Every Iryian citizen hears the tale of the Xi'Rei when they are a child. It's a common fable told to frighten the young, a fantastic story of an invincible armada with ships made of solid obsidian which descend from the heavens for to smite worlds that have lost their love for the Iryian crown.
The story goes that long ago there was a great war. A war of truly epic proportions between Iryians and the obsidian ships. The Iryians were losing badly, and barring a miracle would soon see their young empire erased from the pages of history. In a reckless gambit, the current king, Johannes Fontaine (Direct descendant of William Fontaine) left the empire in search of an old ship of lore known only as The Undying. He was gone for many a day, which turned into many a week and many a month. Years passed, and the war raged on, until the Xi'Rei had pushed Iryia back to its home world. Surrounded and defenceless, the Iryians were beset with hopelessness, but help was just in time.
It is said that as the first obsidian ship let loose an orbital bombardment shell, a colossal ship jumped directly into the middle of their fleet. The ship was almost phoenix-like in appearance, and was painted in the signature Iryian orange, yellow, and red. The people rejoiced as the ship opened fire on the Xi'Rei, cutting a great swath of destruction across their fleet. Johannes Fontaine had returned with the Undying! The final battle raged on for days, with neither side showing an obvious advantage. Finally, however, it became apparent Johannes was outgunned, and in a valiant effort to save his empire, he used the Undying's massive reactor power to create a temporary black hole, (Fuck realism) which consumed the entire Xi'Rei armada, but with it the Undying. To this day, however, the take is told as a cautionary warning to children to have faith in their empire, for as soon as their resolve falters, the Xi'Rei will once again descend from the heavens with their fearsome obsidian ships.
(This is a WIP, only 5 ships as of yet.)
THE OBSIDIAN SHARD:

The smallest Xi'Rei craft. Lacks the speed of other fleets' fighters, but more than makes up for it with heavy armor and powerful weaponry.
THE OBSIDIAN BLADE:

Beam artillery frigate. Can deal out massive amounts of damage from long range, and has minor deflector capabilities, but lacks the speed of the Shard and has very limited firing arcs.
THE INFERNAL TOUCH:

The Xi'Rei short ranged brawler craft. It may only have a single gun, but it can be deadly. Compensates for short range with more deflectors and heavier armor.
THE PIERCING RAIN:

A medium carrier of sorts. Sports an advantage over other carriers with defense weaponry and high agility, but lacks deflector capabilities.
THE NEVERMORE:

A deadly Xi'Rei juggernaut. Excels at ranged combat, but can be used in almost any situation. Boasts higher agility than most titan-class ships.
More to be added soon...
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FIRST 10 OR 11 POSTS IN THIS THREAD MIGHT NOT MAKE SENSE IN CONTEXT BECAUSE THEY WERE MADE BEFORE I REEORGANIZED THIS FIRST POST.