Two-Bit Con Artist
Found on pinterest. Original link leads to nowhere, and I had no luck on Tineye. All other images of Reepicheep from the Narnia movies.
Name: Nezumi
Designation: Sentient
Homeworld: Precise birth world is unknown, but they originated somewhere in Qektoth Confederacy space, in the Kathol Sector. Many clans live on "Nest-Ships", constantly traveling. But some clans hide in plan sight, living amoung the "Too Big" on a number of planets within the Kathol Sector. These clans are considered simultaneously both brave and foolish by the Clans that live on the Nest-Ships. Nezumi Clan ships never leave the Kathol sector, though families and individuals may do so, albeit rarely.
Language: Nezumi speak their own language, of the same name, as well as Basic, the common language of the "Too Big" people. Being clever, they are frequently able to learn a wide range of languages.
Average Lifespan: 10-15 years.
Estimated Population: Less than 50,000. Though they breed quickly and freely, life is harsh and difficult, making their death toll high, especially for those living planetside.
Average height of adults: 9-13 cm
Average length of adults: 14-18 cm, including their tail
Skin color: Pink, grey, black - skin colour and fur colour may not match.
Hair color: White, tan, brown, grey, black- solid being the most common patterning, but tuxedo and spotted are not unknown.
Distinctions: Nezumi are sentient rodents, only slightly larger than their non-sentient cousins. They can walk as easily on their back legs as they can on all fours, and will frequently switch between the two without thought- they can travel faster on all fours, than they do standing upright. They can easily manipulate small tools with their hands. Male and female Nezumi look very similar to each other, exhibiting limited sexual dimorphism, especially to an outsider. All Nezumi have a long, naked, prehensile tail- though it can grasp, it has little strength.
Breathes: Type 1
Strengths:
+ Small and Dextrous- Nezumi are very small. This makes it easy for them to go about unnoticed. That combined with their natural agility make them very difficult to hit with conventional attacks. Nezumi can fit through any space that their heads can fit through, much like their non-sentient cousins.
+ Clever- Most Nezumi are clever, and the ones that aren't rarely survive long. They are naturally inquisitive and prone to taking things apart, just to see how they work. This often leads to them putting more interesting things together again, especially with their own use in mind. They learn new skills quickly, especially when learning them in a 'hands on' fashion.
+ Strong (For their size) - A Nezumi can pick up and carry or drag an object much heavier than would be expected- up to four their own weight for the average Nezumi. This also means that things like climbing, even in challenging circumstances, offer no difficulty for them, as carrying their own weight is not a challenge.
+ Keen Senses - Nezumi have keenly developed senses of smell and hearing in particular, and are very sensitive to minute changes around them, alerting them of danger.
Weaknesses:
- Just Plain Old Small - While it can be a boon, being this small is also a challenge. Most regular tech is not made with the Nezumi in mind, and they typically have to rely on their own technology or clever alternatives. Though they have dextrous hands, they are small, and thus limit what they can and cannot do in settings builr for bigger species.
- Delicate - Their bodies are delicate when compared to larger creatures. While it *may* be possible to survive a single hit from a regular blaster at full power if the Nezumi is VERY lucky, two is not going to happen.
- Low Instance of Force Sensitivity - While it is not completely unheard of, Nezumi able to wield the Force are rare.
-Short Lifespan - Nezumi, while longer lived then their non-sentient cousins, have a relatively short life span. The age span above takes in to account accidental death, which is unfortunately common for Nezumi. The oldest known Nezumi is 21 years old; ancient by their standards.
Races: Shiro (white fur, the one race that has both red and black eyes), Kuro (black fur, can have white markings, black eyes), Chairo (all shades of brown fur, can have white markings, black or brown eyes), Haiiro (grey fur, can have white markings, black eyes), and Mazeru (mixed colouring, can have black or brown eyes). While the Nezumi distinguish themselves by their colouring, and certain Clans hold one colour as more attractive than another, it is recognized as fur-deep. All Nezumi work together for the betterment of their kind, especially against the larger races.
Diet: Nezumi eat a varied, omnivorous diet. Standard poisons will affect them in relatively small doses.
Communication: Nezumi communicate verbally, but also extensively through body language, often conveying complicated emotions and thoughts without words. This non-verbal communication is often lost to those who are non-Nezumi.
Culture: Nezumi consider themselves all children of the Creator, a nebulous being that holds a place in their mythos much as a god would, though the Nezumi do not worship it as such. So while the members of the species have broken down in the families and larger clans, there is always an underlying kinship that shapes their interactions. They put great stock in geneology, and finding connections there- individual Nezumi, when meeting for the first time, will often spend hours talking about their family trees, trying to discover a place where they (inevitably) cross, no matter how obscure. It reinforces that all Nezumi are kin, and are thus responsible for each other in some way.
