Before its conversion to a democracy along with the rest of the Confederacy, Ossetia was ruled by eight noble houses, who would vote on which among them would become the next Archduke of Ossetia. Over time, three new houses sprang up, and one split in two. These houses still exist, but the power they hold now is purely ceremonial. Each house has its own official color, status (as either an Original House, Legacy House, or New House) surnames, and succession preference (male or female, indicating which gender is selected by default to succeed the current Head should they die unexpectedly) and Noble Head.
Status: Original. Official representatives of Berzegette
Surnames: Orodrick, Orodrices, Sheorodrick
Sucession Preference: Male
Head: Morgan verr Orodrick
In addition to the above, there was also the original Banniker House, which, due to a violent intrafamily dispute, split into the current Bannikberg and Bizekbirg Houses.
Jenyfr vint Bannikberg is the first cousin of Lorraine venne Bannikberg. The two grew up together, and are close friends. Despite this, their lives have taken very different paths.
Jenyfr spent most of her early years learning to play the mandolin, an instrument which she excels at to this day, and it is her multi-instrumental recordings that bring in a good deal of her earned income (that is to say, the income not provided by her family). She is also the author of several novels and a book of poetry, one of her novels-The Eternity of Echoes, a surrealist fantasy that centers around the theory that the universe is fractal-won her a Centauri Literary Achievment Award. Despite this, her intellectual achievments have not garnered her enough fame to make her a celebrity, something Jenyfr is more than satisfied with.
Jenyfr has never married, and has stated a number of times that she never plans to.
Appearance
Jenyfr and Lorraine are so similar in appearance that they are sometimes mistaken for twin sisters (despite the fact that Jenyfr is a year younger than Lorraine). There are however, a few notable differences, firstly, Lorraine is three inches taller than Jenyfr. Secondly (and most notably) Jenyfr's hair is far longer than Lorraine's, her curly locks reaching almost to her waist.
Psychological Profile
Jenyfr, despite her accomplishments, shuns celebrity in order to live her lavish lifestyle in private. Jenyfr often makes incognito trips to other planets and systems (sometimes even to worlds out of the Confederacy, such as Fortuna in the Apollo Stars) to meet new people, some of these people become part of Jenyfr's "harem". A large circle of friends she has both to keep her company, and to serve a pseudo-concubinical role. Despite her "harem"'s size, members report that Jenyfr keeps each and every member well satisfied and knows them all by name.
Discography
Wedding Songs from Beyond the Stars
Ghost Stories
Friends and Lovers
Ossekholehessem (album of traditional Ossetian folk songs)
Regina was short for a Berzegettian, being only 5'8. She also had what can be described as a "short" face, with a well-pronounced chin. Upon her Knighting, she revived the old Berzegettian tradition of nobles dying her hair, and died her own a deep, royal purple, it is from here where her callsign of 'Deep Violet comes.
Biography
Regina d' Hood (birth name Regiana Refraine di lu Gran-Hooede) was a Duo Knight of the Centauri Confederacy.
Regina commanded the first incarnation of the d' Hood Regiment, along with her second-in-command and future husband, Trio Knight Tyler H. Swade. Regina was born a commoner on the planet of Berzegette (also known as South Osseta), coming from a family of long-dethroned nobles (the original di lu Gran-Hooede Family). Regina enrolled in a military training academy, originally with the intent of becoming a ship engineer, but when the Academy was attacked by Berzegettian seperatists, she and a number of other non-Knight trainee students were forced to man frames. After having their professors taken hostage, Regina and several other students from various departments banded together and organized a resistance against the occupying terrorists. With the help of reinforcements from the Planetary Guard, the terrorists were driven off and Regina (as well as several of the other students) switched over to Knight training.
The student group was eventually placed together (allegedly deliberately) and formed into the d' Hood Regiment.
She did not officially retire from the military until age 44, as a Duo Knight. However, by that time she had already had six of her nine children (Jordan (Red Raze), Ivan (Rare Steel), Marien, Lorayne, Isabel (Deep Violet II), Henry, Jules, Ilwax (Thor's Hammer), and Marissa) with fellow Knight Tyler Haley Swade.
Legacy
Regina is seen as something of a folk hero amongst her fellow Berzegettians. The d' Hood Building (a passport issuing office) in the Ossetian capitol is named after her.
Several subsequent pilots, most notably her daughter, would take the Deep Violet callsign. Currently, one of Regina's descendants, Roberta du Hood, is the seventh to use the callsign.
Ossetian culture is varied, and as such, so are the assorted naming traditions that come with that culture. There are no real set-in-stone laws about Ossetian naming, but there is a loosely-followed collection of rules that can make identifying the origin of Ossetian names a bit easier.
Formal and Non-Formal Names
A good number of Ossetian names are European in origin, but spellings will vary greatly depending on one's social status. In general, one will have both an ignoble or common name, and a formal or noble one. Which one is used more often will vary widely depending on the person in question. In some cases, nobles may choose to disregard their noble name and use a nonformal one regardless. The inverse however, is rare.
