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Vayt

Updated: Apr 21, 2023




The Vayt are the inhabitants of Mrena, located in the Nwr system.


Appearance and Biology


The Vayttians are humanoid species, that share many similar physical characteristics with human females although the Vayttians themselves are genderless. The Vayttians have reddish skin, which ranges from red to blue. The skin colour is often associated with race. They have ridges that run from their eyes, around their foreheads, and leading to their noses. They also have elongated ears. Hair colour starts off white, before developing into standard human type hair colours, as well as sometimes remaining white. Vayttian blood is also white.


The Vayttians are able to live long lives, up to 200 years. Sexual reproduction takes place by the stimulation of the reproductive organs, and both partners are fertilised at the same time. The egg is then laid after a year of maturation. In this time, the biological features are developed, though the fetus will not grow much during this time. Once the egg is laid, the fetus will grow rapidly within the embryonic sac outside of the parent's body, eventually becoming big enough to break out of the sac. This can take between four to eight weeks. The child takes the surname of the parent who laid the egg. The Vayttians do not have a concept of love. Each year, the Vayttians go through a period of heightened senses, where they choose a mate to reproduce with. After fertilisation, the partners go their respective ways. It is very uncommon for Vayttians to stay together for a prolonged period of time, and is viewed as abhorrent to the Vayttians to do so. Recent studies have linked Vayttian telepathy to this period of heightened senses, but these studies are in their infancy.


Vayttians develop very quickly in their formative years, and are considered adults by the age of fifteen. Puberty begins at the age of eight. At puberty, Vayttians begin to develop low level telepathic senses and can communicate with other Vayttians this way. Vayttian technology has advanced to use these individual telepathic senses as a form of identification. Vayttians can also control machines through these senses by the use of a special glove called a "yuzo".




Society


Vayttian society upholds individualism and liberty. This is reflected, not only on a local, community level, but on a national city-state level, and furthermore, on a planetary level. Laws seek to protect the individual and individual rights. The few laws that are enacted are subject to high scrutiny in the Vayt Unity, with any law requiring 90 percent of the votes in the Unity to pass if regarding domestic policy, and 75 percent if regarding Planetary Trade Union policy. In other decisions, for example, military deployments or diplomatic relations, a simple majority is needed for a decision to pass.


Whilst, in theory, every registered city-state can send a representative to the Vayt Unity, by mutual agreement, there are 103 seats in the Unity. This includes 100 city representatives, which are formed by local city-state coalitions sending one member to represent them. However, there are no laws against the Aeri of a city-state turning up to the Unity and voting themselves, and this has happened a handful of times.


There is also one "V'Taeri" or "speaker" who holds the only named position within the Unity. The V'Taeri is chosen by the Aeri of the city-state of Jekr, whom he officially represents, though his vote is only cast in the event of a tie in debates. When deciding laws, the V'Taeri's vote only counts if there is a 90/10 split, where the V'Taeri will make the final decision. Whilst this does not have to be in favour of the status quo, it often is.


The other two seats are taken by the Nwer, who is the highest ranking Nwru, and the Ierta, the head of the Vayt religion. Their seats behind the V'Taeri are ceremoniously left absent, except in State of Emergencies.


State of Emergencies are declared after the passage of an Emergency Decree, which can be submitted by any city-state (with the exception of Jekr), and is passed by 90 percent of the Unity. All ruling control is passed onto the V'Taeri, who can divide the rule between the Nwer and the Ierta, though this is not needed. The V'Taeri can pass any laws and make any political decisions during the State of Emergency. A State of Emergency lasts 3 months (with each month lasting 39 days). After this time, the Unity votes to extend the emergency which needs a simple majority to pass. After three extensions (nine months), the extension had to pass with a 90 percent majority, which is followed by another vote to extend the State of Emergency for the next year, where the cycle starts again. This too has to be passed by a 90 percent majority.


There are no formalised parties in the Unity and there has never been the role of Prime Minister. Most matters were dealt with individually, and due to the high threshold for a vote to pass, either the proposal was supported or it wasn't. However, with the emergence of the Planetary Trade Union and the lower voting requirement for planetary policy, informal parties began to form, with the most notable being the National Vayt Union. The leader of the NVU, Beyyla Jinnah Trole, was called the Nivay or "First Person" or "First Soul," after a speech she made that called her the " 'to ni'ke iwaeri, peq ani Vayt eiera ver Vayt" (not a tyrant, but one Vayt amongst all Vayt (or first amongst equals)). After the NVU takeover, the position was transferred to create the second named role in the Unity, the Prime Minister, though the role was merely to be the voice of the Unity and by extension, the Vayt people.


On a local level, city-states are run by Aeri, though their role has reduced in size over time, as most things are run by the Vayttians themselves. Since Vayttian families are small, Vayttians see their city as a family, and are very proud of their cities. Vayttian names reflect this, as they are written in the following format:


[Vayttian City], [First Name], [Family Name].


