Vaurca Culture and Society

Values

Vaurcaesian society values and respects the authority each Hive has over its own Vaurcae. This is considered one of the highest values, and the golden rule, so much that an individual that deviates from this norm will be considered defective. While unique ethos and understandings of how to serve the Hive are as plentiful as there are Vaurcae, they mainly resonate that, especially when working in human space, an individual Vaurca takes the role as the representative of the Hive and thus should act accordingly.

Loyalty and Bound treatment

The Vaurca concept of loyalty differs from humanity’s in that it is not ideological in any respect. Loyalty to one’s Hive is not considered unique, and is not flaunted, due to the simple fact that all Vaurcae are loyal to their Hive, and disloyalty is an anomaly. Loyalty is furthermore purely biological, the result of pheromone excretion, augmentation, and indoctrination.

While Vaurca Bound are exploited by their Unbound brethren, they are not typically discriminated against. Their value is apparent to the Hive, and except for extreme and rare cases of excess Unbound Vaurca will treat Bound with the same regard one might treat a hammer —a tool and nothing more, nothing less.

Competitiveness and individual conflict

While Vaurcae have their own understanding of sports, some broods are rarely competitive, as sport is often seen as a leisure or part of one’s training. Despite such, many have adopted and enjoyed human sports and activities of the sort, though they will rarely be seen as upset as a human may be if their team loses.

Certain individuals may have feuds with each other. This is rarely taken as anything other than friendly banter, and enemies have a passive relationship. Aggression between Vaurcae is rare if not in the context of war, and not often will one see Vaurcae picking a fight. If the situation leads to that, however, it will mainly happen between Warriors, and sorted in Virtual Reality —fights that do actual damage being uncommon. Workers and Warriors alike, however, often sort their differences, if too great, with their respective hive-cell Breeders.

As busy as the Hivenet is, with many voices and thoughts coming together all times, Vaurcae learn to ‘ignore’ those they disagree with, and filter out conversations that are not their concern. There is an implement block option in the Hivenet, which allows users to cease to listen to others they deem too troublesome. This, however, requires the permission of a Breeder and is seen as a final measure.

Death and afterlife

While the normal Vaurcae may claim to not be scared of death, as their afterlife is the Paradise molded by their own Queens, natural instincts are hard to suppress, and survival is seen as a priority, whether the Hive culture has intended for that to be the case or not. Individuals are often mourned, but there is more joy in death than what would be common in human societies, as they remain assured they will meet again. However, the loss of an alien friend can be painful, since they do not form part of the Virtual Reality the Vaurcae have available.

The deceased Unbound’s neural socket is removed and permanently has its data moved onto its respective Lesser Queen’s VR before being reused once more in a new Unbound Vaurca. The loss of a neural socket before this ritual is a high offense, and stealing one’s socket after death, no matter from which Hive, is considered one of the lowest actions an individual can do. An offense of this magnitude does not go without retaliation, even if the culprit was not Vaurca.

Wars and honor

Vaurcae, like humans, are tribalistic when it comes to their own surroundings. Hive pride is common, and the history of conflict with each Hive has led to many clashings. After the Great Hive War, due to the death toll, there has been a great effort by some of the broods to reduce their military strength and avoid such a catastrophe again. Once a war is engaged, however, there are strict honor codes a Warrior should engage in, as war crimes are a huge offense to all parties. The abduction of Unbound Vaurcae is frowned upon, and the killing of another Hive’s Lesser Queens or ultimate Queen is especially taboo.

Warforms and other types of Bound Warriors are regarded as tools, but they are also valued as important assets. As such, while the battle will aim to overcome the strength of the opponent, even to the point of killing their Bound Warriors, the vandalization or sabotage of these assets is also frowned upon, and not honorable.

These rules and values are understood and enforced by Bound Vaurcae too, even if they may fail to grasp the concepts behind such. Punished communities, individuals in exile or Queenless hive-cells may have acquired different notions of values, or even dropped them altogether, as their conditions are poor in their environments. The Lii’dra do not follow these ethical codes.

