Creature:Radeon

"What they lack in strength, they compensate in strategy. What they lack in tolerance, they compensate in faith. Sapients think they know them and thus judge them for their outline, yet they are as unpredictable as the greatest, most devastating of storms."

The Radeons (Radessic: Radéion - Spode's High Crusaders, plural can be both "Radeon" and "Radeons") are an artificial rodent-like species native to, originating from the but currently inhabiting the. A prominent and well-known race, they are notable for their advanced technology, unusual biology stemming from their origins, orderly, collectivistic society and their ancient religion which is among the most widespread faiths of the First Gigaquadrant.

For many years, the Radeons have been an important species in Gigaquadrantic politics, having fought along the warriors of the Onuris Alliance in First Xhodocto Wars and subsequent conflicts that followed them. However, this prominence did not come without cost; during the, the Radeon species was put to a brink of extinction, slaughtered and scattered across the universe. Because of this, Radeon diasporas can be found in many nations such as the, the or even the. Currently, however, the Radeons have managed to recover and return to greatness under the guidance of.

Planetbound
"The Age of Dust: We lived in fear Of evil darkness that crawled near Of thorns that bite, of flames that sear."

- Ao-shemaphis Oa, ancient Radeon poet Being among the oldest spacefaring species that inhabit the modern Gigaquadrant (comparable with the, the and some of the ), Radeon history is sketchy at best, especially when it comes to their origins. They did not evolve like normal life nor do they owe their existence to divine entities like the ; instead, the Radeons trace their origin to the First Praespero, an ancient lifeseeding machine created by a species of Andromedan precursors known as the. Having been lying deep within the planet inbetween Andromeda and Plazith Rim which is now called Vendespode for countless years, the Praespero became active circa ~180,000 years ago, adapting the 100,000 Radeon fetuses within its vaults for the planet's conditions and then transporting them to the surface, fully grown and with basic knowledge of Rades language and tool usage.

Only having a faint genetic memory of their creators and with little directive to guide them, the Radeons started spreading across the planet, spreading over the great continent of Arion. However, they were not alone on this planet. Vendespode was home to a consciousness of its own, much vaster than the young descendants of the Rades; its plantlife was, in fact, interconnected, self-aware, and above all, hostile towards aliens that had dared to enter its domain. Early periods of Radeon history were thus marred with long wars, both among themselves and against the eldritch, wild things that prowled in the jungle. Victory against this enemy was only achieved after the Radeons had united under a single banner.

It wasn't a Radeon ruler who managed to accomplish such a task, however, but beings from outside the planet. In their endless vigil to maintain their supernatural law, the ascended noticed the Radeons fighting for survival on their planet, and saw potential. Manipulating the events from afar, they managed to spread certain thoughts, doctrines and philosophies through over the continent, thus setting in motion the events that would lead to the creation of the Divinarium. Over time, the teachings of these prophets, the legendary Al-Khear the First above them all, became unified and turned into a single religious philosophy which is now known as Masaari, as were the kingdoms they now led. With newfound fervour and unified under a banner of faith, the Radeons' Great Enaran Empire marched into battle with the eldritch consciousness of Vendespode. Over several decades, its armies finally managed to splinter the ancient hive mind, sealing the remaining sentient jungles with massive walls of stone and steel.

The destruction of an external foe was not the end to the Radeon struggles, though. As the Enaran Empire expanded and colonised new lands, war gave way to stagnation and corruption. The more the Empire grew in size and advanced in culture and technology, the clearer its incompatibility with the accumulating changes in Radeon society became to the planet's populace. The bloody civil war that started on the continent of Salveron when Enara's extent, opulence and corruption had reached its apex was merely the culmination of this long conflict between the old ways and the new: without any means to resolve it peacefully, the Salveronian terrorists chose war. Declaring the Clericarch of the Enaran Empire, Meleschat Dajalim, a heretic and his clergy tainted beyond redemption, they led a decade-long crusade in which wordly and spiritual causes intertwined into a single, unflinching march that made the very surface of Vendespode shudder with the roars of tanks, the fires of bombardments and the unholy inferno of nuclear strikes. This discordant symphony of destruction which left both factions in ruins was only stopped by the intervention of a third side; Eolania Seranai, now widely appraised as one of the greatest Radeon leaders in history, and her followers, the Deinariim. A child of a Salveronian and an Enaran which admired both but followed neither, compassionate yet merciless, she was proclaimed a messenger of Spode by the common folk, bringing peace and law to the war-ridden land. In the following years, Seranai unified the survivors of the war, aided by her keen political mind and the newly formed Dei'Ar Order (which wasn't afraid to exterminate entire cities if necessary), and was crowned Clericarch thus ushering in a new era for the Radeon species.

