Monomachiarum is a multifandom experiece that takes the characters into the chaotic future of the 30th century in the great expanse of space. Our lore is a combination of worlds brought in from other franchises, lore created by the site founder, and user-submitted information in order to make a vast and diverse setting. Add your pages to our grand story no matter who your characters might be or where they came from before. This is a place meant to explore possibilities and open new doors. Canons and OCs are welcome, just so long as they can fit into the setting with a little bit of reasonable modification here and there if necessary. So what are you waiting for? Join us today! If you'd like to get to know our community more, feel free to check out our Discord channel.
May 2023 It's been hectic this last year, but we are alive and celebrating our fifth year of adventure and tales. A lot has been worked on to help make the Monoverse one that everyone can enjoy and explore their story while becoming a part of the greater cosmos. All of you, new and long time players, stay safe, and see you in the Sea of Stars!
the basics Name || Rau 'Vadamai Nicknames || Shipmaster, Fleet Master Age || 68 Birthday || December 11th, 2909 Species || Sangheili Gender || Male Alignment/Faction || Sangheili Nation States, the Alliance Sexuality || hetero
the appearance Face Claim || if applicable. If not, just n/a and move onto the next question. Height & Weight || 8' 4", 489 lbs. Identifying Features || Squid face? Overall || Standing in at 8' 4" and already towards the taller end of the spectrum by even Sangheili standards, Rau tends to stand out in a crowd and often towers over most other species. Heavily built by a lifetime of martial practice and work, Rau's skin and scales are the same mottled gray and tan typically seen on the rest of his species along with his gold reptilian eyes, and without any particularly notable scars it would be difficult for most foreign species to tell him apart from the rest of his kind were it not for his sheer size. Rarely ever seen outside of his combat attire while off of Sanghelios, Rau's armor is heavily reminiscent of the combat harnesses worn in the period immediately after the Great Schism. While not exactly a popular choice among the rest of Sanghelios's military due to the connections to the Covenant era it takes full advantage of both the military's now plentiful resources for protection and was a move deliberately made knowing how the rest of the galaxy sees the armor and its implied connections.
the personality Personal Strengths || Adaptive/Confident/Intelligent Personal Weaknesses || Aggressive/Ruthless/Willful Goals || Do what he does best - fight. He understands his place in the universe, and if violence is his most effective tool in conversing with others so be it. Fears || Failure above all else. Overall || Commander (ENTJ)
Commanders are natural-born leaders. People with this personality type embody the gifts of charisma and confidence, and project authority in a way that draws crowds together behind a common goal. However, Commanders are also characterized by an often ruthless level of rationality, using their drive, determination and sharp minds to achieve whatever end they’ve set for themselves. Perhaps it is best that they make up only three percent of the population, lest they overwhelm the more timid and sensitive personality types that make up much of the rest of the world – but we have Commanders to thank for many of the businesses and institutions we take for granted every day. If there’s anything Commanders love, it’s a good challenge, big or small, and they firmly believe that given enough time and resources, they can achieve any goal. This quality makes people with the Commander personality type brilliant entrepreneurs, and their ability to think strategically and hold a long-term focus while executing each step of their plans with determination and precision makes them powerful business leaders. This determination is often a self-fulfilling prophecy, as Commanders push their goals through with sheer willpower where others might give up and move on, and their Extraverted (E) nature means they are likely to push everyone else right along with them, achieving spectacular results in the process.
At the negotiating table, be it in a corporate environment or buying a car, Commanders are dominant, relentless, and unforgiving. This isn’t because they are coldhearted or vicious per se – it’s more that Commander personalities genuinely enjoy the challenge, the battle of wits, the repartee that comes from this environment, and if the other side can’t keep up, that’s no reason for Commanders to fold on their own core tenet of ultimate victory.
If there’s anyone Commanders respect, it’s someone who is able to stand up to them intellectually, who is able to act with a precision and quality equal to their own. Commander personalities have a particular skill in recognizing the talents of others, and this helps in both their team-building efforts (since no one, no matter how brilliant, can do everything alone), and to keep Commanders from displaying too much arrogance and condescension. However, they also have a particular skill in calling out others’ failures with a chilling degree of insensitivity, and this is where Commanders really start to run into trouble.
