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Description

Hey again all, this time I managed to finish another profile/data file of another one of the major races for my Astra setting. This comes alongside the Astra VYOA I've been working on, called "Shaper of Stars", as it functions to serve as some background lore and insight into yet another of the major races in said setting. As usual, sorry when the write-ups get long-winded, but there's a lot to say, even tho I paraphrase it a lot. This will serve as a reference I can call back to as the VYOA, and other posts that relate to the Astra setting go up, so I don't expect these 'Data Files' to be a big hit, as they're basically info dumps with some reference pictures to go with it.

Also, here's a quickie visual-aid I slapped together when I first posted the prior Astra Data pic for reference: Astra quickie galaxy map borders labels and if you're wondering which was the prior, you can find it here: Astra Data File: Ailorian Empire Those of you in the know might recognize the reasoning behind why I did this one following the Ailae post. Also here's a map I did with the region names and whatnot, in case you're curious about that: Map of Ios regions

Physiology- Biologically speaking, the Nekari race is among the more unique cadre of those sentient beings that have come to dominate the Novus galaxy at large. Born upon the deep-blue planet known as Ios, with its singular major continent and a mix of islands, this vast oceanic planet has remained teeming with a wide array of organisms throughout the ages. Chief among these are the sentient sons and daughters of the sacred Birth-world known as the Nekari race, descended of their planet's analogous creatures to that of Earth's multi-armed, sea-going Cephalopods. Due to the unique ecosystems that evolved across the various biomes of Ios, a wide array of Fungal-like flora, and even land-based invertebrate life forms adapted to thrive despite the challenges. In this context, the Nekari race's progenitors sacrificed their earlier, multiple-limbed forms for a more humanoid shape that allowed them to maintain the amphibious existence they hold to this day. Equipped with both gills (along their necks) and lungs, the Nekar are capable of breathing under water and in air, which has naturally played a large part in shaping the appearance and look of their civilizations throughout time. Early on in the dawn of civilization on their homeworld, six distinct phenotypes emerged, the Ulathir, the Noctis, the Iryndi, the Nidari, the Karidyth and the Lithyrin. The tropics-like rain-forests of towering fungoid floral structures, with their abundant rainfall and rivers were the first to be inhabited across Ios' lone continent. Beyond this, the vast central desert and the mountain ranges that ringed it were the last to play host to the expansion of Nekari civilization, but as borders consumed the last bits of free land, so too did the continual outbreaks of war.

Factional History- By nature, the first Nekari settlements on land developed along the abundant coastlines of Ios' primary continent and the outlying islands, where their people could continue to pursue their hybrid lifestyles. However, in time, the economic pull of those growing sea-based markets vs the land-based ones served to create obvious rifts between those who pushed ever-inland, and those who clung to the oceans. Even within singular states, the emergent divergence gave rise to new cultures, religions and ways of life, though for centuries, peace reigned over even the swelling tensions. The considerably more vast oceans and the requirements of dwelling within them saw a much wider adherence to co-existance, while the more limited land regions of the world saw the steady increase of hostilities, especially as the last unclaimed resources came under the control of the various early powers. It is in this way that the very first conflicts would arise, with clashes over the often wide-ranging land borders grew more and more inevitable. As the sea and its fluid nature came to be associated with the peaceful ways and harmony, the land became a place of war.

The Ulathir, architects of Ios' first true empire, went forth to establish the widest dominion ever known to the Classical Nekari civilizations, reaching ever westward and northward from their native lands of Oros, and what had been the cradle of their species in the isle of Nikareth. With their ways rooted in patronage, those among the nobles or simply of higher status extending what aid they could, down to those beneath them, an air of chivalrous pursuits became popular and a societal norm, even during the height of their growing conquests. To the Ulathiri peoples, it seemed as if their ways could uplift the rest, bringing civilization and higher culture to their kin. Yet to those they clashed with, throughout the march of eras, the Ulathir would be seen as too self-righteous and blind to their own failings. As if to foreshadow the fate of things in the far future, the Ulathir's staunchest and oldest unrelenting foe would remain those among the Nidari cultures, with their conflicts raging off and on seemingly in every new era.

