
    HIWG

    HIWG Document: HD 3426                             Date: 24-11-1992

    From: Leighton Piper
          Gushemege Sector Developer
          11 Skeffington Rd.
          PRESTON
          Lancs, PR1 5UP
          UK.

    To  : David Burden, Gushemege Sector Analyst
          Kevin Parry, HIWG UK
          Clayton R. Bush, Quadrant 1 Editor
          J. Duncan Law-Green, Vland Domain Editor

    Subject: The Loeskalth

    Abstract: A more detailed look at the lost human race of Gushemege.

    THE LOESKALTH

    The  Loeskalth and  their culture   were to  all intents  and purposes,
    eradicated  through  the  vilani   consolidation  wars  that  raged  in
    Gushemege between -5400 and -5300. In  little less than a hundred years
    an independent  human culture with  a recorded history  of six thousand
    years  was extinguished.  The loss   was virtually  so complete  that a
    thousand  years  after  the  passing  of  the  wars, the Loeskalth were
    confined to  myth. The people  and the culture  had undergone a  forced
    integration that  banned the use of  thier own language, and  wiped out
    their own history prior to the  arrival of the vilani. The Loeskalth as
    an independent,  identifiable people have  been lost to  the mainstream
    macrosociety of  Gushemege. Most of  what is known  about the Loeskalth
    today  comes  from  archaeological  finds,  place  names and oral tales
    passed down through the generations.

    The  vilani references  to the  Loeskalth are  few and  far between but
    indicate  a fiercly  independent and  aggressive race.  The vilani came
    upon the  Loeskalth around -6000 and  offered them all the  benefits of
    their technology but under their conditions. This meant the adoption of
    a vilani-type  culture which  the Loeskalth  accepted although somewhat
    grudgingly. As the  people became more prosperous and  the influence of
    the Loeskalth  became more widespread,  voices could be  heard urging a
    divorce from the Vilani Empire and the return to their own values. They
    began to carve out a small,  pocket-empire of their own causing a great
    deal of consternation  amongst the vilani. This problem  and others led
    to the Consolidation Wars which led  to the ultimate destruction of the
    Loeskalth.  The evidence  suggests a  fierce, bitter  war, with  little
    quarter given or asked for. There are  still a few folk tales and songs
    which commemorate some of the Loeskalth successes (few and far between)
    and many of the Loeskalth  defeats. Most notable is "Endril a'Loeskalth
    gwalf" - Loeskalth's Fallen Mighty in translation.

    Recently interest  has been fired by  the discovery of a  huge asteroid
    ship (massing some 50 billion tons) in the Aapu system (Vipach 0132) by
    Professor  Enrique  Laskan  (from  the  Ilelish  Cultural University at
    Dikaash). The ship measures nearly 10 km long by 8 km wide by 8 km deep
    and is nearly  identical to a vessel having been  recorded to have been
    found within  a parsec of  Saulente in the  Inverness subsector of  Far
    Frontiers. This Aapu  vessel has remained in orbit  around the system's
    primary for nearly 6500 years, and  it was only discovered by chance. A
    prospecting  vessel that  had landed  on the  ships surface activated a
    anti-meteorite defence laser.

    Just before  the final destruction of  the Loes homeworld, some  of the
    people undertook a project to excavate  a series of asteroids to use as
    colony ships,  to leave the  turmoil and devastation  with the plan  to
    find a  new home. The migrants  decided to leave the  region altogether
    and strike  out over into  the unexplored space  spinward of the  Great
    Rift.  Evidence  points  to  at  least  six  vessels  being constructed
    (including  the one  around Aapu),  each with  jump-1 capability  and a
    magnetic fusion ramjet sub-light propulsion system.

    Examination  of the  abandoned,  incomplete  asteroid ship  around Aapu
    suggests  the vessel  would have  been home  to some  10 to 15 thousand
    people.  The vessel  came  complete  with huge  wharehouses, production
    centres, extensive hydroponic farms, resedential areas, space-/starship
    hangers and  a complex museum-come-library which  acted as a repository
    of all the remaining Loeskalth culture and history.

    As the vessels  set out in slightly different  directions only the fate
    of the two can be accounted  for. By extrapolation it would appear that
    the starting point is the  sytem of Abaelou (0233). Recent examinations
    of  Abaelou   would  seem  to   support  this  theory.   The  reknowned
    archaeologist Professor Limun Sar-James has led a number of expeditions
    to the likely sites on the world, between 1099 and 1108. These research
    expeditions  revealed the  existence of  a human  culture some 6,000 to
    6,600 years ago at the very latest.

    BIOLOGICAL ORIGINS

    The Loeskalth  like all 'native'  human populations discovered  so far,
    originated  on Terra  and transported  around 300,000  years ago by the
    Ancients. This was deduced from scraps of vilani medical data collected
    on  the   Loeskalth  prior  to  their   assimilation.  Nearly  aii  the
    information  on the  Loeskalth was  destroyed in  the aftermath  of the
    Consolidation Wars. This medical data indicates an average size, wieght
    and build  for the Loeskalth. It  would appear that they  are descended
    from caucasian stock, possibly of  celtic origin. This is derived from
    genetic  and linguistic  data that  has survived.  However evidence  is
    tenuous at  best, for at that  stage of the transporting  of the humans
    from  Terra the  languages were  elementary in  form. The slight celtic
    slant  may have  originated with  the mingling  of some terran European
    sublight travellers that colonised the Islands Cluster in Reft.






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