Echidnas

Echidnas are one of the most technologically advanced races on Mobius. Historically, the Echidnas established themselves as a civilized and advanced society centuries before the other species on the planet after the Xorda attack, which occured over 12,000 years ago. The Echidnas are located in two primary locations: the city of Echidnaopolis on Angel Island, and the fabled city of Albion on the planet's surface, located somewhere near the Kingdom of Mercia.

Prehistoric
After the Xorda attack on Earth over 12,000 years ago-which resulted in the de-evolution of humans and the evolution of the rest of the animal kingdom, which became Mobians-, the Echidnas evolved much faster than their other Mobian counterparts, able to innovate and learn at a far superior level. (StH: #71, #125)

Approximatly 9,000 years ago, after the Coming of the Chaos Emeralds (which lead to the extinction of the Monosaurs), the Echidnas were already in the medieval era. The Albion Knights of Aurora found themselves defending the planet against the wizard caste known as the Order of Ixis, which was bent on world domination and was subservient to their founder, Mammoth Mogul. Despite the Order's incredible powers, the Albion Knights successfully defeated Mogul during the Forgotten War, effectively wiping out all of the Order of Ixis but him and three members, the latter merged to form the individual wizard Ixis Naugus. (StH: #66, #163)

Role Model and Development
Roughly 1,000 years ago, the other Mobians learned from the Echidnas on how to structure themselves into societies. One Mobian, Alexander, decided to pool the various groups resources and knowledge together to form a single society. While the Overlanders proved too violent in nature to be included, and the Echidnas chose to exclude themselves from joining the group, the other Mobians pulled together and created Mobotropolis - the first multicultural city on the planet. By this time however, the Echidnas in Albion had already ventured out into space. (StH: #71, #125, KtE: #12)

Division
"Driven by their need to strive higher levels of achievement", as Councillor Gala-Na put it, a group of Echidnas left Albion in search of adventure and a new land to call their own, consisting of the warrior caste called the Knuckles Tribe and a group of scientists and intellectuals. When the group arrived in the Mysterious Cat Country, the tribe's leader, Pachamac, decided to wage war against the natives and defend the land which he now called his own. The scholars and scientists in the group wanted no part in the war, and left the tribe. The Knuckles Tribe stumbled across the Mystic Ruins, and discovered the Chao and the Black Emerald. When the war with the Cats began to go badly, Pachamac decided to neglect the native Chao's desires to remain neutral, and use the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds for himself to defeat his enemies. Unbeknownst to him, the creature known as Chaos was the defender of the Emeralds, and wiped out the Knuckles Tribe in an act of revenge for their utter disregard for the Chao. (StH: #82, KtE: #12)

The scientists and scholars, having left the Mysterious Cat Country, instead went to the continent of Downunda, where they forged the city of Echidnaopolis. Years later, when a group of scientists discovered a white comet heading on a direct course with their city, the Echidnas decided to use the power of 12 Chaos Emeralds to lift Echidnaopolis into the sky, avoiding destruction. While the majority agreed with this plan, a group of Echidnas, led by the radical known as Arrakis, decided to remain on the planet's surface. While Arrakis and his followers left the city and decided to search for a new home, the others proceeded with their plan, lifting Echidnaopolis into the sky, creating the Floating Island (later renamed Angel Island). (KtE: #10)

Arrakis and his group, known as the Lost Tribe (and later the Forgotten Tribe), attempted to find a new home for centuries, each time before forced to move on due to the natives forcing them out. After their technology broke down, the Lost Tribe began their quest to locate their original homeland of Albion. When Dr. Ivo Robotnik came to power, a large portion of the Lost Tribe was captured and roboticized, though some managed to escape. The tribe finally managed to reunite with their brethren in Albion, under the leadership of Knuckles, Athair and Yanar. (KtE: #11, #12)

Unrest on Angel Island
Some 400 years ago, the Echidnas on Angel Island found themselves caught up in their over civil war. After Dimitri attempted to use his creation, the Chaos Syphon, to drain the power of the Chaos Emeralds and slowly lower the island back to its former site on Mobius, he became empowered by the Emeralds, becoming the functionally omnipotent being known as Enerjak. After his defeat, the Echidnas decided to ban all excess technology, as they felt it was technology that nearly destroyed their civilization. Dimitri's son Menniker went on to form the Dark Legion to follow in his father's footsteps and not only restore technology to their society, but return the Floating Island back to Mobius. Dimitri's brother Edmund was designated the first Guardian, and was responsible for protecting the Floating Island from harm, particularly against the Dark Legion. Edmund was killed during his duties, but his son Steppenwolf followed in his footsteps, exiling the Dark Legion to the Twilight Zone using his chaos-based powers. (KtE: #1, #2, #3)

