unathi [Accepted] Lily wants to bully guwan (sinta app)

[FlamingLily]

BYOND Key: FlamingLily
Character Names: Lillian Nyström, Mira Tilton, S.A.R.A., Ayah Nasri
Species you are applying to play: Unathi
What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Orange-brown, something like #A15A1A, maybe darker (or whatever's close as it displays in-game)
Have you read our lore section's page on this species?: Yes, most of them in detail, though some pages have been lightly skimmed.
Do you want to apologize to the Unathi lore team for how long this application got: Yes definitely

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:
Out of all the species on Aurora, Unathi have been one of the few I would put as most appealing, up with Dionea and IPCs, due to primarily their different physiology, aesthetics, and definitely without a doubt social cues. I won't go into TOO much detail here, as that's for the next question, but the differing social cues play a big part in my interest in playing Unathi. The different social structure does definitely carry my interest as well, especially the honour focus, warrior's code, and Guwan(di), as well as their religions (trans people real!!!) and ancestor worship. A minor thing is them being carnivorous. I've always loved having characters with differing dietary requirements, no idea why, but it makes everything feel more immersive. Also, when I first joined Aurora I did a dumb dumb thing and made an Unathi (NP)Character without being whitelisted and I want to correct that mistake.

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human:
There are a lot of features that make Unathi different, and to me, they can be broken down into three parts. The physiological, the beliefs, and the society.

First up, the physiological. Obviously, Unathi are not human, they are lizards with horns and frills and tails. Appearances are a big difference in any species, and come with social expectations, (such as fatter tails = usually noble cause more eating). On the topic of eating, Unathi are carnivorous, and only carnivorous, yet can still eat vegetables and fruits for flavour or garnish. Also, no ethanol, it's toxic, while they get drunk from butanol. A big part of the physiological is physiological social cues, such as staring at whatever induces interest, moving slowly or sluggishly until work or threats need to be respond to, to the more intimate, such as twining necks/tails or touching foreheads and snouts. Tail stomping can be used to show frustration or joy, or even grief, the bristling of scales to show colder temperatures, sluggishness when confortable, swaying, sampling the air and hissing when in unknown places. There is also Chuffing, for mild annoyance to amusement, barking, as akin to laughter, and rattling the throat as an alternative or accompaniment to tail stomping.

Next, the beliefs. This can be further separated to religion and honour, so I will start with the religious half. Unathi have four big recognized religions (not including the holy tribunal), though two of them are declared as heretical, that being the Aut'akh and Si'akh, by the major two, Th'Akh and Sk'akh (Admittedly I don't know Th'Akh's stance on Si'akh, but I can't assume they're approving). Th'Akh is focused on the worship of ancestors, believing that their spirits can interact with, and alter, the material world. There are multiple branches, such as ones that believe a spirit embodies the ideals of good or evil, or ones that believe a spirit is one ideal of four, growth, decay, energy, and time. Th'Akh also believes in reincarnation, and that if a soul has not been strongly associated with an ideal as mentioned above, they will be not made into zo'zyola (Spirits in the spirit world). Even zo'zyola may sometimes be reincarnated to preserve the balance.

Next, there is the Sk'akh, who, similar to Th'akh, believe in ancestor worship, however the religion diverges in that, Sk'akh believe that all spirits become one great spirit, called Sk'akh. Sk'akh as a religion is the unofficial state religion of the Izweski nation, to such an extent they have their own holy military order. Of note, Sk'akh does not believe in reincarnation. Next, Si'akh, founded from Sk'akh in nuclear hellfire, Si'akh preaches that the contact war was cleansing fire that lead those who perished under it to salvation, and the remaining Unathi that survived are damned into eternal reincarnation until they can reach salvation by being personally forgiven by Si'akh himself, or by following his doctrines. Si'Akh is hunted down by Sk'akh, being decryed as heretical, and for an understandable reason. Finally, the Aut'akh, who's core tennet is that while yes, a body is the vessel of a spirit, said spirit is also constrained by that body, and as less of that body exists, the spirit's power grows, and they are appeased. For this reason, augmentation and cybernetics are very widespread in Aut'akh communities. They are also strong believers that power is the great evil, and build their societies as- ideally, at least- leaderless communes.

