Delth

The Delth are an ancient, nomadic race of mechanical beings from a galaxy far beyond The Cluster. According to their recollections, the Vuokra tribe Green Nine Trillion has hunted the Delth for millions of years, driving them out of every galaxy they have inhabited. Roaming the cosmos in their gigantic, cylindrical spaceships, the Delth search for safer galaxies in which they can establish a new Eohli, a kind of interstellar empire. The mighty Third Eohli, in the Triangulum Galaxy, is implied to be another attempt at doing this after being nearly exterminated by the Vuokra twice before.

Biology
The technology the Delth have incorporated into their forms is very advanced, but still comprehensible to most species. The Delth, at their cores, are little more than complex AI matrices, their consciousnesses held on cubical quantum computers no more than 2 ft (0.6 m) in length, width and depth. These computers are stored in the center of their bizarrely-designed mechanical forms, and are virtually impervious to all but the strongest of weapons, ensuring the “brain” of a Delth can survive even if their exterior bodies are destroyed. The bodies of the Delth are eel-like in design, comprised of multiple interlocking segments that form a flexible line similar to a spinal cord, tapering off on one end of their body. The exact length of a Delth’s body is variable depending on the number of sections, but they tend to be around 20 to 30 ft (6 to 9 m) in length, and about 6 ft (1.8 m) in width at their widest points. Each of these sections has a pair of long spikes sticking out of its sides that are perpetually sheathed in a pale blue aura of light. These spikes are an important part of the design of the Delth, as they contain powerful graviton-manipulating devices that allow the Delth to move without the usage of conventional propulsion systems. Using these devices, the Delth can fly, twist and contort their bodies in a wide variety of configurations, though they are most comfortable levitating close to the ground. At the front of a Delth’s body is their “head,” which is little more than a metallic sphere covered uniformly in small holes. From these holes, the Delth are capable of extending thin, flexible metal tendrils that allow them to grasp objects. The entirety of a Delth’s body is made of a pearlescent silver metal that is extremely resistant to both physical impacts and energy weapons. It is believed that this metal also has photovoltaic properties, allowing the Delth to replenish their energy in the presence of direct sunlight if no other energy sources are available.

The Delth reproduce autonomously with the help of a unique, low-tier metasubstance they call Yhxalan’s Ash, which is named after a reknowned Delth that is said to have prophetically told of the Vuokra invasion that destroyed the first of the Delth Eohlis. Using advanced Delth machinery, Yhxalan’s Ash is synthesized and condensed into a thick, dark-green liquid that is carefully poured into a hollow Delth brain-cube, which is left to sit for many days. During this period, the Yhxalan’s Ash condenses further and enters its crystalline state, forming a complex lattice of conduits similar to those found in ordinary quantum computers. With just one spark, the quantum computer is brought online, and the Delth consciousness within it awakens. After many of these brains have been created, the Delth gather around large pools full of molten metal (which has been confirmed to be the same metal Delth bodies are predominantly composed of) and toss their newly-created brains into the pool together. The Delth brains in the pool attract the metal around them and use it to construct their bodies from scratch, eventually bursting forth from the pool and flying around in an amazing spectacle. This event holds great spiritual significance for the Delth, and is performed on a regular basis.

Homeworld
Since the Delth have been nomadic for a majority of their recorded history, information concerning their origins is scarce. Each Eohli destroyed by the Vuokra has caused the Delth to lose more and more information about their ancient history, along with the technological and sociological setbacks of their constant forced migrations. It is presumed, based on their design and attraction to oceanic planets, that the Delth, before taking on their mechanical forms, were aquatic beings of some kind, perhaps resembling the Gidec in terms of physical form. Certain aspects of their ancient history, such as their memories of Yhxalan and the mythology surrounding him, have held up despite all the Delth have lost, proving just how important these cultural aspects are to the Delth.

The de-facto “homeworld” of the Delth in the Triangulum Galaxy is the planet Qontmol, an oceanic world in the Inward Crescent that serves as the capital of the Third Eohli. Like most of the worlds inhabited by the Delth, Qontmol does not have any permanent Delth infrastructure on its surface. All Delth buildings are contained within huge cylindrical spaceships that perpetually hover perpendicular to the planet’s watery surface. The only permanent Delth structures are various automated mining facilities located deep underwater on the seafloor, which extract precious minerals and funnel them up to the surface for the Delth to use in the construction of vehicles and new Delth bodies. In addition to the planet’s uniform surface and plentiful mineral resources, it is assumed the Delth chose Qontmol as the capital of the Third Eohli due to the prevalence of sunlight on its surface. Qontmol’s binary stars ensure the planet is rarely bathed in darkness, allowing the Delth to absorb a wealth of solar energy through the photovoltaic properties of their bodies and spaceships.

Psychology
Having existed for millions of years, the Delth are a very patient and wise species. They have seen the rise and fall of numerous civilizations in their travels across the universe, and carry with them fragments of advanced extragalactic technology unheard of by anyone in The Cluster. However, this does not mean that they are inherently benevolent. The Delth rarely choose to assist other species, not out of hostility, but because they realize the eventual fate that all advanced civilizations meet: a Vuokra invasion. Though the Delth have the capacity to warn civilizations they encounter about the Vuokra, they often choose not to, as they understand that the Vuokra are virtually unstoppable, and warning other civilizations about them will do nothing to improve their chances of victory. The Delth hold a great deal of pity for other races, knowing any societal progress they make is ultimately meaningless due to their unavoidable destruction, but having witnessed this cycle of destruction for millions of years has made them hardened against such atrocities.

During their time in The Cluster, the Delth were widely respected in the Triangulum Galaxy. Their seemingly benevolent motivations encouraged the Jian'Tur to pursue diplomatic relations with them, as they knew the Delth were too technologically advanced to be defeated in war. The Delth never created any official diplomatic ties to other civilizations, but the unspoken alliance they had with the Jian'Tur gave them immense leverage over all other species in the Triangulum Galaxy, making them assume a dominant position within the Magnificent Balance of Peace. When the First Vuokra Invasion began, the Jian'Tur were infuriated when they realized the Delth were preparing to leave the Triangulum Galaxy instead of helping them fight. The Delth, in response, said that they knew running away was the only chance their species had for survival, though they admired the significant, if pointless, courage the Jian'Tur exhibited in their fight against the Vuokra. Taking all of their technologies and artifacts with them, the only legacy the Delth have left is a deep feeling of resentment from many species in the Triangulum Galaxy for the race that abandoned them in a time of crisis.