Race Lore Time!

One of the main focuses of Project After-War is getting to know different alien cultures that are all part of the galaxy-wide government: the Karo Unity. Kro’Enx is a memorial/cemetery moon for all Unity race, with each having a designated “plaza” to share their culture. They also have large plots of land attached to each plaza where any citizen can request to have their dead buried.

With that said, a moon is a pretty big area to expect a player to explore. And while there would only be a couple dozen or so Unity species (if that), I don’t expect to be able to make more than five plazas total, maybe seven at the most. The idea is that the main conflict is relatively centralized to one chunk of the moon.

There are seven species so far designed for the game: three of which have already been shown: (the protagonist’s species) the Reenashim and their ancestor species, the Rekshay, the Jaroko (such as Bu’leyg), and the Miku’yiyi (such as Kyslr and Shureni).

Standard and Pre-Developed

All of these races, in addition to the four other races I’ll be showing in this post, the Jaroko and the Miku’yiyi are considered Standard Races. This is a sugar-coated way of saying “first-class”, having full personhood and rights. This is achieved through having certain biological traits and proportions, as well as certain levels of intelligence/instinct control. The more humanoid, smart, and non-animalistic in behavior a species is, the more likely they are to be treated as a Standard Race.

Other species, like the Reenashim are considered Pre-Developed Races. On the record, this is mainly dependent on intelligence and impulse-control. But behind the scenes, it also has a lot to do with how traditionally humanoid you are, species health averages, reproduction capabilities, and crossbreeding capabilities.

PD-Races aren’t officially a servant class but they are under far more restrictions concerning ownership rights and career opportunities. They also have travel restrictions to avoid breeding undesired traits. The intention of the Karo Unity is to systematically evolve/breed all Unity races into their peaks, or at the very least, ensure they all meet the bare minimum requirements.

As a brief tangent, when I said crossbreeding, I didn’t mean different races mating directly as much as genetic modification in labs, often on embryos and the like. Though, crossbreeding through direct intercourse is encouraged among ideal species: ergo, those with preferred traits and attractive features. Certain PD-Races–like the Reenashim–are actually encouraged to crossbreed with “superior” races for their physicality, but with monitoring after birth.

But back to the plazas…

Kiba Reefings is the first plaza but it has no singular race assigned to it due it being the welcome mat of the moon. It’s unofficially treated as the Jaroko memorial location due to their strong presence but officially, it’s where notable veterans are buried. The Jaroko have no plaza on the moon by choice. They see the entirety of Kro’Enx as their home despite having an actual home planet.

Then there are the Reenashim, who aren’t allowed a plaza due to being a PD-Race and a Caution Race. But their dead are kept in a security center higher up in the moon.

That leaves us with five species (as of now) to introduce.

The Four New Races

The Lopran

These mushroom-head-looking people are the most recent addition to the Standard Species list and the same species as the young alien boy the protagonist can save in the trolley attack section. The Lopran are considered undesirable generally, mainly because of their body proportions and overall appearance. Despite them being a very intelligent species, their torso especially did not meet the requirements of humanoid proportions for over a century after joining the Karo Unity.

Unlike most Unity species, the Lopran refused to undergo genetic modification to improve their standing. They were very stubborn about their rights to be given the Standard Species title without needing to change.

But they eventually changed their minds. The Unity representatives explained that while the Lopran were physically healthy and intelligent, their reproductive, crossbreeding, and aesthetical traits were deal-breakers. The Lopran were significantly weaker than most other species as well. And while the reproduction problem couldn’t be solved in the short-term, the Lopran could have a better chance at Standard Species rank if they underwent physical alterations.

So the Lopran agreed. 10% of their race underwent structural treatment, altering their torsos and arms. They became physically stronger, with larger arms, but there were adverse side-effects. The joints on their shoulders severed, forcing them to wear implants to maintain control over their limbs. Additionally, the process only reached 52% completion before it was deemed to risky on the volunteers’ bodies.

So, after being altered, the Lopran were still not given Standard Species rank. In fact, it wasn’t until The Parasite War that they were granted such rights for their contributions, both as strategists and on-the-field warriors. Beforehand, the Lopran were not Pacifistic, but still against violence. As such, they were inexperienced in combat. But when put into the war, they adapted quickly.

The Lopran are still seen as undesirable by most Unity races and the majority of their species has yet to undergo the genetic alterations. But the entire species has the Standard Species rank as a show of trust and compensation during the war.

The Lopran are a proud and deeply religious species. They have a complicated relationship with the Miku’yiyi race. While they have separate faiths, the Lopran have been critical of the decline of piety in the Miku’yiyi. It doesn’t help that most Miku’yiyi dislike the Lopran: some because they feel judged, some because they find them physically repulsive, and some (like Shureni) because they are religious and oppose the Lopran faith.

Even with this, the Lopran strongly believe that the Miku’yiyi unknowingly worship their same god and hope that in time, their faiths will overlap for a future cultural peace.

The Muztrunan

Often nicknamed “The Crown Guards”, this is one of the core Unity races from centuries’ past. The Muztrunan were a warrior race who jumped at the chance for enhancement by the Unity. This led to their skin becoming like an exoskeleton, even layered in parts, while beforehand, they had a far more attractive–even elf-like–appearance.

