Species/Naramadi

Overview

The Naramadi (Plural of Naramad) are a species of bipedal, furred mammalians originating from the Verkihar Major system. They share a border with the Unathi, granting both of the species a history of war. Naramadi Ascendancy's location also brings forth a constant danger of Hivebot Fleets attacks, leaving the Empire in a state of constant Defense.

Biology

Physicality

To the average human, a Naramad looks similar to a shark that's been covered in fur. However, the similarities end where they start: their heads. Naramadi heads are the most recognizable part of their biology, being anvil shaped, with an elongated snout and pointy ears. Fur that covers their bodies is much shorter, yet denser, than other furred races, being described as "nearly like hair". The only areas not covered in fur are, as in other races, palms of their hands, which are entirely furless, various orifices and the area around their eyes.

Naramadi biology is also filled with certain things that are considered strange by other races. Their hands and feet only have four fingers and toes, which are similar to fingers of rodents. Their chests have a noticeable bump around their sternum, usually with a tuft of hair on it, with said bump being a bone protecting their sternum. Their legs are digitigrade, which allows them to move faster than an average human.

In terms of strengths, the Naramadi are more agile than other races, traditionally using their agility to hunt and navigate the rough terrain of their homeworld. Their metabolism is, as well, faster than most other races, with an average Naramad requiring around 3,700kcal per day to function properly. Naramadi are omnivores, being capable of eating both meat and plant matter, however their diet favors meat over plants.

Female and Male Naramadi are nearly identical in appearance, with the only exceptions being height and reproductive organs. Females are on average around 6'2" tall, with males being on average as 6'5" tall. In comparison to other races, females do not posses mammalian glands, with their young being born with teeth. Traditionally, newborns were fed a slurry of meat and plant matter, but in current day a nutritious slurry, similar to that used in emergency food rations, is used.

Naramadi mature faster than Humans, with a month old Naramad being comparable to a one year old Human in terms of biological development, which comes with a higher demand for nutrition. Their aging slows down noticeably after a year, with their metabolism slowing down to what is considered standard for their species. Average lifespan for a Naramad ranges from 100 to 120 years.

Mentality

Because of the events of recent years, most Naramadi put a focus on, quote on quote, 'pulling their own weight in the Ascendancy'. Each and every Naramad worked to bring the Ascendancy back from a ruined state to what they remembered, and succeeded in doing so through hard labour. That hard-working behavior stays with the Naramadi even after the reconstruction was finished in most regions, seeing those that feed on the work of others as liabilities worth only exiling.

History

The Unification Wars

Despite current state of affairs in the Ascendancy, the Naramadi homeworld was once split into multiple Ethnicities. The Highlanders occupied the mineral rich mountains, building massive, yet primitive, industrial complexes, while the Lowlanders occupied soil that was perfect for crop growth. The Lowlanders can be considered the origins of many traditions currently held by the Naramadi, including the Verkihar Glaives and it's attached combat styles. Despite the two trading, they were forbidden to mingle between each other, often coming to skirmishes over territory and newly discovered mineral deposits. In those times, many Naramadi were exiled from the Highlander and Lowlander Tribes creating a new, So-called Midlander, tribe. The Midlanders saw the prosperity of Unified Naramadi people, and went on to convince other tribes to join their cause. The Lowlanders joined peacefully, while the Highlanders, wanting to sieze power for their Queen, whose name was lost to time, attempted to conquer the newly formed Naramadi Houses by force. Precise records about the so-called Unification Wars are varied, though what is certain is that the Highlander Queen was killed, and her body paraded through various Highlander tribes as a show of force. After that, much of the current culture was created, including the separation of Naramadi people into Houses, Nameless and Exiles.

