This is where all my WIP articles are. Subpages for particularly long ongoing tales (like Sea-Dog Storm Dragon) exist, as well as one for particularly unfinished or low-priority articles. Everything in THIS PAGE of the sandbox is something close to done or an active priority.

Tegeirukk 28, 1111 LE

Haelaidhe 1, 1133 LE

Auvhlaus 32, 1133 LE

Ludervinn 1, 1133 LE

Tyrrhsday, Ludervinn 6, 1112 LE 04:50:00 ( Glauryuz)

Intercal 5, 1132 LE

Liliyogh 2, 1133 LE

Cernunnos /cɛɾʲ.ˈnˠu.nˠosˠ/ is a medium star in Zalanthium home to the Driocht Einn and a small population of emigrated Auleiali species.

Gold Dwarf

The star itself is a somewhat strange yellow dwarf. While other coronal phenomena contribute to peculiar star classes like Aurora Stars, Cernunnos' odd coloration is not the result of extra spikes in its spectrum; rather, the star's spectrum in unusually narrow, giving it a vivid gold hue for species that can see 560-600 nm wavelength light, and making it appear anomalously dark for species that cannot.

Worlds

Mug Ruith

Mug Ruith (फउन टउह in Driochtig)

Delbáeth

Delbáeth (ळएधगआएह in Driochtig)

Úaithne

Úaithne (ऊअहठए in Driochtig)

Luchtaine

Luchtaine (थउजीङअठए in Driochtig) is Cernunnos' most massive terrestrial world.

Étaínne

Étaínne (ऐङईठठए in Driochtig) is the inner moon of Luchtaine, and it remains one of the few remaining ecosystems with Larean-imported biology in the universe. Étaínne is the homeworld of the Driocht Einn, a hexapedal sophont species descended from directly imported animals into the Étaíth biosphere.

Despite its small size, Étaínne maintains a sizeable atmosphere and liquid oceans on its surface.

Midhir

Midhir (वइळीघ in Driochtig) is Luchtaine's outer moon

Nemhain

Nemhain (ठएवीअठ in Driochtig)

History

Larean Settlement

Étaínne is theorized to have held a primitive extremophilic biosphere by the time Lareas entered the Cernunnos system

The Dark Age

Civilization Dawns Once More

Raiders From Beyond the Black

Decryption Shatters Faith

Smohera

"I was a blinded and bound and half-starved thing, a purveyor of only the scraps of reality, of that which had already gone. My mind, my soul, is flooded with these dregs of history. Yet these dregs revived made such beauty here, spread even now to other stars, and I can only lament petty losses of politics... this world is mine. Its people will be mine once more."
—Enveil Dreamhaze Azurade, Cerulean King and Duke of Sperxai, Rredúl, and Unistus

Smohera is the homeworld of the Ski'pec and foremost developed body in the Sperxai system, as well as the first of Azurullya's planets to produce life. As the second most populated planet in Azurullya, it serves as the de facto capital and trade hub of its system and duchy, with populations being slightly larger than the entire system of Unistus.

Physical

Smohera is a decent size for a planet, both larger and more massive than standard. Its low density from its chemical composition gives the planet a lower gravity, roughly seventy-eight percent of a standard Eossian G. Its surface features various tectonic features familiar to habitable worlds, including vast broken mountain chains, generous seas, and open flatlands where weather can have space to fully develop.

Lithosphere

Smohera's rocks are pimarily a combination of silicate minerals and volatile ices, covering its surface alongside alkane precipitates to create a rich surface.

Magnetosphere

Smohera's core is relatively active, and its moderate-Aberrance composition of radioactive materials, heavy stellar metals, and as-of-yet unidentified materials contributes heavily to its magnetic flux. The poles of the field precess rapidly compared to normal worlds, and the presence of magnetic "tangles" is similar to some stars.

Interactions between Sperxai's highly ionizing spectrum, Smohera's atmosphere, and its magnetic field create prominent aurora throughout the year.

Climate

Smohera's climate is shaped by its unique combination of orbit, insolation, and tidal heating from its major moons. With its axial tilt at a slight twenty degrees and a generally low level of starlight hitting its surface in daytime, seasonal variation is mild compared to planets closer in and with higher tilt.

Atmosphere

Hydrosphere

As with most alkane worlds, Smohera's layered composition creates a dual hydrosphere, with a thin subsurface water ocean warmed beneath its crust and a much more substantial surface hydrosphere of primarily ethane and methane.

Smohera's subsurface water ocean lends itself to tectonics and cryovolcanism, being primarily expressed on the surface through vast volcanic snows after an eruption. The water vapor released from these vents does not last in the atmosphere for very long, but it destructively reacts with the atmosphere it touches.

Satellites

Rings

Moons

Biosphere

Biomes

Flora

Fauna

Governance

Sperxai is a member system of the Theocracy of Silverstar, and Smohera falls under the nation's jurisdiction. Though it was the last Sperxaian planet to give up legal sovereignty to the Theocracy, rule over the planet has been uncontested since the renewal of the Tracta Argenta in 6466 CE.

Smohera is further under the Duchy of Ghesr-Ís, locally governed by the eldest Cerulean King, Enveil Dreamhaze Azurade.

History

Formation

Hwau'rrathzya Falls

Emergence of Life

Auramest Transit I

Dreamhaze Transit

Auramest Transit II

Civilization

"The shimmering home of the Ski'pec, whose very earth contains the light of the stars. Isn't it marvelous? What a fitting paradise to serve as the homeworld of such a magical people."
-Moonmoon

Smohera, lying in the quiet outer reaches of Azurullya, is often gazed at from afar. Its opalescent mountains and dazzling violet rings make this world one of Azurullya's most vibrant gems, shining among the azure waves of starlight in bounteous glory. From this world many creatures were born, and from this life grew the Ski'pec. Long have they rode the currents of the galaxy, reveling in the magic they possessed. For long, long ago, Smohera was bathed in the Auramest.

Smohera is the 7th planet from the star Sperxai, which has orbited Azurullya in the Caerulem Termina for billions of years. Early in its history, Sperxai passed through many fields of Hypertryptine, scattering the crystal across the system, covering moons and planets alike. The rich levels of hypertryptine throughout the Sperxai system have given the bodies of the system a recognizable crystal sheen. Smohera is the prime example of its system's beauty, both its system's jewel and the genesis of its system's life.

History

Smohera is not a young world. For billions of years, it has grown, changed, and been subject to the currents and whims of Azurullya. Through deep time, it has taken many different forms.

