Skittermander
Skittermander
pic_skittermander.jpg
Biological information
Type Humanoid
Size Small
Intelligence Sentient
Life span -
Sociological information
Planet of origin Vesk-3
Achieved warp -
First contact -

Skittermanders are a race of peaceful mammalian humanoids from the planet Vesk-3. They are instinctually helpful, which vexed the Vesk to no end when they tried to invade their homeworld.

Appearance


Skittermanders are six-armed, furry creatures measuring 3 feet tall and weighing about 35 pounds. Skittermanders living in hot climes have short, soft fur, while that of their arctic cousins are tough and shaggy. Their colouration is variable, with blue, green and violet being the most common, but with no obvious correlation to their surroundings.

Skittermanders begin life in a larval stage.

History


When the Veskarium commenced the invasion of Vesk-3, the skittermanders were more than happy to get out of the invaders' way because of their innate desire to help. Recognising the Veskarium's superior strength but not understanding that they came to subdue the world, skittermanders felt they could best aid the empire by simply not being in the same location as its soldiers so they could quickly achieve their goals and move on. This was vexing to the vesk, whose code of honour forbade them from firing on an enemy that wasn't interested in a fight.

Eventually, in a meeting later considered to be the official date of Vesk-3's conquest, a vesk general plainly told a group of skittermanders that the Veskarium ruled their planet. The skittermanders nodded and got back to their lives. Since then, the Veskarium has been ruling Vesk-3, though not really in control of it.

Ecology


There's no parental care in skittermanders, and their whelps have to fend for themselves. Skittermanders are omnivorous, capable of digesting leaves, fruits, seed and meat. A swarm of skittermander whelps can bring down a trundling bovine monoux in minutes. After 6 years, whelps mature, begin to walk upright.

Society


Skittermanders are individualistic but not anarchic, and somehow unable or unwilling to grasp the concept of permanent governance. They enjoy teamwork and naturally follow a leader to undertake large projects, but the leader no longer holds sway after the project is done.

Skittermanders cheerfully accept jobs given to them by vesk, but never truly acknowledge them as the rulers of their planet. Some outsiders believe skittermanders are being deliberately obtuse to annoy their vesk 'overlords' and maintain their autonomy while still reaping the rewards of being part of the Veskarium.

Skittermanders can be found across the galaxy in positions that allow them to aid as many people as possible. Their employers have to give them missions with open-ended parameters, as a skittermander who feels they have completed a task can be distracted from reporting back by someone whom they think that needs their help. They're often compared to goblins without the goblins' malice.



Near-ubiquitous inhabitants of the planet Vesk-3, skittermanders
led a simple, mostly agrarian lifestyle before the Veskarium
annexed their planet. They have a unique outlook: individualistic
without being anarchic, and somehow unable (or perhaps
unwilling) to grasp the concept of permanent governance.
They understand and enjoy teamwork, and naturally follow a
qualified leader to undertake large projects such as the building
of domiciles, but once that task has been completed, the leader
doesn’t continue to hold sway over the others. Coupled with their
unusual life cycle, it would seem as if skittermanders would be
very difficult to rule. But such is not exactly the case.

When vesk warships appeared in the sky, skittermanders
across Vesk-3 were more than happy to get out of the invaders’
way—not out of fear, but more because of their innate desire to
help. Skittermanders instinctively recognized the Veskarium’s
superior strength and felt they could best aid the empire by
simply not being in the same location as its soldiers. In this
way, skittermanders believed the vesk could quickly achieve
their goals and move on. They didn’t understand the vesk’s
aim was to subdue their world. Since vesk’s code of honor
forbade them from shooting the cheerfully acquiescent
skittermanders in the back, the invaders were confused and
infuriated by the situation.

Eventually, in a meeting that the empire notes as the
official date that Vesk-3 was conquered, a vesk general plainly
told a group of skittermanders that the Veskarium ruled their
planet. The skittermanders nodded and got back to their
lives. Since then, the empire has ruled Vesk-3, though it hasn’t
truly been in control of it. Skittermanders cheerfully accept
jobs given to them by vesk, but never truly acknowledge the
vesk as being in charge. Some outside the Veskarium believe
skittermanders are being deliberately obtuse, reaping all
the technological and social benefits the empire offers while
still partially maintaining their freedom as a society, but no
skittermander has ever confirmed this theory.

Today, skittermanders can be found throughout the
Veskarium, often serving in clerical positions that allow them
to aid as many people as possible. They have fully embraced
technology and enjoy the many sights the galaxy has to offer,
traveling to the Pact Worlds and beyond. Those who employ
skittermanders quickly learn to give them missions that have
open-ended parameters, as a skittermander who feels she has
completed a task won’t necessarily report back to a superior
for further instructions if she finds someone else who needs
her help first. Outsiders often find them cheerfully manic,
noting a goblin-like flair for the ridiculous but none of that
race’s innate malice.

Though skittermanders are mammals, they
begin life in something akin to a larval stage. A
skittermander whelp looks like a miniature version
of an adult, but with more prominent ears and
a tiny, secondary mouth on its abdomen. Once
born, whelps are left to fend for themselves.

They are truly omnivorous, capable of digesting
fruits, leaves, raw meat, and seeds. Additionally, a whelp’s
secondary mouth allows it to attach itself to large prey and
feed at its leisure. Thanks to a numbing mucus secreted by
this mouth, less intelligent animals rarely even notice
the whelp’s samplings. A swarm of skittermander
whelps has been known to bring down a trundling
bovine monoux in a matter of minutes.

After 6 years, whelps mature into adult skittermanders,
begin to walk upright, and lose their secondary mouths,
but they maintain their taste for anything remotely edible.
Skittermanders living in tropical climes have short, soft fur,
while their arctic cousins grow tough, shaggy hair. Their
coloration varies even more, with tones of blue, green, and
violet being the most common, but with no obvious correlation
to their surroundings.

The average adult skittermander is 3 feet tall
and weighs about 35 pounds.

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