Kitonak



Kitonaks are pudgy, slow-moving sentients from the harsh Kurdan Desert which covered the planet Kirdo III. Their physiology is an adaptation to their life as desert nomads, while their psychology is notable for their extreme patience and calm. They are also noted for their talent as musicians.

Biology and Appearance
Kitonaks are small and stocky creatures, with two legs ending in large, two-toed feet, and two arms with three-fingered hands. Their skin color varies from off-white to pinkish Though their fingers are short and fat, they are quite dexterous. Their bodies release a vanilla-like smell. Kitonaks have tough skin which folds to seal vulnerable openings, a trait evolved to protect them from the harsh environment of Kirdo III's deserts. They also have some double organs, including two pairs of lungs.

Their double lungs can store oxygen, allowing them to hold their breath for up to four hours. Their ears, eyes, and mouth can be sealed, and are almost too small for the casual observer to see. Kitonaks move slowly, as they walk by expanding and contracting their foot muscles, or slithering slowly in a prone position. Their strong feet anchor them during windstorms, while they lean into the wind with their aerodynamically shaped bodies and heads. In worse storms, when rocks begin to fly, they burrow into the dunes. Their sense of smell is also centered in olfactory organs in their feet, allowing them to smell their prey through the sands without having to worry about the desert winds.

Kitonaks are very patient and never rush. This is because they feed on creatures called chooba, and they have to stand motionless for a long time until a chooba comes near them. The nearsighted chooba mistake motionless Kitonaks for sulfaro plants, which chooba often raid in search of fruit or bird eggs. One chooba satisfies a Kitonak's dietary needs for approximately one month.

Society and Culture
Kitonaks live in nomadic tribes of about one hundred Kitonaks, following migrating chooba herds. Due to their nomadic lifestyle and the tendency for what possessions they have to blow away in windstorms, Kitonak technology is limited to crude, temporary tools and musical instruments. Their tribes are united in a planet-wide participatory democracy, though slow communications and their deliberate thought processes mean that years pass before decisions are made (by which time, the problem would often have solved itself.)

The "Telling of the Story" was the highlight of a Kitonak tribe's day. Each night, the members of the tribe would take turns at storytelling, which each Kitonak adding his or her own details and plot twists. A single story can take several nights to come to a conclusion. These stories teach young Kitonaks the value of patience.

Rain come to their home once every ten years. When this happens, Kitonaks go to the newly full riverbeds for the "Great Celebration of Life," plunging into the riverbeds for the "Dance of Love." At the end of this mating ritual, females emerge with newborn children. Though this makes it seem that Kitonaks have an extremely short gestation period, the opposite is the case: these children were actually conceived years earlier during the previous rainy period's celebration. Young Kitonaks cling close to their mother for the first year of life, eventually becoming strong enough to stand on their own even during windstorms. By the age of nine, Kitonaks reach full maturity. More adventurous nine-year-olds leave overpopulated tribes to wander the desert in search of less crowded tribes. These lonely nomads often make crude chidinkalu flutes from chidinka plants, and play them to while away the nights and attract other Kitonaks.

Stats & Skills

 * Attribute Dice: 12D
 * DEXTERITY: 1D/3D
 * KNOWLEDGE: 1D+2/3D+2
 * MECHANICAL: 2D/4D
 * PERCEPTION: 2D/4D
 * STRENGTH: 2D+1/4D
 * TECHNICAL: 1D/3D
 * Move: 4/8

Special Skills
Burrowing: This skill allows the Kitonak to burrow through sand and other loose materials at a rate of 1 meter per round.

Natural Armor: The Kitonak’s skin provides +3D against physical attacks.

Story Factors
Interminable Patience: Kitonak do not like to be rushed. They resist attempts to rush them to do things at +3D to the relevant skill. In story terms, they seem slow and patient - and stubborn - to those who do not understand them.