Axtri'Calli

"Ah, the stars. For so long my people have wandered throughout them. I have always loved exploration, but for my people, it is a way of life. We are constantly searching, constantly on our guard. This is because we have no home at all. Our old one, once the pinnacle of life and paradise, is now a desert wasteland. I personally, think that we will never find a new one. Others on my kind are more optimistic. If we do not triumph, then we will exist as we always have: Alone.".Orosan Frotalkii, Axtri'Calli scoutThe Axtri'Calli are a sentient race of nomadic wanderers. Formerly existing on Armadillo, they were nearly wiped out during the flood invasion. After leaving the planet, they simply wandered between worlds, knowing that they would never likely find a new homeworld. Despite being largely pacifistic, some factions exist within the species that are aggressive and hostile. Known for their excellence at exploration, they were occasionally hired by the Covenant as scouts. After the destruction of the Covenant Empire, they usually stayed to themselves, though several joined the Kra'dossh Insaali.
== Species History ==
=== Life on Armadillo ===
For centuries, the Axtri'Calli lived on Armadillo, having evolved from one of the planet's more intelligent lizards. As Armadillo was, at that time, a forest world, there was no need to harvest crops, or even hunt, with the Axtri'Calli simply taking what they wanted from the forest. As the species developed, so did their culture, along with their architecture. With no conflict between tribes, the species never saw the need to maintain a standing military. The developed architecture led to stilt cities, built to avoid some of the planets more dangerous predators. This was largely an age of spiritual enlightenment, and with no military, the peaceful species was caught dangerously off guard with the arrival of the flood. Despite the fact that the Forerunners had set up a mining operation on their planet, the Axtri'Calli did not mind the newcomers. 
=== Flood Invasion ===
With the Axtri'Calli possessing no military whatsoever, they were a pushover for the flood. The invasion started when the flood attacked the capital city of Shucnivlar, destroying it entirely. The residents, initially thinking that the swarm of pod infectors was a freak mudslide, were caught off guard, the flood sweeping through their streets and infecting anything possible. The outcome: 50% of the cities population were killed. 5% fled to the surrounding forests. The remaining 45% were infected by the flood, creating a massive swarm. One such survivor ran to the nearest city, where she informed the lord that only the flood that were burned ceased to be a threat. 
This lord only had a few hunting weapons, and very few blacksmiths. The Flood horde, following the growing stream of refugees from consumed settlements, was only three days away. Ordering three ditches to be dug around the stilt city, these ditches were filled with oil, and the nearby forest was logged to create a spiked wall. The blacksmiths were ordered to create swords and shields for the populace, which was organised into an ad-hoc military. When the horde crossed the horizon, the ditches full of oil were ignited. With the flood only being at the feral stage, hundreds fell into the ditches and were incinerated. The rest were forced into a narrow tunnel, where only 200 could stand abreast. The lord then ordered the thrown together military to raise swords, lock shields, and attack. The entire horde was destroyed, but at a high cost: casualties included 100 dead, no wounded (the soldiers killed any infected comrade). These tactics were passed on to remaining stilt cities, but several fell. By the time of the arrival of the Forerunner Military, led by the Iso-Didact, the species was near extinction. Armed with Hardlight weapons, the Axtri'Calli began an aggressive campaign, fighting with extraordinary ferocity. The Iso-Didact noted that the once peaceful species was incredibly transformed by the conflict. Afterwards, they left the planet, with Armadillo having been ravaged by warfare. 
=== War with the Yvsarith ===
After being returned to the galaxy following the firing of the Halo Array, the Axtri'Calli merely continued a nomadic existence. Despite several prospective new homeworlds being found, none exactly suited the needs of the wandering species. During this period, the Axtri'Calli developed firearms, utilizing their famed Longneck rifles. With each Axtri'Calli fleet being like a self contained village, it took years for the species to realize that certain fleets were vanishing. Initially suspecting the flood, this theory was discounted upon seeing that the ships were merely destroyed, and not overrun with flood biomass. One of the missing fleets was discovered by a search party, though critically damaged. The hull was swarming with insect like creatures. Upon making radio contact, the missing ships simply opened fire, with only one ship in the search party making it through. Upon return to the main fleet, these scouts decided to tell the elders of the fleet of the new threat. Upon being informed of these potential enemies, the fleet elders decided to make contact with the elders of every other remaining fleet. These elders in turn informed the people of their respective fleets, and they were put on guard for an attack. This attack came sooner than they would expect. The initial fleet to learn of the cause of the destruction were attacked on the way to another prospective homeworld. This attack was carried out by the heavily damaged ships sighted by the scouts earlier. The actual battle was incredibly short. With the enemy ships firing clumsily, and their hulls being highly damaged, the more experienced, more strategic Axtri'Calli elders, made short work of the enemy. 