Taboos

Perhaps unlike other sophonts in the Orion Spur, Vaurcae are the most ashamed about their evolution, and would rather pretend that they were always augmented and biologically engineered. Even at Sedantis, the Leto brood would be shunned for their interest in pre-Augment archeology. One of their highest taboos, however, would be references to trophallaxis or their natural language, which relied in mouth-to-mouth hormone distribution for more complex messages. While an Unbound will likely shrug off slurs that superficially link them to Terrestrial insects, if someone were to imply that Vaurcae practice trophallaxis, they would likely take great offense, akin as a human offending a Queen.

Mouth-to-mouth contact is regarded as gross and primitive. A Vaurca would find humans kissing to be disgusting. The pre-contact fashion of covering one’s mandibles was common with some groups that considered showing the mandibles in public to be indecent, but the new filter ports and contact with other societies has rapidly changed their views. Nowadays, only a few older Vaurcae are prudish enough to hide their mandibles.

Tas will often cover their faces with shrouds in public, but for the followers of the Modern Pantheon this is particularly required. While a regular Worker of this religion would never force a Breeder to cover her face, it would believe that staring directly into her face would be immodest and blinding, and thus the Worker would turn away or cover its eyes.

A High Queen, if she has begun a Hive of her own, will shed her old name and take the short form only. Any mention of it is the highest of the taboos, perhaps in an attempt for other hives to not link the High Queen with her mother. The full birth names of Zo’ra, K’lax and C’thur are considered hidden words. Even with High Queen Lii’dra, despite their hatred of the Hive, the name would not be mentioned. As much as some of the K’lax may despite C’thur, mentioning her full name would be grounds for voiding by their own Queen.

The Ta and Hive Leadership

Outside of the Queens themselves, the Ta are the most important figures in Vaurca society and are responsible for filling a brood's upper echelons of power. Free from the ravages of age with sufficient access to treatment, an individual Ta has no real need to hurry. This gives them plenty of time to settle into a position they find satisfactory or, in a rare privilege for Vaurca, aspire to something greater.

The highest position a Ta may reach in the leadership hierarchy is that of the Surrogates, who have the honored duty of helping the Queen lay eggs and acting as her advisory council on matters in which they specialize. Surrogates are almost always among a Hives most ancient Ta, expected to possess wisdom, charisma, and guile in equal measure. A recent phenomenon begun by Zo'rane Queen Athvur since the Exodus is that of a Queen taking a young Ta as Surrogate to advise regarding matters more familiar to the youth of this strange new generation.

Directly below the Surrogates are the Supervisors or Alates, who are Ta entrusted with the management and mothering of a hive-cell. A hive-cell is a group of Vaurcae that are considered a single unit by the Hive, comparable to a very large human family. A hive-cell is usually established for economical, cultural, or historical reasons, with some hive-cells being ancient and serving more-or-less the same purpose they did back on Sedantis. When a Worker refers to "their Ta", they are likely speaking about their Alate. The size of a hive-cell may vary between half a dozen and a thousand individuals, though hive-cells of Unbound Vaurcae are harder to manage and tend to be much smaller.

In some instances, Alates are subservient to a regional supervisor, a Ta, who does not have a hive-cell of her own but rather serves as a liaison between the Queen and her Alates. Although traditionally this was unrequired, the expansion of Vaurcae in the Orion Spur has raised the need for regional supervisors to help organize the brood.

The other type of Breeders are usually referred to as Diplomats. Diplomats have a wide variety of duties within the Hives but are generally responsible for representing the interests of their brood and acting as its face. Some Diplomats are tasked with handling internal Vaurca politics by their broods, acting as messengers or representatives for the Court of Queens. Others instead handle external matters, such as speaking for the Hive in Spur politics. Many do not have a permanent hive-cell of their own but may be given one as a temporary measure when Vaurca are traveling abroad.

