Origins
The Bamori are a lupine race from the rocky planet, Furax. It is a very dry world with very little vegetation (most plant life that exists on Furax is a type of photosynthetic algae or lichen). Scientists are still uncertain how any life came to exist on such a desolate planet, but the Bamori have survived, thrived, and made the most of their planet's landscape. The Bamori's ancient ancestry is linked to a species of large, intelligent dogs that was capable of hunting in large packs and preparing primitive traps. The only thing that separated these dogs from the ones a human would know is their large size, and the fact that their front paws had the evolutionary beginnings of fingers for extra traction and balance in their planet's rocky environment. The Bamori lived and hunted in packs until they were forced to change by a foreign enemy. The Vard first arrived on Furax relatively few in number. They stationed a small science crew in the central crater of Furax (notably the only place in which trees can naturally be found in abundance on the planet), believing it to be the only place in which life could exist on the planet. It wasn't until a group of Bamori hunters arrived at the Vardic science outpost that the Vard were proven wrong. The Vard scientists promptly captured the hunters and performed experiments and interrogations on them. They learned the Bamori language, and the locations of all major Bamori settlements. It was later that the Vard learned that the Bamori made excellent Shashl'agaa (a Vardic phrase that most accurately translates into "beast of burden"), and the Vard sent larger expeditionary groups to the planet's surface. The Bamori were the third "slave race" to the Vard.
Appearance & Culture
The Bamori strongly resemble the werewolves of human folklore, though significantly more civil than such. Bamori fur is typically brown, but it can also be silver, black, or a mix of all three. Bamori will commonly braid or wear beads or jewelry in their fur. This practice is especially common for Bamori officials; they are often seen with expensive jewelry from all across the solar system covering them from head to toe. Another popular practice among the Bamori elite is braiding their fur and allowing it to grow long. It looks strange to the other species of the solar system, but it is seen as a very popular style in Bamori culture. Such a style hinders a Bamori's ability to maneuver, and thus any intelligent Bamori soldier chooses to keep his or her fur short. A Bamori's eyes, again, strongly resemble those of a wolf or dog, though genetic modification of a Bamori embryo is capable of changing this fact.
Jincari Loyalty
The Bamori are known to be the only race openly friendly and even allied with the Jincar at present. When the Vard controlled Furax, a large portion of the Jincari liberation effort was spent on the Bamori homeworld. Noro, a seasoned and respected Jincari leader of the liberation front, fought and died alongside the enslaved Bamori chieftains to reclaim Furax for its native people. To this day, the Bamori and Jincar's cooperation with each other during the liberation of Furax has inspired many books, plays, and movies, and the Bamori are still grateful for the Jincar's efforts so many years ago. Being on such good terms with the Bamori, the Jincar have shared some of their knowledge of Vardic weapons and technology with them, making the two strongest military powers in the solar system the allied Bamori and Jincar.
Additional Notes
- Politically, the Bamori are traditionally tribals, but have slowly started to adopt more of the Jincar's imperial customs.
- Despite their appearance, a Bamori's naturally keen eyesight and reaction time have made them some of the solar system's most successful and respect air aces in military history. The Bamori's starship fleet is the largest and most powerful of all the other races.
- Bamori culture accepts and even promotes selective breeding, and chieftains are allowed to mate with any female they desire. Because of this, the most mentally and physically capable of the Bamori are often descendants of chieftains.
- Bamori are one of the few races that cannot interbreed with any other presently known civilized race.
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Character Summary - Ca
The Ca are a race from my "Venture" series. Below is a general background of the race.
Characteristics
The Ca are tribals, heavily bound in long years of tradition. They are often wiry individuals, and the average adult Ca is just a bit shorter than a Jincar (most Jincar range from 6'-7' fully grown whereas most Ca range from 5'8"-6'7"). Their skin is typically a deep purple, and their heads are usually longer than those of other races. Their teeth consist of only canines, and their eyes are completely red. Their legs are incredible strong, and slightly resemble the hind legs of a feline. The Ca are known for their natural strength, their home planet's gravity being about 1.5G.