The ramifications of this battle were severe, however. Recovering one of the survivors from the destroyed ship, the elders interrogated the prisoner. It was surprisingly compliant, revealing that it and it's compatriots were members of a warmongering species known as the Yvsarith. The Axtri'Calli had been seen by the Yvsarith queen as a prime source of food. This was because their planet was in short supply of food, so they began to see all other creatures, even sentient, as prey. After retrieving all possible information from the captive, it was terminated with a rifle shot to the head. The information recovered was then distributed to other Axtri'Calli fleets, and an order was placed to exterminate the insects. The war that ensued was brutal. Despite the Yvsarith possessing the numerical advantage, the Axtri'Calli were stronger, faster, and more intelligent. This fact allowed them to slaughter Yvsarith in the hundreds. These campaigns resulted in the deaths of millions of both species. This was also a time of cultural change for the Axtri'Calli. Knowing that the Yvsarith tended to go for the neck area, the Axtri'Calli developed their iconic masks, preventing major damage. The war ultimately ended with the death of the Yvsarith queen that had commissioned the attacks, with the Axtri'Calli not wanting to annihilate their enemies. 
=== First Contact With The Covenant ===
Of course, with the emphasis placed by the Axtri'Calli on exploration, it was only a matter of time before they encountered the Covenant. Upon finding a planet that could be suited to the needs of the population, the Axtri'Calli sent a scouting party to the planet, establishing a settlement. The leader of this settlement, after staying for one year, returned to the fleet, for colonists and supplies. When he returned with a larger party two years later, the settlement was in flames, with large, hulking figures presiding over the destruction. The figures introduced themselves as the Sangheili, warriors of the Covenant, and stated that the unbelief of the Axtri'Calli, along with the fact that the settlement had been built on the ruins of a Forerunner city, had led the hierarchs to proclaim that the Axtri'Calli were heretical, and ordered the colonies destruction. The Sangheili then offered the Axtri'Calli an opportunity to "Absolve their past sins", and join the Covenant. 
This offer was refused violently, and the entire Sangheili attack force was fired on, killing them. With the loss of this party, the Hierarchs sent an entire fleet to "Purge the Demon's Spawn With Fire". Expecting a fight, the Axtri'Calli radioed for their fleet, and sent a dispatch to every other fleet in the sector. The result was the Covenant fleet making a jump into a zone where they expected little resistance. Instead, they found an incredibly large and well armed Axtri'Calli fleet. This fleet wasted no time on firing on the enemy, destroying the entire Covenant force within hours. Upon crippling the final Covenant warship, the Axtri'Calli sent a message to this ship: Stay Away or Else. Once the ship transmitted this message back to High Charity, the final ship was fired on, killing all aboard. The Axtri'Calli then fled, leaving the planet to be glassed by the Covenant. This incident, along with the loss of an entire fleet, and the Covenant's inability to find the perpetrators, paved the way for all mentions of the Axtri'Calli to be stricken from the archives in High Charity. 
=== Human-Covenant War ===
Because the Axtri'Calli were not a part of the Covenant, they did not participate in the Human-Covenant war. However, Axtri'Calli ships were sighted by human fleets, who did not have any identification for them. During this tumultuous period, the Axtri'Calli were hired by the Covenant to seek out and relay the locations of human worlds. At least one planet, Sardior, was found this way. The Axtri'Calli abstained from fighting, as after conflicts with both the Flood and the Yvsarith, the species had had enough of war. However, some of this species saw war as a way to fill their pockets, leading to several raider factions within the species. During the war, the navigator Orosan Frotalkii decided to map out the galaxy to create a comprehensive map of it, thereby allowing for potential homeworlds to be found. Frotalkii mapped out both Human, and Covenant settled worlds, and took down notes on species inhabiting them, notably encountering the N'sgaytsians. This map expanded Axtri'Calli territory, and brought fame to Frotalkii. ONI was aware of the existence of the Axtri'Calli, considering them a Covenant race. The turmoil of the war, however, prevented ONI from going public with this information. 
=== Postwar Era ===
Because of the collapse of the Covenant, the Axtri'Calli began to flourish, with them mapping out former Covenant territories as potential homes. Several took up residence in Armadillo, desiring to return to their ancestral home. Orosan Frotalkii later hired out his services as an adventurer, desiring the opportunity to live life to its fullest. Some took a more sinister turn, raiding both the Covenant remnant groups and the UNSC in order to fuel their own fleets. Others lost the nonviolent, wandering nature of their species, joining groups such as Jul' M'damas Covenant and the Kra'dossh Insaali. Another group notably served as sharpshooters for the Swords of Sanghelios, deciding to fight to bring about the end of the last remnants of the Covenant. During the rise of the Created, several Axtri'Calli fleets rescued refugees from conquered planets. The Created decided not to pursue these fleets, knowing that with their knowledge of the Milky Way, their was very little chance of ever finding them. 