All of these religious factors can come into play when playing an Unathi, and that's without touching on Honour, which I will do now.

Honour is one of the strongest concepts in Unathite culture, with every person, clan, and nation having their own code of honour, which they follow strictly. The big two are the Warrior's code, and the Matriarch's code. The warriors code demands, in order of priority, Righteousness, Mercy, Integrity, Courage, Loyalty. Similarly, the matriarchs code prescribes certain things, however unlike the Warrior's code, it has often been construed as a copycat of the warrior's code, or a cashgrab by Ouerean scholars. It decrees that a noblewoman must be Loyal, dutiful, graceful, knowledgeable, and tactful. If there is an honour dispute, an Unathi may incite a duel, which is not a spur of the moment thing, and takes a week of preparation, as well as planning from both parties, and are usually not to the death, though it is not off the table. Honour takes a strong part in any Unathi's life, and this is without mentioning the Gwandi or the Guwan, those who have lost their honour and been stripped of a clan, and in the case of the former, destined to reclaim it by roaming the wastes and dying in honourable battle. One last thing, as clan members, it's proper form to refer to an Unathi by clan name first, unless you are close as a friend.

Finally, there is the society. There is a lot to cover, so I will restrict myself to the social hierarchy, unless requested to expand upon things. At the top of the hierarchy, there is naturally the Nobility, Sanza, the Lords, Clan Lords, and even some Clan members. One rank below, there are the Shamans, the Akh, and the Healers, the Riz'akh. Shamans are the religious leaders, though 'priest' is reserved to refer to Sk'akh clergy. Healers, logically, are doctors. They traditionally tend to the medical needs of one clan, though in recent times they have been extending their services away from allegiances, due to the effects of the Contact War. One level down, is the Warriors, Saa'[Clan], and the Spies, Zo'kaa. Spies, while sometimes performing espionage, are usually what humans would consider investigators and detectives. They do not attach to clans, instead working for spymasters, as discussed below. Warriors, as the name implies, are warriors, fighting for their clan under their Lord. They can attach themselves to a clan, including clan Izweski, where they become Saa,Izweski, or Kataphracts. They are the Hegemony's army, and often spread out around the galaxy, waiting until they may be recalled to do battle. However, just attaching yourself to clan Izweski does not make you a Kataphract, you must still be appointed by the hegemon. An Unathi who was pledged themselves as a Kataphract, but has yet to be appointed, is a Kataphract-Hopeful, or a Zo'saa. Similarly, they may spread out around the spur, to prove themselves. Kataphracts can only be male, however this is open to those claiming the soul of a man. Spymasters are also often working with the Hegemony, however they are not attached, like Kataphracts. Instead they take up work, and delegate to their suboardinate spies. Guildsmen and women are the 'middle' class of Moghesian society, running businesses under a guildmaster (who is themself of this class). Finally, there are the brunt of society, the Peasants, who perform simple labour for guilds and surrender half of their income to their lords to live on their land. Oh, there are also the non-people, Guwans, the clan-less, lowest of the low, criminals, murders, and the honourless. Unable to own property or ever advance in society, ending up as one is a surefire way to be doomed to a life of misery. Even outside of Izweski space, Guwan are persecuted by their brethren, and even abused for cheap labour by human corporations.

Character Name:Aeiszk Kukssal
Please provide a short backstory for this character
Aeiszk of clan Kukssal, a backwater family clan with next to no sway living in the slums ofSkalamar. Clan Kukssal was, naturally, not content with this life, as no one would be. However, the eldest of the clan, Szhakz Kukssal, had a plan. He thought that, by providing a warrior to his Lord, he would earn his clan good favour and hopefully, better living conditions. Not a particularly original plan, but one he was trying for none the less. That is where Aeiszk Kukssal comes in. Eager to be a warrior since birth (into the body of a healer, despite his soul), he volunteers, and after a plea, the overlord approves. However, not without proof. And so, Kukssal needs to prove himself, and seeing as there is little grounds for heroism in the slums of Skalamar, he was shipped off, into the greater spur. Specifically into Tau Ceti, where a keen eyed Hephaestus Liason saw promise for the Sinta.

