Totem Animals - Not meant for this

[AmethystWallflower]

This is a bit of a read, so I apologize for that. It was a complicated idea in my head that took a bit to sort through. I was hoping for interest, opinions and/or critiques. I did some researching on each of the animals & did my best to assign a color to each of them, but not a color too wild off the spectrum. After reading through I've noticed it's easier if I explained the parts of everything before lining out the stencil of the plot. It just helps to understand what I'm trying to get across without major confusion since there are a few different terms.
Alright, here is goes;

Animal Totem; This animal is represented throughout the entire being of the individual & the Guard. The Totem is part of every soldier's personality due to the link created at birth, strengthened throughout youth and expanded within the Guard. Certain attributes (only one or two per soldier, truly rare & skilled beings are granted three) from the Totem Animal become part of the soldier's armor, weapon and overall personality in some shape or form, as it varies to benefit the soldier, to further unite the Guard as a unit made of individual dangers. The Totem Animal only changes upon retirement when the soldier is forced to drop the life-long Totem to adopt the Black Bear. However, there is great inner turmoil amongst the Retirees regarding the change in the Totem. Many take the shift from a life-long adaption to the new Totem difficult and do not fully renounce their original Totem traits. This causes odd trait mutations amongst the more headstrong and determined elders. When reaching a certain age, it was once rumored that an individual was given the internal option to take on the Black Bear, making them a more enlightened, priest-like existence.

Purple Totem – Komodo Dragon; Bloodlust. Excellent eyesight. Poisonous. Thicker Armor. Thick iron tail. More militant style. Savage. Incredible endurance. Has been known to be over the top in punishment.
Considered to be brutal. Locals call them Amethyst Dragons.

Blue Totem – Reef Stonefish; Weapons laced with poisons. Ability to swim incredible distances. Thicker Armor. Less likely to kill than the other Totems. Relatively calm. Poisonous quills. Ability to see underwater.
Considered to be fair. Locals call them Sapphire Death.

Ash Totem - Snow Leopard; Impervious to cold. Stealth. Speed. They tend to stalk their enemy before acting upon orders. Talons. Relatively calm. Heightened sense of smell. Silent. Resourceful. Night vision. Swift in punishment.
Considered to be unpredictable. Locals call them Ice Stalkers.

Red Totem – Jackal; Bloodlust. Speed. Resourceful. Clever. Often referred to as Anubis. Besides the Death Stalker Scorpion, they are the most likely to kill than the other Totems. Find humor in chaos, joy in their work. Reckless. Savage.
Considered to be mostly mentally unstable. Locals call them Anubi.

Green Totem – Jaguar; Camouflage. Stealth. Speed. Bloodlust. Endurance. Excellent eyesight. Short temper. Thorough. Night vision. Swift in punishment. Manipulative.
Considered to be selfish. Locals call them Jade Nightmare.

Gold Totem – Death Stalker Scorpion; Weapons are laced with poisons. Speed. Thicker Armor. Silent. Malevolent. Most active in darkness. Night vision.
Considered to be savage. Locals call them Death Stalkers.

Black Totem – Black Bear; Brute strength. Solitary. Somewhat subdued. Quiet. Originally a life choice in the elder years of the individual, now soldiers are forced to abandon their original Totem and adopt the Black Bear as a false symbol of great service to the Royal Family and the Region. Upon adoption of the Black Bear the soldier is moved to an island that is inhabited solely by others of the same status. The Royals when first discovering the Totems and their secrets took immediate notice of the docile, yet dangerously acquired strength and skills, and sought to bend the Totems to benefit their greed. By forcing the change upon every remaining soldier, it has effectively domesticated them.
Known throughout as either the Elders or Abyss Walkers. Once an accepted way of life, now being challenged.

Split Totems – Not natural by any means; These are the elders that are feared above all. There are few in number. These retired soldiers are those that refuse to drop their former Totem Animal traits along with being forced to adapt to that of the Black Bear. Their armor and fighting techniques are smooth blends of the two animals despite the creation not being needed until the Royals took power. Those Overseers fear these soldiers the most. These Split Totems are the core of all Revolution. Although their weapons had been taken from them upon arrival to the island, the weapon also morphs to match the Split Totem while locked away – therefore continuing to grow with its owner despite the separation. This is only allowed to happen due to the age & experience of the wielder of the weapon.

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Royals – The Royals consist of a close related family of around 13 people, each with a lifespan of close to a thousand years. The family holds the secrets of the Totem Animals close and uses them in benefit to themselves and their need for land and currency ever since the family conquered. For uncountable generations the Royals, so enveloped in secrecy that the actual family name is not widely known beyond the members of the family themselves and wealthy, have been ruled by greed entirely. Such greed has not only allowed them the knowledge of the Totem Animals, but the technology/ power in which surrounds the seven animals. They are at constant war with the bordering regions and seek whatever secrets each region holds close to their chest. If this land had the Totems, what could others hold? It's also due to this family and their malevolent greed that the creation of the dangerous Split Totem Animals had occurred.
Typical lifespan of a Royal; 900-1050 years.