Formation

In ancient times, when Sperxai was young and sent its new light through Azurullya, it was similar to many stars. Disks of gas and dust and ice encircled it, basking in its untainted flame. Some parts began to collapse, gravitating towards themselves and falling inward. The first planets of Sperxai had begun to form. Thus, the age of turbulence and violence began.

Smohera formed close to Sperxai. Once a scorching hell, the rocky world orbited its hot sun in but a few days' time. Barren. Lifeless. Silicate rock and hydrogen skies. Bombarded by meteors and comets constantly. Inhospitable. It's hard to imagine how much different it would look in a few billion years.

Smohera had a few major collisions during this time, with planetoids nearly its own size. The entire world vaporized at least thrice as the other planets coalesced. During this period, Sperxai was passing through a dense field of hypertryptine, which scattered through the system and painting its worlds.

The Great Shifting

Gelstraxta, the largest planet in the Sperxai system, ruled it with an iron fist. As it migrated throughout the system, planets were flung into wildly different orbits. Worlds violently collided and shattered or were expelled from the system entirely. Smohera, currently frying in the abundant light of its sun, was hurled into the outer reaches of the system. Being a rather large rocky body, it managed to capture somewhere between 8 and 12 dwarf planetoids as moons. Gelstraxta's migration caused the Sperxai system to become unrecognizable. Smohera, now far from Sperxai, froze.

Frigus Crystalla

Smohera's new orbit forced its waters to rain down from the once-searing skies, to fall to the ground and flood everything, and then to freeze. As bombardments slowed down, this ice was buried mostly by tectonic activities. Some of the hydrocarbons in its atmosphere also began to precipitate into new oceans and lakes. The crystalline landscapes of the frozen world were met with navy seas of ethane. The trace amounts of hypertryptine in the atmosphere and seas allowed massive spires of crystal to grow.

Hwau'rrathzya Falls

The innermost moon of Smohera was vibrant and beautiful. Its violet stone glowed above the ancient lifeless skies. Ski'pec historians named this moon Hwau'rrathzya (name of a sacrificed figure in some old Ski'pec religions). However, Hwau'rrathzya would not remain in orbit forever. The gravitational drag of Smohera and of the outer moons caused it to slowly spiral closer to Smohera. The tides of Smohera, once stabilized by its several moons, began to favor Hwau'rrathzya. Oceans destabilized and spread chemicals from the deep all across the world. It is possible that this was one of the requirements for life to begin on Smohera.

As Hwau'rrathzya grew closer, looming ever larger in the sky, the mountains themselves began to quake. The ground shifted and churned as tides swept the world, washing it in waves of ethane and sweeping away the spires that once dominated the land.

Eventually, Hwau'rrathzya began to crack and bend, smearing its violet stone across the horizon in a beautiful set of shining rings. This may have happened a couple times throughout Smohera's history, giving it some of its recognizable blue rings.

Emergence of Life

The first evidence of life on Smohera begins to appear around 50 million years after the formation of its rings. This life started near coastal volcanoes and non-living crystal reefs. While life began around these areas, danger was omnipresent. Due to the silicon-based nature of Smohera's life, any electric shock through the water plumes of these volcanoes would create oxygen, which petrified the structure of these ancient creatures and turned them to stone. This danger still exists in life today, as many a reckless Ski'pec have returned home from their travels with a limb now covered in a layer of quartz-like rock.

Over the next 100 million years, life diversified, entering both deeper seas and venturing out onto the land. The mineral-rich deposits across the world made it relatively easy for plant life to grow and spread. These plants were mostly chemosynthetic, producing energy from certain trace elements in both the atmosphere and the ground. This gave many of the more prominent plants an iconic glow where the reactions take place.

Where plant life erupts, animals are soon to follow. Beasts of all sorts began to evolve and spread across the now lush expanses of the planet. Within a few million more years, the biosphere of Smohera had exploded into a new age.

Auramest Transit I

Smohera has actually been through the Auramest twice. The first time, There was nothing more than primitive creatures, animals and plants that barely had much competition. The first thousand years Smohera spent in the Auramest changed everything completely. Animals began to exhibit more aggressive tactics to compete with one another, and some became carnivorous within only a few generations. Pack dynamics began to emerge. Predators became smarter, larger, and faster. Herbivores became more accustomed to hiding. Diurnality waned, and nocturnal and crepuscular species began to hunt under the light of the rings and moons instead of Sperxai's radiance.

Dreamhaze Transit

In addition to the Auramest, our vibrant Smohera has been subject to the Dreamhaze. Memories of its ancient landscape, from even before Hwau'rrathzya's fall, began to emerge. Flora began to take on larger, more latticed forms. Trees resembling crystals and sharp, shardlike grasses dominated many parts of the world. Some animals began to resurface the ancient ways of the first lifeforms, evolving into flying aerial beasts that roamed the skies.

Auramest Transit II

Millions of years later, after the two distortions of the Deagami warped Smohera's biosphere into something nearly unrecognizable, the Auramest found its way around the opalescent world yet again. This time, Smohera passed through the heart of the Auramest. A few species were close to sapience, and with the Auramest's help, they achieved both language and Thaumaturgy within a mere 4,000 years. From here, the Ski'pec find their origins.

Taking of the Glimmering Lands

The newly sapient Ski'pec took Smohera by storm. They spread their civilizations across the world with incredible speed, taking every biome as another challenge to be conquered. Within the first 30 millennia, they had taken to the stars. Using the abundant deposits of Hypertryptine, the Ski'pec were able to traverse the waves of stars that they had come from.

Climates/Biomes

No living world can be reduced to one simple climate. There are always multitudes of diverse biomes, with each one possessing an astounding level of unique terrain and life. Smohera is no exception to such a law. Life has crept into every possible area, from the deepest, darkest oceans to the highest volcanic peaks.

Cryo-savannas

Mountains

Hydro-volcanoes

Glimmering Reefs

Abyssal Rifts

Storm Jungles

Moons

Smohera has seven moons, captured early in its history. Each one has special historical and mythological significance, as well as being used in economic endeavors early in Ski'pec spacefaring history.

