Oxford University Role Playing Games Society
ICON Open Races
Open Races
Note: Throughout these descriptions, the term 'humanoid' means that a race has human
torso, limbs, head and sensory arrangements, and is devoid of any additional
decoration. Humans do not exist in CivCore, however, so the term effectively means
'like the Aamei, Helyans, Clans and so on'. Unless otherwise stated, a race is
humanoid, and they can still usually be told apart by sight, by means of skin
coloration, shape of eye etc.
The following races are available to players.
"The Aamei Empire occupies many systems as conquerors and administrators. They claim
to bring civilisation and technology to their conquests although to the subject races
they seem to do so at the price of tax after tax and heavy incontrovertible laws. The
Aamei are the most hated, most feared people in the CivCore, with a culture that will
last for millennia"
The Empire has fallen. The Helyans, a subject race which learnt better than others
the administrative and technological lessons of the Aamei, rose in rebellion, seizing
the resident Aamei fleet and eventually destroying the home world of the Aamei.
Adapting to the new ways, the Aamei are now interstellar traders based in a giant
space-faring building from which the finances of worlds are controlled. No-one knows
if the Aamei are happy in their new role: they rarely speak of the past. Physically,
however, they are still suited to their history as warriors, being a strong, hardy
and resilient race.
The culture of the Amorians is entirely geared towards the stars. They are the
undisputed masters of space travel in CivCore, having developed the fastest jump
ships known. Their ships are manned only by the winged Amorians, and operated by
Flight, the guild of pilots, who provide speedy and safe transports all over CivCore
- no questions asked. Amoria itself is a very nondescript planet at the outer
periphery of CivCore, the nearest jumpgate being in the Xan 1526 System, an extremely
hostile area, out of range of most other types of jump ship.
Probably the backbone of the New Empire military force is the race called the Bellum.
They are tall, insectoid and double-jointed, with extraordinary agility and
dexterity. They look really cool in black. Not much is known about them, but there
are theories that they come from a 'group society', perhaps a little like bees,
centred around one queen. All of the Bellum who have come to CivCore are male, and
they invariably work at the behest of the New Empire in some sense - usually a
military one. Perhaps the New Empire have some hold over them...
The bipedal, medium height humanoids who cluster together under the title of 'The
Clans' are almost invariably fat and garrulous. They live in tight-knit Clans, and
most Clan members who have been encountered by other races in CivCore have worked as
space-faring traders and mercenaries.
Clans can be quite individualistic in outlook, and there are often inter-clan
conflicts which are only laid to rest at the infamous and dangerous (for other races)
Trade Fairs, at which all Clans declare truce.
The Clan Xitra
One of the more widely represented Clans across CivCore, the Xitra boast highly
advanced space technology and a shrewd bargaining mentality. It is strange to note
that no Xitra woman has ever been seen by an outsider.
Florea is a volcanic jungle world, and its people, the Dalamar, are primitive hunter-
gatherers, with They can, however, learn civilised ways, although they stubbornly
cling to their spiritualist religion. They are a hardy people with good senses and
instincts, and will usually adapt by applying their own principles to new situations.
Large numbers of Dalamar are employed across CivCore as bodyguards, mercenaries, or
simply manual labourers.
The Helyans, who span a system and whose home world is the lush, tropical planet Hel,
were until three centuries ago a subject race of the Aamei Empire. They claim that
their past has given them a full understanding of the horrors of war, that their vast
fleet is for defence only and that their all-consuming interest in interstellar
affairs is merely one devoted to peace. During the New Empire Wars, accusations were
made that the Helyans had unfair influence over the CCF. These were denied, and both
Grand Admirals Ankash and Nimyek have made efforts to ensure racial equality.
The Ikzari are an advanced and intensely physically attractive technological race
which arrived some twelve years ago from outside CivCore and was originally hosted by
the Amorians. They have gone down in the annals of CivCore as the purveyors of
strange and debauched biological sex toys. This is possibly an erroneous perception,
as they were revealed in the last war to own a large and capable fighting fleet. The
Ikzari and the Rocarnans are now long term allies, and neither seems to have broken
this agreement, nor to have broken faith with the New Empire.
Tall and attenuated, they live in tall attenuated buildings with skeletal pinnacles
and naked spires, in cities of gleaming metal as clear as glass. The Illisthians are
reputed to have a miraculous culture, in which an Illisthian needs do no more than
make a request of the walls to have whatever he desires delivered instantly. They
also have the best known communications systems. The Illisthians have never gone to
war, but might be fearsome warriors. Perhaps they have something to hide within that
gorgeous, highly defended planet of theirs.
