Designing Polaris, part II, Race Preview II: More on the Juruno Options

[Anansi]

As promised, here's more detail on the Juruno race.

Physiology
The Juruno are an average-sized race with a relatively lanky build; their hands have five digits and a "perfectly opposing" thumb positioned off the centre of the wrist, rather than along the other digits. Their feet have no digits, but they have an additional articulation which is seemingly analogous to the articulation of the toes in mammals, making them pseudo-digitigrade; they are fast runners, but the low surface area of their feet gives them poor endurance and makes them bad swimmers.

The Juruno homeworld, Jurunaa, was a desert planet ravaged by strong winds; Juruno are familiar with scarcity, and evolved as highly competitive social predators, banding together for safety and hating each other all the while. While they aren't really dependant on it, most Juruno native to Jurunaa feel uncomfortable away from the jaate, an airborne spore of a fungus that permeated the sands of the planet. The Juruno lack a nose, and sport protective membranes over their eyes; their breathing apparatus is located towards the back of the head, under their ears. The ears are little more than circular holes, and the Juruno head is streamlined and thin; Juruno are built for surviving sandstorms. They have blue, mottled skin that is exceptionally smooth and firm when raised outside their harsh homeworld.

Besides their exceptionally dextrous fingers, the Juruno also have fast muscular reactions and are often part double-jointed, making them extraordinary acrobats.

History
In relative terms the Juruno were very late to unify under a planetary government; as late as a century after their development of space travel, their home planet of Jurunaa was still under control of numerous political factions. Juruno politics was ruthless; assassinations and coups were frequent, but open wars were extremely rare. The Juruno are naturally averse to hierarchy and authority, not due to rebelliousness (Although Jurunaa saw its share of rebels), but due to sheer paranoia. Jurunaa, their homeworld, was merciless towards infantry combat. Juruno warfare was mostly urban - "wars of assassins" where combat consisted of infiltrating enemy cities at night and murdering important (Or just able-bodied) citizens. Late Juruno wars were fought in massive tanks that razed entire cities to the ground. Before such development, the average Juruno citizen saw warfare as something that happened to other people. After years of truly destructive wars, they were willing to accept an unified planetary government - and so the unstable Imperium of Jurunaa was established. Soon after, assassin wars were common again.

The Imperium
The Imperium was no less ruthless than any previous political order; assassination, blackmail and bribery were not merely recognised, but in fact expected as means of gaining power, and most Imperial dynasties lasted only one or two generations before being replaced with usurpers. The Empire took to space-faring, and soon it began a campaign of ruthless economical exploitation; the Juruno established few bases, as they loathed leaving the homeworld for extended periods of time, and there was always a short supply of people willing to serve as base garrisons. The species' dependence on the jaate drug left them unable to settle permanently.

As generations went, the colonies became more and more of a crutch for the failing economy of Jurunaa, sustaining the lavish lifestyle of the Imperium's citizens, while an underclass of space-born Juruno was raised. Finally, the fifth Impeiral Consul, Nardor I, forbid the space-born from entering the surface of Jurunaa. The spacer Juruno became nomadic, residing temporarily in bases on Juruno colonies and importing massive quantities of Jaate. While the first few spacers were uncomfortable and often in pain when going from being steeped in Jaate to taking small doses, the Spacers gradually cleaned themselves from it. The decline of the empire was intimately linked their independence from Jaate; as they no longer needed Jurunaa, Spacers began to settle on other planets, forming small communities where it was possible not to be constantly afraid of one's peers.

The Imperium, reduced to Jurunaa alone, entered an era of growing squalor. The population was gradually killed off by scarcity, and Imperial "demographic readjustment squads" rampantly tried to contain the economic collapse. The last Consul, Lurudaa I, fortified himself in the palace with a handful of courtiers - mostly members of his extended family. As a deterrence against his own assassination, he planted a high-depth antimatter charge underneath the Palace.

