Krathunian Covenant

Introduction
Among the many events during the end of the war against the Dominion the reemergence of the Intragalactic Krathunian Covenant of Sethega will likely be seen as one of the most pivotal in deciding the future state of the galaxy. The Krathunians had a large part in Ravena's past, though for the most part they were divided between the Old Worlds, the original colonies including the homeworld of Sethega, and the New Worlds, consisting of newer territory. High sectionalism is characteristic of this time as the Old Worlds allied with the Loccalians in what became known as the Arbalest Union and the New Worlds worked towards independence and isolation from the other part of the empire which they deemed dangerously immoral and over zealous. This time is also ridden with war, some of the more prominent of these being the R'lek War and the ensuring Vrentus Uprising. Both of these brutal and bloody conflicts severely weakened the Covenant and allowed for Kradus and the Dominion to sweep through Old Worlds territory with less resistance than normal and destroy the Old Worlds government. However, this allowed for the New Worlds to take control of the empire, withdrawing fully into isolation.

However, when the death of Kradus came to light, the Intragalactic Krathunian Covenant took full advantage, launching a massive and successful campaign to retake Sethega and their former territory. With this came their encounter with the Jorro'kil, who were revealed to be a Krathunian creation. With this they joined the Confederacy, and were dragged into the recently initiated war with the UFIAI. New technologies such as shield worlds and Energy/Matter Absorbation and Repurposing Drives were introduced along with this.

Now, the Intragalactic Krathunian Covenant of Sethega is a force to be reckoned with in the galaxy, with advanced technology and a powerful military. However it remains to be seen what will become of the Covenant as the war drags on and the past catches up with it.

Biology
Physically, the Krathunians are a unique and intimidating species. They are evolved to adapt to the harsh and devastating conditions of Sethega, a mountainous, arctic world. The Krathunians stand anywhere from 8 to 9.5 feet tall, mostly to account for large lung size and muscle mass that have allowed them to survive along with their large brains. Each has one pair of arms and digitigrade legs, both of which are rather bulky. The most defining feature of Krathunians is their protective outer plating, made up of a natural metallic material. This allows them to be protected from harmful radiation from Sethega's star, more abundant due to the thinner atmosphere of the planet and the altitude, as well as shield them from falling and other injuries. The plating ranges in luster from dull to shining and in color from almost white to black. Krathunians are very notable for their strength - this is due to large amounts of muscles that all possess as well as an above average muscle density. In addition, their bones are quite durable, though not as much as the Jorro'kil.

Another interesting aspect of Krathunians is their mouths - in addition to normal jaws, they also have mandible-like extensions. Their teeth are specialized for cutting through the armoring that they share with their prey. Krathunians have especially good eyesight, as this was their primary hunting tool in terms of senses. They are specialized to be unharmed by glare or high amounts of light due to the star's reflection upon the snow on  Sethega. The sclera and pupil of their eyes is black, while the iris ranges greatly in color, though the most common hues are red and yellow. Krathunians have better an average smelling sneezes as well - due to the sterile nature of their planet, they were also able to track prey via scent, though this became less and less reliable as time went on. Their hearing, though, is only about average, especially since their ears are essentially holes in the sides of their heads, and their sense of taste is more dulled than that of other species due to prey on  Sethega evolving flesh that tastes less than desirable to counteract an over abundance of predators.

In terms of organs, Krathunians have essentially everything that humans have, aside from an appendix. However, there are a couple things to note. First, Krathunians have two stomachs with especially strong acids, a trait that they have carried over to the Jorro'kil. The reason for this is to digest the metallic plating of Sethegan animals. Secondly, their hearts are more powerful than most species to account for their large size. Like mentioned before, they have large lungs  as to take in as much oxygen as possible, though they also have a higher tolerance than humans to low amounts of the gas.

Due to the environment where they evolved, Krathunians have a high tolerance to the cold. This is due to their warm blood and the fur-like filaments under their plating, structured in a similar manner to Jorro'kil feathers. Underneath this, they have scaled skin that is similar in durability to the hide of a rhinoceros, and the material this is made of is especially good at conserving heat. Krathunians have claws on both their fingers and toes, specialized in ripping apart natural plates and climbing steep cliffs. These progressively get harder throughout life though they become fairly brittle with old age.

