Bengradi

Physical Description

The Bengradi are a species of tailed felinoid bipeds that look like nothing more thana humanoid version of a terrestrial Bengal Tiger. They all have the orange with black stripe pelts. Some argue that they are a Child-Race-off-shoot of the Halogai’, descended from the same J’vaarian Child-Race that the Halogai’ and the K’Dasi descended from. They seem to relate well to the Halogai’ in almost everything. The female is usually taller, for instance, although the males do not have manes. The males are usually between 100 cm and 220 cm tall. The females are usually between 110 cm and 230 cm tall. They are purely carnivorous, eating raw meat as often as possible. Most of the species is telepathic, and some have reached the highest order of Psi-casters.

The Bengradi are praised for their amazing quickness in learning. Many are respected scholars. They developed as a species quicker than any mammalian species known.

Average Size: 1.9 m (males), 2.0 (females)
Average Mass: 58 kg
Average Life-span: 190 yrs
Reproduction: Heterosexual, viviparous
Body Temp: 38 degrees C

Historical Detail.

The Bengradi descended from a felinoid species similar to the Halogai’ ancestors in society and customs. Their homeworld, Grahza Ertas, is in its young stages, which explains the Bengradi’s naive primitiveness. The planet only has one continent, which has not yet succumbed to plate tectonics.

As said previously, the Bengradi developed rapidly as a species with respect to their planet age. Their planet was in a stage equivalent to the Terran Dinosaur age, while the Bengradi were entering into an age equivalent to the Terran Middle Ages. In fact, when the Bengradi were discovered by the Urtoran government, the Bengradi patrol that found the expedition of Urtoran and Halogai’ were mounted on specially trained creatures that were the equivalent of Terran Dinosaurs.

The Bengradi were protected by the Primitive Species Isolation Act of Directorate law, which stated that any development of a new species or subspecies is to be uninterrupted until development is complete (“Complete” is defined when the Supreme Directorate Central Committee has observed the developing species.). When illegal landings were made, the curiosity of the Bengradi drew more and more stowaways on these ships. Soon, the Bengradi learned and grew, and soon developed their own ways off their planet. They’re now a common sight in the streets all over the Dominion of Sovereignties. Some have developed into wealthy businessmen over the last several decades. The Bengradi are considered the most successful species in the Dominion of Sovereignties.

Senses

All the Bengradi’s senses are highly developed. They have natural Night Vision, like Yazirians; smell is like Osakars’.

Speech and Languages

The Bengradi have no problems with Pan-Gal Common, or any of the Dominion of Sovereignties languages. The Bengradi language, Soloc, is a primitive array of hand movements and short phrases.

Attitudes

The Bengradi show a great deal of respect to the “sky comers” ( Any spacefaring species). They never feel worthy of the praise they receive for their accomplishments, because they “are not the ones who conquered the skies with the grand ships of flight and the weapons of fire and light.” The Bengradi today find it hard to accept a modern weapon as a gift, or to buy a modern weapon unless totally necessary, because they do not feel worthy to possess such power. The Bengradi never take a weapon from a dead victim, even if he killed it. The dead are sacred to them, and every time the Bengradi loose a friend to death, they perform their Ritual of Passage, a sacred ritual of death (which only takes 10 minutes.)

Of all the races in the Frontier-Rim-Dominion of Sovereignties sector, the Halogai’ are the most respected by the Bengradi, for they feel that the Halogai’ are their “lost brothers from Coladia”, a legend which involves a pride of Bengradi that were lost centuries ago adventuring into a section of their homeworld known as Coladia. The legend said they were taken up into the sky. The Halogai’ find the Bengradi feeble and useless, and sometimes down right annoying. They don’t want the respect they get from the Bengradi, and prefer if they would just leave them alone.

Social Structure and Standards

The Bengradis’ basic social unit is a nuclear family, with the male as the supposed leader and the female making the decisions (like in the Halogai’ society). The families all gather in prides, similar to the Torani packs, where the Elders rule. The Bengradi government on the home planet is presently based on a feudal system, with a king and queen ruling. The Bengradi are only just starting to colonize, after trading mining rights on the homeworld with the Halogai’.

The Grahza system is an extremely mineral rich system, with an inner and an outer asteroid belt and several mineral rich worlds. The Directorate would have been worried about any other species taking advantage of the systemk, but entrusting it to the honorable Halogai’ as a client system was the safest thing the Direstorate could do. However, some within the Bengradi government don’t believe the Halogai’ honor, and plot to separate from their client-ship.

As mentioned previously, it is a common tradition among the Bengradi to pay tribute to their dead friends through their Ritual of Passage. This has been a tradition for many centuries among the Bengradi. It is also tradition for all Bengradi to carry their Family crest of their weapons.

Racial Abilities

Hunting Instincts: The Bengradi have a keen sense of hunting instincts, which allows them to do a variety of things. Spot Hidden: Roll on column +{INT/20} to spot any hidden object in vicinity.

Sense Presence: The Bengradi cannot be surprised, in the traditional way. They would feel the presence of an approaching being, and know its intentions before they had a chance to surprise them. Some species have psi-abilities which dampen this “presence”, which allows for surprise of a Bengradi.

Fur Armor- The Bengradi, have 5 points of natural armor (For Impact Type Damage Only) because of their fur. This means anytime an Bengradi is hit it subtracts 5 points from any damage taken.

Claws– The Bengradi have a +5 Points of Damage Modifier to their punching score when the PC specifies that he is going to scratch.