Kandorian (kan DOHR ee en)
Attention: SAFEGUARD Agent
Among the minority exception, most know that the multiverse contains alternate Earths, some of which include species that evolved someplace other than Earth. Those species are likely to call themselves "kryptonian" or "thanagarian" or possibly something starting with an "a".
Diligent researchers with sufficiently high SAFEGUARD clearance levels are aware of such diverse kinds of people. They have the minimum necessary information to recognize a medical emergency unique to such an individual, should one inadvertently visit our native reality.
Even rarer among that subset are the few who have heard of "shogamorphs". They will not discuss such a possibility with others under any circumstance, because they are not in a secured facility cleared for such high-classification discourse.
Less than 50 individuals in all of SAFEGUARD are aware of New Krypton, the city of Kandor, and the current status of the Kandorian culture. Needless to say, this information will not be shared lightly, nor would most characters outside a single Supergroup know of it.
SAFEGUARD EYES ONLY
Most citizens of Earth 1 do not know that they are citizens of only one "reality" among a multiverse.
Agents who were not embedded in Project: Quantum Leap during the "General Ross Era"
are not in
that final "Less than 50 individuals" group, even if they know of Captain Fel Kur'Talak and The Enduupar.
Origin Story
These people were saved by the heroic efforts of Project: Quantum Leap here on Earth 1, who fought off an attack by heavily armed enemy forces during the mass relocation. The Science Caste and Military Caste worked at lightning speed to relocate citizens, survival supplies, and knowledge stores from the dying bottle city through the temporary artificial wormhole to an underground facility in Metropolis, through several basement rooms and seven miles of subterranean tunnel, then through another -- even more temporary! -- prototype of an artificial wormhole generator. This final transit brought the refugees to the site of their future home, a simplistic but sturdy forward observation site created by the P:QL exploration team. In commemoration of their past, the new settlers named their adopted planet "New Krypton". The ruling council chose to name the first settlement "Kandor", for it is built of knowledge and components from the bottle city of their birth.
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
In Kandorian society, feminine names tend to use soft consonants in the individual's first name, which may be anywhere from one to four syllables in length. Most feminine names end in "a", although many end in "ri", "ir", or "al"
The individual's second name is inherited from a biological ancestor of some prestige. That ancestor may have been chosen during gamete creation due to their defining accomplishment, or for robust genetic health; they may have been masculine, feminine, or unspecified at the time of inclusion into the genetic databank.
Thus, a traditional feminine name for an infant may be "Nilsela Qug"; upon joining the House of Vak, she would introduce herself as "Nilsela Qug-Vak".
Masculine names
In Kandorian society, masculine names tend to use hard or sharp consonants at the beginning of the individual's first name, which is seldom more than two syllables in length. Most masculine names end in "a", although many end in "ri", "ir", or "al"
The individual's second name is inherited from a biological ancestor of some prestige. That ancestor may have been chosen during gamete creation due to their defining accomplishment, or for robust genetic health; they may have been masculine, feminine, or unspecified at the time of inclusion into the genetic databank. Ambitious individuals and awkward post-adolescents alike tend to drop the inherited name as a means to emphasize their inherent value. (Women who do similarly are viewed by traditionalists with grave suspicion, often for objectively silly reasons.)
Thus, a traditional masculine name for an infant may be "Vuath Pon"; upon joining the House of Jall, he would introduce himself as "Vuath Pon-Jall" or passibly as "Vuath-Jall".
Family names
Traditional Kryptonian family lineages designated the group by the pattern "House of ███", where the blank space would be a single syllable drawn from one of the oldest languages in the early development of sapient life on Krypton. Most such names would be transliterated in Latinized alphabet with four or fewer letters, such as "Gand" or "Ak" or the famous "El".
Traditional individuals signify their House by appending the House name at the end of their personal name, using a hyphen. Thus, "House of Gand" might contain a member named "Sheniri Zun-Gand" working alongside a "House of Bel" member named "Peh Wyk-Bel".
Major organizations
In the Kryptonian culture of the ancestral homeworld, most individuals are destined for a specific occupational Caste, each of which has its particular customs and taboos:
- Military Caste specialize in defensive capabilities for the population, law enforcement, border patrol, scouting missions into the undeveloped regions of New Krypton, search and rescue work, and disaster mitigation.
- Science Caste specialize in research, analysis, development, education, application, and documentation thereof for all technological and scientific endeavours. Architecture is a form of scientific work, as is bricklaying; the design of every physical component in the city of Kandor falls under the purview of the Science Caste, from city planning to the manufacture of each 3D-printed interlocking brick. The Science Caste at one time was separate from the Technicians and Artisans Castes. Science and Technician Castes unanimously voted to merge three hundred Kryptonian years ago. One generation later, the Artisan Caste chose to split itself into a practical-oriented portion that united with the Science Caste and a discovery-oriented portion that merged into the Religious Caste.
- Religious Caste specialize in spiritual, emotion-based, and artistic endeavours. In the past, this caste had significantly greater prominence in the Kryptonian government, but also had significantly fewer functions to fulfill. The adjustment two hundred Kryptonian years ago to provide creative outlets while supporting psychiatric well-being for all individuals has created measurable improvements in the health and stability of the entire society. However this adjustment was made because the Military Caste all but forced the Religious Caste's influence in government to reduce to a minority on the ruling council of Kandor.
- Caretaker Caste, formerly the "Lawmakers Caste", specialize in administration, maintenance, and regulation of all micro-processes in Kandorian society. Citizens who once would have been considered "Rankless" are now by default aligned in the Caretaker Caste. Each career path is cherished as equally valuable to sustain the whole of society, from the highest-level Administrators who oversee the function of the city and maintain the plans for future resource management, to the most unremarkable everyday Custodians who provide sustenance care to their fellow citizens or cleanse the tools of the other Castes.
Currently, the Caretaker Caste has the greatest range of alternate life paths for a Kandorian citizen unsure of their personal goals.
Encompassed species
Related Locations
