Bralona: Difference between revisions

|languages = Brix, Common

Bralona are an isolated and deeply Alien and misunderstood Race, owing to their inorganic nature and relative absence in recorded history. While they are often confused for Automata, or Spirits and Demons, due to their metallic or slime body types, they are fully sentient people. They are most notable for their incredible physical durability, and, while small in numbers, have spread throughout the world since they were freed from their isolated lives in Justinia (called Justinia by Regalian explorers, but Basalon in the Bralona Language). The Bralona were made by the Dragon [[Draconism|Marik]], but much of their history is lost and forgotten, due to widespread amnesia in the elder Bralona population. They have no formal society, as there are so few of them, and they nearly all left their homeland of Basalon to explore and catch up on a world that has lived without them for thousands of years.

Bralona are separated into three sub-groups, determined by their “family” history and physical makeup. These are Bralla, Bronn, and Brakin. There are a relatively equal number of Bralla and Bronn in the world, but very few Brakin, as they are the result of a Bralona ‘fusing’ with another non-Bralona person. It is important to note that up until the Bralona were taught bigotry by Ailor and Elves around 300 AC, the Bralona made functionally no distinction between Bralla and Bronn, and lived together without making negative note of these differences for hundreds of years. The Bralona are in fact not even sure why they were created with two such dissonant designs.

* Bralona cannot become Afflicted, except Spirits, nor can they become any Affinity. They cannot be fed on by Vampires/Geist either.

* Bralona do not need to breathe, eat, drink, or sleep. They cannot be poisoned, nor can they become ill, but they can be affected by Magic Diseases.

* Bralona are unaffected by extreme temperatures, but can be affected by high pressure, so space or deep sea exploration is a no-go.

* Bralona, when killed, turn into an orb-shaped mass or a small cube. This costs 1 Divinium to summon a Dragon and revive them.  

* Bralona can choose Leytech as their Technology Branch, even if they are not a Draconism Worshipper.  

Compared to other cultures and civilizations, Bralona have only ‘appeared’ relatively recently in history, but this is not because they have only existed for a short period of time, but rather because the Bralona lived the vast majority of their lives in isolation from the outside world. Scholars and Bralona now somewhat understand the connection between themselves and the Dragon Marik, believing with the small amount of clues they have that they were used as soldiers in the Draconic War with the Sariyd, but the exact context of why and how is totally lost; all Sariyd are dead, their records mostly buried, and no Bralona remembers as their memories were erased. Whatever lives they lived during that time is totally forgotten, as recent Bralona History begins at exactly 192 BC, a time called the “Forced Reset.” First Generation Bralona remember this as a moment where all the living Bralona were standing in a massive field in Basalon, with large Draconic Ley-Stone constructs, buildings, and cores around them. They were faced with the Dragon Regulus, who they all generally understood was the cause of their amnesia. Regulus at the time refused to answer any of their questions, and made vague allusions to “living until it is time,” before flying away and sealing them in Basalon in an impenetrable shield. The period following this involved much confusion, sadness, and collective trauma for the Bralona, who had to go about remembering how they lived their lives, and why they were even there, and in some cases, why some of them weren’t as the Sariyd war, as far as they recall, had no casualties. The Bralona generally remembered their names and relationships with other Bralona, but these were very scarce, and they had no concept of society, jobs, or even things like recreation. Under the guidance of the Ley-Cores (automated Dragon Machines that inhabit Dragon Sites), the Bralona slowly began to occupy and entertain themselves, settling into Basalon after the shock faded. While there was sadness and trauma from loss of recollection, it is too simple to assume that there was not also happiness and optimism.  

