List of Unreal characters

This is a list of characters that occur in Unreal, the series of first-person shooter video games.

Characters in the main series

The Unreal original series has many different characters.

Recurring Tournament Characters

The Unreal Tournament series features a small number of notable recurring characters, whose personalities and biographies were chiefly expanded upon from Unreal Tournament 2003 onwards. These include:

Gorge, leader of the Juggernauts.

Fictional Species in Unreal

The Human Race (Terran)

Although a non-fictitious species, the human organizations seen in the Unreal Universe are. For the most part, humanity has remained socially, physically and mentally unchanged between now and the taking place of Unreal, but are more technologically advanced than at present (as is to be expected in a future world).

Human beings or "Terran" as they are referred to in the Unreal Universe, are a civilization composed of many private companies, corporations and franchises - much like modern day Earth. Capitalism is the driving force behind humanity's progress. It has led private sector companies such as Axon, Liandri, Izanagi and Phayder to establish bases on other planets, conduct scientific research, develop new and more powerful weaponry and expand humanity's knowledge in general. These major corporations are often portrayed as greedy and financially motivated. Axon is perhaps the least competitive / confrontational of them all, as it specializes in scientific research. Furthermore, Axon has no known military or mercenary force under its control, this makes Axon totally dependent upon outsiders and mercenaries for protection. Izanagi is likely the most aggressive, as it is into whatever makes money, thus the drive for profit often clouds its moral judgement. The Izanagi Ghost Warriors are one of the most infamous antagonists in the game. Liandri is largely a mining corporation, and possesses a sizable military force. Phayder is a corporation which creates and raises Necris warriors, reviving dead humans via the expensive Necrification process. Their assassins are considered to be ones of the best in the galaxy. On Earth, the New Earth Government controls the planet, although very little of this government is mentioned within the game.

In general, humanity in the Unreal Universe is portrayed much in the same way as in other science fiction tales, such as Alien (and AVP), Halo, Sins of a Solar Empire, EVE, Master of Orion, Imperium Galactica, Free Lancer, and so on. Although each portrayal of humanities future varies greatly in all forms, the general rule being that humanity has achieved long-distance space flight, and possess weaponry similar to modern day armaments in style, only more advanced / powerful. In the Unreal Universe, mankind has established a significant military presence in space. This has meant that human kind has become a major competitor and target to aggressive races such as the Skaarj.

The Skaarj

The Skaarj (pronounced "scaar") are an advanced race of aggressive extraterrestrial beings generally living in a highly tribal society, originally introduced in Unreal, but subsequently found in all later games of the series, usually as the antagonists. The Skaarj design seems to have been influenced by alien designs from various other franchises, often having green/yellow/blue skin, tusks of varying lengths, and are generally reptilian in appearance. Although they appear reptilian, they are in fact related by design to insects. Because of their appearance, many of the logs left by deceased crew members in the original Unreal refer to them as "lizard men". Some, but not all, Skaarj are augmented with cybernetic implants. They hail from the planet Skrath.

At the head of any given Skaarj clan is a Queen, similar to the Xenomorph Queen, who lays eggs in which eventually a bug-like creature (a pupa) emerges. These pupae eventually grow into the Skaarj as they are commonly seen.

A Skaarj warrior's main weapon is called a Razik, and consists of two (sometimes surgically attached) wrist mounted blades on each hand, similar to a weapon used by the Predators from the Predator franchise. This blade design gave birth to the design of the different variations of the Circle-U logo of the series, and the Skaarj themselves can be considered the series' mascots. The Razik also is able to fire electrically charged shots of energy, which form between the blades, and fire in pairs. Skaarj troopers do without Raziks and rely on projectile based weapons such as the Razorjack. The Skaarj Razik design is also used in the different Unreal game logos.

The Skaarj are highly intelligent, fast, strong, and their clans usually remain solitary, perhaps due to conflicts in code or competition. The clans have shown a significant amount of cooperation in the human/Skaarj wars, however. Most Skaarj consider all other races to be inferior, and that it is the destiny of the Skaarj race to rule over all others. Many races such as the Nali, Krall, and Izarians have been enslaved by the Skaarj, who are technologically superior.

