Traeban's Design

A Risean from the early AZH years, whose actions gave rise to the Age of Enlightenment, Traeban Markaena Davaran Zenon was raised in the Javedan region of the quiet ice planet with his brother, Lucian, and a large number of extended family members. A typical young Xilon, he traveled sporadically to visit planets of special interest throughout time and space but did not make a career of it and never stayed away for long. He was an average student and quite content to live a simple life of school, work and play, with occasional trips to see off-world friends. He never stood out from the crowd and although he had friends, he often preferred the company of wildlife.

For as long as he could remember, Traeban had had a very special connection to animals. He'd bonded with and adopted an Ice Crawler when he was just a few years old and was known for seeking out, taking in and caring for troubled, injured or lost animals of any and all species from the five worlds. He would even bring back abandoned animals from outside the Aeradisphere, that he had come across on his travels, and raised them to live amongst the locals.

After completing his primary studies at the Graeden learning center on Zenon, he went on to study wildlife at a specialized secondary institute. Upon returning home, he became one of the full time caretakers of Javedan Forest and made it his business to ensure that the animals there were kept safe and that their habitats were properly maintained. Although Traeban and his brother were close and very dear to each other, there was always a bit of friendly tension and banter between the two of them due to Lucian being a hunter. Hunters were, of course, held in very high regard and an absolute necessity to Xilon life. Meat from the local fauna was a primary source of sustenance for their bodies as it produced the highest levels of throxin, which enabled them to jump through time and space. So while Traeban understood and respected the need for hunting, he loathed the process itself and the excess in which it was done. To counter his brother's trade, he put together and ran a series of large orchards in the ice forest with a few of his friends and fellow caretakers. Over the years, they worked together with some of the era's top scientists to grow plants that could produce the same amounts of throxin as meat, but never quite reached the level of success that they were hoping for.

Over time, Traeban began to notice something that deeply disturbed him. The hunting grounds, which had always flourished, were growing thinner. The change was so subtle that even his environmentalist peers didn't pick up on it, but as someone who monitored animal life in obsessive detail, it was clear to him that a negative pattern was developing. He voiced his concerns to the elders, suggesting ways to alter the system, to ensure that there would be no long term effects. They, however, argued that such a change would be far too complicated to implement and assured the caretakers that nature would work out its own course.

Traeban would have continued to pursue the matter but his friends urged him to leave it alone. Not wanting to cause tension, the youth agreed to wait and see. But on his own time, while the rest of his people slept, the young Xilon secretly began to seek out a range of wild animals. He chose the best of each species from across the central worlds and moved them one by one from their homes to beautiful, lush but remote regions of uninhabited planets throughout the Aeradisphere. More than that, he placed them farther back in time, hiding them deep within forests that had been devoid of wildlife but were perfectly suited to it. He helped them to establish their own self contained ecosystems where they could coexist far away from his kind. It took him years, but when all was said and done, he was able to rest easy, knowing that each and every species from the orbit system was safely preserved. He continued to monitor the development of new creatures as well, transporting small groups from each species to new habitats whenever he deemed it necessary.

By 50 zaian AZH, the wildlife situation on the five worlds was dire. Aside from a few domestic breeds, there were virtually no animals left. When the official announcement came that the hunting grounds had indeed been wiped clean, the Xilon reacted with shock but stubbornly maintained the belief that the situation would work itself out. Yet it only grew worse. More and more individuals began to have trouble moving through time and space because their bodies did not have enough energy to produce the necessary levels of throxin. Many types of clothes, furniture and other everyday necessities could no longer be made without the fur, skin and bones of animals that had once been in abundance. Xilon everywhere were finding themselves in serious trouble, lost in time and space due to the faulty jumps their bodies were starting to make. Local meat could provide enough fuel for a very long time, but Xilon now journeying without that extra fuel stored away, and no food to bring along on their travels, were left with no easy way of getting home. And while crossing timelines now and then to share a meal with old friends wasn't a problem, taking food or animals from the past on a regular basis could create a disruptive ripple effect and was forbidden.

Once he felt that his fellow Xilon had truly learned their lesson, Traeban returned to the elders and told them that he could solve their problem, but would help them only if they consented to the changes that he had brought to them years before. If they agreed to restrict hunting to specific planetary regions and developed recycling centers where all animal remains would be brought, without exception, to be used in the creation of new generations of that species, then he would undo what they had allowed to happen. He also stipulated that weapons would not under any circumstances be used on animals unless they were drenched in a substance that the caretakers had developed, which would instantly put the creature to sleep without feeling so much as a tiny prick. The elders were skeptical and at first argued that such a system would not be plausible, that it would be too difficult to set up and maintain. But Traeban held his ground; they would agree to his terms or be content to go without. Eventually, the elders consented.

To make up for the low throxin levels, Traeban stocked up on as many enhanced products from his orchards as possible. He then traveled to each of the quiet planets that he had visited so long before and found his beloved animals group by group, who had reproduced over the years and were now in abundance, spread out all across the remote regions that he had chosen for them. He told them that his people were sorry for taking them for granted and that they could not do without them. He asked them to fly home where they would be treated with the utmost respect, and promised that any animal killed during a hunt would suffer no pain and would be given new life the following day.

As the Xilon of the central worlds watched in awe, the skies of every planet began to fill with a sight the likes of which they had never seen. A menagerie descended from the stars, species returning from every corner of the Aeradisphere with Traeban leading them home. That same day, the elders put Traeban's plan into motion and his system was adhered to without fail all through the AZH years, sparking brand new relationships between the Xilon and their local wildlife.

Right up until his death, the resourceful Risean held the position of primary caretaker of the Javedan region and oversaw the hunting and preservation process on all five of the main planets. He continued to work with and care for animals throughout his entire life and, although he was neither famous like his brother nor revered as a universal legend, he was known amongst the locals as their own personal hero, and was much loved and respected by all who knew him and truly understood the depth of what he had done for their kind.