Karthan

### Denials

Cybernetic replacements, Implants, Martial Artist Career Path, Military Career Path, Mercenary Career Path, Psychic Career Path, Corporate Booster Career Path, Corporate Soldier Career Path

## Description

The Karthan are a pacifistic, humanoid alien species from Kar'a'thar. They are comparable to Terrans in height and build, but that's where it ends.

If a mathematician and an artist could ever compromise on what angles and curves make the most appealing figure, it would be no great surprise if the body they described sounded a lot like a Karthan.  Of all the acknowledged races, none are more likely to catch the eye.  Much has been made of the beauty of their stone-like exterior, which can range in color from marble to obsidian and all the hues of topaz and chalcedony.  Yet while Karthans are often described as resembling statues, they aren't likely to ever be mistaken for one for long. Not just because of that whole breathing animate thing, which they probably only do as a courtesy.

The Karthans aren't fond of fighting.  At first, this seems like a terrible waste.  Karthans have the *best* regenerative abilities around, bar none.  They heal so quickly, it's possible to watch a wound heal itself in real time.  Like the Urellians, in certain ways, they simply can't be damaged.

But that ability comes with a downside. Evolution went a little weird when it came to the Karthans.  Most species keep their memories in their head because skulls are fairly tough.  (And it's not like most species actually use their brain for anything.)  Since all of a Karthan's body is tough, there was apparently no point in specializing.  For Karthans, when a memory switches from temporary storage to long term, it gets redistributed throughout their entire body.  If a Karthan gets injured before the process is finished, any new or insufficiently spread memories in that area get destroyed. A Karthan also can't accept cybernetics in their body, not just because they heal too quickly for the surgery, but because the electronics are incompatible with their data storage.  Karthans can't develop psychic abilities either, but whether this has something to do with their anatomy or something else hasn't been confirmed.  (The Karthans weren't too keen about the Enorians' offer to prod their soupy insides.  Go figure.)

The majority of Karthans remain on their homeworld Kar'a'thar.  The majority of those that do leave tend to find a place to their liking and hunker down there for decades as long as it’s really hot.  But even the Karthans that become enamored with all the possibilities of galactic travel tend to dislike the portion that requires them to actually be in space.  Even the best and smoothest ships will vibrate slightly if traveling by anything but inertia, and stone skin picks up on that in a way meaty flesh does not.  It's unnerving, like a ringing in the ears.  Space is also cold.  While Karthans are excellent at handling heat, coldness is another matter entirely.  A frozen stone will shatter, after all.

In recent decades, it has been discovered that Kar’a’thar’s orbit is starting to decay. Any Karthan who finds in themselves the bravery to leave the homeworld are encouraged to find a new home so that the entire species can relocate.