At the age of five, Vayttians start school, which lasts until they graduate from university at the age of twenty. After this age, which is mandatory, the Vayt go on to live their lives. Retirement is optional, but most Vayt decide not to retire due out of devotion to their city-state. Instead they move to easier roles in the society which require less physical work.


Vayttians bury their dead within the city-state of their birth. If they are exiled from the city, they are buried outside the city walls, as is the case with most criminals. Anyone who breaks Vayttian law is tried within their city-state, and if found guilty, can face rehabilitation, life sentencing, or even execution. If a Vayttian is sentenced for life, it is up to the individual city-state to decide if the Vayttian is exiled. Any death sentences are placed before the Unity. If upheld, the execution happens within the year. If declined, the Vayttian is sentenced to life imprisonment and is automatically exiled. Those that are executed are cremated so that there is no earthly body left for the damned soul.


Religion


Belief in the Gods is vitally important to the Vayttians, though the religion is not formalised like many Earth religions. Religious leaders in a community are often those who are the wisest, able to give advice about many things. Praying to the Gods for strength and belief is encouraged, but the Vayttians believe that the Gods work through your actions, guiding you by assisting in your everyday lives; the Gods do not help those who are lazy and do not help the city-state.


The main Gods are Iweret, Nwr, Zenu, Urna, Dyba, Mrena, and Bkka. All the planets and stars in the system are named after them. Though the Gods have different attributes; Nwr is the God of War, for example, prayer does not have to be directed to a specific God.


Belief in the Gods was confirmed after the Vayttians were able to survey their star, Nwr. The star was created after a larger star, Iweret, went supernova. Stars began to form in the resulting nebula, of which Nwr and Zenu were the largest. Nwr's gravitational pull absorbed Zenu, and the resulting energy blast disrupted the orbit of planetary rocks, aligning them into the orbit of Nwr when it formed. This story was strikingly similar to the ancient Vayttian texts, and sought only to solidify the Vayttian belief in their Gods.


Vayttians believe in an afterlife where their spirit goes to the realm of the Gods. Each star is a Vayttian soul who has gone to join the Gods. To do this, the Vayttian must lighten their soul so it can depart from their body. This is done by being good in the world and not keeping things to yourself. The worse Vayttian is one that merely takes from others and does not give back to the city-state. Hence, such a soul will not want to leave the body, and will be "frozen" in place after death. This later led to a concept of a frozen hell, where frozen souls reside forever.


To aid the soul in leaving the body, a Vayttian can be both cremated or buried, although this has led to several debates in religious circles. Certain sects prefer to cremate the dead, so the soul has nowhere to stick too, whilst other sects believe that the body must return to Mrena first.


The Rella (Church) of the Vayttians is led by the Ierta. The hierarchy of the Rella is below:

Ierta

The Pope

Iwirta

Cardinal of the Gods

Wirta

Cardinal

Iwarta

Archbishop

Arta

Bishop

Iwreta

High Priest

Reta

Priest

Reti

Vicar

Along with this, there are many Caerta (saints) in the Rella. Caerta are usually nominated after death.


It is important to note that the lowest rank in the church, the Reti, comes from the word ratti, which means wise or old, referring to the tradition of having the eldest in the community as spiritual leaders. Thus, this rank is also conferred on the leaders of a community.


The Holy Book of the Vayttians is the Awru. The Awru is a series of smaller books, akin to the Christian Bible. The first book, the Riyyawet, or the Story of the Gods, is a poetic epic about the creation of the universe, the death of Iweret, and the battle of the Gods. It ends with the death of Zenu. The second book, the Askelion, or the Origin, is the story of the first Vayttians and their communities. The next few books tell the tales of notable Vayttians, who created the earliest city states, and their quests to slay the enemies of the Vayt. The Dwet, (On the Gods), is a series of philosophical musings by the philosopher Linnae, about how the gods work. Following this is the Oryyiition which lays down the laws of the early city-states and shows the Vayttians how to behave. The Oryyiition is the basis of Vayttian law today, and is where the word for law, ryyr, comes from. The final book is the Akkaon, which tells of the end of the world, about heaven and hell.


Nwrus

The Nwrus are the military branch of the Vayttians. It is small but highly professional. They are only used to defend the Vayttians against aggression. Though their use was documented to the early Vayttian age, they were a professional and managed force during the Expansionist Revival. The Nwrus encompassed all military matters, including Army, Navy, Air Force, and now, Space. Only senior leadership is divided into sectors, and all Nwrus are trained in all aspects of warfare, though Nwrus do specialise in specific fields. The stripes on their uniform indicate where the Nwru is serving at present. All Nwrus have a uniform for all four stripes, ready for deployment where needed; the stripes indicate which command strand they operate under.