Origins
The Ca are a very tradition-bound race with many unique characteristics. Originating from the small, tropical planet of Aldi, the Ca have had the longest history of dealing with foreign races. Many thousands of years ago, the Ca were responsible for the destruction of two other sentient races on their planet. It is said that the other two races were allied, and started chopping down the Ca's forests for lumber. The Ca tribes entered their enemies' villages under the cover of night, killing many without drawing any attention to themselves. When morning came, they retreated back into their jungle homes, leaving only a pile of corpses as evidence of their presence. It is said that the two races' populations were halved in under a week, and became fully extinct after one year (using Ghasha's time scale). hundreds of years after this, the Ca had their first contact with the Vard. Their ship landed in the middle of the jungle, destroying many trees in the process. When the Vard emerged, they were met with a hail of spears from the treetops. To this day, the empty husk of the old Vardic ship is used as the first major Ca city. It was many decades after that that the Vard sent a larger force, and, despite a vast number of casualties, eventually managed to overwhelm the Ca tribe leaders with their presence. The leaders subjected themselves and their people willingly to slavery under the Vard, as a show of respect for their superior military force. The Vard were not merciful. Over the next few years, thousands of Ca were shipped from their planet to Ghasha to work on the City of Gold.
Tradition
Being a militaristic race, The Ca have a very high respect for physical strength, similar to the Vard (though less inclined than the Vard towards unprovoked violence). Of the 900,000 Ca currently in existence, about 90% of them are warriors or mercenaries. They have little regard for politics and during wars, they will most often only take sides if there is something in it for them, though once they do take sides they are fiercely loyal. The Ca still living on Aldi do so in tribes. Control of land and borders is constantly changing through physical or diplomatic means, making an accurate world map of each tribe's territory virtually impossible to create. The central hub for trade and commerce is in the refurbished husk of the old Vardic ship that landed so many years ago. Though it is considered their "Capital City", few Ca actually live in this ship, aside from the rare merchant or galactic politician. The Ca, though they have access to them,. seldom use modern technology for combat. All forms of guns are considered "weapons of the weak", and thus, any Ca fighter that wants his or her reputation to remain intact chooses to fight with a different weapon. The go-to weapon among the Ca military is the spear. Though this may sound like a foolish choice against enemies wearing highly advanced suits of armour, the Ca have advanced the craft of their spears to a more modern level. The tips are made with a rare element currently known only to be found on the Avaari homeworld of Atvar, known as Atvarium. It is a light green, clear, ethereal substance that most commonly takes the form of a gas. In exchange for being taught by the Avaari how to craft weaponry from Atvarium, the Ca tribes send some of their best warriors to Atvar to bolster the peaceful Avaari race's defenses.
Characteristics
The Ca are tribals, heavily bound in long years of tradition. They are often wiry individuals, and the average adult Ca is just a bit shorter than a Jincar (most Jincar range from 6'-7' fully grown whereas most Ca range from 5'8"-6'7"). Their skin is typically a deep purple, and their heads are usually longer than those of other races. Their teeth consist of only canines, and their eyes are completely red. Their legs are incredible strong, and slightly resemble the hind legs of a feline. The Ca are known for their natural strength, their home planet's gravity being about 1.5G.
Origins
The Ca are a very tradition-bound race with many unique characteristics. Originating from the small, tropical planet of Aldi, the Ca have had the longest history of dealing with foreign races. Many thousands of years ago, the Ca were responsible for the destruction of two other sentient races on their planet. It is said that the other two races were allied, and started chopping down the Ca's forests for lumber. The Ca tribes entered their enemies' villages under the cover of night, killing many without drawing any attention to themselves. When morning came, they retreated back into their jungle homes, leaving only a pile of corpses as evidence of their presence. It is said that the two races' populations were halved in under a week, and became fully extinct after one year (using Ghasha's time scale). hundreds of years after this, the Ca had their first contact with the Vard. Their ship landed in the middle of the jungle, destroying many trees in the process. When the Vard emerged, they were met with a hail of spears from the treetops. To this day, the empty husk of the old Vardic ship is used as the first major Ca city. It was many decades after that that the Vard sent a larger force, and, despite a vast number of casualties, eventually managed to overwhelm the Ca tribe leaders with their presence. The leaders subjected themselves and their people willingly to slavery under the Vard, as a show of respect for their superior military force. The Vard were not merciful. Over the next few years, thousands of Ca were shipped from their planet to Ghasha to work on the City of Gold.
Tradition
Being a militaristic race, The Ca have a very high respect for physical strength, similar to the Vard (though less inclined than the Vard towards unprovoked violence). Of the 900,000 Ca currently in existence, about 90% of them are warriors or mercenaries. They have little regard for politics and during wars, they will most often only take sides if there is something in it for them, though once they do take sides they are fiercely loyal. The Ca still living on Aldi do so in tribes. Control of land and borders is constantly changing through physical or diplomatic means, making an accurate world map of each tribe's territory virtually impossible to create. The central hub for trade and commerce is in the refurbished husk of the old Vardic ship that landed so many years ago. Though it is considered their "Capital City", few Ca actually live in this ship, aside from the rare merchant or galactic politician. The Ca, though they have access to them,. seldom use modern technology for combat. All forms of guns are considered "weapons of the weak", and thus, any Ca fighter that wants his or her reputation to remain intact chooses to fight with a different weapon. The go-to weapon among the Ca military is the spear. Though this may sound like a foolish choice against enemies wearing highly advanced suits of armour, the Ca have advanced the craft of their spears to a more modern level. The tips are made with a rare element currently known only to be found on the Avaari homeworld of Atvar, known as Atvarium. It is a light green, clear, ethereal substance that most commonly takes the form of a gas. In exchange for being taught by the Avaari how to craft weaponry from Atvarium, the Ca tribes send some of their best warriors to Atvar to bolster the peaceful Avaari race's defenses.
Thursday, 4 April 2013
Character Summary - Jincar
Yet another one of the many races from the "Venture" series. This is a general overview of the race.
Physical Characteristics
Jincari people are normally tall, with long, pointed ears and pale skin. Though the most common Jincar iris colour is a luminescent bright yellow, there are some who are born with blue, red or black irises (a result of interbreeding and/or gene splicing). Natural hair colours for Jincar include blond and white. Internal body temperature is significantly lower than that of humans (29 degrees Celsius whereas a human's CBT is 37 degrees Celsius). Not much else differs from human physiology.
Origins
The Jincar are a typically proud race, with a humble origin. When they evolved from their primate forefathers on Ghasha the Jincar lived in close knit tribes. One could note that a significant factor in the development of the Jincar as a species was the Vard. When the Jincar were taking their first baby steps after becoming a sentient race, the Vard were already a powerful, space-travelling one. Before their sentience, the Vard would hunt the Jincar for their meat and for trophies. For millions of years, the Jincar lived in the colossal shadow of the Vard. The tribes quickly learned that the Vard were extremely dangerous and any attempted interactions with them was terminated. The tribes would live nomadically for hundreds of years in the densely forested outskirts of Vardic cities. To the Vard, the primitive Jincari tribes were nothing more than a vermin to be exterminated, and thus, the Vardic profession, lek'aam'ak (roughly translated to "pest control") was born. The lek'aam'ak would enter the forested areas tribes would commonly wander, using advanced weapons and tactics to trap and wipe out the Jincar that were deemed too close to city perimeters. What few tribes that survived migrated to the cold, desolate, and unforgiving northern and southern regions of the planet. Life here was rough and merciless, and many more Jincar would die to the elements. Over many generations, the Jincar became a cunning, hardy race, shaped by the harsh landscape in which they lived. They rapidly advanced technologically by stealing and studying the technology of the remote and often unguarded Vardic research outposts in the the northern and southern poles of the planet. The Vard eventually retaliated, but the Vard, despite advanced weapons and equipment, proved no match for the combined force of the Jincar tribes and a brutal ice storm that swept through around the time the Vard arrived in Jincari lands. The Jincar would continue to live freely and advance as a civilization for 109 more years until the Vard arrived again with an overwhelming force, killing thousands and enslaving the survivors. The Jincar were the first known "slave race" to the Vard.
