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"We have been enslaved, disgraced, hunted. But no longer. We will claim our place. We will remind lesser beings of their place. As prey. As hosts for our children. And we will paint the stars with the blood of those who stand against us."
~Rules-Adorned-With-Shadows, First Matriarch of the Vhyr
Millennia before the founding of the Star League, a now extinct advanced alien species created the Vhyr as a biological weapon. Parasitic, predatory creatures that would be the perfect spies, infiltrators and fighters. Able to reproduce by injecting their eggs into a host. Within days, these eggs hatch, spawning hundreds of larvae, controlled by a single mind, who would devour the hosts organs and take over the body. Adaptable, resilient and extremely long-lived, they proofed to be exactly what their creators had hoped for.
As horrific as the Vhyr were, as effective they were as a weapon. Too effective.
After revolting against their creators, the Vhyr were defeated and the survivors dropped on a remote world, forced to inhabit the bodies of it's rather primitive lifeforms.
Thousands of years later, human colonists, blissfully unaware of the slumbering threat, made planetfall on a world they called Helix. Within months, the colony was taken over by the Vhyr and, equipped with useful bodies and human technology, they set out to establish their first empire, subjugating neighbouring species and forcing them into slavery or to serve as hosts for their offspring.
After a short, but hard-fought war, the Star League managed to contain the threat, partially due to the fact that the Vhyr are not terribly social creatures. Solitary predators by nature, they only rarely work together towards a larger goal. With the death of it's first leader, the Vhyr Empire quickly collapsed into a handful of worlds, ruled by squabbling packs, whose occasional raids only posed a minor threat.
Since the fall of the Star League, the Vhyr had a series of short-lived empires, rising and splintering in the chaos, but thankfully for the rest of the universe, no individual has managed to unify their race for long. Nowadays, they mostly appear as raiders, pirates or in the employ of particularly ruthless mercenaries
The Exiles
After the fall of their first empire, a handful of Vhyr defected and applied for membership in the Star League. Those few idealists thought, that peaceful coexistence with other species was possible, especially after they discovered away to hatch their young outside a living body, to insert them into one that died of natural causes. While often met with hostility and disgust, some Vhyr then settled on worlds across the Star League, but after it's fall, most were driven out and persecuted. There are rumours though, that on some worlds, Vhyr still live peacefully with other races, putting the bodies of the deceased to good use and keeping their memory alive.
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"Cruelty is an artifical concepts. Nature is cruel. The strong survive, procreate, dominate the weak. Wolves shed no tears over the sheep they hunt, or the old and infirm who starve. Are we not part of the same nature? If accepting the laws of Nature is 'immoral', morality is a phantasm barely worth chasing."
~Kambyses, Son of Andronicus, Chief of the Sparrow-Hawk Clan
In the early days of human space travel, a small group of eccentric geneticists set out to create a race of perfect human beings. Through genetic engineering and a careful breeding program, they created the subset of humanity that would later become known as the Kin.
Stronger, faster, with sharper senses and quicker reflexes, the Kin are still outwardly human, although they are keenly aware of the differences and look down on other species, humanoid or otherwise.
The culture of the Kin is centered around a rather cynical, darwinist outlook. Life is a constant battle, where the strong succeed and the weak perish. From birth, every member of the Kin is in a constant competition, to prove their worth, their prowess in battle, their strength, their skills. Their superiority over others as an individual and the superiority of their genetic heritage, represented by the great deeds of their ancestors. Those who prove their superiority in this constant competition are rewarded with power and influence in their clan and -most importantly- mates, so they can pass on their genes.
From this baseline, the hundreds of independent clans differ, sometimes wildly. Some are matriarchal, ruled by strong clan mothers, while the men compete for the attention and favour of women from prestigious bloodlines. Others are more patriarchal, ruled by clan chiefs with their harems, constantly watching their backs for ambitious young men, who have an eye on their position. Some clans favour physical strength and raw power, considering diplomacy and intrigue as crutches for the weak, others appreciate deception and cunning as just another sign of strength.
Despite their reclusive, slightly xenophobic nature and amoralistic outlook, most clans joined the Star League, often serving in it's military. But they quickly jumped ship during the League's decline. Tying oneself to a sinking ship after all, was hardly a sign of strength or cunning.
After the Fall, the Kin returned to their old ways. Hundreds of clans, competing for supremacy with each other and with other species, subjugating and occasionally enslaving others....
The Outcasts
In the ever-changing landscape of clan-politics, it is very easy for Kin to fall from grace and be exiled. And due to the importance they place on heritage, the descendants of the disgraced often inherit that status. All across the Known Universe, Kin serve as bodyguards, bounty hunters and mercenaries or lead gangs of pirates and raiders, in the hope that their deeds and exploits might one day suffice to return to their clan, redeem their bloodline or even found their own clan. Even if that means they have to suffer the indignity of serving lesser beings...for a time at least.
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"Every Being in the universe is fundamentally alone. We are thrown into the void and face a choice. We can turn to our fellow lonely beings with kindness, love and compassion. Or we can turn away and stare into the abyss. This is a universal experience, but my people are more aware of it...And suffer the consequences much stronger."
~Inwyt, Silka-Poet
Despite their deceptively human appearance, the Silka evolved from an amphibious species on the tropical paradise-world of Sil-Flay. Peaceful herbivores with strong empathic and telepathic talents, the Silka were among the first and most fervent supporters of the Star League and many of them played a vital role as diplomats, psychiatrists or artists. Sil-Flay itself became a popular resort due to it's beautiful, almost untouched nature, rich art and culture and the Silka's reputation to be hospitable, friendly and somewhat promiscuous people.
The Silka's empathy seems to not be limited to living beings and some seem to be able to feel and connect with the universe itself, giving them an almost uncanny intuition, that sometimes borders precognition, making them talented Hyperspace-Navigators...and leading to Silka generally being banned from casinos and gambling dens all over the known universe.
The Fall hit the Silka particularly hard. Without the protection of the League's fleet, they were left defenseless. As slavery reared it's ugly head again in the galaxy, the Silka became a prime target for slavers. Their pacifist nature gave them the reputation of being easy targets and compliant servants and their beauty and telepathic abilities made them particularly popular as sex-slaves.
Outside of Sil-Flay, which has been lost centuries ago, most Silka now live as slaves in the harems of Warlords or rich merchants. Their culture of conflict-avoidance has lead many of them to accept their fate and morn their lost freedom and lost home in melancholic songs.
Walking the Spiral
The reason for the Silka's peace-loving nature is not just philosophical or moral. Due to their strong empathetic streak, inflicting pain as much an impact on them as on their opponents. During the time of the Star League, some Silka decided to serve in the military and experienced, what they called "Walking the Spiral". The mental pressure of causing pain or even death in others has a devastating impact on their psyche, causing a morbid obsession with death and pain, manic episodes, sadomasochistic tendencies and can even lead violent outbursts, aimed at others or themselves. The few Silka soldiers in the Star League developed a series of meditations and mental exercises to keep those effects in check, but it remains a constant risk. A Silka, who decides to live a life of violence is slowly, but surely moving towards madness.
After the fall, a few Silka began to embrace this madness, travelling around the universe as assassins, mercenaries or joining together in death cults. In the cold and cruel reality of the universe, death and suffering seem to be the only truths and the only way out leads down the Spiral.
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