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# System prepended metadata

title: Kepori
tags: [Species, Lore]

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# Kepori

Kepori are a raptor-like species covered in feathers, and are vaguely reminiscent of earth’s extinct *Troodontidae*. Kepori are small in stature compared to other species, and are usually seen as weak by other species due to their physiology, but make up in their speed and reflexes. Kepori are typically found in tight social groups, and those who are on their own in spacers are usually seen as a novelty.


## Physiology

Kepori are a species of carbon-based theropods that stand around 1.2m (4ft) tall. They are smaller than most species and less resilient due to their light, hollow bones. In contrast, they are renowned for reliance on their on speed, reflexes, and ability to work in teams.

Due to their homeworld being hot and arid, Kepori are generally less comfortable in colder climates. They can, however, handle the standard station temperature of 20°C.

Their feather colors are typically sandy, with red/yellow accents in equatorial regions - whites and grays are common for Kepori from polar areas.


## Origins

### Teceti

Teceti is a terrestrial planet that is Earth-like in size. Teceti has larger oceans than average, with three large landmasses and various islands dotting the oceans. It is orbited by two small moons, and a planetary ring system. Most of the flora on Teceti tend towards yellow, orange, and red pigmentations due to the blue light emitted by the local star. In the past, the equator was hot and humid, with many living at or near the warmest parts of the planet. However, the equator is marked by large, nearly-uninhabitable desert due to a relatively recent climate disaster that devastated most of the original ecology.


### Pre-Collapse Teceti
Modern Kepori as they are known today are different than the recognized "original" civilization created by Kepori, referred to as "Old Teceti". Old Teceti was marked by their society reaching a point of industrial revolution and mass production, parallel to humanity during the twenty-first century. Though most of the history of Old Teceti is lost to time, they had shown a mastery of basic spaceflight, and constructed an orbital installation within the ring of Teceti's ring system before its collapse.

Old Teceti began to suffer the side effects of mass industrialization through their uncontrolled greenhouse gas emissions, eventually leading to a climate crisis that was not addressed before it became untenable. The orbital installation, known as *Ren Kirsi* or simply "The Ring", was built to house Old Teceti's elite to escape the approaching climate disaster.

The Ring, unfortunately, could not be completed in time.

### The Collapse
The combined climate disaster and political upheaval from The Ring’s construction led to a devastating collapse of Old Teceti’s society. The equator's desertification accelerated and the planet reached unprojected levels of accelerated heating, leading to the abandonment of the equator and creating millions of refugees. This event would be referred to as *Teceti Sidorekata* - ‘The Teceti Death Spiral’.


## A Divided Planet
Having survived the collapse of Teceti's climate, Old Teceti's populace split to the far ends of both the north and south hemispheres, developing into two distinct cultures while separated by the equatorial desert. However, the would come to realize later that there was a third group that would not make contact for some time, separated by the vacuum of space.

### The North

The northern populace resettled in territory originally known for fertile land. With this, the survivors formed an agrarian society to support themselves. Most inhabited the remains of towns and focused on developing near bodies of water for their farms, with only some population centers. Over time, they developed a socialist society to support themselves. As dozens of groups banding together, they would unite and cooperate under a newly-found national identity. These groups formed the *Solasika Tecei Dalasolsi*, or the Northern Teceti Coalition, and refer to themselves as *Sikalcei*.

### The South

The southern populace kept closer ties to the old world's advancements and its culture than their siblings to the north, and developed dedicated themselves to the preservation of the technological research that was left behind. Due to their focus, they gathered into groups led experts of the fields and  formed a technocratic society. The south became a collection of sprawling city-states and support networks that link outside to connect themselves and to access the land around them. Much more united by their scientific purpose, they form a singular identity: *Tasidado Tecei Rimisado* - the Southern Teceti Directorate, and they themselves became the *Tasidan* Kepori. 

### The Distant

The Ring, cut off from the surface of Teceti after the collapse of the infrastructure beneath them, banded together to ensure their survival miles above their old home. Difficult living conditions and an uncertain future pressed them into a strict meritocracy, formed from the unions and work groups that were left to build their own home. While The Ring was designed to be self sufficent, the collapse left its construction incomplete and unable to support a full population without more work. While various asteroids were mined for materials to finish the installation, these asteroids were hollowed out to create more habitable space for the populace. These original workers, along with their first few fledgling generations after them, expanded into their own society. They became the *Ren Kirsi Dokesi-Nilas* - the Outer-Teceti Colonial Union, and referred to themselves as *Renkirsii*.

