Ch'tel Harook

## Summary

Ch'tel Harook are small reptilians with great pride and a distain for cowardice. Many actively avoid them for fear that they may attack nearly unprovoked.

## Overview

"It's a good thing they lay their eggs in clutches." This was what Xenobiologist Miter Vix had to say about what is often seen as the inexplicable survival of this race. Hailing from Mighty, these small reptilians stand only three feet high, or four for females, yet they notoriously pick fights with anything they believe has insulted their honor. Believing themselves to be the fiercest warriors in the galaxy, they are fearless and numerous. In bars across Federation Space, they are usually allowed to play the fearsome warrior. Few are willing to engage them in a fight, as they know how seriously the Ch’tel Harook would take it. However, such bravado rarely works quite as well against security guards or pirates. Ch’tel Harook labor is cheap to buy, partially because they are not very good at negotiating, but also because most people wouldn’t be willing to pay a Ch’tel Harook the same wage as most races. Additionally, they don’t worry about danger in jobs. As such, they can often be found as mercenaries or laborers in hazardous areas.

## Culture

Gender roles in Ch'tel Harook society are deeply entrenched, creating dramatically different environments and expectations for males and females. For the males, life is about growing strong and gaining prestige. They are expected to leave their home world in search of adventure and return only when they have achieved something impressive. Achievements in battle or sport are particularly valued, but advancement in hierarchical organizations or monetary success can also gain them favor with their peers. Those of lesser skill will often find a leader to bring them to greatness, as anything their leader achieves can be partially attributed to them. As such, mercenary bands of Ch'tel Harook are very common and well sought after. No job is too dangerous and the pay is unimportant, so long as they don't find the figure insulting. This sense of greatness by association leads them to find pride in jobs largely viewed as low-class work by the galactic community. For example, a Ch'tel Harook construction worker lays some claim to the achievements made by those in buildings they worked on. Those who fail to find success in a form accepted by their people or who demonstrate cowardice in some way are referred to as Gobtak, translating roughly as worthless. Such a labeling sometimes results in a reckless charge to reclaim honor, but usually results in the Gobtak starving himself in a fit of self loathing. The general disdain most races have for Ch'tel Harook prevents these individuals from finding any help.

Females are charged with caring for young, instilling values more than educating. Juveniles are expected to learn most of their lessons from experience. Consequently, the general education levels among Ch'tel Harook are very low. In addition to childrearing, the females are in charge of ensuring the prosperity of their home world. They occupy nearly all leadership positions on Mighty outside of the military. This might be perceived by outsiders as a signifier that the females hold higher station in society than the males, but for Ch'tel Harook, such a comparison in inherently flawed. Males and females are so different in their expectations that either would be a failure by the other's metric, making comparison impossible. Pride for a female is tied to their contribution to the the success and ideals of their community and is entirely nonhierarchical and uncompetitive. The Arch-matron that serves as the world's head of state holds no more status than a farmer or a store clerk. With a secure sense of self worth, they are much more level-headed. However, since they infrequently leave the planet, this has done nothing to change the perception that all Ch'tel Harook are violent fools.

## Physiology

Ch'tel Harook are cold-blooded bipeds standing three feet tall for the males and four for the females. They can live to be seventy Federation years old, though their life expectancy is significantly below that, at least for males. They have rapid metabolisms and boundless energy, allowing them to outperform all Federation member races in long distance races. They must eat frequently for cold-blooded animals, primarily focusing on protein, but they are capable of digesting a wide range of foods from roots to fungus. They display a high tolerance to a most poisons and drugs, with the exception of alcohol, which they are highly susceptible to. Their tails allow them to balance effortlessly on narrow surfaces and make them excellent swimmers. A Ch'tel Harook can hold their breath for four minutes untrained, and up to twenty-six minutes with regular practice.

Their skin is covered in many small scale-like pieces of dermal armor, called scutes, made of keratin and bone. Their scutes extend into the dermis, which can limit flexibility, particularly in the facial region. A Ch'tel Harook's lips are incapable of some shapes necessary for communication in Federation languages. While they have no difficulty communicating in Federation Trade Language (by design), they require a translation device to communicate in some planetary languages. Further, they are incapable of sipping out of cups or using straws, instead needing to pour the liquids into their open mouths. The scutes are not without their benefits, of course. In addition to improving their traction bare footed, they provide protection against punctures and laceration. The primary purpose of this adaptation is to defend against other Ch'tel Harook, as in the past they would often battle one another with the use of their teeth and claws, which are both well equipped to tear flesh.

The pronounced jaw of a Ch'tel Harook possesses a bite force of 600 psi and teeth that curve subtlety towards the back of their head to improve their ability to grip prey or competitors. While biting, they will often use their small claws, which are slightly curved toward the palm and extend up to an inch from the finger, to scratch their targets in a flailing motion. The goal of this motion is to damage the eyes and to disorient their target. They may also attempt to use their claws to grab at a vein to cause as much bleeding as possible. However, this is a secondary use for the claws, which are more often used as tools for digging, carving, food preparation, and personal grooming. In situations where the Ch'tel Harook wish to grip an object without touching it with their claws, such as lifting a paper, they are capable of closing their hand in the direction opposite from their palms. However, this method decreases their grip strength and manual dexterity substantially.

The back of a Ch'tel Harook's head has a large fin that can be expanded in order to vent excess heat or intimidate targets. The fin extends horizontally on the skull when expanded, causing it to catch wind. This allows the heat to be vented more efficiently, while only creating limited drag, due to the backward angling. As the fin's heat dissipation allows for improved long term endurance and the visage can be perceived as fearsome, Ch'tel Harook instinctively expand their fins in preparation for combat. The fin is almost entirely devoid of sensory nerves, an adaptation that allows the already very pain resistant Ch'tel Harook to continue an attack, even if the fin is damaged. Its size makes this a likely eventually in repeated close quarters combat, but the fin can at least partially heal most wounds within a week, provided the ribs of the fin aren't damaged too badly.

## Mating

Instead of being sexually active year round as most intelligent species are, Ch'tel Harook go into heat for two hundred hours every one of their planet's years, which are 15672 hours long. In preparation for this time, which is consistent enough to be charted on a calendar, the males will return to Mighty in hopes of finding a mate. The females will use this time to prepare food and temporary lodging for the returning males. Upon their arrival, they boast of their accomplishments in hopes of impressing a female enough to mate. One male can mate with dozens of females, and with the population slightly skewed in the male's favor, this means that most males will be unsuccessful in their efforts on any given year. Once a male has successfully mated one season, they will no longer go into heat. Most remain on Mighty at this point, though those who are leaders will usually continue their exploits in hopes of helping those under them mate in future seasons. The females may mate any number of seasons until they grow too old, usually around fifty. Successful mating results in a clutch of twenty to thirty eggs.