Pluoan – Rainwatchers

Species Name: Pluoan
Other Names: Rainwatcher

Home Planet: Pluo

Home System:

Physiology: Pluoans, or Rainwatchers, have bluish-grey waxy skin that repels the water and rain that is ever-present on their home planet. They are thin, muscular and completely hairless. While it may be surprising to some, Rainwatchers are neither amphibious or even particularly good swimmers, preferring their engineered buildings to the risk of drowning in the swirling depths of Pluo’s waters.

Culture: The Rainwatchers are a observant and pondering group. A common practice among them is to sit with one’s head uncovered in the rain and meditate. Rainwatchers typically dress in tightly wrapped underclothing, with the men bare-chested. Over this they wear large, hooded coats and cloaks. There is little status to be had in Pluoan society as fabricator of clothing, and what artistry there exists in apparel is generally found only the embroidery of a Rainwatcher’s coat.

Two industries represent the bulk of the economy of Pluo: architecture and terra-botany. Rainwatcher construction is renown for its ability to withstand the harsh environments that may be present on other worlds. On their own homeworld, methods have been developed for anchoring buildings in the silty sea bottom underneath the ever-present waters. Rainwatcher buildings have a signature style of circular or ovoid pods clustered together; these clusters are located atop wide, slanted disks that serve as the grounds for the particular building represented by the collection of pods. Pluoan music is an extension of their architectural; open-air rooms are built in such a way that rain striking surfaces and running down pipes creates rich and rhythmic music.

Terra-botany is the process by which plants are used to terraform planets. Several terra-botany mega-corporations. Giant lily pads, hardy plankton, and other native plants that were high-oxygen producers and fast water purifiers jump-started the industry, but now the three major terra-botany companies on the planet are each galactic leaders in cultivating plants from across known space , exploring and recovering new plant species, and genetically engineering improved cultivars. These mega-corporations are in fierce competition with each other, and fiercely protect their trade secrets from spies from Pluo and off-world. While terra-botany may take longer than some of the technological terraforming options offer by other planets, terra-botany promises to provide a stable and sustainable ecosystem after the initial colonizing period has ended.

Culture Aspects:
Innate Sense of Architecture
From a Planet of Constant Rain
Works in the Terraforming Industry
Protecting Trade Secrets
Watchful and Observant
Schooled in Pan-galactic Terra-botany

Good at: Mechanics, Thinking, Careful

Bad at: Quick, Forceful, Weapons

Namora – The Funeral System

The Funeral System

The Funeral System, as it has come to be known, contains a series of planets and satellites that are all dedicated to the industry and art of funereally. Central to this industry are the numerous “death planets” where the dead of numerous species are entombed. These planets all orbit a dim, but hot White Dwarf star.

System Aspects:
Intergalactic Place of Mourning

Namora

Namora is one of the Funeral System’s death planet. The most pristine of the planets, it is also the most expensive and well guarded. Space within Namora’s crypts are reserved for only the most important, wealthy, influential, and revered races and individuals in the galaxy.

Planet Aspects:
Unbelievably Expensive
Well Guarded Crypts
Pristine and Manicured

Deep Six

Deep Six is a station orbiting at a fair distance from all other stations and planets in the system. It is considered one of the least desirable establishments in the Funeral System. Regardless, it never lacks for customers.

Deep Six might best be described as the funeral systems junkyard. Bodies that are denied space on the death planets are sent to the station, while those with no currency or no reverence for the dead may travel there first. Deep Six harvests the deceased for usable parts – be it needed organs or the various valuable elements and chemicals bodies give up as they are burned, ground, dissolved, or otherwise dissected.

Planet Aspects:
Dead Body Chop Shop
No Money, No Dignity

Skr’tt – Metalloid Jumpers

Species Name: Skr’tt
Other Names: Jumpers

Home Planet:
Home System:

Physiology: Jumpers are metalloid based life forms. Their skin is harder than that of humans, but their most remarkable physical feature is their complex legs. With backward bending knees and muscle structure similar to a hydraulic spring system, Jumpers can clear several stories with a single jump. Additionally, their hands and feet can produce a magnetic charge strong enough to hold them to the sides of the metal caverns of their home planet. Predators by nature, Jumpers kill their prey by dropping off of cliffs and using their weight and velocity to deliver crushing blows. If that is not enough, they have short but sharp claws that become exposed at the knuckles when a Jumper makes a fist.