The Nidari, as perhaps the Ulathir's destined nemesis, and clear polar opposites, developed to be among the most war-like and individualistic of all Nekar, frequently known to reject anything that would condemn their fortunes to be shackled to the ways of another. While far less prone to cooperate on the scale of the typically larger Ulathiri empires, the Nidari states, even in the early days were skilled an resourceful enough to render any who would underestimate their ability a fool. It was they who time and again thwarted the efforts and campaigns of their supposedly more moralistic kin, as their territories lay vexingly in the path of the Ulathir's main paths of expansion in the central deserts, as well as the fringes of Daeros and Tessalith. Ironically, they would be used as the scapegoats for the grievances of their kin, which only deepened their distant nature from the rest.

The Karidyth, functioning as a sort of center-point for the wider race, made their fame and fortune through vast trade networks that served as critical lifelines for both the land-going civilizations and their seaborne brethren. Hailing from the island chains of the north, in the region of the Tulaeric Sea, their vast fleets and reliance on trade would come to see them as some of the most outgoing and adaptive Nekar around. Eventually, it would be those of the Karidic cultures who first mapped every corner of their world, through sea and surface, their explorers and colonists would achieve fame and involvement with all.

The Iryndi, descended from the very first spiritualists and shamans among the Nekari race, would remain, historically, as the most religious and spiritually astute of their kind throughout the ages. While by no means helpless or defenseless, the abundant pacifistic ways of the Irindi were typically aided by the dense jungles, networks of rivers and thick marshes of their southern homelands in the Tessalith region, as even the most dedicated invaders would be hounded by simple geography. From these more remote wetlands, their message of a "Golden Dawn", speaking of the greater destiny of the Nekari race, would continue to radiate outward across the rest of Ios, like an unmolested beacon of things to come. In this way, the Iryndi cultures would assert themselves as the heralds of the most fateful encounter their species would have, along its path to the stars.

The Lithyrin, known for their persistent nomadic societies, would roam the more distant corners of Ios for a time considered ludicrous by their settled kin, though this long wandering existence, from seascape to landscape, would render the Lithri the closest in terms of rivaling the Karidi peoples and their exploration. While the Lithric people inevitably settled around the Noldaeris and Ceranae regions, their transient cultures and ever-shifting lifestyles never truly gave way to those of more sedentary peoples, and so they remain a sort of X-factor among their kind to this day.

The Noctis, the shadowy and reclusive cultures of the Nekar were long known for their tendencies to remain in enclaves and other cultural clusters which typically shrouded them in a certain level of mystery. Even when under the domain of another, the Noctan peoples clung to the more remote, and mountainous regions of the lands, while they spread far more widely in the undersea and sea-surface dwellings across the world. Frequently seen as outsiders and suspicious by many of the others, their common plight often found them in cooperation with the Nidari people, even though their motives and reasoning typically differed. To this day, their cultures and faiths often remain uniquely their own, as few Noctan enclaves ever openly embraced the "Golden Dawn" preached by their Iryndi brethren.

While the conflicts between the various iterations of Nekari civilization would remain to the current day, the discovery of a vast ancient precursor installation at the heart of the barren Tarteron Wastes. The significance of this rare ancient alien construct upon their planet's surface would only intensify as they began to expand across the stars. But for now, amid the earliest extra-solar explorations and colonization attempts, Ios would again descend into a period of violence, albeit this time in the last true clash for dominion of the sacred birth-world. As even the advanced, domed undersea cities of the oceanic depths had long ago claimed much of the usable sea floor, the most apocalyptic showdown that any Nekari would witness began. For decades, an immense contest of arms, science and economic triumphs would play out, as everyone from the Ulathir to the Noctis were pulled into the ever-growing conflict, with the right to dictate the fate of their homeworld up for grabs. With the countless dead, and abundant destruction wreaked across land and sea, it was no wonder that the fervor for extra-solar colonization reached a fever pitch, more and more peoples fleeing the battle for the homeworld to the solitude of other planets. Even with the bulk of other peoples having left Ios, many of the Ulathir and Nidari stubbornly clung to an increasingly battered landscape of ruin. While neither side seemed to give way, eventually the Ulathir seemed poised to seize victory and claim the homeworld of their species for themselves... but a sudden twist of fate put an end to their contest for good. The eruption of a vast supervolcano at the heart of Ios' treacherous deserts began to plunge the world into a volcanic winter, forcing the surviving Nidari to flee their impending defeat and Ios itself, while the supposedly victorious Ulathir could only cling to what remained of the undersea cities, and Ios' one inhabitable moon. In this way, the focus of their species shifted to the colonies for the first time.

