Участник:Triogenix/Sandbox 3

Unathi history and society has a long list of notable individuals and heroes that are known across Moghes, or who's fame has become a household name in both Moghes and Ouerea.

Myths and Legends

The majority of Unathi legends follow the feats of individuals and their impact on the world. They stress the importance and abilities of single individuals, and carry with them moral lessons that tend to reinforce Unathi cultural ideas.

Kazani: the First Guwandi

Kazani Guwandi, born Kazani Kaxedun, is an ancient figure who is believed to have been born sometime between 300 BCE to 20 CE. Born before the Sarakus Hegemony, he was the first of two sons of a small noble family that ruled over the village of Kutah. He was raised as the heir to his Clan’s lands and spent his youth in a comfortable life in luxury. Coming into his teenage years he began to fall subject to fits of rage, often exploding on people and physically attacking them for even the smallest provocation and earning a reputation as a brutal person. His father sent him to be trained as a warrior in the hopes of giving him an outlet for his anger. He was trained for years as his instructors tried to bring discipline to the Prince. During training he would fly into a berserk rage and maul his sparring partners. After nearly killing one of them, his father finally just sent him off with the army to fight their Clan’s enemies in the constant battles they fought to defend their lands.

Kazani became a feared warrior within just a few years. He would work himself up into a frenzy before battle, gnashing his teeth and screaming at the enemy. He was known to charge without orders, smashing into the enemy lines and hacking away at them with his sword and bashing them with his shield. He quickly rose to command the Kaxedun army in his late 20’s, and always personally lead from the front line and was the first to make contact with the enemy. Under his leadership and with his seemingly unstoppable strength the Kaxedun clan quickly expanded and seized much surrounding territory. By the time Kazani inherited the role of Clan-Leader once his father died, he was barely in his 30’s. Despite his prestige and power however, he was never offered a wife as all Clans knew of his violent ways and refused to allow their daughters to be put at risk at the hands of such a savage person.

His brother, Trazli Kaxedun, one day came to his brother and demanded that he be given half of the Clan’s lands to govern himself. Trazli had no lands of his own, and had grown jealous of his older brother. This set Kazani into a rage and he attacked his brother immediately, killing him on the spot.

When the rage subsided, Kazani looked on the body of his brother and realized what he had done. He dropped to his knees and wept for the Ancestors to forgive him.

He soon abandoned his Clan, renouncing all of his titles and possessions. He wandered off into the wilderness, taking on the name Guwandi, which loosely means ‘clanless gladiator’. He travelled the globe, looking to die in battle to redeem himself. With each duel he fought, he hurled himself into it intent to win. He knew that if he simply meekly accepted death that he would never redeem himself for his fratricide. Kazani spent years trying to die in battle. For an entire decade he walked Moghes, slaying foe after foe. He grew increasingly desperate, provoking entire bandit parties, town militias, and even whole armies to face him in the field, alone. Each time he fought viciously’, often over entire days without rest, his sword never dry.

By the time he was 40 years old and reaching the twilight of his life, he looked back upon his many conquests and uncountable victories, and wept. Kazani was cursed to be unbeatable, and knew he would never find peace or redeem himself before the Ancestors.

One day Kazani came before a wandering shaman in the unknown wilds. Kazani was desperate for a fight, and fell to his knees before him. Kazani explained his curse and begged the shaman to lift it so he could die in battle. The shaman listened intently and finally asked what Kazani would to have done with his remains when he died. Kazani said he wanted to be buried at his Clan’s former estate next to his brother. The shaman agreed, and said he would lift Kazani’s curse if Kazani would fight him to the death.

Kazani, despite knowing the shaman would surely die, was desperate enough to accept. When they began the duel, Kazani hurled himself at the shaman. But the shaman deftly dodged out of the way and struck Kazani in the back of the head with his walking staff. Kazani fell forwards and hit his head on a rocky outcropping, killing him instantly.

Slain by one of the High Elders of the Akhanzi order, Kazani was finally found to have died in battle and his sins redeemed. He was reunited with his brother and the Ancestors and they joined Sk’akh to live in the eternal afterlife.

Tryazali Kres'ha'nor

Tryazali was born in 949 CE to a minor noble family in what is modern day Baandr. He is credited in Unathi myth as founding the first Hegemony. Information about Trizarki comes from the epic The First Prince and the Night Queen written 1572-1602 CE. According to the epic, when Tryazali was 26 he became separated from his hunting party out in the mountains. He wandered for five days and five nights, unable to find food, water, or shelter. As he was about to die of exposure he was saved by a mysterious tribe of all-female warriors. After he had been nursed back to health by three of the tribe's healers he was taken to meet with their queen, who styled herself The Empress Of Night. She was a ruthless and cunning leader with an azure-colored hide and pure white eyes who claimed to possess magical abilities and a strong spiritual connection to the ancestors. She had been known to lead her tribe of warriors on various raids of the neighboring cities and keep her village hidden in the deep forests in the mountains. After her talks with Tryazali, she demanded that he repay the debt he owed them for saving his life. She tasked him with the rescue of her eldest daughter, who had been kidnapped by a nobleman in S'th. The Queen promised many blessings for the safe return of her child Raz'ha, but warned Tryazali that should he deviate or try to escape from his debt, she would place a curse on him that would doom him and his clan for as long as they tread upon Moghes.