Green: Army (standard uniform)

Blue: Navy

Yellow: Air Force

White: Space


From the age of three until ten, the Nwrus undergo rigorous training to serve as an enlisted soldier. Those who excel in their training are selected to become officers. Those not selected continue to develop into a specialisation, whether this is tactical, engineering, science, medical or intelligence. At the age of fifteen, the Nwrus undergo final training. Those that pass earn their Destos - the Nwru badge which is a sign of honour. It is illegal for any non-Nwru to display the Destos, and the punishment is execution. Those that fail continue to retrain until they pass. If they do not pass at the age of twenty, they serve as Nwrus but as Nodestos, though this is rare; most tend to leave if they are unable to pass.


Enlisted soldiers are called "Ru", stemming from the word peace.

Rank

Equivalent

ZDRU Zydru

SGM Sergeant Major

EDRU E'Pydru

1SGT First Sergeant

CRU C'Pyru

SSGT Staff Sergeant

GRU G'Pyru

SGT Sergeant

LRU L'Pyru

CPL Corporal

FRU Feyru

PVT Private

SEN Sernu

CDT Cadet

TRN Tirnu

(No Equivalent)

Those with who were selected to become officers would have wider command training as well as further military training and speciality training. Officers, called "Wr" were also seen as special forces. Teams solely consisting of Wrs were known to be deployed to areas where fighting was desperate, to break a deadlock, defend a crucial area, or to execute highly complex and difficult missions. A promising F'Siwr is often taken under the mentorship of an Aeywr to continue further training.

Rank

Equivalent

AYWR Aeywr

COL Colonel

SYWR Seywr

LTC Lieutenant Colonel

MWR M'Cewr

MAJ Major

DWR D'Piwr

CPT Captain

LWR Loywr

1LT First Lieutenant

FWR F'Siwr

2LT Second Lieutenant

The last division, the Nw or Flag Officers, are the elite soldiers, who are hardened battle officers with years of experience. It is here where officers begin to remain in a singular field, though it is not uncommon for Nws to move fields as needed.

Army (Nwru)

Navy (F'Nwru)

Air Force (C'Nwru)

Space (I'Nwru)

Equivalent

ARNW A'Renw

FRNW F'Renw

CRNW C'Renw

IRNW I'Renw

FADM Fleet Admiral

RNW Renw

FNW Fenw

CNW Cenw

INW Ia'renw

ADM Admiral

KNR Ke'Rennw

KFNR Ke'Fennw

KCNR Ke'Cennw

HNW Hirrenw

VADM Vice Admiral

ONR Orenr

FNR Frenr

CNR Crenr

JNR Janr

CDRE Commodore

The Fleet Admirals are seen as the heads of their respective branches. Running of army groups and navies are run by Admirals, whilst individual armies and fleets are led by Vice Admirals. Commodores serve as heads of smaller task forces.


Command priority is given to an assigned Flag Officer in the Space strand, then Naval, Army, Air Force. This is to minimise confusion when undertaking multistrand operations. However, given the fact that officers can easily be interchanged between strands, this often falls to seniority, as the senior officer would take the posting of a higher strand.


The Fleet Admirals report directly to the Nwer, who is the Commander in Chief of the Nwrus.




Kei-Class Fighter

The Kei Class is the staple fighter for most carriers following their introduction to the fleet, adapted from the planetary fighter jet of the same name. Able to be easier to pilot and more manoeuvrable, the Kei class consists of a "bubble" where the pilot sits, which is able to rotate in any axis, allowing the pilot to keep tracking a target after it has flown past. Guns are mounted on the bubble to allow for continuous fire upon the enemy. The computer is able to navigate a set course, whilst the pilot is engaging the enemy.


Notable Ships

  • VSS Pr'Kei (stationed on the VSS Ne'Roran)

  • VSS Pr'Serna (stationed on the VSS Ne'Roran)


Ilya-Class Destroyer

The Ilya Class was made as a counterpart to the Neru class; they are equipped with faster impulse engines and unique hull plating meaning they are harder to spot on sensors. They are often used as screening ships at the front of a task force. They are designed to serve alongside the Neru class, and an Ilya and a Neru class ship together often presents a formidable foe. The Ilya class is also able to outrun any warp capable ship, as well as being to match a fighter in terms of manoeuvrability, making them excellent messenger and interceptor ships.


Notable Ships

  • VSS Ne'Ilya (destroyed)


Neru-Class Destroyer

Neru class ships make up the bulk of the Vayttian space navy and are often favoured due to their strong hull and high firepower, able to match and even outgun cruisers. As such, they are used to defend trade routes, intercept enemies, and disrupt formations. They are stronger in numbers, and as such, fighters are able to disable and destroy the Nru class easily, hence the need to develop the Ilya class to shore up this weakness.