Here, for a few centuries, the present status quo among their race would evolve. During the epic clash over Ios, all but the Nidari and Ulathir had taken to, and heavily established other planets, and erected their own microcosms of what they would soon discover the rest of the galaxy had done. With each Nekari group having new extra-solar domains of their own, the battered Nidari were forced to roam from sector to sector in a vast flotilla, shunned by their kin as seemingly the loser of the battle of Ios. The Nidari naturally did not see it this way, and they grew ever more bitter towards their kin, who continually turned even their sick and wounded away, regardless of what reasons their may be. Eventually they would find their own new homeworld, and establish their own interstellar territories, but the Nidari were left forever mentally and physically scarred. Visibly more pallid than their kin, and settled on their capital world "Tarteros", named for the infamous Iosian desert, meaning 'Eye of Vengeance', they would one day come to menace those they thought wronged them in time.

Since each of these new interstellar domains functioned similarly to entire civilizations of alien races in the wider galaxy, a unique situation evolved among the Nekar. Though aimed at one another in the beginning, each faction possessed their own, considerably sized and capable fleet, which would one day lead them to a host unlike any other in the galaxy. This, known as the "Armada of Twilight", would come to show their species' first alien foe just how deadly the mistake of assuming their decentralized nature meant weakness was. The advent of said conflict had resulted from the arrival and attempt of an older alien civilization to tame the Nekar swiftly, utilizing a quick strike with an asteroid at the more recently recovered birth-world of Ios. As the original home planet had only become more and more sacred to their kind, this attack only served to awaken a fury that would set in motion a chain of events that would found a new status quo in the galaxy. With the immense fleet known as the Armada of Twilight assembled, all of the Nekari peoples set their differences aside, so that none would wreak havoc upon their birth-world ever again. So vast was this Armada that, it is said that upon all of their guns firing in unison, it outshone the stars. The skies of several worlds were darkened by their silhouettes, and the only foe to ever prove foolish enough to attack the birthplace of the Nekari race would vanish into history.

This did not go unnoticed however. Another, much older race, familiar with the workings of the galaxy, known as the Ceryth maintained a careful watch upon this development, as the Nekar's first forays into the wider galaxy began with the arrival of the vast combined fleet. Yet it was upon the Nekar's first contact, and early skirmishes with the equally rising power in the form of the Ailorian Empire, that the Ceryth would finally step in. In order to prevent a much larger, galactic-scale war, the Ceryth found the two growing rivals amid the beginnings of their showdown, and began talks. Not only did they manage to use diplomatic measures to avoid this titanic clash, but they invited the other two races to join them in making history, with the founding of the Novan Galactic Council. This organization, based upon the precursor station known as "The Enclave", serves as the heart of the galaxy to this day.

Political/Economic- It is difficult to accurately describe the decentralized systems of the Nekar, as, by nature, they more often function as several separate states, even though all of them are the same species, and united in certain goals. Though the Vanguard of Ios, the title given to the confederation-like organization between them all remains a major power, and the Empire's primary rival. Along these lines, it was the Vanguard who stepped in to aid the UEC (United Earth Colonies) upon their arrival. Functioning as a sort of 'big brother' for the newcomers, the Nekari people have provided a critical safety net, as well as Humanity's main networking resource in this far-flung galaxy. This relationship is still developing to this day.

And there you have it. Once again I apologize for this being a super lengthy post, I know most people don't like to read on DA, but these 'Data Files' pretty much exist as establishing/background lore. So they're here if you're interested enough, or just curious to look into this setting of mine. Not 'required', reading, but more of a helpful bit of info dump resource here.

Hope you like! Let me know what you think. More of my usual fare to follow.