The Bralona almost exclusively speak Common and their language developed on Basalon, Brix,  or whatever other language they learned depending on where they lived. Brix is a  It is understood that at one point, Bralona spoke Dragon Speech, but this knowledge was lost to them with the rest of their memories. Bralona are inherently non-gendered, and as such all Bralona names can be used interchangeably. Bronn names must always include two n’s, while Bralla names must always include two l’s, both following each other. Brakin have no naming conventions, and often just choose new names for themselves.  Bralona don’t usually have surnames or even family names. Examples of Bralla names include: Ellara, Delliev, Qallon, Palla, Zelmaar, or Fallun. Examples of Bronn names include: Fanna, Ennas, Xeinnia, Pennor, Nnala, or Qannir.  

*'''Draconism Worshippers / Archon:''' This point of conflict is only for the specific Bralona, usually First Generation Bralona, who feel as though (rightfully) that their lives and memories were taken away by the Dragons for completely unknown reasons. They hold the Dragons accountable for their Amnesia, and challenge Draconism worshippers on why their Gods were so controlling of the Bralona’s lives and kept them away from the world intentionally. It is often the case that Bralona do not entirely fault the worshippers and Archon themselves, as they may be equally unaware of the machinations of the Dragons.

The Bralona “Invasion” has been referenced multiple times on this page, and always with quotation marks around the word invasion, because the historical event colloquially referred to as the “Bralona Invasion of Regalia” is steeped in controversy and misunderstanding. This event alone perfectly encapsulates the difficult and alien-ness of Bralona understanding in the world, and how deeply things can go wrong without the necessary information to judge. The Regalian Isle had frequently in the past been invaded and occupied by outside forces, usually magical ones, and with varying degrees of severity and danger. The Bralona “Invasion” is, by educated scholars, not really considered an invasion of notable scale at all, though to dismiss damage done to Regalia’s psyche and population would dismiss the real harm it did. The Bralona did not cause perhaps as many casualties as the Songaskian Wars in the city, but many of them still inflicted intentional and unintentional harm on the locals. From the onset in 310 AC they appeared in large numbers and aggressively demanded to know where Regulus was, poorly mimicking the Regalian Adventurers they had met in Basalon. A small number of Bralona (who named themselves “High Command”) decided to assist the Regalian Adventurers in hi-jacking and using the last remaining Ley-Tech in Basalon to teleport a large portion of the Bralona population to Regalia, even those who were not in line with their more aggressive intentions towards Regulus. Because the Bralona are so hardy, and because none of the Soldiers or Imperial Guards in Regalia had ever seen them before, it was extremely difficult to fight them at first, meaning the city was completely caught off guard and overwhelmed. While the bralona did not come with the intention to kill, they did not understand sovereignty, law, and self-defense, and Regalia’s first response was to try and hurt them, so they hurt Regalia back. Upon reaching the Imperial Chamber, the Bralona were faced with the figure that all Regalians had spoken of with extreme importance, reverence, and awe: the Emperor. The Bralona were entirely interested in Regulus, however, and when their demands were not met, they acted drastically, (mostly goaded on by the terrified couriers speculating as to what they’d do) and attacked the Emperor with intent to kill. For the Bralona, this action was not taken strictly with malice on all of their behalf, just desperation and the consequences of hundreds of years of  isolation, but also it is important to note that they had no understanding of the gravity of their actions, as they did not understand hierarchy, religion, or deferential authority and diplomatic immunity. The Emperor and the Palace denied them the one thing they wanted: Regulus, and they lashed out for it. For Regalia, though, this action turned immediately from a potentially horrible tragedy into a “boon:” the Emperor was revealed to be a Slizzar imposter. In the chaos and confusion, the Bralona dispersed into the City and sought out Draconic Tech, seeking answers in the Central Junction. Along the way they engaged in destruction of property, attacks on Temples (mistaking many of them for being Dragon Temples), and imprisoning and even torture of Regalians and their own. It is important to harken back to the fact that High Command even brought in Bralona who did not agree with their sentiment, assuming that eventually they would go along just as they had to end the Civil War. Some of these Bralona actively sided with the Regalians, and became hostile towards the High Command, while some went into hiding in the countryside and were accused of keeping secrets to themselves. Discovering that Regulus had long since died and that the current incarnation was basically an entirely different person, the Bralona took a huge hit to their morale, and more importantly, faith in High Command. Even worse, the conflict, though short lived, was devastating for the Bralona, as the actions taken and suffered through this conflict were but a taste of the concept of warfare. Many Bralona, even High Command supporters, started actively questioning if knowing the past was a blessing or a curse, and if this was a mere flash of the experiences they had endured during the war, whether having all those memories would truly make them better off. From this point, the Bralona “Invasion” petered out, as “High Command" was eventually killed off, and the remaining Bralona mostly stopped fighting, while those that sided with Regalia campaigned hard for the remainders to be forgiven, and to help Regalia understand that this was all a terrible misunderstanding. For the Regalian Crown and State, the missing Emperor was far more important than the Bralona in the City, and with advisory from the Hadarian Embassy, the Bralona were partially pardoned for the “Invasion”. This mostly fostered a close connection between the Bralona and the Allar, who took up the task of convincing the Ailor that this Race was an unknown caught in a (to them) alien world, and that they were in fact a potentially useful ally if endeared to the Empire, owing to their extreme durability in battle. Also, if it weren’t for the Bralona, the Crown may have never discovered that the Emperor was missing, and this fact alone meant that City Authorities wanted to immediately wash their hands of the Bralona and focus on that more pressing matter. For many Regalians, however, the sudden appearance of the Bralona and the story of their “Invasion” took on a life of its own, creating wildly embellished tales of the Bralona as an alien and highly advanced invasion force with nefarious purposes. The Bralona still face prejudice in Regalia because of this, and especially xenophobic Regalians act with extreme hostility towards them, as many of them try to reinforce their good natured intentions, or apologize and make amends for their crimes.

