Greetings folks. We’ve got another piece of artwork to show off for our upcoming sci fi skirmish wargame, The Icarus Project.

This week, we’re looking at the Praesidians, one of the oldest races in the galaxy.

The Praesidians

Considered to be the oldest known race, the Praesidians have spent millennia guiding the other members of the galaxy, forming the Council, and discovering new species. The Praesidians are the ones who built the first Light Gates, the portals through which interstellar travel is conducted.

Birthing colonies

Praesidians are born on Birthing Colonies where they assigned a class and vocation. For the most part, Praesidians remain at the social level they are assigned at birth. While there are cases where a lower class Praesidian worker has managed to work their way into a position of power, those situations are rare.

At a young age, Praesidian children are given a series of tests that determine where they will best fit within society. These tests, administered by a Spirit Warrior, are incredibly accurate, and it is not often that a Praesidian will find a duty they are more suited to than the one assigned to them as a child.

Birthing Colonies are vital to the continuation of the Praesidian species. When a Praesidian lays an egg, it is taken to a Birthing Colony, where it will hatch. It takes almost 3 earth-years for a Praesidian egg to hatch, meaning they need constant monitoring and protection, which is why they are hatched on Birth Colonies.
Birthing Colonies are some of the most heavily guarded worlds in the galaxy. Because they house so much of the Praesidian species, they are constant targets; and many of the Preasidians’ enemies have attempted to conquer the Birthing Colonies over the centuries. Luckily, none have ever succeeded.
The colonies are protected from above by large fleets of Praesidian war-ships. And on the ground, Praesidian infants are protected by the Birthing Mothers; who hatch the eggs, raise the young, and keep them safe.
Birthing Mothers are among the most skilled warriors, and respected individuals, in the Praesidian Republic.

The Great Spirit

The Praesidian’s are one of the few races that still worship the same deity across the entire species. They believe in the Great Spirit, which they believe is made up of the souls, or spirits, of every creature that has ever lived and died. They believe each and every life that ends improves the Spirit in some way.
Culturally, the Praesidians are led by the Spirit Warriors, individuals they believe to be infused by the Spirit. In battle, Spirit warriors use a more compact version of Light Gate technology to perform close range “teleportation” to gain the advantage.

Praesidians believe that the Great Spirit has two aspects, or faces. One aspect is a manifestation of all the good and kindness in the universe, and is responsible for all the good fortune creatures experience. The other aspect of the Great Spirit is a manifestation of all the evil in the universe, and is responsible for all the misfortune experienced.
Most Praesidians do not believe that the “good” face of the Great Spirit has a physical manifestation. Almost all Praesidians, however, believe that the “evil” aspect of the Great Spirit has a physical body and resides somewhere outside of known space.

Scholars disagree with what form the Evil One takes; some say it is a great beast, twisted and rotten, with the power to re-animate the dead. Others say that it is a kind faced being that uses tricks and deceit to rally creatures to its cause. The remaining scholars suggest that the Evil One is a monstrous creature that resembles the demonic creatures that were feared on Old Earth.

No one knows what form the Evil One takes, and no one has even proved that such a being even exists. But the belief in that aspect of the Great Spirit has driven the Praesidian race for millennia.

The artwork for the Praesidian Warrior is another piece by our artist, Daniel Comerci. Daniel has managed to capture the lithe and graceful presence of the race, while maintaining a deadly look. The Praesidian’s faces are loosely based on the traditional “Greys”, with their large heads and eyes. I like the idea that is was a Praesidian corpse in Area 51 on old Earth, that had crash landed for some reason while checking in on the progress of the human race.

If you’ve like to learn more about the background of the race, and how the warriors perform in game, you can check out this week’s blog post.

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Until Next time.

Happy Wargaming!