Cyrva

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.

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.