Eradication of the Vard
After the liberation of the City of Gold, news of the uprising spread quickly among those still enslaved. The Vard were forced off their home planet, though they swore this was only a temporary setback. A few Vardic forces attempted to reclaim their city over the next years with no success. This proved to the other slave races that their Vardic masters could be defied. More uprisings formed on the Kalu and Bamori homeworlds, and, though they weren't as successful as the uprising on Ghasha, the two slave races both managed to reclaim a small portion of their homeworlds. Back on the world of Ghasha, the Jincar's hardiness remained tested for centuries by a seemingly endless amount of Vardic forces. Nearly every Jincar above 13 years of age in the City of Gold had combat experience. This continued until the current emperor of the Jincar's predecessor, Mallian Vos, united the slave races and fought a long, bloody war against the Vard, eventually eliminating their presence entirely from the solar system. Mallian continued his rule until dying of natural causes twelve years after the war. He was succeeded by his son, Mallian Vos II, who also fought in the last years of the war.
Jincari "Elusiveness"
The City of Gold's construction was the result of slave labour from many different races, but only the Jincar rule the city. Many races, primarily the Ca, Jincar, and Kalu, have ancestors who died in the production of the city. Though the liberation of the city was approximately 80% a Jincari one, much controversy has been raised over the years regarding this issue. In year 11302 (Jincari calendar, about nine years after the war with the Vard), a meeting was called between the leaders of each civilization in the solar system to address the issue. The Kalu, having been responsible for the entire construction of the majority of the portions of the city, demanded at least 50% ownership of the city. The other races would be given specific districts which their races were responsible for creating to live in. The A.I acting as arbiter for the meeting (a Jincar-made A.I designed to be completely neutral, and make decisions based on facts given) ultimately decided that the Jincar would remain in complete ownership of the city, but that embassies would be given to each race in the City of Gold. The A.I was quickly accused of being rigged in the Jincar's favour, but was stolen and destroyed by Kalu extremists before a proper investigation of the A.I's coding could be made. Tensions between the Jincar and most other races, especially their close planetary neighbors, the Kalu, continued to rise for two years more. Things finally came to a head when a Kalu embassy worker planted bombs in several districts of the city. The bombs were intended to cause more destruction than deaths, being placed in remotely populated but valuable parts of the city. The embassy worker was caught planting a bomb in the basement of the Golden Palace, and was summarily executed. Days later, another Kalu embassy worker started a violent riot with the help of several workers from other embassies, beating a Jincar official to death in the process. Those responsible for the riot were tried and publicly executed the next day, followed by Mallian II's public announcement of the expulsion of all foreign races from the City of Gold (Though technically Mallian I was still emperor at this time, the decision was made by his son after Mallian I entered a coma several weeks earlier). Since then, nobody without Jincari blood has been allowed into the city, save for civilization leaders on official business. Due to their poor reputation, Jincar refrain from living outside of their homeworld of Ghasha.
Expedition to Kaluva
In recent years, the Kalu have become increasingly hostile towards the Jincar. An expeditionary force has been sent to the Kalu homeworld of Kaluva in an attempt to improve relations, lead by Mallian II's third son, Jessan Vos. Though mainly a diplomatic mission, the expeditionary force also seeks to eliminate the presence and influence of the numerous Kaluvian extremist groups on the planet. These extremist groups are often aggressive and irrational, leading most attempts to deal with them to be violent ones.
Physical Characteristics
Jincari people are normally tall, with long, pointed ears and pale skin. Though the most common Jincar iris colour is a luminescent bright yellow, there are some who are born with blue, red or black irises (a result of interbreeding and/or gene splicing). Natural hair colours for Jincar include blond and white. Internal body temperature is significantly lower than that of humans (29 degrees Celsius whereas a human's CBT is 37 degrees Celsius). Not much else differs from human physiology.
