Third Eohli

The Third Eohli, sometimes unofficially called the Delth Society, was a powerful interstellar civilization in the Triangulum Galaxy that emerged shortly after the arrival of an extragalactic species known as the Delth. Having run from the Vuokra tribe Green Nine Trillion for millions of years, the Third Eohli, obviously, represents the Delth's third attempt at creating a stable society within a new galaxy.

Arrival and Formation (660,000 - 620,000 B.C.E.)
While many other civilizations local to The Cluster and its galaxies tend to stem outward from a single point of origin, the Third Eohli was rapidly formed across a wide area of unoccupied space by coordinated colonization efforts from the entirety of the Delth migratory fleet. Millennia on the run had made the Delth experts of navigation, mobility and rapid colonization, so they had no issues settling into the Triangulum Galaxy as soon as they arrived. Due to its sudden onset and considerable scale, the immigration of the Delth into the Triangulum Galaxy did not escape the notice of the galaxy's more powerful civilizations, nor was it entirely harmless in its execution. The Delth were known to have displaced many of the previous inhabitants of the Inward Crescent, which included several tiny, relatively unnoticeable minor civilizations and nomadic alien races. These species were forced to move further away from the Blinding Core, and ended up scattered about the more distant regions of the Triangulum Galaxy, eventually coming under the control of the Bolad Authority. In addition to this, the Delth attracted suspicion from the Jian'Tur Federation, who had maintained the Magnificent Balance of Peace all on their own for several millennia prior. The Jian'Tur saw the Delth as a potential threat to their sovereignty, and were unwilling to trust them when they first appeared. The Delth, owing to their pacifistic tendencies, saw the Jian'Tur as barbarians, and had no interest in associating themselves with them. They knew that their technological superiority would make their civilization seem intimidating to the Jian'Tur, even though their military might was considerably lower than that of the Federation. However, this was something the Jian'Tur didn't know, as the Delth were staunch isolationists, and kept many details about their society hidden from the rest of the galaxy so as to avoid unwanted attention. Eventually, tensions between the Delth and Jian'Tur died down, as the Jian'Tur had no interest in becoming involved in a war with a civilization that was, in many ways, equal to their own in terms of total power.

While the Delth hoped that they wouldn't have to deal with the Jian'Tur anymore, now that tensions had largely subsided, they would soon get roped into diplomatic ties that went against the Delth ideals of pacifism and isolationism. The Jian'Tur became very interested in the Delth due to their anonymity within the Triangulum Galaxy and more benevolent attitudes towards alien life. They believed that the Delth could be valuable allies in their Magnificent Balance of Peace, using their comparatively superior diplomatic charms to inspire reverence and servility from the minor civilizations that occupied the outer regions of the Triangulum Galaxy. The Delth had no interests in performing diplomacy on behalf of the Jian'Tur Federation, since they still thought of the Jian'Tur as largely beneath their interests. In addition to this, the Delth worried that any significant amount of diplomatic involvement would cause their civilization to enter conflicts they were not prepared for, which could prove to be more dangerous than another invasion by the Vuokra. However, the Delth knew the Jian'Tur were still natural warmongers, and would continue to use wanton aggression to enforce their wishes if diplomacy was unavailable. By refusing to help the Jian'Tur, the Delth were effectively promoting violence within the Triangulum Galaxy, something that deeply troubled Nimal's Followers within the Third Eohli. The decision to assist the Jian'Tur was largely a confliction between the two major religious doctrines of the Third Eohli, Nimal's Followers and Daraghnul's Followers, as it pitted Delth isolationism against their desire to maintain peace. Eventually, peace won over isolationism, and the Delth chose to accept the proposition of the Jian'Tur. In exchange, the Jian'Tur promised to lessen their usage of military force, which greatly pleased many of the Third Eohli's inhabitants. The Delth quickly took to making peace with the recently-formed Bolad Authority and Talburu Giants, and easing relations with civilizations on the upper end of the Oevintlar Crescent so as to help the Jian'Tur avoid conflict.