Emotional expression isn’t the strong suit of any Analyst type, but Commanders’ distance from their emotions is especially public, and felt directly by a much broader swath of people. Especially in a professional environment, Commanders will simply crush the sensitivities of those they view as inefficient, incompetent or lazy. To people with the Commander personality type, emotional displays are displays of weakness, and it’s easy to make enemies with this approach – Commanders will do well to remember that they absolutely depend on having a functioning team, not just to achieve their goals, but for their validation and feedback as well, something Commanders are, curiously, very sensitive to.
Commanders are true powerhouses, and they cultivate an image of being larger than life – and often enough they are. They need to remember though, that their stature comes not just from their own actions, but from the actions of the team that props them up, and that it’s important to recognize the contributions, talents and needs, especially from an emotional perspective, of their support network. Even if they have to adopt a "fake it ‘til you make it" mentality, if Commanders are able to combine an emotionally healthy focus alongside their many strengths, they will be rewarded with deep, satisfying relationships and all the challenging victories they can handle.
the history Family Information || Clan 'Vadam, father/mother unknown as per Sangheili custom. Homeworld || Sanghelios, Yermo continent, state of Vadam. History || Rau's life began practically the same as any other Sangheili, as per the race's custom. Born within the 'Vadam state of the Yermo continent, he would be separated from his direct blood relations at birth to be communally raised alongside others his age, lineage hidden to him and referred to only by a given name. The community that Rau was born into was a relatively small one, a serfdom cast to the edges of the state of 'Vadam - as a well developed nation, however, there was little that was missing in their lives so long as one was willing to work for what they wanted. It was an environment that encouraged individuals to better themselves, one that had long given the House of 'Vadam a reputation for having ambitious and well motivated subjects regardless of their station within the state... and it was ambition and patriotic fervor that Rau came to embody from a very early age. Larger than many of his contemporaries, faster, stronger, while Rau was quite well suited to working in the fields that his community and larger family oversaw. His intelligence and ambition were another matter entirely, however, and Rau made no attempt to conceal the fact as he grew older. Eventually his aspirations would lead him to attempt applying for the Yermo continent's war college, fully intending to pursue a military career and enrolling at the age of twenty Solar years.
As with most things in Sangheili culture, the academy was a place of competition - practically every acolyte had similar ambitions, and while most managed to graduate only a small number could do so with distinction. Where one fell within the rankings and what they managed to achieve during their time at the college often decided one's career and station for decades afterwards, and as a result conflict would be inevitable.... as intended, and within a controlled environment. Forced to better themselves against one another even as they were taught everything that the Sangheili had learned of war and conflict in their several millennia long recorded history, the academy had long been renowned for producing many of the race's most well known warriors, a tradition that Rau fully intended to live up to. His size and stature had always given him a distinct advantage in combat, but the traits the war college would improve on the most were his mind - his judgement, experience, technique, transforming Rau's raw intelligence and instinct from a blunt instrument to a sharpened weapon. During the ten years spent within the institution the Sangheili quickly distinguished himself from many of his colleagues in that his sheer ferocity in sparring sessions was matched by a quick and devious wit when given troops to command in exercises. Despite placing less weight on anticipating an enemy's actions than other cadets, the acolyte had a distinct talent in preparing contingencies to offset incorrect tactical decisions and negate otherwise costly losses, especially as he often combined them with unconventional tactics when given problems to solve but no orders as to how.
But, most importantly - at least within Sangheili eyes - Rau demonstrated an extreme natural talent for the blade.
Graduating near the top of his respective class towards the end of 2939, little time would be wasted in placing Rau 'Vadam aboard one of the more active vessels operating near the edge of Sangheili protected systems. Initially little more than a low ranking minor towards the start of his tour, Rau would quickly begin to climb through the military in both rank and standing as Kromus activity likewise saw a steady rise within Sol-Daiban over the following years. The Elite would quickly garner a reputation for decisive action in the field, and while relatively cautious and quick to mitigate risks wherever and whenever possible he often remained first in the fight - both as a pilot and during ground operations, ensuring that Rau quickly amassed an impressive kill count during his first tour of duty which would end in 2946. In addition to his military accolades and promotion his actions would likewise result in the Elite attaining recognition as a master swordsman by the remarkably early age of 37, barely an adult by Sangheili standards... and while not unheard of in past times, a rare enough occurrence in the modern era of peace to warrant a certain degree of respect and standing within their society as well as gaining the right to add the coveted "-ai" suffix to his clan name.