Example:
Lorayne Bannikerseng(common) as opposed to Lorraine venne Bannikberg (formal)
When the occaison requires it, Non-Ossetians are usually referred to by what the literal formal version of their name is, for instance if one wanted to refer to Alexei Niktokov in Ossetian Formal Speech for whatever reason, one would call him Alexander Vinnict ("Niktokov" meaning "of nothing", in Old Russian and "Vinnict" meaning the same in Ossetian).
Titles:
Someone of great esteem may recieve a title. The format of the title is usually, but not always the following:
"venne" (male)/"vanna" (female)-dair-(adjective or noun)
this will sometimes be contracted into either "vendair" (male) or "vandaira" (female)
Titles also compose Knight callsigns. For instance, if we wanted to call Lorraine by her callsign in Ossetian, we would have to follow the above formula.
As such, we can break "Lorraine, Lady la Blanc" which means "Lorraine, Lady in white" into "Lorraine, Lady of the White", which we can then translate into "Lorraine, vanna dair Blenkh" which means the same. Titles that are simply nouns are most often translated as "[name] of [callsign]" as such, if we wanted to translate Roxanne Bishop's title ("Brazen Rocket") into Ossetian, we would first have to restructure it as "Roxanne of the Brazen Rocket".
Honorifics and Nicknames:
Honorifics as a conversational practice have mostly died out in Ossetia, but two close friends will still often give each other nicknames. There are two ways in which this is usually done, either by shortening their first name (eg. turning Lorraine into Lor or Lory) and adding the honorific "-shen" at the end. As such, if you were close friends with a young Lorraine, you might call her Lory-shen. However, if you were not, calling her such would be highly innappropriate. Likewise, even if you were friends, as the two get older, the childish nickname will usually be reserved for teasing. If a nickname such as this is retained at this stage, the "-shen" will usually be dropped.
Later in life, those same two friends will usually give each other descriptive nicknames, one might choose to call Lorraine "Nolë-shen" or simply "Nolë", "nolë" meaning "silent".
Nonstandard Names
Names not descended from European or more rarely Japanese or African names will often be a combination of two or more adjectives in Ossetian. Take Ilwax, which is combined of the words "Ili" and "ewax/ewakse" meaning "sweet" and "honey" respectively. Other times, an adjective itself may be taken as a name (such as the aforementioned Nolë. (and indeed, the first female prime minister of Ossetia was named Nolë Joan Umetten).
Surnames
Surnames are perhaps the most complex part of Ossetian naming. As one can have dozens to scores of them, reflecting a long and storied lineage. This version of one's name is often referred to as the superformal. Usually reserved only for high-priority official documents such as Declarations of Knighthood and Crownings. Many Ossetians do not know their superformal name by heart. However, it is common practice for the Archduke or Archduchess to be referred to by their superformal at important events.
Surnames can come from many places, but perhaps the most common is other surnames. If one's last name is Bennet, and one has a child, the child's last name will usually be Bennetseng, Bennetsing, Bennetshang (all meaning "sing of Bennet" or, more figuratively, "praise Bennet"), or, if one is a noble, venne, vint, vai, or vist (or a number of other formal variations of the word "of") Bennet. More rarely du, di, or d' will be used instead. (as in, du Bennet.)
Some surnames are based off of locations most often cities, villages, or neighboorhoods therein. If one's family is from Dyrgastad, one may be named Sedyrgastad, Sidyrgastad, or Shedyrgastad (again, all meaning "sing of Dyrgastad") more rarely, the capitalization of the city may be kept intact, leading to names such as SeDyrgastad, Se'Dyrgastad, or Se-Dyrgastad. This practice has fallen out of favor in recent years, and is mostly reserved nowadays for orphans whose parentage is otherwise unknown. Hence, the fact that most of the children in the Klovistad orphanage have last names such as Seklovistad, and She-Klovistad. These same prefixes can be placed in reverse on the ends of the city name, leading to last names like Dyrgastades. But these are far rarer. More generally, one may be named after a vaguer location they come from (for instance, someone from the country might be called Sekender or Kenderes). Formal names use the same "venne" etc. nomanclature outlined in the previous section.
Over time, names will frequently corrupt. Which is why from the original Banniker family are descended the venne Bannikbergs, the vai Bizekbergs, the vint Bernkers, and a number of others.
Other
In some areas, particularly parts of Berzegette, ancient naming traditions survive, and are sometimes combined with newer ones. Such is the case of minor Berzegettian noble Gregory O'Harkenes.
Ubekon is a world of the Centauri Confederacy located in the Ubek System. Ubekon is one of the most populated world in the Confederacy with over 2 billion residents.
Ubekon is noted for its heavy rainy seasons and for formally producing superhuman soldiers from the DeWitt Superhuman Foundation before its funding dried up.
System
Geography
There are three main continents on Ubekon, the Southern Continent, Rihon, the Western Continent, Xi Sen, and the Eastern Continent, Kawaoka. Dude to Ubekon's large tropical zone, most of the planet is subject to tropical weather conditions.
Rihon
Shinkyou-shi during the middle of the wet season.
Kokyou-shi
Rihon is the largest continent, and the only one of the main continents to have areas outside of the tropical zone. Rihon is home to the Kokyou-Shi, the capital of Ubekon at the time of its founding, and Shinkyou-Shi the current capital. As the only continent with a non-tropical climate, the majority of Rihon's cities are below the Tropic of Shiva, built by the settlers who preferred non-tropical climates, in particular the Russian population.
