Precursors

The Precursors were a spacefaring race of Insectoid (?) creatures that once saw an empire so big as to (possibly) span all over the Milky Way.
How and why they disappeared is unknown. The most credited Hypothesis on the Precursors' disappearance is that they grew too big and the empire crumbled upon itself, destroyed by civil wars and external conflicts as their government failed to keep such an expansive empire under control.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The (highly debated) modern consensus is that they were of the insectoid kind, with a sturdy exoskeleton and large compound eyes, the hands would've been three fingered while the feet would've been probably more similar to an earth's insect like a walking stick. The mouth piece had what seem to be two large chelicerae type appendages while two strong antennae jetted out of the upper section of the head. Some hypothesize these aliens had some form of wings as seen in the machines they created, however this is contested to this day. The machines refuse to disclose the Precursors' appearance among many other, more useful, informations possibly out of spite for those who created them.

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An artist's rendition of the hypothetical appearance of a Precursor, based on the Deshivohai and many stylized figurines

Genetics and Reproduction

Unknown.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Probably carnivorous in nature seen the chelicerae in the lower section of the head.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Unknown however analysis of the statuettes we have at our disposal suggest a particular reliance on sight.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

Debated if their Empire was under a single centralized govrnment or if all the planets they colonized acted as single entities.

Relationship Ideals

Apparently polygamous in nature, a single male will have several wives and husbands and vice versa.
Possibly other sexuality groups were present albeit smaller.

Average Technological Level

Their technological level was far beyond that of the Reshtus, traversing through their immense empire with the use of Wormhole stations they built around the orbits of stars along their journeys. They created Exotechnologies capable of creating structures and objects with, possibly weaponizing it to create what we would call doomsday devices.
The Deshivohai, which they created during their reign, refuse to speak about them in too much detail, leaving us with only a few breadcrumbs to base our knowledge on.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

The only Precursor language known to humans is called Lithen, currently spoken by the Deshivohai; most probably there were many other languages and dialects seen the known size of their empire.
Several words from this language became common use on the planet, such as the planet's name itself.

Common Dress Code

Statuettes of the species sometimes have depictions of dresses on the subjects.
These go from simple unique cloths going down the body to complex multi-layered garments of differing colors and often decorated with stripings and other, more complex, patterns. All statuettes, as well as the Deshivohai, have long and complex shoulder pads on, possibly a pictorial simbol of something, however its highly improbable such shoulder pads were actual accessories as they would undoubtedly be very heavy, impeding movement to the alien.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

From the little we know of their culture, we can say they had a strong honour system and a passion for research. Most of their culture lives on in the form of the Deshivohai, who still follow their culture and law, although humans didn't have much of a chance to study them until now.

Historical Figures

"The Mother": possibly an important historical figure or goddess, this figure often referred to by the Deshivohai just as "the Mother" seems to have been very influential in the Precursor's history. Hypothesized to be the inventor of the Deshivohai, seen how keen they are on calling her mother.
Recurrent Figure 1: seen in many depictions, Recurrent Figure 1 is of high stature with a highly segmented exoskeleton and very angled antennae.

Common Myths and Legends

They followed the Cult of the Ancients, now still observed by the Deshivohai.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

From what the Deshivohai say about them and on how they act we know The Precursors always strived to be as diplomatic as possible, always avoiding conflict whenever it was possible to and rarely starting one.
They were, however, very protective of their own citizens, willing to break this moral code and wage war on whoever harmed them.

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