The Veneran Race

## Origins

Venerans, also known as the **Scions of Venera**, are the only known sentient inhabitants of Lesbos Prime. Their true origins are debatable, however it is Veneran belief that their genesis was not, in fact, natural. Exploration of ruins found within deep jungle mountains of Lesbos Prime that, to their knowledge, predate their civilization have alluded to the existence of a figure known only as Venera. She is seen as the progenitor of their entire species, to have shaped their world and its inhabitants to ensure their supremacy.

## Appearance

Venerans oddly appear more-or-less human, though they possess many notable differences that set them apart. They are eerily strong and swift, their bodies well tuned for physical superiority, in addition their eye coloration tends toward unusual vibrancy. However the greatest and most bizarre difference lay in their manner of reproduction, their species is entirely female and yet possessed of the ability to fully produce offspring without sexual intercourse.

## Culture and History

For hundreds of years the Venerans lived more-or-less primitively within the great forests, jungles and mountains of Lesbos Prime. Their ability to hunt the rampant wildlife was key to their ability to survive, and they came to excel at it. Although they were as often the hunted as they were the hunter, especially by the rarest and most absurdly lethal of beasts.

Veneran civilization is thought to have discovered Venera's ruins, known as the Halls of Genesis, before they developed written language. Indeed their very language was to all appearances derived from the writings found in and upon the Halls. Their civilization soared upwards from this point, the inspiration of their 'godly creator' giving rise to advancements in weaponry and architecture. They raised imitative structures and fortresses upon ingenious positions to provide protection against most (but not all) wildlife and began a period of technological discovery, at this time delicately approaching the same levels of understanding as the Ancient Greeks of Earth.

### Dawn of Ascendancy

However the discovery of the Halls of Genesis had set a fire of curiosity in their hearts, exulting in their discoveries but certain that their progenitor had left more for them to find. More knowledge, more power, more *purpose.* They swept through jungles, forests and mountains hunting stem to peak for any sign of her remaining presence, and through time and patience they found it. A great peak in the very heart of the jungle, if it could even be called jungle anymore. The ground became so mountainous and pitted with crags, ravines and mysterious holes stretching into the black heart of the world itself that traversing the surrounding territory became nigh-impossible. A way through was found however, marked by a single, gargantuan ancient stone column etched with faded text that would define Veneran culture for ages to come.

*"I am no God, though you must surely think me so. All i am is anger and cruelty and death and i challenge you... Ascend."*

With this began the first known Ascendancy, every present warrior embarked upon the path into the mountain, what became known, simply, as the Halls of Ascendancy. Hundreds of warriors went in, one came out: **Idrena**, the First Ascendant. Little is known of what truly transpires within the Halls, they are seen as a place of trial, horror, and brutality. It is said she emerged changed. Within her hand was clasped an entirely new weapon, she was marked with wounds but did not hobble or cringe. To those who had witnessed her emergence she had seemed to radiate dominance and surety. It is sometimes difficult to discern where truth ends and fantasy begins, however many past Ascendants are thought of as demigod-like beings.

Regardless of the details, **Idrena** spread the news of their discovery (and her Ascendancy) far among her people. Proclaiming that Venera had left behind what they had sought, and that she, **Idrena**, would lead them from now on. It is recorded that many challenged her self-proclaimed right to tyranny... challenged and lost. Idrena went on to found a great city to serve as the unquestioned capital of their people, nestled within a great valley said to be equidistant to the Halls of Genesis and Ascendancy, to be known as Vasileia. The largest construction project ever undertaken at the time. From this point on their society fell into a fairly standardized state of growth, forever marked by the successes or failures of aspirants seeking their own Ascendancy.

## Ascendants

Since their inception an Ascendant has been seen as the ideal form, perfection beyond measure, tried and true. Wielding great power granted by Venera. Indeed it became publically known that the Halls of Ascendancy possess a treasure trove of weaponry left behind for each Ascendant, that they may claim one of their own through which to project their proven superiority. These weapons far and away outclass anything that could be conventionally produced by the Scions of Venera, quite often sworn to have supernatural power. However this was largely due to the material of their making being capable of crashing through blades of iron or even early steel without so much as sustaining a scratch.

Even those skeptical of an Ascendants power would quail to look into her eyes. An indescribable eeriness radiates from her akin to a mystical aura, it has been said that an Ascendant does not fight, she hunts. So beneath her are her foes that they are little more than prey in her eyes. These things could so easily be dismissed as superstition, however they have remained constant throughout the advancement of Veneran society, past times when many other superstitions had simply died out. The Ascendants remain, constant and unwavering in their ability to dominate and captivate those around them.

The greatest facet of the Ascendants aura of dread occurred relatively late, however. An Ascendant by the name of **Ilena** had a chance encounter with one of the most unquestionably lethal creatures to call Lesbos Prime home: The Kynivar, a winged nightmare feared for the flammable acid it spews from its fanged maw. By means unknown this Ascendant exerted her dominance over the creature as none had before. Ilena, Tamer of the Winged Death, began a long standing tradition for using the savage Kynivar as a tool of domination.