Avian History

Content
Origins
Rule of Kluex
Period of Turmoil
Great Upheaval
Reparations and First Contact
The Grand Blunder
Near Present Day

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Origins
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Avians began as raptor-like, semi-primitive animals found on Avos. Despite only having rudimentary understandings of advanced concepts like tools and language, Early Avians had potential for growth. After an indeterminate amount of time, an unknown progenitor race stumbles upon these creatures, deciding to experiment on them to further their potential. These progenitors took a small group of the Early Avians, making an number of changes to them. They were granted wings, a more humanoid body structure, and greatly increased mental capabilities.

Of this enhanced group, Kluex stood out as the strongest and most intelligent. The progenitors installed him as the leader of the Avians, sending the enhanced group out to guide their more primitive kin. However, following unforeseen complications, the Enhanced Avians bred with the Early Avians, creating a half-breed that was not up to the progenitors original plan. The intermixing of the two groups eventually created the Avians that we know today.

Rule of Kluex
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The progenitors, following their hiccup, decide to leave the Avians to their own devices. Kluex, having been installed by the progenitors as a leader, continues to hold his position. Under Kluex, the Avian race flourishes into a golden age of societal and technological progression. They begin constructing temples in honor of the progenitors, worshipping them as 'Sunborn'.

After numerous years of leading the growing Avian society, Kluex retires one seat of power, stepping into another as an 'Arbiter'. From his new seat of power, Kluex casts judgement upon Avians who stray from his strict laws, enacting justice as he sees fit. Avians loved and feared Kluex, ascending his status to somewhat of a deity.

Unfortunately, despite his amazing physical and mental abilities, Kluex was still mortal. After living a great deal longer than the average Avian's lifespan, Kluex suddenly disappears. His disappearance, however, only served to elevate his mythical status, with a majority of Avians believing he passed into the Aether to become a Sunborn. In time, heavily guarded temples of worship were erected for Kluex, with any memory of his mortal life replaced with only myth and legend.

Period of Turmoil
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Long after the passing of Kluex, Avians had expanded across Avos, urbanizing its entire surface to their needs. With no more ground to explore on their homeworld, the Avians turn their eyes to the stars. It will take the Avians many centuries to perfect space flight, at which time they rapidly spread out from their home, searching for other sapient lifeforms.

During this time, they left things like temples and research equipment on planets to spread their faith and to gather information. After numerous years of fruitless searching, the Avians come up empty-taloned. Disheartened by their failures, Avian leaders decide to re-consolidate on Avos, recalling all space-bearing vessels back to their homeworld. Avosian spaceports are inundated with a massive number of ships, forcing a number of craft to be abandoned in space. Avian leaders of the time began discussion about the future of the race, but talks quickly stagnated and ultimately offered no solution.

During this period, leaders are quickly moved in and out of office, either due to resignations, assassinations, political strongarming, or even 'accidents'. They all brought their own policies and opinions, making politics a confusing mess. Xenophobia was the only constant ideal preached by these constantly shuffling figures of power, so Avian society began to cling to the idea. By the time reports from observation devices, leftover from the initial exploration push, start showing signs of sentient lifeforms in the galaxy, Avians are so deeply xenophobic that it shocks them into inactivity for many years.

Great Upheaval
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Armed with the knowledge that they are not the only intelligent lifeforms, Avians begin to debate what should be done about them. The majority of Avians, who will later come to be known as Loyalists, stick to the traditional policy of xenophobia, believing Avians belong only on Avos. An opposing group, the Stargazers, is composed of Avians who believe xenophobia is a dated idea and that the future of their race depends on spreading into the stars.

After a short period of civil discussion and debate, the Stargazers attempt a non-violence coup which is ultimately a failure. This only further heats up tension between the two groups, making a peaceful resolution seem improbable. Following the coup, Loyalists attempt -- and very nearly succeed -- to ban interstellar travel altogether. Eventually, a Stargazer ruler comes into power, and the Loyalists very quickly attempt to assassinate them. Though this attempt is a failure, it prompts the Stargazers to declare war on the Loyalists. Although the Loyalists had a majority of the population's support, the Stargazers had more advanced weaponry due to the research labs constructed during the initial search for life.

For many years, the two factions fought across the entirety of Avos, spilling the blood of Avians in the millions. The war only turns to one side's favor when an experimental Loyalist EMP device is accidentally detonated before it can reach the battlefield, destroying many important electronically stored Loyalist documents.

