An Phar

Created by: Chris W. McCubbin in GURPS Aliens. Modified by Garry Stahl and Jay P. Hailey
Appearance: ST-OM, Epiphany Trek
Number of Members: Approximately 50 billion 
Nature of Members: Mammalian humanoids that somewhat resemble Terran pigs in the face. they have a physical compatibility to Humans to 7 places. They walk plantigrade and have hard hoof-like nails at the end of the digits. An Phar have five fingers including thumb, four toes, two of which to not touch the ground. Skin color runs towards a reddish tan or even pink. An Phar have coarse and sparse hair on the or head ranging in color from silver through red and brown to jet-black. They are noted for having modesty and wearing clothing for modesty, display, and protection. The race is known for its fanatical cleanliness.
An Phar are mammals with the usual mammalian biology. They are close enough to Humans for lust to happen, but not reproduction. Gestation is 8 months with one child being the result. Twines are a matter of great concern and an successful birth of twins makes all the news outlets.
Psychology: An Phar are reliable, unassuming and likable. They wil not, however, allow themselves to be pushed around. An Phar make excellent soldiers, but they are seldom heroes. They tend to look for a non-violent solution first, but will use force when necessary. It has been noted they do not have a strong "lust for power" button. Their desire for status aside.
The An Phar have a racial preoccupation with health and cleanliness. An Phar hate to get dirty and when possible bathe three times a day. On rising, a private bath; before bed, shared with family; and in the middle of the day, socially taken with co-workers, neighbors or classmates. Most An Phar eat twice a day. Meals are large but informal; Ah Phar will often eat as they work. The social function meals serve in most humanoid societies is taken by bathing among An Phar. An Phar eat quickly, without formal etiquette, but quietly and very, very neatly.
The family unit is the anchor of An Phar society. The relationship between mated An Phar is formal by Human standards, with little outward display of affection. Children however, are raised with love and care. They are frequently held and played with. They are affectionately quizzed and instructed about anything that might be at hand. Phar society encourages parents to alternate taking several months off work while the children are growing up. Consequently the bond between parent and child remains strong throughout life. It is unthinkable for an adult Phar not to support and respect his retired parents.
After family a Phar's life is his Social Status. As with Humans, higher status means more power and affluence. Most An Phar have the ambition to better their lot. The society at large remains egalitarian, and a Phar unskilled laborer is treated with the same courtesy as a Cho among his own kind. An Phar social status is a formal matter with actual ranks, unlike Humans society's much more fluid arrangement.
Crime in the usual sense is rare among the Phar. More common are ideological dissidents and rebels. Moral conviction is an acceptable defense in An Phar courts, and a defendant who can prove he honestly felt he was doing the right thing can expect no worse punishment than exile, preferably to someplace where others agree with him. The occasional real criminal, however, is required to pay back 2 to 5 times the amount he took from, or otherwise cost, his victims. This often results in the criminal being placed in a position similar to slavery to his former victims. The extremely rare violent criminal is considered a hopeless case and mercifully and regretfully executed. 
The most serious check on criminal behavior is the associated loss of Status. Conviction in a minor criminal matter is an automatic drop of one rank of social standing. A truly horrific crime can wipe out any social standing you have to the point that others will even use the zero status honorific in you name.
An Phar enjoy music, drama, dance and literature, although Human and Fasanni critics generally consider An Phar taste pedestrian and dull. The race has produced a few artists of note on the galactic scale.
Among the An Phar's most notable traits, and a consistent source of amusement and vexation to aliens, is their fascination with moral philosophy. A typical Phar will embrace several different ethical systems over their lives. They will pursue one system wholeheartedly, attempting to apply it to every segment of their life, politely but incessantly defending it against any who might wish to argue, and arguing philosophy is a favorite Phar pastime. Then the Phar will find a tenet of the system which they considers to be inconsistent or personally unacceptable, and (sometimes literally) overnight will adopt a completely new system. 
