Lyo

The Lyo are an extinct race of aliens from the planet Thradge, located in the same star system as Aecbur and its inhabitants, the Faaraantecs. They were killed off in a brutal interplanetary siege war between them and the Faaraantecs, prompted only by the launch of a simple space probe the Faaraantecs mistook for an artillery shell.

Legacy
Almost nothing is known about the biology, culture or history of the Lyo. All of the information concerning them comes solely from Faaraantec recollections about their race, which are extremely minimal. The xenophobic nature of the Faaraantecs during their early history made them deliberately avoid observing or contacting the Lyo, even though they were aware of their existence well into their early industrial age. It is assumed Lyo civilization progressed at roughly the same pace as Faaraantec civilization, as they launched a space probe during the early Faaraantec space age, triggering their war with the Faaraantecs. No significant information about Lyo culture or biology has been discovered since then, even after extensive investigation by the Coalition of Intelligent Organisms.

Vague remnants of Lyo architecture left on Thradge after copious shelling by the Faaraantecs hint at the Lyo being an avian species of some kind, as their remaining structures have somewhat open designs and multiple small landing platforms that no conventional aircraft would have been able to make use of. The designs of most Lyo structures are focused around arcs and curves, with very few sharp angles. They have tremendously large windows and openings to the outside, which are believed to help larger taller structures stay upright and balanced in the harsh Thradgian winds.

Homeworld
Thradge is the third planet out in its star system, placed just on the edge of the warmer end of the habitable zone, while Aecbur was placed on the edge of the colder end. Prior to the detonation of the special Faaraantec warhead that depleted its atmosphere, Thradge is speculated to have been a hot, arid, but still somewhat habitable planet. Its unnaturally flat and uniform geology would have been broken up only by small groves of tall Thradgian trees, which the ancient Lyo would have nested in. The presence of large amounts of rare metals, such as Silicon, Titanium and Silver, in the crust of Thradge is largely attributed as being the biggest benefit the Lyo had as a developing civilization.

Thradge has since been completely changed in terms of environment. It is completely uninhabitable by all but the hardiest of organic life, possessing no atmosphere and a boiling hot surface. Relentless Faaraantec shelling has obliterated most traces of Lyo civilization, leaving only their strongest and largest structures, including their interplanetary siege cannons, to remain. Due to the extreme heat of the Thradgian surface, most advanced electronic components built by the Lyo have melted, making it impossible to learn more about their species through digital recordings. The same goes for written documents, which have all been incinerated by the heat.

Although the early Coalition wished to exploit Thradge for its mineral resources, the Faaraantecs pleaded against this, claiming they didn't want to damage the legacy of the Lyo any further following the conclusion of their war. The Coalition, wanting to stay on good terms with the Faaraantecs, agreed, and left Thradge untouched for several millennia afterward. While it never served any particular use to the government as a whole, Thradge was a popular spot for many interstellar tourists looking to learn more about the grisly fate of this race.