Despite the Stargazers now having the upper hand in the war, the Loyalists continued to battle on for two more years. After many years of exhausting warfare, the leaders of both factions meet personally to end the conflict in a bloody fight to the death. Both generals were equipped with experimental wings designed to give their wearer greater vertical movement capabilities. After a climactic battle, the Stargazer general emerged victorious, though not unharmed. Loyalists around the planet surrender and the remaining groups of resistance are squashed easily.

Reparations and First Contact
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Despite the widespread destruction caused during the war, the Stargazers made many beneficial technological advances during wartime. The art of using Avolite Crystals, often regarded as gifts from the Sunborn, was mastered, advancing Avian technology greatly. However, Stargazers never shifted from their wartime policy of secrecy, keeping the knowledge of Avolite Crystals tightly under wraps.

Using their newfound technology and power, the Stargazers reunited Avians and rebuild Avos to be a beautiful, shining holy city. Once society was stable once again, the Stargazers returned their focus onto their original goal; the stars.

The Spirit of Avos, the Avian's first FTL capable ship, is constructed using Avolite Crystals. The craft's goal is to reach out to the lifeforms that were initially discovered before the civil war. The Spirit of Avos leaves Avos without much trouble, arriving at their target within a year's time. As they exit FTL travel, the crew is alarmed to find they are quickly surrounded by alien ships and escorted to a landing on a nearby planet. The Avian crew sets foot onto the unfamiliar planet, making contact with a group of sapient synthetic humanoid beings. The robotic aliens and the Avians exchange information before The Spirit of Avos returns to Avos.

In preparation for the groundbreaking information they would receive, several research facilities are erected, hoping to further advance Avian's understanding. Despite the strange new technologies being produced with the alien information, the general populace is actually unaware The Spirit of Avos had ever undertaken that mission. It will takes over a year for Stargazer leaders to create a plan to inform the public, which is a success.

Despite the longstanding ideals of xenophobia in Avian society, it's abandoned in favor of curiosity and a desire for expansion. In the next few years, Avians will lean further and further towards aggressive expansion until they're spreading at an astonishing rate. Avians will colonize countless planets, leaving temples and preaching their faith wherever they can. Once again, technology and society flourishes in a second golden age.

The Grand Blunder
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Temporarily stated in their desires for land to colonize, the Avians begin to travel to worlds that are already habitable to observe what life may be found within. One of the more interesting species they discover is a carnivorous lifeform that was made entirely out of plant matter. The Avians came to know these creatures as 'Florans'.

However, close study of the planet revealed scrap extremely similar to the robots they had initially met. Upon contacting the nearest robot colony about this, the Avians were informed that the robots had attempted to study the 'Florans', but gave up after they were attacked and lost multiple researchers.

Despite this frightening news, the Avians were still determined to study the creatures. Instead of studying from the ground, Avians devised a method of research from orbit, looking down on the plants. They discover the florans interesting ability to reverse engineer technology and assimilate it into their own. The destroyed robot parts, once a sapient being, now served as various parts in the Florans primitive technologies.

Unfortunately, an oversight sparks disaster for the research vessels. An undetected gas leak in a resupply ship is set alight, causing an explosion that instantly kills the crew. The vessel crash lands on the planet's surface, laying out the secrets to intergalactic travel for Florans to take. The Avians, obviously alarmed, call the military and form a blockade around the planet, blocking any craft from taking off.

However, in a bold (and probably very stupid) maneuver, the Florans activate the FTL drive in atmosphere, causing a massive explosion. However, the Florans slip off into space, now with the knowledge of spaceflight.

Near Present Day
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In almost no time at all, the Florans establish themselves as a galaxy wide threat. The Avians almost have no time to atone for their mistake, as their colonies come under attack from the Florans at a startling rate. Having spread themselves thin across the universe, the Avian's fringe colonies are undersupplied and underdefended, leaving them as easy prey for the Florans to take. Avians are forced back towards Avos, but eventually establish a well defended border where they hold off the Floran's seemingly never ending attacks.

Even with the Florans acting as a constant threat, the Stargazers haven't let it affect their need for exploration much at all. Having developed a massive and impressive fleet, the Florans are near helpless to stop Avian craft from leaving Avian controlled space in search of more sapient life. However, until the Florans are completely eradicated, colonization outside the protection of Avian controlled space is troublesome for Avians.

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