Cultural Naming Convention- Nezumi usually have three names. Clan, Given, Nickname. The first is based on which Clan they belong to (several of the larger clans listed below), the second given when they are born, and the third chosen for themselves. This third name often changes between childhood and adulthood- while some keep the nickname of their childhood, others may change that name a dozen times in their lifetime.
Within families, individuals are incredibly casual with each other, usually addressing each other by nicknames rather than proper names (unless they are angry or disappointed). Within Clans, there is polite familiarity, unless individuals are considered close enough to essentially be family (adoptions, both formal and informal, are very common), and individuals are addressed by their Given name, Clan name omitted as the assumption is they all share the same name. Outside of the Clan, individuals initially introduce themselves and address others by their Clan names first, given names second. But even this convention often relaxes as individuals get to know each other- especially once a common ancestor has been discovered. Nezumi frequently, on the rare occasions they interact with outsiders, do not offer the same familiarity, and will sometimes when dealing with the "Too Big" introduce themselves only by their Clan names.
Due to their fur, Nezumi generally consider clothing as decorative, for the fun of it, rather than as a necessity. The idea of nudity is rather silly, though a Nezumi finding itself without their fur for one reason or another would feel differently.
Because of the short generational timescale, and the scattered nature of the species, there is potential for significant cultural divergence between clans and Nest-Ships.
Some notable differences in the largest clans:
The Bushi Clan, occupying the Nest-Ship of the same name, are the most martial of the Nezumi clans. They put great stock in physical prowess and well as cleverness from a tactical standpoint. They are also one of the more formal clans, keeping naming formality longer when meeting new Nezumi than most other. They also have a more complicated manner of stratification within their society. Their Nest-Ship is the second largest, and they have a number of satellite families on smaller ships as well that call themselves part of the Bushi. Their fierce dedication to the protection of the Nezumi as a race is well known, and they are frequently invited in to Clans and families that are living planet-side. One of the few clans with a codified "right of passage", that often involves going out without Clan or Family to live amoung the "Too Bigs" for a period to learn what they can and, of course, survive.
The Koushou Clan, occupying the Nest-Ship of the same name, are mechanics and tinkers. While all Nezumi are prone to tinkering, the Koushou put their pride in to it. Their Nest-Ship is one of the largest and most technologically advanced. They are also one of the most generous of Clans. While the Nezumi rarely keep things from each other, the Koushou are happiest when they are sharing what they have learned and what they have built. The Koushou are the most likely Clan to find their curiosity in the "Too Bigs" to outweigh the distrust and fear.
The Shokunin Clan, occupying the Nest-Ship of the same name, live and breath art and handicraft. While this often overlaps with their tinkering nature, it takes on an almost holy vow amoung the Shokunin. Many Shokunin end up choosing a familial nickname that represents their area of expertise and passion. They consider the art itself to be a responsibility, and take it very seriously.
The Mukashi Clan, occupying the Nest-Ship of the same name, are the primary lore keepers. While story telling is a common practice, the Mukashi do their best to gather *all* of the stories, and be sure that none are lost. They consider it a racial duty, and carry it out with the utmost respect. They are the most conservative of the Clans, and are often sought out for council. Their ship is one of the smallest Nest-Ships, but also supposedly the oldest- some believe it was the original ship that bore them from their homeworld. The Mukashi certainly think so. While they share the majority of the Nezumi lore freely, they keep certain stories secret, only shared when absolutely necessary. They consider some of these tales to be too dangerous, and guard them jealously.
Two clans, the Shugenja Clan and the Yamabushi Clan, are the two clans most likely to produce Force Users (called Mahoujin), but even then, they are in the minority. But their presence within these Clans has altered their path. Both Clans are small relative to the above mentioned- the Shugenja resides on a Nest-Ship of the same name, and the Yamabushi always live planetside, though every few generations they move to a new world, whenever one of the other Clan's Nest-Ships comes in to contact, enabling them to make the move. The Shugenja Clan claims their focus on the way the Nezumi interact with the galaxy at large, and their members make great study of the "Too Big," as well as other planets and stars. While their Nest-Ship never leaves Kathol space, individual members do in order to bring back information from places farther afield. Their Force Users tend to focus on the idea of the "Unifying Force." The Yamabushi Clan, an offshoot of the above Bushi Clan, are more focused on betterment of self, and they are one of the more private, insulated Clans except for when they are traveling between worlds. Their Force Users tend to focus on the idea of the "Living Force" and how it can be used to better their personal connections with the worlds they live on and their own bodies. They are another clan that have a deeply martial bent. Nezumi Force Users, from either clan, are more likely to fall toward the good/neutral side of things. Though Dark Side users are not unknown in their Lore, they are spoken of in tones of hush, awe, and either condemnation when their powers were used against the Nezumi, or praise when used for the betterment of their kind.
