Three billion years ago the first spacefaring race of significance evolved in our galaxy. They called themselves the Goyle Raab, Goyle meaning King, and they prospered, forming a vast republic of stars; systems of stable worlds that were more than just way-stations on a holy crusade, as had been the case with the civilizations of our galaxy for a great long time.
When their campaign for a fully galactic empire fell it heralded the end of a tremendous period of discovery. Contact with another race, the Ahroans, farther removed but themselves become just as powerful as the Raab, was the catalyst for this destruction. Conflict became inevitable; the two collapsed in a brilliant final act, locked in the grip of war, both civilizations lost.
Many millions of years passed. A galactic dark age during which the thousands of races once dominated by the Raab struggled for ascendancy. The Raab became extinct, along with many others, but in their place came new races. Some stronger, some not, all vying for control. In this manner the galaxy remained splintered and technology made no real progress. The implications were clear, but the balance of power was so divided among so many that no single group was able to control more than a fraction of the galaxy at any one time. And those who did rise to higher power were invariably toppled by others.
This state went on until the coming of the Krhuge. In short order this dynamic new race rose to domination of fully seventy-five percent of the galaxy, encompassing five major arms. They controlled over a million worlds, influencing the lives of trillions. They called their government the Ram Quad, or Unifying Force, and this new age the Quad Denab; Age of Unity.
Soon they'd expanded even further and became the first truly galactic government. Technology progressed once again in all areas. The future was bright — they were creating a utopia that seemed as if it would go on forever.
Yet, perhaps through some greater understanding of the order of things, they chose to manage the length of their rule. They created a hierarchy, honoring the name of the ancient Goyle Raab who were the first to achieve such greatness, to nurture a Reign of Kings — one race maintaining control until reaching a certain point, at which time a successor was apprenticed to take the Goyle name. Artifacts of past races, along with their knowledge, were kept on a world that came to be known as Visnia, or Tombworld, a central record of vast proportions.
This sweeping hierarchy was maintained for an astounding two billion years.
Then, seventy-eight million years ago, during the period of the Goyle Notkhae, the last Goyle race, began the events that would mark the fall of this galactic republic which had persisted for so long virtually unchanged.
At this point a greater force than any they had previously known became a factor in unfolding events.
A long forgotten god, master of the very forces they had, coming full circle along the path of ultimate technology, rediscovered. A god their ancestors knew, a god their ancestors before them served. Rek Naga, Sek Vog and later the One. He who was the God of War, a wizard-king who once commanded the holy crusades that filled the stars before the Raab.
Though removed from events for eons, Rek Naga had not turned his eyes wholly from his subjects. Now, suddenly they attracted his attention in full. For what they attempted at last, in all their technological mastery, was to become like him.
Thus Rek Naga caused a great leader to be born, taking control of that form and causing the rise of a faction within the ranks of the Notkhae. The Sin Sefra Goyle, Ender of Kings, set about rebellion under the direction of this ancient god, made determined to topple the unholy Goyle regime. Rek Naga wielded such fantastic power that the Sin Sefra Goyle followed him without question, fighting their brothers, taking his aims as their own, demanding an end to all who would seek to be as a god.
They were destroyed, utterly, along with all factions, and the vast Goyle empire, over a span of time that was a mere instant in comparison to its great age, came to an end.
Following their demise an even greater dark age than the first gripped the worlds of this galaxy, broken only very recently...
