KITONAK

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Kitonaks were pudgy, slow-moving sentients from the harsh Kurdan Desert which covered the planet Kirdo III. Their physiology was an adaptation to their life as desert nomads, while their psychology was notable for their extreme patience and calm. They were also noted for their talent as musicians.

Kitonaks were small and stocky creatures, with two legs ending in large, two-toed feet, and two arms with three-fingered hands. Their skin color varied from off-white to pinkish Though their fingers were short and fat, they were quite dexterous. Their bodies released a vanilla-like smell.

Kitonaks had tough skin which folded to seal vulnerable openings, a trait evolved to protect them from the harsh environment of Kirdo III's deserts. They also had some double organs, including two pairs of lungs. Their double lungs could store oxygen, allowing them to hold their breath for up to four hours. Their ears, eyes, and mouth could be sealed, and were almost too small for the casual observer to see. Kitonaks moved slowly, as they walked by expanding and contracting their foot muscles, or slithered slowly in a prone position. Their strong feet anchored them during windstorms, while they leaned into the wind with their aerodynamically shaped bodies and heads. In worse storms, when rocks began to fly, they burrowed into the dunes. Their sense of smell was also centered in olfactory organs in their feet, allowing them to smell their prey through the sands without having to worry about the desert winds.

Kitonaks were very patient, and never rushed. This was because they fed on creatures called chooba, and they had to stand motionless for a long time until a chooba got near them. The nearsighted chooba mistook motionless Kitonaks for sulfaro plants, which chooba often raided in search of fruit or bird eggs. One chooba satisfied a Kitonak's dietary needs for approximately one month.

Kitonaks lived in nomadic tribes of about one hundred Kitonaks, following migrating chooba herds. Due to their nomadic lifestyle and the tendency for what possessions they had to blow away in windstorms, Kitonak technology was limited to crude, temporary tools and musical instruments. Their tribes were united in a planet-wide participatory democracy, though slow communications and their deliberate thought processes meant that years would pass before decisions were made (by which time, the problem would often have solved itself).

The "Telling of the Story" was the highlight of a Kitonak tribe's day. Each night, the members of the tribe would take turns at storytelling, which each Kitonak adding his or her own details and plot twists. A single story could take several nights to come to a conclusion. These stories taught young Kitonaks the value of patience.

Rain came to their home once every ten years. When this happened, Kitonaks went to the newly full riverbeds for the "Great Celebration of Life," plunging into the riverbeds for the "Dance of Love." At the end of this mating ritual, females would emerge with newborn children. Though this made it seem that Kitonaks had an extremely short gestation period, the opposite was the case: these children were actually conceived years earlier during the previous rainy period's celebration. Young Kitonaks clung close to their mother for the first year of life, eventually becoming strong enough to stand on their own even during windstorms. Kitonaks followed a deity called the Cosmic Egg.

By the age of nine, Kitonaks reached full maturity. More adventurous nine-year-olds would leave overpopulated tribes to wander the desert in search of less crowded tribes. These lonely nomads would often make crude chidinkalu flutes from chidinka plants, and play them to while away the nights and attract other Kitonaks.

Kitonaks were almost always calm and patient, refusing to take action without considering the consequences carefully. In fact, their typical course of action would be to do nothing. Even among Humans or other, "faster-paced" aliens, Kitonaks were painfully slow to answer questions or make decisions. One of the only things to anger them was being hurried. They often would slow down out of spite if someone was making them rush.

The only other things which upset them were quicksands and caves. Caves were believed to be gateways to their mythological underworld, and it was said that no Kitonak returned from them. Quicksands, on the other hand, were a more tangible danger on their home world, since predatory creatures able to swallow a Kitonak whole lurked within. A Kitonak stuck in quicksand would easily be able to wait patiently until help came without falling further in — but help would usually be slow to arrive.

**KITONAK SPECIES TRAITS**

• • Ability Modifiers: -2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma.

• • Small: As Small creatures, Kitonak gain a +1 size bonus to their Defense, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 bonus size bonus on Hide Checks. They must use smaller weapons than Medium-sized beings use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters those of Medium-sized characters.

• • Speed: Kitonak base speed is 6 meters.

• • Natural Armor: A Kitonak’s thick, leathery skin provides a +2 natural armor bonus to Defense.

• • Slow Reaction: Kitonk react slowly, even in combat. They suffer a -2 penalty on initiative checks.

• • Resistant to Persuasion: Other speceis take a -4 penalty on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks when dealing with a Kitonak.

• • Free Language: Speak Kitonese.