Tlourrenyi

Khaghesup

Rraupep

Ithloratl

Ahnyukhí

Ysua

Urrauhwí

Demographics

"Red, red, a billion dead, hanged and shot and burned and bled.
One for the Warfront, whose softness is its jail; the fresh know not the harshness and in carelessness they fail.
Two for the Boneyard, whose skies are thin and blue; the silence culls the moral, lets the sinners only through.
Three for the Garden, the reward for the abhorred. Methinks it must be lonely, no fights makes us killers bored!"
—Common Veteran Prison-Shanty

Lothwiel, under any other political circumstance, would be regarded as one of the most prosperous and bountiful gas giants in Zalanthium, as its moon system is plentiful with decently habitable environments, as well as further water ices and ammoniates being available from its furthest major moon Mithuran. It is instead, unfortunately, a war-torn prison complex larger than any other in the universe, keeping its backwater system's economy alive through trade deals for offloading criminals, cheap brutal entertainment, and tech demos of the most impractical weapons imaginable. As the fourth and final planet of the star Zeiropont, the gas giant inhabits the outer reaches of the star's habitable range, its moons given barely enough sunlight to met water on their surfaces.

Lothwiel is its system's main economic center, producing through weapon deals and slave trades the money to fund the rest of the Zeiroponti needs. Its most major population center, the Mithuran Watchtower Belt, houses the bulk of the system's non-prison people.

With the uncontested highest incarceration rate in the universe for tens of thousands of unbroken years, Lothwiel is also an eternal warning. Its economic deals of importing people—slaves, prisoners, gladiatiors, they make no distinction—turn the moon system into a communal dumping ground for the civilizations bordering it. Trade deals of this gruesome variety are commonplace throughout much of Zalanthium, exporting their worst and most dispensible criminals to be rid of them and save the money on maintaining their own facilities.

Physical

Lothwiel is a decently large gas giant, rotating every fourteen hours, a relatively slow pace for a planet of its mass. Its composition is standard as well, being primarily hydrogen and helium with traces of noble gases like argon and neon. Ammonia clouds form its strong bands, which race around the body of the planet in just slower than a military dozen hours.

Despite its large size, Lothwiel's magnetosphere poses very little threat to spacecraft and people orbiting it. Ancient Larean technologies left in partial ruin post-Andvaris carried out the depletion of the giant's otherwise intense radiation belts

Lothwiel viewed from Etheltide's surface

Moons

Lothwiel arguably takes a backseat to its four major moons, three of which are terrestrial and one of which is a sizeable ice giant. The planet itself is fairly standard for a gas giant, with resources being harvested at a trickle to maintain fuel, power, and occasional fabrication uses. The moons, however, are rich in culture and history never before seen anywhere else.

Geylaira - The Warfront

The Warfront glowers with deep sea-green flora splattered across its sands like blood.

Geylaira is the first moon of Lothwiel, as well as the largest of its terrestrial satellites. Before the intervention of the Lareas Alliance, its large size and close proximity to Lothwiel rendered it a toxic and uninhabitable rock, irradiated beyond compare in its own system. The volcanic debris from Geylaira spiraled outward and bombarded the other moons as well. Remnants of its ancient orbital intervention can be seen in large ring-shaped depressions near the moon's equator.

Currently, Geylaira is a mostly-desertic world, with water imports from the planet Naxhmiel providing the sparse vegetation across the world. The moon has several dozen release points for prisoners, whereupon they are given no protections in their free-range murder. Due to the immensely

Kimaakh - The Boneyard

The tiny Boneyard twinkles with its thousands of active volcanoes and shattered canyons.

Etheltide - The Garden

The Garden smirks, looking upon the sinful warriors who manage to reach its waters.

Mithuran - The Watchtower

Mithuran, Lothwiel's largest and most massive moon, is a small ice giant orbiting significantly further away than the three moons of the Gauntlet. The peoples of Mithuran live within an orbital belt constructed around the moon, seven thousand kilometers in width.

History

Lothwiel's history is one of total failure to self-govern, being thrown around by empire after empire as a plaything, a backwater, a waste or a nuisance of a vassal. It may well be that the powers within Lothwiel can no longer survive without parasitizing other nations.

Founding

Anarchy Under the Swarm

Familiarity Breeds Investment

The Game Surfaces

The Gauntlet

"Filthy criminal, you have failed to live up to the standards of our illustrious society. For burdening our grand civilization with your slovenly ways, you are hereby sentenced to serve your life as a fighter in the Nebula Gauntlet." You had heard these words a million times before, on the daily log of people tried for crimes against the state. The verdict was always the same. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. You didn't show even a sliver of surprise. The second you went into custody was the second your fate was decided. Crawling along the three inner moons, fighting an endless battle for the entertainment of the rich. It wasn't even your fault. You were simply too poor for Lord Ares' aristocracy to bear the sight of you. If you had known that this would be your fate, wouldn't you have done something more worth the punishment? You rattled off the names of the ones you would have killed in your head as the transport ship departs.

You woke up as the ship landed in the fortress of Quickbone. Awful aqua green skies lay the sickening canvas for the blooming clouds to float. You saw a raging arc of light in the sky, near the horizon. A Leyline. The time for observation ended quickly, though. The officer that damned you to this living hell passed a familiar, bloody weapon into your hands. A voltage gun. Clearly used before, very recently. The rusty stains of life encrusting the weapon were just another reminder of the nature of your sentence. The officer spoke, his voice a harsh, gravelly grunt.

"You will be released from Quickbone Fortress at the next dawn. Those of you who die immediately after, try to keep your vile fluids off of the guns. They will be reused, so be courteous to the other disgusting peasant that has to take your place."

You didn't sleep. The rage and anxiety were too much. The most populous moon in the Gauntlet, Geylaira. Called the Warfront for its culture of constant rumbling and bloodshed. Although it had the most infrastructure and the most livable climate of the moons, it was also the one the most people died on. You watch the light of the Warlock creep over the horizon, the signal for you to leave. Even before the officer gave the signal, you ran. Sprinting as fast as you could, gun in hand and absolute hatred for the king of Lothwiel, you made your way towards the Leyline like your life depended on it.

Another body hit the ground. 23 days had passed since your arrival on the Warfront. 23 days spent travelling over vast beige dunes and dark teal steppes and sparse keppel-colored forests. No more did the remorse of killing your fellow commoner tug at your blackened heart. All that remained was the onyx crystal of rage, festering in your core and pulling your fingers back on the trigger. You never bought any new guns or ammo. Nebulite was a fake currency, but participating in any economy was giving that prick Gilt what he wanted. All you did was kill and loot. A new gun came into your possession. Then two more. Buying shit is the easy way out, you thought. Killing was more worth it. You earned it. Each rise of the Warlock's light, the Leyline appeared closer and closer.

