Urseminite

No species is reviled quite so much as the Urseminites. This fact
is at odds with an Urseminite’s first impression—at least if that first
impression involves only seeing the creature. An Urseminite is small, about
three or four feet tall, and looks remarkably like a living teddy bear. They’re
short and pudgy, covered in soft fur that ranges from pink to brown, and
everything about their physical appearance is completely non-threatening. They
have no claws, and their teeth aren’t pointed.

It’s widely theorized that the Urseminites are a
genetically-engineered species, created for the express purpose of being pets
or perhaps nannies. This seems likely, because nobody knows of an Urseminite
homeworld—these creatures live in small communities on various worlds, as well
as in the space lanes themselves—and nobody really knows anything about
Urseminite history or heritage. However, if they were engineered for domestic
purposes as the theory goes, something went horribly wrong with the process, because
their personalities could not be more contradictory to their appearances.

Urseminites revel in vice. They smoke huge, disgusting cigars that
they roll themselves; they drink to excess; they hit on everything that moves;
they pick fights; they lie, cheat, steal, and kill—all for amusement and
personal gain. Urseminites are selfish creatures, and some think that something
within the Urseminite brain prevents them from empathizing with other creatures
or from realizing that other creatures are not mere playthings for their own
grotesque amusement.

Most species want nothing to do with these cuddly villains, giving
them wide berth when they see them. Some individuals recognize, however, that
the Urseminites do have their uses. For all their small and non-threatening
stature, Urseminites are notoriously vicious in battle, and packs of them can
take down seemingly superior foes in a surprisingly short time. They are often
pirates and mercenaries, and there are some who take advantage of their
willingness to undertake any job, turning a blind eye to the Urseminites’
methods.

Thankfully, compared to the other major species of the galaxy,
Urseminites are rare. They have no homeworld, and groups of Urseminites larger
than five or six are almost unheard of. It’s likely that these creatures even
begin to hate each other after a while, and this, fortunately, prevents them
from amassing any kind of sizable force. Their small numbers are suppressed
further by the Templari and the Saldrallans, both of whom frequently put
bounties on the heads of Urseminites. The Saldrallans specify that these Urseminites
must be proven pirates or criminals, since there are a rare few who do legitimate
work for the Empire. The Templari, however, make no such distinction and are
content to try to hunt the Urseminite species into extinction. So far, they
haven’t been successful.

### **Urseminite Names**

Urseminites don’t take family names. As befits their general
attitude, the individual is all that matters. Here are some sample names.

MALE NAMES: Bres, Corl, Doom, Doonfa, Drevid, Falik, Grevid, Gun, Hebrid,
Kalik, Korvid, Lar, Mar, Murd, Palik, Par, Sar, Savid, Trun, Van.

FEMALE NAMES: Bada, Bandi, Bedla, Blada, Caldi, Dani, Drandi, Folli, Goll,
Hansi, Horra, Mala, Meda, Moll, Piska, Slandi, Terra, Tora, Tori, Traski.