Kastalian Survivors

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Creator: HangingDeath 
== Race Information ==
Homeworld : Vidieran [Destroyed]
Originally a sprawling jungle planet, with high tree canopies, large mountain ranges, and very humid weather, Vidieran was destroyed by the combined effort of the Grox and many of the races that the Kastalians fostered. Its destruction marked the end of there galactic reign and the start of the time in which they call 'The Wandering'.
Philosophy: Sole survivor. They will do whatever they can do ensure the survival of their species. 
Faction: Peacekeeper. They understand that, to survive, they must work together. They also used to foster many smaller races, and have a great love for life. 
== Physical Characteristics == 
A very large creature. Beak, large muscled body, and large dense spines covering it's back. A short tail, with a very sharp spike protruding from it. Large taloned feet, and two-fingered webbed hands. A small gland is near the back of the throat. It causes the normal mucus of the Kastalian to alter itself and become corrosive. This results in the ability to spit wads of acidic fluid upon targets. Though not very powerful, it does have the added side-effect of stunning targets temporarily. 
A wise creature. Will always seek the peaceful resolution to something, despite the atrocious conflicts they have fought in. Usually responds to conflict with a cool, calm attitude. 
An extremely rare, but not unforeseen, corruption in their gene falls back to their war with the Grox. The heavy mental issues with war, and the constant danger through extermination, has caused a 'fall back' to the Kastalian's primal instinct. This instinct is to only destroy, which originated from the hostile environment of their home planet. It is also called the 'Onslaught Syndrome' by many Kastalian scientists. Currently, only five Kastalians have fallen to this primal urge, as their strict training regimen and localized rations prevent almost any thoughts of rage. 
=== Male Characteristics ===
Males of the Kastalian species are overall larger and more muscular then there female counterparts. The voice is roughly the same, making it hard to determine only by voice whether a Kastalian is male or female. The males are instinctively less aggressive then the females, although the males are the primary warriors in the Kastalian military force. The males neural cortex and brain is roughly 15% smaller then a females. Despite this, Kastalian males are easily some of the most intelligent creatures in existence, being able to strategically coordinate tactics and use complex mental calculations to assist them in any situation they are in.
=== Female Characteristics ===
Suprisingly enough, female Kastalians are quite aggressive. Although there frame is smaller then the male Kastalian, the female has a much higher amount of aggression towards other organisms, mostly stemming back to the roots of evolution. (The males would leave the nest, searching for food, while the considerably smaller females would be left to protect the young.) The females are roughly a foot shorter then the males, and have much smaller spines protruding from the back. The neural cortex and brain lobe is larger then a males however, and is nearly 25% more active then a males. This makes female Kastalians perfect for officers and military positions that require processing large amounts of nformation, such as engineers and tactical command operators. They are also known to be quite agile for there size, and there dexterity/endurance is quite high.
==== Reproduction ====
Reproduction, now with the Kastalian race nearing the zone of endangerment, has become completely formal. DNA from both male and female volunteers are collected. Many times, the male and female may never even know who each other is, which is fine since reproduction now is just a way to keep there race alive. The DNA is mixed using a partially mutated cell that acts like a catalyst between the two DNA formats. The resulting cell then proceeds to form itself into an egg, and roughly two days after the DNA is conjoined the egg is taken to an artificial heat chamber, similar to an artificial womb. After a 2 month period, the egg has grown roughly 3 times in size, and is ready to hatch.
Young Kastalians are much smaller then the adults, which is to be expected. The poisonous gland in there throats is also quite immature, and wont start producing its semi-potent venom until about 50 years of age. The young Kastalians are often referred to as 'Younglings' mostly due to the fact that they are eager to learn, and will follow the caretaker they are assigned to with extreme passion.