You awoke to another day in this living hell. Stuck on the Warfront, you looked up, trying to catch a glimpse of your only salvation, the Garden, Etheltide. However, you were not greeted with its faint mauve light. You instead saw the two symbols of your oppression. Lothwiel, the shackle that lingers eternally in the sky, always in the same place. And next to its rings, you saw Mithuran looming, its city lights spitting in the face of your sentence, laughing at your trials. Your crime was a fabrication by the courts of the rich. And yet, what did it give you? A life to be put on display for a whole nation to see? To have your shame broadcast across the Cosmos as you struggle to survive? To have the brutalities of your days and nights witnessed as a game by the wealthy bastards who put you here? The mere sight of that hovering cyan ball filled you with rage. The Leyline isn't far off, you thought. Just a few more days before you could hopefully face the next Moon's trials. Kimaakh, the Boneyard.

Under the Leyline, you travelled to the intersection with its companion. One of the two Gateways to Kimaakh. Government-supplied shops existed here, making the Gateway seem more like a bustling city than a portal to the most dangerous place around Lothwiel. Oxygen tanks were sold in droves, but buying things wasn't your way. Trailing a weak-looking wretch who had just bought a whole tank and breather set, you decided your prey. What to kill with, what to kill with. Which weapon would leave the least mess on my new tank? You eventually set your mind on the old voltage gun you started with. A simple shot to the back of the head. Little noise, tiny puncture wound and instant brain-frying. The deed was done before you even knew you had reached for your trusty weapon. Picking up your freshly attained life support, you headed towards the Gateway proper, just a few opulent blocks away.

The transport through the Gateway left you nauseated, yet you had no choice but to get up as soon as your body rematerialized on the Boneyard. It was aptly named, a land of desolate grays and jagged calcified rocks formed into shattered mountain ranges and canyons. Even more aptly named, as your first steps on the barren pebble were over the desiccated skeletal corpses of Gauntlet prisoners long gone. The thin blue atmosphere revealed a faint noise. Footsteps. Low air density. Combustion and plasma weaponry is less efficient. Limited options. Evaporator? Evaporator. Pulling the aquatic torture device out of your weapon sack, you loaded it up with more stolen water and let the boiling begin. You notice two sets of steps. The attackers moved in unison to try to cover their tracks. Scavengers? You heard the sound change direction. Two silhouettes appeared over the nearest hill. You fired two shots. One hit the tank of the left fighter, the 500 degree ice pellet exploding into it and letting the near vacuum do the rest. The other pellet hit the right one square in the abdomen, just below where you aimed. The screams of pain from both were muffled by the deathly thin sky between you and the faceless hunters. After a thorough search of their bodies, you find nothing of use but extra batteries for the weakened voltage gun and spare parts to repair your plasmic arc, though it wouldn't even work on Kimaakh. The goal was now apparent: Get to the other side of the moon and get to the Gateway that leads to Etheltide.

Another heavy breath leaked from you. Covered in wounds, barely able to patch yourself up with the scraps you could get from the vultures' corpses, you tried to calm your pounding heart. Each one had used a different weapon, faking their targets to lure you in and then surrounding you. How you made it out was beyond you. Kimaakh was the Boneyard indeed. Your bones would have littered the creviced ground below if you had not gotten as irrational and unpredictable as you did. Instead, the bones of more scavengers would slowly creep out from withering flesh and skin.

You missed the first week, when scavengers worked in groups that surprised you with synergy. You had to work in those days, fighting tooth and nail and knife and bullet to survive. Now, each new set of footsteps was simply the beat to another dance of blades and blood. You had even stopped using guns just to challenge yourself. Using the Boneyard's low gravity and natural silence to your advantage, you had created a whole style of fighting in the air with seemingly useless calcium blades. One cut across the necks of the clearly blind vultures was all it took. Free oxygen for you, quick release for them. The Leyline above was a beacon for the scavengers to take out inexperienced travelers, maybe each other in hard times. But now you had left it a trail of blood and empty bodies. You were an avatar of competence and bloodlust. Kimaakh was barely a challenge to you.

The other Leyline peeked over the horizon just as the Warlock set. You contemplated maybe staying on the Boneyard. Maybe it was only right that you should stay and be a scavenger yourself, after killing so many. Set an example. You could clearly get enough oxygen just by killing. In the end, you decided not to degrade yourself by sinking to the level of those fodder. You took one last night to rest, one last place in this glorious battlefield, before you would take your place in the Garden of champions.

The Gateway spit you out atop a beautiful mountainscape. The sky was a bright lilac, so close to that of Lothwiel itself, but ever so subtly different. The sounds of living creatures and the feeling of actual wind caught you by surprise. It had been months since you could hear this much, feel this strength. The increased gravity made you kneel to its majesty as you took off the heavy tank of air you no longer needed to breathe.

Pale moonstone savannahs and rivers of real, free water awaited you below. Water you didn't need to kill for. Grass the color of the cracked Boneyard's bleached skies. Life abound everywhere, and not another person in sight. Nobody left to kill. No need to kill. You didn't have to kill any more, you didn't need to fight any more. For the first time in what felt like decades, your jaw fell open and you spoke.

"Oh God. I... killed people." People just like you. Just as poor and innocent as you once were. Stacked with unused Nebulite, you could buy out the whole stock of every settlement on Geylaira. You could probably even bargain your way to freedom. But I got it from killing, by doing exactly what that BASTARD king wanted! You realized the weight of all the lives you took. The way your heart twisted into an empty husk, only fillable by blood. You remembered the faces of each and every corpse you made, the bodies you saw as mere treasure bags. Each one had a story, just like you. Each one corrupted in the sick game Gilt Ares crafted with the torment of the destitute.

A tear fell from your left eye. Then another from your right. They flowed faster and faster, until you found yourself quaking, lamenting with screams in this bounteous nacreous paradise. You became a murderer, as vile as they came. You were retroactively worthy of the punishment you were given, earning your spot in the Garden through your sins in a vile twist of irony. Alone in a world with no more chance at redemption, no more repentance for what you had done. Another pawn in the grand game of Ares.

False-economy

The Nebula Gauntlet, being created by the overwhelmingly greed filled Gilt Ares, obviously needed some form of economy to run efficiently. However, Gilt refused to relinquish even a sliver of gold to the writhing vermin in the Gauntlet. They would die within a few years, regardless of the money they had. It was the opposite of real society, where money could protect you from literally any and all stress or hardship. Gilt's advisors came up with a solution, one that would allow for capitalism to take root in the three desolate prison moons and not cost so much as an atom of gold. The fake currency, ethereal and just as transferrable as real money, Nebulite.