The Karellians originate from a system fairly central in CivCore space, but now
control a swiftly growing organisation of planets known as the Federation. The
Federation has developed over the last two centuries into a considerable political
and military force, which occupies five major systems and has several smaller
colonies elsewhere. However, they did not become widely known in CivCore until they
discovered a jump gate near one of the recently occupied systems only a few decades
ago. The Karellians are universally respected for their phenomenally swift advances
in all fields of endeavour, and for their commitment to peace between races, mediated
by a capacity to be ready and willing for war should the need arise. The Karellian
system is a welcoming place to races with whom they have diplomatic relations, and
home-planet Carillon itself is now a popular vacation spot due to its tropical
weather and beautiful, clean beaches and mountains. Karellians are well-represented
in the CCF and are showing an increasing interest in other CivCore organisations,
particularly the GMG and StarMerc.
The ruling race of the New Empire is known as Legion.
Legion works on the seasons. In 'winter' (these equate to seasons on their home
planet rather than those in CivCore) they are thoughtful, interested in diplomacy and
intelligence gathering; they dress in cold blues and greys. In spring they are more
aggressive and dress in greens. Summer shows them at their most warlike, irascible
and vicious, dressed in blood red. Autumn is the trading season, still edgy regarding
diplomatic relations but aware of advantage in co-operation, and they dress in
browns. Characters are called by a 'job description' rather than a name - Leader,
Emissary, Scientist.
Physically, Legion is shorter than CivCore average and humanoid, looking stocky and
tough with a skin texture resembling hessian and acting as good natural armour. They
are very muscular and strong, as they have had to be to survive on their homeworld.
The Rocarnans have transformed their entire planet into a mass steam run factory,
using up the resources of their entire system. Only fifteen years ago a jump gate was
found near Rocarna, and the race is mostly unknown. Rocarna has a class based society
- a small elite controls the less able workers. Little else is known about Rocarna,
except that they are always willing to help out neighbours in need.
(Otherwise known as space vermin, colony rats, plague traders, sneakers,
trash kings, etc.)
It is said by some extremely gullible people that once upon a time an ordinary
garbage heap was exposed to a special form of radiation and gained sentience, and
that thus the Skithrass were created. The Skithrass find the story amusing and seldom
deny it outright.
The Skithrass first appeared around 150 years ago, seemingly created from nothing as
a genetic lowest common denominator. Many other races have a lingering sense of
having woken up in a universe full of person-sized rats who walk, talk and try to
sell them things - A Skithrass can argue the legs, tail and head off a donkey, then
sell it four broom handles, a bell rope and a colander as top-of-the-range cybernetic
implants.
The Skithrass are very loyal to their race in general, and their close acquaintances
in particular. One Skithrass may not rush in to help another who is being beaten up,
but when he informs his local community, the culprits' lives will be made miserable
for quite some time. "It's unlucky to kill a Skithrass", a Skithrass will sometimes
say. And grin.
The representatives of The Stem fairly small, humanoid, plant-based clones, with two
long, coiled tendrils for arms. They all travel in a single large, living, stem-like
spaceship, and appear to be searching for another such ship - a male. Very little is
known about this race.
Tall, highly muscled and leonine, the Tharil race are much prized for their
inexplicable ability to increase the accuracy and range of any space travel. It is
also known that they can randomly travel through time, although they have been proved
to have no control over this activity. The recognition of the Tharils as sentient
beings in their own right has vastly increased over recent years, and now they are
even admitted to the CCF and to the major trading corporations, although they are
still treated as slaves and commodities by most of the Clans, by the Rocarnans and
some maverick adventurers and traders. The Tharils are not numerous and do not seem
to have a home planet or major colony.
An ancient catastrophe destroyed the home planet of the Zadani, in the Zadan system.
Since then, Zadani have been travelling CivCore in a quest for knowledge, which they
often share with other races. The Zadan system is still the centre of their race. The
Zadani are mainly engaged in three areas. science, exploration, and colonisation.
They are excellent scientists and work both on their own and for large companies all
over CivCore. Their explorers venture deep into the unknown areas beyond CivCore,
looking for lost technology and knowledge. A small group of Zadani started looking
for new home planets, and they have set up small colonies in the Xan 1526 and the
Caletra systems.