The Holy Empire
"The Age of Light, arise! We bring Enlightenment and verity! Into the endless starless night ''We venture with temerity!"

- Shio Tainasim, an early Seranaic poet With social anachronisms of the empires of old eliminated by the new regime, the Holy Empire's culture, technology and science blossomed thanks to Seranai's new socialist market laws and progressive policies, ushering in an all-encompassing social rennaissance unseen since the dawn of Enara. Space was the next frontier. Although early Radeon expedition were met with failure because of Vendespode's location in darkspace (that is, an intergalactic void between Andromeda and Plazith Rim), further experimentation with temporal technology and FTL drives proved successful, and the Holy Empire soon began colonising their home sector, their Rades heritage giving them a head start in development compared to other species that inhabited it. Over time, the Radeons had estabilished themselves as the dominant power in their region of dark space through tenacity, intelligence and of course, faith. Further expansion into so-called star congregations, however, was met with much more problems, both political, economical, and ideological. Not only did the Radeons find a brand new universe ruled civilisations much older than their own, little more than a minnow in an ocean of sharks, they also found things that unraveled the mystery behind their creation, things could shake the very foundation of the core principles of their society...

The first of these things was found in the, entombed deep within the ancient caves of , a former human selenopolis bought from the in exchange for Radeon technological know-hows. When the first Radeon explorers first descended into the planet's mantle, they were both astonished and consternated; inside was a massive ancient complex filled with billions upon billions of fully grown Radeon bodies fully intact and preserved in temporal fields. When the explorers attempted to investigate the complex, several batches were deactivated; the awakened Radeons seemed to possess some basic survival skills and could even speak in a strange, if archaic, dialect of Radessic. Another such complex was found in the, on the gas giant moon which is now known as Alkhuse VB. Significantly smaller in size but identical in architecture, it didn't contain any Radeon batches at all; instead, it seemed to be a library of some sort, containing yobibytes of information - most of it undecipherable. The parts that could be translated, however, stated concisely: the Radeons were an artificial species, a project of a species older than stars themselves.

Needless to say, when the news of the discoveries had reached Vendespode, the highest circles of the Radeon society were furious: the foundations of their entire religion were at stake now. Desperate to maintain law, the Conclave and the Clericarch agreed unanimously to keep the information classified, and turned to their allies to ensure that. Soon, several Anointed orders, now known collectively as the, were dispatched to the two planets, their mission being the research of Rades databases for the good of the Church of Spode - or rather, their masters - as well as the location of other Rades complices.

As conspiracy after conspiracy transpired behind an average Radeon's back, though, the species as whole continued to prosper, expanding into other galaxies and spreading their faith across the Gigaquadrant. The batches on Sanctuarium were eventually released under government jurisdiction (explained as a mutation caused by Sanctuarium energies), eventually becoming a kingroup (see below) in its own right and expanding the Radeon population greatly thus boosting their colonisation efforts (usually hampered by their natural low birthrate). This, however, would not last forever. The devastating that shattered the entire universe, hit Radeons the most, destroying their civilisation and scattering them across the Gigaquadrant, splitting them into countless diasporas which had tanked refuge in other nations. The highest-ranked members of the Radeon government and military, Iovera and Tadjamad, led the remains of their people that had not immigrated yet into seclusion on Sanctuarium and exile respectively, erasing any trace of Radeon statehood for a long time.

The Phoenix Reborn
"Hail the Age of Rebirth: yes, we can, yes, we will! Our destiny calls, and by Spode, we'll fulfill Its command. Times are grim, and yet still, we won't break ''Under storms of calamity. Hers is our fate!"

- An exempt from the Divinarium anthem

Still, even fallen and disgraced, the Crusaders of Spode refused to simply vanish and give way to other species. As years passed, the Radeon species began reaffirming its strength. After the fall of Tadjamad's military government, the Dei'Ar Theocracy, Sanctuarium remained the only Radeon-majority faction in the Gigaquadrant not subservient to any other civilisation; slowly but steadily, Radeons from other nations as well as from the destroyed Theocracy started to return to her enclave, seeing it as a (as one can guess from the name) sanctuary from persecution they often felt among aliens. Iovera's remnant thus grew and expanded, reclaiming worlds lost during the war. Still, most of the damage could not be repaired: the original territories of the Radeon species were long since gone, destroyed by the wrathful, and they had little military presence to lay claim on territories already within someone's sphere of influence. The only possible solution was to settle in a previously uninhabited sector of space.