Nebulite is a sort of score attached to each convict, implanted as part of a microchip set directly into the brains of each person sent to Geylaira. The symbol used for Nebulite in signs for transactions or generally to get the idea of money across within the Gauntlet is ⛛. Convicts earn Nebulite at a passive rate of 1⛛ per day, at the rise of the High Warlock from their position. While technically farmable if one moves fast enough, this is a much slower way to obtain the Nebulite needed to survive. Killing a fellow convict grants the killer half of their Nebulite, as well as a bonus 10⛛. This measure was to prevent inflation within the Gauntlet from spiraling too quickly. On rare occasions, Gilt causes a bloodbath by reducing everyone back to 0⛛.

Basic commodities such as water and food go for high prices. A single day's worth of supplies is worth 12⛛. While it is technically possible to survive on Geylaira like this by looting dead bodies for any equipment and selling it back to the vendors, a service that is often called Unlooting, the incentive to kill is still ridiculously high.

Most of the things people can buy from the shops on Geylaira are weapons, however. Ranged and melee weapons are both sold in massive quantities, each using different concepts as weapons for greedy Mithuran's entertainment. While the innovation is commendable, the practicality of these weapons is far outclassed beyond the moons of Lothwiel.

Some convicts have purchased camera drones to follow them, allowing their experience to be recorded more closely than typical Gauntlet entertainment. This lets them earn more Nebulite through directly contributing content to the wealthy, but a common problem arises with most. They get too sympathetic for the people, too relatable. When this happens, experienced military operants enter the Nebula Gauntlet as hitmen to snuff out the possibility of the convicts gaining the support of the upper class.

Ranged Weaponry

Voltage Gun - 0⛛

The Voltage Gun, most familiar weapon in the whole Gauntlet

There is only one weapon no prisoner need buy. Upon transportation to the first moon of the Gauntlet, each prisoner is handed a Voltage Gun and two extra cartridges of ammo. The Voltage Gun was originally supposed to be a straightforward lightning gun, but the energy required for that made it an insane idea for a starter weapon. However, the idea and visuals behind it remain similar.

The Voltage Gun needs two types of ammo to function properly. First is a heavily ionized battery. These batteries are contained in such ingenious casing that they degrade at a similar rate to uranium. The battery supplies the energy needed to convert atmospheric gas to plasma. The gas is taken in and compressed through the back.

The second type of ammunition required for the voltage gun to function is cobalt nano-beads. While Lothwiel has to constantly import tons and tons of cobalt from the Order of Cobalt Sorcery, this puts little strain on the overall economy. The cobalt beadlets act as a conducter for the plasma to arc around and latch onto. A railgun mechanism accelerates the bead to ridiculous speeds, spinning it as the new plasma coils around it in what looks like a miniature bolt of lightning.

On Kimaakh, where the atmosphere is so thin that none can breathe, the reloading time for the gas compression is greatly increased.

Afterburner - 400⛛

The Afterburner, cheapest and yet most fuel-costly weapon in the Gauntlet

The Afterburner is often called the ammo guzzler for its extremely costly fuel supply. Filled with a slurry of just about every flammable compound and liquid known to man, the Afterburner sprays burning globules of sticky death to cover and immolate any unarmored foe. The fuel goes for around 2⛛ per liter, which is already a hefty price considering its short range. The globules stop burning after around 45 seconds, given nothing else to spread to.

A more premium fuel source is a form of napalm jelly, which burns hotter and faster than the regular fuel, but is much more costly. The napalm gel globs burn for only around 17 seconds in isolation, but they burn at temperatures of around 6,000 degrees C. Not only that, but the napalm-esque jelly is stickier and can actually function as an adhesive if not ignited. The cost of this premium gel fluctuates from day to day, but is usually between 7-12⛛.

The Afterburner does not work on Kimaakh, due to the lack of oxygen in the atmosphere.

Evaporator - 650⛛

The Evaporator, the gun that weaponizes the liquid of life.

The Evaporator is uniquely easy to get fuel for. While other guns have dedicated ammo and possibly battery charge required, the Evaporator runs almost entirely off of water. Granted, this does mean that the user has to give up some of their most precious resource, the destructive power is immense. While in the boiling tank, the water is superheated to over 300°C. Around 10% of a tank is siphoned into a compression chamber, which applies so much pressure that the vapor becomes a hellishly hot ice pellet. Up to 5 ice pellets can be stored in the ammo chamber, which is both pressurized and superheated, at a time.

The pellets are possibly the deadliest water-based projectile to ever exist. Upon impact, they somewhat shatter, giving them a piercing capability. However, once inside the body, the pellet rapidly sublimates, venting almost 300°C steam at insane pressures through the body. Just one puncture into the torso can cause massive damage to several organs.

This weapon is notoriously useful on Kimaakh. The scarcity of air to radiate heat from the gun allows the pellets to reach even higher temperatures, as well as speeding up the boiling process. The lower gravity and air pressure increase its range dramatically and let the pellets stay hotter and faster for longer.

Neon Flash - 950⛛

Another ammo sink, the Neon Flash is one of the most flamboyant weapons in the Gauntlet. With its sleek and colorful design, it seems straight out of another world. The ammo also helps this appearance. Little pellets of glowing lime-green liquid fill the ammo tank of the Neon Flash. A full reload of the Neon Flash costs around 5⛛, which is relatively cheap for an ammo-based weapon.

The liquid pellets in question are filled with an extremely reactive compound. Upon oxygenation, the liquid immediately and violently explodes in a vibrant chartreuse blast of flame and rubble. This sudden bright explosion is where the gun truly gets its name. Just a few of these popping would be enough to kill a whole room full of people. The range on the Neon Flash was prioritized for this reason. The drawback is that if any sharp metal particle were to get into the ammo chamber of a loaded Neon Flash, a chain explosion that could demolish a building or more would occur.

The Neon Flash somewhat works on Kimaakh. While there is very little oxygen in its thin atmosphere, there is enough that the fluid sparks. This normally doesn't cause much damage to people before they can get the fluid off of them. If it were to hit a Gauntlet runner's oxygen tanks, however...

Plasmic Arc - 1K⛛

A fairly unique type of weapon in the Gauntlet is a bow. Whereas most areas of the Gauntlet are dominated by high-speed and high-accuracy gun combat, a few isolated fighters choose the primitive path of sword and bow. The Plasmic Arc is the most famous of these bow weapons, known for the piercing arrows of light it sends streaking across the sky.

There is only electricity required for the Plasmic Arc to work. Typical batteries one could find anywhere in the Nebula Gauntlet on bodies. No ammunition or arrows are needed. When pulling back the tense wire, the elastic energy is used as a signal to begin the arrow charging process. In the center of the ringnock of the Arc, electricity and magnetic fields ionize the air into a thick plasma. The ringnock's internal mechanisms begin to spin, cycling the plasma into a thin vortexlike spire of light. The rotation forces additional energy into the arrow as its tail reaches almost all the way back to the drawn back string.