Description

Hey again all, this time I managed to finish another profile/data file of another one of the major races for my Astra setting. This comes alongside the Astra VYOA I've been working on, called "Shaper of Stars", as it functions to serve as some background lore and insight into yet another of the major races in said setting. As usual, sorry when the write-ups get long-winded, but there's a lot to say, even tho I paraphrase it a lot. This will serve as a reference I can call back to as the VYOA, and other posts that relate to the Astra setting go up, so I don't expect these 'Data Files' to be a big hit, as they're basically info dumps with some reference pictures to go with it.

Also, here's a quickie visual-aid I slapped together when I first posted the prior Astra Data pic for reference: Astra quickie galaxy map borders labels and if you're wondering which was the prior, you can find it here: Astra Data File: Ailorian Empire Those of you in the know might recognize the reasoning behind why I did this one following the Ailae post. Also here's a map I did with the region names and whatnot, in case you're curious about that: Map of Ios regions

Physiology- Biologically speaking, the Nekari race is among the more unique cadre of those sentient beings that have come to dominate the Novus galaxy at large. Born upon the deep-blue planet known as Ios, with its singular major continent and a mix of islands, this vast oceanic planet has remained teeming with a wide array of organisms throughout the ages. Chief among these are the sentient sons and daughters of the sacred Birth-world known as the Nekari race, descended of their planet's analogous creatures to that of Earth's multi-armed, sea-going Cephalopods. Due to the unique ecosystems that evolved across the various biomes of Ios, a wide array of Fungal-like flora, and even land-based invertebrate life forms adapted to thrive despite the challenges. In this context, the Nekari race's progenitors sacrificed their earlier, multiple-limbed forms for a more humanoid shape that allowed them to maintain the amphibious existence they hold to this day. Equipped with both gills (along their necks) and lungs, the Nekar are capable of breathing under water and in air, which has naturally played a large part in shaping the appearance and look of their civilizations throughout time. Early on in the dawn of civilization on their homeworld, six distinct phenotypes emerged, the Ulathir, the Noctis, the Iryndi, the Nidari, the Karidyth and the Lithyrin. The tropics-like rain-forests of towering fungoid floral structures, with their abundant rainfall and rivers were the first to be inhabited across Ios' lone continent. Beyond this, the vast central desert and the mountain ranges that ringed it were the last to play host to the expansion of Nekari civilization, but as borders consumed the last bits of free land, so too did the continual outbreaks of war.

Factional History- By nature, the first Nekari settlements on land developed along the abundant coastlines of Ios' primary continent and the outlying islands, where their people could continue to pursue their hybrid lifestyles. However, in time, the economic pull of those growing sea-based markets vs the land-based ones served to create obvious rifts between those who pushed ever-inland, and those who clung to the oceans. Even within singular states, the emergent divergence gave rise to new cultures, religions and ways of life, though for centuries, peace reigned over even the swelling tensions. The considerably more vast oceans and the requirements of dwelling within them saw a much wider adherence to co-existance, while the more limited land regions of the world saw the steady increase of hostilities, especially as the last unclaimed resources came under the control of the various early powers. It is in this way that the very first conflicts would arise, with clashes over the often wide-ranging land borders grew more and more inevitable. As the sea and its fluid nature came to be associated with the peaceful ways and harmony, the land became a place of war.

The Ulathir, architects of Ios' first true empire, went forth to establish the widest dominion ever known to the Classical Nekari civilizations, reaching ever westward and northward from their native lands of Oros, and what had been the cradle of their species in the isle of Nikareth. With their ways rooted in patronage, those among the nobles or simply of higher status extending what aid they could, down to those beneath them, an air of chivalrous pursuits became popular and a societal norm, even during the height of their growing conquests. To the Ulathiri peoples, it seemed as if their ways could uplift the rest, bringing civilization and higher culture to their kin. Yet to those they clashed with, throughout the march of eras, the Ulathir would be seen as too self-righteous and blind to their own failings. As if to foreshadow the fate of things in the far future, the Ulathir's staunchest and oldest unrelenting foe would remain those among the Nidari cultures, with their conflicts raging off and on seemingly in every new era.

