Lands of the Star People

The Desert of Weriest used to be uninhabited, the result of a land too arid for any kind of known agriculture. However, one day a meteor came from the sky and landed in the middle of the land. From the mysterious fallen star came out what we now know the "**star people**", strange green beings dedicated to their cattle, which is able to survive in great herds despite the harsh conditions. To protect their delicate eyes and ample heads from the sun, they make big hats.

## The Desert of the Weriest

The **Desert of the Weriest** is one of the most inhospitable areas in all of Giantstep. Due to the presence of multiple mountain ranges around the area, the land of the Weriest is isolated from most of the wind currents in the region, and thus there is barely any rain. Added to that the poor quality of the soil and the hot climate all year long, and the Desert of the Weriest has been a land with little to no activity. The region’s natural fauna is limited to certain species highly adapted to the dryness and the heat, snakes, lizards and small mammals that spend most of their time underground or searching for food during the night. Its flora mostly consists of bushes and cacti that have evolved to have roots reach hundreds of meters down in the soil for every scrap of water they can find, but even then, the quality of the soil and the frequent sandstorms can break them from their roots. Throughout history, the nearby nations have launched expeditions to search for mineral wealth like gold or silver, but every time they searched, they came back with empty hands. It eventually was reduced to the hideout for bandits and outlaws, but even then, they ended up either dying or moving away to a land where they could actually survive.

## The arrival of the Star People

Around 700 years ago, numerous astromancers detected that one of the stars in the sky was moving in unorthodox ways. Many of them began debating the meaning of this unusual stellar phenomenon, and around the step there were many fearful of this event heralding some imminent cataclysm. Some of the most radical of their kind argued that the star would collide with the world and bring the end of times. It would turn out that they were partly right, as around 660 years from the discovery of the falling star, an unidentified body fell into the center of the Desert of the Weariest. However, since the area was utterly isolated and uninhabited, it took years for many nations to figure out that the fallen celestial body had actually fallen into the desert instead of the sea. And since the comet hadn’t meant the end of the world, the world mostly forgot about this incident.

It would be around 540 years ago when the astromancer Detruvius Morius who would discover the remains of the fallen star. At the head of a scientific expedition dedicated to the search of the elusive dancing star, his calculations had reached the conclusion that the meteorite had landed somewhere in the Desert of the Weariest. After decades of study and preparation for his expedition, the discoveries that he made there went beyond his wildest expectations.

After a month of reaching the coast, Detruvius and his team were crossing the desert when strange creatures riding horses surrounded them. Due to the well-known lack of people living in the area, they had barely brought any weapons to defend themselves from bandits or wildlife, but luckily for them, they weren’t there to harm them. The individuals were beings like they had never seen before, wearing strange hats and talking a language unknown to the astromancers. After a while, they were able to establish some vague communications, indicating that they were not a threat. The strange beings, later called the **Star People**, invited them to one of their towns. They would stay in the Desert of the Weariest for nearly two years living with the Star People, and when they came back, their writings and findings about the Star People spread throughout the world.

Star People have a thin complexion, with an average height smaller than humans’, but considerably taller than dwarves. However, their proportions are wildly different, since their head is nearly twice the size of that of a human, and their arms considerably longer. The shape of their head is similar to that of an inverted tear, with the broadest part at the top and the thinnest at the bottom, connecting it to the body with a small but powerful neck. Their eyes are elongated ovals, without apparent sclera or iris, being all black pupil. Their eyes are very resistant to light, but even so, the blinding brightness of the desert has made them develop a custom of wearing massive hats to cover themselves from direct contact with the sun. Their sight is apparently quite advanced, they not only can see in much darker conditions than humans or elves, but also they can detect movement with more precision. Their nose is a barely visible protrusion, and is apparently vestigial since they mostly breathe though their skin. They have no ears, their auditory canal is limited to a hole at each side of their head. Their torso is much thinner than that of a human, but somehow their musculature can output similar, albeit smaller amounts of force. Their long arms end in hands with three fingers, which are extremely flexible and sensible. Their legs are as thin as their arms, and are surprisingly similar to that of a human. They are vertebrate, but their bone structure is much different to that of a human or elf, having much smaller bones, but a bigger bone count in total. This, alongside their cartilaginous complexion, gives their bodies a lot of flexibility, at the cost of being slightly frailer than humans are. Their most notorious aspect is their green, hairless skin, which shows properties of reptile skin while presenting an aspect of glossy, toad-like skin. Older Star People can show small moles and dotes in their skin of a darker shade of green.

They are a sexually dimorphic species, though the differences are much smaller between their sexes than those between male and female humans. The female of the Star People are slightly shorter, but with eyes proportionally bigger. The female’s hands are also proportionally longer. Other than that, the most important element to differentiate a male from a female is the color of their skin: the males’ shade of green is much stronger than the females’, which tends to have a much duller and muted shade of green.

