DremachirDraft

Overview

The Dremachir Homeworld, Drema.

Dremachir (Dreh-mah-kheer) is the blanket-name given to the vast collective of genetic divergent subspecies originating from Auril, mostly located within their chaotic planet-world, Drema, within the Daedal system. Their homeworld is a resource-rich, dark, dusty planet with large uninhabitable wastes and dotted with sulphur-rich lakes that have an eerie, orange glow. Despite nearly three centuries of consistent efforts by the colonisers, the planet remains a hostile environment. Most of the habitable hotspots, where vast aquifiers of water along with other natural resource pockets were discovered, were occupied and turned into expansive, country-sized megalopoli with little to no planetary oversight or governance. Nowadays, the Dremachir world serves as a local sector center of commerce and services, where one can buy, find or hire almost anything they might desire.

The Dremachir themselves are a varied, inconsistent mixture of various nations, groups, gangs and subspecies, the only concretely unifying trait among them being having little desire to be fully integrated into the core Auril society.

Planet

Drema, translated from the Auril tongue into 'Shadow', is a large rocky body with an outward hostile appearance. It has had several centuries of consistent volcanic activity which has resulted in the planet being mostly covered in volcanic ash, and the air within filled with a variety of less-than-pleasant minerals and compounds. Nevertheless, the air is safe to breathe if filtered, and the entire planet has been undergoing intentional, and unintentional, climate change over the centuries of inhabitance by the colonists. This has resulted in the current-day Drema of developing a variety of sparse pockets of exotic vegetation, oasi of water and other more distinct biomes, to the point some parts of the planet even get regular sunlight, particularly around the Auril Enclave. Each City has its own biosphere which ensures filtered air coming in and an ability to safely be outside, apart from a couple of notable exceptions, they essentially have their own giant biomes and climate, optimised for whatever it is the saturated society had a need, or desire for, or as a consequence of such.

The world has several satellites in orbit, many of them home to various luxury hotels, negotiation venues and resorts.

Biology

Dremachir as a name is a blanket term for a large variety of mutations, subspecies and mixed breeds that have emerged over the centuries the planet had been isolated. Exposure to a variety of interested alien cultures, particularly human, also led to some Chir specifically tailing their bodies for appeal, or even lack of. In turn, most Xenoanthropologists have given up trying to document all the various subspecies that are not sterile, simply blanketing them as "Dremeri". Though, this mostly came after a couple of curious groups went missing after attempting to leave one of the safer megalopoli.

Subspecies

In spite of the almost granular deviation from even potentially each individual, there have been general similar traits observed among the Dremeri. In particular, many of them have developed a filtration mechanism inside of them that creates protrusions as mineral deposits. Depending on the origin of the individual, from wealth to parenthood, they may portrude from their head, and be smooth, or be numerous and coming out of their joints, chest, back or any other location. Some of the subspecies may create hardy or particularly sharp horns, while others may have them be sensitive to touch or other stimuli, though they opt to live in more open spaces to avoid doorframes.

• Lilin -- "Flower" the core inhabitants of Lust and are the most consistent in appearance, often labelled as "Succubi" or "Incubi" depending on gender. They're often winged, with elegant horn, smooth skin and a variety of sexual enhancements and modifications to appeal to humans and other clientele. Due to the nature of Lust's primary service, they have a variety of approaches to fertility. Some may require specific hormones, others have muscles blocking off the relevant organs, or other means. Being unconditionally infertile, while not unheard of, is rare.
• Khor -- "Punch" Wrath's primary denizens. Noted by their large sizes, ram-like horns and fierce tempers. They're tribal in nature, and most of their modifications came from needing to wrangle and wrestle the hardy fauna located around their city. While almost queer in the eyes of the modern space society, and even other Dremeri, they are best-adapted to the traversal and survival in the Wastes, as their mule caravans, mounted by local domesticated animals 'Urna', can be more reliable, and at times faster, than anything mounted on wheels.
• Eeh -- "Lazy", part of the ever-reclusive Sloth population. They are known to be anything either quite thin and frail, or rotund and stout. In spite of their Eehin bodies, they have made a very notable exonet presence for themselves, often posing as Holo-tubers, and even beating out prominent Lilins. They're noted by an overreliance on limb extensions, mechatronics and conveyor belts.
• Ashmedai -- "Sand Eaters", is the general term for the blending pot of bandits and raiders that live in the various caves, mountains and underground locations across the greater wastes of Drema. They often have the most rudimentary of modifications, their mineral filtering resulting in spikes more than horns, with most of their efforts put into survivability, hardiness and avoiding Wrath's khalazars. The gangs often comprised of multiple other subspecies.
• Ashin -- "Of Sand", the most populous subterranean group. They're noted for being short, with stubby limbs and excellent darksight. They're the key maintainers of the vast, planet-spanning underground network of tunnels, tracks and undercities, though not the exclusive ones.