The Hegemony Aggression and Hivebot attacks

Many years after the Naramadi became a space faring race, first contact with Unathi was established. Both races had a strained relationship, with the Ascendancy being wary towards their new neighbours, and the Unathi being aggressive in their negotiations. Shortly after discovering that the Naramadi sit on a rich deposit of minerals war was declared on the Ascendancy. Unathi, being more prepared for it, attacked the Naramadi in force, however they were not prepared for what they faced. Naramadi refused to face Unathi in open combat, a thing they were well acquainted with, and instead operated on Guerilla tactics, preferring to strike the Unathi where they were not expecting it, disrupting their supply lines, and attacking their own colonies when the Verkihar system was being raided. Both of the races were negating themselves in combat. One could not defeat another, and both were fighting a war of attrition. During one of the prolonged battles, both of the Empires were attacked by a major Hivebot fleet, and a truce was called. Unathi and Naramadi worked together to push back the attacking fleets, in turn building respect for one another. Pushing back the Hivebot fleets resulted in heavy damage to the Ascendancy and the Hegemony, and the respect both races held for each other called for the truce to be held, and a trade agreement settled for the duration of the repairs.

Orion Occupation

"Oversight, this is Optima. Package Secured, Package Carrier neutralised for slowing the team down. Find a replacement. Extraction in ten minutes." - Knight-Captain of Verkihar Knights during the "Khaanar Prime" incident.

Twenty years after the Hivebot fleet, in the midst of the Ascendancy reparations', the Orion Federation made first contact with the Naramadi. Seeing them in a weakened state, many Orion representatives came to the Verkihar system to attempt to offer aid, which was refused multiple times. The representatives, however, did not relent, growing angrier with every attempt. Most of the Ascendancy vessels were under repairs, and the shipyard around their world was in full use, with only a token force of vessels remaining as a defense for their homeworld. That caused the Orion Representatives to call for a forceful annexation of the Ascendancy, using the Third Fleet to occupy the region and try to convince the Naramadi to join, or to forcefully establish a puppet government. Many of the Orion ships started utilizing Naramadi shipyards as drydocks, and military forces forcefully inserted themselves as police forces on many colonies. With the Naramadi being overwhelmed, as their military forces were not prepared to fight another war so soon, the Ruling House at the time fled to Moghes to petition for an Alliance. As their final order, the Ascendancy was put into a state of Rebellion, with nearly all the houses fighting against the Orion oppressors, and Exiles, who were promised better treatment under Orion rule, fighting against their own race. After a few years, the ruling house returned with a major Unathi warfleet to liberate their lands, and to officially create the Moghes Hegemony, an Alliance between Unathi, Zaddat and the Naramadi. Eventually, after the combined tactics of the Unathi and Naramadi proved too much for the Orion Federation, the attackers were pushed back and forced to sign a peace treaty, recognizing the Freedom of the Hegemony.

Now

The Naramadi Ascendancy is mainly self-governed, with the Hegemony establishing laws and rules that they have to enforce, though without saying how to enforce them.

Current Racial Status/Government: The Ascendancy is currently ruled by House Hakaar, with other Houses being able to influence how the empire is governed during a Landsmeet, which is held every three months. Every House can elect representatives, however every house can have one vote. Nameless Naramadi cannot influence the way the Ascendancy is governed, however, they can influence their local colony, by petitioning their Governor or their advisors.

Culture

Naramadi Social Classes The Naramadi are split into three social groups, the Houses, Nameless and the Exiles.

The Houses are the ruling class of the Ascendancy. Every house is lead by a Patriarch or a Matriarch, with a group of Naramadi of the opposite gender being elected as the house Matriarchs/Patriarchs which aid parents in raising children. Children born into a House are raised semi-communally, with the biological parents taking charge, and Matriarchs/Patriarchs being treated like Uncles or Aunts of the newborn. Each House did something notable in the past, be it in combat, craftsmanship or research. Despite what it may seem, members of a House are required to continue working in the field they chose, and to improve their skill in it.

Each Naramadi house may also take on new members, and the Nameless are the most common to join a house. There are only two ways of joining a house: Rule of the Trial and the Rule of Marriage. Rule of the Trial requires a petitioner to overcome some sort of challenge put onto them by the House Elders, during which the carry the "nan House Name" suffix. If they succeed, they are welcomed into the house, and become the ruling class. If they fail, they are seen as someone better in the eyes of other Nameless, usually being given higher ranking positions. Rule of Marriage, however, is the simplest, and self explanatory, way of joining a House. However, if two Naramadi from different houses wish to marry, both of the houses must agree on which Naramad goes into which House. The moment the agreement is met, one of the Naramadi changes their House name to the House they are joining, and they stay in that House until they die or are exiled, even if they divorce.

