The Kumidai are a subterranean race, adapted for life beneath the
surface of their homeworld. They are a large species, and
powerfully built. They have three pairs of legs, with the
forelimbs bearing huge claws designed for tunneling through thick,
rocky soil. Their basically tube shaped bodies reach three meters
in length, and over a meter and a half in width. Their legs are
short and muscular, around half a meter in length. The Kumidai are
not an attractive race to human eyes, with a very pale blue-white
wrinkled skin that displays many of their spiderweb vein networks.
They have a huge head, almost as wide as their body, with a
powerful fanged jaw, and very small red eyes. The ears of a
Kumidai are just as small as their eyes, and their primary sensory
input comes from their rear feet, that are designed to pick up
vibrations easily.
Leaders:
The Kumidai never had organized governments, living in a fairly
peaceful anarchy, but since the Imperial occupation they have been
ruled by planetary governors. They have petitioned Moff Rulduk for independence very publicly,
and hope to gain that independence (for a brief time, at least) due
to Rulduk's desire to appear to be someone the Yaeger would ally
with. This plan was formulated by several elder and respected
Kumidai, who are now their nominal leaders.
World View:
The Kumidai are an individualistic and phlegmatic race. They try
to avoid problems whenever possible. There is a phrase that the
Kumidai use often, that it is "always possible to outdig the devil"
(a surface dwelling humanoid, in Kumidai myth). They tend to look
at problems as being a rock face, finding some aspect of the
situation that acts as the fault allows them to bring the whole
situation apart.
Temperament:
The Kumidai are a genial race that seldom take offence, and when
they do, they are more likely to react by absenting themselves than
they are to react with violence. However, when pushed beyond their
limits, they can be very deadly, thrashing about in a random orgy
of destruction.
History and Culture:
The Kumidai were originally a nomadic people, digging through the
sands and rocks of their homeworld, sifting small creatures out of
the sand through their mouths, and expelling the rest behind them.
When civilization came to the Kumidai, they built permanent
dwellings in the rocks of their world, using metal claw tips to
break the rocks open, and began swallowing food alone, without the
sand they used to have to filter. They expanded slowly, maintaining
good relations with all their neighbors. When the Empire came,
they bowed to the inevitable with a minimum of protest, though
those Kumidai that could escape did so, including most of their
fleet, most of which left the sector entirely, headed away from
Imperial space.
Kumidai are an egg laying species, with the young being fully
functional individuals within a few hours of hatching. It is
customary for the young not to know who their parents are, and they
are educated at their own expense, by taking loans that they are
expected to pay back as soon as possible.
Tech Level:
Space.
Kumidai in the Sector:
The Kumidai are known as being good natured and hard workers, and
can usually find employment quite easily.
A Quote:
"It would be my honor to help you repair your ship..."
Spaceships:
The Kumidai have always relied upon single pilot fighters to fight
their wars. The Shaku fighter was the most
advanced ship that they fielded, and many are still hidden on the
various worlds that they inhabit.
Stats:
Attribute Dice: 12D+1
Attribute Min/Max
Dexterity: 1D/3D
Knowledge: 2D/4D
Mechanical: 2D/5D
Perception: 1D/3D
Strength: 1D/4D+2
Technical: 2D/4D+2
Move: 11/15
Special Abilities:
Burrowing:
The Kumidai can burrow with great skill, moving at an average move
of 6, a rate that is modified by the nature of the soil or sand
through which they are burrowing. Their rate is usually halved
when they are feeding as well as burrowing.
Poor Sensory Perception
When attempting to view things that they cannot detect through
surface vibration, they have a -2D penalty to all their rolls.