Helios

The Helios are the protagonist race throughout the Solaris series, acting as the guardians of the systems they inhabit. Helios are formed from pure magic condensed into flesh and blood, and possess incredible power, enough for many to be considered gods by lesser races. Helios typically appear as fair-skinned humans with hair ranging from dark reddish brown to brilliant orange in color. freckles are not uncommon either.

History
No one is quite sure when the Helios first appeared. According to Helios legend, they were by The Almighty, a Helios of extrordinary power whos physical form has not been in living memory. At their creation, the Helios quickly expanded across the galaxy, building citadels out of Sunsteel on the surfaces of stars. They very quickly became one of the ruling powers in the cosmos, despite their rare appearances outside of their cities. The Helios also became close allies of the Stormwalkers, a race with similar appearance but vastly different powers. The Helios gave the Stormwalkers an entire citadel as a gift, which disappeared along with most of the Stormwalker race later on.

Approximately 4000 years before the birth of humanity, one of the Helios citadels was abruptly cut off from the rest of the race, all of its inhabitants killed and the structure itself vanishing in a matter of hours, kicking off the main storyline of the book Starfire, and the rest of the Solaris series. It quickly became evident that the destructive Gul were behind the attack on the missing city, later dubbed the Dead City, and all-out war ensued. In an effort to preserve the likeness of the Helios, and thus their influence, they began work on a project to do the impossible: Create new life. The result became the first humans, who were given the likeness of the Helios and a home on Earth, then called Alteria.

The Gul were eventually beaten into submission as the element of surprise vanished, and the remaining Gul disappeared without a trace, only to reappear 4000 years later in the events of Sunfall. There, the struggling human race was put under siege as Earth's skies began filling with black clouds, blotting out the sun. A team of Helios, including the powerful Serras, was dispatched to the surface of the planet, where they discovered the Gul at the heart of the storm. The planet was soon cut off from the Helios by a barrier of unknown origin, leaving the surface team stranded without contact from above. A long battle ensued, resulting in the eventual defeat of the Gul, at the heavy price of all of Earth's magical energy.

The remaining Helios on the planet, cut off from their home and stripped of their power, integrated into human life and vanished, lying in wait for an opportunity to return to their full powers. After about 3000 years, in the year 2218, a sudden calamity fell upon the planet, as natural disasters coupled with the appearance of demonic beasts layed waste to several of Earth's major cities at the start of Black. Magic began to slowly seep back into the world, giving many people unusual, untamed powers and creating mass controversy over these new powers. As the world slowly fell into ruin, humanity was forced to come to terms with the new situation, aided by the diligant efforts of the living Helios. The planet was stabilized, but it wasn't long before the Gul made a return visit.

The Helios, this time powerless to fight back, were forced to watch as the world fell into even further decay over the next 300 years. The magic infusing the planet twisted many of the remaining humans into a race known as the Changed, creating an even further gap as the Changed were cast out and exiled by the humans who were relatively unaffected. At the start of Moonlit, a rift known as The Eye appears, tearing the planet apart and forcing humanity, Changed or not, to the brink of extinction. As Changed, Human, and Gul wage war upon each other, The Eye swallows the last of the planet, spewing the shattered continents out into the realm of Gaoth.

The Helios, long since unable to reach the planet's surface, became even more upset at the destruction of the entire planet. A mission was set up to try and recover the planet, along with everything else swallowed by The Eye, which presumably included the Stormwalkers. Meanwhile, the Changed slowly took over as the dominant race in Gaoth, with humans becoming far and few between. The Stormwalkers, presiding as the rulers of the realm of Gaoth, made another disturbing dissappearance several thousand years after the Changed appeared, starting the events of Tempest. The Humans, Changed, and other indiginous species of Gaoth set out on their individual missions to find out where the Stormwalkers vanished to. The Dead City, long since swallowed by The Eye, appears, carrying with it a horde of Gul, which attack and claim many islands in Gaoth. Shortly after, a small group of Helios arrive, with powers intact, and make several attempts to restore order to the chaotic land. The series ends when the Helios meet up with the ancient Serras, and the realm is put back into order, albeit with many scars.

Society
The Helios function on a Caste system; however unlike many economic systems, theirs is based solely on the merit of an individual, and a Helios can therefore rise through the ranks no matter what their background. The most powerful of the Helios, the Kings, each control a Helios Citadel, and convene in a Moot on a regular basis to discuss the future of the race. There is one King for every Citadel, with the exception of the Dead City, which was completely wiped out, and the Almighty, who convenes with the rest of the other kings through voice only as the supreme ruler. Only Kings can hear The Almighty's voice.

Architecture
(WIP)(Helios Cities)

Reproduction
In order for Helios to reproduce, they must first find Soulmates. A pair of Mated Helios will go through the Rising Rite, and raise a new Helios from the star below.

Risen
Helios with the rank of Risen have newly emerged from stars. They are the lowest rank in Helios Society, always the weakest and youngest. Passing this rank is considered trivial, as it is as simple as learning basic culture and rules.

Student

 * Helios Students are ones who have just passed the rank of Risen, and have begun learning how to fight and perform magic. This is the second rank of Helios culture, and the first rank where Helios are allowed to fight.

Citizen

 * Citizen Helios are the third rank in Helios society. They have passed basic fighting, magic, and craftsmanship courses as a Student, and passed the first real test of Helios culture. As Citizens, Helios are allowed to find Mates, as well as branch off into their own areas of expertise, be it fighting, science, trade, etc.

Warrior

 * Helios Warriors are the fourth Tier of Helios ranks. The name is somewhat misleading, as not all Helios will make their way as fighters, despite all Helios knowing how. Warriors are allowed a few extra mundane priveledges, and are about equivalent to human college graduates of the modern world.

Herald

 * Helios Heralds are the fifth tier of Helios Society, and the first of the Upper-class ranks. Heralds have proven themselves capable of many things beyond ordinary warriors, and are often the teachers, inventors, and innovators of Helios Culture.

Caller

 * Callers are the 6th rank in Helios culture, and the first of the Helios ranks that will be sent out as a protector on a planetary surfaces, although lower ranks may venture out of their own volition. Callers are also the first rank (usually) to recieve Guardians, having matured enough to be worthy of the spirits.

Champion

 * Helios Champions are the 7th tier of Helios Society. Champions are the most powerful of Helios citizens, capable of saving planets from disaster - Typically because the test for becoming a Champion is to save a planet from total destruction, or something of similar magnitude. Upper level Champions are considered nobility in many cases.

Lord

 * Helios Lords are the Eighth rank of Helios Culture, and the first of Helios Nobility. Lords are nearly godlike in power, and are very rare to encounter. Many planets considered important to the Helios, likeEarth, have a single Lord stationed on the surface, which is enough to protect the planet from all but the most powerful adverseries. Many lords have saved multiple systems from total destruction, and are extremely accomplished veterans of combat. Most lords are given the rank after facing a Gul invasion of considerable magnitude, although some different test had to be devised after the Gul went missing before the events of Sunfall.

King

 * Helios Kings are the most powerful of all Helios, and in fact some of the most powerful beings in existence. Kings are wise, aged rulers, each governing a Helios city. The United Kings Council makes most of the decisions concerning universal Helios culture, and together decide who is best to become a Lord. Each King's test to earn their rank is unique, and created by the retiring king. On the few occasions a king has been killed, the UKC came up with a test for the candidate to pass.