== Culture and Society ==
=== Culture ===
"So, why are we hiring an Axtri'Calli?""Because they are the best. They have spent their entire history exploring star sectors that we have never dreamt of. So, with an Axtri'Calli guide, our chances of survival double for this trip".- A conversation between two human spacers.
The Axtri'Calli culture has a large focus on exploration, with entire lives being spent searching for a home planet. This culture also applauds individual achievement, with those who make a name for themselves being highly respected. This leads Axtri'Calli parents to encourage their children at every turn, hoping that they will be the ones to discover the new home for the species. This drive for a new home led the population to split up into separated fleets akin to cities within the society. However, if such a new homeworld is ever discovered, the other fleets will learn of it within the hour. 
In terms of art, Axtri'Calli art often depicts lush trees, enormous forests. This was the state of Armadillo prior to the Flood invasion, and so is regarded by the Axtri'Calli as the standard of beauty. Metalworking is rare as an art form, but several fluid shapes have been made by Axtri'Calli metalworking, regarded by humans as similar to abstraction as an art form. One distinctive form of art is the war masks manufactured by the species, with each mask varying from individual to individual, and crafting one is a rite of passage for the species. Traditionally, such masks are made from bone, but more modern designs manufactured from metal have surfaced in recent years, allowing superior protection. The mask of Orosan Frotalkii is one such mask. 
In terms of religion, there is almost none, with almost all spirituality being lost with the destruction of Armadillo. However, a "Divine Beyond" is believed in by many of the population, in which great explorers and warriors live on forever. According to traditions, which are linked to the Flood, a deceased individuals body is burned, and the ashes are scattered into the stars. The possessions of the deceased individual are then kept by family and loved ones, building a sort of a shrine to the individual. These shrines are then kept maintained by the families of the individuals, and visited by these families. For older Axtri'Calli, who know that their shrines may soon join those of the individuals there, these visits may last weeks or even months.
With regards to other species such as Humans, Sangheili, and Jiralhanae, the Axtri'Calli are very tolerant, not viewing those species as enemies and wishing for communications and trade to occur. In exchange, these species often view the Axtri'Calli as excellent navigators and explorers, often seeking to hire them. However, many Axtri'Calli retain a hatred of the Yvsarith, one that has been long running ever since the war. Many Axtri'Calli spacers have a policy of killing, or trying to kill, any Yvsarith that crosses their path, and some spend more time hunting the Yvsarith than they do looking for a new homeworld. Similar hatred is given to the Flood for driving the Axtri'Calli to the position that they are currently in, as well as a practical amount of fear. Several Axtri'Calli traditions, such as burning dead bodies and the use of fire to eliminate enemies, date back to the Axtri'Calli-Flood War.
=== Society ===
Axtri'Calli society is gerontocratic, with the oldest members of a fleet, possessing the most knowledge, govern over the younger. The more age and knowledge that an individual gains, the more respect and power that they gain within the society. Gender equity is also a large component, with both sexes being able to perform the same roles. Newborns are communally raised by every member of the family, and so it is believed that the knowledge and ideals of every member is passed down to that child. Children are, for a large part, taught the basics of exploration, with other subjects largely consisting of history and language. A child is considered such until age 25, a tenth of the way through the average life expectancy. Marriage and settling down from a life of exploration usually occurs at age 60. This marriage consists of the couple taking the vows, and then slicing an incision across the hand, letting the blood of both participants flow into each other. Once bonded, there is no separation, and so marriage does not occur until the participants are satisfied with what they have accomplished. 
== Biology and Traits ==
The Axtri'Calli are, by nature, reptilian, possessing smooth, scale-less skin. This skin is scale-less for a reason: it prevents the many diseases that an Axtri'Calli may become infected with over their travels from finding a refuge and a direct access point into the bloodstream. They possess no overt nose, instead having two slits akin to the noses of many terrestrial reptiles. Axtri'Calli have yellow eyes similar to those of a cat, along with bat-like ears. The bodies organs are different, with them possessing two pancreas's and a single lung. This lung compensates for the lack of a counterpart organ, with it extracting as much oxygen as possible from the environment. Axtri'Calli blood has been described as bright red, and pungent smelling. Axtri'Calli reproduce sexually and give birth to live young, with both sexes possessing external reproductive organs. 
Category:Ultrakat66
Category:Species