Only a year later the Orion Spur would erupt into open war for the first time in almost two centuries as the Terran Colony of Beacon was obliterated by what many had previously thought an impossible Kromus fleet, one hidden and built in secret for decades if not centuries before. While not part of the Galactic Federation, the Sangheili Nation States were quick to recognize the threat and would immediately begin to marshal their forces in response, their alliance with the Terran Confederation offering both equal parts excuse and motivation to enter the conflict. Rau was no exception to this. Despite his young age the Sangheili would be among the first wave of warriors sent out in response, his standing and combat record warranting a transfer into a squad of the Silent Shadow, an elite branch of Sangheili special operations typically tasked with assassination and asset denial, often operating behind enemy lines.
The following decade would prove to be a busy one. Without a defined Kromus territory to attack the bulk of Sangheili efforts would fall to their special forces to locate and mark the scattered pirate installations across Sol-Daiban for fleet assaults and ground strikes, the latter of which often fell to the teams that discovered such locations. Despite possessing a significant technological advantage not incomparable to their war with humanity four centuries prior, the Kromus differed in their sheer numbers - an advantage that was not taken lightly after the numerous Grunt Rebellions during the age of the Covenant. It would be an war of mixed blessings in that Sangheili culture thrived in adversity, and Rau would soon find himself joined by a number of other individuals from his generation that reached similar if not equal standing to his at the start of the conflict with the new adversary. Rau himself would only continue to rise in prestige, his natural talents tempered by hard fought experience as the Silent Shadow proved itself time and again as an effective counter able to remove Kromus outposts nearly as fast as they were establishing new ones. The peak of the fighting in Sol-Daiban would culminate in an assault on Zebes during which several squads of the Silent Shadow would be deployed alongside the Terran Confederation's new ÆSIR units in defense of Zebes, Rau's included. Following the failed assault on the Chozo world - all of the participating ground forces sworn to secrecy - the conflict would return to the same combat loop it had before until the development of more advanced slipspace drives capable of reaching the Large Megellanic Cloud from which Kromus forces had been launching their own assaults. As with Zebes, the Sangheili would redeploy the Silent Shadow alongside more traditional front line forces when the Terran Confederacy began their siege of Kromus Home space, a five month campaign that would end with the destruction of Krom in 2959.
With most of their worlds hidden and left relatively untouched by the Kromus over the course of the war, the Sangheili would find the conflict more beneficial than not - and Rau was no exception. Over the course of the twelve year long war the young Sangheili would amass a kill count well into the thousands, enough to warrant an immediate promotion to the rank of General or higher had he focused on a career of leadership rather than personal perfection and combat mastery. Instead Rau would ascend to the standing of Ultra, a relatively unique position within Sangheili culture in that such individuals effectively stood apart from the rank and file where leadership was concerned. Alongside his coveted status as a swordmaster this left Rau in a curious position where he was effectively free to choose whatever career path or profession he wanted... which he did, refusing multiple offers of transfer to roles of political power or even appointment to the seat of Councilor, part of his race's ruling body of government. Instead Rau would remain where he felt at his best. Despite the official declaration of the Galactic Federation ending the Kromus War, the Nation States would continue to periodically send fleets both into Kromus occupied space beyond Sol-Daiban's civilized borders as well as into the LMC. Eventually something of a compromise would be reached, with Rau agreeing to officially serve as an instructor within the Swords of Sanghelios. Unofficially, in practice all this served to do was give Rau command of a ship and a rotating crew of younger Sangheili that only recently graduated the War College, with the Kromus War veteran overseeing them and ensuring that most made it home alive with new experiences and improved skills.
