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Human |
Jur |
Ajira |
Qera |
Tumba |
Shorem
...eldest of the races
...fought alongside the Ancients
...battled the Ke'Ras in the First War
...bequeathed secrets of magic and technology
...now guiding, influencing, manipulating the other races...
...all for an ends... undisclosed.
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Because of their age and subtlety, a human negotiator is one of the most feared
diplomats in the galaxy. The most socially fractured and independent of the races,
the Humans seem unlikely to have any power in the Republic, but they have gained
dominance in diverse arenas through their tenacity, skill and millennia honed insights.
If humans appear arrogant and beyond the other galactic races, the prejudice is
for a good reason. Like many, Humans believe they are in control of their destiny...but
if anyone actually is, the Humans may well be.
"Eldest and the wisest. Dreamers that have dreamt for two thousand years. Children
of Eden. We are those that have been and will be."
— Kaelin the Immaculate, Reflections on Time
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...the serpentine warriors of the winds
...second of the races in the galaxy
...champions among the races of the First War
...worshippers and wanderers devout and pious
...burning with a secret fire...
...a fire that is not always controlled...
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Honoured and feared, these horned, clawed and winged dragon folk follow a dogmatic,
unbending religion — a spiritual code called the Path of Winds. An ancient teaching begun before
the Jur entered space, the Winds teach of solitude in a life-long sojourn for Enlightenment.
From planet to planet a Jur will wander, in search of his or her true calling. A Jur's greatest curse,
however, is his or her very own self. The Path of Winds teaches that Jur are not meant to live beyond
dishonour, once they have known it, and so they must challenge and combat all who dishonour them.
This is frequent, since what a Jur considers an infringement on his honour can be as slight as an
inappropriate look. On the darker side a Jur will go to any length to prevent any word of shame from
leaking out, even if it means someone's death.
Juran planets are run by secular lords who rule their minions and vassals with iron scaled fists.
Their henchmen and indentured lessers are held faithful until death. To a Jur justice and honour
are the most important things in life. Jur rulers and warlords battle frequently over discrepancies
in the honour/shame relationships that govern their cultures. Whether a Jur fights in traditional
ceremonial combat, staff against staff - the trademark of a wandering Jur - or in space or on the
battlefield with guns, artillery or even magic, to fight a Jur is to risk much. Few warriors in the
galaxy are as ferocious, tenacious and fierce.
"I am the depths of the marsh, I am the strength of the trees, I am the light of the sun, I am the speed of the winds - know me as I wander through space and time, for I see what no one sees, I am bornless, I am eternal."
— Zarazarish, The Teachings of the First Prophet
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...beauties of cloud and star
...sailors on the desert winds
...massacred by the Ke'Ras in the First War
...saved by the System, its technologies
...these are now the angels of a darkling beauty...
...and will fight for their Leisure...for Pleasure...
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The Ajira were damaged terribly by the Infestation. Recovered, enabled and augmented
by machinery and technologies of every kind, these aptly called "techno-angels"
are vicious and battle-ready, willing to augment their bodies with machinery to
achieve any ends. Of course, with their ancient past of leisurely bliss gone, their
goals are to create and protect a pleasure-seeking society where the individual
can find true, enlightened bliss. While some Ajira rebel against the technocratic
dominion their race has proclaimed, the majority of the billions embrace the body
augmentation and amplification both aesthetic and practical now emblematic of the
Ajira.
"'Leisure for Pleasure', the System says. My pretty, in yore you glided on winds
over mountaintops, through verdant glade and lush valley. Your body sleek and sensuous
through the desert wind, caressed by the sun: Come sweet, one shot of this and you'll
feel it all again, and more. You won't even have to leave your bed."
— Caliana, Moderator of Pleasuredom Istalé 4 - Planet Nefal
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...from the bedrock of time they grew
...slow, aged by the ageless caress of years
...sprung to life and thought
...with an urgency and brilliance unsuspected
...Heralds, Gargoyles and Old Ones...
