The Shadaark

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hadrian_27
Space Floater
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2004 11:22 pm
Location: Surrey, British Columbia

The Shadaark

#1 Post by hadrian_27 »

First race contribution. Feel free to critique.

SHADAARK (shed-ARK)
(Humanoid)

Introduction:
This is perhaps one of the least understood races in the known universe. The isolated existence of the Shadaark was undoubtedly a major catalyst to their current (and amazing) mining and production skills. They are an ominous reminder of the Orions' tyranny (or what they were capable of).

Backstory (contains homeworld info):
The origination (and current residence) of this race is the second planet of the ancient Pasic system. In the days of the Orions, they were a prominent and peaceful, spacefaring humanoid civilization who (the Orions realized) would soon be able to challenge them as a perfectionist civilization. In an early attempt to rid themselves of a potential future enemy, the Orions sent armada after armada to exterminate all colonies of this race, an effort ending in a cataclysmic battle to gain control of the Pasic system. All of the former Shadaark were brutally annihilated...or so the Orions thought. Pasic II, the homeworld, had been bombarded to the extent where it was impossible to support surface life without massive technological intervention. The Orions realized this, and few ever ended up colonizing Pasic II. The world was left unwanted. Massive amounts of radiation now pounded the surface from the red giant star nearby, atmosphere was decimated. What remained of the Shadaark lived, unbeknowst to the Orions, in an intricate underground system of tunnels and passages on this world, protected from the solar radiation and the intuition of all known life. Thousands of years passed, and with every thousand the tales of races such as the Shadaark slipped further into mythology. Meanwhile, the Shadaark had steadily evolved to suit their new home, that of darkness and complexity. Farming was nearly impossible, minerals were easy to obtain. Through their many years underground the Shadaark learned the secrets of ore deposits and how to work the rocks, the secrets of efficiency and (as they moved steadily downward through the crust of their dead planet to the core), the great complexities of automated construction and assembly. Somewhere around this time the utter destruction of the Orions took place. The Shadaark, having evolved radpidly, and now being merely an assembly of shadow-beings, had barely remembered the Orions' tyranny through long-passed fables of ancient times. They didn't even have a name for their opressors, a name long faded into memory. Enough time had passed. Propelled by the motive to seek vengeance on whatever race had caused their fate, the Shadaark prepared to move to (although unable to live on planetary surfaces (see special #2)) reveal themselves to the galaxy. Not all races were evil, they reasoned, but at least one was. And even though their "unknown" adversary had since been utterly destroyed in a manner so complete it was as if they never existed, they still unknowingly prepared to expand and conquer whatever race or races opposed them (see special #1).

Social Structure:
Shadaark are driven by revenge. They are structured in a very militaristic manner, an autocracy. An extreme Depotism, their society depends on one "supreme" being to lead their race and decide its fate. The Supreme is given absolute power, and his followers are expected to follow his every order, even into the face of death. The Shadaark do not find this sort of rule harsh, in fact they believe it essential to the survival of their race. Shadaark live to about 200 years of age, however after 127 years of rule the Supreme must select a successor out of the existing population. The successor can be anyone he or she wishes, with only two restrictions: they must be a genetically pure Shadaark, and under 30 years of age (down to the smallest child). The successor is then placed through complicated rituals after which they will emerge as a superior form of their previous self. They then take the Shadaark throne as the new Supreme for another 127 years. It is considered the pinnacle of success in the Shadaark society to become the Supreme. Success is also defined by one's leadership and motivational skill in the heavily industrialized world of the Shadaark. The assassination of the Supreme could lead to collapse of the Shadaark societal structure, and therefore the Supreme is guarded as heavily as is possible.

Physical Description:
Shadaark are humanoid, bipedal, about 12 feet tall on average. It is important to remember that they have grown underground for thousands of years and shun light, which damages their physical structure and flesh. It is believed that a Shadaark will be instantly destroyed in a horrendous physical manner if it reveals itself in light. They have grown accustomed to wearing huge, tattered black cloaks that obscure their every feature. Ominous hoods cover their faces, although their thoughtful eyes gleam in various neutral tones whenever they are seen venturing outside their protective tunnel system. It is said that no one know the true physical identity of the Shadaark - not even the Shadaark themselves. They only see themselves as shadows in the eternal night that is their world.
When visualizing this race, think of the ringwraiths in LOTR or of the Darlok pic in MOO1. Shadaark are a bit more stylized, with more flowing, rippling, tattered pure black robes that obscure everything (even their feet). A possible idea for a diplomacy scene would be a chilling (dimly lit) underground environment with metal pipes and cables sprouting everywhere in the background. The trick would be in making sure the lighting wasn't too dark (so that you could see the Shadaark clearly enough), while not making it too bright (they hate light, remember).

Specials:
(1)AI Effect: Negative diplomacy effects when a player is facing against the Shadaark are x4
(2)Terraforming for Shadaark is considered the streamlining of their efficient underground world.
Ground troops are "Average"

Advantages:
- Capable of living on any environment without penalty (they live underground)
- +10 to population cap on planets (due to subterrenean expansion abilities)
- Mining and Manufacturing are excellent

Disadvantages:
- Very Poor Farming
- Slightly negative starting relations with all other races
- Slow research (other races have been free to discover the universe for a longer time)

So there it is. I'll be glad to clarify anything.

EDIT: Of course, it is possible to say that they have shockingly good ground troops and that they are a "superpower" (like Ithkul of Moo3), however I assumed that many such races would or already have been considered. Either way, I've always considered races that are wildly different than the others to be the most fun to play.

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