The Nameless are what most Naramadi are considered. They do not have the privilege of being born into a House, though they still enjoy the same rights as House aligned Naramadi, apart from being able to influence the direction of their Empire. Every Nameless Naramadi is able to join a house, through rules explained before.

The Exiles are a group of Naramadi that were, for some reason, removed from the social structure. They have no rights or privelages, and most of them turn to life of crime. To be Exiled, is to be forever removed from the Ascendancy. Despite that, Exile does not move onto any offspring they might have, with a Child of an Exile being usually taken away by the Ascendancy to be raised as an Orphan and a Nameless.

Language: Sagaru is the main language of the Ascendancy, with many being taught Sinta'Unathi as a secondary language.

Naming Conventions: Naramadi names are composed of a Personnal, Family and House name if applicable. Some Naramadi also utilize a nan House Name suffix when undergoing trials to join a house. If a Family started a house, only family name is utilized, but the Naramad is required to introduce themselves as being of House Something in official meetings.

Relations

Naramadi, in comparison to other races, are on seemingly friendly terms with the Unathi, with Unathi being easily welcomed into Naramadi houses, should they desire it.

However, in terms of their relation with Races that are related to the Orion Federation, they aren't on speaking terms. Orion Federation vessels attempting to go through Ascendancy space, even if just trade vessels, are required to go around the Ascendancy, or wait in temporary holding as background checks are ran on the crew, to ensure the safety of the Ascendancy.

Teshari and Akula, on the other hand, are commonly welcomed into the Ascendancy and most of them are on official working relations with the Naramadi.

Technology (As understood by Nanotrasen)

Verkihar Glaives

While the original design stems to the Unification Wars, in the current day the Glaives are a mixture of a double-bladed sword and a laser rifle. While not used by the Ascendancy Military, most Houses utilise them in a ceremonial way. The complicated combat styles utilised by the Naramadi while fighting with the Glaive are nearly impossible to replicate by other races, as they are designed to be used by someone with a hightened agility. The laser inbuilt into the glaive is comparable to a standard laser rifle utilised by the Orion Federation Armed Forces.

Independent Factions

The Knights of Verkihar

The Knights of Verkihar are a group of Naramadi trained in close quarters combat that are sent to function as Honour Guard for the Moghes Hegemony. Each one of the Knights has a personalised armour and Glaive they use to protect the Hegemony leader, and in times of need, Representatives that leave for Diplomatic missions. The Group itself is led by the Knight-Advisor, who functions as the military representative of the Ascendancy in the Hegemony.

Voice of the Houses

Despite what it may seem, most of the Houses cannot agree on simple matters, and so the Voice of the Houses was established. They are a group of Naramadi Representatives sent to the Hegemony to function as Diplomats. The leader, referred to as the Voice, does not report to the Ruling House nor the Landsmeet. They are given a set of rules to follow when directing cross-species Diplomacy, and when establishing enclaves within and without Ascendancy space.

OOC Notes

Etiquette Guide for Naramadi

Despite what I wrote up there, not everyone cooperates well, you know how it is. Just because you are part of a House doesn't mean you are royalty. You have to work either way, so some of the House aligned Naramadi have a no bullshit mindset, some are more open to dropping the system and establishing democracy, et cetera. What is important is that you hold tradition of your house dear, and if you are a Nameless - Tradition of your Family dear. Don't let anyone tarnish it, and don't let anyone take it away from you.

---

Author: Lord Papalus

Galactic Species
Common Species	Humans, Synthetics, Skrell, Tajara, Teshari, Unathi
Uncommon Species	Akula, Alraune, Auril, Dremachir, Naramadi, Zaddat, Dnin-Nepids
Whitelisted Species	Adherent, Dionea, Phoronids, Proteans, Shadekin, Vox, Xenochimera, Xenohybrids
Misc Species & Data	Minor Races, Scori, Changelings