +1

When I first made my own Unathi application, someone helped me out by leaving some helpful questions for me to answer that helped me figure out the character better, and show off the thought I'd put in. I can't say I'll do as good a job, but I came up with some for you. Feel free to answer them, or not:

1. How does Mahasik feel about other, non-Aut'akh Unathi, now that she has been one for a while? Does she pity them for not being connected to the Mesh? Does she despise them for disliking her people? Et cetera.
2. Does she have any long-term aspirations aside from expanding her horizons?
3. Like many Aut'akh, she was heavily augmented to escape from a frail, sickened body. But if given the chance, would Mahasik want to go back to a completely fresh body, or is she strict in her adherence to Aut'akh stricture, believing that her casing is superior in every way?

 

[Cairath]

I'll go ahead and answer those questions:

1. Mahashik Shek'zora has had a few altercations with non-Aut'akh Unathi and harbors resentment for them, often acting a bit more abrasive towards them than towards other races. Following the beginning of her new life, she saw just how much they were hated and took some of it to heart, in term approaching interactions with non-augmented Unathi with a pinch of salt.

2. Curiosity was the initial goal that propelled her further, but there is also an underlying motive of growing stronger in general. With an early life where they felt like a burden and a constant drag on those around, Shek'zora now fosters a desire to make sure that she is never seen as powerless or a victim, often at the expense of coming off as a bit brutish or pushy.

3. She has no reason or desire to ever let go of this body, believing that the former form is tainted and that the new, crafted ones are the perfect vessels for souls. Beyond seeking further augmentation, she'll adheres to the belief that there is inferiority in flesh. 

 

Also, thank you for the reply!

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

I am replying to this tomorrow!

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Hello! I started writing this at 24 hours from my last post on the dot. Phew!

Now, Aut'akh recently had some rewrites that focused on their history and general themes. While this may impact your character (though it doesn't strictly have to) I am going to judge the app based on how the Aut'akh were the moment that you applied while encouraging you to check out the new stuff. Unathi rewrites are exceedingly rare so you wont have to restudy anything like this for quite some time.

With all that said,

You have a good understanding of the Aut'akh and I think that your application is generally pretty solid. I like your answers to the questions and I just had a few myself.

You say that she was raised to be married off like a standard maiden before the Contact War happened. I assume that she was raised with the strict gendered expectations placed on her. How did she reconcile the demands of the patriarchal society with the radical acceptance of the aut'akh? Did she experience culture shock?

What religion was she raised under? Th'akh or Sk'akh? And what sort of arguments did the recruiter made that really resonated with her?

You say she left the polar bunker; the original convoy of Aut'akh that came to Tau Ceti were actually unable to return to Moghes from a return trip and leaving Moghes is very dangerous for Aut'akh as the Izweski's navy became smart to their sneaky methods and often catch leaving ships. What spurned her to make this dangerous journey to Tau Ceti?

[Cairath]

I'll make sure to give the new Aut'akh lore a read-through, though I did see some changes when skimming through the wikipedia pages yesterday which I made sure to make note of them.

Much of her past was left behind following her change. While the initial upbringing put her down the path that was expected, its teachings did not serve too well in the years to come. Trying to subsist during the war proved that being a quiet maiden didn't do too well for those around you, which ended up imprinting a great sense of guilt and shame on her. Losing both family and friends over time, it was adapt or die and it seemed that while adapting was the way to go, she was slowly leaning towards die. By the time she was found by the Aut'akh preachers, she was already set on the idea that her days were numbered. 

 

There was an initial culture shock, a realization that the initially imposed role was not the one that'd she'd fill in. Shy and afraid, she strengthened herself in the thought that this new vessel came with a new purpose as well. The prospect of a dutiful relationship being a long gone memory in her mind, which caused bouts of depression and anxiety about her own existence, thoughts that she tried to drown through work in the underground tunnels.

 

She was under the religion of Sk'akh, which helped impose the idea of a dutiful maiden as well. When found by the recruiters, the woman was destitute, maimed and sickly, a battered vagrant not sure as to why she should go on. The preachers told her of how the flesh vessels were becoming improper, how a soul bound by an impure vessel would not join Sk'akh but instead find themselves damned. This kind of drivel would've seen as insane had it not been for her situation. If her body was a jar for her soul, it was cracked and on the verge of breaking down and if what the strangers said was true, there would be no light at the end of the tunnel had she not followed them.

 

 The initial impact of this major change died down with time, but something felt wrong, or amiss. Daily work was fulfilling and kept her mind off other problems, but she could not shake the deep depression that haunted her. Consulting with other Aut'akh, expressing her problems and seeking council, it all seemed to do little to lessen this issue. After a long debate with peers and deliberation, she fell upon an idea: it must've been Moghes. There was an innate shame that still lingered there for her, one that she felt like she could only shake by leaving. Many tried to stop her, making arguments that it was dangerous and that she'd be all alone out there. 

By the end of it, she was set in doing it and ended up receiving the blessings of her peers rather than just warnings of what's out there. How she got smuggled off the planet could only be attributed to a great coordination of non-augmented aut'akh preachers in disguise and her passing off as some form of cargo among mining equipment, boxed somewhere between drill bits and hydraulic fluid containers. 

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Good character and answers. application accepted!