Cestra

The Cestra /'ses∙trə/ are an extinct precursor group of humes from over 4,000 years ago. The Cestra built a thriving civilization and a vast empire over most of the continent of Zion. Many Cestra emigrated to other corners of the world and eventually founded what came to be the Dural and Silvani civilizations.

Their technology was unsurpassed — modern alchemic and aetheric understanding is only starting to catch up to Cestra technology. Some of their most notable achievements were engineering the oni and beastmen species.

Birth of an Empire
The Dominion started as a confederacy of seven hume kingdoms that were unified under the banner of Emperor Zeudin in order to bring stability and increase trade tin the region. Prosperity soon followed as merchant routes were established and protected by an imperial presence.

During what has become known as the Pax Cestra, they built many things and accomplished feats that technomagi still study today.

While they are associated with an era of peace and innovation, they were not necessarily benevolent. During the Demon War, they experimented with captured demons, and innoculated demonic blood in criminals and members of the servant caste, resulting in the creation of the oni.

After the conclusion of the Demon War, the research and techniques are used to create beastmen (garuda, tauri, naga, etc). after the oni rebel. The beastmen eventually rebel, too.

At this point, the Cestral empire was in serious decline. It was no longer a powerful nation but a weak, fragmented empire of city-states.

As best as scholars can determine, the Cestra vanished as a distinct ethnic group something during the Age of Fire. As such, much of their knowledge has been lost.

Disappearance
A meteor was on a crash course with the planet. The Cestra used their power to move the moon and to create a shield to absorb the worst of the impact. The meteor clipped the moon and was knocked off course, but this resulted in the partial shattering of the moon. Molten rocks from the moon fell on the planet and destroyed much of the land, ending civilizations including the reptiles and the Cestra, and putting the planet into an ice age for 100 years.

Religion
As seen from examples of Cestral ruins the Cestra held the cosmos in high regard.

Notable achievements
The Cestrans are central to the creation of a different species as well as many of the different groups that make up hume culture today.

Creating the Oni
The Cestra are responsible for creating the Oni, a new species made from human and demon blood.

Creating the Beast Tribes
The Cestra are also responsible for the Beast Tribes' creation. When the Orkus eventually rebelled, the Cestra used the concepts to fuse other Cestrans with beasts.

Creating the Duralians
The Duralians were a group of Cestra that literally went underground out of fear of the direction their society was headed in.

Creating the Silvani
The Silvani were another group of Cestra that fled into the forests.

Sentinels
The Cestra created huge stone statues throughout the border of their empire. The official reason was to mark the borders, but also, it was a warning not to cross the Cestra.

Pax Cestra
This refers to the age of peace they were able to keep in the heart of their empire; the world was still chaotic on the fringes and outside the Cestra's sphere of influence.