Mrrew
Monstercat
(Image source: Tinypic (Can't find a source more then that))
Name: Maour (Plural: Maours)
Designation: Sentient
Classification: Mamallian
Breathes:[SIZE=11.8181819915771px] Type I, Type II[/SIZE]
Races: Brar, Vota
Average height of adults: 2.1 meters (Female), 2.4 meters (Male)
Skin color: Black (Brar), Dark grey (Vota)
Hair color: Various shades of brown, occasionally black (Brar), White (Vota)
Eye color: Red (Brar), Black (Vota)
Average Lifespan: [SIZE=11.8181819915771px]60-75 years[/SIZE]
Distinctions: Very large, thick furred, bear-like sentients
Homeworld: Barafka
Diet:[SIZE=11.8181819915771px] Omnivorious, they will eat just about anything they can find, but have a special love for meat. No known common foods poison them, except fungis, which cause intestenal issues[/SIZE]
Language: Purg
Communication:[SIZE=11.8181819915771px] Speech[/SIZE]
Estimated Population: [SIZE=11.8181819915771px]5 million, on Barafka only[/SIZE][SIZE=11.8181819915771px].[/SIZE]
Strengths:
[SIZE=11.8181819915771px]Strong as a Wooki- I mean Maor... - Maours are known for their amazing strength, rivaling that of a Wookiee in it's prime.[/SIZE]
Super lung! - Maours have an extra set of lungs, used for filtering toxins and ash from the air.
Bloodhound - Maours have a amazing sense of smell, as well as above decent sense of hearing.
Wolverine - Maours have long and extremely sharp claws, perfect for gutting you.
Human tank - Maours have dense muscle tissue, making them all that much stronger, as well as more durable.
I can see you! (Brar) - Brar Maours have extremely sensitive eyes, with nearly perfect night vision, adapted to live in the deep caves they call home.
Weaknesses:
Big and bulky - Maours are much larger then the average sentient, meaning it is harder for them to manuver.
Bright light! (Brar) - Brar Maours eyes are extremely sensitive to bright light, due to their homes of deep caves. Even the light of daytime can give them major headaches, a flashbang? They'd be blind for hours.
It's a monster! - Maours often seem frightening to the average sapient, meaning it's often hard for them to adapt into the greater galaxy...
Is it hot in here, or is it just me? - With a blubber layer and an extremely thick pelt, Maours can easily overheat in warm enviroments.
Ow! My head! - Loud noises, bright lights, or overpowering smells are known to overhwelm a Maour, due to their enhanced senses.
Too many people.... - Used to solitary lifestyles, Maours are almost always horrible in social settings.
Biology and Appearance
A species of massive bear-like creatures with thick fur and a daunting appearance, often seen as monstrous, Maours are little-known to the galaxy, typically staying on their home planet. Those who are familiar with the species describe them as a vicious and violent but resourceful people, dangerous to annoy, but extremely helpful if they're on your side.
Physiology
The Maour are a humanoid species, standing on average six to seven feet. Like the typical humanoid, they have two arms, ending with two hands that each sported three fingers and an oppasable thumb. Each finger is tipped with a long powerful claw, known to be sharp enough to shred flesh and tear cartilage. They each have two powerful legs, strong enough to carry their considerable weight at running speeds, ending with large padded feet, with shorter blunter claws used for traction. Their heads feature two eyes, red and sensitive in the case of the cave-dwelling Brar, two small sensitive ears, an extremely powerful nose, and a short muzzle filled with sharp fangs. The jaws of a Maour are extremely powerful, known to be able to shatter bone easily with a good bite.
The most obvious feature of the Maours are their extremely thick coat of fur; which, combined with a layer of blubber, helps to keep them warm on the frozen planet of Barafka. Color of the fur depends on race; Brar, the most common of the two races that make up about 90% of the species, typically boast thick pelts of fur, in various shades of brown; though, black or dark grey Maours are not unheard of., and have a thinner blubber layer. The less common surface dwelling Vota typically have an even thicker white pelt, to blend in with the snow of the ice fields of Barafka, combined with a thicker blubber layer. Though, this comes with a downside; they are prone to overheat in warmer enviroments. THough, if in warm enviroments for a prolonged period of time, many Maours are known to shed their blubber layer.
In order to cope with the volcanic ash and gasses that plague the cave systems where the Brar live, and the surface volcanoes that the Vota frequent, the Maour have developed an extremely odd respitory system. Air, inhaled through the nose and mouth, will first go to an extra set of organs, much liek a second set of lungs, that will filter the air, removing any volcanic ash or poisonus gasses that are often secreted by magma. Then, the clean air will go to the true lungs. As carbon dioxide is exhaled, the contacts of the first set of lungs will be exhaled as well. In short, is a Maour to breathe, say, a mouthful of air lacedw ith volcanic ash, they'd breathe normally, then exhale the ash.
Another notable feature of Maour physiology is their extremely dense muscle tissue, which gives them both strength that rivals that of a Herglic or powerful Wookiee, and more durability then the average sentient. Though modern swords, blasters, and the like can still work just as well on them as on the average human, primitive weapons and slugthrowers are less effective, having trouble piercing through both the blubber layer and dense muscle tissue of a Maour. Their strong legs allow them to run forwards at fairly high speeds for short distances and 'charge', but they find it extremely hard to turn when doing so, so can often be dodged by turning abruptly.
