Unathi Culture: Difference between revisions

From VORE Station Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
No edit summary
 
(3 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{delete | reason = Outdated, will be merged with the [[Unathi]] page.}}
The [[Unathi]] are a species deeply rooted in family in tradition. They are masterful craftsmen and ferocious warriors, following a religion that encourages mastery in one's fields.
[[Unathi]] are a species deeply rooted in family and tradition. Settlements are made up of many clans with an average being somewhere around five and seven at a time to thriving capitols that protect (for a tribute) the other settlements around it. They are part of a large trade network and even have space ports for foreign ships to dock at and unload their goods.


==History==
== Behaviour ==
Moghes used to be very marshy, green, almost jungle-like. The Unathi precursors were for all intents and purposes, also Unathi, but were not as aggressive as their current counterparts due to being far more technologically advanced. This society had functioning road systems, personal transport, advanced computer systems, currency, fashion, arts, culture, and nuclear weapons. The level of technology was around early 2000's human technology.
* Irritation or heightened emotion is expressed by thumping the tail against the ground.
* Verbal exclamations are also common, as are short barks, rattling of the throat, or 'chuffing' (forceful exhalations of air from low in the throat). Anxious or worried Unathi might sway (similar to snakes), rattle the heavy scaling on their neck, hiss, or sample air more often than necessary.
* When cold, a Unathi will usually bristle their scales in a manner analogous to human goosebumps. Overheated Unathi become sluggish and drowsy. A similar effect can be observed in Unathi that consume sugar in even moderate amounts.
* It is a social faux-pas to use a Unathi's first name, to touch their tail, or to touch them at all before introductions are undertaken When speaking to superiors, it is considered formal and respectful to refer to them by the extended name of their command. An elder of the Reskor family, of the clan Hassh, whose personal name is Sskor, might be introduced as Elder Sskor Reskor of Hassh, and write their name as Sskor Reskor Hassh.
* Intimate gestures between Unathi include twining necks, twining tails, and touching foreheads or muzzles.
* Baring the throat is the single most meaningful expression of trust in a lover or superior, often used as shows of extreme trust, compassion or admittance of shame, and within honourable contexts, clawing or biting the exposed throat is perfectly allowed.


Larger city states were still fractured as in modern Unathi society, but they lived in relative peace. Due to unknown causes, nuclear warheads were launched, causing a mass use of nuclear weapons.
== Moghes Hegemony ==
Governing from the titular capital planet ([[Moghes]], the '''Moghes Hegemony''' is lead by a '''High Circle''' of local Elders, with constant consul from the most esteemed Redeemers from across Hegemony space. While day to day issues are left to the clans, the High Circle asks for regular reports from their subjects, necessitating a large bureaucratic presence in the capital. Most if not all Unathi are considered Hegemony citizens, and there is no known way to renounce said citizenship, as the rare human colonist has learned. Taxation from Moghes is relatively benign; Unathi culture stresses reliance on one's clan over anything else, and the capital is a shining example of the Unathi way of life.


Bunkers, mostly near the equator, shielded some of the Unathi, preventing them from dying out as a species. However, this crippled their technology and left then with a harsh environment with little population, radiation, and lack of clean water and food. This paved the way for the current Unathi lifestyle.
When older humans talk about the “Unathi War”, they are referencing the First Contact conflict between SolGov and the Moghes Hegemony. This has caused ongoing tensions between the races that have never really faded. It is still not uncommon for there to be small skirmishes or shows of force between the two. However, neither wishes to fight a full-blown war.


The fact that the precursors were just Unathi is not well known, even among the Unathi. Common knowledge is that they were bipedal, and six to seven feet tall. Some scholars have theories as to what came before, but most of the history has been lost to history due to the changing priorities of survival.
== Clothing ==
==Way of Life==
Unathi clothing is mostly made of leather or Velo, a plant grown in large quantities to feed Stok other food
Their homes are constructed out of sturdy sandstone and most, if not all, have special chambers that are called 'Sun Gardens'. They act much like living rooms do for humans; they are the face of the home. Guests will most often visit this room first, and if it is poorly kept or decorated, it reflets badly on the clan. Common decorations include wall trophies, carvings in the wall consisting of symbols or hieroglyphs detailing the clan's history (which may instead be supplemented by a mural), colorful rocks, and exotic or good-looking common plants. Wealthier homes will also have humid baths to enjoy, although most settlements have public, communal baths for all to enjoy.


Unathi of the heartland live by a simple mindset; If it isn't broke, don't try and fix it. Things are separated by need and want, with the former taking priority. In higher castes or wealthier clans, the gap is, of course, less intense. Women are treated as they are for the exact same reasons. They are property, but valuable property. They're the means to advance a clan's bloodline and also to mind every day necessities and needs when the expendable males are too busy. Females are often assigned to a male that is responsible for them (such as their father, or husband, or brother in the even both of the previous men are dead or away). Their caretaker will also be expected to bear the shame and punishment for the female if they error. Touching another male's female, even if it's consensual is bad without permission or transferred ownership. Not only with the female's caretaker call for a bane (a disagreement fight) as soon as possible, but the others in their clan and settlement will look very poorly on them.  
* Formal and casual clothing tends to be fine airy Velo cloth, designed to allow ease of movement.
* Protective gear is frequently less necessary for Unathi (thick hide, scales), but when it does exist it is usually leather. This includes most forms of historical medical gear, before the invention of a velo-based kevlar equivalent.


