Skittermander

Skittermanders are a race of peaceful mammalian humanoids from the planet Vesk-3 (Oeddertchonk). They are instinctually helpful, which vexed the vesk to no end when they tried to invade their homeworld.

History

Skittermanders split off from their stridermander cousins following a planetary disaster millions of years ago. The population that remained on the surface evolved into the skittermanders, and became prey to the stridermanders when their cousins returned to the surface.

When the Veskarium commenced the invasion of Vesk-3, the skittermanders were more than happy to get out of the invaders' way because of their innate desire to help. Recognizing the Veskarium's superior strength but not understanding that they came to subdue the world, skittermanders felt they could best aid the empire by simply not being in the same location as its soldiers so they could quickly achieve their goals and move on. This was vexing to the vesk, whose code of honor forbade them from firing on an enemy that wasn't interested in a fight.

Eventually, in a meeting later considered to be the official date of Vesk-3's conquest, a vesk general plainly told a group of skittermanders that the Veskarium ruled their planet. The skittermanders nodded and got back to their lives. Since then, the Veskarium has been ruling Vesk-3, though not really in control of it.

Society

Skittermander societies don’t create governments, laws, or rules, yet residents naturally help each other, forming free-form independent communities or joining neighboring societies. Communities are tight-knit and welcoming, and individuals tend to be friendly, sociable, and engaged. Skittermanders are often talkative, only abstaining from constant group conversation while focused on a particularly challenging task or while sleeping.

It’s said that the Veskarium effortlessly conquered the skittermander home world of Oeddertchonk. When the skittermander residents realized their vesk visitors wanted to occupy their world, they "helped" by simply being elsewhere. Oeddertchonk is simultaneously an occupied outpost of the Veskarium and made up of entirely independent sovereign communities. The skittermanders help the Veskarium when they feel like it but don’t acknowledge Veskarium leadership or governance. Because skittermanders don’t engage in military resistance, the Veskarium happily tolerates the arrangement.