Each member of a Starhost has their fate defined by the Frog-Mages at birth, and they are created to fulfil this single mission in order to help the Frog-Mages complete the prophecy. These missions define much of the culture of the various species in each Starhost. The first Starhost sought out the other Mages to awaken them. The newly awakened Mages would create additional Starhosts in order to fulfil their purpose, who would then create their own Starhosts in order to seek out more of their kind throughout the galaxy, including in the Sirius Sector.
Much has changed in the galaxy since the Saurians first entered the cryo-pyramids, however, and rediscovering the pyramids has proven a more difficult task than expected. Some cryo-pyramids have been destroyed by exploding stars or marauding treasure hunters, others have been buried beneath deserts, oceans or even cities. Worse still, some have begun to fail on their own, leaving the Frog-Mages inside to die.
These setbacks have cast doubt on the reliability of the Frog-Mages and their prophecies, while others are beginning to fear that the Frog-Mages have already failed in their great prophecy.
How will you face your destiny?
History
Origins
The species of the Saurian Starhosts are perhaps the most ancient races in the galaxy; they claim the Frog-Mages who created them existed before time began. The Mages teach them that their purpose is to fulfil a prophecy which they have held from the beginning:
In time, the fabric of reality would break, and their fate would be to save it.
Cryo-Pyramids
The Frog-Mages faced several challenges as the centuries passed went on. Faced with potential extinction, the Frog-Mages created the Cryo-Pyramids and scattered themselves through the galaxy in order to survive so that they might fulfil the prophecy.
Rude Awakening
In their absence, the species advanced and colonised the galaxy, leading to a vast expansion of the psychic power in the region. This surge of power woke up a single Frog-Mage, who was now alone in the galaxy. The Frog-Mage found a galaxy at war, and thinking that this was the beginning of the end, he hoped to awaken his fellow Mages before it was too late.
First Starhost
Initially, the Frog-Mages were too few to seek out the rest of their species. So, these first Mages used their great knowledge and psychic abilities to create allies to help them seek out the other mages.
Initial Findings
The Frog-Mages soon awoke others who created their own Starhosts. Each seeking to awaken the others to fulfil their purpose.
Endless Search
The Starhosts continue their search in order to reunite their species. The cryo-Pyramids are beginning to fail and many Starhosts have discovered the Frog-Mages had already died. Some are beginning to fear that the Frog-Mages have already failed in their prophecy.
Society
The Species within the Starhosts are the creations of a species of psychic Frog-Mages, who claim to have existed before time began. Having put themselves into a deep slumber inside cryo-pyramids, the Frog-Mages awakened to a galaxy at war, and believe that their duty is to prevent the prophesied apocalypse. They created the other species to serve them and are now struggling to find and wake up more Frog-Mages while preparing for a disaster.
Starhosts are fleets, each centred around a Frog-Mage’s ship. Each Saurian in a Starhost has a specific purpose for which they were created. Their future is predicted at birth, although the predictions are often cryptic and hard to understand before they unfold. Their Frog-Mages direct them in the execution of complex plans intended to prevent the fabric of reality from collapsing.
It is Foretold
Each member of a Starhost has their fate defined by the Frog-Mage at birth. They are created to fulfil this single mission in order to help the Frog-Mages complete the prophecy. These missions define much of the culture of the other species in the Starhost. Saurians maintain a strong social cohesion via ceremonies, lots of chanting and reciting prophecies together. They derive a lot of their self-worth and social status from being as good at what they do as possible. They mostly bond with the people who work alongside them and will often know by heart a long oral history of their crew. They do have free will and personalities, but overall, it is a very cohesive society, with a deterministic, fate-based view of the world.
Story Tellers
Much of a Saurian Starhost's culture centres around its stories. It is often kind of unclear whether their tales are prophecies or histories (or both). Every important event or key lesson becomes its own tale in a Starhost’s culture. When communicating with other species, they struggle with which tense to use because it’s a blurry line to them.
Plots within Plots
The Frog-Mages, blessed with the gift of prophecy, tend to see past and future as one. Whether they are conquering a planet to build giant arcane structures, trying to destroy a laboratory that meddles with psychic forces or staging seemingly random ambushes, every one of their battles is a pawn that the Frog-Mages are moving on an incredibly complex game board, trying to prepare for a catastrophe millennia ahead.
Unforeseen
Since the first Frog-Mage woke up, they have noticed more and more discrepancies between what they think should be happening and what should happen. This created a growing worry; some Frog-Mages claim that they woke up too late and are too few to stop the end of the universe. There are also a few Saurian deserters who have rejected the Frog-Mages’ teachings and now try to make a living for themselves, and there are orphan Starhosts whose Frog-Mage died. Conflicts can even emerge between the Frog-Mages when two of them interpret a prophecy differently.
Specialists
The Saurians operate with very well-defined roles as fighters. This might make them somewhat less flexible than more dynamic factions, but they compensate with expert training and the occasional help of prescience - sometimes they seem to know what an enemy is going to do before they do it.