Ta Society

Whenever the Spur speaks of the Ta it is almost always in reference to the Type CB. The Type CB have for the species entire history acted as the leaders of the Vaurca, each playing a part in pushing them forward through time. With each of these Ta being near immortal, wielding a much greater degree of independence then the other castes and having a tendency towards holding increasingly strong views as they age, a curious society has arisen amongst them independent of Vaurca society at a large. To an outsider, the social structure of the Ta has a tendency to appear flat or even simplistic but nothing could be further from the truth. While it is true that Ta typically only possesses one of a small handful of "ranks" in a traditional sense (Diplomat, Alate, Surrogate, Queen), behind each of these titles is an ancient bewildering and byzantine social hierarchy built up over untold generations and which varies not only from Hive to Hive but even within the same Hive.

For every action a Ta wishes to take, there is a delicate protocol, with the first challenge being even working out who or what to approach for permission. Actions that, for another species or even another Vaurca caste, would be completely innocent may present a delicate challenge. For example a Ta wishing to enter a realm, request aid from a Cephalon protocol, apply for funding, or even view a work of art, can find themselves swarmed with centuries-old bureaucratic mazes and an army of social gatekeepers who battle with reputation and seniority. This is to say nothing of the innumerable rivalries spanning generations and layers of hierarchical nuance long forgotten to all but a few. With Ta particularly unlikely to be susceptible to traditional bribery or threats, many outside the system would find it near impossible to navigate.

Fortunately, however, by the time Ta are considered of sufficient age to begin involving themselves in Hive affairs properly, all but the most inept have already established themselves with what, to a shorter-lived and less socially engineered species, would be an impossibly wide array of connections. Each can manage hundreds of delicate relations spanning everything from contacts, friends, and favors to the less openly discussed blackmail. It is these social tools, not firearms or blades, that form the weapons of the Ta.

Queens rarely involve themselves directly in the great game of internal Hive politics and bureaucracy beyond their direct court of Surrogates. With each Ta subservient to their will, even if sometimes a particular Ta will stretch their interpretation of exactly what the Queen's will is close to breaking, they can easily cut through these structures. It is considered a great honor for the Ta if a Queen takes a direct interest in them or a project they are overseeing; however, the Biology of Vaurca makes this less unusual than direct contact with the rulers of many other species. The Hivenet keeps a Queen in constant informational contact with her lesser kin and whilst not frequent due to an innate preference for delegation, she can easily pass praise, orders, or admonishment to whomever she wishes.

Vaurcaesian law

The Vaurca legal system reflects the sometimes harsh realities of the Vaurca social structure and is intrinsically linked to it. A proper legal code regarding the behavior of Ta, Queen's, and Hives was established by Queen Vytel The Just generations earlier on Sedantis as one of the first and most important acts of the reformed Court of Queen's. Simply known as "Vaurcaesian law" the treatise she proposed to the Court was exhaustive and written to replace the nearly uncountable number of inefficient conventions, underbaked treaties, and confusing jurisdictional limitations that the Court's members were privy to at the time. While it has been modified over generations, her original structure is still largely present. This legal code was for centuries enforced by Queen Vytel from her realm, the Chambers of Tranquillity. Since the Exodus, however, it has been handled internally by Hives, where it has been applied at all. Vytel's attempts to re-establish herself as the legislative arm of the Court of Queen's are yet to bear fruit.

While each Hive has concocted their own statutes, interpretations and reforms since the Exodus, Vaurcaesian law almost universally deals only with Ta. Offenses committed by the other castes instead tend to fall on whichever Ta was responsible for them to resolve. If the breach in question could have been reasonably prevented or was done on order of the Ta, it falls to her to bear the consequences of any legal breach.

