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| Bralona | |
|---|---|
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| Race | |
| Pronunciation | Bra-loan-a |
| Common Nicknames |
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| Languages | Dragon Speech and Common |
| Racial Traits | |
| Distinctions | Curious and invasive scholars without boundaries |
| Maximum Age | Unknown |
| Height | Varies based on Shaping |
| Eye Colors | Any Color, with a faint glow |
The Bralona are an enigmatic Race from a series of islands to the far south-east of the known world, filled with rose-quartz statues of Dragons. The Bralona have had little to no interaction with the wider world for presumably thousands of years, and spent most of their history in a never-ending civil war between subraces, of which the origin is lost to time. Having only recently learned that the rest of the world is filled with sentient Races and mysteries to solve, both the Bralla and Bronn subraces of the Bralona Race ventured forth into the world to meet, explore, and dissect all things unfamiliar to them.
The Story
Isolated on their home island of Justinia, the Bralla (slime-based) and Bronn (robot-based) Bralona have spent the better part of their history in never-ending war with one another. Owing to their immortality, it was an unchanging stalemate that always ended the same way. Though divided, the Bralona have spent most of their history under the rule of the High Command, a military organization formed of the leaders who have been prominent among them since the beginning of their memories. The High Command demanded principles of the Bralona including anti-theism, a hatred of religion and absence of Godly belief, the absence of ethics, and a hatred of Dragons in particular. The Bralona know that the Rose Dragons created them, and also that they slew them under the guidance of the High Command just before the beginning of their memories. While all of these principles are still valid for Bralona who are fresh out of serving High Command, its dissolution and the defeat of the Bralona attempt to occupy Regalia means that Bralona are free to change and grow away from these principles, which are just an informed starting point.
Bralona in Regalia
In the summer of 310 AC, the Bralona subraces unified into the Bralla-Bronn High Command upon discovering the existence of the outside world, and looked to subjugate it. The first place they landed was Regalia, where they fought against the native population for around a month before losing and being pushed back out. Since then, cracks have shown in High Command, as a large rebellion runs rife through their ranks: some Bralona have realized that there is more to living than just science, and turned against their ruthless overlords.
Playing a Bralona
The Bralona have a lot of context, such as the High Command invasion, their hatred of religion and Dragons, and more. However, the point of playing a Bralona is flexibility, the flexibility to make one’s own way in life and design a character who can take up basically any ideology, since they are a blank slate by default. A Bralona player should realistically go window shopping until they find a group that has an ideology they like, and then convert to the associated religion or take on the associated worldview and try to help them going forward.
Rebelling
It is expected that played Bralona will eventually turn against their original High Command principles, as it is hard to keep up such antagonistic beliefs for very long without being corrected on them. A player can continue to be loyal to High Command if they want, but with the understanding that this is something of a dead end, as it is not expected for any Bralona to do so and so new content for High Command progression is not being actively maintained.
Core Identity
The Bralona are ever-curious and on the move to see, feel, taste, hear, observe and experience new things. While other cultures have a level of legal and moral constraint to their scientific pursuits, the Bralona care not for such trivialities, and engage in rampant research and discovery without concerns for the collateral damage. The Bralona are ever amazed at all the things that others have developed, from concepts like burials, births, charity, government, and social norms, to religion, relationships and money. Going from a world where the Bralona just did whatever they felt like and nobody bothered them, to a world where every action they perform has consequences, they can feel very out of place.
Bodily Autonomy
Both the Bralla and Bronn don’t have traditional organs, a nervous system, blood circulation or even a brain. Their soul is the sole part of cohesion, and their body is shaped as whatever they like it at any given time. As well, their bodily composition allows for a great deal of sensory information transfer. A Bralla or Bronn can envelop around an object and understand a great deal about it, which is also the main way of them interacting with things.
Pointless Ethics
Many Bralona work as scientists, and believe that progress and invention are the first priority. They are often willing to watch thousands die if it means inventing a single disease cure, or collapse an entire ecosystem to learn the mystery of predator cross-breeding. Not only this, but they also enjoy research that has no purpose. Hypotheses such as: setting sad people on fire does not make them happier, playing with bricks does not cure alcoholism, and making others homeless is bad for their health, are considered valid study topics among the Bralona. The value is not in the conclusion, but in the journey of research.
Design
Bralona are split into the Bralla and Bronn subraces. The Bralla can best be described as humanoids made out of partially or wholly see-through viscous fluid, almost akin to slime or goo. The Bronn can best be described as humanoids made out of mechanical parts and metal, though it appears they function more like a clump of metal welded together without individual moving parts, than an actual Automata which is powered by gears and moving mechanical parts like Engineers produce. Both subraces are mentally identical, and have similar physical characteristics beyond the obvious fact that one is slime-like, and the other is metal-like. As a result, this section will discuss the Race’s characteristics as a whole.
