Sinta'Unathi
|
Work-In-Progress
Additional Information: "Lorewriting and structuring in progress" |
| Origin Point: | Moghes, Uuoea-esa system |
| Temp Range: | 270-340K |
| Height: | 6'6"-7'6" |
| Diet: | Meat, Seafood, some fruit |
Cold-blooded
- Live with honor!
- Make your clan proud!
- Praise the spirits!
The Sinta'Unathi are a proud race of reptiles from the planet Moghes who deeply value honor and family. Even in the space age, their society struggles with restrictive gender roles and tradition.
Game Mechanics
Note: The following includes planned features that may not yet be fully implemented.
Sinta'Unathi are able to handle higher temperatures, but suffer in colder ones. Sinta’Unathi are famous for their leap that allows them to cross a short distance in a shorter period of time, but suffer some cooldown for it.
Physiology
Sinta'Unathi are bipedal reptiles around 6-7 feet tall and 140-240lbs heavy. They have some regenerative ability, but it takes place over a long period of time, determined by a complex number of factors.
While mostly cold-blooded, Sinta'Unathi have some level of temperature regulation and are able to inhabit the polar regions of the planet with warm enough clothing. They can survive cold temperatures, but not comfortably.
Their diet consists mostly of meat, though they are capable of eating fruits and vegetables. All Sinta’Unathi are allergic to wheat, though whether this is on contact or on consumption varies from person to person.
Sinta’Unathi bodies are highly efficient with water, and can go a day without needing to drink - though they still often choose to drink juices from various local plants for extra nutrition alongside meals as well as flavor.
Most Sinta’Unathi are plantigrade, though with the rise of genemodding, many Sinta warriors have opted to become digitigrade in hopes of increasing their mobility. There is debate on whether or not these modifications are dishonorable, causing them to be despised in some clans and considered highly attractive in others.
Unathi faces may resemble a number of reptiles, from lizards to gators to dragons. That said, they will always have one row of sharp teeth and a forked tongue with tips that are capable of picking up scents in the air around them.
Lifecycle
Sinta'Unathi develop in their eggs for 1 year before hatching. Sinta hatchlings are noticably different from even their children - for the first years of a hatchling's life, they are quadrupedal and non-sapient. Sinta parents often need to separate their offspring to prevent the infants from killing each other, as their brains have not developed the capability to be functionally social yet. This starts to form at around 3 years of age, and Sinta children will typically be sociable by 5 years of age.
As they develop, Unathi children will attempt to carry themselves upright around 3 years old, finally becoming mostly-bipedal around the ages 5-6, and capable of speech by 6 or 7 years old. This period is marked by rapid growth - by the ages 12-14, Sinta will be holding themselves upright and able to communicate on the same level of a human child of their age, if not slightly below.
Sinta'Unathi reach full adulthood at 20 years of age, and live on average to be about 120 years old.
Environment
Sinta’Unathi hail from Moghes, a desert wasteland with a singular ocean. Their populations are between the poles and the equator, with few cities at the extremes due to their harsher locations. Sinta’Unathi typically live in drier areas, and can go longer than most sapient species without water.
Culture
Sinta'Unathi place high regard to honor and pride, respecting those who bring glory to their families and fight with honor.
Names
Sinta'Unathi have a two-name structure involving a personal name as well as a family name. Until they reach teenage years, they simply use the personal name of one of their parents. It is considered improper to refer to a Unathi by their personal name if you are not good friends, family, or lovers.
Sinta'Unathi names involve heavy consonant usage with short, susurated vowels. They typically feature K, R, S, and Z heavily, and it's not unheard of for their names to not feature vowels at all.
An example of Sinta naming would be Sress Kzsasha, the individual Sress being from the Kzsasha family or clan.
Gender
The Sinta’Unathi have 3 gender roles in their society, though as the world progresses, these may prove insufficient for all possible roles one may actually fall into.
