Avikan

Bipedal creatures from the harsh desert world of Kadavan, the Avikan have a leathery skin and have flaps on their heads, shoulders, hips, arms, legs and more, protecting the bodies from hazardous sandstorms. Their long tails grant the Avikan great balance, and the adaptive three-toed feet allow them to disperse their weight over larger areas for easier navigation in quicksand. Small orifices underneath the flaps are connected to multiple sets of lungs, allowing Avikan to blow themselves clean after wading through a sandstorm.

In ancient times, the Avikans were a nomadic species that roamed freely in the Kadavani sands until a tribe found the ancient Centen city of Vas Va'leih around 2500 BF (Before the Flight), in the resource-rich region of the Avikha Mountains, which was home to Rhadeis, the Uplifter. Rhadeis shared his knowledge with the Avikans that found the city, teaching them how to use his people's technology, and to make their own versions of it. The nomads grew in numbers and became known as the Khoden, the Settlers.

The Khoden of Vas Vha'leih prospered in their ancient city, and took to studying the many artefacts left behind by the Old Ones. This is where the Rhaiod, the religion of Rhadeis, is believed to have originated, but there are entire volumes written on that subject. Most of their modern technologies are based on the Old Ones' artefacts found in places like Vas Vha'leih, and the quick development of their people was thanks to what they left behind. For a long time, the Khoden lived in peace and prosperity, but that did not last.

Around 2150 BF, the population reached a critical level. Supplies fell short and space ran out, and the people began to riot. The result was the Vha'leihen War, the first large civil war in Avikan history. It ravaged the Khoden population and destroyed much of the city, killing Rhadeis in the process. In the end, the Khoden were forced to abandon the city in a great exodus. After leaving the city, the Khoden splintered into many groups. Some of them travelled to distant mountain ranges and built new homes there, while other groups returned to the desert to reassume a nomadic way of life. These last groups joined up with the small groups of nomads that never knew of Vas Vha'leih, and became known as the Nomen, the nomads.

In the years following the exodus, the Khoden settled in many mountain ranges and built great cities, known as Terves, in the stone. Each group of Khoden formed a nation of its own, and at times the Khoden would war amongst each other. The people were divided, and there was little cooperation between nations. That was until 1372 BF, when the great Ilyalat ande-Vhelin rose to power in the Terve of Vhelin.

Ilyalat ande-Vhelin, as head of the largest and most powerful Terve, managed to unite all of the Khoden under a single banner. Later, he even brought peace between the Khoden and the Nomen, bringing the entirety of the Avikan people back together.

While the Nomen never joined the Khoden, cooperation between the groups became a given. The Khoden would provide the Nomen with technologies to help them thrive in the open desert, while the Nomen brought back rare resources from the deep desert in exchange. An era of peace and prosperity had arrived for the Avikan people.

The Era of Vhelin lasted for over a millennium, until the First Thelean Invasion of 241 BF. The first (actually second) contact the Avikan had with an alien species was brutal. The Theleans came out of nowhere, assaulting Terves across Kadavan and laying ruin to the Avikan nation.

It took much time and more resources, but in the end the Avikan emerged victorious. The Thelean invaders were defeated and driven off Kadavan, but the Avikan nation was in shambles. It took years to rebuild, and when the second invasion came, they had only just recovered from the first. The year was 212 BF, when another small army of Thelean invaders arrived on their planet.

Luckily, the Avikan were now better prepared for an alien assault, and the force that attacked was smaller than the first. After its defeat, they learned what the invaders were really after: the ruins and artefacts of the Old Ones. The Theleans were raiding Kadavan to get their hands on these ancient relics, the relics of the Uplifters.

After the first Thelean Invasion, the development of artificial intelligence was accelerated tenfold. The Elders judged that having an artificial army, much like that of the Theleans, would be their best defence against them. After the second invasion, the Droden were finally ready for deployment, but all did not go well.

After a number of incidents better described in their own scrolls, the machines rioted against its creators, marking the start of the Droden War in 205 BF. It was this war that sealed the permanent ban on full AIs in the Avikan nation. The hard-fought victory in 196 BF came just years before the Third Thelean Invasion of 190 BF.

In the years to follow, another five Thelean Invasions were fought off, in 170 BF, 120 BF, 97 BF, 81 BF and 15 BF. The ninth and final Thelean Invasion came in 1 BF: the Great Invasion, followed by the Exodus from Kadavan in 0 AF (After Flight).

In 1 BF, the Theleans came at the Avikan homeworld with a force so large they could hardly believe it was real. The skies of Kadavan went black as Thelean ships blocked out the sun. They then learned that the previous eight invasions had been nothing more than small raids to the Theleans - they hardly even cared about their meagre losses thus far.

The Avikans knew that this was a war we could never win, and thus the Elders decided to flee Kadavan altogether. All of their spaceships were called back and an enormous fleet of ships was assembled - the Nomada. They fitted as many Avikan on board as they could, and fled the system using the jumpgates they learned to build from the Old Ones.

The ones that were left behind were largely volunteers who wanted to ensure that the Theleans would not get what they wanted. The Avikans loaded as many of the Old Ones' relics and artefacts onboard their ships before they fled, and sealed the vaults of the Old Ones so the Theleans could never get to them.

After the Exodus from Kadavan, the Avikans tried to find a new world to settle on. But every time they found a suitable planet, the Theleans would arrive and attack the fleet. They are always hunted by the Errasmeyr, the Thelean, and so, destined to live as nomads amongst the stars.

The Avikans are not certain of the fate of those that were left behind. From time to time, they receive faint signals from Kadavan, leading them to believe that the resistance is still alive, but it's not certain. In the year 82 AF, they arrived in a completely new sector of the galaxy, and are meeting new alien races at an alarming rate.