Fatar

Fatar
Leader	Vaska of the Trena Tribe
System	Vosan
Homeworld	Vosai III
Capital	Welteri
Allies	Unknown
Enemies	Shen, Nath-el, almost everyone

Morphology and Physiology

The Fatar are able to shapeshift and take on the appearance of other lifeforms. The method and extent of this ability is unknown. In their native form, they are tall and slender bipeds, with a stubby ridged tail, eyes set wide in a face with a small snout, and a collection of cords of flesh that come off their upper body on one side, circle around the back, and reattach on the other side.

They are a live birth race with a long gestation period of 2-3 years depending on environmental conditions, diet, and stress on the mother. A female can only have children once in her life, but they almost always give birth to twins. They live about 200 standard years, reaching maturity around 45.

History

The Fatar first reached spaceflight about 90,000 B.E.

Long ago, about 17,000 B.E. the Fatar infiltrated Shen society and used their shapeshifting abilities to acquire high ranking positions in the government and military. The discovery of this fact lead to the Changeling War where the Shen purged countless individuals trying to weed out the Fatar infiltrators. Since then the Shen have made many attempts to wipe of the Fatar unsuccessfully, thanks to their unique ability.

In 2078 B.E., the Fatar conquered and enslaved the Oteel, evolutionary cousins of the Nath-el.

Culture

The Fatar are a matriarchal society, whose leader bears the title of Ascendant. They are a limited meritocracy who places a great deal of importance on information gathering. The Fatar believe that information is power, and are the pre-eminent spies in Starmourn due to their shapeshifting ability.

They are hated and despised by nearly all other races, and they return that hatred. They maintain no alliances other than the master-slave relationship they have with the Oteel.

They are a tribal society whose tribes seek to dominate other tribes through political maneuvering - open warfare hasn't been seen between Fatar in thousands of years. In this way, weak tribes become subjugated by stronger ones to whom they pay tribute, and perhaps eventually into which they are assimilated. This often leads to the formation of alliances between subordinate tribes to overthrow a dominant tribe. However, over the centuries five major tribes have risen above all others and leadership is effectively contested only among them.

The Fatar are not generally religious, but there is a sect - the Desmognat - that still worships an ancient Fatar god called Desmo. As Desmo is a male god and this is a matriarchal society, those who are part of the Desmognat are considered freaks and outcasts.

The Fatar of the Desmognat believe that Desmo emerged from the primordial waters of their oceans, devouring all vegetation in his path. Followers are led to live underwater as much as possible, live a strictly vegan lifestyle, and partake in hedonistic sexual rituals meant to restore the primal selves they believe modern Fatar society suppresses.