Notable Ships

  • VSS Ne'Neru (posted as part of the 11th Fleet)

  • VSS Ne'Memno (posted as part of the 9th Fleet)


Nru-Class Cruiser

The Nru Class cruiser is a much more defensive ship than the others, and it plays a main role in protecting the bigger ships in engagements. The Nru class ships are also capable of serving alone and are often used for patrols. The Nru class is able to launch fighters, though it has a small compliment. What is more important is the ability to deploy mines, used to ensnare enemies and deny parts of the battlefield to the enemy. They were developed during the Vayt-Nelara war due to the need to protect the Oriyyn Class battleships. By the end of the war, they had completely superceded the earlier Tiomo Class Cruisers.


Notable Ships

  • VSS Ne'Nru (part of the 3rd Fleet)


Chila-Class Battleship

The Chila Class Battleships offer a compromise between attack and defence, after the rapid destructions and long build times of the Oriyyn Class ships. The Chila Class is studier and is able to hold the line without the need for cruisers, making it a perfect tool for engagement with enemy vessels.


Notable Ships

  • VSS Ne'Chila (part of the Vayt Union Fleet)


Oriyyn-Class Battleship

The Oriyyn Class battleship was meant to render the need for the Jekr class obsolete as it would provide the same amount of firepower as well as being faster and more economical. It didn't; during the heavy casualties that came during the Vayt-Nelara War, most of the ships that were lost were the Oriyyn Class, as the weak hull was not able to protect the ship from the heavier firepower of the Nelaraan ships. Though this was rectified towards the end of the war, the Oriyyn Class had all but ceased production in favour of the Jekr and Chila Classes. The Oriyyn Class was revived at the end of the war, as they were able to provide Jekr level firepower without the need to deploy a full Jekr class ship, making them ideal for most engagements.


Notable Ships

  • VSS Ne'Oriyyn (undergoing extensive refits)


Veyya-Class Dreadnought

The Veyya class was a testament to Vayttian engineering, mixing speed, defence, and firepower, onto one ship. The Veyya Class ship also carriers point defence and short-range weapons, something that was lacking from earlier dreadnoughts, who favoured long-ranged weapons. It was also very expensive and had a long build time. Thus, the flagship, the VSS Ne'Veyya, is the only ship to have been built, although other ships have been commissioned.


Notable Ships

  • VSS Ne'Veyya

Jekr-Class Dreadnought

The Jekr Class boasts the highest firepower of any other class in the Space Navy, with the exception of the new Veyya Class. It serves as the backbone to the fleet, and most fleets have at least one Jekr Class as the flagship.


Notable Ships

  • VSS Ne'Jekr (flagship of the 6th Fleet)


Roran-Class Carriers

The latest in the Carrier fleet, the Roran class bolstered a bigger frame to hold more fighters, more launch docks, thicker hull and stronger shields, as well as being able for weapons to be refit quickly before launch, so as to play a much more versatile role in a battle. This was done with bigger and stronger engines to facilitate movement, though this was slower than the Werer-Class that preceded it.


Notable Ships

  • VSS Ne'Roran (part of the 2nd Fleet)


Werer-Class Carrier

The Werer-Class was the first carrier built by the Vayttians. There were many changes to the class during its service time, and is still used as the bulk of the Vayttain Space Navy.


Notable Ships

  • VSS Ne'Werer (part of the 4th Fleet)

  • VSS Ne'Kerak (part of the Vayt Union Fleet)




Pre Warp History


Vayt mythology states that the first Vayttians were born as the grandchildren of Nwr, the god of war, and Zenu, the god of peace. The story goes that in the beginning there was one god, called Iweret, who lived alone in the universe. As Iweret grew older, her body began to break down and form new life. These gods are lost in mythology, but lived in harmony for many years, until the death of Iweret led to deep divisions. These divisions led to a war between the gods that lasted aeons. One of the heroes of this war was the god Nwr. As Nwr got more powerful, Zenu was sent to stop Nwr. Since Nwr could not be beaten through force alone, Zenu made Nwr fall in love. Nwr stopped fighting and the war turned against the side Nwr fought for. As the fighting neared the centre, Nwr realised the betrayal, and he sadly killed Zenu. The love Nwr and Zenu had tore Nwr apart, and sent shockwaves throughout the gods. Fighting ceased and all the gods came together under Nwr, joining him in mourning for Zenu. One by one, the gods joined Nwr, giving him more and more strength. This unity gave birth to Nwr and Zenu's children; Urna, Dyba, Mrena, and Bkka. Out of these, Mrena was the favoured one, and from her, the Vayttians were born.


The Vayttians began life living in tribal communities. These communities grew independently of each other at first, but as they developed, the concept of trading appeared. What was important was not the trade of commodities themselves, but the trade of skills; trade would consist of specialised Vayt moving to other communities to create objects there. This ensured relative prosperity amongst the communities since wars over the acquisition of people and skills were not needed.


