Rodian

 

Physiology

Rodians are sharp-witted and sharp-featured, with beady eyes, narrow noses and pointed ears. On average, rodians stand 110 cm, and weigh 30 kg, though this average means little as rodians exhibit the widest diversity of body types among all the species; from the long and lean to the stout and round.

Rodians have sharp teeth that grow continuously throughout their lives and must be cared for either by grinding them or by constantly chewing something hard. Many rodians will gnaw sticks of dense grass or cane, which can be gathered in the wild or purchased in a range of natural or infused flavours or stimulant effects.

All rodians have fur coats, though again the variety is very wide, from the soft and fine to the coarse and thick to everything in between. Color and pattern variations are also wide, running from muted and mottled greys, browns, black and whites through to sienna, ochre, ginger, bronze and rust colours. All rodians also have tails; some short and stubby, some long and hairless, but sometimes full and bushy with a bright colours and patterns. Fur colouration and patterning in rodians seems to be more related to camouflage than to sexual presentation, as neither male and female tend to be more or less colourfully patterned.

Life Cycle

Rodians have a 2 year lifer cycle, and each cycle is accelerated accordingly. Rodian females have very short pregnancies of about 80 days, and typically give birth to litters of 4-8. Baby rodians are extremely helpless and are born blind and hairless. Both parents must be fully engaged in infant care for the first few months, and even then infant mortality is high, with only about two-thirds of newborns surviving their first hundred days. Once infants become toddlers they develop rapidly, reaching adolescence by 4 and young adulthood by 6 years of age.

Rodians do not bond as mating pairs, and once children reach adolescence the family unit tends to dissolve, and young rodians typically begin working. Usually some children will bond with one parent, and some with the other, working as assistants or apprentices in a relationship that is more professional than familial.

Culture

Rodians are well known for their love for shiny things, numbers, and shiny things with numbers on them; particularly coins. They are also curious, and love secrets and hidden things. These passions and interests taken together make them sharp business people, accountants and bankers, and they are excellent negotiators and deal makers. While they do not bond as monogamous pairs for breeding purposes, they often do form long-term or even life-long partnerships for business, legal and financial purposes. With children often attaching to parents and joining them in their profession, these partnerships can appear very similar to 'family businesses' from the outside.

Adjustments

Rodians are shrewd, and have increased Cunning and Confidence, and their tenacity grants them a bonus to their Resolve Derivative. They are are comparatively frail and suffer from reduced Vitality, but this is compensated for by the fact that they have the Disease Immunity perk. Rodians' small size means they do less damage with weapons, but are harder to hit. They have the Night Vision perk and they start with Apprentice level of mastery and a free initial roll in the Business skill field.