#varma

The Society

Society in Urskekia is best described as a recovering theocratic communistic state. While most current urskeks have grown in the collectivist society, many older ones still remember the old nobility.

Though the planet is now ruled by a council of urskeks of great renown, the old noble houses still have seats. The council is hoping the nobility will soon die out.

To replace the old monarchy and totalitarianism, the council has instituted mandatory orgies to produce new urskeks. This method ensures that family lines get mixed and the noble caste's blood purity is lost. This is why most of the noble houses still standing have resorted to more insular methods.

Outside the higher up politics, urskeks' are divided into castes. Though everyone, in theory, has equal treatment, there are distinct lower and middle classes born from the remnants of the old monarchy. This divide goes into the castes as well, with the Religious and Governmental castes being the highest. The vast majority of urskeks are in the Worker caste and are thus middle-class. There is no pariah caste officially, but Expendable Soldiers and Explorers often fill that role. Though everyone can in theory join any caste, the lower class rarely rise above the worker caste.

Though the urskek society prides itself on equality, it is only equal for those of able body. As the urskek ideal is collectivist, there is a strong push for unified looks and behaviours. The Great Crystal shines the same for everyone, so everyone must mirror its perfection. The urskek society practises eugenics as a matter of course, this practice dates to the days of the old monarchs. Being born disabled or becoming disabled are both markers of the Great Crystal's disfavour. There can not be a dissenting chord in the harmony and so many young urskeks are either culled or exiled.

Exile in general has become an alternative to the death penalty. Most exiles are expected to die, but those who survive or even thrive on new planets serve as canaries for society at large. Many formerly untamed worlds have become colonies of the urskeks. If the local aliens prove hostile, the army is sent. Though some noble families boast trained warriors, the bulk of the urskek army is made up of expendable soldiers thrown into the grinder. The modern urskek society considers itself above violence, thus most who fight in the armies are criminals or those with no other option.

As a theocracy, the urskek society reveres the Great Crystal which is the heart of their home planet. The Priest caste is seen as the voice of the Great Crystal and so holds a lot of political power. Many on the council are of the Priest caste. Any deviation from this faith is naturally seen as heresy and punished harshly.

Even though the society is harsh and there are many pitfalls, the vast majority of the urskeks live in relative comfort and keep their heads down.

The Education System

(Ages listed are equivalent to human ages.)

Urskeks spend most of their childhood with their parent(s), before being sent to learn a profession at a guild at age 7-10. Some youths go through entrance exams, while others are sponsored. Those who fail at exams or are seen as unfit for finer work are sent to become explorers or soldiers.

Regardless of the path, most young urskeks have a mentor they learn from. Only those in the designer or sustenance guilds learn from a collection of teachers.

At age 14, most urskeks are considered old enough to go into the workforce. The Priest caste remains acolytes until there is a need for another Priest.

After age 14, an urskek is generally expected to be self-sufficient and learn on their own. Though they are not considered adults until age 20, the graduate urskeks are not barred from most vices or events.

The Twice-Nine

Exiled 1950 trine ago from the capital city, the Twice-Nine are an eclectic bunch of urskeks from all walks of life and ages. What unites them, aside from their division and connection to the planet Thra, is that these exiles have formed a close-knit family with each other.

Twice-Nine in reverse order of age (given in human years);

YiYa (age of exile: 71)- YiYa was a high-ranking member of the council who was rumoured to be of old noble blood, though no house claimed him. YiYa was thoroughly corrupt and obsessed with his lineage. He was exiled when his crimes were brought to the public by SilSol.

GraGoh (age of exile:57)- A renowned explorer who grew jaded with the constant expansion of the urskeks. Never feeling part of the society, he took part in the resistance movement started by SoSu. GraGoh was exiled with his apprentices for the crime of heresy.

UngIm: (age of exile: 53)- A jaded field medic tired of the eternal war and wounds, UngIm joined GraGoh in heresy. He and his apprentice VarMa were exiled for this.

NaNol (age of exile: 41)- Already a sketchy figure as a sanitation worker, NaNol's poor impulse control caused him to 'accidentally' murder a friend. Seeing the signs of a serial killer, NaNol was promptly exiled.

ShodYod (age of exile:32)- A mild-mannered math teacher who ended up in a money-laundering racket. Mostly to feed his family. This was enough for an exile.

SaSan (age of exile; 20-ish)- One of GraGoh's apprentices, specializing in water planets. SaSan has deemed an acceptable loss due to her rebellious nature.

MalVa (age of exile:19)- the other apprentice of GraGoh, MalVa was deemed a lost cause due to his love of nature and feral behaviour.

ZokZah (age of exile:18)- A lower-class born acolyte, ZokZah was the second-in-command of SoSu's little resistance. Generally a sardonic and rebellious youth, ZokZah clawed his way up to the Priest caste by sheer determination. Harbouring a deep dislike of the noble class, ZokZha still stayed loyal to the highborn SoSu.

SoSu (age of exile:17)- A highborn child of an old noble house, SoSu's life was predetermined for him. That is until he and ZokZha butted heads and earned each other's respect. Being essentially a nothing to his parents and house, SoSu started espousing a philosophy of personal freedom. This led to his exile as a heretic.

LiLii (age of exile: 15)- One of YiYa's offspring, LiLii earned his exile by insulting one of the councillors to their face. During a mass.

SilSol (age of exile: 14-ish)- A war orphan who grew up in a 'naturalistic' orphanage outside the capital, SilSol was a gifted performer that took part in many religious masses as the head composer. An unfortunate encounter with YiYa and his public exposing of the councillor led SilSol to exile to quiet him.

EktUtt (age of exile: 14)- EktUtt was sent early to a prestigious school for designers and tailors. Though he was gifted in practical arts, he lacked a strong magic ability. Thus his education took much longer, long enough that EktUtt saw his more magical fellows burn out before graduating. EktUtt started to tutor these classmates in practical arts and was caught. For daring to think better than his teachers, EktUtt was exiled.

AyukAmaj (age of exile:14)- A rather average sustenance worker, AyukAmaj was exiled when he fed the poor more than their allotted amount.

VarMa (age of exile:13)- VarMa was seen as a dumb but strong idiot long before his exile. Thus he was tasked with helping UngIm on the field. He was exiled along with UngIm.

HakHom (age of exile: 13)- A young potential lawyer, HakHom was seen as too iconoclastic and rebellious to serve her role. Her interest in SoSu's resistance did not help. Grew up in the same orphanage as SilSol.

OkAc (age of exile:12)- OkAc was not only born a runt but also with a severely flawed vision. His parent tried to hide him, but he was eventually found out and exiled due to his disability.

TekTih (age of exile: 12)- Born a runt and after failing to put up muscle, was exiled for his disability.