Tahora Whai: Difference between revisions
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# The title '''''Kaiārahi''''', a term that generally means guide or teacher, is often used in more academic settings to describe a well-respected person who can share knowledge in a particular field or might have the influence to shape the general culture of the Erinaa. These individuals would also be considered to have a lot of Mana.
==Ships and Technology==
Centuries of struggle on the fringes of space with a dying planet have led many Whai to scavenging and salvaging of technology. This practice is most visible in the ships and fleets of the Tahora Whai. Repurposing and retrofitting old vessels for new uses is all too common, with many sector standard hulls looking nigh unrecognizable after a Whai mechanic has done their repairs and ‘improvements’. Not simply bodging disparate parts together, some technicians will incorporate biological components--typically bones and organs collected from Tahora--to augment and enhance a ship’s capabilities. Much like the tattoos of the Whai, no two crew’s ships are alike; the form and function of a Whai vessel will reflect the nature of its occupants. Nevertheless, many of the tools for pirate ships and whalers are similar enough to serve dual purposes in a pinch. The shared utility of harpoons, tethers, signature reduction (aka cloaking) devices, nets, and other munitions make discerning the intent of a Whai ship merely on sight a fraught encounter. Many of these vessels were built, retrofitted, assembled, or simply passed through the dock-yards of [[Dynae#Ulfbert Magnus|Ulfbert Magnus]] over Dynae.
While classically scavengers and raiders, Whai are also have a knack for creating their own gadgets. Famously the [[Tahora Whai#The_Vāk_and_Erinaa|Vāk]] technology, which enables a pseudo-psychic communication link, is a Whai invention. As well, the near-ubiquitous [[Tahora_Whai#Cybernetics_of_the_Tahora_Whai|cybernetics]] of the Whai that have a long history on Dynae and much of the planet’s expertise in the field survived The Final Dissonance. Modern Dynaean and Whai technologies and devices are typically bespoke pieces that are designed and innovated for specific individuals and situations.
Personalization of one's equipment is a universal practice among the Whai. Tells a story about how and by whom the objects were used. Scrimshaw carving, engraving, etching, painting, patterning, texturing, and all manner of craft are utilized to augment and individualize their stuff. A highly decorated, but used and maintained, tool or device is regarded as a prized possession.
==Economy==
Direct barter is the preferred medium of exchange between the Whai. However, in many situations, a transfer of goods both ways is cumbersome or infeasible. In such instances, the Whai turn to social credit in the form of [[Tahora Whai#Mana|Mana]]. It is a phenomenon of the collective’s neural link and serves as a loose measure of prestige or spirit of an individual. Honor and status are exchanged in the transaction in favor of hard currency or discrete recorded credits. Rather, purchases are done on faith where one’s trust among fellow Whai is risked. One’s standing within the Whai and their crew or tribe will reflect their potential purchasing power if they lack a coherent good PR service for barter.
Hoarding assets beyond what is necessary for survival is looked down upon by the Whai. No halls of gold or crystal palaces are found on their stations. Resources are dispersed evenly and pooled together during times of need. The medium of the Tahora Whai's neural link sustains this social equilibrium. Those that excel and are highly regarded among the Whai, like the [[Tahora Whai#Leadership|Kaiārahi]], but not at the expense of others. While good fortunes provide aid to all ships, downturns and disasters affect all. The new age of exploration and expansion has brought great prosperity to the Rangi, though some Whai remain cautious about unfettered and unsustainable investment.
Whai merchants who buy and sell wares with outside groups are the few who will accept foreign currencies. However, these traders prefer direct barter as a more reliable and concrete system that does not rely on the fortunes of foreign factions and their fiat currencies. Goods used solely as intermediate trade resources (gemstones, rare minerals, etc,) are similarly avoided or devalued. The few vendors in the [[Kikorangi o te Tahora Whai|Rangi]] who exchange currencies offer some of the least competitive rates in the sector, not to mention their exorbitant handling fees.
==Oral Tradition==
As a consequence of the Vāk link, written communication is uncommon for Whai. Few ever feel the dread of unread emails or walls of text found in end user license agreements. Written accounts and histories are additionally rare outside of engaging with outsiders. Whai tend to prefer an oral tradition of storytelling and song. Memory for details, pleasing wordplay, and simply a good tune are all cherished. Sometimes performed audibly, these works are most powerful understood through their mutual link. When passing Tahora Whai ships find each other in the deep abyss of the void, recounting tales and signing ballads in this manner creates an instant party for these crews.
This tradition may manifest itself as Poems, Sagas, Ballads, Shanties, Worksongs, and War Chants. Some Whai dedicate themselves to the memory and mastery of this medium to preserve it for future generations, they are sometimes called Bards or Skalds.