Or perhaps, they saw cheap labour. There's nothing particularly heroic about working the hangars of the SCCV Horizon, but nonetheless, the Liason span a good story, Hephaestus naturally appeals to the mind of a young warrior, and the Horizon IS the big thing in the Spur right now, or at least, in Tau Ceti space. So, it was a foregone conclusion, and Kukssal signed up. Time will tell if this was for the better, or if, like many before him, Kukssal would be trapped in a dead-end job in Tau Ceti, used as cheap labour and returned to the slums when his use had expired.

Kukssal is young, and dedicated to the warrior's code, will follow it to a fault.
What do you like about this character?
I enjoy the strong reliance on the warrior's code, and believe it to have plenty of RP potential, I also enjoy the level of naievete that Kukssal has, a young Izweski national way out of his depth in Tau Ceti. I also enjoy him being an Unathi to begin with, as I discussed earlier, and I think it will be very fun to be unknowing of human customs. And finally he's trans
How would you rate your role-playing ability?
Think it's gone up since I started here, maybe an 8 now. (up from 7, out of 10)

Notes: Sorry again for the length

Edited February 16, 2022 by Haydizzle
Accepted!

[Captain Gecko]

By the Spirits that is thorought. I'm not too used to you OOCly or your characters, so I can't really rate how you roleplay and such... The most I got is through the relay with Lilli, and while I did find her a tad annoying from the little bits I've seen, she has character, and that's what matter the most to me! Plus in any case, you seem rather serious judging BY THE SHEER SIZE OF THAT APP, so we're off to a very good note.

Question time now!

0) That's less about the lore, and more about the transgender aspect since I'm not extremely familiar with its inner workings. Less about your understanding of the lore and more about my understanding of the character's story... there's no wrong answers. Now, IF I GOT IT CORRECTLY, Aeiszk was born, biologically, female, but considers herself a male? I'm going to assume this for the rest of the quesions. (Also, is he... Physically male now? Like has there been an actual physical transition or is it just an identity thing so far?)

1) What's Aeiszk's faith? What does she think of it/how zealous is he?

2) Does Aeiszk have some kind of talent? An education/formation that gives him something special?

3) When was Aeiszk born? Did he live through Contact war? If not, what does he think about it, how important is it to him?

[FlamingLily]

On 10/02/2022 at 00:23, Captain Gecko said:

By the Spirits that is thorought. I'm not too used to you OOCly or your characters, so I can't really rate how you roleplay and such... The most I got is through the relay with Lilli, and while I did find her a tad annoying from the little bits I've seen, she has character, and that's what matter the most to me! Plus in any case, you seem rather serious judging BY THE SHEER SIZE OF THAT APP, so we're off to a very good note.

Question time now!

0) That's less about the lore, and more about the transgender aspect since I'm not extremely familiar with its inner workings. Less about your understanding of the lore and more about my understanding of the character's story... there's no wrong answers. Now, IF I GOT IT CORRECTLY, Aeiszk was born, biologically, female, but considers herself a male? I'm going to assume this for the rest of the quesions. (Also, is he... Physically male now? Like has there been an actual physical transition or is it just an identity thing so far?)

1) What's Aeiszk's faith? What does she think of it/how zealous is he?

2) Does Aeiszk have some kind of talent? An education/formation that gives him something special?

3) When was Aeiszk born? Did he live through Contact war? If not, what does he think about it, how important is it to him?

0) Correct in that he was born female (Or as he'd put it, a male soul into a female hatchling), but nothing physical due to his family clan's poor upbringing and inability to access modern medicine -- which could, of course, change as he enters human space, but perhaps not.

1) Aeiszk believes in Sk'akh, and while quite devout, attending church sessions regularly and praying, is nowhere near a fanatic, and would not be shy to prioritize honour or survival over the faith.

2) Aeiszk does not hold any innate talents, at least not ones relevant to a strong career, though he does find himself a naturally skilled musician, if the circumstances ever allow. He will be, however, very professional and respectful when it comes to the workplace, making an ideal employee.