Internal Tensions: The Platinum Exile (620,000 - 590,000 B.C.E.)
The decision to help the Jian'Tur may have pleased Nimal's Followers, but many of Daraghnul's Followers felt dissatisfied or even angry with this choice, believing it violated core Delth beliefs. They believed that isolationism was key in ensuring Delth survival, and by choosing to help the Jian'Tur with their diplomacy, the Third Eohli was dooming the entire Delth race to die at the hands of savage alien civilizations. The most extreme proponents of this belief broke off from the main religious doctrine of Daraghnul's Followers and formed their own doctrine under the leadership of a Delth called Zlial. Zlial's Followers were some of the most violent Delth to have ever existed, and once they rose to prominence, they attracted a great deal of attention from the rest of the Third Eohli. Zlial and his followers claimed that the Delth had neglected their history and origins as a species after spending such a long time as a migratory race. Zlial proclaimed that he had uncovered ancient Delth artifacts and historical records that revealed to him how his race had not simply run away from Green Nine Trillion during their first incursion, but had fought them valiantly using incredibly advanced military technology. He called for a return to the militaristic origins of the Delth, and went as far as to coat his outer chassis in a layer of gleaming platinum to signify his divinity, something that was mimicked by his followers. It didn't take long for the presiding Delth Elders to realize the danger that Zlial and his religion posed to the Third Eohli as a whole, as it threatened to undermine the core beliefs of both Nimal's Followers and Daraghnul's Followers, who had existed in delicate harmony with each other for thousands of years. This threat eventually became pronounced enough for the Delth Elders to decide that Zlial and his followers could not be allowed to stay within the Third Eohli. Zlial and his followers were rounded up and exiled from the Third Eohli, sent out on massive Delth transports to find a home someplace far outside of the Triangulum Galaxy.

Zlial did not take kindly to his exile from the Triangulum Galaxy. He felt betrayed by his own race, something he had a hard time comprehending, as his revelations were intended to save the Delth from certain destruction. This betrayal led to Zlial becoming bitter, and he grew to resent those that had rejected his message. The transports carrying his followers eventually reached the Milky Way Galaxy, where they touched down on scattered worlds on the edge of the Spur Trinity. Seeing as how he couldn't make it back to the Third Eohli, Zlial decided that he would make the most of his exile and create a utopian Delth society in the Milky Way Galaxy based on his principles. This led to the creation of the widely-feared Platinum Scourge, who waged war against numerous civilizations occupying the inner regions of the Spur Trinity. Zlial believed that by preemptively destroying civilizations that posed a threat to the Delth, he was ensuring the safety of his followers. Though the Platinum Scourge was successfully held back by the efforts of civilizations such as the Vygen Empire, it was never truly defeated up until the Final Platinum War, where Zlial and his followers met their match at the hands of the Vygen Empire and their allies, the Children of Vygen.

Jian'Tur Relations Grow Colder (590,000 - 510,000 B.C.E.)
As the Delth cleaned up the remnants of Zlial's Followers in the Third Eohli, they were largely unaware of the struggles the Jian'Tur Federation was going through during this time. Due to the actions of an alien insurgency known as Those Risen, the Jian'Tur had become embroiled in a destructive conflict with several different alien civilizations, known as the Triangulum Supremacy War. A combination of both external threats and an internal revolt being led by the Claw of Heq-Heq threatened to undermine Jian'Tur sovereignty, which made the Jian'Tur fearful and spurred a massive retaliation from their military. The Jian'Tur had hoped that the Delth would, at the very least, provide them with financial support during the war, but even this was denied. In addition to their natural proclivity towards nonviolence, the Third Eohli was even more impartial to the idea of helping the Jian'Tur following the debacle with Zlial's Followers. The Delth elders worried that any further involvement in the affairs of the Jian'Tur Federation would upset the general Delth populace even more and possibly lead to the formation of another extremist movement. The relationship between Delth religious communities was very unstable already, and the repercussions of Zlial's exile were still being felt. Likewise, the Third Eohli refused any assistance to the Jian'Tur Federation, but this decision came with its own share of worries. There was no guarantee that the Jian'Tur would win the Triangulum Supremacy War, and if they should fail, the civilizations they were fighting would sweep through the Oevintlar Crescent and come up against the edge of Third Eohli space. It was no secret within the galactic community that the Delth frequently assisted the Jian'Tur, so it was very likely that the Delth would come under attack from those that despised the Jian'Tur and all of their minions. The Third Eohli was technologically advanced, but had no standing army to speak of, and would be unprepared for such a conflict. Thankfully, this never came to pass as the Jian'Tur succeeded in beating back their aggressors once they had quelled the Claw of Heq-Heq and seized the Tuoctlo Hookship that had been in their possession. The Magnificent Balance of Peace had been restored, and the threat of destruction no longer loomed over the Third Eohli. However, this would not be the end of their troubles.