Unathi society in the heartland is determined by a rigid caste system, which determines their social standing. Those who serve in the military are generally considered to be above the simple, working class - or peons, as they're called. Council members, like elders and village leaders, have authority over both previous castes, with warlords (the leader of a large settlement) above them and overlords (the leader of a capital) at the very top.
== Technology ==
 
The Unathi are believed to have technology of similar quality to SolGov, or even the Skrell, but the Hegemony has yet to allow common access. From the few studies that have been allowed, SolGov has discovered that Unathi technology is larger and blockier than a human equivalent, to compensate for the size differences in the population. Unathi design aesthetics prefer function over form, and their tools are, without exception, built to last.
Water is one of the most favored currencies in Unathi society, as they lack any kind of real paper money or treasury system. Their major way of buying and selling involves bartering, though forms of currency differ regionally.
 
The matriarchs of each clan take up the weaving of history skeins or history webs in their lodgings. Patterns of knots spun from grasses and flax grown in the area owned by the clan, detailing the events of the year. Destroying or otherwise damaging the skein of a clan's matriarch is analogous to attempting genocide of that clan, as it is the only recorded history they have.
 
Pets are not entirely unheard of in Unathi society, but they are based upon their worth as an assistant to their owner rather than a simple companion. Threshbeasts are common and easily tamed if the owner is responsible and smart. Putting down pets is much easier to Unathi simply because they are not fuzzy, adorable friends, but rather work beasts that would have their lives cut short the moment they bite someone they weren't ordered to.
 
Relationships for Unathi are, suffice to say, not one of equality, but responsiblity. Males who request and admit attraction to a female will go to the male who is responsible for their well-being (Father, brother, or the head of their clan) and tell them this. Boasting or offering tributes to the female's caretaker may make this process go more smoothly. To ignore this ritual and directly try to claim said female would greatly upset her caretaker, and not only will their clan look poorly on them for attempting so, but they will likely be challenged to a bane.
 
Because the Unathi are a species with such a focus on clan, same-sex relationships are frowned upon. Two males or females who wish to be wed will usually find themselves scorned. That being said, homosexual experimenting or casual relationships are an entirely different story. Members of the political caste may offer certain types of favors during under-the-table deals (or wife/daughter borrowing depending on their decision), and soldiers in the military caste often do it to unwind, celebrate, or bond together as comrades.
 
In the event that a Unathi becomes mortally ill, or finds themselves lacking the pride or honor to continue to live, or simply become tired of their existence undergo a ritualistic suicide and take the name of 'Guwani' (which is translated to Gladiator/Galdium). They will sell all of their possessions to travel and survive in the harsh Moghes deserts. The only things they keep are their weapons which they use to fight animals or other Unathi so that they may die in honorable combat. In the event that two of these Guwandi meet, they will first draw their weapons and adopt a passive stance, which is followed by them telling each other their stories in turn, as well as the reasons behind their choice of adopting the mantle of 'Guwandi' and how they wish their remains to be dealt with. When both sides understand the other, combat will begin with a mutual wish of luck that the more worthy of death lose with pride. The winner of the battle is responsible for taking care of the corpse in the way they were instructed to.
 
Renouncing the deathseeking life of Guwandi isn't easy. Some may wish to return after having been granted a second outlook, or hope, after they had spent time wandering and risking their life. Their clan may see their decision as cowardly and refuse to accept them, or be overjoyed they had learned a lesson in their time.
 
The different region of Moghes are split between the temperate and tropical poles, which are divded horizontally by the equator. All of them have their own unique dialect and accent to the Unathi tongue, but branch off of the same base language. Cultures also tend to vary much between the regions. Precursor ruins located at the poles consist of military bases and mass-driver faclities for unaided surface to air space take-off. Unathis that have settled there are either one of those who follows the Hand of the Vine, or the Fruitful Lights. The latter is made up of clans that have taken engineering as a family trade. Some follow the faith of the Precusors in secret, or some clans openly do. These Unathi may compete with their brethren in battles using battle rigs or jury-rigged exosuits to decide who gets to study the technology left behind and run the mass-drivers. While the other regions judge the Poles with suspicion or oddness, they have learned to coexist with them simply because they hold a monopoly on interplanetary trading.
 
Unathi who follow the Hand of the Vine in the polar region tolerate the engineering clans tending to and studying the fauna, in hopes of learning ways to bring it to the rest of Moghes. Combat for them is often rare and short, usually taking place on patches of unfertile land so that the blessed soil is not tainted by the blood of their enemies. If a feud must end in bloodshed, these Unathi will generally avoid trying to make lethal blows, preferring to instead disable their opponents and leave them alive. These fights are usually sparked by inter-clan disagreements.