The trials of Ta are always overseen by another of her kin, typically a panel of three. For a Hive to have a Worker or any other caste oversee such would be an unacceptably grievous offense. Cases are relatively uncommon due to the nature of the species, but the more common breaches include a Ta not following treaties, acting against another Hive without permission, indirectly acting against the best interest of the Hive, acting dishonestly towards her sisters, knowingly circumventing Cephalon regulations, or misusing resources. Much of the legislation covers rare edge cases, especially the ever-complicated sections regarding the application of the law and Virtual Reality. Sanctions if a breach is discovered to have occurred typically range from warnings to removal from positions of importance. The majority of the actual damage to a Ta found guilty tends to be reputational.

While the above is true for the majority of cases, there are exceptionally rare breaches from time to time. In theory, statutes regarding permissible violence between Ta of the same Hive exist; however, in nothing but the most extraordinary circumstances is it considered acceptable for a Ta to move against another of her own Hive with violence, and the conventions regarding such are completely exhaustive. To use violence against another of her kin without following the conventions would bring social damnation with the strictest legal sanctions. A Ta committing the near unthinkable act of moving to intentionally kill another of her sisters permanently, soul and all, would almost invariably result in her being completely cast from the Hive and forbidden from returning under penalty of voiding. To be voided is indeed a very taboo sanction for Ta, and each instance constitutes a major historical event in its own right. Even Ta captured from other Hives during acts of aggression are expected to be treated as respected hostages and, if possible, integrated into the victorious Hives' retinue. The punishment for not doing so may not be as extreme as killing one's own sisters, but it is still very punitive.

Holidays and calendar

Like other sapient societies, there are days deemed special for Vaurcae. The traditional Vaurcaesian calendar did not follow the moon or the sun, or even agricultural cycles, but rather predictable tectonic movements that were timed and repeated. Because time in Virtual Reality follows a different logic, often seeing as if there was no time at all, keeping track of time in Virtual Reality is not a common practice in those that reside or remain linked in it. However, Cephalons and traditional Vaurca clocks (Bound Workers meant to count time ever since they left Sedantis) have allowed for the notion of time to not be lost in Vaurca society. The Sedantis calendar has become a niche as of late, since Vaurcae quickly adapted to the calendars of the cultures they now interact with.

Individual Celebrations

A regular Vaurca will have some celebrations they may wish to commemorate. One that is universal among Unbound is Transubstantiation Day, or Vata’keilvetk. Typically occurring at or close to half of their lifespan, this day is significant in that the Vaurca’s neural socket has fully mapped the functions of their brain. The importance of having this complete map originates from the fact that Vaurca who die before their Transubstantiation day and reach the virtual paradise are considered to be at higher risk of "corruption" or personality "glitches" than those who have passed, though this is still considered uncommon. The completion of Transubstantiation is considered by the Hives to demonstrate that a Vaurca has matured in both mind and body. Many Unbound celebrate this day and go to great lengths to celebrate the Transubstantiation Day of their peers.

Vaurcae do not keep track of birthdays, but they may celebrate the day they left their training. This is a common practice with younger individuals that were born after they were introduced to other cultures. Some broods, such as Vetju, reject this idea altogether. Others, such asAthvur, have embraced it and it has become almost universal.

Additionally, there are several milestones a Vaurca may wish to celebrate in their life. This can be any kind of accomplishment, and more often than not are decided among a group of individuals. An example may be a group of Unbound Workers, celebrating together their architectural feat every year. Schools of thought, groups and cliques may produce these days for anything they deem worthy of remembrance.

By request, and if approved by their hive-cells overseeing Ta, an Unbound may forgo incineration upon death for a far older practice of Reclamation. In this practice, the deceased unbounds implants are removed, and their body is specially prepared for consumption by their hive-cell. It is the belief that by consuming the physical remains of the deceased, they may move on into the Aether without worry of what they leave behind. Skrellian historians believe that this practice likely came around between the Era of Agriculture and the Era of Augments, and probably served a purpose for the hives then. Regardless of its history, this practice had fallen out of favor for the more efficient methods, but it has recently found a resurgence within all Vaurca Hives.

