The Fourth Mithna: Mithna Temos

Last month, I released a poll for "the Fourth Mithna."  A "Mithna" is a Ranathim noble house and, in keeping with the themes of Lithian culture insisting on being as alien as possible, they must necessarily have and use weird names for everything.  When I released the Mithanna it was as part of the aristocratic lens, and I left a poll on what sort of nobles people wanted to see, and "Ranathim Nobility" topped the charts.  I was reluctant (I feel like the Ranathim get too much attention already, but they are one of the more popular races of the setting), but I released the Mithanna to positive reception.  However, in keeping with "not overdoing the Ranathim" I kept the specific Mithna to a minimum.  Each is just a few paragraphs long, as opposed to the pages that the human noble houses get. And I thought "three is enough."  

But last month, I was looking for things to poll and when I asked the community, a lot of people reacted very positively to the idea of a Mithna poll. It made sense: they were easy to make, and I typically release "three of my own, one for you."  So why not do the same for the Mithanna? 

What came out is Mithna Temos, which is interesting in that it more closely reflects my initial conception of the Mithanna before some readers complained about a lack of context.  Even the name "Temos" came from my initial set of three Mithna. This is not a house grounded to a world, but one that wanders. and lurks behind the scenes, manipulating other Mithna for their benefit.  So, here it is: the poll results for the Fourth Mithna.

(And if you're curious what the Mithanna even are, or what the Ranathim are, click the links.  If you're completely lost, check out the primer).

Mithna Temos

Domain: Styx; Mithna Temos were the palace guards and enforcers of the Tyranny/

Hereditary Estate: The Tyranny-era Dreadnought Parsa Nadumet and as many as six more dreadnoughts, which have been scattered and lost over time.

Path Symbolism: The Devoted Slave (Dark Communion) and the Void (Broken Communion).

Additional Oath Magic:

• Strength From Pain (Mithna Edict -15%) [28]

• Truth-Seeker (Dark Communion -10%; Mithna Edict -15%) [4/level]

• Tao of Hyperspace (Mithna Edict -15%) [24]

• Unfazeable (Cosmic +50%; Dark Communion -10%; Mithna Edict -15%) [19]

• Weapon Master (All; Dark Communion -10%; Mithna Edict -15%) [34]

Latent Psionic Abilities: None; however, their maximum Psychic Vampirism Talent is +6.

Required Traits: Legal Enforcement Powers (Absolute; Only among those bond by the Mithna Edict -80%) [3].

Additional Traits: ST +1 to +5 [5/level]; Improve Racial Appearance (Attractive) to Appearance (Beautiful) [8] or Very Beautiful [12]; 3D Spatial Sense [10]; Damage Resistance +5 to +20 (Tough Skin -40%; No Signature +20%) [4 per 5 levels]; Fit or Very Fit [5 or 15]; High Pain Threshold [10].

Additional Skills: Law (Tyrannic) (H) IQ-1 [2]; Navigation (Hyperspace) (A) IQ; Piloting (any Starship specialization) (A) DX [2]; Savoir-Faire (Servant) (E) IQ+1 [2]; Vacc Suit (A) DX [2];

Additional Disadvantages: Callous [-5]; Distinctive Feature (Albinism) [-1]; Hidebound [-5]; Obsession (restore the Tyranny) [-10], Selfless [-5*], Sense of Duty (the Ozamanthim Bloodline) [-2 to -5]

Mithna Temos began not as an existing aristocratic group that swore allegiance to Ozamanthim, but as the closest companions and most trusted bodyguards of the Tyrant. He bound them in the oath of his Mithna Edict, to ensure their loyalty, and then raised them to the ranks of the Lithian Aristocracy. They served as his enforcers and elite trouble-shooters, roaming the galaxy in mighty dreadnoughts, at the head of fleets. They bore the absolute authority of the Mystical Tyrant and were empowered by the Mithna Edict to enforce his laws. To many in the ancient Tyranny, Mithna Temos were the manifestation of Ozamanthim’s power in the flesh.

When the Tyranny fell, Mithna Temos fell quickly as well. The other Mithna studiously averted their gaze as those who resented the Tyranny’s oppression raged against his enforcers and scattered their fleets. One by one, their dreadnoughts vanished, and their number fell either in battle, or into the chains of slavers. They survived, after a fashion, as most Mithna do: as a genetic legacy sometimes found among the Ranathim, and as a memory of an ancient past.

Today, Mithna Temos rises again in the Umbral Rim. Some of the Mithna, goaded by their dreams and the urgings of the Edict, have escaped from slavery, or bought their way free, and set out to explore the stars. As the memories of the horrors Mithna Temos inflicted on the galaxy faded, the other denizens of the Umbral Rim didn’t think twice about former slaves asking about ancient dreadnought wrecks or Tyrannic ruins, and over the centuries, the house has managed to regather a small portion of its strength and numbers, and has even rediscovered a couple of their dreadnoughts, most notably the Parsa Nadumet (“the Shadowed Glory”). They have made quiet overtures to at least one other Mithna, exerting their authority as the law enforcers of the Tyranny (though the Tyranny is long gone, the mystical weight of the Mithna Edict still demands the other Mithna accept their legal authority as enforcers of the law), and they have been seen on Sarai. Those who study Saraian politics quickly come to the unshakeable conclusion that Mithna Temos seeks to restore the Ozamanthine version of the Cult of the Mystical Tyrant on Sarai and retake their place as the enforcers of that new regime. This puts the Mithna at odds with the Imperial agenda, of course.

The scions of Mithna Temos have a striking, statuesque perfection about them. They stand tall, with finely toned musculature; even a female member of Mithna Temos have an athletic beauty to them. This physical perfection makes them both physically powerful and very attractive, two qualities that made them, along with Mithna Khalli, highly sought-after slaves (members of the Mithna might consider taking the Slave or Escaped Slave background, rather than the Aristocratic background). The scions of Mithna Temos tend to have alabaster skin, mixed with grey or black hair, as though cast from marble. Some are even albino.

The scions of Mithna have a unique relationship with the Mithna Edict. Ozamanthim gave them the authority to act as his secret police. This gave them to right to kill with impunity, to search without warrant, to arrest, and gave them a jurisidiction over the whole of the Tyranny. This authority remains, enforced by the Mithna Edict. This allows them to violate quite a few of the rules of the Mithna Edict (such as bypassing the rules about duels if the target of their ire committed a crime) while they are within the bounds of their jurisdiction (the Umbral Rim, some of the galactic core, and the edges of the Arkhaian Spiral), but the Mithna Edict also requires them to act to protect the law, and may inflict a curse if they allow a lawbreaker (according to the Mithna Edict!) to go unpunished. This often makes members of Mithna Temos seem strangely irate to those who do not understand the Mithna Edict. Unfortunately for Mithna Temos, their authority only extends to the Mithna Edict itself: the other Mithna must abide by their authority, but nobody else in the galaxy is required to recognize their authority or, indeed, even realizes they have it! Players who wish to play as a member of Mithna Temos must purchase this Legal Enforcement Power, as noted in Required Traits.