
    HIWG:

    HIWG Document: #  HD3420  revision 1              Date: 04-01-1993



    From: David Burden               and,     Leighton Piper
          Gushemege Sector Analyst            Gushemege Sector Developer
          47 Middle St                        11 Skeffington Rd.
          Brockham                            PRESTON
          BETCHWORTH                          Lancs, PR1 5UP
          Surrey RH3 7JT                      UK
          UK

    To:   Kevin Parry, HIWG UK
          Clayton Bush, Quadrant 1 Editor
          J Duncan Law-Green, Vland Domain Editor


    AN  OUTLINE OF  THE MINOR  RACES OF  GUSHEMEGE AND  THEIR IMPACT ON THE
    DEVELOPMENT OF THE SECTOR

    Abstract:

         The  impact  of  minor  races  on  the  development and history of
         Gushemege sector is discussed.  The races outlined are: Loesklath,
         Lancia, Smrii,  Tapazmal, Ael Yael,  Hrachddrumm, Traypih, Vapethi
         and the Padansch-Mitloi.

    Gushemege  is a  melting pot  sector. As  well as  the influence of the
    major races ( Vilani, Solomani, Aslan,  and Droyne ) Gushemege has also
    been influenced by the minor aces within and without its borders.

    Statistical analysis  published in AAB2 suggests  the following figures
    for "typical" distribution in the Sector:

     -    2 minor humaniti

     -    20 minor intelligent non-human ( 12 star-faring )
          ( 4% and 2% )

     -    160 non-intelligent races
          ( 30% )

     The races discussed here are:

     -    Loesklath       (humaniti)

     -    Lancia          (humaniti)

     -    Smrii           (star faring - non Gush)

     -    Tapazmal        (star faring - non Gush)

     -    Ael Yael        (non star faring - non Gush)

     -    Hhrachddrumm    (non star faring)

     -    Vapeth          (star faring)

     -    Traypih         (non star faring semi-intelligent)

     -    Padansch-Mitloi (non star faring)

     -    Edlun           (non star faring)

     -    Giiguuglum      (star faring)


    LOESKLATH

    An aggressive and warlike race of  humaniti that was based in subsector
    M. It gained the Jump drive from a Vilani client about - 5700 and began
    a fierce campaign in  Gush M, and occasionally Reft P  and Ilelish A to
    establish  its own  sphere of  influence, exploiting  the Jump-1 mains.
    Amongst other races raided were the Tapazmal of Dlaekan (Reft 3134). At
    thier  height  the  Loesklath  Empire  embraced  most  of  Gush  M. The
    Loesklath  Empire was  typically of  TL9 at  its core,  and TL8  at its
    fringes.

    About -4300 the Vilani destroyed  the Loesklath Empire and absorbed the
    civilisation  into the  mainstream of  Vilani culture  after a long and
    drawn out violent struggle.

    LANCIA

    The  LANCIA  culture  has  its  roots  in  the  Lancia, a minor race of
    humaniti seeded  in Subsector D  by the Ancients.  It was conquered  by
    Vland during the consolidation wars (-5400 - -4000). Lancian resurgence
    during  the  first  century  of  the  Third  Imperium  lead to it being
    brutally ravaged  by Vland and being  resettled by Makhidkarun. Lancian
    culture consisted  of more than  one race (mostly  humaniti), including
    one  that  was  war  like,  acting  as  the  Lancian  mercenaries,  and
    responsible for the Smrii wars.

    SMRII

    The  Smrii are  a race  of reptilian  hexapeds from Mimu (Dagudashshaag
    0208 ). Through generation ships they  had by -9000 settled 3009, 3110,
    3208,  and   3212.  3110  was   later  devastated  during   the  Vilani
    Pacification Campaign and resettled by Makhidkarun. They are experts in
    neurotechnology.