Those who settle near the Equator are a very strict brand of Unathi. Orginally settled by exiles who moved south to carve their own way of life, the equator is highly irradiated in some parts due to the nuclear infighting that destroyed Precursor culture. Funnily enough, the ruins there consist of underground shelters to protect from bombardment. Clans and settlements will make homes of these shelters, digging for underground springs and using water purifiers. However, life in the region is not so easy for all. The majority of Unathi have a hard time. Most clans are large to the point of being their own tribe, very devoted to their worship of the ancestors as well as the Grand Strategem. They are also very territorial. Shelter and land rights are decided by vicious combat in designated grounds that are dangeruosly irraidated for the express purpose of testing the combatant's skills, experince and endurance. While those of the equator do trade with any caravan brave enough to stand the heat, sandstorms and radiation, it is often viewed as more trouble than it's worth. Most caravans do not even brave the journey to the south, what with the local legends floating about. Stories of Unathi who had been warped by the radiation into hulking, cannbialistic boogeymen. Monsters who were fond of dragging travelers and children who stay out and alone too late into the darkness so that they may gorge them on the scraps of their kills until they're one of them.
Unathi are notably skilled at material engineering; it is presently unknown how the Unathi Breacher suit is so protective in such a small size. In fact, the sturdiness of the Breacher suit lead directly to the development of a number of iconic SolGov weapons. It is rumored that SolGov hires pirates to attempt to raid equipment and technology from the Unathi so that they may reverse engineer it.
* The Durand mech is based on an old mining chassis, and in the war it was reworked, armed, and deployed in the chokepoints usually favoured by Unathi troops, turning the tide of more than one battle. Its strong durability and ability to protect itself was directly influenced by the design of Unathi armour.
* The Lasercannon was, at the start of the war, a stagnated weapon project used as an example of rampant military spending. The project was jumpstarted by a need to pierce Unathi heavy armour, and by reverse engineering of recovered Unathi laser weaponry.


== Clothing, Armour, and Weapons ==
The Moghes Hegemony has expressed great interest in partnering with human and skrellian medical research teams. Pre-contact, relatively few Unathi worked in medical fields, and treatment was primarily done via herbal remedies and the Unathi's own regenerative factors. To that end, cybernetic or prosthetic organs were all but unheard of among the Unathi, and complete cyborgification is a deep set fear for many of them.
Unathi clothing is mostly loose-fitting garments, much like a Greek peplos. Footwear is usually uncommon, but many individuals choose to wear sandals when possible. Clothing is woven out of though fiber-bearing 'Velo' and other small, scrubby plants. Dyes are made of crushed minerals, clay, plant matter, or bone. Darker hues are less common, as they absorb light, and as such lighter and cooler colors are preferred, such as white. Work clothing usually lacks a top, and instead is a simple, tough skirt designed for mobility. Higher caste's clothing have strung beads of a gorgeous, showy color, and add more variety to the Velo-cloth's color, as well as provocative or sharp gaps in their skirts or tops.
* Interestingly, Unathi never developed any artificial intelligence before Contact. They do not have the same fear of drone evolution as SolGov, though they do occasionally question the value of Positronic individuals, claiming that the resources used in making a positronic brain and accompanying body might be put to better use in other areas.


Armor is is generally more bulky than what humans currently have, but is not fully covering. It's a mix of cloth and heavy plates covering vital areas, offering sturdy protection from at least one or two hits with some of the strongest light-based weapons available to Unathi. These sets of armor may also be decorated to reflect one's caste and clan. Symbols, family colors, kill markers, or small trophies are common.
Personal transportation is uncommon in the Hegemony. Those who need to travel do so on public tread-cars, bus-sized vehicles that cross City-Holds and countrysides alike.
 
* Air travel is uncommon in Hegemony space. Unathi tend to have a fear of heights, and the fragile nature of most aircraft lead to them mostly being used for industrial works. After the invention of easy space travel, Unathi who need to travel long distances take public LEO craft between City-Holds.
Unathi melee weapons may seem very simple compared to human technology, but rest assured, they are very, very deadly, especially in the hands of a skilled swordsman. Some examples include vibroswords, which are blades that, when struck, vibrate extremely fast. This movement is subtle enough so that it's not noticable to the naked eye, but it can cleave straight through limbs, easily capable of severing a head or another appendage with one or two well-placed strikes. Infantry may also be equipped with energy axes. The blade is made of a very easy-to-heat metal with a high melting point, as well as a battery at the base of the staff that powers it. The head of the weapon is weighted and it is also intended to cleave off limbs, or at the very least inflict severe burns. Wounds from this type of weapon do not bleed, however, as the extreme heat cauterizes the wound before any such trauma can occur. This type of energy technology is also available in sword and halberd varieties.  
 
Another unique weapon design Unathi possess are pneumatic weapons, like hammers and maces. These weapons have a compressed air system, and both sides of the hammer's head are movable, which means when one side strikes, the other slams down with a brutal amount of compressed force onto the other to give the blow more power. This simple yet lethal system has earned them the name 'power hammers/maces'. Normal rules of mace swinging still apply, but the momentum and weight don't do all the work any longer.
 
Ranged weaponry is generally not Unathi specific. It is not used in honorable combat and is usually seen in the hands of those who are desperate or disgruntled, or even with the Unathi who live in the North. These types of weapons are imported from cities with space ports where people can buy and trade firearms. Laser weaponry is generally preferred, as the harsh sands of Moghes tend to wear down and break the moving parts of ballistic weapons. Crossbows and longbows made from sinew or dried entrails are tools used in hunting, and rarely you may find some scavenged from Precursor ruins that utilize radiation bolts. However, these types of ancient weapons are hard to procure, and are usually seen in the hands of those in higher castes. Should these rare bows be found in the hands of a outcast, someone will certainly be asking uncomfortable questions as to how they got their hands on such a thing.