Tryazali eventually learned the whereabouts of the princess, who was being held as a slave to the Lord of S'th, Taraz Jy'haza, keeping her as an exotic curiosity due to the color of her hide, which was a rich azure color. Tryazali would later storm the Lord Taraz's castle and demanded a duel for ownership of Raz'ha. Lord Taraz rebuffed him and sent out his own soldiers, but one by one they fell before the skilled Prince. Eventually Lord Taraz accepted the challenge after overhearing whispers of cowardice amongst his court. According to the epic the resulting duel lasted two entire days before Prince Trazali slew Lord Taraz. Victorious, Tryazali then proclaimed himself the new Lord of S'th, liberating the city and freeing Raz'ha. Before returning her to her mother, the two ended up falling in love, and she elected to remain with Tryazali, becoming queen of S'th and taking the name Kres'ha'nor with her mother's blessing. Tryazali expanded the influence of S'th and eventually created the First Hegemony. He died at the age of 53, in the year 1002 CE. The Kres'ha'nor Hegemony after him continued to grow and dominate most of Moghes.

Shizarsa Ksi'ka

Ksi'ka is believed to have been born in 1632 CE to the leaders of a small tribe outside Darakath. She was bethrothed to a hunter from another village but even from a young age she resented this fact. She is known to have been a wild child, picking fights with other children. When she was 17, before the planned wedding day, she fled her village with her father's sword and crossbow. Outraged, her betrothed, Karask, sent several expeditions after her to arrest and return her. Ksi'ka managed to wound a hunter sent after her with her crossbow but her inexperience with combat lead her to being quickly disarmed and arrested. As she was being escorted back her group was ambushed by bandits and she was kidnapped yet again. Shizarsa was held as a captive of the bandits, who forced her to cook, clean, and otherwise act as a maid for their enclave. According to legend she struck a friendship with one of the bandits and he agreed to train her to defend herself.

When she was 27 Ksi'ka killed the leader of the bandits and began leading the men herself. She became an infamous bandit, harassing traveling merchants. One day she even attacked Karask's village, killing him and freeing a woman he had taken as another wife in her place.

Her fame and power grew until she controlled a small petty kingdom that surrounded Darakath and with dozens of kills under her belt. Fearing the barbarians ravaging the countryside Lord of the city sent out his eldest son, Gri'zarsuth, to lead 48 of the city's soldiers to find the bandit enclave and destroy it.

Eventually Gri'zarsuth and his men managed to ambush Ksi'ka's camp and slew or captured the majority of her men. According to legend Ksi'ka managed to kill four men and was the last one standing. Gri'zarsuth managed to knock her out by hitting her in the head with the flat of his sword.

Ksi'ka was considered a wild savage by everyone in the city when she was dragged to the dungeons in chains, but Gri'zarsuth fell in love with her. He begged his father four times to spare her, and four times he refused. The day before her execution Gri'zarsuth begged again, saying that he could civilize Ksi'ka. Finally his father relented on the condition that he be able to civilize Gri'zarsuth within a year.

Ksi'ka's wild spirit was reigned in by Gri'zarsuth over the following year, and the barbarian savage was transformed into a proper princess. At the end of the year she was brought before Gri'zarsuth's father, who marveled at the change a man could bring such a wild woman. She was allowed to live, and eventually married Gri'zarsuth.

The Contact War

Don'zai Azarak

Don'zai Azarak was born on 2408 CE in the former city of Darakath, the capital of the Azarak Kingdom, which also briefly served as the capital of the Traditionalist Coalition during its existence. His parents, King Yuiz Azarak and Queen Kwina Azarak, gave him two siblings, both of which were sisters, and his family all followed the Tha'kh faith.

Prince Azarak received extensive education from a young age, showing promise and charisma. When he was 16 he was sent to the University of Darakath to become an Apprentice for the Guildmaster of the university, where he also received his education. While attending university he would be bethrothed to his future wife, Princess Wei'za from the northern kingdom of Izgwani, and they would marry when they were both 20, in 2428.

They had two hatchlings six months after the marriage ceremony, giving Don'zai two children; the male Don'ziki and female Yuiza. Don'zai immediately fell in love with his children and became famous for his elaborate and lavish displays of affection. Using his influence as Prince and heir of the Kingdom he managed to persuade the University of Darakath to rename two new campus buildings after his children. He also spent excessive funds on having the baby rooms renovated with elaborate decorations and furnishing, famously including a small fountain in his son's room and hydroponic trays growing a variety of colorful, exotic plants in his daughter's room.

Don'zai's father died when he was 24, in 2432, and Don'zai was crowned King. Though he professed a desire to continue his studies and delegate matters of state to his staff, the unprecedented event of alien life visiting Moghes forced him to take a leave of absence from his studies and take on official duties as King.

The human and Skrell expedition that made contact with Moghes in 2433 was done in the Izweski Nation, which was the world's sole superpower and Hegemony.

Knowing they had the only functioning spaceports and access to the greater galaxy, Don'zai sent repeated requests to the Izweski to have an Azarak representative sent to humanity and the skrell to speak for his Kingdom but each time he was rebuffed, with the Izweski taking on a patronizing and condescending attitude to his Kingdom.