Such opportunity did come. After the attacked once more shaking the very foundations of the universe, Iovera decided to do a bold move; while chaos reigned and people died, she laid claim on a large region of space within the  in Segmentum Crepusculum and launched a massive colonial campaign now known as the Twilight Crusade. Through prolonged warfare and political alliances with other Andromedan civilisations, the Radeons managed to achieve legitimacy over these territories; once again they had worlds they could actually call home. Now, Radeons are the leading members of and the, undoubtedly among the most prominent species in the galaxy.

Physiology
Radeon biology, due to their unnatural, artificial origin, is highly complex, courtesy of Rades bioengineering genius. They are not entirely organic; their blood flows with superadvanced nanites compose the part of their bodies, coming from the mother to the child through feeding. Able to with normal organic molecules and even whole cells, hese nanobots look nearly completely organic, and look like normal part of Radeon body to inexperienced scientists. Three nanobots perform numerous functions in the body, improving immune system making Radeons more resistant to diseases, supporting overall functioning of an organism, storing energy and, finally, empowering the brain.

Radeons are flexible and agile. Due to most of their fat being contained in their bloodstream, their high metabolism and some other factors, they are generally very skinny, and due to the large amount of fascia-like tissues in their bones, can be highly flexible, performing feats of immense agility. However, this ability has a price. Radeons lack stamina, physical strength and resistance to pain. Their non-reliance on physical labour has only made the condition worse and as such, Radeons without any mechanical implants are quite frail. Despite this, Radeons have some skill in close combat, as their natural weapons and speed can be quite efficient. Generally, however, Radeons shy away from using strength, preferring to use their psychic abilities and advanced technology for combat and industry where brute force would be required.

Radeon bloodstream, skeleton and the whole body contains large amount of aluminium and iron, suitable for inhabitants of the metal-rich planet where most of the life adapted to this. This gives their blood and bones a distinct silver color, becoming obvious when they bleed. In addition to this, their blood crystallises upon contact with the air, turning into a diamond-like structure. These blood crystals are important to Radeon culture, and are said to contain a small part of the soul of their owner.

Radeon cranium is larger than that of human, hosting not only the brain but two structures called Riaelai by them. They appear like sacks of transparent liquid filled with nanobots, connected to the main brain. These nanobots take control of some cognitive functions, particularily memory and logic, and as such, increase Radeon intelligence greatly. However, their creativity is slightly impaired as a result; as such, Radeons, while being able to easily replicate alien designs, often struggle to make something themselves. They are generally less emotional than humans due to different brain structure, but this is not universal and Radeons are rather diverse in terms of personality. Radeons are nocturnal creatures, and their eyes are large in order to provide better vision. The sclera of their eyes is filled with bioluminiscent cells, glowing in order to provide vision and also to show changes in emotions.

Abilities
Radeons are the masters of, and use it for various purposes. All Radeons are naturally telepaths and have limited ability for telekinesis. If properly trained, Radeons can also have the power to control feelings and emotions of others, using this in the battlefield to terrify their enemies, make them scream in pain or ecstasy or turn at each other in dark rage. Gifted Radeons like Iovera can also have power of mind control.

Behaviour
Radeons are generally cold and zealous, committing themselves to the idea without any doubt, emotion or anything that could stop them from achieving their goals. They are often seen as creepy and emotionless by other species due to this. That is not exactly right: Radeons have feelings and emotions, but all of them learn how to supress them in times of need. To their close friends and lovers, Radeons may be more soft than to outsiders. A Radeon without any emotional restraints is something not to be mentioned.

Society
As Radeons belong to many empires, their society differs from one empire to another. Those who belong to the Kraw Federation, for example, live in liberal, secular society, while those who are aligned to the Divinarium are under the totalitarian religious hierarchy. Generally, religion and goverment dominate Radeon lives. Radeons think that power of the society as whole is greater than the power of the one indivudual, and that idea reflects in their Spodist religion, as they believe that sacrifice of their selves for the cause of the state and society as whole allows them to trascend their mortal lives. They have little entertainment in their culture due to this, as they find it heretical.

Habitat
Radeons, naturally, favor arid, deserted and hot places, as they evolved in such locations. Currently, however, Radeon live in the urbanised territories much like other sentient species. Their cities, however, have one unique feature - there is no private property in their habitats, as Radeons think that everything in their lives - including themselves - belongs to the society as whole.

