Haranasya Vadyra Take it from me...NOBODY gives a massage like a Haranasya Vadyra...

Theyre human, or I should say humanoid, enough to know how the muscles and nerves are strung, they got all those arms to deliver a really intense touch massage and those tricky shiatsu point releases, and with six arms, well...they gotta know something about upper body muscular pain! -----Sammie Gossman, Headhunter Damn it! I KNOW youre cheating me somehow! All those arms, I cant keep my eyes on all of them at once! And QUIT SQUIRMING! Who me? Cheat? ----Overheard at a Burlington saloon Of course we can afford to be nice to you folks....I mean, whats not to love? Youre small, youre cute, youre cuddly, youre either imaginative in the sack or delightfully straitlaced, and picking on you would be like kicking a quadruple amputee! -----Remee Vahasu, Haranasya Vadyra The Haranasya Vadyra are a unique humanoid species who managed to build a small insterstellar nation without benefit of a technological society, ....and almost lost it all. The Vadyra are handsome humanoids, similar in appearance to baseline human beings, but for coppery skin, slightly larger proportions in the chest and legs, and the SIX arms they sport, two in the traditional shoulder location, two just below them on either side of the chest, and two growing from an extra set of shoulder blades on the back. Some xenobiologists have speculated that the Vadyra may be a mutant offshoot of the Rahumen, but aside from superficial similarities, there are too many differences in genetics and internal organ arrangement for them to ever have been related.Other biologists speculate that the Vadyra were artifically created, possibly a fusion of human stock and the multi-limbed anthropoids common to the worlds of the HexamePahrag Cluster, though the parties that might be responsible for this creation feat are unknown. The Vadyra were able to move about the worlds of the Pahrag Cluster through the use of a series of apparently natural constant dimensional rift-gateways that linked the inhabitable worlds of the Cluster. Many later visitors have speculated that the rift-network is not so natural, but may be the work of a older, apparently extinct, race lost to Haranasya Vadyra legend, and whose ruined cities are occasionally found throughout the Pahrag Cluster. Whether or not this earlier people, known only as the Far Ones by the Vadyra, set up the gates or merely

benefitted from them like the later Haranasya Vadyra, is unknown, as few records of the race have been uncovered. Using the Gates, the Haranasya Vadyra were able, beginning in their early Iron Age, to colonize four other worlds besides their own, and though these colonies were sparsely settled, they were well on their way to establishing a thriving, growing, peaceful trade economy with their homeworld and homelands, the unique products of each new world contributing to the massive open-air markets the Haranasya Vadyra so adored. It was then that the Splugorth discovered the Pahrag Cluster... The Splugorth descended on the colony worlds with sudden and brutal efficiency, quickly subjugating the outlying colonies within days. Biowizardry and high technology easily outmatched Vadyra ballista, spears, and spells, and the Vadyrans advantage in hand to hand combat was of little use against weapons that could kill and maim from miles away. At first puzzled at how a primitive, low-tech people had colonized several farflung worlds without spacecraft, the Kittani who oversaw the invasion allowed some of their slaves to escape...and the Haranasya Vadyra refugees immediately tried to alert the other worlds of their civilization...Leading the invaders right to the Gate network in the process. Massive armies of Haranasya Vadyra were raised and rushed to the Gates to relieve and rescue the subjugated worlds...and walked straight into the Splugorth trap...Despite the assistance of their mages and seers, the steel swords, lances, bows, and brass-decorated armor of the Vadyra national armies were no better a match for Splugorth Biowizardry and Kittani technology, than the colonials weapons had been. Resistance lasted only a few days, with whole armies taken at once and subdued, if not annihilated outright. The Splugorth then turned their attention to the Gates themselves, quickly overwhelming the defending armies and using the Gates to invade the Haranasya Vadyra homeworld. Attempts to close the Gates proved futile, and the Gates were soon in the hands of the Splugorth invaders, who now settled down to strip the new conquests of all that was valuable...including the Haranasya Vadyra themselves. Haranasya Vadyra females, in particular, were sought after as personal servents and domestics, while Vadyra men were put to hard labor, or as star performers in the gladiator pits. While the famed Rahumen were hard to find and equally hard to catch, the Splugorth seemed to have found a ready substitute in the helpless worlds of the Haranasya Vadyra. The Splugorth were already seeing massive sales of the new slave stock, as demand for the new exotics rose on the interdimensional slave markets. The Vadyra were well on their way to becoming extinct as a free people when the Hindu Pantheon took an interest in the crisis. With the assistance of the Hindu god Agni, the remaining Vadyras were able to rally and keep off Splugorth attacks until the arrival of a United Worlds of Warlock (UWW) taskforce that officially annexed the system and brought it under the protection of their own frontier guards. The Haranasya Vadyra, relieved at the reprieve, gladly joined the UWW, being able to see the good and sincerity of intention in the second wave of aliens that appeared in their skies, this time to deliver them from darkness. However, this was of little help to the millions who had already been

abducted into captivity. Several hundred Haranasya Vadyra were among the slaves freed from Splugorth slave pits during the Day of Wrath, and the greater proportion of them settled in the nation-states of the Five Star Alliance. These d-bees have attempted to continue their traditional ways, bringing to the 5ST nations their highly developed arts of healing(including massage, acupuncture, and holistic healing), weaving, metalworking, wax-painting, enameling, and dance(both male and female dancers are much admired for their skill and grace). However, a substantial number of Haranasya Vadyra have also joined the military, and have taken up the study of advanced technology and engineering. The Haranasya Vadyra have taken well to the teeming, bustling, multi-species societies of Rifts Earth, and they mingle well with other peoples, finding in the bustle and variety of peoples, places, trade goods, and languages, something akin to the open cosmopolitan communities of their homeworlds. Alignments: Any Lifespan: 150 years Size: Tall; average 2d4 inches over human norm. Typically weigh 10-20% more than normal humans. Gender: Heterosexual Physical Description/Appearance: Human(oid), with a slight pronounced Asian cast to their features, and six arms; one short pair from the sides of the lower rib cage, the other pair attached to the back, from wing bones. All arms end in five-digited hands. Have slightly longer/larger legs, proportionally, than humans, and wider chests to accommodate the extra arms. Skin tends toward metallic casts, with red-copper and light gold being the most common. Eyes also tend towards metallic colors. Hair tends towards dark auburns and black, though blond and redheaded Haranasya Vadyra are not unknown. Disposition/Attitudes: Similar to humans. Haranasya Vadyra tend, however, to be more tolerant and open-minded in their dealings with other races, with a particular fondness for human and animal-like races. The Haranasya Vadyra enjoy openly consorting with these peoples and sharing their talents and arts. Traditionalist Haranasya Vadyra culture places a great emphasis on the arts, crafts, and performance, and it is a rare Vadyra that doesnt have some sort of art-oriented skill, even if only as a hobby, to pass the time. Haranasya Vadyra also tend to be open and honest, and uninhibited when it comes to sex and sexual matters, and more than one outsider has been caught offguard by the traditional Haranasya Vadyra practice of amiably inquiring about ones sexual prowess and success right off the bat in conversation, or their habit of making physical contact(patting, touching, rubbing up against limbs, embracing, getting up close and personal) with friends and close acquaintances. Physical Attributes:

IQ: 3d6 ME: 3d6 MA: 3d6 PS: 3d6+4 PP: 4d6 PB: 4d6 PE: 3d6+5 SPD: 3d6 (ISP) By Psionic OCC (PPE): 6d6+2 Hit Points:(in non-MDC worlds) 1d6x10 Hit Points SDC:(in non-MDC worlds) 1d6x100 SDC MDC:(minor) P.E. + 2d4 per level of experience Horror Factor: Nil Natural Abilities: *Multiple Arms--+3 Actions/Attacks per Melee *Ambidextrous----Haranasya Vadyra can use ALL of their hands with equal profficiency. +1 to Parry and Strike, +10% to performing delicate work Psionics: Standard Magic: ALL Haranasya Vadyra have an innate low-level spell-casting ability(called charming), and can select 1d6 spells from levels 1-3. These spells increase with experience, and the Haranasya Vadyra can select an additional spell at their own levels 2, 6,10, and 14, from spell levels equal(or lower than) their current level of experience. Those Haranasya Vadyra not selecting a Magic OCC have a permanent PPE base of their P.E. + 2d6 Available OCCs: Any scholar/adventurer OCCs except CyberDoc Military OCCs are limited to Head-Hunter, Grunt, Cyberknight, Gunslinger, Gunfighter, and . Among their native magic users, Haranasya Vadyra are commonly Mystics, Herbalists, Priests(Priestesses), and Leyline Walkers. Since coming to

Rifts Earth, many Haranasya Vadyra have taken up Techno-Wizardry, Atlantean Stone Magic, and Conjuring. There are also a number of Haranasya Vadyra Shifters who are attempting to find a way back to their homeworld(s). Can also select, from Ninjas and Superspies, the Worldly and Dedicated Martial Artist classes. RCC Skills: Haranasya Vadyra get a +15% to any Domestic skills they take, especially those with an artistic (including ornamental metal-working) or performance-oriented bent. Skills of Note: Cybernetics/Bionics: None initially. Since coming to Rifts Earth, many Haranasya Vadyra have had to receive medical prosthetics for injuries incurred as slaves. Most Haranasya Vadyra, however, avoid cybernetic and bionic augmentation, and will have nothing to do with Biowizardry or similar augmentation! Note that extensive cybernetic or bionic augmentation WILL interfere with their charm-casting abilities. Culture: On their homeworlds, most of the Haranasya Vadyra have a feudalistic, tribal culture centered around extended families, presided over by a matriarch or patriarch who sees that tradition, family honor, and familial harmony are maintained. Peaceful, inquisitive, and artistic people, with a great emphasis on craftsmanship and performing arts. _________________ ------------"Trouble rather the Tiger in his Lair, Than the Sage among his Books, For all the Empires and Kingdoms, The Armies and Works that you hold Dear, Are to him but the Playthings of the Moment, To be turned over with the Flick of a Finger, And the Turning of a Page" --------Rudyard Kipling ------------