== Cuisine ==
== Cuisine ==
Unathi dishes are mostly, or all made up of meat, eggs, and fish, as they are a carnivorous species. Vegetables in meals are often just for decoration or flavor, but by no means ever make up the majority of the dish. Desert flowers may also be placed on the plate to make it seem well presented, and are also edible. The tools Unathi use to eat are very unorthodox to humans. Important meals like dinner and breakfast are meant to be consumed while surrounded by family, and as such there are no designated utensils. Food will be cut and picked up in strips or portions with their claws, or even daggers that some often carry around.
Unathi are a '''carnivourous''' species, and as such the majority of their meals are primarily meat based. Though they gain little nutrition from it, some Unathi enjoy decorating their meals with vegetables and flowers for the presentation. Unathi enjoy a wide range of spiced and dried meat, and some Unathi clans have set up very successful meat jerky enterprises in human space. Unathi also frequently enjoy alcohol in potencies and quantities that would sicken or kill a human, thanks to their filtration organ's efficiency. Excess sugars produced by the Unathi almost exclusively go to this purpose, since the unfermented sugars sedate them unpleasantly. As a consequence of this fact, most Unathi are averse to sweet tasting things.
 
Meals are, as expected, prepared by females, or by the hunting party that had killed and gathered the meaty animal. They'll often prefer to drag it in the front gate as a show of pride for their kill, and if they have time, cook it themselves. Otherwise, the duty falls to the women to handle cooking.
 
The fruits and vegetables used are either farmed where there's ample land to do so (which is usually outside of the settlement walls, or not far from it, where it may be quickly defended in the event of a raid or thief) or gathered by hunters from where it naturally grows in the desert. Fruits harvested from Oases are usually tangy and favored by higher castes as garnish or as a condiment, since they are quite rarely found.


Meat may be cooked, or left raw and bleeding, as it depends on an individual's taste and not worry of bacteria or infection. Eggs are most often left as they are, though they may also be hard boiled or poached as fancy sunny-side up and scrambled recipes are simply too messy to eat. Fish is more often than not prepared the same way as meat.
Meat may be cooked, or left raw and bleeding, as it depends on an individual's taste and not worry of bacteria or infection. Eggs are most often left as they are, though they may also be hard boiled or poached as fancy sunny-side up and scrambled recipes are simply too messy to eat. Fish is more often than not prepared the same way as meat.


== Technology ==
== Religion, The Unity ==  
Though they are not as advanced as the other known races, the technology they do have is by no means sub-par. Unathi technicians know how to work with wiring, basic keypad coding, weapon development and maintenance, as well as armor repair, the production of water wells and purifiers, mining equipment and transport. However, artificial intelligence, advanced computers, synthesizers and other very advanced technology is beyond them, since it is entirely unneeded. Most, if not all of their technology comes from things carefully studied and reverse engineered from the many Precursors ruins their dot their homeworld. Disagreements may crop up between high caste leaders who live in the ruins as a privilege, and thus they get to decide who studies it and how they go about it, and the religious sects that worship the Precursors, who care for and cherish the technology.
A widespread Unathi religion, the majority of the Moghes Hegemony follows a belief system called the Unity.
 
Unathi space travel is still primitive compared to the other spacegoing species. They lack safe means of having their ships take off, and usually fire them out of extremely large, modified mass drivers to launch them into the atmosphere where their engines kick on and take them into space proper. Landing itself is even more dangerous, as Unathi have not developed a guaranteed way of returning home safely. Most of their space travel is spent drifting, with the precious engine fuel used to steady their course. Upon returning home, their objective is simply to try and land without managing to wreck their ship.
 
Moghes has almost no universal defense fleet; each capital has their own small force consisting of carrier ships to deal with pirates raiding their supply lines. Due to their concept of honor, ranged space combat is all but impossible for them. Instead, the carrier ships have a specialized bay that carries up to four smaller breacher ships that have the appearance of an oversized torpedo with a sharp, jagged head. These are fired from the bay a safe distance from the aggressor, and are designed to impact the hull and then disperse boarding parties into the enemy ship, taking it from within.
 
Many Unathi clans take engineering as a family craft, especially those near the poles of the planet, where fleets are launched from. Prior to the standardization of specially-tailored hardsuits, each of these families had their own designs which required Precursor technology. As a result, these suits were very rare. Through either bartering or espionage, NanoTrasen came into possession of several of these unique schematics and joined them together to create a higher-quality suit. Now, they sell them not only to the capitals for their breacher crews, but to exiles and pirates alike.
 
== Military ==
Battles for Unathi vary greatly depending on who is fighting who. The armed forces of most settlements stick to the honor codes regarding melee combat. When in an engagement with other armies, the formation will consist of battle lines. Shieldmen will be in front, and breakers behind and in between to try and overpower the defense of their enemy. Should these lines fall, the ones behind them will attempt to fill in the gaps. Located near the rear of the lines are officers and commanders, as well as the drummers who will convey and scream orders.
 
Combat also varies depending on the region of the settlements at war. Soldiers who hail from the equator will often break their lines to seek a single kill, whereas those who live in the temperate north will, if at all possible, try to make non-lethal blows or try and make their lethal blows quick and painless. Those nearer to the poles do not adhere so much to the melee code many Unathi follow, and have no qualms in using ranged or laser weapons in battles.
 
Fights with, or between outcasts or refugee groups are fought with a value on survival over killing their enemies. Rather than taking part in lines and formations, these groups fight their battles in a hit and run style, favoring terrain advantages and guerrilla warfare against both other outcasts or refugees, as well as the disciplined settlement militaries.
 
Unarmed combat styles for Unathi vary by clan and settlement, but most focus on the usage of claws as well as grappling to disable an enemy, headbutting, and an overall goal to expose the neck for biting.
 