When released, the magnetic shock sends the plasma arrow arcing through the sky, spinning fast and dense enough to pierce even the toughest armor sold in the Nebula Gauntlet. To get this maximum power out of the Plasmic Arc's arrows, they must be held stable for a minimum of 7 seconds and allowed to spin to their maximum rate.

On Kimaakh, the Plasmic Arc is pathetic. Arrows take full minutes to even begin forming, and they travel mere tens of meters before dissipating entirely.

Negativity Charger - 100K⛛

The Negativity Charger uses a ridiculous amount of energy. Heavy duty specialized batteries are required for this weapon to function at all. The reason for this is the insane concept behind its destructive potential. Using concentrated electrons to obliterate any foes in the user's path, the Negativity Charger is one of the deadliest weapons in the Nebula Gauntlet.

Though it usually uses atmospheric gas, any inert matter can work as a charge base for the Negativity Charger. The back of the gun uses immense magnetic fields to strip electrons away from their nuclei and channel them to the front. At the business end of the gun there are three magnetic prongs that direct the electrons into a condensed ball. As a charge weapon, it has no set destructive power, but charging for longer than 30 seconds is not advised.

At two and a half seconds' worth of charge, the electron blast is powerful enough to eviscerate an entire Mithuran body. At just 12 seconds, its power is enough to destroy a whole floor of a building. 30 seconds or charge, the advised limit, is enough to reduce an entire building or two to powdered rubble in an instant.

While Kimaakh has a very limited amount of gaseous fuel for the Negativity Charger, a simple mass of powdered rock will do just fine to substitute.

Event Horizon - 875K⛛

Whoever designed the Event Horizon must have been either an idiot or a comedic genius. A concentrated magnetic field and a little bit of cobalt powder is all this infamous design needs to create an actual singularity. A microscopic black hole that lasts for around 15 seconds is created and fired outwards at incredible speeds. The technical wizardry needed to condense matter so much for so little energy is beyond the comprehension of all but the smartest technical engineers of Mithuran.

Strangely enough, there is an alternative use for the weapon. Short-lived wormholes can be created, which last for 7 seconds precisely. While this allows for travel and momentum exploitation beyond normal, it cannot be used to bypass any of the Nebula Gauntlet's containment mechanics. If one were to stand on Geylaira at its closest approach with Kimaakh and fire one end directly up, it would not even breach the outer atmosphere before disappearing.

This is one of the few weapons unaffected by the different moons of the Gauntlet. However, the price is so high that only 8 people have ever obtained it in their lifetime.

Nebula Blaster - 1M⛛

The Nebula Blaster, most famous and powerful weapon in the entire Gauntlet.

The pinnacle and most iconic weapon in the entire Nebula Gauntlet, this draconic cannon is the definitive symbol of power and status on every moon of Lothwiel. As the first and most cared after design of the Nebula Gauntlet's weapon series, the Nebula Blaster is recognized the most out of every weapon. With only 36 users, rumors of its incredible power and beautiful annihilations spread even beyond Lothwiel. Tourists pay good money to see it in action, even in the corner of one of the thousands of camera satellites' fames or in a demonstrative exhibit.

To live up to its name, the Nebula Blaster takes inspiration from the nebulae of Sinister. Using condensed hydrogen and helium gel to do its job, a tank at the back accepts the fuel. It travels along the long barrel through a series of electromagnets that twist and heat up the gel into a thick plasma. By the time it reaches the maw of the cannon, it is a violent superheated cyan ball of crackling energy held in place only by the magnetic fields activated at the front.

Once the charge is full, the eyes of the gun flash deep red and no further fuel is injected into the blue-hot plasma ball. Once released, the roof of the mouth and tongue of the Nebula Blaster activate their hidden railgun-like accelerator fields and release the ball at half the speed of sound. It tears through the air in a flash of light, leaving a whirring noise in its wake.

Upon collision, the plasma shocks the air around it into a temporary vacuum, causing an implosion. The air blooms bright cerulean as it falls into the plasma ball. The shock of contact between the two causes the matter to violently erupt into a prismatic explosion of gas, flame, and sometimes even lightning. While charging each shot takes a full 10 seconds, the range, power, and control of the Nebula Blaster make it easily the undisputed king of weapons in the Nebula Gauntlet. It isn't even affected by Kimaakh's atmospheric differences, only having a slightly less flashy finish to its explosion.

Melee Weaponry

Plasma Edge - 575⛛

While this little knife may seem the least practical and useful of the Nebula Gauntlet's weapons, it is one of the top ranking weapons in terms of kill count. Though it is not very large, the Plasma Edge's advantage comes from its superheated and plasma-coated edge. When active, the air around it will sizzle and whine as it is magnetically and thermally forced to become a plasma. The seemingly short range lures people into a false sense of security, or even just a larger chance to miscalculate if they do know. When swung, the plasma arc around the knife extends and moves forward, seemingly extending the blade's range. The searing cuts it leaves also cause muscle spasms, and with enough skill, the plasma blade extension can be manipulated like a bladed chain. Some wielders have been seen attaching the knife to the end of a chain to use it in an entirely new way.

While it does not work well on Kimaakh with the plasma extension, it is still a very popular weapon for sneak attacks and the generally stealthier scavengers.

Hyperfrigerator - 7K⛛

By far one of the least practical designs in the Gauntlet, the Hyperfrigerator is a large and unwieldy scythe that utilizes liquid nitrogen or helium within the blade to give it a frigid edge. While one would think that the impractical wielding and the fact that all wounds are frozen shut nearly instantly would make the weapon useless, it is actually one of the more popular melee weapons within the Nebula Gauntlet. The threat of frostbite keeps opponents on their toes when fighting a Hyperfrigerator user. Because of its specific shape, it can even be thrown quite far and accurately. The only downside to it is the need for costly frigid fuels.

On Kimaakh, there is little air to draw heat from. In the quiet and thin haze, the Hyperfrigerator reigns supreme as the most threatening melee weapon. The heat stolen by its gelid blade takes so long to return that just one cut is almost certainly fatal.

Shock Gauntlets - 15K⛛

The shortest-range weapon you have access to is your own fists. Your brain is the electrical machinery that sends little lightning into your arms to make them punch. What the Shock Gauntlets do it make that lightning big and external. Sending millions of volts into the opponent on each hit, the Shock Gauntlets are optimal for convicts who were street brawlers in their past life.