Since then, Edmund's descendants became the Guardians of the Floating Island, with each new generation acting as the current protector and Guardian during his or her lifetime. In addition to the Dark Legion, which managed to breach the dimensional barrier numerous times and attack Echidnaopolis, the Guardians had to contend with the other native species on the Floating Island, the Dingoes. A militaristic and brutal race, the Dingoes nearly wiped out Echidnaopolis via nuclear strike, but were stopped by the current Guardian at the time, Hawking. To prevent all life on the island from dying to the radiation, he transported Echidnaopolis to its own pocket zone, and the Dingoes to another. He then began the tedious task of restoring the island to its former state. (KtE: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5)

Albion's Isolationism
For thousands of years, Albion has remained neutral in the conflicts that affected the planet Mobius. Although they attempted to convince the Echidnas on Angel Island to return to Albion, they never participated in any events pertaining to their politics or society. Their neutrality changed when Albion's primary leader, Councillor Gala-Na, discovered that Knuckles was evolving at a rapid rate into a living Chaos Emerald. She decided this much power in one individual would pose a threat to the entire planet, leaving her no choice but to act. She had the weasel bounty hunters Nack and Nic capture Knuckles, then attempted to drain his power using their own version of the Chaos Syphon. The plan failed, resulting in Knuckles becoming the super being Chaos Knuckles. Since then, Albion has returned to their isolationist ways, not even assisting their brother Echidnas when their island was taken over. (StH: #89, #90, #91)

Dingo Takeover
After Sonic was transported to the other side of the universe when he disarmed the Xorda weapon - the Quantum Dial, Dr. Eggman went on to forge the Eggman Empire and declared war on the Kingdom of Acorn and the Republic of Station Square. In addition to this, he made an alliance with the Dingoes, providing them with the necessary resources to take over Angel Island and act as his enforcers. Since then, the majority of Echidnas on Angel Island have been imprisoned in labour and concentration camps, while a select few remain free. The Dark Legion was originally the free Echidnas' main defenders against the oppressive Dingoes, but the group splintered into two factions, resulting them to be caught up in their own civil war. Since then, the free Echidnas are only defended by Locke, the Destructix and Dr. Finitevus. (StH: #125, #130, #139, #140, #141, #165, #171)

Culture
The society in Echidnaopolis exists as a theocracy, having a Mitre (a spiritual leader) holding the most power. Below him is the Echidna Council and its elected members. Since the Dark Legions numerous attempts to take over the city, the level of technology has substantially grown, despite their apparent dislike and banning of technology. Sabre, a member of the Brotherhood, justifies this by saying this is only to allow an "even playing field" with the Dark Legion. (StH: #108, KtE: #22, #23, #24)

The Dark Legion, by contrast, is a technocratic society, whose use of technology is on par with Robotnik's. Their leaders are almost always descendants of Dimitri, and are also those who have a thorough knowledge of technology. Dark Legion members also tend to replace large portions of their bodies with mechanical parts. (StH: #108, KtE: #1, #2, #3, #23)

When a female Echidna reaches the age of sixteen, she is introduced to society as a young lady in an event known as an Unveiling. (StH: #132)

An Echidna sixth sense called the the Soultouch allows Echidnas to identify their soulmates. However, the Soultouch apparently isn't perfect, as Knuckles' parents Locke and Lara-Le recognized each other through it, but later divorced with the latter remarrying. The only other couples confirmed to have had the Soultouch are Knuckles' great-grandfather Athair and his wife Crystal-La, though it can be presumed that all other Echidna couples have also felt it. (KtE: #27)

The descendants and relatives of Edmund are born into the noble role of Guardian. Educated from very early ages, they are deprived of a normal childhood and forced to learn how to act as the island's defender from internal and external threats. KtE: #16)

Organizations

 * Albion Knights of Aurora
 * Brotherhood of Guardians
 * Dark Legion
 * Echidna Security Team
 * Knuckles Tribe
 * Lost Tribe