Sildors
The Sildors are a human-like species from the hot desert planet Mishru, though shorter in height due to the higher gravity, with a slightly darker skin complexion and pointy ears. Their hair is naturally silver in color and individuals have a lower metabolism than the other human-descendant species of the Greater Makto system. Their biology is considerably more robust to deal with Mishru's higher gravity, searing heat and starlight, and relative lack of resources.
Due to the shortage of resources and arable land on Mishru, the Sildor civilizations each attempted to not overuse their resources. The doctrine of Maruk'-insya (lit. "mutually assured famine") spread throughout the civilizations of the Three Seas. As a result, Sildor cultures tend to regard functionality and usefulness first and foremost, with their architecture perhaps being a notable example. Maruk'-insya spread as a doctrine around 15,000 years ago, essentially taking the place of an organized religion, urging followers to look to science and technology to solve their worldly issues while providing a set of ethics for daily life, with often restrictive commandments.
The Sildor civilization was the first in the system to achieve spaceflight, doing so when the inhabitants of Tsavi had barely industrialized, and when those on Eridus and Diyan hadn't even invented agriculture. Slowly turning most of Mishru's surface into a web of interconnected urban areas, the Great Sildor Empire spread throughout the system, establishing colonies on Anaria and Mirad, and later Karnu, as these worlds lacked humanoid life. Eventually they made contact with the spacefaring empires of Tsavi and Eridus, though a bitter rivalry quickly ensued, eventually resulting in The Fall, as it is simply known, where all three civilizations had to retreat back to their homeworlds, cut off from their former colonies. In the subsequent centuries the Sildors of Mishru reunited as the Technocratic Union of Mishru, a planet-spanning nation with an almost religious pursuit of scientific and technological process.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Sildors, being an evolved and genetically modified descendant of humans, mostly resemble humans, save for a shorter stature, darker complexion, and distinct adaptations to the heat. Sildors often have faint tearlines on each side of their face to help block the harsh light of their star Fara. Their ears are also pointed and all possess long, thick eyelashes to keep sand out of their eyes during sandstorms, which are occasionally known to engulf the entire planet.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Globally on Mishru (except Kurak Insu), with regional pockets around former colonies on Anaria, Mirad, and the intermediary zone of Karnu.
Civilization and Culture
Average Technological Level
The Sildors were the first species within the system to achieve spaceflight, doing so roughly 13,000 years ago. Brachistocrone drive technologies allowed them to establish an interplanetary empire and advances in high speed transport technology allowed Mishru to become in effect a giant, planet-wide metropolitan area. Much of this technology was lost after The Fall, particularly in the realm of spaceflight, though advanced agricultural technologies allowed Mishru's population to skyrocket.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
The dominant dialect of the planet is a language known as Rachji, the language of the city of Rokra, which would become the capital of the Great Sildor Empire and later the Technocratic Union of Mishru. Hundreds of other languages and dialects have also existed during the Sildors' long history, though in present day only a few dozen remain, often for traditional purposes. Rachji however branched off on the colony worlds, creating dozens of new languages, often combining with languages from Eridus and Tsavi.
Common Etiquette Rules
Having developed on a world poor in resources, Sildor cultures value material prudence and abhor wastefulness, with some cultures even known to banish members into the desert for repeated acts of wastefulness.
History
The Sildor species evolved on the desert world Mishru. Initially surviving as hunter-gatherers, they settled their first cities around 25,000 years ago in the Thovii Plains between the Laksu and Namas Rivers. As their population slowly grew and their technology improved they came to adopt a particular worldview valuing resourcefulness and putting as little as one could to waste. As only a handful of regions of Mishru were ammenable to large scale civilization, the Sildor population on Mishru met a ceiling at around 250 million before their industrial revolution. In addition, only 10-20 distinct nations could ever be found on Mishru at any one point, as opposed to the 80+ states populating 45th century Eridus. The Sildors first achieved spaceflight around 6,000 years ago. The venture initially proved difficult, if not impossible, but with neighboring Anaria-- and its moon Miruta-- discovered to harbor strangely similar life as existed on Mishru, the nations of Mishru entered a vicious competition to be the first to settle colonies. Eventually a shipyard was established on Mishru's moon Pellor, and later on a Sildor scientist invented the Jinil drive, which allowed Sildor civillization easier space travel, even bringing the other subsystems within reach.