While the involuntary muscle jerking and slow lobotomizing of the gauntlets' victims may be enough to put them at an instant disadvantage, this can all be circumvented by simply breaking the gauntlets or cutting off the user's arms. The Shock Gauntlets are very much a skill-based weapon.

With no real reliance on atmosphere, the Shock Gauntlets are unaffected by Kimaakh's environment, though their usage does accelerate the oxygen use rate of the wielder quite a bit.

Annhi Dhriaf

Chromagaia's time moves forward with ours! Today's date is:
Embresday, Serelakkan 3, 1133 LE

The bastards, I'm sure everyone would be better off with them dead. If I could afford to move somewhere on the equator, I damn well would.
—Anonymous Arkansas Resident

The four assorted Annhi Dhriaf races.

Meta Info

Article Creator

Scope

Setting

Author

Designations

Demonym

Annhi

Physical Info

Method of Movement

Ambulation
Levitation

Method of Sight

Eyes

Method of Hearing

Ears

Method of Communication

Vocal

Method of Environment Manipulation

Hands, Aura

Reproduction

Sexual, viviparous

Sexes

Bimodal

Sexual Dynamism

Uncommon, achieved through shapeshifting

Average Height

Varies

5'7 (Fhriarhianni)
5'0 (Bofhianni)
5'6 (Haelrhianni)
5'11 (Sifhianni)

Body Plan

Bipedal

Number of Limbs

Two arms, two legs

Tail (Fhriarhianni & Bofhianni)

Number of Eyes

2

Number of Ears

2

Number of Digits

5

Body Cover

Skin, sparse hair

Possible Body Colorations

Green tones (Fhriarhianni)
Gold tones (Bofhianni)
Scarlet tones (Haelrhianni)
Ice tones (Sifhianni)

Markings

Vary

Possible Eye Colorations

Extremely limited

Durability

Notably high

Notable Features

Aura

Economic Information

Agricultural Value

Magically significant

Population Info

Varieties/Subspecies

Fhriarhianni
Bofhianni
Haelrhianni
Sifhianni

Average Lifespan

~1000 years

Total Population

Unknown

Homeworld

Keppel

Inhabited Worlds

Keppel

Inhabited Regions

Temperate and continental climates

Extinction Risk/Status

Least Concern

Predators

None

Prey

Varies

All other races (Fhriarhianni) (Unconfirmed)

Historical Info

Origin Type

Idyllization

Date of Origin

~57,000 AT

The Annhi Dhriaf are a collection of four of Keppel's best known Idyllfolk races, seasonally encountered in any region of the planet with a consistent yearly cycle. Their presence is near-universally reviled despite the powers they possess and the boons they may yet grant, but their elusive migratory patterns and deep connection to life itself prevent any organized effort to exterminate them.

Origin

The Annhi Dhriaf are among the oldest Idyllfolk races in the world. Their origin dates back to four of five alleged groups of humans vying for power after the First Fall of the Valley of the Gods. While it is unknown how or why each group decided collectively to attune themselves to a respective season, they were eventually successful in attaining great power by the 57,000s AT. Since then, they rapidly spread across the world through their esoteric travel means, spiriting away to the temperate and continental climates that see consistent seasonal variation.

Physiology

The Annhi Dhriaf, like almost all Idyllfolk races, greatly resemble humans physically. The only major differences from humans are the presence of markings, antlers, and the pointed shape of their ears. The Fhriarhianni and Bofhianni in particular also have thin tails.

Spectrology

The spiritual structure of the Annhi Dhriaf races makes them very efficient at regenerating odhir, but gives them a passive "leakage" of it from their entire bodies, further made dangerous by the slight refining effect the "outer" layer of their souls have on exiting odhir. This results in a passive aura of effect, which grows like a cloud of vapor as they linger in an area.

In their attunement efforts, the Annhi Dhriaf have a pseudo-draconic connection to their aligned season and aspect of nature. What field studies have been done show a heightened passive—though rarely utilized—authority over local odhir in their race's "domain". This ability is unlike the fifth race of their alleged extant cohort, whose power remains entirely internal.

Races

The Annhi Dhriaf are, as stated, a set of four closely-matched races instead of a single one. Their variants are based on season, and except in the case of Changelings no two races will ever be seen at the same time in the same location.

Fhriarhianni

The Fhriarhianni are the Annhi Dhriaf race aligned to the spring. They hide away in glades of eternal warmth—unnaturally formed regions around now-dormant Veilglass Gates—during the other three seasons, awaiting their turn to go out and revel in the rebirth of the world. In the north, they are the heralds of the new year. Enrobed in simple but elegant green and white fabrics, they wander from town to town and spread their blessings. Though their gifts are often beneficial, it is well known that the Fhriarhianni must be approached with caution.

Fhriarhianni bring with them an aura of growth and regeneration. Seeds sprout quicker around them, often bringing more productive harvests later in the year, and wounds heal faster. Their ability is very useful for agriculture-heavy city-states, provided the proper precautions are taken.

Friarhianni seem graceful and composed, but attending any of their rites will reveal the truth. They are wild and salacious beings, engaging in bizarre orgy-adjacent rituals regularly. Banquets and piles of flesh happen next to each other around their large boulder arrangements. Attempts to remove these sites that they develop year to year are met with open warfare on their part, which is weighed heavily in their favor.

The cardinal rules of interacting with the Fhriarhianni are to not consume any food or drink they have even the slightest touch in making, as well as to never sexually engage with them. Food they touch gains inebriating properties, and the weak-willed have very little chance escaping their emboldened touch. None who have gone to bed with a Fhriarhianni are seen again. It is unknown if they are taken to their hidden glades, killed, or anything else, but they never return home.

Fhriarhianni are difficult to kill. Their aura of regeneration applies to themselves tenfold, and they appear to take very little issue with pain besides social insult. If one wishes to succeed in hunting a Fhriarhianni, they must be able to kill them in one blow. They are additionally rare to see alone, so ambush tactics can only work so well.

Bofhianni

The Bofhianni are the Annhi Dhriaf of the summer, representing its constant strong heat and its relatively peaceful weather. From the same glades as the Fhriarhianni, they emerge in the summer to wander the wilderness and drink in the scenery. Their silken clothes are a recognizable combination of gold and green, made to vent away heat and keep them mobile.

The Bofhianni have an aura of reinforcement, keeping living beings strong and healthy. Those who spend time around Bofhianni regularly have their lifespans increased substantially. Alchemists and other ambitious mages have attempted to use this for immortality on hundreds of occasions, but come up fruitless past a few extra decades.