The Nidari, as perhaps the Ulathir's destined nemesis, and clear polar opposites, developed to be among the most war-like and individualistic of all Nekar, frequently known to reject anything that would condemn their fortunes to be shackled to the ways of another. While far less prone to cooperate on the scale of the typically larger Ulathiri empires, the Nidari states, even in the early days were skilled an resourceful enough to render any who would underestimate their ability a fool. It was they who time and again thwarted the efforts and campaigns of their supposedly more moralistic kin, as their territories lay vexingly in the path of the Ulathir's main paths of expansion in the central deserts, as well as the fringes of Daeros and Tessalith. Ironically, they would be used as the scapegoats for the grievances of their kin, which only deepened their distant nature from the rest.

The Karidyth, functioning as a sort of center-point for the wider race, made their fame and fortune through vast trade networks that served as critical lifelines for both the land-going civilizations and their seaborne brethren. Hailing from the island chains of the north, in the region of the Tulaeric Sea, their vast fleets and reliance on trade would come to see them as some of the most outgoing and adaptive Nekar around. Eventually, it would be those of the Karidic cultures who first mapped every corner of their world, through sea and surface, their explorers and colonists would achieve fame and involvement with all.

The Iryndi, descended from the very first spiritualists and shamans among the Nekari race, would remain, historically, as the most religious and spiritually astute of their kind throughout the ages. While by no means helpless or defenseless, the abundant pacifistic ways of the Irindi were typically aided by the dense jungles, networks of rivers and thick marshes of their southern homelands in the Tessalith region, as even the most dedicated invaders would be hounded by simple geography. From these more remote wetlands, their message of a "Golden Dawn", speaking of the greater destiny of the Nekari race, would continue to radiate outward across the rest of Ios, like an unmolested beacon of things to come. In this way, the Iryndi cultures would assert themselves as the heralds of the most fateful encounter their species would have, along its path to the stars.

The Lithyrin, known for their persistent nomadic societies, would roam the more distant corners of Ios for a time considered ludicrous by their settled kin, though this long wandering existence, from seascape to landscape, would render the Lithri the closest in terms of rivaling the Karidi peoples and their exploration. While the Lithric people inevitably settled around the Noldaeris and Ceranae regions, their transient cultures and ever-shifting lifestyles never truly gave way to those of more sedentary peoples, and so they remain a sort of X-factor among their kind to this day.

The Noctis, the shadowy and reclusive cultures of the Nekar were long known for their tendencies to remain in enclaves and other cultural clusters which typically shrouded them in a certain level of mystery. Even when under the domain of another, the Noctan peoples clung to the more remote, and mountainous regions of the lands, while they spread far more widely in the undersea and sea-surface dwellings across the world. Frequently seen as outsiders and suspicious by many of the others, their common plight often found them in cooperation with the Nidari people, even though their motives and reasoning typically differed. To this day, their cultures and faiths often remain uniquely their own, as few Noctan enclaves ever openly embraced the "Golden Dawn" preached by their Iryndi brethren.

While the conflicts between the various iterations of Nekari civilization would remain to the current day, the discovery of a vast ancient precursor installation at the heart of the barren Tarteron Wastes. The significance of this rare ancient alien construct upon their planet's surface would only intensify as they began to expand across the stars. But for now, amid the earliest extra-solar explorations and colonization attempts, Ios would again descend into a period of violence, albeit this time in the last true clash for dominion of the sacred birth-world. As even the advanced, domed undersea cities of the oceanic depths had long ago claimed much of the usable sea floor, the most apocalyptic showdown that any Nekari would witness began. For decades, an immense contest of arms, science and economic triumphs would play out, as everyone from the Ulathir to the Noctis were pulled into the ever-growing conflict, with the right to dictate the fate of their homeworld up for grabs. With the countless dead, and abundant destruction wreaked across land and sea, it was no wonder that the fervor for extra-solar colonization reached a fever pitch, more and more peoples fleeing the battle for the homeworld to the solitude of other planets. Even with the bulk of other peoples having left Ios, many of the Ulathir and Nidari stubbornly clung to an increasingly battered landscape of ruin. While neither side seemed to give way, eventually the Ulathir seemed poised to seize victory and claim the homeworld of their species for themselves... but a sudden twist of fate put an end to their contest for good. The eruption of a vast supervolcano at the heart of Ios' treacherous deserts began to plunge the world into a volcanic winter, forcing the surviving Nidari to flee their impending defeat and Ios itself, while the supposedly victorious Ulathir could only cling to what remained of the undersea cities, and Ios' one inhabitable moon. In this way, the focus of their species shifted to the colonies for the first time.

