A YJA Moment - Dwarves

Dwarven history starts on Middle-Earth, during the fabled First Age.  They believe they were fashioned from stone and given life by the enigmatic Aulë, whom the Elves revere as one of the angelic Valar.  They would eventually form seven great Clans from which they studiously track their lineage - Blacklocks, Broadbeams, Firebeards, Longbeards, Stonefoots, and Stiffbeards.  Each of these took up territory on various locations on the continent of Middle-Earth, both in Eriador and into the West.

Due to their affinity with stone, they were able to construct magnificent subterranean cities which burrowed deep into the earth.  They also were master artisans with metal and jewels, creating magnificent weapons and armor.  They also have the strange metal Mithril which was lightweight but stronger than any metal, allowing the craft potent magical devices.  People from around Middle-Earth traveled to the Dwarven stronghold in order to barter for these treasures, making the Clans very wealthy.

They also developed an enmity with the Orcish hordes which lived underground to escape the light of the sun.  A continual state of war existed between the two peoples, which led to the Dwarven Clans uniting against both Melkor the First Fallen and the Dark Lord Sauron at the end of both the First and Second Ages.  When news arrived that Sauron and his Army of Darkness were again on the move, the Clans not only fought on Middle-Earth but joined the battle into outer space.

After the Shadow War, many members of the Dwarven expeditionary forces found themselves on many new worlds.  Many of these formed an alliance with Bor the Allfather of the Asgardians, who granted them rights to settle in the Nine Realms, on the system called Nidavellir.  There they constructed a giant orbital ring around their star, harnessing the fusion power of the stellar body in order to fuel the fabled Starforges.  It is in these forges that the hammer Mjolnir and the sword Excalibur were forged.

In the Fourth Age, the Dwarven Kingdoms on Earth found little reason to trade with the remains of the human kingdoms.  Long before the establishment of Indus and Sumer, they had retreated underground, expanding their tunnels far into the Earth. At some point, the Dwarves placed themselves in hibernation, locking themselves in ancient caskets which magically kept them young in eternal slumber.

Occasionally, some Dwarves would emerge to engage with the world of humans.  The most notable instance was in the Märchenwald in Germany in the 16th Century, when a small group belonging to the Stiffbeards Clan, aided a young lady from escaping the clutches of an evil noble-woman.

A YJA Moment - Elves

Of all the species in Known Space, none are more self-assured and driven to excellence as the Elves. One of the few peoples blessed with true immortality, the Elves once were pivotal in the events of the universe.  Today, most of them refrain from involving themselves in the affairs of the "young peoples", preferring to remain apart in their well-guarded homeworlds.

The Elves believe that they were chosen to be above all other species by the Valar, the central angelic figures of their original religion.  They were created by the Valar on Cuiviénen, their ancient homeland where it was said that they communed with their creators and learned the secrets of the universe. Without the threat of old age and death, they were able to hone their skills like few others.  It would remain this way until the Great Schism, which fractured their people and wounded their spirit.

Though there are conflicting stories of the Schism, this part is known: that two-thirds of the original Elven population refused to heed the Valar.  The resulting war split the Elves into three Nations.  The Dark Elves were exiled to the desolate Svartalfheim, while the loyal Light Elves settled on the verdant Valinor which eventually became known as Alfheim.  Those who refused to involve themselves in the conflict became known as the Grey Elves, who cast off their immortal nature to become what would be the Vulcan and Romulan peoples.

The Light Elves had retained much of the knowledge of their forebears and developed a rich tradition of magic.  They opened portals to several worlds to establish colonies such as the ones on Middle-Earth.  In contrast, the Dark Elves remained on Svartalfheim because they no longer had the mystical or technical means to travel off-world.  They would eventually be contacted by The Shadows and that would allow them to merge magic and machines into the arcane devices they use today. Finally, the two branches of Elvenkind would meet during the Shadow War, though few actually met face-to-face.  

The Dark Elves were locked in battle with the Asgardians, who drove them back to Svartalfheim and decimated their homeworld.  The primary theatre of the Light Elves was on Middle Earth, where they aided the Human kingdoms of Gondor and Rohan against the forces of the Dark Lord Sauron in the War of the Ring. 

 At the end of the Shadow War, the Dark Elves isolated themselves on Svartalfheim to bury their dead and rebuild their fallen cities.  Most of the Light Elves too retreated from Middle-Earth and their Grey Havens on other worlds, to return triumphantly to their homes in Valinor.  There the White Council vowed never again to involve themselves in the affairs of Mortal Races, which they have kept these many centuries up until the modern-day.