Xi Sen
Xi Sen is predominantly covered by thick forest, with very few open plains and next to no mountains. Xi Sen is where the majority of Ubekon's agriculture takes place, as well as a lumber industry specializing in bamboo, and the native plant Ubekonian sapphirewod, which is prized for its naturally dark blue wood.
Kawaoka
Kawaoka is home to the majority of the Ubekonian population, and is home to most of its industry. Kawaoka is so named for the rivers that pervade the entire continent like webs.
Because of these web-like rivers, rural Kawaokans believe spiders to be good luck. Haiyama is the most populated city on Ubekon, and home to a large number of schools and space docks, and is thus the entryway for most foreigners into the planet.
History
Ubekon was settled by a great number of races, mostly those from the Asian continent, seeking a place to preserve their heritage, apart, and yet together. During the conception of the governmental system, the Japanese population, though comparatively small, dominated due to their having the most affluence. The Japanese would continue to hold the only significant positions in the Ubekonian government until 2873, when Huyen Vuong became the first Non-Japanese Lord Regent. Vuong went on to be the first Prime Minister from Ubekon.
In the current era, there are no Ubekonians that are particularly notable, but one of Ubekon's moons, Fuyuki is home to Grand Lords Kurou Archer and Morgan Saber.
Culture
Ubekonians primarily practice a form of Christianity that has been influenced by Buddhism. As such, they are in the minority of Centauri who, instead of being Secular or “fully” Christian, practice another religion.
Ubekonians celebrate Christian holidays like the rest of the Confederacy, but in addition to this welcome an alternative new year based on the local lunar calendar, as opposed to the standardized Gregorian-based Galactic calendar. They also celebrate a festival to welcome the beginning of the rainy season.
The main sources of food in Ubekon are rice, buckwheat, various fruits and vegetables, raised livestock, and fish. During the rainy season, less meat is consumed due to the large bloom of vegetation.
Ubekonians are known for showing respect to authority, and rarely question a direct order or request from a superior. In regards to etiquette, Ubekonians are known to be very polite, but straightforward, not showing as much respect to those they dislike. Ubekonians also have a strong admiration for anyone who shows skill in a particular area, artisans and craftsmen in particular.
As a world that was rich in single-celled life prior to terrforming, Ubekon produced a high degree of native plant and animal species, the majority of which are native to the forests of Xi Sen. Ubekon has the highest number of native flowering plant species out of all the Centauri worlds.
The history of the system now known as Ossetia is sketchy at best. It is known that it was among the first colonized by Eduard vai Centauri's forces, but beyond that, little survives except the names of the first archdukes. What is known, is that Ossetia was colonized by a mix of Europeans, Japanese, and various North African ethnic groups. Making Ossetia something of an ethnic and cultural hotpot from the very start. Today's average Ossetian can range the gamut in apperance in nearly every way except height. Ossetians are universally tall, due to the planet's lower gravity than most inhabited worlds, while the effect is not extremely noticable, it does affect the creatures, including humans, a good deal. Humans born on Ossetia will tend toward the tall, a full grown Ossetian less than six feet in height in nearly unheard of, and Ossetians that reach seven feet are rare but reported. Ossetian weight, on the other hand, shows no significant deviances from the Human norm elsewhere, the reason for this is not known.
Ossetia consists of two closely orbiting planets, Ossetia itself, and Berzegette, also known as South Ossetia. The two planets are in a binary orbit with each other, existing just far enough apart that the impact on the other planet is minimal, mostly relating to tides and weather patterns.
Climate
Climate in the Ossetian system varies widely. But on Ossetia itself as well as Berzegette, it tends to be quite hot and humid, in the latter of those two planets, however, a winter season does exist and is quite pronounced in the more mountainous regions.
Ossetia has two large oceans. The Kindal and the Reem. However, due to the planet's spiderweb-like continent structure, they do not act as barriers and are thought of more as large, salty, warm lakes. Beaches exist, mostly along the Reem, and range from popular tourist destinations to strange and alien-looking coastal salt flats. Due to the planet's bizarre continent composition, it also has a rather odd ocean-related feature.
The oceans, rather than feeding into rivers, often simply wash over large parts of the land at high tide, periodically connecting and disconnecting land bridges. These features are known as Washes and take place planetwide, after centuries of habitation, Ossetians have learned to adapt to Washes, and even use them to their advantage (some are harvested for powering small power plants, for instance).
The only thing separating the two oceans is the one strip of land thick enough to separate them even when they wash. And that strip of land is Dyrgas, what is often referred to as Ossetia's only true continent. It is also the location of the sprawling metropolis of Dyrgastad, and the capital (which is legally, a distinct city) The Dyrgas Enclave.
The areas that are seperated by washes are often referred to as "Islands" and it is these (and groups of smaller ones) that make up Ossetia's provinces.
A bridge leading out of the Dyrgas continent. Dyrgasian poet Lucille Serenes is pictured in the foreground observing an unknown girl.
A Danoboro Forest washzone at low tide. During high tides, the water level may rise far enough to cover the bridge. Also pictured, Ms. Meressa vai Bizekberg and an unknown Danoborian girl.
A Reemermese girl frolicks across a low-tide washzone in the Reemerm province.