Fhallux CLAK!CLAK! Dang! Willya get aload of the SIZE of this thing!? Well be eatin chowda for MONTHS offa this clam! Justasoon as we get it ba... (SUUUUUSSSSSHHHHHHHH!!!)WWaaaiuuuuggghhhh!!!!!!!!!........(Glup!) Bert? Bert? Whereya at Bert? This aint funny, Bert!!! ---Tragic encounter on the Cape Cod mudflats.... The Fhallux are a rarely seen, reclusive race of giant sentient molluscs who have been living in hiding from the Metzla since their escape from Atlantis. The Fhallux resemble the giant maneater clams of Earth, but tend to be far larger and heavier. Fhallux possess multiple small eyes, but their eyesight is extremely limited, unable to make out any great definition, though their sense of taste and smell is extremely accute. Filter feeders who comb the water and silt for organic material to eat, Fhallux prefer shallow, cool, coastal waters with plenty of organic muck and phytoplankton. Fhallux can survive for only a limited time out of water, for their brief levitations to travel and escape . All Fhallux are master psychics, relying on psionics to do what other races rely on limbs to perform. In addition, Phallux use psychic abilities to compensate for their limited physical senses. Despite not having much in the way of physical mobility, or inclination towards technology, Fhallux are extremely perceptive and have superb memories. Even as slaves/livestock, the Fhallux tried to absorb what details they could about their captors(and later, any possibly enemies they encountered), and they passed on their knowledge to the next generation, so that adventurers encountering these giant shellfish-sentients might be amazed to discover that many have working knowledge of computer operation, or extensive information on magical, demonic, or technological lore that they have acquired by various means. Several small colonies of Fhallux, with no more than 200-300 individuals in the largest(most only consist of 10-25 members), have been established on Rifts Earth...one colony is now known to be hidding in the mud flats of Cape Cod. The Fhallux came to Rifts Earth as slave stock of the Splugorth; Fhallux folklore tells that they originated on a peaceful, water-covered homeworld, where their ancestors had only just acquired stone-working and other simple technologies before the arrival of monsters from above who began to devour entire communities. These monsters have since been identified as the Metzla, who apparently look upon the Fhallux as fine eating, especially quivering live Fhallux on the half-shell. The Metzla apparently persuaded the Splugorth to transplant breeding colonies of Fhallux to various waterworlds for food and their pearl-creating abilities. Several Fhallux consignments, however, managed to overcome their control restraints and escaped into the oceans of Earth. These Fhallux have given up much of their old culture(such as building

stone sea walls to channel tide waters and trap food animals) in favor of roughing it, making it easier for them to remain hidden. They have, however, tried to carry on some of their old culture through oral tradition passed down through the generations. Most Fhallux try to avoid contact with other races, hoping not to bring attention down on themselves, and reveal their locations to the feared Metzla. A few Fhallux have taken to destroying all other beings who approach them, using their psionic abilities to control, drown, and kill fishermen who stray too close to them. Several other groups of Fhallux, mostly young renegades, have taken the opposite tack, seeking out allies among other races, and plotting active resistance against their alien tormentors and former masters. One of these groups, rumored to be called The Quintex, is a cabal of high-level magic-capable Fhallux, working on developing new and powerful magic spells and weapons techniques, is believed responsible for developing the Water Drill spell. The Fhallux came to the attention of Greater New England authorities when local militia commander Roberta Nalie and several psychic soldiers under her command, discovered the aliens dwelling in seclusion under the mud flats of Cape Code Bay. Though the creatures were extremely distrustful of the mainlander beings, Nalie was able to persuade the Fhallux with her sincere good intentions, and the urgency of uniting against a common foe, in the form of a surprise Splugorth slaver raid against the CoM coastal communities. Surprised by technological and psionic attacks from around , behind, and underneath them, the Splugorth raiders were decimated, and the survivors sent in retreat. Though the Fhallux recieved immediate recognition and great praise for their decisive role in the Battle of the Flats from a grateful CoM community, and have been promised the protection of 5ST from their enemies, many of the skittish molluscs have questioned whether revealing their presence was a good idea, and many have slipped away to form splinter colonies farther from Splugorth attentions. A few more adventurous and radical-minded Fhallux, however, have joined the GNE wholeheartedly, serving with the Merchant Marine, Navy, Coast Guard, and in the port services, learning what they can and making friends. Alignments: Any; just as there are benign Fhallux, there are also evil Fhallux who distrust all aliens for what has been done to their race. Lifespan: 400 years Size: 6-9 ft long, and weighing upwards of 300 lbs Gender: Hermaphrodites---Produces both sperm and eggs Physical Description/Appearance: A large bivalve clam with a thick dark rubbery coating, corrugated lips, through which can be extended large spongiform sensory organs and fine, hair-like cilia used for filter-feeding and limited movement. As Fhallux age, their outer shell grows even thicker and more corrugated, and may grow thick spines and protrusions.

Disposition/Attitudes: Most Fhallux are paranoid and reclusive, wary of other races, and interested only in preserving their freedom and survival. They will only cooperate with other races if they are assured of their own survival/self-interest, or if there is an overwhelming common threat. A few Fhallux(15%) are openly hostile to other races that intrude upon them, and lash out with lethal force. A smaller percentage(5%) of Fhallux have openly sought contact with other races, refusing to give in to bitterness or despair, and being genuinely curious about other peoples. Physical Attributes: IQ: 3d6 ME: 4d6 MA: 3d6 PS: 2d4 (Tentacles) Shell effectively clamps shut with a P.S. of 40 PP: 1d6 PB: 1d6 PE: 5d6 SPD: 1d4 crawling through the sand and silt, but can use their Levitation and Telekinesis psionics to move at up to 2d6 (ISP): M.E. x10+8 per level of experience (PPE): 4d6 or by Magic OCC Hit Points:-(in non-MDC worlds) SDC:-(in non-MDC worlds) MDC: Major Megadamage Being: 3d6x10 MD+4d6 MD per 5 years of life over 100 years. Horror Factor: 14 when seen levitating or attacking Natural Abilities: *Natural Megadamage Creatures---Possess superhard armored shells ( A.R. 18 in non-MDC worlds) *Tentacles---The Fhallux is fringed with innumerable fine tendrils, each about 8-12 inches long, that can be used for fine manipulation. Individually, each tendril is extremely weak and fragile(less than 1 PS, and has about 3d6 SDC) but they can perform quite delicate work. They

also are acutely fine tactile sensors *Multiple Eyes----The Fhallux has a band of hundreds of tiny blue eye-dots that fringe the shell. The eyes are individually quite weak(limited to about 100 ft of clear vision), but the Fhallux has a lot of them, and effectively has 200 degree vision with them. *Phallux can briefly seal their shells to be both air- and water-tight, allowing them to survive in hostile environments, such as superheated environments or vaccum, for 15 minutes+their P.E. in minutes. This duration can be further extended if the Phallux uses an ability like Death Trance to reduce their metabolic requirements. *Create Empathic Pearl(s)----Fhallux can create pearls from a psionically-resonant form of mother-of-pearl. These pearls, when held against bare flesh, can be felt to emit an empathic sensation; essentially the emotional state of the Fhallux at the time it created the pearl. Because the pearls emotional essence reflects that of the creature creating it, the Splugorth routinely drugged or lobotomized Fhallux slated as pearlproducers, into an artifical state of oblivious happiness, in order to create happy pearls. Larger pearls(2-5 inches in diameter) can be used as archives, equal to a sort of psionic hard drive that allows Fhallux and other telepathic beings holding them to read them like a Perfect Recall episode....Each pearl is equivalent to a 60 Gb computer drive in terms of capacity. Exceptionally large pearls(6 or more inches in diameter...the biggest yet recorded was 18 inches) can serve as psionic amplifiers. Any psionic ability performed while holding one of these pearls(must be touching flesh/skin) will take only HALF its regular ISP, or else, its range, effects, and duration will be DOUBLE. A Fhallux can create 2d6 smaller empathic pearls of up to 2 inches in diameter a month. 1d4 larger pearls can be created every 6 months, and a single super-large pearl can be created in 4d6 months. Psionics: Phallux are considered to be natural Master Psychics All Fhallux possess the following psionic abilities: Air Walk(special)----Similar to the Psi-X Aliens ability(see Rifts: Lone Star), this enables the Fhallux to hover 1-3 ft above the ground and move at a speed of 2d6. This ability costs the creature 5 ISP per 10 minutes of use Telekinesis Levitation Hydrokinesis

Telepathy(at half cost)(NO cost to communicate with other Fhallux) Presence Sense(NO cost, always on) Can select an additional 8 psionic abilities from the Sensitive, Healing, or Physical categories, and 1 from Super, plus an additional psionic ability from ANY category at levels 3,6, 9, 12, and 15. Magic: By OCC(if any) One spell that is unique to Fhallux mages is a powerful combat spell known as Water Drill. So far, this spell is known ONLY to the sentient molluscs, and is uncommon even among them. What this spell does is take the siphon outspit of the Fhallux and enhance it into a larger, more powerful, spinning cone of turbulent water, rotating at near supersonic speeds, that can cut through megadamage materials(such as Metzla shell). Better yet, if several Fhallux cast the spell simultaneously, they can COMBINE their spells into an even more powerful weapon! Range: 200 ft, +10 ft per level of experience Duration: 1 melee(15 seconds) per level of experience. The duration can be extended, by the expediture of an additional 15 PPE per melee Damage: 5d6 MD per melee Combined attack: if more than one Fhallux casts Water Drill simultaneously, the cost of maintaining the drill goes down to 10 PPE per melee, and the damage increases by 6d6 MD per each additional Fhallux in the concert(the added power can go directly into accelerating the attack). Note that maintaining a Water Drill attack costs 2 APM, or 1 APM if additional Fhallux are involved in maintaining the attack. PPE Cost: 20 Available OCCs: Fhallux are fairly limited in terms of OCCs by their lack of hands and their physical shape---Limited to Scholars and Vagabond Scouts, or Magic (Magic) Ocean Mages are fairly common among the Fhallux, as are Ocean Druids. Mystics are less common, followed in numbers by Water Warlocks, Ley Line Wizards, Priests, and Shifters. It has been runored that there is even a Fhallux Necromancer, using parts of creatures shipwrecked on the treacherous shoal it calls its home.... RCC Skills/Skills of Note: ALL Fhallux have the following skills: Undersea Navigation: +20%

Underwater Survival:+15% Basic Math Any Two Technical Skills at +10% Any Two Science Skills at +10% Language(s) Dragonese/Elf 98% Three others at +15% Can select an additional 5 skills from the following categories, without any bonuses: Mechanical(Basic Mechanics only), Electronics(Basic Electronics only), Medical, Science, Technical, and Wilderness Combat Skills/Actions/Attacks/Bonuses: Extremely limited by their reliance on psionics and any magic. 6 actions/attacks per melee +1 to Initiative +3 save versus Psionics(plus any attribute bonuses) +5 save versus Magic(plus any attribute bonuses) +6 save versus Horror Factor(plus any attribute bonuses) *Special Move: Water Blast---The Fhallux can use its feeding/digging siphon to expel a powerful blast of water and grit with the force of a firehose. This takes 2 APM(one APM to build up a fluid reserve, and the other to actually fire it) and has a range of 50 ft, and does only 1-2 SDC of damage, but is powerful enough to knock down humanoids(match the Fhalluxs attack roll to strike on a 20-sided dice, or be knocked back 2d4 ft and lose initiative and 1 APM while getting back up), and if fired in their (unprotected) eyes, can even blind, similar to a shot of tear gas(especially if fine grit has been mixed into the water). *Special Move: Tangle-Suck---Conversely, the Fhallux can also use its siphon to PULL IN water and muck. Anyone in the water at the time will find themselves being drawn in towards the creature. Creatures with a Physical Strength of 25 or less will find themselves unable to resist being pulled in/under. The range of this ability is about 15 ft, and the Fhallux can keep pulling for their P.E./4 melees, before having to stop

to rest briefly. While doing this, the Fhallux can take NO other physical actions, but can still attack with any psionic abilities, though it will have only HALF its regular APMs to accomplish this. This ability can ONLY be done in the water(knee-deep or more). Fhallux ambushers especially like to use this ability in swampy ground, by hiding under the water until someone comes wading through the muck nearby, then they pull the target under the water and drown them. *Special Move: Shell Clamp.---If the Fhallux can get close enough, or pull a target close enough, it can snap-shut its shell on a limb, like a leg or arm. The powerful muscles of the shell, combined with the superhard shell and razor-sharp edges, can do 1d4 MD in damage per clamp. Note, however, that if the limb has a weapon already attached to it(like a gun, vibroknife, or cyberweapon), isnt incapacitated by pain, or otherwise disarmed, the victim can attempt to use it and hits AUTOMATICALLY for DOUBLE damage, for being already within the Fhalluxs shell(the downside of taking someones gun arm into your mouth). Cybernetics/Bionics: Not possible; nobody has yet charted the neural paths of the Fhallux, nor pursued any sort of cybernetics research that would be applicable to them. Culture: Reclusive _________________Wynaro (Aka Wind Cats, Bladder Lizards) Breath deep and partake of the wind...draw its strength into you...feel it within you...seek down to contain it, but listen to it...understand it, befriend it....let the wind out, and let it be drawn back into you....Ask a task of it, but do not ask timidly; ask with force and emotion, or else the wind will not understand...Convey the urgency of your request to the wind, and it will be yours to command! ---Tswnee Deseerow, Wynaro Primary School Teacher Think of a cross between an otter and a velociraptor, with the Bagpipe Bellows from Hell on its back....Thats the Wynaro....I had the misfortune once of being cornered on a hill by one of their patrols...Couldnt see them in the underbrush, but I could hear them alright...moaning and screaming and purring aloud, only it was coming from all directions so I couldnt get a fix on them...then all of a sudden all that noise fell into synch and began hitting common chords...