###  Teceti Reunited

The three remaining groups of Old Teceti would spend the next few centuries separated and unaware of the other's existence, believing themselves the last Kepori on (and off) Teceti. As time passed, technology from South Teceti and the calming of the initial climate shock allowed both to re-enter central Teceti. There they would find the remains of Old Teceti, and eventually each other. Shocked by the existence of each other, they initially attempted to reunify, only to realize that the isolation has changed both cultures to the point of finding themselves divided once more. Even more of a surprise to both, North Teceti found itself able to re-contact with The Ring, with South Teceti following suit. All three factions were now able to contact each other for the first time in centuries.

### The North-South Conflict

Southern Teceti, struck with a crisis of famine, would soon find themselves attempting to peacefully annex the north in the name of unification... and when they were rebuked, to annex them by force. A bloody conflict would see the North and South reunited. Fueled by the success of North Teceti's subjugation, South Teceti attempted an invasion of the colonies above them, only to be dissuaded by weaponized mining equipment and the grave threat of The Ring's ability to lead asteroids to devastate the planet a second time if forced.

Unified by the conflict, the South formed a new government to see to the reunification of Teceti's people. It would be known as the *Risolrela Teceti Kadasolsi*, the Unified Teceti Federation (known in shorthand as Riso-Teceti). South Teceti retains most autonomy and political power within Riso-Teceti's parliament, while North Teceti has much less political power involved, and meets the arrangement with derision. 

### True Unification

With Teceti reunited, Keporikind found themselves unable to rest for long. The Ring's experiments with Bluespace-reactive materials resulted in a moment of first contact between Teceti and Kalixcis, the homeworld of the Sarathi people. Spurred on by the confirmation of sapient, alien life, The Ring shared the news to the rest of Teceti and intended to rejoin their sibling factions. Entered into Riso-Teceti as a mediator and independent colony, their involvement eventually lead towards North Teceti receiving equal rights within the unified government, and all three came to recognize each other as equals once more.

As contact with Kalixcis became frequent, the implications of worlds beyond Teceti root themselves in Kepori society. Fiction about life in the stars and out-of-system space travel became popular, and the concept of colonizing distant worlds become relevant in scientific circles - though the creation of colony ships remained only a controversial subject. Instead, public attention shifted towards a much more interesting prospect: the ability to terraform  planets. 

All three factions formed the *Teceti Sitamireso*, or the Teceti Reforming Program (referred to as simply Project Sitami). The joint-effort became a precourser to modern terraforming technology, with Project Sitami’s original focus being the reconstruction of Old Teceti’s climate. Their project began with attempts to repair the damage done to the equator, though this effort proved to be futile. Teceti's old ecosystem was gone, and though they could repair the damage, they would never be able to return to Old Teceti's original image. Instead, Project Sitami was turned to terraforming worlds beyond Teceti to reach to the stars.

## Modern Teceti

Kalixcian ambassador vessels were arranged to arrive to Teceti during their multiple later contacts between Kalixcis's many nations, and first physical contact was made on The Ring. Despite the sense of being scorned at the opportunity to have them visit the planet itself by the rest of Teceti, it would be another few decades before Sarathi would arrive to land due to first contact requiring preparation for vastly different biologies and the threat of alien disease. 

The arrival of Kalxcian trade goods, and Sarathi themselves establishing an embassy, formed the catalyst for the act of further diplomacy between the still-divided factions. North and South Teceti formally centralized in  entirety, effectively uniting the two as Riso-Teceti. Renkirsi remained independent, despite the offer of unification and a formal “homecoming” being a tempting offer. In the next few decades, Teceti became aware of another alien society - the Solar Confederation, and more effort is put to joining the interstellar community. 

Modern Teceti is known for it's mastery of Terraforming, with *Mirosami Siresifami* - the Terraformers Union, spearheading the offer of habitable worlds to both Riso-Teceti's expansion, and to other nations and corporations alike. One major client, *Nanotrasen*, agrees to a century-long commission of dozens of terraformed planets within the Frontier sector, known as The Green Belt. This century of work is considered the magnum opus of the Terraformers Union and Riso-Teceti as a nation. Many worlds are completed and made to host successful colonies within the Frontier. The Inter-Corporate War began during the final years of the Green Belt's final decade, and would see many of the remaining worlds stuck only near-completion... if not outright destroyed from war and industrial waste. 

## Culture

Kepori typically consider themselves highly social, inquisitive, and adaptable to situations. They are raised communally - children are raised both by families, their friends, and the community around them in large groups groups known as "packs". Due to their upbringing, they typically form the same bonds with crewmates and coworkers into packs of their own. They protect those they've bonded to fiercely, with strong instincts to work together to achieve their goals - developing a reputation for being reliable and loyal.