==World view==

*Bralona have a somewhat complicated relationship with Songaskians and Qadir, who they have recently learned are very closely tied to their creator, the Dragon Marik. The Bralona harbor some hurt that Marik abandoned them, and kept them locked away, but most cannot really fault either of them for this, and even find some kinship with the Qadir who similarly have trauma at being “used” by the Dragons. However, some Qadir who understand the Bralona’s role in the Sariyd war may hold it against them, while others understand the Bralona were not really acting of their own free will but on orders of the Dragons as a freshly made people.  

*Bralona make fast friends with Maraya and Allar, and are most commonly integrated into their families and groups. The Allar are the most accepting of the Bralona, due to the extensive research in Hadar, and their efforts to help Bralona integrate into Regalia. Many Maraya, meanwhile, feel that Bralona are kindred spirits of sorts, as both were kept locked away from the world by the Dragons.  

*Most Bralona have very little knowledge of Magic, or its effects on the world. Basalon was entirely shielded from the Cataclysm, and was devoid of Magic. Bralona themselves are shielded from some of the more dangerous types of magics, and cannot really be infected or mutated. They tend to form their own opinions, usually deferring to what those around them think.

*Basalon is a place mired by many horrible memories for the Bralona, so many often do not return to it. Geographically, it is moderately mountainous, with an artificially flat area in the center where the Bralona lived. The Bralona’s “home city” had no formal name, and was made entirely of Ley-Tech and Stone. The City was a number of homes, warehouses, and buildings all surrounding a large empty yard where the Bralona often gathered, which housed the main Ley-Tech consoles in the absolute center of it. Architecturally, Basalon was very simple, with square houses with no roofing or doors, and some windows. The Bralona did not really need protection from the elements, and the climate in Basalon was artificial, and thus very mild. Basalon had no native wildlife, but did have a number of animal creatures made of inorganic materials by Marik, and very minimal flora. The most notable structure, outside the main “courtyard,” was a shrine built by the Bralona overlooking their city. This shrine was built shortly after Regulus’ departure, in his image, and used to pray for his return and their freedom. Eventually, it led to resentment in many Bralona over their perceived abandonment by the Gods. When the Bralona departed Basalon, this “Shrine Atop the Mountain” was wholly abandoned, and partially destroyed, appearing only as four prongs of rocky pillars jutting upwards.  

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