Is there anyway we could take a tour through Thoris's weapons collection? Either the one on earth or the one on andoria.
Hello! We absolutely can do that! I hope you don't mind the delay - I took some time to draw concepts for a few weapons! (Scale is all over the place, just roll with it.)
Thoris' collection travels with him between planets, so it's all one collection rather than two split ones. Andorians take personal armaments very seriously, which should surprise no one, and Thoris considers his arsenal part of his personal kit.
Details below the cut!
So, pictured above we have:
Veeg-kaav (Veeg snare)
Rezhveeng (Throwing knives)
Punch-blade
Ngoog (Boot knives)
Ushaan-tor x2
Phoog aam Kor (Clan Kor-style sword)
Hrisal (tactical)
Hiith (Belt blade)
Plasma tonfa
Mace (traditional Andorian)
Plasma rifle
Plasma pistol
Shattered lirpa fan blade
Some of these are self-explanatory, such as the boot knives, throwing knives, punch-blade, and belt blade. Most of these are holdout weapons, or last-ditch close quarters options. An Andorian is never unarmed, if it can at all be helped, and Thoris has many years of experience in hiding weapons on his person.
The veeg-kaav is part of Thoris' hunting kit, as veeg cannot be readily be killed unless the head is separated from the body. The snare serves to pin the head (and thus the body) down while cutting through armoured chitin and allowing the user to give a sharp twist to the side to separate the head from the rest of the beastie. (The spikes along the haft are, in Thoris' words, "For when the little bastard dodges and I have to bludgeon it back into a corner.")
Thoris' ushaan-tor have a little wear and tear, as an oft-used weapon might. He's probably due to replace these with freshly forged ones, soon, but he has a fondness for weapons with a few scuffs and gouges; it shows they've not been idle.
The Phoog aam Kor (or Clan Kor-style sword) is a Clan variation on a traditional single-edge sword popular throughout Andorian history. Each Clan has a slight variation on the same theme, changing up the blade's edge, or length, or altering the shape somewhat. Clan Kor favours one which is serrated for the last two thirds of the blade.
The tactical hrisal (the blade from which Clan Hrisvalar draws its name) is a vicious weapon, meant for inflicting deep and catastrophic wounds. Andorians have a scant few deep arteries and veins in their bodies, and the rest of their circulatory system is a vast and dense network of capillaries. A hrisal blade is intended to punch through chitin and sink deep enough to not only reach but rupture any such major blood vessels. The triangular wounds left behind are extremely difficult to close, even with modern medicine.
A plasma tonfa might seem a bit bizarre at first, but I am compelled to remind readers that Andorians don't believe in nonlethal weapons. More than that, Ambassador Thoris is largely of the opinion that if he hits something, it shouldn't be able to get back up again. The plasma tonfa, to that effect, can discharge superheated plasma if the user desires - though it is a single-use charge, and meant as a last resort.
Thoris' plasma rifle and pistol are the standard Andorian Imperial Guardsman issue, though he has taken the time to customize the grips for both.
The mace is a very traditional, very old school weapon by Andorian standards. It's not something Thoris uses often, but he's as proficient with it as everything else in his collection. Mace design doesn't change much across species, as it turns out - something Dagmar will find amusing - but unlike most examples of Terran maces the Andorian versions are extremely heavy.
And, finally... the shattered lirpa. Contrary to what some believe, this is not a trophy. Somewhere out there is the Vulcan officer who led the boarding party that killed Thoris' eldest sons. The coward responsible fled before Thoris' squad arrived on scene, pulling back the moment the tide of battle turned in typical Vulcan fashion. It is a cold comfort, but even amid the chaos and the damage it was evident that his sons had fought well; a great deal of blood was spilled in the choke point they were protecting ahead of engineering, and most of it was green. The younger of Thoris' sons shattered the lirpa that killed the elder, but succumbed to his wounds before help could arrive. Thoris has carried the fragment with him ever since.
(Strangely, Ambassador Soval has never once protested the lirpa fragment's inclusion in Thoris' weapons display. No one can quite decide what to make of this, Thoris included.)
Can we have some information on Thoris's partners? He's the most attractive in my opinion and knowing more about his spouses will help mitigate that I think. Plus I am so curious about him.
Hello darling! I'm so sorry, it has been a hot minute!
To be fair to you, Thoris is fantastic and you are far from the first to decide to sexualise that (not that old!) old man. I literally have an entire mirror 'verse fic planned around the concept.
But, if it helps, Thoris' spouses are:
Vrasoan sh’Kor - Thoris’ bondmate and wife to Idraal and Shrathaa; Minister of Justice.
Idraal ch’Kor - Thoris’ husband and bondmate to Shrathaa; General of the Imperial Guard.
Shrathaa zh’Kor - Thoris’ wife and bondmate to Idraal; Bio-engineer, acclaimed researcher and inventor.
Now, some of the specifics are going to remain shrouded in mystery because they are significant in some way to the plot of Emigre. Others, however, are just fun details that came to me as I was creating Thoris' quad.