The shadow of Teceti's troubled history results in a generation-spanning anxiety of environmental collapse and an aversion to conflict. Environmentalism and Anti-war sentiments are obvious tenets to those interacting with Kepori culture. Kepori culture places very high value on the sciences and professional fields of study - though a counterculture movement involving the expansion of the arts has been well underway, with an expanding field of contemporary art.

### Cultural Exports

Kepori culture kept a persistent zeitgeist of space and the concept of living away from from their homeworld, and is a common theme in cultural exports that are translated for others to read. Two widely known examples are: *Rilena: Lenelasa Me Refi!!* - unfortunately often poorly translated into "Pretty Girls Run Faster", an eccentric and ever-expanding mixed media series involving the titular Ri being transported to an alternate reality and grapples with a familiar but alien society; and *Rediremesi Site-re* - "The Wandering Star", an extenseive series of novels involving one of Renkirsi's asteroid-colonies sent out of Teceti's ring system by a freak accident and follows multiple characters as they learn how to survive being a wayward celestial body.

### Spacers
Due to Kepori primarily living in tightly-knit social groups, spacers are regarded as a source of recent social phenomenon - primarily, those who lack packs for casual social circles, if not acting on their lonesome. Regarded as a new development despite Kepori society at large always having those without families or connections, some regard this trend of spacer Kepori as a worrying sign of changing times.

## Playing a Kepori

Kepori as a playable species may initially be a difficult sell, or seen as a challenge option, due to their weakness to physical harm that other species do not suffer from. This is due to their hollow bones, though this is offset with their movement speed. They are also well-adapted to much higher temperatures, but are very vulnerable to colder temperatures. Their evolved beak can be used to hold many small items.

### Disclaimer
Other servers have written small, non-upright, feathered aliens that may seem familiar to Kepori - you may know these as *Avali* or *Teshari*. These are not, however, similar to Kepori, and **playing them as such goes against the server and the intent that they are written.** Please, do not do so! Avali, Teshari, and other similar species do not exist in Shiptest's writing, and there is no interest in their addition.

On that note, many consider the initially-felt naievete and short stature of Kepori to treat them like small children. This is *also* an incorrect assumption, and **playing them as such goes against the server and the intent that they are written.** Please, do not do so! They are grown adults despite their stature.

### You might…

- Feel uncomfortable in the cold of most ship environments, the colder climates on some planets, and prefer to wear jackets or other cold weather-wear.

- See your crew members or other coworkers as another species might view family, and may even find yourself willing to form a pack with them with enough time spent together.
- Worry about the ecological impact of your actions more than others might. You consider the weight of the extraction of resources, the use of plasma as a fuel source, or wonder if the violence that persists in the Frontier is truly worth it.
- Woop when scared or excited, emote with your body language, or make noises that are seen as charming by others. By comparison, you find others oddly muted in their behavior.

### Others probably…

- Presume you to be more loyal than other species. This can end in assumptions that you may have to quell - you're more than a mindless follower! 
- Take care to not bump into you or avoid giving you difficult labor, and expect you to be fast and nimble in turn.
- Attempt to find out which of the three original Teceti cultural centers you hail from, and judge your behavior. Northern Teceti Kepori are regarded as down to earth and modest, while Southern Teceti Kepori are fascinated with technology and lack some social skills because of it. The Ring is often left out, unfortunately.

### Kepori In Gameplay
- Your normal body temperature is about thirty kelvins higher than a human. Additionally, the upper and lower bounds of temperature before you start taking burn damage is thirty kelvins higher- be careful in colder environments!
- All burn burn damage from overheating is reduced, but burn damage from freezing is higher.
- You take 1.5X overall brute and burn damage.
- You have higher base movement speed.
- Your unarmed attack damage is significantly lower.
- You can hold small and tiny items in your mask by clutching it with your beak! Watch to make sure you haven't accidentally auto-equipped items into it, however.
- Back slot holds only satchels, and nothing else due to your unique way of standing upright.
- You can tackle as if you had gloves on by clicking anywhere with throw mode and an empty hand. This can easily kill you or snap your spine in two if you hit something, though, so be careful! Aim and make sure there won't be anything between you and your target.
### Names

Kepori names usually consist of 2-3 short syllables, and both their name scheme and language at large are based off of Solresol, a music-based language. Kepori born off of Teceti, of those with particularly modern families, take names from other cultures and modify them. Some examples of traditional Teceti names are:
Meleri, Huler, Temiti, Gahthi, Nirena, Minele, Natari, Cau-tse, Setasi, Dirame, Naaka, Sutiraze.


###### tags: `Lore` `Species`