Cibosans
From Home of Shye
[edit] Summary
Physical Attributes
| Average Height | 1.25 meters | Average Weight | 35 kg | ||||||||||
| Hair | Complete body covering of fur. See Subspecies for more details. | Eyes | Two mammalian eyes, binocular vision. | ||||||||||
| Skin | Varies by subspecies. Typically pale, gray or black, but mostly not visible beneath fur. | ||||||||||||
| Limbs | Two arms, two legs. Cibosans are born with lightweight tails, but many have them removed for social or safety reasons. | ||||||||||||
| Physical Strength | Varies by subspecies (- to +) | Physical Agility | Varies by subspecies (O to ++) | ||||||||||
| Intelligence | O (Average) | ||||||||||||
| ESP/Psychic Abilities | None. | ||||||||||||
| Aging | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Personality | Emotional, courageous, self-sacrificing, honorable. | ||||||||||||
Gender/Family
| Marriage | Polyandry |
| Reproduction | Frequent litters of 2-8 per pregnancy |
| Family | Large, matriarchal families. Children typically separate while young in order to make their own fortunes. |
Social Structure
| Outlook | Historically, Cibosan family life is dominated by females, while political life is dominated by males. However, that history is strewn with exceptions, and the pattern continues more from habit than conscious effort. Beyond that, Cibosans have a generally egalitarian outlook, and accept anybody in any role if they are competent. |
Education
| Where | State military academies or home |
| Who | Everybody |
| Main Goal | Military service or continuing family businesses |
Food
| Food Preferences | Omnivorous |
| Spices | Fresh herbs and fermented sauces |
| Public Eateries | On their homeworld, most Cibosans cook at home or eat at military cafeterias. Off-world, there are many Cibosan-run eateries to cater to Cibosan tastes. |
Fashion
| Fabric | Plant fiber or imported synthetics |
| Description | Cibosans typically have very conservative tastes in clothing. Casual clothes are usually: loose-fitting, closed-neck tunics or robes; loose-fitting breeches, trousers, dresses, kilts or similar (always covering the knees at least); boots, shoes or sandals; and whatever style of coat or jacket is appropriate for conditions. Service uniforms are usually tailored closer for safety, but otherwise tend to follow the same philosophy. |
Language
| Name | Raccan (although most Cibosans consider Unilang to be their first language) |
| Tone | Rapidly-spoken and consonant-heavy, including clicks, trills, chirps and hisses. |
Architecture
| Building Materials | Civic buildings are usually brick or concrete with steel reinforcement. Homes are usually wood or brick. |
| Characteristic Features | Simple, open architecture. Almost always symmetrical. Lots of right angles, very few curves. |
Recreation
| Entertainment | Most Cibosan sports emphasize individual skills. They also enjoy simply eating, drinking and socializing. Traditional song, dance and poetry are also popular, but considered old-fashioned. |
Technology
| Tech level | Early atomic (elevated to Interplanetary through contact with other races) |
| Transport | Wheels, motors and primative flight. Advanced motors and interplanetary flight developed through study of imported technology. |
| Weapons | Hand weapons like knives, swords, staffs, spears, etc. common for personal combat. Gunpowder weapons such as cannons, rifles, pistols and machine guns were common for warfare, until off-world technology became available. |
| Communication | Writing, radio, telephone. Vedihno communicators imported. |
Economics
| Resources (in order by relative value) | Food and drink, spices, minerals, mercenaries. |
| Main Fuel | High-energy chemical batteries, fossil fuels. (Matter/antimatter imported.) |
| Exchange | CIS Credits, coins |
| Economic Model | Free market |
Government
| Type | Imperial | ||
| Leader | Emperor and advisory council | ||
| Taxes | Moderate | ||
| Military | Voluntary, but culture makes it very popular | Purpose | Defense, profit (mercenaries) |
| Law Enforcement | Moderate restrictions; locally elected police; Imperial Guard available for emergencies | ||
| Courts and Punishment | Military cases handled by tribunal. Civilian cases handled by community councils and enforced by local police. | ||
[edit] Subspecies
There are three distinct Cibosan subspecies, corresponding to three of the major geographical areas of Kyuusei. They originally developed very distinctive cultures, but the onset of the first global empire caused a blending of these cultures, which accelerated when the discovery of flight eventually led to rapid mass transit over the entire planet. The huge leap in technology that occurred when the Cibosans were introduced to off-world technology accelerated the cultural blending further, to the point that the original Cibosan cultures are now all but undetectable except in isolated areas of their homeworld. See History for more information.
