Shala

## Introduction

Shala is the homeworld of the Ralven. Once a bustling world very similar to Earth, it was glassed and has had most life extinguished. Only the strongest lifeforms remain, which are expected to make a recovery within a few hundred thousand years. It has two natural satellites, a large moon about the size of pluto, and an asteroid.

## History

Around 24,000 BCE, the first Ralven civilization arose from within the thick jungles of the largest continent on Shala. The Ralven started to learn more efficient ways of obtaining food, such as agriculture and trapmaking. In 3,200 BCE, a spacecraft wreckage was found by Ghuran Ga'yahalsa. He misinterpreted the writing within the craft and believed it to be a warning from an eternal being promising prosperity if they can earn it by becoming the rulers of the universe. Ghuran Ga'hayalsa became the first Vhaldma and his religion has since encompassed the entirety of the Shala. From there, the Ralven advanced very quickly, and in 200 BC, the first spacecraft were sent into space. In 201 BC, however, a supermassive volcano erupted killing millions of Ralven across the globe. It wasn't until around 1400 AD that the Ralven had finally regained a footing and began rediscovering the lost technology they once possessed. Seranism still remained their primary belief system, which also fueled their advancement into space. In 2098, the Ralven left their homeworld for a second time and began spreading throughout their system. Using a primitive model of a FTL Drive, they began their galactic conquest.

Between 2100 and 2200, the Ralven encountered the Ghora, who joined the Ralven in their conquest, forming a union known as the Iquhaya. The Iquhaya had brought many species to extinction until they came across Humanity and Fludiens. The alliance between these species defeated the Iquhaya and quarantined the Ralven to Shala forcing them to remain on the surface. The Ralven, using a crashed human ship, created 12 massive dreadnaughts underground which could house over 100,000 Ralven each. Nearly 12,000,000 Ralven left Shala and headed for outside the quarantine. However, all of the Warp Drives on the dreadnaughts had defects, and they were stuck in the Drift Dimension. While this caused problems initially, it had actually been mostly beneficial. A large population remained on Shala where they would wait for the return.

In 2788, a small human exploratory vesel encountered the Iquhayan remnant in the Drift Dimension. The vessel escaped, and a large human armada appeared soon after. The armada was destroyed quickly, and the new Iquhayan burst forth and spread back into the universe, freeing Shala from it's quarantine, and quickly began attacking and destroying Fludien and Human colonies within range. Success was within reach until an attempted invasion of the Fludien homeworld of Tuhot Fle'modd. Here, a massive human fleet was successful in destroying the Iquhayan fleet. Soon after, the Human fleet appeared over Shala, where a last minute defence was set up. The resistance was crushed, and Shala was glassed. The few remaining Ralven were taken and sent to a new world, where all technology was stripped away from them, and all knowledge possessed was erased. The species was reverted to the stone age. Shala had been inhabited by Humans and Fludiens and is now a popular Historical site within the galaxy. The few remaining lifeforms were intermingled with newly introduced life, both from other life-bearing worlds and those created in the Vitae Projects.