These are not exclusive ones, as there are many intermixed and minor branches spread throughout the planet.

History

Preface

Documentation that can be considered in any way official and of Dremachir origin is sparse at best. Each city, village, factory and potentially even household can have a different recounting of any number of events, especially ones predating the Auril attempt at reclaiming Drema. However, this does not mean that Auril and Dremachir scholars alike didn't try. In spite of the planet's weather tending towards massive dust-storms that used to bury entire villages, hostile fauna and even more hostile locals, a somewhat consistent thread in the tumultuous history of the planet and its people was found. The events as described aren't to be taken as gospel.

The Collapse

Despite being the oldest event relative to the Dremachir history, it is not the vaguest. The original self-replicating genetic modification colony facilities that were built before the Vox invasion on the Auril homeworld are still standing. The same facility was also replicated in every major megalopolis on the planet. The logs extracted from the machinery paint a somewhat clearer picture. Facing complete cut off from the core system, the local Drema Aurils seemingly spread out towards the most habitable or otherwise exploitable locations on the planet's surface, and subsurface, and using genetic caches from the original facility, began adapting themselves for the varied environments they faced. Despite the rather obvious conclusion, the mechanics of it remain a mystery, as few means of planetary logistics were available at the time, and fewer for additional construction.

Nevertheless, this marked the seeds of the dwellings, and the distinctly varied genetic nature of the now-forming Dremachir, as every locale required different treatments for optimal survival -- which was likely seen as preferable at the time.

The Aid & Rejection

Decades later an investigative Human fleet was retracing the path of the same Vox flotilla that ravaged the Auril world and discovered the Daedal system. While the primary planet they scouted was Aura, all they received was a declination of any aid whatsoever, despite the planet's visibly ravaged state. Drema, however, sent back several pings of request for aid, each from different locations on the planet. The fleet soon sent out additional beacons and began to coordinate supplying and building up the existing external infrastructure. It is believed they were the main contributors to the technological maintainability and the establishment of some form of rudimentary logistical network between the clusters of life on the surface. At this point, the Dremachir were taking shape in distinguished subspecies, and the underground expanses were being discovered and starting to be exploited.

The logs of the charitable fleet in question gave us a rough estimate of several years of continuous aid, it noting that every major establishment was provided with adequate self-sustaining provisions based on the varying needs per 'city', while also laying the backbone of commerce, as docks and guiding satellites were setup to facilitate the operations. However, with the rising self-sufficiency of each dense pocket came rivalries between them over yet-unclaimed destinations, or simply due to the growing cultural differences. This resulted in several individual groups actively robbing and looting the aiding fleet to the point several ships were abducted to aid in a local war and they decided to pull out. This marked the beginning of the locally nicknamed 'Great Screw Up' -- a tumultuous time of constant warring between the growing distinct factions and cities.

The Humanphage

With the human fleet departed, the entire planet was left to fend for itself once more, resulting in the isolated, growing cities diversifying further, influenced by their hostile neighbors and differing ideals. However, this didn't last longer than a few decades at most, as the news of a "Hell planet" had spread, and aspiring explorers, prospectors and other interested parties from various Orion reaches began to visit. Given the state of almost every faction had decayed, the humans were welcomed back, and trade pacts were beginning to form. The first such Sol traders, either as a happenstance joke, or due to the environment on the planet, decided to name the cities after the Christian deadly sins. The very first city nicknamed like this was also the main trading hub, and was appropriately named 'Greed'. Ever-growing demand of the planet's resources began to speed up the overall development, with service and industry beginning to solidify, all under the purview of Greed's now-made magnates, which helped fund the slow formation of Lust and Sloth, as humans provided the means to industrialize, and a growing appetite for service.

It is around this time that the underground network was established, handled by a modified, imp-like subspecies of the original Drema colonists. Travel over the surface was hardly safe for any shipping platforms, be it from turbulent weather or the ever-present bandits.