== Equipment & Technology ==
The common set of equipment available to the basic Kastalian is the basic Phase Cannon, which fires a magneticly charged blast of energy. This energy, once hitting the target, burns through almost all armour plating, making most types of protection useless. A common attachment to the Phase Cannon is the Arclite Support Launcher. A small attachment to the Phase Cannon that modifies the energy into a physical bullet-shaped package. Upon contact, it explodes with amazing strength. 
The armour that many Kastalians have is a mixture of Tertamite and Feramite, both extremly hard substances. When mixed, a chemical reaction occurs, and creates a 'energy draining' coating of sorts. Most energy and plasma weapons directed towards it are either absorbed altogether or reduced drastically. Once the armour absorbs a certain amount of energy though, it becomes extremely dense and heavy, thus unusable even by the massive Kastalians body frame. 
== History ==
=== The Great Empire ===
Much time ago, before the Grox were a widespread problem, the Kastalian ruled over an entire arm of the galaxy. They were an extremely large and advanced race, advancing in both technological might as well as numerical superiority. Rather then force their own ideals and lifestyle upon other races, they observed from afar, lightly pushing those with sentience towards their own advancements. Like a caring parent, they lightly supported the other species within their rule, influencing sentient advancement.
They were a caring race, willing to spend hundreds of years just to teach a simple logical answer to those which they helped. Though logic usually dictated that nature would guide a species in the right direction, the Kastalians, during that time, had become slightly egotistical, and believed themselves to be demigods due to their advanced powers and vast empire. They believed that they could do whatever they felt like at any time, wasting countless years upon meaningless subjects. They become contempt, sluggish, their lives fleeting past them while being filled with mild pleasantries.
Roughly two hundred years before 'The Wandering', near the fringes of Kastalian held territory, the first empire that could actually provide a challenge to them was found. The Grox had been growing stronger and larger in its seclusion at the Galactic Core. They were materialistic, and extremely aggressive, something that Kastalians had not encountered with such ferocity before. Despite this, they attempted to communicate with the new species. Most ships sent were met with disaster, but that did not deter the Kastalians from their goal. After many years at attempting to engage in negotiations, they finally managed to come down on a non-aggression pact with them. And shortly afterwards, a trade agreement was signed, much to the delight of the Kastalian empire. Finally, they had engaged and communicated with an empire that was similar to their might.
Their somewhat egotistical nature was their downfall however. The 'trade shuttles' that the Grox contracted to supply raw resources were actually heavily armed cruisers. These cruisers were, surprisingly, sent deep into Kastalian empire territory without escorts. They were headstrong, and believed that their new allies would never be a threat. This was the first problem.
The second issue was the fact that, through their pushing to advance other races within their own empire, they had inadvertently created a small enclave that believed the Kastalians to be gods. This was common for species that were uplifted by other species, but it was an extreme case for the Kastalians, as hundreds of planets were engrossed in the fact that their gods were almighty. Commonly, Kastalians ships that passed through the small territories that the species had formed would be mobbed with ships, fanatics attempting to board and meet their saviours.
Obviously these were extremely dangerous, and routes were remapped to bypass these territories. Contact between the Kastalians and their fostered races was severely lowered, and they were left to a seclusion, surrounded by what they believed to be superior beings. Contact with the Grox only increased these feelings, as the Grox themselves were a very advanced race. The Grox knew that, despite their considerable size, a frontal war with the Kastalians wouldonly end in disaster. The Kastalians were extremely well dug in, and their fleets were massive and numerous. They were also at a technological disadvantage, which was the main deterent from a frontal attack.
Instead, they launched dedicated and procedural informant shuttles into the oblivious Kastalian territory. These shuttles, loaded with various technological trinkets and other useless knick-knacks. These shuttles landed upon the fostered planets, presenting themselves to the fanatical empires upon them. Presenting themselves as the only 'true gods' the Grox and their minions sparked and fanned the fires of extreme fanaticism. The fostered species, given some of the Grox's technology to replicate themselves, began to believe that they had risen higher then their old teachers. They became more aggressive, growing hateful of the complacent lives which were forced upon them.
