Fossai

Created by: Garry Stahl
Appearance: Starbase 600 game (Note: Most of the information available on the Fossai comes from limited scans of their home world. No Fossa has ever been met face to face. Most of the information here is not available to characters. Anything listed as (unknown) is information characters do not have.)
Number of Members: approximately 2 billion
Nature of Members: 3 foot tall nocturnal humanoids. (unknown) Fossai are typical bipedal hominids. Their long fur hides most sexual differences, but they are present. They have large eyes sensitive to light as one would expect of a creature that prefers relative darkness. Fossai do not have color vision. They have a slight muzzle and the long canine teeth of a meat eater. They have good hearing and decent noses.
Because of their long fur they do not wear clothing. However they do have a modesty taboo. This requires that you wear your fur long enough to hide sexual characteristics. Shaving a Fossa is the greatest humiliation you can render a live one. They walk plantigrade. Sandals are commonly worn to protect their feet.
Organization: (Unknown) Fossai have a Hierarchical organization based in strength, or more accurately strength in Fossai terms. The sneakiest and most underhanded of the race rise to the top. The better you are at getting close to your foe or rival and making a fool of him, the more powerful you are seen as being. Fossai have a taboo against murder and killing. Killing another Fossa negates any status you might have gained from the operation leading to the death. However, leaving them sitting in the mud with everyone laughing, that is great stuff. As a result their government resembles rival mafia gangs that thrive on counting coup, but bend over backward to avoid killing. 
On a more personal level they thrive on cooperation. This lasts up to the point of an extended family, the typical hunting group of ancient times. Family politics lack the "ambush" aspect you see in dealing outside of the family group. This bush whacking will happen on a mild level between siblings, but is seriously frowned on in adults. Sexual relations are conduced within pair bonds. A reasonable level of monogamy is expected and generally given.
Seducing a female from another clan as part of a coup counting campaign is perfectly acceptable behavior, and a wife would cheer her husband on in such an endeavor. He is not expected to bring her back with him, or leave his wife for the other female. That is bad behavior. Indeed the female in question would gets points for breaking up the pair bond.
Game Role: Someone not forth coming and a source of possible problems.
World Role: Yea another life form.
Relative Influence: Minor.
Public or Secret?: Public, they would prefer to be secret.
Publicly Stated Goal: Go away, you can't see me.
Relative Wealth: One planet
Group advantages: Decent technology
Special Abilities: Night vision
Group disadvantages: Small size. A single human could easily take any melee weapon a Fossa had away from them and kick one to death.
Special disadvantages: Paranoid feelings toward anyone that knows they exist.
Those who favor them: No one yet, the jury is out.
Those opposed to them: Anyone not wishing to be bush whacked.
Area of Operation: Chan sector.
Headquarters Location: Fossahind. Fossahind has no space presence, they are no other Fossai worlds at all.
Public Face: We would prefer to not have a public face.
Notable Members: None known
History of the Organization: (Unknown) Fossai are evolved from nocturnal ambush hunters. They offset their small size by moving in packs. They would sneak up on a large prey animal and kill it while it slept. They also lived in fear of larger hunters as individually each Fossa is no match for even something the size of a Terran bobcat.
This "sneak up and get them before they get you" mentality has carried over into their galactic relationships. Fossai have been fingered as the origin of the bio weapon that destroyed the Chan culture 500 years ago.
Fossai currently possess 23rd century technology in the computer, medical and science. They have warp drives, but have only brief forays off world. Their warp technology has not progressed beyond DiHydrogen. They do have the largest and best planet based subspace telescopes that have ever been seen.
Fossai have turned their planet in to a world sized hunting park. Big lazy herbivores move over the land, large dangerous predators do not. All their cities and technology are built underground and reasonably scan buffered. Fossai are paranoid about being discovered.
Currently: Fossai have been contacted by the Federation in the person of the USS Jim Lovell. They have requested that the Federation leave them alone. So far that is the case. The Federation has taken the stance that the sins of the Fathers fall not on the sons. The bio weapon of 500 years ago is not being laid at the feet of the Fossai today. They are however being watched.
Category:Races
Category:Far Sector
Category:Epiphany Trek