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The Kalishu are a federation of worlds populated by a variety of alien races, linked by "portals" or "gates".
The Kalishu Federation is part of the GURPS Web World Project. Here's the template.
Millennia ago, scientists of the strange starfaring shape-changing drarth race discovered the secret of travel by interstellar portals, known as "mirrors". Since these "mirrors" had to be build in pairs, one on each of the two worlds to be connected, starships were still required to establish contact with the second world.
The first drarth starships reached the worlds of Fornath and Gosur, and there the first mirror stations were built. The first contact between the drarth and another intelligent race occurred a century later, when a drarth ship reached the Zurquru system. At first, there was conflict between the drarth and the native zurqurans. Once the two races agreed to resolve their differences peaceably (The races' historians disagree over whether or not either side actually "won" the war), the drarth built a mirror station between Fornath and Zurquru.
Over the centuries, the drarth, along with their new-found allies the zurqurans expanded the network of mirrors to the worlds of Klanton, Fasaran, Kasar and Quaan, bringing three more intelligent races into the growing federation, now called the kalishu (a drarth word meaning "network").
Two millennia ago, an exploration starship reached Kalyr. The Guardians of Kalyr were initially hostile, but after much protracted negotiations, a mirror station was set up to Zurquru. Because of the Guardians, the mirror stations are kept secret from the planet's inhabitants. Soon after, the Kalishu built a second mirror, linking the world to K'naldi, following contact with yet another intelligent race.
The first serious war within the Kalishu occurred fifty years after the worlds of Xqueev was reached from Quaan. The quaan's warlike nature got the better of them, and they invaded the world of the peaceable xqueevi. The war ended when a second mirror was built linking Xqeeve to Kalyr. This enabled the other kalishu races to reinforce the xqueevi, and drive the quaan back. The quaan were eventually defeated, and isolated on their own world when the mirrors were closed. A second war followed twenty years later when the Quaan mirrors were re-opened, and the quaan homeworld was invaded and pacified.
The kalishu federation continued to expand. The kasara discovered and colonised Gavan and Baruk. Then the xkarkt discovered, the last race to join the federation. Finally Zoraf, the last planet in the federation was discovered and colonised by a mixture of all races.
Then, without warning, war broke out across the entire federation. Nobody really knows to this day how it started. Armoured stormtroopers of various races were beamed from planet to planet, and terrible battles were fought on many worlds. The worlds of Drarth and Gosur were "lost", their mirrors being destroyed. Drarth itself was rendered completely uninhabitable by the use of hellish weapons. There was a varying degree of devastation on other planets.
The Drarth, who started it all, are the strangest of all the kalishu races. From their natural form as grey blobs, they can take up any shape. They lack any normal sense organs, communicate telepathically, and have many powerful psionic abilities. Some have the ability to teleport.
These creatures continually grow thoughout their lives. When they reach a certain size, they split in two, each of which is half the size of the original.
A few, referred to as rogue drarth, go berserk on arrival at a portal station, and teleport out to any location on the planet. They then cause all kinds of trouble until recaptured or destroyed.
The Kasara are archetypal bug-eyed monsters. They are insectoid, standing 5' tall on their hind feet, with four arms. They have a group intelligence, individuals having little or no free will. Only the adult form is sentient, the larvae being non- intelligent. Think of themselves as superior to the other kalishu races. Their own world is a rigid totalitarian state, as you would expect.
There are several types of Kasara, each bred for specialist tasks. Workers who carry out all routine labouring and lavae-rearing work. having only limited intelligence. Techs, a more intelligent type of worker able to carry out more complex tasks, Warriors, The ones that fight, Leaders Those that make all decisions, and Queens, mere breeding machine. who have no function in life other than reproduction.
The K'naldans are a race of fearsome appearance, walking on four legs, with many tentacles instead of arms, and heads with six eyes surrounding a circular mouth. Despite their hideous appearance, they are a friendly and good-natured race, who often act as peacemakers between some of the more warlike races such as the Quaan, Klantons and Kasara.
The Quaan are a warlike feline race, standing about 6-7 feet tall. Fur can be of many colours. Their origin is unknown, but are believed to be descended from a terran creature. Quaan are fiercely loyal to their clan.
The Xqeevis are an avian race, standing about four feet tall. They have lost the power of flight, their wings having evolved into hands. Like the Quaan, they are believed to be of terran origin. They hate and fear the Quaan intensely, and have frequently fought wars against them.
