Shastam


Homeworld:

Rekhron

Other planets inhabited:

None

Appearance:

Shastam are approximately human sized, with a thick layer of short black fur covering most of their bodies, with the exception of their calves and forearms, which are covered with somewhat longer and silkier russet or dark red hair. Those regions of the head that on humans are endowed with hair, are on the Shastam, also distinct from the rest of the body, with much longer and finer deep red hair. Shastam's facial features are generally lupine, with a long and narrow jaw filled with carnivore type teeth. Shastam are bipedal, and have a pair of thickly muscular arms. They also have a pair of spreading wings, with a batlike skeletal and muscular structure, which, while they do not enable true flight, do allow for a wide variety of gliding activities. The hands and feet of Shastam are tipped with large and quite deadly retractile claws, and small scent glands, used for marking territory and for social interaction. Shastam are exclusively nocturnal, with large and tapered ears capable of rotating almost 180ø, as well as highly reflective eyes.

Leaders:

Shastam tend to live in small family groups, which are generally led by the eldest Shastam who is still capable of leading the family and which split off into smaller groups when they reach more than ten or fifteen members.

World View:

Shastam are predators to the core, and see nothing wrong with killing and eating those too old and weak to defend themselves. However, they will almost never kill another Shastam, and feel a deep responsibility to the animals in their range, making sure not to over-hunt any species or area.

Temperament:

Shastam tend to settle disputes among themselves with casual, claws retracted combat, and tend to see violence as an acceptable solution to problems. They are also tend to feel friendships quite closely, and will do anything for friends or family.

History and Culture:

The nomadic Shastam have been wandering Rekhron for millennia. Never developing technology past neolithic levels, Shastam tend to hunt with tooth and claw rather than with bow and spear, and probably would never have developed higher technology on their own. However, the expanding populace of the Yaeger Sector has brought them into contact with extra-planetary beings of various sorts, and many Shastam families bear one or two items from such encounters.

One might think that the primitive Shastam would be no match for the more advanced races of the sector, drawn to Rekhron for what small mineral reserves it has, but that has not proved to be the case. For one thing, the Shastam are too spread out and have too great a genetic spread to be affected as a group by biological weapons, and their knowledge of their world has enabled them to herd the deadlier creatures of their world toward the interlopers in such a manner as to prove most disruptive, as well as being quite capable of inflicting grievous damage on such structures on their own.

For that reason, the Shastam have managed to keep large developments off of Rekhron almost entirely, as they sense them as being wrong, and as they have few qualms about slaughtering all those working in facilities of that type. They are not xenophobes though, and for a while there was an Ehbling settlement on Rekhron that traded extensively with the Shastam. The Ehbling were eventually forced off the world by the Shastam, as they felt that it was drawing to many travelers to Rekhron, travelers who did not have the same sort of ecological attitudes as the Ehbling.

Tech Level:

Neolithic, with some higher level artifacts passed down from generation to generation, and used without any compunctions or reservations.

Shastam in the Sector:

On Rekhron, the Shastam are seen as a deadly menace, though many don't believe in the Shastam at all preferring to think that Rekhron itself is either intelligent and hostile, or is just inhabited by particularly deadly and hostile native organisms. There are individual Shastam and entire Shastam families that have left Rekhron, and they have become known as a rare race of powerful, though slightly primitive warriors, with a nocturnal nature, rather delicate ecological sensibilities, and a great devotion to their friends.

A Quote:

"The forests themselves scream out against this!"

Spaceships:

None.

Stats:

Attribute Dice: 12D+1
Attribute Min/Max
Dexterity: 2D+1/5D+1
Knowledge: 2D/4D+2
Mechanical: 1D+1/3D
Perception: 2D/4D+2
Strength: 2D/4D+1
Technical: 1D/3D
Move: 8/11, 11/15 Gliding

Special Abilities:

Gliding :
If a Shastam can find a high enough jumping off point, the Shastam can launch themselves into a gliding flight. Generally possible only on days when there is not an excessive amount of wind, and when updrafts are available, gliding is performed at the listed rate with gliding, a dexterity skill.

Nocturnal vision :
The Shastam have night vision that uses almost a thousand times more light than humans do. They also have very sensitive ears, use a primitive form of echolocation. For these reasons, Shastam can see on a moonless, starry night as well as a human can see in broad daylight. Their eyes do have light adaptation, and they are neither harmed nor blinded in daylight, though they do find it uncomfortable.

Story Factors:

Ecological awareness :
Shastam are very close to the pulse of life (many Shastam are force sensitive), and will tend to take attacks on the environment very personally. Conversely, they tend to enjoy spending more time in natural surroundings than in the sterile mechanics of starships. Those ships with Shastam aboard will soon find themselves with considerably more plants and pets than one would expect.

Nocturnal :
While Shastam are not in any way physically damaged by light, Shastam prefer the dark, and will tend to become sluggish and drowsy when exposed to strong light for long periods.
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