Thats when I saw the shock wave come racing up the hillside, wind making cats paws in the foliage. I had enough common sense to haul ass before it reached my position...the rest of my squad wasnt so lucky...They got bowled over and tossed around so much that the cats had em at their mercy when they came charging up, screaming their battle-dirge.... ----Captain Mann Delilo, Army of Free Quebec I cant think of a race who can make more rude, obnoxious, and suggestive noises, and get away with calling them a language, than the Wynaro. -----Professor Vladimir Forgeseson, Linguist, Lazlo University The Wynaro are another race of aliens who came to Rifts Earth by accident when a small space cruiser of theirs became lost in a dimensional vortex, and ended up crashing on Rifts Earth, near pre-Rifts Worcester, in the old state of Massachusetts. The Wynaro resemble bipedal hybrids of felines and reptiles, with sleek, feline musculatures, a hunched-over posture, long limbs with retractable claws and padded paws, and a long ribbon-like prehensile tail, The head is small and triangular, thick folds of skin and fur around the neck giving the alien an almost neckless appearance, with a small lower jaw and mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. Two long fangs jut from the upper jaw. The eyes are slit-pupiled, slightly protrudant, and glare with predatory menace. Wynaro are covered with very fine scales, with a thick layer of fine, oily fur over that which gives the creature an almost otter-like look. The fur is typically blue-black in color, with a dark-gray underbelly, and white streaks around the eyes. What is truly unique about the Wynaros physical appearance, however, is the long inflatable bladder-crest that runs from the top of the head to the small of the back. At the front, just above the forehead, is a nostril-like openning; it is in fact the Wynaros primary olfactory sensor, complementing the two smaller organs in the traditional position. The bladder-organ serves a wide range of purposes for the alien; fully inflated, the goiter-like organ serves as a display of the Wynaros prowess and emotional state. The Wynaro can also use the bladder as an air reservoir for speech, using air forced out of the organ to produce a multi-tonal howl in complement to the output from its lungs and vocal cords. Another function is to use the bladder to puff clouds of pheromones, signalling the aliens willingness to mate, or to fight. A Wynaro with an injured or diseased bladder-crest is most miserable, crippled without the use of the organ. Wynaro evolved as amphibious predators on their homeworld, and the air bladder originally served as a flotation device....Wynaro retain that ability, being excellent swimmers with their own built-in life preserver. However, the Wynaro also evolved the ability to channel Elemental Magic through their air bladders.

Early Wynaro frequently used their ability to unleash blasts of magical wind to knock down elusive prey. The ability later developed into more benign purposes, such as long range communications, but they still retain the formidable magical arsenal of their past. In combat, Wynaro tend to use their magic abilities to pin an opponent down, or knock them off balance, while the cats close the distance and kill at close range. Likewise, blowing sand, smoke, or abrasive grit into an opponents eyes/sensory organs to blind them while engaging in combat is also a common tactic. Wynaro feel decidedly uncomfortable at high altitudes, not so much from heights, but from lower air pressure, and they suffer from altitude sickness much more than humans, despite their higher lung capacity. As a consequence, few Wynaro pursue careers in aviation or space exploration(part of the reason behind the long delay in their ascension as a spacefaring culture was the need to build aerospace vehicles with the ability to sustain the higher cabin air pressures the Wynaro are most comfortable at). Wynaro are generally most comfortable at sea-level air pressures. While Wynaro are fairly civilized in their pursuit of arts, culture, law, use of technology, and organization, similar to humans, their predator origins are still very much evident. Wynaro feel the need to regularly run wild and free, hunt live prey, and particpate in physical play in a manner similar to Earth weasels or otters, temporarily setting aside the trappings of civilization(such as any clothing) to work off stress. Thus Wynaro daily life will include several short (or one long) frenzy breaks(what humans call the daily freakout) in the course of the day, during which the Wynaro will engage in several minutes of intense physical activity(such as bouncing off walls, swinging on jungle-gyms, and climbing trees or buildings), that are treated as importantly as regular meals. Wynaro communities and communal buildings will have large parklands, forested commons, or spacious rompus rooms set aside for the inhabitants to let off steam and pent-up energy. Meetings between individual Wynaro tend to turn into otter-like wrestling matches and similar playful behavior, though Wynaro tend to segregate themselves by gender in these tangles. The larger female Wynaro do tend to be more confrontational with strange females, with aggressive displays and mock combats that sometimes devolve into true combat, if the females in question are at odds. Other races are also sometimes subjected to this social interaction, and many newcomers to the region, unfamiliar with the Wynaros ways, mistake the seeming assault of the two hundredpound-plus alien carnivores for a hostile action, rather than a friendly greeting, leading to serious misunderstandings....Most Wynaro, and local CoMers have learned to tone down the physical force of greeting, or else get used to a little rough-and-tussle between friends.... Technologically, the Wynaro are on a par with late 21st century Earth, with respect to their space technology. They had the rudiments of megadmage weaponry, but tend to rely on their own natural abilities to get by. Cybernetics and bionics are virtually unknown to the Wynaro culture; they simply havent seen the need to develop those technologies beyond basic prosthetics and medical appliances(though artificial lungs/air bladders have taken precedence in development). The Wynaro had little to contribute in the way of high technology to the PS space

effort; their ship was a fusion powered torch ship that was attempting to use a naturally-ocurring wormhole in their solar system to reach the outer planets when it became caught in a wormhole side-corridor or warp storm(being unfamiliar with such phenomenon, the Wynaro are unable to identify or explain what happened to them in any detail). The exploration ship and its crew of scientists and adventurers emerged in the middle of the Interface and was forced to crashland on Rifts Earth, the landing damaging the torchship beyond reasonable hope of repair. The dimensionally-stranded Wynaro established a small community in the vicinity of pre-Rifts Worcester, Massachusetts, using their superior strength, speed, and magical abilities to secure themselves a small kingdom and carve out a haven in the ruins. Despite their rather menacing appearance and predator origins, the Wynaro didnt bother anyone who didnt give them any trouble first, attacking only in self-defense, and going out of their way to avoid trouble with their new neighbors. Anyone who got too close and gave them trouble was either badly beaten, sent packing, or wiped out entirely. Fortunately, after the first couple of monster hunters got smacked down, and no retaliation was forthcoming against the local communities, the rest of the region lost interest in fighting the Wynaro. However, it wasnt long before some of their braver neighbors came seeking the Wynaros help in defending their villages from the predations of Splugorth Slavers. Desperation forced the local villagers to overcome their normal reticence at the alien appearance of the Wynaro, and several envoys made overtures to the aliens, asking for help in forming an alliance. Though suspicious at first, the Wynaro accepted the proposal, seeing the Splugorth as the greater threat. Together, the combined militias(the notoriously territorial Galedan Republic of the nearby Connectocut Valley was curiously absent from the area) beat off a Slaver foray at the hardfought Battle of the Willimantic Valley, and sent several follow-up retalitory attempts by the Minions packing, a chain of successful military actions that won the respect of the villagers for their alien neighbors, and which also impressed the Wynaro with the courage and bravery of their human allies. This successful alliance helped pave the way for the combined militias and network of villages that would later be incorporated into the GNE as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Wynaro community hasnt expanded greatly in the years since becoming part of the GNE, owing to their slow birth rate...the current population of Wynaro is only slighty more than 5,000 adult individuals. But those four thousand give the CoM and the GNE a solid core of powerful elemental magic users Alignments: Any Lifespan: 120 years Size: Males are generally 5-6 ft tall, while mature females can top 8 ft tall! Gender: Hetereosexual, mammals

Wynaro go into heat only once every two years, then give birth to 1-3 young, who initially suckle from their mother, and reach sexual maturity in 14 years. Physical Attributes: IQ: 3d6 ME: 3d6 MA: 3d6 PS: 3d6 PP: 4d6 PB: 3d6 PE: 4d6 SPD: 4d6 (ISP) By psionic OCC(if any) (PPE): P.E. +1d4x10+ 2d6 per level of experience Hit Points:(in non-MDC worlds) P.E. x2, plus 1d6 per level of experience SDC:(in non-MDC worlds) 2d6x10+10 SDC MDC: Natural MDC creatures; 2d6x10 MDC Horror Factor: 12 Natural Abilities: Swim(+15%) Retractable Claws----Add 1d4 points of damage to hand to hand attacks Exceptional Eyesight---Can see with eagle-like clarity up to 2 miles Exceptional Sense of Smell---Equal to a Dog Boys Psionics: Standard Magic: All Wynaro have the following Warlock spells and abilities: *Understand/Speak Air Elemental(no cost) *Breathe without Air(3)

*Create Mild Wind(4) *Thunder Clap(2) *Distant Voice(5) *Heavy Breathing(5) *Howling Wind(7) *Wind Rush(10) *Sonic Blast(15) Available OCCs: Any Scholar OCC, except CyberDoc. Men at Arms OCCs are limited to Grunt(local GNE ) and Headhunter(replace bionics/cybernetics with two additional Wilderness or W.P. skills of choice) Any Magic or Psychic OCC; Air Warlocks, Shamans, and Mystics are the most common, with Technowizards also fairly common. Cybernetics/Bionics: Wynaro will only consider getting prosthetics for medical reasons, rather than augmentation, which interferes with their natural magical abilities Culture: Cooperative pack hunters, with a fairly tolerant view towards other lifeforms(that dont remind them of food) _________________Trelvi Plant Mimics (Aka Were-Daisies) Click, CLACK! Slam Click! Okay, security engaged! Were locked up until morning. Good night, Mister Chairman! Good night, Vera! (Clomp, clomp, clomp.....)