Details below the cut, as usual:
VRASOAN
Vrasoan often comes off as severe and foreboding even by Andorian standards, but most of that is down to her job. She's in charge of running the Arbiters, overseeing the crafting and introductions of future laws pertaining to the criminal justice system and its immediately adjacent systems, and proactively anticipating - and solving - problems that occur within the system as it currently exists. It's a big job, and it requires constant vigilance to ensure nothing slips through the cracks!
Vrasoan also hates all shades of yellow-green, can't stand the smell of whatever those ridiculous Thaan Clansmen put in their (in)famous mustard sauce, and would honestly rather be at home tending to her various botanical experiments than attending whatever social engagement is required of her. She's very direct, and once she makes a decision she goes after it without delay.
A daughter of a very high ranking Clan and raised with the expectation of seeking a similarly high ranked mate, it must be said that when Vrasoan was initially introduced to Thoris as a young girl, she was not impressed. The feeling was mutual, as a much younger Thoris found Vrasoan to be stuffy and boring. Meanwhile, Vrasoan viewed a young Thoris as a hellion and immediately disliked the sheer amount of entropy that followed in his wake. Indeed, their first encounter involved the two coming to blows - and not in the manner their parents had hoped!
Despite some rough beginnings, ss they both aged and continued to move within overlapping social circles, Vrasoan found she was beginning to like the new, more responsible Thoris in their brief and infrequent encounters. After a time, she started to seek out his company more and more often, and despite his numerous duties and demands on his time Thoris found himself quite looking forward to their time together, seeing it as something of a respite from the rest of the world. Acquaintance yielded to friendship and play, and from there nature, as they say, took its course. They would be bonded within the following year - quite an abrupt courtship, by all accounts, but not entirely unexpected.
It was, after all, the outcome their parents had been planning for all along.
IDRAAL
Idraal is a very active fellow, and while he's not as boisterous and gregarious as he was in his younger years, he still enjoys himself. A high-ranking man with a keen eye for strategy and always the sort to keep a weather eye on the morale of the Guardsmen serving under his command, Idraal distinguished himself in the field several times over, actively seeking out assignments which would have him slapping down border incursions and routing Orion pirates regularly. While not outright bloodthirsty, Idraal was known to be relentless in pursuit of a target and adept at setting cunning traps for his prey. If someone wanted a rogue ship hunted down and brought in, Idraal was the one to send. Nowadays, Idraal chafes under his rank as a general; he's much more removed from the frontlines and from his crew than he prefers, but he begrudgingly admits that the sharp increase in authority and the coveted ability actually get things done instead of battling bureaucracy has its merits.
Idraal has a fondness for Rigellian plums, is indifferent to Andorian ale, and while he claims to have no preference for one colour over another has been known to gravitate occasionally to indigos and violets. He has a little known gift for storytelling, and of the quad it was Idraal who was most requested by the children to read to them before bed.
Idraal met Thoris during their initial training for the Imperial Guard, and had enjoyed having such a robust playmate and sharp-minded companion during that time. There was an inherent compatibility present between the two that lent itself to a strong friendship - with the potential for much more - but differing assignments saw the two separated for years after their initial induction into the Guard. They reconnected years later purely by accident, with Idraal encountering his old friend shortly after Thoris and Vrasoan formally bonded quite coincidentally. Vrasoan was only too pleased to welcome a third into their bed, particularly since she'd rather thought Thoris had been quietly pining over the man for years now. Imagine her delight when the feeling had turned out to be mutual! Idraal, for his part, was enthralled and perhaps a little intimidated by Vrasoan in equal measure, and remains so to this day.
SHRATHAA
Shrathaa had been born the youngest daughter of yet another high ranking Clan known for it's ferocity and martial prowess, but was often overlooked for her merely adequate performance in martial matters. It wasn't until Shrathaa established herself as a biologist and branched further outwards into engineering that she saw a unique pathway in which the two might intersect, and from that point onwards she truly began to shine. Now Shrathaa is a household name in and of itself on Andoria, without needing a Clan name attached to it for respectability. While not the first bio-engineer in Andorian history, Shrathaa is perhaps the most renowned for her research into - and invention of - incredibly complex and advanced cybernetics prosthetics which integrate seamlessly with the main body. Her work is considered revolutionary in the field for its ability to not only engage with but fuse to and both repair and compensate for severely damaged nerve endings, and new announcements from her lab are always greeted with a great deal of interest and enthusiasm.
On a personal level, Shrathaa adores the colour orange, loathes fungi on the whole as a food, and has a tendency to get so caught up in her work that she neglects basic necessities like eating and sleeping if left unattended. If she isn't tinkering with something, she's thinking about tinkering with something, and if she isn't thinking about tinkering with something... well, it's probably because one or all of her spouses have decided to give her something else to think about.
To be honest, Shrathaa still doesn't entirely understand how she wound up married to these three. To her recollection, she presented her findings at a conference one day, and upon being questioned as part of a open panel over the use of such things, firmly stated (read: argued quite passionately) that the Imperial Guard and Arbiters would only benefit from allowing her lab to provide prosthetics to servicemen injured in the line of duty. Little did Shrathaa know, Idraal and Vrasoan were in the audience, and were quite impressed. They both approached her regarding drafting proposals to implement her suggestions, and while Vrasoan was spoke for, Idraal was delighted to be the one who pursued Shrathaa in between his own duties.
