For so long in the Star Citizen mythos we have been aware of other races. The Vanduul, we’ve known of them since the beginning, since that first attack on a Bengal back in 2012. The Xi’an and Banu have been a part of the conversation for ages as well, the community constantly clamoring for the Merchantman in particular. For years now we’ve even had basic concept art of these races, basic ideas of who they are and where they come from. While we’ve always understood that what we know may change, that concept art is just that, a concept, we have at least had an indication of the general direction and feel CIG were striving for.



At the same time, until very recently, we’ve known little of the Tevarin, of their design style and their society; there was, till now, a veritable dearth of actual information about them floating in the Verse.



With the release of the Tevarin Prowler and Character Concepts, however, suddenly that dynamic has changed, making this a good opportunity to investigate the Tevarin race in more detail. And where else could we begin, but at the beginning.

History

A great man once said that war never changes. And with humanity’s first real steps into that black, boundless void that is space, truer words had never been spoken. War would come to us, as it always does, and it was with the Tevarin that this axiom was first proven. The Tevarin were Humanity’s first real enemy in space, her first threat.

Her first interspecies war.

First contact took place with the Tevarin in 2541, and by 2542 the first Tevarin war had broken out. Humans held the technological advantage during the war, but what the Tevarin lacked in technology they made up for with strategy and endurance.

The first war began, as most wars do, over territory. Shortly after first contact, and having no interest in diplomatic relations, the Tevarin captured Idris IV, one of Humanity’s border worlds. After a number of years, and various battles on both fronts, in 2546 the UPE captured, colonized, and renamed the planet of Tevarin homeworld of Kaleeth.

The first Tevarin war served as a turning point for Humanity, not only instructing us on interstellar war but also leading to Ivar Messer’s rise to power, the founding of the UEE, and the assimilation of the Tevarin into the UEE populace.

*For more information on the first Tevarin war, visit https://starcitizen.tools/Firs...

It’s a good thing war never changes, because it only took 60 years for another Tevarin war to break out.

This time, a Tevarin Warlord named Corath’Thai emerged with a rebuilt Tevarin battle-fleet. Launching attacks against UEE systems, his goal was the reclamation of the former Tevarin home-planet of Kaleeth. Lasting seven years, the second Tevarin War ended even worse for the Tevarin than the first. This saw the Tevarin further absorbed into the UEE, and large numbers of Rijora followers (Rijora was the Tevarin religion) either abandoning their faith or committing suicide trying to reach their old home.

*For more information on the Second Tevarin war, visit https://starcitizen.tools/Seco...

Suffice it to say, neither of the Tevarin wars ended well for our former foes. After their defeat in the first war, the Tevarin were absorbed into the UEE as Civilians. After the second war, the Purge destroyed their culture, their population, and their morale so thoroughly that they have yet to fully recover, though part of the blame for that might be systematic oppression by the UEE. In the 300 years since the end of the last Tevarin war, virtually no Tevarin have ever been granted citizenship - the one current exception being Suj Kossi, who is also the first Tevarin Senator.

Society

It is important to remember that, despite how far they have fallen, in the not-too-distant past the Tevarin were warriors, through and through. Tevarin society was based on the love for, and approval of, combat. Distinguishing oneself in combat was the way to advance in Tevarin society, and the highest Tevarin title was that of Warlord. At the same time, the Tevarin still cared for those in their society that did not fight; farmers and the like were still necessary for the survival of everyone, so they too were cared for.

All-in-all, the Tevarin societal system, pre-UEE engulfment, seems to have been very reminiscent of elements of both Bushido and Chivalry (at least the popular ideals of them); the ideals that war and honour are the most important aspects of life, but that everyone has a place, seems to persist throughout the Tevarin consciousness.

Interestingly, this focus on combat might have been the catalyst for, if not both, at least the first of the Tevarin wars. A society that prides itself on its warfare, that elevates itself through combat, newly expanding out among the stars encounters an alien race, one that is also clearly warlike? Whether the Tevarin solely wanted territory that Humanity held, or whether they also wanted to prove themselves against a new challenge, elevate themselves by fighting and conquering a larger and more technologically advanced enemy, we’ll sadly never know. But it’s certainly a possibility.

What we do know is that the Tevarin will never recover that one thing that is so central to all races – their homeworld. The Tevarin home system has been fully terraformed by the UEE, and the Tevarin home planet was renamed multiple times.

Shortly after the first Tevarin war, the UPE (United Planets of Earth, the precursor to the UEE, the United Empire of Earth) terraformed the Tevarin home-world, originally known as Kaleeth, exterminating indigenous lifeforms. During this process Kaleeth was renamed to Elysium IV. The world was later renamed again, this time to Jalan.

With no remnants of their old society, religion, culture, or home, the Tevarin have been absorbed by, and drifted throughout, the UEE.

Design Elements



The first thing you notice when you look at the Tevarin is how sleek they look. They appear lithe, wiry, almost predatory in their disposition, and it is clear they are being set up as a warlike race. Not only is their armour extremely reminiscent of warrior sects on Earth (the skirt on the armour evokes thoughts of the Celts, and of medieval European and Asian armours, especially when the pauldrons on the shoulders are noted) but the stance the warriors in the concept image are taking is open, but open to hostility. Note the staff, held at the ready, but the relaxed stance otherwise.

While it’s true that most armour in Star Citizen looks like it would fare well in combat, the concepts for the Tevarin are pretty clearly meant to convey thoughts and feelings of a time that was more feudal, more chaotic, more brutal. The Tevarin emanate that they would excel in close-quarters combat, where they can prove themselves to the fullest.

The Tevarin appear from this first image to be, if not hostile, at least very prepared for combat. As we discussed earlier, their appearance, their very mannerisms, are very reminiscent of societies in the Feudal era on Earth.





Ships







And now we get to the real beauty behind the Tevarin, the ship that brought us this article. The Prowler.



While the Prowler may be an Esperia recreation, garnering the increased price tag that all Esperia productions seem to require, it’s still a Tevarin designed ship, built with Tevarin technology.

And that tech changes the game.

From its air-shields that keep its passengers safe to the wingtip shielding, the tech in the Prowler makes it among the best boarding and troop transport ships in the Verse.

Historically, the Prowler is actually based on an armoured personnel carrier from the First Tevarin War, although heavily modernized. Esperia were able to ‘acquire’ a number of preserved Prowler models from a lost Tevarin planet, using the relics as blueprints for a more modern version of the ship.

Key features of the Prowler include its hardened shell, ground runners, transforming mechanics, precision offense, and rapid deployment capabilities.

The Prowler is armed with a maximum two S5 guns, and one S6 gun, and can carry 16 passengers.*

* - Preliminary stats.









Summary

There is still a lot about the Tevarin that we do not know. How prevalent are they throughout the UEE? How have they taken to their 300 years of humiliation? How will they factor into Squadron 42 and the Persistent Universe?

These questions and more abound. What we do know is that, from the first glimpses we’ve been given, the Tevarin appear to be an interesting, complex race. They have a proud history, they suffer under a conquering enemy, but they seem resilient and determined. This author, at least, thinks they may play a bigger part in the story of Star Citizen than we might at first imagine.