Database and Lore

The Shal’rein Clan Page 1

*Spoilers if you haven’t read past Gabatrix: The First Peace arc* “Shal’rein, they are the most unique, the most wonderful, and most majestic. Their ferocious look is accurate in representing their history, for beauty, honor, and violence ride with them.” UWA Poet, Gabriel Lee. Of all the Itrean clans, the Shal’rein probably serve as a wonderful anomaly in how they managed to prevail in the Itrean clans. Their looks alone have probably gathered the most attention when it comes to humanity and often the most curiosity. Their history further evaluates that of internal strife but ultimately holding their own against the other clan races. The success really comes down to adapting and evolving and perhaps a little bit of luck. The end result was that their uniqueness would be their strong point while they would suffer greatly in other departments and abilities. Many feel that the Itrean people would have never been the same without the Shal’rein. Upon looking at a Shal’rein, it is easy for the human to compare them to sharks of former Earth. Standing up on two legs, having fins, having a fin-like tail, and towering over humans, it wasn’t difficult to conclude that much like the dinosaurs, the sharks also adapted to the environment and created their own civilizations. However, much of that history had become lost, and there is no real clue of how they managed to succeed at such an action. An entirely aquatic intelligent species had been theorized but never really seen to human scholars. The only truth is that the Shal’rein stands before them, and they have to put the pieces together. According to the Itrean historians, the Shal’rein supposedly lived only in the water for millions of years. They couldn’t operate on land and couldn’t breathe when they left it. This put them both in an advantageous and disadvantageous position. On the one hand, they could easily live in the waters of a habitable planet. With the other Itrean species, they required land to live on. The competition was very little and almost nonexistent between species millions of years ago. Most of the struggle that the Shal’rein had was itself. Internal strife and competition for the watery resources were all but paramount. It was said the Shal’rein was far more of a danger to themselves than the other Itrean clans ever brought forth. In the last one million and 500,000 years, they would eventually develop their own aquatic warships. These ships were nothing more than bulbous-looking structures with solar sails and a large amount of water inside to keep the crew alive. The warships were used to fight other sub-clans or rising Empires that belonged to the clan. There was almost no interaction between the other species, except when it dealt with acquiring a watery world. This wasn’t to say that the Shal’rein never fought the other clan species. Disagreements with territories and having access to those assets were still just as vital to the shark species. It often seemed to surprise the Itrean clans when they would encounter the aquatic battleships as they brought their guns to bear down on them. The Shal’rein would fight ferociously and to no end. It would take quite a while before they would ever master the ability to breathe on land. Unfortunately, there is no exact time when this occurred and no surviving history of when the Shal’rein were able to walk on land, but it supposedly started to happen around 411,000 years ago. It is unknown if it was simple evolution or “encouraged” evolution from the coming forth bioengineering. Most speculate that it might have been a little bit of both. These early Shal’rein lumbered around on land for short time periods. Their lungs allowed them to breathe the air for short periods before they needed to return to the water. It was unknown exactly why as some of the water worlds they lived on were entirely covered in water. There was no land to live on, but it was still an evolutionary pattern that persisted. What is more known as the “Everyday Shal’rein of today” was seen around 311,000 years ago. By now, they could easily operate in and out of the water. According to some arguments by modern Shal’rein historians, “The need to breathe the air above land was vital to our survival. Having access to the land above was just as important as swimming beneath the waves.” Once the Shal’rein had this ability, they almost preferred to be above the waters. Mining access doubled for them, and so did the increase in competition for such access. The ability to breathe out of the water was considered a vastly important evolutionary ability. It ultimately turned the almost nonexistent and unseen Itrean species into one that suddenly wanted to have the same habitable planets as everyone else. What further helped them was the fact that they now had access in and out of the water, a trait that none of the other clan species had. Sadly, even with such an ability, this still didn’t completely save the Shal’rein. Internal strife was still all too existent. Civil wars dominated the clan species all the way up to 31,000 years ago. While the sub-clans and empires did venture outward and lay claim to many new areas in space, they had tridents against each other’s throat’s half the time. While fighting other Itrean species occurred, it wouldn’t take much for a sub-clan to use another species to aid or fight against the other sub-clans. There were, however, eras when peaceful societies did occur. The “Trial of the Gun” had seen its first set of examples over 60,000 years ago. It helped create basic unities and peaceful transitions for new upcoming leaders. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to last within 45,000 years as internal strife started to resume again.  It was a nightmare that eventually proved to be their downfall in the rise of the Empire of Jalgren. With the sheer lack of unity in the Shal’rein, their fleets fell one by one by Jalgren’s forces. According to Jalgren himself, “The Shal’rein fought well, there’s no doubt. I was glad that they came at me one at a time. If they struck me all at once, I would have been swallowed up like a tidal wave.”   It was this that led to the eventual end of the ancient Shal’rein concept. During the Empire of Jalgren, the aquatic fleets were dismantled entirely, and the Shal’rein, much like the other clan species, shared a life of isolation on their planets. This wasn’t to say that they lived a life of complete repression as some of the Shal’rein openly welcomed this. Warlords, dictators, and totalitarians had been stripped of their powers, and violence was brought to a standstill. There were claims that Shal’rein openly operated with the Aksren imperialists for a long time. Some served as elite soldiers, some would-be artisans, and others would take care of underwater jobs. A rumor persists that Jalgren actually had a Shal’rein mistress or lover under him, but there isn’t enough evidence to suggest this. The Emperor, for most accounts, did like the aquatic people even if they didn’t fully share the same sentiment in return. The Shal’rein would be assigned to work on other Shal’rein worlds to certain degrees, and there were signs of Shal’rein elites and the rich that lived along with the imperialists. It was this reason why they had flourished rather well even while under Imperial rule. Their culture even impacted the Aksren population and worked into their art as well. The Empire was not to last, however. Within 11,000 years ago, the system was falling apart. Racism and discrimination were at an all-time high, and repression was at its worst. Many of the Shal’rein elite and rich could see that the Empire was dying. Even the guard fleets over the Shal’rein worlds were becoming fewer and fewer seen. However, there was enough Shal’rein everywhere that it would prove to be challenging to get rid of. Rototrein, a Shal’rein warrior, was said to have grown up on one of the many Shal’rein repressed worlds. Born from a rich family, he lost it all when one of the imperial Shal’rein robbed and stole the family inheritance when his parents died. When he challenged this, the Imperialists quickly rejected his claim. Infuriated, Rototrein later found and killed that Shal’rein. When he got the money back, he suddenly could see that the others were living in an even worse situation than he was. He tossed all his money to the people and told them, “I hate this, and so do you. The Imperials rule us. We lived with this as if we are used to it all along, and it’s a crafted lie. We were better than this. We can be even better than ever before…..” His words were a rallying cry. Rototrein, along with several military leaders, conspired to fight back. With the help of the Yutilians, secret shipyards underneath the oceans were being built. Most of these were being done as the Imperialist fleets would leave for months as the dwindling resources of the empire would force them to operate in reduced status. Even the Aksren were getting fed up with their own empire. Sympathy for a united species cause to bring down the empire was at an all-time high. Rototrein, while reluctant with such unity, ultimately saw that all embraced freedom. He agreed to an alliance to fight against the Empire. Technically, Rototrein never saw the end of his crusade, despite the early victories. His children would carry on his legacy as the united clans began to fight back more and more. The Rebellion would be long and bloody, but the Empire was ultimately doomed. Crippling debt by foolish Aksren leaders that would have disgraced Jalgren’s legacy and overwhelming strikes by all sides was taking its toll. Seeing that Rototrein may die before his quest was complete, he left a proclamation just in case he died before seeing the success of the revolt. As the war was coming to an end, his words often echoed that of a rallying cry itself….bring the Shal’rein subclans together and remain allied with the other clans in peace. His wishes almost would fell upon deaf ears, but there were some notices. After the collapse of the Empire and the various clans split apart, the Shal’rein clan decided to honor Rototrein’s wishes. Every Shal’rein realized