Five nations joined to build the Great Sildor Empire not long after the establishment of regular spaceflight, conquering the seven that did not join willingly. As a planetary civilization, the Sildors colonized Anaria and built smaller scale settlements on Miruta, coming into contact with the native Kaljen. By the 1st millennium BF they had expanded into the Makto subsystem, colonizing Mirad and coming into contact with the Nakaali of Tsavi, who themselves were just pioneering spaceflight. A few expeditions were sent to Eridus as well, though due to a combination of Eridus' already advanced civilizations, its distance from Mishru, and Mirad already existing nextdoor, these missions were few and far between, consisting more of emissaries and ambassadors than soldiers and colonists. Many Sildors chose to immigrate to Eridus, with 3,000 calling various cities and kingdoms home. Some stayed in the shadows of society or moved to rural areas, while others made a spectacle of themselves in some of the biggest cities, often ending up either worshipped as a deity or slain as a witch.
This immigration continued once the first nations on Eridus achieved spaceflight in the 24th century AF, with many in particular settling in Western Eburin, Northern Chulan, the island of Chan, and the Kopava Sea region. These strange-looking peoples were not always met with kindness however, and were often forced to live separate from native Eridan communities. Eventually, when the System's War (the war that triggered the Fall) started, anti-Sildor sentiment exploded, resulting in pogroms across Eridus. The last remaining Sildors remaining on Eridus currently reside in areas difficult for the major powers to reach, such as the Tambasur Expanse or the Hokani Islands, though by the 45th century they had interbred with native Eridans for such a long time it was hard to find an individual with identifiably Sildor traits. The sole exception to this is the small nation of Chihan, just southeast of the Sampawi Empire, where Sildor communities were able to establish a separate kingdom for themselves.
Mishru was also hit hard by the Fall, also losing spaceflight technology, though only for a comparatively brief 200 years, however with no Jinil drive they couldn't reach the Makto subsystem except on multi-year voyages. The GSE factured into over a dozen different nations once again, in addition to those left behind on Mirad and Anaria.
Five nations joined to build the Great Sildor Empire not long after the establishment of regular spaceflight, conquering the seven that did not join willingly. As a planetary civilization, the Sildors colonized Anaria and built smaller scale settlements on Miruta, coming into contact with the native Kaljen. By the 1st millennium BF they had expanded into the Makto subsystem, colonizing Mirad and coming into contact with the Nakaali of Tsavi, who themselves were just pioneering spaceflight. A few expeditions were sent to Eridus as well, though due to a combination of Eridus' already advanced civilizations, its distance from Mishru, and Mirad already existing nextdoor, these missions were few and far between, consisting more of emissaries and ambassadors than soldiers and colonists. Many Sildors chose to immigrate to Eridus, with 3,000 calling various cities and kingdoms home. Some stayed in the shadows of society or moved to rural areas, while others made a spectacle of themselves in some of the biggest cities, often ending up either worshipped as a deity or slain as a witch.
This immigration continued once the first nations on Eridus achieved spaceflight in the 24th century AF, with many in particular settling in Western Eburin, Northern Chulan, the island of Chan, and the Kopava Sea region. These strange-looking peoples were not always met with kindness however, and were often forced to live separate from native Eridan communities. Eventually, when the System's War (the war that triggered the Fall) started, anti-Sildor sentiment exploded, resulting in pogroms across Eridus. The last remaining Sildors remaining on Eridus currently reside in areas difficult for the major powers to reach, such as the Tambasur Expanse or the Hokani Islands, though by the 45th century they had interbred with native Eridans for such a long time it was hard to find an individual with identifiably Sildor traits. The sole exception to this is the small nation of Chihan, just southeast of the Sampawi Empire, where Sildor communities were able to establish a separate kingdom for themselves.
Mishru was also hit hard by the Fall, also losing spaceflight technology, though only for a comparatively brief 200 years, however with no Jinil drive they couldn't reach the Makto subsystem except on multi-year voyages. The GSE factured into over a dozen different nations once again, in addition to those left behind on Mirad and Anaria.
Genetic Descendants
Scientific Name
Homo mishruensis
Lifespan
300-500 years (oldest being 1,232)
Conservation Status
Least concern. As of 5500 AF the Sildor population throughout the system numbers 5.5 billion, 90% of whom still reside on Mishru.
Average Height
1.4-1.7 meters
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Sildor skin tones largely resemble those shared by humanity, though the lightest tones posessed by any Sildor are olive-colored, similar to humans indigenous to the Mediterranean region.
Geographic Distribution
Related Organizations
Related Technologies
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