Origins
The Jincar are a typically proud race, with a humble origin. When they evolved from their primate forefathers on Ghasha the Jincar lived in close knit tribes. One could note that a significant factor in the development of the Jincar as a species was the Vard. When the Jincar were taking their first baby steps after becoming a sentient race, the Vard were already a powerful, space-travelling one. Before their sentience, the Vard would hunt the Jincar for their meat and for trophies. For millions of years, the Jincar lived in the colossal shadow of the Vard. The tribes quickly learned that the Vard were extremely dangerous and any attempted interactions with them was terminated. The tribes would live nomadically for hundreds of years in the densely forested outskirts of Vardic cities. To the Vard, the primitive Jincari tribes were nothing more than a vermin to be exterminated, and thus, the Vardic profession, lek'aam'ak (roughly translated to "pest control") was born. The lek'aam'ak would enter the forested areas tribes would commonly wander, using advanced weapons and tactics to trap and wipe out the Jincar that were deemed too close to city perimeters. What few tribes that survived migrated to the cold, desolate, and unforgiving northern and southern regions of the planet. Life here was rough and merciless, and many more Jincar would die to the elements. Over many generations, the Jincar became a cunning, hardy race, shaped by the harsh landscape in which they lived. They rapidly advanced technologically by stealing and studying the technology of the remote and often unguarded Vardic research outposts in the the northern and southern poles of the planet. The Vard eventually retaliated, but the Vard, despite advanced weapons and equipment, proved no match for the combined force of the Jincar tribes and a brutal ice storm that swept through around the time the Vard arrived in Jincari lands. The Jincar would continue to live freely and advance as a civilization for 109 more years until the Vard arrived again with an overwhelming force, killing thousands and enslaving the survivors. The Jincar were the first known "slave race" to the Vard.
Eradication of the Vard
After the liberation of the City of Gold, news of the uprising spread quickly among those still enslaved. The Vard were forced off their home planet, though they swore this was only a temporary setback. A few Vardic forces attempted to reclaim their city over the next years with no success. This proved to the other slave races that their Vardic masters could be defied. More uprisings formed on the Kalu and Bamori homeworlds, and, though they weren't as successful as the uprising on Ghasha, the two slave races both managed to reclaim a small portion of their homeworlds. Back on the world of Ghasha, the Jincar's hardiness remained tested for centuries by a seemingly endless amount of Vardic forces. Nearly every Jincar above 13 years of age in the City of Gold had combat experience. This continued until the current emperor of the Jincar's predecessor, Mallian Vos, united the slave races and fought a long, bloody war against the Vard, eventually eliminating their presence entirely from the solar system. Mallian continued his rule until dying of natural causes twelve years after the war. He was succeeded by his son, Mallian Vos II, who also fought in the last years of the war.
Jincari "Elusiveness"
The City of Gold's construction was the result of slave labour from many different races, but only the Jincar rule the city. Many races, primarily the Ca, Jincar, and Kalu, have ancestors who died in the production of the city. Though the liberation of the city was approximately 80% a Jincari one, much controversy has been raised over the years regarding this issue. In year 11302 (Jincari calendar, about nine years after the war with the Vard), a meeting was called between the leaders of each civilization in the solar system to address the issue. The Kalu, having been responsible for the entire construction of the majority of the portions of the city, demanded at least 50% ownership of the city. The other races would be given specific districts which their races were responsible for creating to live in. The A.I acting as arbiter for the meeting (a Jincar-made A.I designed to be completely neutral, and make decisions based on facts given) ultimately decided that the Jincar would remain in complete ownership of the city, but that embassies would be given to each race in the City of Gold. The A.I was quickly accused of being rigged in the Jincar's favour, but was stolen and destroyed by Kalu extremists before a proper investigation of the A.I's coding could be made. Tensions between the Jincar and most other races, especially their close planetary neighbors, the Kalu, continued to rise for two years more. Things finally came to a head when a Kalu embassy worker planted bombs in several districts of the city. The bombs were intended to cause more destruction than deaths, being placed in remotely populated but valuable parts of the city. The embassy worker was caught planting a bomb in the basement of the Golden Palace, and was summarily executed. Days later, another Kalu embassy worker started a violent riot with the help of several workers from other embassies, beating a Jincar official to death in the process. Those responsible for the riot were tried and publicly executed the next day, followed by Mallian II's public announcement of the expulsion of all foreign races from the City of Gold (Though technically Mallian I was still emperor at this time, the decision was made by his son after Mallian I entered a coma several weeks earlier). Since then, nobody without Jincari blood has been allowed into the city, save for civilization leaders on official business. Due to their poor reputation, Jincar refrain from living outside of their homeworld of Ghasha.