The Overseers – A very sadistic and twisted breed of people put in charge by the Royals to find each child at birth that has a link with a Totem Animal and mold them into the desired end product. They are a special type of being that takes great pleasure in their life work. Their name directly refers to their roles in life, they oversee everything that deals with the Totems. They are broken up into their own groups from all training stages starting at the creation of weapons and armor, to the observation of the Island of Bears, to even the punishment of rogue soldiers. Essentially, they are the police to the entire military force of the Region. Given the fact that the Overseers are different beings than the Royals and Soldiers, they are gifted with mental abilities that allow certain degree of control over those under their watch. Their lifespan is significantly longer than that of the Soldiers, yet not as long as the Royals.
Typical lifespan of an Overseer; 700-850 years.

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Purple – Central Guard; With the highest concentration of people, most of the cities are focused in the center of the region, along with the Capitol. The Royalty, wealthy, Guard training, prison, courts and many of the shops are located here.

Blue – East Side Guard; Ocean. There is one major city on the East side that is located immediately on the coast. This city is the hub for the harbor. The surrounding towns are much smaller in comparison but are the second largest populated areas of the region. The East side goes as far as to have its own prison run strictly by the Lead Guard in Command despite not having a court system.

Ash – West Side Guard; Snow-Tipped Mountains, grasslands, farming. The population is somewhat thick on the West side of the region, but is dispersed throughout in small, tightly knit villages that rarely exceed 250 residents. The wealthy here are considered middle class in the Central portion, but still hold minor respects as either landowners, traders or business owners.

Red – South End Guard; Deserts, dry mountains valleys. The people in the South end of the region are even thinner in population. They are physically hardened due to their environment and typically travel in moderate sized tribes over the vast deserts that cover close to the entirety of the south. Along with the Guard that patrols them, the people here are rougher in personality than the rest of the region.

Green – North End Guard; Dense forests, deep rivers and lakes. The North End of the region is the wildest in terms of what lives amongst the dense trees, deep lakes, fast running rivers & the green covered mountains leading into the North Border. Not only does it hold the highest concentration of deadly creatures, It harbors a dangerous Clan that recognizes no leadership, opposes any Guard color and only embraces the Totems as they are, not tools of war and greed. However, if left alone, they do not come out of their seclusion, remain secretive to most and overall peaceful.

Gold – Roaming Guard; This group of soldiers are known as mercenaries. They are the most brutal of all the Guards and are the fewest in number. They are not seen too often, and some have even gone their entire lives without so much as getting a glimpse of them; however, danger, death & darkness always follow them. Rarely is it known until after whether their presence is in the favor of the locals or not. They are not bound to any specific area and travel where needed. It's exceptionally rare for these Guards to reach the age of retirement due to the intense level of danger coupled with the position. There is a rumor widely whispered that due to a great fear of possible Split Totems between the Scorpions and the Bears that the Royals have ordered the Overseers to execute them before they reach proper age. Less than one hundred are left alive presently, with none but the Royals knowing the reasons that allow the lucky few to survive.

Black – Retired; The ones lucky enough to survive to the age to be allowed to retire by the Overseers are moved off to an isolated island off shore of the East Side at the age of 300 regardless of their health or ranking. Their numbers are not much larger than those of the Roaming Guard as many die in the years nearing their retirement. Their weapons are taken from them before making permanent residence on the island to prevent any sort of revolt under the much laxer living conditions they are allowed. However, due to their incredibly enhanced skills and their lax living environment, the retired are heavily monitored in nearly every aspect of their remaining lives.

Typical lifespan of the average soldier; 400-550 years.

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Birth – Given a personalized weapon; When each child is born they are immediately taken from the mother to be examined thoroughly for several days to determine what Totem Animal it is linked to, if any at all, and what sort of weapon it will be given. If no Totem is detected, the child is returned to the family. This weapon is completely unique to the child and made using the same magic/ technology as the armor the child will later receive. This will be the child's only weapon in life and therefore the weapon will grow overall with the child. An example of a weapon growing with the child is a small cannon shaped gun that may turn into a large, over the shoulder cannon that has some sort of personalized attachments when the child reaches adulthood. Obviously, the child would be unable to carry such a weapon throughout youth so the infancy of the weapon must match the infancy of the child, same with adolescence through adulthood.

15 years old – Weapon training; after the first fifteen years of being able to get comfortable their weapon the child is moved from a nursery type setting to begin learning how to use the weapon with more purpose than to familiarize. The first years of life are spent solely on weapon familiarization and training to give the user a deadly precision by the time they reach graduation. Weapon training continues alongside all other focuses until graduation, therefore the tool becoming like an extended limb.

30 years old – Defense training; at this point the youths learn how to defend themselves with and without aide from weapons, allies or if provided, objects. Some youths will proceed with defense objects like their weapons in the way that they will always remain on their person; some as obvious as shields, others much more discrete.

