[Accepted] Gecko's Unathi Application

[Captain Gecko]

BYOND Key: Captain Gecko

Character Names: Romeo Watari (Scientist), Dagga Bloedwurm (Lab Assistant), Sunette Jagter (Freelance Journalist), Narrator WINGMAN (pAI)

Species you are applying to play: Unathi

What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Light Orange/Yellow ("Sand Colored")

Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes.

 

Why do you wish to play this specific race: I really want to play as an alien, most importantly, a Unathi. I am very interested in playing a character that comes with different mechanics (but not too different, so I doubt I'd be interested in playing a Dionae or a Vaurca anytime soon), but also different ways to express themselves as I am also interested in roleplaying as much as possible. Other than the fact that I just love reptiles in general, I'd rather play a Unathi because I am very interested in the way they think and interact with others.

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: As I said, I am very interested in playing a character that thinks and acts differently. Other than taking into account the different mechanics like how to react to temperatures, their superior strength to most, etc. As a Unathi, may they be from the Hegemony, Dominia, or another place, is a strong and proud individual, proud brawlers of some sort, with their own culture and such an EPIC HISTORY. Most importantly to me, a Unathi comes with their own social cues, from the orientation of their head to show their mood, the tail thumping, how they call people by their ranks and how such apparently little things to humans like pointing at them can have stronger meaning to them... etc... etc... You get it.

 

Character Name: Sezrak Han'San

Please provide a short backstory for this character: Sezrak Han'San hatched in 2436 in the pirate ship Sel'Exis, also known as the Malediction, part of S’kraskin Seryo's fleet. Mere weeks after the day he hatched, along with his two brothers, Stanislav Olkhovsky, a human from a planet named Moroz contacted S'kraskin Seryo, and the rest is history. Kar'Sani Han'San, Sezrak's father, took part in the initial assault on Fisanduh. Kar'Sani was a highly respected raider, and later, soldier, as, after the official creation of the Empire of Dominia, he would enlist right away in the Imperial army. Years later, would come an even that would mark Sezrak and his brothers for life, and make them who they are today... In 2444, a superior officer insulted Kar'Sani Han'San, calling him useless, weak, and without honor. In response, Kar'Sani initiated a duel with his superior to defend his honor and won. Then, in a display of glory and strength, he enlisted voluntarily in the Tribunal Commandos. Kar'Sani Han'San survived 10 deployments, then proceeded to take part in 2 extra engagements before losing his left arm, and retiring. After this, Kar'Sani Han'San would get back in the Imperial army and become a superior officer, taking a role of leadership, rather than one of fighting.

Having such a father was a catalyst to Kar'Sani Han'San's three sons. All Unathis may aim for a life of honor and glory, but Sezrak and his brother saw their father do the impossible, just to show off his valorous, strong, and honor-bound he was, and they aimed to be like their father. However, the three brothers aimed to mimic their father in their own way... Kezka Han'San, the strongest of the three brothers simply assumed that to be as great as their father, he had to do what he did to prove his worth; and so, in 2454, at age 18, Kezka enlisted in the Tribunal Commandos despite the warnings of his family. He died during his first deployment. To this day, Sezrak refuses to mention his brother Kezka. The second brother, Naazix, deemed that his father's greatness came from his discipline, the values that made him a good soldier before all, and enlisted in the Imperial Army at age 18. He is still a soldier to this day. Sezrak, however, interpreted this greatness differently...

Surprisingly, especially for a Unathi, Sezrak didn't link his father's greatness to anything related to his strength or his military values. He rather interpreted this as pure bravery. Kar'Sani Han'San while a good soldier, wasn't physically or mentally exceptional for a Unathi, and if he made it to survive 12 deployments among the Tribunal Commandos after joining their ranks by himself, surely, more could be able to do such a thing. but those other ones who could be physically able to do such a thing weren't mentally fit... Said in another way, having the skills is a thing, but few have the balls to engage in such acts. Sezrak Han'San's father had the bravery to engage in what was supposed to be a suicidal career with no fear, looked at the death in the eye, and proceeded to challenge it 12 times before surviving. But Sezrak, there was worse, things more terrifying to challenge, the very thing that made death so intimidating: The unknown.

