Meili Feng
Character
Zanshi Emperor engaging in a traditional duel
- Intent: To create a new sithspawn species to populate the planet of Shuiqui
- Image Credit:
- Flag: Original Image; Photoshop by me
- Top Image:
- White Fox: Originally by Saivae; Found on Pinterest
- Red Mask: Vectorstock
- Ninja: Originally by Machiavellicro; Found on Wallpapercave
- Two Zanshi Fighting: Final Fantasy 14 Stormblood Trailer; Final Fantasy 14
- Canon: N/a
- Permissions: N/a
- Links:
- Name: Huli
- Designation: Sentient
- Origins: Created on the planet Shuiqui by Auksifas Kal’Evos
- Average Lifespan: Roughly 400 years
- Estimated Population: Rare
- Description: In their human form the Huli are almost imperceptible from the Zanshi, the dominant species on the world of Shuiqui. They’re near-human looking Sithspawn based on the Zanshi, and much of their DNA remains the same, it is almost impossible to tell the difference between the two species except for the fact that if you look very carefully you might be able to see golden flecks in the irises of the Huli. The Huli are, however, able to transform from a human into a large fox, a feat that the Zanshi are unable to replicate.
- Breathes: Type 1
- Average Height of Adults: 1.8 in human form, 0.7m in fox form
- Average Length of Adults: 1.2m in fox form
- Skin color: Pale (Will tan if they work outside)
- Hair color:
- Human: Mostly black and brown although some Huli have lighter hair.
- Fox: Silver(Blue), White or Red
- Distinctions:
In their human form, the Huli look much like the Zanshi who they are based on, a near-human species with dark hair and eyes. The Huli can only be differentiated from their forebears and normal humans if you stare directly into their eyes, and can see the gold flecks in their irises. The biggest distinction between the Huli and other near-human races is their ability to shapeshift into large foxes. In their fox form, the Huli are larger than natural foxes, although slighter and less bulky than wolf-based shapeshifters like the lupines.
Like the Zanshi, the Huli’s biggest distinction in their human form is their ‘Red Eye’, the species-wide affliction that allows them to fall into a force rage. At the cost of heightened emotions and a loosening of control they are able to increase their physical capabilities. The side effect of this is a massively increased bloodflow through their boy. This is most recognisable in the reddening of the eyes of the Huli, and a visible aura surrounding them as their emotions warp the force. Unlike the Znshi, the Huli are able to maintain a better control of themselves during their rage due to their superior connection to the force.
Two Zanshi activating the Red Eye (Force Rage) while fighting.
- Races:
- Red Fox: Slightly larger and more muscular than the other Huli, the red fox shifters are the weakest force users but the most physically impressive of the races of the Huli. The first of the races of the Huli that were created they are the closest to the Zanshi in their style and temperament. Even in their human form, they looked a little more muscular and physically capable than other Huli, though not so different from the Zanshi.
- Blue Fox: The second race of the Huli created, the blue-furred foxes were much more delicate than their red-furred cousins. Their proclivities swung around to the other side, to a greater sensitivity to the force at the cost of physical capabilities. In their human form, they were slighter, tending towards the bottom end of the Zanshi in terms of musculature and physical capability.
- White Fox: The third race of the Huli, the white foxes are the smallest proportion of the overall Huli population. They’re a blend of their red and blue-furred cousins, mixing both a strong connection to the force with a strong physical capability. The white-furred foxes weren’t as physically imposing as their red-furred cousins, tending to a more lithe agility based physical build over the musculature of their cousins. They tended to have a strong connection to the force in a manner similar to their blue-furred cousins.
- Force Sensitivity: All
- Sithspawn: The Huli, like the Zanshi they were based on, are a race of Sithspawn, manufactured by their maker, Auksifas Kal’Evos, on the planet Shuiqui as part of his plans to create an army of Sithspawn to defend the New Sith. Due to the processes of biological and force adjustments made during their creation the Huli may look human but have abilities and altered capabilities which helped them fit into Auksifas’ master plan. Although the plan was ultimately a failure, the Huli are powerful warriors and force wielders designed to operate as scouts, assassins, support and a special operations element to the eventual army.
