Ancients

The oldest native sentient race in our universe. The Ancients were powerful, wise, extremely advanced. They existed in a Type II civilization on the Kardashev Scale and ruled the galaxy de facto. They met their end when another Past Race rose up against them. They were responsible for the numerous amounts of humanoid forms throughout the galaxy in the Common Age.

Rise
The early Ancients faced alien threat before other life forms had even developed complex structure. First, Siwhake uplifted them but faced severe punishment from Tkranhdgrash, who made a gift of him to his brother Tkulthe. Tkulthe commanded Siwhake to destroy his "children," but Siwhake refused. Tkulthe fought him and caused him to fall into the grasp of Tkranhdgrash. Tkulthe was impressed by his bravery and promised he would allow the "poisoned" species to "grow, wither and die." Then the ravenous crab-man Nagrkenteki sought to devour them in their youth. He was stopped by Fon'Tdak,Tkulthe, and Fhesvou. Fhesvou intervened because Tralngharask asked him to, Fon'Tdak was not willing to let a race die and Tkulthe gave his word he would protect them. Before long, the Ancients were capable of defending themselves. As they spread into space they encountered the ruins of another ancient civilization, who's technology they adopted and worshipped.

Peak
At the height of their power they controlled much of the galaxy, traveling faster than light across space and time. They built impossible machines such as the Temporal Matrix, Genesis Engine and S'cha-ckl'ueu Arc. They interfered with the evolution of life across the galaxy, causing many middle-age races to be shaped like them, in a humanoid way. They guided the uplift of the other races they evolved alongside, including Drezdak, Searoshire, Ho Grath. The first calamity the Ancients faced came from the Tabbaroth, with whom they warred numerous times over millions of years. A more serious threat came from within. An Ancient turned himself into a flowing, infectious mass of flesh. The hive organism was called the Inferus and presented a massive threat to biodiversity in the galaxy. The Inferus was eventually contained in Red Quarantine Zones and slowly forced out. The only permanent casualty of the First Inferus Outbreak was the Ho Grath, who the Ancients used as guinea pigs to breed a more stable form of the Inferus. The experiment was half successful. The tree-like Ho Grath were all infected, and became the dreaded meat trees that existed well into the Nurn Age. The Ancients harnessed the power of stars and were trying to develop means of harnessing a black hole's energy when the Second Inferus Outbreak struck. With the help of the other races (including the Elder Race and the Tabbaroth), the Inferus was forced back again. but the effort exhausted the Ancient civilization and innovation ceased for several centuries. The resources had all been expended on the construction of powerful Stations to use as megaweapons against the Inferus or any other potential threats.

Decline
During an ancient political reform, the Ancient society changed it's entire structure. This age was called the feudal decline, and the once-prominent Church announced they had seen the future, and predicted three harbingers (Inferus, Elder Race and Tabbaroth) that would bring about the fall of the Ancient race. Following the Second Inferus Outbreak and a thirty year war with the Tabbaroth, the Ancient society began a slow decline. Many races declared themselves independent and refused any more Ancient guidance. Corruption began to spread. During Zykezx's Conquest, the Ancients abandoned the galaxy to the mercy of Zykezx. The Keldronians took up the mantle and desperately tried to protect the galaxy, but by the time Zykezx was killed it was too late, the damage was irreversible.

Fall
The fall of the Ancients came when the Elder Race openly went to war. Extragalactic in origin, and on par with the Ancients technologically. The Ancients had two jewels, Devastation and Annihilation, that they used until they were opened and the spirits of the Devastator and the Annihilator were released. After defeating them, the Ancient war hero Jossaldinath stole the jewels and hide with them in the far reaches of the galaxy where nobody could find them again. The Ancient leader-king Amossondath fell to his knees and begged the Other to destroy the Stations to remove his temptation when the entity appeared in the skies above Haond, but the Other merely erased all memory of them. The Ancients experimented in biological weapons against the Elder Race, even going so far as to manipulate Inferus specimens genetically in an attempt to wipe out their enemy. These experiments were ultimately fruitless, and responsible for the creation of such entities as Vates and the Inferrectus.

Infamously, the war ended with the destruction of both sides and the Past Races. The Elder Race fled the galaxy, the Ancient prince Lossoriawath stole the Temporal Matrix and fled in time, and the Ancients sealed themselves underground to hide from a disease.

Legacy
Any humanoid race (excluding the Desert Dæmons) is related to the Ancients. Lossoriawath emerged millions of years in the future and participated in the prophecy that said when he was devoured by the Tyat'Naghra human civilization would end. The Seeker and The Chronicler were the last two living Ancients. One lost his life due to radiation poisoning and the other died of old age twice. Chyos'Jakend was the only Old Being who accepted the Other's offer and took an Ancient body as his host. He survived in a stasis chamber until a human team revived him.

Notable Ancients
Lossoriawath

Amossondath

Chronicler

Seeker

Sossofurwhath

Jossaldinath