3) Aeiszk was born late 2445, making him 18/19 in 2464. Too young to remember the worst of the Contact War, his only knowledge of it was that imparted to him by others in his clan. This has left him with a warped view, a very anti-traditionalist biased one, and one that both under estimates the severity of the war in some regards, yet demonizes it almost *too* much in others. One thing is for certain, however. Atomic weaponry is quite frightening to him, possibly one of the few things to cause his devotion to honour to waver.

[Haydizzle]

This application somehow slipped through the cracks between deputy applications and the recent lore developments, apologies!

I have a couple of comments and a couple of questions before making a verdict. You show a very good understanding of the lore in your breakdown of the question: "what makes this species different from roleplaying a human?" However, I also look past player knowledge and attempt to look at their creativity. I am not approving this character per se, but your capacity to make an infinite amount of unathi characters. Seeing as your section for backstory is on the shorter side, I have a couple of questions regarding their personality and such.

1) In the recent Sk'akh update, Sk'akh no longer believes it is possible for a soul to mismatch a person's body, as they believe when Sk'akh creates a soul and its body, they both are intended to be together. It is meant to offset Th'akh, which believes in a soul mismatching the body due to reincarnation and a soul having an existing preference. If you choose to change their and their clan's religion to be Th'akh is fine. If not, how would Kukssal rationalize this belief despite the Sk'akh faith? How does his clan cope with it?

2) There's nothing wrong with a strict adherence to the Warrior's Code; however, people all view it and roleplay it differently. How does Kukssal's personality impact his execution of the code? Is he more benevolent, ruthless, tactical, etc.?

3) What is something Kukssal wanted where his flaws stopped him from achieving his desire? Whether a physical thing, a love interest, a position of note, the like.

[FlamingLily]

16 hours ago, Haydizzle said:

snip

1) (I cry 😭) I'll probably end up converting the clan to Th'akh, but in an effort to be as comprehensive as possible, I'll answer as if they were Sk'akh faithfuls, as well, with the disclaimer that this is not the 'canon' answer more like a Marvel's What If...? series.

Clan Kukssal, as believers of the Sk'akh faith, do not believe that a soul can be misaligned with the body under normal circumstances, as Sk'akh's creations are pefect. Yet Clan Kukssal maintains that Aeiszk Kukssal is a warrior, despite his birth. To do so without running contrary to doctrine, Clan Kukssal maintains that the misaligned spirit is due to a malevolent spirit, escaped from the Chained Wastes, attempting to draw them away from the beliefs of Sk'akh towards Th'akh. A flimsy excuse by itself, however the clan also cites the poor conditions of their slum, increased levels of crime (that any non-Unathite sociologist would just attribute to slum conditions), and other such details to support this rationalization. This does lead to alienation between clan Kukssal and the greater community around them in the slums, as well as most fellow Sk'akh practitioners- and due to the adherence to Sk'akh, most Th'akh, as well.

(again, my actual answer would be to just convert them to Th'akh, but for the What If they were still Sk'akh, there's my answer)

 

2) Being determined to prove himself, Kukssal leans heavily into the Warrior's code, especially taking the chances to be Courageous whenever he can. Of course, as a young sinta from the slums of Skalamar, while not sheltered by any means, he's unfamiliar with combat, and has had little ability to train in a realistic fashion, and as such, may buckle under pressure. However, Kukssal is headstrong and determined to a fault, and a failure once is a lesson for later. The rest of the code will be followed with just as much determination, especially when he gives his word to others. A promise will be fulfilled if it is made, not a matter of if, but when.

3) As mentioned above, Kukssal has not had much experience with actual combat, and a large part of this (outside of being a slum-bound peasant) is being both Th'akh faithful in Skalamar, Sk'akh heartland, and being born into the body of a healer. That's not to say he has not tried, however anyone offering any practical experience almost always refused him on the basis of body and faith (and at least one of them have gathered a frustrated (and far younger) Kukssal declaring duelling intent, which has been promptly denied due to a difference in sex). In this way, leaving for Tau Ceti might even be a blessing in disguise.

[Haydizzle]

Good answers. I don't see any issues with accepting your application. Apologies for the slight inconvenience with the timing of the update, though I think you handled the questions with grace.

Feel free to ask my deputies and I any questions you have going forward.