Yilvyke (Ill-vi-ck)
Yilvyke was always seen as an abrasive World, one that was difficult to work with and rejected any form of collaboration with Worlds that weren’t Telea (who they had exclusively communicated with during the decades prior to The Web’s construction). They rejected all authority and did not allow any person other than a Teleans to step foot on their planet.
Eight years ago, they completely severed themselves from the rest of The Web. They cut themselves off from the other Worlds without any notice, rocking the galactic landscape in an event known as The Split. They left many Yilvykians behind and caused a massive tear in the economic balance of the galaxy. The other Worlds have sent outreach programs to Yilvyke (mostly at the behest of Telea and Clan Typhon), however each time ships have been sent they have been destroyed. Thus far, no one has been able to make a ship that can travel all the way to Yilvyke that could bypass their defences.
Many Yilvykians still live within The Web, however they mostly live on various spaceships and are considered “bandits”. They aren’t accepted within Spider space, and are treated with hostility on sight by these Worlds. There have been attempts over the years to unite the Yilvykian ships, which resulted in many wandering clans, but a true union has never been made between all Yilvykians.
Political and Social Customs
In almost every regard, one could say that Yilvyke does not have any political or social customs. Their people are staunchly opposed to the premise of orderly behaviour and hierarchy, to the extent that the planet does not have a ruling force to guide their people. Rather, each Yilvykian is simply expected to survive the cruelties of their World without the assistance of an administrative force, and are only able to lean on one another for support. Given their history, negative attitudes held toward authoritarian regimes would not be surprising, however their near-total admonishment toward all forms of governing is largely seen as an overreaction by many political entities within the galaxy. Yilvykians are also fierce people, and are often downright aggressive towards those that they do not deem friends. Many spacecrafts attempt to avoid the roving clans of Yilvykians out of a fear that the clan may attempt to attack their ship and salvage whatever the do not destroy. Even those who would participate in Galactic Bridges would frequently insult or aggravate their political rivals, especially those in the Spider Alliance. This attitude could very well be the cause of The Split and the reason why so many Yilvykians have been left stranded in galactic space. Despite these flaws, Yilvykians can be a very kind and giving ally provided you gain their trust. They are loyal people who would go above and beyond for a friend in need, and once their friendship is earned it is difficult to lose. This loyalty and generosity was key to their survival during the time between Vodrane's reign and the construction of The Web. Many Teleans have spoken at length in defence of the Yilvykians, with this characteristic being a common talking point when discussing their positive traits. Perhaps, in time, the rest of the galaxy will come to earn the respect of these fickle people.Pre-Web History
View full timeline in: History of Yilvyke Much of Yilvyke's history has been rewritten and lost to time. This is because for almost two centuries Yilvyke was run by an authoritarian government. This authoritarian regime is believed to have begun in a country in Eusari known as Vodrane who began colonising and conquering its neighbouring countries and soon after the surrounding continents. As the Vodrane did so, they systematically destroyed all history and written texts that these lands held that they were able to get their hands on. The Vodrane adopted an expansion and incorporation approach to warfare, which meant that they were able to sustain their army indefinitely as they continued to wage war on the World. However, after the first century Vodrane's continuous expansion their progress began to slow down. By this point in time Vodrane occupied all of Eusari, Aerea, and Buclone and had colonies in Apeth and Glowox. Apeth and Glowox had banded together to fight against Vodrane's occupation. Not only did Vodrane have to contend with this opposition, but the lands that they had conquered began rebelling against their authoritarian regime. After one hundred and twenty years since Vodrane first began their conquest the resistance forces took back land from their oppressors. This began a domino effect that would see Vodrane's eventual collapse after two hundred years of cruelty. The leaders and perpetrators of Vodrane's violence were killed and their bodies were preserved and displayed as a reminder of Yilvyke's troubled past. In the aftermath of Vodrane's defeat, the residents of the lands that had been conquered by Vodrane began a movement to live without a formal government. Any people who were foolish enough to try and fill the power vacuum left after Vodrane's collapse were swiftly disposed of. Instead, the people looked out for one another. They shared supplies with one another and defended each other from dangerous wildlife. This wave of anarchism even spread to Apeth and Glowox, whose leaders either stepped down from their positions or were made to. The first few decades of this era was a chaotic time as the World tried to heal the wounds that Vodrane had inflicted on it. Eventually, Yilvyke settled into a comfortable rythm and had developed a culture that promotes camaraderie rather than one of domination. With this new ethos in action, they began to research their past, develop technologies to improve their quality of life, and cultivated new farming methods. Once more, Yilvyke began to flourish. Nothing would come to shake up the status quo until two hundred years later when Telea began to communicate with them.Post-Web History
