Avians

The Avians are the leaders of the Sargists and are the main antagonists of Sargista. They have used their massive army to conquer and subjugate the other four races under the Sargist banner.

Biology
Avians are a composite race of multiple subspecies, each of whom belong to their own slots in a caste system. Like all Sargists, they generally resemble anthropomorphic versions of terrestrial animals, in this case birds. Unlike the other Sargists species, Avians are hexapodal, meaning they have six limbs. This is due to the wings that are attached to their backs and modified shoulder blades. The only exceptions to this rule are the flightless Avians like Penguins and Ratites.

Their females have no mammaries, although they do feed their young with "crop milk" from pouches in their necks, or simply regurgitate pre-chewed food.

Society
Avian society is authoritarian, highly militaristic and rigidly stratified to a point where they are called "space fascists" by humans. Their "race" is divided into five castes called "Wings", with each caste taken up by their own subspecies. Their ruler, called the Emperor/Empress, is the one who rules above all others with an iron talon, though she oversees her own council made up of generals, local politicians and ruling aristocrats from the Golden Feather caste.

The Empress
See also: Empress Heydia

Empress Heydia, a Golden Eagle by birth, is the leader of the Avians and the entire Sargist Empire. It was she who made Avian society into what it was through her ruthless cunning and masterful political maneuvering.

The Pecking Order
Admin's Note: Due to the nature of this article, it may need to be moved to its own page.

As stated above, the Avian hierarchy is divided into five castes called "feathers". Each caste is named after the metal it is associated with. From top to bottom they are: golden, silver, bronze, copper and iron. The caste system itself is divided into Civilian and Military groups called "wings" that spread across all castes.

Golden Feathers
At the top of this hierarchy are the Golden Feathers, the ruling caste dominated by birds-of-prey, such as falcons, hawks, ospreys and, above them all, eagles.

In the Civilian Wing they are made up of aristocrats, politicians and local rulers.

In the Military Wing they are the generals and the top hawks of the military, many of whom are themselves also aristocracy. In fact, it is said that the highest-ranking Eagle generals answer directly to the Empress herself, making them the right-hand (or right-wing?) men of her empire.

During Council meetings under the Empress's supervision, many aristocrats and generals from both Wings meet up to discuss Empire-wide policies, or otherwise simply to be a rubber-stamp group for the Empress's decisions.

Silver Feathers
Below the Eagles are the Silver Feathers, the "thinker caste" dominated by various corvids such as ravens, crows, jays, magpies, and so on.

In the Civilian Wing they take up professions as scientists, analysts, intellectuals and even philosophers. However, they are also the most distrusted caste because their intellectualism could risk them criticizing the government, so the Golden Feathers (including the Empress) establish strict restrictions so that only knowledge and insights that benefit the Sargist Empire are allowed. Punishments for violating this rule range from life imprisonment, death and "reeducation."

In the Military Wing they are the strategists, tacticians, field officers and even spies. They are tasked with analyzing everything about the enemy and the environment they are in, such as weapons, troops, arrangement of natural landmarks, etc. They are also responsible for any advancements in military technology among the Sargist military, regardless of caste or hierarchy.

Bronze Feathers
Belonging to the Bronze Feather middle caste are Waterfowl, who are composed of geese, ducks and swans. They are considered the specialists and administrators of both Wings. Due to overlap in designated roles, as well as similar native habitat and biology, they often share roles and professions with the Copper Feathers below them.

In the Civilian Wing they take up leadership roles in various fields, such as company executives and municipal administrators, as well as advisory roles among the Silver Feather professions. However, they can also take up the same white-collar roles as the Copper Feathers although given their caste they are typically either equal to or above them.

In the Military Wing they are typically warrant officers and lower-ranking lieutenants, and also share many specialist roles with their Copper Feather subordinates. Due to their shared biology, they often find themselves commanding Aquatics in underwater missions, a trait also shared by their Copper Feather subordinates. However, as they are not divers they often command such missions along the water's edge.

Copper Feathers
The Copper Feathers are generally considered the "civilian" or "commoner" class of Avian society, and they are composed of various penguin species. Chief among them are Emperor penguins, but there also exist King, Adéle, Crested, Chinstrap, Rockhopper, and many other subspecies. They oftentimes share roles with the Bronze Feathers above them in both Wings, and are more often than not the servants, though exceptions do exist.

In the Civilian Wing they, as stated before, make up the "commoner" class of the Avian pecking order. They take up typical white-collar jobs like office workers, clerks and construction managers, while other jobs as lawyers, artists and bureaucrats are considered more prestigious.

In the Military Wing they, along with the Iron Feathers, are among the most common in the Avians of the Sargist military. Their roles include foot soldiers and sergeants, as well as a handful of lower-ranking NCOs. They also occupy specialist jobs and support roles barred from Iron Feathers, like signal communications, tank drivers, and engineering. Due to their shared aquatic biology, the Copper Feather penguins find themselves accompanying (and commanding) Aquatics in underwater missions, a trait also shared by the Bronze Feather waterfowl.

Iron Feathers
The Iron Feathers occupy the lowest caste of the Pecking Order and are treated as such; this tier is occupied by ratites, including ostriches, emus, rheas and cassowaries. They are often treated by all the other castes as stupid, simple-minded brutes incapable of nuance and high-brow thought. As a result, they receive the worst treatment out of all of them. The higher caste the prejudice came from, the worse it was.

