Sorylian Collective

Although the Sorylians colonized their worlds long before the Terrans first travelled the stars, the Collective is neither large nor widespread. This is in large part due to the speed with which these cautious aliens approach everything in life. Whether in their own personal movements or in full deliberative session of the Collective, Sorylians move at a pace considered positively sluggish by other races. This has resulted in a very slow expansion, and has often frustrated any race dealing with the Sorylians in any fashion.

Sorylians resemble bipedal Earth reptiles, with fine scales covering their muscled bodies. Their faces are comprised of thick bony plates, ridges, and wide, deep-set eyes. They bulk larger than the average human and usually wear dull, banded armour over muted uniforms when serving on warships. A Sorylian’s eyes appear heavy lidded to most other races; their slow, unhurried movements often mistaken for mental or physical deficiency. Their speed when roused to anger, however, quickly dispels this misconception.

The Sorylians are not a warlike race and prefer to ignore other races altogether rather than deal with them in any way. Centuries ago a protracted war between the Sorylians and the Aquan Prime littered Fathoms Reach with wreckage but did little more to change the fortunes of either empire. The war was eventually abandoned by mutual, unspoken consent. Their first encounters with humans was similarly apathetic, resulting in a brief series of desultory battles before things settled down and the Sorylians agreed to allow humans free rein within Fathoms Reach in exchange for a secure northern border.

Sorylians as a society place a high importance upon academic research and advancement, focusing on geological and cosmological studies. The slow, steady movements of planets and stars are well-suited to their nature. Vast research and observation stations have been established throughout the Collective, including a ring of such installations around both the Goum and Charradin Phenomena. Recent raids by the Ba'Kash and the Veydreth, striking nearer and nearer to these stations are looked upon with horror, causing them to deploy many of their military assets into those regions.

The Sorylians want nothing more than to be left alone by the rest of the quadrant, but that was not to be. Having successfully avoided further entanglements with the humans from Terra, they soon fell victim to the corporate Works Raptor raiding fleets, attacking outlying colonies and abducting countless Sorylian citizens who were never seen again. Under these constant provocations the Sorylians came gradually to realize that their policy of stubborn isolation was untenable, thus becoming the last major power to join the Kurak Alliance.

Even as a member of the Alliance, the Sorylians were slow to redeploy their fleets. They refused to move the bulk of their forces from their eastern border due to the recent raider activity and escalating military movement in neighbouring Dindrenzi space. Most of their admirals, slow to adjust and adapt to the evolving security situation, continued following their traditional routes and patrol areas. Works Raptor raids on Sorylian colonies had ceased soon after the signing of the Kurak Accords, and they believed that the crisis was most likely over.

When the forces of the Relthoza and the Vo'Nar smashed through their poorly deployed border patrols, the Sorylians were stunned. Entire fleets ceased to exist as the aliens pushed deeper and deeper into Sorylian territory, crushing all military installations as they race for the interior. The ponderous Sorylian command structure has been awakened, however, and massive forces move slowly into position to defend those systems. Unfortunately, this has left the Terran’s southern flank dangerously exposed.