Most battles are fought by simple infantry, as mounted units are something uncommon. When they do show up, they are usually feared by their enemies, unless they have a lot of polearms in their possession. They function like typical human cavalry, using their mount to run into the enemy formation and swipe at heads or necks. They may also come equipped with lances instead, which are used to power through enemy defenses. Animals used as mounts are typically threshbeasts or specifically bred scale-cattle meant to be fast on their legs. However, raising and training these animals takes patience and a few years, which is why the sight of mounted infantry so rare.
 
== Religion ==
The religions of Moghes are as equally diverse as it's natives. Much like perceptions of honor, the following of each faith is entirely regional, and none hold many more followers than the other.
 
Some Unathi, mostly those who live in the north, follow a faith dubbed the Hand of the Vine. They are semi-nomadic groups who believe that the event which caused the desertification of Moghes was not a tragedy, but an opportunity to shape the world in their image. They are dedicated to the spreading and breeding of all plant life, be it crops, brush, or flowers. Acolytes carry small bags with thousands of seeds, with the most common being a tough vine called 'Velo' that is well-suited to turning sand to soil. Followers like to refer to themselves as 'her hands', due to the belief nature is passive and feminine. As a result, females are treated with more respect, though are still expected to stay back and tend to existing gardens while men search for new horizons. Upon death, they are cremated and spread amongst plants, fertilizing them with their remains.
 
Another commonly practiced faith is centralized around the worship of the Precursors and their technology. They feel that these beings are of a higher intelligence, and respect them for all that they have done. It is not a religion in the true sense, as they do not feel the Precursors are gods, but rather they simply wish to preserve all that they have done and make sure that their technology, architecture, and scriptures are not lost to history. They revere the ruins and artifacts left behind by the Precursors, and arguments amongst the members of the faith who are higher caste are not uncommon when discussing how to go about researching or handling ancient artifacts.
 
Yet a third faith, one practiced mostly by Unathi who live near the equator, is the Grand Strategem. In a region where survival and honor is held in high regard, the Strategem teaches that war shouldn't simply be a tool of destruction, but rather a tutor with many lessons to teach the soldiers that survive. The Grand Strategem speaks through victory and defeat, through tactics both solid and flawed. It is a manifestation of war itself, and its followers believe that every conflict has a lesson to be learned.


The last faith practiced on Moghes is called the Fruitful Lights, and focuses more on the creation of products and goods. They believe that the Precursors created them so that they may create more. Most of the followers of this faith are farmers, craftsmen, engineers and the like. There are no temples, only workshops, and the faith of an individual is judged by the product that he creates. A fisherman who hauls in a greater catch would be considered closer to the Precursors. They share a competition with the Hands of the Vine in the farming industry, and it has gotten to a pont where even espionage has been reported between the two. 'Religious' leaders are those who have mastered a craft, and their acolytes are the ones they are teaching it to. Men generally perform the more labor-based works, with females performing the arts and less physical tasks.
For Unity Unathi, life's purpose is to prepare oneself for judgement by the '''Five Great Spirits''', and to be deemed useful to them in their preparations for the '''End War'''. They do so in life by living the '''Decrees of the Unity'''. It is said that upon death, the spirit of the deceased will awaken on the '''Path of Five Ways''', where they choose which of the Five to appeal to. They are then tested on the skills they learned in life, and if judged worthy, passed through to the Afterlife proper, where they return to work, helping their ancestors. If the spirit is unworthy, the Reclaimer dissolves the deceased's spirit for reuse by the Giver. Spirits that resist this process and escape can return to harm the living, and so living Unathi cremate their deceased ritually, to ensure the spirit cannot take corporeal form.


==Disease==
Many Unity clans believe that they can help the spirit pass their trials through positive memories, and the removal of the names of heinous criminals is an extension of this practice, helping the survivors to think of the good that came before, rather than the evil that forced the Unbinding.
"Black egg" Syndrom is a genetic defect found in some females in semi-rare cases, and even rarer in males (Though it manifests in it's own form of extreme impotency.). It is a case where laid eggs are both always coming in singles, and the egg itself has a black shell, is 3 times as thick as normal egg shells, and has a tarpy texture instead of a brittle one, in some cultures this may get the female branded and exiled as unfit for breeding, or declared unfit for breeding or other female duties and treated/casted like a male and trusted with their responsibilities, while the eggs are left to die. In others that do understand this condition, it is treatable by two methods, to either pry open the egg shell with sharp implements and effort. (Call Unathi Kreiger and give him a saw and crowbar) or genetic therapy, though the exact line of code that causes this hasn't been found.