As well as the separate clans, the Skaarj Empire was formed with the goal of ruling the universe. After enslaving and destroying a large number of alien species the power hungry Empire moved onto humans. First contact with this Empire came when the New Earth Government attempted to recover the crashed prison vessel, the Vortex Rikers. Over a full year the humans and the Skaarj Empire fought a large number of battles, at areas such as Avalon and eventually Earth itself. This began the "Seven Day Siege" in which the Skaarj fleet surrounded the Earth and attacked. Several million of the Earth's population were killed and the NEG struggled to hold the invaders off. Eventually, on the final day, the NEG Commandos assaulted the Skaarj Mothership and destroyed it from the inside. The Skaarj were sent into full retreat and the human race lived to see another day.

Since the human-Skaarj war, the Liandri Corporation experimented with Skaarj/human hybrids in their Grand Tournament (or the Unreal Tournament). In the latest Tournament, actual Skaarj from the deadly Iron Skull Clan have participated, generally holding that they will indeed one day conquer humanity, and the Tournament gives them the opportunity to kill humans in vast numbers (albeit in vain, since Tournament contestants are immediately resurrected upon death) until that day arrives. The Black Fist clan opposes the Iron Skull clan, who are their sworn enemies, and members of Black Fist, Mekkor and Skrilax, are currently enrolled in the Tournament, hoping to battle the Iron Skull. A few Iron Skull members have been in the series since the beginning, even in Unreal Tournament, such as Dominator and Guardian, and are also fighting in the latest tournament.

The Nali

A Nali.

The Nali are a humanoid species with four arms whose home planet of Na Pali was invaded by the Skaarj. No living female Nali is seen in the game, though a mural of their lightning goddess "Vandora", depicted with four arms and four breasts can be seen in a temple. The Nali are not technologically advanced; they are wholly unaware of such things as weapons or power-ups. For this reason they store such objects in their urns, crates or barrels, not knowing what to do with them. Most of them live in huts, although there are a few castles; Nali buildings are reminiscent of Medieval architecture. Their main occupation is farming, as seen by the fact that they build sheds for Nali Cows. Many of them are fond of keeping diaries, often describing the arrival of Skaarj on their planet, believing them to be "demons who came from the sky". They have a highly spiritual culture, visiting their ancestral shrines and building many churches. They also have extraordinary abilities that could be described as supernatural; several Nali can be seen levitating, turning translucent, and vanishing altogether. There are also some Nali ghosts who apparently visit and honor the tombs of their ancestors (as seen in the level "Bluff Eversmoking"). The Nali caste of the priests use tattoos to ornate their bodies, using colors such as red and blue.

Nali and Nali 'War Cow' models were released in an official free update for the original Unreal Tournament, allowing players to (humorously) take these pacifistic creatures into battle. An audio taunt available to players in Unreal Tournament 2003 series is "You fight like a Nali!".

The Krall

Like the Izarians, the Krall are also slaves of the Skaarj. The Krall are biped creatures, and are more intelligent than the Izarians. They are usually equipped with spears that can fire plasma similar to the protagonist's Dispersion pistol. In the original Unreal, Krall are often seen patrolling fortified positions like a captured Nali Castle.

It is not known how the Krall have come to become the slaves of the Skaarj. However, the master-and-slave relation between the Skaarj and the Krall is a problematic one. If a Krall hit a Skaarj with friendly fire, the two will begin to fight each other instead of the player (perhaps a miswritten part in the game code).

The Krall have appeared in the original Unreal, and were secondary antagonists in Unreal Tournament 3. Not much background information is known about the Kralls. Their biology and thinking may be similar to humans', as a commander's log in Unreal shows that some of his men have asked him if they are permitted to "take liberties with her [a captured woman]. I guess that's OK, as long as they watch those boots! She kicked me in the hrangos last time." Another log of the same commander tells that "I am in DEEP SHIT! If captain DUK'CHOROTH comes and finds out I let her escape, I'll be de-hrangod for sure!" In a rather comical twist of language convention, a notebook log by a Nali rebel observing the event reveals the female human kicked the commander in the jaw, and that 'hrango' may refer to the Krall's teeth.