Dyrgastad, the largest city in the Ossetian System, is modeled after classical depictions of Atlantis. It is a ringed city, with the rings being separated by artificial moat-like structures, in the center, the Palacial Tower (The Dyrgas Enclave, legally a distinct city) rises above the entire city.
Dyrgastad during the Summer Festival. Also pictured: Malachi venne Bannikberg speaking to an unknown Dyrgastadian girl.
Klovistad neighbourhood at dusk. Post-reconstruction efforts. The building pictured is the Clovis venne Bannikberg Orphanage.
The Nippono neighbourhood, known for its many shops and old-world Oriental appearance.
Ossetian culture is built on several central concepts and their opposites. Referred to as the Central Pillars, most sprang up as expansions upon wise proverbs.
Negh-Hemmet- "Negh-Hemmet" is the name of the first of these, and the name comes from an Ossetian proverb, which translated, states "Good friends are like trees whose seeds are planted close enough together that, as the trees grow, they entwine and shape each other." From this simple proverb, we get the concept of "Negh-Hemmet". A Negh-Hemmet is a bond between two or more people that is considered a step up from friendship. It is considered equal to love, but non-romantic. Negh-Hemmet are groups of people who have been friends for so long that they have inevitably shaped each other's personalities, and been through so much that their "souls" are considered indestructibly connected. The formation of Negh-Hemmet is actively encouraged by Ossetian culture, and it is not likely a coincidence that because of this, Ossetians tend to be profoundly loyal to their friends, and perhaps just as interesting, depression is almost unheard of among Ossetians. When it comes up, the support of one's Negh-Hemmet is usually enough to get one through it, even if it takes time. In fact, a common bit of derivative folk wisdom states that the only thing that can break a Negh-Hemmet's mental healing powers is the death of one of the Negh-Hemmet.
Unjar-Hemmet- The Unjar-Hemmet is the opposite of a Negh-Hemmet. Two people who hate each other so much, that they have inevitably caused each other a great deal of pain, and shaped each other in the process. Ridding oneself of one's Unjar-Hemmet, either by befriending them, or outright killing them (the former is far more common in this day and age), is usually considered one of the crowning achievements of an Ossetian's life.
Treed- Treed can be roughly translated (as a concept) to "tradition keeping and making". Ossetians generally believe traditions to be more than simple vestiges of the past, and creating ritual for the sake of ritual is not only tolerated but encouraged. Likewise new "traditions" are created all the time, some fizzle out, and some stay for a long time. This almost pop culture understanding of the "tradition" makes Ossetian culture frustrating for some, especially when combined with the overt seriousness of other parts thereof (see below)
Solmat- Solmat, or "solemnity" is the concept of taking things that shouldn't be taken seriously very seriously. The idea, is that this brings forth learning experiences. It is critical to note this is not advocated as a lifestyle, merely as an experiment of sorts that one will sometimes engage in.
Music
Ossetians are noted for wide and eclectic taste in music, documenting what kinds of music Ossetians enjoy would be an impossible task, however, several forms of music have sprung up among Ossetians, of which, Dhukra and Dukan are the most notable.
Cuisine
Ossetian cuisine has a single defining characteristic. It is salty, very much so.
Ossetians are thought to be the single largest consumers of salt in the galaxy, Federation or Centauri. Salt was a favorite flavoring spice amongst early Ossetian settlers, and as generations came and went, the amount of it in the food increased drastically. Almost all Ossetian food incorporates salt in some way. One of the most popular dishes in the system is "Mummified Chicken", a type of fried chicken that, after deep-frying and breading, is coated in a salt and spice paste. It is widely regarded as delicious, however, it is also among the least healthy foods in the galaxy.
The Ossetian predisposition towards salty foods gives them unusually sensitive taste buds in regards to sweetness, most Ossetians simply cannot tolerate foods that are too sweet, such as cakes, chocolates, puddings, and jams.
Of notable exception to this rule is the almost gourmet art of Ossetian sodamaking. Ossetian sodas (notably, natural mild fruit flavors) are renowned throghought the Confederacy for their taste and texture.
Limes aging for use in Chanmuoy
Ossetians also produce a drink known as Chanmuoy, a direct descendant of the Vietnamese drink of Chanh-muoi. It was adopted from the minority Vietnamese settlers on Ossetia, and has since become very popular. The drink is also known as "salty limeade" and is made from pickled limes.
Sports
Ossetians are not a particularly sporty people, however, martial arts are pervasive, in particular, the homegrown art of Kuyuu Karai. Kuyuu Karai is a martial art centering around use of the fists and elbows as natural weapons. Notable for the reason that its users tend to be both hard-hitting and very, very quick. This stems from the training method Kuyuu Karai employs, which involves wearing cumbersome metal gauntlets, and learning to hit at a "target speed". The target speed is set consistently, but the gauntlets become progressively heavier as training progresses. The end result is the ability of a Kuyuu Karai user to hit extremely fast, and usually, extremely hard.
Kuyuu Karai would likely be a dead art if not for the patronage of one Lord Herrig ven Bannikberg, who was both a blackbelt in, and an extreme supporter of the art. He established schools throughout his home system of Ossetia-Berzegette (ruled by his elder brother Armand) and it became both extremely popular, and the official traditional art of the ven (now venne) Bannikberg noble house.