Of course, veterans and their skill sets are never without demand. Nearly twenty years later the Galactic Federation would be caught flat footed as ghosts from the past would make a second play for Zebes, this time with a far more powerful fleet that would utterly decimate both the world's defenses and the Confederation counter attack. With their forces ironically spread thin hunting Kromus fleets and suppressing known worlds under their control, the Sangheili leadership would put out a call to all available ships to gather, intending to prepare their own attack fleet. Having already returned to his homeworld to rotate out his crew for fresh graduates, Rau would be pulled from his command role for a different assignment - a young woman claiming to be an inhabitant of the world had drawn attention of the current Arbiter after failing to garner assistance from the Galactic Federation. While the fleet would take a week to prepare, Special Operations would instead make a gamble on her attempt to infiltrate the planet by sending in a team of their own alongside her - a squad of the Silent Shadow, all of them veterans of the first assault on Zebes. Whether or not Aran succeeded in her assault was immaterial, as the Shadows' only goal was to locate Chozo survivors and successfully exfiltrate them. Given a modified Lich to assist in infiltration, the Shadows would rendezvous with Aran groundside and proceed to locate the Chozo natives with the Hunter's assistance, often avoiding combat entirely to mask their presence as Aran guided them through the more dangerous locales planetside. The mission wasn't without problems as several Sangheili would be wounded by local fauna and a number of Chozo would already be killed by the time the Shadows reached them, although with Aran's assistance the survivors would be extracted a few days into the operation at which point the Sangheili themselves would withdraw as well, leaving Aran herself planet side.
Few of them expected the week to end as it did, Rau himself being given command of his vessel back and a more experienced crew on returning to Sangheili space and then participating in the Sangheili counter attack - only to find the Kromus presence around Zebes scattered and disorganized, their leadership in shambles following Aran's rampage on the surface of the planet. Left as easy pickings, the few Kromus ships that remained in system were summarily wiped out by the fleet under the Arbiter's command, joined not long after by the Terran Confederation's second assembled fleet.
The six months since that time have been significantly less impactful, with the Sangheili contracted to provide protection for the Galaxy Railways as they continued to survey new worlds and galaxies - only to find a significantly advanced set of civilizations on arriving in the Triangulum Galaxy. With the Railways entering into diplomatic talks with the Citadel Council and establishing a transit world in the outermost edges of the galaxy, the Sangheili would recall their initial fleet and replace it with one that cooperated with local laws in the hopes of maintaining a political and trade relationship with the native governments as well. Assigned to a command vessel and chosen for his ability to operate independently of a concrete command structure, Rau would be reassigned to the Trinagulum fleet for the foreseeable future.
Other Information || Anything you feel is important to your character that has not been covered thus far.
the verse-specific details Abilities || As with most Sangheili that have spent their life in military service, Rau's body is a finely tuned weapon. Standing in at 8' 4" the Elite enjoys a significant advantage in reach and physical size when presented with most opponents of differing species, one that extends to physical strength as well - most Sangheili are easily capable of matching MJOLNIR clad Spartans in this field and Rau is no exception, able to deadlift roughly 6,400 lbs in weight when in fit fighting condition. Due to the digitigrade nature of his species' legs Rau is similarly capable of running faster and over longer distances than other plantigrade species, and can fall from greater heights or absorb larger physical shocks without harm. Skills || Rau is, first and foremost, a soldier, one with little to no interest in leadership as he has always been most comfortable on the battlefield. That said, the Elite is not without a certain degree of skill in combat tactics, having always been a quick thinker - his experience has only served to sharpen and temper this skill into its own lethal weapon. Possessing a fondness for more unconventional tactics, there is little on the field that Rau will not make use of so long as it falls within his species' rigid adherence to cultural and personal honor. Training ||
Swordmaster: As denoted by the "-ai" suffix to Rau's clan name, the Elite has reached what many would see as the pinnacle of one's ability with a blade, and despite his lowborn status this has entitled Rau to carry a personal energy sword with him regardless of whether or not he is actively serving within their military. Fast, powerful and precise, there are few enemies that the Elite cannot challenge with an energy sword as he has learned to utilize the weapon defensively as well as offensively - most energy weapons will find their shots parried and sideswiped off target provided they are not speed of light projectiles, while kinetic weapons will often find it difficult to target the swordmaster directly as the weapon is kept in a guard position to vaporize the physical rounds before they reach their target, heavily mitigating shield damage. Similar energy or plasma blades tend to present little to no risk to Rau unless their users have reached a similar plateau of skill, with such contests often ending quickly via overpowering physical strikes or far more deft and subtle strikes to the offending limbs or weapons.