The managing of people and trade required administrators, and this led to the rise of an elite class called Aeri, literally "one who organises". The Aeri started off as a group of individuals, but eventually boiled down to a single ruler, called the I'waeri, or "high organiser". These I'waeri were similar to Earth Kings. The Vayttians did not mind the I'waeri, and most I'waeri were accepted and lived long lives. However, it is the bad I'waeri that are remembered in history, and eventually, I'waeri became synonymous with the word for "tyrant". The good I'waeri were fair in trade and organisation, keeping peace amongst tribes. However, the bad I'waeri were power hungry and often led their tribes to war against other tribes. This led to the formation of the legendary Nwrus, a portmanteau of the name of Nwr and Zenu. The Nwrus were the names of the people who protected a tribe against aggression, literally warring for peace, which is why the word is named after both the god of war and the god of peace. At first, the title of Nwru was given to anyone who defended the hometown against aggression, but as communities banded together and city-states arose, the Nwrus became a professional defensive force.


These city-states continued to grow and spread throughout the world, in a period of history called "The Age of Exploration". City states popped up all over the world, and primitive Vayttians were either absorbed into the city-state culture or colonised by expansionist I'waeri. This time was a flourishing of Vayttians arts, culture, philosophy, and science. This golden age came to an abrupt halt with the First Vayt War.


The growth and expansion of city-states led to individual Vayttians identities, further fuelled by expansionist I'waeri. Most of this stemmed from Vayttians colouring, as bluer skinned Vayttians were considered primitive and were often the ones that were persecuted. Whilst many blue Vayttians were able to live in assimilated city-states, the Expansionist city-states would routinely commit genocide on them, causing them to flee from these city-states to ones that were more accepting. This led to a formation and spread of ideas of a united blue Vayt front, and many accepting city-states formed an alliance with other like-minded city-states, refusing to trade with Expansionist city-states. The Expansionist city-states saw this as a blue Vayttians plot to eradicate the true red Vayttians, and likewise formed expansionist coalitions with other like-minded city-states. Given the Vayttians' inherent wish to stay peaceful, this led to a Cold War, with each side rushing to form more city-states; this was one of the reasons that drove the Age of Exploration. Eventually, the widespread invention of printing and the spread of propaganda meant that it was only a matter of time before war broke out. Fuelled by anti-blue sentiment, and a growing drive that the blue Vayttians were going to kill all the red Vayttians, the war started. It is still a matter of scholarly debate as to what event was the true spark of the war, and which side was to blame.


The First Vayt War really pushed military technology to the forefront. The war itself lasted decades but was fought in various phases. The first phase was an Expansionist (also called Red) victory, taking many of the United City-States' cities (also referred to as Blue). It is important to note that the war was not a unified war all over the world, but individual city-state campaigns against the other. Individual city-states made armistices and pacts which assisted in the ebbing and flowing nature of the war.


The next phase of the war was a Blue counter attack. The discovery of gunpowder and the subsequent development of the gun led to a huge shift in warfare. Though the guns were often primitive and did not contribute much to the Blue victories, the development of the cannon did. In an era where hand to hand combat was still the preferred formation, cannons deployed in the centre allowed the firing of grapeshot into the tightly packed enemy formations. In the first battle, it is rumoured that the Red armies retreated after the cannon was fired a mere three times. Whilst this is doubtful, it summed up the feeling of the new technology and within weeks, city-states switched sides or declared themselves neutral in this battle.


The third phase was largely directed at naval warfare, as the war on land had fought itself to a stalemate. Before, sea battles were between a group and involved ships coming alongside each other and fighting hand to hand. The development of the cannon reduced the number of sailors and instead only had enough crew to man as many cannons as possible. The aim became to sink the other ship before your ship was sunk and it quickly transpired that the more ships you had, the quicker you could sink an enemy fleet. The development of ships was so rapid, ironclads were being deployed before the first handheld gun had even been created.


The third phase was quickly won by the Blue Navies. Their development of cannons had reached a point where they were able to fire single projectiles at the enemy ships before the enemy ships were able to get close enough to fire their own cannons. With coastal city-states either joining the United City-States or becoming neutral, the Expansionist City-States' ability to create ships faster than the enemy could sink them dwindled and ultimately led to the collapse of the Red Navy.


The fourth and final phase was a decisive victory for the Blue armies. During the lulls between the phases, the United City-States raced to develop their infrastructure, allowing rapid communication between allied states, allowing for a more coordinated defence. The Expansionist City-States however, were too busy attempting to flush out any Blue Vayttians in captured cities and forcing neutral states to follow suit. This meant that the final United City-States push destroyed the divided and fractured Expansionist City-States quickly. Very quickly, the Expansionist City-States switched sides and deposed any I'waeri who did not agree to a ceasefire.


