Race Name: Uros
Origin Planet:
Mu (pronounced m u) 7
A large, terrestrial planet with a thick atmosphere and covered mostly in water. Surprisingly, the vast majority of land is either scorching desert or muggy rain forests, with little in between. This could be because this is a fairly new planet, it has just experienced a recent mass extinction event and it's still recovering, or simply by an extreme amount of luck, or lack there of depending on how you wish to look at it.
General Appearance and Life Span:
Due to the size of the planet and it's resulting gravitational pull, one would expect that any resulting species would be squat but amazingly muscled. Not completely true when it comes to the Uros (and Mu 7 as a whole). Six and a half feet tall on average, and weighing an amazing average of 400 lbs (most of that muscle), they are quite the spectacular specimen. And though specifics may vary depending on region, they have a striking resemblance to Earth bird species. Covered in feathers, having a beak, and some even sporting a magnificent crest, the similarities are uncanny. Males are often more colorful then the females and are usually the ones with a crest. Perhaps because of the need for a strong heart, the Uros can live to 200 years, the oldest recorded Uros still living being 218 and being cared for by their family.
Culture:
Though it varies from place to place, tribe to tribe, water is always a central focus. Even in the rain forest, drinkable water can be hard to find. And though it appears that this young race has grown out of fighting each other, fighting prowess still influences the social hierarchy as well as for sport. Almost all males, and a fair number of females, attempt to become warriors or end up fighting in gladiator pits. That being said, for all the importance of fighting, the rank of warrior is more of a status symbol then an actual position. Upon becoming a warrior, they are given a pair of axes that often remain hung on a wall, only taken down to answer a duel, and even that is not often.
Another odd tradition of the clans is how they record their own personal history. What can be easily mistaken as tusks upon first glance are actually carved bones, pierced into their beak and replaced as they grow. An elderly Uros can easily have one of these piercings reaching well down to it's chest, and possibly beyond. These carvings hold significant value to the families, and upon death they are removed and moved to what can be assumed a shrine dedicated to the family, no one save the family members of the deceased are allowed in, however, so other races do not know and it's a sensitive topic among the Uros.
How they were discovered:
Frankly, by accident. A lone trading vessel over shot their destination by a couple solar systems and was curious why there wasn't any space port above the planet, not realizing his blunder. First contact was made under strained circumstances, the Uros fearful of the strange thing that had landed among them and not knowing exactly to expect. However, after they were calmed, things went smoothly. It is surprising how easily they have adapted to knowing that they are not the only sentient things in space as well as borrowing technology to catapult themselves to almost on par with modern technology, though it is unwise to rely on a successful jump on an Uros vessel.