Expedition to Kaluva
In recent years, the Kalu have become increasingly hostile towards the Jincar. An expeditionary force has been sent to the Kalu homeworld of Kaluva in an attempt to improve relations, lead by Mallian II's third son, Jessan Vos. Though mainly a diplomatic mission, the expeditionary force also seeks to eliminate the presence and influence of the numerous Kaluvian extremist groups on the planet. These extremist groups are often aggressive and irrational, leading most attempts to deal with them to be violent ones.
Sunday, 31 March 2013
Name change - "Colliding Worlds" to "Venture"
Yep, title explains it all. From now on, the "Colliding Worlds" series will be referred to as the "Venture" series. Big deal, I know, but you'll get over it.
I'm Jake Dixon, and I approve this message.
Saturday, 30 March 2013
Setting Summary: City of Gold
This is the main Jincari City in my "Colliding Worlds" series (Still subject to change; still don't like that name).
The Making Of
The Vard were the original founders of this city, intended to be, as a whole, a monument to all the Vard could accomplish. To the Vard, it was a testament to the glory of their nation, spanning across the entire solar system. To the other races, it is a city built from the blood and anguish of their ancestors. The Vard designed the city, but ordered labour from millions of slaves to construct it. It is uncertain how many slaves died in the production of the city, but it is estimated that the average lifespan of a slave working on its production was about 21 days. Known to be the largest city in the solar system, the City of Gold can hold almost two billion citizens, and is now the capital city of the Jincari Empire. The city features stunning scenery and landscapes, extravagant golden buildings which touch and even surpass the clouds, and is home to 97% of the Jincari elite, and roughly 55% of the entire Jincari race. At the very centre of the city lies the Imperial Palace in which the royal Jincari family lives. It is, undeniably, the most spectacularly designed building in the entire city. Among the numerous balcony gardens in the palace, it features a many secret passageways, along with the solar system's most extensive library. Of the Jincari empire, the only bloodline to serve as emperor is the Vos family. The current Emperor is Mallian Vos II, age one hundred and ten.
The Uprising
(This is a favourite tale among the Jincar, and many renditions of the story have been created. The most historically accurate rendition is as follows)
The final job for the slaves in the City of Gold was to construct a massive Colosseum from which the Vardic citizens could watch as slaves would be forced to fight a plethora or fearsome creatures until they were killed. About halfway through the construction process, Sala Vos, a young Jincari slave working on the Colosseum (before her eventual ascension to the throne as the first Jincari ruler in over 3 centuries), saw a unique opportunity to give herself and her fellow slaves a chance to resist their masters and fight back. Many unwary Vard overseers watching over the production of the Colosseum would forget or leave their weapons laying about the construction site after the day was over. Sala eventually stole enough of these weapons to distribute to most of the slaves working on the Colosseum. One morning, the unsuspecting Vard overseers had their weapons turned against them by their own slaves. The battle, planned out by Sala, lasted less than one hour. This took the Vard by such surprise, that the city leaders did not find out until after the entire sector was under the control of the slaves. After such a decisive victory, Sala took it upon herself to lead a liberation of the entire city. In the many years that followed, the rebels retained their grasp of the arena sector, using the Vard's secret passages and reluctance to destroy their own city against them. During the day, the former slaves would defend the walls of the sector. At night, they would use their knowledge of the city's numerous secret passageways to carry out elaborate hit-and-run surprise attacks throughout various other city sectors. Seven years later marked the death of the Vardic empress after a successful ambush staged by the rebels on palace grounds. Three months later, the leaderless and disoriented Vard were forced to retreat entirely from their city, and Sala was hailed as a hero among the Jincar.
