[Implemented] Feedback Thread For "New" Unathi Lore

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

As Witt resigned due to IRL, I've taken it upon myself to write up and drafted the "new" Unathi lore. (It's really just consolidated and fleshed out in the history department for proper backstories.) This comes after conversations with Sue as to where we want to see Unathi go, and how we want their backstory.

Before I slap it up on the wiki, I've decided to make good on my "engage the players" promise as loremaster and actually pitch it to the forums for feedback, thoughts, and constructive criticism.

Keep note that I chose this subforum because it's relevant enough to work, and I have moderator powers in it. I reserve the right to delete or edit posts which I deem as inflammatory or unconstructive, but I don't like doing that so please play nice

Map of Moghes I made

== Pre-Hegemony ==

While most records were tragically lost in the later years of the Contact War, Unathi and human scholars theorize that Unathi lifestyles were predominantly nomadic in their early history. Up until 100 CE Unathi clans consisted of small villages usually numbering no more than 500 following the large herd of Threshbeasts across the savannahs that dominated the planet’s surface. Clans at the time weren’t accostomed to using weapons, as their natural talons served well enough to kill enemies in battle, leaving most early unathi warfare being brutal hand-to-hand affairs.

Around 300 CE, many clans had settled down after discovering the benefits of agriculture. The population swelled, and the first true cities had established themselves.

The planet was still divided amongst several hundred different clans, all of which were nearly unanimously hostile towards one another. Trade between clans was limited, leaving the balance of wealth and technological advancement severely stratified.

 

== The First Hegemony ==

What few surviving records remain show that by 1000 CE, most of the planet’s surface was dominated between a dozen clans, each holding vast swaths of land. The Kres'ha'nor Clan is shown to have been the most powerful, controlling a population base of twelve million and a professional army, including the first recorded use of War Riders. They ruled over numerous Lords, all of whom lived in a system of feudalism, owing the Kres’ha’nor clan their loyalty and armies in exchange for protection and land.

The Kres’ha’nor Hegemony lasted from roughly 920 CE - 1500 CE, benefiting from the brutal War Rider shock troops wielding steel glaives and heavy maces. It was the unquestioned power of the world, owning land and wealth which allowed it the industries necessary to forge steel, levy taxes, and even build walls around their cities to protect from raiders. This lasted until Clan Leader Kresshi Kres’ha’nor had died, his many sons fighting over who would rule the Clan in his place. The Hegemony fractured and collapsed into a dozen smaller, feuding clans with the Kres’ha’nor dynasty itself disappearing completely after the war ended.

The Kres’ha’nor Hegemony had subjugated its neighbors for many years, and with it collapse the rest of Moghes began to gravitate away from one another and back to their isolated way of living.

 

== The Second Hegemony ==

In 1823 CE, records show the first use of a steam engine by the Ras’iks Clan in S’th. The technological breakthrough sparked industrialization amongst the urbanized clans, but the developments weren’t felt beyond the new industrialized nations. It was even rejected with outright hostility in many areas outside the city, with many unathi resenting the upsets to traditional ways of life. Surviving records have numerous accounts of uprisings and attempts revolutions in industrialized nations, while the more primitive neighbors continued to aggressively raid their more advanced, and thus wealthy neighbors. It’s unclear if these events were random violence, or the first global war amongst the Unathi clans.

It’s estimated from limited records that by 1922, the Sarakus Clan rose to power following a war amongst the industrialized nations and created a Hegemony. They ruled most of the land around the Moghresian Sea and southwestern Moghes. Their clan ruled harshly, and forced technological advances into the cities and towns in order to increase the wealth of their clan and loyal Lords. The rest of Moghes was divided as it always had been, between more primitive unathi tribes. Technology slowly trickled into their Clans, but life existed much as it had for a thousand years. Most Clans still fought with steel weapons and armour, while the lower classes acted as manual labour in fields or mines.

 

== The Third Hegemony ==

We do know without a doubt that in 1994, the Sarakus Clan ceased to exist after a sudden coup by a group known as the Traitor Lords. They stormed the Sarakus castle in Ma’ha’rem and slew the entire family and contingent of Clan Guard, establishing Lord Neeziah Izweski as the new ruling Clan Leader. The sudden, brutal coup sent shock-waves through the nation. It was almost unthinkable that Lords would turn on their Clan Leader in such a way.