Azarak called a summit of all world leaders in late Versakh (April relative) of 2433. The summit took place in Tisxaclas, the capital of his allies, the Izgwani, where he gave his infamous speech and single-handily managed to become a global icon and the poster boy of the anti-Izweski bloc.

During the global crisis that had erupted after the Izweski had colonized Ourea, in which humanity and the skrell had practically taken charge of, Don'zai Azarak was one of the leading figures that would come to found the Traditionalist Coalition. He personally served in the conflict, becoming an artilleryman in the Azarak 1st Retinue, his family's private levee. Images of him manning an artillery cannon in active battle were turned into propaganda pieces and he became known as the King on the Battlefield.

It's not known if Azarak approved a nuclear weapons program or even authorized the deployment of their use, but following the atomic attack on Da'ha'den on September 5th, 2439 and the following nuclear exchange his whereabouts became unknown as the 1st Retinue was hit by an Izweski atomic bomb while stationed outside Res'karum. Originally the Retinue had been warned about the impending attack and were attempting to retreat away from the military base and disperse into the countryside.

King Don'zai Azarak spent the week on a journey back to Darakath, facing incredible danger as command and control began to collapse across the planet. He became separated from his retinue and was forced to travel alone, most of his travel spent on foot.

Don'zai managed to make it back to Dakarath, which had been spared from atomic attack by virtue of its defenses. However his journey saw him afflicted with severe radiation poisoning, and he spent the remaining duration of the Contact War too weak to be effective, effectively bedridden.

Don'zai refused all medical treatment, forbidding a doctor to enter the grounds. When his wife tearfully begged him to let the doctor in to provide anti-radiation treatment, he is quoted to have said,

"I will die in in my own home on my own terms. I refuse to die at the axe of the Izweski."

Don'zai died of severe radiation poisoning on 2441. In his final lucid moments, his final words are said to have been,

"Care for our children, Wei'za."

Contemporary

Not'zar Izweski, Izweski Hegemon

Portrait of Not'Zar Izweski, circa 2458.

At 22 as of 2460, Not'zar is the second oldest child to the Hegemon and his First Wife. He become the new Heir to the Hegemony after the death of his brother in a shuttle crash in may of 2458. Not'zar Izweski chose to seek an education in Sinta'studies (Unathi Humanities) and pursued a bachelors in Sinta'Philosophy in the University of S'th before his duties as Lord-Regent forced him to suspend his studies.

As an infant he was struck with The Rot, a deadly viral infection passed from breeds of Moghean birds that almost claimed his life as an infant. The next 5 years were spent on a hospital bed as a sickly child barely clinging to life. The Rot causes Unathi scales and even the rest of the hide to rot and fall off, leaving open wounds and necrotic tissue while it also harms muscle growth while weakening tendons. Every day specialized surgeons had to remove more and more infected tissue to contain the spread of the Rot.

Not'Zar survived the disease and spent his entire childhood in physical rehabilitation. He was unable to stand at all, and his condition was an open secret - the Hegemon S’kresti refused to let Not'Zar socialize with anyone outside the castle courtiers. S’kresti was deeply ashamed at having a crippled son. When Not'Zar was 13 he told his father than he wanted to stop rehabilitation because it wasn't working and he was still unable to walk. S’kresti dramatically pulled him out of his wheelchair and dangled Not'zar out a castle window, telling Not'Zar that if he ended the rehabilitation then he wouldn't have a cripple for a son. The incident made a fearful Not'Zar continue the rehabilitation, and after years of more grueling rehabilitation he was able to walk once more when he was 15.

While he was able to keep all of his limbs and regained the ability to walk with assistance from his cane, it's believed that his continued physical weaknesses from muscle damage and general weakness leave him unable to meet the standards of physical fitness to join the military and military academies that are traditional for Izweski to graduate. In addition, he is constantly battling aches from the weaknesses in his muscles and bones, needing oxycodone to get through a typical day.

Not'zar Izweski is extensively traveled, entering the core of human space for the first time when he was 16. Many close to the young Prince have said he indulges heavily in human and skrell cultures. In his Creative Writing Workshop at the university he created several illustrated fantasy stories which were popular with the human expats studying abroad on Moghes, which include "Mecha Battle on Luna's Torment".

His true potential wasn't fully realized until the fateful events of May 6th, 2458. On that day his brother Yakt and his wife died in a shuttle crash. During the funeral Not'Zar's father became inconsolable and eventually fell into a deep depression culminating into a coma. Legally Not'Zar was now the heir, but a brother in-law, S'linzar, quickly seized the moment and declared himself the Lord-Regent before Not'Zar could seek his claim.

The succession crisis split the Hegemony down the middle and Not'Zar quickly had to maneuver the dangerous political climate. Not'Zar had his immediate family quietly flee Moghes. Not'Zar spent the rest of May navigating court intrigue and rallying support for his claim. He managed to retain an alliance with Lord-Admiral Trazarial Yizarus. Yizarus had the unique strength of commanding the HMV Cataclysm of the 1st Fleet; the most powerful warship in the Hegemony. Ickza attempted to purge the government of Not'Zar loyalists but was unable to drive a wedge between the stubborn Trazarial despite declaring Trazarial a traitor and seizing all his assets on Moghes. These events lead to a dramatic stand-off in orbit of Moghes, as the loyalist 1st Fleet stared down the 2nd Fleet, commanded by Yizarus' brother Azikyui.