Early History
The Krathunian species evolved on the arctic, mountainous planet of Sethega. From their beginnings, Krathunians have been incredibly resourceful, utilizing Sethega's naturally occurring abundance of metals and rather rare elements to a great degree. Despite their inherent physical strength, natural protection against the forces of their planet, and rather sharp teeth and claws, Krathunians had an advanced knowledge and high usage of artificial tools and weapons very early on in their development. Iron tools were commonplace, the most used weaponry being a variant of a crossbow, swords, and axes. Hammers were also used rather often as to crush the plating of prey species. Within this stage, civilizations rapidly formed in the form of tribes, created initially as groups of hunters and gatherers. As time progressed, these tribes grew larger and began to cultivate plants and animals and begin agriculture, though it is important to note that Krathunians are carnivores and that grown crops were for the animals reared.

The Rise of Trevitun Revkta
Eventually, larger societies and civilizations arose. The first very significant civilization was that of the great warlord Trevitius, who conquered and united many tribes into a great kingdom known as Trevitun Revkta, located in the heart of Sethega’s central landmass, a continent known as Lokhanar, though others emerged at the time of it’s creation in other parts of the world.

Trevitun Revkta is significant for several reasons. Out of the original five great nations of Sethega that came to be at the time, Trevitun Revkta was the largest and most influential. The Krathunian calendar began at year 0 RH (Loccalian year 37,365) when the prophet Gaiulas founded the religion of the Krathunians, the Pact of Stone, in the capital city of Trevitun Revkta, a place that would stand the test of time and become known from thereforth as The Ra’anian. As such, they were the first nation to create new technology at the fast pace that the Covenant is known for, revolutionizing nearly every aspect of life, from war to that in the household. They also are known for adopting the now popular mantra of “the best defense is the best offense.” Despite their technological advance over the nations they warred with at the time, the Revktan troops would strategize more defensively, making them a powerful force with few losses relative to their opponents.

Despite its positive aspects, Trevitun Revkta was autocratic in nature, and was heavily oppressive towards the other countries of the time, engaging in activities such as taxing trading that didn’t involve them and regularly overtaking villages and other settlements on the outskirts of other countries, as its military strength allowed it to do so. While the spread of the Pact of Stone was beneficial towards all nations, resentment for Trevitun Revkta grew. They forged an alliance known as the Kvuras Coalition in the year 671 RH. Initially, in order to bring about the collapse of the hegemonic Trevitun Revkta, they worked to unify the lower and peasant classes of that nation and incite an uprising, heavily using propaganda and promises of a better life to do so. These domestic issues allowed for the Kvuras Coalition to be able to engage with Trevitun Revkta in direct combat in what became known as the Revktan War in 677 RH. Warfare lasted for thirty years, and the brutally battered Coalition emerged victorious in 707 RH.

The Kvuras Coalition and Lorkana War
Though the war had been won, there were still many issues within the Coalition. The land that had previously made up Trevitun Revkta, including the religious capital of The Ra’anian, was heavily disputed between the four nations that had composed the coalition - The Republic of Yvori, Erthjaan, The Rvorak Kingdom, and The Skoriin Authority. There were various political conflicts as to who would get what, and additional armed combat between nationalists of the various countries to contest rulings despite technically being allied. There was additional sectionalism between the  northern and central/southern regions of the continent. This included the adoption of Trevitun Revkta’s language in the latter as well as cultural aspects and a different path of development to the north. These could also be defined as a conservative and liberal conflict - Those in the center and south were conservatives, wanting a similar government to that of their former oppressor for stability and being generally more religious, and the north being more liberal. Despite instability throughout this period there was also a great deal of innovation, both socially and technologically. Krathunians, due to their religion and overall brain structure, were able to create new technologies and industrialize much faster than other species. While full-on industrialization wouldn’t happen at this point, the period still experienced a great deal of new inventions such as the first firearms.

During one scheduled meeting between the leaders of each of the four nations at The Ra’anian in the year 798, a multitude of cast iron bomb filled with gunpowder exploded, killing many officials, politicians, and other leaders. While the attack couldn’t be pinned on any leader, the conflict exploded outwards in conjunction with the tensions described above and caused a war between the four nations in the Lorkana War. Much of this conflict was a stalemate, as the Coalition had coordinated on technological advancements and strategies. Two factions arose - The liberals to the north, consisting of the Skoriin Authority and the Republic of Yvori, and the central/southern conservatives, the Rvorak Kingdom and Erthjaan. Towards the end of the war, the king of the Skoriin Authority was overthrown by the political elite who opposed him and the resulting infighting within that nation greatly weakened the north and allowed Rvorak and Erthjaan to quickly end the war in 814. The two nations came to an agreement and merged, making their capital into The Ra’anian and restoring many of the traditions of Trevitun Revkta and creating the New Revktan Empire in 816.