And so, to challenge the unknown, to prove his bravery, his honor, Sezrak Han'San engaged in a career that was strange to most Unathi, but legitimate and logical to him: Xeno-Research. At age 18, in 2454, Sezrak became a student at the Holy University of Domelkos. There weren't many courses that would allow Sezrak to access the career he was aiming for; in fact, there was only one at that time. In 2452, two years before Sezrak would begin his studies, Emperor Boleslaw Keeser entered talks with NanoTrasen Company, and after having banned the company from interacting with Dominia 5 years earlier, these new talks allowed NT to start trading with the Empire; among other things. This is why the Holy University of Domelkos allowed following an 8-year course called "Xeno-Archeology and Research for the Understanding of Anomalous and Alien Materials" (or XARUAAM), a course sponsored by Nanotrasen. The idea was that the course was free (as long as the student showed he had the interest and skills to be efficient and talented enough to stay in the course), but, by its end, would have the once students have to spend 8 years working for Nanotrasen in exchange.

Sezrak took the course, and 8 years later, in 2462, at 26, left with a PhD in the study of Anomalous Materials. He now stands ready to get to work, to prove what he is made of, if not to his father, to himself. He is now awaiting for Nanotrasen to tell him where his workplace will be. He heard someone mention the name of a station named "Aurora", but nothing is sure, and the decision lays in the hand of his higher-ups.

What do you like about this character? Sezrak could be described as "Scientifically Unathi". He is moved by the same reason that motivates many of his kin: Honor, Glory, Pride; yet, instead of proving it on the battlegrounds of through their noble blood, Sezrak proves it by manipulating unknown items that could vaporize anything in a 5-meter radius the moment they touch an atom of Oxygen. It wouldn't be rare to see Sezrak ready to sacrifice himself just to conclude the analysis of some 1200-year-old alien bowl. This also means that, despite, his choice of career, Sezrak is still animated by a warrior's heart, and would challenge anyone who would dare to insult his honor too much to a duel straight away. Note however that for a Unathi, even a Dominan one, Sezrak isn't so... Well, Dominian minded, mostly due to his 8 year-long course, sponsored by NT, which slightly introduced him to the galactic way of life. While rather mindful of synths, he doesn't seem to be overtly hostile to them.

Notes: As Sezrak just finished his studies, he is still relatively un-experienced, and will often look up to his co-workers and obey to them, treating them almost like military superiors if they are more experienced than him, and don't show themselves to be overtly hostile to him. Also I didn't mention it, but yes, obviously, he follows the words of the Holy Tribunal of Moroz; he is neither a zealot, nor hostile, but simply worships the godess as he has been raised to do so for all his life.

Edited August 24, 2020 by SleepyWolf

[Shenaanigans]

Hi there! I have to say I really enjoy the flavor of this character, taking as core a value to Unathi honor as "bravery" and spinning that to be something that can apply to scientific pursuits rather than simply throwing oneself into combat. It illustrates a very thoughtful understanding of Unathi values-- beyond a more basic, battle hungry warrior archetype --and definitely makes Sezrak into a memorable character. The only concern I have to bring up is the fact that Scientists have an in-game age minimum of 30, so if you do intend for him to take the Xenoarchelogy role you would need to bump his age up by a few years.

Other than that, I only have a few things that I'm curious about, since you were generally very thorough in outlining his backstory and personality. First off, what would you say his opinion is of the Hegemony and generally other Unathi who are not from Dominia? Secondly, how does he feel about his House's origins lying in piracy and the somewhat "dishonorable" tactics that the Imperial navy is rumored to practice?

[Captain Gecko]

3 hours ago, Shenaanigans said:

Hi there! I have to say I really enjoy the flavor of this character, taking as core a value to Unathi honor as "bravery" and spinning that to be something that can apply to scientific pursuits rather than simply throwing oneself into combat. It illustrates a very thoughtful understanding of Unathi values-- beyond a more basic, battle hungry warrior archetype --and definitely makes Sezrak into a memorable character. The only concern I have to bring up is the fact that Scientists have an in-game age minimum of 30, so if you do intend for him to take the Xenoarchelogy role you would need to bump his age up by a few years.

Other than that, I only have a few things that I'm curious about, since you were generally very thorough in outlining his backstory and personality. First off, what would you say his opinion is of the Hegemony and generally other Unathi who are not from Dominia? Secondly, how does he feel about his House's origins lying in piracy and the somewhat "dishonorable" tactics that the Imperial navy is rumored to practice?

Hey there!

Firstly, thanks!

