Thondorians are a culture born of the
Flight of the Lost. A rag-tag group of adventuring nomads, who were backed into the corner by the Corpo states who had sunk their lands, the people of Thondor took to the stars in a last ditch effort with a Sleeper Fleet assembled from whatever they could find or steal.
The fleet struggled the entire time, taking casualties greater than most other Sleeper Fleets. However, they arrived in a paradise, a
Gaia world three times the size of earth. Here, the Thondirans prospered, passing down the lessons of courage and heroism from their long journey, but greatfulness and appreciation for the bounty they now found.
The Thondor were so successful, that they were able to colonize two seperate worlds nearby. One headed for
Vingolf and the other headed for
Prax Morla. Both struggled to finally thrive on the hostile planets, and once they had finally re-established contact with one another, the
Colonial Earth Empire arrived, with settler colonists in tow, claiming to have
divine right to the world of Thondor.
The Thondorians claim they were the first to strike back against the Empire, sending guerilla raiding parties to take down imperial shipping lanes, and working with
Wanderer resistance groups to sabotage the efforts of expansion against the empire. For many years the Thondor raiders stifled the empire at every move.
The Tragedy
This lead to the rapid acceleration of the growing imperial war machine, who blasted propoganda of the crimes of outsiders against their domains. This culminated in the Imperial strike on Thondor, utilizing paracasual and Psionically powered weapons to rip the entire world apart.
The Thondor were split, between the Prax Morla communes, a more nomadic and agricultural based people, and the
Thondor Kingdoms, who had built up the reputation as fearsome raiders, lancers and hunters. They had honed their skills on the dangerous fauna on
Vingolf, and their raiding fleets honed their ship-to-ship warfare.
The Silence
When the Silence Fell, the Prax Morla communes joined with their neighbors in
Sovereign Space and formed the
Union of Socialist Systems.
Meanwhile, the
Thondor Kingdoms were locked into what is now known as the
Terminus Systems. Instead of peacefull unification, the nations of the Thondor Kingdoms first were pitted against uprising machines during the
Mechanicus Jihad, and then they turned on one another, each blaming the other for the silence.
The Thondor Kingdoms stood isolated, and despised by the remaining
imperials that remained in the Terminus Systems, as well as being targeted by
those who allied with those Imperials. Vingolf was resource pour, but the Thondor raiding ships brought them riches, while Terminus burned around them.
The Reunification
When the gates became to come up, the seperated people were once again reunited. They may have drifted apart greatly in their time away, but they all shared the heritage of Thondor, their lost home. Soon after the reunification, the raider captains that had been ruling the Kingdoms were overthrown by those that had toiled under them. The Thondor once again stood together, opposed to the
Colonial Earth Empire, though slightly in their own ways.
Many of the ousted Thondor captains fled with their riches into the arms of the
Zym Cartel, or some struck it out as rogue pirate captains, beholden to no one but themselves. These Thondorians are known to follow what is called "The Path."
Way of the Traveler
The Way of the Traveler, sometimes called the Path is a strict set of Thondorian principles of a nomadic lifestyle, where renown and legacy were tied to the glory sought in combat, independent of the control of a government. They explain that in a world of oppresive governments, intergalactic cartels and hyper-religious cults, theirs is the only way of freedom in this chaos. In practice, to fund this lifestyle many turn to piracy, mercenary work, or in the rare case, by raising their forces in unison, naming a Tsar and waging a crusade against the
Colonial Earth Empire. Its a lucrative war, but only for the few surivors, who end up scattering to
Outer Rim to escape the inevitable full might of the Empire.
The recent exlpoits of Tsar the Reuniter, who gathered the forces of not only Thondorian warlords, but also support of some within the
Thondor Kingdoms, and even within those on
Prax Morla have galvanized the followers of the Path. This Tsar also brought about a wave of uprisings on planets throughout the
Mid Rim, or all ethnicities, who saw their cause against the empire united as not only a Thondorian cause, but a cause of all workers and oppressed by the Imperial nobility.
This has led to an influx of those following the Path from not only Thondorian heritage, but also of other ethnicities, especially
Wanderers. Most welcome the followers with open arms, strong believers in the strength of Tsar the Reuniter, joining
Albatross. However, older sects often follow the tradiationalist views of Tsar the Conquerer, oftentimes forming their own less-than perfect mercenary companies, usually working alongside organizations like the
Zym Cartel.