As is to be expected, the Jian'Tur Federation was very unhappy with the Third Eohli for refusing to help them during the Triangulum Supremacy War. They accused the Delth of being traitors to the Magnificent Balance of Peace, and the most extreme voices in the Jian'Tur government went as far as to threaten the Third Eohli with a war. Thankfully, these were empty words, as the Jian'Tur were certainly not prepared for another war, but they still served as an excellent example of the growing hostility between the Jian'Tur Federation and Third Eohli. At this point, it was safe to say that the Third Eohli was no longer affiliated with the Jian'Tur Federation. The Jian'Tur no longer had to rely on them as diplomatic mediators in the Magnificant Balance of Peace, as advancements in their Punch Drive technology now gave them the ability to project their force across the entirety of the Triangulum Galaxy. This development came as quite a relief to the Delth, as it meant they could take steps to sever their ties to the Jian'Tur Federation and avoid future conflicts spurred by their relations to unruly galactic neighbors. The only significant downside was that the Third Eohli lost whatever military protection the Jian'Tur had afforded them, but this was quickly rectified once they established contact with an emerging intergalactic power in The Cluster.

Peace under the Great Convergence (510,000 - 425,000 B.C.E.)
As the Third Eohli and Jian'Tur Federation drifted away from each other, an outside party began to cement its control in the Triangulum Galaxy. The growing power of the Serphiad Union came as a welcome, if unexpected, surprise to the Delth. They were very pleased to discover another species that reflected their ideals of pacifism, especially after spending such a long time in cohorts with an extremely violent civilization, and immediately took steps to secure better relations with the Serphiads. While both species were very amiable towards each other, the Delth quickly started to shy away from further relations with the Serphiads when they realized that becoming one of the Union's tributary states would demand the contribution of military assets to the Union's Tributary Fleet and Tributary Defense Corps. In addition to not having any military forces to speak of, the Third Eohli was also very keen on avoiding of any situations that might upset the prevailing Delth religious doctrines. Though they retained their full independence, the Third Eohli was able to remain on good terms with the Serphiad Union due to their cultural similarities, allowing it to avert the stigmatization that plagued many other independent civilizations who refused to side with the Union.

Interestingly, one of the only civilizations that were displeased with the relationship between the Third Eohli and Serphiad Union was the Jian'Tur Federation. In an effort to secure a plethora of militaristic and technological benefits, the Jian'Tur Federation chose to become a tributary state of the Serphiad Union. At first, they had believed that the Delth had no significant connections to the Serphiad government, owing to their isolationism, but it wasn't long before Jian'Tur representatives in the Serphiad Council of Mutual Affairs discovered that high-ranking Delth were communicating directly with the uppermost echelons of the Serphiad government, reporting on the affairs of the Third Eohli and maintaining cordial relations with the Serphiads themselves. This deeply troubled the Jian'Tur, who worried that the Delth would be inclined to speak ill of the Jian'Tur Federation, citing their previous shortcomings and exposing their violent habits to the Serphiads directly. If this went far enough, the Serphiads could be driven to revoke some of the privileges they had bestowed on the Jian'Tur Federation. It was impossible for the Jian'Tur to know exactly what the Delth were saying about them during their communications with the Serphiads, but attempts at revealing these secrets were made. The Celm'Nil military branch, which handles Jian'Tur espionage, sent spies into Third Eohli territory and to the centers of Serphiad power in the Andromeda Galaxy to see if either race was conspiring against them. No discernible conclusion was reached from the minor amounts of reliable information collected by Jian'Tur spies, and the entire project was canceled after a number of Jian'Tur spies had been caught and interrogated. This behavior made the Jian'Tur seem much less trustworthy to the Serphiads, and further solidified the negative image the Delth already had of their species. However, by this point, they had already provided a massive surplus of military backing to the Union's tributary armies, and were one of the Union's largest and most powerful tributary states in the entirety of The Cluster. This deterred the Serphiads from taking any action against the Jian'Tur, but they did watch them more closely from then on. In reality, the Delth did caution the Serphiads against trusting the Jian'Tur, but the extent of their conspiring was much smaller compared to Jian'Tur predictions. This incident greatly reduced Jian'Tur sentiment towards the Serphiad Union, and is often cited as being one of the events that fueled extremist movements calling for a war against the Serphiad Union.

