Lagkter

The arrival of the Kaaranese Sangheili to Ketesh spelled extinction to many of the planet's less resilient species. The Teltaqans were the first sentient species to fall before them, but they were not the last - the Lagkter lasted much longer than their coastal co-inhabitants, disappearing approximately 40,000 years ago. They seem to be related to the Teltaqans, though only distantly.

Whereas the Teltaqans small and weak, the Lagkter were taller and more muscular, more in line with the Sangheili body plan, perhaps contributing to their persistence. There were other differences, too. The Lagkter lived further inland, and mummified remains are much more common - the Lagkter themselves seem not to have perfrmed the practice, but remains have been preserved by the desert, showing that the Lagkter had developed true skeletons, allowing them to be much more robust. Their ancestors seem to have moved onto the land earlier than those of the Teltaqans, and they evolved along radically different lines. They were nomadic desert dwellers, inhabiting the Dushqun desert to the north of the Teltaq peninsula. There may have been some contact between the Teltaqans and the Lagkter, but if there were it was infrequent and had little impact on the societies of the two species.

Unlike the Teltaqans, who were wiped out relatively early in the Sangheili's history of inhabiting the planet, the Lagkter persisted much longer, and have played an active role in early Sangheili history, and are remembered in many myths. One tells of a wandering Sangheili who was taken in by a tribe of Lagkter, learning their ways - perhaps the source of the Detrasa myth. Others are more historically verifiable - Lagkter raids on Sangheili settlements, and Sangheili reprisals. It was not until the rise of the Levion Empire that the Sangheili began the extermination campaign of the Lagkter - though the native inhabitants fought bravely, by the end of the campaignt here were too few of them left, scattered too far to recover. The Levion Empire would later collapse after its capital city was buried in a freak sandstorm - some mythologists hold that it was the vengeance of the dead Lagkter. Regardless, legends of surviving Lagkter persisted until at least 400 BC, and the most popular one holds that Thoth 'Keltam, the ancient scientist, philosopher and theologian sought them out after the rest of his species fleed to Kaaran. No accounts exist after that, though it is a popular belief in Kaaran that they still exist in the northern continent, the last survivors of a race that endured even the Sangheili's wrath.

Despite being nomadic, the Lagkter were more advanced than their coastal brethren, being able to mine metals and minerals, create advanced tools, weapons and armour, and were skilled in the art of guerilla warfare. They also hold the distinction of being the only species on Ketesh to retain their original name - exactly what the name "Lagkter" means was lost with them, but it was derived from their own language, and retained by the Sangheili after their passing.

Quotes

 * "The Sangheili take a surprisingly romantic view to their history with the Lagkter. THey wiped out the only species that could have given them a run for their money - now they'll never know how they would have fared in combat against a species as robust as them."
 * "There's a common legend in Kaaran that after Thoth 'Keltam gave his journals to his acolytes, he went in search of the last of the Lagkter to try and find a way to help them survive. No legends tell of whether he found any, or whether they were welcoming to him."
 * "I studied the Teltaqans, and I wasn't too impressed. Now these guys were stubborn!"