Sethaleya

The Sethaleya are a race of tripedal sapients from the planet Sikhe, in the Triangulum Galaxy. There are two main factions- the Sethaleya Suzerainty and the The Sikhean Brotherhood.

Physiology
The Sethaleya are tripedal animals with two hind- and one fore-leg. The rear legs end in three hooves, but the fore one is a single, cloven hoof. They have reasonably long legs, well-muscled and thick. Their arms are composed of four segments, each capable of independent movement, and a claw like a crab's on the end.

Their heads are long, with a thin lower jaw and a thicker upper jaw, both with many sharp and pointed teeth. The eyes are compound, each consisting of thousands of smaller units, and bulge from their heads. Transparent keratinous armour covers them. They have a single ear, at the top of the head, in between the eyes.

The back bears many keratinous plates, not intersecting but protruding flat from their backs. These act as armour and trap a layer of insulating air over their abdomen.

Factions
The Sethaleya Suzerainty formed as one of the original Sethaleya tribes conquered the others one by one, allowing them to keep their governments but only as a formality. The Suzerain is the effective ruler of all the dependencies and controls their policies and actions, though some domestic control is usually allowed to save time. All lesser governments are tributary to the Suzerain. This faction controls over a hundred planets and has a substantial fleet.

The Sikhean Brotherhood was created by a group of radical individuals opposed to the Suzerainty, from several tribes. They fled to the planet of Xyris, and successfully repulsed the Suzerainty's attacks, building up defenses and eventually a fleet. They control only one planet, but many travel across space.

History
Many thousands of years ago, several unconnected Sethaleya civilisations built their first cities and began agriculture, expanding to build small empires where they lived. They developed, following different paths, until one invented the galleon and the cannon and began exploring the rest of the world.

The various empires fought, technologies mingled, and a world war began. There was an arms race which bankrupted and caused the collapse of one civilisation after another, until the last remained. This war brought the development of steam power and effective handheld firearms. The final empire left then fell apart without enemies and there was a new dark age.

Several tribes arose within the old cities, and had a head-start on technology. They developed, explored, and this time they worked together, though the clans remained individual and contemptuous of each other. Electricity, metal warships, aircraft, hydroponics, radio, and computers were all produced by their collaboration.

Wars broke out, but only between two civilisations at once, so things could be brought back in line by sanctions and promises. However, one nation secretly developed nuclear power and weaponry, hiding their new technology in bunkers. It made itself self-sufficient and then sowed discord, causing several wars to break out, and then captured the other countries one by one. They discovered what was going on and broke off their small wars to unite against this tribe, the Sethyus, but their capitals were destroyed with nuclear weaponry and their land was occupied.

The Sethyus then turned their attention to space, and began to advance and grow. It colonised many worlds and built up a fleet. The Sikhean Brotherhood escaped around this point, and headed to Xyris.

Their first contact was with The Sequence.