The Making Of
The Vard were the original founders of this city, intended to be, as a whole, a monument to all the Vard could accomplish. To the Vard, it was a testament to the glory of their nation, spanning across the entire solar system. To the other races, it is a city built from the blood and anguish of their ancestors. The Vard designed the city, but ordered labour from millions of slaves to construct it. It is uncertain how many slaves died in the production of the city, but it is estimated that the average lifespan of a slave working on its production was about 21 days. Known to be the largest city in the solar system, the City of Gold can hold almost two billion citizens, and is now the capital city of the Jincari Empire. The city features stunning scenery and landscapes, extravagant golden buildings which touch and even surpass the clouds, and is home to 97% of the Jincari elite, and roughly 55% of the entire Jincari race. At the very centre of the city lies the Imperial Palace in which the royal Jincari family lives. It is, undeniably, the most spectacularly designed building in the entire city. Among the numerous balcony gardens in the palace, it features a many secret passageways, along with the solar system's most extensive library. Of the Jincari empire, the only bloodline to serve as emperor is the Vos family. The current Emperor is Mallian Vos II, age one hundred and ten.
The Uprising
(This is a favourite tale among the Jincar, and many renditions of the story have been created. The most historically accurate rendition is as follows)
The final job for the slaves in the City of Gold was to construct a massive Colosseum from which the Vardic citizens could watch as slaves would be forced to fight a plethora or fearsome creatures until they were killed. About halfway through the construction process, Sala Vos, a young Jincari slave working on the Colosseum (before her eventual ascension to the throne as the first Jincari ruler in over 3 centuries), saw a unique opportunity to give herself and her fellow slaves a chance to resist their masters and fight back. Many unwary Vard overseers watching over the production of the Colosseum would forget or leave their weapons laying about the construction site after the day was over. Sala eventually stole enough of these weapons to distribute to most of the slaves working on the Colosseum. One morning, the unsuspecting Vard overseers had their weapons turned against them by their own slaves. The battle, planned out by Sala, lasted less than one hour. This took the Vard by such surprise, that the city leaders did not find out until after the entire sector was under the control of the slaves. After such a decisive victory, Sala took it upon herself to lead a liberation of the entire city. In the many years that followed, the rebels retained their grasp of the arena sector, using the Vard's secret passages and reluctance to destroy their own city against them. During the day, the former slaves would defend the walls of the sector. At night, they would use their knowledge of the city's numerous secret passageways to carry out elaborate hit-and-run surprise attacks throughout various other city sectors. Seven years later marked the death of the Vardic empress after a successful ambush staged by the rebels on palace grounds. Three months later, the leaderless and disoriented Vard were forced to retreat entirely from their city, and Sala was hailed as a hero among the Jincar.
Friday, 29 March 2013
Character Summary: The Vard
The Vard are a race from my "Colliding Worlds" (Title will very probably be subject to change) story universe. This is a general history of the race.
Generic Overview
Before the mass extermination of the Vard from the galaxy, the Vard were a proud, brutish, and cruel race. They created the City of Gold many years ago, a city from which the Vardic leaders would rule with an iron fist. The Vard have always been a violent race, and their bodies have evolved and adapted to their violent and ancient history. The Vard are believed to have evolved from a cunning species of amphibian. Their bodies and eyes give off a bio-luminescent glow well suited for vision in low-light environments. Their teeth are long and jagged, as are the claws on their hands and feet. Virtually everything about them, both male and female, was adapted for one purpose: to dominate their foes. Discerning gender among Vard is quite simple; Vard females have long, spiny tails, while males possess no tail. The evolutionary reason for this dissimilarity is unknown, though it does give Vardic females a distinct advantage during traditional duels for power and status, thus, most great Vard warlords were female.
