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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dr Simon" data-source="post: 4373671" data-attributes="member: 21938">LOL at Google Quickfinder!  I usually end up running quite serious settings but I'd like to do a kick-loose purely-for-laughs D&D game with little internal consistency and loads of anachronisms. If and when I do, I may nick this (or invite you to play).I don't know about pak'ma'ra family names, information is sparse on them (if you're someone who doesn't own The Lurker's Guide to Pak'ma'ra). You can have one if you want one, and feel free to improv. elements of pak'ma'ra society. Since the rest of the universe avoids them, not many people are going to know if you're telling the truth or not....[SBLOCK="Pak'ma'ra info"]Fluff from the rulebook:P a k ’ m a ’ r aThe Pak’ma’ra are a minor species, known – or perhapsinfamous – for their poor personal hygiene and carrioneating. For religious reasons, they devour the bodies of othersentients. The Pak’ma’ra have been accused of body theftand graverobbing in the past, but in recent times, they onlytake the bodies they are given. The Pak’ma’ra are relativelyunsophisticated, both technologically and culturally. Theirhomeworld has huge deposits of Quantium-40, the elemen tused in hyperspace travel, so they were brought into theLeague with almost unseemly haste.Personality: Most Pak’ma’ra are aware of the low esteem thatthey are held in and so keep to themselves and avoid notice.A handful of Pak’ma’ra delight in playing up to the stereotypeby being as disgusting and ghoulish as possible, leering andbelching fetid air at others. One way or another, the racialpride of the Pak’ma’ra species is carefully concealed.Physical Description: Pak’ma’ra are large, grey-skinnedhumanoids. They have two large proboscises on their faces,which function as feeding tentacles, allowing the Pak’ma’ra toshovel food or draw whole corpses into their large mouths.Pak’ma’ra appear to be hunchbacked but the ‘hump’ actuallyconceals the Pak’ma’ra’s mate. All adult Pak’ma’ra are matedpairs; the smaller, relatively unintelligent male physically andpermanently bonds with the female in a union.Relations: The Pak’ma’ra are tolerated for their mineralwealth and ignored in most other contexts. This has resultedin an underclass of Pak’ma’ra lurkers appearing on every spacestation and trading post from one side of the League to theother – there are always trade ships coming to their homeworldof Melat and so it is easy to find transport offworld.Pak’ma’ra Systems: The only Pak’ma’ra world is Melat,a world of thick, toxic atmosphere and sludge seas. Theenvironment is highly dangerous; only the Pak’ma’ra can goout in Melat without wearing encounter suits. Melat’s soleexport is Quantium-40 but this element is so rare and highlyprized that the Pak’ma’ra economy is thriving.Pak’ma’ra Beliefs: The Pak’ma’ra believe that the soul iscaught within the body at the moment of death and the bodymust be ritually consumed to set the soul free for its journeybeyond the Rim. Trapping the soul through burial merelyconfuses and injures it, forcing it to wait until the body decaysbefore reincarnating. The Pak’ma’ra are surprisingly dedicatedto their faith, although they have learned not to speak of it to outsiders.Language: The Pak’ma’ra language is impossible forother races to learn, so they must make do with electronictranslators. Pak’ma’ra translators produce a pidgin tradelanguage composed mainly of loan-words from English, Draziand Centauri.Names: Borl, D’Ram, G’Vort, L’Him, Sk’Ven, Trik, VurkStarfarers: Most Pak’ma’ra starfarers are stowaways orpassengers on board freighters who visited Melat, but therace does have a growing merchant navy, and is beginning to establish colonies on neighbouring worlds. The Pak’ma’raability to survive in almost any environment means they caninhabit worlds that are useless to more established races.To the eyes of other races, the Pak’ma’ra are lazy, disgustingand smelly, eating only carrion – even that of their own raceat times. With questionable hygiene and an appearance thatgenerates disgust among others, Pak’ma’ra tend to be ignoredwherever they go, assumed to be part of whatever underclassexists on the worlds and colonies they travel to. They certainlyhave a very different outlook on the universe and do notperceive things in the same way as others. On the other hand,it is a rarely known trait that Pak’ma’ra do not often lie or stealand are willing to help almost anyone in distress. They arehighly individualistic and have no set form of government,as such – a concept almost incomprehensible for them. Thishas caused problems in the past when other governmentshave tried to negotiate treaties for trade and territory withthe Pak’ma’ra, as there is no identifiable structure within theirsociety that gives rise to overall leaders. Even the Pak’ma’rarepresentative for the League of Non-Aligned Worlds holds little authority over others of his kind, though he is chargedwith making decisions that affect their homeworld, Melat, onthe border of the Drazi Freehold and Centauri Republic.Though the Pak’ma’ra lack much of the technologicalinnovation common to other races, the large quantitiesof Quantium-40 on their homeworld has allowed them totrade for ships, weapons and other items that have permittedthe safety and protection of Melat. Because of the valuableresources of their homeworld alone, the Pak’ma’ra werewelcomed into the League of Non-Aligned Worlds with openarms by governments keen to exploit this race and so pushahead with their jump gate construction. However, as timewent on, the less pleasant aspects of their race became moreapparent and now the Pak’ma’ra have few real allies among theLeague, though there are those in other governments who steelthemselves to sway Pak’ma’ra votes in political negotiations.[/SBLOCK]</blockquote>

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