Examples of stories include:
*[[The Song of the Beacon]] - a foundational myth of [[Dynae]] that arose after the creation of the Tahora Whai
*[[Enlightenment of Tiki Kiwa]] - an origin myth of the Tahora Whai’s neural link
*[[A Billion Billion Stories]] - a poem attributed to the skald Rishi Brage, depicting the uniting of the planet [[Puluhan]] with the whalers of Dynae
*[[Waiata’s Link Day]]
===Languages===
The Tahora Whai are a metropolitan community that welcomes dedicated and intrepid folk from across the sector. When Whai speak, a diverse range of languages, accents, and modes of communication are present.
===='''Dynaean Pidgin'''====
When the first humans found the gleaming planet of Dynae they found an inhabited world full of various alien species. In an attempt to establish a universal planetary language, the human crews constructed a concise and easily teachable tongue. To do so, a limited selection of phonemes and a concise grammatical structure allowed for easy adoption by some native Dynaeans. As foremost an oral language, some species were unable to replicate even the reduced sounds. Over several centuries of mixed use, Dynaean Pidgin has drifted and evolved. Mostly spoken by the human populations, a significant influence from Maori and other Polynesian languages have expanded the sounds of the language. Several sapient species such as the [[Strigo]] have also added to the phonology of and created several dialects.
===The Bleed===
Bleed users, known as Lenses, and the phenomena of the [[Bleed]] are fairly uncommon among the Tahora Whai. The secrets and arcane rituals of Lenses from Dynae were lost during the [[Dynae#The_Great_Cataclysm|devastation of the planet]]. Use of the Dynaean word for Lenses fell out of practice and was effectively lost. Through [[Tahora Whai#Link Day|the incorporation of new folk into the Whai]], Lenses have joined the Whai. Vāk connections with Bleed users are often muted or muffled out of an overwhelming caution for all parties. As such, there is mild trepidation and overwhelming curiosity regarding the Bleed among non-users.
The improbable events that occur around regular users of the Bleed may be seen as bad luck onboard other starships in the sector. But to the adventurous Whai, Lenses are seen to amplify the inherent mystery of space. Ever the storytellers, Whai crews encourage Lenses on their expeditions because they often make already treacherous missions more eventful and exciting. Although it might heighten the danger, the chance that million to one odds ship maneuvers can work seem to be much more plausible. Strange occurrences, unpredictable oddities, and impossible timings seem to follow these ships. Ballads about these journeys naturally take on an increased cinematic or theatrical flavor.
==People of Tahora Whai==
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The people of Dynae, those that were unable to escape to orbit and beyond, faced the brunt of the devastation, wreaked by the Discordant’s final death-throes. Most turned underground into caves and mines, sealing themselves out from the toxic atmosphere, hoping that the rocks had not shifted overhead. It was in these hovels and homesteads that thousands of Dynaeans managed to weather the decades of storms and survive.
For many other planets, life in the post-apocalypse would have been a cut-throat world and scavenging tribes of rival gangs seeking to latch onto what little power was left to grasp at in the dust. However, two factors provided Dynae its salvation. First, the populace of the planet, using Vāk technology and the song lent heavily into its hard-as-nails roots and worked together propping each other up. Secondly, Dynae’s
The reconstruction process would take several centuries to stabilize. One of the first projects undertaken by the Whai was the expansion of the orbital stations above Dynae and in the Teuthem system. Construction of long-term housing and increased amenities in the station [[Dynae#Tinara|Tinara]], the ''de facto'' capital of Whai space. Multitudes of new Tahora in the sector resulted in a flourishing whaling industry and challenges to intersystem trade.
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==''OOC Faction Truths''==
* ''Ritualistically tattoos themselves to show of their achievements''
* ''Space whalers and pirates''
* ''Have a neural network of Artificial intelligence and cyborgs, both human and alien''
See [[Tahora Whai Faction Turn]]
==Faction Characters==
* Hakina Paraone - Historical, Lead Researcher of Teuthemi Leviathans and co-founder of Tahora Whai communication technology
* Shalini Mageo - The Faction Representative at the [[Telas
* Rishi Brage - Skald of the Whai
* Häl Gillmin - ''“Beacon Times”'' news reporter for Sector West and the Rangi
* Alhaji - A bleed-sensitive archeologist exploring the ruins of
* Beamish - Helmsman of the exploratory vessel over
* Zakk Neuberg - Gravitational Lens aiding in the ruin exploration
===Player Characters===
*[[Ezekiel Blacktallow]]
* Melrakki Whēkau - eccentric shipwright
Return to the [[Main Page]]
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