Vareliens Expanded
Origins
Early Life to Modern Times
Vareliens have existed for nearly a million years. They are a solitary race, known for their beautiful appearance and slender stature. A rare few (mostly female) possess empathic abilities. Their homeward, Varel, is a blue planet covered with immense oceans and very little land. The early tribes were peaceful and were able to coexist without war resulting in a prosperous relationship and the birth of their civilization.
In Varelien culture, science is promoted above all else. Their fascination with the universe has led them to make giant leaps in technology, particularly in space travel and medical research towards ensuring a longer lifespan. However, this technology is restricted to Varel, as they wish to maintain their neutral stance on the war. This has led to further alienation from the remainder of the galaxy who believe the Vareliens think themselves superior.
Belief Structure
The Vareliens are generally an atheist society, but still have the same questions about their existence as other sentient life. They were one of the first (known) species in the Milky Way to develop space craft and interstellar travel. At first, they acted as observers, cataloging several species at difference stages of development (including humans and Azatoth early in their history), the more they learned the more questions they had, which led them to create technology that could search for life outside even the Milky Way.
Contact with an Ancient Race
A Paradigm Shift
The biggest shift in Varelien culture came nearly 10,000 years ago when they came into contact with an elder race, millions of years older than their own. The species communicated telepathically which presented a challenge, however, the more empathic Vareliens were able to discern their intentions as peaceful and the two species continued to work to understand one another. A female Varelien, named Arlia Tok, had heightened empathic abilities and was the only one who could properly commune with the elders. Through this distant and mysterious relationship, the Vareliens obtained information that advanced their technology thousands of years.
The Oracle and the Order of the Lost
Contact with the elders is rare and on their terms, the last communication dating several thousand years ago, despite this, Vareliens continue to search for them in the far reaches of space. This has led to the formation of the Order of the Lost, a group of the most skilled empaths on the planet lead by an elected female Varelien known as the Oracle. The Oracle has around a dozen handmaidens, assisting with the search, as well as studying their own empathic abilities. It is said that the more advanced empaths can extend their ability over great distances or even manipulate the emotions of others. Once the current Oracle passes on, a new one is elected from the handmaidens and the search continues. Eve Arlia was a handmaiden in her early years on Varel and was even said to be in the running to become the next Oracle. However, due to her personal beliefs regarding the apathy of the Varelien people, she eventually left that life behind.
Due to several decades of intense practice of their empathic/psychic abilities, the Oracle eventually becomes physically blind.
The lack of contact with the Vareliens has led them to believe that the elders are also observers, choosing not to get to involved with the matters of less evolved species. The other factions in the milky way have no knowledge or record of such a species.
Daily Life and Society
Lifespan
Vareliens have a long life, averaging at 600 – 700 years, so they have the luxury of taking their time to figure out who they are. It is rare to see them outside their home world, some are curious of the lives of other advanced cultures but most prefer to keep them at a distance. They are generally a relaxed culture in matters of life and love, but due to their superiority they can be somewhat xenophobic when it comes to inter-species relationships.
Government and Stance on the War
Varel is a technocracy, a system where all decisions are based on technical knowledge and science. They are not a violent race, so they focus their efforts on stealth and defense based weaponry as well as the prosperity of their own people. The Oracle advises all sections of Government and leads the various political discussions. Vareliens choose to keep a neutral stance on the Human/Azatoth war while continuing to monitor the galaxy for potential threats, the defensive technology surrounding their home system keeps the other species from getting too close.