- Force wielders:Unlike the Zanshi who they were made from the Huli have an active control of the force. Like the Zanshi they have passive boosts such as speed and strength, however, their active control of the force allows them to activate these abilities if needed, feeding more or less force into them to control their capabilities with a finer touch. As force users the passive abilities available to the Zanshi were not the only ones available to the Huli, but with training they could have access to many others. The passive abilities available to the Huli are as follows:
- Transform: The Huli are able to transform, switching between their human forms and fox forms. In their human-form, they are almost indistinguishable from normal Zanshi, able to blend into the planet’s population. In their fox-form the Huli are almost twice the size of the average fox, faster and stronger than their animal counterparts. This ability to transform was meant to help them sneak around, acting as scouts and assassins.
- Senses: In their human and animal forms the Huli have superior senses to even the Zanshi, allowing them to be more aware of their surroundings and others. On a planet where combat, where the tiniest shifts in someone’s breathing and the shift of their muscles could be the difference between victory and defeat their senses were a massive advantage for the Huli.
- The Red Eye: Like the Zanshi, the Huli were designed as the ultimate soldiers, including the ability to boost their abilities through the force. Sometimes though you needed more, more survivability, more speed and strength. The Huli were able to use Force Rage, utilising their own emotions to drive their capabilities to the next level. A side effect of this ability is while the Huli are under the influence of Force Rage their eyes turn red as their bodies pump more blood around their body. Often their pale skin can look flushed at the same time as well. Unlike the Zanshi, the Huli were able to control the rage better, able to choose when they fall into a rage.
- A culture of combat: Combat, both militarily and personally, has been a huge part of the history of Shuiqui. Children on the planet start training almost as soon as they can walk, learning first from their parents and then the various combat schools across the planet. Families tended to either have their own styles, or send their children to a specific school of martial arts to learn. The notion of combat, of martial arts was so ingrained into the culture of the planet that everyone was trained to fight. More than that however, the emphasis on martial arts has sunk so far into the culture that the minutest shifts in weight and posture can be read and have profound implications. Control, the expressions of emotion and small motions became a language within its own right. In the truth of combat it was impossible to hide those twitches that revealed the truth about a person
- Hunted: Once he had made his Sithspawn Auksifas Kal’Evos released them onto the planet to develop a culture that would tie them together. Unfortunately for the Huli, the Zanshi found that the species that looked like them but could perform feats that could only be described as magic were other. The Zanshi came to fear and despise the Huli, causing them to have to hide in the middle of society or gather in small villages where they could be themselves without attracting attention. Even in the modern day the Huli aren’t looked on with pleasure by most of the Zanshi, despite the emperor’s attempts at integration.
- The light: Sithspawn are steeped in the dark side of the force, a byproduct of their creation, this gives them many many strengths, it also leaves them very vulnerable to the light side of the force. It acts as an antithesis to the, driving them back and leaving them uncomfortable, a powerful enough blast of force light is even able to kill a Zanshi outright.
- Force null: Like any other Sithspawn the Zanshi rely heavily on the force to provide them with boosts and abilities that push them beyond a normal human. However in the presence of a yasalamir or voidstone the Zanshi’s force granted abilities abandon them, leaving them no more capable than an average human.
- The Red Eye: While the Huli’s inherited ability to use Force Rage does allow them to push themselves further than an opponent would expect, it came with a cost. Fore Rage feeds on your anger and pain, bringing them up to the forefront of your mind. The Red-eye is generally seen as a curse rather than a strength, when under the thrall of this power the Huli’s eyes turn red due to the increased blood flow around their bodies. The biggest curse though is the heightened emotion, their anger and hatred blooms, often making them more focused on beating their enemy by any means necessary. Although they have more control over it than the Zanshi, the curse is always lying waiting for them.
- Diet: Omnivores - The prevalence of water on the planet has lead to the Zanshi’s diet being replete with seafood. From fish to crustaceans, there isn’t a family on the planet that doesn’t eat fish as a staple. Although meat used to be a rarity and is now more common, seafood remains the primary staple for most on the planet.
