Sic transit gloria mundi
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on humanitarian stuff. Also probably marketing.
Image Credit: Here.
Canon: N/A.
Permissions: N/A.
Links: Siobhan, Firemane, Shazora Jai Vahal, Firedawn, Exodus from Kaeshana, Into Darkness, After Darkness, Tephrike, Firetruth, Order of Fire, Hearthfire, Sky Caravan, Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori, Young Flames, Qadiri.
SETTING INFORMATION
Structure Name: Rays of Hope Orphanages
Classification: Orphanage
Location: Dahomey, Arx Aeternae, Arkas, Tygara, Celestial Vahana.
Affiliation: House Kerrigan.
Accessibility: The orphanages are not isolated locations, since they have been built in or close to inhabited settlements in rural or urben areas. However, they are considered private in order to safeguard their charges. Many of the children who live here come from troubled backgrounds and have suffered serious trauma. Their life is not a tourist attraction. The institutiton welcomes long-term advocates, but frowns on orphanage tourism.
Foreign visitors, when allowed to enter, will not be granted unfettered access to the orphanages because it would violate a child’s right to privacy and undermines their ability to bond to their primary caregivers. All orphanages have a pair of security cameras that monitor the gate from different angles. Moreover, there is a rotating number of guards who are supposed to protect the children and staff. Visitors are not allowed to bear arms inside the orphanage. This explicitly includes Jedi, who will be politely but firmly ordered to surrender their lightsabres at the entrance and retrieve them when they leave.
Description: The Rays of Hope Orphanages are a series of homes, havens and educational institutions for orphanaed children. They have been set up in various locations the Kerrigan family business has a stake or considerable sway in. The exact layout may vary, as the architects do their best to abide by local customs. Moreover, while many of these locations are planetside, some have been set up on arkstations and worldships. But the general look has been standardised.
All homes feature living quarters for the orphans as well as staff, a school building, an infirmary, playgrounds, sports areas and workshops. Moreover, there is a garden and a place of worship. They are surrounded by a wall, and the gate is monitored by security cameras, motion trackers and watchmen. While not luxurious, a lot of funds have been invested into making the children who stay here comfortable. The interior is often decorated with local art. Indeed, the orphans are encouraged to express themselves through art or cultivate plants in the garden. They can also learn about hydroponic farming by growing vegetables in the greenhouses. An orphanage may have a bakery, an agricultural school or even a small museuem, but this varies greatly.
The primary purpose of these facilities is to provide a home, safe place and educational institution for orphaned children, especially former slaves and refugees. The children who live here have spent much of their early years in a state of chaos, and fear. They commonly suffer from PTSD due to the severe trauma they have endured and the things they have witnessed. The facilities are supposed to provide children who have been enslaved, displaced by war or ecological disasters with a safe haven as well as the means to rebuild their lives. The residents also include former child soldiers who are trying to reintegrate into society.
For this reason, the institution does not take kindly to orphanage tourism, as it would only exacerbate their problems. The Sanctuaries receive funding from House Kerrigan's very deep pockets, which means they are not dependent on donations from visitors to survive. Each orphanage has a staff of counsellors to provide therapy and counselling to those in need. The orphanages provide vocational training to give the children the chance to learn the necessary skills to enter the work force once they become adults. It goes without saying that they are encouraged to seek employment opportunities with Firemane or its affiliates. The homes have been set up on remote worlds or arkstations on the far rim. As a result, many of the residents may not speak Basic. Thus caregivers are expected to become proficient in a language common to their charges.
Firedawn and Hearthfire like to organise orphan days at Firemane or the Sky Caravan, inviting children from different homes to attend the events along with employees and their families. This is supposed to give the kids a chance to both have fun and explore possible future career paths. Shazora Jai Vahal, one of Lady Kerrigan's Qadiri advisors, is heavily involved in these projects. The caretakers aim to give the orphaned and abandoned children a comprehensive education. Thus the institutions employ academic and vocational teachers. Firemane has a Force-using branch, the Order of Fire, but has rules against recruiting children. Standard midichlorian tests will still be carried out to determine whether a resident might be Force-Sensitive. Those who are will be encouraged to seek a career in the Order by joining the Young Flames, a cadet organisation, once they are old enough, but this is voluntary.
The children who live here have rather structured lives, with a bell waking them up in the morning. Thus life is rather regimented because things are very scheduled. This has the advantage of giving them an ordered, structured life after all the chaos and uncertainty they have experienced in their young lives so far. Moreover, it is essential to keep order since the residents are a very young and diverse group. At the same time, it does impede free time and self-directed play and does not teach family skills. They do get the chance to go outside the complex for outings.
Children who live here learn to become self-reliant. They may be surrounded by other children, but these generally come from different backgrounds. Moreover, what they went through, they have good reason to feel they have been let down by adults and must rely on themselves above all. Caregivers must put a lot of work into winning the trust of their charges and the process may have to start all over again when a trusted caregiver or peer leaves the orphanage. Rays of Hope cannot take away the trauma these children have suffered, but it can help them deal with the pain, even though its effects will undoubtedly be felt for years to come.