However, religion in the Human sense is quite alien to An Phar. Before they made contact with other races they had no concept of a supreme being or beings. Those Phar who give the matter any thought at all, and few do, will say that such matters are beyond mortal comprehension, so why dither over it? They remain cheerfully agnostic refusing to acknowledge of repudiate the concept of gods. Many Phar do enthusiastically embrace the moral and ethical tenets of other races' religions, this week.
Notes: An Phar are found in both the Fulcrum Region and the Acceptian Empire. They are far more common in the Acceptian Empire. Little is known about An Phar prehistory or space fight prior to the current era. It could be one of the races spread by the Great Crest empire, or have had their own starflight period before the current era.
==Acceptian Empire==
Organization: There are a number of An Phar planets in the Empire and the population is divined among a dozen houses. 
Government: The An Phar are ruled by Acceptian Houses. they have no independent government On each world the Cho Council reports to the local Hall of Pinions as a formal lower house with no decision making ability. In practical terms the recommendation of the Cho Council is usually endorsed without change. Phar being a practical people and Acceptians knowing it. The end result is a de facto self rule without anyone actually saying that.
Once in a while the House Matriarch will veto the Cho Council for her own reasons. It is usually a action that causes considerable consternation unless an explanation is forthcoming. It also usually results in the retirement of the Da-Cho.
An Phar local government is free-form. Ah Phar do not have a strong "desire for power" button. Official positions are created when a need is conceived, and last until that need is satisfied. Civil authorities are appointed by the appropriate status class. Appointees are generally chosen for their expertise, and within their sphere of authority, their decisions are seldom questioned, even by An Phar of higher Status.
The Accepitan House will keep a close watch on this process. While the wise house interferes as little as possible in said process, it is a wise house that stays abreast of the matters of local government. Other houses have been known to complain that Houses with An Phar clients have it easy.
Personal disputes are settled informally. There is no equivalent on An Phar worlds of a civil court. There is barely a place for a criminal court. If two parties of the same status are unable to settle a dispute themselves they will convene a jury of five to nine An Phar of like Status. Simple majority rules. If the Statuses are different, the two appeal to a Phar of higher Status than either of them for a summary judgment (this option is also common for litigants of the same Status, as it saves time). Cho refer disputes to the Acceptian house.
What criminal matters that do rise are dealt with by the Acceptian House. Judges of criminal matters are always Acceptians as such matters are never left in the hands of clients. Punishments are those of the Imperial Justice System, fines, slavery, and death. It has been noted that Judges on An Phar worlds have an easy life. Any event that would merit a death is planet wide news and a shock to the world community.
Purkyin 3 has long sponsored immigration and colonization programs to control population pressure. The Phar are enthusiastic colonists, knowing that they can expect support from back home. Once firmly in control the Acceptian Empire backed this effort as well. The An Phar are one of the first races considered for colonizing open worlds.
Culture: To the An Parh social status is their route to advancement. Advancement is limited only by their ability. In Phar society that status is a formal matter that is part of your name. These indicators are, in ascending order; Ka, Dir, Gom, Lai, Nam, Bra, Cho, Da-Cho. The Da-Cho is the elder of the planet, appointed by an assembly of all available Cho.
Upon reaching majority each Phar is considered to be Status 0. If they completes a university degree the Phar is granted a Status of 1. More than half the An Phar population attends college and most will graduate. High status parents can arbitrarily grant a child who carries their family name a status up to two levels below their own. Some children, and some parents, prefer the children gain status the hard way. The culture prefers to see that mated couples keep individual statuses no more than one increment apart. There is no official mechanism for automatically raising the status of a spouse, but it happens fairly quickly if there is a wide gap in status.