Through clever political posturing, Not'Zar managed to hold onto his claims for long enough that he had secured enough allies to create a serious threat to the Ickza's power. Rather than risking a full blown civil war, Not'Zar cleverly took advantage of S'linzar's pride by calling him weak and challenging him to a duel. The proud S'linzar agreed, and in a key mistake, allowed Not'Zar to bring to battle 'whatever he could carry'.

Not'Zar took advantage of this by showing up to the duel in a combat mech before a large crowd of the Hegemony's most powerful nobles. The battle was short, with Not'Zar draining S'linzar's breacher suit and leaving his in-law helpless.

S'linzar surrendered and ceded his claims and titles, restoring the title of Lord-Regent to Not'Zar.

During his reign, Not'Zar has shown an unwillingness to use force to resolve disputes. He is also openly critical of ancient Unathi customs and traditions, and his desire to trust in an inherent goodness in Unathi has made him come off as patronizing and naive. However, Not'Zar is by no means as a coward. When the Maraziite Order besieged his family's personal castle in Skalamar, he stood firm and repelled several attempts by the inquisition to breach the gates. However, Not'Zar's cool head prevailed as he forbade the city garrison from interfering, which he feared would have spilled out into open violence throughout the city.

His negotiations with High Priest Unzi have directly lead to the Sk'akh church being given legitimacy as a political force.

Despite holding onto alliances with key supporters, Not'Zar's position remains tenuous. The young nobleman is struggling to remain a moderate in a dangerous and polarized regime. He remains committed to giving Unathi a place in the galaxy and gain respect from the greater empires of the humans and skrell, but his moderate and progressive policies threaten to cause more instability and resentment from the nobility.

Hizoni Razi, Izweski Spymaster

Hizoni Razi in her spymaster regalia, sporting a silver crown. She is known to flaunt her wealth often, and keeps an air of elegance around her.

Perhaps the most feared woman or Sinta within the Hegemony, Hizoni controls a network of informants, spies, and assassins that stretches across the surface of Moghes and even across the stars to distant colonies. She was born in 2440 on Ouerea as the third daughter to Guildmaster Keicacu Razi, headmaster of the Merchants Guild and owner of Razi-Snax. As an azure, she has been seen as the beauty of her clan and gained the most attention— earning her an education in the ways of women from her mother and caretakers. After her teachings, she was put into diplomatic situations to defend the Merchant's Guild from hostile subterfuge. Her upbringing allowed Hizoni to grow up within the halls of power, acquainting herself with the elite of the Hegemony during the final days of the Contact War. She rose to prominence when she defended the Hegemon from two would-be assassins by slaying both and destroying the murder plot. Since then, on top of her elevation to the Hegemony’s Spymaster, Hizoni has found herself enjoying a very close relationship with Not’zar, though nothing official has been announced between the two.

Hizoni’s political pursuits and leanings are unknown; she will seemingly flop back and forth between different camps depending on the issue, always remaining unpredictable. Many speculate this is the result of political maneuvering, giving her support to a cause for favors in return, which she uses to shore up the Hegemon’s precarious position. She does not openly front any group, and it is unknown if any beyond her spies plead their cases with her. Her relationship with her brother Sakax is strained, and it is speculated that the two have all but cut off contact with each other.

Azui Hutay'zai, Overlord, Lord of the Wastes, and Izweski Master of Rivers

The only Tha’akh Hand of the Hegemon, Azui Hutay'zai fills the position of Not'zar's Master of Rivers, overseeing the economy of the Hegemony from his estate on the shore of the Moghresian Sea near his clan's former lands of the Torn Cities. Originally fighting for the Traditionalist Coalition during the Contact War, his father died when the war went nuclear, bathed in the fires that destroyed most of the clan's ancestral land. Azui, who had been leading his clan's forces along the coast at the time, ascended to the throne of his kingdom. There, he would strike a deal with the Hegemony to pledge fealty to clan Izweski and ensure his remaining non-polluted lands would be safe in the hands of the new masters of Moghes, in exchange for his clan being allowed to continue to rule over what it had left of its ancestral lands. After his peace deal and the conclusion of the Contact War, Hutay'zai became one of the most powerful landed nobles within the Hegemony. He set up a new estate on the coast and would use it as a base of operations to continue mining operations within the radiation-blasted lands surrounding the Torn Cities, using the peasant refugee population as an ample workforce with help from the mining guilds. The resources imported into his lands over from these mining operations in the Torn Cities have become even more important to the Hegemony as the scarcity reigns, as they do not require interstellar travel to reach the ever-hungry factories of Jaz'zirt, on the southern side of the sea.

Eventually, as the Traditionalist block swelled in the face of Not'zar's reforms and progressive attitude, he would become one of the two overlords of Moghes, coming to be called by many as "Lord of the Wastes." His lordship extends throughout the Wasteland, officially managing the scattered Hegemonic outposts such as Camp Integrity and Camp Izweski's Honor, as well as supposedly managing the Sinta living in Wasteland communities. However, due to the nature of the Wasteland, this authority is essentially non-existent outside of Hegemonic-controlled outposts, making his overlordship only one in name.

Azui is known to be one of the most traditional Hegemonic lords, ruling over lands with the minimum of modern amenities; what little modernity his land has is concentrated with the nobility and mining guilds. His appointment as a Hand of the Hegemon, and as one of the two Overlords of Moghes, was a political move made to appease the Traditionalist block which has continued growing after the end of the Contact War. This has made him the unofficial spokesperson for those in the Hegemony who consider themselves Traditionalists and for bringing their concerns before Not’zar whenever he can. However, contrary to what some might say, Hutay’zai has a dogged loyalty towards the Hegemony, believing it the only way Sinta can progress in this new galaxy while keeping what scraps of their tradition they can intact.

Azui is the primary proponent of mercantilism within the Hegemony, advocating for an expanded program of colonization and stricter trade laws with the wider Spur. He believes that further openness, both in trading resources and culture with the Orion Spur, will spell the death of the Hegemony. It is widely known that Azui resents Hephaestus Industries having status as a guild in the Hegemony and will use any measure that might curtail their power.

Mizaruz Izweski, Lord and Izweski Lord's Claws

Originally of clan Gri'zan, Mizaruz was born in the city of Baandr, eventually inheriting it and the lands surrounding it after his elder brother passed away without producing an heir. Given his status as a second son for most of his life, he was brought up from a young age with the intention of joining the clergy of Sk'akh. When his brother died while Mizaruz was around the age of 12, his education would shift dramatically towards ruling his realm; however, the young Sinta never forgot his religious education, keeping up theological studies for most of his life. He went on to make a name for himself during the Contact War by fighting several engagements against overwhelming odds and succeeding without the normal technological advantage the Hegemony had. Mizaruz was known as an amazing tactician and inspirational icon to his men, counseling them in religious matters on marches and leading them fiercely into battle. Shortly after the Contact War, Mizaruz was married into the Izweski clan and ascended to become a Hand of the Hegemon, specifically become the Lord's Claws. Though his actions during the war and loyalty are laudable, his time as the Lord's Claws has been lackluster. His tactical knowledge has not translated well to giving advice to the Hegemony's military on a strategic level, as he consistently fails to properly grasp supply chains on a grander scale, the intricacies of the levy system, and the new frontier of space. However, for most things, those Sinta that work beneath him manage to effectively cover for him, ensuring that the military has competent efficiency. However, if a disaster were to happen and Mizaruz were caught unprepared, it's unclear if his loyalty and new clan would be able to save him from the reckoning. His diplomacy is viewed with admiration by many Sinta; he has constantly proved himself apt at striking deals and averting crises with other nobility as well as alien states.

Mizaruz supports the policies Not'zar supports: furthering ties with the xeno, the expansion of modernization programs, and usage of force as a last resort, a somewhat strange trait for his position. This undying support for Not’zar has made him the mascot for those who similarly fully believe in the Hegemon: those who share his undying loyalty bring their concerns to him, most of which are about the Hegemon's still-precarious political position. His reputation as a theologian has also helped keep relations between the newly-formed Church of Sk’akh and the state milder than in the past.

Mizaruz is the main proponent of the "New Model War" that worked so well for the Hegemony during the Contact War. He has issued many studies on ways which the Hegemonic Fleet and Army could be improved, yet due to both his own incompetence and the influence of others within the military establishment, very few of his reforms have gone through.

Seleta Sarnac, Lady and Izweski High Speaker

Hailing from the southern untouched lands, the lands owned by her father that Lady Sarnac grew up on encompasses the city of Razir, and much of the territory surrounding it, a majority of which have been claimed by the wasteland following the contact war. Born shortly before the contact war, Setelta is the youngest hand of the Hegemon, at around thirty four. She is also one of the two female hands of the hegemon, and fills the position of high speaker. It is obvious that she was given her position for political reasons, an exemplification of Not’zars more progressive policies, by allowing a female beyond his spymaster to advise him on how to rule the nation. While she holds no lands her brother, Lord Sarnac, holds the key southern regions around Razir, as well as the city itself. Her brother is known to be disappointed that he was not offered the position of high speaker, but is indifferent to it as long as his clan is represented within the highest levels of the Hegemony, by either male or female.

Lady Seleta is the face of Hegemonic progressivism, fighting against established traditions and gender roles at the highest level. This has gained her both a loyal following of younger Sinta, and the wrath of the older, more traditional Sinta, who see her as a threat to everything they know. These followings are only amplified by her appearance at Not’zars side at nearly every public event, arranging things to run smoothly, fashioning the Hegemon’s image into one of power and stability.

As High Speaker Seleta has strived to do what she can to shore up the Hegemon’s position, attempting to establish a universal love for him among the common Sinta, both Guildsmen and Peasant. Both her and the Hegemon have received the wrath of some nobles for this, as they fear their subjects will start to be more loyal to a personage beyond themselves. Her success in this is unknown, and only a massive crisis could reveal how much loyalty she has gained for the Hegemon among the common people.

