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The Lareas Alliance was the grandest civilization to have ever existed. Its splendor was so great that it took centuries of debate and study to even understand it. With Larean artifacts found in over seventy five percent of star systems, archeologists outright rejected that a single civilization was the cause. With the discovery that Eos was, in fact, a product of the Lareas Alliance, the sheer scale of that structure convinced begrudging archeologists of such a scale. With modern societies struggling to maintain control of a single star system, to control well over one hundred was baffling.

Scientists believe that Psinus Majora on the edge of Cosmoria was a major Larean world but it is unknown which was their true homeworld. The first known evidence of their existence is from roughly 200,000 years ago, and they fell ~9,000 years later to The Andvaris Swarm. Perhaps more terrifying than the realization that such a mighty empire could exist was that there was something that could destroy that empire. Such was the discovery of the Andvaris Swarm which, despite existing until ten thousand years ago, was equally controversial amongst early modern scientists.

The vast majority of information on the Lareas Alliance comes from the archives of other ancient civilizations such as Ectabana and the Alshunaman Empire, whose exploration of Lareas incidentally destroyed many artifacts. These paint the picture of a nation of nomadic warlords from a star off the rim of Cosmoria who unified after a series of civil wars, and then rapidly spread across all of Cosmoria.

Lareas' remaining artifacts function as though they were still new. The Loresavt, of which as many as one trillion exist, diligently maintain these structures. In a sense, Lareas still exists and is still a major force in history. Administrator Holos, Eos, Limehold, Delyatu, Aubade, Lykare, and Taek represent the most impressive remnants. Doubtless more worlds and artifacts are lying in wait to be discovered.

History

Almost two hundred thousand years ago, the warring Amosae clans scattered across the Talusi System were unified by Jelammu Nann. With a new sense of unity and purpose, the newly formed Lareas Alliance swiftly expanded outwards from its core, conquering the Psiran at the battle of Psinus Majora not months later. After a couple thousand years, the Lareas Alliance had full control of Florathel, either outright conquering and annexation or simply making some states into puppets.

After the death of Jelammu, he was succeeded by Telkra Nann, who truly believed he could conquer all of Cosmoria. Telkra sent forces to every system he could. Many star systems, previously uninhabited, became host to civilization to the first time as Telkra's forces moved in. Nearly all Florathel was indeed swiftly conquered, but the nearby Lowiras was a different story. The various states there used bizarre powers known as Dark Psionics, with entire fleets rent to scrap metal by a single man. The Lowiras Campaign proved to be much more expensive than expected, and Telkra died just a month after the capitulation of the last state there to the Alliance.

After the death of Telkra Nann, the officials and generals of the Alliance gathered at Lumnas for a gathering, to elect the next ruler of the Alliance. At this point, two candidates led amongst the possible pool, The first, Gellel Yaknas Velektor, advocated for a time of peace and rebuilding of the Alliance. The other, Morsam Kel Umra, supported a continued expansion and a fulfillment of the “destiny” of the alliance to rule the universe. This dispute prevented a stable leadership in the alliance and granted the nations closest to the alliance some respite.

Gellel Yaknas Velektor ended up being chosen. Now Gellel Nann, he solidified control of the rebellious outer Florathel arm and was widely considered to be a progressive leader. He passed several edicts and decrees for a more progressive tax system, preventing the formation of a rich aristocracy that could challenge the elite of Lareas. He also poured huge amounts of resources in expeditions into the Lowiras#Dark Core, which unfortunately came to nothing.

Morsam Kel Umra finally got her chance to try and conquer the universe, and she was very good at it. Under her rule, the Alliance vassalized or conquered the vast majority of the core and Lacrimosa. Morsam Nann died before the fleet reached Aylathiya from across the core.

After Morsam Nann’s death, general Ncalywan seized power immediately, leading the Lareas fleet to great victories in Aylathiya. That region was never fully integrated into the Alliance, and after Ncalywan the alliance entered a recession, which continued for over a hundred thousand years. By the end, the alliance had true control over little save Martial Space and Florathel itself.

The Lareas Alliance came to a brutal end soon after this. A secret research project learning about the many planes of Cosmoria discovered Andvaris. Andvaris from afar appeared to be paradise, filled with resources, habitable planets, and the like, tastefully arranged in cool shapes. The scientists of the Telmarai System successfully managed to bore a hole into Andvaris, but contact was abruptly lost with the outpost.

Mere weeks after contact was lost, a Andvaris Swarm of remotely piloted self-replicating ships appeared in Florathel, unleashing a holocaust across all of Cosmoria. As many as a quarter of a quadrillion died in initial attacks. The collapse of the Lareas core saw its vassal of Hyperion fight against the swarm alone. Although Hyperion held out for centuries, its fall marked the end of all Larean civilization, which at the time was essentially all civilization.