    TAPAZMAL

    An  artisic,  peaceful  and  hard  working  minor  human race native to
    Dlaekan/Moibin (Reft  3134). Dlaekan is  a hot world,  and the Tapazmal
    lived  on the  mountain slopes.  They have  a low  birth rate which has
    limited their full  impact on Imperium space. They  are a conservative,
    unaggressive, and mystical people, their  roles in society are strictly
    defined.  Individuals  defy  the  old  standards  at  substantial risk,
    nonetheless they are hard working and at peace.

    Interstellar contact was made in -4700 with the Loesklath. Vilani power
    was  asserted  around  -4300,  and  offers  of  technological  aid  and
    protection  were   greatfully  accepted.  The   result  though  was   a
    submergence of Tapazmal in the  Vilani Way. Under Solomani tutelege the
    Tapazmal were given colonies in 6 Reft worlds, and Choltonrul (0136).

    AEL YAEL

    The Ael  Yael are an  avian/reptilian race from  Jaeyelya (M/0437) They
    are an  artistic and sympathetic  race eager to  learn modern technolgy
    from the Imperium.  However they are distrustful of  business. They can
    be found on many small/dense atmosphere worlds in the region.

    Recently Strephon has recruited a number of Ael Yael as special assault
    troops in his campaign to liberate worlds from Dulinor and Lucan. These
    troops are dropped  into target areas in advance  of main forces, their
    usual  objective to  knock out  key strategic  targets: communications,
    transport, and munition centres, etc.

    HHRACHDDRUMM

    The  Hhrachddrumm are  a non-human  minor race  from Gelhhach (A/0810).
    They  exhibit unusual  three-fold  symmetry - three limbs,  three eyes,
    three sexes, a triplex nucleic acid, etc.

    The race were only first discovered  by solomani explorers near the end
    of the  Rule of Man.  Contact was irregular  at this juncture  with the
    solomani scouts mounting a monitoring  operation of the culture. During
    the Long Night the Hhrachddrumm were forgotten. To the Hhrachddrumm the
    humans were only the vaguest of memories over the intervening centuries
    before contact was reeastablished by Sylean scouts.

    At the time of first contact the Hhrachddrumm were principly a pastoral
    society,  dispersed over  Gelhhach in  agrarian communities  at a  tech
    level of 1. On rediscovery  the Hhrachddrumm had elevated themselves to
    tech level 4. The Hrachddrumm are  rarely found off their own world and
    have  contributed  little  in  a  direct  manner  to the development of
    Gushemege.  But Gelhhach  is an  agricultural exporter  and thus  is an
    important link in the well-being of the average citizen of the sector.

    VAPETHI

    The  Vapethi  are  an  intelligent  star  faring  aliens  originating on
    Imapiirn  (F/0723).  They  are  only  a  metre  tall  will  pale green
    complexions.  They  are  as  alien  to  humaniti  as  it is possible to
    envisage. Although they have a roughly similar biochemistry to humaniti
    the  major physiological  preoccupation of  the Vapethi  is the need to
    conserve water. The Vapethi have an internal stalk-like skeleton around
    which a  series of muscles  are attached like  spokes on a  wheel. This
    muscles  are separated  by bands  of muscles  set in  concentric rings.
    These muscles  allow the Vapethi  to alter the  general shape of  their
    bodies to  suit the prevailing environmental  conditions. In controlled
    environments  their  bodies  tend  to  be  shapeless  blobs.  The limbs
    (anywhere  between  two  and  six)  are  contractile  with  a core of a
    cartilage like substance. They end in two-way prehensile digits.

    Discovered  early  on  in  the  vilani  explorations  of Gushemege, the
    Vapethi had already  surveyed their own system and  had begun to branch
    out  to  explore  the  neighbouring   stars.  The  vilani  first  noted
    intelligent  life  in  the  system  when   a  scout  ship  ran  into  a
    sophisticated unmanned  probe. Observations of the  Vapethi indicated a
    thriving tech level 8 culture.

    The  vapethi  were  instrumental  in  the  removal  of  the vilani from
    Inapiirn  when   the  solomani  advanced   on  Vland  during   the  Nth
    Interstellar War. The vilani withheld their technology from the vapethi
    who resented this action and thus  sowed the seeds of the later vapethi
    rebellion. With  the rise of  the solomani the  vapethi could be  found
    wandering the  border of Verge,  Gushemege and Ilelish  exploring space
    out of pure curiosity.

