[ACCEPTED]Minzeyes Unathi Application - Only RGB Lighting Will Save Your Soul

[Minzeyes]

BYOND Key: TheScottGuy

Character Names: Emma Pesic, Taurus, Smoke, Paulo de Machado

Species you are applying to play: Unathi 

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

I have.

 

Please provide well articulated answers to the following questions in a paragraph format. One paragraph minimum per question.

 

What color do you plan on making your first alien character: Clay red.

 

Why do you wish to play this specific race:
A few rounds as a Kataphract Specialist and some very enjoyable interactions with Unathi on the Horizon are what first sparked my interest in the species’ lore. The notion of this hyper religious, honor-bound warrior culture clinging desperately to its traditions in the aftermath of near-total nuclear annihilation is one I find compelling; and I’d be interested in playing a character that highlights the conflicts and schisms inherent to all that friction. Their lore is incredibly dense, with a lot of factions possessing their own distinct worldviews - which I feel creates a lot of opportunity to come up with fun, eccentric character concepts. The Reclaimers and Aut’akh specifically are groups I’m really intrigued by on both and aesthetic (madmax lizoids are rad) and thematic level - one surviving solely from the dismal remains of the old world, the other going so radically against it in their beliefs that their kindred disavow them entirely. On that Aut’akh note, I also appreciate how distinctly spiritual the species is when compared to a lot of others in the setting, each faith built on a common base but still full of remarkably diverse beliefs. Gotta love bringing your planet to such tremendous ruin that a notable slice of the population starts worshiping nuclear hellfire. 

Even besides the big honorable lizard knights and tank-dwelling desert scavengers, quotes like “their unpredictable and borderline suicidal tactics often take their opponents by surprise” in the Unathi military structure page really helps cement my belief that everything they do should be accompanied by the freebird solo. 

 

Identify what makes role-playing this species different than role-playing a Human:
(One Paragraph minimum)
As aliens, Unathi possess a radically different physiology than humans, (big carnivorous lizard people) but what differentiates them most in terms of roleplay is the highly specific cultural context in which the species finds itself post-Contact war. Their deeply rooted, complex notions of gender, clan, faith and honor (all of which carry great weight to them on a societal level, honor arguably most of all) as well as how these interact with the recent devastation of their homeworld are what makes them unique as a species; conflicted, atomized and thrust into a dismal future of a. Some yet cling to the Th'akh, Sk’akh or the Hegemon's will, others - arguably more radical in their modes of thought, strive to carve out a new identity for their people following the war’s horrifying aftermath - be it the trans-speciest creed of the anarchical Aut’akh or penitent doctrine of Si’akh’s fire priests.  

Their homeworld, literally split two-ways between lush biomes rich with life and massive spans of desert, serves both in-universe as a reminder of their society’s failings as it does as a literal representation of the themes behind their lore, the impact of this radically warped landscape and, in turn, the myriad ways in which they’ve have had to adapt to it as their new reality, an important thing to consider when roleplaying as an Unathi. Also they speak Ceti Basic with a hiss which I think is pretty neat.

 

Character Name: Szehisro Thuizsal

Please provide a short backstory for this character

 

Szehisro, third son of his clan’s leader, was practically born within the confines of an early Reclaimer landcrawler - a childhood spent amid steel viscera and hissing machinery - Thus soon realizing that his survival depended solely on the wealth of technology around himself. Nomatter how powerful, honorable or cunning; a warrior's spear could not disembowel the sun, his claws could not kill starvation; his teeth could not shatter the bones of thirst. Should the treads of their home fail, should the clan be unable to reclaim enough pre-war tech to make ends meet; all they held dear would succumb to a slow death in the sands. The dilapidated landcrawlers of dead clans served as grim, constant reminders of this fact. That did not mean his own clan agreed, of course. The Thuizsal elders saw only disgrace and defeat in this new way of life - their threaded home little more than life support for their bloodline’s last wheezing breaths.

And so, though his views were once as staunchly traditionalist as those of his clan; the dismal wastes, ceaseless labor and threat of starvation posed by his people’s ancient homeland were quick to wear down on Ssehizro’s reverence for their grace now lost. This, as well as the fatalist rhetoric of his elders - bred within the young man only spite of those whose bullheadedness he judged had killed their home - a stark dissonance between himself and his peers. One he incessantly attempted to make up for, however; pouring his efforts into studying pre-war technology to prevent the worst as well as carve for himself a place among them. To that end, much of Szehisro's developing years were spent at the wheel of a sandrover - set in finding pre-war tech and stomping out raids. For a while the clan flourished amid the sands, landing some rather impressive bounties and a reputation for dispatching opponents with  ease.

 

Yet overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer.

