Pahtra

Pahtras are a species of feline humanoids native to the planet of Pulonis, formerly in the Veskarium but now officially part of the Pact Worlds.

Pahtras evolved on a low-gravity jungle world called Pulonis, where they fought a long war for independence from their Veskarium conquerors. Recently, pahtra freedom fighters defeated the last Veskarium occupiers, then voted to join the Pact Worlds as a sovereign planet. Today, Pulonis is a lush, verdant world wracked by dangerous magnetic storms and scarred by the Veskarium’s brutal invasion. The struggles of survival have influenced many pahtra traditions, leading to a culture of competitive war games, time-honored mysticism, and unorthodox technology. Music accompanies everything in pahtra culture, from popular entertainment to traditional battle tactics, with martial combat even categorized as a form of battle dance.

History

When the Vesk first landed on Pulonis, the disparate, technologically-inferior pahtra nations stood no chance against the vesk's advanced weapons, starships, and political power. Nevertheless, the pahtra's warrior traditions, local knowledge, and cultural determination made the conquest long and difficult, and earned them respect from the vesk. Many small communities were destroyed by the vesk while others formed coalitions and nations that all ultimately signed treaties with the Veskarium.

Society

Pahtra cultures are steeped in tradition and highly competitive, with individuals vying for recognition and resources in a struggle that mimics the harsh natural order of their planet. Before the Veskarium invasion, technological advancement on Pulonis stalled because of the world’s unpredictable magnetic storms. Even today, Pulonian technological development focuses on ceramics, bioengineering, chemistry, and magic. After breaking from the Veskarium, residents of Pulonis’s nation-states overwhelmingly voted to join the Pact Worlds, and they’re still acclimating to this new political allegiance.

The majority of pahtras are asexual. Most seek loving and life-long relationships with partners, but in modern times few commit to having children. Pahtras bear litters of six to eight children and prefer communal child-rearing, which allows parents to retain their individuality and shoulder responsibilities together.