Gen Mo' Kai

The Gen Mo' Kai are a humanoid, gecko-like species, with digitigrade feet and short tails. Hailing from a planet named Arborea, the lizard-like Gen Mo' Kai are a renowned species of honourable warrior males and hunter/scavenger females. Their society is clan(family)-based rather than individual-based, and either males or females may become clan-leaders. Combat prowess is highly prized amongst this predatory species, though they are also intelligent and highly inquisitive. Most Gen Mo' Kai who enter into the human empire's tournament bloodsports do so willingly, for the challenge and the sport of competitive combat. Their society is highly traditional and ceremonial, and some Gen Mo' Kai choose to wear familial death masks to war, bearing countenances which are highly stylized and often disfigured or gruesome looking. After the company wars, the Gen Mo' Kai took over and became the government of Earth according to the Unreal-Championship timeline, which in some ways differs greatly from the Tournament timeline...

The Izarians

The Izarians had a small empire of their own and enslaved many minor races before they ran into the Skaarj and became slaves themselves. Due to their sado masochistic tendencies, it is debatable as to if they actually mind at all. They also replace the Krall from the original game.

The Izarians resemble large insect-like primates, and to some degree; the Xenomorphs. They are about 5 feet (1.5 m) tall, have four arms, two legs, an elongated head with sharp teeth, blue blood, blue tinted skin, and bioluminescent areas of their bodies that emit a fluctuating / pulsating light,(as seen amongst the various species of the deep ocean fish of Earth). This suggests it is likely that on the Izarian homeworld, much of their routine events and interactions take place during the night, or that their world is perpetually dark. The blueness of their blood can be accounted for high levels of hemocyanin. This is a common feature amongst certain Earth species, such as the Horse Shoe Crab, and various other mollusks and arthropods. It is likely the Izarians belong to the Arthropod family.

The Izarians also (to a certain degree) resemble the Grunts (Unggoy) from the Halo Legacy. Common features are:

Their social structure is methodically much like that of an ant or bee hive. However, there is nothing to suggest that they cannot think independently, and during early gameplay, the player encounters an Izarian using a dead human body to lure the player inward. Secondly the player later encounters a small group of Izarians toying with a CCTV security camera. These two incidences suggest that the Izarians possess some form of free-will and curiosity; traits normally associated with independent thinkers. The Izarians, as well as serving the Skaarj as slaves, are also used by the Skaarj in combat as light warriors. Their Skaarj masters allow them to hunt in packs against the Terran forces that the Skaarj are at war with. These packs usually are composed of seven or eight Izarians with one Skaarj commander, as Skaarj are much stronger, faster and more intelligent than Izarians. The Izarians use weapons called Energy Rifles, most commonly known as Shock Lances. The Skaarj attach crystal EMP restrainers on their slave's Weapons to not to give them anything too powerful. When John Dalton acquired the weapon, Isaac, his weapons engineer, took the restrainer off to make the weapon more powerful.

The Kai/The Tosc

First appearing in Unreal II: The Awakening, the Kai are a semi-nomadic people with soft bodies and thin limbs, and are only barely humanoid in appearance. They travel across space, working at menial tasks and living at the fringe of society. Because of their lowly social status and their apparent low intelligence, the Kai are often subjected to bullying. While the Kai are too weak to retaliate, they are secretly seeking respect, as seen in one instance where a Kai opens a door only after its master has said "Please". The Kai are a peaceful race who lean slightly more towards the spiritual side than anything else, and adorn themselves with various charms carved from wood, which they hang from strings attached to their clothing. It is unknown what relevance these symbolic charms possess, but it is likely that each Kai wears its own unique set of charms, and that each one is a form of silent expressionism (as seen in the art of tattooing in the human culture).

