Species Template: Terabians
by Chuck Durfee
Attributes
Fitness 2 [5]
Coordination 2 [5]
Intellect 2 [5]
Presence 3 [6]
Perception +1
Psi 1 [5]
Focus -1
Skills
Artistic Expression (Any Specialty) 1 (2) OR
Social Science (Any Specialty) 1 (2)
Culture (Terabian) 1 (2)
History (Terabian) 2 (3)
Language, Terabian 2
Persuasion (Any Specialty) 1 (2)
Receptive Empathy 1
World Knowledge (Terabia) 1 (2)
Typical Advantages/Disadvantages
Sense of Magnetism (+1); Minor Phobia (Psychic phenomena) (-2)
Terabians
Terabians are very human-like in appearance, though they do tend to have darker features
and a pronounced brow ridge, much like the peoples of Earth's Middle East. Due to a
powerful magnetic field on Terabia, they have evolved a strong sense of electromagnetic
fields. By using this information and body language clues, a Terabian can obtain an
accurate impression of a person's emotional state.
Terabia is a lush forest world, and offered the proto-Terabians lots of opportunities to develop a technology. Terabia possess a strong magnetic field, and the creatures of Terabia have learned to use it to navigate in the dense forest undergrowth. Eventually, hunters learned to use the active magnetic fields of their prey against them. The proto-Terabian were one such species. Feeding on small mammalian creatures which scurried through the trees, the Terabians migrated from the canopy to the ground much as humans did. Terabians did not discover writing until meeting the Betazoids. They have always relied upon a strong oral tradition, and can recite thousands of stories from memory. Their storytelling abilities have earned them renown throughout the Federation.
Later in the exchanges, the Terabians learned of the psychic abilities of the Betazoids. Terabians guard their emotions carefully, due to their electromagnetic sense, and the Betazoid ability to pierce their veil caused seeds of mistrust to form. Terabian legends are filled with mind robbers, psychic rapers, and other foul uses of telepathy and such. One particularly paranoid leader, Kriger Malchek, saw an opportunity and took possession of several nation-states on Betazed, interring their inhabitants and performing gruesome experiments on the Betazoid prisoners. The Betazoids were not prepared for war, and ultimately fell to the Terabians. Today, she is often mentioned in the same breath as Hitler or Mordan.
The occupation continued until a captured Betazed mystic, Derala
Tam, came to meet with Malchek. Through a deep bonding with the Betazed empath, Malchek
came to understand the Betazoid way. It is said that Malchek wept for weeks, and die a few
months later of a broken heart. Hostilities continued for a few years, but Malchek's
repentance secured a lasting peace.
Terabian Characters
Terabians men tend to have softer-sounding, 'feminine' names than females, often leading
Federation Standard speakers to come to wrong conclusions about a Terabian's gender from
his or her name. Terabians tend to be rationalists, but not necessarily scientists. Their
oral traditions are full of non-scientific explanations for phenomenon in their world, and
to a Terabian, a good story is worth more than a scientific theory. Therefore, Terabian
sciences are less advanced than many member worlds, but their culture is more diverse and
rich in return.
Terabians have a alternating patriarchal/matriarchal culture,
ensuring balance in the long run. This came about as the result of a successive pair of
rulers in Terabia's past, Queen Donkon and King Aritricia. The couple each alternated
running the Monarchy of Kotesha (a political body comparable to the Roman Empire on
Earth), and their political system became the model for all future Terabian governments.
Another pillar of Terabian culture that Donkon and Aritricia introduced was the idea of
debate to settle legal disputes. Interestingly, there is a lot of common ground between
the Terabians and the Betazoids. Some Federation scholars believe that the two races had
contact predating historical records, or perhaps the same stock was placed on both worlds
by the Preservers. An example of this is the tagi, a Terabian folding stick weapon
reminiscent of the Betazoid akai. Both races have improved their martial arts from
comparison with the other, forming a martial art which is strong enough to compete with
those of more martial cultures like the Klingons or Humans. Both arts rely on anticipating
their opponent's next move, requiring some degree of psychic power at highest levels.
Terabian Accomplishments
Terabians have a way of making history come alive, an ability which has served them well
in the Federation. They have become some of the most renowned archaeologists, historians,
and sociologists in the Federation. Their culture has also produced stunning paintings,
sculptures, and poems which are almost universal in appeal.
Historical Figures
King Donkon and Queen Aritricia are well known, as is Malchek. Embo, the legendary first
storyteller, is a semi-divine figure amongst the Terabians, including "Finding
Fire" and "Water Splits the Rock", which concerns a very early tribeswoman
who saves her family's lives by being the first captive to split a troublesome boulder
before the invention of viable tools. She pours half her water ration on a huge boulder
once a day for a lifetime. The boulder splits in two on her dying day.
Potori Ejhant is an artisan whose works are as provoking and diverse
as the Humans Michaelangelo and Da Vinci, or the Tellarite Gnakana.
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