Excerpted from "A Catalog of Races of the Starmourn Sector"
The Elgan are a race that had to fight to gain the acceptance of the other members of Starmourn Sector due to a combination of their relatively small size and their tendency to deal with most situations by finding something amusing to laugh at.
Make no mistake, however - they're as sophisticated and advanced a culture and society as most of the races in Starmourn.
Homeworld | Krell |
---|---|
System | Tethan |
Capital City | Biloxan |
Reproduction | Live birth with a gestation period of about 8 months. |
Lifespan | 80 years. |
Preferred foods | They're omnivores but tend to really enjoy fruit of all kinds. |
Temperment | Fairly cheerful generally, though they hold grudges like champions. |
Life priorities | Wealth accumulation, that they may leave the largest fortune possible to the Elgan Collective (see below) when they die. They aren't fundamentalist about this, and do seek to leave something to their children, but theirs is a highly communal society. |
Strong likes/dislikes | They're big fans of elaborate practical jokes and love to dance, incorporating it into many of their rituals. Yes, they look slightly ridiculous doing it to most other races, but you're likely to get a blaster in the crotch if you mention that to an Elgan. They're also well-known for hating bullies and for possessing a strong work ethic. |
Family structure | Big, extended families that live together in large, roughly circular buildings called Toh, which often have spires on top. Many families will live in a single Toh. |
How do they treat the weak? | Very well generally. They always take care of their elders, and have great sympathy for the sick, the disfigured, and the differently abled. |
Notable rituals | Their marriage ritual translates to 'The Binding Dance.' It's a complex dance in which the guests whirl themselves through complicated patterns while holding silken ribbons. As they dance about the two participants, they end up tying a particular knot - called the Argisan - around them, symbolizing that their two lives are now bound together. |
What's their relationship with technology? | They are, generally speaking, big fans of tech, from the gadget level to the workings of starships. The Vyar - a dead Elder race - are a popular subject in their recorded entertainment, possibly a result. |
What do they like for entertainment? | Because their home planet - Krell - is notoriously rainy, and because their Toh are fairly crowded, their chief hobbies and past times have evolved from activities you can perform indoors. Gambling and dancing are probably the two most widely enjoyed among Elgan. |
Government structure | They're a representative democracy called the Elgan Collective, with a trio of leaders elected by the Collective called the Trinity. In practice they're highly socialist and it's said that "nobody goes to bed hungry on Krell." |
Current Trinity members | Poji Gawin (m), Trinoa Banmyn (f), Nici Triceli (f) |
How old is their civilization? | They achieved spaceflight about 22,000 years ago. |
Historical allies/enemies? | They've had a lot of conflict with the Nabia, whose drug-peddling they detest. About 125 years ago, some of the Elgan formed the Elgan Underground as a rival 'criminal' organization, with a mission to disrupt the Nabia's drug trade without open warfare. |
What are their major sources of wealth? | The Elgan are renowned as traders in rare goods and in the manufacture of handheld weaponry. |
What are their religious beliefs? | They believe that their ancestors - all of them - are gods, meaning that the more time passes, the more gods that exist. Of course, with so many gods, a god in their society is not considered particularly remarkable, which isn't to say it isn't to be venerated. They believe that as part of the same culture as their ancestor-gods, they enjoy participation in the divine while still alive. This religious belief is the core of their communalistic nature. |
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