A few enclaves of Light Elves still remain in Known Space, most notably on Earth, wherein this Fifth Age some have taken rulership over the fae folk.

A YJA Moment - Orcs

In the history of Earth, few creatures have generated so much fear as the species known as Orcs, Though not appearing physically opposing, Orcs were slightly faster, stronger, and more resilient than Humans,  They also possessed heightened, though their eyes had issues adjusting to sunlight.  The main advantage of the Orcs was their numbers - their masters were able to generate legions in a short period of time.

Born from the genetic code of captured Elven stock, the Fleshcrafters of Melkor the First Fallen engineered the perfect species to serve in the massive Army of Darkness.  These Orcs were birthed in vast underground labyrinths, born from artificial birthing pods. It is unclear how many were made in the First Age, but the ancient tome The Silmarillion hints it may have been in the millions.

The means to make Orcs continued into the Second and Third Ages, where they were the mainstay of the forces of Sauron, the Dark Lord who succeeded Melkor as leader of the Dark Armies of Mordor.  It would lend the knowledge to the Nephilim Wizard Saurman, who modified the Orcs in order to create his more capable Uruk-Hai.  The Uruks did not fear the sun's rays and were physically more imposing than their Orcish brethren, but took longer to gestate.

Despite a strong belief amongst the ancient humans to the contrary, Orcs were not intrinsically evil. Though they were birthed by foul magics, they possessed free will and a soul, granting them the ability to be noble if they decided to be.  However, the Orcs in the service to the Dark Lords were under a geasa of servitude, backed by an imposed culture of brutality that encouraged cruelty and viciousness over reason and compassion.

Orcs were a major presence in Middle-Earth until the end of the Third Age.  The final defeat of Sauron ended the Dark Kingdom of Mordor and sent the Orc tribes scattered across the continent.  The remains of the armies of  Rohan and Gondor, as well as the last few Elves and Dwarves pursued the Orcs and slaughtered as many as they could.  The rest presumably died out in the years of the Fourth Age before the founding of ancient Sumer.

Yet it's believed that like the Dwarves, there are birthing chambers full of Orcs far underground, awaiting the call of a new Dark Lord to awaken.

A YJA Moment - Darkness and Light

Before the various species in Known Space walked upright there were the First Ones.  These beings walked in the shadow of the Celestials, crossing the stars in the primordial Universe.  Few of these First Ones remain - although there are a few remaining examples of each race, there are only a few examples of First Ones surviving in their original form.

One of the most powerful of these First Ones was the enigmatic group known only as The Shadows.  This arachnid-like species evolved on the desolate planet Z'Ha'Dum, becoming a space-faring race long before the Maltusians had emigrated to Oa. In their great biological ships, they reached out into the stars becoming aware of a host of inferior species evolving in Known Space.  Believer in a radical form of eugenics, the Shadows sought to forge the Universe into the strongest, most capable iteration.

Every few millennia, the Shadows have emerged from Z'Ha'Dum, spreading across Known Space. Species that are found to be strong are offered alliances and technology; those perceived as weak were culled.  They do not stop their crusade until either the Universe has been properly scoured, or until powerful groups, the Vorlons, the Manhunters, or the Green Lantern Corps directly intervene.  After being pushed back, they would return to their homeworld to rebuild and hibernate until its next crusade.

Its only rivals were the Vorlons, energy beings that had long cast aside their mortal forms.  Believers in protecting the status quo, they nonetheless interfered in the development of many species, hoping to prepare them for the next Shadow Crusade.  To hide their true form, which many cultures believed was angelic, they crafted biological encounter suits that were tailored after the biological starships within which they traveled.

The last time the Shadows would launch their crusade, they had unexpected help.  Darkseid and the forces of Apokolips had been gathering an Army of Darkness in an attempt to seek out the Anti-Life Equation.  Though the Shadows cared nothing for the New God's goals, they saw this as an opportunity to prune Known Space on a level previously unseen.

The Shadow War was a pivotal moment in the Universe's development, but it wasn't the success that the Shadows had hoped.  Lost in their own agendas, the individual forces that made up the Army of Darkness began to squabble amongst each other which led to open in-fighting.  The Shadows found they were fighting against the Dark Elves, the Engineers, and the Technomages; factions which they had granted the technology which was now turned against them.

Finally, in the Orion System, the last of the Shadow Fleet was destroyed by the Army of Light, ending the Shadow War.  What remained of these First Ones set their automated facilities to rebuilding their decimated forces, preparing for the next crusade that would be released upon Known Space.  It's been thousands of years since they hibernated and soon the time for their awakening is at hand.

Yet the Shadows remain unaware that bargains with those of the Fourth World are eternal....