Although Kiith Spunj’s origins prior to the Heresy Wars are uncertain, it seems likely that they had a close association with Kiith Manaan, given the similarity in their policies and practices. In the first centuries following the destruction of Khar-Toba (the city built around the original Mothership that brought the Kushanni to Kharak), only sparse mention is given to Kiith Spunj in the annals of the more historically minded Kiith, like the Sjet and Somtaaw, and often are referred to as “Manaan of Odd Colouring”.

The true origins of Spunj might never be discovered, as the only relic the Kiith itself kept were the Scrolls of Arnor, an ancient document believed the date back to time when Khar-Toba itself was populated. For more than two-hundred years leading up to the Heresy Wars, the scrolls were carried by the Kiith Sa and his family, and due to their age and fragility, unopened. The glyphs on the surface of the scroll-case were of an unreadable language anyway, and it was generally accepted within the Kiith that even if they managed to open the scrolls successfully, they’d be unable to decipher them.

When the Heresy Wars began, the Gaalsien sought out the scrolls. Under the guise of religious scholars seeking to learn from them, they invited Spunj Kiith Sa into their holy city of Saju-Ka. When the Kiith Sa refused to let them attempt to open the scrolls however, their hospitality vanished. It is unclear how the Kiith Sa escaped the city, but it is known that the scrolls were destroyed beyond all hope of restoration there. Most likely, the Gaalsien attempted to open them, and they crumbled to dust. When the Kiith Sa was safely outside the city, he opened the scroll case and found only dust. Afterwards, the scroll case was kept in the Halls of the Nabaal, in their capital at the South Pole, as one of the many artifacts the Nabaal hid and protected from the destruction of the Heresy Wars.

From that point until the end of the Heresy Wars almost three-hundred years later, little is known of Kiith Spunj. Historians agree that, likely angered and offended by the betrayal of the Gaalsien, they retreated deeper into the Great Desert, where they maintained trade only with the Manaan and settlements close to the deserts edge.

At the beginning of the Age of Reason more than two hundred years later, Kiith Spunj reappeared, this time trading frequently with the Kiith Somtaaw, an unusual alliance given Somtaaw’s religious background, and Spunj’s distrust of spiritual Kiith. In Spunj’s defense, Somtaaw’s religious days largely ended with the conclusion of the Heresy Wars, and the Somtaaw’s discovery of rich ore deposits in their home ranges of Kohntala Mountains. It was here that Spunj’s penchant for widespread travel and exploration most helped both Kiith, as the Spunj surveyed and mapped new resource deposits and trade routes through the normally impassable mountains. As new metallurgical technologies became available and Somtaaw’s mining operations spread into the Great Desert, the Southern Reaches and eventually even into space, so too did Spunj’s prominence become more greater. Their skill at scouting safe passages through dangerous territory extended into deep space, even allowing them to chart space routes through the turbulent but mineral rich rings of Haarsuk (a Gas Giant planet in the Kharakian System), which the Somtaaw were quick to take advantage of.

The allure of exploring new worlds was a tempting one,  however only a few Spunj actually left Kharak onboard the Mothership. The majority of them were more content to continue surveying the Kharakian system itself, and as such, where almost utterly wiped out with the Burning of Kharak.

Only one member of the Kiith Sa’s family survived the voyage to Hiigara; the rest remained on Kharak. Pensul Sa Spunj, the youngest son of the Kiith Sa, was sent that the few Spunj who went to Hiigara might not be leaderless. With the destruction of Kharak, Pensul Sa Spunj became the Kiith Sa, at the age of eight.

Fortunately, Spunj’s association with Somtaaw afforded some protection from the Nabaal who, during the first few years after Landing, made a concentrated effort to absorb the smaller Kiith, especially those with valuable skills, into their ranks. During the now famous Somtaaw-Nabaal debates in the New Daiamid, Spunj allowed themselves to be counted among the Somtaaw, although they never officially became a vassal of the larger clan.

Fearing Nabaal’s motives however, and unsure of Somtaaw’s ability to protect them should Nabaal become violent (an unlikely, but nonetheless frightening possibility), Sa Spunj moved the majority of the Kiith offworld, into deep space. It was at this point that they resumed their habit of complete and meticulous surveying and exploration of space. By the time the Somtaaw had successfully concluded their debates in the Daiamid and build their two Explorer-class starships, Spunj had, with but a single survey ship, charted and catalogued extensive mineral deposits as far as four light years from Hiigara. Once again the profitable exchange of information between Spunj and Somtaaw took place, and has been a fact-of-life of the Spunj ever since.

Unsatisfied with Spunj’s independent yet subservient association with Kiith Somtaaw, Sa Spunj has recently undertaken a more aggressive exploration and expansion program. The discovery and subsequent capture of the Imperial Taidanii Darklight Station, hidden just eight light-years from Hiigara, is sure to be but the first of many tactical maneuvers undertaken by the Spunj, who hope to increase their self-sufficiency and prominence among the Kiith of Daiamid.