The history of the Third Eohli came to an end just as the First Vuokra Invasion was beginning. Deep in the back of their minds, the Delth always knew the Vuokra would return to wreak havoc. Likewise, even after many millennia of peaceful existence within the Triangulum Galaxy, the Delth were prepared to leave immediately once the first attacks being made by Red Six Trillion had been confirmed. Their exodus came as quite a surprise to many civilizations they had been in contact with. Many were displeased with the Delth's decision to leave The Cluster altogether, especially the Jian'Tur, who saw it as a display of cowardice. The Delth themselves saw this as a matter of survival, and believed that the remaining civilizations in The Cluster had no chance of defeating the Vuokra, though they admired their bravery in the face of annihilation. Once again, the Delth boarded their great cylindrical spaceships and set off into the stars. None can say what fate the Delth met once they left the confines of The Cluster, but, if they continue to survive in galaxies unknown, it is presumed that they are still running.

Technology
Despite their extremely old age, the Delth have failed to elevate their technology to the same standards as many other intergalactic civilizations, such as the Silver Conservators or Xyrbyx. This is the result of two prevailing factors. First, the Delth often suffer technological setbacks when migrating between galaxies. Often, they are caught off-guard by approaching Vuokra forces, and with no way to defend themselves, a significant amount of their infrastructure is destroyed before they can escape. This causes the Delth to lose many of the technological breakthroughs made by a previous Eohli, forcing them to rediscover said technology once they settle in a new galaxy. Delth scientific advancement is often put on hold during their voyages to distant galaxies, as the limited resources available to their fleets must be carefully managed in order to ensure a successful journey, barring them from pursuing resource-intensive scientific research. Second, the Delth are impartial to the concept of unbound scientific progress as a whole. They prioritize the usefulness of machinery over aesthetic, and usually won't go to excess lengths to improve upon existing systems if what they are currently using works perfectly fine. In a way, the societies created by the Delth often suffer from stagnation, as they do not pursue constant expansion or technological development like many other civilizations. However, in many ways, the technology currently available to the Delth is far more advanced than that of several other civilizations in The Cluster, no doubt due to the emphasis they place on utility and efficiency in regards to their technology.

One of the greatest technological developments of the Third Eohli would have to be the Delth themselves. Uniquely-designed artificial beings, the Delth possess many abilities that allow them to circumvent the issues faced by organic creatures. Since they are capable of agile flight, most of the ships and structures inhabited by the Delth are built around large, open spaces that make it easy for them to move around. The metal comprising their bodies possesses photovoltaic properties that are vastly superior to the solar panels of most other species, allowing the Delth to sustain themselves solely on the stellar radiation they absorb through their bodies. A majority of the devices and machinery used by the Delth is built out of this same metal, which, combined with their advanced null-atom batteries, allow them to satisfy almost all of their energy demands without the need for cold fusion or antimatter reactors. However, such generators still exist inside the large Delth starships that transport them between galaxies, as they cannot rely on solar energy in the supreme vastness of open space.

In addition to efficiency, the Delth greatly favor mobility and adaptability in their technology. Following their exodus from the Triangulum Galaxy, very few artifacts of the Third Eohli remained in the Inward Crescent, almost the point where there were no discernible traces of their existence at all. Their nomadic history has caused the Delth to develop infrastructure that is just as mobile as they are, capable of being picked up and moved at a moment's notice. Aside from mining installations intended to access the raw materials of a planet, a majority of the structures on Delth worlds float in the air, supported by powerful graviton-manipulating force projectors that allow them to levitate. In addition to this, almost all of these structures are connected to at least one of the Delth cylinder ships via large bridge networks, which touch down on a planet's surface one their journey to a new galaxy is complete. These ships serve as the centers of power on the planets they are located on, and have the remarkable ability to retract the planet's bridge networks into themselves in the event that the planet must be evacuated, safely storing all Delth infrastructure inside the ship so that it can be transported off-world. Not only does this allow the Delth to respond quickly to threats, they can also rapidly move infrastructure and resources between planets they control, making it easy for them to resupply their colonies.

Legislation
The advanced AI technology of the Third Eohli has allowed the Delth to automate a significant portion of the administrative duties required to run their society efficiently. These quantum AI matrices, which are based on many of the same technological principles as the Delth themselves, are built into Delth cylinder ships, and likewise, are interlinked with a majority of the infrastructure on Delth planets. However, they are not fully sapient, and therefore are not seen as equals to the Delth, but rather, as tools used to manage their society. Almost everything outside of diplomacy and the most high-level decision making in the Third Eohli government is handled by these AI matrices, allowing the Third Eohli to operate on a managerial basis without the need for much direct intervention on behalf of the Delth themselves. Only tasks that require the extra emotional and spiritual awareness afforded to beings with true sapience are carried out by the Delth directly, and in the case of their government, these jobs are left to the Delth Elders.

