Note: Since the Blue Lanterns seem to be based on various religions, I thought they should have a more tribal sort of religion represented.
Roukka Bey -- Blue Lantern of Sector 11
The planet of Raonga, in space sector 11, was a small planet inhabited only by wild things and various tribes of what other planets might refer to politely as "unadvanced". Their technology was rudimentary at best, and they believed not in science, but in mysticism of varying sorts depending on the indivdual tribe. However, Raonga was also a planet rich in natural resources, and it was only a matter of time before one of the many space-faring races in the sector discovered it and attempted to claim it as their own.
Roukka's tribe, the Mak'kaw, are traditionally a relatively peaceful people who originally welcomed the new visitors to their planet and were easily convinced that trading with them would be beneficial to both sides. And at first, it was. Rapidly, however, things deteriorated. The trade agreements became increasingly skewed in favor of the alien visitors. Then requests became demands. And soon there was no asking at all as the newcomers began to just take what they wanted from the mineral-rich planet. To make matters worse, other races soon came and set up colonies and mining operations, too, each faction carving out another slice of the planet and claiming it for themselves. More and more of the native Raongian tribes began to resent this intrusion as they were forced further and further into the wilderness, away from their ancestral homelands and into the territories of other tribes, sparking conflicts between the native tribes as well as with the
outsiders. For some tribes, resentment turned into resistance, and many of them went to war with the outsiders.
By the time Roukka was hatched, the Mak'kaw were a people torn between ideals of war and peace. More and more thought they should fight back, and yet many still hoped for peace, while many others wanted to fight but were certain that to do so would be futile. As Roukka grew, training in the ways of the shaman under his grandfather, the Mak'kaw were forced further and further into the scant territory left to the scattered and broken tribes of Raonga, and conflict and lack of good hunting grounds caused their numbers to dwindle. And by the time his grandfather died, and young Roukka took the mantle of tribe shaman, they were a people on the edge of extinction -- broken, tired, and without spirit or direction.
Still young and full of enthusiasm despite the grim future that everyone else seemed to see, Roukka took it upon himself to fix things before the few remaining young of the tribes threw their lives away in a war they couldn't possibly win through brute strength alone. He used all the power at his disposal, looked for signs and omens to give his people life and hope. And when there were no good signs or good omens, he wasn't content to just sit around and wait for something to happen. Instead, he travelled to the colonies, to the mines, learning about the outsiders and what they wanted, determined to make some sort of connection with the right people. His grandfather had taught him the value of words and how to use them -- when to negotiate carefully, when to stand firm, when to give a little and when to take -- and to value all life, even if that life is something you don't understand. The process was slow, but he learned who was sympathetic to his
cause and struggled until he found ways to make his beliefs make sense to these alien peoples. The process was even slower with his own people, who had learned not to trust outsiders and were reluctant to negotiate with them... but eventually, people began to listen to him, and allow themselves to hope that maybe, somehow, some sort of compromise could be reached.
That compromise had not yet been reached when a blue ring found its way to Roukka and showed him that he had a bigger part to play in the grand scheme of things. He is still quite young and inexperienced in the ways of the universe, which he still scarcely believes can be as large as it is. Sometimes his enthusiasm gets the better of him, and sometimes he is far too trusting for his own good, but it's hard not to be infected by his optimism. When not busy elsewhere in his sector, Roukka spends as much time as possible on Raonga, trying to find a way for all these different people to live in peace and somehow get what they want. Only now is he beginning to understand what a vicious foe greed is, and it saddens him to realize that, while his people might survive with his help, they will be forever changed by what has happened to their planet. Things will never be the way they were in the old days.
Roukka, however, likes to believe that ultimately, change is for the better.
Recipe:
Base figure -- McFarlane Wetworks Vampire with the legs removed from the knees down and completely resculpted, sculpted bracers
Head -- The helmet from a DC Direct Showcase Hawkman plus lots of sculpting
Wings -- DC Direct JSA Hawkgirl
Feet -- Random hard plastic alligator-man from the bargain bin