To increase their status, an adult Phar must first do something worthy of a gain in status. The criteria here are well understood and in general things that benefit the society are seen as worthy. Such things as philanthropy, advancements in science or economics, exploration and discovery, among other. Then they get a sponsor of the next status level. The sponsor prepares a summary extolling the candidate's qualifications and character. Often the summary is actually prepared by the candidate, and merely signed by the sponsor. The sponsor then seeks co-sponsors, who, based on the summary, agree that the candidate should be elevated. It normally requires 20 co-sponsors before a candidate is elevated. Elevation is a formal event, and an occasion for celebration. The candidate's friends and family give gifts. An elevation to Cho must also be approved by the Acdceptian Matriarch. 
The Planetary Elder, the Da-Cho, is selected by an assembly of all available Cho. They serve until death or retirement. A new Da-Cho is expected to serve at least 3 years; health, and the will of the overlords, permitting. Seldom is the election of a Da-Cho refused by the Acceptian Matriarch although she retains that right.
About 30% of the Phar are Status 0, 60% are Status 1, 5% are Status 2, 3% Status 3, 1.3% Status 4, 0.5% Status 5, and 0.2% Status 6. There is only one Phar per planet at a time with Status 7. Acceptians are considered Status 6 for average Acceptians, 7 for household officials or senior military, and 8 for the House Matriarch. These do not fit into Phar society but the social ranking make dealing with cross cultural matters easier.
It is important to every mated Phar pair to produce two children, one to carry on the family names of each spouse. A widowed Phar will not remarry, but if their union did not produce two or more children the survivor may enter into a procreation agreement to propagate the survivor's family, typically with a trusted friend or a member of the deceased's family. With galactic level medical technology it is more common for a couple to simply leave sperm and eggs frozen when they first mate to be fertilized and brought to term artificially in the event of an untimely death. Such "progeny insurance" is available for a modest fee from several sources.
If a mating produces more than two children the couple alternates giving family names. Other practices include naming the child for a family member who died without leaving children, or changing the family name of a minor child to that of a sibling who died without issue.
If the third or later child is not carrying the name of some childless sibling or other relation, they are free to declare himself the founder of a new family at majority. In doing this the individual declares that they plan to make their own way. They can no longer expect more than minimal social or financial help from parents or siblings. Such a declaration is considered rather daring, but not an insult to family.
Game Role: The huddled masses of the Acceptian Empire.
World Role: Life
Relative Influence: Major, they are major economic movers and shakers.
Public or Secret?: Public
Publicly Stated Goal: Spread throughout the Galaxy
Relative Wealth: Decent
Race Advantages: An Phar are not particularly good at anything, or bad at anything. they fill the Human niche.
Race disadvantages: Is "average" a disadvantage?
Area of Operation: Acceptian Empire.
Headquarters Location: Purkyin 3, the An Phar home world, or at least the one they started on.
Public Face: Shopkeepers of the Empire.
History of the Race: The Acceptian Empire discovered the An Phar some 800 years ago busily conducting their own exploration in early warp ships with a heavy concentration on colonization efforts. They already had five well established colonies.
They didn't have ships the equal of the Acceptions. The conquest was quick and brutal. A conquest that left a bad tasted in the An Phar mouth for a good many centuries.
Little time was spent on regret however. The An Phar continued their avowed purpose of spreading through the galaxy. they used their economic skill and got the Accepotians to do the exploring for them. They went from five worlds to a dozen and more, with the Acceptians footing the bill.
The An Phar learned quickly how to manipulate the Acceptians to get what they wanted at minimum risk. Acceptians might own the trader, but An Phar run it. Acceptans might occupy the palace but An Phar banks hold the note. They have become an indispensable part of the Empire at every level but military based on a willingness to do the work, and let the Lords and Masters reap the credit, while they reap the profit, be that in cash or new worlds.
==The Fulcrum Region== 
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Category:Races
Category:Acceptian Space
Category:Fulcrum Space
Category:ST-OM
Category:Epiphany Trek
Category:Unfinished Articles