Questrans


Homeworld:

Questra

Other planets inhabited:

Otazal, Morabin

Appearance:

Questrans are a diminutive race, averaging around a meter in height. They are descended from an avian race, and while Questrans cannot fly, they bear numerous marks of avian heritage, including a beaked mouth, short wings, and brilliant plumage. Questrans are usually mostly gold in color, with glossy blue and crimson facial coloration. However, there are numerous exceptions to that rule, and some common variations actually outnumber the standard coloration in isolated areas.

Questrans have a pair of powerful, six toed feet which they use for manipulation, in conjunction with their short and powerful beak. Their long and ornate tails are used exclusively for display, and serve no useful function. Questrans have a pair of nostrils, located on the sides of their beak, which are quite powerful, and are used by the Questrans to locate their favorite meals, snakes and other small creatures, beneath the layer of decaying vegetation of the forest floors of their homeworld.

Questrans are an egg laying race, with only one or two eggs laid in a clutch. They are fiercely defensive of their eggs, and the somewhat less gaudily colored female Questrans spend most of their lives caring for the eggs and fledglings.

Leaders:

The Questrans are lead by a tricameral system of representative democracy, with a single executive, who is somewhat weaker than the other, rather refractory bodies of government. This system was superseded by Imperial governance, but was reinstituted by the Questrans as soon as they were given their independence.

World View:

Questrans see themselves as being the center of the universe, and tend to see the actions of others in relationship to themselves only.

Temperament:

The Questrans are an excitable race, prone to flights of rage, love, or other passions. They are a very proud race, and are easily insulted or flattered.

History and Culture:

As a race, the Questrans developed civilization relatively quickly, as their somewhat better than average mechanical skill enabled them to progress from stone to atomic fairly rapidly. Their somewhat overinflated egos nearly proved disastrous, as a nuclear exchange between the two major Questran powers seemed inevitable at times. In the end, the Questrans developed hyperspace travel before the situation reached a critical state, and unity was seen to be paramount in the larger and much more hostile universe.

The Questrans founded a pair of colonies in the lush Lahutan system, on Otazal and Morabin, and began sending trading ships to the other worlds of the sector. These traders soon enabled the Questrans to reach a level of technology nearly equal to the sector standard, though they never had enough to offer to acquire truly top of the line materials. Diplomatic relationships with the other races of the sector proved somewhat fractious, as Questran ambassadors were far more easily offended than most career diplomats, and while actual war was repeatedly averted, the Questrans earned no real allies.

When the Empire expanded into the sector, the Questrans refused to even see their ambassadors. That arrogance proved to have exceedingly negative results, as Questra was one of the first worlds openly attacked by the Empire. Despite their respectable system defense fleet, Questra fell to the Empire after a mere two days of combat. Experiments with Questran slaves proved futile, as they put their pride before their lives, so the Questrans were never officially enslaved as a people. Instead, nearly the whole of the industrial production of Questran worlds was delivered into Imperial hands as taxes and war debt.

Questran space lies almost directly between that of the Shuumar and the Aldru, and when those two races threw off the Imperial yoke, they decided to free the Questran worlds, in order to give them clear communication and supply lines between their two territories. A coordinated Shuumar and Aldru offensive pushed the Imperials back, and gave those two races an opportunity to slip agents onto Questran worlds, where they were able to incite and coordinate revolts and riots among the Questrans. The Questran revolution was far from an overpowering success, as millions of Questrans died before Imperium arms, but the losses that the Imperials took on the ground made it impossible to maintain control of the Questran worlds, so they withdrew.

Finally free, the Questrans reinstituted their traditional governmental structure. Shortly afterwards the Shuumar proposed the creation of the Confederation of Unaligned worlds, and the Questrans were an enthusiastic supporter of the plan. They are committed to the ideals of the confederation, and will not leave it unless both the Shuumar and the Aldru withdraw, and even then it is unlikely that they will join the New Republic or any other formal alliance, as their independence was won to dearly for them to give it up to anyone.

Tech Level:

Space.

Questrans in the Sector:

Questrans are seen as being irritating and not overly intelligent individuals, with a better than average grasp of the concepts of high technology. However, they are seen as being too excitable and egotistical to be the sort of asset that the Ulfgar are.

A Quote:

"Why, I've never been so insulted in my life!"

Spaceships:

The Sharpclaw fighter was the Questran standard before the Empire came. Now, building on Shuumar and Aldru concepts, their current ship of the line is the Rakkak corvette.

Stats:

Attribute Dice: 12D
Attribute Min/Max
Dexterity: 2D/3D+2
Knowledge: 2D/4D+1
Mechanical: 3D/4D+2
Perception: 1D/2D+2
Strength: 1D/3D+1
Technical: 2D+2/5D+1
Move: 4/7

Special Abilities:

Sense of Scent :
The Questran's sense of scent is around four times better than that of humans, both in the areas of detection and discrimination, and they gain a +2 bonus to Search rolls where their sense of smell can help.

Story Factors:

Reputation :
The Questran's temperamental factors make them easy targets for con men, and this is a fact known throughout the underworld of the sector. In addition, their temperament makes them less than ideal as crewmembers, making it quite difficult for them to sign on aboard non-Questran ships.
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