Archaeology

Lykare, a host of many thousands of unique artifacts from this era.

At the beginning of the modern age, nearly all information about Lareas came from records from second-party sources. Those ancient scientists, with far more lax standards for reporting, made outrageous claims about Lareas that many researchers called mythology. That was, until Administrator Holos, then co-ruler of the Triumvirate Civilization, claimed to be a Larean artifact. Larean technology was fundamentally based on gears and rotation, having never developed anything resembling circuits.

This revelation made identifying Larean technology far easier, but also shed doubt on its validity. Artifacts featuring gears were wide spread and, the so-called microscopic gears, could only be found in a small number of them. Revelations about the Andvaris Swarm pointed to a universal layer of destruction in every fossil record. A thin layer, only a millimeter thick in most places, was uncharacteristically rich in copper, lead, and rare precious metals. This was the substance Resolute Bronze, the basis of all modern Larean artifacts.

A well-known relic of their existence was likely the "Solar Swarm" surrounding the star Lykare. Too heavy to be suspended by the star's radiation and moving too slowly to be of use, the Solar Swarm was thought to be worthless. It turns out that, by taking advantage of radiation pressure, the components of the swarm could spin incredibly quickly. How they transfer power remains mystery, but these spinning structures create large magnetic fields that keep them aloft in the star's own field.

They would also create the planet Deraland, located in intergalactic space near Iriat, and its strange appearance, like a black hole with land. Very little is known about this structure, and it seems to erase any craft approaching it from existence.

Much later, the existence of Lareas Alliance was discovered by the United Nations of Florathel. Though many of their relics would be lost in the calamitous events of the War of the Last Alliance and the War of Saiheran Succession, some remained, such as Deralend and the Lykare structure, although it seemed most of their artifacts were in Aylathiya as though Florathel faced far more destruction than Aylathiya.

The Swarm

Much of the surviving written material from the Alliance's time refers to an event or species or nation or something known as the Swarm. This swarm seems to have been controlled by an incredibly powerful consciousness and composed of countless self-replicating probes. There are still many dead specimens of these probes floating in deep space.

The Lareas Alliance was prospering, having conquered the vast majority of Cosmoria and experimenting with crossing the border between universes. One such experiment, taking place at the hidden star of Telmarai, actually succeeded, though they didn't live long enough to realize. After punching the hole into the previously unknown plane of Andvaris, life support came offline and the airlocks were opened on the station, killing everyone in minutes. The consciousness which ruled that plane then took control of the manufacturing facilities, creating vast numbers of highly maneuverable self-replicating ships. These ships were then sent out among the stars of the cluster, wiping out the entire population before a signal could reach across the void to Florathel.

This consciousness, which took the name of its plane, sent its Swarm across Cosmoria, destroying everything in its path. The Swarm had conquered Florathel and destroyed the center of power of the Lareas Alliance by the time a last-ditch effort sent three ships to Telmarai. They almost lost to the Swarm before sealing the fracture to Andvaris, blocking Andvaris' control over the Swarm. The swarm fell silent across Cosmoria in an instant, ending the struggle.

Though the Swarm was defeated, many species and worlds were destroyed. The ancient Apsilan species of the Pathos Cluster was almost exterminated by the Swarm, and even today their population numbers only in the millions. Thousands of other species fared worse, and the Apsilans only survived because the fracture to Andvaris was sealed before the last of them were killed. Andvaris was never heard from again, but the few who know of its existence fear the implications of another incursion.

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 == Archaeology ==
-[[File:Lykare.png|150px|thumb|Lykare, the parent white dwarf of many thousands of unique artifacts from this era.]]
+[[File:Lykare.png|150px|thumb|Lykare, a host of many thousands of unique artifacts from this era.]]
 At the beginning of the modern age, nearly all information about Lareas came from records from second-party sources. Those ancient scientists, with far more lax standards for reporting, made outrageous claims about Lareas that many researchers called mythology. That was, until Administrator Holos, then co-ruler of the [[Triumvirate Civilization]], claimed to be a Larean artifact. Larean technology was fundamentally based on gears and rotation, having never developed anything resembling circuits.
@@ Line 47: / Line 47: @@
 They would also create the planet [[Deraland]], located in intergalactic space near [[Iriat]], and its strange appearance, like a black hole with land. Very little is known about this structure, and it seems to erase any craft approaching it from existence.
 Much later, the existence of Lareas Alliance was discovered by the [[United Nations of Florathel]]. Though many of their relics would be lost in the calamitous events of the [[War of the Last Alliance]] and the [[War of Saiheran Succession]], some remained, such as Deralend and the Lykare structure, although it seemed most of their artifacts were in [[Aylathiya]] as though Florathel faced far more destruction than Aylathiya.
 == The Swarm ==