The war thus ended on a flat note, and the Vayttians were all left to rebuild after the war that had lasted for decades. The United City-States tried to remain together as a unitary body, but it was quickly abandoned for individual city-states. Due to the war, the status of the I'waeri had declined sharply, and the last few I'waeri stepped down. Instead, the Aeri rose up and ruled a city-state as a council. Though the Vayttians could live long lives, in these early times, death through childbirth and disease was common. Compounded with the fact that the war took many lives, the population of city-states were tiny. Various cities were abandoned, or just died out. For the ones that were left, trade became even more important to supplement individual cities, and the spread of technology and ideas became well developed. The development of steam engines brought city-states closer together. This global unity allowed a second golden age, which directly led to the formation of the Global Trade Network. Akin to the city-state alliances before, this involved all established city-states to participate in what was, in theory, a global market. In reality, nothing really changed, as the GTN was too large and had no governing body to run it. It did, however, form the precursor to the Vayt Unity which would take a central role in forming the Planetary Trade Union later.


There was one more formative historical event between the formation of the GTN and the first venture into space. This was a series of rebellions called the Expansionist Revival. A group of I'waeri tried to reform the Expansionist City-States, playing on fears that Blue Aeri were planning to take over by banning Red populations from breeding and thus ending Red Vayt. This was in part fuelled by a plague that ravaged the Vayttian populations, spread even quicker by the extensive trade networks, that seemed to kill Vayttian children with a certain genetic makeup, only found in Red Vayttians. Population controls were put in place to try to minimise the spread of such a disease. Though the disease was quickly eradicated, the unpopular population measure was seen as draconian and only fuelled Expansionist propaganda. Riots broke out and various city-states declared war on the Blue Vayt races. Unwilling to fight another war like the First Vayt War, the city-states trained highly specialised troops, and called them the Nwrus, after the initial protectors in history. These Nwrus infiltrated and quickly put down the opposing city-states. The Nwrus emerged out of the Expansionist Revival as heroes, and still continue to serve as the protectors of the Vayttians. Selection is done at a young age, and the prospective soldiers are trained solely for war. Whilst being a Nwru is seen as one of the highest statuses a Vayttian can receive, it also has very low applicant and acceptance rates. Most Vayttian see war as abhorrent and would rather live in peace. This is why training at a young age is done, before the Vayttian can develop the same sense of peace. As such, a Nwru is often shunned from normal society upon their retirement, and many Nwrus either commit suicide or remain in service until their death.


In the aftermath of the Expansionist Revival, there was a push for greater stately unity. Serious reforms were made and there was much debate as to how to keep individual city-state independence, whilst also working for a greater goal. Already, city-states all were working together in terms of technology, which was accelerated with the development of internet systems, but the lack of a central unified location made work harder. Despite this, the Vayttians were able to launch the N'kei program, which was the first step out to space. This was a monumental moment for Vayttians, and huge celebrations erupted throughout the planet when N'kei 4 landed on the Fero, the moon orbiting Mrena. This led for greater calls for unification and soon after, it was decided that the Vayt Unity would be formed, with the capital being on the ancient city of Jekr, the birthplace of the Vayttians. Jekr expanded to include the centre of Vayttian art, science, and culture, as well as the central place for the government. Within years, the N'kei program was retired after it had explored the entire system, with the final N'kei probe, nicknamed Teika, or Voyager, left the system.


The following year, the first of a new program was launched, called the Lysa program, which led colonisation efforts on Fero and Bkka, and culminated with the eventual colonisation of Dyba. The last program, the Huka Program spearheaded the exploration of other planets, and eventually ended in the Vayttian discovery of the Warp Drive. This ushered in a new era for the Vayt, which was one of space exploration.


Post Warp History


It was very soon that the Vayttians realised that they were not alone in the universe. The Vayttian's strong but peaceful demeanour made them many friends, and soon the Vayttians were seen as a strong ally in the region. The Vayttians used their position to foster relationships with these races, eventually forming the Planetary Trade Union, with the headquarters of the Union being based in Jekr. This was one of the factors that led to the Second Vayt War later, as it was seen as the spark that led to the formation of the National Vayt Union, as the fear of external influence on Vayt policies had a considerable effect on the population.


The Planetary Trade Union had mixed success; though it unified the sector under one, peaceful, trade agreement, whilst allowing for individual nations to maintain autonomy, not all were accepting of the need to maintain autonomy, and factions in the Union pushed for more Vayt control over planets, especially when planets were forced to keep their autonomy in times of crisis, such as disease or internal struggle. Not only that, there were few instances of an aggressive party against another member, which the Union could do little to stop, other than trade embargos. This was only confounded when certain members left the Planetary Trade Union to join the nearby Nelaraan Empire. Further Nelaraan aggression severely shocked the Union, especially given the Union's desire to stay peaceful with the Nelaraan Empire.