The Zurqurans are a humanoid race. Most can pass as human in kandar cities. They are the kalishu race most frequently encountered outside the portal stations, since they can mingle with humans without either attracting attention or requiring illusion magic or disguise. They share a common ancestor with the kandar and zughru - humanity.
These are the major worlds that form thwe Kalishu federation. In the past there were many more worlds, but contact with them has long since been lost.
First planet to be colonised by the drarth. Fornath was only marginally habitable in the first place, and suffered much destruction in the war. Only remaining permanent inhabitants are the technicians running the portal stations, which are the only way of getting to Klant. The rest of the planet is deserted ruins.
This inhospitable planet is the home of the half-man, half-machine klantons, who turned themselves into machines as the best way to survive on their barren planet. Klant has never really recovered from the severe damage suffered in the war, and now supports a fraction of it's former population. Overall tech level is still TL9, but with much of the surviving industry devoted to life-support and building and maintaining the inhabitant's machine bodies, little or no high-tech goods is exported.
The Klantons are a bizarre race, part living creature and part machine. They appear as a living head on top of a cylindrical body, with 2-4 tentacles growing out of the top of their heads. These tentacles end in interchangeable mechanical hands. Their bodies usually contain a concealed weapon. There origin is completely unknown. They are the most warlike of the kalishu, after the Quaan.
The Xkarkti are the only water-breathing kalishu race, the Xkarkt appear as giant purple tadpoles 4-6 feet long with arms, swimming by means of a powerful tail. They are able to live both in fresh and salt water.
There are four separate habitable planets in this system, so there is some in-system space travel. Since the Orbital spaceyards were destroyed, few new ships have been built, so many surviving ships are over a thousand years old.
Zurquru Alpha
This is the most heavily populated world in the system, and contains the highest population, and most of the surviving industry. Some sources of TL9 equipment and weapons, although the overall tech level of the world is only about TL6. The standard of living is low.
Zurquru Beta (Garden)
Originally an agricultural world supporting the population of Zurquru Alpha. Contains the portal stations, and the Kalishu Federation capital. One of the few worlds where many different kalishu races can be seen.
Harvan
The innermost planet, mostly barren desert with only the polar regions inhabitable. The zurqurans have abandoned the planet, to be replaced by kasara. Tech level has fallen to TL4, and few ships from Zurquru Alpha or Beta now visit.
Ice
The outermost planet, mostly icy wastes except for a narrow equatorial band. Tech level has fallen back to TL3, with endless wars fought between native zurqurans and the descendants of quaan mercenaries from the days of the war. Both groups tend to be suspicious of any off-worlders, so the world is seldom visited.
Settled mainly by zurqurans, with some representatives of other races. A mineral-rich world, it was heavily industrialised before the war. It saw some of the heaviest fighting of any world during the war, and most of the major cities and industrial sites were reduced to rubble. Unlike many other worlds, it has recovered. Many of the cities have been rebuilt, and it has become major high-tech centre.
Colony worlds of the Kasara. Gavan is a cold desert planet, similar in many ways to Kasar, so the Kasara feel at home. Baruk is hot and wet, covered in dense jungle, and has only a sparse population, although it is rich in animal life.
The home world of the bug-like kasara, it is a dry, desert planet. The Kasara have never really taken to using high technology, and what they do use they employ off-world technicians to operate.
Homeworld of the tentacled k'naldi race. The world is hot and wet, covered in jungle. Most of the world's industry was concentrated in one city, now in ruins following the war. The surviving k'naldi live in small tribal groups, typically of TL2-3. Things are said to prowl the ruins of the former capital.
Homeworld of the warlike quaan. This world consists mainly of temperate plains. Following the Quaan rebellion, the world was invaded by the other races, many of whom stayed. One continent is still inhabited mainly by the native quaan, while the rest of the plant is inhabited by a mixture of races, with native quaan being very much a minority. The world suffered much in the war, with most of the major cities being destroyed. Tech. Level is now about TL7, with parts of the "native" continent down to TL4-5.
A waterworld, with a few islands. Population is a mixture of Xkarti living in the ocean, and Xqueevi inhabiting the islands. Tech level is similar to Xqeeve, with little or no industry.
Homeworld of the Xqueevi race. The world is mostly covered in temperate forest, consisting of the massive Xvor trees. The Xqueevi build their cities in these trees. There is no heavy industry, and most xqueevis live a simple lifestyle, but the Xqueev still produces TL9 goods, each item made individually by skilled crafters.
The last world to be colonised, with a mixture of races. Although a hospitable place, it was always somewhat of a backwater, and remained almost untouched during the war, except that it was isolated for many years when the mirrors of Quaan were shut down. The base level of technology was ever high, and has fallen to about TL5 due to lack of contact with other worlds. Government is now balkanised, with about 20 separate nations.