that unity of the species was paramount. History of continuous warfare with itself had weakened itself severely, and with a rebuilding of the other clan fleets, what were they going to do to make up for it? The post-imperial years would see a movement to unite everything. The greatest success was that of the single ruler by trial by gun arena. What was somewhat popular, was now widely supported by all the subclans. By this time period, the Shal’rein had been more than adept with the gun. Shooting competition matches wasn’t only a sport, it could make someone a leader. This meant that everyone from every subclan had an equal chance of becoming the next leader. This even meant that children born from the great Emperor/Empress and family members could still lose to the upcoming Greater Adjuncts that vied to challenge once the Emperor or Empress died of natural causes. All the subclans felt that this was viable and could work. For the most part, it did. This hasn’t meant that the current methods for leadership were always perfect. Sometimes, the peace methods would fall apart to result in civil war. Much like the Aksren splintered Empires and Yutilian Kingdoms, the Shal’rein groups struggled to keep things together at times, but Rototrein’s wishes were coming true.  In the last 11,000 years, civil wars were few and resulted in little damage. The population would quadruple. Despite the various shortcomings, the Shal’rein could see that these new methods for keeping a united clan would work.  The end result was that the Shal’rein was a united species effort to reclaim lost territories. Many of the Aksren of the former Empire either already gave up territories that belonged to the Shal’rein or were seized back by force. They also made heavy use of their star fortress to begin building up sizeable fleets. On the ground, the Shal’rein was only bested by the Alara’jal, and in the waters, the shark-like race was all but victorious. While it was never genuinely intentional for the Shal’rein to fight the other clan species, many argued that it was inevitable. Wedge-shaped battleships and broadside warships were all but common of the era as the post- Imperial years had a number of widespread clashes and battles against the other clan species. The Shal’rein still managed to hold their own in space combat rather well, surprisingly. Gunners were legendary in being able to shoot down missiles and torpedoes better than any other clan race while the warships closed into extreme close ranges to fire the railguns. This didn’t mean that the clan race was invincible in space combat, as enough munitions could still overwhelm the defenses. Even during the Rebellion, the Shal’rein still struggled in battle at times. When fighting against overwhelming numbers, they still suffered greatly and took losses. Regardless, the early victories and the ability to colonize the ground and waters of a planet allowed the race to seize numerous resources better than the clan races. Within a thousand years they would see the greatest advancements for the clan as they had managed to capture a quarter of the Itrean territories. What was a race that had started out as a people who could only live in water worlds had become a super power of the clan species within the last million years. There is often much discussion on Shal’rein advancements in the last eleven thousand years. Despite many victories, the advancing unity of the clan still had a hard time being able to out- compete the other clan species. The last nine thousand years would see a slowing as the Aksren and Yutilians had remained firmly united in repelling Shal’rein assaults. Even the Alara’jal offered much resistance both in space and in the ground. Many also had a firm negative view that the Shal’rein were nothing more than brutes and barbarians that only thrived in conquest. This wasn’t entirely true. While politics and past history indicated that they believed in the rule of the strong, there had been advancements in different early forms of democracies and republics. Even though they didn’t last long and never reviled that of Yutilians or the Palierans, the ability to become the leader of the clan was considered fairer than Aksren nobility. Art, music, media, and various forms of music all indicated that the Shal’rein was a complex race that believed in various values of compassion and care for others. Songs could be sung both underwater and above water. The great water dances were popular even in other clan species, and there were even cases of attempted cross relationships of the species with other clans. One Itrean historian said it best in that “The only difference between the viciousness of the Shal’rein and the other clans is that the other clan species does a better job in hiding it.” After the destruction of the Alara’jal, the Shal’rein, much like the other two clans, had mixed views of the last two hundred years. It is said that the Shal’rein were generally more open to peace but had their resentments on the Aksren clan. While the Yutilians were usually considered a more favorable race, the