Ultimately, it is revealed that the Kai are the imprisoned form of the once powerful Tosc. The Tosc hid their DNA within the genetic structure of the Kai, and will manifest again when the Kai are hit with the beam of an artifact. Thus, one of the galaxy's most downtrodden races is actually the last remnant of one of the most dangerous. However, it is unclear exactly how the Tosc hid their DNA within the DNA of the Kai. This suggests that the Tosc - aside from being physically powerful - are also rather advanced technologically, and are capable of intelligent thought. The "low Kai intelligence" is perhaps a misconception, based on the fact the Kai are very quiet and seem to have little interest in everyday human events. Another theory is that while it is known the Tosc "hid" their DNA within the Kai, this does not rule out the possibility of the Kai literally being the Tosc in disguise (meaning the Kai are in a way, the sum total of the Tosc, a watered down, evolutionary dead-end, only to be restored to their former glory at the activation of the artifact). An ancient and extremely powerful race of alien warriors, the Tosc stand almost 20 feet (6.1 m) tall, have enormous strength and durability, and appear to have the natural ability to generate singularity charges, making them devastating living weapons. Although this ability is likely unnatural, and is a result of the advanced genetic engineering of the Tosc to improve their combat capabilities.

Features and Commonalities of the Kai / Tosc:

Drakk

A mysterious race of ancient and extremely powerful insect-like machines, the Drakk are found near the end of Unreal II: The Awakening. The Drakk homeworld lies in an uncharted sector of space, where every human expedition team was met with unknown fate. The Drakk are highly advanced and uses plasma and laser weapons, and can rapidly repair themselves. They also have the technology to preserve and animate parts of biological beings, which enables them to engage in cruel biological experiments on captured members of the other species, in an attempt to create the perfect soldier. Such experiments can be found in their homeworld, where Skaarjs and Humans are found detained in prisons, and miscellaneous body parts are preserved and used in experiments.

The Drakk are so ancient and so technologically advanced, that it is plausible to assume they are the most advanced race in the entire Unreal Universe. Aida even mentions the Drakk were once a biological race of beings, who achieved such a high level of advancement in the realm of cybernetics, that they discarded their biological bodies in favor of more efficient, artificial ones. Alternatively it is suggested that Drakk artificial intelligences developed to a point that they decided that their organic 'ancestors' were more of a 'hindrance' than useful and as a result were exterminated by their own creations at some undetermined point in their past. Some organic Drakk might have survived by modifying themselves into cybernetic beings in order to survive in the new 'society'.

Drakk society appears to be organized in 'worker' and 'soldier' classes, no clear indication of a 'leader' class has been shown yet in the Unreal games.

Araknids

Araknids are a species of giant spiders found in Unreal II: The Awakening that have overrun the Axon Corporation research facility on the ice moon "Hell". They are not a starfaring race, but rather an ordinary species of spider that have been mutated by the power of one of the artifacts. They have some relation to the Spinners from RTNP.

Thunder Crash

Thunder Crash, sometimes written "ThunderCrash", is a team of human Liandri Grand Tournament competitors with a military theme. Thunder Crash armor is green, sometimes accented with gold, and often features the image of a bird of prey or wings. During the Corporation Wars, Thunder Crash forces fought for the New Earth Government in at least one instance. It is not known if they were hired, or are fully owned by the NEG.

Thunder Crash is well known throughout the universe, mostly because of their success in the Liandri Grand Tournaments. They can be hired, but their services cost a lot, therefore the team is often called "Thunder Cash" behind their backs. It is not known whether Thunder Crash are mercenaries or it's NEG that decides where to send them, taking the money as a bonus.[1]

The Necris

The Necris are an artificial race of undead Humans created by the Phayder Corporation. They appear like white-skinned humans with many black, angular tattoos. Their homeworld is Omicron 6.

The Phayder Corporation creates Necris by substituting dead humans' blood with Nanoblack, a black fluid of nanobots. These humans then return as the undead, sometimes retaining the memories of their previous lives. The Necris process is insanely costly, at least for outsiders, and only the Liandri Mining Corporation is known to have been able to pay the Necris to bring back dead individuals. Once brought back, age seems no longer relevant to these persons.

The Necris have fought in Liandri Tournaments multiple times, namely: Unreal Tournament (their team named the Black Legion), Unreal Tournament 2004 (through a bonus pack), and Unreal Championship 2.

In Unreal Tournament 3 they start a war by attacking Humans. For unknowns reasons, the Krall, previously enslaved by the Skaarj, fight alongside the Necris.

In the original UT the Necris did not yet feature the tattoos they have in UC2 and UT2004, and in UT3 they are seemingly augmented with cybernetic prosthetics.

References

  1. ↑ "Thunder Crash". Liandri Archives. Retrieved 11 January 2015.