Jumpers have trouble talking with other races, not only because of their predatory nature, but also due to their constricted vocal chords. Even with universal translation, a Jumper’s speech often sound like metal scratching on metal or a metallic hum.

Culture: Skr’tt organize themselves into loose packs. Those who show the most hunter prowess become the leaders of their pack, while those who lose prey for the pack are likely to be killed or maimed and left for dead. Despite their bestial nature Jumpers are just as intelligent as other races. While many of their species live a nomadic lifestyle, following game trails and migratory paths, numerous cities dot the planet carved into the metallic cliff faces. Some Jumpers have even taken to the stars in crafts of their own, often traveling in small groups of fighter ships instead of the large cruisers of other aggressive races.

Culture Aspects:
Metalloid Life form
“Hydraulic” Spring-like Legs
Natural Magnetic Charge
Hunter in Metal Caverns
Leader of the Pack
Trouble Communicating with Other Species

Good at: Quick, Forceful, Instinct

Bad at: Flashy, Diplomacy, Weapons

Obloc – Small-headed Brutes

Species Name: Obloc
Other Names:

Home Planet:
Home System:

Physiology: Oblocs are big hulking brutes. They stand nine feet tall and are nearly as wide, with huge shoulders, arms, and legs that bulge with muscles and sinew. Their hands are large enough that when they are used together they can encircle most humanoid species. Their girth gives them immense strength and they are blessed with a formidable constitution.

What is particularly unique about Obloc biology is how miniscule their heads are in comparison to their body. Their craniums are nearly half the size of humans. Their grotesque face seems to be all nose, eyes, and mouth. With these the Oblocs have fair senses, but they are dim-witted and have slow reaction times. Their head may seem to stick out of the chest at first glance, but closer inspection reveals that it is simple the girth of their shoulders that extend above their heads.

Though they prefer freshly killed meat Obloc diets consist mostly of the nutrient rich moss found on their planet.

Culture: Oblocs spend the majority of their time living alone. Once a month they congregate in groups around the nearest pool of pungent phosphorescent algae native to their planet. At these convocations the Oblocs trade goods, establish mating partners (which can change at the next convocation), and vote concerning matters that impact the whole group. Violence is strictly forbidden at these meetings, and are thus the safest time to make contact with the Oblocs. They largely lack the cognitive skills needed to worry about alliances, deals, and politics, but are sought after by other races as loyal and easily controlled guards and soldiers.

Culture Aspects:
Prefer Fresh Meat
Hulking Brute
9 by 9 Foot Frame
Exceptionally Slow Reaction Time
Respect for the Convocation
Diminutive Skull – Diminutive Brain

Good at: Forceful, Weapons, Instinct

Bad at: Quick, Clever, Thinking

Pneuvra – Disembodied Civilization

Species Name: Pneuvra
Other Names:

Home Planet: Chantai
Home System:

Physiology: The Pneuvra are a disembodied race, dispersed into what might be an alternative dimension. When they manifest in the prime dimension they often appear washed-out or even translucent despite being completely solid.

Manifestation does not seem to be completely voluntary, though some Pneuvra have learned how to blink in and out of existence or to become  incorporeal at will . Individual Pneuvra or small groups often seem to be attached to particular person, object, or place and routinely manifest only around that anchor. Pneuvra may go decades or longer before they manifest again, and they seem to enter a state of hibernation during these extended periods. Pneuvra can never provide a clear or coherent picture of what their new dimensional home is like.

Pneuvra look like humans save for their gaunt appearances and glowing eyes. Whether these were natural traits or results of their banishment it is generally unknown.

Culture: Chantai was a planet who’s government was deeply devoted to developing trans-galactic teleportation before their planetary adversaries cracked the mystery. Years of research and hundreds of  billions of Pneuvra chan were spent building the experimental device needed to generate the appropriate energy fluctuations. These experiments proved to be he Pneuvra downfall, for when the device malfunctioned the entire planet – and the whole Pneuvra race – was shunted into a parallel nether space outside of the reality the galaxy exists in.

The Pneuvra were fiercely jingoistic, and those civilizations that remember more about them than simply recalling their great tragedy recall this fact. Since the Great Disaster, the Pneuvra have become even more obsessed than they were in life, though the cause they champion differs greatly between materializing groups of Pneuvra.