==Date and Time==
Ancient Unathi believed in many spirits, in a form of variable animism that is the oldest known religion on Moghes. Priests of the Unity claim that all but five of these spirits were destroyed and devoured by a sixth spirit, overcome with evil. The Unathi worship the remaining five benign spirits, named below, crediting them for any great occurrence that is not otherwise easily explained.
Unathi in general tend not to record global history like humans or Skrell have done. Rather, they focus on clan or territorial history, though most keep a basic calendar system to track days and years. Their seasons are Moto and Jua, which are the equivalent of Terran summer and winter respectively. Temperature changes are mostly felt nearer to the poles, but even in the desert the length of days will still be affected, becoming shorter or longer depending on the season. Each of the two seasons last roughly two hundred days, so when the two hundredth day of Jua passes, it would be considered a new year.  
* '''The Giver, Uueoa-Esa''', is the only named Spirit of the Five, and the only one with a gender. She is the mother of all Unathi, creating each new soul from the light of the stars.
* '''The Illuminator''' is the most active of the Five, wandering the living realms to whisper secrets and advice into the ears of those who need it. Constantly in the realm of the living, many Unathi pray to the Illuminator in times of trouble, asking it to grant them Wisdom.
* '''The Builder''' watches over the works of creation, including those made by mortal engineers. It was the Builder who designed the first Unathi, as a gift to the Giver. The Builder works to maintain the integrity of the Afterlife's gates, in preparation for the End War.
* '''The Reclaimer''' claims domain over death, war, funerals, and Redeemers. It is their job to guard the gates of the Afterlife, ever watchful for the day when it will be forced to open the gates and return that which has been claimed by time. As a figure of Death, the Reclaimer is less liked by most Unathi, but worshiped by the Redeemers above all others. It is The Reclaimer that allows their rebirth, and permits the Chapters to kill those who cannot be turned back to the Unity.
* '''The Trickster''' watches over the Unbound and Folk Heroes. It inspires those who serve the Unity, and watches over those who do not, but might one day hear the call. The Trickster is called upon during the Unbinding ceremony to steal away the names of those who have sinned.
* '''The Unmaker''' is not worshipped by the Unathi, but rather hated and feared. This spirit, in an attempt to gain absolute power, destroyed and devoured all of the Unathi spirits save The Five. At the End of Time, the Unmaker will return from wherever it has hidden itself, and attempt to devour all that remains.


For example, to predict or recall a certain date, an Unathi would phrase it in a way such as "The twelfth day of Jua, five years ago." or something similar.
=== Decrees ===
The Unity has certain demands of its adherents.


Unsurprisingly, the Unathi keep time tracked loosely by sundials. These primitive yet effective clocks are split up into four quarters. Rather than use numeral digits like humans, they instead pay attention to the slant of the shadow. When it is facing zero degrees, then it is considered dawn, a new day, even if it is before sunrise. At ninety, breakfast should be over with and Unathi should be starting to prepare for their work day. One hundred and eighty degrees is midday, most commonly seen as a trading rush-hour or a time for large, friendly lunches. And when the slant is at two hundred and seven degrees, the work day begins to wind down and the Unathi return home to their clans for their evening meals.
==== Formation: ====
* '''Live honourably, as the Five demand. To speak your intent is to make it real.''' This encourages Unathi to be truthful, and follow through when they give their word.
* '''Let wisdom guide you, in all things. Learn from those who came before.''' This encourages Unathi to respect and learn from their elders elders.
* '''Your work follows you, master it.''' This is what encourages Unathi to work hard in their profession. It is the idea that what they do marks their name, and the name of their family and clan.
==== First Reformation: ====
* '''Redeem those who may still serve the Unity, their lives may yet serve a purpose.''' This is the driving decree behind the Redeemers, who were originally hunted down as heretics and criminals for their extreme methods.
==== Second Reformation: ====
* '''The path to Redemption shall be long and trying. Let none unworthy tread the path.''' After the First Reformation there were issues with Unathi acting out against the norms, as the Decree allowed them to escape punishment. This allowed the Redeemers more ability to challenge the faith of those who claimed to seek redemption.
==== Third Reformation: ====
* '''Take nothing from The Reclaimer, to take a life is to waste that life.''' This decree was put in place after many long years of warring, to prevent more needless bloodshed. Redeemers are the exception to this Decree, and are believed to have a direct path to send a taken life to the Reclaimer.
==== Fourth Reformation: ====
* '''One need not be Unathi to be of the Unity.''' An overt attempt to curry favour with the other galactic governments, most Unathi see this as a natural extension of the discovery of non-Unathi life in the universe.


{{Species}}
== Disease ==
* '''Black Egg Syndrome''' - A rare genetic disease, in males it causes extreme sterility; in females it causes eggs laid to have thick black shells, impossible for the newborn Unathi to escape. Though uncurable, if the disease affects a female, it is possible for the shell to be carefully thinned out or manually opened when the hatchling begins to move.
* '''Stunted Regrowth Disorder''' - Occasionally caused by physical trauma or extensive scarring, SRD is characterized by the victim's regrowth being severely slowed, to the point of non-function. This is usually treated as a stress-based disorder, and with proper care and feeding most sufferers make a full recovery.
* '''Unmaker's Breath''' - Characterised by an incredibly painful hollow cough, Unmaker's Breath is caused by a bacterial infection in the Unathi filtration organ. Extremely fatal and infectious in the past, modern anti-inflammatories developed by the Skrell have greatly decreased the prominence of this illness.
* '''Instinct''' - Not truly a disease, but rather a facet of life, many Unathi struggle to control their base instincts, omnipresent from the moment they being to think and feel as sapients. While most Unathi manage to maintain their composure in their daily lives, there are some for whom the call of instinct is overpowering. When injured or otherwise stressed, these individuals may mentally revert to base instinct, which, for an Unathi, is to lash out against anything nearby. These rampages usually end with the death of the Unathi in question, and when they don't, it is likely that the afflicted will spend a long time, up to and including their entire life. confined to specially constructed facilities for their continued care. Many are eventually released from these places, if they manage to regain a semblance of normalcy.

Latest revision as of 20:41, 21 September 2017

The Unathi are a species deeply rooted in family in tradition. They are masterful craftsmen and ferocious warriors, following a religion that encourages mastery in one's fields.

