Ampish

The **Ampish** were believed to be a race of small, furry, tree-dwelling people native to the relatively unexplored world of Ampa. Ampa itself sat in the middle of popular traditional trade routes within the Jurrikian Empire, and was used frequently as a stop-off due to its habitable climate. Most of the traders passing through this planet, however, have never reported any sightings of its supposed native inhabitants, but according to those who claim to have seen them, this is a result of their secrecy and ability to remain unseen. The majority of reports of the Ampish come from Crimliff traders, who regularly navigate the trade route in which Ampa is situated.

## Biology and appearance

The exact appearance of the Ampish is open to much speculation, with only a handful of viable descriptions of them coming typically from Crimliff traders who used Ampa as a stop-off point along their lengthy trade routes. Most of the accounts describe the Ampish as being very small, and that they "would have been half that size if not for their large, bushy tails," which were thought to be used for balance when scurrying about and for shelter or warmth when resting. They were covered in thick, bushy fur, which was typically reddish-brown in colour, though some reports describe them as being black or sometimes white. This is considered to be a result of possible melanism and albinism. Mature Ampish are thought to have had grey fur.

All of the accounts of the Ampish describe them as having exceptionally large eyes that reflect light when light is shone into them. This is often encountered at night, when the majority of Ampish sightings are said to have occurred. This suggests the Ampish live a nocturnal lifestyle. They are said to have possessed long claws on the ends of their fingers, possibly used for climbing. It is thought they lived arboreally, coming to the ground only to find food and to investigate their surroundings. Few documented encounters of Ampish communication have ever occurred, although a handful of reports state that the Ampish communicated with one another in hushed, chittering voices.

## History

### Imperial Epoch

The first encounter with the Ampish is believed to come from the Crimliff merchant, Foojin Selli Dei, in the early 1st Age, Golden Epoch, ME. In his travel log, Foojin writes:

> *"I arrived upon the planet Ampa, docking at the ramshackle fuelling station that had been newly constructed for traders like myself. There was very little here - not a member of my own kind nor any other. It was a lonely place, this small planet. The night came quickly, sooner than my ship was ready to launch, so I decided to spend the night there on Ampa. I had not expected the stars to be so visible there. It is a wonder lost to many of us, save we who travel first-hand amid the star-strewn vastness of our great galaxy, so I decided to camp outside that night, setting myself down in a great span of billowing grasses. It was a tranquillity I shall not soon forget.*
>
>

> *But that soporific lull of the grass and the stars was abruptly dissolved, as that night I was visited by a mysterious creature. At first it appeared disembodied - as if the night itself bore two glowing eyes, perceiving me with as much curiosity as I was it. It approached slowly, and I was not afraid, for it revealed itself to be quite a lot smaller than its eyes let on. It vanished a number of times, in some instances for longer than an hour, before reappearing again in a totally new location. I realised it was circling me, approaching incrementally. I sat myself down so as to not appear threatening to the tiny creature, although I do not think it was scared of me. It felt sentient, observing me as if it would report back to its friends about what it had seen - in much the same way as I intend to do upon my return journey.*
>
>

> *Finally, it stepped tentatively forward into visibility, and revealed itself to be extraordinarily hairy, with an exuberantly woolly tail held aloft. This glimpse of the being last for a second before it suddenly darted away again, revealing nothing more of itself than what I had already perceived. That was the last I saw of it, and the last I saw of my small supply bag. That was when I realised I had been robbed by the mysterious being, although my feelings extended little beyond disappointment that its curiosity was more likely for my belongings than it was for me. What occurred that night shall pester me for the rest of my life, though, for I have yet to find any answer to my many desperate questions. I believe I have witnessed a new sentient lifeform, I only hope that my experience shall prove to be believed by others."*
>
>

### Bleak Epoch

A handful of encounters have been documented since this first recorded encounter between Foojin and the Ampish, although many of them describe only seeing the eyeshine of the Ampishs' large eyes. The last record comes from the 3rd Age, Bleak Epoch, ME, by a Goroogong missionary, Soodoolo the Cynic, who stopped on planet Ampa with a number of other Goroogong missionaries. While the existence of the Ampish remained in question, many believed in the tales by this time, and the encounter between the sceptical Soodoolo and the Ampish only seemed to solidify belief in the Ampishs' existence. Soodoolo writes of his experience:

> *"There was naught that could convince me of the fanciful tales of an as-yet undiscovered sentient race present at the small world of Ampa, but upon my staying there I have witnessed irrefutably plain evidence of such a being as described in the limited accounts of their existing. I was alone, and I beheld the fabled glow of nocturnal eyes, illuminating the night where I ventured, akin to the eyes described previous to me. From behind the shadowy murk of the forested place I heard subtle voices, muttering whispered words to one another as though the words were scuttling insects seeking shelter upon the lifting of a rotting log."*
>
>

### New Era

This vague account was the last we hear of the Ampish, and while it confirms their existence into the early-mid-Bleak Epoch, it tells us very little about their sociocultural circumstances of the time. It is believed that the Ampish were wiped out by the Great Silence at the beginning of the Bleak Epoch's 5th Age, since no mention of them has come to light throughout the New Era. It is plausible, however, that the Ampish continue to inhabit the small world of Ampa, simply remaining undetected by outsiders. It is theorised that the events of the Great Silence discouraged the Ampish from venturing out of their forest homelands, making them far harder to encounter than they were before. Numerous expeditions to Ampa are currently underway, seeking to explore the planet more thoroughly in the hope of shedding some light on the existence of the Ampish, though no evidence has surfaced as of yet.

## Society and culture

While very little is known about the Ampish, almost every encounter with them is reported to have ended in the Ampish stealing something from the observer. This has led many theorists to speculate that the Ampish have a shared interest in the collection of things, given that these reports have occurred in many different locations around the Ampish homeworld. Few items have ever been recovered once taken by an Ampish, and it is believed the items are stored somewhere deep in the expansive forests of the giant, hairy lunga trees.

According to descriptions of the Ampish anatomy and their tendency to scurry up and down trees, theorists have concluded that the Ampish were predominantly arboreal, likely living in small, tree-dwelling communities. No evidence of an Ampish settlement has ever been discovered, however.