In the Civilian Wing they are assigned to do "blue-collar" jobs including mining, construction, low-skill factory work, are often assigned to occupy jobs that no one else wants to do like sewage cleaning and street sweeping.

In the Military Wing they, along with the Copper Feathers, are the most common among the Avians of the Sargist military. Unlike the Copper Feathers, the Iron Feathers are relegated to infantry roles like shock troopers, foot soldiers and, more often than not, cannon fodder. Despite this, the war-like cassowary subspecies are notorious for being much more effective in combat than the rest of their relatives, and hence are prized by their superiors.

The Two Wings
Aside from the five castes of the Pecking Order, the entire Avian caste system is divided into two intermingling branches, with each branch delegated to broad roles in the Sargist Empire and serving as their own hierarchy.

Civilian
The Civilian Wing is the part of the Hierarchy that is responsible for the inner workings of the Empire, especially its economy, culture and society. Avians of the Civilian Wing are also responsible for the production of much of the Sargist war machine and scientific development, although this is supported by hard labor (or even outright slavery) of non-Avians.

In relation to the rest of the Sargist hierarchy, Avians of this branch are placed above the rest of the Sargists, even to a point where the lowest Iron Feather worker is considered higher than the highest Feline elite warrior, although the latter have social permission to harass and command the former.

Military
The Military Wing is exactly as it sounds; it is the part of the Hierarchy that takes up the infamous strong arm of the Sargist Empire. It is this branch that encompass not only the Avian pecking order but also the entire Sargist Hierarchy, with the Avians themselves commanding the others up top.

In relation to the wider Sargist Hierarchy it surprisingly aligns itself more with the "lower" caste system of the non-Avians, although all Avians are considered slightly higher in rank. For instance, Bronze Feathers belong in the same caste as the Canines, while the intellectual Silver Feathers are tied in with bellicose Feline warriors. Also, it is often the case for a Copper Feather penguin sergeant to be commanded by a Canine officer because of the latter's higher caste, although he himself will be led by a Bronze Feather goose general of the same caste.

Social Mobility in the Hierarchy
Though climbing up (and even falling down) the hierarchy is difficult, as such ambitious and "deviant" behavior is discouraged, it is not unheard of. In fact, there are often examples of Avians from different hierarchies ascending to ranks or being assigned jobs above their social caste, often as a reward for exemplary and outstanding performance. It is even theoretically possible, albeit extremely unlikely, for a lowly Iron Feather ostrich to ascend to the ranks of nobility among the Golden Feathers, and for an Eagle aristocrat to fall from grace for the muck and mire of the Iron Feathers.

The Council of Five
For nearly a thousand years the Avians were ruled by a democratic, parliamentary system of government, where representatives from all the Avian tribes came together to discuss policies. One day, a rogue Avian with reactionary beliefs, named Sargon, sought power for himself, sought to revive the "glorious" medieval past when kings and nobility ruled over their subjects, and bring the Avian people from the "decadent" influences of democracy. As decades went by, he was elected into office as Prime Minister. It is from him where his ideology gains the name "Sargism," and from that the name of the future Sargist Empire.

The Reptilian Invasion
When the Reptilians, led by the Serpent King Ophidus, invaded the five Avian worlds then-Prime Minister Sargon took the opportunity to "make the necessary sacrifices to protect the Avian race and restore its lost spirit!" With a mighty declaration he suspended Parliament for the first time in over a millennium and declared emergency powers, though not declaring himself King yet.

Ironically in hindsight, the Reptilians themselves were socially stratified under an absolutist ruler and an ancient caste system, a society very similar to the future Sargist Empire under Heydia.

Genocide
With the Serpent King assassinated and the Reptilian homeworld occupied, Sargon enacts one of the most horrific atrocities in the history of the would-be Sargist Empire. He simply said "Heresy, remove this filthy race from this system!"

Rise of Heydia
See also: Empress Heydia

King Sargon had two children, a son named Rendan and a daughter named Heydia. Brutos, heir to the throne of the new Sargist Empire, was straightforward and determined like his father. Unlike him, Brutos was horrified at the results of his father's regime, not just to aliens but also to his own people, and he wanted to change it. Heydia, on the other wing, was the opposite; she was ambitious, strong-willed and ruthless.

Although Rendan, as the older brother, initially took power, Heydia challenged him to a series of tests in her own making, with herself as a competitor. When Rendan lost the final of these tests, he was dethroned and Heydia took the seat of Sargista. Once she took power, she immediately tried her brother for treason and weakness, and exiled him.

Conquest
See Sargists After Heydia's rise to power, among the first things she did was to greatly expand the Sargist military and navy, and to build further on the new Avian hierarchy her father established. She would incorporate non-Avians into their own hierarchy as her empire subjugated them, placing them in lower rungs than the last one. The first race to be conquered were the Felines. They landed there in 3 mass carriers off the coat of the Nirubu Desert on the Feline homeworld. The Feline Empress Nikoi sent all of her soldiers to attack the Avian invaders, only to suffer incredible losses. The Avains soon took over the planet under the Sargist pact. With the combined Avain and Feline fleets, the army was the biggest in their galaxy, and it only expanded more and more with further conquests. The next races to be subjugated were the Canines of planet Canania