Cyrva
The Cyrva are a race of 'space-elves' in the Wings of Dawn universe. Many Cyrvan characters serve as protagonists in the Wings of Dawn storyline.
Contents
Physiology
Appearance wise the Cyrva do not differ much from Terrans. The most obvious difference are their 'elven' ears, which almost instantly got them the 'Space elves' nickname from the Terrans. Cyrvan males on average grow to a height between 160-180cm, Cyrvan females are on average only slightly shorter, 158-176cm. While skin color is almost always white (With the exception of the tanned people from the planet Desa) the Cyrva do have a wide range of different hair colors. Compared to a Terran, they are considerable more agile and flexible but have far less physical strength. They also have a far lower pain threshold and will take all possible measures to avoid injury. Diseases are a rare occurrence and are seldom fatal. The average life span of a Cyrvan can vary greatly, some grow to be over a thousand years old while others 'only' make it to the eight hundred mark, signs of age usually slowly start to show around the age of six hundred. Like Terrans they are omnivores but in general have a preference for plant food. Occasionally a Cyrvan with large wings of white feathers is born (around one in a billion) why or how this happens remains a mystery. It is possible for a Terran and a Cyrva to have a child together, this is in general looked down upon from the Cyrvan side (mostly because Cyrvans tend to have only one partner for life and have a far longer life expectancy than Terrans) but actually encouraged on several LTW planets. Though there have only been very few occurrences of this happening so far.
Culture
There is no known record for any Cyrva martial arts. While they are excellent natural sharpshooters, the average Cyrvan does not pose much of a threat in hand to hand combat.
The Cyrva have a rich culture filled with song and poetry, a lot of which is inspired by their religion. This religion known as Feryaa closely resembles Terran Christianity in many aspects. Including the believe that there is one omnipotent God that created the universe. There is a strong taboo on research into DNA altering genetics, not just because the Cyrva think they are already pretty damned close to perfection but also because they believe God has not intended for them to mess with his creation on such a deep level. This is also the reason why the birth of winged ones remain a mystery as no one is looking into the genetics involved. The birth of a winged one is treated as a good omen for times to come and has been subject of many stories. These 'angels' are often given high ranking ceremonial positions and are set for life, many Cyrvans dream of a life like that. Few Terrans have actually seen a winged one with their own eyes.
Society
The Ten Circles
The Ten Circles of Cyrva for the Protection and Prosperity of Our Kind, often shortened to simply The Ten Circles, is the Cyrvan government and consists of ten circles, with the 10th circle being the largest with thousands of people in it and the 1st circle the smallest with only a handful of elders and high admirals in it. This convoluted system works like this: let's say for example that there is a project proposed for a large park in a city on the planet Desa. The 10th circle will examine and discuss this project and eventually votes on it. A majority vote is reached and the project is greenlit. In 90% of the cases this is where it ends. However there are cases where someone in the 9th circle is completely opposed to spending resources on this project and he/she can ask for a vote to have a vote about this project for the 9th circle. This could potentially mean that the 9th circle can veto the project. Which often in turn leads to lobbying to get the 8th circle to take a look at it. And so forth. The 5th circle is a special case as only winged ones are in it.
This becomes increasingly obstructive when it comes to military funding and operations, as a circle consists of both military personnel and civilians. To elaborate on that a bit more: A High Captain in active frontline service is eligible to be in the 8th circle but is not part of the active decision making until he/she resigns from active service and takes a political military 'deskjob'. This does not go for Rear Admirals and higher, they are expected to be able to lead and do paper work at the same time.
Cyrva Star Armada
The Cyrva Star Armada at first glance looks like an unorganized bunch, higher ranked officers are addressed casually by first name by other pilots and crew and no one is barking orders. But when you look closer you'll notice that strict discipline simply does not have to be enforced. Pilots do what is asked of them and crew members are always on time at their posts. Cyrva fleet academies do not spend hours on end drilling in routine but have a complete focus on learning new pilots how to handle their machine and how to improve their odds of survival out on the field.
The CSA has little in terms of ground presence and goes by the theory that orbital control equals having surface control. The CSA fleet consists of ships from a lot of different generations. Older ships are rarely decommissioned but are occasionally refitted with newer technology. Fighters (MCWS) designs are usually in service for a few hundred years before being replaced by new ones. Fleet action that is going outside CSA space works on a volunteer basis. Ship captains and fighter pilots are under no obligation to go with an invading fleet. This is not the case however when defensive fleet action is required. The CSA can muster a fleet of about 9500 capital ships and over 30.000 strikecraft and has access to highly advanced shipyards in several systems.
History
The Cyrva originate from the Cyrvadia system, a sun very similar to that of Sol. For several thousand years the Cyrva were content with just living their lives in peace with little worries. Technology was only developed when something was deemed too much work and effort and had to be made easier. As the Cyrva population grew, Cyrva society developed into a unique government system where every person who wants to be can be part of the decision making process.
This peaceful existence continued for a long time until on one fateful day, disaster struck Cyrvadia. A meteor crash into the planet, killing millions. This brought forth a change, they knew they could have prevented this if only they had actually made an effort to develop more technology. The Cyrva then entered a period of time known as 'The first age of advancement' in which they developed highly advanced space ships, weaponry to destroy large sized meteors in a single hit and shield technology. With these advancements, suddenly Desa (Cyrvadia's sister planet, which had long been a subject in poems and literature) came within reach. Before long the planet was colonized which opened the eyes of the Cyrva... They could actually travel to other planets now! But why stop there? Let's travel to other stars!
A few hundred years later the Cyrva had discovered Starlances and they populated planets in eight different star systems. They then made first contact with a sentient race named the Yehio in the Erydai system. This race was only just getting its global industrialization going. They Cyrva suddenly felt a need to protect and guide this still young species from themselves and from the possible dangers of the universe. They quickly proceeded to disarm the Yehio and have been guiding them peacefully ever since.
However for the first time in Cyrva history a internal conflict happened, not everyone agreed on 'guiding' other species in their development. Usually disagreement is resolved through Dialogue but the views on this subject were just too conflicting. Eventually two clear sides formed, one side that was clearly opposed to helping other races and the other side that was felt it was their duty given by God to do so. One captain, armed with a anti meteor weapon felt so strongly about it that she was willing to shed Cyrva blood for it and fired on an unarmed vessel carrying people who did not share her opinion. The other side almost immediately responded by storming a building. From there it escalated into the first civil war. This war caused huge leaps in weapon and shielding technology. Whereas the Cyrva ships before were only used for transportation and celestial object breaking, now actual ships meant for war were being designed and produced. This war lasted for over five years, with the first two years spend mostly figuring out how to fight a war, no less one that spanned several planets and systems. This conflict became known as the 'doctrine war'. Eventually the side that wanted to guide other species emerged victorious. The fleets that were constructed were put under a single command, the Cyrva Star Armada (CSA). The CSA was turned into a highly professional and incredible well equipped force over the years. Then with no immediate need for further expansion and with no direct threats to their safety, the Cyrva once more entered a time in which they just wanted to live their life's in a peaceful manner. An other couple of hundred years passed, little technological advancements were being made and no significant events happened. Until the starlance to Algol was explored and the CSA made first contact with the LSF.
