Vicollan Race

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The Vicollan home planet is called Harvest, no matter what language one is speaking. Clan-based and highly territorial, the Vicolla have nurtured the planet, creating one of the wonders of the system. Were it not for their multitude of inventions and advancements in the field of farming and harvesting, the System planets would not be able to support themselves. The Vicolla are opposites wed, with clans specializing the delicate, electronic and mechanical while still fully participating in the unskilled labour of farming.

Characteristics

1.1 Physical

Small and wide, averaging 1.5 meters tall across the genders, the Vicolla have a startling shoulder width of 0.4 to 0.6 meters. There is no neck to speak of, the skull rests between the shoulders, with shock-absorbing padding between the bones. This compact build works as a defence against surprise blows originating from any angle, including above. An attacker wishing to surprise a Vicollan as she walks through a field would do little damage, especially if the intended victim is wearing even the most basic armour. It would be like trying to body check a boulder.

Ropey, long arms that end in three phalanges and an opposable thumb, are adapted for the reaching, pulling and carrying involved in agriculture. Both hands and feet end in non-retractable claws, perfect for digging, the feet also have a heel spur for traction and balance.

The soft fur that covers all but the palms of the hands, soles of the feet and genitals, varies according to colour of the ripe grain common to each region. A southern Vicollan, raised among the light gold of the sun belt, will be hardly a shade darker than what she harvests--just as the darker ryes of the upper continents reflect the toasted hue of a Northern Vicollan. Though their farming skills extend beyond grain, it is the cash crop of generations and influences life in every way.

1.2 Vision

The widely spaced primary eye pair allow a wide swath of binocular vision. The higher set third eye cancels out the blind spot caused by the distance between the primary pair. With sharp focus and a sweeping perspective, Vicollan vision meshes perfectly with their needs. Running between rows of tall grain, the central eye looks perfectly down the path, where the primary pair has a blind spot. A surprisingly high number of Vicolla are red/green colour-blind, which poses little complication in the fields.

1.3 Hearing

Hidden by their fur are ear pits on either side of the head. With vision as their primary sense, the Vicollan sense of hearing is not magnificent, though on native planets little could be heard anyway above the constant rustle of grain in the wind. Biologists conjecture that this slight deafness is the cause of the compact and near indestructible body of the Vicolla. The popular biologist Jameson wrote of the Vicolla, "If you can't hear an enemy sneak up on you, then you should be prepared to take a hit." (Our Neighbours pg 72)

1.5 Olfactory

With no nostrils, Vicolla smell through their mouth utilizing a version of the Jacobson's organ.

1.6 Reproductive

The Vicolla have multiple births, normally between three and five. Vicollan infants nurse for about six standard months, which is about the most an active member of the Vicollan society can spend out of the fields before it becomes a detriment to production. As far as numbers go, the popular opinion is "the more the merrier" and having more hands to help work the fields is always a benefit. The strong clan society also encourages more children to continue a lineage. As they have travelled further among the planets, the average size of a Vicollan family has lowered, the current standard of a 'modern' Vicollan family is nine children.

Vicolla sexually mature (both physically and mentally) at a comparatively early age, as part of an extended period of fertility, a further adaptation to clan and farming life. Due to social restraints (the Vicolla mature earlier than any other race they interact with), the early pairings traditional in Vicollan culture have tapered off. 'Modern' Vicolla wait until their children are out of school before allowing them to enter in a local marriage-equivalent.

If necessary to distinguish differences between regular siblings and those born together, siblings are classed as "litter mates" if concieved at the same time.

Social

more to come

Vicollan Race Bio Notes

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