History: The history of the Khazan people has been one of impressive architecture, artisanry, and ritual warfare. Due to heavy gravity of their planet, Khazud, which is 2gs when they first made proper cities called kharaks it became common to dig deep into the earth, accessing the numerous natural caverns and tunnels that lie underneath the planet. This compensated for the limited height that could be achieved on the surface due to the great pressure the buildings would experience. It was also because a huge effort is needed to travel great distances and it was more advantageous to dig downward rather than quickly expand to the point where they would be incapable of communicating. This had made living on the surface a prestigious affair where only those of the giant class could hope to afford to live there (and also because they are too big to desire straining themselves constantly expanding their homes underground). This naturally creates a gradient effect to their cities as the younger dwarves will be making new tunnels near the bottom, while the older generations are the ones who expand their own levels and make things fit their increasing size better.
As they were never really capable of holding a wide empire until late in their history, wars were conducted in a highly ritualized fashion. These were closer to tests of superiority and those who won these tests would receive prestige, tribute, and advantageous trade deals making winning these contests a priority for all kharaks. The most important of these was the test of champions where warriors of all sizes competed in the hosting kharak’s arena. These champions face numerous waves of threats, however the most important waves was when they were to fight another champion. This tournament is grueling and it is not uncommon for a khazan to die of exhaustion rather than injury. Needless to say great priority were given to the champions in all regards, but most important of all was their equipment. As they never had to worry about mass equiping an army they focused entirely on making truly exquisite pieces of armor and weaponry that gave their champions unparrelled protection and offensive capability with minimal encumbrance.
This state of affairs had lasted millennia until it was violently upheaved with the invention of explosives. The once impenetrable and self sufficient kharaks were now vulnerable and advances in communication and infrastructure between kharaks had grown allowing for growth beyond mere city states. It was this time that the first true khazan empires were born. The main hindrance however was that they were largely unused to actual war and so many of these campaigns resulted in blunders that other races would see as incredibly obvious. This was compounded by the fact that while their leadership was incredibly experienced in their fields were also incredibly stubborn in regards to their own tactics and strategies and would rather execute failed ideas perfectly rather than something new which is very likely to work.
Eventually they were able to mostly adapt to this new international dynamic and with the invention of telecommunications and internet were able to effectively confederate and be able to administrate a truly global empire. After that, when they eventually transitioned into an interplanetary empire they were well accustomed to the problems imposed. Most likely they would have stayed in their home system forever if it was not for another civilization to find them first. Luckily for the khazan these strangers were friendly and helped them become acquainted with the galactic community at large. To the point where they had shared their own warp technology with them. The khazan made their name through contuining their traditions through the modern age. their amazingly durable designs whether it was power armor, ships, or buildings that can sustain great stress ensured that they had something to offer despite just joining the wider world.
This happy state of affairs did not last long however as the two transgalactic empires had managed to turn their only system into a testing grounds for their weapons. Both sides viewed the khazan as the perfect control subject as they were able to stay intact after most disasters, but were utterly incapable of actually retaliating against either side. Meaning they could freely unleash their more local and “exotic" horrors on one another and see how the lesser empires would react as collateral damage. The only ones who survived this fate was their exploratory expedition fleet which was already outside of the system. When they heard that their home had fallen they were so distraught and humbled that decided they needed the support of others if they were to survive and keep the khazan name alive.