Mental Characteristics
Bralona are intensely curious and exploratory. They have to experience new things: like the food, drinks, activities, art, and philosophies of the world around them. Always willing to see new places, the Bralona bounce with energy, only truly put off and sad when told off for their excitement, or denied a chance to learn. This curiosity makes them seem harmless, which is far from the truth. The Bralona have lived for millennia without a concept of morality–an idea they are discovering for the first time. While they can obey moral codes to make their lives easier, they are equally capable of committing every kind of tyranny and terror with a smile. Bralona, besides their curious, exploratory and energetic nature, don’t have strictly set personalities. Unlike other Races, their personalities can change from month to month beyond those basic traits, either from outside factors, experiences, or just randomly because they feel like it.
Physical Characteristics
The Bralona defy any sort of categorization with other Races. While the Bralla and Bronn look dissimilar, they are identical, just made with different substances. Bralona don’t have organs: they are made of pure substance (slime or metal), though have a great deal of functional control over their body. While they for example lack a digestive system or circulatory system from which they can become intoxicated, they are able to control their body in such a way that it produces these functions and simulates their features. Bralona (unless they create one) don’t have reproductive systems and don’t reproduce - their Race was created with a finite number of members, each one individually immortal. Bralona have a great deal of control over their bodily functions, they can become see-through, squishy or hard, change orientation of limbs, substance colors and glow. It is important to note that the Bronn never appear mechanical. Their bodies are not made out of pumps and gears, but just clumps of metal or shapes of metal held together by extreme magnetics. As such, they should always have more organic looking shapes with curves and rounds as opposed to hard lines, though contours can be used here and there (see art for reference). Bralla equally look more rounded and soft because their fluid mass doesn’t allow for extreme fine-detail, though in some places where hardened the slime can become more detailed.
Racial Abilities & Specials
Racial Abilities are generally a set of unique powers and effects that all peoples of that Race all innately have, while Specials are more passive, aesthetic focused capabilities. Specials are defined per-page, while Abilities can be searched on the Ability List page to determine their generic function. Bralona have a mix of Abilities and Specials themed around their substance bodies and being able to change it.
Abilities
| Ability Name | Ability Type | Ability Range | Ability Description | Modifiers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perfect Copy | Skill Power | Emote Range | Grants the user Perfect Copy | Bralona Modifier |
| Body Ranged | Skill Power | Self | Grants the user Body Ranged | N/A |
| Subjugation Immune | Passive Power | Self | Grants the user Subjugation Immune | Bralona Modifier |
Free Packs
- The Bralona do not gain any Free Point Buy packs, however a design rule on Point Buy limitations does not apply to them. Any time they are wielding a Firearm, they can use up to two Packs from Ranged Point Buy through the Firearm, with the same applying in reverse: any time they are wielding a normal Ranged weapon, they can use up to two packs from Firearm Point Buy through the Ranged weapon, if they have bought these Packs.
Specials
- Bralona Body: Bralona have no organs. They do not need to breathe, and cannot be temperature or poison. Pressure still has an adverse effect on them.
- Bralona Control: Bralona have natural telekinetic control over fist-sized pieces of slime (if Bralla) or steel (if Bronn), and can aesthetically reshape them.
- Bralona Blank: Bralona are immune to any Abilities or Specials that would read or interfere with their minds/memories, due to their lack of traditional brains.
- Bralona Eyes: Bralona do not have traditional eyes, and can see all around them in perfect 360 vision, meaning they can never be taken by surprise.
- Bralona Mass: The Bralona may modify their bodies into whatever configuration they like, as long as they stay roughly the same size.
- Bralona Immortal: Bralona cannot die. If a Bralona player wants their character to die, a replacement is having them permanently jailed.
- Bralona Magic: Bralona can choose to Spell Point Buy as Primal Magic, but can still be Exist, Void, or Ordial Mages if they would like to be.
Limitations
- Bralona Non-Afflict: Bralona are incapable of being infected with any kind of Ordial, Exist, or Void Affliction or Status or Undeadism. They also cannot be drank/soul drained/life drained from.
- Bralona Non-Affinity: Bralona cannot be any of the Affinities, including Godborn, Marken, or Archon.
Language
The Bralona speak pure Dragon Speech, though mysteriously, also speak perfect Common. Bralona are inherently non-gendered but do have a gendered presentation, 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. Bralona don’t have surnames or even family names: the only times when Bralona adopt additional names, is when multiple Bronn or Bralla join a single Bronn or Bralla as their leader. Then this leader names their group, always with extremely short names with a single l or n, for example: Ral, Ran, Ton, Qal, Pel, Hen, etc.
Example of Bralla names: Ellara, Rallon, Ylleria, Fallara, Delliev, Qallon, Palla, Cuellar, Zemllar, Jalla, Fallun
Example of Bronn names: Gronn, Fanna, Dennvir, Nnala, Ennas, Xeinnia, Wannock, Pennor, Fannial, Qannir.
World View
World View is optional content that helps give Bralona flavor and depth.
- There is a fixed total of 10,000 Bralona who were all created simultaneously, are immortal, and cannot reproduce. Because of this, some refer to their own Race as “The Ten Thousand.”