Hive Celebrations

Some other holidays, such as the victory of the Zo’ra over the Lii’dra, are commemorated every year. While some broods may adopt the end of the Hive War as a celebration too, it is only in the Zo’ra Hive that is deemed official. In the human calendar, the 27th of August is when this is celebrated. Since 2461, the Zo’ra Hive has had a parade in Flagsdale to commemorate it.

A popular holiday among K’lax is Technology Day, which in the human calendar is celebrated every second Sunday of October. This is a mass event that celebrates and remembers the great individuals of each brood, as well as their technological advancements. Originally called Yix Day, Technology Day has spread to broods such as Mouv and Scay.

C’thur celebrates Independence Day every February 1st, which is when the Zo’ra recognized them as an autonomous Hive. Ever since the injury of High Queen C’thur, however, the celebration has become more solemn, as her future is uncertain. However, Xetl is known to be even more excessive this day, and other broods try to avoid contact with Xetl’s spawn as they can really misbehave.

Entertainment

Within the VR, many various activities are performed, and leisure is a vast category. Things from sports and physical activities, to what can be understood as video games, to even esoteric and strange pastimes are what Vaurcae tend to do when connected. However, many working Unbound have become more separated to their Virtual Realities, as the changes in their lifestyle in these past years has required for them to remain in the real world more often than not. Unbound have found new ways to entertain themselves, be it simply socializing with coworkers, performing different activities or just consuming alien media. While seen primitive in some aspects, Vaurcae are known to enjoy human or Skrell media, and find the methods of storytelling in holovision to be novel. Many other hobbies, often considered of other species, have been adopted too.

The strong work ethic in Vaurca society means a Worker will often find pleasure in rendering service to their Hive. While other forms of entertainment are widely sought, many broods will not find themselves bored when performing their designated duties. The Bound are completely deprived of pleasure and have no desire to entertain themselves.

Fashion and Cuisine

Throughout Vaurca history, fashion has remained nearly non-existent. Lacking any kind of genitalia, they have nothing to be embarrassed about. Traditionally, they would often go nude or with small garments covering their mouths. Since the Hiveships were built, some Vaurca prefer to wear thin blindfold-like cloth over their eyes to prevent the light from giving them headaches or discomfort. Recent human fashion, however, has had a huge boom in the Vaurca society. While some prefer to remain as naked as possible, the recent surge in robes and clothing built for Vaurcae are some examples of clothes they have adopted. Others prefer the saggy look of human-tailored clothes on them, sometimes even to show their affinity to alien lifestyles.

Vaurca cuisine is viewed as extremely bland and tasteless to the other species. Generally consisting completely of their genetically engineered fungus that they grow en masse, it is grinded down into a paste, boiled, or eaten raw. It is described as tasting like boiled cabbage to humans that lived to tell. For Vaurcae themselves, because taste is rarely an issue with their cuisine, many traditional Vaurcaesian dishes often have wildly different textures. The more different it is, the more fancy the meal is considered.

The fungus, K’ois (‘The Substance’), is a translucent, bulbous mushroom that thrives in any environment it is placed in, apart from being overly wet. While it appears this fungus is genetically bred to be so adaptable, it is also presumed it was naturally abundant over the Vaurcae home planet. It glows a sickly yellow, and this gives the entire plant a yellow hue.

A dying breed of Sedantian flora, the Skye’mok is a bioluminescent fungus that can be fermented into mead. Unlike humans, Vaurcae don’t get drunk from alcohol but fluoride. Since the Vaurca arrival to Spur, Skye’mok has been mostly forgotten because toothpaste has proven to be a better drink for the Vaurcae. However, this doesn’t stop some traditionalists from making their own Sye’mok breweries, advocating that while not as strong as toothpaste to get somebody drunk, the taste is better.

Math and numbers

While math is deemed universal, the Vaurca understanding of numbers goes beyond the other species’ conception. A proof of this is how Vaurca are named, as each number can have a long connotation, and Vaurcae are known for being able to count to high numbers. Because of such, non-mathematicians have misinterpreted Vaurcaesian numeration as simplistic, often regarding that all the numbers assigned to the common Workers translate simply to ‘infinity’. This is untrue, as they are quantifiable.