Marksman: A fairly standard skill learned within most militaries, Rau is similarly no slouch with ranged weapons, either. Having been a fairly steady hand in the War College on Sanghelios, Rau has had nearly forty years of continued combat experience to further hone his craft, elevating his marksmanship to a level seldom seen outside of the most elite military units, pun not intended. Much of this stems from necessity - a frontline combatant by nature as an Ultra, Rau had to learn early on how to land shots while moving at full sprint with either hand just as consistently as he would steadied behind cover. While seldom employed as such outside of his time spent in the Silent Shadow due to his preference for the blade, this necessity has left Rau a supremely gifted and deadly sniper during the few occasions he has been left the need to play such a role.
Shadow: While it falls well outside the typical roles demanded by Sangheili honor, Rau's time with the Silent Shadow has forced him to not only learn but master the art of stealth and infiltration as well - on many occasions during his long service record to be seen was to be dead. While lacking many of the more advanced stealth systems employed by the Terran Confederation such as sound dampening, Rau has instead come to develop the skills needed to operate without such technological assistance naturally. As a result of this there are few environments the Elite cannot traverse without leaving a trace, a skill that has only grown sharper since reaching the status of Ultra as it is not unheard of for such individuals to be deployed on missions alone.
Combat Strengths ||
Ultra: In part encompassing all of the above, promotions within the Swords of Sanghelios are not simply titles but a direct reflection of an individual's skill and ability with Ultras consisting of individuals who have forsaken all personal ambition solely in the pursuit of combat mastery and personal perfection. Sangheili Ultras have been a feared force in combat since the earliest days of the Covenant, and that reputation has only grown into legend since humanity's introduction to the galactic stage and the Great Schism. While on paper Ultras stand equal with Covenant Zealots or more conventional Generals in many ways they stand more as equals of the Spartans of old, the number of active Ultras within the Swords had dwindled to only a rough two dozen before the intervention of the Kromus, and risen to just over a hundred since then. Much like the Galactic Federation's Star Hunters or the Citadel Council's Spectres, Sangheili Ultras are considered "apart" from the traditional military command structure, and while expected to work in cooperation with commanding officers they are not beholden to their strict word - more often than not allowed to pursue their own solutions to problems, sometimes on their own. At home on any battlefield and masters of nearly any weapon they wield, an Elite Ultra is very often the equivalent to several platoons' worth of troops in a direct combat engagement and can have an immeasurable impact on the battlefield in both morale and as a result of personal achievements. Rau is no different, having come to fully embrace this legacy.
Combat Weaknesses || In many ways tying into his status as an Ultra, Rau is not well suited for command. While the Elite possesses many of the skills and experience needed for such roles, he often lacks the mentality for it. More often than not problems cannot be solved by a brute application of force, and that often remains the first solution to most problems that Rau encounters - and while he is clever enough and capable enough of finding alternatives, it is usually not without attempting the first solution unless it is clear that it will not work from the start. While he is not one to place unnecessary risks on his troops it is this mindset combined with his willingness to win at almost any cost that often results in expensive and strategically costly losses of material instead, even if it often proves successful in catching enemies off guard if only through sheer recklessness.
Additional Details || Anything that was missed that you would like to note, do so here. Weapons ||
Type-1 Energy Sword: The Type-1 energy sword is an extremely devastating and powerful melee weapon when applied during in close-quarters combat. A single strike can even penetrate the energy shield systems, armor, and flesh of a Spartan or a Sangheili. This is due to the design of the weapon, which utilizes ionized gas rather than traditional shaped, solid matter - because the energy sword lacks any solid material in which to hold, or impale anything, the sword does not cut or carve in the traditional sense, but rather boils anything it comes into contact with. The Type-1 Energy Weapon's edge is therefore extremely volatile, being able to slice through even the toughest metals like a hot knife through butter, including ODST battle armour and the Titanium-A class plating of UNSC destroyers. Injuries caused by the weapon are often gruesome. Stab wounds by the energy sword are, in most cases, fatal - as the blade passes through the body, the organs and tissues are cauterized by the extreme temperatures produced by the blades. Body fluids in the area of the stab wound are flash-vaporized upon contact; organs within the area of the stab wounds can suffer life-threatening damage dependent upon which organs are struck. The effects of fluids trapped in organs or arteries and the expansion of heat could lead to ruptures or small explosions, causing additional damage to the victim.