Clan Lord Sakax Razi, The General

As the third son of guild master Keicacu Razi, Sakax's lot in life started with making a name for himself within the military of the Hegemony. Unable to inherit any titles, and lacking the guile of his sister, Sakax threw himself fully into mastering the Sinta art of war, determined to fight as his ancestors had before him. This determination resulted in him shooting through the ranks of the Hegemonic military throughout the Contact War, being given more and more responsibility. Now he is Clan Lord of what is essentially a Hegemony military base between Skamander and Imas'hi, commanding his own set of Kataphract and clan warriors. He is known to be a grim but honorable man and has a hatred for all Sinta who fought the Hegemony in the Contact War, blaming them for the ruined state of the species and their home. The few times he has spoken with Azui Hutay'zai has almost ended in a physical conflict between the two. For this reason, Sakax is regularly left off of invite lists for functions where the Overlord will be in attendance, including most formal meetings involving the economics of the Hegemony.

Sakax exerts all of his influence confirming that the Hegemony's military never fully adopts the "New Model War" beyond tactics developed during the Contact War. He believes that the lifeblood and culture of the Unathi is inherently tied to the military and that the two should be reflections of each other. He is the primary proponent behind borderline suicidal tactics in space such as ramming, and given the Hegemony has not fought a major naval engagement within space under his command, they are not yet able to prove his tactics defective.

Clan Lord Juyzi Izaku, The Maddened

Ruling over the city and associated lands of Mudki, Lord Izaku is the most old-fashioned Hegemonic lord, to the point of radicalization. He does not put any effort into modernization and believes the Unathi can surmount the challenges posed by the state of their homeworld the same way they always have: through brute force. His lands are in a constant state of famine as clean water and fertile land are in short supply, and the mountainous terrain that surrounds it offers little beyond protection against the climate of the Wasteland, though sadly not its inhabitants. Gargawyn raids are common, and Lord Izaku seems unable to effectively mount a defense. Due to all these factors, Mudki is slowly turning into a ghost town as many Sinta take whatever they can and flee for the rivers of Res'karum or further into the heartland of the Hegemony, with some even ending up off-world in human space. Many of his former subjects curse his clan, hating him for his stubbornness.

Lord Izaku has borderline reactionary tendencies, believing that any further modernization or acceptance of the xeno will lead to the death of all that is Sinta. He has at several times made overts threats against his lord, Not'zar Izweski himself, stating that should Not'zar continue his policies, he will consider him to be dishonorable and his pledge of fealty be null. What would happen should Not'zar cross a line in Juyzi's eyes is anyone's guess.

Lord Glatazk Yu'huni, The Pious

Hailing from the religious city of To'ha'dat, Lord Yu'huni was raised in the heartland of the Th'akh faith as a devout worshiper. However, at age 18, he converted to the religion of Sk'akh and has been one of its most fanatical followers since. Almost losing his position as heir for his clan lands, he kept it through a combination of trickery and might while maintaining ample support from the more centralized Sk'akh church. His first decree was that all who wished to remain in his clan must convert to Sk'akh and must remain faithfulness to their new religion. Because of this, clan Yu'huni has become the most fanatical clan in the process of losing a notable amount of its members, completely loyal to the central Church even in the face of their duty to the Hegemon. This was most apparent during the religious crisis in 2460, where clan Yu'huni expressed their support for the Sk'akh Church against the Hegemon to other clans. The reputation of clan Yu'huni is still stained by the scandal to this day.

Lord Glatazk also offers any Sk'akh worshiping Sinta a place in his clan, so long as they originate from the Th'akh Heartlands. This takes the form of an application system, where a Sinta has to answer several questions about their religion, their views on the Church and Hegemony, and acquire several references from co-workers that show their piety. Many faithful Sinta strive to be accepted, yet only the truly fanatical pass his scrutiny.

Once the court chaplain for the Izweski, High Priest Yizra Unzi used a cult scare in 2458 to rapidly elevate his power and centralize the Sk'akh church, becoming the official leader of the Church and commander of its militant inquisition, the Maraziite Order.

Yizra Unzi, Exiled High Priest

Yizra was born in 2407 in the city of Skalamar and raised by a wealthy, orthodox Sk'akh family. His father was a Priest for a large local church and helped the young Yizra through his studies to gain a Doctorate in Sacred Theology, becoming a priest by 30. His father's influence helped him rise the ranks of the Church quickly, and he inherited his father's church by 32 when he passed. One of the responsibilities of Sk'akh priests was diagnosing many ills that could be blamed on malacious spirits. Families in Skalamar would bring the mentally ill to the churches to ask if they were genuinely mentally ill or possessed by evil spirits. The mentally ill were often disowned or kept locked up in private Guild institutions, never to be heard from again to avoid embarrassing the family. A priest declaring them possessed kept the Unathi in the care of the Church, so Yizra became a champion for the mental health community in the city because he would always diagnose them as possessed in order to take them under the care of his Church for long-term treatment and care.

The popularity with the city gave him enough influence to be appointed the new Izweski chaplain when the former retired. He was put in charge of all the ceremonial festivities of the capital city of Skalamar, but he still made time to give sermons in his Clan's church. The Church at this time was organized but there was not a lot of formal control or bureaucracy - it was held together by traditions and expectations.

