Oxford University Role Playing Games Society
ICON Open Races
Note: Unless otherwise stated, assume that a race has human torso, limbs,
head and sensory arrangements, and is devoid of any additional decoration.
However, they can still usually be told apart by sight, by means of skin
coloration, shape of eye etc.
Open Races
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 past 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.
The bi-pedal, medium height humanoids who cluster together under the title
of 'The Clans' are 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,
however, 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.
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 main race involved in the swiftly growing organization of planets
known as the Federation are the humanoid Karellians, who originate from a
system fairly central in CivCore space. 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 organizations, particularly the GMG and StarMerc.
The Rocarnians have transformed their entire planet into a mass steam run
factory, using up the resources of their entire system. Only four years
ago a jump gate was found near Rocarna, and the race is mostly unknown.
Rocarna is a class based society - a small elite controls the less able
workers. Little else is known about Rocarna, and the Rocarnians seem to
know little about CivCore.
(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. This is, of
course, rubbish, but 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 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 the local community of his
species about the incident, the culprit's lives will be made miserable for
quite some time. "It's unlucky to kill a Skithrass", a Skithrass will
sometimes say. And grin.
In general the race averages at about five and a half foot tall. Cheek
bones are high. The jaw is long and narrow, and contains a startling range
of different shapes of tooth, which are usually hidden. When a Skithrass
grins, s(he) is usually trying to disconcert their interlocutor.
The people who have encountered the Stem say its representatives are
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.
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.