The Star People are omnivorous, though their diet tends more towards animal sources. Their diet consists mostly of beef and milk from their cattle, and they are very frugal eaters, probably due to a very small stomach. They also cultivate certain species of cacti, but agriculture, even of that kind, is very difficult in the desert, so it is very limited.

## Star People History and Culture

The Star People’s origins is something that has been studied very little, due to the near impossibility of verifying the Star People’s claims. When asked about their origins, they mention that they come from somewhere “beyond the stars”. Some assumed that that means that refers to a land an infinity away from our world, others defend that they come from another plane of existence, and some have said they have just travelled from another step on the Giant's Staircase. Wherever they come from, the Star People were part of a crumbling civilization, and they decided to find another place to live, beginning a travel for a place that could serve as their new home against all odds. To their knowledge, they are the only surviving members of that voyage. What their civilization was like and what caused its collapse, they don’t talk about it, being an apparent taboo for them.

What we do know is that they swore off any kind of technological advancements and/or magic studies, and decided to live simpler lives. Their level of tech is seemingly on par with some of the more developed nations in Giantstep, with the exception of some items that are seemingly beyond our comprehension. The most common of this is the “lightning gun”, a weapon that is similar to a matchlock pistol, but with strange curves. It does not fire iron pellets, but instead it’s capable of emitting a strange light that disintegrates any living matter that enters in contact with. While this item seems inhumanly powerful, it is not as dangerous as it seems, since it will only have its full effect on still living things. Records have shown that against leather and iron armor, its effect is greatly diminished, and will have nearly no effect against rock or soil. It has also been speculated that the undead would be completely immune to their effects, but due to the rarity of the items, we have no solid data.

They do not form a singular country, but will live independently in small towns or as nomads, guiding their herds of green beasts, similar in shape and size to cows, but with three eyes instead of two. They will also develop artisanal jobs to provide for anything they might need, disregarding the use of any technology more advanced than the already existing in Giantstep. Despite the poor nature of the desert, they have manage to spring towns with small wooden buildings relatively fast before trade with them was established, which makes many think they still have unknown technologies available to them.

They do not always live in harmony with each other. The frequent use [consumption] of alcohol and the proliferation of gambling, card games and other pastimes usually translates into bar fights, and personal duels. Though this is rare and only found in the bigger population centers. For the most part, they prefer to keep their distance from each other, either living solitary lives or forming small family groups.

Contact with the outside world is rare. The Star People are reclusive and independent by nature, and they seemingly prefer to stay in the desert by themselves or form small communities. The neighboring countries, like the Blind Bastard’s Domain and the Tribes of Mumak Mahûdom organize raids to steal the Star People’s cattle, though the harshness of the desert makes this a daunting proposition. An outside attack is one of the very few things that will make different groups of Star People come together in the defense of the lands. In this cases, they are able to cause considerable chaos and confusion in the raiding forces by just retreating into the desert and launching a series of fast hit and run attacks to their rear, until they are forced to go back or are utterly destroyed. This was particularly effective against the Mumak Mahûdom tribes, since their preference for big war elephants was their undoing during the first raid they launched once they knew of the existence of the Star Men. Searing heat and lack of water made the elephants slow and irresponsive, and the skirmish patrols of Star People with lighting guns did the rest. The poor accuracy of the guns was moot when fighting such massive targets. In their retreat, the Mumak Mahûdom left behind dozens of horses that were used to move troops and/or carry the loot. The Star People quickly took these animals, and nowadays, it is rare to see one Star People without their horse. However, through selective breeding, their horses are smaller than those outside of the desert, but are as quick and nimble as any other, though they will spend most of their time eating and sleeping in the shade.

At the center of the desert it is rumored that the fallen star where the Star People with resides. Many suggest that the impact probably left the fallen star deep underground, though no one outside of the Star People has yet found it, and when asked about it, the Star People will not mention it.

## Three Eyed Cows

The main source of food for the Star People is their cattle. Those creatures are similar in form and size to regular cows, but with green fur and skin, and with a third eye. This species is remarkable in that they can survive and thrive under the poor conditions of the desert. They not only need barely any water and food to live, they also multiply in great numbers.

The three eyed cows produce a considerable amount of beef and milk to feed the Star People, which makes herding an essential part of the Star People's life and culture. Society will revolve around taking care of big herds of these animals, moving throughout the desert searching for any spot of greenery they can feed off. The size of the herds depends on the owners, with familiar groups owning between 30-50 animals, and more powerful groups having hundreds. Livestock theft is common, which forces many Star People to keep an eye on their herds.

The success of the three eyed cow under harsh conditions has reached a point where many merchants have tried to breed them outside the desert, but for inexplicable reasons they will stop eating and die if they are ever taken out of the desert.