Tevarin

Pronunciation: / TEV-are-inn /

History
Humanity's first interstellar enemy... and second.

The UPE first established contact with the space-faring civilization in 2541. While not as technologically advanced as us, the Tevarin were beginning to strike out into the universe. A proud, martial society, the Tevarin wanted what we had and struck first. While the battlegrounds never threatened Earth or Terra, what the Tevarin lacked technologically, they more than made up for in strategic brilliance and endurance, causing the war to last over four years. The turning point was the infamous Battle of Idris IV, which introduced a young officer, Ivar Messer, to the populace of the UPE.

After the Tevarin defeat, the UPE terraformed the Tevarin systems for Human colonization. The remaining Tevarin were either absorbed into the UPE or fled to the Banu or Xi'An systems.

In 2603, a new Tevarin Warlord, Corath'Thal, emerged from the corners of the cosmos with a rebuilt Tevarin battle-fleet and launched his first attack against the UPE systems. Their sole mission was to reclaim Elysium IV, their former homeworld. While it was a sympathetic cause that some Humans could support, the UPE wasn't about to give up territory. This war lasted seven years and touched almost every corner of the UPE.

On June 24, 2610 SET, Corath'Thal suffered a catastrophic defeat at the hands of Squadron 42 at the Battle of Centauri. With his fleet rapidly falling to either destruction or surrender, Corath'Thal mustered his remaining loyal pilots to make a desperate charge for Elysium IV. Though they suffered an additional 70% casualty, his fleet finally reached the atmosphere of their old homeworld. Corath'Thal and his pilots lowered their thermal shields and dove for the planet.

With this second defeat, the spirit of the Tevarin race was irrevocably broken. Imperator Messer II used the victory to cement his place as ruler of the newly christened United Empire of Earth.

Homeworld
Formerly Kaleeth (terraformed and colonized by Humans, renamed to Elysium IV).

Political system (former)
The Tevarin were somewhere between a feudalistic society and an oligarchy. The military ran everything. The only way to upgrade your station in life was to distinguish yourself in combat. That being said, those not in the military weren’t ignored — since everybody contributed to the system, everybody was cared for. Some fought, others farmed.

The highest title was Warlord. It sounds much more violent than it is. The Tevarin were not a bloodthirsty race. They simply honored the art of war.

Diplomatic status
There isn't an official Tevarin civilization or government, as the race has been defeated and assimilated into the UEE.

A few showcase Tevarin have been given Citizenship to display the UEE's tolerance, but total Tevarin Citizens might be measured in triple (or even double) digits. The rest couldn't care less.

Military
Even though the Second Tevarin War ended over three hundred years ago (2610), there is a nearly culture-wide resentment of the UEE military that resonates to this day, so the number of volunteers in the UEE military is very low. The majority of Tevarin in the military arrive via the UEE judicial system. Certain Tevarin criminals are offered a choice: serve your time on QuarterDeck or do a mandated number of tours in a front-line (re: cannon-fodder/Dirty Dozen) squad, usually patched together from Tevarin and human convicts. It's possible, though rare, for Tevarin to elevate in rank from these squads into more ‘legitimate’ branches of the UEE military.

Religion
Originally the Tevarin followed Rijora (/REE-jorr-ah/), a warrior-code similar to Bushidō on ancient Earth. The Tevarin believed in honor, fealty and duty above all else. Breaking their strict code meant excommunication or even execution in extreme cases.

After their defeat in the first war and the loss of their homeworld, the code began to lose popularity. The Second Tevarin War was an attempt to reclaim Tevarin’s previous glory. When it failed miserably, the last believers of Rijora flung themselves toward Kaleeth, burning up in the atmosphere and crashing into the planet. The rest abandoned the beliefs for good. This climactic period was known among the Tevarin as the Purge, during which time most of the Tevarin destroyed their Codices (the holy writ of Rijora).

Personality traits
There is a sadness and anger through most of the Tevarin; a melancholy that their species is on the decline. After their planet was lost, many Tevarin channeled their aggressive nature into addictions and violence. Tevarin mercs are noted for their ruthlessness and utter lack of fear. Gone are the honor-bound spiritual warriors of old; the killers are all that remain.

The average Tevarin finds little joy in life these days. When interacting with them, most Humans find them to be terse and cynical.