............. A few minutes of darkness passed....then, quietly, the larged potted plant at the end of the desk perked up, fidgeted a bit, waved a few leaves, fidgeted again, then stealthily crept on its suddenly motile fronds across the room to the computer console, taking great care to avoid the tracks of the motion-detector lasers. Taking a moment to fish something out of the dirt around its roots, the plant just as quietly booted up the computer, passed the small strip of DNA-impregnated plastic and fingerprint matrice over the security scanner, then procceeded to type in a series of convoluted passcodes into the machine... <Omega Access required> Taptaptap <*Control-C*> <Do you wish to quit? y/n > tapatapatapapapapap <Never say die, never quit, never surrender> ........ <Password accepted...Welcome to mainframe> <Initiate privacy shielding....implement Security Program Scarlet Pimpernel 11C> <Shielding enabled> <Access and review past implemented security installations and protocols for intruder defense...detail on perimeter defenses and automated rover systems....download to Drive D...> <Done> <Open Secure Line Ralph...Piggyback to test signal carrier. Address node 5346`2.> <Line open> <Send download at Compression level 14> <Done. Packet dispatched> <Check for trace flags> <No trace flags detected> <Erase phone record> <Phone record erased>

<Implement power usage mask> <Mask implemented> <Wipe Drive D dowload cache> <Cache wiped> <Implement Goobledy-Gook mask> <Goobledy-Gook executed> <Draft interoffice memo> <Memo function opened> <From: Chairmans Office To: Custodial Services Subject: Housekeeping My ficcus plant is looking a little droopy lately. Id like you girls to give it some extra fertilizer and water on your rounds of my office. Ive heard the new EdenGro plant spikes are appropriate for my office plants. Oh, and keep up the good work. Thank You> <Cache and send on resumption of activities. Close Session> <Session closed> As the plant shut down the computer and slid back to its original place, it almost sighed with relief at a job well done.... It took awhile for the Vermont Free State to even realize that they had another alien population, the Trelvi, among them, owing to the fact that the Trelvi are so damn good at NOT being seen. Trelvi are a shy and secretive race of motile plants who, among other talents, have learned plant mimickry. In their normal state, Trelvi resemble a largish mutant Yucca plant, with clusters of sharp-edged leaves, with large pod-like growths branching out between them. Their root system is thick and tubular, with a muscular look....they use these roots to absorb nourishment, excavate nesting, and to walk about. However, a Trelvi can move their various branches and roots via hydraulic action and can move surprisingly fast for plants. A few particularly aggressive Trelvi have even mastered a form of martial arts, being able to slap their hard-edged fronds out with amazing speed and force, like a karate chop! Ironically, Trelvi CAN benefit from such exercises as bodybuilding and gymnastics(ever heard of hanging plants?) to build up

their control and stamina, so it isnt uncommon to see a small thicket out for a morning jog(or running like hell from a pack of dogs with weak bladders), in GNE communities. Telvi favor temperate, damp, climates conducive to plant growth; if caught out in the desert, they must assume a cautus-like form to survive for long durations, and in subarctic conditions, they must be constantly in motion, have some source of heat to keep them unfrozen(an electrical heating coil buried in their roots can do this), or else grow increasingly torpid until warmer temperatures set in. At temperature extremes, however, Trelvi CAN fatally dehydrate or freeze to death, so Trelvi are never found(by choice) in deep desert or in arctic climes. It surprises many observers to learn that the Trelvi are actually quite sophisticated when it comes to technology. Though they are rarely seen using it in the great outdoors, Trelvi have developed some fairly sophisticated technology to help them survive and communicate. They are very familiar with computers and communications systems, and fairly good vehicle pilots(once the controls have been modified), and have developed a wide range of sensory equipment. They are particularly interested in environmental sciences, for monitoring their surroundings. Most Trelvi devices tend to be small and easily concealed, often possessing a sly camouflage covering of their own, the better to allow the Trelvi to hide in plain sight. A notable exception is the Trelvi HoverPot, a large flowerpot- or spitoon-like personal hover vehicle, equipped with a supply of root nutrients, and other amenities, that allows the Trelvi to move about faster and more freely. By and large, Trelvi have a laid-back, live-and-let-live attitude that promotes pacifism and nonaggression over confrontation. The majority of them are also avid people-watchers, intensely curious about the doings of other species. Trelvi really have no concept of a military...the closest word they have for soldier translates roughly as those closest to the path of danger or those who spray repellent....a reference to the border guards of larger Trevli plantations who traditionally kept grazing animals and insects away, and contained any fires that threatened the community. It is not certain how the Trelvi got to Earth, but it is most likely that they hitched a ride with another group of travellers, as they have done elsewhere in the Megaverse, disguising themselves as ordinary plants, then sneaking away when they have the opportunity. For years, the Trelvi dwelt unseen among the other races of the Vermont Free State, often disguised as a normal plants, and moving about only at night, until the combination of a growing meta-talent community, and increasingly aggressive sweeps for enemy infiltrators began turning up Trelvi mimics. Suddenly aware of the consternation and potentially lethal paranoid backlash that the 5ST authorities and populace might unleash on them, the Trelvi wisely quickly gave themselves up and fessed up as to their numbers(several thousand), abilities, and motives. After some initial distrust and verification, the Vermont Free State authorities permitted the Trelvi to continue living in the GNE, but the sentient plants were now expected to register residence, get formal jobs, and pay taxes...the latter of which greatly upset many Trelvi whod been regularly fed by municipal groundskeepers at public expense! Despite these grumblings, however, the majority of Trelvi have settled in

quite well in various jobs as agronomists, librarians, secretaries, and other largely sessile professions. Occasionally, however, Trelvi have been known to skip out of work or avoid cronfrontations with their non-Trelvi superiors by swapping places with a regular plant or by imitating a innocuous, non-sentient, plant when people come looking for them...the so-called Trelvi Dodge. Non-domestic Trelvi are also not above borrowing garden tools and other small items, or tapping public water facets and outside power lines, especially during winter, to make themselves more comfortable while they remain hidden in plain sight disguised as a hedge or shrub. One of the rumors going around the Vermont Free State military community is that of a Trelvi special intelligence operative named Floyd. This individual(or individuals) have reportedly accomplished such espionage coups as infiltrating various Coalition facilities. Whether there is any truth to these tales remains unknown, but soon after stories of Floyd began circulating in the CS, Emperor Prosek reportedly issued a directive forbidding all houseplants in Coalition military facilities. All in all, the peoples of the North East have adapted well to the revelations of vegetable intelligence among them, and the Trelvi have fit in quite well, all things considered, but it should be noted that ONLY the Trelvi in the GNE have been identified and have stepped forward....There is no word on how many more Trelvi are at large in the world and where they might be.....Something to consider when walking through the forest... Alignments: Any, but most are Scrupulous and Principled Lifespan: 140 years Size: roughly 4-6 feet tall, weighing 80 lbs Gender: Hermaphrodites who share pollen every two years, yielding 2-4 fertile seeds, that are raised in fertile soil around a parent. The youngsters are sessile until they reach 3 years old, when they begin to move around. After 6 years, the young Trevli will begin wandering off to seek their own way in the world. Physical Description/Appearance: A largish mutant Yucca plant, with clusters of sharp-edged leaves, with large pod-like growths branching out between them, and thick muscular roots. Disposition/Attitudes: Akin to humans, but far more reticent, restrained, and controlled. Trelvi tend to be far more casual and laid back about things, and dont take matters in a hurry, unless its related to immediate survival. Also tend to be far more unobstrusive than humans, trying not to draw attention to themselves, and downplaying their own accomplishments.

Physical Attributes: IQ: 3d6 ME: 4d6 MA: 3d6 PS: 2d4 PP: 3d6 PB: 3d6(especially when imitating flowers) PE: 4d6 SPD: 1d6 (ISP) 2d4x10 (PPE): 2d4 Hit Points: 5d6 + 2d4 per level of experience SDC: 2d4x10 SDC MDC: None Horror Factor: None Natural Abilities: *Plant Mimic---The Trelvi can instinctively mimic the appearance of any plant they see and can study for 1d4 minutes. The more time the Telvi has to study, the better and more thorough the micmickry. To create a more elaborate disguise, the Trelvi can also mimick any fruits or medicinal/chemical propertoies a particular plant possesses, provided the Trelvi can study/ingest a sample of the plant inquestion. The Trelvi alien then falls into a trance lasting for 1d6 hours, slowly changing their biochemical makeup, and tripling their intake of water and nutrients. Fruiting bodies are more difficult, but the alien can produce mature growths in a third of the time it would normally take, though producing edible growths or narcotic effects is extremely taxing for the being, and the resulting fruits and nuts will have only half the effective nutient value, and taste slightly off or bland. This also allows the alien to convincingly mimic plants such as tobacco, aloe, and poison ivy. Tubers and root crops CANNOT be mimicked, however. Also, extremely alien plants, or those possessing magical qualities, CANNOT be duplicated. Other abilities common to Plant Lifeforms:

*Resistance to Pain---About half as sensitive to pain *Healing Factor----Heals twice as fast as a human would, and can regrow entire limbs and body parts within 2d4x10 days. Only by splitting apart the main trunk can the creature be killed *Invisible to Sensors----Infrared and thermographic sensors just see a plant *Breathe---Can breath through every inch of their skins; as long as a single frond remains above water, or uncovered, they can breath. Also, being plants, gases and toxins effective against animal life forms(like tear gas or sleeping gas) have NO effect on Trelvi. *Enhanced Sense of Smell *Ultrasonic Hearing---2000 ft *Sense Direction---80%+1% per level of experience *Sence Approaching Weather----50%+ 2% per level of experience, 2 mile range *Sense Wind Direction----68%+2% per level of experience *Sense Location of Underground water----40%+2% per level of experience *Sense Vibrations-----Running/walking beings----1,000 ft Flying objects---500 ft Herds, hordes, explosions, earthquakes, giant vehicles--6 miles Disadvantages: *Takes DOUBLE damage from fire and weedkiller(herbicides) *Poor Eyesight---100 ft, unless the Trelvi grows an obvious eye(stalk), in which case, eyesight is human normal. Psionics: Trelvi are natural psychics and possess the following abilities: Danger Sense Automatic Mind Block Mask I.S.P. and Psionics Empathy

Trelvi may also select 1d4 abilities from the categories of Sensitive and Physical *Trelvi save as Master Psychics Magic: By OCC Available OCCs: Trelvi can be any of the following: Operator, Rogue Scholar, Body Fixer, Rogue Scientist, Vagabond Scout, Spy, Smuggler, Wilderness Scout, Mystic, Biomancer(though few Trelvi have discovered this natural magic, and none in North America). Psychic OCC Trelvi are also possible; the most common being Mindmelter and Psi-Ghost (add Soaker if you have Rifter #19). Zappers and PsiAssassins are uncommon, and Bursters are virtually unknown(0.05% chance of occuring) RCC Skills: ALL Trelvi have the skills of: Identify Plants and Fruits(+25%) Wilderness Survival(+20%) Prowl(+15%) Cybernetics/Bionics: None. Trevli CANNOT get cybernetics or bionics. Culture: Nonaggressive, loosely-associated pacifists with a strong reclusive attitude, and voyeuristic tendancies. Trelvi Hoverpot This is a small fuel-cell powered hovervehicle resembling an elaborate spitoon. It allows the normally slow Trelvi to fly about much faster than crawling. The following stats are for a fairly typical, off-the-shelf, Hoverpot. MDC/SDC: Main Body 30 MDC Some Hoverpots will have a raised rim that allows the alien to duck down and get under some limited cover; A.R. 15...while some actually have a clear plastic salad bowl cover that makes the Hoverpot a full suit of EBA! Size: 2-4 ft tall, 1-3 ft in diameter Weight: 40-100 lbs