This political struggle meant that more and more city-states sided with the National Vayt Union. Taking a gamble, the NVU marched upon Jekr, besieging the city. When the Vayt Unity called upon the Nwrus to lift the seige, the Nwrus refused, with the Nwru leadership siding with the NVU. The Second Vayt War had begun. The war spread all over the sector and would end with the collapse of the Planetary Trade Union.

 

Historians have long debated how best to describe parts of Vayttian history. The most commonly divided sections are as follows:


  • The Deity Age (The Riyyawet)

  • The Heroic Age (The Awru)

  • The Tribal Age

  • The I'waeri Age

  • The Age of Exploration

  • The First Vayt War (which is divided into four phases; The Expansionist Victory, the rise of Gunpowder, the Naval War, and the United Victory)

  • The Network Age

  • The Expansionist Revival

  • The Space Age

  • The Planetary Age

  • The Second Vayt War

  • The Union Age

Note that these ages were not equal in length, and centred around the main feature of that age. Because of this, some ages are broken down further in some texts.


Tribal Age


Secularists believe that the Tribal Age is the true first age, with the two previous ages, the Deity and Heroic Ages, set in myth. The Tribal Age is the period in which the first recorded archaeological artefacts have been found, although the true dates of these artefacts are often given in bounds instead of set dates; no dating method is accurate enough to give solid dates. Whilst the main line of thought is that the older archaeological finds go back to the Deity and Heroic Ages, for academic purposes, these are attributed to an extended Tribal Age. Thus, the Deity and Heroic Ages are categorised as some as "proto-tribal age", though the exact nature of the term "proto-tribal" is under extensive debate, particularly by post-revisionists who question what "proto-tribal" actually means; by definition before tribes indicate individual familial groups and settings. Post-revisionists argue that the archaeological evidence provided by revisionist archaeologists has been misinterpreted and that the majority of the archaeological evidence state that there was no such thing as a "proto-tribal age" in Vayt history.


In any case, the Tribal Age is characterised by solid archaeological evidence of social groups and burials, indicating the settling down of the previously nomadic Vayt to the first small communities. Once again, the debate of whether the Tribal Age only includes the first settlements, or if it should include the nomadic Vayt is a hot topic.

For the purposes of this text, the Tribal Age conforms to the view that the Tribal Age includes both Nomadic and the beginning of the first settlements on the Rena Peninsula


Conformities aside, the true origins of the Vayt are surrounded in mystery. With no evolutionary ancestor on Mrena, the idea that the Vayt were the progeny of the Heroic Age plays heavily into Vayt belief. There are generally two lines of thought on the origins; either the Vayt descended from the Horem, or that they came from Yeruba. Once again, competing dates in the archaeological record indicate records in both places, and due to the overlapping bounds in the date set, it is impossible to know which one is which. This is further compounded by the fact due to the nature of the nomadic Vayt, no settlement record exists that confirms either timeline; either the early Vayt descended from the Horem late, or the nomadic Vayt travelled across the Plains of Mayya towards the Rena Peninsula.


We do have records for how these nomadic Vayt lived though; groups of Vayt banded together to form a tribe, who moved across the plain, hunting the wild animals for food. Journies were done by foot since the domestication of animals would only come in towards the end of the Tribal Age. As such, it is conceived that these Vayt lived together in one location for several months, before moving on. Although no evidence of habitation survives in the archaeological record, evidence of groups of burials in a single location indicate possible settlement sites. It is not unfeasible that these Vayt lived in the trees when on the plain. Other evidence of burials in the caves of the Horem, and caves along the shorelines indicate that these too were potential habitation spots for the early Vayt.


It is these groups that revisionists claim to be proto-tribal, but DNA evidence from burials do not show one the presence of shared genetics in the graves. Instead, several genetic traits are shared over several burials in several locations, which could indicate tribal groups were not the product of one family. However, this could also be the product of Vayttian religious belief against monogamy. Another interesting feature is that estimations of travel distances between several sites cover distances of weeks of travelling, but these do not always correlate with the biological Vayttian drive to reproduce, perhaps indicating that the drive was more frequent, or that the Vayt evolved the drive at a later date.


In any case, most of the burials seem to be located near a water source, and none more so than the large river that extended the length of the Rena Peninsula. This river, called the Lyyka, is where the word for river comes from. These early Vayttian tribes are thought to have moved downstream of the river, using the river as a water source whilst hunting the animals in the plains and savannas nearby.