Here, for a few centuries, the present status quo among their race would evolve. During the epic clash over Ios, all but the Nidari and Ulathir had taken to, and heavily established other planets, and erected their own microcosms of what they would soon discover the rest of the galaxy had done. With each Nekari group having new extra-solar domains of their own, the battered Nidari were forced to roam from sector to sector in a vast flotilla, shunned by their kin as seemingly the loser of the battle of Ios. The Nidari naturally did not see it this way, and they grew ever more bitter towards their kin, who continually turned even their sick and wounded away, regardless of what reasons their may be. Eventually they would find their own new homeworld, and establish their own interstellar territories, but the Nidari were left forever mentally and physically scarred. Visibly more pallid than their kin, and settled on their capital world "Tarteros", named for the infamous Iosian desert, meaning 'Eye of Vengeance', they would one day come to menace those they thought wronged them in time.

Since each of these new interstellar domains functioned similarly to entire civilizations of alien races in the wider galaxy, a unique situation evolved among the Nekar. Though aimed at one another in the beginning, each faction possessed their own, considerably sized and capable fleet, which would one day lead them to a host unlike any other in the galaxy. This, known as the "Armada of Twilight", would come to show their species' first alien foe just how deadly the mistake of assuming their decentralized nature meant weakness was. The advent of said conflict had resulted from the arrival and attempt of an older alien civilization to tame the Nekar swiftly, utilizing a quick strike with an asteroid at the more recently recovered birth-world of Ios. As the original home planet had only become more and more sacred to their kind, this attack only served to awaken a fury that would set in motion a chain of events that would found a new status quo in the galaxy. With the immense fleet known as the Armada of Twilight assembled, all of the Nekari peoples set their differences aside, so that none would wreak havoc upon their birth-world ever again. So vast was this Armada that, it is said that upon all of their guns firing in unison, it outshone the stars. The skies of several worlds were darkened by their silhouettes, and the only foe to ever prove foolish enough to attack the birthplace of the Nekari race would vanish into history.

This did not go unnoticed however. Another, much older race, familiar with the workings of the galaxy, known as the Ceryth maintained a careful watch upon this development, as the Nekar's first forays into the wider galaxy began with the arrival of the vast combined fleet. Yet it was upon the Nekar's first contact, and early skirmishes with the equally rising power in the form of the Ailorian Empire, that the Ceryth would finally step in. In order to prevent a much larger, galactic-scale war, the Ceryth found the two growing rivals amid the beginnings of their showdown, and began talks. Not only did they manage to use diplomatic measures to avoid this titanic clash, but they invited the other two races to join them in making history, with the founding of the Novan Galactic Council. This organization, based upon the precursor station known as "The Enclave", serves as the heart of the galaxy to this day.

Political/Economic- It is difficult to accurately describe the decentralized systems of the Nekar, as, by nature, they more often function as several separate states, even though all of them are the same species, and united in certain goals. Though the Vanguard of Ios, the title given to the confederation-like organization between them all remains a major power, and the Empire's primary rival. Along these lines, it was the Vanguard who stepped in to aid the UEC (United Earth Colonies) upon their arrival. Functioning as a sort of 'big brother' for the newcomers, the Nekari people have provided a critical safety net, as well as Humanity's main networking resource in this far-flung galaxy. This relationship is still developing to this day.

And there you have it. Once again I apologize for this being a super lengthy post, I know most people don't like to read on DA, but these 'Data Files' pretty much exist as establishing/background lore. So they're here if you're interested enough, or just curious to look into this setting of mine. Not 'required', reading, but more of a helpful bit of info dump resource here.

Hope you like! Let me know what you think. More of my usual fare to follow.