Survival is minimal at best and in the case of non-lethal strikes being administered, proper medical treatment must be applied as soon as possible to ensure permanent survival. Because of the weapon's sheer destructive damage, common forms of fatality to victims include total impalement, loss of limbs, bodies being bisected and decapitation. Following the study and reverse engineering of Chozo plasma weaponry the Sangheili energy sword has only become more lethal, capable of burning at even higher temperatures and effectively eliminating the concern of battery capacity.
Type-61 Plasma Rifle: Visibly identical to the Type-25 plasma rifle of the previous era, Rau would commission the weapon from Sangheili artisans to act both as a primary ranged weapon as well as for his off hand while wielding a blade, replacing the two handed Type-55 Directed Energy Rifle that would be adopted by the Swords of Sanghelios following the Great Schism. Firing highly energized bolts of plasma, the plasma rifle is a close-to-medium range weapon, and as such can inflict very high damage at that range. The rifle is extremely efficient at killing "soft" targets, while doing lethal amounts of damage to a heavily armored target. Material that isn't immediately destroyed is often quickly heated to melting points with sustained fire, making the rifle an effective utility weapon for breaching or destroying hard targets and equipment. Prolonged firing can cause the weapon to overheat, although advancements in plasma technology following the study of Chozo plasma weaponry have made the cooling process far more efficient, likewise increasing plasma temperatures and prolonging battery life.
Sangheili Combat Harness, Ultra variant: A staple among Sangheili serving within any military, Rau is almost never seen without the armor as it doubles both as combat armor and as a dress uniform. Composed of lightweight nanolaminate armor plating, the combat harness on its own provides a startling degree of protection to the point of shrugging off most forms of light shrapnel and easily deflecting most light ballistics that fail to target exposed areas. Most heavier fire is usually stopped by the harness' powerful energy shields - while such technology is commonplace within the Swords of Sanghelios to the point of standardization, shield strength scales in accordance with rank as more accomplished warriors often see the worst combat and warrant the protection. The shields of Elite Ultras in particular are worthy of note, capable of surviving the detonating of a plasma grenade intact before failing under additional fire as of 2552. With over 400 years' worth of advancements and time spent improving their craft, the shield strength of advanced armor systems such as Ultra harnesses has roughly doubled as of the current era, reaching the point where two or three charged plasma pistol shots are required to disable the protective layer. This powerful shielding can temporarily be boosted via a Covenant developed technology known as armor locking, made infamous by Elite Ultras during the Battle of Reach as such strike teams would often utilize them to survive UNSC countermeasures to drop pod deployments such as artillery strikes unscathed - the main drawback being the localized gravity field generated by the technology's use, immobilizing the user, and its short duration of only five seconds. On a lesser note, the combat harness provides modest boosts to the user's strength, albeit only enough to mitigate and eliminate excess fatigue produces by strenuous physical activity. As a sealed system the combat harness can double as an exoatmospheric suit, although only with an hour's duration before the user risks running out of air. As a final note, Rau's armor is equipped with an active camouflage function in large part due to his service time spent with the Silent Shadows.
