Aowa
The Aowa are a people that are revered by the Asrai people of Asrai Prime. The term Aowa, means The Ancient Ones. The Asrai believe that it was the Aowa that saved them during a time known as the great time of darkness.
In this period of ancient Asrai history, there was some sort of terrible catastrophe that caused a period of perpetual darkness to fall over the sky of the planet. Some speculation is that the darkness was caused by some sort of terrible worldwide storm system, a sort of nuclear winter or from an impact crater caused by a meteor or comet.
The Aowa are often revered by the Asrai, and it is unclear whether they are the ancestors of that group or another species entirely. They are not considered true supreme deities, although they are generally attributed with powerful magical powers and artifacts.
These artifacts are even more advanced than Federation technology and as a result, have not yet been fully explained. It is believed that the Aowa guided the population of Asrai Prime to specially prepared locations, inside the planet where they could wait out the worst of the affects of whatever calamity encompassed their world.
Later when the Asrai emerged from their underground tribulations, religious orders eventually evolved to incorporate the Aowa into a form of shared mythology. It is believed that the High Oracle of the Golden Temple can speak with the Aowa directly, although how this can be done is not spoken of. As a result of this ability, he is entitled to conduct all government work on the behalf of the entire planet.
His lieutenant, the Voice of the Oracle, is responsible for administering the decrees of the Oracle in a manner to affect the population of the planet, whatever those decrees may be. To aid him and to provide further insight into the nature of the Aowa, there are several religious divisions of the ruling theocracy.
Among them, the Scholars of the Reliquary are the most closely related to the Aowa since it is their sole function to unravel the mysteries of contained within the various artifacts left behind by the Aowa.
The Aowa were first seen in the USS Rosenante Mission The Third Law