Elpsis sometimes visits the orphanages. She has a cabin on Arkas, and sometimes has to be on the Arx for work-related reasons or because she requires medical caring after yet another maiming. She is quite popular as a storyteller and many kids like her fire tricks. The 'Fire Princess' was quite embarrassed when she noticed that some of the children had Order of Fire action figures, including a 'Daughter of Fire' that sounded suspiciously like her. Elpsis has donated a lot of money for the upkeep of the homes, but insists that her donations remain anonymous. She has also helped build new facilities by working on site. The physical labour is good exercise and cathartic for a soldier since she is using her hands to build instead of destroy things.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Shrine of All the Spirits - The exact name may vary slightly, though it has been conceived as a multi-denominated place of religious worship for believers among the orphans. Freedom of conscience is one of the principles of the Sanctuary, though hate speech and the like will not be tolerated. This place is frequented primarily by elves who follow the old deities of their people, though others are welcome, too.
Dormitories - The living quarters for the orphans can be found in this location. As is to be expected, they are not luxurious, but comfortable. The dormitories are segregated by gender. Children tend to share a room, though seniors receive solo dormitories. They also have their own bathroom and shower. The residents are allowed to customise their rooms by say putting posters or paintings on the wall, toys and keep-sakes on the bed or shelves etc.
Staff Dormitories - Teachers, nurses, security personnel and other members of staff live and sleep here.
Dining Hall - As the name implies, this is the place where the residents receive their meals. They are grouped by age. Special needs children receive alternate seating and help. The food is quite decent and the residents receive a balanced diet. The staff eats here, too. They get their own table.
Vocational Training Workshops - Along with the school, this is supposed to prepare the residents for life outside of the orphanage. The curriculum varies, but they give the residents the chance to learn practical skills that will help them find jobs and earn an independent income. Residents are encouraged to suggest skills they would like to learn. Examples for skills that can be taught here would be carpentry, gardening, tailoring, pottery, craftsmanship, farming and tinkering with or repairing machines.
Administrative Offices - As the name implies, this is the administrative nerve centre of each orphanage. Funding, personnel management and other important matters are overseen from here.
Theatre - One of the main entertainment facilities in the orphanage. Has enough space for musical and theatrical performances both by people hired by the orphanage as well as those put on by the children. It also has the technical equipment to display holo-movies. Sometimes the staff is able to hire entertaines who are well-known in Firemane's sphere to perform here. One example is a Melody, a very talented Dahomian pop singer. Another is a Vashyada poetress and singer called Kseniya. Sometimes holo-films produced by Firemane are shown here.
Playground: A place for kids to be kids. Meant to be a safe place for them to play. Includes trees and various green areas in general.
House of Learning - This is the school, which is a separate building but built inside the premise. The education covers primary and secondary education and is supposed to give the children the tools and the knowledge they need to progress in life. Good pupils have the chance to get a free Firemane scholarship. The school features a gymnasium for sports and offers self-defence courses.
Hospice - The medical facility of the orphanage. It is staffed by a mixture of medical professionals and volunteers. Some of the older residents help out here, too. Its services cover both physical ailments and illnesses as well as mental health concerns.
Nursery - Where the youngest of the children live. A rotating number of nurses is assigned to each nursery. Furthermore, older children can help take care of the little ones along with staff. Caring for a helpless creature, whether a plant, pet or child, is supposed to be therapeutic for victims of trauma. Of course, they do so under supervision.
SECURITY
Medium
- Each home features an alarm system. There are weapons' detectors, motion sensors and external security cameras at the front gate. Certain sensitive areas require keycard access. The orphanage is surrounded by a wall.
- These are orphanages, not military facilities, but a rotation of guards is always on duty. Some of them are former soldiers who have found work in security after being discharged.
It is a sad fact that children are those who suffer the most from war, poverty, natural disasters and other calamities. The number of children who have been displaced by war or enslaved is legion, even when there is no galactic war going on. This will not change. Cruelty, greed and spite are what come naturally to inherently self-centred sentient beings. The Rays of Hope Sanctuaries were founded to provide safe havens for child slaves, orphans found on the streets and children who have been displaced by war or natural disasters. The orphanages were sponsored by House Kerrigan, and received support from Firedawn, Firemane's freedmen bureau. Originally their main focus lay in looking after child slaves on Tygara and Arkas.
Slavery had been endemic on both worlds, and since it was common to break up the families of slaves, it was not always possible to locate their next of kin or find a legal guardian. Thus the orphanages were founded to nurture and educate these young minds. It is worth noting that the project was not without detractors. Elf nationalists appreciated the humanitarian work, but decried the homes as evidence of a human saviour complex.
After all, House Kerrigan was a human family with colonialist interests on these worlds, and obviously the orphanages conveyed a positive view of its sponsor. It is fair to say that some of the children would not have been orphaned if Firemane had not been at war with the potentates of their home countries. However, the orphanages also provide for children who had lost their families to famine or natural disasters. A concerted effort was made to recruit native caretakers, teachers and so on in order to make the children feel more at home.
As the houses expanded, so did the scope of their operations. New homes were founded on the Arx Aeternae and the Celestial Vahana, Firemane's worldcraft. In the face of a galactic refugee crisis caused by various low-intensity and all-out galactic conflicts, the orphanages were supposed to provide safe havens for refugee children. The project received a lot of media attention. While all orphanages were removed from danger and the children were fed and cared for, there was still an unofficial hierarchy between them. The homes on the Arx and the Vahana were the most alien to many children since they were located on ginormous space stations. At the same time, these areas were the most modern since they had been set up in Firemane's hubs.
Lady Kerrigan made a point of visiting the homes where possible. After she fell into a coma, this role was filled by her adoptive daughter Elpsis, though she did not hide her annoyance about the fact that she was presented as a substitute for her mother. She would have also been embarrassed if she had been able to see that posters bearing her likeness could be found in some homes.
Last edited:
