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Thras Divas, the Lost Empire.
Much confusion revolves around this name, as the peaceful and highly technological empire that existed only a few standard years ago in the same area of space bared the same name. When "Sildrake the Mad", as many local empires have begun to call him, appeared, he mockingly named his empire (which had no name of its own yet) "Thras Divas" after the empire that his replaced. All further references to the name "Thras Divas" refers to Sildrake's (or one could say now Bastion's or even no one's) empire, or the empire that exists after "The Incident of Thras Divas". All further references to "old Thras Divas" or "the original Thras Divas" refers to the highly technological empire that existed before "The Incident of Thras Divas".
| Overview | Thras Divas is an empire of brutal desert worlds filled with the remnants of dozens of different cultures from various Q-dexes and time periods. Both magic and technology of countless types cover the surface of the worlds. It's people are harsh and live by the philosophy of the survival of the fittest. Although not cruel, there is simply no room for the weak as all resources are scarce and the environment is extremely hostile. This empire was created from the ashes of the old when the original empire literally vanished, stars and all.
There is much confusion as to what exactly happened with the old Thras Divas' disappearance and the arrival of the new as the area has been too unstable to do any in-depth research on the matter. What is known is that the original Thras Divas was obliterated when the time-space continuum collapsed in that area. What was left of the worlds and people was sent bouncing through time and space. For over four-thousand years (relative to its time as it left normal space-time) it traveled the sea of time and space until it was somehow pulled back into our continuum during the event that has now been hailed as "The Incident of Thras Divas". As to why Thras Divas began its odd leap through space and time (or as to how for that matter as it defies many conventional concepts of general reality) is unknown. During its 'travel' it picked up a variety of technologies, magics, and beings, all of which seem to have integrated quite nicely (it is speculated that the harsh reality of Thras Divas did not allow room for hatred of bigotry). As to the current state of Thras Divas, the empire is now in chaos after the death of "Sildrake the Mad" (see "War with the Rhuk D'Kai"). A being known as Bastion tried to fill Sildrake's roll as the leader of Thras Divas but his efforts to prevent a power struggle failed and civil war ensued. Bastion has vanished and the empire is now controlled by at least thirteen different factions (two factions of note are the Literalists of the Rhuk-D'kai and a group of soldiers lead by Commander Traiken of the old Thras Divas). Location: Sector H |
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Index:Q-dex / Technology / Magic
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Q-dex |
The exact nature of this empire's Q-dex on the Flynch-Halpert Index is still unknown as the area has been too unstable both politically and physically since the Incident of Thras Divas to study it thoroughly. The empire appears to have strong runic and atomic principles, with another unknown minor reality-set affecting the two. |
Technology |
The technology of Thras Divas is heavily rune-based, but they have applied it in interesting ways to the technologies left behind by others. The mech, tools, and other machines and technology left behind by others that would not normally function in this Q-dex have been 'enhanced' with runes, allowing them to work here. Energy flow and primal clay engines will easily create power with the aid of runes to 'work' the parts of the machine which do not naturally work in Thras Divas' Q-dex. The most common devices are practical in nature, such as lighting or vehicles. The more extreme devices are the human shaped mech used to battle one another in small conflicts. There are few 'native technological' components to the rune technology as the people of Thras Divas have not had the luxury or resources to develop any true science or technology of their own. |
Magic |
Magic is the basis for almost every part of life in Thras Divas. It is taught to children long before they can speak and is muttered in the death beds of the old. And most importantly, it creates the life-giving substance of water. Without the runes of magic the very empire of Thras Divas, and its people, would crumble.
The most common form of magic within Thras Divas is the rune magic of the twelve local deities. Each deity possesses a set of runes which their followers can use to create various effects. Each god commands a single 'element' which can be used by itself or in combination with another. An important thing to note about this magic is that the various rune 'elements' can only be combined if the ruling gods permit it. The gods often war among themselves for short or extended times, forbidding a great deal of combinations. This can create a great deal of difficulties at times, as the two gods who rule the elements of a spells that is desperately needed (such as the shields that keep the desert sands from burying the cities) may be warring. Fortunately none of the gods have held any permanent grudges, yet. The use of a basic rune-sets is quite easy, most children master at least one before they can fully speak. The runes of each individual rune-set can be interchanged in any way (among its own type of rune) the user sees fit, as both logical and chaotic arrangements will produce results of some kind in the rune-set's area of influence. There is only one vital rune in each rune-set, and that is 'The God Symbol'. The God Symbol is simply a graphical representation of the god who powers the rune-set. If the God Symbol is missing from the rune-combination, nothing happens. When combining runes, it is necessary to enclose the runes in some sort of shape. This shape can be anything from a triangle to a senseless blob, but it must be enclosed. For the most part the runes can be drawn from any media, whether it be ink, dirt, or even traced in the air. Certain of the more powerful spells require special media, such as ink, blood, stone tablets, and so on. Combining different rune-sets together is a bit more difficult. The God Symbols of the sets being used must be placed in a single enclosure in the center of the rune combination. When lying down the other runes one must be careful not to lay incompatible runes next to each other. Certain runes from one set will simply not work next to certain runes of other sets. There appears to be no real logic behind the incompatible runes, one must simply learn them. For example, the rune symbol of 'swarm' in Akius's rune-set will not work with 'strength' from Thorn's rune-set, but 'strength' from Thorn's will work with 'flock' from Sha's rune-set. When a rune-spell is cast, it drains a small portion of the power needed for the spell from the caster. The larger and more powerful the spell, the larger the drain. A small child could easily put together the rune combination for an ultimate death beam, but the power drain would kill him or her instantly (but the beam would go off). |
Size |
Thras Divas initially contained one star system, but whether it now holds any more territory is as of yet unknown. The war with the Rhuk-D'kai and the civil war has left the ownership of surrounding territory questionable.
A man known as Orr who fled Thras Divas for political reasons has provided the OMNET basic information about the Thras Divas home system though. Most worlds in the system, although brutal, do contain life and civilization. |
Population |
The total population and its make-up is completely unknown. Thras Divas has at least a dozen sentient species that co-exist with each other throughout the empire. Some are humanoid like the Athroxi (a white haired, fair-skinned race) while others are not (like the crystalline Parr).
The Athroxi:
These people are the closest of the sentient races of Thras Divas to the standard definition of humanoids, at least in appearance. Their height ranges from 5'5" to 7'0" for both men and women. Their hair tends to be white, but pink and light blue has been known to appear from time to time. They are well built and muscular due to both genetics and environment and have a natural knack for the use of rune magic. They have multiple eyelids adapted for the purpose of keeping the desert sands out and they have no sweat glands. They also have hollow bones which are used to store water.
The Diama:
The Diama are a race of blue skinned 'females' with two sets of everything that the average humanoid only has one set of (two sets of eyes, two sets of arms and legs, and so on). They tend to be over 6' tall, but it is not unknown to have Diama as short as 3' or as tall as 10'. Their hair is always onyx black. Their limbs are jointed so that they can move around on all eight limbs, but they prefer to walk upright on only two of their legs, with their extra limbs folded behind their backs. Elder Diama (those over five hundred years of age) will sprout large colorful wings if they are with child. The Diama are a non-agressive people and they excel at the healing arts. Their skin is incredibly tough and their hair is inlined with tiny strands of muscle, allowing it to move much like a limb. Reproduction among themselves is considered a taboo to speak of, so no one but the Diama know how they do it as there are no females. They can bread with Athroxi males though in the usual humanoid manner, producing a sterile but usually healthy offspring that resemble winged Athroxi with an extra set of arms.. They are considered the most beautiful race in Thras Divas. (It should also be noted that they do not wear clothing)
The Mad Parr:
This race is by far the farthest from the definition of humanoid. Their exact physiology is unknown but it is obvious that they are crystalline based. They come in a variety of shapes, ranging from humanoid size (the Civilized Mad Parr), to dinosaur size (the Monster Mad Parr), to plant size (the Sleepers). Quantum changes in this Q-dex have destroyed the group mind that the Parr once shared and has turned them into empathic vampires. The Mad Parr are very slow to reproduce and they have a hard time mastering the rune magic. Civilized Mad Parr: These Parr are the most civilized of the Mad Parr and they have even managed to re-establish a partial group mind. This new partial group mind does not reflect the merged conscious of the old group mind, it merely allows them instant communication with one another. They have had individuality for too long to give it up. They tend to live in cities of their own, but it is not uncommon to find one walking (or flying) down the street of a non-Parr city. They gather their food (emotional energy) over a wide area, sucking as little as possible from each 'victim'. The last thing they would want to do is kill off their 'livestock' or 'upset' it. It should also be noted that these Parr are referred to be 'humanoid' because they are small in size and tend to have limbs with opposable digits. Many resemble humans in no way what-so-ever, being giant blobs with multiple limbs. The citizens of Thras Divas do not mind being 'feed upon' as the Mad Parr provide a great deal of protection. Monster Mad Parr: These Parr tend to be monstrous beasts that feed on anything they can get their hands on. Because of their constant feeding they have grown to tremendous sizes. They seem to have lost all forms of sentience and are considered among the deadliest of Thras Divas's creatures. They are impervious to most forms of weaponry and even the dragons of Drakan fear to cross their path. The Sleepers: The Sleepers are oddest form of Parr. They act and grow much like plants. They are very small in size and quite fragile. The Civilized Parr (and rune magic) can detect sentience from the Sleepers, but for all intents and purposes it appears that they are 'asleep'. It has been rumored that they are waiting for 'the proper moment to awaken'. It should also be noted that the 'Sleepers' emit one of the most powerful magic auras seen within the empire.
The Ryoshuin
These humanoid peoples are often found living with the Athroxi on Arkhome. They are rarely found elsewhere in the empire. The average height for males is 5'5" to 6'5" and 4'10" to 5'11" for females. They are covered completely in an extremely soft light brown fur. The fur on their head closely resembles hair and usually has a white streak or two in it. Although they live in cities, they prefer to spend much of their time outdoors. The Ryoshuin tend to have non Ryoshuin mates (it is said they can bread with anything) but due to the aggressive nature of their DNA, the offspring will have Ryoshuin DNA only. The child will exhibit characteristics from both parents (eye color, height, facial features, etc.) but will always be Ryoshuin.
The Zakran
The Zakran are for the most part humanoid, except for their huge bat-like wings and light blue hair. The Zakran tend to keep to themselves within their desert caves throughout the empire. They tend to possess a chaotic personality and a dark senses of humor, but they rarely wish any of their 'victims' long term harm. The Zakran have been known to trap travelers in their caves and have them search for an exit for weeks. Usually while their 'victim' sleeps they'll restock his or her food and water supplies. |
Climate and Geography |
The names of the worlds as those of Sildrake's Thras Divas call them appear first, followed by their old empire names in parentheses.
Arkhome (Divas Betta) This is perhaps the oddest planetary casualty. It is also the only non-desert world in the system. This large jungle world is literally shattered into a thousands pieces. The best way to describe it is as a still frame of a shattering glass orb. How the planet maintains an atmosphere or internal heat is unknown, but it is speculated that the answer is magical in nature. Each portion of the planet has its own central gravity, increasing the usable surface exponentially. Many of the floating land masses will have cities and population centers on multiple sides. Midway between any two pieces in an incredibly strong gravity well that has been known to crush the strongest of ships. A dense jungle covers most of the floating portions with oceans filling in many of the gaps. (A special note should be made here about the oceans as they are they only known source of water in the empire that does not crumble to dust after three hours). There are no seasons on this world and it maintains a constant temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Trak Nor (Divas Gamma) - This desert world is unpopulated for the most part except for Sildrake's military training grounds. There are twenty seven of these grounds around the planet, each with their own spaceport, bunkers, storage, supply base and vehicles. This world is often referred to as "The Land of the Dead" as the deserts are literally filled with millions of dead. It is believed that the bones found on this world are the former inhabitants of the old Thras Divas. Temperature ranges from 100 degrees in the winter to 170 degrees in the summer. These three tiny desert worlds revolve around each other in a strange loop pattern between the orbits of Trak Nor and Bhile. These three are the most habitable of the desert worlds with the southern and northern most areas being able to support a variety of plant life. All of the polar caps, except for Natuk Sama's southern cap, are covered in forests. A small mountain range is found on Natuk Sama's southern polar cap in place of a forest. Bhile (Diva Prime) Bhile is covered with jagged rocks and glass-like sand. The entire world is constantly bombarded with winds ranging in at speeds of six-hundred miles an hour. The only native life to be found is a small turtle-like lithovoric creature. Soul (Diva Betta) This world is only partially covered in sand. The other half is covered in a beautiful array of crystals, some of which reach miles in height. Some plant and animal life (mostly mammals) have discovered a way to thrive at the base of these crystals. Liquid nitrogen can often be found bubbling up from the surface in the crystalline areas much like a hot spring would. The world is named 'Soul' because it is believed that this is the place where Dwauva (the Goddess of Life and Death) takes souls too when one dies, and where she creates them in order to give them to new borns and the soulless. Gnian (Sairena) This world is a featureless ball of sand with clear skies for all but one week near the end of the year called "The blooming". During this week water forms in the sky and collects into clouds until they become so heavy that the desert is soaked (It should be noted that this is the ONLY world where rain can be found, and moisture of any sort is only found during this week on this world). Within hours after the rainfall ends the entire world is covered in flowering life. Everyone within the empire hopes to be there for this event once in their lives, as such beauty, and rain, can be found nowhere else. But the planet has a terrible price for those who would trespass on the world during this week, as the water brings the Chi'ka from their slumber. These deadly creatures will feed on all that they find. Orr insists that the risk is worth the visit as it is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. Strog (Ghaleous) This tiny world is covered mostly with stone and has a light (but breathable) atmosphere. The huge caverns beneath its surface supports a variety of eco-systems and cities. It is always its closest to Gnian when the Blooming comes. Ohkanman (Enhangelion) From the sands of this world emerge the ruins of the old Thras Divas. Everywhere on the planet towering ruins can be seen emerging from the sands. A variety of mammal life exists on this world, as well as several settlements of Diama, a blue skinned race of multi-limbed females. Many of the Avatars used in Thras Divas are found here. A large mountain range can be found extending from the north pole to the equator in the western hemisphere. The range is dotted with a few sparse clumps of forest. Aronak (Kaman) -moon of Ohkanman Aronak is a frozen desert moon of Ohkanman with no atmosphere. It is dotted with a few creators from meteor impacts and has a very low gravity. Drakan (Ryouko Sashuu) Drakan is the second most populates world in Thras Divas. Its deserts are parted by mountain ranges that run across the entire planet. Small patches of greenery can be found at the foot of the mountains, as well as forests in the upper reaches of the mountains. In the south the deserts are quite hospitable as much of the sand is actually glass created from an ancient volcanic eruption. Traagoon (Sashuu Chan) -moon of Drakan This moon is for the most part uninhabitable due to the poisonous atmosphere. An exception to the deadly atmosphere is a large creator facing Drakan that maintains a breathable atmosphere through the use of the plant life that inhabits it. The plant life is extremely dense, but there are few plants any taller than a man. Zephras (Zephras) This is the only world that somehow managed to maintain its old Thras Divian name. The reason for this is most likely the 'Mad Parr' which inhabit this world. Much of the planet is covered with temples and constructs of the Parr, with the two most notable being 'The Day and Night Temples". Most of the natural plant life tends to be fungal in nature as the atmosphere contains mostly argon and carbon monoxide. The temperature stays around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It should also be noted that this planet revolves as slowly as it orbits the sun, so that the same side always faces the sunlight. |
Flora and Fauna |
Not much is known yet about the plant life in this empire other than it has adapted to an almost complete lack of water and tends to have a thick bark or skin. There is no knowledge yet of any species of note, with the exception of the giant tree used to house the city of Inner Tree on Ohkanman. As for animal life, there appears to be only about three or four hundred species scattered throughout the empire. Most tend to be small in size and have a thick shell or fur coat. Two deadly species to note are the Beast Parr and the Chi'ka of Gnian. Once the political situation in Thras Divas has stabilized an indepth attempt to learn more about the Flora and Fauna of this system will be made. |
History |
Prehistory:
The old empire grew quickly, and within only a thousand years or so the former magic using people were already creating advanced nanite technologies. This in turn led to the creation of artificial intelligence, which in turn led to massive societal changes. Unlike most empires which saw artificial intelligence as a tool, the people of the old Thras Divas saw it as a new form of life to be nurtured and cherished as all life is. The ownership of any form of artificial intelligence was soon declared illegal by the ruling council. Artificial beings were soon integrated into everyday society and were involved with everything from politics to day care. Soon after this an ancient Parr colony ship drifted into the empire. The Parr were a long lived race of crystalline beings whose life spans could reach into the hundreds of thousands of years. Early on in Parr history, after an incident which greatly shook up their empire, they sent a number of Parr colony ships out into the galactic disk. The crew of these ships were to remain in stasis until a habitable system was found. The crew would then awake and begin the colonization process. The ship that arrived in Thras Divas was sent out long before the species of Thras Divas were even born. The Parr aboard awoke and were greeted by the citizens of Thras Divas. Zephras, a frozen world with an ionized atmosphere, was offered to the Parr as a home. The Parr made their home on this world but they interacted little with the people of old Thras Divas... at first. The process of establishing full diplomatic ties, or even a proper understanding of each other, took hundreds of years. The greatest change in old Thras Divas came about with the discovery of an artificial moon known as 'The Hand of God' in the nearby Piruk Trader's Impirium. The Hand of God possessed such an awesome amount of power and was based on technologies and magics so advanced they defied the laws of most realities. When the first elected Emperor of old Thras Divas, Tunan Chiser, 'rescued' and fell in love with an artificial being known as Shalya who had been in the service of a powerful baron of the Piruk Trader's Impirium, the Impirium instantly declared war on old Thras Divas. Although the 'incident' was a rather large diplomatic 'fubar', few citizens of either empire could figure out why the two empires would go to war over a single being. The Impirium took advantage of their possession of The Hand of God and they began to destroy old Thras Divas colony worlds (literally), spiraling in to the center of the empire. It was then that Emperor Chiser announced his marriage to Shalya (not uncommon in those times), and that Shalya revealed her true nature. Shalya was an integral part of The Hand of God and it was she who was the key to unleash The Hand of God's true power. The power being used to destroy old Thras Divas' colony worlds was only a tiny trickle of its full power. The forces of the old Thras Divas and its allies stood no chance against the Hand of God, and the artificial moon eventually made its way into the heart of old Thras Divas, the Divas System. It took half a lifetime for the artificial moon to reach the Divian system. The Emperor of old Thras Divas was eventually assassinated and Shalya was captured and taken to The Hand of God. As the Impirium was razing the capitol, a single fighter pilot from what was left of old Thras Divas' military snuck aboard The Hand of God, rescued Shalya, and used the Hand of God to vaporize the Impirium's fleet. The war that had lasted decades had ended in mere seconds. When a task force from old Thras Divas was sent to investigate the artificial moon now in orbit around Ryouko Seti no trace of Shalya or the pilot could be found. They were never seen again. With The Hand of God now in their hands, old Thras Divas advanced as never before. In a matter of years giant mechanized vehicles based on a quantum level nanotechnology (QLN) taken from The Hand of God filled the empire. Within a few decades QLN based machines known as microns were in everything from old Thras Divas' citizens to the cores of the planets themselves. QLN allowed them to metamorph their bodies, the environment, and even the planets themselves at will. A cheese sandwich could transform into a wrench and vice versa in a matter of seconds. The average citizen would even go through several changed in species and sex throughout the day, depending on what moods they were in. QLN presented an unusual strain on society with the amount of power it provided. The boundaries became blurred between most things and anarchy became common place in many parts of the empire. Several methods of societal control were being tested when 'The Incident at Thras Divas' occurred.
The Incident of Thras Divas
No one is still quite sure why this tragic event occurred, or how for that matter. Primus-9, a small red star on the outside of old Thras Divas, collapsed at a speed that defied all the physics of its quantum reality. The star then exploded and emitted a quantum wave front of unheard power. Many worlds and stars within its path were literally shattered. The wave engulfed all of old Thras Divas, reaching outward for twenty light years in all directions from the former location of Prumus-9. The space-time continuum within the encompassed area then collapsed. The remaining planets and stars, and even space itself, fell out of normal time and space. To the universe, old Thras Divas was lost....
Omega And Alpha
The empire of old was destroyed in a single instant when the time-space continuum collapsed. Suns and worlds shattered as they were sucked below the depths of the void and through time itself. No one yet knows why are how this happened. Society collapsed, 95% percent of the population ceased to be, and all technology ceased to function. Communication between worlds vanished and an age far darker than most began. Those that survived were reduced to barbarians within several generations. The knowledge and culture of the Divians was desperately trying to maintain itself, but when parents had to make the choice of teaching their children how to survive in their new brutal environment or of the Divian past, they chose survival. To make matters worse for the Divians, the Parr of Zephras were somehow turned into insane empathic vampires. They spread outward from their world to the remaining ones, slaying any sentient they found. Any attempts to produce written material to be passed down to future generations failed, and not a single manuscript has been found from this time period. For several hundred years the Divians lived as barbarians, hiding within caves, until the stars suddenly changed during a great storm that covered the world. This storm also sent the Mad Parr into a deep slumber. [This is believed to be Thras Divas's first leap through the time-space continuum after its initial disappearance.] Shortly after the 'star change' tall white haired beings who called themselves the Athroxi (Thras Divas's current ruling race) appeared. Within a mater of days what was left of the Divian race was wiped out by these aggressive strangers. The Athroxi, as they always do, gathered all the knowledge they could from the corpses of their enemies, and saved it for future generations to learn from. -976 SE (Sildranan Emprerious) Within a few years of the Divian genocide the Athroxi colonized several of Thras Divas's worlds, most notably Divas Betta, which at the time was in one piece. They also brought with them the Diama, a race of eight-limbed blue humanoids. In -962 SE Sildran the capital city was built. In honor of the city's 'might' the Athroxi named their new empire the Sildranan Empire. Sildranan in their language meant 'Heart of The Silver Dragon'. In the center of the city a huge silver dragon statue was erected. The first empress of the Sildranan empire was crowned in -960 SE. Her name was Drakana, which literally translated as 'Death' in Athroxi. With her skill and strategic mind, she lead her people to the conquests of one empire after another. And where Drakana's people went, death followed. The Sildranan Empire was halted in its massive expansion in -431 SE when it encountered an empire they called 'Kendi'. The 'Kendi' empire was larger than any empire they had ever encountered, dwarfing their own by tenfold. They also possessed incredibly powerful reality manipulation devices that were beyond the understanding of even the brightest of Sildranan's people. The Sildranan were wise enough not to be hostile towards them. They even returned the territory of empires that were 'favored' by Kendi. But this was not the end of Sildranan's plans for conquest. Shar, Drakana's daughter and now the new empress, realized that although the Kendi were powerful in size and technology, they were weak in leadership. Although the emperor of the Kendi was the most competent she had ever seen, those around him within the rulership (specifically his brother and a few advisors) were always attempting to seize power from the throne. With the aid of her empire, any one of these power hungry men or women would have an advantage in taking the throne. And once that throne was taken, she would take it from them in the chaos of the new leadership. Shar's plan backfired and the Kendi empire launched a full scale war against Sildranan. With the military might of their reality warping weapons, the Kendi sent Shar fleeing back to the heart of the Sildranan empire, the system that was once old Thras Divas. And just as the Kendi fleet was preparing to take the heart of the Sildranan empire, the stars changed once more. The Athroxi, being who they are, were able to their maintain civilization when what was left of their empire jumped through the time-space continuum. Their reality shifted to that now known as 'primal clay', but thanks to information gained from several conquered primal clay empires they had society up and running within a few years. In -399 SE Orr (which means 'Wisdom') was born. He and his brother Silidan ('Silver Wings' in Athroxi) joined the rebel movement against the current ruling dynasty. This movement advocated tolerance towards 'weaker races' and an end to their genocidal policies of conquering. They believed the changing of the stars was a sign from the gods that their old ways were wrong and that they had been given a chance to start again. As one might have guessed, the ruling dynasty did not agree and proceeded to hunt down the rebel movement. In -360, the rebels took the capital, ending Drakana's dynasty and beginning a new era of peace (as they saw it). A man known as Faust took the throne to the new empire, and Orr and Silidan became one of 'The Seven' The Seven were an elite group of trained killers that were sworn to protect the emperor at all costs. In -347 the new empire encountered the Ryoshuin, a fur covered humanoid race. The Ryoshuin had come to the system to investigate its sudden appearance, and had never encountered another sentient race before. Faust proved his commitment to peace by welcoming them to his empire. Within several years several thousand Ryoshuin were living peacefully in the capital.
The God War
Peaceful times did not last long. In -342 SE a dark god of enormous power had suddenly appeared, escaped from some imprisonment in some other reality, and began to tear the empire apart. Its first act was the assassination of Faust. The Seven, humiliated at their failure, vowed to fight this new dark god to the death, even though they didn't stand a chance. Due to this dark god's arrival the twelve sleeping deities of modern Thras Divas awoke. And with their awakening came Rune magic, a force powerful enough to stand a chance against the dark god. The twelve new deities told much of themselves to the people of this empire. Once they were mortals of flesh and bone from an empire that once lived in the empire of the Divians before it was destroyed. When that empire was destroyed and reality changed, twelve gods were needed for the new reality. And they were the twelve randomly chosen to be ripped from mortalhood and thrust into godhood. For centuries they had slept until the dark god's presence awoke them. Their promise to the people was a simple one, they would travel the worlds of the empire teaching their runes until every last man, woman, and child knew them. The people could then use this newfound power to fight this intruding deity. The battle that ensued between the new rune using populous and the dark god was tremendous. Life was stripped from the surface of most worlds and Arkhome (formerly known as Divas Betta) was shattered. The Seven somehow gained the holy powers of the twelve deities on their hunt and they eventually caught up to the dark god on a world known as Vestil. Five of the Seven were slain instantly. Only Orr and Silidan remained for the true battle. The spell battle that ensued between the three destroyed the planet, leaving Orr, Silidan, and the dark god mortally wounded and unable to move. For ten days they all lay on a chunk of rock that was once Vestil. Unable to attack or even move, they taunted one another for the first three days. On the fourth, they were silent. On the fifth, they began to talk. On the eighth they realized that they were destroying what they fought for. Silidan and Orr had wiped out most of the life within their empire defending it, and the dark god had destroyed that which he wished to rule. On the ninth day the three came to an understanding. On the tenth, the compromise was made... and Sildrake was born. Both Silidan and the dark god had willingly merged into a single being whose goal was to rule all of existence with both the power of dark and light, good and evil. And with Sildrake's own hand, Orr was healed so that he could lead the new Seven.
The Beginning of The Waterdeath
Also during the God War another critical moment in Thras Divas history occurred, the beginning of the 'Waterdeath'. The Waterdeath is unique to Thras Divas out of all of the empires discovered by the Omnet so far. Any form of water within the empire grows hard and crumbles into dust after three hours of its creation. The only two places this does not occur within the empire is on Arkhome and on Gnian during the blooming. The reasons for these two exceptions are unknown. Thus to date there is no natural water on any of the worlds (with the two previous exceptions) and any water created within or brought into the empire crumbles to dust after three hours. Water is somehow able to maintain its liquid form within living organisms though. The story behind the beginning of waterdeath is rather unusual. Back on Drakan, while the Seven were hunting down the dark god, the princess Eremanda was preparing for her wedding with prince Tonias. Tonias made a surprise visit to Eremanda (which forbidden according to wedding tradition) and the two snuck off to the shores of the nearby Sea of Stars. Eremanda removed her shoes to tiptoe among the waves and suddenly found herself being grabbed by hundreds of tiny watery hands. Tonias tried to help her escape the hands, but was unsuccessful. Eremanda was pulled beneath the waves, and before Tonias's eyes she was transformed into a creature made of water. He attempted to free her once more from the hands, and this time he was successful. The tiny hands that had emerged from the water vanished and he set her watery form down on the beach. Eremanda was terrified, and her memory was gone. When Tonias tried to take her from the beach, her watery body began to crumble to dust. A voice from the sea then shouted out that she would die if she taken from the ocean. Tonias, not knowing what to do, put her body back into the ocean. The hands then dragged her away. Tonias returned the next day to morn and found Eremanda (still in her watery form) sitting on the beach, with no memory of the previous day or of any other. He quickly went to get help, and when he returned with a flock of men, she was gone. For two weeks he went to the beach everyday with his men to search for Eremanda. And for that two weeks she didn't appear. When he returned alone on the fifteenth day he found her sitting on the shore once more. After several more attempts at bringing her help, he realized that she would only appear if he was alone. Day after day he visited her on the shores, bringing with his the most advanced technology he could get his hands on. He found that none of his devices could help her and he became obsessed with restoring her original form and memories. Weeks turned into months and months into years as he tried to help her. He was soon disowned and labeled insane by his family (as they never saw Eremanda) and they even began to suspect him of murdering Eremanda. Tonias, now living in a shack on the shore, began to forget to eat in his obsession to cure Eremanda of her 'curse'. His mind began to grow dim and reason vanished. Three days before the final battle between the Seven and the dark god Tonias died in Eremanda's watery arms. At the moment Eremanda remembered everything. Who she was, her love for Tonias, what had happened to her, what she had become and why, and what Tonias had given up for her. She cried for two days with his corpse in her arms. On the third she cursed out a mighty cry against the waters of the empire. She cried out for it to pay for what it had done to her and Tonias. She then dragged Tonias body into the water and vanished forever. Moments later, all of the water within the empire, except that within the now shattered Arkhome, crumbled to dust. None of the twelve gods, nor the newly born Sildrake, knew who answered he call for revenge. Sual, the God of Water, tried with all his might to undo what was done, but the best he could do was to get magically created water to last for three hours before crumbling to dust. It has been that way ever since. This crumbling of the water is now known as 'waterdeath'. This story would have been lost to the ages had not Dwauva saw fit to pass the knowledge of what she had witnessed here to the generations.
The Beginning of The Nameless Empire
Sildrake, the newly formed combination of a holy warrior and a dark god, quickly gained control of what was left of the empire. He provided protection and shelter to those that remained and they flocked to him as a savior. At least half of the sentient beings within that area of space were transported to Arkhome, the only planet now with vegetation covering and no waterdeath, with the aid of his powers. There 'his people' rebuilt the capital and tilled the earth in this odd new world. It was in this year that Sildrake began the new dating system. The old SE system from the Sildranan Empire was kept, but the year Sildrake took control of the empire was declared year 0. All dates before that would be marked in negative numbers. It should be noted here that both Sildrake and Orr were now both blessed with eternal youth with the aid of Sildrake's powers so that they could guide the growth of the empire for eons to come. In 123 SE Sildrake's empire began to flourish. It was now that Sildrake stripped the name 'Sildranan' from his empire and decreed that it was now to be nameless. Arkhome became a fertile world, space travel was common once more, and the capital city was now covered with crystal towers built by the Parr. [How, why, and when the Parr awoke is unknown, as well as why they were working with Sildrake] The piece of earth that contained the city of Sildran was magically moved towards the center of Arkhome for protection. But as this area of space has done before, it shifted within the time space continuum just as things were settling down.
The Wizard's Consortium
Sildrake's empire ended up in what according to the Rhuk-D'kai Dynasty believes is the center of an empire known as the 'Wizard's Consortium' which ruled 3/4s of an entire galactic disk . This empire, being a bit annoyed at Sildrake's appearance, made an immediate move to take this new little chunk of space. Sildrake surprised them with an amazing show of force that impressed them. So rather than obliterating his empire, they gave him a choice, join them or die. He joined. Due to his god-like nature, Sildrake rose quickly within the magic using rulership. By 457 SE Sildrake was given the rulership of one-tenth of the galactic disk. In 489 Sildrake married a Ryoshuin named Yumisana and in 493 she gave birth to Sildrake's only child, Emisha. Like Orr, Sildrake blessed both his child and wife with long life. This blessing had an unexpected result on Emisha, it now took decades for her to physically age what it took a normal Ryoshuin to physically age a month. Around the year 500 SE Sildrake began to take an interest in tech-golems known as 'D'Kai' that had been used for millennia within the Consortium. These sturdy armored beings could take a great deal of damage and yet still keep on functioning. As he wanted to keep his experiments from the eyes of the Consortium, he set up a secret lab in the Atura shipping yards with the aid of a few favors owed to him. Around 507 SE the first Dekal was born. The Dekal resembled the D'Kai in many ways, but were tenfold in size and engineered to act as starships. By 511 these creatures became the standard vessel in his home system. Sildrake then began to experiment in other areas of D'Kai physiology ranging from durability to intelligence. He called his prized subject, a D'Kai he believed was now sentient, Ch'ek. The D'Kai at the base revolted later that year at Atura, stealing three experimental starships known as StarTreaders. One of the ships was stopped, the other two managed to flee the galactic disk. Sildrake ended his experimentation on the D'Kai shortly thereafter without explanation. Sildrake returned home shortly after the Atura fiasco with his daughter Emisha. His wife was to meet up with them soon (she was also a powerful member of the Consortium, and traveled a great deal). She never got the chance. In 531 SE Sildrake's empire vanished once again, without his wife.
The Darkening
As far as the effects of this shift through the time-space continuum are concerned, the system was barely touched. Sildrake's mind, however, was irrevocably damaged. With the loss of his wife, Sildrake fell into a period of deep sorrow that eventually spiraled into insanity. He rarely spoke to anyone, and he rarely made an appearance. The only time he smiled was in the presence of Emisha. Sildrake began to act strangely, often laughing maniacally or crying out "It's my turn now!" to himself. Guards and servants that accidentally found themselves in the same rooms or halls as Sildrake began to find themselves in care of the Diama or buried beneath the sands. Those close to Sildrake knew what was happening, the dark god within had gained the upper hand in Sildrake's now insane mind. And there was nothing they could do to fight against the god-like being. In 636 SE the now insane Sildrake made a great proclamation to his people. He told them that the universe was weak and could not withstand a great horror that was to come. The only way to survive the horror was to remove the weak so that the strong would flourish to combat this coming horror. This did not mean genocide though for 'weak' races, it meant to be conquered and trained in the arts of war and survival. Sildrake did not set out to conquer nearby empires immediately. Instead he began to mass bread his creations, the Dekal, by the thousands. His people assumed it was in preparation of the great war he was about to unleash, but when he ordered the invasion of nearby systems before most of the Dekal were out of the hatchery his people were no longer so sure. The orders to the invasions were also quite odd. Sildrake's forces were to only destabilize the governments and then hide a swarm of stasised Dekal within each of the worlds destabilized. Once this was accomplished, they were to 'lose' all farther battles and 'retreat' to the home system. All aggressions would then stop after the nearby empires were secretly seeded with the stasised Dekal. Those who inquired as to what Sildrake's plans were with the stasised Dekal received a single answer. "When the time is right, they will come out to play." Little of note happened within the next two millennia. Thras Divas jumped dozens of more times through the time-space continuum and each time Sildrake had stasised Dekal hidden on all nearby empires. Although insane and harsh, he stilled ruled his empire justly by his people's standards. Even if the people wanted to overthrow him they simply wouldn't be able to. By the end of this age the world of Traagoon had became partially forested with the careful tending of the waterbringers.
The Holy War of Il'Shimina
In 4327 SE Sildrake's empire encountered the Il'Shimina Empire. This empire was almost the exact opposite of Sildrake's own. All of its worlds were filled with lush jungles and its people lived in luxury and peace. It was thought that this empire would be an easy victory, but shortly after Sildrake's forces landed on the first world of the Il'Shimina Empire all life on the planet, including Sildrake's forces, was instantaneously burned to ashes. Nothing remained. There is no need to mention that Sildrake was extremely disturbed at this. The same occurred on the next Il'Shimina world, but this time a single survivor was caught. With a little torture, that survivor spoke, but only to Sildrake. No one knew what was said to Sildrake, but whatever it was, it terrified him, and he ordered a full retreat of his forces from the Il'Shimina Empire. The survivor was taken to the now partially forested world of Traagoon to be held prisoner. It later turned out that this prisoner was the son of Gon, the Dikia (or emperor) of the Il'Shimina Empire. This little piece of information was learned from the same subspace communication that announced that all life on Traagoon had just been burnt to a cinder much like the two worlds of the Il'Shimina Empire. Apparently the Dikia himself had snuck onto Traagoon, rescued his son, set off the planet-killing weapon, and sent a death threat to the empire as he fled the system. The Dikia's starship never made it out of Sildrake's Empire. Realizing the level of threat the Il'Shimina Empire possessed, Sildrake order the complete extinction of their people. Sildrake's people were appalled at the idea, but his control over them was far too strong. They had no choice but to fight. Rather than landing on the planets themselves as before, Sildrake chose to bombard them from orbit. He expected the Il'Shimina to set off their planet-killer when the bombardment began, but the expected never happened. Ground troops were sent, and once again the expected did not happen. It was eventually learned that although each of the worlds of the Il'Shimina Empire contained a suicide device, there was only one key to set them off, an object known as Staff of Junai. That staff had been with the Dikia. One by one the worlds of Il'Shimina were slaughtered, until only one was left, the Il'Shimina home world, Godhaven. The capital city was fortified like no other ever encountered, and what was expected to be a quick victory once again was not. The war lasted for years. Not only did the capital have an orbital shield, it was completely self-sufficient and walled with a ten kilometer high structure. A few saboteurs did manage to make it within the city, but they accomplished little. As the war drew on, dissension began to grow within Sildrake's forces. Genocide was completely against the beliefs of Sildrake's empire now, and many no longer fought as hard as they could have. Il'Shimina forces began to 'escape' with increasing numbers. The war changed dramatically when it was learned that a group of Il'Shimina hidden in a nearby nebula had constructed another Staff of Junai, and that they had somehow snuck into the capital city past the 'impenetrable' blockade with it. It was also learned that they were preparing to use it. Sildrake ordered the complete withdrawal from the world so that the Junai (as the people of Il'Shimina called themselves) could end their existence without killing any more of his forces. The response he got was unexpected. Over half of the legions within his forces, led by his brother Orr, ignored the withdrawal order and attacked the capital with a ferocity never before seen. Even though limbs were torn from their bodies they fought on. Orr's rebel forces were attacking the capital so that they could save the Junai. They wanted to stop them from using the Staff of Junai and help them flee their world. By some miracle of fate, Orr's rebel group did just that. Once that was accomplished, Orr surrendered to Sildrake. Sildrake had the rebellious legions executed and Orr was sentenced to eternal imprisonment on the world of Drakan. Shortly there after Thras Divas made its next and most dramatic leap, into a place beyond time and space itself.
Beyond The Void
Sildrake's Empire was transported to a plain of darkness. The sun grew dim, the worlds cold, and frozen bodies filled the sky (analysis of these bodies reveal that they belonged to the roughly 95% of the Divian race that died when old Thras Divas dropped out of our time-space continuum. How they got there is unknown). Strange worm-like creatures that became known Qua'shee lived within the frozen bodies, and these creatures began to slaughter everything that moved. They spit acid that could melt threw the toughest of materials and they bore through ten foot steel walls as if they were tissue. The people of Sildrake's empire could not survive for long under these conditions. The gods came up with a plan however They would place the entire empire into a magical slumber until it was safe to awaken again. Nothing would age and nothing could be harmed. With their combined resources, the gods cast the spell and the empire drifted away into its slumber...
The Awakening
Thras Divas' history now returns to the normal space-time continuum. "The Awakening" is the conclusion to "The Incident at Thras Divas".
When the system returned it brought the Qua'shee with them. The investigation teams, surprised by the sudden appearance of the system and the Qua'shee, were helpless against them. The Qua'shee left no survivors. Among those killed was the noted Atomic Scientist Pulock Narese, the Techno-mage Eagle Wings, and Vestis Verandi Sachar. Back in Sildrake's empire, the gods began to awaken the people. Orr, during the confusion of the awakening, escaped from his prison.
The Arrival of The Old Empire
The Thras Divas of old did not die with the empire's disappearance. Many citizens and ships were outside of the empire when the time-space continuum collapsed. Upon hearing of their home system's return, most were compelled to go there to discover the fate of their homes, family, and friends. The first two ships that arrived were the Ukien and Titus, two experimental military vessels that had been away on a training mission in a far off nebula. The two ships also held ten Deadra class Avatars, the most powerful of their kind. Both ships began experiencing severe problems upon entering the Q-dex. The reality of the system had apparently changed dramatically. But this did not stop them. Although they knew that the system had aged for more than they had, they were not prepared for what they found. The space of their home system was littered with debree from destroyed worlds, and those that were left were desert wastelands. All trace of their people and culture was completely gone. When the Ukien discovered life and civilization on the world they knew as Ryouko Sashuu, they landed in an attempt to make contact. The Titus went farther into the system to investigate the home world. The Ukien at the time was commanded by Ambassador Achina Ryokin, and contact with the people they found on the world went well. Although the people were friendly to them, they told little of themselves. Occasionally one would mutter something about a holy war. The Ukien then set up a base outside the discovered city, and many nearby empires were soon helping with the construction of the base. Medical and scientific vessels, as well as military personnel were donated from New Asgard, the Rhuk-D'kai, the Darian Ascendancy, and many more. Orr encountered the Ukien's encampment while wondering through the deserts and began to search for a vessel to use in his escape. The Titus however did not fare as well as the Ukien. Somehow Sildrake had captured the vessel, augmented it with the power of runes, and used it in a surprise attack along with thousands of Dekal against the Ukien's encampment. The encampment was no match for Sildrake's forces, but thanks to the aid of the New Asgardian Valkrye fighters much of the encampment escaped (with Orr as a stowaway). It was then that Orr entered into the Ukien's databanks much of the information we now have about Sildrake's empire. How he did this or why is a mystery. Somewhere along the way Orr left and has not been heard of since.
The Birth of The New Thras Divas
Sildrake soon introduced himself to our greater galaxy. In a televised display to nearby empires he beheaded the captured Ambassador Ryokin and threatened to invade all those empires who had trespassed on the territory of his empire. He mockingly gave his empire the name of the empire that once stood where his now stood (Thras Divas) and he ridiculed the rescue effort. How he knew so much about the old Thras Divas and the surrounding empires is still unknown, but it is believed that he somehow managed to access Omnet public records and newscasts. Within the next several months his reign of terror began. Dekal began to appear through much of sector H, either attacking, spying, or on some unknown mission. There were even rumors that Dekal were appearing in other sectors of the galaxy as well. The Parr, concerned for their brethren who vanished with the old Thras Divas, arrived at the new Thras Divas and sent a series of probes into that space. That is when they discovered the Mad Par of Zephras. Hostilities between the two broke out almost instantly. Sildrake refused almost all attempts at communication with other empires and attacked any that neared his system. It was not long before Sildrake started a full scale war.
The War With the Rhuk-D'kai
It is now no surprise as to why Sildrake chose the Rhuk-D'kai Dynasty as the first of his targets. The D'kai of the Wizard's Consortium and the D'kai of the Rhuk-D'kai Dynasty were one and the same. Ordinarily the Rhuk-D'kai empire would have been far out of reach of Sildrake's influence, but by some odd twist of fate the old Thras Divas and the Rhuk-D'kai had created a series of 'spacial highways' between their two empires in the name of peace. Sildrake's attack was swift and brutal. One by one the worlds of the Rhuk-D'kai fell at amazing pace and Sildrake's forces ground themselves in on every conquered world. It was later learned that the reason for Sildrake's swift victory had been an alliance with a Rhuk-D'kai movement that called themselves the Literalists. The Literalists hoped to establish their own government within the Rhuk-D'kai Dynasty, free of the D'kai. The number of forces sent to aid the Rhuk-D'kai Dynasty was far greater than Sildrake anticipated and his forces began to lose territory. When it became obvious that defeat was inevitable, rather than retreating, in a surprise move he offered to surrender himself to the authorities of the greater galaxy. He would wait for them at the edge of the Taarkhul System of the Rhuk-D'kai Dynasty. The Dynasty, expecting a trap, arrived with several of its allies. But before either side could act an unexpected quantum storm hit. Chaos erupted, and a battle began. With sensors malfunctioning, none were sure what was quite going on. When the storm passed and the battle ended, one thing was obvious, Sildrake was dead. What was left of his remains was taken back to the Rhuk-D'kai Dynasty.
A Time of Chaos
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Government |
With the fall of Sildrake the Mad and the vanishing of Bastion, there is no longer a government. The empire is now controlled by over a dozen different factions, each with their own policies and agenda. As the civil was of Thras Divas has just begun, no information is available on these warring factions.
Foreign PolicyWith the current state of affairs in Thras Divas the attitude of most of the warring factions is 'if it ain't hurting us, leave 'em alone, if it is hurting us, kill it.' It is also difficult to define 'foreign government' in Thras Divas at this time as many of the factions who now hold power within Thras Divas aren't even Thras Divas natives. Domestic PolicyAt this point the warring factions have pretty much forgotten about the average person. The people are trying to fend for themselves, and without a centralized government to properly ship the needed supplies, they are suffering terribly. |
Society |
What is known about the society within Thras Divas was gathered from those aboard the Ukien when it was encamped on Drakan (Ryouko Sashuu)
Thras Divian society is divided up into a variety of co-existing cultures that are lightly connected by a weak central culture. Although these cultures can be quite different from one another, they all seem to share a few basic traits from the central culture. Some of these include a repulsion to slavery, a survival of the fittest mentality, the use of rune magic (which is necessary for survival), and a complete lack of a structured class or caste system. They also tend to possess a 'wholistic cultural' view. Rather than thinking of themselves as a part of a specific culture, the see themselves as part of all cultures.
Blood Runes
Another thing all of the Thras Divian cultures possess is the use of a 'birth rune', which later becomes known as a 'blood rune'. At birth a drop of blood from the child or womb is placed within a bowl of water that is marked with the God Symbols of all twelve gods. A special rune-set involving all twelve God Symbols is then traced onto the surface of the water. At this point one of the twelve gods will create a rune from his or her set specifically designed for that child and have it appear on the surface of the water. There will be no other like it, and only the person it is meant for can use it. This rune is then carved onto an object of power and covered with blood from the child or womb. Once the blood has dried and crumbled, this item is given to the child. The child will carry this item and their 'blood rune' throughout life. At death the blood rune vanishes from the item. Originally the cultures of Thras Divas were race specific, being picked up with the races that Thras Divas picked up while traveling through the time-space continuum, but that has changed over the millennia.
Cultures
Atorox Atorox was the original Athroxi culture, but to date this culture is now only composed of about sixty percent Athroxi. The other forty percent includes Drakan, Ryoshuin, and other various minor races. This culture is a military based one, where everyone is thought of and treated as a warrior. They emphasize the physical portion of the being over the mental, and are known for their tight black armor and clothing. The most common craft of the Atorox is weapons crafting. They prefer to use bladed weapons called 'Exedus' that can transform into a variety of other weapon forms. The standard greeting and good-bye is usually 'May your death be swift.' or 'May your offspring live longer than you.'. Desert Folk Desert Folk are those who've decided to make their homes outside of the cities within the desert wastelands. Most others consider them insane, but they prefer the term stubborn. They tend to be simple people, with only rudimentary knowledge of runes and mechanics. They spend generations after generations trying to make a living from the desert. They are often seen with large brimmed hats that they use to protect their eyes from the desert sun. Desert Folk can be almost any race. It is also not unusual to find Desert Folk that are the only kind of their species within the empire. Gaianists. The Gaianists are for the most part Diama and they emphasize nature over one's self. Life is a precious thing in Thras Divas, and they believe it is their duty to care for it. Gaianists are known for their beautiful gardens and whispering voices. They tend to wear their hair in long ponytails and don light white outfits (if they are non-Diama). Kindred The kindred are mostly composed of Ryoshuin and Drakan. They only talk through a modified version of Rune-speak and spend most of their lives living in nature. They can only be found on the outer isles and continents of Arkhome. Ryoshuin will sleep in the tree tops, Drakan in caves, and others (which are rare) will do either. They build no structures of their own and will not live in those built by others. The Kindred are considered the wisest of cultures as they have kept much of the knowledge of the past alive through there folklore. They, unlike most, have recognized the patterns of history and can almost always predict major and minor societal events long before others could even guess at the chance of such a change. They are often sought after for their advice. Mad Parr Little is known of the Mad Parr culture, they rarely allow outsiders within it. This culture is composed entirely of Mad Parr and they seem to place a great deal of emphasis on two structures they have built on opposite ends of Zephras called "The Day Temple" and "The Night Temple". Truth Forgers Truth Forgers are Thras Divas' version investigators, judges, and spies. In disputes between various parties they gather all information available and decree a verdict for them if they can not settle the said dispute. If they do not follow the Truth Forgers decree both parties are hunted down and killed. When they act as spies, they will do so openly. This is quite dangerous, but Truth Forgers tend to be clever enough to avoid capture. Tinkerers Tinkerers are an original culture of Thras Divas based mostly on The Three Eyes of Destiny. These strange people are fascinated with the ruins left behind by various civilizations and are known for their odd but usually useful inventions. They are composed of a healthy mix of most of the races within Thras Divas and tend to keep to themselves. They believe that if they secrets of the pass are revealed, the gained knowledge could be used to transform Thras Divas's desert worlds into utopias. Tinkerers tend to rarely care about their appearance, often wearing mismatched clothing that is usually too big or too small. Small gadgets can almost always be seen dangling somewhere on their apparel. Waterbringers Waterbringers are the life blood of the empire, for it is they who create life giving water. These people are a sect of the Wonderbringers who travel Thras Divas to bring water to those in need. Larger population centers often have the privilege of having several resident Waterbringers. For the most part these people only use Sual's rune-set and always don light blue robes. Wonderbringers For the most part Wonderbringers tend to be Athroxi who live within the inner isles and continents of Arkhome. They most resemble the 'classic wizard' of most empires, wearing long robes and emphasizing the power of magic above all else. They prefer to live in crystal structures and are the only ones to use a formalized system of education similar to that of most empires. They are known for their heavy use of 'decoration' and often paint or tattoo the symbols of gods or goddesses onto their faces. |
Economy |
The basis of the Thras Divas economy is a simple barter system. There is no set standardized worth for any object, the parties involved in the trade must decide what is worth how much of what. This surprisingly enough rarely results in any major arguments. Everyone, from children to the old are expected to help in the production of valuable trading goods and to hunt for food. Usually each family produces a single type of good throughout the generations, but it is considered in no way wrong if a son or daughter choose one day to produce something else of value. As long as they are making something of value, there are few complaints. There are barely any societal divisions such as poor or rich, or 'them' and 'us'. It is even rare for someone to view those from a completely different culture as 'truly different'. Few people own much of anything as the hoarding of material things is considered fooling and a waist of time. The only thing that one would never part with would be the item that had their blood rune imprinted on it. |
Military |
Currently the military of Thras Divas is in shambles. What was left from the war with the Rhuk-D'kai was split up between the various factions now fighting for control of Thras Divas. Before the collapse of Thras Divas's government about ten percent of the population was involved in official military activities (not counting the Atorox), but right now the military doesn't even know who they are fighting for or for what. Many have left the military and returned home to help their families or left the system to explore the new universe around them.
The weapons used by the military varied greatly, ranging from the crab like creatures known as Dekal, to needle shaped technological wonders known as Shadow Fighters, to the stolen Avatars of the Ukien and Titus. Young Dekal: These ships resemble black crabs with a crystal backing and are the basic front line troops. They are highly expendable, semi-sentient, and will obey every given command to the death. They range from 25m in length to 50m and have the ability to act as ground troops as well as space-fairing fighters. Their armored shell is extremely tough, but once that shell is compromised they are almost defenseless. The crystal backing they carry are Parr grafts that can act as empathic wells for the mad Parr to feed off of. Weapon-wise they posses two high focus energy weapons that can run in atomic or runic zones. If the two beams from their weapons cross it will create a subspace shock wave that will temporarily knock out most communication. They can also grab, crush, etc., with their claws if they can get close enough. Dekal: These ships are basically just larger versions of the young Dekal, with a few changes. These range in size from 100m to 200m. The crystal backings they carry has been modified to hold 5 young Dekal and about 150 Athroxi ground troops. Their energy weapons are much more powerful and they are also equipped with about 50 organic missiles. Dekal Lords These are the queen bees of the Dekal. All are around 2 km in length. They possess no weapons, but their shell is over 20m thick and their claws have a terribly long reach. They can literally snap all but the largest of ships in two with their pincers. New Dekal will emerge from pustules on the Dekal Lords' shells at about one per hour. Atorox ground troops. Both males and females will fight in equal numbers. They wear a tight black leather-like armor and are loaded with weapons. Each carries a transforming weapon called an Exedus that can take the form of an energy sword, and energy bow, or an anti-matter cannon. They are all extremely well trained in hand to hand combat and survival techniques. They are also amassed with the knowledge of the most destructive rune combinations available. Thras Divas Avatars These are the transforming mech that were aboard the Ukien and Titus. They are humanoid in shape and stand 50 feet tall. They can change their form to that of a space fighter within about twenty seconds. As they were of the old Thras Divas, they are quite powerful and are equipped with defenses and weapons designed to work in dozens of different Q-dexes (including gravametric cannons and shields). Their speed and agility is unmatched and it is considered next to impossible to even scratch them. Mad Parr These are the empathic warriors of the empire. All are large and oddly shaped (one's 2 km long and 3 cm wide). Due to their crystalline nature they are quite prone to damage and never appear on the front lines as they can carry out their mental attacks from hundreds of kilometers away in space. As non-organic crystalline life forms they will not register on most life-scanning equipment or even show up as ships on many computer detection systems. The Command Fleet. The command fleet consists of twenty seven ships, all of an extremely different design. These ships are now split up much like the rest of the military between a number of various factions. The Shadow Fighters. The best way to describe the Shadow Fighters are as two foot long flexible needles. They are released by the hundreds and strike out at anything that their sensors consider life. They can pierce through most physical and energy armor and will usually heads towards the largest concentration of life forms. Once there it will continue to skewer anything alive until something stops it. |
Sports and Leisure |
For the most part these concepts are beyond those of Thras Divas. Their world has been too brutal, and time has been too short, for such things to develop. The closest thing to leisure is the watching of the sunset (watching it rise tends to be blinding) or a short walk through town. The closest thing to the concept of sports is battle training. The only major venture that one would take that would yield few productive results is traveling to Gnian to see the Blooming, which can be quite deadly.
A select few, usual the top ranking members of the military, find pleasure in hunting dragons bare-handed. Over the centuries they have perfected this to an art form. |
Major Population Centers |
The largest city in Thras Divas is the capital of the Thras Divas, Sildran ("Silver Dragon" in Athroxi and "Pit of Evil" in Ryoshuin), located on an inner continent in the southern hemisphere of Arkhome. The city is over fifty miles wide with crystal towers reaching out for miles until they connect with jungle land masses floating 'above' the capitol. At least thirteen percent of the population of Thras Divas resides here, with at least seventy percent of that being Athroxi. The streets are usually crowded with barterers and are well patrolled by the city guard.
The second largest city is Triben, which is located on the north-western hemisphere of Drakan. The city is located at the foot of the largest mountain range on the planet and is built off of and out of the remains of a spaceship graveyard. The percentage of each race living in this city almost reflects the empire's percentages. The third largest city is a Diama city known as 'Inner Tree' which was built inside of a hollowed tree that was growing within a towering ruin that was kilometers wide and four times as tall on Ohkanman's equator. The tree in which the city was built has no like, and the ruin it was growing within is surrounded by thousands of square miles of lifeless deserts. Many of its branches (which are hundreds of meters thick) can be seen sprouting from the outsides of the ruin. The Diama keep the tree alive through tender care. The fourth and fifth largest cities are the unnamed cities surrounding the Day and Night temples of the Mad Par on Zephras. These cities are populated solely by Mad Parr and are only utilitarian in look and function. |
Chronic Problems |
The most notable and deadly chronic problem is the lack of any long term source of water. It is not unheard of for entire towns or cities to die out due to the death of of water makers, or their leaving of the cities due to a war between Saul and another god or goddess. The lack of water has lead to countless other problems, such as wars over water makers, the harsh desert environments, a general lack of plant and animal life, and so on.
Recent problems that have appeared include the power struggle for the leadership of Thras Divas between various factions (in other words, a civil war) and artifact hunting pirates from nearby empires (who are after an unknown item of power rumored to be in Thras Divas somewhere). Until the power struggle is solved, there is no one government for the people to turn to and they find themselves fighting those they once called friends and family. The transportation of what few supplies they had has been interrupted and countless innocents are dying from thirst and hunger, mostly children and the elderly. The pirates simply attempt to kill any they encounter and as there is no longer a centralized military to stop them. There are few who will try to interfere with their actions. |
Submission Information |
Submitter's Name: Jim Ashworth
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