Iyiul

"They are cunning masters of urban warfare; this, combined with their affinity towards guerilla tactics, makes them a formidable foe that can defeat most armies in detail." -Commander Johnathan

The Iyiul are an amalgamation of many different species and cultures that have been openly hostile towards the Republic of Men since the initial contact. Due to how rarely the Iyiul actually communicate with humans, and the significant effort seen in their attempts to deny humanity access to their technology and resources, they are poorly understood and could be considered an enigma.

What is known is that they do not place much value on human life. While they typically attempt to minimize civilian casualties where possible, they are not above using civilians are hostages or considering them targets if they consider planetary resistance to be strong enough to warrant it.

First Contact
In 3340, an unidentified flotilla -- now known to have been the entirety of the Iyiul's expedition force -- appeared at the edges of the [star name] system, unresponsive to all attempts at communication for almost an hour until 14:30, at which point they hijacked multiple communication networks on [planet name] and broadcasted a list of demands, the most eminent of which being a demand for surrender of the system to their control in exchange for protection. This demand was promptly denied and in the following minutes all vessels disappeared from sensors. Shortly after, at 15:12, all planetary defenses malfunctioned and had to be brought offline, at which point roughly half of the fleet re-emerged within 0.3 AU of the planet and began shelling it with drop pods, with this bombardment causing substantial damage to planetary infrastructure and several military bases. As Iyiul forces, primarily drones, emerged from these pods, all military forces were mobilized to combat the invasion. Within the next few hours, planetary infrastructure was regularly targeted by salvaging drones and the Iyiul's combat striders, resulting in extensive damage that reached into the undercities despite the Republic's best efforts.

Aftermath
At 02:19 the following morning, the Iyiul began to withdraw and all surviving forces were believed to have fled the system by 05:00. The immediate death toll of the attack is estimated to have been roughly 20 million, with the vast majority of these being civilian casualties, the destroyed drones accounting for less than 50,000 of these, and none of them being living Iyiul or Iyiul vessels. Due to the deployment of several VRE Striders in the closing hours of the attack to cover their retreat, many areas had to be evacuated and are currently completely devoid of life to this day due to the intense radiation spread by the weaponry of the aforementioned striders, which also resulted in an addition 501,382 deaths in the following days due to radiation poisoning. Two exclusion zones are constantly creeping outwards even centuries later due to the abandonment of multiple "Marble" striders, whose payload and reactor continue to saturate the environment with sufficient radiation to cause fatal radiation poisoning through protective gear with only a few minutes of exposure. Due to the extremely intense radiation, both study and containment of these walkers have proven impossible, with all attempts to date only resulting in needless loss of life at best and in some cases even spreading the radiation further.

Null Technology
Iyiul technology often seems to violate what we perceive as the fundamental laws of the universe, usually because it does. While few examples of this actually work, the vast majority of the few that do are affected by phenomena collectively referred to as "Null". These phenomena can vary widely but all share a few things in common, namely the fact that they almost always cause an overwhelming sense of nothingness in nearby sapient organisms. Most individuals recover relatively quickly from limited exposure to Null, but it is known to be able to cause significant nerve damage as well as a number of psychological and neurological disorders with even minimal exposure, but typically the more severe effects are seen with repeated or prolonged exposure to the phenomena or in psykers, who appear particularly vulnerable to Null. The most frequently experienced symptoms of null include major depression, cerebral palsy, dementia, neuralgia, and neuropathy, but the range of symptoms are vast and vary depending on the circumstances, especially the source.

Old Blood Species
"Old Blood". among the Iyiul and its close allies, refers to the "proven" species among their ranks from before the exodus. While all of the "proven" species are universally treated very well, in the Iyiul the Old Blood almost see each other as family, and often display a substantial preference for other Old Blood species over any others when multiple individuals are equally qualified for a specific role.

Na'taq
The founding race of the Iyiul, the Na'taq are a species of what humanity would call arthropoids or insectoids. They are fairly large, especially compared to the average human, and are usually at least 4 meters tall and thrice as long. They compose the bulk of the upper echelons of Iyiul society as researchers, archivists, or leaders, with a good number of them serving vital bureaucratic roles.

Tiver
Similar to the Na'Taq, in that they're large arthropoids/insectoids, the Tiver are probably the youngest species of the "Old Blood". They have proven to be verya similar to their benefactors in a variety of ways, from their pre-ftl culture to their natural aptitudes, to a point which many Na'Taq considered uncanny. Further examination following first contact yielded evidence that the Tiver and Na'Taq may be genetically related, though despite many attempts it has proven impossible to determine whether they are infact related or if the Tiver are simply the product of chance and convergent evolution.

Overview
While unknown and inaccessible to Humanity as a whole, the Iyiul are an empire with a well documented history spanning from the first writings of the Na'taq all the way to their exodus from their original universe. Countless millennia of cultural and scientific development, as well as numerous artifact, have all been dutifully recorded and preserved by equally numerous archivists, ensuring that nothing of the Iyiul or its people is lost to the ravages of time, and the effort they have put into this endeavor is only matched by the measures they will take to ensure that it isn't destroyed.

Proven Species
A peculiar trait of the Iyiul, which seems to have rubbed off on their allies over several millennia of contact, is the desire for an individual or species to, in one way or another, prove its worth. It isn't entirely certain exactly how a species proves itself, though it appears that the Iyiul prefer species with a proclivity for intellectual pursuits. A number of "unproven" species that are believed by both the Iyiul and its allies are typically referred to as "seedling" or "hatchling" species, where the species itself is considered to have some merit but not quite enough to be considered an equal of the proven species. They are typically accepted and nurtured, though there is an increased burden on the individuals to prove themselves and those who haven't have substantially limited access to a number of commodities and services that many proven species wouldn't even consider living without.

Any species that don't have to luck to be considered a "proven" or "seedling" species will find no place in Iyiul society, and even among its more open allies will struggle in life.

Delsiiran Year
Most calendars used by the Iyiul are based on the thousand day year of the Na'taqs' homeworld Delsiir. It is divided into tenths called Viteek, with each Viteek containing 100 days. Most Iyiul calendars, such as the Athqal Calendar, are based upon this.

Athqal Calendar
Named in reference to Na'taq house Athqas, one of the current major houses of the Iyiul, the Athqal calendar is used to refer to all events that occurred before the exodus, though more appropriate calendars are emphasized and used in addition to the Athqal calendar where applicable.