=== The Great Fall ===
Finally, in a sudden burst of aggression, the Grox attacked en masse, overwhelming the first few Kastalians colonies that they encountered. The fleets were quickly mobilized, although shaken at the fact that their supposed allies would betray them so readily and without warning. They engaged the Grox fleets, destroying hundreds of ships with their advanced weapons and better technology. The Grox had already lit the fire though, and upon the fact that their 'weak controllers' were struggling to face the Grox, the fostered empires sprang up, launching their crude, but effective, fleets at the innermost Kastalian colonies. Fleets were reassigned to defend against these ships, which were easily destroyed in a battle, but were extremely numerous.
The Grox pushed through the holes left in the battlefront, surrounding and eliminating Kastalian ships one by one. The guns slowly fell silent as the Grox, along with their fanatical minions, outnumbered the Kastalians greatly. Hundreds of colonies were burned to the ground, no mercy being shown to the old keepers of the stars. It was utter slaughter, millions of beings killed within days, entire planets obliterated by the Grox, thousands more overrun with the fanatic species.
It was, easily, the largest genocide that the galaxy had ever witnessed. The once glorious Kastalian empire had been cut down to a few surviving planets within half a year of terrible and bloody warfare. These planets were where the last of the Kastalians survived, each day fearing that guns would open up in the skies and rain the demise of their species.
=== The Wandering ===
Although they were heavily wounded, their was still a single way of escape. Although extremely experimental, the Kastalians had been experimenting with dimension and reality-distorting technology, hoping to originally create a source of infinite energy. This ideal was rudely shoved aside for the greater good of the species, and the goal of using this technology to somehow save their species.
This goal was achieved when an entire solar station above the planet Kerliend II disappeared from all radar and communication signals. Fearing another attack, the Kastalians prepared themselves to fight to the last. Hundreds of soldiers looked up to the skies, waiting for the inevitable apocalypse. It never came though, as a day later the entire station reappeared, as if by magic. Communications were restored, and they pronounced the discover of a way to save their species.
The solar station had not disappeared, rather, it had been pulled into another dimension of reality. The station was hometo an experimental phase field generator, which had been activated as a test and had succeeded in an extaordinary way. The phase field required an enormous amount of power, but when supplied, it could cause a large swell of energy in a circular location, effectively pushing out the matterialistic forms of those within the radius. They would still be alive and concious, and upon the fields de-activation they would return to normal, but it allowed them to move like apparitions, passing through matter with only a slight push. They were completely hidden from view, neither radar nor heat signatures able to detect them.
This scientific wonder was -[WIP]
== Culture ==
The original culture of the Kastalian's was vast, incorporating elements of the various species they had fostered and inducted. Now, it is a simple matter, with ranks given to those who survive the longest. Survival is the most important aspect of there lives. They had many advanced technologies before the Grox war, but now they are forced to rebuild there fragmented intelligence. There are a few pieces of equipment from the 'Empire Age' of their time line. These machines are revered, and are rarely ever used. But they are always kept in top condition, for if they are needed again. Most materials they use now are traded for and then subsequently refined by Artisans to the point where they are of quality enough for usage by Kastalian units.
== Military ==
 
A classic example of the Kastalian military tactics is the raiding attacks. They will target vital positions of the enemy, decimating supply lines and cutting off troops. Then, they slowly destroy the isolated enemy groups. Rarely are the Kastalians forced into a defensive network, as they prefer mobility. Without mobility, there small numbers work against them, and make it even harder to survive battles. 
Almost all tactics regarding Kastalians rely on their rock-hard infantry. Many Kastalian vehicles are actually refits of older trade vehicles. Even many of their cruisers are actually just modified variants of trade shuttles. As such, these vehicles are not designed for combat, and are almost always kept out of common skirmishes. Although a few combat vehicles have been recently constructed and assigned, they are still horribly lacking in starships, never mind the lack of sea vehicles altogether.
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