Avia-Ra Empire
The bird-headed avia-ra might almost be confused for humans from the neck down, but unlike the scores of near-humans that pervade the galaxy, the avia-ra are unrelated to humanity. Hailing from Kemet, a harsh, desert planet, crisscrossed by rivers and lakes, they have always known an appreciation for the sun’s blessings and cruelties, which forms the backbone of their religion, inspires their arts and sciences, and informs their view of the cosmos. Their dogma centers squarely on their deity and holy star, the Sun Above, to which there can be no equal.
When the avia-ra took their first tentative steps into spaceflight, however, their religion bent and adapted to the wider universe in which they found themselves. Suddenly, their Sun Above was no longer Deshret, the star around which their homeworld orbits, but a theoretical “true star” from which all stars, including their own, derive meaning. It was centuries before they ventured to the center of the galaxy and encountered what they consider the physical embodiment of the Sun Above: the Sepulcher Star.
In those days, the Sepulcher Star orbited much further from the black hole at the galactic core, and it was definitively under elven control. The avia-ra soon learned from the elves that the Sepulcher Star wasn't merely a star, but contained some sort of supermassive construct within. Though strictly an academic curiosity to the elves, this discovery galvanized the avia-ra: in the heart of this star, near the exact center of the galaxy, was their Sun Above. Over the next few centuries, the avia-ra quietly bolstered and gathered their fleets in preparation for the First Crusade.
This was the first of many Crusades, bloody battles between the avia-ra and the elves for control of the center of the galaxy. Each crusade was punctuated with the signing of a treaty, a respite from battle, and a consolidation of forces. Always, a surprise attack by one of the two sides reignited the conflict anew. In the Third Crusade, the avia-ra constructed the massive Solar Citadel in orbit around the Sepulcher Star—a holy city, built for the glory of the Sun Above and to deter elven aggression. In short order, it was seized by an elven sneak attack; ever since, the Citadel has become a flashpoint for conflict and a central focus for Crusades.
The Night Crusade
The most recent of these battles, called the Night Crusade, nearly saw the wholesale destruction of the Elven Empire. The holy avia-ra fleet, known as the Congregation, captured the center of the galaxy in a series of decisive victories and pushed the elves back to their home system. In this moment, the balance of the galaxy was threatened, and the elves struck a bargain: in exchange for their assistance, the elves would liberate the vect across their empire—a move which would eventually pave the way for vect freedom across the ‘verse. The culmination of this deal was at the Battle of Alden’val, where the vect fleet turned the tide for the elves, critically wounding the avia-ra’s flagship, The Prophet. The ensuing retreat made an opening for the Elven Forest-Fleet, which encircled the Congregation, spelling the end of the Crusade. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty Black, a document that quieted hostilities and established the Order of the Sepulcher to safeguard against similar crises in the future.Depths of Dogma
To some, the avia-ra’s captivating dogma, high priesthood, and Congregation warfleet represent a light and peace in the ‘verse, but to others, it represents a simmering kettle, just waiting to boil over.In the past, the avia-ra have found little success spreading the message of the Sun Above to the established races of the 'verse. After all, their pantheons are extensive and integral to their societies; a monotheistic god has little place among them. Instead, the avia-ra have turned to primitive civilizations, especially those on undiscovered planets, with which to share their message.
The pattern for their evangelism is simple: build a civilization on an undeveloped world, founded on the philosophy of their solar religion, reside with it long enough to ensure it leaves a lasting legacy, and depart once again for the stars. In the avia-ra religion, all worship of the sun is indirectly worship of the Sun Above, so any evolution their gods of light and flame take on with the passing of centuries is inconsequential; they are still effigies of Old Un in the Sepulcher Star.
This practice is controversial, to say the least. Many worlds have ancient tales of travelers from other worlds, bringing with them the blessings of the Sun, and these depictions paint them much like gods themselves. Humans, especially, have a sore spot for this sort of unfair proselytizing—High Terra was an early target for avia-ra evangelists. Elves and dwarves hold their own pantheons as sacred, and condemn avia-ra missionaries as a whole, but there is little that the galactic community can do, short of inciting galactic war. Thus, avia-ra evangelism occupies an uncomfortable, but tolerated position in the galaxy.
Theme
Capital
Subsidiary Organizations
Deities
Location
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Comments