During the period of communication Yilvyke only communicated with Telea, as they weren't in range with anyone else. This made them the only World that Mundi could not directly communicate with. Telea's kindness and outreach programs proved to Yilvyke that the rest of the galaxy had merit. It was also through Telea's perspective of the rest of the galaxy that they learnt about the other Worlds. Yilvykians all across the planet began to prepare themselves for talks and discussions with the rest of the galaxy by sharing the information that they had received from Telea to the wider public and by mass producing ships for Yilvykians to freely explore the galaxy once The Web had been constructed. Yilvyke was the last World to be incorporated into The Web. They sent people out to every World so that they could begin to form their own opinions of each and every civilisation in the galaxy and came to the conclusion that the only respectable Worlds were Telea and Sani'Tatem. To a society that had grown up on tales and the history of Vodrane, they saw strains of their oppressors in almost every civilisation in the galaxy and abhorred it. In the following years they would try to speak out against the ideologies held by the other Worlds, specifically the Spiders. To do this, the ambassadors were made to form an organised leadership group (by the Mundians) so that they could participate in ideological debate with the other Worlds on Mundi. This is believed to have angered the rest of Yilvyke, as a group of leaders speaking on behalf of Yilvyke contradicted their World's very ideology, and is therefore theorised to have been one of the major inciting incidents that caused The Split. In 32 A.W., Yilvyke completely severed themselves from The Web in an act known as The Split. They committed what is considered to be three distinct terrorist acts against the three relays that connected them to the rest of the Pontision System. They also shut off all communications with Telea, completely isolating themselves from the galaxy. In the process, they also displaced millions of Yilvykians who were in other systems at the time. Because of this, it was assumed that The Split was caused by a minority of Yilvykians. However, when attempts were made by Telea to travel to Yilvyke their ILH ship was destroyed by an Yilvykian armada. This confused the galaxy as it now appeared to them that Yilvykes departure was an intended course of action for the entire planet. The current state of Yilvyke is unknown. Eight years later, and the Yilvykians have either gathered in clans that roam galactic space or have settled on Telea. No one knows what the future holds for Yilvyke.Species and Geography
Yilvykians are a bipedal species with a thick exoskeleton. They typically stand at around six to seven feet tall, and have faces that are a fusion between humanoid and insectoid features. They are largely homogenous, with very few noticeable physical differences between Yilvykians from different regions. The most apparent physical differences between them are the colours of their carapace and the shape of their mandibles and eyes. They have an average lifespan of 120 years. Based on the research conducted by Yilvykian scholars it is believed that Yilvyke was once a flourishing and diverse landscape. However, since the reign of Vodrane much of that life has been killed. Based on what has been uncovered of the Vodrane occupation, they had implemented mass mining operations to fuel their machinery that were so unsustainable that it dried out the entire planet. Where there once were vast oceans there are now large, gaping canyons. Where there were once expansive forests there are dry, empty deserts. Where there were once frozen tundras there are now thick, humid swamps. In between the Empty Sea are five continents: Aerea, Apeth, Buclone, Eusari, and Glowox. There are no nations nor cities that exist in these lands, and any Yilvykian who lived on one of these continents would scoff at the idea of attaching their identity to the land they grew up in. In the worst case scenario, they may even become aggressive if one was to refer to them as, for example, a Buclonian even if they were born and raised in Buclone.Yilvykian Clans
The Yilvykians that remain in The Web are those that were either living on other planets or living in space on space-faring ships during The Split. Now, the Yilvykians have formed four major clans that generally confine themselves to Telean, Sani'Tatem, and Mundi space. These clans each have one major vessel (known as the mothership) that is constantly surrounded by a small fleet of other Ylivykian ships. However, due to constant overuse of these ships the Yilvykian fleets are in a state of constant disrepair. It is only through the resourcefulness of Yilvykian engineers that allows the clans to remain in perpetual flight, often using scrap from enemy or derelict ships to patch up and repair the fleet. Due to this, all of the clan ships have come to have an amalgamation of different shells, cores, engines, navigational equipment, etc., giving these ships a disorganised and untidy appearance. Every ship has its own name, with the mothership carrying the name of the clan. These clans are as follows:Clan Carbunclo
