Exquivan

The Exquivan are a race of monks that are constantly trying to achieve a Zen-like state of nothingness. Their culture and philosophy is a response to the coming of the Eternal Ones. The Eternal Ones feed on all the sentience located in the galaxy, killing all the sentient life in the process. Therefore, the Exquivan seek a regression in thought and culture until there are none of both, returning to utter simplicity and loss of sentience.

## Biology

The Exquivan are semi-humanoid, covered in dense hair, and a rich, red robe to cover most of their bodies. Discourses on the nature of the Exquivan physiology are against the nature of Exquivan philosophy, and were thusly never brought up.

## Culture

The Exquivan seek a zen-like nothingness; a regression in thought and culture until there are none of both. Knowledge, to them, is a curse and a burden, and to lose all knowledge and return to blissful simplicity, is the only way to survive. If the Exquivan had met the Doog, they may have changed their minds about that.

Much of their philosophy relates to the coming of the External Ones. Like everything else, the monks took a relaxed, passive response to the coming threat, not only acknowledging it in superiority and strength, but respecting it fully. The Exquivan did not believe that the Eternal Ones could be thwarted, and expended no energy doing so, just as they expend no energy in most tasks. At the same time, they did not wish to be eradicated by the Feeding, and so approached the dilemma in the manner they best see fit: They chose to lose their sentience.

The Exquivan had always been ascetics, preaching that desires only lead to suffering, and so it was necessary to rid oneself of all desires by divesting all material possessions. They further drew the conclusion that not only desires, but thought lead to suffering, and with the threat of the Eternal Ones being very real indeed, they had good reason to believe so. In addition to living a life without want or need, the monks strove to live a life devoid of reason and thinking as well, and encouraged other races to do so as well. Specifically, the Exquivan would impart no knowledge to another race, as it would only add to their burden of sentience, and would need to be shucked off later if they were to survive the Feeding. Naturally, many races did not take kindly to this.

Chief among their efforts to strip themselves of worldly burdens was their refusal to join with either alliance of races, with the result that neither could call upon the Exquivan for assistance. That was as it should be to the monks; to influence the fates of other races would be to cause suffering upon those they allied against, and the act of alliance would mean that there would be those who could not follow the Exquivan path. This is distasteful to the Exquivan, as they strive to help others while at the same time to do nothing at all. They wished to share their path to others through example, and to fight alongside those races would not only be to neglect their doctrine, but to prevent their "foes" from studying their wisdom.

## History

Most of Exquivan history is unknown, possibly even to the Exquivan. In their zeal to look to the future with open minds clear of thought, the first step in the new Zen-like philosophy must have been to erase the footprints of their race through time. This way, they could not build upon advancements made in the past because they would know nothing of the past. Careful deletion of historical record fits neatly within the wide parameters of the Sage's desire to muddle the minds of those who would hear. While other races find this ideology nearly as backwards as that of the Thraddash, it was a necessary step in the Exquivan direction.

During the events of the Crux-League War, the Exquivan proved themselves to be a nusance to both sides, attacking both factions vying for control over the Precursor digsites scattered across the Kessari Quadrant. They also refused to interact with the Captain beyond vague requests of learning their ways and refusing to allow a tech team down to the planet to attend to an ancient Precursor computer until they had developed the mindset the Exquivan proposed. However their beliefs were exposed and ripped apart with the coming of the Eternal Ones and so, in a desperate bid for survival, the Exquivan's joined the League of Sentient Races.

The League did eventually persuade the Exquivan to abandon their tenements and join. The Exquivan, respecting the wisdom of the Precursors, did so at the cost of their vital doctrine. Now that the singlemost important element in their philosophy, the looming Feeding of the Eternal Ones, has passed without incident, Exquivan society as it stands now much inevitably collapse. What will result, with no history to guide it and all conventional wisdom unlearned in their rigorous devotion to Nothing, is unknown, but it will be a slow and deliberate process of rebirth for the formerly wise and powerful Exquivan.