Maours are known to stand in a heavily hunched manner, only standing to their full height when attempting to threaten or intimidate another, though they still stand bipedal and only use their arms as manipulative apendages and natural weapons.
Behavior
Maour are typically described as a violent and aggressive species, but intelligent and recourseful. When exposed to technology they are shown to adapt to it extremely fast, if interested. Towards things they aren't interested in, Maours are typically described as lazy and belligerent, and often refuse to change their ways for anyone other then themselves. This gives Maours a reputation as selfish, but in reality they simply do not see a reason to do anything that does not directly benefit them, including wearing clothes.
Society and Culture
Before the arrival of humans on Barafka, Maour society was simple. They were almost always solitary, roaming the underground caves and lava tubes- or in the case of Vota, the ice fields- in search of food, or sleeping, for most of the day. They were known to fashion crude weapons such as spears and clubs in order to help take down prey, though they are more then capable of taking down prey themselves. Fiercly territorial, the only time you would see more then one Maour together is during a mating (they do not mate for life), or a mother with cubs. Mother Maours are known to raise their babies for up to six years, until they are old enough to take care of themselves. Though by then they are only half grown, and do not reach sexual maturity until the ripe old age of twelve. A day for a Maour consisted of lumbering around, eating, and sleeping.
When humans arrived, many Maours took to more modern lifestyles. Those Maours that chose to associate themselves with humans quickly took to galactic standard and modern technology, though they still rarely left their homeworld. It is not uncommon to see a few Maours in a Barafka settlement of humans, though they still prefer solitude and very rarely live close to other sentients, ecpecially other Maours. Still severely territorial, even Maours adapted to modern settings will jump to agression if anything they deem theirs, whether it be possesions, people, or territory, is threatened. Though Maours rarely care for anyone other then themselves, they are occasionally known to bond with small children.
The Maour speak a grunting raspy language, called Purg, that's perfectly attuned to their growling voices. Humans can learn rather easily, as it's very simple, to speak and understand the language, but as much of the language is emphisized by throaty rumbles and growls, it's almost always laughable for a Maour to observe a human trying to do so.
Naming system
Maours do not use surnames, as it is uncommon for children to even know who their fathers are- as Maours do not mate for life- and they typically have nothing to do with their mothers once reaching six. Maour names typically consist of one or two syllables. Common Maour names include Brarg, Braw, Korr, and Mowr.
Language
Maours speak a guttural growling language, emphisized with throaty rumbles and snarls. Though humans are capable of learning the language, they have great difficulty duplicating the raspy growling tones that are common among Maours, so are often found as comical when attempting to speak Purg. Nearly al worlds in the simple Maour language are on or two syllables, often sounding more like grunts and growls then words. There is no written form of Purg, and most Maours do not understand the written word.
History
Pre-Human Era
Before the arrival of humans on Barafka, Maours led a primitive simple life, with no notable history. Maours evolved from small cave-dwelling creatures that stayed warm near the underground lava flows and steams vents of the planet, eventually becoming top-of-the-food chain predator that prowled the caves. At some point, some Maours began to travel to the freezing surface of Barafka, prowling the only parts of Barafka's ice fields that were warm enough to be habitable; the areas around volcanoes. The surface-dwelling Maours eventually broke off into the Sub-species Vota, who were known to prey on the few creatures that live on the surface of Barafka, mostly those that prowl the small bits of unfrozen ocean that have been thawed by underwater steam vents. Those that stayed in the caves became known as Brar.
Human Colonization of Barafka
When humans arrived on Barafka, and began making settlments both in the vast underground cave networks and on the surface, the Maors were first rejected as primitive monsters. For over a decade, Maours were to be shot on sight, dismissed as non-sentient beasts that would eat them if they had the chance. This was not without reason, as it was not uncommon for the first human settlers on Barafka to be lost to a hungry Maour. Eventually, the humans gradually began to except their new neighbors as sentient creatures, and- though most Maours preferred to stick to their primitive lifestyles, and many despised the humans- some adapted into the human societies, though they were often looked down upon, and typically lived on the outskirts of the settlements.
The Kutaan-Colonist War
When the Kutaan Colony Empire attacked Barafka, the humans of Barafka attempted to convince the powerful Maours to fight for their homeworld, but most saw no point in it, believing that their personal lvies wouldn't change drastically if the Kutaans took their world. Out of the millions of Maours on the planet, only six agreed to fight for Barafka, becoming famous in Barafkan school (among the humans) as the Six Maour warriors. The six Maour proved an important part of defending Barafka from the Kutaan, stronger, and more ressililant then any human, and capable of fighting in the worst conditions, some say that without the few Maours that did participate, though they were only half a dozen, Barafka would have fallen to the Colony Empire. After this, Maours were more widely accepted into human society.
Maours in the Galaxy
Though the most Maours refuse to leave their homeworld, uninterested at the greater galaxy, a small handful have willingly left for their own reasons to brave the galaxy at large. Those that do typically find themselves working as bounty hunters, enforcers, and soldiers.
Notable Player-Characters: Waahr
Intent: To flesh out the Nidaam system, and create an interesting new species to protray
