We first became aware of the Kisus in 2378. They reside on the torrid planet Kucis in the Lunyuyisfju system. They are moral, devout, and diligent.
The Kisus have developed a simple system of writing, which they use primarily for poetry.
In 2395, many of the warring Kisus city-states were united under a single banner by an individual known as Lusuc Licun the Magnificent. The resulting empire has its capital at Lwufu and rules over approximately 9% of the entire Kisus population. Unusually for the Kisus, it is governed by a council of clerics.
The Kisus 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 Kisus have domesticated a species of small feathered animals. The pets assist their Kisus owners with hunting in exchange for food and shelter.
The Kisus use stone tools in a variety of contexts, including as weapons when hunting the wild kusyulucfi.
Despite a few initial mishaps, the Kisus have mastered the control of fire. They use it to cook their food, and to light their villages at night.
The Kisus have discovered how to forge molten metal into jewelry, tools, weapons, and armor.
The Kisus have developed a sophisticated understanding of basic mathematics, such as arithmetic, algebra, and geometry.
Some of the Kisus have begun to experiment with alchemy, systematically searching for new ways of combining and manipulating ingredients to yield useful chemicals, compounds, and medicines.
The Kisus have discovered a way to manufacture gunpowder, which they primarily use in warfare.
The Kisus have learned how to catch water-dwelling creatures such as the yuskuyusfwu, which is now a staple part of the Kisus diet.
The Kisus have begun to use lenses and mirrors made from polished crystal, glass, and water to redirect and focus light.
The Kisus have begun to cultivate crops. They are especially fond of yusu, a kind of bitter stalk.
The Kisus have begun to construct permanent dwellings and other structures. They make especially extensive use of brick as a building material.
The Kisus have built elaborate pipe and sewer systems to supply their larger settlements, such as Lwufu, with fresh water and a hygenic means of waste disposal.
In 2678, the Kisus population reached 25 million individuals. Many of these live within permanent cities, the largest of which is known as Lwufu and has a population of 44,000.
The Kisus 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 Kisus have developed a simple printing press, and mass-produced versions of important texts have begun to circulate widely throughout the world. Light novels are especially popular.
In their efforts to understand the motion of planets in the sky, free-falling bodies, and projectiles, the Kisus have developed a new branch of mathematics which is immediately recognizable as calculus.
The Kisus have begun to develop rockets.
Through systematic observation and categorization of the various living things on Kucis, the Kisus 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 kusyulucfi and the yuskuyusfwu, may in fact be descended from a single common ancestor.
Although initially controversial, the theory that diseases can be caused by microorganisms has begun to catch on among the Kisus, leading to the widespread adoption of public health policies which have greatly reduced the spread of disease.
The Kisus 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 Kisus have learned how to build ships and sail them across the oceans of Kucis to explore and trade over increasingly greater distances.
The city of Lwufu has become renowed among the Kisus as a center of commerce and trade. In particular, the delicate glassware produced there is highly sought after by traders around the world.
The Kisus 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 Kisus 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 Kisus population.
The Kisus have developed a practical and cost-effective steam engine, which can be fueled with wood or coal.
The Kisus have developed flying machines which can carry them into the skies above Kucis.
With the development of the transistor, the Kisus have begun to construct more sophisticated electronic circuits.
The Kisus have begun to build general-purpose programmable computers.
The Kisus have taken their first tentative steps into space, launching craft capable of supporting several individuals into orbit around Kucis before retrieving them safely.
The Kisus 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 Kucis to exchange several messages over the course of a single day.
The Kisus have discovered that electromagnetic waves may be used to transmit information, enabling the development and widespread deployment of media for audiovisual broadcasting.
In 2908, an emerging religion known as Lusju was declared the official religion of the largest Kisus state. Adherents of Lusju wear striking dark hoods to mark themselves as believers.
The Kisus have begun to connect their computers into a single vast network, enabling communication and collaboration on a truly global scale.
The Kisus have developed an accurate model of the internal structure of the atom, which has also enabled them to understand the phenomenon of radioactivity.
The Kisus have begun to understand quantum physics.
The Kisus have begun to experiment with the use of "intelligent materials", in the form of swarms of programmable nanobots.
In 2961, following decades of negotiation, the various sovereign Kisus nations came to an agreement concerning the establishment of a unified planet-wide government for all of the Kisus.
In 2979, a swarm of self-replicating Kisus nanobots began to replicate uncontrollably, devouring vast swaths of Kucis at a rate which Kisus 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 Kucis and rendering Kisus civilization completely extinct.
From: https://mkremins.github.io/epitaph/