Species Origin
Generic Overview
Before the mass extermination of the Vard from the galaxy, the Vard were a proud, brutish, and cruel race. They created the City of Gold many years ago, a city from which the Vardic leaders would rule with an iron fist. The Vard have always been a violent race, and their bodies have evolved and adapted to their violent and ancient history. The Vard are believed to have evolved from a cunning species of amphibian. Their bodies and eyes give off a bio-luminescent glow well suited for vision in low-light environments. Their teeth are long and jagged, as are the claws on their hands and feet. Virtually everything about them, both male and female, was adapted for one purpose: to dominate their foes. Discerning gender among Vard is quite simple; Vard females have long, spiny tails, while males possess no tail. The evolutionary reason for this dissimilarity is unknown, though it does give Vardic females a distinct advantage during traditional duels for power and status, thus, most great Vard warlords were female.
Species Origin
The amphibians the Vard are believed to have evolved from show interesting characteristics, some of which the most recent living Vard maintained. These amphibians, known as Zzglock (named after legendary Vardic Warlord Zzglock'a), had a similar head and spinal structure to the Vard, though they walked on all fours, unlike their more advanced evolutionary successors. The Zzglock were mainly aquatic, native to Ghasha (now known as Silonis under Jincari regime), the planet in which the City of Gold was built. What made the Zzglock so sophisticated compared to other primordial species was their ability to rapidly adapt to a vast range of living conditions. Jincari storytellers tell of Vardic warlords who were capable of similar feats, being capable of adapting to the environment before your very eyes. Though this is most often seen as merely an embellishment for their tales, Jincari biologists speculated that roughly 30% of Vard still possess the "rapid evolution" gene, allowing the Vard to settle and even thrive on foreign planets that would be otherwise inhospitable.
Hierarchy
The Vard by nature enjoyed violence, and had built up a sophisticated hierarchical rule based on this. The Vard did not see any purpose for laws, and thus none were ever strictly enforced. Most of their society would abide the will emperor/empress/warlord out of fear of being destroyed. The emperor is in charge during times of "peace" (the term is used loosely in this context, as Vardic culture was seldom peaceful), and the Warlord is in charge during times of war. Initially, both roles are fulfilled by the most senior and wealthy Vard. This rule is only broken when A'zzshali ga'ghash (Literally translated from Vardic to "the weak shall die") is invoked. This was an ancient and often very gruesome duel to the death between the current leader and one challenger. This rite was seen as glorious for both the winner and the loser, for both dying in battle and culling the weak was considered honourable. As for currency and ownership of property, currency was used, though it was seen as a cowardly means to acquire your desires, the more favourable option being to simply take the object of your desire by force. Many of the physically weaker Vard would become very rich and purchase their societal status through deception and subtlety. These Vard were not very well respected among their fellows, often referred to by the derogatory term, a'mhalsz'a, or "one that purchases his honour".
Selective Breeding
Vardic females would only mate with the strongest of males. It is believed that the Vard do not have any emotions relating to "love" or "affection", and, if any exist, they are only based around physical prowess. This form of selective breeding has further increased the Vardic race's physical competence over the generations. The strong thrived, and the weak would be eventually rooted out.
Selective Breeding
Vardic females would only mate with the strongest of males. It is believed that the Vard do not have any emotions relating to "love" or "affection", and, if any exist, they are only based around physical prowess. This form of selective breeding has further increased the Vardic race's physical competence over the generations. The strong thrived, and the weak would be eventually rooted out.
Monday, 25 February 2013
Introduction
In case you do not know me personally and have stumbled across this blog by happenstance, allow me to introduce myself. I am Jake, and this is a random assortment of thoughts and ideas for stories I have conjured up which may or may not be interesting reading material. Here you will find character profiles, plot summaries, maybe even full short stories if the ideas ever get past the planning stage (sadly, they usually don't). This blog is more intended for personal purposes, but if any of the aforementioned things catch your interest, you're more than welcome to stay, enjoy, and comment on all of my crazy ideas.
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