- Justinia is a very unique place. Lacking natural fauna and flora, all of it created by the synthetic splicing and experimentation of the Bralona, it is covered in lakes of slime, jagged metal perforations, and indestructible rose-quartz statues of Dragons. Bralona players can make up names for its various landmarks freely. Bralona like descriptive words like “Roughhill.”
- Because the Bralona cannot destroy the statues of the Dragons, they use them as bricks and scaffolding for gigantic, vain construction projects. High Command headquarters can best be described as an oversized pink ziggurat.
- The Bralona do not have furniture. They either morph their lower bodies into a form that can rest comfortably, or sit on the ground.
- The portion of High Command which invaded Regalia is called the “Second Army.” Before this, all Bralla-Bronn military units were simply referred to as “Army,” in an attempt to erase the 15-odd divisions which existed in the civil war.
- Though the Bralona warred internally for thousands of years, this war was not active all the time. Eventually, combat became a sport between its participants, as the trenches had been static since before they could remember anyway.
- Bralona know nothing about anything outside of Justinia that they do not learn in-character. They are very hungry for information, details, and beliefs of other cultures, and share notes with their countrymen.
- Bralona love engaging in “Research & Development,” especially the military sort. Property damage is usually involved, but this is a small price to pay for the resolute march of progress.
- Rebel Bralona are prized support combatants because of their ability to sustain the lives and improve the defense of those they fight alongside, as well as their empathy and reliability for their causes.
- The Bralona love Artifacts and collecting them. As maximum efficiency is their passion, artifacts are seen as a way to speed war up and military devices of peerless quality. They rarely care at all about the significance, cultural belonging, and heritage of an artifact, only what applications it is good for.
- Bralona housing has been described as being eerily similar to the standard Alorian warehouse. Large, empty rooms with row lighting, and large series of stock shelves on which to put their latest interests.
- Bralona refer to dying as being “looped,” and take pride in having an unusually low number of deaths over their lengthy history. Most average around the 3000-4000 mark, but there are outliers below 100 and above 10000.
- In an apocalypse, the Bralona are the first people anyone would want on their side. They have the ability to go from being resourceless in a foreign land to having built a home for themselves in record time, and are well acquainted with tools and architecture, while needing no food or water.
- It is thought that the rapid introduction of new concepts to Bralona society will eventually result in the development of their culture, as they consider the beliefs of various peoples around Aloria and decide what is worth adapting to and what should be rejected.
- Bralona often seek to improve any technology they come across, sometimes even breaking into workshops for no other purpose than to mess with the technology within.
- Some Bralla have recently begun using their unique anatomy to create new styles of art, in some cases painting with their own form to achieve shapes that even a master painter would struggle with.
- Due to their less-than-biological composition, it’s easy to make the assumption that Bralona have an emotional capacity akin to a programmed Automaton. However, this is far from the truth.
- Bralona are sometimes seen simply stalking or watching even the most boring and unmoving things. As immortal beings, they have no concept of impatience or lacking time.
- Exposure to Dragon Worshiping elements has led some Bralona to become curious about the nature of their existence and their hidden memories, prompting a desire to know more. It is however difficult, given the apparent death of the Rose Dragons.
- Occasionally, the more brazen Bralona may enact an experiment without care for proper precautions and safety measures. Oftentimes this simply results in the Bralona being looped due to destructive results, but on occasion has resulted in large-scale ecological destruction.
- Mimicry is a hotly debated topic among Bralona. While some are more than willing to appear nearly identical to another Bralona or Bronn, appearing as one in a sea of many cohesive units, some find Mimicry to solely be a tool of mockery.
- Bralona are unable to truly feel pain, naturally leading to some becoming curious on how to achieve such, and if it could bring them any advantage.
- Emotion in Bralona is more often than not suppressed, being set aside in order to prevent interference with more logical thoughts. This still has its limits, with overwhelming events being more than enough to trigger emotional outbursts in individuals.
- Bralona bring impressionistic art forms to the forefront of expression. They know how to make abstract arrangements of color and light convey meaning in a way similar to the Maraya, whose art they have found an appreciation for in the wider world.
- Bralona have an uncanny skill with calligraphy. Though they did not usually write much down before discovering other lands and their writing systems, Bralona have incredible fine motor control and are naturally very handy with a brush.
- Bralona sometimes, when they relax a little too much, let down their humanoid forms. Arms melting and fingers merging together is a sign that a particular Bralona has become incredibly comfortable, wherever they are.
- Bralona poetry consists of relevant statements spoken one after the other, completely deadpan, in front of a crowd. They consider the ability to correctly transmit an exact snapshot of a mental state in as few words as possible an art form.
- Bralona are terrible cooks most of the time, usually because they add far too much spice to everything. Being unable to feel pain, similar to how an Eronidas is unable to get drunk, they load their dishes with an unthinkable amount of pepper in the hopes that maybe it will make their tongues tingle a little.
Trivia
- It's Gup.
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