The Vitosi

The Vitosi (Vit-O-sea), are a long established race, whose homeworld is Kypael, counting their days back to some of the original first contacts in the galaxy.

The Vitosi are some of the most ancient and powerful races inhabiting the galaxy. Among their number they claim the first Grand Galactic Councillor, Svilk Di-Vitosi.

The last known lineage from its cloest living relative the Gombak, was about 420,000 years ago, evolving first into the Bunchai-Vitosi, before finally evolving into the modern Vitosi at about 350,000 years ago. The spread across the planet was relatively slow, taking a total of around 110,000 years. Scientists believe this is due to the global 'melt' that Kypael went through around this time which made some regions impossible to reach either due to higher sea levels or temporary deserts.

Evidence has been confirmed which shows the Vitsoi began practicing agriculture around 160,000 years ago. However scientists believe it was much sooner than this, around 190,000 years ago.

Their culture is ancient also, having been heavily influenced early in their history by Gyoism, the only official religion on Kypael, the Vitosi homeworld.

The Vitosi remained in single city states for the majority of their early history, before the advent of Gyoism. The religious practice that declared all those on the planet should be united under one banner for their God. This directly led to the Extinction War, which caused the rapid devlopment. This included advances in the fields of scientific understanding, health care, technology and weaponry. .

History
Around 8,000 years before the new Galatic council was created, the Vitosi, still nowhere near a space fairing civilisation, embarked on the longest and most costly war of their history. This war, known as the Extinction War, brought the Vitosi to the brink of extinction, with population on the planet going from a healthy 781 million, to just 4 million, in the space of three hundred years of fighting. During this time, technological advancements quickly brought the Vitosi from a bronze age style culture to one that could split the atom.

Population and Habitat
The Vitosi have expanded and colonised every environment on their Kypael homeworld. However, the Vitosi have a very specific range of temperatures that they deem comfortable, ranging from 24C - 35C, the average room temperature of a Vitosi is around 32C. Scientists believe during early times the Melt, Vitosi had to adapt to much warmer temperatures and although the averager temperature of the planet has cooled from the high 36C to a more moderate 26C, the Vitosi have still to adapt to the change.

Vitosi require a larger amount of water than is average within the galaxy. Kypael currently has to import water and create its own with technology to keep up with demand. Vitosi settlements are often based around coast lines and at the widest points in rivers due to their need for water, of which, on Kypael, the sea is an option.

The Vitosi population on Kypael is said to be around 16 - 17 billion. Currently the planet suffers from overpopulation and poverty in many areas, which is why in the 19th Epoch, an elected Vitosi Grand Councillor began turning specific attention to this, investing money in new astroid colonies and attempting to find comfortable planets.

Overall the population of the Vitosi is about 7 trillion and is down from its maximum of about 2 quadrillion after the Plague wars.

Religion
Despite the appearance of new religious factions in recent centuries, surveys suggest 98.77% of relgious Vitosi's still practice Gyoism.

Gyoism is the monothestic belief of an omnipotent being called Gyo. The religion, which has been practiced on the planet since before historical records has gone through many changes in the way in which it was practiced. While in the early years it is understood that it was a spiritual ideology based on peace, it was slowly turned into one of war and political use.

All members of the religion wear a ring on the central finger. Depending on their advancement in the church, the ring has several circles facing upwards, encrusted with different types of precious stones, depending utterly on the wearers financial ability, the more circles means the more powerful one is within the church. This symbol is reflected in many of the cities on Vitosi. After the war of Extinction, much of the planet lay in ruins, meaning cities needed rebuilding. The circular structure of the cities is still in use to the present day.

After the war of Extinction, many abandoned the religion as criticsm for its starting and continuing the war reached fever pitch. However Gyoism remains a strong part of Vitosi life to this day, affecting the people in much more mundane and indirect means.

A census taken at the beginning of the 9th age of the 19th Epoch, the most recent, stated that despite this embedded symbolism, most of the Vitosi people no longer declare themselves as religious, with an overwhelming 93.41% of Vitosi, including those off the homeworld at the time, are non-religious.