Speed: Hover stationary to 50 MPH; average altitude of 200 ft Powerplant: Renewable fuel cell with an average life of 1 year. Some Trelvi like to add a solar recharger system as well. Special Features: *Collision Warning System---500 ft *Irrigator----Small water and plant food supply; good for two weeks Weapons Systems: None standard, but many Trelvi like to add a built-in light pulse laser or stunner Market Cost: A standard model Hoverpot, without weaponry and basic MDC costs about 2,000 credits, but deluxe models with more extensive features and luxury detailing can run up to 100,000 credits _________________Galoots Oops...didnt see you down there...I hope that guy wasnt a friend of yours? The Galoots are an only recently introduced race to the societies of the Three Galaxies. Already, they are experiencing some problems owing to their size and biology. The Galoot homeworld, Gallute Prime, is a large, heavy-gravity world enshrouded in heavy, opaque clouds, and a thick, dense atmosphere...visitors to the planet describe walking about on the surface as akin to wading through the shallows of a pond...warm, murky, and under pressure. The planet is rich in life, particularly airborne flora and fauna---aeroplankton---that swim and fly through the thick, humid, atmosphere. Larger lifeforms also fly through the atmosphere, such as fearsome lagloor---orca-like predators that both fly and float via internal gas chambers. The surface is also rife with life, from thick forests and bog-growth that choke Gallute Primes shallow oceans, to anemone-trees that filter the air and crusier-sized galloop-scoop bisonoids that stampede across the cloud-shrouded terrain, filter-scooping the aeroplankton. Galoots are giant humanoids with muscular build, and broad feet to support their massive weight and height against the heavy gravity, though their arms are sufficiently long and muscled so that if they fall down, they can catch themselves and go on all fours, in time to prevent any damage. Because the air on Gallute Prime is so thick with life, Galoots take their nourishment directly from the air, filtering out their food from intaken breath, like terrestrial whales filtering sea water. As their numbers and technology have increased, however, Galootans have learned to farm their atmosphere, diverting air currents over and through prepared forests and pastures to fortify the aeroplankton, then herd the dense

clouds of foostuff to market. Galoots have also learned to cook, smoke, and vaporize various footstuffs for intake, and their modern food industry produces inhaler cans of various dishes(combinations of aeroplankton and nutrient chemicals) for consumption. The thick atmosphere also means that Galoots rely less on their sight for long-range perception of their environment, and more on hearing. Galoots hear with their massive lungs and the layers of flab around their torsos, while reserving their vision for close-up fine manipulation/perception. Galoots also have a fairly good sense of smell, being able to detect dangerous airborne toxins or the presence of food with relative ease. Galoots came into space travel rather late in their technological development, having developed theories of celestial mechanics and circumplanetary navigation by means other than celestial observation. It wasnt until the Galoots began exploration fo their planets mountains that they began to perceive that the atmosphere became thinner and less opaque above them, that they began to realize that there might be more to their universe than just Gallute Prime. Early Galootan efforts to chart the vast new region proved equally primitive, including the use of literal sounding rockets that would explode and produce powerful accoustic events that would allow the Galoots to hear the upper limits of the world. Through considerable trial and error, the Galoots finally built a space program and lofted up out of their planets atmosphere and saw the rest of the universe in its wide open glory. Soon after the Galoots began to explore their solar system, they discovered evidence of life outside the Gallute/Blosno system when they found remains of a mining outpost on a moon of an outer gas giant. After reconstructing as much as they could of the several hundred year-old mining camp, its hardwired communications system, and the abandoned wreckage of several service craft nearby, the Galoot managed to send off an FTL message. Responding to a definite artificial FTL-band signal from a desert system, a Wulfen trader cautiously investigated and soon made contact with the Gallutan civilization. Currently, the Galoots are trying to find a place in galactic society; they have eagerly taken part in a number of conferences with the independent worlds in their galactic region, to make trade treaties and alliances, but their inexperience in dealing with other alien species has resulted in a number of embarassing gaffs and faux-paus, and theyve earned the hatred/suspicion of a major power (the Golgan Republik) for a tragic misunderstanding. Alignments: Any, but most(75%) Galoot are Good or Unprincipled in alignment. Lifespan: 200 years

Size: 2d4x10 ft tall, and weigh 8-12 tons Gender: Heterosexual; female Galoots can be distinguished by thicker thighs and wider pelvises. Physical Description/Appearance: Tall, massive, humanoids, with thin upper arms and legs, flaring to large forearms(that stretch past their knees) and feet, broad shoulders, and barrel-chest with a thick layer of blubber around the middle. The head is miniscule; a cone rising from the shoulders, with six bulbous golden eyes set in a ring halfway up the cone. The pointed top often sports a crown of wirey hairs or antennae-like growths(though many Galoots shave this off). Several orifices are set in a V pattern in the chest, these are the respiratory, ingestion, and oflactory intakes. Galoot skin is leathery, with an avocado-like coloration and texture. Galoot speech is a combination of whale-like wails, hooting, grunts, and whistles. Disposition/Attitudes: Galoots tend to be rather near-sighted and oblivious to the smaller stuff around them...either their hides are too tough for such things to be of consequence to them, or they just cant perceive them as well as other objects in their world. This rather colors the Galootan outlook when interacting with other beings....its not that the Galoots are stupid or deliberately insenstive to others; theyre just more used to dealing with bigger threats and issues in their mindset, so they often inadvertantly trample over smaller people, ignore warning signs, or blunder into trouble because they missed something going on at ankle-level. As such, Galoots may come across as smug and superior in throwing their weight around, or condescendingly cautious around smaller folk, in their worry about accidentally stepping on somebody. Physical Attributes: IQ: 3d6 ME: 3d6 MA: 3d6 PS:1d4x10+15 (Considered Superhuman) PP: 2d6 PB: 2d6 PE: 6d6 SPD: 1d4x10 (ISP):----(by psionic class) (PPE): 2d6

Hit Points:----SDC:--MDC: 2d4x100 Horror Factor: Effectively have a Horror Factor of 12 to anyone shorter than 10 ft tall. Natural Abilities: *Natural Megadamage Beings with Superhuman Strength *Poor Vision----Galoot vision is poor...they can see clearly with any sort of definition only about 100 ft or so...beyond that, its just blurs. Galoot also tend to have a 10 ft wide blind spot directly underneath them where their eyes are blocked by their chests. *Excellent Hearing----Galoots can hear the equivalent of a whisper from 3,000 ft away. They can also hear subsonic and ultrasonic frequencies. similar to a dog. *Enhanced Sense of Smell---Galoot have excellent senses of smell, roughly equivalent to a dogs, though they cannot track persons by smell. They have a form of smell-based weather sense that allows them to predict rain or bad weather with 70% accuracy, and can identify airborne contaminants with 70% accuracy. Psionics: Standard Magic: Galoots have only a superstitious cultural legacy of magic, but do not currently practice it in any way, shape, or form. They generally regard information of magic-using alien societies with either amazed wonder or skepticism. Cybernetics/Bionics: None, aside from the most basic prosthetics Available OCCs: Galoots can be generally any OCC within their own culture, but may have difficulties applyling those skills off Gallute Prime(obviously, a 60-ft humanoid is going to have problems driving a human/Wulfen-sized truck or hoverplatform). Galoots are generally -15% to skill rolls when dealing with more advanced Galactic technologies unless they take two skill choices to specialize in that particular technology. RCC Skills: Technology: Galoot technology is Early Galactic; they have fusion power, but have only just begun to get the hang of contra-gravity technology. They have a working FTL drive of sorts, but they tend to buy their better FTL propulsion systems from others. They do have fairly impressive megadamage materials technology and produce megadamage weaponry(mostly explosives and projectile weaponry). Culture:

GalLute Prime is still divided among several planetary political factions(which are getting to be more like each other as time passes), but the larger powers are representational democracies. _________________"The Manga Mystics"( I got some ideas for this race form Taalismn awhile back so I got to thank him for the help "Thanks man") "This race of Hominoids was discovered with in the last fifty years, just on the outer rim of the Thundercloud galaxy. This race of of Big eyed aliens has been carving a niche out for them self in the three galaxies, since they're being found. The Manga Mystics were stumbled upon by accident when a merchant convoy on route to a new colony got attacked by space pirates.The convoy was damaged heavily and was drifting off course. Hope seemed lost until a strange sound came across the radio. A Manga space station had picked up the convoy on deep space radar, and signaled the convoy. Desperate for help the convoy answered. With in two hours a small fleet of space craft appeared on the horzine. The convoys ships were towed back to one of the space stations for repairs. The convoy members couldn't belive they're eyes, A Mature space age race that used magic in its everyday life along with technology. Despite the very friendly welcome by some of the Manga Mystics, the convoy soon noticed that this race was one that respected life as well as power. They were a race of warriors. T.V's buzzed pictures of live fights, where man flew around a arena throwing magic blast and shooting energy weapons at each other. A race of beings that loved the biggest and the best. The convoy repaired and ready to leave marked the solar System on there Charts and told them they would return with goods to trade and maybe others would start to visit them. The Manga Mystics Despite there warrior nature welcomed them to return with others and new goods to trade." ~ Center scholar. The Manga Mystics is a warrior race that lives life fast and hard. "Live for today you may not be here tomorrow" is they're mantra. With high IQ's, high technology and the knowledge to use magic this race has been proving its self a force to be dealt with. Both the TGE and CCW have been trying to recruit them into they're own folds. The kreeghor see the Manga Mystics as a new solar system to conquer and use as cannon fodder. Although the Kreeghor have yet to make any hostile action toward the Mystics they have tried political means to preswed them to join the TGE. As of yet they have not made any headway. The CCW on the other hand has faired much better. With a new embassy on the Home planet and a space station with in the Manga System they to date stand the best chance of recruiting this free spirted warrior race. The Manga Mystics are a completily Humniod race with one little Difference, thy're eyes are twice the size of a humans. Almost 85% of the race leans toward a man at arms O,.C.C ,but other do become Techno-Wizards or other great inventers. Attributes: I.Q:4d6+1 m.E: 3d6 M.A: 3d6 P.S: 3d6 P.E: 3d6 P.P: 4d6+1 P.B: 4d6+1 S.P.D: 3d6

I.S.P: by psionics only P.P.E: 4d6 M.D.C: Minor MD being P.E. plus 1d6 per level. Natural ability: Wingless flight. Average life span: 120 years Magic: The Manga Mystics are well verised in magic and have learned to use the Wonder energy to they're own needs, but none are born with the ability to use magic they must still be trained in how to weild it. Technology: They are a mature space age, using both Technology and magic to get here. Culture: They are a race of warriors, while open minded an calm they still love to fight, show off and put them-selfs in dangers way.