Immediately most Lords rebelled, forming the Honored Alliance. The civil war lasted for decades, spreading to include most of the planet and Clans. It was a new type of war, with ballistic weapons first used by Izweski infantry. The bullets are most similar to 21st century Earth anti-tank rifles, but due to Unathi armored plates became a standard infantry weapon. Heavy, unwieldy, and expensive to make with the limited industry, no more than a few thousand were ever fielded. But when they were used, it’s recorded that they were devastating. Wielding melee weapons and charging into battle as they always had, War Riders and infantry would be whittled down from unheard of distances.

The war lasted until 2079 CE, when the Honored Alliance signed a cease-fire with the Izweski Nation. The war had seen many cities razed and looted, and deaths in the millions. The entire planet of Moghes was wounded, and would not recover for decades. Until First Contact, the surviving Clans and Izweski Nation rebuilt and consolidated their power.

 

== First Contact ==

In 2433, a human exploration team discovered Moghes. Shortly after, first contact was made. Humanity established contact with Clan Izweski, which proved to be controversial amongst the Sol Alliance. Many people questioned the morals of interacting with a pre-warp race that had only reached the technological level of Earth in the 1970’s. But unheeding the warnings, Sol Alliance merchants and scholars flocked to Moghes, living under very careful observation and guard in Izweski cities. Skalamar, the second largest city in Izweski, became the first Unathi city to have a shuttleport constructed. Owned by Nanotrasen, it served to transport people to and from the planet’s surface.

 

== The Contact War ==

In 2437, the Izweski Nation had established the Izweski Space Program, and with bootlegged Sol Alliance technology constructed a rocket intended to carry 300 unathi colonists to their system’s second habitable planet, Ouerea. The launch was a disaster, with a yet-unidentified failure causing the rocket to explode after reaching 2,000 feet and the death of all hands. The failure sends shockwaves through all of Moghes, with the Izweski Nation suddenly besieged by scattered, angry neighboring Clans outraged by the unnatural use of technology leading to the loss of so many lives.

The Sol Alliance partnered with the Skrellian Alliance to help Izweski construct a second rocket, with Nanotrasen engineers and scientists helping construct it. Its launch was successful, and Ouerea was colonized by 350 Unathi under the guidance of the Sol and Skrellian Alliances.

The other Clans of Moghes were horrified on this turn of events, seeing the entire Unathi way of life being turned upside down so quickly. They blamed the Izweski Nation of coddling “alien invaders”, and formed the Traditionalist Coalition, which invaded the Izweski Nation. Izweski itself began to see civil unrest from angry commoners and Lords.

It sparked a war which is now known as the Contact War.

Humans and Skrell evacuated the planet as the fighting got underway. The Coalition fought as its clans always had, with steel weapons and hand-to-hand combat. The biggest concession was the use of ballistic weapons, and propeller aircraft which they used to bomb Izweski targets.

The Izweski used Skrellian and Human energy weapons like energy glaives, swords, and laser carbines, as well as fielding several hundred Mk I “Breacher Suits”, which the Izweski nation invented and utilized to frightening efficiency. They proved effective, but with the lack of Izweski air power both sides could do little more than gain temporary victories.

The Skrellian Alliance found itself shocked by the violence unfolding on Moghes. They dispatched a cruiser to orbit over the planet, and transported down a peace delegation to the Coalition capital city. The shuttle was shot down by Coalition anti-air weapons, killing everyone on board. Offended, the Skrellian Alliance moved its cruiser in orbit around the Ouerean planet, pledging to never again provide assistance to Moghes, while Nanotrasen continued to do just that.

On 2439, the Traditionalist Coalition suddenly dropped an atomic bomb on the Izweski city of Da’ha’den. It’s unknown how they gained access to atomic weapons, but the consequences were catastrophic: both sides began a continued exchange of atomic weapons. Hundreds were detonated across Moghes, with orbiting, observing Alliance stations and vessels having their shutters lowered to prevent eye damage to people observing during the time of the exchange.

