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“Aurkesh Kurelks!”
- - Common Qurellian greeting
The Qurilians are a race of medium-sized flying monitor lizards native to the planet Qurilia.
History[]
Prehistory[]
Based on archaeological evidence and DNA testing, it is estimated that the modern Qurilian has existed since 405,380 PRU (Pre-Unification), though exact dates are sketchy since most major archaeological sites were looted or destroyed during the Qurilian Civil War. It is assumed that around that period, the first Qurilian tribes were beginning to form. Since around 300,000 PRU, the first major civilizations began to form and interact, whether through trade or conquest. Numerous ancient civilizations have been uncovered and explored, meaning that Qurilian had a wide diversity of culture in its prehistory.
Modern History[]
Modern history begins at 21,800 BU with the settlement of Kazeur. Over the course of the next few thousand years, Kazeur became the largest city on Qurellia, and the capital city of the Kelir Nation. As Kazeur grew, so did many other nations on Qurellia. The main incentive for expansion of most nations was Qurellia’s "metal" regions that were abundant with valuable underground materials. These deposits, along with the basins above them, quickly became a point of political debate for the growing nations. After many years of debates with the nations holding on to their borders, countries started to fear conquest and began to construct defense forces. As one nation saw another arming for war, it too began racing to build weapons. This arms race caused tensions to rise between nations, and surely enough, war began to be declared.
Qurilian Civil War[]
War finally broke out in 35 PRU when the Auerkil Empire declared war on the Kelir Nation after the Kelir had attacked an Auerkil military installation near the Kelir border. As many smaller nations began to choose sides in the conflict, the two opposing sides became apparent and lesser empires scrambled to secure good relations with one of the sides, or prepare the public to be caught in a long, draining war. During the opening years of the war, the Auerkil Empire took to the offensive and began swiping at the Kelir Nation's borders. The Kelir was surprised by the sudden attacks, and authorized military action against the Auerkil military. For the first third of the war, the battle was mostly confined to a single section of Qurilia's northern hemisphere, but began to steadily spread as new nations found themselves in the midst of battle between the two armies. In 29 PRU, the Auerkil Empire was becoming aware of the Kelir's industrial power, and launched a campaign of aerial bombardment of Kelir's military factories and resource facilities. The Kelir Airforces hotly resisted the Auerkil, and the Auerkil cancelled the air offensive and switched to strategic bombing.
The switch from tactical to strategic attacks in 21 PRU by the Auerkil Empire is usually regarded as the turning point of the war, as the Auerkil was no longer focused on defeating the Kelir military and instead was focusing on destroying the empire itself. Civilian targets such as cities, shipyards, and trade routes were targeted by the Auerkil airforce while the ground troops began a war of attrition. Despite this shift in strategy, both sides were beginning to weaken from the war in both morale and will to fight. Civilians on both sides were becoming increasingly confused and irritated, and protested the government to stop the war, and questioned the war's necessity. Although the armies continued to clash, soldiers on both sides were becoming weary and low on supplies. During the final years of the war, the frequency of battle slowed and engagements lost intensity and became increasingly shorter. With the hostilities having burned themselves out, the governments of the Auerkil Empire and the Kelir Nation met and negotiated a truce to unite under one planetary government divided by lesser regional governments.
The war had left a mark on Qurilia. With almost 6% of Qurilia's population dead and most major cities heavily damaged or outright abandoned during the war, it had been the most brutal and taxing war for the Qurilians, both mentally and physically. With the Qurilian Civil War put to an end after thirty long, bloody years, the whole of Qurilia could finally rest
Post-war and Unification[]
After the war, Qurilia was left in a state of both mourning and joy. The cultural movement known as "The Awakening" was prevalent, and focused around emotions of happines and kindship to one another. As the veterans returned home, and the many cities destroyed during the war began to be rebuilt, the governments of the primary regions scrambled to reorganize. With the governments destabilized during the war, a new political system was quickly devised to strengthen the bonds between the regional governments. It was decided that each regional government would send a representative to be a part of the Consul Guild. The Guild functioned as a planetary-wide senate that made decisions based on input from the Consulmembers and Qurilia's citizen body.
Nineteen years after the war, Qurilia has returned to it's peaceful ways. To date, the planet has resumed trade and exports of goods to nearby empires and maintained relations with them.
Biology[]
External[]
The skin of the Qurelian is usually a dark brown, with dark red scales located on the lizard's back and underside. The skin is covered in osteoderms, making it more resistant to bladed weapons than regular dermis. Small spines run down the Qurilian's back, and are belived to be remnants of adaptations for swimmming early in the Qurilian's evolution. The beings are decent at swimming, and can use their tails and powerful legs to swim quickly.
