Zaian

Imagine if a band of angels came down from Heaven to the court of Theodosius and then proceeded to hang out for the foreseeable future. That is the what the zaian have done in the last eleven thousand years in regards to the mortal races. The zaian regard themselves and promote the idea that they are messengers from beyond, chosen to convey the word of their God to the lesser mortal races of the World; and they have made the Emperor of Tarsis their vicar.

Physiology
Zaian are a four-legged species, like the arkanin. However, they are vertically oriented, rather than horizontally oriented, and stand much taller but much lighter. Climbing and jumping are both things the zaian excel at, though they prefer not to show off their talents. There is little difference between male and female.

Zaian are apparently made of a crystalline substance, what exactly that is or how it came to be so is a closely-guarded secret. This body is much stronger than mineral crystal, and lighter, but crystal is the best word to describe the unknown material by. In this form, the zaian is essentially immortal. The leading cause of death among zaian is ritual suicide; hundreds and even thousands of years of living results in making death a welcoming event for them.

History
While Tarsis fought its first alien aggressors, and the rest of the World burned away as it had been since a time immemorial, the zaian emerged from their period of hiding. After the success of their war for survival, the Tarsins began to ask other races if working together was preferable to dying alone. Most considered it a silly and insane notion, but the zaian had a long memory, they recalled when cooperation was possible, and they had the will to make it happen again. Thus, they joined forces with the Tarsins, then the Thyrendi, and more lost to history, forming the Coalition of Planets. It was rare that the zaian had to deploy their military, a force echoing of another time, but when they did, all before them fell. Then came those who preceded the Beacon Cataclysm, and in the end, caused it. Not even the zaian could stand before them. It was a wait of a mere thousand years for the Tarsins to get back on their feet again, and work began anew. For some two ages in the early days of the second Coalition, the Zaian were nowhere to be found, except for Atheran in the Archive. They only re-emerged from the shadows in the World's greatest hour of need, leading the Host of Heaven against Âtar and his undying legions. Why the Zaian did not stop him sooner can be attributed to internal politics.

Of course, none of the mortals know any of this, except the parts where they themselves come into the picture. Like all things related to them, the Zaian guard their history closely.

Today
Of the zaian leadership at the dawn of the Coalition, there was Atheran, the High Chronicler, who was the patron of Tarsin civilization, who is now deceased; Entarî, the Constructor, known by many Emperors for his oddities; Tothara, an emissary for her people to the mortals; and Sedîth, he whom is not spoken of. These four once formed the elder half of the Council of Eight, who could be reached via Ai-Kaion. The true zaian home is popularly thought to reside somewhere secret, perhaps even beyond the foremr Coalition's territory. Currently, Entarî is de jure leader of the zaian, and is greatly distressed over ten thousand years of work on the verge of failure.

The zaian remain the designated messengers of the New Faith, as the Tarsins call it (zaian is ancient Tarsin for "messenger"). It was the zaian who brought the teaching to them, and it is the zaian who regulate the main religion of the former Nine Realms. Unsurprisingly, the Tarsins and others treat them with great awe and respect. The very presence of a zaian is empowering to the mortal races, who often get the notion in their heads that they are unstoppable with a zaian on their side. And unsurprisingly again, this gets into the heads of young zaian as well; the divine power and reverence the others treat them with is an intoxicating mix, and history shows that this is all it takes to make a zaian into the wrathful, vengeful agents of destruction. For this reason, the zaian watch themselves closely, and shun responsibility of power when they can. There is a darkness in their souls, they say, one that must be kept shackled whatever the cost. It is one of the World's great ironies the messengers of Heaven should be tainted so.

Culture
For such a prominent and potent force, the zaian are often missing from Coalition affairs. Their entire nature is a secretive one. No mortal has ever been aboard one of their ships, nor seen where they live, nor ever learned the actual name of one. All the names the zaian have were given to them by Tarsins or other aliens that dealt with them. Everything known about the zaian is only what they have deliberately revealed.