|
|
|
|
The KeelanFelis keelani |
The Keelan are a race of cat provolves (apparently originaly from the Utopia Sphere) that that developed in isolation with the loss of wormhole links following the Version War. They would seem to cover a fair expanse of space expanding outwards from Pismis 5 to the Outer Volumes (Vela Sector). Left to themselves they would have been simply a few more of the millions of clades and races. But in the decades leading up to the war they were visited by a team of Dominion agents seeking allies in subverting the SecFed Standard (which the Keelan were never happy about), who in exchange for alliance offered them nanotemplates, assemblers, and knowhow to construct amat-fusion ships (GUT drive required picotech AIs and neutronium, neither of which they did not have the means to produce). During the War they seem to have kept a low profile, although they annexed a few nearby and poorly defended systems. More through isolation and good luck than anything else, they avoided the NoCoZo mercenary fleets, who in case were more interested in plundering less defended Dominion and Negentropist worlds. While the galaxy was tearing itself to bits, the Keelan quietly built up their industrial base, and eventually began expanding outwards.
As they expanded via relativistic ships they cladized, as isolated colonies evolved into distinct species. For the most part they are not a warlike race, and in the post-comemp period acquired that GUT-drive and reactionless drive vessels, via lease- and trade relationships with nearby NoCoZo worlds and corporations. Their love of trade is perhaps due to NoCoZo memetic subversion, although the Keelan themselves deny that.
With the rise of the Empledokcetics, the Keelan were among the first empires to embrace their culture and technology, although there are also Keelan clades that are wary of the Dokcetics, feeling that they will corrupt the Keelan way (although in the ComEmp period the same was said about the NoCoZo traders)
A fully grown adult Keelan stands roughly 1.5 metres high and can weight anywhere from 60-80- kg. They have a typically cat-like body but instead of their baseline counterpart they stand erect. Also they possess very quick reflexes, and a high physical prowess. They can run very rapidly, but only over short distances, where they can run almost twice as fast as any other being. Their eyes are well adapted to see in dim or total darkness and have the unique ability to see at microscopic level.
Their fur is mainly sandy or tawny in shade, with many different variations. The male has a mane, which is usually a combination of two colors indicating a family crest. The male's mane runs around the back of his head, along the neck and shoulders and down both arms. Their tails usually exceed half the length of their body and is thick and bushy and the same color as their body.
Their hands and feet are similar in shape and size as a human except that their fingers are much shorter. They retain short and stubby claws that can be retracted into the fingers and toes, which is often used in close combat.
The whiskers around the nose are very sensitive, not only to touch, but also to small air vibrations and temperature changes. This has the advantage of detecting moment and body heat during total darkness. The same as their hearing, which is very acute and is sensitive at higher sound frequencies, above the normal human range.
With general bioaugmentation the average Keelan nowadays has a life span of 400 years.
The Keelans are a proud race and are a very family oriented society as most of their world is run by families, from planetary government to business, to their home defense military. The Keelan name for a pride is AMS^SORN. Usually an ams^sorn consists of about 22- 29 adults and from anywhere from 50-80 kittens. The nucleus of the family consists of two leaders, usually the oldest grandparents alive. The family has brothers sisters and cousins within them, and most of them old enough work in the family business. If one family is a trade merchant, the whole family will be working within it. The same goes for any part in the society of the Keelan.
The Keelan society is divided into four castes consisted of:
Most males are nomadic and will never stay in one place for very long. Females tend to be of a resident type and often never leave the family home. It is found that most females are highly placed in the family business and often run it as the males are often placed as representatives to that particular business, as they are nomadic types. Most females will be educating the young. In most cases several families will combine into one, usually through marriage.
All schooling is done within the family, or in the caste in general, as Caste Members will never leave their own caste and join another. Once born into a caste a Keelan will always be of that Caste. Each family has its own council, in which they decide which way the family as a whole is run and also the business. Usually the head of the family is the head councillor.
As the Keelan are a very family oriented society their whole psychology revolves around it. They will go to great lengths to protect their family, or their whole planet and species for that matter. As part of their psychological approach to the family, if one or many of their family or someone within that structure is killed or dying they will mourn for them for a much longer period than humans do. This is because all Keelans are a closely knitted society. Most often they will share their emotions with one another in the strangest ways.
All Keelans have a great distinct fear of large bodies of water and will go to great lengths to avoid it, although there are several drugs and psychological cures for it, but this is mainly used in the military and is not commonly used in the domestic side.
Many Keelan built cities and colonies are built kilometers away from any large body of water, like lakes and the sea.
The language of the Keelan race is one of the strangest and most versatile languages known. The standard Keelan language date back several thousand years to at least the ComEmp period, if not before. At this time, the great GOBA KEKE, the Keelans most noted historical leader at the time had succeeded in gaining political power by force, over the whole planet. Goober EKE spoke a strange language which was passed down through the generations of his successors within his royal family. Most of the Reworhod speak in this form known as VE-GOBA, which translate as "senior", It is the Native Reworhod Caste Language. Ve-goba is a difficult language to master as it is made mostly of noises and gestures. Nowadays most of the ve-goba language is spoken in clan meetings between the most senior Keelans of the Caste.
HY-GOBA is the second type and is spoken by the Other Keelan Castes and is the street language and is the most common language, used in everyday doings. It is also a strange language, made up of spoken phrases and a combination of gestures and noises, but it is an easy one to learn as the first terran contacts had little trouble speaking it.
There are approximately 1800 different written characters in HY-GOBA and it is the only official written form of the Keelans, as VE-GOBA is never used as a written language and is not easy to write and it can't be written only spoken, to learn HY-GOBA, it must be taught manually.
Keelan Society is made up of 4 different castes, with no formal head of state. Their society and political structure is very complex, as all 4 castes seem to run their entirely own culture.
There is a complex system of communications between the 4 castes, in which they seem to establish as a common ground for must directions on the scale of running their culture.
Most of their political structure begins at the family level and most of the oldest and the heads of each family or clan have a seat and a vote on the great council. So in a sense everyone in their society has a say in the running of their homeworld, which starts at the family council. The family council consists of all members of the family including cousins and uncles etc. over the age of eighteen. Each member of the family council has one vote. Each individual has a place in the structure and the function of the government.