Warriors
Warriors are a more traditionally "masculine" gender role, and are typically expected to live and die to protect their clan. Warriors take on martial roles such as soldiers, security, or police as well as those roles that involve the direct enforcement of authority. Tax collectors, governors, and spokesmen are often warriors. Those who claim this gender are expected to follow a warrior's code of honor, which goes as follows:
- A warrior must be righteous in his actions. His dealings must remain fair and honest, his motives clear.
- A warrior must be merciful to those around him. A person in need is to be helped, a prisoner is to be treated fairly, and an unarmed foe is not to be slain.
- A warrior must take initiative to shape the world around him. Mere wishes are not enough - the world cannot improve if he does not take action to improve it.
- A warrior approaches life and its hardships with courage, always striving for victory while accepting that one cannot truly go undefeated. To fall is inevitable, one may only postpone it - a warrior must accept his defeat, and instead of bitterness towards the victor, he chooses to acknowledge their greater skill and cunning. A warrior will not compromise his ideals, and will always uphold in both words and actions what he believes is right, even when the odds are stacked against him.
- A warrior is loyal to his lord and his clan, willing to follow their commands and lay down his life for them as long as doing so does not compromise his honor.
- A warrior who's honor has been irrevocably tarnished shall surrender his name and go into exile as a Guwandi, wandering the world in hopes of falling in an honorable duel. To throw a fight, or to not fight his hardest, is permanently dishonored and separated from his ancestors.
Healers
Healers are what other species may describe as a more traditionally "effeminate" gender role. The role of the "healer" extends beyond just what the name suggests, however. Healers are keepers of knowledge and students of science - doctors, teachers, archivists, and researchers are all considered healers. Other healers may take on roles outside of academia, such as investigators, spies, or diplomats. While they are not held to any strict code of honor, many find themselves still following a healer's code of honor, which goes as follows:
- A healer must be loyal to her clan, her lord, and her partner - in that order.
- A healer must live with grace, presenting herself, her clan, her partner, and those below her in a positive light.
- A healer must be dutiful, keeping the clan, the home, and the servants in check.
- A healer must be knowledgeable, well educated on the world and constantly seeking to expand her understanding of the world.
- A healer must be tactful, knowing when to say - or not to say - what she knows. While a warrior is expected to be honest and direct, a healer is not.
Fishers
Fishers lack a translation in Galactic Common. Their work is productive to society, whether it be fishing, construction, or engineering. Much of the Sinta working class are considered Fishers. The role of the Fisher in Sinta society is largely defined by economic development. Fishers typically use gender-neutral pronouns, though any pronouns can generally fit them.
Government
Sinta'Unathi are a heavily divided species, each clan its own nation - the largest comparing in size to the larger European states, with the smallest being contained to one or two city holds. Every clan is managed differently.
Typically, one to three families hold government positions, running their hold as either a monarchy or a form of parliament. Membership to a ruling family is often required, though an increasing number of clans are beginning to open up these positions to those in power.
Clans that do not feature the death penalty may still exile their worst offenders to the wastes, which typically results in their demise anyway.
Those who have sufficiently shamed their clan are often exiled into the wastes, their family name stripped and replaced with Guwan. The Guwanji may only have their honor restored by dying in an honorable duel - to throw a fight is believed to damn one to wander the sands even in the afterlife.
One who has sufficiently dishonored their clan or rejected exile may be forced to engage in a ritual form of suicide called godr-slk, translated to Galactic Common as “Honor Cutting.” During this ritual, one kneels before a crowd while an announcer states the reasons for the ritual to the audience. The one to die proceeds to confess to each charge, without defense, before slicing their stomach open with a blade. The announcer proceeds to lead the crowd in prayer over the dying individual while they bleed out.