Secondly, about the age, the first draft had Sezrak be around 30 years old, but then I saw the wiki page for Xeno-archelogists/Anomalists which says "at least 25 years of age" (https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Xenoarcheologist). I can still make him 30 or something and tweak all the dates if it's just the wiki page not being up to date.

 

As for the more lore-related questions:

- Sezrak is rather neutral toward Unathi hailing from the Hegemony, and to the dismay of many of them, would treat them like any other Dominian Unathi; which means: treating his elders and superiors with the respect they deserve and treating the others as equals until they prove they deserve more (or less) respect through their actions. Despite that, discussions with Hegemony Unathi can quickly get tense, as it isn't rare for them to question Sezrak's honor, among other things, due to his origins; accusations that are often met with our Dominian Unathi asking for a duel, or any other kind of trial to prove that he is a "true Unathi" too.

- To Sezrak, the act of piracy is not inherently dishonorable. Just like in any action, Honor can come, or be lost depending on how piracy is done. He was told the pirates, under S’kraskin Seryo's command followed the Star Code (https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Unathi_Honor#The_Star_Code), and for that, Sezrak considers his parents and their crewmates preserved their honor, even as pirates and raiders. As for the rumors of the dishonorable practices and tactics the Imperial fleet would engage in, they are, to Sezrak, just that: Rumors. He doesn't think much about it, but obviously, if these were to be confirmed, he would feel greatly insulted as a Dominian. He wouldn't, however, see his own honor harmed, as he sees both House Kazhkz and House Zhao as the ones responsible for the Imperial Navy's actions.

[Shenaanigans]

7 hours ago, Captain Gecko said:

Secondly, about the age, the first draft had Sezrak be around 30 years old, but then I saw the wiki page for Xeno-archelogists/Anomalists which says "at least 25 years of age" (https://wiki.aurorastation.org/index.php?title=Xenoarcheologist). I can still make him 30 or something and tweak all the dates if it's just the wiki page not being up to date.

Just double checked this and yes it seems that the wiki is just a little out of date on that front. Xenoarcheologist is an alt-title of Scientist, which has a minimum age of 30 years. Roboticist is the only non-learner science role that's currently set at 25.

Otherwise good answers! This app has my support.

[Captain Gecko]

2 hours ago, Shenaanigans said:

Just double checked this and yes it seems that the wiki is just a little out of date on that front. Xenoarcheologist is an alt-title of Scientist, which has a minimum age of 30 years. Roboticist is the only non-learner science role that's currently set at 25.

Otherwise good answers! This app has my support.

Alrighty then! So, Sezrak will be 30 years old, then. Which means some minor changes:

- He was born in 2432.

- He spent his first 4 years in the pirate ship Sel'Exis. This could add some itty-bitty things to his character, and how sees Dominia, less like "just his birthplace", and more like some sort of miracle land that allowed him and his family to move from a life of piracy to one of comfort as a Primary (Of course, of comfort but of duty too). This, however, isn't such so important for him as a character, considering this all took place when he was still very young (at less than/at 4 years old), and Sezrak's education would still mostly be the one of a Dominian.

- Pretty much all of the dates related to his brothers are to be pushed back four years in the past (so, for instance, his brother Kezka wouldn't have died in 2454, but in 2450).

- He would join his university at 20, in 2452, instead of 18, and his course, then, wouldn't last 8 but 10 years.

[Haydizzle]

Hello! I’ve managed to interact with you as you played Romeo before, though nothing too deep or long from what I can remember unfortunately.

For opening remarks, I indeed have to reiterate Shen’s sentiments about your spin on unathi honor. I think it’s a great take on it and I’ve considered doing something similar for an old character concept. The application itself is solid and shows signs of a good roleplayer.

While you show great understanding of the Empire of Dominia, I do have to confess that it is a bit odd to see an application character be Dominian. Due to being outside most of the unathi factions, I will be a little more rigorous with questioning to get a feel for your understanding on the species’ core themes, as well as the lore for unathi in general. I have faith that your answers will help me reach a favorable verdict.

Consider your answers and why Sezrak does or doesn’t follow the norm for unathi or his faction. Should you not want to spoil backstory publicly, you can privately message any of the answers to me here or on Discord (I can be reached through the main and lore servers). 

1) Generally speaking, a common way for unathi to explain events or phenomena would be through skepticism and religious explanation. How does this clash or even intersect with Sezrak’s profession as a scientist? How does his family view his job pursuit as a xenoarcheologist?