Their initial courtship largely consisted of Idraal chasing Shrathaa down in her lab and reminding her to eat, or handing her steaming mugs of katheka periodically and engaging her in brief snippets of conversation. After he'd managed to lure her out of her lab and off to dinner the seventh time in a row, Shrathaa started to actually pay attention to the helpful - if somewhat annoying - man who kept interrupting her work. We all know how that ended, of course.
How old is Thoris? Like when you say he's not actually that old, what do you mean? For Vulcans, 70 is not that old but I would say it is.
Nope! Nuh-uh! Not gonna! I'm gonna answer anyway! (<3)
Now, I shan't be giving out an exact number for Thoris' age, I will tell you a bit about the Andorian lifespan in Emigre's era and give you some context.
Andorians and Humans actually have very similar lifespans canonically, with a max age of about 130-150 years in the later eras. Since Emigre takes place fairly early in the Trek timeline, however, human lifespans aren't quite so long and I think, given the medical innovations of the day and age, neither are Andorians.
So, for the time that Emigre takes place in, let's say the average life expectancy of Humans - assuming no major injuries or illnesses are involved - is about 100-120 years old with the advances in interspecies medicine, reduced pollution and nanoplastics/general environmental poisoning, and overall quality of life improvements. This is in huge part thanks to Vulcans, whose technological advances allowed Humans to clean up their energy and food productions practices immensely, and whose medical technologies allowed for not only better treatments in general but earlier detection for disease, gene-tailored medication, and generally higher success rates for complex treatments and surgeries. The Interspecies Medical Exchange improved things even further, of course.
All of that being said, Humans are still only about 200 years removed from multiple major nuclear events which would have lasting effects not only on the planet but on the surviving populations themselves. All the medical intervention in the world can't completely fix what massive, long-term radiation exposure does to a person's genetic material, even in the Trek universe. So, regrettably Human lifespans are still hampered somewhat at this stage in the timeline.
Andorians, meanwhile, are holding steady at their 130-150 year lifespan and have done for centuries now. While they physically mature in roughly the same timeframe as Humans do, they live significantly longer, so an Andorian's idea of 'middle age' isn't quite the same as a Human's.
We would be inclined to say that the 30s-60s are the middle age decades, because Humans like to divvy our lifespans up into neat sections, where 0-29 is youth, 30-59 is middle-aged, and and 60+ is advanced. Definitions shift over time, of course, but for the sake of simplicity, we're going to stick with the older, slightly outmoded generalizations (which I personally suspect this is a holdover largely in part to the shorter lifespans Humans had historically, where reaching anything above 60 was a very impressive feat indeed.)
Conversely, the 'middle' of the Andorian lifespan is generally considered to begin in their 60s, with advanced age beginning after their 90s. This effectively leaves you with a culture that has a prolonged youth and shortened middle ages and relatively brief advanced ages.
So, when I say that Thoris is considered middle-aged, roughly mid-middle aged even, you now have a little more context for what that actually means.
<3
(Forgive any misspellings, grammatical weirdness, etc - I'm in the thrall of a week-long tension headache.)
Hi! Hope you’re doing better! Are there any thoughts about Thoris you’d be willing to share with us?
Hi! Thank you, I am continuing to heal up reasonably well and I absolutely do have thoughts about Thoris!
These are some of the bits of lore that formed around his character and background as I wrote. For a secondary character, he's actually really well developed in my brain!
Thoris didn't get to pick his Andorian staff for his role as Ambassador to Earth and Tellar. They were all assigned to him. Dagmar is the first employee he's actually had any kind of say in having.
He's not actually that old! Andorians live to be around 120-150 years old, but their white hair and facial chitin make it very hard for Humans to accurately judge their ages. His real age is [CLASSIFIED]. Dagmar just thinks he's a crotchety old man because he acts like one.
Thoris never wanted to be a politician. He was an Imperial Guardsman and expected to be one until the day he died or was forced into retirement at knife-point. He was well-liked and respected in the Guard, almost too much so, and there were concerning whispers about this popularity within the Imperial court.
Shortly after the deaths of his two eldest sons, Thoris was removed from his posting after publicly criticizing the Emperor's mandates regarding border security. He was then 'volunteered' for the role of ambassador by the Emperor himself - and no one can refuse an Imperial decree.
Thoris has a huge sweet tooth, but only very rarely indulges it.
The first time Thoris met Shral, he took one look at that haircut and tried to fire Shral on the spot. The agency responsible for hiring and assigning his staff refused, citing the fact that he'd scared off the previous six candidates sent to fill the role; there was simply no one else left who had the required clearance and the prerequisite qualifications at that time. Thoris has since learned to appreciate Shral, but the first few weeks were somewhat awkward.
He actually hates Andorian ale. This has yet to stop anyone from giving it to him.
And, finally: Thoris is actually my favourite character to write of the lot.
