Marauder
Contents
Appearance
Personal History
Powers and Abilities
15 ton lift weight
20 ton pull weight (can play tug of war with an African Elephant bull)
Bruiser
Species is highly physical throughout their entire lives (male and female equally)
~Especially good at wrestling and holding/pinning, even things with multiple limbs
~Tail has a large fist sized boney nub at the tip (hidden under fur) that can be used like a small club
~Well versed in most blunt and edged single handed weapon types
Psychic
Species communicates via telepathy
~Can read surface thoughts of most thinking species around her
~Able to tune out or dim thoughts around her so as to not be overwhelmed in crowded places (cannot tune mental death or pain screams, or loud surface thoughts)
~Mental attacks are more easily resisted by her
~Has a ‘last resort’ style attack that is a horrendous mental screech: affects anyone not resistant in 5 yards around her, overloading the nerve signals to and from the brain, making the affected fall into a seizure like state
Other Advantages
~Can adapt to temperatures ranging from -50 F (-45 C) to 150 F (65 C) comfortably
~Has a mild resistance to acids (strong acids, such as chemical cleaners, will still burn her)
~Resists most small blade attacks and blunt force trauma is softened due to thick skin and internal ‘padding’ / flexibility (small arms fire is also resisted, but sustained damage of any kind will break through, as will stronger forces. Getting hit by a truck is still gonna cause damage, just might not outright kill her)
~Excellent hearing
~Decent night vision, still needs some light to see with
~Needs very little water / gets much of her liquid from food
~Highly social
Training
Planetary Information
The Aorsen race, or Aorseni in plural, is a species of bipedal extraterrestrial life form from the planet Charness, a celestial body within the Messier 7 star cluster of the milky way. Messier 7, or the Ptolemy's Cluster, is a cluster of around 80 stars approximately 980 light years from earth. The cluster is most notable for making up the tail of the constellation Scorpio.
The planet Charness is a planet 7'500 miles in a diameter, making it similar in size if not somewhat smaller than earth. The planet circles the sun at a rate of 418 terran days, making the Aorseni standard year around 14% longer than that of earth. The planet is mostly rocky and highly geothermal, with active and dead volcanoes scattered across most of the land. Hot springs, geysers, mud pots, and other such thermal features adorn the surface of the planet as well, sometimes leading into small rivers or lakes (which often freeze farther from the thermal source).
The planet's average atmospheric temperature is 35 degrees colder in Fahrenheit than that of earth, commonly reaching -85 F (-65 C) during the cold seasons on Charness’ extreme ends. These wastelands are most often uninhabited, however, as the Aorseni (and much of the flora and fauna native to the planet) inhabit the areas around the geothermic and volcanic regions. Not including the hot springs, volcanoes, mud pots, and steam vents themselves, these areas reach a more tolerable temperature of -45 F (-42 C) on the very outskirts during the cold seasons, warming up steadily as one travels closer to the source of the heat.
Most life on Charness is centered around these hot spots. Flora on Charness are often short and tough, resembling small shrubs, cacti, and lichens in appearance. With little rainfall, other than the large sweeping storms (both rain and ice/hail/sleet) that occasionally pass over, these plants often have to rely on ambient steam for their moisture, what little they need. Most of their nutrients appear to be taken directly from the soil and rock itself, with the few exceptions of some carnivorous varieties that prey on small insect and reptile-like creatures. While many of these ‘plants’ are scattered across the surface of the planet, the highest concentrations of them are found to grow around calmer hot springs, and upon the sides of dead volcanoes.
Fauna on Charness are equally as tough as their flora counterparts. Many fish and amphibian-like creatures adapted to be able to live within the hot springs and thermal pools themselves, feeding on the bacteria and nutrients there. Some have even been seen to release an oil-like substance that clouds the surface of the thermal pools and causes it to blend in with the surrounding rock and soil. Unassuming land dwelling creatures, thinking the heat is from a vent or innocuous hot spring, will then wander, or fall, into the thermal pool where either they boil to death instantly, or are otherwise set upon by the inhabitants of the pools and killed that way.
Outside of these pools, the majority of life on Charness seems to head one of two directions: burrowers land walkers. The burrowing creatures range widely in size and visual appearance, often seeming akin to rodents, insects, or reptiles. Many have patches of fur or feather-like material, some have dense scales, and still others sport thick skins with nearly armor-like patches across their bodies. These creatures are best suited for life underground, away from the freezing temperatures and treacherous storms. Many seem to be resistant to heat to the point that they can burrow close to lava flows without burning up, so long as they do not burrow too close. No species seen yet is able to withstand the heat of lava upon their being without suffering some kind of injury or dying.