Technology level: On average, slightly below galactic standard, though they are advanced in the field of miniaturization.
Notable features of Nezumi tech- By necessity, their tech is very small. Their largest Nest-Ships are slightly smaller than snub fighters, with everything built to Nezumi scale. Smaller ships are fairly common, ranging from half as big as a Nest-Ship to as small as single Nezumi fighters, around the size of a shoe box.
Nezumi blaster technology is, by it's very nature, limited. Nezumi have developed blasters appropriate to their size, but they only allow a single shot before needing to be reloaded, and the strength/range is half that of a hold-out blaster. They are more likely to utilize these weapons to allow a moment of distraction and pain that will let them escape, rather then to attempt a full scale encounter with the "Too Big." But they can be useful against smaller (still bigger than the Nezumi) foes, frequently of a more animal nature, that often threaten the Nezumi Clans that live planet-side.
General behavior: There is a great diversity in the personalities and behaviors of indivudal Nezumi. Some are bold and some are meek. Some are kind and some are cruel. There are introverts and extroverts, passionate and calm, flamboyant and austere, brash and stealthy. But certain traits are nearly universal.
As a general rule, Nezumi are curious with rare exception. This is equal parts boon and curse, because while it leads to great discoveries for them, it also leads to a lot of trouble.
They hold family in high regard. On the rare occasion a Nezumi finds themselves orphaned from their family (at any age) another family will happily adopt them, as the idea of being truly "alone" (existing without direct family ties, not the momentary aloneness of normal solitude) is terrifying and heartbreaking to them.
Nezumi keep largely to their own kind, though there are always exceptions on an individual scale. Most Nezumi do not trust larger creatures at a basic level, and it can take much to earn that trust. There is a precedence in their lore, as a number of the oral histories that are passed down involve the hazards of trusting the "Too Big" with their safety.
History: The stories kept by the Mukashi clan tell of their homeworld, though the original name has been lost to time. The story goes that it was a world where only the Nezumi ruled and thrived, given to them by the Creator by Their own hands. The lore tells of a time when the Nezumi forgot that they were all one people- when Nezumi fought Nezumi in war after war, Clans turned against each other in search of power and prestige, control of the metals and minerals beneath their planet's surface. This is always told as a cautionary tale, as the Creator who gave them their world, now saw fit to take it from them. Great monsters who only strode on two legs appeared, their giant machines devouring their planet for the sake of the metals in it's core that their ancestors had so foolishly warred over. Most of their race perished, barely even noticed by the voracious machines that consumed them along with the planet. But some escaped, fleeing on their newly built star ship, Tetsu Hoshi, which, according to lore, was eventually renamed Mukashi as the Clans built more ships and diverged.
After the survivors regrouped, they made a pact- that Nezumi would never war on Nezumi again. History tells that this has not always been the case since that time, and often those wars have led the clans involved to disaster. Nezumi aren't perfect, and their quarrels can encompass far more than mere individuals.
The survivors worked together, manufacturing what they could, stealing from the "Too Bigs," where they had to, in order to get the materials they needed to build more ships. These endeavors eventually led to the creation of the "Nest-Ships", mobile bases for entire Clans. Many Clans were lost when their world was destroyed, and most of the existing clans have only come in to existence in the time since their diaspora. While there are Major Clans, there are also countless minor Clans, some of whom operate their own Nest-Ships, while others live either planet-side or on the Nest-Ship of a larger Clan.
Notable Player-Characters: None yet, though I intend to make one once any problems with the race get worked out.
Intent: Because someone mentioned "Samurai Mice" and I got inspired and very excited to write one. Hearing that several others would be interesting in encountering them, it seemed only natural to try my hand at subbing them. This is my first time submitting anything to the board for consideration, so I expect I will need to make changes, which I am happy to do once I know what needs to happen. I've left the Clans very open, besides giving a few, so that, if someone does wish to play one, they can choose either a pre-existing Clan, or create their own freely.
The species is written as largely insular, in order to explain why they were easily overlooked until the current point of the timeline, but individuals of course vary greatly, making Nezumi out in the galaxy possible.
