Urokon

The Kyyreni are a highly aggressive, expansionistic species that feature in the Chronicles of Vaahn story series. The protagonist, Vaahn T'Rol, is a member of this species.

Urokon
The Kyyreni homeworld is Urokon, a tidal locked planet that is relatively poor in mineral wealth. Urokon's day side is a scorched desert where only the most hardy of creatures can survive, whilst the night side is an endless, frozen tundra. As a result, the most prolific Kyyreni cultures are found on the terminator, known as the dawn side.

Urokon is a grossly overpopulated world. Where it not for the fact that the Kyyreni have deliberately devolved much of their technology to remove all but the most essential of automation processes, much of the planet would be unemployed. Even with the social engineering, many on Urokon live in poverty.

Discounting the extremes on either side of the planet, much of Urokon's dawn side is quite cold by Human standards.

The Night
Urokon's Deep Night is a perpetual tundra, a land where only the most hardy of creatures can survive. In the unending darkness massive, blind stalk the frozen oceans, hunting for meat by sound and smell, whilst eyeless lure-moles squat at bore holes, using bioluminescent orbs to draw curious fish to their doom. The Night is home to many weird and wonderful examples of life, most of which have never seen the sun, but the deadly environment ensures that very few ever see them. The Nightsiders who dwell in the Deep Night are amongst the hardiest of their people, though they rarely stray far beyond their frozen ocean.

Closer to the terminator, the Night becomes more hospitable, although not by much. On cold plains and icy mountains the bulk of the Nightsider people find refuge. Many Nightsiders in this region live as nomads, following herds of grazing beasts as their ancestors have done for countless generations. Nightsider communities typically keep to themselves, though they are considered the most amiable of the Kyyreni.

The Dawn
The Kyyreni evolved in the Dawn; their ancestors were predators who chased migratory pray from the light side to the dark side and back, and thus evolved to survive in both climates. Unsurprisingly, the Dawn represents the most agreeable environment on Urokon; temperatures are, whilst often on the cold side, within acceptable limits of most Humanoid races. Plants and animals are plentiful, the soil is reasonable fertile, and so the Dawn Kingdoms soon became the most successful and prolific of the Kyyreni nationstates.

Long ago, it was these same kingdoms that almost brought the Kyyreni people to ruin. Brutal wars saw death, plague and famine on a scale that none had ever imagined possible, and in the wake of the slaughter the leaders of the city-states enacted the social reforms that exist to this day - the honour system that ensures the most self-destructive traits of the Kyyreni are not allowed to bring them to ruin.

Whilst the Dawnsiders are often referred to collectively as "The Dawn Kingdom", and in theory are a single, unified nation, in practice the Dawn remains politically fractured - the capitol of Niirgol suffers frequent civil unrest, and major cities have declared independence more than once, leading to short but bloody civil war.

Most discussion on Kyyreni culture, language, etc. focuses on the Dawnsider people.

The Day
Amongst the Dawnsider and Nightsider peoples, it is said that the sun drives men mad. Perhaps this is true, for the Daysiders who dwell out in the burning deserts are the most anarchic and murderous of the Kyyreni. Daysiders are considered viscious and cruel even by Kyyreni standards, and the peoples of the Dawn frequently engage in skirmishes against Daysider raiding parties. Outsiders know very little of Daysider culture; most of what is known comes in the form of myths and legends, although the remains of those killed by Daysider raids leave no doubt as to whether there is any truth in the hedonistic cruelty these stories describe.

Biology
Kyyreni are sometimes described as being a hybrid of wolf and lion. They have digitigrade rear limbs and a wolfish muzzle, whilst males have a thick mane and tail-end tuft. Most Kyyreni possess good low-light vision, as well as a pair of heat-sensitive skin patches next to their eyes that allow them to 'see' heat. They also shed and regrow teeth constantly throughout their lives. Males have sand coloured fur, whilst females are brown and grey, typcially with spots.

The Kyyreni body is well adapted to surviving in harsh conditions. Kyyreni have two livers, four kidneys and a three-section stomach, all of which working together allow them to ingest and neutralise a myriad of toxic substances. The most noticable manifestation of this ability is the Kyyreni habit of heavy drinking and drug use, routinely intoxicating themselves up to and beyond the point that would cause lasting harm, if not death, to a Human.

Though they are capable of mating all year round, the Kyyreni rarely do so (though they do participate in sex for pleasure). Instead, most Kyyreni are conceived during the autumn, when the Kyyreni enter Heat.

In terms of lifespan, the Kyyreni rarely live beyond forty to fifty Earth years of age, assuming sickness or conflict does not claim them first.

Culture
Many centuries ago, the Kyyreni leaders deliberately chose to revive and apply the ancient concepts of chivalry and martial honour, traditions which continue to this day. The Kyyreni are born and raised believing that honour and glory are the most important things in life, and they dedicate their lives to this pursuit not only for themselves, but for their family and comrades as well.

The Kyyreni society is made up of numerous social tiers. At the top of the heap are the Houses - collectives of families who act as political, military and commercial leaders of Urokon. The Houses themselves are further divided up into "Common" Houses (ruled by a Lord), "Noble" Houses (ruled by a Noble) and "Royal" Houses (ruled by a King). Royal Houses lead entire nations, Nobles act as landowners and leaders of great cities, whilst the Common Houses function as power based within the local communities.

Below the Houses are the Guilds, Cabals and Collectives made up by the common masses - the Thrall Caste. Thralls strive constantly to earn position within the Houses, who likewise look to claim the power and titles of the Houses above them. The result is a constantly shifting political climate, with factions rising in power only to be toppled by the next ascendant group.

Each gender has their own distinct roles to play in Kyyreni society. Men are expected to be warriors, whilst women pursue merchantile or political careers. This cultural militarisation would normally result in extreme casualties, so the Kyyreni have highly ritualised conflict between Houses and Guilds to the point where such battles are resolved by duels with swords, axes and other primitive weapons. Fleet battles and 'modern' battles still occur, though they too often have strict rules as to how they may be conducted.

Interaction with other races
Most contact the Kyyreni have with others is by piratical raiding. The Kyyreni routinely loot the colonies of other races, as well as other Kyyreni planets, and are prolific slavers. The rarer and more obscure their takings, the more valuable they are in terms of both money and prestige. This encourages Kyyreni to strike as far from Urokon and their colonies as possible, thus limiting the threat of retaliation by others.

Despite this agression, the Kyyreni have formed alliances and trading pacts with others. In the aftermath of the Icaran War, several prominent Kyyreni Houses and Guilds sought to obtain the right to trade with the outer Icaran colonies, and over several decades succeeded in forming a constant, if limited trading cycle.

Notable Kyyreni
Vaahn T'Rol

Vaahn of Tu'ri became Lord of the House at the age of fourteen, following the death of his father, Brahlt. He dedicated his life to restoring House Tu'ri to Noble status, a goal which he achieved by his mid twenties. During the Icaran War he was given command of the Rimward Fleet, and participated in several major conflicts. He was eventually captured by Starfleet, and his people believed him killed.