Culture Aspects:
Fiercely Jingoistic
Obsessed with Our Cause
Somewhat Translucent
Tentative Presence in this Dimension
Effected by the Nether-Space
Developing Mastery of my Trans-dimensional Existence

Good at: Sneaky, Forceful, Technology

Bad at: Diplomacy, Instinct, Careful

Karsak – Violent Fishfolk

Species Name: Karsak
Other Names:

Home Planet:
Home System:

Physiology: These piscine humanoids stand over 6 feet tall and are covered in a tough, leathery green skin. They have both lungs and gills, and have specialized muscles that close off the lungs when they could be filled with water. This mechanism makes the Karsaks most prone to oxygen deprivation when they are in turbulent splashing waters where neither air nor water is plentiful enough for the Karsak to get the oxygen they need. As such, Karsaks do not linger on  the surface of the waters in which they live.

Living amongst powerful currents has caused the Karsaks to become strong, durable, and muscular. Webbed hands and feet make Karsaks powerful swimmers, and their fingers end in short but sharp claws. Fins also run along the forearm. Their heads are smooth and bullet shaped with two front facing black glossy eyes that grant excellent depth perception. Their noses are nothing but small slits, but regardless of size they have a remarkable sense of smell when in the water. Their ears are small indentations on the side of their head. Their wide mouths are full of tiny, razor sharp teeth, and their saliva contains an enzyme that prevents clotting in many species.

Karsaks are equally agile in and out of water. They can jump great distances out of the water’s surface, use their wide feet and sharp claws to cling to cliff faces, and have the stamina to keep swimming or running for hours at a time. To accommodate their large webbed feet when running, Karsaks often take a hunched, four-limbed posture when moving at fast speeds. Even when upright, out of water they are always slightly hunched.

Culture: The majority of Karsak buildings are built along the bottom of the deep oceanic rivers that cover their planet. Currents are much weaker at these depths, the ocean floor provides a firm foundation, and the Karsaks have domesticated bottom-dwelling piscine cattle. On the surface of the large barren rock formations that jut out of the ocean they build their sacred temples, diplomatic embassies, and military defensives.

The Karsaks are a violent race. The deadliest combatants maintain places of honor and importance in Karsak society, and are often rewarded with positions in the Karsak priesthood as they age.

Culture Aspects:
Rewarded for Violence and Death
Member of the Karsak Priesthood
Tireless Swimmer and Runner
Lives Amongst Powerful Currents
Natural Predator
Lungs and Gills

Good at: Forceful, Quick, Instinct

Bad at: Flashy, Thinking, Pilot

Veloxum – Natural Teleporters

Species Name: Veloxum
Other Names:

Home Planet: Velos
Home System:

Physiology: The Veloxum are black blooded humanoids with black mouths and lips and yellow skin. Their hair is the color and opacity of honey, and is often styled in jagged and architectural styles. A Veloxum can absorb electrical or pulse energy through its skin and store it in an internal natural battery. If the Veloxum has enough energy stored, then it may expend that energy in one violent eruption that causes a temporal rift. Utilizing this rift the Veloxum can teleport across space without the use of technology. This sends a light shock wave of force centered on the location the Veloxum left, and a loud crack sounds out in both locations.

Culture: The Veloxum were the victims of inter-planetary exploitation for nearly a century and a half. An alliance of more developed planets invaded Velos and used the Veloxum people as test subjects for their trans-galactic teleportation experiments. The Veloxum revolution brought the end to the colonial powers that had subjugated their planet, and today Velos has developed into a powerful military planet on the edge of the Dead Zone. The Veloxum empire has extended back into the Dead Zone, using teleporting shock troops before entering hostile space with their war cruisers.

Culture Aspects:
Natural Teleporter
Internal Natural Battery
Forceful Temporal Rift
Exploited No More
“Shock” Trooper
Claims to the Dead Zone

Good at: Weapons, Instinct, Quick

Bad at: Sneaky, Careful, Diplomacy

Pylons – Sentient Crystals

Species Name: Pylons
Other Names: Crystals

Home Planet: Absalom
Home System:

Physiology: A Pylon looks like a perfectly symmetrical crystal is a shape similar to natural quartz prism. They may range in size from a mere 6 inches in length to several stories long. They vary in color, but are always have a milky, translucent appearance. By all observations, a Pylon looks just like a normal perfectly shaped crystal, but are, in fact, sentient.