Also of note is the rather even distribution of fighters. Both men and women can and do excel at the artform. Notable practitioners include heir to the Ossetian throne, Lorraine venne Bannikberg, Bartholomew Tolkien, and Ossetia-Berzegettian governor Chaim Garal.
Religions
Ossetian Traditionalism - An offshoot of Christianity and by far the most practiced religion in the system. This particular descendant of the Christfaith de-emphasizes the role of Jesus himself, here he is seen as an embodiment, not of an Abrahamic God, but a naturistic "All". "All" flows through everything and as such, Ossetian Traditionalists can somewhat accurately be said to worship everything, giving the faith a Nature Religion feel to it. Ossetian Traditionalists are heavy practitioners of meditation, and most are expected to set aside at least three hours weekly for inner contemplation and mental preparation of any tasks that lay before them.
Centauri Christianity - Fairly self-explanatory, umbrella term encompassing any traditional Christian faith in the Centuari Empire.
Jewish - Ossetian Jews are some of the last of their kind, only roughly 30,000 practitioners remain. As a result of humanity's colonization of space, Orthodox Judaism, with its strong ties to the former Terran nation known as Israel, is almost completely extinct. However, these highly devoted few that still remain are just that, and Ossetian Judaism has experienced a resurgence in relevance since the election of Chaim Garal to the position of Governor of Ossetia-Berzegette.
Kusk - Kusk is a religion of uncertain origin, and about which little is known. It is a mystery cult, meaning that specific information is only available to members of the religion, who are reluctant to share it with outsiders. What is known is that Kusk is a worship, essentially, of space and the universe itself. Distinct from Ossetian Traditionalism in that there is not thought to be a spiritual aspect but rather that the universe itself is a spiritual, sentient, God.
"We will see peace in my lifetime, or I will die trying to make it happen."
-Lorraine venne Bannikberg
Biography:
General
Lorraine venne Bannikberg II; formal name: Lorraine Helena Katherine Regina venne Bannikberg and born Lorayne Bannikerseng, has cropped black hair, blue eyes, and is very tall and thin. She is 81st in line for the Centauri throne, but has no plans to succeed the throne. She is the heir apparent to her father's hereditary planetary province-Ossetia-Berzegette-but has officially abdicated in favor of her oldest younger sibling, Clovis (25). She also has another younger brother, Malachi (17) and a younger sister Erszebette.
Before Mythril Aces
Lorraine, being minor royalty, was born into a wealthy home, specifically, her father Massimilien's estate. Lorraine was fascinated by the military since she was young, eventually using her connections to enlist. She was deployed originally under the alias of Lorraine le Blanc, prompting her original callsign, Lady la Blanc. She excelled in deployment in Lai Dame, a small system in which she was assigned a number of stealth missions, and eventually a sniping role in the final push to drive the Federation from the system permanently. It was during her time in pre-Lai Dame service to The Delorean Regiment that she met Jarit Delorean, her then-regiment commander (whose name is also spelled Jared De Lorean), a strong-willed but quiet man who she would come to fall in love with. During her two and a half years in the regiment, Lorraine and Jarit carried on a largely secret relationship, they were eventually engaged to be married. But during the final push for the Lai Dame system, Jarit's frame was caught in the explosion of a nearby enemy frame, killing him instantly. After this incident, Lorraine abandonded her original frame, signature white outfit, and callsign--donning black and rechristening herself Lady Silence. For her extreme proficiency in the system -well over the required 20 Kills to be bumped up to 4th Degree- she was in short order promoted to 7th, 6th, 5th, and finally, 4th degree, eventually being promoted to 3rd a few years later. Obviously, due to her fiance's recent death, this was something of a mixed-blessing. Upon her final promotion, she left her unit and was ordered to form her own. which she now commands.
Mythril Aces
Her new unit, creatively named The Bannikberg regiment, was one of those assigned to ceremonial duty at the failed peace talks. After their failure, and a few more missions, she went missing on the planet Yokolit. It turned out that she had been captured by the ruthless prison warden Godot. His motives for doing so are not currently known, but Lorraine is safely back about the Castellan as of now Her new unit, creatively named The Bannikberg Regiment, was one of those assigned to ceremonial duty at the failed peace talks. After their failure, and a few more missions, she went missing on the planet Yokolit. It turned out that she had been captured by the ruthless prison warden Godot. His motives for doing so are not currently known, but Lorraine is safely back about the Castellan as of now.
Family
Lorraine is part of the illustrious Bannikberg family, and by extension the Bannikberg-Bizekberg-Bernkerk Clan. Notable relatives include her father, Maximilen. Her brothers, Clovis and Malachi, and her second cousin Delorelai.
Lorraine's relationship with her family is complex, varying individual to individual. She does not necessarily get along all that well with her father, her father, while a pacifist, is primarily concerned with Lorraine's safety, it has been suggested that he knows far more about the war than he lets on, but whatever his reasons he has never been comfortable with Lorraine's choice of career.
Lorraine's mother on the other hand, supports her daughter, having once been a frame pilot herself, the older Lorraine has showed considerable enthusiasm for her daughter carrying on the family legacy.