The New Revktan Empire
The New Revktan Empire’s establishment marked a new era for Krathunian civilization. It was able to assert its control over almost the entirety of known Sethega, with small remaining sections being home to small countries that splintered off but were still generally subservient to the Empire due to a power differential. Under the rule of the Empire, many more technological innovations were made, and there was high development due to a lack of conflict. It was during the reign of the Empire that an industrial revolution occurred, spurring development even further. The power of the government was consolidated in the hands of the Emperor, who had control over the military and politics of the nation. The Pact of Stone church was a separate entity, however it began to assert authority about a hundred years after the end of the Lorkana War, in 914 RH. Protests began in the capital to make religion a greater part of the government, and some liberal reformists argued for the military to do so instead. Rather than start violent conflict, the Emperor at the time, Emperor Jvar Ra’agus, instead held a poll to determine which entities should have greater levels of official influence within the governing of the New Revktan Empire. As a result of this, Jvar created the Imperial Council, consisting of politicians, and religious/military leaders, headed by himself, in 918 RH. The Imperial Council further increased the general happiness level of Krathunians within the Empire, as they felt that their interests were being represented.

Over time, however, The New Revktan Empire grew increasingly autocratic, with more power being consolidated towards the Emperor. The nation was increasingly militarized, and smaller countries were quickly reinstated into the empire. The New Revktan Empire began to assert global control, initiating a policy on colonization, and at its colonial peak in 1132, controlled the entirety of Sethega. In 1143, then Emperor Kalan Ra’agus dissolved the Imperial Council, establishing himself as supreme leader of the Empire. The people quickly became displeased with this and began uprising against the Emperor, but he was assassinated merely 9 month after dissolving the council. For the short time he ruled as an authoritarian figure, however, the Empire was stable aside from civilians protesting the rule, which the military had been able to quick put down.

The Lost War and the Dawn of the Covenant
After the death of Emperor Kalan in 1143, the entirety of the New Revktan Empire was broken. Several regional factions arose that soon declared their sovereignty. The Revktan military was divided between these new nations, while the church remained neutral, trying to promote peace and prevent another bloody conflict. However, it was too late. The newly formed eight major nations of Sethega waged war against each other, forming three major factions based upon their beliefs, political attitudes, etc. This conflict, lasting from 1144 to 1216, is known as the Lost War because of a statement by a Pact of Stone Arch-priest - "For a time, the nations of Sethega lost their truths and values, and the mountains were soaked with the blood of Krathun's children."

Following the Lost War's end in 1216, Sethega remained divided, but there was a period of peace, of which the Pact of Stone was a mediator. The Ra'anian remained a religious, neutral city throughout this, establishing importance as an international center. This time experienced even further technological advancements and innovations. Extreme urbanization of all countries was also characteristic of this time. This period is known as the Dawn, and the relative peace lasted for many years, until 1532 RH.

The Krathunian Covenant of Sethega
In 1532, conflict was sparked when the expansionist northern nation of Yvenai waged war on a central country, the Lerja'a Republic. Global war erupted once more, with each nation taking side due to alignments with each side. The war lasted until 1545, at which point the Pact of Stone officially intervened as a mediator between the sides. It became apparent that a global association of countries was necessary in preventing conflict, and it was decided that this was be mediated by the Pact of Stone. Thus, the Krathunian Covenant of Sethega was created, and shortly after, the first Krathunian satellites were launched, with the flag of the new Covenant marked upon them.

The Covenant's authority and power was quickly established. Its formation required each nation to send a significant portion of their military to the Covenant. A global armed force was created, with the purpose of defense and peacekeeping rather than offense. The military grew in power relative to the church, however, and the Covenant had begun creating international legislature that applied to all nations. Thus, the leaders of the Covenant created the council of the Convergence, a group of military, religious, political, and scientific leaders that would work to govern the Covenant as a whole.

An Interstellar Empire
The event of becoming spacefaring heralded a new golden age of technological and social advancement for Krathunians. The Covenant quickly expanded its reach into the Sethen system,

The Arbalest Union
UNDER CONSTRUCTION