Cherak

The Cherak are massive, sapient, centipede-like creatures that call Drayanus their homeplanet.

History

The Cherak have been, according to all accounts, the dominant species on Drayanus for millions of years. The species has long been united under a single government with no known opposition. In this staunch theocracy, all Cherak serve their goddess, [|Kateus|Kateus,]] as her commandments are passed down by the High Mothers. As a tenet of their religion, the Cherak have cultivated and domesticated the Mozvok and Frehykh species, fitting them with cybernetics to serve as transportation and implements of war.

At some point in time, the Blackened Ones emerged on Drayanus, beginning a period of strife unseen before in Cherak society. For as long as any currently-living Cherak can remember, the Blackened Ones have consumed Drayanus, completely annihilating Cherak settlements and blighting the land. This war has been waging for tens of thousands of years, slowly but surely pushing the entirety of the Cherak species into one city: Zhil'kresa. With this, the Blackened Ones have usurped the Cherak as the dominant species of Drayanus, confining all living Cherak into the city's walls. The slaughter and oppression is such that many Cherak priests believe the Blackened Ones are the will of Kateus, sent to punish the Cherak over some cosmic injustice. As this belief grows in popularity, many Cherak believe that Zhil'kresa should submit to the Blackened Ones and be consumed, sending the species to extinction.

Religion

The Cherak live under a theocracy that demands the worship of Kateus and the reverence of her priestesses, the High Mothers. As per their religious dogma, the Cherak have uplifted two notable species: the Mozvok and Frehykh. The Mozvok are large bird-like creatures that are outfitted with energy weapons and a single-man cockpit, while the Frehykh are airborne serpents, limbless save for wings, given mechanical legs and an undercarriage meant to seat many passengers.

The Blackened Ones

The Cherak are unsure of the origin of the Blackened Ones, knowing only they emerged from darkness one dreadful night and have not disappeared since. Over the course of tens of thousands of years, the Blackened Ones would drive the Cherak to near extinction, making it a fearful prospect to leave the fortress walls of Zhil'kresa, the last city. Once, when the Cherak were more numerous, squads of Mozvok-riders would "cleanse" cities infested with Blackened Ones, performing bombing runs in vain attempts to drive back the menace.

Language

Little is known of the Cherak language. Cities and Cherak individuals have a two-part naming convention, the parts separated by an apostrophe when translated (for example, the city of Zhil'kresa translates to "bastion-fortress," with "zhil" meaning "bastion" and "kresa" meaning fortress). "Zatra" is apparently some sort of hateful slur.