2.2.13: Jarma

The Jarma (Varanusapiens jarma) are a race of sapient, bipedal monitor lizards. The Jarma have a reasonably advanced starfaring culture, but for various reasons have decided to keep out of the limelight in the interstellar community (not the least of which is the tendency for members of the Haggan race to kill and eat any individual Jarma they can waylay).
*Personality: Jarma as a rule are cultured and diplomatic as well as devious and cunning. They excel in situations involving protocol and diplomacy; when put in roles requiring adversarial maneuvering, they are without peer. Jarma tend to be very territorial and pride themselves on their practicality. Few of them have any qualms about taking a position in an argument that may seem heartless to other species. They feel the strong must band together and lead for the mutual advantage of all, both in domestic and military matters; in should be noted that they have historical reasons not to ally with the species they see as the strongest, the Kilrathi. As a people, they are rather incurious; they do not concern themselves with motives or mysteries, preferring to simply deal with things as they are. They pursue scientific research solely for the technological strength it promises and care little for non-defense related lines of inquiry. For these reasons, the Jarma remain a very advanced species that nonetheless has much potential yet to be realized.
*Physical Description: The Jarma are a large, bipedal race of varunid lizards, measuring on about 2.5 meters in height and about eighty kilograms in mass on average. Their bodies are covered by a layer of tough scales, which range in color from a dull red to grey to black. Some of their scales are reinforced with bone and have sensory plaques connected to nerves that facilitate the tactile sense; these areas are located in the ears, lips, chin, soles of the feet and palms of the hands. They have a long, yellow, deeply forked tongue which serves as both a gustatory and olfactory organ. Jarma are carnivores and are capable of delivering a powerful bite in situations in which they have no other defensive options available. They have a pair of arms that terminate in a three-fingered hand; this gives them fine motor control. They are also capable of standard auditory communication. Like most reptilians, Jarma are ectothermic and are not capable of regulating their own body temperature. Jarma are not particularly strong and exhibit an average level of intelligence. They are capable of eating up to 80% of their own body weight in a single sitting. They have a slow digestive process; they can sustain their bodily function on three such meals per standard year and gain any water they need while the digestive process is ongoing. Jarma have a fairly normal sleep cycle. Jarma reproduce via standard intercourse. Females of the species enter estrous once every two or three years and remain fertile for a period of three weeks. The gestation period is about three weeks, after which the female will lay a clutch of about two dozen eggs, which must then be incubated for up to seven or eight months. It should be noted that Jarma are capable of asexual reproduction via parthenogenesis; this is exceptionally rare and usually only happens when a female finds herself completely cut off from the rest of the species for an extended period of time. Offspring produced in this manner are almost always male.
**Motor Appendages: 2
**Visual Organs: 2
***Field of Vision: Optimal 174 degrees forward, Peripheral 290 degrees forward.
**Auditory Organs: 2
**Olfactory Organs: 1
**Gustatory Organs: 1
**Propulsive Appendages: 2
**Reproductive Organs: 1
*Relations with Other Races: The Jarma are largely neutral, willing to trade with almost any other starfaring society and leaving non-starfaring races alone. They don't particularly like the Kilrathi but are willing to trade with them and will even work with/for them if the pay is good enough. They often deal more with the fringes of Kilrathi society rather than doing business directly with the Empire. About the only race with which a Jarma wouldn't be caught dead trading (literally) is the Haggans, who consider the Jarma to be a delicacy.
*Territory: The territory of the Jarma people is unknown; it's generally believed to be somewhere rimward of the M'Shrak Sector. Those Wu who have made their way into Confederation space have indicated that they were once very loosely affiliated with the Wu Hegemony, and were one of the few races that were able to escape from the Kilrathi when the Hegemony was finally conquered. This partially explains their reticence to reveal the location of their home territory; they are taking a risk just by being part of the interstellar community. The appetites of the Haggan people also give the Jarma ample reason to keep the location of the bulk of their populace a well-kept secret.
*Onomastikon: Jarma names can consist of either one or two separate words; it's largely dependent upon the region in which an individual was born. Jarma occasionally pick up additional names later in their lives to reflect any major accomplishments. Their names can therefore be very long and nicknames are commonly used by members of other species; amongst their own kind, it is considered a grave insult to not address an individual by their full name without their express permission. Many of the sibilant features of Jarma language can be found in their names; they make very heavy use of the "S", "R" and "N" sounds, with "T", "L" and "TH" being only slightly less common. Glottal stops (represented by an apostrophe) are also fairly common. Jarma names use one prefix and one suffix. There is no preference of sounds or even whole names based on gender; it is possible for a male and a female Jarma to have the exact same name. If a listed suffix begins with a capitalized letter, it is meant to be used separately from the prefix; otherwise the two are combined into a single name.
**Prefixes: Eyss, Iyss, Lhsss, L'qrrl, Nss, N'thr, Nylll, Qrllhy, Qrlnrr, Qrl'qrrl, Rlyy, Ry, Sh, Shsss, Sss, Sysrhsss, Sysrysss, Thyss, Tnrr, Ty.
**Suffixes: Arrrslythnn, Arrsiyrn, Arr'syrshh, Arr'thrrla, Arrtrryrs, T'hhayslyla, T'hhaysshh, T'hhaysthyrr, T'hhaysyyrn, Thyr'sss, Thyshthnn, Thys'lynnn, T'La'qnn, T'Lasyarr, T'Lathll, hrnn, 'Senninssarr, 'Sennin'syrsth, slyhh, 'syrsrnn.
*Motivation: The principle motivations of the Jarma are the cementing of alliances with friendly powers, the continued acquisition of advanced technology and the eventual elimination of any threat to their continued existence (mainly the Haggans). Jarma will leave their world to pursue a goal that lends itself back to at least one of these primary motivations; the specifics are left up to the individual's judgment and are rarely part of some grand master plan. For that reason, Jarma are rarely 100% successful in achieving their aims.
*Basic Characteristics:
**Size Class: C5
**Base HP: 40 (+50 AHP)
**Base HD: 51/51/52
**Physical Attribute Building Point Pool: 100
**Mental Attribute Building Point Pool: 125
**Discipline Building Point Pool: 210
**Genders: 2
**Life Stages: Adolescent at 11 years. Adult at 20 years. Middle age at 37 years. Old Age at 62 years. Venerable Age at 78 years.
**Lifespan: 80 + 4d10 years.
**Height: 1.84 + (2d5 x 0.12) meters.
**Mass: 59 + (same 2d5 from height x 3.93) kilograms.
**Speed: Runner (Biped) - 12 kph (20 m/rd); 4 (short-range combat), 1 (long-range combat)
**Trade Value: ¤1,100
**Racial Abilities and Restrictions:
***Scaly Skin. Jarma have an outer layer of tough scales, which acts as First Class natural Armor.
***Lizard Bite. Jarma have a set of sharp teeth capable of causing some nasty lacerations (Bite; 7 Lethal Damage).
***Cold-Blooded. Jarma require warmer climates in order to function; their "zero-level" ambient temperature category is Tropical (for more details, see Cold Damage in Chapter 12.3).
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Category:WCRPG