 

Szehisro was in his twentieth year. The Thuizsal Reclaimer - sixty tons of worn steel - had spent the prior three days and nights chasing feverishly after a lead on pre-war technology. Though they should've turned around for repairs and refuel a month prior, though rations and water ran low, and their sires now tired of the hunt - the bounty was simply too great, and too many others had their eyes set on it. Thus; Ssehizro's father demanded that they move onwards, a suicide charge into raider territory. That third night gave way to daybreak, and the sun brought forth ever-scorching morning. A good ways west; blossoms a rocket’s flare - a scar of billowing red in the clear sky ahead. Their launch plane had spotted raiders that supposedly now used said tech - a pre-war artillery cannon, utterly pristine despite all odds. Communications shriek with static. In the distance, a hundred and thirty millimeters of steel punch a hole through the plane’s fuselage; igniting it midair as it plummets into uncaring sands. An honorable death, so the elders’ cries confirm.

Dread - an old and avid companion out in the wastes, seeps into Ssehizro's stomach as he shrouds himself in armor; steel meticulously engraved in the great deeds of his ancestors - and marches to the roverbay, ordered to lead the charge. He’d studied technology analogous to what was soon to breathe hell upon his brethren, and though concerns of diminishing fuel and much needed repairs clouded the young man’s mind; a single thought whispered far louder - that starvation would not have the chance to claim their lives, for his father - blood of their blood - had chosen this battlefield as their grave, bones to be swallowed by the desert after carrion birds have their fill of flesh. To voice this, however -  to argue his elders’ orders as their home descended against a well-armed foe, express the terror which clutched at his heart - would be seen only as cowardly betrayal, the result of which was sure to be a traitor’s fate. And even if he could escape, to where? the maw of thirst, the clutch of starvation? lost in the wastes for days, as the sands took their time to digest him? Szehisro got in the pilot’s seat and hammered the pedal - his kindred roaring out prayers as their vehicles burst into motion to follow, ammunition wasted against a foe far too distant.

Their rovers do not make it twelve minutes into open ground before it is felt - A deafening whistle, then earth-shaking boom. The pre-war artillery had been put to excellent use - another shell cast out into the sands; its collision course set towards the reclaimer itself. It struck true in too-few seconds to count. A thousand images pass Ssehizro’s mind - the wounds and imperfections of an ill-repaired hull, pipes and walls consumed by rust - fuel, leaking. The mosaic they form is not kind, and as he fears, the threads of his home come to a halt as it bleeds smoke. Rear-view mirrors display the grizzly sight - Steel skin ruptured,

bursting at the seams against a blow which otherwise might have been a mere scar to the hull. It shrieks, as any other dying leviathan - a cacophony of hissing pneumatics and collapsing architecture --  before it erupts in a burst of flame and cascading shrapnel. The shockwave casts a burning sandstorm onto charging ranks, tearing the rearmost rovers to shreds in an instant. There is nothing - nothing but the shriek of machinery and screaming men. Was this honor?

The next few months go by in a blur of shock and heatstroke. A chance encounter with bounty hunters, Szehisro can scarcely recall - is the only reason for his survival after speeding off amid the smokescreen provided by sand and fire. His arm had been badly torn by shrapnel - unable to be saved by their healers, even as the trusty rover's steel withstood well the wear of battle. Szehisro was taken - after a few weeks of aiding the group to repay the favor - to the city of Skalamar. Alone, disabled and devoid of recourse; he soon turned to begging. Starvation proved no less threatening in the lush heartland than the desert itself, after all, and all the greenery only served to remind him of the loathing felt for those whose war took it away. It took remarkably little time for the Aut’akh of the underbelly to approach Szehisro - a lone amputee in the throes of desperation, rotting away in the market square - And after many attempts, they eventually succeed in offering aid to the bullheaded youth. A new arm may have meant doom for his soul, yes - but that was hardly any worse than simply being alive as it presently stood.

Soon lured to the city’s underbelly, he found within them acceptance the likes of which he hadn’t quite known possible; as well as good use for his mechanical skills - soon made into a new convert of their faith, abandoning the Th’akh ways of his clan. The weakness of flesh had always loomed over him, after all - made impossible to ignore by the desert’s harsh environment, where only machinery could ensure one’s own safety and survival. Besides, what could possibly explain the sort of callous war-mongering that leads to the death of an entire world, if not the underlying work of demons and evil spirits?

Szehisro earned money for the commune first via underground fighting rings, though eventually signed a contract with Hephaestus - transferred to Mendell City prior to finding work in the Horizon. Eager; despite his care for the Underbelly - to attain more knowledge, and rid himself of the cretins whose war bled his world dry.
 

