Bento's Argo-...... Unathi app... [Unathi Whitelist App]

[SooshyFish]

BYOND Key: 8BitBento
Character Names: Jie Khada - CMO/Physician - Human

Species you are applying to play: Unathi
What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Unsure yet on a specific color but most likely something of a slate-brown, as much as I could manage it.
Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes, it was a bit staggering at first, but I feel I have a much more solid grasp on it now, and I am still re-reading through part of it to simply solidify the knowledge even more. (and because it's really good.)

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 think the Unathi present a number of interesting options for roleplay, given the diverse setups that they hold. A person from the Wastelands may play out a day on the station completely different from a member from the Hegemony. It's this variance in options and backgrounds that intrigues me the most, and I'd like to try exploring and adding my own ideas to the mix, perhaps playing out some lesser thought of or used ideas. On top of this, just from a personal side, reptilian humanoids have always struck me as being a bit more interesting than most other races, and what's not to love about being a fast scaly killing machine...
Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human: 
There are a number of difference from humans, some passive, and some more active, both mechanically and in roleplay mannerisms. A big difference from the roleplay side is how they work societally, with their rigid system of honor and gender roles that are well-set in most Unathi. There are even small differences in mannerisms between Unathi and Humankind, such as speech, gestures, displays of emotion, and humor. Their religion, in those that show it, also pushes to set them into a different light from Humans. 
From the mechanical side, Unathi have a number of differences, such as their claws, the speed boost from their sprint, and their cold-bloodedness. Another big shift is that they can only gain nutrients from meat, and part of that is that they are able to consume dead animals for food. This presents a very different way to refresh yourself in a round, and even might have some RP repercussions depending on who you're with.

Character Name: Kuzani Tez'rezal
Please provide a short backstory for this character: 

Tez'rezal is not your typical Crime Scene Investigator, and his rise to that position makes it even more bizarre, given his history with Yizilna's Steel Spirits. Currently being 32, he was 19 when the Contact War broke out, and much like the rest of his clan in what is now known as the Wastelands, he took up arms to push back against the Hegemony with the Traditionalists.
Even as a hatchling, he had a knack for using his nose and eyes, growing quickly to be one of the clan's forefront Trackers and Hunters, being able to follow wildlife hours after their trail had gone cold. This skill played into their efforts well enough during the war, but the introduction of the superior weaponry and armor of the Hegemony rendered it almost useless, for what was the point of being a good tracker and quiet steps, when your attacks would be ineffective when the moment came. Despite this, he fought as best he could, hoping to, at the very least, go down in battle, honoring his clan as his soul drifted into the afterlife.
But the universe had other plans, and for a still unknown, he and four others in his war party survived their wounds. In their grief at their 'misfortune', they wandered the waists, not pushing themselves to claiming the title of Guwandi, in the hopes that they may learn something and redeem themselves. It was during this wandering that he near-literally bumped into a raider crew, the Honor found through Victory, being set down in a settlement in the Wastelands. It's still unclear to him whether the noises they initially heard were from partying after a battle, or from a raid on the settlement. There was never enough time to find out, and by this point Tez'rezal doesn't care to find out.
One of the higher-up warriors in the crew, Shaza'kar, challenged Tez'rezal and his small group to one on one combat, to the death. Those who survived would be let into the crew, to rise through and put the skills they would show in the duel to good use. They all saw this as a sign of opportunity, their chance to redeem themselves had shown itself. By the end of the exchange, Tez'rezal was the only survivor of his group, and stepped aboard with the crew. He only hoped that their souls weren't trapped in grief. And so it was that Tez'rezal put his skillset to better use, growing as a warrior aboard the ship, and using his eyes to find weak points for the boarding crew to exploit in their raids. This went on for nearly a decade, until in 2458, the Captain of the crew, Szalinyr Faz'nazir, ended up attempting to raid a larger vessel with unknown markings. This ship later turned out to be owned by Yizilna Mo'hi, Dread Lady of the newly formed Grim Compact. Word hadn't reached out yet of their presence, or their power, and Szalinyr had to defend himself in a duel once the smoke had cleared. Yizilna nearly tore the man limb from limb, in a matter of moments. It was clear their raid had not gone to plan, not even remotely. But rather than take the crew prisoner, the Grim Compact saw something in the ship, and allowed them the chance to merge into the Compact. So the Honor found through Victory flew again, but this time under the Dread-Lady's fleet. And so things changed yet again for Tez'rezal. 
Three years went by with the Compact, and in 2461, Tez'rezal's life was poised to shift yet again. Aboard an unmarked shuttle with fraudulent credentials, they were restocking supplies from Biesel, to continue their raids within Tau Ceti airspace as smoothly as possible. While planetside in Mendell, a few of the others noticed a Merchant vessel, and suggested breaking in and murdering the crew in their sleep, then stealing the vessel. Tez'rezal and two others stood against the plan, claiming it would bring dishonor and pain to the Compact and their crew, and themselves. This caused a split in their group, with the few who stood to save their own honor simply leaving, explaining to the main cruiser over comms what had happened. The others finished their restock, taking the shuttle back to the ship, but after a great deal of thought, Tez'rezal felt he could not return to the crew. This was, in his mind, only the first of many offenses within Tau Ceti space. And so he spent a year looking for work in Mendell. He tried to move away from his time as a Grim-Warrior, putting the skills he had built up to use in a career for NanoTrasen. Despite the past spoiled relations with the race, they were not keen to turn away an eager worker, and set him on the path of Security work. Luckily for the Unathi, his skillset as a tracker was put to good use within the Forensics department, and he now enjoys a stable career alongside full schooling for his work. Despite being in a stable position now, and no real signs of the rest of the Steel Spirits coming to find him, many thoughts of doubt and upset still drift through his mind, his thoughts clouded by the wondering if he had gone astray from his destiny at any point.