Shal’rein still resent them much. Most of this was due to the fact that the ancient Yutilian Kingdoms had practiced various crimes (including lying and breaking promised oaths on agreements) in negotiations. While not as well-known as the Aksren, the Shal’rein did have their assaults on Yutilian worlds. Generally, this was far less, however, and many of the Shal’rein still considered the Yutilians a more viable ally. There would be no forms of treaties between the Shal’rein and Yutilian clans, but there were “Silent Nonaggression Pacts” in some instances. Without telling the other, both sides essentially agreed to avoid attacking the other. This didn’t mean that some battles occurred in the last two hundred years, but there could have been far more. The Era of Negotiations would highlight this odd phenomenon as clans struggled to reach a final peace between one another. When the Emphra arrived in 2280, the Shal’rein were just as confused as the other clans with the unknown enemy. Technically, while some blamed the other clans for unleashing it, the general mentality differed. Instead of outright blaming the others, the Shal’rein people went headlong into battle against them. Fighting in the water was a different scenario. In the ocean worlds, the Emphra fought as thick puddles of mercury. They could “swim” as one continuous blob or separate blobs. It was just as horrifying as fighting them on land, but the Shal’rein did have a slight upper hand in the waters. They were much faster underwater than on land, and the Emphra had a hard time catching up to them. Carefully laid underwater nuclear depth bomb traps could be placed to destroy them. It partially worked, but there had been numerous issues. Even on land, their great battle tanks were all but useless against the living liquid. In space, the Shal’rein tactics required getting up close to unleash salvos against the warships. It was generally harder to chase down Emphra ships if they broke through the defending blockade. It appeared evident to the Shal’rein that even with their incredible combat abilities, they were simply outmatched against this foe. It is generally said that the Shal’rein were hit the hardest by the Emphra. The aggressiveness of the clan race meant that they usually engaged far more to getting rid of them. They launched more haphazard offensive campaigns against the race to acquire the same amount of losses in return. Fighting the Emphra was nothing like engaging the other clan species. This alien looked at everything as food to be devoured. Itrean vessels could be easily commandeered and taken over as entire planets were getting conquered. The Shal’rein suffered the highest number of casualties over the other Itrean clans, with up to 39% of the overall Itrean population in total. Most of this was the fact that Emphra vessels were simply getting through the defense fleets and reaching to the ground on Shal’rein worlds. Tactics and strategy had to constantly change to adapt to the doggedness of the Emphra threat. This wasn’t in any means a sign that the Shal’rein were inept at fighting the Emphra, far from it. It is said that the Shal’rein were generally the main heroes of the Itrean Emphra War. Even the other clan species would herald the sheer bravery and sacrifice that the soldiers did during the conflict. It was the Shal’rein that actually knew first that fighting the Emphra was hopeless by 2284. The bravery of having to admit that they couldn’t resist them correctly was an act in itself, and they began to look into the prospect of finding allies. The clan species would be the first to reach out to the Yutilians as seeing them as an enemy of the enemy. The Yutilians, on the other hand, were just as open to an alliance even with past bitter rivalries. Essentially, nobody had anything to really lose. One Itrean historian had said it best. “The Shal’rein diplomats were not afraid to walk into the negotiation rooms. Their faces seemed to indicate that they had been brutally beaten even if they weren’t. Instead of cursing or yelling at the Aksren and Yutilians, they simply said one sentence… ‘we have to work together or die alone’ without even saying hello first.” To many of the Shal’rein, it was one of the most challenging moments in the realization of a possible alliance. While pride existed, the idea of a joint alliance was almost never heard of since the Rototrein Rebellion. In fact, the diplomats would often quote it even if it sometimes fell upon disinterested ambassadors. The Aksren had less reason and more hatred towards the Shal’rein of creating a joint alliance. The Yutilians, however, did agree that the Emphra needed to be stopped. The alliance wasn’t easy, but Shal’rein bravery would be seen over and over again, as the Yutilians would pummel the Emphra from a distance and the Shal’rein would rush ahead to face the fleets. While far fewer planets would fall to the Emphra, it was proving to have some effect. It was enough to prove to the Aksren that a full alliance was necessary as the Shal’rein agreed to an all-out Itrean partnership to counter the Emphra.