Anders's brick-built Digondarians
The Digondarians are one of the military powers of the Coalition, outnumbering and outgunning every other species but the Tarsins themselves. They held their own against the barbarians beyond their realm for many centuries with minimal help, but currently are not formally a part of the Earth war.
Physiology[]
On average, a foot taller than a Human, Digondarians are a short legged, long armed, and usually dark colored Therapsid-like species. They are renowned for their strength, durability, and improvised solutions. Only the Digondarians can match Tarsins for constitution and endurance in long treks and hard terrain. The Digondarians mix the toughness of an arkanin with the predatory cunning of a Thyrendi, and for this, they are a major threat in a fight, as many barbarians and animals alike have learned.
History[]
The Digondarian attempts at creating an interstellar empire began even before they discovered faster-than-light travel. They colonized a second planet, Umalis, some light years from Digondar proper. However, this coincided with the Beacon Cataclysm and all the disaster it brought. Their fledgling empire was destroyed as constructs of metal and fire swept by, destroying all industrialized civilization in their path. Both Digondar and Umalis were set back into primitive states.
Digondar itself was rendered uncivilized, in fact. Umalis managed to recover to the point where they were once again a spacefaring species, and met the Tarsins. The Tarsins helped them regain their home, but at the cost of total subservience. The Digondarian Realm developed under the rule of an elite Tarsin caste, and this continued for some time. Then came the Shadow Emperor, and the long dark age he brought. The Tarsin rulers were destroyed, but the Digondarians overlooked until the Salvation. They joined the Savior's forces, and fought alongside many others to preserve all life in the World. For this, the Savior's successors granted them autonomy and freedom from Tarsin interference in their affairs, so long as they defended the frontiers and fought when required. This new realm model was successful, and was the template for many more after the Digondarians.
Today[]
After the World was saved, the Digondarians got on with business, and transformed from a race of simple laborers and warriors sporting crude tools and weapons developed in the confines of Tarsin rule, to a competent and cultured civilization which produced top-of-the-line equipment in their chosen fields. They are skilled in craft and war, and these aspects have become prominent among thier race. The New Faith spread quite readily among them, and like the arkanin, they have developed their own theological traditions.
Culture[]
Digondar itself was about as brutal a planet as Earth, but with more persistent megafauna. This is believed to be the cause of an intensely communal mindset. Outsiders and abnormals are treated with distrust, perhaps the greatest dividing factor of the Digondarian civilization. Everyone lives and works together, and those who do not desire companionship are thought to be defective at best, and malicious at worst. This cultural perspective is also found in many Tarsin societies, and was still found among less-developed Earthman cultures as late as the 21st century.