Athrael

Races

**Federation**

**Sylon**

**Athrael**

**Thorun**

**Zhogarn**

* Portrait
* Logo

## Overview

*NOTE - This section covers gameplay specifics for the Athrael faction. For background history, check Athrael's lore.*

The **Athraels** (represented by the Athrael Theocracy) are one of the five playable races of Five Nations. The Athraels are a highly intelligent, artificially created alien race, which use advanced technology and have been travelling in space for thousands of years in search of their creators, whom they name 'The Architects', in hopes of finding a way to save their race and home moon, Vemana, given the rapid genetic decay that forced the Athraels to rely on the constant cloning of over seventy-two pure genetic bloodlines.

The Athraels’ characteristic features are similar to humans, such as straight erect posture, walking on both legs, and thumbs that can be turned to face the other fingers. The advanced skull of the species is enlarged and is extremely intelligent due to its especially advanced brain.

## Gameplay style

Athrael gameplay is characterized by it's fleets of main vessels (even basic ones such as Warpgliders and Flankers) supported by it's Intruder fighters and even automated drones such as Lancets and Martyrprobes, engaging at a distance, hit-and-run attacks and setting ambushes until the odds shift in their favor.  For this, most of their non-fighter vessels (except the Harbinger) make use of Warp Engines that can allow them to outrun most pursuers and break through most attempted blockades, coming off with virtually few hits.  In capable hands, an Athrael commander is capable of outmaneuvering and outflanking the main fleets of other races constantly, requiring enemy commanders to possess an even greater foreknowledge of the battlefield to be able to intercept them with split or smaller fleets and force them to engage.  Sadly, such agility has it's cost on the below average durability of their forces (arguably more than the Sylons and Zhogarns, but less than the Federation and the Thoruns), as well as the fact Warp Engines sacrifice shielding and power for speed, meaning a sure escape route must be ensured to replenish and recover.

Athrael fighters and drones are the strongest in their specific roles and, in enough numbers, can dominate the battlefield - the Intruder, with it's shields, is a solid fighter capable of dueling even against Thorun Predators for a time.  The Lancet is easily more accessible in comparison with Crows and Predators in Assault Mode, and Martyrprobes are feared for their ability to surgically remove defenses and high value units such as Flagships, Arsons, Avengers and Overseers in but a few suicide runs, all while ignoring space obstacles along with their sibling fighter wings.  Countering fighters, for Athraels, is also optimized further with the deployment of Rectors which, in enough numbers, can devastate whole wings of fighters, especially swarming ones such as Spears, Guards and Impalers.  Both their capital ships - Invaders and Motherships - also spawn Revengers when destroyed, which can punish killing units, especially those which cannot retaliate against fighters.

Athrael infra-structure stands out in that both their Power and Supply structures, the BioSpheres and Power Cores, can upgrade themselves to become defensive structures - Polaron Spheres and Obelisks - without ever compromising their productive output, allowing for emergency defense when the main defense of a base has collapsed.  In addition, their mining facilities are totally independent of cargo haulers, the resources extracted by Drones instead being teleported to the Central Pyramids via Mass Transmitters, allowing for Central Pyramids themselves to find better positions that make the most of their construction radii.

Some notorious weaknesses of the Athraels are the notorious weakness of their Explorer units, which require protection (especially the Absorbent Coating upgrade, which grants them stealth) to survive a heavy crossfire and be able to detect stealth units, as well as the frailty of the defenses, given the upgrades to the Biospheres and Power Cores only provide them with weaponry.  The Athrael's healing-oriented spellcaster, the Clairvoyant, while arguably more potent than the Pasteur, is also unwieldy in it's power usage, it's abilities taking instant chunks of power for brief shield regeneration or periodic jolts of hull repair, requiring the Fast Charging upgrade more than it's other counterparts.  Fast Charging also happens to be a soft requirement for the Harbinger, since it's attacks, while long-ranged and capable of a punch, are dependant of a power supply.

## Units

Central Pyramid units

Cabal units

Haven units

Sanctuary units

Campaign only

## Buildings

Tier 1 structures

Tier 2 structures

Tier 3 structures

Campaign only

# Renegades expansion

## Buildings

File:Magnetator-ingame.png Magnetator
File:Warp Portal-ingame.png Warp Portal

## Researches

File:Absorbent Coating.png Absorbent Coating
File:Stealth Shielding.png Stealth Shielding
File:Concealment.png Concealment
File:Forward Command Post.png Forward Command Post

# Trivia

* Athrael physiology, ship designs like the Intruder and uses of geometry such as spheres, pyramids and obelisks are most likely inspired on both Ufology and the pseudoscientific hypothesis of "ancient astronauts".
	+ Athraels themselves resemble the Grey alien (AKA Zeta Reticulans or Roswell Greys), a known alien design in pop culture. Their tall stature may also resemble the Kaminoan species in *Star Wars*, which in turn were inspired by Steven Spielberg's *Close Encounters of the Third Kind*.
* The Athrael's symbol likely references the controversial crop circles' hoax, which in turn inspired the movie *Signs.*

* The concept of the Athraels being dependant on cloning of genetic bloodlines may reference both the creation of the Jem'Hadar in *Star Trek: Deep Space Nine* and the Highbreed in *Ben 10: Alien* force.

* The Athrael faction shares some similarities with the Protoss in *StarCraft:*
	+ The thematic of a low prolific people which relies on multiple robotic machines for battlefield dominance and even workforce.
	+ The golden-plated thematics, as well as the design of the Central Pyramid, which recalls a Protoss Nexus.
	+ The theocratic-centered design is a nod to the Protoss Conclave, but can also be a reference to the Covenant faction in *Halo.*
		- The search and treasuring of Architect artifacts and culture by the Athraels is akin to that performed by the Protoss in relation with the Xel'Naga (in particular the Shelak Tribe) and the Covenant in regards to the Forerunners.
	+ The function of Explorers (especially with cloaking) heavily resembles that of Protoss Observers.
	+ The shape of the Lancet is resembles the Protoss Interceptor, as the Gathering also resembles a Mothership and the Clairvoyant the Oracle, the latter both from *StarCraft II*.

* The function of the Psychic Dome to be able to dominate entire armies may be a nod to the Psychic Beacons, Amplifiers and Dominators in *Command & Conquer Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge*.

* Both the Rector and the Ark's design may have been inspired by the kryptonian Black Zero engine introduced in DCEU's *Man of Steel*.

* The noses of both the Invader and the Mothership may reference the Romulan D'deridex-class in *Star Trek*.

* The Flanker's design resembles the Corellian YT-1300 light freighter, the famous chassis of the Millenium Falcon, in *Star Wars*.

* The Obelisk's funcion and attack resembles the Obelisk of Light in *Command & Conquer*.

## See Also

 * Federation
* Sylon
* Athrael
* Thorun
* Zhogarn