...their time has come, and that time may be short...
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First of the new races discovered after the First War. When the Humans,
Jur and
Ajira were conquering the reaches of the galaxy, on the planet Shamii a silicon
based intelligent life form was found. A species of rock and crystal, they thrive
on worlds other races could not withstand. Their hardy bodies are shaped to be monstrous
or beautiful, political or practical, whatever form is needed for their life-tasks:
battle, diplomacy, science, or otherwise. Despite their sedimentary form, the Qera
are anything but slow and sluggish. The Qera appreciate beauty and art but have
no time for frivolous and trivial things. They prize efficiency and speed but also
originality, quality and craft. This dual focus has made them the best negotiators,
merchants, and admirals in the galaxy. They are usually met in three forms: Heralds
— diplomats, salesmen, and seducers; Gargoyles - warriors, grunts, and footmen;
and Old Ones — unseen leaders, masterminds, generals and lieutenants.
"When life shows you all that must be done, what time is there for concerns, the
galaxy must be met... now."
— Tzevi, Old One of Planet Shemii IV
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...beneath the earth in the caverns
...a blackened race with oily eyes and hair
...nightmares to the rest of the galaxy
...but refined, dignified, entrenched in families
...divided by castes of nobles and drones...
...beneath the surface of all families is turmoil... |
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Dependant on the hot, humid caverns beneath their home planet Tume, were the Tumba
not contrasted by the demonic Ke'Ras, they might be the terrors of the galaxy. But
in fact their often misunderstood beauty, decorum and dignity is augmented by their
skills in crafts and mineral mining. Some of the greatest gem and metal art objects
and accessories in the galaxy are made by the four armed Tumba drones, slaves to
their two armed nobles, but not without skill and their own dignity. There is also
the fact that the Tasathi, noble family diplomats (assassins, in fact) are the most
dreaded and subtle murderers in the galaxy. Engaging a Tasathi one on one is like
confronting a Human in a debate...hopeless and futile. Combined with an interfamilial
eugenic agenda, breeding to be the best, and to-the-death family loyalty, the carnivorous,
sharp-toothed Tumba both fascinate and frighten most in the galaxy.
"Your life is given by your family, and in your death you give back that gift."
— Tumban Proverb
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...through Vision and Dream
...from the dance in the forests of Ashari
...the Mashem shaman sees through
...and the Vision of Destiny, the Dream of Enlightenment
...appear through smoke and drum...
...but not all visions show the face of truth...
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This minotaur race, last onto the galactic scene, despite all their taboos against
the taking of life, have gained the worst of reputations. For it was a tribe of
Shorem who journeyed to the Outer Reaches and performed the ritual that unlocked
the Ke'Ras and began the Second War. Masters of ciphers and codes, mazes and puzzles,
the naturalistic Shorem, who prefer to avoid technology as much as they can, were
drawn to the myths and ancient sigilla that masked the history of the Ke'Ras. Following
the Visions of a leader, they thought they would find Enlightenment. Now... due to
that failure, many of the Shorem tribes have diminished their spiritual focuses
and begun to hope for acceptance and regard in the galaxy by living more in harmony
with the technological universe. This has also fractured the Shorem heritage, causing
feuds and skirmish. However, regardless of whether a Shorem beads his dreadlocked
hair and carries a handmade battle-axe, or has cybernetic implants and touts a laser
rifle and ion blade they maintain conviction that to kill is only to invite vengeance
once the soul has transmigrated — reincarnated to another form.
"Despite our past, despite our wrong, despite our sadness at our lost brothers and
sisters, we Shorem apologize but believe we have value and truth...still hold a Vision
and a Dream of Enlightenment to come... still have much to offer this Republic and
its peoples."
— Mashem Halekh Mah, Address at the 124th Synod of the Republic on Simas II
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