Clan Carbunclo is by far the flashiest of the four clans, a rarity among Yilvykians. The main vessel was a massive festival ship that was intended to inform and include other Worlds in the Yilvykian holiday: Carbunclo (Celebration of The Stars). The Carbunclo (formerly just known as The Festive) was touring in Mundi at the time of The Split, and quickly tried to return to Yilvykian space to no avail. It was the largest Yilvykian vessel left in The Web, so many Yilvykians began to congregate at the Carbunclo. However, as it was intended to travel only on special occasions and not long-term space-faring it was unable to support the masses of people who had arrived and the captain, San'Martin, had to turn many away. This is believed to be the inciting incident that created the current clan structure that the Yilvykians have adopted. In the years since, The Carbunclo has outfitted itself with the technology necessary to sustain its population and remain among the stars. They have the second largest population out of any of the four clans. The clan ships are also outfitted with bright, powerful, multicoloured lights just like the mothership. It is said that when Clan Carbunclo lands on a planet or moon some residents will mistake their landing to be a meteor shower. Clan Carbunclo seems to be the clan that supports clan unity the most, wishing to make amends for the time that they could not support their people.Clan Phoenix
Clan Phoenix is the most individualistic of the four clans. They don't have the greatest military might, population, or spirituality; they simply don't believe that they need any of those things. Those that count themselves among this clan simply want to live in peace among their new kind, accepting the change in Yilvyke's status quo. Clan Phoenix doesn't have a leader, they are a collective that flies together. They don't believe in unifying the four clans as they see the other three's ideals and goals to be completely contradictory to Clan Phoenix's way of life. The mothership's major purpose is to be a centre of trade for the clan and to house any clan members whose ships are undergoing repairs. It also acts as storage for the fleet's necessary resources (food, water, fuel, etc.) and disperses it fairly among the ships. The Phoenix has mostly upgraded its mothership with defensive technology that bolsters its hull and shielding.Clan Typhon
Clan Typhon has the largest fleet of any clan. The Typhon was a large war vessel that had been given to the Telean armada, outfitted with a full crew of Yilvykian soldiers as a gesture of goodwill as tensions heightened between them and the Spiders. However, when The Split occurred The Typhon's Clan Leader made the request to depart from the Telean military to assist any Yilvykians who were left behind in the wake of The Split. Telea gave them permission to do so and The Typhon began to accumulate a massive fleet of Yilvykian ships. In the years since The Split, Clan Typhon has focused on trying to reconnect with Yilvyke. They have partnered with Telea to try and reach their World on numerous occasions to no success. Now, they join Telea in bolstering their defensive and offensive capabilities should war ever come to the Pontision System.Clan Yaga
Clan Yaga is the most spiritual of the four clans. After Clan Carbunclo turned many Yilvykians away the current leader of Clan Yaga, Babunia, began to preach unity and togetherness. This message spoke to many Yilvykians and Babunia's following grew quickly. She didn't have a mothership like the other clans, and instead had engineers fuse smaller ships together to make one massive ship that now has a larger combined mass and firepower than any other mothership. It is considered a sacred rite to be incorporated into The Yaga, and these days only ships that have done great deeds for the clan are permitted to join the chasis. Babunia has executive control over Clan Yaga, and her word is law. Underneath her authority is a small number of Yaga representatives that handle the management and upkeep of the clan (known as the managers). They hear out requests from the Yaga Council. Each ship has an elected captain who participates in Clan Yaga's council. The captain's role is to express the concerns of their respective ship during meetings, where they can request the assistance of another ship, a manager, or even Babunia herself. In the case of Babunia's death, it is also the council's role to elect a new leader. Despite originally building Clan Yaga on a foundation of unity, Babunia opposes unity between the four clans more so than any other clan leader. It is believed that she would only concede to a full clan merger if she was to be the leader of all remaining Yilvykians.Non-Clan Yilvykians
Despite the large number of Yilvykians who remain in constant flight among the clans, there are also those that are not affiliated with the "big four". They are as follows:Stragglers
The Stragglers refer to the Yilvykians that have opted to live in space ships but do not affiliate themselves with any of the four major clans. Some of them have formed their own minor clans and refer to themselves as such, but the rest of the galaxy only see them as stragglers who haven't yet decided which major clan to ally with.The Myrmidons
The Myrmidons refer to the inhabitants of Pilgrim's Rest, one of the Telean Hives. It is not formally considered one of the major clans but their opinion and counsel is still respected by the other clans. It is also seen as a site of respite for the other clans, and whenever the clans need to restock on vital resources Pilgrim's Rest is always a clan's first choice.Important Figures
- Vatilia - Infamous criminal
- San'Martin - Leader of Clan Carbunclo
- Leonidas - Leader of Clan Typhon
- Babunia - Leader of Clan Yaga
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