 

=== Unathi Today ===

By 2457, most of the interior of Moghes is uninhabitable. While the yields were lower than thermonuclear weapons, the fallout is still posing massive problems for Moghes. Most of the planet is now engulfed by a single desert, which is aptly named “The Wasteland”. The sole remaining cities still functioning exist in the Untouched Lands; shielded by the massive mountain ranges from the fallout and encroaching desert sands.

The Izweski Nation exists as a shell of its former self. Its influence extends around Skalamar and Ma’ha’rem in the Untouched Lands, with Clan Leader S’kresti ruling it unquestioned, but the rest of the planet has devolved into the feudal system of Clanship, with ideologies, technology, and economies varying wildly. Moghean Unathi find themselves faced with the choice of continuing to do little more than etch out an existence on the home planet, or take lucrative offers from Nanotrasen and other megacorp to join their workforces.

The Ouerean Unathi are faring far better; while numbered only in the high thousands, the planet is administered jointly by the Skrellian and Sol Alliance, and enjoys moderate growth.

 

What do you like? What do you dislike? What do you want to see more of? Less? Should there be more subcategories for specific information? More names? Less?

This will all be put on the wiki and canonized by the end of next week at latest.

[BeeGee0904]

More Unathi in Leather Speedos fighting in deserts, Please. That is all.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

More Unathi in Leather Speedos fighting in deserts, Please. That is all.

 

I never said they weren't in leather speedos.

[SpiffyFishface]

I dig it, man. You did a Damn great job with all of this.

[Blue]

Not bad. Two points though.

The years. Humans and Unathi have known each other for only 25ish years? I thought it was established that it was like, 40 or something. You should consider pushing it back for people that player elderly Unathi that "remember the day" and such *cough cough*

Second. Traitor Lords. You can come up with a better name than that. Please.

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Not bad. Two points though.

The years. Humans and Unathi have known each other for only 25ish years? I thought it was established that it was like, 40 or something. You should consider pushing it back for people that player elderly Unathi that "remember the day" and such *cough cough*

Second. Traitor Lords. You can come up with a better name than that. Please.

 

Hmm, that's a good point. I'll pitch the idea of pushing back the contact date with Sue.

And yes, probably. I was wondering what a bunch of old, huffy, offended unathi would call a bunch of upstart traitors but didn't want to slow down this train (I wrote all of this in like 20 mins). It'll probably be something more creative, in the next rendition.

[Blue]

And don't bleep out my bleeping swear words >:c

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

After feedback, the following changes were made:

• Breacher suits are made unathi invention.
• I might change the term from "hegemony" to just "empire" since technically it's not the correct term but hegemony sounds cooler so that's not being changed unless more people want it to, because I'm arbitrary.
  
• More heat rays.

[Blue]

Also, the whole one-Unathi dictator being overthrown in a revolution with Sol Alliance interests in having him down...isn't that a little reminiscent of Tajara lore?

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

Also, the whole one-Unathi dictator being overthrown in a revolution with Sol Alliance interests in having him down...isn't that a little reminiscent of Tajara lore?

 

He wasn't overthrown in a revolution. Think of it like the Boshin War except with atom bombs. How the Coalition got the bomb is up in the air - it could have been the Syndicate, either of the Alliances, stealing the secrets from Izweski... OooOOoOOOOo spoopy mystery.

There's not a big revolution going on. Moghes is the HRE: a mess of Clans, which accommodate all the different clans players have their unathi's be from. There's not just 2 factions, there's one kinda big-ish one that's friends with the SA, then everyone else who's whatever players want them to be. A political map of Moghes would be a rainbow having a seizure.

[Rusty Shackleford]

Hue. They're basically the Krogan from Mass Effect with less guns and more hand-to-hand combat.

[Vittorio Giurifiglio]

You are Hitler for naming a city Argonia, We all know the reference and you're awful XD

And good Lizard people are either dominated by Humans or SKrells or in the Capital Wasteland

[Jakers457]

Have you made any commitments to them being Synapsids or Diapsids?

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

The feedback phase has ended and this new lore has been finalized.