45 years old – Battle training; at this stage the youth will begin hand to hand battle training along with using both their weapons and defenses. They spend the next fifteen years learning individually, in pairs and in a group setting. They learn skills such as stealth, brute force, various martial arts techniques that best suit the individual, endurance, survival and they even go through a vigorous mental training courses focused on pushing emotion from the mind to better control the body to execute orders and lives without hesitation or remorse.

55 years old – Fitted with personalized armor; this suit of armor is fitted precisely to the individual. It's built with a technology that grows with the soldier and is designed to be rarely taken off. Immediately becoming like a second skin to the wearer. The armor is full body, covering the feet and hands, along with a retractable face mask and helmet & other elements that will later reflect the wearer's Totem. The suit remains a pearl white until the soldier has graduated. Each suit is unique to the wearer and includes necessities such as weapon holsters, vital readers, and all communication needs.

65 years old – Given military color; each color identifies the region the soldier will be stationed for the remainder of their working adult lives: also considered to be their Primary Color. They will spend the rest of their time training in the environment that they will be stationed in to ensure maximum survival rate once stationed. They are trained in the most extreme situations of their Primary Color Region and cross trained in two other regions: known as their Secondary Colors. A Soldier is therefore specialized in three regions, while mastering one of them, in case the need to defend is larger than what is already supplied. However, the Primary Color is determined by what the Totem Animal is of that soldier. Example; A Purple Totem soldier will always be assigned a Primary Color of Purple, or the Central Guard, while the Secondary Colors are determined based off the traits & skills of that soldier.

75 years old – Graduation; this is the most brutal part of the young soldier's adolescence and essentially the end of it. They are first individually given a series of trials lasting two weeks that identify, examine, evaluate, then finally judge the combined skills acquired throughout youth. If deemed worthy they proceed to the team portion of the trials. Here the young soldiers are sorted by Totem, teamed up based on all attributes and put through various scenarios whereas they are to rely on each other for survival. This lasting for an additional three weeks. All those deemed inadequate are terminated & buried without honor, thought to be forgotten. For those who pass - Welcome to adulthood.

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Plot idea;

More and more of the Abyss Walkers are entering their new status as Split Totems opposed to transitioning to being solid Black Bears. Coupling with the Split Totems, these Elders are morphing the best attributes from their original Totem with the new, while dropping the less desired and unpredictable ones. This proves to the Overseers that the growing Abyss Walkers are revolting towards the way of things. While more and more are becoming Split Totems, the Overseers are beginning to become aware of their presence as the confiscated weapons are morphing to reflect the dual Totems in their storage galleries. Panic even begins to grow and spread as the Split weapons begin to slowly disappear from the guarded galleries.

Throughout the youths of the various Elders, a growing trend had been steadily graining stability. Discomfort in how the Region is run has been spreading through all Guard Fractions like a virus. Many had always been against how the soldiers are molded; taken from birth & made into weapons. Many had friends and lovers that were great their entire youth until Graduation, where they were deemed unworthy for one reason or another and terminated. Such feelings have been tattooed on every soldier's psyche from the time of birth. Never fading, only turning into a sour taste in the back of each throat like bile that no amount of liquor could mask.

Up until the recent decades most soldiers only hoped to die honorably in battle, if not in a moment of total savagery, instead of reaching the Island of Bears - instead of being forced to sit in the memory of all that was lost. The Island of Bears is a sad and hollow place. Although considered a Holy Place by the Overseers, a place reserved for only those who have bested everything that has come into their path, a place gifted to those who have mastered the skills of both Life and Death for their Region, is just a patchwork of land off the coast where the Overseers can monitor those that could ultimately terminate them. A place where a Totem, color set, title, and everything but a birthname is stripped from a soldier and they are asked to reform themselves into a foreign Totem; to spend the rest of their lives without their weapon & although a Black Bear, an Abyss Walker, ultimately forced into domestication.

The Split Totem Abyss Walkers that lead the Revolution are the ones that refuse to let go of their identities; to let go of the Totem and weapon they were destined to adopt as children but forced to use negatively. Forced to live a life of war as a soldier instead of a life of peace as a protector. They are an underground force that is infecting the active Guard Fractions of not only their own Original Totems, but even alongside those of their fellow Elders without discrimination. Somehow, through powerful influence, a small select few of Split Totem Elders have reacquired their weapons and seek to change the way the entire Region is operated in the same blossoming secrecy that the Royals mastered many generations ago.

What is it that the Split Totems seek? Individuality. Not just the kind that they are given as children when being fitted for a weapon and armor, not in the way that makes them more valuable to the Guard as a whole. They seek the individuality that allows them to make their own choices, the choice to be soldier or peacemaker. They seek freedom from the Royals and their Overseers. They want to be free of forced service and labor. They want to be able to see their children grow. The Split Totem Elders seek to wipe out the Royals and Overseers completely, to create a new Era where no one is forced to do the will of power-hungry tyrants. Split Totems seek to create a region in which all can live peacefully, where Totems do not rule over the Regulars, and the Overseers and Royals do not rule over the Totems.