Internal[]
Compared to the internals of other monitor lizards, the Qurilians are similar to most large lizards such as the extinct Vetera. The Qurilian's red-violet blood is pumped by a multi-chamber heart, and is quickly delivered to all parts of the body due to the Qurilian's blood pressure, which is similar to most mammals. The Qurilian's skeleton is light but strong, and features horns around the lizard's head and neck. Female Qurilians lack horns on the top of the Qurilian's neck.
Adaptations[]
The most striking adaptation of the Qurilian is it's patagium, which allows the being to glide far distances after leaping from a high elevation. The Qurilians have adapted for near-complete bipedalism, but it is still common for a Qurilian to walk on all fours while running or when trying to stay quiet. The species' tail and legs allow the Qurilian superior swimming abilities. The being's sharp eyesight allows it to seeks out landing points both in flight and when stationary.
Society[]
Behavior[]
The Qurilians respect their most important cultural values, being the social creatures that they are. The primary values are hospitality, kindness to strangers, and respect to each other. Gift-giving is common for welcoming guests and celebrating special events. Respect to each other is shown by being kind, social, and involved. Ignoring another Qurilian is often regarded as being more insulting than rude words or actions. When getting to know one another, it is common for two Qurilians to do activities like visiting markets, seeing performances, or going for walks. These close social interactions cause many older Qurilians to have family-like bonds with long-time friends, and to often trust their life in another’s hands. Despite not being a particularly violent species, the Qurilians are very determined defenders, and are stubborn to allow enemy success. On the offence, Qurilians usually attack when a clear chance is given, or if the enemy is close to breaking. The events of the Qurilian Civil War show the capability of the Qurilians to wage war despite the species' tranquility.
A visitor to Qurilia would most likely note that there is much to do there. The most common forms of recreation are concerts, preforming arts, going to markets, and spending time with friends. Recreation facilities include theaters, parks, casinos, and taverns. While sports are normally played as a with-friends activity, organized sports are popular near parks and in rural areas. A common Qurilian sport is Kirsal, which involves getting a ball through a series of hoops to score points. Other widely popular sports include air racing, shooting, competitive swimming, boating, fishing, and variety of catch games.
Clothing[]
In Qurilian culture, clothing is usually worn as a status symbol, such as by leaders or politicians, or for a functional purpose, like armor, carrying bags, jump-packs, radios, etc. Modesty is not common in the Qurilian, due to the lack of external reproductive organs. It is more likely for a Qurilian to be modest about a disfiguring wound or any external abnormalities like tumors or scars. Day-to-day clothing includes bags, caps, shoulder garments (which normally show the family symbol or other social symbols), and basic capes and overcoats. Being seen without clothing in public is not considered offensive, just faintly pitiful. Functional items include armor, jump-packs, communication devices, vision enhancement devices (like computerized goggles, as worn by the military), and environment-protection garments like temperature-resistant clothing, breathing devices, and pressure suits.
Technology[]
Religion[]
The Qurilians are polytheistic, and believe in five distinct gods. Their creation story was that the primary god, Kilish, created the universe as a place for himself and the four other gods to live. However, with no order or organization, the universe quickly fell into chaos, with gods fighting amongst themselves. In order to bring peace, Kilish invited the four other gods; Ates, Kejet, Celxis, and Eres, into the center of the universe to live with him. As the four gods traveled to the what is now the center of the Galaxy, they created the stars, planets, comets, and other celestial bodies in their wake, along with a godly "essence" that is said to allow the gods to travel through space. This "essence", called "The Aura", is believed to be present everywhere in the universe, and was left behind as the gods created the planets. The Qurilians believe that The Aura has the ability to cure illness, lift sorrows, and even create new life. Individual places or Qurilians that are good-willed and happy are said to be rich with essence, while on the other hand, unkind and immoral individuals are said to be drained of it. It is known that the insult "void of essence" is usually enough to earn the speaker a bruised face. The day in the Qurilian year that is believed to have been when the gods were brought together is known as Keseruk, and usually has events such as public celebrations, concerts, and other activities. Funeral services usually include a viewing by friends and family (and the public if the deceased is an influential figure, or by the deceased’s request). It is customary for the deceased to be cremated, then a portion of the ashes cast into the air by a spiritual leader to signify the dead’s soul being carried away by The Aura.
Gallery[]