Behaviour

  • Irritation or heightened emotion is expressed by thumping the tail against the ground.
  • Verbal exclamations are also common, as are short barks, rattling of the throat, or 'chuffing' (forceful exhalations of air from low in the throat). Anxious or worried Unathi might sway (similar to snakes), rattle the heavy scaling on their neck, hiss, or sample air more often than necessary.
  • When cold, a Unathi will usually bristle their scales in a manner analogous to human goosebumps. Overheated Unathi become sluggish and drowsy. A similar effect can be observed in Unathi that consume sugar in even moderate amounts.
  • It is a social faux-pas to use a Unathi's first name, to touch their tail, or to touch them at all before introductions are undertaken When speaking to superiors, it is considered formal and respectful to refer to them by the extended name of their command. An elder of the Reskor family, of the clan Hassh, whose personal name is Sskor, might be introduced as Elder Sskor Reskor of Hassh, and write their name as Sskor Reskor Hassh.
  • Intimate gestures between Unathi include twining necks, twining tails, and touching foreheads or muzzles.
  • Baring the throat is the single most meaningful expression of trust in a lover or superior, often used as shows of extreme trust, compassion or admittance of shame, and within honourable contexts, clawing or biting the exposed throat is perfectly allowed.

Moghes Hegemony

Governing from the titular capital planet (Moghes, the Moghes Hegemony is lead by a High Circle of local Elders, with constant consul from the most esteemed Redeemers from across Hegemony space. While day to day issues are left to the clans, the High Circle asks for regular reports from their subjects, necessitating a large bureaucratic presence in the capital. Most if not all Unathi are considered Hegemony citizens, and there is no known way to renounce said citizenship, as the rare human colonist has learned. Taxation from Moghes is relatively benign; Unathi culture stresses reliance on one's clan over anything else, and the capital is a shining example of the Unathi way of life.

When older humans talk about the “Unathi War”, they are referencing the First Contact conflict between SolGov and the Moghes Hegemony. This has caused ongoing tensions between the races that have never really faded. It is still not uncommon for there to be small skirmishes or shows of force between the two. However, neither wishes to fight a full-blown war.

Clothing

Unathi clothing is mostly made of leather or Velo, a plant grown in large quantities to feed Stok other food

  • Formal and casual clothing tends to be fine airy Velo cloth, designed to allow ease of movement.
  • Protective gear is frequently less necessary for Unathi (thick hide, scales), but when it does exist it is usually leather. This includes most forms of historical medical gear, before the invention of a velo-based kevlar equivalent.

Technology

The Unathi are believed to have technology of similar quality to SolGov, or even the Skrell, but the Hegemony has yet to allow common access. From the few studies that have been allowed, SolGov has discovered that Unathi technology is larger and blockier than a human equivalent, to compensate for the size differences in the population. Unathi design aesthetics prefer function over form, and their tools are, without exception, built to last.

Unathi are notably skilled at material engineering; it is presently unknown how the Unathi Breacher suit is so protective in such a small size. In fact, the sturdiness of the Breacher suit lead directly to the development of a number of iconic SolGov weapons. It is rumored that SolGov hires pirates to attempt to raid equipment and technology from the Unathi so that they may reverse engineer it.

  • The Durand mech is based on an old mining chassis, and in the war it was reworked, armed, and deployed in the chokepoints usually favoured by Unathi troops, turning the tide of more than one battle. Its strong durability and ability to protect itself was directly influenced by the design of Unathi armour.
  • The Lasercannon was, at the start of the war, a stagnated weapon project used as an example of rampant military spending. The project was jumpstarted by a need to pierce Unathi heavy armour, and by reverse engineering of recovered Unathi laser weaponry.

The Moghes Hegemony has expressed great interest in partnering with human and skrellian medical research teams. Pre-contact, relatively few Unathi worked in medical fields, and treatment was primarily done via herbal remedies and the Unathi's own regenerative factors. To that end, cybernetic or prosthetic organs were all but unheard of among the Unathi, and complete cyborgification is a deep set fear for many of them.

  • Interestingly, Unathi never developed any artificial intelligence before Contact. They do not have the same fear of drone evolution as SolGov, though they do occasionally question the value of Positronic individuals, claiming that the resources used in making a positronic brain and accompanying body might be put to better use in other areas.

Personal transportation is uncommon in the Hegemony. Those who need to travel do so on public tread-cars, bus-sized vehicles that cross City-Holds and countrysides alike.

  • Air travel is uncommon in Hegemony space. Unathi tend to have a fear of heights, and the fragile nature of most aircraft lead to them mostly being used for industrial works. After the invention of easy space travel, Unathi who need to travel long distances take public LEO craft between City-Holds.

Cuisine

Unathi are a carnivourous species, and as such the majority of their meals are primarily meat based. Though they gain little nutrition from it, some Unathi enjoy decorating their meals with vegetables and flowers for the presentation. Unathi enjoy a wide range of spiced and dried meat, and some Unathi clans have set up very successful meat jerky enterprises in human space. Unathi also frequently enjoy alcohol in potencies and quantities that would sicken or kill a human, thanks to their filtration organ's efficiency. Excess sugars produced by the Unathi almost exclusively go to this purpose, since the unfermented sugars sedate them unpleasantly. As a consequence of this fact, most Unathi are averse to sweet tasting things.

Meat may be cooked, or left raw and bleeding, as it depends on an individual's taste and not worry of bacteria or infection. Eggs are most often left as they are, though they may also be hard boiled or poached as fancy sunny-side up and scrambled recipes are simply too messy to eat. Fish is more often than not prepared the same way as meat.

Religion, The Unity

A widespread Unathi religion, the majority of the Moghes Hegemony follows a belief system called the Unity.

For Unity Unathi, life's purpose is to prepare oneself for judgement by the Five Great Spirits, and to be deemed useful to them in their preparations for the End War. They do so in life by living the Decrees of the Unity. It is said that upon death, the spirit of the deceased will awaken on the Path of Five Ways, where they choose which of the Five to appeal to. They are then tested on the skills they learned in life, and if judged worthy, passed through to the Afterlife proper, where they return to work, helping their ancestors. If the spirit is unworthy, the Reclaimer dissolves the deceased's spirit for reuse by the Giver. Spirits that resist this process and escape can return to harm the living, and so living Unathi cremate their deceased ritually, to ensure the spirit cannot take corporeal form.

Many Unity clans believe that they can help the spirit pass their trials through positive memories, and the removal of the names of heinous criminals is an extension of this practice, helping the survivors to think of the good that came before, rather than the evil that forced the Unbinding.

Ancient Unathi believed in many spirits, in a form of variable animism that is the oldest known religion on Moghes. Priests of the Unity claim that all but five of these spirits were destroyed and devoured by a sixth spirit, overcome with evil. The Unathi worship the remaining five benign spirits, named below, crediting them for any great occurrence that is not otherwise easily explained.

  • The Giver, Uueoa-Esa, is the only named Spirit of the Five, and the only one with a gender. She is the mother of all Unathi, creating each new soul from the light of the stars.
  • The Illuminator is the most active of the Five, wandering the living realms to whisper secrets and advice into the ears of those who need it. Constantly in the realm of the living, many Unathi pray to the Illuminator in times of trouble, asking it to grant them Wisdom.
  • The Builder watches over the works of creation, including those made by mortal engineers. It was the Builder who designed the first Unathi, as a gift to the Giver. The Builder works to maintain the integrity of the Afterlife's gates, in preparation for the End War.
  • The Reclaimer claims domain over death, war, funerals, and Redeemers. It is their job to guard the gates of the Afterlife, ever watchful for the day when it will be forced to open the gates and return that which has been claimed by time. As a figure of Death, the Reclaimer is less liked by most Unathi, but worshiped by the Redeemers above all others. It is The Reclaimer that allows their rebirth, and permits the Chapters to kill those who cannot be turned back to the Unity.
  • The Trickster watches over the Unbound and Folk Heroes. It inspires those who serve the Unity, and watches over those who do not, but might one day hear the call. The Trickster is called upon during the Unbinding ceremony to steal away the names of those who have sinned.
  • The Unmaker is not worshipped by the Unathi, but rather hated and feared. This spirit, in an attempt to gain absolute power, destroyed and devoured all of the Unathi spirits save The Five. At the End of Time, the Unmaker will return from wherever it has hidden itself, and attempt to devour all that remains.

Decrees

The Unity has certain demands of its adherents.

Formation:

  • Live honourably, as the Five demand. To speak your intent is to make it real. This encourages Unathi to be truthful, and follow through when they give their word.
  • Let wisdom guide you, in all things. Learn from those who came before. This encourages Unathi to respect and learn from their elders elders.
  • Your work follows you, master it. This is what encourages Unathi to work hard in their profession. It is the idea that what they do marks their name, and the name of their family and clan.

First Reformation:

  • Redeem those who may still serve the Unity, their lives may yet serve a purpose. This is the driving decree behind the Redeemers, who were originally hunted down as heretics and criminals for their extreme methods.

Second Reformation:

  • The path to Redemption shall be long and trying. Let none unworthy tread the path. After the First Reformation there were issues with Unathi acting out against the norms, as the Decree allowed them to escape punishment. This allowed the Redeemers more ability to challenge the faith of those who claimed to seek redemption.

Third Reformation:

  • Take nothing from The Reclaimer, to take a life is to waste that life. This decree was put in place after many long years of warring, to prevent more needless bloodshed. Redeemers are the exception to this Decree, and are believed to have a direct path to send a taken life to the Reclaimer.

Fourth Reformation:

  • One need not be Unathi to be of the Unity. An overt attempt to curry favour with the other galactic governments, most Unathi see this as a natural extension of the discovery of non-Unathi life in the universe.

Disease

  • Black Egg Syndrome - A rare genetic disease, in males it causes extreme sterility; in females it causes eggs laid to have thick black shells, impossible for the newborn Unathi to escape. Though uncurable, if the disease affects a female, it is possible for the shell to be carefully thinned out or manually opened when the hatchling begins to move.
  • Stunted Regrowth Disorder - Occasionally caused by physical trauma or extensive scarring, SRD is characterized by the victim's regrowth being severely slowed, to the point of non-function. This is usually treated as a stress-based disorder, and with proper care and feeding most sufferers make a full recovery.
  • Unmaker's Breath - Characterised by an incredibly painful hollow cough, Unmaker's Breath is caused by a bacterial infection in the Unathi filtration organ. Extremely fatal and infectious in the past, modern anti-inflammatories developed by the Skrell have greatly decreased the prominence of this illness.
  • Instinct - Not truly a disease, but rather a facet of life, many Unathi struggle to control their base instincts, omnipresent from the moment they being to think and feel as sapients. While most Unathi manage to maintain their composure in their daily lives, there are some for whom the call of instinct is overpowering. When injured or otherwise stressed, these individuals may mentally revert to base instinct, which, for an Unathi, is to lash out against anything nearby. These rampages usually end with the death of the Unathi in question, and when they don't, it is likely that the afflicted will spend a long time, up to and including their entire life. confined to specially constructed facilities for their continued care. Many are eventually released from these places, if they manage to regain a semblance of normalcy.