The Auril Return

Unfortunately, Drema was not the sole society growing from an increased exposure to the galactic trade networks. The Aurils, who had been quietly rebuilding their system decided to reclaim their colony. Their prior attempts at contacting them through satellites and other remote means met with little consistent response, to the point they instead contacted a human ship and was met with seemingly alien responses. Driven by a newer set of ideals and the obtuse, Auril AI named Arbitrator seeing it beneficial to exploit Drema, their previous kin sent a fleet to get in contact. This marked the first time Drema assembled a 'planetary council' of sorts, which they named "The Seven", quite literally because seven people showed up from the growing population centers. Auril representatives seeing warped members of their own kind was expected -- after all, the genetic modification facilities were deployed there with an intention to have the population adapt to the environment on a more granular level. However, this did not extend to such vast mutations in their eyes, and especially did not extend to having aliens on the same council, as the representative from 'Greed' was from a corporation that had already begun expanding its reach on the planet's surface. The negotiations were unsuccessful, as Aurils were already developing their stringent stubborness and neither humans or the Chir were willing to become, essentially, vassalized.

The Dremachir War

The following years were riddled with ever-increasing tensions as the Auril fleet begun to slowly encroach upon Drema's space. Having a rebuilt network of colonies and a functional, rebuilt planet with a far more cohesive government allowed Aurils to outpace any Drema's attempts at arming themselves, barring direct supply from any corporate allies. The state on the surface of Drema also led to a boiling of various tensions, as alliances formed and faded, and negotiations became completely unreliable, as most corporate interests were not lending themselves to war, 'The Seven' having become a dozen, or five, or any other number at any point as the apparent sense of impending war riled the factions, while the now thoroughly distinct cultures from each city had different demands and preferences, all the while Aurils did not yield or change a single word of their official, initial demand. The only two consistent negotiators were Greed and Wrath, both of which seemed to be willing to stand their ground. One driven by a developed culture of conflict, the other having corporate-allied mercenaries ready to join any conflict.

The inciting incident was one of Greed's water treatment plants being destroyed by an explosion. The accounts of who did it differ. Some people believe it was a false flag operation, while some say Aurils were the first to fire. Wrath Khanlords in particular claim that "They did it to get on with it." Regardless, the following conflict started with a wholesale invasion of Greed as the primary target by the Auril forces. The exact reasoning for this is not known, but of all the city-states Greed had the "most" reasons -- led primarily by aliens and their interests, had the most organised forces and had the largest supply of liquid water inside of the surrounding mountains and aquifiers. The city itself fell within a human-month, however the rest of the planet proved far more difficult -- the hired mercenaries prevented any real mobilization for another city landing, and the state of ground warfare was extremely dire. The Aurils could not utilize their natural aerial advantage due to the harsh weather, and the vast underground network of tunnels proved to be excellent terrain for guerilla warfare. The imp-like Chir sinking entire formations and bases in ambushes, and harassing the occupied 'Greed' from underground.

The result was an exhausting, attrition-based conflict that stretched out to decades, as Aurils slowly took over the airspace of Drema and organised retaliatory bombardments of any attacks, and had flooded all of their single occupied city's tunnels, barricading the rest of the underground entries. For the haphazard Chir alliances, particularly the other cities, the war was just as costly, as any above-ground functions were exposed and vulnerable. All the while the new occupied Enclave had slowly begun assimilating into Auril rule and, quite notably, proved to be quite stable and secure in the latter part of the war. The population was not subject the full brunt of all Auril expectations, and the species intermingled there, as volunteers and exiles were sent to Drema. Seeing this, many of the corporations begun to pull back from supporting Dremachir, seeing Auril rule as being literally better for business on their end. The municipal governments in the cities thought similarly, and soon enough 'The Seven' had gathered again to sign the Treaty of Light. It mandated that Drema was now under the rule of Aura, but maintained its independence to self-govern, barring 'Grave offenses to the Established Rule', and supported Aura in resources in any projects they deemed necessary.

Current Day

After the war, the blockade was lifted, and the planet was fully open to commerce once more, yet with more Auril supervision. This essentially led to its current day -- pockets of sprawling megalopoli surrounded by small villages, camps and tribes on the surface, with a bustling underground network of entire 'undercities'. The Enclave, more appropriately nicknamed to, 'Pride', along with every other city had expanded their borders, reach and influence, yet the planet itself remains difficult to tame, and few factions desire another open conflict with the Aurils -- there are often enough enemies around any one individual than to worry about a vague enemy they hardly see at all.