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.