Pylons have a measure of psychic ability, and glow and vibrate while they are communicating with others. Some Pylons have been installed into machines that interpret and translate these vibrations into speech, but most rely on this psychic ability. All Pylons can communicate with a creature it is touching, some may speak telepathically at a distance, and a rare few can exhibit forceful mind reading or even mind control.

Much about Pylon physiology, however, is a mystery to other races.

Culture: Like much else about Pylons, their culture is largely mysterious. They have been suspected of manipulating others to achieve their own goals, but these goals can vary greatly between Pylons.

Culture Aspects:
Living Crystal
Telepathic Abilities
Advanced Psychic Abilities
Mysterious Lifeform
Subtle Manipulation Towards My Own Goal
Perfectly Symmetrical Prism

Good at: Instinct, Sneaky, Careful

Bad at: Quick, Mechanics, Weapons

Ursian – Bear Clansmen

Species Name: Ursian
Other Names:

Home Planet:
Home System:

Physiology: Resembling Earth bears in many ways, the Ursians are fierce combatants. Their heads are nearly identical to that of a bear, though they are capable of articulated speech. Smell is their best sense and they are covered in fur. This comes in a range of color from white, to grey, to steel blue, to black.

Their large paws have wicked looking claws but are remarkably deft at fine manipulation in the way humans are. Ursians generally walk on their hind legs, but if they have lost their weapons or are required to move at high speeds they may run on all fours.

Full grown male Ursians may top over 7 feet and a half, and even female Ursians nearly always exceed 6 feet tall.

Culture: Ursians are a clan based race, with numerous houses ruling across their homeworld. Each clan tends to specialize in the types of weapon they train with. Ursians attempt to maintain neutrality in regards to other planets, but their barren planet makes trade with others a necessity.

Ursians determine leadership through weaponless fights, sometimes to the death. While not unintelligent, they have little use for the sciences or the arts and focus all schooling on survival, smithing, and battle.

Culture Aspects:
Fierce Combatant
Large Paws and Wicked Claws
Expert in my Clan’s Weapon
Survivor on a Barren Planet
Won my Position through Battle
Little Use for Science or Art

Good at: Forceful, Instinct, Weapons

Bad at: Sneaky, Clever, Tech

Yowie – Family-Centered Beasts

Species Name: Yowie
Other Names:

Home Planet:
Home System:

Physiology: The Yowie stand between 7 and 8 feet tall with broad shoulders and muscled arms. Their features are broad and flat, with a pronounced brow. Yowies have pronounced canines, though these are completely hidden when they close their mouths.

Yowies are completely covered by coarse gray or brown hair, save for their faces, palms, and soles. Their fingers are thick, and their arms extend down to mid-shin level. Often a Yowie will run on all fours, crouching to let it’s knuckles reach the ground. Yowies are many times stronger than humans, and while they tend to be less intelligent than humans they are often under-estimated by other races.

A Yowie always has a strong, musky scent. However, this aids the Yowie in two ways. First, the scent tends to “stick ” in the nose of those smelling it so they cannot smell any other scent or accurately track the Yowie. Second, Yowie’s may release this scent when trapped or attacked in such levels as to nauseated many other species.

Culture: Yowies tend to be superstitious and simple-minded. However, they’ve developed a tribal system in which families exist as semi-independent units while the larger community bands together for hunting and protection. Yowies mate for life – divorce is a foreign concept and even the death of a spouse does not allow a widow or widower to remarry. Instead, when all of their children become adults these “lonely ones” become elevated to the roll tribal council; the logic being that they are less concerned for their family’s needs and are able to worry about the good of the community, and they are able to receive guidance from their deceased mate.

Since making contact with space-faring races, Yowies have taken to the stars with eager anticipation. Occasionally they may pick up skills as mechanics or pilots; they usually serve as security or simple labor. Young adults who have not yet mated are the most likely to chose this life, before returning to their familial tribe.

Culture Aspects:
More than my Ferocious Appearance
Superstitious and Simple-minded
Moves like a Beast
Nauseating Musk
Raising the cubs with my Life-mate
“Lonely One” Leading the Tribe

Good at: Forceful, Careful, Instincts

Bad at: Clever, Thinking, Tech