2) Sezrak would have been old enough to have lived on Moghes prior to First Contact. What caused his parents to move towards piracy and thus leave Moghes?

3) What are Sezrak’s thoughts on Not’zar?

4) What are Sezrak’s thoughts on synthetics? (Reasoning here is important!!!)

 

Consider too getting feedback if you’re able! Not required if you are unable to, however.

One last note, this gave me a good chuckle, largely because how Dominian unathi treat other unathi should look like this, but usually isn’t unfortunately:

On 22/08/2020 at 02:19, Captain Gecko said:

would treat them like any other Dominian Unathi;

Thanks again for your time, and I look forward to seeing your replies! ?

Edited August 23, 2020 by Haydizzle
An extra space was bugging me, sue me

[Captain Gecko]

6 hours ago, Haydizzle said:

While you show great understanding of the Empire of Dominia, I do have to confess that it is a bit odd to see an application character be Dominian. Due to being outside most of the unathi factions, I will be a little more rigorous with questioning to get a feel for your understanding on the species’ core themes, as well as the lore for unathi in general. I have faith that your answers will help me reach a favorable verdict.

Consider your answers and why Sezrak does or doesn’t follow the norm for unathi or his faction. Should you not want to spoil backstory publicly, you can privately message any of the answers to me here or on Discord (I can be reached through the main and lore servers). 

1) Generally speaking, a common way for unathi to explain events or phenomena would be through skepticism and religious explanation. How does this clash or even intersect with Sezrak’s profession as a scientist? How do his family view his job pursuit as a xenoarcheologist?

2) Sezrak would have been old enough to have lived on Moghes prior to First Contact. What caused his parents to move towards piracy and thus leave Moghes?

3) What are Sezrak’s thoughts on Not’zar?

4) What are Sezrak’s thoughts on synthetics? (Reasoning here is important!!!)

 

Hey there!

Well, to be frank, when making the first draft for Sezrak, I had a hard time trying to decide if he was to be from the Hegemony or the Empire. I do love the history of the Hegemony, especially the tragedy that is the Contact War, but I really have a thing for Dominia. I am not sure what makes me love the Empire so much, but I think the sort of "Unathi Society lite" side of it plays a role, like, how the Dominian Empire is some sort of middle-ground between a human-made culture and the Unathi way of life, a sort of hybrid nation.

I don't know if this is spoiling his story, and to be frank, I don't really care. There is a lot to this character, and his surroundings that I didn't mention, mostly because I assumed this was rather unnecessary in his backstory, but we'll have to mention those parts to answer those questions:

 

1) The very reason why Sezrak's parents left Moghes was because of religion in the Hegemony (more on that in the answer to the 2nd question), so, both Th'akh and Sk'akh were frowned by both Kar'Sani Han'San and Selathis Han'san (Kar'sani being his father, and Selathis his mother). Even though the Holy Tribunal bears many similarities with Sk'akh, Sezrak's parents accepted to follow this religion, and thus, their sons were taught the ways of the Empire's religion, and how to worship the Goddess. Out of the three sons, Sezrak was the one that... Let's say, thought the most, and quickly developed his own point of view, a point of view that evolved even more during his NT-sponsored course as he was exposed to the rest of the galaxy. So while he doesn't "explain events or phenomena would be through religious explanation", among other things, he does follow the Holy tribunal and has his own way to make this cope with his career.

Sezrak believes in the Goddess, souls, the spirits, and all of the things the Tribunal speaks about; and science, today, does not deny the existence of the Goddess, nor questions the truthfulness of the words of the Holy Tribune. For instance, it is said that some of the higher priests are gifted psionic powers from the goddess -and Sezrak belives it-, or, Psionism is a thing, and no research, today, denies the fact the Goddess could've given those priests these powers. In truth, science may be a way to get closer to the Goddess, in explaining their actions and discovering more about them.

 

2) By the time Sezrak was born, his parents had already left Moghes. Selathis, Sezrak's mother, suffered from a rare strain of the Rot. Contrary to its most common counterpart, this strain rarely led to death, being way weaker than the Rot, but still provoked massive damages to the hide of its victims, generally leading to long-lasting consequences to the muscular tissue. Thankfully, this disease being a weaker strain of the Rot, Selathis was cured, but not before she would lose the use of most of her legs' muscular mass. Selathis was still able to walk, albeit slowly and often needing support to avoid falling, even after being cured. Kar'Sani, her husband, couldn't stand this and searched for help. He eventually found a lone doctor, who accepted to heal Selathis' legs through the use of biological augmentations.