In a few cases, multiple clans may join together to form an overarching government, called a Krukzuz in their native tongue - though there are no clear differences between a Krukzuz and a nation, and these terms may be used interchangably. Krukzuz political structures have drastic differences between nations, ranging from democracy to monarchy, and are mostly defined by their scale and influence.
Religion
Sinta’Unathi religion often manifests itself in ancestor worship and praising nature spirits who had forged the world.
Th'akh
The most common Unathi religion is Th’akh. This religion involves honoring nature spirits and proving one’s devotion to them in hopes of being granted peace in the afterlife. They believe there are many spirits, for things in nature that are both living and not. Spiteful spirits are said to cause tragedies, natural disasters, and other forms of major misfortune. The Th’akh believe that the conflict between good and evil spirits runs throughout history with neither side ever truly prevailing - good still exists in the darkest hours, and evil still exists in the brightest.
Au'takh
Less common and far more controversial are the Au’takh. Claiming to be part of the Th’akh faith, they are largely denounced by them as “soul mutilators” and “disgrace to Sinta.” Largely welcoming to those displaced by outer society, the Au’takh believe in self-actualization and physical augmentation. While most Sinta faiths emphasize the importance of family, tradition, and authorities, the Au’takh frequently reject many of these values, instead emphasizing individualism and personal liberty.
Holidays
There are few universal Unathi holidays - they generally only celebrate birthdays and new years, with both of these being grand celebrations which individuals may take time off of work to celebrate with friends and family. Beyond that, however, holidays vary widely between city to city, clan to clan.
Birthdays
On birthdays, it is traditional to give gifts to the guest of honor, singing praises and discussing their previous victories. A birthday is a celebration of one's continued survival for an additional year, and a celebration of their accomplishments. Gifts, as a result, are to be related to the individual's successes in the past year. It is not frowned upon to not give a gift to somebody one has not known for a year, and while it may be considered polite by some, it is otherwise recognized as a meaningless gesture from one who doesn't know what they are even celebrating.
New Years
New Years is similar in spirit to the "christmas" tradition in many human cultures. Gifts are frequently exchanged on New Years Eve before a feast, largely consisting of largely egg-based dishes. During New Years, it is considered rude to have leftovers on one's plate or to not have at least one full glass of the served drink. Furthermore, conversation is expected over the meal, with a silent meal being considered a bad omen. After the meal, it is common for families to play games together before retiring for the night. It is not uncommon for the adults to be up extremely late, seeing their children both go to bed and wake up in the morning before retiring. New Years is a vibrant, loud, and joyous celebration of life, and being invited to a family's New Years party is considered quite the compliment.
General Honor
Honor codes are often tied to an unathi's gender, though some things apply across the board.
Those who have sufficiently shamed their clan are often exiled into the wastes, their family name stripped and replaced with Guwan. The Guwanji may only have their honor restored by dying in an honorable duel - to throw a fight is believed to damn one to wander the sands even in the afterlife.
One who has sufficiently dishonored their clan or rejected exile may be forced to engage in a ritual form of suicide called godr-slk, translated to Galactic Common as “Honor Cutting.” During this ritual, one kneels before a crowd while an announcer states the reasons for the ritual to the audience. The one to die proceeds to confess to each charge, without defense, before slicing their stomach open with a blade. The announcer proceeds to lead the crowd in prayer over the dying individual while they bleed out.
Entertainment
Sports are particularly popular among Sinta’Unathi, the most popular - Spineball - involving using one’s tail to strike a ball into a goal. Human spectators have compared it to a combination of soccer and hockey.
Besides Spineball, other popular Sinta’Unathi sports include wrestling and fencing.
Moghes films have a sort of mythological feeling to their stories, often featuring heroes and gods conquering various challenges and battles. Human mythology would fit in well among the vast collection of Sinta’Unathi films. Gods from clans outside of the ones that produce the film are presented in a similar light to mortals, and it is not unusual to find a film being highly sacreligious in one clan also being highly beloved by another because of the same reasons.
History
See Moghesan History
