The (Savaged) Caloran
Type: Unregistered Species
Physical Appearance
The Caloran are winged semi-mammalian race whose culture is a class dominated tribal society.
Society and Customs
Calor has many lifeforms similar to those on Terra. Their class structure is based on the principal that the higher the island your tribe occupies, the higher your standing. Naturally, this causes many conflicts and disputes over rights to territory.
The surface is the dwelling place of the outcasts and misfits- the deg. Since flight is so necessary to increase social standing, those born without wings are considered classless and are consigned to a fate on the surface (some are thrown outright off the islands, depending on the parents). And because of the harsh conditions of the surface world, very few Calorans can exist more than a few years on the surface.
Beyond the concept of tribe, there is no real identity. The physical differences between the “male” and “female” are purely restricted to the capacity to give birth. Special treatment of the publa, or birthers as they call them, is only granted during the actual birthing cycle (which lasts seven standard months). Outside of this, males and females are treated as equals in every respect, especially in combat where they fight side by side for the status of the tribe.
Religion
Predictably enough, the Calorans’ religious views contain Heaven and Hell concepts known as the High Island and the Death Sea. The High Island is that which every Caloran strives to attain, the ultimate plateau on which to live forever. Far below, even beneath the turmoil of the surface lies the Death Sea. Sinners, criminals and outcasts are first punished with life on the surface, stripped of their wings and their freedom, and from there the Caloran demons come to claim them. They rise near the time of death, boring through the volcanic surface with hideous tendril-like appendages. They entangle their victims and drag them back down the tunnels to spend eternity within the Death Sea.
There are five major deities in Caloran folklore. Shantu, the War God, is the Chief of the High Island Council. His wife, Elantu, is the Life Giver and the Goddess of the Sky. Telmet is the Goddess of Storms and her companion is
Technology
Although the Calorans have all the means to establish a high tech society, they have yet to discover it. Because of their
caste system, most have never stayed on one island long enough to develop and exploit its resources – limited though they may be. Those that have attempted to maintain their status have found themselves attacked by those working their way up. As a consequence, they are still a sword culture. Their arms and armor are very similar to those of ancient Terran gladiators, specializing in a bizarre mace-like object called the macelar. Their armor is a strapped-on breastplate.
More complex armor is not possible because of the weight associated and the restrictions that it would place on the Calorans’ wings. As a tribal society, they rarely have permanent structures, except on the highest islands where greater protection from the elements is needed.
Government and Civil War
The Calor is constantly in a state of civil war. Alliances are few and far between. The only places where any standing alliances have been formed and successfully maintained are in the upper islands. There, the strongest of the Calorans have formed a War Council to prevent the lesser tribes from rising to overthrow them. The War Council is made up of five tribes from five separate islands, four of which are the largest on the planet. Each of the five has taken a tribal name based upon the five Caloran deities and since all five of the islands are basically on the same level, there is less fear of internal strife. Instead, they have pooled their warriors into a common defense militia against the lower tribes.
This militia has successfully maintained their War Council’s position for close to seven generations. It is from these
Council nations that the latest technological advances have come and they will probably be the most receptive to space travellers; the only potential problem being posed by their religious beliefs as mentioned before. The total population of the Council nations is around 350,000; a total that is less than 15% of Calor’s total population.
| Clan | Population |
|---|---|
| Shantu | 101,000 wingmen |
| Telmet | 93,000 wingmen |
| Erdem | 71,500 wingmen |
| Elantu | 64,500 wingmen |
| Dalkor | 20,000 wingmen |
The fifth member of the War Council, the Dalkor tribe, is the smallest and weakest of the five. It was the last of the tribes to join the council because of its size, but it was invited because it was of equal elevation to the others – and because Dalkor’ s warriors are as grim as their namesake.
However, many members of the Council feel that the Elad tribe, which occupies the fifth largest island on the level below (and has a population of 68,200), should have been invited instead. But in order to keep the lesser tribes in line, the War Council has had to maintain the caste structure, so they chose the Dalkor over the Elad.
Other than the War Council, there are no other major governing bodies. There are only about five million Calorans spread out over approximately 1,000 tribal islands and the surface world. Each of the lesser tribes, a few as large as 20,000 winged warriors, have formed tribal councils for self-government, but there does not exist any council between tribes. In the event of alliances, short duration treaties are drawn up between the two tribes’ councils.
Special Abilities
Positive Racial Abilities
Flight (4): The Caloran has wings and can fly at Pace 6 and “run” (fly fast) for extra movement as usual. Maneuvering uses the Athletics skill. The wings can be targeted or fouled (a Bound or Entangled character cannot fly).
Armor (3): The Caloran has a thick hide. This grants Armor +2 each time it’s taken.
Environmental Resistance (Heat): The species receives a +4 bonus to resist a high temperature environment. Damage from that source is also reduced by 4.
Negative Racial Abilities
Hindrance: Quirk – Alien Prejudice (1) – Calor believe they are the best species in the galaxy and members of each Clan believe their is the best version of Calor.
Dependency (2): A Calor must consume twice as much food when active, or suffer Fatigue if deprived
Hindrance: Code of Honor (2): The Calor has an alien code of honor
Hindrance: Ability Flaw (2): Wings don’t function properly except on Calor (-2 flight penalty)