This led, however, to a big problem. They lived in a settlement that predominantly followed Sk'akh, a religion that has a strong stance against biological modifications of any kind. Officially, the words the Sk'akh priests are that biological modifications can be tolerated if used for "medically necessary reasons", but such a broad term often leads to different kinds of interpretations... Not only that, but Kar'Sani, while not engaging in acts of heresy, proved to be a rather... Passive worshipper, often showing more interest in combat and war than in the worship of Sk'akh, and leading to disdain from more zealous worshippers.

Those two factors led to the local priest deeming that the use of biologic modification was not justified, as the disease itself had been cured, and that the body would heal from its damages "eventually". He deemed that these biologic modifications were used for the sake of comfort, and the consequence of a lack of patience from the couple. For such acts, the priest said that the couple (as the husband is responsible for his wife) was to be shamed and mocked for having dishonored themselves in such an act. Kar'Sani dared to protest this decision and started arguing with the priest. The argument devolved into a strong dispute... The dispute devolved into a fight... And soon enough, the priest laid dead at Kar'Sani's feet. He may have protested his decision, but he knew that having this old priest was one of the worst things he could've done, a most disgraceful act, even to his eyes.

For such an action, Kar'Sani should've become a Guwandi, and he would've eagerly walked into the desert, fighting 'till death, to expiate his sin, and, maybe, find back his honor... But there was something that kept him from doing so. His wife, Selathis was pregnant, she held in her their eggs, the fruit of their relationship... And he refused to leave her behind, alone with his children. He also refused to become a Guwan and doom his family to a life of shame because of his own crime... And so, they fled. When Sezrak and his brothers hatched, Moghes was already far behind.

side note: This also explains why Kar'Sani would later join the Tribunal Commandos. It wasn't so much to prove his worth to the officer that insulted him (he already had won a duel against him) but to prove to himself that he still had the honor, even after what happened back on Moghes. ALSO, Sezrak doesn't know much about this. His parents told him that they had to flee, and that's all. Such a story could be included in the game as exploitable information... I wonder how a traitor (or another kind of antagonist) could use the story of Kar'Sani, seen by Sezrak as such a glorious and honorable figure, murdering an old priest... And what this could lead to...

 

3) Sezrak doesn't know much about Not'zar Izweski, and, in truth, doesn't care that much about him, as he sees Dominia as his home, and Moghes as the birthplace os his species, and nothing more. He does, however, read news about the Hegemony from time to time, generally out of sheer curiosity. Putting this aside, Sezrak respects Not'zar for having survived the tumultuous political climate of the succession crisis and accessing the throne without engaging in dishonest acts. Sezrak, while not being particularly interested in politics, knows how those kinds of intrigues go, as he is himself part of one of the noble houses of Dominia, and he often witnessed shameful actions being committed in the same of power. He also respects the Hegemon for his commitment to doing what he deems best for his kin, and not simply being drawn toward personal gain or glory.

 

4) Sezrak is mindful of synthetic life. He doesn't outright fear them nor hate them, mostly thanks to the course he took, yet he still believes in the words of the Tribunal. He, however, will act respectfully toward synthetics, especially on the Aurora, for three reasons:

- The Twelfth Edict of the Holy Tribunal of Moroz says "All synthetic life forms within Dominia space shall be sought out and destroyed where found". This edict thus only applies to Dominian areas, and there is no reason to desire the destruction of a synthetic outside of it.

- The Thirty Third Edict of the Holy Tribunal of Moroz says "Respect the laws of other Empires but worry not as they shall soon be brought into the Tribunals benevolent reach". Thus, it would be unacceptable to be hostile toward synthetics, a move that would be seen as disgraceful by his co-workers, if not outright illegal.

- MOST IMPORTANTLY: According to Sezrak's own philosophy, if Synthetics are dangerous beings, then this is great. Trying to reject or outright harm a synthetic would be nothing but a show of fear, a proof of weakness of mind. By, however, living alongside a synthetic, one is proving their bravery and self-control.

[Haydizzle]

34 minutes ago, Captain Gecko said:

Things

This was very thorough, thank you for replying. We should have a decision for you soon.

[SleepyWolf]

Very interesting and shows an understanding of valued aspects we strive to push forward in Unathi.

Accepted