Sharatar

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Sharatar are a cat-like species in Polaris Sector. Sharatar, or "Schrödingers", as humans call them, are a race of anthropomorphic cats from a planet whose name only Sharatar themselves can pronounce. Because of that, the other races all have their own names for it: Magellans call it Shuri, Humans call it Gatos, Drills call it Palos, Gavakens call it Pitsundra, Urgans call it Tiusyara, Vagalars call it Gupelndshmidkht (which translates as "Den of the universe's most notorious pirates"), and the Erianscall it Ermur. That all can get very confusing, and so the races also introduced a standard name: Shartaria.

Contradiction, paradox, and inscrutability are all at the heart of what it means to be a Sharatar. They are nothing if not dichotomous in everything: at once honest and shameless, treacherous and faithful, cunning and simple-minded, scary and sweet - ultimately, they are creatures prone to emotional outbursts. Each conceals within them an entire universe packed with chaos, surrealism, and something incredibly attractive and touching. Sharatar bring that chaos with them wherever they go, stand for disorder, and wreak havoc and mayhem. It's not that they're evil or good; they're just full of surprises!

## Physiology

Speaking biologically, Sharatar are bisexual, upright walking, reasonably fertile mammals. They have thick fur, sharp claws, and well-developed sensory organs, while the features that most stand out are eyes capable of picking up everything from infrared to ultraviolet light. Their unusual brain configuration makes Sharatar powerful telepaths able to sense the thoughts and emotions of other creatures while speaking to them nonverbally.

Many attribute the Sharatar’s natural charm and attraction to a hypnotic effect they produce via a powerful blast of pheromones. Some races even think that the Sharatar’s bodies secrete special bacteria that act on the nervous systems of other bodies in order to elicit a positive emotion. No one has been able to prove or disprove that claim, though the Sharatar themselves cry foul and maintain that they are just naturally sweet and adorable!

Valerian root has the same powerfully intoxicating effect on Sharatar that it does on earth cats and their counterparts from other planets. When under its influence, Sharatar behave oddly, relapse into childhood, have transcendental discussions focused on lofty topics, or just sweetly give off a positive, good-natured vibe via telepathy. Valerian root has no negative side effects, so it would be accurate to state that most of this race is in a constant narcotic trance.

## History

The Sharatar have a rich, storied history that is impossible to understand thanks to the fact that their chroniclers, in keeping with an ancient tradition, always write while in a strong narcotic trance. That is why their texts are riddled with spelling and stylistic mistakes, not to mention the absurd hyperbole and metaphors they are prone to using.

## Culture

Scientists from a variety of races are unanimous in their opinion that cats are the Milky Way’s universal biological aerobic constant. They can be found on every earth-like planet in one form or another, and all intelligent life in the galaxy is familiar with them. Coming across intelligent cats, therefore, is both logical and to be expected. The Sharatar themselves explain this phenomenon by saying that cats represent the pinnacle of being. In theory, any living creature can make it to that level of being with enough development. In practice, that is incredibly difficult: even the Sharatar still have a ways to go, even if they’re much closer than other races.

The Sharatar consider feline dreams to be sacral. The universe, they say, has something like a great equation that needs to be solved or, if you will, simplified, and cats work on that while they sleep. If one were to simultaneously interrupt the dreams of every cat in the universe, it would disappear without a trace.

Sharatar are anarchists to the core, and also sneaky kleptomaniacs who filch everything they can get their paws on before hiding it in little bags under their fur. You can’t take your eyes off them for a second! That is why their leaders and elders have an ancient tradition of shaving their fur completely—they wouldn’t want to steal one thing too many and cause a bloody war. They also take a vow of earnestness and refrain from valerian root during their rule, which explains their foul temper and perpetually bad mood.

One more note about the name of this race: sharatar is a war cry, something like hurrah for Humans or ersaduai for Erians. There is no grammatically correct plural form, though that is a rule many writers, historians, and scientists often forget.

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