    The current scene shows increased tensions within the vapethi colonised
    worlds  of  the  Inapiirn  cluster  with  The  subsector Duke of Balech
    attempting  to  annexe  the  region.  Feeling  betrayed  by the central
    Gushemege government the vapethi are  beginning to arm themselves in an
    attempt to forestall  the Duke's excesses. The vapethi  councils are in
    favour  of   siding  with  Dulinor  who   has  guaranteed  the  vapethi
    independence/indentity.

    TRAYPIH

    The world of Divkar (Rure 1518)  is the home of the amphibious Traypih.
    A race  of  squid-like  sophonts  who   dwell  in  the  large,  shallow
    lagoon-like seas of  Divkar, thriving in the warm  upper layers and the
    abundant mud flats.  The Traypih are in the  process of developing full
    intelligence and  are thus under  the intense and  watchful eye of  the
    IISS.

    The Traypih are approximatelly three metres long when fully mature with
    a cluster of short tentacles at the  anterior end. One of the tentacles
    is a highly developed sensor  cluster containing the Traypih equivalent
    of  eyes, nose  and tongue.  There  are  a series  of pressure  sensors
    present on  the flanks of the  Traypih which are capable  of picking up
    the  slightest  changes  in  water  displacement  brought  about by the
    slightest of movements.

    Parallels  have been  drawn with  the Githiaskio  of Githiaski  (Dartho
    0806, on the edge of the Lesser Rift).

    PADANSCH-MITLOI

    The Padansch-Mitloi (the nearest equivalent in galanglic) are native to
    the world of Pex'scheen, in the Phoenaeg system (Vipach 0338). They are
    a race of huge eight-legged herbivores; they are three metres long, are
    two and a half metres at  the shoulder, massing some ten metric tonnes.
    There is some evidence that there has been some artificial modification
    of the Padansch-Mitloi genetic material. It  is not known by who's hand
    this  change  originates  but  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the
    recognised main  world of the system, Phoenaeg, is home to  Droyne, the
    accepted descendents of the Ancients.

    EDLUN

    Mulanje (2306) is  the home of the Edlun,  non-human sophonts, decended
    from hunting  stock, who developed  sentience about 150,000  years ago.
    The Edlun are large spindly creatures that have been likened to a cross
    between  a terran  stick-insect and  a vilani  valushi (a  long slender
    reptile).  Individuals reach  up to  four metres  in height, with limbs
    extended. The  limbs (eight in total)  extend up to two  metres and are
    situated around the centre of the body, just below a sensory cluster.

    The Edlun share Mulanje with Chirpers who make up three-quarters of the
    sophont  population  of  the  world.  The  Edlun  are  in  decline, the
    population has falling by 90% in the last 200 years, now numbering only
    about three thousand now. Efforts to aid the recovery of the Edlun have
    been hampered by the number of fierce skirmeshes by Ilelish, Strephon's
    and Lucan's forces.  Part of the plan has been  to transport some Edlun
    to other worlds.

    GIIGUUGLUM

    The Giiguuglum are probably, to humaniti's  eyes, one of the most alien
    of sophonts in known space. They  are a sedentary fungal species native
    to  the  world  of  Seaport   (2216).  All  communication  between  the
    Giiguuglum is of  a biochemical nature through the  use of spores. They
    have no  sense of taste, touch  or hearing and thus  contact with other
    races has proven difficult to say the least. In addition to the spores,
    communication  is  achieved  through  direct  body-to-body  contact via
    physical cell  cross-linking where biochemical 'data  packs' are passed
    between  each  other.  The  Giiguuglum  have  consequently developed an
    advanced  biochemical  technology  where  they  are  able to coax other
    lifeforms,  especialy plants  and other   fungi to  grow as  they wish,
    whether  for food  or to  form complex  structures which  are used  the
    Giiguuglum equivalent of housing, etc.
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