What do you like about this character?: I really enjoy the concept of Ex-Raider gone straight, as much as that's possible given the rep they carry. Any person with good eyes being put to use in a departmental role all about details seemed right to me, and a fun concept in general. So, my hope is that this plays out to be a fun, unique character, and that others enjoy interactions with him. I personally think it's a fun idea, and if all goes well I can't wait to put it into action!
How would you rate your role-playing ability?: I would rate my own ability at maybe 6 or 7 out of 10. I like to think I can set up a story well enough, and move along with one, but I certainly have plenty of room for improvement and growth.

 

Notes: It is a bizarre concept for a character, and while I feel confident enough with the Unathi lore, if there are any mistakes or inconsistencies please let me know and I can amend them. I think pushing ANY character from a background of violence and criminal activity into a life of straight path can be difficult, even more so once it's put into practice. So, my hope is just that it makes sense, and seems cohesive enough.

As a small note, he is of the Th'akh faith, but not an avid practitioner, despite holding the beliefs close to his heart. 

Edited November 22, 2020 by SooshyFish

[Haydizzle]

Hello! Apologies again for the delay. I enjoyed the read, and while Grim Compact is one of the currently weaker options of the lore, the route you're heading down with the backstory feels more appropriate for the faction. I still have a couple of questions and points of note regarding your application, however:

On 18/11/2020 at 05:52, 8BitBento said:

Currently being 32, he was 19 when the Contact War

I hate to say this, but there was likely a math error. The Contact War started about 23 years ago before the current year (2439 versus 2462), which means either two things for your character: they were nine when it started, or they're ten years older.

Another quick point I want to bring up, but the Grim Compact will (very likely) be changing in some shape or form. While I do not think that the changes proposed will necessarily mess with the character premise for how they joined and what they did, it still is nonetheless a potential change I want to make you aware about in case this information makes you want to retract your application.

Finally, something of a finer point regarding the name. "'akh' as an ending as you can imagine is used to denote religious importance for unathi religions (Th'akh, Sk'akh, Aut'akh, Si'akh, and then the denominations of the Holy Tribunal: Jakakhism, Kaelakhism, and Nul'akh). Just dropping or replacing a letter is fine for fixing this issue.

Anyway! Nitty gritty out of the way, I'm curious about a couple of things regarding your application as it left me intrigued:

1) What is Tez're'akh's views on the Hegemon, Not'zar?

2) How did life with the Grim Compact and the Contact War affect Tez're'akh's religious views?

3) (This is more so for my own personal curiosity!) The Grim Compact does not have an amazing reputation as you can imagine. How do you think Tez're'akh would manage to get in with NanoTrasen?

 

Thank you again for applying! You're free to answer these questions in DMs if you want some of this info to remain private.

Edited November 21, 2020 by Haydizzle
Did a whoopsie!

[SooshyFish]

Yep, all glaring issues, including a big timeline goof on my part with the Compact, SHOULD be mended now. A decade older to accommodate the Contact War point, and shifted around the crew he was in for a decade to accommodate the timeline issues present with the Compact.

[Haydizzle]

Apologies for the delay!

Questions were answered in private and the inconsistencies brought to light were patched up, so Shen and I think it is good to go!

Application accepted.