I just thought of a cool title, and decided to make this so I could use it
I’ll just spontaneously post about Colonian individuals of historical note, cultural aspects, art, etc.
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Character Profile: Zalain
One of Zalain’s rebels
Early Life:
Zalain was born to Empress Zxia and her first male consort, who was killed after completing the fertilization of the Empress’s egg. Zalain would go on to live a relatively normal, if not extremely privileged life until 16, when he stumbled upon his father’s hidden art. This would continue to trouble Zalain, until he had far more pressing matters to worry about
Adult Life:
Upon reaching 25 and maturing, the now-male Zalain left the Royal Family to pursue an uneventful life as a factory worker. He would then find himself drafted into the Queendom Wars, achieving the rank of sergeant and losing several of his eyes.
In the final decades of his life. Zalain found himself working as a laborer on an Avantos farm sector, stripped of his culture and name. Through sheer chance, he stumbled upon an active rebel unit engaging the Avanti Royal Military. His joining of the rebellion offered it the legitimacy, and the figurehead, it needed.
Legacy:
Zalain was instrumental in the destruction of an entire social order, and is seen as a great liberator not just from gender-based rule, but Mandi domination. He was the first in a line of Colonian High Lords. As he was childless, all succeeding rulers are the descendants of his deposed sister.
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Character Profile: Unitary, the Bloody Mandi
A Mandi Worker
Early Life:
Unitary was born nameless, as all Mandi Workers were. Her childhood was the average for that of a mandi, but an undiagnosed mental disorder would boil under the surface, later leading to a snapping.
Adult Life:
The first (and consequentially, some of the last) years of Unitary’s adult life went off without a hitch. Unfortunately, it would not be long before her genetics would turn against her, as the part of her brain responsible for remaining in the hive would become damaged, isolating her and ultimately driving her insane. She began to misinterpret everyone around her as intruders in the Hive, and went about intelligently picking them off in what she thought was a brave defense.
She was ultimately responsible for the murder of 98 Mandi over the course of three years, and was only stopped when another Mandi FreeThinker stumbled upon the case and was able to reason out a potential motive. She was caught and executed soon after.
Legacy:
Unitary, drubbed the first serial killer in Mandibus history, she sparked another mass hysteria against Mandi unable to naturally join the hive. However, unlike the executions that followed the previous ones, the Queens were intrigued by the potential of Mandi FreeThinkers, and authorized a mass exile instead, which would lead to an eventual exile to the stars with the expansion into space. Investment was also made into artificial means to connect Mandi to the hive.
The surprising capability of Unitary shattered the belief that only soldier-class Mandi could function in the military. The mass enrollment of workers would prove to make soldiers almost worthless in regular military opporations
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The Disciple Mask
A Priest of the Order of Kvath
Background
The Disciple Mask is a fairly new addition to the Priest’s ceremonial garb, having come to popularity during the reign of the third High Lord of Colonus, around the time of the war with the Scytherians. Each of the orders have a distinct stylization, but orders following a split Jellie may have subtle elements to emphasize which descendant they serve.
Before the masks, Priests all wore standardized cloaks that obscured their features. High Lord Zalain was recorded saying that “they were a shroud of darkness, with bright eyes glaring at me from under the hood. I have not known many creatures, but I have never seen such eyes as those.”
Cultural Effect:
The Disciple Masks have not seemed to have that great of an Affect on the actions of the Priests, since they attribute their whole purpose in life to the Jellies. However, they’ve had an interested byproduct of heightening the sense of loyalty to their individual Jellie idol, and creating a rivalry of sorts between orders.
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Mandi Crypt Slabs
Background
The Mandi crypt slabs were first observed by the Vanti in 623 BBT by Lord Ghalis during her inspection of a Mandi colony world. Since then, simmilar structures have been found on planets such as Unitus, Mandibis, and even parts of Colonus. Very little is known about them, as the Mandi are very restrictive on who they allow into the crypts.
However, it is widely believed that these murals are the Mandi’s way of recording their history, as they often depict the Mandi as the center of attention. After the Great Dying, a medical officer who found themselves in a Mandi crypt after an earthquake split the ground beneath them came across a shattered stone, and is said to have found bones protruding through the cracks
Cultural Effect:
The Crypt Slabs have allowed for the Mandi to preserve records even in without the presence of a spoken or written language. There is wild speculation as to the extent to which such forms of art are used, but as of now such things remain another secret of the mandi.
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The Ancestor Stone
Background
The Ancestor Stone is an old vanti religious site from before the creation of the Colonus Pact. The stone itself is a pyramid with vanti inscriptions on each of its sides. A small pool of water stretches out from beneath one of the corners, and is believed to have some sort of ceremonial importance.
Cultural Effect:
Although the religious significance of the site has been lost, its importance has only grown with time. The Ancestor Stone has become a site of pilgrimage which all vanti are expected to visit before they die.
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