Inaaks

Inaaks
Biographical information
Other name(s):	Ithriiks (birth name)
Homeworld:	Riis
Species:	Fallen
Gender:	Female
Political and military information
Affiliation:	House of Wolves
Rank:	Kell
Class:	Captain
Notable info:	Mother of Mithrax ; Discovered Nezarec in the Lunar Pyramid

Inaaks was a Kell of the Fallen House of Wolves and the mother of Mithrax. After her people fled Riis in the wake of the Whirlwind, she and her House adopted a life of piracy; killing and stealing from those who were too weak to fight back. After centuries of surviving in space, she eventually came to the Moon of Earth, where she discovered the Lunar Pyramid and the tomb of Nezarec, a Disciple of the Witness.

Biography

Inaaks was born into the House of Weavers upon Riis, prior to the Whirlwind. As was the custom of the House, her family first named her Ithriiks at birth, in praise of her strength as a hatchling. Upon her third molting, Inaaks chose her own name, meaning "gentle hands". Inaaks was determined to become the greatest weaver of her House, but this was foiled by the Whirlwind.^[1]

Upon the advent of the calamity that ruined Eliksni civilization, Inaaks and her House escaped the chaos on a single Ketch. Drifting alone in space, they broadcasted distress signals, but were met with silence in return. No matter where they roamed, they found no evidence of other surviving Eliksni. Inaaks and her people considered themselves to be the last survivors of their civilization, though hoped this to be false.^[1]

As time wore on and her people experienced the passing of members, she practiced her weaving by creating memorial shrouds for their bodies, seeking to hold on to their culture through this behavior. However, as Eliksni weave cloth from the material left over after an Eliksni hatches from its egg, these memorial shrouds became ever harder to weave due to a shortage of births. Inaaks' hands instead turned to the separation of meat from carapace, as her people fell to cannibalism of the dead to prevent starvation.^[1]

At some point, the birth of Misraaks occurred. Inaaks held deep regrets at allowing her hatchling into a cruel world, expressing she should have crushed his egg to make eggcloth, but her hope for the return of the old world stayed her hand. She named him after her own father, with his birth seeming to be a turning point in her own morbidity of thought. She questioned whether the House naming tradition would continue, or if it even should considering the state of existence the Eliksni now tread. This morbid turn of thought became further expressed as Misraaks' father died shortly after the birth, with Inaaks displaying no regrets over it.^[1]

After many years, Inaaks finally made contact with another Eliksni group, a Ketch flying the heraldry of the House of Dancers. The Kell of the Ketch sent an emissary to discuss what needs the Weavers may have had, and this emissary was Eramis. Inaaks knew her from their childhood, though knew nothing of her adulthood past her having a wife and children. Upon meeting Eramis in person, Inaaks noted she was no longer a meek child, but instead ruthless and incisive. She had not been sent to discuss support and charity, instead to assess weaknesses to exploit. Through tense negotiations, the two Houses came to a compromise when it became clear that attack was not the more profitable venture. The Weavers would provide materials for repairs to the Dancers' ship, and the Weavers would take on parts of the Dancers' membership, alongside a small portion of Ether. Inaaks realised this was a death sentence for the Eliksni handed over to her people, and opted to press Eramis to see if she could still feel and rationalise beyond basic survival. Asking Eramis what of her wife, Eramis appeared completely unfazed by the question, instead moving straight on to the business of providing the first two transfers in the approved deal.^[1]

Long years continued to pass, with her son growing alongside two of the hatchlings given over in trade with Eramis. Eventually, the Eliksni tracked down the Traveler, and discovered that it had provided powers to humanity, which shook the remainder of the Eliksni civilisation. This perceived betrayal drove some Eliksni to despair, some to death, but most to violence. For Inaaks' part, she decided to try communicating with humanity, which led to disaster. As this was long before Guardians and Iron Lords walked the Earth, the Risen she spoke to killed her friends, callously turning their bodies into armour. This enraged Inaaks, leading her to develop a hatred of humanity, of which she enjoyed hearing the screams of those she attacked in revenge. Inaaks began to consider anyone clinging to the old ways as fools and traitors, their only remaining use being as partners in raids they could be tricked into participating in.^[2]

It was through this raiding and picking clean of humanity that Inaaks and her House came to reside upon the Moon. One day, when out on an expedition of the Moon, Inaaks and her House members first stumbled upon the Hive while exploring tunnels. Fighting against them to survive, the Hive retreated without prompt, leaving Inaaks to discover the Lunar Pyramid. Her and the remainder of her crew stepped inside, eventually discovering the body of Nezarec. Recognising the power held within the body before them, Inaaks butchered the body into separate pieces, creating talismans that granted power to those who held them.^[2]

Inaaks held hers until one day she passed it on to a still-young Mithrax, as he was proclaiming to her that he was strong enough to at last begin going on raids with his mother. Inaaks detested that Mithrax was wearing a necklace with an effigy of the Traveler round his neck, taking it and feverishly destroying it before supplying him with the relic of Nezarec. Upon being questioned by Mithrax as to why the Fallen couldn't be both all-powerful and be in the Traveler's favour, she decided to make an example to Mithrax of the cruelty of the world they found themselves in. She stabbed him, separating his carapace, to teach him a lesson about brutality. Inaaks had gone beyond being able to be reasoned with at this point, only believing that the right way to do things would be to eliminate the Traveler's chosen people.^[3]

At some point she would be killed by Korha, The Hollow, then a captain in the House of Winter

Personality and traits

Inaaks was once a kind and loving individual who only wished to continue her purpose as a weaver but following the destruction of the Eliksni's way of life to the Whirlwind and the growing barbarity her people began to embrace following their journey through the stars, Inaaks slowly began to grow doubtful and depressed, especially as she began to lose her sense of her purpose when she lost supplies to continue weaving. However, following the discovery of the Great Machine on Earth and how it granted humanity it's power did she began to give into despair. It was only after her failed attempts to peacefully converse with humanity ended getting many of her friends killed, did something break in Inaaks. Discarding all that she once knew, finding those who still had faith in the Great Machine to be fools and fully embracing the life of a raider and pirate, Inaaks became brutal and ruthless in leading her crew to claim what they wished to survive. She was even bold enough and perhaps low enough to desecrate the body of a Disciple of the Witness and claim it's power.

In regards towards her son, while Mithrax notes that his mother raised him as lovingly as he felt she could given their circumstances, that didn't stop her from driving a knife into his side to prove a point once he'd come of age to join their raiding crew or treat him as another disposable member of her crew. Her own narration has her state a life-long regret for never having crushed his egg for the supplies she could weave from it. Ultimately, it was Inaaks's example that motivates Mithrax to be a better parent for Eido and be better than the Eliksni of old.