The land walkers at first seem to be very akin to mammals, and indeed some are. Many sport thick pelts and skin that help to protect them from the bitter cold and preserve their own body heat, while others have adapted more to tolerate the blistering waters and scorching heat of some of the thermal pools and volcanically active areas. Some creatures seem able to walk through thick mud pots with ease on their long legs, or skimming across the tops with many small legs, suffering no blisters or burns despite the acidic nature of the mud. Others stick to the edges of the warm zones, picking out caves and burrows to hide in during storms, letting the weather and temperatures keep away both those suited to the often scorching heat of the thermals and those accustomed to the frigid cold of the wasteland like spaces in between.
There is even a species of bird-like creature on the planet that seems to spend nearly its entire life riding the thermals created in the air from the heat perpetually rising up from the ground. The massive storms and ice do not seem to affect them, as they seem immune to being frozen through some kind of de-icing chemical that adorns their feather-like structures. The only time they have been seen to land is either to produce offspring, or on occasion while hunting. Mostly though, they seem to dive in and grab smaller creatures, carrying them back up into the air and eating them while on the wing.
Species and Cultural Information
The Aorseni themselves seem to be one of a very small group of species able to wander between the heat and the cold with little issue. Despite their thick skin and mostly furless body, they are able to adapt to the blistering heat around some of the thermal vents as well as to the frigid cold of some of the wastelands. They are not, however, immune to the heat and cold entirely, nor to the acidic nature of many of the mud pots and thermal pools. While their bodies are able to adapt to a very wide range of temperatures, more than a short contact with any of the ‘cooler’ thermal pools will still cause their skin to blister and burn, with the hotter geysers and thermal vents harming them instantly, and going into the wastes too far (or attempting to stand outside during an ice storm) will freeze them. They also seem to need a period of time to adapt to temperature changes. Changes brought on too quickly seem to physically pain them as their body tries to catch up, and in some cases this can cause not only actual physical harm and shock, but death.
Aorseni civilization is chiefly made up of numerous city states, all of which were founded within close proximity of geothermic vents, hot springs, and volcanoes scattered across the surface of the planet, and all of which are interconnected by well maintained transportation services. It is primarily through these comparably small pockets of warmth that the Aorseni have managed to survive the harsh environment of their planet.
The Aorseni race's level of technology is similar to mid nineteenth century humans, with several key differences. Most notably is the all but completely lack of heavy ballistic based weapons, and an industrialized military. While the Aorseni are by no means a fragile race, often used as bodyguards for their great physical strength and resilience, they have a specific feature that makes them ill suited to the harsh nature of industrialized warfare.
This is, while in part due to cultural norms of the species, primarily due to their method of communicating with one another.
The Aorseni communicate primarily through telepathy, broadcasting their thoughts to one another the same way most races communicate verbally. It is because of this that their culture has developed around contact both emotionally and physically. Indeed despite their formidable physical attributes and their intimidating visage, the Aorseni could accurately be called one of the more even tempered people in the known galaxy.
A number of cultural studies upon the Aorseni have allowed scholars to learn that this even goes so far as them eschewing bloodshed among each other. Personal disputes are often resolved via grappling contests, where the winner is determined by who can first physically restrain their opponent for a period of time without drawing blood or breaking bones. These contests are not allowed within personal homes, nor within certain public spaces, such as hospitals. However, within most social areas it is acceptable to solve disputes with a grappling match, or to simply grapple for the fun of it. They are such a heavily physical race that they have been shown to have a very strong ‘cuddle’ reflex. With no sense of personal space the Aoreni often show affection by draping themselves upon each other, starting up friendly grappling matches, gently head butt and tail pull those around them, and other such physical acts.
This affection is something that they show to all but those who have broken the societies rules. Unless an individual has caused harm intentionally and without a justified reason to an individual, or the society, the Aorseni are friendly towards them. Gender, disability, sexuality, and other such biases that are common among other races simply do not exist among them. A child born with a hindering physical defect might never be able to gain a mate, but they will be treated no differently by the society than a healthy individual.
This does not mean, however, that Aorseni cannot and are not willing to resort to protecting themselves with the use of lethal force. Even more so than simple use of brute force to break bones or draw blood the Aorseni have a 'last resort' defense that takes the form of a wide reaching mental screech. This disorienting and painful mental attack cannot be directed in any specific direction, instead it radiates from their person and hits any poor soul within several yards.
While such bloodshed and use of mental attacks is a taboo in all but life or death situations, one most note that no civilization that has progressed to their state would do so without the willingness to shed blood, and in dire circumstance the Aorseni have proven more than capable of defending themselves, to the point that even the Malvans have been known to use them in gladiatorial arenas.
However, in the wider solar system Aorseni are much more often used as guards, particular in environments where non lethally neutralizing a hostile enemy is preferable to killing them. It is because of this that you will often found them employed as bouncers in bars, or as security within higher society establishments.