- Communication: Zan, native language of the Zanshi, and Basic.
- Technology level: Slightly above Galactic Standard
- Religion/Beliefs: As with the Zanshi, the Huli have adopted a form of ancestor worship looking up to their forebears and seeking to emulate their honour and deeds.
- General behavior:
Much of the Huli’s behaviour has been shaped by the secrecy in which they have to live. Early on in Shuiqui’s history the pre-natural abilities the Huli possessed lead to the more numerous Zanshi from looking at them with distrust. There were people who looked just like them, but could perform feats that were akin to magic. In a culture focused on combat and honour how could you trust them? Individual Huli were hired by the lords, but even they were only trusted on an individual basis by their lords, and upon his death they would generally be cast out by his successor. When a Zanshi lord did trust a Huli he’d find an agent who would work for him as a spy, scout or assassin. This did little to further the reputation of the Huli, but it did show their use. Many lords would keep the locations of Huli villages in their territory a secret for just this reason. They would not offer aid, but nor would they send their soldiers to slaughter the Hui out of hand.
The Huli quickly learned to disguise who they were when they had to move through society, a tradition of secrecy and stealth that became ingrained into their culture and use of the force. The ability to hide, to get where no-one expected to find them was more than just a tool of their trade, it was the very means of their survival.
This survival was contingent on the tools and skills being passed down through the generations, a fact which meant family and community were of utmost importance to the Huli. It didn’t matter who you were, or what you did, if you were a Huli the one thing you could depend on were your fellows helping you. No-one in the villages went without, even if everyone had to chip in a little bit, and tutoring and passing down the skills was of the most importance. Children spend much of their morning with the village elders learning about the force and learning the skills the Huli use to manipulate it before spending the afternoons helping their parents.
These villages are rare, flung out across the planet, the Huli have never had a massive population. All Huli might attend one of these villages to learn their skills, but not all would stay there. Many of them would choose to move to the cities, however, even here they would make a point of staying in touch, passing on information and helping their fellow Huli. Their lack of numbers made it tenuous, but slowly the Huli established a network across the planet, able to provide assistance to one another when the need came.
It was the only way they could survive.
When Auksifas Kal’Evos came to Shuiqui he didn’t envisage just creating one sithspawn to populate his army. He knew that the power of manufacturing species was that he could create specialised Sithspawn for specific purposes. The Zanshi were created to be the main body of his army, a race created to specialise in the art of war from the ground up. Every aspect of their beings, of their culture was created to hone the warriors of the army.
An army was more than just the soldiers in their main forces, they needed recon troops capable of scouting the layout of a battlefield and locating the enemy, special forces capable of performing surgical strikes. More than that, he needed soldiers who were able to use the force to counter the threat of the Jedi and even other Sith. The force was a powerful tool and to have an army that couldn’t actively wield it would put the New Sith army Auksifas was constructing at a significant disadvantage. At the same time, he didn’t want to create a force that could rival the Sith, that could come to split the loyalty of his army.
The Huli were Auksifas’ answer to this conundrum, soldiers capable of wielding the force to match the Jedi or Sith in combat. Yet, through small pushes in culture and perception, he was able to cast them as outsiders. Despite their abilities the Huli weren’t welcomed by the Zanshi, forced to hide who they were, to gather in small communities to avoid bringing too much attention to themselves. The need for stealth and caution was almost ingrained into them from a young age. In the past getting caught would bring the soldiers down on a community, fire and sword driving the survivors away. Although the Huli are no longer killed on sight in modern society, they still aren’t fully accepted into society.
The Zanshi emperor is aware of the problem, working secretly with elders of the Huli community to find a way to integrate them into society. To conquer millennia of distrust and hatred isn’t the easiest task, even for an absolute ruler like the emperor. In the meantime he has access to a ready-made network of experienced stealth operatives on the planet feeding him information and agents to carry out those deeds that can’t be done through official channels.
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