Species Name: Arcturan

Type: Humanoid

Physical Traits: Blue skin. The cardio-vascular system of an Arcturan has two hearts instead of the single heart that humans have. The right heart is a solid mass of muscle which provides most of the force behind the body's blood circulation. The left heart is much more complex, made up of an intricate system of thousands of veins that help cleanse the blood in a manner similar to the human kidneys. As a result, a heart attack in the left heart is a very serious matter because it is very difficult to repair. Their network of blood vessels is also somewhat different than in humans, as they do not have major blood vessels in their wrists.

The Arcturans have extrasensory perception to varying degrees, generally manifesting as precognitive abilities. Most Arcturans have limited perceptions, enjoying only rare fleeting glimpses of the future. However, some Arcturan will experience vivid prophetic dreams telling them of the time and the circumstances of their deaths. A rare few Arcturans, exclusively female, have very strong prophetic abilities. These females are often given a special status in Arcturan society that is much higher than would normally be given to a female. Some Arcturans have telepathic ability. Like humans, the degree of telepathic ability varies with the individual.

Height: 6 ft

Weight: 190 lbs

Mobility: Legs

Sensory Organs: Visual

Communication: Vocal

Reproduction: Sexual

INT: 3D6, WIS: 3D6, STR: 3D6, DEX: 3D6, CON: 4D6, CHA: 3D6, MR: 3D6, HPs: CON +D10

Orbit/Climate: 1 AU. Very stable, very elliptical orbit, gets hot and cold twice every local year.

Atmosphere: Standard and tainted Oxygen/Nitrogen with some contaminants.

Oceans: 90%

Gravity: 100%

Feeding Habits: Omnivore

Lifespan: 180 years

Technology: 10

Culture: Standard. Diversified mix of kind and evil people.

The nobility is the centre of all power and influence within Arcturan society, and advancement is only possible for an individual if they are either a member of a House or connected to one. The patronage of a noble is the easiest and often only way for a commoner to achieve success, and the trading of favours for mutual profit is par for the course. The more influence a noble is seen to have, the more sought-after and consequently the more expensive are his favours. The Houses themselves constitute the chief societal unit and are formed from old families of varying power, wealth and influence. The Noble Houses are the "Old Guard" while the so-called "Great Houses" serve as a middle class, though many of the Republic's leadership come from such houses. The "Lesser Houses" make up the lower servant and working classes. Most Arcturans are allied to one House or another by way of blood relation, arranged marriages or in service as retainers. The few families that have no such alliances - known as Houseless families - are considered beneath contempt. Such unfortunates often end up in such predicaments when they refuse to play the game of inter-House politics—gathering secrets, gaining leverage and trading in favours to form alliances—and it's not uncommon for members of these families, and women in particular, to end up as contractual slaves. By law, any Arcturan subject - even non-Arcturan - may own a Arcturan as a slave, but they must abide by the Republic's laws governing slavery. For example, an owner is considered responsible for the actions of their slave and is held accountable for any crime their slave might commit.

While the noble women are often spoilt and pampered, the common women are a protected and treasured resource, often working behind the scenes and usually filling roles as teachers and nurturers for the young and old alike. The few Arcturan women who are ambitious in political or industrial circles have a better chance to find opportunities beyond the borders of the Republic. Male Arcturans are typically the leaders and workers of society; serving in the military and doing all of the physically demanding tasks, with the commoners naturally tending to dominate the latter professions. Family and lineage are of great significance to the Arcturans, most especially because of their rich traditions and thousands of years of recorded history. Marriages arranged in early childhood have been commonplace among the Noble Houses since around the thirteenth century, with considerations such as the wealth, influence and House allegiances the respective families stand to gain from such unions typically being the only contributing factors. The prospective couple's feelings towards one another are considered irrelevant, and love very rarely plays any part. Indeed, for most old school Arcturan the two most important indicators of the wealth and power of a prospective spouse's family are how ugly and how old they are. Once common for all Arcturan at all levels of society, in recent years such arranged marriages have fallen out of favour in all but the Noble Houses, with whom it is considered nothing short of a sacred duty.

As the Arcturan are by tradition polygamists it's not unusual for a noble male to have several wives - all by arranged marriages - the better to cement more House alliances and acquire greater influence. If a noble family doesn't approve of a union, if for instance a male marries beneath his station to a commoner for such a trivial motivation as love, that family can force him to divorce with the threat of being cut off from the House. With the prospect of no money, position or title, very few nobles, even the young foolish kind, are willing to endure life as a social outcast for the sake of a woman. Though divorces for marriages of passion are relatively simple, a divorce from an arranged marriage is much harder to come by and can often only be sought from the Emperor himself. Regardless, for the sake of appearances it's considered unseemly for a noble to be completely unwed, and at least one wife is required to be at his side, if only for state affairs. For the nobility, marriage ceremonies themselves are considered solemn, sober occasions filled with moments of reflection, regret, disagreement, argument and mutual recrimination—the idea being that once you know that it cannot get any worse you can relax and "enjoy" the marriage. To celebrate a union with joy and exuberance is considered to be a very bad sign for the future. By contrast; state funerals are generally considered to be positively festive.

Arcturan religion is polytheistic, centring on a Pantheon of Gods, each of which is believed to hold dominion over a given afterworld. Arcturan belief is that by sufficiently appeasing one's patron god during their lifetime, that god will accept them into that afterlife in preparation for the time when all the "heavens" unite into one. Those that do not appease their gods sufficiently are thought to be reborn and must choose a new god, repeating the process until one accepts them. The pantheon itself is made up of a mixture of old household gods, deified Emperors and the Great Maker as the chief creator deity. This makes the Arcturan unique among Maker religions, as all others are strictly monotheistic. As more Emperors are gradually elevated to godhood, the exact number of Arcturan gods is given to change.

Government: Monarchy

Population: 1.3 billion

Home System:

Number of Stars: 1, Arcturus

Star Type: O

Planetoid Belts: 0

Inner Planets: 2

Middle Planets: 3