Why the first Vayt decided to move from hunting to farming is unknown. The most likely scenario is that the lush land of the lower Lyyka enabled crops to grow and the early Vayt, observing the natural growth cycle of the crops utilised the growing to their advantage, experimenting with the use of seeds to plant in the fertile soil. In the region of Koloka, or between rivers, the first recorded settlement appeared, though this was little more than mud and timber huts. There were no farms, the residents walked towards the already growing crops and would harvest them. These crops were the vikka (a wheat-like grain), the polta (similar to sweet potato), Iyak (similar to the pea), bisha (like rice), kyyta (a silky plant), fytr (an apple-like tree), and hilaya (a sweet bamboo-like shoot). The vikka grew twice a year, the lyak sprouted bulbs that could be eaten every few months. The polta and the bisha both grew at various times in the year depending on when the plant itself was planted, whilst the kyyta bloomed twice a year, but always in the springtime. The hilaya grew within weeks, whilst the fytr tree dropped fruit three times a year, but not in the cold season.


At first, the Vayttians would live in the area for a few months as they gathered crops, before moving out to resume a nomadic lifestyle. Archaeological records for the rebuilding and repairing of these houses can be seen, as buildings were just built on top of each other, forming small tells in the area. One small tell, though insignificant, marks the first formation of the ancient city of Jekr. The main gate into the city is built upon the location of this site. However, in the early days, this location was rather insignificant, with very few burials seen at the site, and other similar sites along the Lyyka and Suiya rivers. It was only following a small climate shift, that increased the temperature along the equator of the planet, that forced Vayttians to cease a nomadic lifestyle. The animals they regularly hunted were forced further north and south, and coupled with hunting, it caused the extinction of a number of animals. It also forced the Vayttians to rely more on crop usage, and remain closer to the rivers for water. When the climate returned to normal again, several generations of Vayttians had embraced farming and the area in the Koloka was full of small villages and farms. The nature of the Koloka, which was in between the two rivers, meant that whilst other places ran out of water, this area remained fertile, and the most fertile place was at the point where the Suiya and the Lyyka almost met; the small tell of Jekr (Jekr meaning river edge), became a centre point for migrating Vayttians and the site grew rapidly. As other settlements phased out of existence as some Vayttians returned to a nomadic lifestyle, places like Jekr remained.


Though Jekr was the largest site in the area, it was not the only settlement. Other settlements such as Ryyt, Myyro, and Falpa, started to take root in this period. This settlement growth was not just limited to the Koloka area; after the climate normalised, settlements began to grow elsewhere on the Rena Peninsula. The settlements of Kema, Amesyya, Kontae, Lrae, Xirae, and Zaeta, also contain archaeological material dating to this age. However, Jekr’s unique placement in the fertile Koloka region allowed it to grow during the warmer climate, whilst the other settlements were limited in size. As farming grew, the fertile area around Jekr brought more and more people towards the growing settlement.


There were different areas where different crops grew. Although Jekr was in an area where it could get most staples, there were other crops that didn’t grow in the Jekr region, and for the settlement to get these, it would have to trade. Settlements like Jybia in the northern section of the image was in a region of kyyta growth, and so people in this area were able to grow and weave the silk from the kyyta plant. It was at this stage where we saw the introduction of trade between the settlements. It was at this point the concept of Vayt trade began. Though the Vayttians themselves had begun to settle in cities, there was always an underlying concept of nomadic movement. Vayttians did not tie themselves down to one city, instead, there was always a constant movement between the cities; this was the start of trading. Vayttians from Jybia, who would be able to weave the silk from the kyyta, would move to Jekr to begin to weave kyyta in that location. The next season, they may move to Ryyt, and begin to weave kyyta there. This constant movement kept all settlements fairly stable, as growth would be shared throughout. This would play a major part in technology sharing and equal growth in the I'waeri Age, as contact with other Vayt enabled the trade of ideas and resources equally.


Movement in this time was largely unregulated and unmanaged. However, a series of famines across the Koloka region forced careful management of what moved in and what moved out. Instead of farmers having a surplus to give, most kept the food themselves. In reality, this changed very little, most Vayttians subsisting off the land. However, for the Vayttians who were moving from location to location, this meant they had little to eat. It was in this time we see the mention of a Vayt, Kerak Ayyt, in the written record. Vayytian writing was not a new invention, but it was rare; Vayttian telepathy precluded the need for writing, as ideas were communicated through thought. However, as settlements grew, and ideas needed to be transmitted to a wider audience, writing became more commonplace. It was easy for the Vayt to do so; they would just turn thought into words, without alteration. This is why the Vayttians had no difference in language, and it is why Vayttian itself has barely changed throughout time. The discovery of a stone tablet with the name of Kerak Ayyt however, was a large find for this period. The tablet, called the Ayyt Tablet, was unique in that it listed Kerak as an Aeri, an organiser. It is unknown if Kerak was a sole aeri, if there were others, or even if he was the first aeri. However, the Ayyt Tablet signified Kerak’s role in society; to organise and manage the trade that was coming in and out of Jekr. Other than the name, archaeologists know very little of Kerak and how they got to the position of the aeri. Kerak however, signified the end of the Tribal Age, and the beginning of the new I’waeri Age, although, at the time, nothing would have been much different.




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