The following are the three major Cibosan subspecies, as identified by their physical characteristics:
Luaaso: People originating from the moist, tropical region of Luaa. They tend to be slightly shorter on average than other Cibosans, and are distinctive as having ears that are smaller and more rounded, sleek fur, and hairless tails. Their fur colors tend to be shades of beige, brown, gray or black, and rarely have distinctive patterns, although some have darker fur around their heads, necks and shoulders than the rest of their bodies.
Coniso: The people from the neighboring desert region of Conispar tend to be taller, and have slightly longer fur than the Luaaho. Their coats stand out more to provide better insulation, and their tails are covered as well. However, their most distinguishing characteristic is their very large, pointed ears. Coniso tend to have lighter fur coloration than Luaaho, predominantly beige, brown and black, often with distinctive patterns on their faces, heads and backs.
Raniso: Far to the north of the Luaa and Conispar region is the temperate Ran region. Cibosans originating from this region have much thicker coats than either the Luaaho or Coniso, and have more moderate-sized ears. They also exhibit the widest variety of coloration, including shades of white, beige, blond, brown, red, orange, gray and black. They also show a wide variety of fur patterns, including varying colors of spots, stripes, backs, underbellies, "masks", "gloves", "boots" and tail-tips.
[edit] History
The first evidence of civilized Cibosans suggests they originated in the wet, tropical Luaa region of Kyuusei about 50,000 years ago, where they lived in family-based clans as hunters and gatherers using nothing more than simple tools and a mastery of the use of fire. The Luaa region is naturally isolated, having ocean surrounding it to the north, west and south, and a vast desert to the east. Therefore, competition for the limited useful territory in the region was fierce, and violent disputes over resources were common. This frequent aggression became an integral part of early Cibosan culture, and it has persisted all the way into the present, albeit with significant moderation and refinements.
The early family-clans formed alliances, which in turn joined with other alliances, resulting in a number of loosely-bound Cibosan nations all competing for the same resources. Eventually, one of these nations, weakened by the fighting and facing almost certain defeat, decided to leave the contested wet region and face the challenge of the desert in search of new territory. Some of these Cibosans discovered oases in the Conispar desert region with enough water, vegetation and edible animals to sustain a meager lifestyle, and chose to remain there, while the rest continued on. Most of the Cibosans who did not settle in the desert perished, but a small group found a land bridge across the ocean to the north, and discovered the hospitable, temperate Ran region, where they quickly began founding new settlements.
With very little interchange between these three regions, each of the groups living in them began to take on physical characteristics distinctive from the other groups (see Subspecies for more details) as well as distinctive cultures. The Luaaso continued their state of constant family-clan warfare, gradually developing more and more elaborate rules, and turning it into a ritual. The Coniso, on the other hand, were fervent pragmatists, more concerned about survival in their harsh environment; when fights did occur, they were fought brutally and decisively, so that no unecessary energy would be wasted. The Raniso, meanwhile, found themselves living in a land of plenty, and there was very little reason for conflict. Instead, they spread themselves across the continent, forming far-flung settlements that operated more or less independently, but traded frequently with each other.
To be continued.
| Index Navigation |
| Shyepedia: Events | Locations | Miscellaneous | Organizations | People | Races | Regions | Ships | Technology |
| Game Guide: Characters | Game Areas | Rules | Newbie |
