Quen


Homeworld:

Rethqua

Other planets inhabited:

None

Appearance:

The Quen are a rather short, slightly built, reptilian race. They seldom reach 1.7 meters in height, and weigh much less than humans of equal height. The Quen are not true reptiles, having more in common with saurian races. However, they are not true saurians either, bearing many reptilian traits. Quen are warm blooded, and covered with a layer of very fine overlapping scales, usually black in color, with a yellow and orange striping. Quen of bloodlines that have spent generations in the forest have a more uniform green color with yellow speckling.

Quen have large pale yellow eyes with vertical pupils. Three separate eyelids protect these eyes, and they are quite sensitive, giving the Quen superior eyesight. Their sense of smell is also quite acute, and is supplemented by their sense of taste, as their tongues constantly flick in and out, to detect minute particles that might give them information about their prey.

Quen are roughly humanoid in shape, with large and powerful four fingered hands, arranged in point symmetry and equipped with powerful horn claws. Their feet are arranged in a similar fashion, and are incapable of delicate manipulation. The Quen's tail is relatively short, not reaching that far past their ankles, but is powerful and flexible, and can knock a full sized human off his feet. Generally, the tail is carried in the air behind the Quen, though it will droop when the Quen is exhausted or under the effects of intoxicants.

Leaders:

The Quen are ruled by a hereditary aristocracy. Before the Empire came, several independent nations fought for control of Rethqua, the Quen homeworld. However, a single leader has emerged on Quen to throw off the Imperial yoke, and he has retained control of the race, without removing the traditional aristocracy from control.

World View:

The Quen are a military race, believing in the superiority of the warrior spirit. Quen warriors train incessantly, relying on serenity of spirit and mental focus to defeat their opponents.

Temperament:

Quen are ferocious when aroused, moving past their anger to ice cold determination which is not likely to sway under any circumstances. When not pushed to that extreme, they can still be seen as being a proud and aggressive race, though with greater reserves of patience and calm than most races of the galaxy.

History and Culture:

The Quen were a partially nomadic race that eventually developed a medium steel age civilization. Constant war insured the importance of the warrior caste in Quen life. Caste had always been a matter of choice among Quen, with representatives of the various castes choosing members from the youth as they came of age, and that method was only broken for a brief period, during the Imperial occupation.

When the Empire expanded to the Quen homeworld of Rethqua, it's dominance in the sector had not been seriously challenged, so it took control of the world as a matter of course. The Quen proved dangerous opponents, winning several important ground battles, against Imperial foes with weapons literally thousands of years ahead of those of the Quen. However, the Quen did not have any spaceflight whatsoever. Orbital bombardment eventually forced the various Quen kingdoms to surrender, and the Imperial occupation began.

Personal ownership of weapons was strictly prohibited, and the system of castes was abolished, with Quen being transferred to Imperial mining and industrial facilities, built on Rethqua. The Armored Tigers, the traditional mount of Quen warriors, were subjected to an intense extermination campaign. However, the Quen were not as defeated as they appeared. While training in the martial arts was prohibited, it continued in secret, and Quen guerrillas preserved caches of weapons in some of the more isolated regions of Rethqua.

When some Quen that had escaped their homeworld made contact with the Confederation of Unaligned Worlds, the Quen Revolt began. Lead by Shalquan Ralqui, a descendant of the one dynasty to rule all of Rethqua, the Quen struck against their Imperial overlords when Shuumar actions drew the Imperial fleet away. Shalquan's rule of the planet did not go unchallenged by the Empire, for while they could not maintain a fleet around Rethqua, the could drop some ORBSATs, to lay waste to the planet.

The bombardment continued for some time, until a Yaeger Stell Kommando wing destroyed the satellites, and allowed the Quen to be truly free. The Quen are aware of the debt that they owe the Yaeger, but the debt that they owe the Confederation was incurred first, and that debt will be paid first, resulting in the Quen's membership in the Confederation.

Tech Level:

Steel age, though some space level technology has been incorporated into Quen society, and greater improvements are anticipated.

Durgur in the Sector:

Those few that know of the Quen respect them as remarkable warriors of equally remarkable integrity, though with a pride and comfort with violence that makes them dangerous.

A Quote:

"The Warrior is not his sword, nor is he his armor. The Warrior is the warrior spirit, eternal and unresting."

Spaceships:

None yet, though Quen are being educated in several Confederation universities, and may begin design of craft for construction at Quen held Imperial manucafturing facilities.

Stats:

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

Special Abilities:

Camouflage :
Quen's bodily patterns blur their outlines when they are moving. If a Quen moves 10 or more meters in a round, they get a +2 bonus to the difficulty of ranged attacks against them, a bonus that increases for every 10 meters they move a round.

Story Factors:

Quen Martial Arts :
The Quen have practiced martial arts for years, and the martial arts of the Quen are quite advanced, making use of their natural abilities and bodily structures.
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