Å‑zåh
We first became aware of the Å‑zåh in 4382. They reside on the dry planet Å‑sug Zuh‑vjå in the U‑vuc system. They are wise, reliable, and proud.

The Å‑zåh use stone tools in a variety of contexts, including when hunting the wild susåa‑sja.

The Å‑zåh have developed a simple system of writing, which they use primarily for poetry.

The Å‑zåh have mastered the control of fire. They use it to cook their food, and to light their villages at night.

In 4410, a rapidly growing religion known as U‑zuc became the official religion of the largest Å‑zåh state. Adherents of U‑zuc wear striking red caps to mark themselves as believers.

The Å‑zåh have learned how to catch water-dwelling creatures such as the zazua‑sja, which is now an important part of the Å‑zåh diet.

The Å‑zåh have begun to cultivate crops. One especially popular crop is zazau‑sja, a kind of fleshy seaweed that grows well in the dominant climate of Å‑sug Zuh‑vjå.

The Å‑zåh have begun to construct permanent dwellings and other structures, making especially extensive use of marble as a building material.

The Å‑zåh have begun to watch the skies and recognize patterns in the movements of stars, which they use to navigate over great distances and keep track of time.

The Å‑zåh have developed a sophisticated understanding of basic mathematics, such as arithmetic, algebra, and geometry.

The Å‑zåh have discovered how to forge molten metal into jewelry, tools, weapons, and armor.

The Å‑zåh have built elaborate pipe and sewer systems to supply their larger settlements, such as Zåh‑zju, with fresh water and a hygenic means of waste disposal.

Some of the Å‑zåh have begun to experiment with alchemy, systematically searching for new ways of combining and manipulating ingredients to yield useful chemicals, compounds, and medicines.

The Å‑zåh have learned how to build ships and sail them across the oceans of Å‑sug Zuh‑vjå to explore and trade over increasingly greater distances.

The Å‑zåh have begun to use lenses and mirrors made from polished crystal, glass, and water to redirect and focus light.

In 4653, many of the fractious Å‑zåh villages were united under a single banner by an individual known as Zuzåu‑sja the Ruthless. The resulting empire has its capital at Zåh‑zju and rules over approximately 34% of the entire Å‑zåh population. Like many other Å‑zåh states, it is governed by an elected tyrant.

The Å‑zåh have discovered a way to manufacture gunpowder, which they primarily use in warfare.

The Å‑zåh have domesticated a species of small furry predators. The pets assist their Å‑zåh owners with hunting in exchange for food and shelter.

The Å‑zåh have begun to construct wind and water mills, which redirect the forces of the natural world to perform repetitive mechanical tasks such as grinding grain and pumping water.

The Å‑zåh have begun to make use of more sophisticated construction techniques, relying on sturdy structural elements such as arches and buttresses to support larger and larger buildings.

The Å‑zåh have developed a simple printing press, and mass-produced versions of important texts have begun to circulate widely throughout the world. Religious texts are especially popular.

In 4732, the Å‑zåh population reached 25 million individuals. Many of these reside within permanent cities, the largest of which is known as Zåh‑zju and has a population of 63,000.

Following a long series of failed attempts to capture the city, Zåh‑zju has become renowned among the Å‑zåh as an impenetrable fortress. The image of its distinctive gate has been widely adopted in Å‑zåh culture as a symbol of safety.

The Å‑zåh have developed a practical and cost-effective steam engine, which can be fueled with wood or coal.

In their efforts to understand the motion of planets in the sky, free-falling bodies, and projectiles, the Å‑zåh have developed a new branch of mathematics which is immediately recognizable as calculus.

The Å‑zåh have successfully tamed electricity, and are now beginning to deploy it throughout society. Electric lights are widespread, electric motors are used to drive factories, and the growing need for electric power has led to the construction of power plants near every major center of Å‑zåh population.

The Å‑zåh have developed flying machines which can carry them into the skies above Å‑sug Zuh‑vjå.

The Å‑zåh have begun to develop rockets.

Through systematic observation and categorization of the various living things on Å‑sug Zuh‑vjå, the Å‑zåh have begun to develop a more sophisticated understanding of biology. Some theorists have even put forth the idea that dramatically different-looking organisms, such as the susåa‑sja and the zazua‑sja, may in fact share a single common ancestor.

Although initially controversial, the theory that diseases can be caused by microorganisms has begun to catch on among the Å‑zåh, leading to the widespread adoption of public health policies which have greatly reduced the spread of disease.

With the development of the transistor, the Å‑zåh have begun to construct more sophisticated electronic circuits.

The Å‑zåh have begun to build general-purpose programmable computers.

The Å‑zåh have taken their first tentative steps into space, launching craft capable of supporting several individuals into orbit around Å‑sug Zuh‑vjå before retrieving them safely.

The Å‑zåh have arrived at a sophisticated understanding of genetics, which has enabled them to craft new forms of life by deliberately modifying the genes of existing organisms.

The Å‑zåh have begun harnessing the power of electricity to send messages across very great distances with unprecedented speed. Due to the overhead of encoding and decoding messages, long-distance communication remains far from instantaneous, but it is now possible for individuals on opposite sides of Å‑sug Zuh‑vjå to exchange several messages over the course of a single day.

The Å‑zåh have developed an accurate model of the internal structure of the atom, which has also enabled them to understand the phenomenon of radioactivity.

The Å‑zåh have discovered that electromagnetic waves may be used to transmit information, enabling the development and widespread deployment of media for audiovisual broadcasting.

In 4981, the Å‑zåh successfully detonated their first prototype nuclear weapon. It remains unclear whether the Å‑zåh scientists who worked on the bomb understand the sheer destructive potential of the weapon they have created.

The Å‑zåh have begun to understand quantum physics.

The Å‑zåh have begun to connect their computers into a single vast network, enabling communication and collaboration on a truly global scale.

The Å‑zåh have begun to experiment with the use of "intelligent materials", in the form of swarms of programmable nanobots.

The Å‑zåh have constructed their first cost-effective quantum computers, dramatically improving their collective ability to perform certain types of calculation.

The Å‑zåh have begun to establish permanent colonies on worlds other than Å‑sug Zuh‑vjå. Although still largely unable to travel outside of the U‑vuc system, the distribution of Å‑zåh civilization across multiple worlds greatly reduces the risk that they will collapse due to any crisis of merely planetary scale.

The Å‑zåh have developed a form of artificial general intelligence which rivals many of their own intellectual capabilities.

Through their investigations of quantum phenomena, the Å‑zåh have discovered a means of sending and receiving messages which travel at speeds exceeding that of light itself.

In 5049, a swarm of self-replicating Å‑zåh nanobots began to replicate uncontrollably, devouring vast swaths of Å‑sug Zuh‑vjå at a rate which Å‑zåh scientists had formerly deemed impossible. After several days of rapid expansion, the swarm seems to have become dormant, but not before consuming approximately 5% of the entire mass of Å‑sug Zuh‑vjå and rendering Å‑zåh civilization completely extinct.