Ancients

The Ancients (古代人, Kodaijin) are an ancient, benevolent race and long-lost civilization that existed over many millennium of years ago, who worked on creative process for the benefit of the world and designed amazing technology and built many incredible machines. But however, the Ancients was betrayed by one (certain multiple ones) of their own, one namely Lyric, whom the Ancients would wage war against to project the world from these treacherous traitor-like forces, which would cost them their greatest sources of power.

In the present day, the Ancients have seemingly and mysteriously vanished/disappeared without a trace, with the exception of some or few. The Ancients are also the central deities of the series' setting. This was perceived as the Ancient race for most of history before the discovery of Lyric and Chronicler by Team Sonic and Spyro, though still retained the trait of being the "most powerful beings in the universe that are wise and knowledgeable, beyond imagination and measure." It was said that the Ancients were also mystical beings who created the Core of Light before they mysteriously vanished.

"I have spent my life searching for the answers that my father, and the fathers before him, have failed to find. Who were the Ancients? Why did they create the vast relics and artifacts? How did they harness the life energy of the world? What was their purpose? And why did they disappear? I have asked the plants, the rocks, the sea, the sky, even the world itself. But neither could or can ever recall."
 * —Uncle Cranky.

Anatomy
The true appearance of the majority of the Ancients is unknown, though most of them appear to resemble bipedal anthropomorphic animals with long muzzles. Members like Lyric or Chronicler however, are much different in appearance, resembling dragons and snakes.

Characteristics and Culture
The Ancients were a generally good-natured race who strived for peace, given they were devoted to peacefully controlling the world’s resources. However, not all of them are good as demonstrated by Lyric, who was corrupted by power and turned on his own kind to destroy all organic life.

Technology

 * Main article: Artifacts of the Ancients

Weapons
The Ancients were revered and fascinated by for their wide range of artifacts, though there is only one well-known weapon and that is the robot; a massive weapon, armed with lasers, missiles, bombs and an incredible endurance. Furthermore, there are other Ancient weapons however, an example they had being the Planetary Defense System, which was powerful enough to destroy even the Black Comet, though they only constructed one of these.

Vehicles
The only seen Ancient vehicles seen are the catacombs car, and the space shuttle. They mostly used teleport gates to get around, and possibly other methods; it can be presumed they have networks of teleport gates in which to get around. They also use Rift Rings, which can be seen to travel in time, although all of these known to have been destroyed.

Devices
Well-known devices are the teleport gates, power cells, ancient orbs, and Ancient staffs. Perhaps the most story-relevant device is the Rift Ring, the time-travel device. Aside from these there's also the oracles, used to communicate with the world's inhabitants.

Known Ancients

 * Maurice the Hedgehog
 * Bolt the Fox
 * Edmund the Echidna
 * Rosy the Hedgehog
 * Dokurun
 * Lyric the Last Ancient
 * Chronicler
 * Five unnamed Ancients

Past
In the legends and mythology, the Ancients were an ancient civilization who existed a millennium ago. The entire race was devoted to peacefully controlling the world’s resources, apparently as well as creating many others. They created and used many substances, as well as a rare and unusual metal which they used to create artifacts of large pillars, constructs, and other massive structures, which outlasted and predated all artifacts known to humans during the series' events, and were referred to as Artifacts of the Ancients. At some point early, those among them however, such as Dokurun and Lyric, were driven mad and jealousy with power and turned on their fellow Ancients and took control of the resources. Following their own uprising, Lyric built an army of robots programmed to obey his every command and set out to destroy everything organic and create a world of metal and robots, While Dokurun, driven by jealousy and hunger for power led him to plot on trying to overthrow the leader of the Ancients. However, just before any of them could successfully take over, the Ancients attacked them and imprisoned for their crimes and treachery: Lyric in a tomb, and imprisoned Dokurun in an underground prison, where they were to remain forever.

At some point during the creations, the Ancients suddenly stopped building, and fled deep underground so they could manage and built the Core of Light to repel the evil forces, and the Planetary Defense System, which was a massive weapon, should the threat from space would dare approach.

Synopsis
After that, the Ancients eventually disappeared over the ages, with the only few remaining members being Lyric, Dokurun, and the Chronicler. When they disappeared, they also left behind various artifacts and relics, including oracles and idols which they used to communicate with the world's inhabitants.

Notes & Trivia

 * Given that Lyric has been identified as a snake, Chronicler as a dragon, amd Dokurun as a woolzerbeast, while the other Ancients were revealed to look more like different anthropomorphic animals, it is possible that the Ancients as a race were actually constituted of multiple races of anthropomorphic animals.