Lorraine's siblings: Clovis, Malachi, and Erszebette ("Rizzy") all get along well with her, Clovis is a close confidant, Malachi, while not outwardly affectionate, respects his older sister, and Rizzy practically worships her.
Her cousin Jenyfr grew up with her, and the two are close friends, often confiding in each other (though this has obviously grown to be less the case as the years have gone by).
She and Jarit Delorean (see above) had plans to marry, LorrainJe and he were both to retire upon reaching the rank of Fifth Knight (thus earning full pensions). Lorraine would have dropped her noble status, changing her name to the civilian "Lorayne Banikbirg" and settling back down on Ossetia. Further, there were plans for Lorraine and Jarit to have children.
Lorraine still maintains ocaisonal contact with Jarit's mothers.
Relationships With the Bannikberg Regiment
Lorraine's closest friend is Alexei Niktokov. The two have confided in each other since childhood, and it was Alexei who originally helped Lorraine to enter the military.
Lorraine considers Roxanne Bishop to be something of a child in need of protection, perhaps not entirely consciously. As such, harming Roxanne in any way is one of the surest ways to anger Lorraine.
Earl Viellard is considered as something of an opposite-point advisor. Someone to help see the other side of things. That said, Lorraine and Earl do not get along spectacularly, something Lorraine has made efforts to amend.
Lorraine has not had much time to get to know Isaac, being somewhat distrustful of him given his status as a member of the praetorian guard.
Likewise, Lorraine does not have any strong relationships with the other (current) members of the Regiment, aside from considering Leonard a minor annoyance.
Other Relationships
Throghout her life, Lorraine has made a number of friends, enemies, etc, of note:
Elexia Dyrgastades - A Dyrgastadian poet Lorraine dated on and off for two years. The two do not keep close contact anymore, but Elexia has gone on to critical acclaim across the Confederacy.
Maribel Sengarbelden - A midranked professional fencer, another of Lorraine's old flames.
Mrs. & Mrs. Delorean - Jarit's mothers. Lorraine still keeps in occaisonal contact with them.
Anya Niktokov - [to be expanded upon]
Miscellanea
Lorraine's favorite food is ramen noodles, and her favorite drink is iced tea. She prefers chopsticks to a fork. Lorraine plays the sitar. In her spare time that is not spent training, she frequently plays traditional card games, as well as being a fan of obscure ancient RPG's, which is where a good deal of her paycheck goes. Unsurprisingly for an Ossetian, she has a massive music collection. Both contemporary and ancient, some of the artists we might recognize include Explosions in the Sky, Aphex Twin, and the Chemical Brothers.
Role
Lorraine is the Bannikberg Regiment's leader and most senior officer. She pilots the Invoke, Purifying Flame
Frame
ZL-DR 01 Invoke "Purifying Flame"
Height: 20m
Weight: 45.4t
Armaments
Long Range Beam Anti-Material Rifle (left hand) (Lorraine receives no penalty for use at short/medium range)
Mid Range Rapid Beam Rifle (standard)
Beam Saber (right hand), close range only
Electronic Countermeasures
"Blinker" Drone, projects a hologram that moves based on studied patterns of the user. The hologram does not actually attack, as doing so would give it away as a fake. The actual drone itself is quite small, but any attack directed at the hologram causes it to flicker, usually giving it away (Roll to check as a fake. Any roll of higher than 2 exposes it as fake, or at GM discretion)
Armor Grade: Light Class
Top Speed: 172.3mpm
A heavily customized Invoke that is also Lorraine's first frame that saw regular usage. Unlike the standard Invoke, it is a stark white, with jet black lining. Its head has been thoroughly customized, and as such it stands slightly taller than the standard Invoke. It is also outfitted with a Blinker Drone and ECM (the same system that would later be used on the Voice of Silence) it is also faster due to stripped-down armor.
Meta-Information
Lorraine venne Bannikberg is named after the BattleTech 'verse city of Bannikburg. The irony of the allusion is intentional.
Lorraine has two alternate-universe counterparts; Loraine Bannikberg of Mythril Academy and the currently unused Lorayne D'Anier, originally designed for a Noir spinoff.
Three now, with super robot-style counterpart Loreign Banichares. Who fights for the Centauri Empire and has white hair and a cybernetically-enhanced eye.
Lorraine's in-universe counterpart is Delorelai vai Bizekberg. The two are opposites.
Lorraine is a distant descendant of Weatherly Banikberg, a character in another RP played by the same roleplayer who plays Lorraine.
Lorraine was originally designed as an extremely shy, longhaired redhead. Character design changed quickly.
Lorraine's personal history and that of her family have also changed over time, creating several continuity errors that had to be fixed. Lorraine's elder brother Malachi was retconned and combined with the second of her younger brothers (who was unnamed until that point).
Lorraine's official theme is entitled "Bitterly, a Light Shone" and can be found here.
Dr. Carlson: "We just want to know why, Delorelai."
Delorelai: *silence*
Dr. Carlson: "Why did you kill the cat?"
Delorelai: "It was...."
Dr. Carlson: "It was what?"
Delorelai: "Disgusting."