In the meantime, the Empire was breaking up into numerous minute splinter states - anarchies, revolutionary republics and theocracies spread like wildfire, at war with one another, themselves, and the many one-man micronations fielding heavily armed one-man armies. Imperial exclaves in those places rapidly became hostile to one another, claiming in the confusion that the Consul was dead and that they were the one true Imperium. The palace itself broke into tiny factions, mirroring the situation outside it - massive and self-sufficient, the staff divided itself into small nations, and the corridors turned into barricaded war zones.

Ultimately, the consul's wife assassinated him, triggering the massive antimatter detonation that turned Jurunaa into a mass of asteroids.

Space-born Juruno being the only survivors, and given their intense mistrust of their own kind, it became clear that a Juruno state would never exist again. The Juruno race dispersed, each small family group gaining as much distance as it could from their own kind; the race felt more comfortable among other species, and assimilated easily into other cultures. Periodic meetings of Juruno, done in deep space and inside the confines of interlocked ships, continued to happen for a long time - mostly for reproductive reasons - until modern states coalesced and Juruno populations became plentiful enough that they could find their own kind without much trouble.

Culture
All current Juruno are descended from spacer Juruno; they have virtually no physical difference from Jurunaa-born Juruno, but the few remaining accounts of Juruno history seem to indicate that the constant intake of Jaate caused a mottling of the skin, and that the harsh desert climate made Juruno skin to appear considerably less flexible, even leathery.

The Juruno are oddly xenophilic; they know very well how treacherous and scheming they are, and thus completely fail to trust each other; on the other hand, they like and are almost predisposed to trust other species. While not all Juruno are selfish, they have no concept of loyalty amongst them, although many create bonds of loyalty towards members of other species. To a Juruno, another Juruno is either dangerous competition, a servant, a child to be protected, a competitor's child to be hindered, or a mate; members of other species are viewed much more neutrally, and often become friends.

Their distrust doesn't seem to prevent emotional bonding, love and even marriage - most Juruno couples work out an understanding of what is and isn't acceptable in terms of adultery - and then watch each other incessantly, because they know they're at constant risk of being cheated on. The environment of extreme paranoia has caused many Juruno to become celibate; this is offset by their above-average fertility and prolific rearing of children (Who are strongly encouraged to get away from the parental home as soon as they possibly can).

Jaate
The Juruno drug was present off-world; small caches of it are still strewn through what once was Juruno territory, and A handful of fungal colonies equipped to produce it also remain. Jaate is a mild hallucinogenic when used by most races; the Juruno experience much stronger effects accompanied by a feeling of euphoria, but quickly build up a resistance; after two or three doses, most Juruno cannot feel the effects anymore, although a higher pain threshold and increased flexibility of the body seem to be the effects of prolonged use. Jaate, while only slightly addictive to most species, is extremely addictive to the Juruno. Ultimately they are incapable of functioning for prolonged lengths of time without it.

Designer's Notes
The Juruno are a bit of a reaction to all the scary, dogmatic xenophobic races we see in science fiction. I thought it would be interesting to explore the ramifications of a race that was xenophilic. They like aliens better than themselves because, for all their gregarious impulses, rationality and emotions, they're completely overtaken by competitive instincts towards one another. I think they turned out very well, and they're certainly one of my favourite races - they're strange, they have a very original quirk, but they're not completely dominated by it, and players are still going to have the full range of roleplay they want out of a Juruno character, with an additional conflict that, I hope, doesn't take over the personality of every Juruno player character.

Juruno are also foils to humanity - Humans tend trust each other so strongly that bad things happen to them because of it, and Juruno distrust each other so strongly that bad things happen to them. Of course, the races are best buddies, even more so due to their common history.

Now tell me what you think about them.

[Arix]

So they're sycophantic towards other races, or they just like aliens better?

[Anansi]

So they're sycophantic towards other races, or they just like aliens better?

They just feel more comfortable around aliens. They don't feel compelled to look at them as dangerous competition. Doesn't mean they have to like every alien, nor that they will, let alone that they're sycophantic.