As is implied by their title, the Delth Elders are a collection of extremely ancient Delth that were some of the first members of their species that went through the process of artificial evolution to become the mechanical beings the Delth are recognized as now. They have followed the Delth throughout their voyages across the stars, and are the most respected members of Delth society. To denote their incredible age and status, the Delth Elders occupy much larger variants of the Delth body template adorned with decorative golden embroideries. In all of their dealings with other alien races, the Delth Elders take it upon themselves to represent the entire Delth species. They are also responsible for mediating relations between the various religious communities in the Third Eohli, including its two prevailing religions, Nimal's Followers and Daraghnul's Followers. Technically speaking, the Delth Elders do not have any official power, since the Delth do not structure their society into a conventional hierarchy. However, they are usually looked to for guidance in times of change or distress, which makes them effectively some of the most influential individuals in the entire Third Eohli.

Military and Law Enforcement
The Third Eohli dedicates itself to a code of absolute pacifism. The Delth, already witnessing massive destruction at the hands of the Vuokra, have committed themselves to avoiding conflict wherever possible. As a result, the Third Eohli maintains no standing army or conventional military force of any kind, using only diplomacy to keep themselves safe. Certain Delth ships, including their cylinder transports, are equipped with rather strong plasma weapons, but these are almost never used. There is no organized system for law enforcement in the Third Eohli, either, as all Delth are conditioned to naturally be moral and logical beings. Any discrepancies to this doctrine are handled by the Delth majority.

Research
Delth scientific research is decentralized and split up among numerous unofficial organizations. There is no defined system for the implementation of new technologies or improvements to existing technologies, as the rate at which new developments emerge is low enough so as to allow the Delth to handle these events directly, without the need for conventional bureaucracy. Whenever a new technology is created, either by the effort of a single Delth or a collection of Delth working together, this discovery is brought to the attention of their local community. If it proves to be especially useful, their community will implement the new technology and share it with other communities on other planets. This process allows new improvements to Delth technology to gradually and organically spread throughout the Third Eohli, automatically adjusting to suit the needs of the communities it reaches. In some situations, the Delth Elders will help direct the process of integrating new technologies. This is more likely if the developments in question affect more key elements of Delth society, or have social ramifications that could interfere with Delth religious philosophies.

Culture
To retain their solidarity and morale throughout the countless millennia they have spent running from an absolute threat to their safety, the Delth have built up complex traditions and spiritual connections in their society that serve as the most defining aspects of their cultural identity. Most of the time, these traditions are mediated by religious organizations formed around the guiding principles of a single notable Delth from recent history. Though several of these organizations were present in the Third Eohli, the two that dominated Delth culture were Nimal's Followers and Daraghnul's Followers, religious groups dedicated to the perpetuation of ideologies created by the ancient Delth Nimal and Daraghnul, respectively. These two groups promoted the concepts of pacifism and isolationism, and, due to their large size and power within the Third Eohli, influenced a majority of the Third Eohli's foreign policy decisions and the ways in which they handled internal affairs. Though often coterminous in their goals for the Delth species at large, there were many situations in which these two religious groups were at odds with each other, often demanding direct involvement from the Delth Elders in order to resolve disputes.

Though there is evidence to suggest otherwise, disputes and conflicts between religious groups within the Third Eohli were an integral part of the civilization's culture. They encourage new philosophical thinking among Delth and can often highlight important flaws or factual errors present in the mantras of religious groups that the groups themselves may not have been aware of. Most Delth frequently debate the nature of their nomadic existences and the validity of their scattered historical records, and while these debates are usually healthy for intellectual development in the Third Eohli, there are situations where it can be taken too far. This was certainly the case for Zlial, whose established ideology posed an immediate threat to Delth security due to its glorification of Delth aggression and militarization. Ideological threats such as these are immediately handled by the Delth Elders, but the gradual evolution of Delth religious beliefs has always been inevitable and a consistent aspect of Delth civilization in all its incarnations throughout the universe. In the scale of the Delth's entire history, the philosophies of Nimal and Daraghnul have only existed for a short time, and it is very likely that, during the Delth's next voyage through the universe, new religious doctrines will be created by charismatic individuals that will replace these older ideologies.