Yizra was rather quiet during and after the crisis' of the Ouerean colonization and the Contact War outside advocating for a peaceful resolution or quick Izweski victory. During the war however he donated nearly all of his wealth to various charities that looked after disabled veterans of the war along with rebuilding efforts for villages ravaged by the conflict.

The turning point of Yizra's career came in 2453. As Yizra was walking from the Izweski Citadel to a charity to meet with the leaders, a group of Unathi in cloaks approach him on an isolated street. They engaged in a brief theological discussion before trying to convince him to join their movement. He refused repeatedly and tried to get past them, making them grow agitated. They started grabbing him and trying to drag him into the alley to kidnap him. His shouts were heard by nearby Watchmen, who rushed to the scene and caused the assailants to flee. They chased the assailants into an alley that lead to a dead-end, but they had disappeared into thin air. The only thing left behind was a single piece of bloody manuscript with a strange, illegible scribbling on it.

The incident deeply concerned him and he began reaching out to his contacts throughout the city. Through sympathetic law enforcement he discovered that there's been a spate of disappearances and murders throughout the city going back as far as 2433. After enlisting the help of several priests and private detectives he compiled all of the evidence that pointed to a massive, unprecedented underground cult movement being responsible. He took the findings repeatedly to law enforcement and various Lords, but all rebuffed him, saying either that he was being zealous or that he had no authority over secular matters like law enforcement.

So Yizra went public with his findings, stoking the flames of a Cult Panic that swept Unathi space in 2458 to become High Priest, assuming total control over the entire Sk'akh faith. He consolidated his power and also founded the Maraziite Order, a military order under the command of the High Priest with the right to bear arms and dispense justice against spiritual threats to the Hegemony. In its short existence it has arrested several hundred individuals and seized many tomes and documents that Mariziite authorities claim are evidence of cult involvement.

Yizra has become single-minded in his goal to eradicate the threat of the occult from the Hegemony. His growing zeal and conviction has lead him to behave more ruthlessly, believing more and more in the ends justifying the means. He's never been recorded disparaging the Th'akh faith (outside general theological disputes) but he has overlooked Maraziite persecution of Th'akh shamans during his tenure.

For skeptics it's unclear how genuine Yizra's intentions are, and he's often painted as a paranoid zealot.

The cult the Maraziites are fighting remains a vague enigma, and they aren't fully sure if it's a single movement or several. What scant physical evidence they gain from arrested cultists is written in a code that no one has been able to break, and no cultist has revealed secrets under interrogation. Though he hasn't admitted it to anyone except a few Chapter Masters of the Order, not even Yizra fully understands what they are fighting.

Portrait of Vuthix Akhandi, circa 2459.

Vuthix Akhandi, Elder Shaman

Vuthix Akhandi is one of the most well known Elder Shaman of the Akhanzi Order, and is the face of the Akhanzi through recent history. He is the first Elder Shaman to advocate a mass evacuation of the Order from Moghes to escape the Iron Crusade, a massive attack on all Order temples. He is currently living in Mendell City, Tau Ceti in the newly built Akhanzi Library.

Vuthix Akhandi was born in 2405 into the now extinct clan Slithiss, which resided in the once fertile lands east of Mudki. He felt the calling to be a shaman at an early age, but his clan members did not hold high respect to him for the role was largely ceremonial and often more political token than a respected profession to the Slithiss clan. He tried over several years to enact reforms within the clan, to increase spiritual idealism within, before finally growing frustrated with the lack of interest from his Clan's leaders. Vuthix began casting what influence he had to travelers, and in his early twenties, received an invitation to join the Akhandi Order from a shaman on a pilgrimage through his home lands that he had the pleasure to speak to. The decision to abandon his clan and renounce all title to it was not a difficult decision for Vuthix, and he formally renounced his affiliation with the Slithiss clan soon after, beginning his own pilgrimage to the mountain temple far to the southwest. There was no further significant contact between Vuthix and his former clan for the next four decades as he learned various teachings of the Akhanzi as an acolyte, then a shaman, and now an Elder Shaman.

During the Contact War in 2438, the lands of his youth suffered heavy bombardment from atomic weapons, and fearing his ancestors were dead, went out and found his childhood home was now a radioactive crater. He scoured the surrounding area, where he managed to find a group of survivors - and a nephew and niece - within the wreckage of a Sky Behemoth. He gave the survivors treatment and spiritual healing to help them survive the fallout, and gave them guidance and care as he led them back to his temple with in the mountains where they would be safe. The two remain the only living connection Vuthix has to his old clan name. Both of them have decided to take the title Akhandzi and join their uncle in the Order.

In 2459, the Maraziite Order enacted a major attack on all Akhanzi temples, burning thousands of years of ancient scrolls, texts, and teachings. This Iron Crusade forced many of the Elder Shamans to leave Moghes, with Vuthix saying, "They can not truly steal our ancestral home - for our ancestors are within us, not just on Moghes. Wherever we as Sinta go, our Ancestors follow - within our spirits." Vuthix then came to Tau Ceti with hundreds of other Shamans and hundreds more acolytes all holding as many scrolls as they could. Under the guidance of Vuthix, the Akhanzi Order has made a new spiritual temple and library in Mendell City where they teach any and all who ask to learn.

Portrait of Juzida Si'akh in the middle of a firebrand sermon, circa 2457.