The Muztrunan proudly act as the most common armed forces race, and feel superior to many other races. Many Muztrunan are in positions of political authority, and weigh in frequently concerning the biological progression of other species. Many believe the Muztrunan desire to keep other species inferior to themselves but the Muztrunan claim the opposite: that they want to help create the best and strongest races for their galaxy government.

The Muztrunan are especially loyal to the Kisetop and Chi’hule species, holding great respect for them both regardless of any physical or mental inferiority. This is due to the Kisetop and Chi’hule also being some of the original Unity races and the creators of the biological enhancement program. The Muztrunan people see these species are their kin.

In contrast, the Muztrunan have an overtly hostile relationship with the Reenashim and Jaroko. Similar to the Jaroko, the Muztrunan dislike the Reenashim and their Rekshay ancestors. However, while the Jaroko developed this after the Rekshay betrayal, the Muztrunan have hated the piranha-like race as a threat to their physical dominance. The Muztrunan consider themselves to be the number one warrior race. Finding out that a PD-Race is ranked higher than them in that area as well as being highly intelligent threatened the Muztrunan.

Similarly, the Muztrunan feel slighted that the Jaroko surpassed them as the official number one warrior race. While the Jaroko are huge and hulking, their culture wasn’t nearly as warrior-focused as the Muztrunan. As such, the Muztrunan discriminate openly against the Jaroko, treating them as unintelligent and challenging their strength often.

The Kisetop

It all begins with these little imp creatures. These were not only the original Unity race, but the creators of the biological enhancement program. It was the Kisetop who made the first cross-planet union and established the federation over a millennia ago now. And as this government expanded, they used their enhanced science to cure diseases. Then they created technology and serums to allow other races to breathe on each others’ planets. One thing led to another until the Standard Species system was enacted.

The Kisetop began with altruistic intentions, wishing to ensure that every race could overlap with each other, genetically, environmentally, and culturally, in one big happy melting pot. And while the Kisetop are insanely intelligent, today, they handle the scientific elements rather than policy most of the time. They leave such matters to the Chi’hule and Muztrunan as their trusted partners.

The Kisetop are a tragedy of biology unfortunately. Their original bodies had no arms, with much shorter–penguin-like legs–and an undesirable muddy brown fur. They had some success in enhancing themselves, especially by giving themselves a more regal plum/purple fur. But the mutated arms they designed for themselves still haven’t developed enough to work properly, nor have their elongated legs. As such, their bodies are lined with cybenertics.

The Kisetop are incredibly racist but civil and friendly. They don’t intentionally discriminate or oppress. They see non-standard species as not imperfect, like themselves, and thus in need of improvements. They are staunch rule-followers but also very altruistic. Some say they have blinded themselves to the more corrupt activity in the Karo Unity but the Kisetop aren’t stupid. They’re just pretending to turn a blind eye so they don’t have to deal with the unwanted side effects of their grand plan.

The Chi’hule

The crowning achievement of the Karo Unity: the Chi’hule are a secretive race. Only the Kisetop know their real history and what they originally looked like before being enhanced. Legend says that the Chi’hule were what inspired the Kisetop to start the biological enhancement program: acting as the template for all other species. Legend also says that the Chi’hule demanded to be enhanced by the Kisetop despite being considered ideal already.

The Chi’hule are a stoic and religious people. Their homeworld and culture is just as free to explore as any other race but the entire species is layered in secrecy. Most believe that the Chi’hule are guiding the Karo Unity toward some kind of spiritual journey to eventually meet their gods and attain a higher form of existence. During The Parasite War, similarities between them and the Roemar Soldier invaders were discovered. Many believe the Chi’hule originate from the same area of space as the invaders, and that the Chi’hule of their supposed homeworld are mostly half-breeds, used as a cover.

Chi’hule are either incredibly weak or incredibly powerful. They intentionally restrict their citizens from reaching certain levels of physical strength save for the chosen. But to harm a Chi’hule is a death wish. Their blood has been used to help design vaccines and their embryotic crossbreeding potential has helped course-correct multiple species who were heading toward regression.

Chi’hule do not breed with their own kind much. They actually favor the Muztrunan and Miku’yiyi, often helping to maintain populations in those two races specifically. They have a particular investment in those races which they will not disclose.

Many believe that should the Chi’hule vanish, the entire Unity would gradually collapse.

I’m thinking that the Chi’hule also won’t have a plaza of their own on Kro’Enx due to their private nature. But you’ll still encounter at least one in the game.

Glossary Time!

• Chi’hule
  An original Karo Unity species, highly spiritual and protected.
• Kisetop
  The creators of the Karo Unity government and the main scientific resource for genetic enhancements.
• Muztrunan
  A warrior species with strong ties to the Chi’hule and Kisetop.
• Lopran
  A race recently-given Standard Species rank due to their help in The Parasite War. They are highly religious and peaceful.
• Standard Species
  A race of alien considered worthy of person-status due to reproduction capacity, physical appearance, physical traits, health, intelligence, and instinct control.
• Pre-Developed Species
  A race of alien considered not worthy of person-status due to health concerns, undesired physical traits, or lack of intelligence.