Bofhianni are the most welcome race among the Annhi Dhriaf, as they are the most open to equal-peer interaction with other races. It’s not particularly difficult to find them, since they spend much of their time foraging where they wander and indulging in picnic-like gatherings. They have some semblance of an economy, trading mostly woven cloth, sweet alcohol, and preserved fruit products. What they ask for in return is typically in the form of agricultural products like seeds or plant fibers, though a young Bofhianni can often be tempted with a curio instead.

The Bofhianni are lax, genuine, and honest, which makes them seem the least dangerous of the Annhi Dhriaf. However, they are still inhuman and subject to a set of rules. It is ill-advised to drink their alcohol, though not inherently dangerous. However, their absolute rules are to not get drunk with them, as well as to not speak one's own name to them after sunset. Those who drink with the Bofhianni usually find themselves unable to stop, caught in a timeless loop of consumption until they give out and never awaken. Those who reveal their names after dark lose their identities, forgotten by all who knew them. Some have tried this name-erasure to evade the laws of the land or start a new life, but the nature of the deal draws the Rrataradh to the afflicted and leaves them permanently hunted by spirits.

Bofhianni are the least aggressed against, but are also very difficult to slay. Their bodies are resilient and their bones are strong

Haelrhianni

The Annhi Dhriaf of the later seasons are much more oriented around defined rules. The friendlier of these two, the Haelrhianni, represent autumn’s change and uniquely waltz through the nighttime. In the south, they bring the change of year along with them. They come from hidden paths and in-between spaces in the deep woods, and travelers who are thoroughly lost may find one outside their season. Wearing nothing but scarves of red and gold, they indulge in mischief in their travels.

Haelrhianni have a wild aura that inspires change. Crops become ripened for the harvest, trees prepare to shed their leaves, and animals grow hungry and aggressive. They instill in people a heightened sense of emotionality and restlessness. People become more aware of their external surroundings and lose themselves less in their thoughts around Haelrhianni.

The Haelrhianni like to hang around cities and towns at night, and are particularly fond of harvest festivals. They have a dangerously potent sweet tooth, and despite the lack of pockets in their minimal outfits, they always have enough to buy some. Haelrhianni have a deep respect for exchange and fairness, which is crucial to remember when interacting with them.

The Haelrhianni love to play games, likely a product of their culture in the off-seasons, and will often challenge passersby to play one with them. There are no consequences to refusal, but many feel compelled to play along for a chance at the offered prizes. Haelrhianni retain the most human idea of magic and innovation of the Annhi Dhriaf, and so often have available small magical baubles. Many of these are candies infused with magic via witchery-enhanced cooking, though th effects are not always specified. The cardinal rules for interacting with Haelrhianni are the easiest of the four, so long as one does not intend to take advantage of their blessings. The first rule is to not break the rules of their games. This is easy due to the voluntary participation in them, but players would do well to not forget their rules. The second is to not accept any gifts of their for free. A fair trade is required, though the little baubles they offer aren’t usually worth too much.

Those who break their game rules are subjected to a “trick“, a delayed-activation curse that can induce a sudden stroke of bad luck once at any time in the next year. For those who take their gifts for free, the Haelrhianni is entitled to take a “treat“ from the greedy recipient, which can be any one item that person owns. This includes expensive commodities. Fortunately, their games are very rarely cruel or dangerous in nature, and the more well-adjusted among the Haelrhianni don’t offer free gifts often.

Sifhianni

The Sifhianni are the Annhi Dhriaf aligned with the winter, who see the harshest time of the year and the deathly silence of the snow. They are regarded as the most terrifying of the four, and most people avoid drawing their attention or going near them at all. Enrobed in ice-whites and accented with blood red, they herald in the harshest season of the year.

The Sifhianni are the least understood and most loathed of the Annhi Dhriaf. They move in accordance with the whipping winds, blowing through towns in sudden processions with no regard for the local residents' laws, cultures, or presences. Their aura brings things closer to the boundary of death, preserving the dead and hindering the living in equal measure. Their apathetic marches are a fearful sight for anywhere dealing with illness.

Sifhianni can inflict lasting boons or curses on people, though the exact effects and criteria are concealed by a system of values the rest of the world knows nothing about. They have an extremely intricate system of etiquette with no leeway or mercy about it. The only rules the common folk know are the result of thousands of years of trial and bloody, bloody error.

The cardinal rules for the Sifhianni may as well be to not interact with them at all. Breaking their rules of etiquette, which are many and mostly unknown, is to risk death. If they decide something is theirs, they must be allowed to take it. No physical gifts from them are to be accepted under any circumstances. Generally, staying away in locked homes is the correct protocol. It is ill-advised to answer the doors for them, but they will attack if they notice that they are being seen and denied entry.

Sociality

The Annhi Dhriaf are

Thaorel

desert dragon, born and raised in Aklor Baig
born in 1111
sent to Sentinel duty 4 times (last one was meeting Seren

personality

pragmatist, optimist
dislikes conflict, but will engage for sake of personal values
dislikes social formality but loves formal fashion as a concept
very direct
fan of the physical need model of psychology
- kind of a hedonist at times, but usually has very good advice on what people need to get out of bad moods and is good at intuiting how to comfort them
sort of dissociative/avoidant stress response, "go with the flow" rhetoric is a coping mechanism
- becomes accommodating both to comfort people AND when uncomfortable himself, hard to tell which one
Not too big of a fan of big internal transformational changes, believes that external circumstance is the thing holding most people back
- not too huge on self-reflection, will probably break down a bit if pressed on it
Detached realist persona isn't actually that deep, he WILL form huge emotional attachments if spending time with someone for a long while and they don't turn out to be political enemies

Skills

Still actually a decent surfer
big vocabulary, can decipher academic jargon
Knows OF a lot of cuisine and knows a lot of recipes, underwhelming cook at best
can wear balls-out fashion and go about his day without ever getting in a compromising position (impressive!)
good eye for geography

History

Surfed a lot as a child
Former friends with a lot of people from different Starshattered Tribes and even some of the Sea Peoples
- pragmatic model of social relationships made the divisions beyond Aklor Baig seem useless
- i say former because he drifted from them as the Tribe Come First ideas got into the rest of them (another mage caravan panning for azurate illegally)
No real passion or sense of direction career-wise
- not good enough business sense to be a merchant
- not enough patience in any crafting field
- took up academic and research writing cause it was "good enough"
Civil disobedience and political streak began the year before his last Sentinel watch
- Seren showed up at that time and he REALLY didn't want to kill people for political ideas he didn't even believe in