[Arix]

was just wondering about the level of xenophilia

[Gaetele]

Thank the Admin for a clearly defined physiology! No more ambiguity in player descriptions (which should also fall under roleplay categories. Docked rolepoints for bad descriptions )

[Uriel]

I like the concept, but that's quite a lot to take in, especially if you're in danger of rolepoint loss for getting bits wrong. Personally, I'm a fan both of the strict enforcement of it, and of the level of detail, but it may impose quite an entry barrier for newbs.

[Arix]

but I LIKE my tentacled aslaran...

[Anansi]

I like the concept, but that's quite a lot to take in, especially if you're in danger of rolepoint loss for getting bits wrong. Personally, I'm a fan both of the strict enforcement of it, and of the level of detail, but it may impose quite an entry barrier for newbs.

Yes, I understand that. I certainly don't expect people to read up all the stories and such before even making a character. But I provide the information for players who are already involved enough to get into the roleplay, and so that we can objectively judge whether a description is appropriate for a race.

[Uriel]

Yes, I understand that. I certainly don't expect people to read up all the stories and such before even making a character. But I provide the information for players who are already involved enough to get into the roleplay, and so that we can objectively judge whether a description is appropriate for a race.

Cool.

[Fez]

Very nice! I look forward to reading up on more races and the like .

[Talkan]

I'm sure no one expects a true freshman of the game to get things perfectly right, but having a very detailed list to draw from will allow the more experienced players to help a novice fix any mistakes. Besides, in situations like these-more is better.
The better a subject has been fleshed out, the more it adds in the long run. It'll really help make playing a certain type of racial character feel realistic when you've got a sturdy foundation to draw upon for your characters feelings, thoughts and actions.

I really hope we'll see some mature gameplay that spawns from in character reasons in this IRE mud. I've got high hopes, don't let me down!

[Proximus]

Very, very nice.
Being a real fan of rogues/assassins/thieves/schemists and so on, I absolutely love the story and the race. RP'ing one would be really great as well I think and quite demanding.

I can not hold myself back so I will ask. Seeing a race that has such characteristics and are biased towards a "dirty play" when it comes to politics and power, is there any chance that a subtype suited for that?

This post has been edited by Proximus: Feb 7 2008, 10:18 PM

[Rhulan]

I like the race very much, but, moreso: I like the write up. It's good to see this is very fleshed out.

[lumin]

I like the concept that they need to take the drug. So what happens if I don't take the drug for a while? What kind of bonuses do I get for taking it? Do all races have this type of extra 'quirk'?

[Soludra]

I think it was mentioned that they _don't_ need to take the drug, but if they do they are very, very addicted to it.

[Montago]

I like the Juruno a lot! While there is quite a bit to work with, it isn't overbearing to the degree that it will totally control how your character acts and develops in the future. If all the races are like this RP-wise I'm going to have a hard time deciding what I want to become.

I'm really excited to see the ramifications of Jaate in the game world! Will certain empires work to ban it's creation while others try to push it to others. Will it be used for others to control Jaate as slaves, and what will the difference be between those whom decide to take the drug in comparison to those who don't?

I can't wait to see more!

[Sorroth]

When the game comes out, you should convert the Physiology sections of all the races to style guides, like you did for Illithoids a while ago, to help players with writing good descs.

[Vanan]

I was worried about the races until I read this update. This level of detail and care speaks well of the designer, and the mud as a whole.

[Hallen]

Juruno stuff.

I love you.

Edit: I realized some actually constructive commentary might be more helpful. I really really like the way this first race is looking. If the other races and the Empires are just as interesting I will be a very happy little gamer. The physical description is helpful for those who want more fidelity in their descriptions and also to help give things a more scientific feel, I think. I love the unique quirk and can already think of some fun and interesting things to do with a Juruno character.

This post has been edited by Hallen: Feb 7 2008, 11:16 PM

[Caldur]

I really, really like the history of the Juruno. Two thumbs up from over here!