Lapidus

The Lapidus are an extinct race of aliens that inhabited The Cluster millions of years ago, long before the dawn of any recognizable civilizations in the recent history of The Cluster. Though now reduced to miscellaneous artifacts and structures scattered about the galaxy, Lapidus civilization is believed to have been incredibly powerful, no doubt due to their uncontested mastery over light-based technologies.

Legacy
Out of all the civilizations that predated the Serphiads, the Lapidus hold the record for being the least mysterious, more or less. There are significantly more surviving Lapidus artifacts compared to the Tuoctlo, and many of these artifacts have clear functions and recognizable designs. All Lapidus technology makes use of sharp, geometric designs and bright, prismatic colors. This is a result of the absolute dominance the Lapidus have when it comes to light-based technology. The Lapidus are believed to have been able to manipulate the photon in ways commonly considered impossible, and have integrated this skill into all of their technology. Lapidus "computers" are just extremely advanced collections of interlocking prisms that shunt photons around to make calculations, much in the same way conventional computers shunt electrons. Their laser weapons are second to none, and even after considerable study done into the Lapidus Weapon Templates by the Coalition of Intelligent Organisms, no civilization has been able to construct laser weapons of a similar quality since. Since Lapidus technology is so reliant on light and prisms, many believe that the Lapidus were a race of silicon-based beings. This would explain their inherent mastery over inorganic technology and ability to survive in extreme environments (Lapidus artifacts have a tendency to be located on the most inhospitable planets imaginable). This theory is impossible to confirm, of course, but it does posit many interesting speculations about the nature of more ancient forms of life in The Cluster

Despite their immense power, however, the Lapidus are suspected to have been engaged in conflict for a large portion of their history as a spacefaring empire. Many existing Lapidus artifacts are of clear military importance, and fragments of their weaponry are scattered all across The Cluster. Even The Eye, one of the largest Lapidus artifacts in existence, is suspected to be a superweapon of some kind. The enemies of the Lapidus are unknown, though there are two major contenders. The Tuoctlo may have been engaged in war with the Lapidus, as both Lapidus and Tuoctlo artifacts make obscure references to each other, and Tuoctlo civilization was of similar power to Lapidus civilization during the height of their power. Of course, it is commonly accepted that the event that destroyed both the Lapidus and Tuoctlo was the invasion of the Vuokra tribe Pink Two Trillion, which caused enough destruction so as to completely reset the political dynamic of The Cluster. It is obvious the Lapidus were unsuccessful in repelling these attackers, as now hardly anything remains of their civilization.