Hemites-----Xenophobic Hypochondriacs Rebekka Thulson 132, you are found, upon inspection by the Hemitic Public Health Authority, to be in treasonous violation of the Antisepsis Proscription on Alien Species. Namely, possession of an alien botanical, one Gogolian Rosette Rhodedendron, harborer of alien proteins, aromatics, and agricultural parasites! It was a little potted plant! It wasnt even smuggled! It was a cutting from a plant my grandmother gave me! Its been in the family for generations! Enter that into the record as a confession and admission of long-term conspiracy to conceal alien substances. Indict the parents and grandparents as well...weve come across a cell of impures here! But it was a HOUSEPLANT! We never got sick from it! Nobody else ever got sick from it! Im...my family...were INNOCENT! Quit contaminating our air, impure! You are hereby condemned, by your own words and action, of treason to the Hemit people, and sentenced to Quarantine! Guards, take this Sicko out of my sight, delouse her, and seal her away...and burn this damn pesthole to Cleanliness! The Hemites are a Human-variant race with a technologically-advanced civilization, that has in recent centuries begun a tragic spiral into isolation, madness, and xenophobia. Early in their history as a spacefaring civilization, the Hemites had the misfortune of poor timing; two of their closest interstellar neighbor civilizations suffered debilitating plagues soon after the Hemites made contact. Already known as stuffy health-conscious hypochondriacs, the Hemites reacted to the news of the biological crisis afflicting their neighbors with horror; the Hemites immediately enacted extreme quarantine measures against contact with the afflicted worlds. This quarantine soon extended to all other worlds and Hemite citizens travelling abroad. However, even after the plagues passed on the affected worlds, either cured or burned out naturally, the Hemites refused

to lower their quarantine protocols, and, in fact, even saw diplomatic overtures to resume normal trade as an short-sighted attempt to get the Hemites to lower their defenses. Subsequent discovery that one of the plagues was in fact caused by poorly-sanitized HEMITE trade goods brought onplanet turned elections on Hemite Prime into a slaughter of the tolerant liberal parties, and saw the installation of a much more conservative ultra-orthodox party that bolted the doors even more firmly. Tragically, the Hemite tendency towards extreme caution has given birth to a self-reinforcing politico-religious tyranny. What once were commonsense, even understandable, precautions in light of the plagues afflicting their neighbors, have grown into a full-blown species-wide paranoia towards anything even suggesting contamination and perceived impurity. As the current hypochondriac scientific-theocracy has taken hold, the concept of contamination has taken on social and even spiritual connotations, until increasing xenophobia against anything outside the Hemite system has become the rule. Any trade contact with the outside universe is limited to teleconferencing conducted by specially trained merchants who are permanently exiled off-world. Their isolation is enforced by special corps of zealots, the Purity Guards, sealed in environmental power armor and ships, all backed by a system-wide automated defense net of planetary weapons batteries, space mines, orbital weapons platforms, and sensor webs. What few goods are brought in from outsystem are quarantined and scrutinized carefully before ever being released anywhere near the populace. Increasingly, the Hemites have taken to trading in information, rather than material goods, as data is easier to handle and carries few of the connotations of contamination as material goods. The Hemite Antisepsis, a policy of enforcing strict quarantine and health guidelines, and of treating outsiders with the full force of its doctrines, has become the doctrine of the Hemite people. At home, the Hemites have become a people obsessed with health and cleanliness. Their ecology has been re-ordered and almost wiped out as the Hemites have attempted to purge their environment of anything that could conceivably mutate and wipe out the species in a global pandemic. Even then, the Hemite citizenry have taken to avoiding gathering in large groups, increasingly accomplishing their jobs via telecommuting, socializing via virtual reality nets, arranging marriages via complicated rituals including checks of their partners medical records, turning their homes into self-contained hermetic fortresses, and going about with complete medical kits and the training to use them. One upward trend in Hemite society is the adoption of isosuits as standard civilian garb....civilian grade light power armors similar to those used by the military and government agencies, that are effectively mini-mobile homes in which the Hemite can safely move about, safe from the elements and, more importantly, biological contamination. Anyone even suspected of having come in contact with uncleansed foreign substances, contraband, and aliens, is arrested by the security forces of the Hemite Health Authority, and quarantined. Their belongings are confiscated and destroyed by chemical or incendiary means, and the people, more often than not, disappeared from official record. The fate of these unfortunates has varied with time as Hemite paranoia has

grown. Initially suspects were relegated to special quarantine prisons(or leper colonies), watched for all their lives and subjected to humiliating medical study, until they died. Currently, the contaminated or impure are placed in biological cryostasis and exiled to toxicwaste containment facilities or orbital warehouses. The Hemites have since experimented with launching the stasis pods on one-way trips to the outside universe.....effectively a death sentence since most such Hemite exilees, upon finding themselves ejected naked and exposed on an alien world, have died of pure psychological shock, before ever succumbing to alien diseases. However, even this policy has become unpopular, once rumors began of exilees joining up with alien forces to come back and contaminate Hemite society in revenge for their rejection. Subsequently, the Hemite Health Authority is accumulating those incarcerated in bio-stasis in massive orbital stations, but increasingly, suspects are simply killed, their bodies burned and eliminated, by the security services. The Hemite Republic was once a nominal member of the CCW, but their withdrawal into isolation has rendered their presence in the political representation machinery of the CCW virtual in-name only. The Hemites only occasionally voice any opinions, and then by telepresence only. The one issue they do regularly show any interest in is conventions on the restriction of biological weapons, and the one matter they themselves have been pushing in the CCW is a motion to annihilate the entire race of Lurgess plague-carriers(a motion that actually has some support among the more fearful races). Sadly, Hemite concerns about foreign contamination and their own susceptibility to disease have become self-realized prophecies....Where once the Hemites were robust, physically, no more or less susceptible to infection than any other average human Galactic, centuries of isolation and stress have weakened the Hemite physiology, to the point where they ARE now more prone to take ill.....further reinforcing the official government line and common consesus that the Hemite race is in deadly peril. Hemites may live long lives, thanks to their advanced medicine and zealous health care culture, but they tend to spend those extra years fearful and desperate, if not because of their concern for their personal well-being, then because of the anti-septic tyranny ruling them. The deteriorating state of affairs on Hemite Prime has also taken on political dimensions, and more than a few people who have been removed for the public health and safety have been so treated not because of real health concerns, but because of political expediancy. Pure in Body and Mind has become the motto of the ruling party, and they have been enforcing it with Orwellian efficiency. The fact that the ruling party has access to the finest of medical care, and rewards the faithful with access to its miracles, only helps extend their power and influence, and insures that the ruling elite will be doing it for many years to come. Ironically, the earlier generations of Hemites who have been quarantined to cryostasis, are actually MORE resistant to infection than the current purified generation...But rather than rescind their imprisonment and re-introduce that disease resistance into the gene pool, the ultra-orthodox fanatics see the frozen isolatees as a reservoir of infection waiting in orbit over their heads, waiting to be unleashed by

accident or by deliberate malice on the helpless populace. The fanatics are now pushing that any thought of rehabilitation be discarded, and the orbital prisons be vaporized with nuclear fire. Despite the near-total isolation and self-alienation of the Hemites from the rest of the megaverse, and their abandoning of commonsense, their scientific know-how has kept apace, especially in the fields of medicine and weaponry. Hemite medical technology, though often misapplied at home due to ideological concerns, is very advanced in the detection and diagnosis of medical disorders, especially alien pathogens. Smuggled Hemite medical equipment demands a high price on the galactic market, and several corporations have made fortunes reverse-engineering, adapting, and copying Hemite designs, of which their original creators see not one centi-credit of royalties. Hemite weaponry on the other hand, is increasingly more destructive, with an emphasis on sterilizing heat and radiation...some outside observers suspect that the Hemite extremists are developing, behind the screen of their system-defense shields, weaponry capable of sterilizing entire worlds in one strike....Indeed, the Hemite Antisepsis has researched moving on the Lurgess issue themselves, perhaps robot-bombing those systems known to harbor Lurgess population enclaves with anti-matter weaponry. Despite the rabid paranoia and xenophobia prevailing at home, there are Hemites who do NOT subscribe to the overwhelming fear of the outside. Many of those early Hemite exiles who survived the initial shock of being stranded in the unclean outside have adapted very well to living among other species. Several of the incorruptible Purity Guard charged with enforcing the Hemite Antisepsis abroad have been exposed to other cultures and knowledge, and have found fault with the xenophobia of their superiors. Some of these super-soldiers have even defected. However, most(80%) of such exilees and defectors retain a pathological fear of disease and fanatical interest in physical well-being, being obsessed with cleanliness and health, and many refuse to go anywhere without first donning sanitary EBA outfits. Still, with their backgrounds in medical technology and preventative pathology, freelance Hemites can make a good living as planetary scouts, medical technicians, and life support engineers, if they can overcome their engrained fears. The conditions at home continue to deteriorate as madness and paranoia take hold and reap a fearsome toll among the self-absorbed Hemites. Despite advanced medical technology, physical and mental deterioration among the populace is growing, especially with the increasing emphasis by the government on mental and spiritual purity(actually ideological conformity). Perhaps the final irony is that despite the government-sanctioned unification against outside contamination, there are still divisions among the leadership elite of the Antisepsis, for no other reason than lust for power. Some of these factions have hidden secret arsenals of biological weapons, some more horrible than any casual outside plague, as a trump card against their rival factions. Even without knowledge of these secret stockpiles of pathogens, many CCW experts fear that the Hemites willl self-destruct in a matter of a few more centuries....The danger is, that in their collapse, the Hemite Antisepsis may lash out against its neighbors, seeking to cleanse them with hellweapons.

Alignments: Any, but most AntiSepsis agents and Purity Guard are Aberrant or Diabolical Evil. Lifespan: 120 years, courtesy of their advanced medicine Size: 5-6 ft tall Gender: Heterosexual Physical Description/Appearance: Identical to (terrestrial) human beings, but recent generations have become paler, if physically more fit(due to mandatory health regimens). Because physical deformities are seen as unlcean, such are being bred out of the species, leading to a tragically more attractive people and racially-homogenized appearance. Disposition/Attitudes: The average Hemite is obsessed with health and well-being, and pathologically afraid of disease and contamination. Many are paranoid, xenophobic, and watchful of strangers and neighbors for signs of illness or impurity. Physical Attributes: IQ: 3d6 ME: 2d6 MA: 3d6 PS: 3d6+1 PP: 3d6+1 PB: 3d6+2 PE: 3d6 SPD: 3d6 (ISP)---(PPE): 1d6 Hit Points: PE +1d6 per level of experience SDC: 4d6 MDC:-----By Armor Horror Factor: (Not appilicable) Natural Abilities:(Not appilicable)

Penalties: *Susceptibility to Infection---Most(80%) exilee Hemites suffer a -10% to save versus disease due to stress about becoming sick(with later generation home system Hemites suffering -20%, but from genetic damage) *Agoraphobia----80% of Hemites suffer agoraphobia(fear of open spaces) from their lifetime of living inside sealed quarters and protective suits *Affective Disorder----Cleanliness and Sanitation. *Phobia---Germs---For most Hemites(98%) witnessing an ill person or even being near a sneeze causes them to react with a Horror Factor of 14.