Ship ||
OCS Solemn Penance OCS-class Battlecruiser, Fleet of Radiant Purpose Length: 1,826 meters. Width: 884 meters. Propulsion: Multiple Repulsor gravity drives, Reclaimer class Slipspace borer. Hull: Capital ship grade nanolaminate armor Shielding: Dual layered. Bottom layer consists of Forerunner derived energy shielding, overlayed with modified Confederation developed phase shielding. Armament: 1 Phar-pattern heavy excavation beam, ventral. 1 Ventrax-pattern heavy plasma lance, dorsal. 2 Felo-pattern plasma lances arranged to cover port and starboard arcs, the overlapping firing arcs with the Phar and Ventrax pattern emitters. 48 heavy plasma cannons, 22 plasma torpedo silos, 92 pulse laser emplacements as dedicated point defense. Complement: 32 Type-31 Morsam-pattern Serpah fighters, 3 Type-28 Tick boarding craft, six Type-57 Phantoms, 53 Banshee fliers. One modified Type-56 command Lich. 146 Ghosts, 18 Wraiths, 8 Locusts. Several hundred infantry with insertion pod capability. Misc.: Equipped with both passive stealth systems to eliminate sensor profiles/jam weapon targeting and an active camouflage unit.
Current Story || Where does your character begin, and how do they fit into this verse so far? At least one paragraph of information is required.
the roleplayer Pen Name || Spartan Age || derp Other Characters || Vincent A291, Catherine Halsey Roleplay Sample ||
This was nothing short of a farce.
Rau understood his position well, better than most could suspect or imagine. Tradition had taught him much in that regard, the stories he'd been raised with, the clan battle poem and saga wall within the keep, the numerous legends taught even within the hallowed walls of the War Colleges. Honor was what defined a warrior's existence, his achievements informing others of his experiences and choices - war was a harsh mistress, but those able to not only survive but thrive beneath her teachings and burdens would be made all the stronger for it. That had always been the Sangheili way.
Unfortunately, so had politics.
"With respect, you have no need of me here. Or within the Colleges. My hands are ill equipped to write and I have not the patience of a teacher." Rau spoke, the Ultra's iron voice echoing off the stone walls of the Council chambers. The circular room was poorly lit, although that was intentional as individual lighting borne from holographic displays in front of each councilor served to illuminate and draw attention to the individuals speaking - much as a harsh blue light from beneath where Rau stood illuminated him, his gleaming white armor almost incandescent on the raised circular dais in the center of the room. The Elite had not exaggerated when he spoke. Even now his hands felt restless, impatience gnawing away at him as Rau reflected upon the fact that this was not the first time he had been called before the Council to speak. On no fewer than three separate occasions had he been called to Sanghelios in such a manner. The first time had been to try and place him in command of his own lance within the Silent Shadows, a position Rau had refused on the grounds that he did not think himself experienced enough. The second time had been to try and place him in command of more traditional forces to which the same excuse would not apply given Rau's combat record... which he had simply rejected wholesale without given cause, something that would repeat once more with an offer to the post of Councilor.
Something that would likely repeat again here, although the low rumble of murmurs and whispered words going around the chamber told Rau something he was also quite well aware of - he was fighting against the tide here.
It was something he honestly should have expected. Historically speaking Sangheili who achieved the rate of Evocatus did not stay there long. Typically speaking it often served more as a stepping stone towards other professions, wanted or not, and was a method for those who lacked leadership skills to advance in station within Sangheili society purely on individual merit instead. The end of those careers often saw such individuals pursuing more politically inclined careers as domestic servants, be it as regional seneschals, Councilors or instructors at prestigious academies. Rau wasn't interested in any of those. The battlefield was his home, and he would fight tooth and claw to stay there if he had to.
".... agreed. Tell us, then. What would you have? Time and again you have been offered status and stations of honor, often suited to your record. Evocati are expected to eventually adopt additional duties with time, which you have not done."
Rau paused, golden eyes blinking. His initial response was to bristle at the words spoken, the only thing preventing him from speaking out in turn being years of honed discipline. As much as he wanted to retort with the idea that they had forgotten what it was to live, to fight and follow the ways of tradition, to ask if they even remembered what it was to hold a weapon... Rau held his tongue. The words were not ones he took to kindly, but the Ultra recognized that this was more an opportunity than not - their intent was not to call him out on his failings or stubborn adherence to personal values, but to reach a compromise, or at least something that would fulfill the needs of both himself and the society he served. His record, his achievements had earned him at least that much.
"To fight. That is all I have ever asked for. I spent a year away from the battlefield once, it was not a lifestyle I found agreeable."
"Then I believe we have a solution."
Anything Else || any questions or comments you might have, either to the admin, or other people who wish to interact with your character