Lyraen Empire: Difference between revisions

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The Lyraen race has settled some eight planetary systems, mainly to the galactic South of B-Lyrae. The major colony of note is the independent WYN (prnc. "win") nebula. Although this has never been under Imperial control it is of note due to its unusual composition.

The fiercely independent WYN cluster is composed of Kzinti and Lyraen refugees from the Wars of Attrition. To both governments embarrassment these refugees have built a vibrant and colourful society under the infuriated noses of the Empire and the Patriarchy. The region of space occupies a region at the edge of Kzinti, Lyraen and Klingon space and is surrounded by a heavily radioactive cloud. Because of this the area was unsettled before the cluster was colonised during the Wars. The radiation shell is thin and can be breached with minimal damage at warp eight.

The Lyraen homeworld Czyrath orbits the twin-star system of Beta-Lyrae at a distance of 0.97 AU.  It has two small dense moons invisible from the surface.

B-Lyrae I is a vast red giant, and orbiting this with great angular velocity is B-Lyrae II, a bright yellow type G sun similar to Sol.  Due to the smaller sun's rapid revolution, Czyrath is never in shadow from the smaller sun for more than one complete day in every ten.

Czyrath has two large continents; the polar and temperate Southern continent and the tropical-temperate Northern land mass.  The seat of government is placed on the Southern continent at the site of the earliest recorded civilised settlement. Gravity is similar to Terra at 1.08 of a standard Gee.

Two major orbital cities exist about Czyrath: qiJaor Habitation and Ranath Base, the former is primarily habitation as the name suggests, and the latter is mainly military and commercial. Federation space traffic is tolerated but not encouraged.

There exists the hulk of an unnamed Kzinti military outpost in the asteroid belt.  This is being rebuilt by the Lyraens with some distaste.

The Lyraens evolved from cats hunting in the Southern snow wastes and tundra of Czyrath.  Moving Northwards, these pre-Lyraens developed a bipedal stance to see above the tall stout grasses of the Southern plains and a stubby half-opposable thumb which aided in traversing the treacherous ravines of this area.

The industrial revolution occurred on the Northern continent some 1000 years later, but to a far lesser extent than on Terra.  As such, Czyrath still has most of its natural resources intact and some areas, for example the deep, vegetated and misty Tsilhe Gorges are still amongst the most breathtaking sights in the galaxy.

The Lyraen race was on the verge of interplanetary flight when an outrider from the expansionist Kzinti Patriarchy encountered the system.  There followed 107 years of warfare at sublight speeds which the Lyraens eventually lost.  The race was enslaved for over forty years, but as Patriarchal attention was turned elsewhere at the time (Terra, in fact) the Kzinti overseeing force was rapidly overthrown.  With the development of warp technology several bloody wars of attrition followed with large losses on both sides, but few truly decisive battles were fought.  The Lyraens harbour a lingering hatred of their foes from these times, and some may even attack a kzin on sight even though an uneasy peace exists between the two governments.

Lyraen warp technology is primitive, but their force-field technology is superior to our own.  Lyraen ships, like those of their former masters the Kzinti use grav planers for propulsion and are therefore highly maneuverable.  Advanced biotechnological implants are occasionally seen in those from the Southern continent, but genetics is still in its infancy.  The Lyraen genome is not yet mapped.

Technology is considered important by both cultures, and the Lyraens were spacefarers at the time of their first battles with the Kzinti.  Common articles such as eating utensils and furniture are usually made by local craftsmen from natural materials. Lighting is either by gas-lamp, or less commonly electrical.

The Czyrath Institute of Art in the large city of Cunetz River Passage is one of the most widely respected museums of sculpture in the galaxy.  The Vulcan sculptor Sorath dedicated 30 years of her work to it, even though Czyrath has never been a member of the Federation.  An extra gallery was built specially to house Sorath's work, and the rare passes granting access to the planetary system are highly valued amongst art lovers.

Following the collapse of the Lyraen Empire in the aftermath of the Kzinti Wars, the Lyrans built an alliance of imperial worlds under a republican government.