Psionics: Psionics have been all but erased from the genepool, so currently only less than 5% of the population ever develop them....However, despite official policy against mutants, the government and the extremely wealthy have cultivated captive populations/bloodlines of psychics, especially those with Healing powers, as government spies, interrogators, or personal physicians. Magic: None; the idea of magically-induced illnesses that cannot be treated with medical technology terrifies the Hemites, and the practice of magic is treated like a dangerous pathogen(i.e. practitioners are imprisoned and/or killed, and magic paraphenalia destroyed) Cybernetics/Bionics: Bio-systems and cybernetic implants are popular among the Hemite populace, especially headjacks and bio-monitors. More radical enhancements and bionics are unknown among the general populace, but some of the elites are little more than bionic life support systems hooked into the planet-wide data net. Merchants and Purity Guards may also acquire bionics or even full bionic conversion. Available OCCs: Any, except wilderness-oriented OCCs. RCC Skills: Pathology(+5%) First Aid(+5%) Allies: None per say, though their rather draconian attitude towards the Lurgess has earned them some support among the more fearful/pathogen-fearing peoples of the Three Galaxies

Enemies: Just about anyone who threatens the Antisepsis. Lurgess are seen as a particular threat, and any vessel even suspected of carrying a Lurgess within five light years of the Hemite home system is targetted for destruction by Purity Guard warships and Sterilizer Drones. The Splugorth might find the massive floating prisons of cryo-frozen exilees a tempting slave buffett to simply come in and snap up, but so far the hassle of acquiring a half-million hypochondriacs isnt worth the effort of blasting through the Hemite system defense net. Culture: Isolationist xenophobes, ruled by a neo-theocratic bureaucratic elite

Hemite Purity Guard The Purity Guard are the personal face of the Antisepsis; fanatical elite super soldiers raised from childhood in antiseptic, sterile surroundings, ruthlessly indoctrinated in the ways and implementation of Purity. The Purity Guards are the elite off-world troops who man the few crewed warships and extrasolar outposts the Hemites allow; they are also the homeworld stormtroopers who respond to reports of infection and act to enforce Quarantine and burn out the hot spot. These front-line soldiers are trained in the use of space weapons, in the skills of spotting contraband, and are well-versed in the recognition of pathogens, toxins, and microbial threats. 40% of all Purity Guards are fanatical, homicidal xenophobic maniacs who would rather kill outsiders than simply run them off. The other 59.9999% are content with sending any intruders running, and would rather the rest of the disease-ridden universe just went away and left the Hemites safely alone....but they would also not hesitate to kill, if their warnings are not heeded. Purity Guards are issued Life Armor, a suit of power armor that acts as both their uniform and their protection. Once they don these suits of armor, most Purity Guards will never remove them. In combat they prefer plasma and radiation weapons, the better to incinerate the bodies of their enemies, and whatever microbes the corpses may harbor. Ironically, despite the massive physical conditioning they recieve, over 50% of the Purity Guards share the same increased susceptibility to disease as the populace back home.....meaning they they have more reason than many to fear disease. Still, a very rare few Purity Guard have come to disagree with their fellows on the matter of zealotry...and a few have learned enough medical theory to become aware of what the Hemite policy is eventually going to cost their people. In the history of the Purity Guard, only a handful have ever defected, leaving the service of the Hemite Antisepsis to join other peoples; these rogues are forever branded as the vilest traitors

to the Hemite people. It is rumored that the thermite suicide implants administered to the Purity Guard did not become standard until it was shown that the Guard indoctrination program was less than 100% successful. _________________Adonia System Hello! Greetings! Welcome aboard the Adonia System DreamFlights Line StarSailer Daydream Weaver! I am Dannaa, and Ill be your Deck Servitor and your first welcome for your cruise to the lovely worlds of the Adonia Star System and the wonders of Adonia Seven. If you need anything...and I do mean ANYTHING....please let me know immediately...we are here to please you! Six hundred years ago, Adonia VII was a lush, magic-rich, Earth-like, and human-colonized world under the tentacle-grip of a Splugorth. The Human population there lived short, brutish, thoroughly miserable lives of abject poverty and unremitting terror in thrall to their inhuman masters. That ended when a wandering Atlantean champion rallied a rebel-cell of the planets most powerful mages in an epic uprising that ousted the Splurgorth and set the planet free. Centuries later, Adonia seems to have made a complete recovery from the days of Splugorth tyranny. The modern Adonians are a carefree, happy, prosperous people living in a Greco-Roman-themed paradise world. The Adonians live long, purposeful, and prosperous lives, the men are fit and handsome, the women beautiful, the children well-behaved. The cities are clean and gleaming with beautiful buildings and statuary reminiscent of Earths Greco-Roman period, the markets filled with bountiful produce and the works of local artisans. Magic has replaced technology for the most part, and what technology has been developed/imported, has been fit seamlessly into the handcrafted artwork of the architecture and furnishings. The government and its elite corps of magically-empowered Defenders keeps the system and its communities safe and crime-free, Travellers and tourists to the Adonia system have found the natives friendly, obliging, and eager to please; local fashions range from casual to nothing at all in the warm weather, and Adonian inhibitions nearly non-existant. The Adonia system has become a favorite tourist getaway for those seeking an alternative to the Paradise Federation worlds, a distinction the Adonians are quick to capitalize on with their distinctive sailship-like magic-propelled spaceliners. Adonian resort communities are known for their sybaritic luxury, lovely scenery, and festive activities, fuelled by the abundance of local delicacies, and the selflessness of their professional staffs. To book a vacation, a honeymoon, or a sabbatical to the Adonia System is to engage in a sknnydip in the pools of Paradise for many, and an experience whose memories theyll cherish forever.

What the casual observer doesnt know, or refuses to acknowledge, is that the Adonia systems society bears a closer resemblance to Platos Republic, with strong overtones of classic Athens---the slave-based Athenian economy. Over seventy percent of the population is effectively enslaved by the remaining thirty percent, the elite magic-users who really control the government. What really happened was this; whatever thoughts of democratic utopias or libertine republics that the original cabal of liberating mages might have had prior to their overthrowing the Splugorth, vanished like a snowflake in a blast-furnace once they were in charge. With their Atlantean allies gone elsewhere pursuing other good deeds, the new heads of state found that they LIKED being in charge, surrounded by the spoils of revolution and the perks of power, and they werent about to give it all up to a down-trodden rabble who couldnt truly appreciate power. They decided to set things up so that they and their descendants would remain in power....after all, hadnt THEY taken all the risks and done all the work? After the few dissident members of the rebel council met their tragic fates as martyrs of the revolution, the new Adonian High Council set about organizing the still disoriented planet of newly-freed slaves into a new society that would bring prosperity to all, but especially to the new ruling elite. Under the new Adonian hierarchy, magic-users are the Citizens, given personal say in the government(right to vote) and the ability to petition the High Council, right to own land and property, access to advanced education(especially magic training), and preferential treatment in the courts. Citizens have feudal dominion over Provinces or Sectors, where they hold power, with the assistance of the Citizen-directed security forces of magically-enhanced and equipped Defenders, and the civil-administrative socio-religious Proctors, over the large lower class of local peasants. The Citizen government keeps the peasantry plied with propoganda reminding them of the terrible past and how bad other people have it outside the Adonia system, arranges constant sport and spectacle to distract, entertain, and impress the lower class, and makes sure the peasants are in good health and well-fed. But the Citizens dictate where the peasantry may go and do, and what they learn, the Citizens own most of the wealth, and the Citizens have the say in the seats of power, the military, and the courts. Of COURSE, the modern Adonian slave-state isnt nearly as bad as that under the Splugorth....nobody gets whipped or eaten, there are no mass-executions, festering slave pits, or dark torture dungeons filled with screaming innocents. The Adonian Mage-Overlords have found more...tasteful...ways of enforcing their will and gaining the same benefits. Mind-altering magics and advanced psychology have replaced whips and hot irons, antiseptic rehabilitation centers and social adjustment spas have replaced prisons and torture cells, and clean, pastoral vocational orientation and relocation residences have taken the place of slave corrals. The people get plenty to eat, health care is free and mandatory, people can own some personal property, and they can appeal to their Citizen representative or Proctor, but at the same time, they are property....most of their belongings are the property of their Citizen owner or land-holder, and they can be traded and

relocated to other provinces/sectors if the need is determined. Licenses and official permissions must be obtained for a wide variety of activities(including marriage and sexual contact), and are subject to review(and possible refusal) by the Citizen government. This plays into another interesting distinction of the Adonian population. Either due to local mutation, or, more likely, continuation of a deliberate Splugorth-initiated eugenics program, a large percentage (45%) of the Adonian populace have a higher than average personal Potential Pyshic Energy (PPE) rating....from 6d6 to 4d6x10 in some cases!....but some quirk of their makeup prevents them from ever being able to access it. They can be coerced to give it up, but they can personally make no use of it(at least, not without some pretty intense training...and the elites are sure not to let any of the peasants anywhere near magic texts and training). These givers actually rank lower on the scale of personal liberties than normal human peasants (or nauras---from nil aura) without the extra PPE....even though the givers recieve more attention from the elites and social institutions in the way of food, housing, medical attention, and special job training. While nauras enjoy some privacy and greater opportunity to acquire personal property, own their own businesses, and settle down relatively unmolested by the law, because of their PPE-reserves, givers can be drafted by the government or Citizens, and in extreme cases, entire families may be broken up and sent to different Citizen Sectors. Of course, some extra compensation may be given in such extreme cases, but not always(especially in times of national crisis). Should, by some happenstance, a giver be found able to manipulate his or her own PPE as in using magic, the Citizens are quick to promote them, channeling them into indoctrination into the Defender corps or processed into being a loyal apprentice or Proctor. The same applies for children of nauras who show higher than average PPE levels, and magic-potential. Thus, there is some upward mobility, but it is closely monitored and controlled, with special attention to maintaining the status quo. But for the givers, for all the extra perks they may get, are essentially PPE-cattle, subtly bred to enforce the high PPE and inability to access traits, and even small communities and special groups are specially trained in certain meditative practices and life-styles to promote the potentials. A naura might go through their entire lives cheerfully working and minding their own(in some cases literally their own) business and not attract the attention of the Citizens, but to be a giver is effectively to be permanently ilegible for the special services draft. The Adonians have discovered ways of obtaining high PPE outputs from human subjects for magic ritual purposes, other than killing them....Instead, the Adonians use electrical, chemical, and magical hyper-stimulation of slaves nervous systems, particularly the pleasure centers, to hype the donors into spasms of high PPE release. The process allows the mages to tap nearly 150%(as opposed to 200% for a deathdonation) of normal PPE leaves the donors alive to give again and again over time. True, the process leaves the poor tap-subject physically weak and mentally dazed, but because it is the PLEASURE-centers of the subject that are being stimulated, the Adonians rationalize that it is far more pleasureable, clean, and morally acceptable than the old alternative. In fact, their special magic drive system that they use to power the great spaceliners that ferry tourists to their worlds are powered by this system; specially raised and trained drive-slaves whose psychic

abilities have been enhanced are stimulated into triggering a hyper-convulsive dimensional jump that is effective, and as a welcome sideeffect, leaves the crew and passengers with a pleasant post-Jump buzz(as opposed to the more typical post FTL-jump hangover). Of course, in the long term, the Adonian practice of PPE harvest by pleasure has the unpleasant effect of taxing and breaking down the minds and bodies of the tap-subjects; in the case of the starliner trade, a young drive-slave can expect to make 10-12 Jumps before ending up a drooling vegetable. The Adonian manner of dealing with these unfortunates varies; most mage-operatives send their burn-outs to retirement farms where they can continue to do some small measure of menial labor, go to stud, and continue to contribute smaller amounts of PPE to the collectors, but another practice considered to be more humanitarian by the warped logic of the Adonian Citizenry is to place the victims in suspended animation by either technological or magical means, and store them away until such a time as science/magery catches up and finds a way to cost-effectively restore and rehabilitate them.....Its much much better than killing them or allowing them to suffer(or wander about in the public eye where they can disturb the rest of the happy peasants), and soothes the consciences of the Citizenry with the belief that theyre not exploiting and abusing the poor peasant-slaves...after all, they havent been abandoned...theyre being held in stasis against future revival into brighter, sunnier, futures. Of course, most of the time the Citizens arent in any real hurry to revive and cure the stiffs, seeing it easier to pay off any dependents and get another slave to tap. The starliner trade, for instance, simply magically petrifies its comatose drive-slaves and dumps them in a crater statuary garden on the farside of one of Adonias moons. Of course, there are other less strenuous ways that the Adonian magic-elite milk the peasantry for PPE---mass public prayer rallies at auspicous astrological conjunctions, giver circles of servents who give a portion of PPE for an employer, or more sophisticated tap jars and tap booths that allow the siphoning off of small amounts of PPE without harm are common. The Adonians even showcase some of these methods....one of the favorite parts of an Adonian starliner trip is a ride aboard their trireme shuttle galleys....powered by racks of athletic galley-slaves beneath the glassite-floored passenger deck!...While the physical exertions of the rowers may provide some electrical power for the softy-glowing ion oars, it is the special PPE-tap headbands and bracers they wear that provide the juice to the real drive system propelling the shuttlecraft! After centuries of indoctrination and brainwashing, however, the average Adonian slave-peasant sees nothing wrong with their lives, and accept their state as normal. They get food, housing, they get purposeful jobs, and if they do well in their duties, they can earn extra privilleges and the right to own more and more personal property and advantages for their children. Most peasants regard the magic-using Citizens as somewhat more than human and some see them as akin to demigods, with the powers of divine authority. Even most givers consider it both their duty and a privilege to be asked to donate PPE to the cause of society. Thanks to the governments information