There are of course an untold number of guilds, corporations, governments, churches and what-have-you across the kalishu worlds. These are just a few of the imporant ones.
A mining and industrial corporation, active in the zurquran asteroid belt.
A major industial complex, producing weaponry, computers and consumer goods, which are distributed thoughout the federation.
The kalishu federation depends upon the Gate Brotherhood for it's very existance, since it controls and maintains the gates which link the various worlds.
The official parliament of the kalishu, containing representatives from all kalishu races.
Their role is to recapture fugitives from justice who have fled to connected worlds which don't form part of the fedaration, such as Kalyr.
A monothiestic religion, the church has amassed considerable wealth and political power over the centuries.
With much in-system travel, Zurquru has a space navy.
These devices, known variously as 'gates', 'portals' or 'mirrors', are complex technological devices, invented originally the Drarth. The principles by which they work are long-forgotten, although the Kalishu still know how to maintain and repair them.
There are two ways they can create a portal across the dimensions:
Using a single device, it's possible to create a short-lived portal to another world. This portal might remain in existence for minutes, or hours, or days, depending on how well those who operate the device can keep it focussed. Once focus is lost, the gate closes, and the connection is lost for ever. Anyone who passes though a gate that then closes and leaves him or her on the wrong side has just made a one-way trip. They can never go home.
Psionic powers work though a gate. This was how the Kandar in ancient times went slaving - they detected minds with ESP, then used Telecontrol to force them to pass though the gate. The kandar themselves never passed though lest the gate close trapping them on the wrong side.
If two devices on different worlds are focussed on one another, they 'lock' on to each other to create a permanent connection. The Kalishu used sublight starships to find new worlds, then built gate devices to establish permanent connections with their existing worlds. On many worlds, they never managed to focus a device, leaving these worlds unconnected.
It's not possible to set up a permanent connection by sending a gate device though a gate (this has been tried).
The Kalishu have established three teleportation stations on Kalyr, which are used for transporting people and materials between three of the Kalishu worlds. Since many of the Kalishu races can shape-change, they can impersonate kandar, zughru or humans, and occasionally visit kandar cities.
These teleportation stations were established thousands of years ago. Each has two 'gates' or 'mirrors' each of which is linked to another gate on one of the kalishu worlds. The most recent is in the Zurglauz mountains. It links with the kalishu worlds of Xqeeve and K'naldi. This replaced an earlier one, destroyed 500 years ago in a mysterious explosion. The other two are near Dalanuin, linking Xqeeve with Zurquru, and 90 miles north of Calbeyn, linking Zurquru with K'naldi. Each is maintained by about 50 members of the Karazthan. The location of all three is kept secret. Small aircraft of kalishu construction are kept at all three locations for emergency communication between them, such as when one of the stations is out of action for a prolonged period.
Kalyr is very occasionally visited by kalishu sublight starships. These are far too large to attempt landings on the planet's surface, so small shuttles are used instead. These starships are used to communicate with several nearby kalishu worlds on which teleportation stations have yet to be established.
The Kalishu are in communication with the Guardians, with whom they negotiated the rights to construct the teleportation stations, along with a few mining and research stations. An 'Oracle' exists in each of the stations. Unlike the priests of the temples, they know the guardian's true nature.
The kalishu's aim is to keep the teleportation stations open at all costs. To this end they have on occasions manipulated the kandar and zughru politics. It was they who set up the Karazthan to maintain the stations. The kalishu have imposed a strict embargo on importing their sophisticated technology into Kalyr, fearing the consequences of introducing high-tech weapons in a low-tech culture. The Karazthan is used to enforce this. The kalishu are known of only to the leaders of the Karazthan, the Vulan, one or two high priests, and the eight Hierachs of the Academy of the Mind.
A number of renegade clans of Quaan have illegally settled on Kalyr over the past thousand years. Most have lost any technology they took with them and have settled in wilderness areas well away from either the portal stations or kandar cities. They live in small clans of 50-100 individuals, fighting constant battles with either local outlaw humans, vordral or each other.
Like the Quaan, a number of Xkarkti have settled on Kalyr, and have built cities on the seabed about 100 feet below the surface, a few miles from the surface.
The bug-like Kasara run a mining installation in the far northern Zurglauz mountains, beyond the arctic circle. Officially, they are not allowed to interfere with the local zughru population, but they have actually enslaved large numbers of zughru and other races as mining labourers.