Base ten and binary systems are seen as primitive to Vaurcae, and the success of their computers depends greatly on their overcoming of this. The complex calculations and immense storage capacity are what made the Cephalon caste possible.

The Arts

Besides their mathematics, Vaurcae have no written language anymore. Instead, all that can be deemed literature is stored in the same Virtual Reality and retold by priests or authorized individuals. The way a Vaurca can consult the data stored in the VR is with an advanced peer-to-peer protocol that allows information to be absorbed and shared easily. Because of this, there has been no need to write or type.

Art still remains an important subject today, with new masonry and sculpture subterranean projects. The word ‘art’ in Vaurca society is similar to the classical understanding of it in human societies, involving technique too. As such, a Vaurca highly knowledgeable in their field of study can be deemed an artist or artisan.

Reliefs and rock gardens are also popular means, and have been the supplement for painting or photography. As Virtual Reality advanced, however, digital art, with its complex avatars that have more dimensions and are seen as ‘beyond real’, has been considered a noble medium through which an artist can develop.

Music is an important part of Vaurca culture, with unique instruments that rely heavily on vibrations and rhythm. As their calendar and antennae, these patterns are deemed superior to any sound. However, introduction of Skrellian and human instruments to the Vaurca repertoire has opened new veins for Vaurca music to follow.

It is considered heavily Taboo to take a picture of or depict the Queen or Lesser Queen of a Hive in non-VR media, as it is considered a disgrace to their spiritual beauty. Because of this, they rarely make public appearances to humanity or any species outside of their Realms. Queen Athvur is an exception to this.

Politics

Up until 2463, Vaurcae politics between Hives was at a standstill due to each Hive's distanced location relative to one another, and due to the fact that each was dedicated to recovering from the exodus. On the date of May 10th, 2463, The Zo'ra invited both of the other Hives to a diplomatic summit, reviving the ancient Court of Queens inside of their "Capital", New Sedantis. This new council was designed to discuss the next steps to move the Vaurca up the ladder in modern society, but has a tendency to devolve into squabbles between individual Queens, especially after the alleged theft of the Bulwark caste by the Zo'ra not too long after the original summit was called. More about this particular event can be found on the Court of Queens Arc page.

The Court of Queens meets intermittently to discuss all things relating to the Hives, usually at the request of a member. Queens can choose to either make an appearance physically or send a Ta as a proxy if they are busy with other projects, freeing up precious time. Notably, certain Queens tend to not make an appearance at all, including Xetl and Scay, with neither providing consistent reasonings as to why, although Scay's brood is typically present in some capacity regardless in the form of worker caste Vaurcae operating as observers.

Although tensions between the Hives are higher than they ever have been before, no one Hive has deviated from making regular appearances to the Court, regardless of the topic. The Court of Queens is often seen as the Vaurca's singular political edge in a world where the species is in the minority, and nobody wants to be left out, even if it could mean yet another accusation or embarrasment. Despite being revived by the Zo'ra, each Hive has equal say in Court matters.

A notable achievement of the Court of Queens is the abolishment of Avowals on 4/24/2464, covered here.

Xakat’kl’atan

One of the highest honors a Worker or Warrior can normally receive in their respective Hives is to be bestowed the title of Xakat'kl'atan or Master of Ideal Forms. Usually achieved after death, this title can only be bestowed by a Queen or Lesser Queen. It recognizes the recipient as an authority in their particular field of study, and it is these respective masters that are approached by those newly born or training, seeking to benefit from their mastery. To become a Xakat'kl'atan while still alive is rare, but when it does occur the Ka or Za in question becomes something akin to a celebrity amongst their Hive, or even others. Regardless of what they choose to do, living or dead, they remain staunch advisors of their Hive Queens.