programs, the peasants are quick to point out that nowhere on Adonia will one find slums, out of work citizens, poverty, or starvation...and furthermore, without the guidance and care of the Citizens protecting Adonia, the planet could backslide into chaos or worse.....it might fall victim to the Splugorth again, and NOBODY wants that to happen ever again.... Needless to say, anyone familiar with Orwell will find the Adonian peasant mindset very familiar.... While many outside governments suspect or know the truth of what really happened on Adonia, and the current state of affairs there, nobody really wants to do, or feels obliged to do, anything about it. The current Adonian regime is stable, the people are well-cared for, and while it may be a slave-society, its a clean one, there are rigorous safety standards, and the Adonians are only enslaving their own. Even the death/burn-out rate from PPE harvest is no worse than any other industrial accident rate. As many politicians , and especially the pro-Adonian lobby in the CCW congress, are quick to point out, there are far worse-run full member worlds of the CCW. So trade continues, tourists still flock to Adonian pleasure-resorts, conniessaurs buy Adonian handicrafts, and luxury goods, and the Adonian Citizens wax wealthy over their herds of nauras and givers. The few outsider dissidents who call for sanctions and other measures against the Adonian government are simply dismissed as intolerant troublemakers, and are largely ignored by the Adonian lobbyists on their way to the Council chambers. Those who persist in causing trouble are handled by the police sicced on them, but its rumored that a few of the more vocal, or troublesome, antagonists of Adonian soveriegnty have been influenced in other ways, or disappeared.... The real darkside is that not all Citizens see themselves as enlightened despots protecting the poor peasants from the outside worlds, or use their magic responsibly. Despite official sanctions against the practice, some Citizens engage in old-fashioned torture to exact PPE, and are guilty of truly heinous abuses of the peasantry, but their excesses have been kept concealed behind the veil of wealth and privilege. More disturbing, many mages from offworld, attracted by the magecracy of Adonia, have come on vacations to participate in rituals and experimental programs unfettered by the laws back home....The Adonia system is rumored to have been infiltrated by a cell of the Black Covens, who have bribed the High Council with pledges of assistance and loyalty. And not all the Citizens and peasants are happy with the status quo....though the Defenders have rooted out peasant rebels before over the centuries, there are still activist cells among the lower class, often working with disaffected members of the upper class. Lately, a rumor has been circulating that the original Atlantean champion who helped oust the original Splugorth occupation has returned and, dissatisfied with what his former acquaintances have wrought on Adonia, has decided the time is ripe for a new revolution!

Systems/Worlds: Adonia System *Adonia I-VI---These are rocky worlds that are primarily used as mineral resource worlds *Adonia VII---Homeworld. A lush, temperate, Earth-like world with a high ambient PPE level(roughly HALF that found on Rifts Earth), Planetary population is roughly 900 million. Moons: 4 Vemay---Pleasure Moon, with exclusive admittance Osray---Pleasure Moon, with exclusive admittance Theray----Retained as a military outpost for the Adonian Self-Defense Forces Ulray---The technical headquarters of the Adonian government-owned spacelines, this is essentially a garage and shipyard, with adjacent administration offices. *Adonia VIII(Celesus)---A gas giant with multiple rings, Adonia VIII/Celesus is also used as another pleasure-system; many of Celesuss eighteen moonlets are home to exclusive private clubs and habitats. Society: Neo-Feudal Technology: Roughly equal to that of pre-Seige Tolkeen, with an emphasis on magic and techno-wizardry. Military: The Adonian military has several war-platforms in orbit and on the Adonian moons. Their space fleet is a collection of second-hand fighters and small craft purchased from mostly the CCW and UWW; about 25% have recieved additional magical modification. Relations With Others: *Consortium of Civilized Worlds The CCW isnt entirely pleased with the borderline-tyranny in Adonia, but with a powerful pro-Adonian commercial lobby in the Consortium, they cant do much about it except deny the Adonians membership and issue advisories to citizens not to do business with Adonia. Of course, without an official blockade in place, theres a fair amount of trade and especially tourism going on. *TransGalactic Empire

As a nominal parter of the CCW, the Adonians are dead-set against the TGE, and have vocally pledged their support of the CCWs policies, vowing that any TGE incursion into Adonian space will ne IMMEDIATELY reported to the CCW. Of course, it helps that the Adonia system is on the other side of CCW space from the nearest TGE border, but for the Adonians, raising the spector of the TGE is a great way to dissuade CCW senators from probng into matters more sensitive to Adonia interests. *United Worlds of Warlock As a magic-user world, the Adonians like to curry the favor of the UWW. Like the CCW, the UWW isnt ENTIRELY happy with the Adonian government, but doesnt find anything glaring wrong with them, so theres a fair amount of trade going on between the two. If the Splugorth were to ever invade Adonia again, the UWW Navy(and likely the CCW) would probably come to the systems rescue...but that might be all the excuse they need to do some serious investigation and intervention.... *Naruni Enterprises The Adonian military has purchased several consignments of weaponry from Naruni....not massive acquisitions, but enough that Naruni cheerfully answers Adonian inquiries, keeps an open account in their name, and occasionally sends an agent around to stir up interest from the Adonian government. Though Adonia represents competition with the worlds of the Naruni-owned Pleasure Foundation, the Naruni have decided to let the matter slide, as long as the Adonians remain in their pocket with every weapons purchase. *Splugorth The Splugorth are hated and feared by the Adonians. The only dealings they will have with their former masters is from the trigger end of a fully-charged death-wand! _________________Zeldorkrei/ Space Demons "Space fairing legends of old, tell of beings that live deep in the space between galaxies. When man, wolven, even the Kreeghor were still young, they were becoming ancient. They were like sea serpents or harpies, anyone that first travelled into the stars would nay be seen again, should they cross these horrors of the void. Ships became bath houses of blood, all Aged well beyond their years, silent and lifeless. Many thought it was space madness, that fell upon these first travellers of the void. Tell they found what must surely have been an ancient

splughorth war ship, from the times when the splughorth had an empire. Most splughorth are paranoid to say the lest, but this one was over the top. His survallince records were almost in perfect condition. The records showed madness in it's purest form. Beings that had long k-9 like legs that were hairless and grey, with long tails almost like a lizard of some sort, Their hunched over posture allowed the beast long arms and razor sharp claws to drag along the ground. Their heads had no eyes ears or even a noise just a long gaping mouth filled with sharp teeth that shot in every direction. As they walked the ship began to age and rust. The ships crew begin to attack them but to no avail. The demons began to come through the ships hull and floors surrounding the crew eating them alive. Not even the ships master was powerful or fast enough to save himself. The monsters over ran him and eat him alive as well. At that moment they Zeldorkrei fact, but as the years pasted and no sign of the monsters ever showed again people forgot about them, the old ship records lost and what was once fact again became legend. But remember this they are real and ever so often one may run across a ship that is aged beyond its years, it's walls stained red with blood and think it Pirates but you'll know better." IQ:2d6 M.E:3d6 M.A:2d6+8 P.S:3d6+10 P.P: 4d6+6 P.E: 3d6+12 P.B:1d4 Spd: 1d10x10+25. P.S. and P.E. are supernatural Horror Factor: Alone 12 in a group of ten or more 16. Alignments: Must be Evil! (N.P.C. Villains) Life span:Unknown M.D.C: P.E. x 10+ 100. (H.p: P.E.x 10 S.d.c 1d4x 100 A.R. of 12) Natural abilities: Despite having no eyes this monster does in fact see, it sees ones aurar and can tell what it is (I.E. Living human,wolven, ect.). They do not need to breath and can survive the vacum of space, Can pass through walls at will, ages any metal surface it touchs by 1d4 x 100 years!(only works on metal) Takes only half damage from energy weapons (Unless its phase tech), Takes triple damage from psionic based attacks! Spell abilities: Cloak of darkness, fear, curse of the world bazaar, plus1d6 spells from levels 1-4. P.P.E:3d12+100 Weakness: Silver does double damage to these monsters, as well as wood. R.C.C: Skills Detect ambush+25%, Xenology +45%, space navigation +35%. Damage: claws does 4d4+P.S. Bite does 2d6x10 M.D. Bonuses: +3 to strike, +4 to parry, + 3 to dodge, +3 to intuitive, +5 vs magic, immune to horror factor, poisions or disease. +2 vs mind control. _________________Karmatorg

The Karmatorg are a loose tribe of full-conversion cyborgs who haunt the fringes of the Central Alliance. Claiming no one world as their home, these cyber-gypsies roam space in their homebuily spacecraft(or AS their homebuilt spacecraft) looking for salvage, work, and occasionally victims to rob and pirate. Because most Karmatorg will never set foot on a planet with proper gravity, they often build themselves fantastic oversized and often bizarrely shaped and configured cyborg bodies better suited to life in the airless gravity-less wastes of space, than any planetary service. Some are little more than brans wired into the controls of spacecraft, with remote control waldoes allowing them to manipulate the world around them. Their extreme dependence on technology, the eccentric and unstandardized quality of same, and their isolation from other biological life often leads many to go insane in particular ways, assuming cold, dispassionate, machine-like personalities, or utterly eccentric and dotty personas . This further alienates them in the eyes of others, and often the Karmatorg are viewed as not living beings, but rogue hardware, or mistaken for renegade robots. Some travellers have even mistaken them for Mechanoids! For much of their history, the various tribes of the Karmatorg have been viewed by the Central Alliance worlds as alternatively annoyances and scourges. Many in the Alliance blame the Karmatorg for the vandalization of their few space assets, as the cyborgs will snap up any space hardware they come across, unless it is clearly marked as somebody elses property. operational, and well-protected(and sometimes even thats not enough), and for piracy, especially on ships carrying high tech parts and bionic parts. Other Karmatorg tribes have become ruthless pirates and cybersnatchers, stripping any cyborg they catch of useful cyberware and leaving what remained to the mercy of space. In recent years, however, in his effort to re-unite the worlds of the Central Alliance, General Noldek has made overtures towards the Karmatorg, recognizing their potential value as allies. His efforts have met with mixed success; many Karmatorg believe that any effort by a central dirtsider government is really a scheme to permanently ground the Karmatorg, and they are very suspicious of Noldeks offers. On the other hand, Karmatorg mercenaries are known to have played a significant role in the Central Alliances defeat of Rynncryyls Splugorth slaver fleet at New Triumph. It is not known how many Karmatorg wander the dark wastes between the scattered worlds of the Central Alliance; government estimates place the number at 50,000 individuals, while other counts place the estimate at anywhere from a third that number to ten times the government figure. Karmatorg typically travel in clans of 4-50 individuals, but occasionally they meet in Convans of several hundred to discuss important matters, negotiate deals, trade, and work on mutually beneficial projects such as stripping a large derelict or mining a cometary nucleus. _________________ Genitals