Juzida Si'akh, Prophet of Flame

Juzida was hatched Juzida Aizahi into a small family in 2409. His father ran their villages' church and raised Juzida as an orthodox member of the faith. He was sent to the neighboring town of Ouairu for schooling in the small university there. He received a basic theological education and pursued a Doctorate in Sacred Theology with the intent of overseeing his village's church with his father. His studies ended on 2437 with the outbreak of the Contact War. His father died in the early stages of the war while acting as a Chaplain in the Izweski army. Juzida took on the mantle of Priest and struggled to maintain his small church as an unassuming, technically unqualified priest for those 2 years.

It was shortly after his 30th birthday in the spring of 2439 that the Contact War went nuclear. His village received no prior warning. Juzida was in the basement of his church taking inventory when the ground began to shake and there was a sudden, unearthly roar that knocked him flat and caused sections of the basement to cave in. Juzida quickly left and emerged from his basement to a hellish landscape of brimstone and devastation. His entire village was completely gone and it was as if nothing had ever been there. In the distance Juzida saw the rising mushroom cloud heralding the apocalypse. It was here that Juzida fell to his knees and received divine revelation as Sk'akh spoke to him directly. Sk'akh told Juzida that the Unathi species had become too sinful and corrupted by evil and that the missiles streaking through the sky were the bringers of Judgement Day. Sk'akh told him that everyone that died within the new few hours from the fires of atomic bombs would be cleansed of sin and join her in the afterlife, while all those left behind would be abandoned as Sk'akh wrote off the Unathi species and condemed them to forever reincarnate on Moghes, trapped on the hell that they had created for themselves. Sk'akh finally warned Juzida that she would only consider saving the species if they proved their worth by rebuilding and purifying Moghes, and that Juzida would be the Final Prophet to represent Sinta'Unathi and prove to Sk'akh that the species was worth saving.

Juzida immediately abandoned his clan name and took on the last name Si'akh, which loosely means Prophet. Juzida Si'akh spent the rest of the Contact War wandering the wasteland, initially unsure about how to handle his monumental life goal. He watched as civilization collapsed in the face of the apocalypse, and how survivors and tattered remnants of the old kingdoms were fighting a desperate war of survival. His travels had him exposed to the greed, selfishness, and brutality consuming Sinta'Unathi in the post-apocalyptic wasteland. But he also saw glimmers of charity and good deeds that cemented his hopes that his people could be redeemed in the eyes of Sk'akh.

Taking these experiences Si'akh preached his doctrine across the Wasteland. With the end of the world having happened, his message resonated well with the survivors who desperately looked for answers as to why Sk'akh would allow this to happen. By 2450 his congregation was up to several thousand, and his entourage traveled the Wasteland with him, and it was from this point that Si'akh began to deal with persecution from the Izweski, who chased him out of their lands wherever they found him.

By 2457 Si'akh had survived several asassination attempts, but coincidences (or divine intervention) had foiled all of them, and he claims it is because he is literally immortal and unable to be killed until his mission is complete. The same could not be said for his followers. The Followers of Si'akh were violently persecuted, leading Si'akh to form The Reavers of the Flame, an armed religious order tasked with defending the faithful and guarding pilgrimage routes from marauding bandits or Izweski incursions.

Si'akh is passionate, fiercely devoted to his beliefs, and unwavering in his committment to see the Sinta'Unathi species redeemed. He is known to be extremely giving, immediately handing off any food or water given to him to someone more needy than he. His followers have periodically had to directly confront him and beg him to eat after he goes several days refusing to eat. And while he insists he is Sk'akh, his single-minded mission to completely overthrow the traditional order of Unathi society has caused him to be branded a radical heretic. He has experienced so much prejudice and violence that he has become very radicalized and unwilling to consider deviating from his life mission.

Emzal Paossini, Creator of Paradigms

Born by a surrogate to two fathers in 2419, Paossini was once the product of marriage uniting two powerful traditionalist clans. Seeking a scholarly pursuit instead of becoming a spy as her parents wanted, she began her career of religious history by developing an almost obsessive fascination with the old ways of the Sinta’Mador. When the war came about, both of her fathers were sent to the slaughterhouse, and she was left largely without a family. This left Paossini a bitter and closed-off woman. Her words turned to fervent prayer as she asked what to do, unsure of her purpose and what to do with the hatred inside her. The spirits murmured in her ears, and after landing on Ouerea, she realized prosthetics were an advanced form of the ancient and rudimentary golems and crypts utilized by the Sinta’Mador. After rejecting their old name and claiming the soul of a fisher, neither a warrior nor healer, the remnants of the clans of their fathers labeled them as ‘Guwan’—not like Paossini cared or took up the name, anyway.

Though not an official leader of the religion, Paossini is widely regarded as the Progenitor of the Aut’akh. From them, all of the first Mador rituals, runes, and modernized alphabet originates, and their opinion is almost always considered on matters where it is known. They enjoy the great privilege of being a revered unathi among the Aut’akh, and their location is kept hidden from most, outside of secret Sinta’Mador codes passed between communes. Occasionally, they will break from their hiding to deliver a word on a grave issue, but such events are rare at best. Some postulate if Paossini is even still alive, or just a rumor perpetuated among the gossipers of each enclave.