What do you like about this character?
(Describe what you like about this character)
I feel he highlights well some of the themes behind the species - hyper-traditionalism forced to give way or perish under the weight of dire new circumstances. I also just love the Aut’akh as a faction; lizard anarchist cyborgs go hard as hell on a raw aesthetic level, and I enjoy playing both confrontational little creatures and PTSD riddled sadsacks. He works well as both, and I’d love to embody an Unathi that rests very much on the far end of the progress side of the spectrum. We’ll get our own Moghes, with blackjack and hookers.
 

How would you rate your role-playing ability?
I’d say I’m fairly good at it, having had a few years experience role-playing both through online games and tabletop. 

 

Edited August 2, 2023 by Triogenix

[RustingWithYou]

Hi, thanks for applying. Unfortunately, to get an Unathi whitelist, you must first answer my riddles three four.

1. How does Szehisro feel about working for Hephaestus - a capitalist megacorporation deeply tied into the Hegemony that oppresses his newfound people?

2. Given his origins on Moghes, how have recent events in the Hegemony such as the civil war and the currently-ongoing famine impacted Szehisro personally, and his views on the Hegemony?

3. How does Szehisro feel about synthetics? Does the Unathi cultural discomfort towards them persist despite the more positive Aut'akh doctrine, and how do these views manifest in his work aboard the Horizon?

4. Somewhat related, there aren't many non-Unathi in the Wasteland save for the K'lax. Going to a cosmopolitan environment like Mendel would have been a big change - how does Szehisro get along with aliens?

[Minzeyes]

Ah shit, ah fuck, the lore sphynx has found me at last
And sure!
1.  He utterly despises it, (both corporations conceptually and selling his labor to one) but grits his teeth and puts up with the work for a few reasons - mostly the aforementioned seeing the stars slash gathering new knowledge, but also the ability to send money back to the underbelly; as well as finding himself in an unique position to send information to the Razortails make new friends!

2. I don't think he ever saw much food even before the famine, spending his youth in the Wastes. Though even without a full grasp of its effects; the fact that even those in cities surrounded by what remains of Moghes' lush greenery struggle against starvation would've only serves to further sour his view of the Hegemony. 

3. Not at all. Having been born in a clan as insular as that of a Reclaimer I feel his only real exposure to the concept of a fully synthetic sentience would've been in Mendell City - during which he was already a full Aut'akh convert. He finds them fascinating; both due to how they function (he's a nerd) and because of the theological implications behind their existence, (he's a nerd) and treats them well considering he can't be sure if they're just very complex machines or wandering spirits that have seen it fit to encompass beings of pure steel.

4. He tries. I don't see Szehisro as being particularly prejudiced against any species - probably finds humans charming in a patronizing way - but as a young, bullheaded cultist, I don't think he'd be quite able to wrap other peoples' ways of life around his head, let alone find them worth considering for any reason other than passing curiosity. Projecting all that angst about the political factors that led to the destruction of Moghes onto everyone else's way of doing things, pretty much. He finds Skrell psionics to be horrifying on a conceptual level, but still treats most everyone with basic decency. (except dominians, fuck nobles)

[Triogenix]

Hi! Rusting already asked a lot of questions so I'll keep mine short.

 

Throughout the app you make mention of Szehisro's Clan, but never any specific members. Were there any members of his clan or the crawler that had a significant impact on him? What were their names? Etc.

[Triogenix]

Hey! Just checking to make sure you're still interesting in this application, as it's been over a week now.

[Minzeyes]

Hey! I am, yes - sorry it's taken me this long to reply, been equal parts busy and depressed these past few days, not a great combo.

And yess - I'd be pretty difficult to live in an insular community on tracks without being significantly affected by those around you. People who've had an impact on him are as follows

Korza - His father and leader of clain Thuizsal, he was a staunch, bullheaded traditionalist submerged in grief by the passing of Szehisro's mother; one whose ideals drifted further and further apart from his son's with the passage of time. The type of man to project his own perceived failings onto his children - not a good mix with the whole warrior honor thing. His impact was cyclical, the ostracization driving Szehisro further away, which in turn was cause for his father's disapproval. 
 
Owzu, Kozen, Kharan - Brothers, from oldest to youngest. Szehisro is the third; these are first, second and fourth respectively. Far more in-line with Korza's way of thinking, their relationship to him was best described as loving but strained - exceedingly close as they were growing up, then distant towards their latter years together, seeing as Szehisro's more disruptive streak continued to draw their father's ire. Given what befell the three, Szehisro regrets not pursuing an understanding between them.  

Sothai, Zuri, Akosi - Three of the scientists in charge of keeping the landcrawler from utterly falling apart, as well as analyzing and hauling back any pre-war tech found by the aforementioned. These three tutored and significantly encouraged Szehisro's passions - a home away from home, for the little lizard engineer. None as extreme as he would even eventually become, but a significant stepping stone nonetheless. He keeps a photo of the four them.

[Triogenix]

With these answers, this application is accepted.

 

Feel free to reach out to me or either of my deputies if you have any questions.