-Dr. Sigmund Carlson's Case Studies: File 2691, Delorelai vai Bizekberg
Biography
Delorelai vai Bizekberg (currently, legally known in the Confederacy as Deloralye Bixakeres after being stripped of her noble name and titles, up to and including her callsign) was born on the opposite end of the same facility that her second cousin-Lorraine venne Bannikberg-was. Beyond that, her childhood was fairly typical for a minor noble, she was well-kept, did well in school, and was a child prodigy on the piano (a talent considerable enough that famous Ossetian pianist Daryl Smite attended one of her performances) however, family and friends noted that "Di" never seemed to quite be happy with herself or what went on around her.
A week after her fourteenth birthday, her parents caught her strangling a cat and she was assigned a therapist, who she had regular daily sessions with for three years. By all appearances over the murderous phase in her life, her parents allowed her to resume her normal activities. However, she had seemingly lost interest in the piano. She enrolled in the Torseck Millitary Academy, the same academy attended by her cousin Lorraine.
She graduated at the top of her class, four places ahead of her cousin. Originally deployed with the Kang Regiment, she was found to work poorly in groups and was deployed instead as a freelance Knight. She quickly climbed her way up the ladder of seniority, but has consistently refused promotions to Trio rank, which would entail her leading her own regiment.
During this time, she had a relationship with the Fifth Knight known as Anastasia Cayne, and the two allegedly had plans to adopt a daughter together. However, a year after their relationship began, Anastasia was found dead in their shared home under mysterious circumstances. Delorelai's icy demeanor on the subject lead to charges of murder, but Delorelai was fully acquitted. She sold her home and has since lived as a drifter, with only loose supervision from her superiors.
Concerns about her mental health have led to several attempts (mostly by her superiors, but her family from time to time as well) to have her removed from service, but thus far, they have all failed.
Delorelai is kept in active service solely because she is so competant at her job. Delorelai's frames have never needed major repairs in battle, and have only ever been replaced by her own hand. As an interesting side note, Delorelai has developed something of a boogeyman reputation in certain circles of the Centauri millitary, her used frames have never been given to any succeeding pilots.
Defection to ROZUM
During the 104th Bannikberg Clan Reunion, during an attack on the Archduke's Palace, Delorelai and ROZUM supersoldier Utnapishtim Onaki snuck out of the palace and hijacked a civilian shuttle to rendezvous with a ROZUM ship in low orbit above Ossetia. Her current whereabouts are unknown, but it can be surmised that she has defected to ROZUM.
Apperance
Delorelai is deliberately bizarre in apperance, as she enjoys being offputting. Her hair is kept a shocked white with coral treatments, and she frequently wears heavy mascara, which, coupled with her green eyes, give her a skeletal appearance. Her uniform is gaudy, having once been a simple, blood red outfit, it has since been stitched back together and repaired with a plethora of colored threads, giving it a frankensteinian look. Delorelai almost always goes barefoot when not in her frame.
Psychological Profile
Delorelai has a pronounced disdain for life in general, with very few exceptions (most of these being people with a similar outlook). She is known to revel in bloodshed, murder, and destruction. Despite having a number of psychologists assigned to her case over the years, none have been able to come up with a suitable explanation for her almost sexual enjoyment of destruction and death. Delorelai also enjoys irritating others, and-when garnering annoyed or overtly hostile reactions, has been found to have an emotional response similar to that of most humans when they make friends.
Another odd facet of Delorelai's personality is her exceptional (even by her standards) hatred of her second cousin Lorraine. Beginning when the two first met at age fifteen, Delorelai has consistently been an antagonist to her second cousin. Again, there is no obvious reason why this is so, as prior to their first meeting when this began, the two had never met. It is perhaps the case that Delorelai simply hates Lorraine because the two are so different from each other.
Suffice it to say, Lorraine and Delorelai should be kept apart at all costs.
Hip-Hop music is alive and well in the Mythril Universe, being revived--along with many other forms of ancient music - around the time the Centauri Confederacy and Earth Federation first regained contact. Centauri Hip-Hop as its own entity is now well over a century old, beginning with "The Original Revivalist" Markus Blank, more widely known as Professor Blanks, whose album A Beat From Long Ago helped bring the art form back into the Centauri eye. Since then, an assortment of scenes have risen and fallen, each giving its own take on hip-hop music. Additionally, there has been an increase in interest in ancient hip-hop in the past fifty years or so, corresponding with a similar interest spike in other ancient media.
Regional Scenes
Saffron
Saffron has the oldest of all of the current scenes in Centauri hip-hop music, and Professor Blanks was born in Georgia. Saffronese Rap is characterized by fast tempos and heavier-than-usual basslines, in some cases blurring the line between hip-hop and techno. Current notable acts include Kronos ("The Gateway", "Systematic", "Time Piece/Peace Time"), Typekast ("Beneath Me", "The Second Coming"), and Metal Symphony ('Xamoda Rant", "Killers Inside", "Burning Metal", who mix it with heavy metal and are notable for their extremely controversial anarchist lyrics). Saffronese hip-hop can be considered the "mainstream" of Centauri rap music, with Kronos currently being the best-selling rap artist in the Confederacy, as well as currently being engaged in a feud with Odessus (see below) File:Kronos.jpg
Ossetia
Ossetians love music in general, so it should come as no surprise that the system has a thriving rap scene. Notably, it is often fused with the native Dukan music. Ossetian rap is characterized by extremely thick beats, usually either sampled drums or more commonly, live drumming and a wide "cinematic" sound, often complemented by string instruments or synthesizers. Most Ossetian rappers and rap groups also have a dedicated drummer. Ossetian rapper Odessus has gained a good deal of press from his feud with Saffronese rapper Kronos over the latter's comments about Ossetians, firing back in songs such as "The Railgun" and "Flower Power", other notable acts include Yackinbattle (an affiliate of Odessus), Vigilante, and Grim Trios.