Loyalist

 * Clericarch Telfar - the leader of the Church of Spode and Masaari Crusade during the War of Ages. Known for his kindness and liberal tendencies, especially if compared to other rulers of the Radeons. Killed by Xhodocto during the March of the Apocalypse, revived by the Eola'Nar and later destroyed again during the Annihilation.
 * Clericarch Tadjamad Al'theless - originally Telfar's right hand, Tadjamad has became the new ruler of the Radeons after the death of Telfar. Ruthless militarist, Tadjamad has turned Masaari Crusade into the relentless war machine called the Dei'ar Theocracy. Killed by Moxix Breek during the Holy Shadow War.
 * Clericarch Iovera - the current leader of the Radeons and the Divinarium. This melancholic Radeon priestess has managed to unite the remaining Radeons after the fall of Dei'ar and form the Divinarium. Ascended by the Isio'Nar.
 *  - Iovera's second-in-comand, Matheoward is the military general and the apprentice of Tadjamad who has led the armies of the Divinarium's in the Second War of Twilight and the Terminal Point.
 * Predictor Advisor Jahric - the chief admiral of the Divinarium.

Others

 *  - insane, psychotic Radeon demoness in servitude of the Cult of the Deathmarch. Foster daughter of the Clericarch Telfar.
 *  - a former chaplain of the Church of Spode, this disillusioned priestess became the servant of the Corruptus and one of the Devourer's Chosen's leaders.
 *  - a former scientist of the Dei'Ar Theocracy, frozen for years while exploring the Borealis Galaxy. This Radeon became a notable captain of the Indoctrinate Collective after being saved by them.
 *  - the former leader of the Borealis Radeon, Indricarron is now a descended madman trapped in a metalic body, and one of the Champions of the Devourer's Chosen.

Quotes From Other Empires
Add quotes here!

"The Raddos are kewl but still they belive in Spoddah and Gablinus-Avis dont like Spoddah that much"

- Gablinus-Avis

"WAT DA HELL KIND OF DUMBO WORSHIPZ SPODE SPODE IS A LOSA IV NO LIFE AND NO FRIENDZ YEH DESE GUYS AR GONNA GET MURDERAD BY DA BOYZ"

- Zr'Ahgloth of Da Loronz

"Though they are followers of Spode and considered Zeolots by Rambo standards, they have proven themselves as great allies during the Tigris War and later on were one of the 4 co-founders of the Onuris Alliance. There architect, culture and forces are formidable and we are honored to be allies of them"

- Empress Ramashe of Rambo Nation

"Interesting species... Completely devoted to gods, and creepy as well. We will watch out for them."

- Commander Kies of the Kraw Empire

"Awww, cute mice-like beings! I want to pet them and perhaps play games with them, They're so cute!"

- Diplomat Lezia of the Friendly Republic of the Asgord

"They're dangerous. NOTE: Stay away from them until we are stronger."

- Emperor Ko'han of the Federal Khereg of the Asgord

"UGLY CREATURES! BLEH!"

- Emperor Toragh 9 of the Iteok Khereg

"Religious Fanatics. If they attack, we will retaliate against them, even if we go to hell for it!"

- Commander Eko of the Tahar Empire

"Fanatics. If these fools do not see reason, and begin to accept other races' religions, then they will have to be exterminated."

- Hel'Bre'K Ce'So'Va, 49th Blademaster of the Fordanta

"We once respected their friendliness toward the faiths and ideologies of others, however lately they seem different and quite frankly, arrogant."

- President Apollo of the United Republic of Cyrannus

"We have currently not established any contact with them, though we do hope that they may be tolerant of our beliefs."

- Archbishop Javash of the Cathedral of Sahlhathes

"100 years ago and the DCP would have declared war on the Radeon, but in the last few decades we have grown tolerate the more peaceful followers of Spode until the point of our alliance with the Radeon. They have proved to be good allies over the years, and are highly industrious, even though their missionaries banging on our doors trying to convert us does annoy. Recently, we have discovered weird connections between the ancient history of the Delpha Sector and the Church..."

- DCP.

"I do believe that theocracy is the worst archetypal form of government that one can establish, but our beloved Federation believes in complete religious tolerance, so it is within my best interest to say only this on my personal behalf: For all their ignorance and fanaticism, they have not wronged us as a race, so I hold nuetrality when it comes to politcal matters. However, if they manage to insult or damage ours, or anyone of our allies', empires in any way, they will be sure to pay the consequences."

- Grand Praetor Jex of the Jarquvix Federation, during a Seven Starr Alliance meeting on the matter of the incidents between the Radeon and the Core Federation

"While there has been much hostility shared between our respective kin, it is fortunate that we have settled such disputes in favour of far more preferable relations. The philosophy of the Radeon has influenced me and my race, I only hope that we have managed to influence them somehow."

- Tyraz Breek of the

"What are these fanatics doing in OUR lands? Religion is not allowed here!"

- Commander Eko of the Tahar Empire

"Primitive beliefs...you are nothing...but pawns..."

"Quite your primitive Spode Believes,join us,and spread the will of the Grox!"

- High Prophet of Honur

Trivia
This songs fit the Radeons: