Rixari

Originating from the planet Avareau, the Rixari are an enigmatic race which have forged a small Empire on the fringes of the Astromician's range. They are relatively advanced technologically, making use of a variety of new devices and revolutionary creations. They are a highly suspicious and xenophobic species as a result of their ill fated encounter with the Imperium. As a result the Rixari have a very efficient military. The species was apparently wracked by conflict before their unification and expansion into the stars. This led to the rise of many horrific and devastating weapons, as well as several highly trained armies. The Rixari are a well disciplined, inquisitive species stuck in an incredibly hostile galaxy and they will do what ever it takes to survive...

Biology
The Rixari (Rixari Rixarun) are an aquatic piscine race which are largely reliant on the use of pressurised suits in order for them to walk on land (although some of their sub-species do not require such devices). All members of their species are colossal beasts, with a typical Rixari measuring 7 metres (23 feet) in height and being a little over 1.5 metres (5 feet) wide. Each Rixari has 4 limbs, as well as two fins which extend from their arms like scythes and a large tail which greatly improves their movement in water. It has been found that as a Rixari ages it's tail grows in length, making it very easy to distinguish younger inexperienced Rixari from the older an often wiser members of their species. Two of the Rixari's appendages have developed into legs which are capable of propelling the Rixar on land almost efficiently as they can move in water. From these legs two pseudo-feet have grown allowing them relatively good balance while on land. The other set of limbs have developed into arms which have pseudo-hands from which 4 webbed extremities protrude. Rixari use these "fingers" to grip tools or weapons as well as to manipulate the pressure suits that most species must wear while on land.

Rixari have very distinct facial features which make it easy to distinguish one from another. Their head is attached to their body by a small restrictive neck, akin to that of a shark, and they possess four inquisitive eyes. Tests on Rixari subjects have shown that two of the eyes are capable of seeing the visible spectrum while the other two can detect and fully interpret infrared light. They have two slits which appear to be primitive noses, although they do seem to have a good sense of smell. Oddly the species appears to completely lack any visible ears, although experiments have shown that they do respond to sonic waves. The most intriguing feature about the face of a Rixari is it's mouth. A Rixari is capable of moving both it's lower jaw and upper part of it's mouth independently, making it an extremely proficient killer while in an aquatic environment.

The Rixari have a well developed metabolism which allows them to user more than 95% of their digested food as energy, with only the most inedible parts being left behind. As well as their efficient digestion system, they have a slow metabolic rate which allows them to live for close on two thousand years, with some surpassing this age. It is theorised that this was a direct result of genetic tampering by the Old Ones.

Sub-Species
The differences between the Rixari are still very clear cut even in the 41st Millennium where they appear to be a united species. Before their unification two separate sub-species of Rixari had developed on their homeworld, due to their drive to survive. A fourth species has also recently been discovered, known as the Barlanabas.

Rixari Rixarun
The dominant species of Avareau are the Rixari Rixarun, they are constrained to living in the oxygen rich lakes and seas of their home planet. In order to walk on land they must wear a full body immersion suit which allows them to breathe through a contained water environment with their gills. This species are the typical Rixari which most races encounter first as they are very distinctive, particularly with their flooded Obsidian class cruisers and Agate Class Dreadnoughts.

Rixari Rixarun are the species which fits the previous description in the biology section the most. They are only capable of breeding while immersed in H20 and they do so with a female laying a batch of eggs which a male can fertilise. Newly hatched Rixari Rixarun must spend the first 50 cycles of their life in water before they fully develop. At the age of 51 a Rixari will be permitted to wear a coveted pressure suit in order to allow them to explore the terrestrial environment of their homeworld. It should be noted that in their home environment the Rixari have the longest life cycles of all of the sub-species, with most living to the age of two thousand cycles old before dying of natural causes, and a select few individuals surpassing it much further.

Yalon Rixarun
The Yalon Rixarun are the most common land based Rixari sub-species. This race left the waters several thousands of years before the Unification with the aid of "Breather Packs" which scientists of the East Ocean Alliance had developed. These "Breather Packs" wear large Rixar portable devices that could be slung over the back of a member of their species that feeds water to the gills of the Rixari wearing it. These devices allowed some of their species to explore the surface before the invention of the pressurised immersion suits. The only drawback was that a Rixari could risk their skin fully drying out if they spent to long out of the water.

However, the Rixari, which used these device's more frequently, gradually began to develop tougher and more water tight skin. After a couple of hundred years the first Rixari was born that no longer required to be immersed in water at any point during it's life. Eventually the Yalon, as they became known, slowly developed the ability to breed whilst on land, as long as it was in a humid environment. After this point the jealous water based Rixari Rixarun decreed that they were no longer part of the same race but some form of heretical sub-species, dubbed the Yalon Rixarun by their geneticists.

The Yalon are still capable of thriving in the waters of their world, as they retained their gills, although they became unwelcome in the Rixari controlled seas. Instead they took refuge in the many freshwater lakes which dotted the lands of Avareau. Yalon Rixarun does not differ at all aesthetically from their pure breed water borne cousins as they only difference between the two species is that the Yalon have toughened, water tight, skin. The average life span if an Amphanox is typically more than one thousand years, provided they are not slain while fulfilling their divine duties as the Foot Soldiers of Vhuma.

Amphanox Rixarun
The last of the Rixari sub-species are definitely the most striking of their kind. They differ greatly from their other two cousins as they lack the ability to return to the oceans they once called home. Several members of the Western Sea Union began work on genetically modifying their species to allow them to breathe the air of their homeworld during the time of the most heated conflicts on Avareau. The Yalon had already began colonisation of the terrestrial part of their planet and therefore escaped the worst of the conflicts. The WSU were looking for a way to exit the growing war and decided to emulate what the Yalon had done.

Their scientists worked on making the gills of the Rixari capable of filtering oxygen in a gaseous form. After several rotational cycles of work on changing the structure of the Rixari's respiratory system, down at a genetic level, they eventually succeeded in developing what they hoped to be an amphibious member of their species. They dubbed their modified species the Amphanox as they were capable of breathing both liquid and gaseous oxygen. The WSU decreed to convert their entire population to the now superior Amphanox Rixarun.

They moved to the sparsely populated terrestrial surface of the planet and established several colonies. However, the first generation of Amphanox Rixarun to be born on land lacked the ability breathe in the water and many of them died when they attempted to enter the former domain of their parents. This was in part due to the fact that the gene structure of the Amphanox had underwent a radical mutation which the WSU hadn't foreseen. As the young first generation Amphanox Rixarun had never been forced to breathe through a liquid medium their respiratory system had developed to take the path of least resistance, which was to breathe the more easily accessible gaseous oxygen.

As a result the modern Amphanox are entirely a land based species and they are responsible for protecting terrestrial areas of planets which the Rixari have conquered. They look similar to their ancient cousins save for a darker skin and wider gills (for filtering in gaseous oxygen). They also have an improved metabolism and sense of smell over their primitive water borne cousins. However, they are almost a metre shorter than their cousins, the Yalon and the Rixari, with a typical male only being 5.5 metres (18 feet) tall. As well as this, their formidable sized tails which both other sub-species have are much shorter on Amphanox Rixarun. Likewise, the fins on their arms are much smaller than those of their relatives as they have become obsolete. The mutations which allow the Amphanox to breath gaseous oxygen have also quickened the metabolic rate of these Rixari. This has resulted in both their age of maturity and life expectancy being much shorter than that of their cousins', with most Amphanox reaching adolescence at 23 cycles, while living for up to 800 cycles.

Barlanabas Rixarun
Unbeknownst to the Rixari native to Avareau, a strain of their species had survived upon another world for millions of years. The Barlanabas were most likely cut off from their ancestors during the War in Heaven, being completely forgotten about by their brethren, as the aquatic race desperately tried to flee the relentless Necrons. How they survived is a complete mystery, but genetic tests proved that the Barlanabas were descendants of the Rixari.

Like all Rixari, the Barlanabas are colossal beasts, which are immensley powerful creatures. This strain of the race, in particular, is perfectly adapted to war. They stand at a respectable 6 metres (19.5 feet) tall and are extremely strong. They have also naturally developed the ability to breathe both gaseous and liquid dissolved oxygen. This makes them the only truly amphibious Rixari in existance. As a result, they have been subject of many studies carried out by the Rixari who wish to convert their entire populous into being fully Amphibious.

The Barlanabas are fully genetically compatible with all of the Rixari races, and they can interbreed with ease. It should be noted that all young born to a Barlanabas parent will be amphibious, regardless of whether they are a hybird of another Rixari species. For this reason the Rixari have been keen to fully intergrate all of their descendants into the Rixarun Empire.

Origins
It has been theorised that the Rixari were one of the many species seeded and heavily modified by the Old Ones in order to help counter the C'tan, during the War in Heaven. As a result these Rixari were thrust directly into a technological age. They continued to develop more and more advanced weapons, with the aim of defeating the Necrons and their C'tan masters. As the Rixari were designed to be soldiers of the Old Ones from the beginning, they never had the time to settle any other worlds, with the exception of Avareau. These ancient Rixari were gifted extremely advanced pressure suits by their Old One masters, in order for them to be used to combat the Necrons directly on the battlefield.

Unfortunately, the Rixari suffered greatly at the hands of the soulless automatons, and eventually they retreated back to their home planet, as their forces became devastated at the hands of the Necrons. The coming of the Enslavers only worsened their situation, and the Rixari fled back to their native environments in the seas of Avareau, with their advanced pressure suits being abandoned to decay.

Over time the Rixari reverted back in to their natural state (before the Old Ones had tampered with them), forgetting their pasts, and living a life of savagery. The part which the Rixari played in the War in Heaven was almost completely forgotten by the other races, with mere snippets of it surviving in the form ancient myths and legends. It would be millions of years before the Rixari would develop into a shadow of their former selves once more.

Dark Times
Little information has been gathered about this period of Rixari history, What is known is this. At some point during the 28th Millennium, what has been established to be modern Rixari, began to develop relatively advanced technology. Less than one thousand cycles later, the species became embroiled in an ever escalating conflict that would never truly end for another seven millennia. This war resulted in the development of several devastating weapons and the mutant Sub-Breeds of the Yalon and the Amphanox.

Unification
The events which happened before the unification of the Rixari are shrouded in mystery and it is taboo for the race to even mention it. One of the few things that is known is that the race committed several horrific genocide's on their own people as they developed unholy weapons of war in this period of their history. The little that has been garnered by Imperial researchers is that a team of visionaries from one of the major Rixari nation states devised a plan to unite their disillusioned people. Chief amongst them was Yul'drak Idarus who masterminded the union of the other Rixari nations.

Yul'drak originated from the north seas of Avareau and had risen to a high position North Avareau Military. He had ties with the Science Divisions and had gained several allies which he would use to further his future cause. The ambitious Rixari, along with his allies, worked on modifying several of the native land based species into vicious and intelligent beings. They altered the appearance of these beasts significantly, so not to arouse suspicion, and armed them to the teeth with a variety of experimental weapons. Yul'drak fabricated a name and a language for this "new" species before letting them loose on the general populous of Avareau.

Him and his team also made sure to create a fake crash site for these "aliens" and set out to convince the other Rixari nations that they were under an attack from an unknown species that was extraterrestrial in origin. Yul'drak announced that he would personally lead his forces to stop these marauding killers and that he would accept support from any other nation in his quest.

He managed to keep the farce up for more than 5 rotational cycles, gaining the trust of all of the Rixari Nation States in the process, before he personally killed the "leader" of the apparent invading Xenos. Every Rixari nation was grateful for the role he played in the eradication of the "invaders" and he was given the position of First Leader of the Rixarun Coalition. The loose alliance was held together almost entirely by their united fear of another alien attack and their dependance on Yul'drak leadership.

Under Yul'drak's guidance, as well as with the help of his trusted allies, the Rixari began to focus on the development of new technologies instead of weaponry. This led to the development of more advanced pressure suits, allowing the rest of the Rixari to fully explore their terrestrial environments. With a new found interest in the world beyond the oceans the Rixari ventured to discover the cosmos. As they were no longer focused on slaughtering one and other, all of the greatest Rixari scientists from across Avareau were able to pull all of their resources on developing space travel for their race.

Expansion
From the dawn of their Space Age the Rixari looked to settle on other planets as their own world had almost been completely ruined by war. The Rixarun Coalition sent out several exploration teams to all of the worlds in their native solar system. They found only two other celestial body capable of sustaining life, the large twin moons which orbited Avareau. The Amphanox colonised the barren moon of Aridal and set about the construction of more advanced spacecraft.

Meanwhile the pure breed Rixari and their slightly mutated cousins, the Yalon, established a colony on the second moon Hydral. Unlike it's twin, Hydral had several pockets of water which the Rixari races could thrive in. Like their fellow Rixarun sub-species, the Yalon and the Rixari began work on developing a more efficient means of cosmic transport with the aid of their increasing number of Psykers. With the help of these Rixari who had developed Psychic abilities, their scientists were able to fabricate the first functioning Warp Drive.

After the collaboration between the Amphanox who had designed newer, more efficient, sub-light spaceships and the Yalon scientists, which had developed a space drive capable of propelling them away from their local system, the Rixari were finally able to begin colonising the stars. They launched ten newly constructed, aquatic environment, Obsidian Class Cruisers into the void in search of habitable worlds.

Over the period of five decades a total of seven of these colony ships reported back to Avareau, stating that that they had found several worlds fit for settlement. Of course that still meant that the other three Obsidian Cruisers were still out in the void, their fates unknown. The Rixarun Coalition decided to be patient so they focused their attention towards the seven new colonies that had been founded. Each of these conquered worlds were a relatively short distance from one and other (only 10-20 light years away from Avareau) so they were well supplied by the twin Rixarun colony moons of Aridal and Hydral.

Confident with the success of their previous colonisation, the Rixari began a second expansion. This time they launched two Obsidian Cruisers, each protected by two Lazuli Destroyers, from each of their new colonies in search of more habitable worlds. It took a long time for each of these second generation exploration delegations to report back, with the 13th, presumed last, ship sending back a signal a whole 150 cycles after they had set off.

However, during this time several Rixari Psykers picked up a multitude of disturbing distress calls from one of the ships sent out in the first Rixarun Expansion. It warned of a highly aggressive and organised force that vastly outnumbered the Rixari forces. With their ill defended fledgling Planetary Collective of a mere 20 worlds, the Rixarun Coalition were worried of what this new threat may bring.

First Contact
The zealous forces, of the now identified "Imperium of Man", struck deep into Rixari territory. In the time taken for the Rixarun Coalition to organise a counter strike against the invaders they had already lost nine of their colonies to the Imperial forces. The Rixari were in complete disarray as they had suffered defeat after defeat against these relentless attackers. What had been organised into a "formidable counter attack" was effectively all of the spacecraft that the Imperial Navy had been unable to destroy. A paltry eleven Obsidian Cruisers, thirteen Lazuli Destroyers and a handful of the newly built Agate Dreadnoughts were what remained of the Unified Rixarun Navy.

However, the Imperial Forces were starting to tire and they were beginning to run low on resources, as they had ventured far beyond the borders of Imperial Space, quickly approaching the boundary of the Astronomicion's range. At the beginning of 209.M39, the Lord Commander of the Fleet, Lance Harlan, elected to halt their conquest at the world VN-153, (named Aquaron by the Rixari). By some strange coincidence, the Rixarun Coalition had chosen Aquaron as the planet from which they would launch a huge counter attack. They had already spent months fortifying the world and they had strategically positioned their fleet to be hidden behind the glare of the Aquaron System's star.

The Imperial Forces entered the system in a brazen manner, moving at full sub-light speed towards the planet. When they entered orbit Harlan became suspicious due to the lack of activity around a planet that was deep on Rixari territory. He ordered his ships to stay on heightened alert despite the apparent lack of danger. The Imperial forces were deployed to the planet below, in order to eliminate any Rixari they found. To their astonishment they encountered no immediate resistance. The Imperial Forces began settling on the planet in order prepare it for colonisation.

For a full week the Rixari stayed in hiding, allowing the Imperials to fall into a false sense of security, before finally revealing themselves. A large army of one thousand Yalon leapt from the oceans they were waiting in and ambushed a whole armed regiment, destroying every vehicle they encountered while slaughtering the crews. The rest of the the Imperial Guard didn't fair much better. A well organised force of Amphanox had begun slowly butchering their way through enemy lines. Meanwhile, all of the Imperium's aquatic troop carriers were sabotaged by Rixari stealth teams, with none of the boats escaping intact. The Rixarun forces were clever, making sure to divide all of the Imperial Forces before wiping them out with their combined might.

Lord Commander Harlan realised within 24 hours of the Rixari attacks that the battle was lost. After seeing the ferocity of the Rixarun counter strike against his forces Harlan deduced that this world was most likely their homeworld, given the oceanic conditions of the planet and the aquatic nature of the Rixari. Harlan ordered an immediate withdrawal of all surviving Imperial Forces, highlighting that all those who were left behind would be killed in Exterminatus. It was at this moment that the Rixarun fleet chose to attack, seeing that their enemy was attempting to retreat.

The battle in space was as fierce as the one on the ground. The Agate Dreadnoughts tore into the support ships and the newly launched Lazuli Destroyers focused their fire power on the Imperial Command ship. Harlan realised that he was in an unwinnable situation and elected to abandon his plan on Exterminatus. Choosing to initiate a dangerous and risky manoeuvre instead. The Lord Commander chose to activate his flag ship's Warp drive, despite it's treacherous proximity to a celestial body.

To the dismay of the Rixari, the Lord Commander's ship escaped, and a resulting Warp Rift caused severe damage to both the surviving Imperial ships and to those of the Unified Rixarun Navy. The fluctuation in the Warp had also had an extremely detrimental effect on the Rixari Psykers that were still on the planet below. Many went insane and other were seduced into the service of the Ruinous Powers. After eliminating what remained of the Imperial Fleet, the Rixari chose to abandon the planet they had fought so valiantly to save, as it became engulfed by the fledgling Warp Rift.

Collapse of a Civilisation
The Rixari had suffered greatly at the hands of the Imperium. What remained of the Coalition Forces rushed back towards their homeworld in preparation for an invasion that never came, while the remaining 8 Rixarun colonies became cut off from their home system. Even after there had been no indication of a second Imperial invasion, the Rixari still had no desire to even risk entering the Aquaron System, deeming it a lost cause. The Rixari had used up vast amount of resources in order to sustain their war effort and their society had suffered as a result. Simple necessities such as food and shelter were in short supply due to the over abundance of refugees from the war as well as the fact that many key supply worlds had fallen to the Imperium.

Rixari from the isolated colonies became disillusioned after they lost contact with their homeworld. As a result many of these colonised worlds collapsed into civil war as resources became sparse. The populous of two of the colonised worlds reverted to savagery in order to survive, as the settlers becoming divided on race lines with the Rixari, Yalon and Amphanox taking control of their native environments.

The situations on Aridal and Hydral were not much better as the Rixari became divided in their loyalties. Two distinct factions formed, one which supported a policy of reuniting the lost colonies as well as taking revenge on the Imperium which had wronged them (Expansionists) and another group which was focused on fixing the troubles of their homeworld (Unionists).

The Rixari Expansionists unanimously chose to commandeer all of the remaining Unified Rixarun Navy ships and left their homeworld, in an attempt to avoid war with the Unionists. The Rixari Unionists were pleased that the agitators had left. They set out to rebuild their homeworld and it's twin moons on their own with a limited number of space craft and resources. However, the Unionists also realised they were now both vulnerable to extraterrestrial attack and that they were completely system bound. It took more than twenty-five cycles for them to salvage their Avareau civilisation, before re-establishing it as the Rixari Empire. Of course, while issues in their home system were settled, the fates of the Expansionists was still a mystery.

Forging of an Empire
Almost a century after their departure, the Unified Rixarun Navy returned to Avareau Space, with their full compliment of Expansionist crews. They brought back interesting news of their venture to the Rixari that remained in their home system, as well as the reason for the increase in the size of their fleet. In their absence they had reclaimed six of their lost worlds, as well as establishing a new spaceport on their most resource rich colony, Vodran (which had coincidentally much faired better than the other Rixari worlds). However, the two colony worlds which had fallen into a feudal state had been unwilling to rejoin the Rixari and they had met serious opposition from the former settlers.

It became apparent that the reason the Expansionist's had chosen to return to their homeworld was in order to receive aid from the entire Rixarun Coalition in order to bolster the small compliments of these forces which had decided to join the mission to reunite the Rixari. The Rixari Unionists agreed to support their brothers as they had witnessed their effectiveness at expanding and fortifying Rixarun Space. The only condition was that the Expansionist's, and the planet's they conquered, would fall under the command of the new Rixari Empire. Surprisingly the Rixari Expansionists, who had braved the hazards of space to bring their planets back to their control, were fine with this as they realised they would probably be rewarded handsomely for their efforts (as well as recognising the need for an effective form of control over the recaptured worlds). Regular trade routes were immediately established between the Avareau System and the co-operative six Rixari Colonies while preparations were made for a second conquest of the two worlds that were yet to fall back under Rixarun control.

Exactly one rotational cycle after their arrival in the Avareau System, the full might of the Unified Rixarun Navy left their orbit over Aridal in order to initiate their conquest of the fallen worlds of Uisgav and Aguaj, the two planets that had resisted a return to Rixarun control. Along with them were the entire combined forces of the Yalon Armed Legion and the Amphanox Strike Forces, as well as an elite contingent of Rixari Defence Initiative soldiers. Interestingly, one section of the fleet was also tasked with a secondary objective of colonising new worlds after Uisgav and Aguaj had been pacified.

The Warp jump to Uisgav was short, lasting only half a rotational cycle. The forces of the Rixarun Coalition and their leaders had been planning (as well as testing) their course of action for the entire duration of the voyage. It had been checked with the intelligence which the previous expedition had garnered and any potential hazards were inserted into the plan to make sure it was fool proof. The moment the ships entered Uisgav's orbit, the Coalition ground forces launched their attack, striking at all of the key strategic locations simultaneously.

The main resistance leaders, which were little more than savage tribal chieftains, were quickly disposed with the last being killed two Aridan Cycles (months) after the initial invasion force. Most of the tribal Rixari were easily re-educated, particularly the Amphanox who were the first to willingly join the Rixarun Empire. The Yalon followed suit soon after their land dwelling relatives. However, the pure bred Rixari (Rixari Rixarun) had reverted to a far more primal state than their mutant cousins and proved difficult to shift from the seas of Uisgav. While the other two sub-species had been integrated only a few weeks after the invasion, the feral Rixari had to be slowly driven from their aquatic dens.

It took close to half a rotation cycle for Uisgav to be fully brought under the control of the Rixari Empire after a brutal conflict against the rogue members of their species. As they had reverted to a feudal state the captured Rixari had to be 're-educated' before being allowed a place in the Empire as anything other than the subjects of the loyal Amphanox and Yalon who were placed in charge of the planet. After a successful campaign which had strengthened the Empire, the Rixari split their fleet. Half of the fleet set a course for Aguaj while the rest began a search for more inhabitable worlds.

The primary Unified Rixarun Navy fleet entered the orbit of Aguaj a whole Rotational Cycle after they left the relative safety of Uisgav. However, what met the Rixarun Coalition at their former colony world was something entirely unexpected. A fleet of ships of unknown origin hung in the planet's orbit and Aquaj's surface appeared to have been scarred by warfare. The Rixari did not hesitate to attack these usurpers as they knew they had a huge advantage over the foreign threat. A complement of twenty Agate Dreadnoughts sprung from the darkness of space and tore into the unidentified ships. None of the enemy ships escaped, but it was clear that the battle was far from over.

Preliminary scout teams, sent to the planets surface, identified these invaders as a race of 6 foot tall humanoid beings which lacked any distinctive features, save for two violet eyes. With the no means of escape the mysterious foe was eliminated over the period of a week with relative ease. The Aguajans were much easier to pacify, after it was made clear that they were saved by their space faring brethren. Aguaj was brought under the full control of the Rixari Empire and a small contingent of Rixarun Coalition forces were left behind to defend the planet from a probable return by the invaders.

After their full reunification the Rixari were stronger than they had ever been before. All eleven of their settled celestial bodies were thriving as they were able to trade amongst themselves and the exploration ships reported back discoveries of more than twenty potential worlds for settling, with small colonies being set up on each one. Their Second Golden Age was in full swing but their research teams were still putting a lot of resources into developing new weapons as the extraterrestrial threat began to become more apparent.

Conquest of the Stars
With nine core worlds and more than twenty colonies the Rixari were developing a fairly considerable Empire. Their well disciplined forces had also marked them out to be a significant force to be reckoned with and many Xenos species chose to keep clear of the Rixari. Confident with their current position, it was not long before the Rixari began to explore the planets which lay at the edge of their borders, keen to gather knowledge on the other native species of the Galaxy as well as examining their greatest threat, the Imperium of Man, in greater detail. This would prove to be the beginning of the Rixari's presence on the Galactic stage.

The Second Golden Age of the Rixari was dawning and the inquisitive, but xenophobic, race began to venture beyond their borders on search of other civilisations. It would be the militaristic Ularatu which would be the first Xenos race (other than the Imperium) to encounter the Rixari. A very short conflict erupted between the two species before the benevolent Empress of the Rixari Empire, Unilai Yul'drak, ordered her forces to stand down. The Ularatu Confederacy of Planets immediately took this opportunity to offer the Rixari Empire an alliance, as the forces of the Imperium of Man had been detected on the fringes of Ularatu space.

Along with their new found allies, the Rixari embarked on a counter attack against the Imperial forces. Although it had been several millennia since the Imperium of Man had invaded Rixari space, the stories of it had been passed down the generations, and a desire for revenge was still string within the psyche of the species. They surprised the Ularatu with their sheer ferocity when they fought the Imperial fleet. The Rixari boarding actions were fierce and their Agate Dreadnoughts completely annihilated the main ships of the Imperial Navy Battlefleet.

After encountering the Imperium for a second time, Empress Unilai Yul'drak decided that the Rixari should attempt to find more allies in order to increase the relative security of the Rixari Empire. A few hundred cycles after this proclamation, a small Unified Rixarun Navy fleet stumbled across a species known as the Walaxan. The Rixari, keen to forge an alliance, sent a small delegation of ships towards the system which the new species had been discovered to inhabit. To the horror of the Rixari these ships never reached their destination, as they were destroyed by the Walaxan. At a loss to the reason behind this merciless attack, Empress Unali elected to respond to this attack by initiating a series of attacks against the Walaxan planets.

The war barely lasted a quarter of a cycle, during which time the entire xenos species was conquered by the Rixari. However, as they had conquered the species and not negotiated with them, the Empress believed that they did not deserve to be subjects of the Rixarun Collective. Instead, Unali Yul'drak, elected to enslave the species and bring them under the control of the Rixari Empire. This new slave species greatly benefited the Rixari, as they now had free labour. It also created a new role for Rixari Psykers to fill, that of an Overseer, while they gained a new military force to use against their enemies.

It then became apparent to the Rixari that they did not always have to ally themselves with every species they encountered. Instead, they could enslave those that did not seem fit to be subjects of the Rixarun Collective, but forced labour. A system was created to justify these questionable actions, that every species belonged to a certain group. Either: they were a Greater Species, like the Ularatu, fit to conquer: or they were a Lesser Species, like the Walaxan, fit to be conquered.

This new attitude did not deter them from attempting an alliance with the technologically adept Telmeras, a mere century later. Unfortunately for this avian species, one of their ships mistakenly opened fire on an Obsidian Class Cruiser, which contained a Rixari delegation that had been sent to negotiate with the Telmeras. The new Emperor, Syi'lani Yul'drak, ordered that the Rixari should avenge their fallen brethren, by conquering the entire Telmeras Empire. The conflict lasted close to three cycles before the avian race was completely controlled by the Rixari. They proved to be adept soldiers, and the race was spared complete enslavement as a result. Instead, the race was now forced to fight for the Rixarun Collective while their planets became Protectorates of the Rixari Empire.

With an increase in the size of their colonies, the Rixari initiated another phase of expansion in order to find new worlds to settle on. Several exploration fleets of Obsidian Class Cruisers were launched under the authorisation of Emperor Syi'lani Yul'drak, to find and conquer new worlds for the Rixari Empire. Over the course of three hundred cycles, these fleets discovered a plethora of inhabitable worlds, and six new colonies were established. As well as establishing new colonies, one of the exploration fleets discovered the large Alliance of Ixanda Worlds. As they had clearly conquered several systems, the Rixari accepted the Ixandan request for an alliance. They were surprised that the Ixanda, which had settled more worlds than the Rixari, were actively seeking the protection of the piscine species.

The new alliance spurred on Syi'lani Yul'drak to initiate an attack against an Imperial system which lay on the fringes of the now expanded Rixari Empire. The war with the isolated forces of the Imperium of Man was swift as they had been cut off from the rest of the Imperium for centuries, and they were relatively unprepared for such a large invasion. After completely destroying the military forces stationed within the system, they opted to enslave the humans. With the aid of the Overseers, the Rixari were able to brainwash all of it's inhabitants into their service. The former Imperial citizens proved to be perfect for manufacturing weapons for the slave armies of the Rixari.

War and Peace
However, these recent attacks did not go unnoticed. Some spies belonging to a Xenos species known as the Orlagit had witnessed the savagery of the Rixari attacks against Imperial and other alien worlds. They reasoned that the only way they would be able to maintain their independence would be to destroy the vicious Rixari and their Empire. Several other races were recruited by the Orlagit to aid their cause, including the violent Celenzars. Another three species known as the Plexun, the Hajalti and the Sca'lax also pledged to support to the Orlagit forces.

Several devastating offensive strikes tore into Rixari space, catching the Rixarun Collective by surprise. The death of Emperor Syi'lani had also left the Rixari Empire leaderless during the preliminary attacks made by the Orlagit and their allies. As the Rixari war machine was slow to mobilise, the aquatic race lost more than nine of their core worlds to the relentless invaders. However, once Second Empress Varlana Yul'drak had been crowned, she personally spearheaded a vicious counter attack.

The worlds which had been lost were eventually recaptured by the combined forces of the Rixarun Coalition, the Ularatu and the Ixanda after a fierce campaign which lasted for more than three cycles. After the violent counter attack against the Orlagit forces, the entire Rixarun Coalition elected to launch a full scale invasion against the Xenos that had dared to challenge them. Justice was swiftly enacted against the potential usurpers, and the Celenzar worlds were among the first to be conquered.

After the fall of their most reliable military allies, the loose collection of Orlagit allied forces began to falter. The Plexun were effectively crushed after eight bloody cycles of conflict, after their homeworld was captured. The Ularatu successfully managed to defeat the Hajalti before they set foot on the xenos' homeworld soon after. Unsurprisingly, the Orlagit fought a valiant defensive against the forces of the Rixarun Coalition, as they feared the retribution the Rixari would enact upon them. However, their civilisation fell not long after their last surviving allies, the Sca'lax, had almost been exterminated by the Ixanda.

A now extremely confident Rixari Empire looked further beyond it's borders after it's recent success against the potential usurpers. They had gained an extremely large number of slave from five different Xenos races and they had proved that they were capable of surviving anything. However, this new found arrogant outlook was completely shattered when they witnessed first hand the ferocity of a species known as the Avarano. These crazed beasts had become involved in a war with another Xenos race known as the Philothuns, which they had almost completely wiped out. The Rixari Emperor, Jal'atha Yul'drak, personally decided that the only logical course of action would be for the Rixarun Collective to ally themselves with the Avarano. Surprisingly the reptilian species agreed, on the condition that they could call upon the entire Rixarun Coalition during times of warfare.

It would be millennia before the Rixari would encounter a new Xenos species. Although they had become involved in a few fleeting engagements with the Eldar (who the savagely attacked). By the time that they had discovered the enigmatic race known as the Floragans, Emperor Jal'atha had passed on, and it was the newly crowned Ilaxan Yul'drak who decided that they should observe and study the race before they took any serious action against the species.

The bizarre race fascinated Rixari scientists as they plant like species possessed advanced technology that surpassed the imagination of their own race. Incredible biological constructs, which were superior to any technology that the Rixari themselves had produced were clearly abundant throughout this totally alien species. Emperor Ilaxan was keen to establish a dialogue between him and the Floragan leaders. However, before he could do so, one of the Rixari core worlds came under attack from and Eldar strike force. To the surprise of the Rixari Emperor, he found that the Floragans had elected to defend his world while working alongside his own forces. This selfless drove the Emperor to open up diplomatic relations with the race.

Of course, both sides had more sinister motives for looking for an alliance. Many Rixari scientists wished to study the odd species in detail, in order to find a way of harnessing the Floragans extreme psychic talents. While the plant like race was looking for new technology to assimilate as well as an unwitting pawn which they could use in their wars of revenge against the Necrons.

Rixari-Xai'athi War
At the dawn of the 41st Millennium, a small fleet of Avarno scout ships encountered a world which was inhabited by a bizarre mammalian species which resembled humans. The scout ships reported their findings to their own government before the message was relayed directly to the Rixari Emperor, Ilaxan Yul'drak. The wise Ilaxan decided that the best plan would be to gather more intelligence on this potential threat. The Amphanox Strike Force began a series of reconnaissance missions on the borders of the mysterious foe, identifying out that they were not actually humans but an odd species called the Xai'athi. They immediately sent a delegation to their Avarno allies, informing them not to initiate a direct attack.

However, Rixari delegates would arrive too late, with the vengeful Avarno having already ordered a large strike against the frontier worlds of the previously unknown foe. The Rixari were then issued a demand by their allies, which immediately ordered the piscine race to honour the terms of their alliance with the Avarno. Knowing they couldn't refuse, the Rixari sent a force of Telmeras (led by the ASF), to aid their allies on the front lines. However, the premature strike provided the Rixari Empire with an opportunity to test the Xai'athi forces.

On the world of Halanti, the Rixari discovered that the Telmeras they had equipped with Resonant Amplification Weapons lasted much longer than the Telmeras which used their standard issue weapons (a weapon similar to a shotgun), while they were fighting a strain of the Xai'athi known as the Awali. This knowledge would prove to be vital in the future of the conflict. After realising that the Telmeras soldiers had almost been completely wiped out, the Rixari moved to place the far more aggressive Plexun on the front lines. As well as forcing their slaves to fight, the Rixari called upon their allies: the psychic monsters of the Floragans and the technologically advanced Ularatu to aid the Rixari cause.

It was not long before the Rixari found themselves fighting on the front lines against the forces of the Solaris Federation. The Plexun eventually had to be pulled from duty, despite their effective use if Accelerated Ionisation Weapons against the Awali and Iconian strains of the Xai'athi. It can be assumed that the Solaris Federation had underestimated the forces of the Rixari initially as the technology they had so far encountered belonged to the slaves and allies of the Rixari Empire. The forces of the Rixarun Collective had so far only conquered five Xai'athi worlds at a great cost, but the coming of the gargantuan giant beasts to fighting from the front dramatically changed the course of the war.

The Solaris Federation was completely unprepared for the deadly strikes made by the combined forces of the Rixarun Coaltion, accompanied by their allies of the Floragans and the Ularatu. The species showcased all of their devastating weapons with horrific fury in the later stages of the war. Their unholy combination of physical might and deadly devices of war brought destruction to all of the Xai'athi forces they encountered, as they progressed further into the Solaris Federation.

Despite the huge defensive forces of the Solaris Federation, they were continuously hounded back further and further into their territories by the advancing Rixari. The problem lay with the fact that the Rixari utilised a variety of weapons which various members of the Xai'athi were vulnerable to. While the Rixari, with their formidable physique could withstand all manner of weapons which the Solaris Federation threw at them. However, the war was having detrimental effects on the Rixarun Collective, as more and more of it's member's populations were sent to fight on the front lines.

Although the Rixari and their allies had gained more than thirty-four new worlds, Emperor Ilaxan Yul'drak realised that ultimately they could not hope to win this war, as his spies had informed him that the Solaris Federation was much larger than reconnaissance had previously indicated. Tragically, mere hours after Ilaxan had drawn up the plans for a peace settlement, he was shot dead by a team of Akili assassins. The sudden death of their Emperor shook the Rixari. The draft Rixari-Xai'athi Peace Settlement was found by his advisors, and in the time between Ilaxan's death and his heir's coronation, those loyal to the old Emperor to set in motion a series of events that would bring an end of the Rixari-Xai'athi War.

First of all, Tah'lan Yul'drak was purposefully kept confined to the Rixarun Imperial Citadel, in order to prevent him from countermanding his father's orders. The second step, was for the Rixari Empire to force all of their xenos allies out of the war by cutting off their supplies. Over time every race, with the exception of the Floragans (which withdrew after the were ordered to), became unable to sustain their war effort. With the Rixari as the sole military presence with Xai'athi space, the last part of their plan was enacted as the newly crowned (and exceptionally arrogant) Fifth Emperor of the Rixari Empire, Tah'lan Yul'drak, was forced to request an audience with the leader of the Solaris Federation, by his team of advisors.

The place of the negotiations was chosen to be thirty-fourth planet which the Rixari had recently conquered, Kazalix. A flotilla of more than a thousand Agate Class Dreadnoughts hung in orbit of the planet, with each captain being given the order to level the planet, in the event that the talks failed. The Xai'athi delegation, consisting of Kaizari Vijana and the Kurugenzi, were also accompanied by a heavily armed fleet of warships. The Rixari delegation of Emperor Tah'lan, and his predecessor's advisors, presented the Rixari-Xai'athi Peace Settlement to the Kaizari. The contents of the statement were simple: The Rixari would agree to withdraw all of their forces from Xai'athi space; All of the conquered planets, would be returned to the ownership of the Solaris Federation; The Rixari Empire would be permitted to keep a large outpost on Kazalix, to act as a place of negotiations between the two species and the last term was that the Rixari Empire would pledge to support the Solaris Federation in future conflicts. Kaizari Vijana could not refuse such reasonable demands, as they would regain their lost worlds while gaining a new ally.

It was after learning of the author of this deal, she realised that Binadmu had been right all along, and that she should never have ordered the assassination of Ilaxan Yul'drak. After meeting the supercilious Tah'lan Yul'drak in the flesh, her regret turned to dread. Despite the valiant efforts of Emperor Ilaxan's advisors to make sure that all of the Xai'athi signed the peace deal, Tah'lan's insolence shone through, as he managed to insult the representative of the Vashti so much that she not only refused to sign the deal but she swore to remove Tah'lan from his position, permanently. After the deal was verified by all of the representatives, including Akasha Madora who had not signed it, an alliance was sworn between the Rixari and the Awali, as the piscine race vowed to repay those who they had devastated the most.

Society
Before their unification at the hands of Yul'drak the Rixari were a very fractured species. Most of the hostile Rixari had remained in the oxygen rich seas of their planet. Others had worked towards to inventing devices that would allow them to walk on land and a few of their number even resorted to genetic engineering to allow them to breathe the Avareaun air. Even during the 41st millennium these differences run deep and their are distinct differences in their roles in both society and in the military.

Leadership
After the Unification and the death of Yul'drak Idarus, the leader of the Rixari was democratically elected to fill the position of Leader of the Rixarun Coalition. This system lasted until the collapse of the Coalition during the Rixarun war against the Imperium. After the formation of the Rixari Empire, the leader of the unified Rixari was given the title of Emperor and the position became more or less hereditary. The ruling family, which were all descendants of Yul'drak chose that they would take their ancestors name and make it their official surname.

Leaders of the Rixarun Coalition

 * Yul'drak Idarus: The first ever leader of the Rixari Coalition and progenitor of the future Yul'drak Dynasty. This cunning individual masterminded the Unification of his people through guile and cunning. After he found himself in an unexpected position of power he put great effort into leading the Rixari into their First Golden Age.
 * Phi'car Axara: After the unexpected death of Yul'drak (only 10 cycles after the Unification) the Rixari were forced to elect a new leader. Phi'car Axara was a visionary, much like his friend and mentor Yul'drak Idarus and he seemed to be a sensible choice as a leader. He lasted more than seventy cycles in office, during which time he: planned and achieved the settlement of Avareau's twin moons (Hydral and Aridal); initiated the launch of the first Rixari Exploration ships and masterminded the secondary phase of expansion.
 * Rix'irul Oxola: Another pupil and follower of Yul'drak's teachings. Rix'url proved to be a resourceful Amphanox leader. Serving for more than nine terms, she was popular with the Rixari due to her realistic outlook on the expansion of the Rixari and her concerns over it's safety. She eventually lost to the younger Vra'gan Idarus twenty-seven cycles before the Imperial Incursion.
 * Vra'gan Idarus: The rather young contender for the premiership eventually won three terms in office, serving for twenty-eight cycles before his death on the front lines, leading the armies of the Rixari Coalition directly, against the relentless forces of the Imperium of Man. A rather brash but brave creature, Vra'gan sacrificed his own life while in orbit of the planet Alaxar, in order to save the remainder of the Unified Rixarun Navy from destruction at the hands of the Imperium. He achieved this by steering his command ship directly into a major Imperial Capital ship which was harrying the Rixari forces. His noble heritage and his honourable sacrifice marked this Rixari as a hero of his race.
 * Tal'drak Ulina: Hastily forced to serve as the leader of the Rixari following Vra'gan Idarus' death, Tal'drak lead his people during their darkest times as they lost their final world, Aquaron, to a fate worse than destruction. Tal'drak resigned after he realised he did not have a Coalition to rule, with the entire collective in ruins.

Presidents of Avareau
After the resignation of Tal'drak Ulina, the major remaining Rixari faction were based on their homeworld. They elected to have a president of their planet while they rebuilt.
 * Hax'tral Elaxa: The female Yalon, Hax'tral Elaxa was the first and only legitimate President of Avareau. Lasted for 25 cycles before she lost to her rival Mal'arax Idarus.
 * Mal'arax Idarus: This cunning Rixari won the position of President fairly. However, seeing a need for more rigid control of Rixari territories, Mal'arax Idarus elected to transform the Rixarun Coalition into the more powerful Rixari Empire.

Emperors of the Rixari Empire
The Yul'drak Dynasty are the direct descendants of the greatest leader in Rixari history, Yul'drak Idarus. They chose to adopt his first name as their family's in order to preserve the memory of their ancestor while emphasising their heritage to their subjects.
 * Mal'arax Yul'drak: Self decreed First Emperor of the Rixari Empire, Mal'arax changed his name to honour his ancestor (whom he believed gave him the divine right to rule the Rixari). Mal'arax slowly became mad with power, and his demands as Emperor became more and more extreme. The beast developed into a merciless tyrant before his daughter, Unilai Yul'drak, with the backing of the rest of her family elected to kill the insane Rixari through asphyxiation. His reign of terror lasted for more than one hundred cycles.
 * Unilai Yul'drak: The first Empress of the Rixari Empire. One of the most favoured hereditary rulers of the Rixari, she gained the trust of her subjects after disposing of her tyrannical father. She ruled her people for close on nine hundred cycles before her death.
 * Syi'lani Yul'drak: Ruled for seven hundred and eighty-three cycles, before being killed in a horrific accident during a ceremonial visit to a Obsidian Class Cruiser.
 * Varlana Yul'drak: She left a legacy of more than a two millennia as Empress.
 * Jal'atha Yul'drak: Lived for more than twelve hundred cycles, the majority of which he spent as Emperor.
 * Ilaxan Yul'drak: The wise and well educated Emperor Ilaxan only served as leader of the Rixari Empire for 43 cycles before he was killed by a Xai'athi assassin during the violent Rixari Incursion against the Solaris Federation.
 * Tah'lan Yul'drak: An arrogant and pious creature, Tah'lan never deserved the power which he received after the exceptionally early death of Emperor Illaxan. In the long run, the Xai'athi created far more problems for themselves than they solved, since their execution of the previous Emperor. Emperor Tah'lan is a loose cannon with a violent temperament, and has shown that he cannot be controlled through any means. Tah'lan is infamous for the words he smugly spoke to the leader of the Vashti during negotiations with the Solaris Federation, effectively ruining any chance of treaty between the souless beasts and the aquatic xenos.

Groups
Unlike some of the other species which exist in the Galaxy, the Rixari lack any form of a caste system. This was a deliberate decision made by Yul'drak in order to try and avoid another period of civil war amongst the Rixari arising once more. However, some like minded individuals have formed themselves into groups, of various degrees of morality, since the Unification.

Unified Rixarun Delegation
These Rixari are determined to keep their species united through any means possible. They are actively supported by the Rixari Emperor in their endeavours, as they seek to preserve the peace amongst their own race which they have become accustomed to. The URD actively hunt down and kill opponents to the Rixari Empire, in order to prevent treasonous ideas from spreading. Their biggest opponents to date have been the intolerant New Dawn Cult, which members of the URD have ferociously hounded and decimated. The Unified Rixarun Delegation have made a point of making public examples of members of the New Dawn Cult, allowing them to asphyxiate the treasonous traitors on dry land in front of crowds of cheering Amphanox and Yalon.

New Dawn Cult
The Cult of the New Dawn is a shadowy group of pure bred Rixari Rixarun who wish to see a return to fractured Rixarun states which they remember, so that their organisation can impose it's will on all of the other Rixari. These beasts despise the mutated Yalon and loathe the Amphanox, which they see as being unfit to call themselves Rixari, due to their inability to survive in their ancestral environment. They are such a supercilious group, that they even hold most Pure Rixari in contempt. As well as despising aspects of their own race, they are extremely xenophobic, and they want to dissolve all of the alliances which the Rixari Empire has forged, so that no foreign intervention can prevent them from subjugating their own people.

Aquaron Outcasts
After the world of Aquaron was abandoned to be consumed by the forces of Chaos, the Rixari which were left behind on the forsaken planet chose to renounce their old beliefs in favour of the Ruinous Powers. All of the Rixari which were left for dead by their brethren, converted, seeing it as the only means of survival. However, many went mad after choosing to follow Chaos, but a few strong willed individuals remained, determined to fully embrace their new masters. These corrupted Rixarun beasts are desperate for revenge against their own kind who they believe have rewarded their bravery with damnation.

Psykers
Any Rixari which develops psychic talents is treated with great respect by it's fellows. This is due to the fact that, since their reformation, the Rixari have been heavily dependant on their Psykers performing several different tasks for the benefit of advancing the Rixari cause. During the early years of the Rixarun Collective, Psykers were vital in the development of Warp Drive technology. Since their early use in aiding scientific endeavours, Rixari Psykers have been trained to fill a variety of roles.

The most common role which Psykers fill in the modern Rixari Empire is that of an Overseer. The purpose of this position is that of controlling the Lesser Races which have been conquered by the Rixari. They use their abilities to suppress the will of the subjugated Xenos in order to make them comply with their masters. They are also trained how to use their powers offensively, in order to strike down dissidents.

Another position which Rixari Psykers regularly fill is that of Charters. These Rixari spend their lives training to detect the nuances in the Immaterium. This allows the Rixari a safer way of traversing the cosmos during Warp jumps. A trained Charter can sense the tiniest of fluctuations within the Warp, and are able to change the course of the starships which they command accordingly.

The last place where Rixari Psykers can frequently be found in on the battlefield. These Psychically gifted Rixari are trained in the art of war as well as being taught how to manipulate Warp energy in an offensive manner. Known as Channellers, these Psychic juggernauts are used to plow through enemy forces with the sheer power of their mental capabilities alone. They are also tutored to become proficient leaders of the Rixari forces.

It should be noted that since the latent rediscovery of Psykers with in their ranks, the Rixari, as a whole have become more psychically adept. And, that the presence of their souls within the warp is significantly greater than that of most other species, save for the Eldar. It should also be taken into account that since the Rixari have a strong connection to the warp, a large proportion of their Psykers are above the Imperial Classification of Alpha Level. Coincidentally, the Rixari do not possess any 'blanks' or 'Pariahs'.

Beliefs
In the era before the Dark Times the Rixari had a loose religion based around three major deities: Samudra, Goddess of the Ocean; Vhuma, Goddess of the Ground and Akasa, God of the Sky. It would seem that Samudra was the most highly regarded deity as she encompassed the native habitat of the Rixari, or the 'World Within'. Vhuma apparently represented the 'World Without', the reachable but distant territory which the Rixari wished to explore. While Akasa was symbolic of the mysteries of creation and the "World Beyond" the realm of the Rixari homeworld. It was prophesied that one day the Rixari would seperately become the children of each natural deity.

As the Rixari became more aggressive towards one and other, the ideas of these peaceful deities were lost but not forgotten. During the Dark Times, the teachings of the Gods were abandoned in favour of philosophies which supported strength through conquest. And so, the main belief of the Rixari became that of progress through strife, a belief that stayed strong until the Unification of the Rixari, long after the ancient prophecy had been fulfilled.

It was realised by some scholars that what had been foretold millennia before had indeed come true: as the Pure Rixari had developed into the children of Samudra; the mutant Yalon had become the foot soldiers of Vhuma and the Amphanox had come to represent the drive to explore the domain of Akasa. After this realisation a new set of beliefs arose, tailored to the different Sub-Species.

The Rixari came to believe that it was their divine mission to strengthen the domain of their people through defence of Samudra's realms (the Oceans of conquered worlds). Their goal became one of fortitude and finding the strength that lies within.

Yalon scholars pursued a different path, more fitting to their role as the Foot Soldiers of Vhuma. They saw that in order to better serve the great Rixari race as a whole, they must find strength from without their usual realm. They realised that their mission was that of the conquest of new planets for the Defenders of Samudra to hold.

However, the mission of the Amphanox remains the most interesting of the three beliefs. Their philosophers became aware that they must serve their purpose as the Explorers of Akasa, in order to find worlds fit for conquest by the Yalon and ripe for settlement by the Rixari. Their ultimate goal is to explore the vast realms of their home Galaxy, a task that will last for eternity.

Thus, the Rixari do not actually worship their Gods. Instead, they believe that they are the embodiments of their ancient Deities that must carry out the mission of their pantheon. It is a passive belief that helps to both unify the Rixari and give them a purpose. However, their beliefs in their religious tasks do not come close to the zealous fanaticism that the followers of the God-Emperor and the Ruinous Powers feel towards their resepective deities.

Technology
Old Rixari technology was primarily focused on weaponry and war machines, as they were beset by war until their Unification. Latterly the Rixari have focused more on furthering their space capabilities and other forms of transport.

Weaponry
The Rixari developed a multitude of weapons before their Unification when they were still hell bent on massacring their own. Chief amongst these devices of war were Resonant Amplification Weapons, which were designed to overwhelm the sensitive hearing of the Rixari, and Arc Tesla Projectors, which were deadly against water based Rixari. Other weapons such as Accelerated Ionisation Weapons and Reverse Gravity Weapons were developed when the Yalon brought the fight to the terrestrial areas of Avareau as they were more affective in a gaseous environment than in the water.

Resonant Amplification Weapons
During their dark times the Rixari produced a variety of horrific war devices to be used in an aquatic environment. RAW technology was one of the first types of weaponry to be developed due to it being very potent in the native Rixari's aquatic environment. Amplified Frequency Rifles are the mainstay of all of the Rixarun Coalition's individual forces, due to their effectiveness in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. However, the more deadly Wave Projection Cannons are almost only used by the forces of the Rixari Defence Initiative.

Reverse Gravity Weapons
The Rixari made extensive use of these weapons after their development during the Dark Times. They were created with the purpose of killing land based Rixari, particularly the Yalon. These weapons are used almost exclusively by the Amphanox Strike Force, as it was their ancestors which first developed these deadly weapons, although they may be found in the hands of the Rixari Defence Initiative and the Yalon Armed Legion.

Accelerated Ionisation Weapons
These devices were created by water based Rixari during the Dark Times, with the sole aim of eliminating members of the mutant Amphanox. They were developed by a collaborative team of Yalon and pure bred Rixari scientists. These devices are used by the most elite troops of all four of the Rixarun Coalition's main forces. AIWs cause vastly accelerated radioactive decay to occur, making them particularly potent against living organisms.

Arc Tesla Projectors
The origins of this weapon lie as far back as the Dark Times of Rixari history. The mutated Amphanox specifically designed the weapon with the intention of using it on the Yalon and pure breed Rixari, which were inherently vulnerable to electricity. The Arc Tesla Projector emits a short stream of electrical energy of approximately 100,000 Volts (and 50mA of current) towards it's target. This blast alone is enough to stop the heart of a human, but it is the weapon's effect on Rixari which is truly horrific. When used on water based organisms it causes the internal organs of it's target to rupture before their victim eventually explodes. These weapons are also extremely effective at disabling machines of all shapes and size. These gruesome weapons are exclusively used by the Amphanox Strike Force.

Quantum Explosive Device
One of the latest technological developments made by the Rixari. These weapons puncture a hole in Real Space before causing a tremendous explosion, capable of ripping through all manner of material. A Quantum Explosive Device envelops it's target within the three dimensional puncture in the reality, causing it to be vaporised instantaneously. These weapons were developed long after the Dark Times, not long after the development of Warp Drive technology. QEDs exist in a variety of forms, being as large enough to be used as orbital weapons while a couple have been developed as handheld weapons. Adeptus Mechanicus scientists have noticed a similarity between the QED and the Imperial Vortex Grenade.

Improved Plasma Weapons
After their first encounter with the Imperium the Rixari came into possession of a few Plasma Weapons, which were among the very small number of devices the Rixari had never even theorised developing. The inquisitive Rixari scientists examined the devices in extreme detail, eventually discovering how the weapons functioned. They also found that the weapons were rife with several fundamental design flaws that they could easily fix. Thus, the Improved Plasma Weapon was developed.

Obsidian Class Cruiser
The very first interstellar spaceship to be produced by the Rixari. It was constructed by a collaboration of Amphanox labourers, Yalon designers and Rixari scientists. Each ship is designed with both aquatic and gaseous environments, to allow all of the sub-species of the Rixari areas in which they can live onboard the transporter ships. As all of these ancient vessels were designed with colonisation as their primary function, they have a large transport capacity of more than 50,000 aquatic based Rixari and living space for more than 50,000 land based members of the species. However, it would be foolish to think that these ships are lightly armed. The Rixari are a highly suspicious race, and as a result all Obsidian Class Cruisers are grossly over armed for the role they are supposed to fulfil. This has allowed these transport ships to be used in an active military role alongside Agate Class Dreadnoughts.

Lazuli Class Destroyer
As the Rixari are a highly suspicious and xenophobic race (an indirect result of Yul'drak Idarus' ploy), it is of no surprise that they developed a fully battle ready cruiser, long before they actually encountered any Xenos. The Lazuli Class Destroyers were intended to be used as escort ships for the Obsidian Class Cruisers (when fitted for a colony role) but have since been used in a wide variety of offensive roles against enemy forces. These ships are even more heavily armed than the Obsidian Cruiser and they are fitted with a large array of anti-ship weapons, as well as a several devices designed to be used against terrestrial targets.

Agate Class Dreadnought
The Agate Class Dreadnought was developed during the first Rixari war with the Imperium. It was hastily put into production as the Unified Rixarun Navy suffered more and more losses against the relentless humans. The Agate Class Dreadnought was designed to be much faster than it's predecessor ships and it has been armed exclusively with the most devastating weapons the Rixari have produced. The Agate Class Dreadnought first saw service during the Battle of Aquaron, highlighting it's deadly effectiveness against the Imperial forces in the last battle of the Rixari-Imperial War. Typically, these dreadnoughts are used to initiate strikes against enemy ships, although they may be found as part as part of reinforcing forces.

Military
As a race which spent close on seven thousand years embroiled in constant conflict amongst themselves, it is no surprise that they have a very adept military. Due to some fracturing within their own race, three individual armies have arisen along side a proud stellar Navy.

Formation
The formation of all three of the Rixari's land based armies date back to the Dark Times. Each one was created out of the need to protect their fellow sub-species above protecting their territories. As the Dark Times finally came to a close the militaries belonging to each of the nations were formed into armed forces based along their race lines (so that they could capitalise on their strengths and weaknesses as individual forces).

The Rixarun Coalition
The name given to the collective of independent forces which serve to further the Rixari cause is the Rixarun Coalition. None of the forces, with the exception of the Unified Rixarun Navy, are obliged to serve under this umbrella organisation instead choosing to do so willingly. This is done so that each military force can help to further their respective holy missions of fortitude; conquest and exploration.

Rixari Defence Initiative
As the Rixari Rixarun are the devout followers of their aquatic Goddess, Samudra, seeing themselves as the embodiment of this deity, their armed forces have devoted themselves to the fortification of planets conquered by the other Rixari sub-species. The Defenders of Samudra believe that it is their divine mission to strengthen the domain of the Rixari through such acts, and are primarily used to secure the oceans of their conquered world. As a result, it is a rarity to find the Rixari Defence Initiative (RDI) deployed in an offensive role. However, the RDI used in such a manner during the Rixarun Incursion against the Xai'athi, as they proved to be the most resistant against the various weapons which the Solaris Federation had developed.

Yalon Armed Legion
Knowing full well that they are the Foot Soldiers of Vhuma (Goddess of the Ground), the Yalon Armed Legion (YAL) is primarily used in an offensive role. Their divine mission is ultimately one of conquest, as they seek to strengthen the domain of the Rixari through the taking of new worlds in the name of the Rixari Empire. The YAL is tasked with attacking new worlds which have been discovered by the Amphanox and bringing them under the control of the Rixari. Although it is uncommon for them to be used in a defensive manner, during the Battle of Aquaron, the Yalon were used to fortify the Rixari lines against the advancing Imperial Guard troops.

Amphanox Strike Force
Less of a unified army, more of a collection exploration groups, reconnaissance parties and stealth teams, the Amphanox Strike Force (ASF) seek to fulfil their religious role as the Explorers of Akasa, God of the Sky. The ASF are used in wide manner of ways. Some divisions of the organisation are used in missions which require stealth and finesse, and they will be specifically trained to fit this role. Others are used to investigate newly discovered planets in order to determine their potential as Rixari colony worlds. And, a select few are used to gather intel on enemy positions through a variety of means. The ASF has also been used as an effective force of shock troops, armed with a variety of unique and devastating weapons.

Unified Rixarun Navy
While many Rixari choose to fulfil their respective holy missions directly, their are those which seek to aid the others in their divine cause. These individuals choose to serve in the Unified Rixarun Navy, or URN, which is the military division of the Rixari's fleet of spaceships. The URN is responsible for maintaining a capable fleet of star ships which can be reliably called upon in times of war. The URN are also used to patrol the borders of the Greater Rixari Empire, particularly in times of unrest.

Barlanabas Extinction Legion
The Barlanabas, the devastating close-combat subspecies of the Rixari, are arranged in a legion where foes of great martial strength are faced. The Barlanabas natural affinity of close quarter combat means they are perfect to deal with such forcess as the Orks, Kroot and Space Marines.

Allies
During their Second Golden Age the Rixari gained several allies through conquest and their fearsome reputation alone.

Ularatu
The Ularatu first encountered the Rixari as enemies, launching attacks against the piscine race. The Rixari retaliated with extreme force and a brutal conflict was initiated. However, both Xenos species eventually ended up working together after Imperial ships were spotted on the fringes of the Ularatu Confederation of Planets. Realising they had a common enemy the Ularatu eventually ended up as allies of the Rixari.

Ixanda
After word of the enslavement of several Xenos Empires, at the hands of the Rixari, reached the Ixanda, a unanimous decision was made by the Alliance of Ixanda Worlds to offer a peace settlement to the Rixari. Since then all of their planets, bar their homeworld, have officially been under the protection of the Pure Rixari Empire.

Avrano
Astonishingly, unlike the other three allied races of the Rixari, it was the Rixari themselves which wished to ally themselves with the Avrano. The bipedal reptilians which called themselves the Avrano, had built up quite a reputation of being a vicious and merciless race in their conquest of the cosmos. It was these qualities which the Rixari saw that they could put to good use if they ever encountered the Imperium again.

Floragans
While the Floragans, under normal circumstances, would have been conquered as a slave race to serve the Rixari, they were allowed to become allies of the aquatic race. This was in part due to the role which the Floragans played in defending a Rixari world (as the plant like race had an ulterior motive of manipulating the Rixari Empire into a future alliance). However, the true reason for allowing the alliance was far more sinister. The Rixari knew full well that they could not hope to subjugate such an immensely psychic race, and they realised that the only way they could gain access to these Psychic juggernauts for use as living weapons, would be to allow them to serve as their allies.

Awali (Solaris Federation)
During the Rixari Incursion on the Solaris Federation it was the Awali, despite the heavy loses that they suffered at the hands of the Amphanox, who attempted to make peace with the relentless Xenos invaders. Eventually the Rixari saw reason and listened to the requests made by the Awali delegates. Since the brokering of peace between the two species the Awali have proved to have been the most reliable of the Rixari's allies.

Imperium of Man
Being the ones responsible for the destruction of the early Rixari Coalition, it is no surprise that the Rixari loathe the Imperium. They have taken every opportunity to strike back at human worlds and as a result have conquered several former Imperial planets.

Eldar
An ancient hatred which runs deep within the sub-conscious minds of all Rixari. It has been theorised that this, otherwise irrational, hatred stems from the fact that the Ancient Rixari felt that the Eldar betrayed their them during the War in Heaven, as they offered them no aid when the Necrons hounded them back to their homeworld. This hatred has survived within the primal parts of the Rixari's psyche and has led them to instinctively attack any Eldar which they have had the misfortune to meet.

Vashti
While all of the other members of the Solaris Federation were allowed to become allies of the Greater Rixari Empire, the Vashti were forbidden to have any relations with the Rixari, by the aquatic race themselves. However, the Vashti also wanted nothing to do with the race, seeing them as a race of newly evolved savages (as the hypocritical Xai'athi were completely unaware of the Rixari's true heritage), that were only fit for the slaughter. Coincidentally, both species see the other as an affront to their religion: the Rixari believe the Vashti are ungodly monsters who are only fit to be exterminated, due to their lack of a soul; and the Vashti despise the primitive religion of the Rixari (unaware that it predates their own flawed views by millions of years). As the Solaris Federation are unable to control the Vashti from attacking the Rixari, they willingly allow the aquatic monsters to attack the Vashti, under authorisation of Binadmu Madora himself.

Mutacrat
Initially the Mutacrat were seen as a pest, rather than a true threat, by the Rixari. One of the small Mutacrat Empires had begun a series of raids on a single Rixari World which was not too distant from the insignificant empire, as they had realised how technologically advanced the aquatic race was. Over time, these attacks grew larger and larger until the planet was subject to a massive invasion. The Rixari finally realised the real threat posed by the Mutacrat, and they led a huge defensive fleet to safeguard the world against the invasion and future attacks. To the abject horror of the Rixari, they discovered that the Mutacrat had produced primitive versions of their own deadly weapons, based on the designs of the devices that the Mutacrat had stolen during their raids. The Rixari now keep a much closer eye on any attempts made by the Mutacrat to raid their worlds.

Vralgazi
The Rixari's hatred for the Vralgazi stems back to the War in Heaven, and is inherently a sub-conscious one. As with the Eldar, the Ancient Rixari felt betrayed by the Vralgazi, as the psychically adept race did nothing to prevent the Rixari from being hounded back to their homeworld by the Necrons. This loathing has remained within the psyche of the modern Rixari. The Vralgazi also despise the Rixari, believing them to have been foolish for not turning to the Ruinous Powers, as they did. Both species inevitably seek to destroy one and other.

Rixarun Collective
The Pure Rixari Empire spans a mere thirty planets, of which twenty-two are colony worlds. However, the Greater Rixari Empire covers more than twelve other miniscule Xenos interstellar Empires which number a total of forty-one planets. As well as this, there are several races which have chosen to aline themselves with the Rixari, which are considered Protectorates of the Rixari Empire. The name for all of these linked worlds is the Rixarun Collective, which is split along two lines.

Greater Races
The Greater Races exclusively include the Rixari and their Xenos allies. These are the species which the Rixari view as being fit to rule and conquest other races.
 * Rixari (Includes All Subspecies): As the founders of the Empire, they view themselves as the Greatest of all of the Collective's races. They control 37 pure Rixari worlds and have conquered more than 40 other Xenos planets.
 * Ularatu: The Ularatu possess a small, but wealthy, interstellar empire of eleven worlds. They were the first species to be allowed to become allies of the Rixari and all of their planets are considered Protectorates of the Rixarun Empire.
 * Ixanda: Possessing the largest number of worlds amongst the Collective, at close on thirty-nine inhabited planets, the Ixanda chose to ally themselves with the Rixari after they realised that the piscine race possessed a much larger military than their own. All of their settled planets, with the exception of their homeworld, are Protectorates of the Rixarun Empire.
 * Avrano: Once one of the most prosperous of the Collective's empires, the Avrano have suffered greatly at the hands of the Imperium. They were reduced to owning a paltry eight worlds after formerly having complete control over several stellar systems. Despite their losses, they still have an incredibly lethal military which have a bloodlust to take revenge against the Imperium of Man. Only a three of their planets, which lie on the fringes of Imperial Space, are considered Protectorates.
 * Floragans: Chronologically, the last species to ally themselves with the Rixari. The plant like race chose to aid the Rixari in defending one of the Rixari Core Worlds, with the hopes that it would gain them the favour of a powerful ally. They were rewarded handsomely for their efforts, with all nine of their worlds becoming Protectorates of the Rixari Empire.
 * Xai'athi: As the strongest of the Rixari's allies, it is no surprise that the aquatic race respects the technologically evolved form of Humanity. Unlike their forebears, which the Rixari view as scum, the Rixari believe that the Xai'athi are the 'correct' next stage in human evolution. However, although they respect the Xai'athi as a whole they despise the Vashti with extreme zeal.

Lesser Races
The races which have been subjugated by the Rixari and are only fit to be conquered in their eyes.
 * Humanity: Two worlds on the edge of the fading Astronomicion's range were conquered by the Rixari. Instead of slaughtering the entire populous, the merciful Xenos chose only to kill all armed personnel. The survivors were allowed to become slaves of the Rixari Empire.
 * Walaxan: The first race to be enslaved by the Rixari. The humanoid, mammalian, Walaxan had established a small empire on the fringes of the Pure Rixari Empire, completely oblivious to the existence of the aquatic race. The pitiful four planets which they had settled were easily conquered by the tremendous forces of the Rixarun Coalition. Seeing that the Rixari could do with some more workers, the merciful piscine race spared the lives of the Walaxan and enslaved them instead.
 * Telmeras: The Telmeras were unlucky enough to accidently open fire on an Obsidian Class Cruiser, which had come to their home system to broker an alliance between the two species. The attack was seen as a sign of aggression by the Rixari, who swiftly moved in to conquer all six of the Telmeras' colony worlds, before devastating the home planet of the avianoid race. They were later enslaved as punishment for their 'crime
 * Orlagit: After witnessing the full might of the Rixarun Coalition ravage an Imperial colony world, the humanoid species elected to organise an alliance against the vicious aquatic monsters. With the support of the Plexun and the Celanzars, the combined might of the three military forces smashed into the Rixari Empire. As expected, the Rixari did not take kindly to this and, with the aid of their own malicious allies, the Avrano, they launched a revenge attack which resulted in the conquering of all six Orlagit worlds.
 * Plexun: A race which suffered the same fate as their forsaken allies the Orlagit. All five of their worlds were captured by the Rixari and their whole race was enslaved as punishment for their insolence.
 * Celanzars: The Celanzar lost both of their colony worlds and their homeworld to the Rixari after their daring raid against the Rixari Empire. Their bravado was aptly rewarded with enslavement by their enemies.

Quotes
Feel free to add your own

By
"There are some races which are fit to rule, and others which are only suitable to be conquered. The Xai'athi are an odd case. Descended from those filthy slave worthy humans, but inherently more suited to ruling others than being enslaved."

- Ilaxan Yul'drak, Fourth Emperor of the Rixarun Empire, reflecting on the Solaris Federation

"You fight in the name of your pitiful infantile God! How rich of you, abomination. We are the embodiments of our ancient Gods! Each and everyone one of us! We are more devout than you can ever be!"

- Tah'aln Yul'drak, Fifth Emperor of the Rixarun Empire, to Akasha Madora's face, with overtones of contempt in his voice

Of
"The Kaizari seems to think that these monsters were bred to fight us. She is wrong. They may be exceptionally cunning, possessed with ungodly strength, Psychically adept to the extremes and armed exclusively with weapons that can out right destroy us. But, on closer examination, the Rixari are in fact perfectly designed to destroy themselves."

- Binadamu Madora, after the first Rixari attacks on the Solaris Federation

"There is only one thing worse than encountering a great hulking twenty-three foot monstrosity on the battlefield. Encountering said monstrosity, when it is clearly more cunning you."

- Sergeant Theodore Eltzit, after fighting the Rixari on the world of VN-151