Bell rap is most often charactarized by a heavily synthesized pop sound, with lyrics generally focusing on wealth or partying. Bell Hip-Hop has been criticized as shallow by members of other rap scenes (Vermillion rapper Stone, most notably), prompting Bell rapper Hell-No to attempt a more psychadelic, less poppy sound, which has met with some success. Notable acts include Hell-No, Shinin' Lights, and Sakhai.
Eden
Edenite hip-hop is extremely low-profile, but well-respected in the underground. Artists tend to have strong connections to the small Communist subculture of the planet, and lyrics reflect this. Of particular note is Leer, who was arrested over comments made in her song "Kill the King" wherein she advocated assassination of the Centauri Emperor. Other notable acts include The Hammer & the Sickle, Redscare, and L1e5 ("Lies").
Vermillion
The Vermillion scene is known for its heavy industrial edge and tough-talk lyrics, frequently taking shots at the other major rap scenes (even Eden's) and being extremely focused on being true to oneself when making music. As such, Vermillion's scene is dominated by a number of lower-profile indie artists. Though of late, Shawnontig-born rapper Stone and affiliate Ripper J have gained some prominence.
Other
Some rappers make names for themselves outside of the traditional scenes. Illionese MC Alice From the Void is one of the few contemporary proponents of Horrorcore and is the best-selling female rapper in the Confederacy. She has made a name for herself by playing up stereotypes of Illionese as art-loving lunatics. Her persona is half musical serial killer and half eldritch horror. File:Alice from the void.jpg
Ossetia has a standard system of government for the Centauri Confederacy, it is headed by the Prime Minister who has a Parliament beneath him. This page lists the political parties and groups currently represented within the 100-member Ossetian Parliament.
The Ossetian Popular Front
Founder: Ymir d'Gauge
Chairman: Joseph Bo'Seng
Position: Centrist to Conservative
No. of Seats in Parliament: 32
The Ossetian Popular Front is currently the largest political party in Ossetia, claiming roughly a third of the system's inhabitants as members. The OPF, or PopFront as it's commonly known, is a center-to-conservative party dedicated to maintaining the status quo in Ossetia. Accordingly, their popularity tends to fluxuate up and down based on how content the populace is, the higher number of Ossetians who are in PopFront, the higher the number are content. As such, the party is often used as a gauge to determine the wellbeing of the system.
The Liberal Party
Founder: Eduard M. Sengarret
Chariman: Djouta Magte
Position: Liberal
No. of Seats in Parliament: 32
The Ossetian Liberal Party is, as its name suggests, the primary Liberal organization within the Ossetian Government. Typically, the Liberal Party advocates greater social reforms, particularly in the area of helping the poor. They have recently made large political gains, and are now tied with PopFront as the largest party in Parliament.
The Independants' Coalition
Founder: N/A
Chairman: N/A
Position: Variable
No. of Seats in Parliament: 18
The Coalition is not a party, but rather a league of unafiliated individuals who have nothing in common sans their being unafiliated. These particular parliament members will vote however it strikes them, rather than for any particular party line. One of these (Markhus Kroeh) was expelled from his previous party, the Popular Front.
The Ossetian Socalist Union
Founder: Abner Gauzegang
Chairman: Lorayne Seklovis
Position: Socialist
No. of Seats in Parliament: 10
The OSU is one of the newest political parties in Ossetia and one of two that represents the Socialist minority in the system. Unlike the more Communist ODSP, however, they do not advocate a change in form of government. Merely how that government operates.
The Ossetian Social-Democratic Party
Founder: Spelt Gengly
Chairman: Asher Dyrgasseng
Position: Communism
No. of Seats in Parliament: 3
The ODSP are part of the larger radical Communist movement in the Centauri Confederacy, like the centralized Centauri Communist Party, they support the abolition of the monarchy and a "dictatorship of the people". Some of the more radical members have been known to resort to violence, and for this reason, the ODSP has long been considered a shady, even criminal organization. But attempts to ban the party have been narrowly rejected each time they have been put to a vote.
The Peace Party
Founder: Edgar Esnoble
Chairman: Eileen Sawong
Position: Liberal Pacifist
No. of Seats in Parliament: 3
The Peace Party is the Ossetian branch of the Centauri Peace movement, they are projected to make heavy gains in upcoming elections and support negotiations with the Federation.
The Ossetian Seperatist League
Founder: Ilwax Yamatoeng
Chairman: Ilwax Yamatoeng
Position: Planetary Independance
No. of Seats in Parliament: 2
The OSL is a party that advocates planetary independance for Ossetia, it split from the more radical (and violent) Ossetian Liberation League in 2989 and has held a small fraction of the Parliament since then.
