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The Jhi'Naam
Cultural Age: 10 (race has had FTL tech for a very long time)
T1: Cat Race - Carnivore --- RDC - 60 points ---
EVT000 - Normal Environment (-10 pts) --- GCr - 600 GCr ---
TRS001 - Gold Credit: 50 RDC == 2500 GCr --- Physical Description --- The Jhi'Naam are a felinoid race normally standing between 5 and 6 feet tall with long, thin, and slightly prehensile tails. They are purely carnivorous, even to the point of cannibalism. The entire society feels a common sense of comradery, though they are permanently divided into clan-like hunting parties and almost always hunt as individuals. Their bodies are covered with fur of varying length, depending on the sub-species - some Jhi'Naam have somewhat long body fur while others are virtually hairless. Natural fur coloration ranges mainly from grays to browns and light oranges, although personal vanity results in individuals dying splotches (or in some cases, entire bodies) in varying colors such as neon pink, greeen, or red, or any combination of colors. --- Cultural Notes --- The history section of both the Jhi'Rae and the Jhi'Naam is confusing unless you know that the terms Rae and Naam both refer to those of their respective races that do not have training in the Jhi techniques. As contact with the Jhi progresses, the percentage of the respective populations trained in the Jhi grows as well. --- History --- The Naam loved (and still love) preying on other species that they discover, not only for sport, but also for food. This utterly repulses most of the other races they encounter. The Naam are personally responsible for the extinction of 47 seperate sentient species. After centuries of hunting across the stars, they discovered the small cluster of stars containing the Rae. Like the other races encountered by the Naam, the Rae did not want to be eaten. Formal requests to cease and desist were ignored, and eventually, all-out war broke out. Though the Rae used Naam stealth cloak technology to develop a practical starship cloaking device, the Naam were still far superior in combat. It seemed to the Naam that they were winning the war and they collected a great armada of about 94% of their warp-capable ships, preparing for a massive offensive against the Rae homeworld. Much to their surprise and chagrin, the Jhi'Rae were waiting with an equally-massive ambush. Although the Naam outnumbered the Jhi'Rae by considerable numbers, the Jhi'Rae had somehow developed an advanced method of organization that allowed them to respond much more quickly to tactics tried by the Naam. As a result, the Naam armada lost rather badly, and various SOS transmissions and distress calls were sent out before the last of the massive fleet was obliterated. Naam intelligence studied the data from the battle and started an investigation of the "monks" that had apparently come into the Raean spotlight. A small strike force was assembled and prepared to capture one of these monks alive. Three Naam gunboats were sent to escort the strike team and prevent pursuit. With an engagement time of only four minutes, the Naam snuck into the Rae system, landed, kidnapped one of the Jhi monks and left orbit with the three gunboats waiting for pursuers. The monk was interrogated about the powers that it had helped teach to the Rae and was given an untimatum:
The Naam interrogator said: "You will teach us the Jhi, or you will die." The monk proceeded to teach the Naam the ways of the Jhi. With their own connection to the Rae collective consciousness, the Naam were able to sense the tactics and schemes of the Rae. Unfortunately, this connection went both ways, and the Rae were able to obtain the same information from the Naam, as well as feel the great animosity the Naam felt for the Rae. The Rae devised an assault of their own and set off for the Naam homeworld. The siege that ensued was long and slow, but with some of the Naam now part of the Jhi, things went much like playing a game of poker with all of the cards dealt face-up on the table. However, the Rae had a significant advantage in numbers of ships, and eventually used this to gain the upper hand. Systematic extermination of the Naam began, though those Naam who had Jhi training were able to avoid the extermination squads better than the untrained Naam. But eventually, one of the Naam of the Jhi was cornered and executed by one of the Jhi'Rae. The resulting psionic backlash resulting from one of the Jhi killing another rippled through every Rae and Naam of the Jhi and filled them with a considerably stronger empathy than before. Suddenly, after years of warfare and occupation, the Rae stopped, picked up their things, and left the Naam homeworld in a matter of hours. There were fewer than 100,000 Naam left alive, scattered across their battle-worn planet, roughly a twentieth of which were trained in the Jhi. Those Naam that were part of the Jhi realized what had happened and were quick to rally the survivors, knowing that they would only survive if they were part of the Jhi. The remaining Naam became the Jhi'Naam and left their homeworld, the hunter's instinct remaining within. The Jhi'Naam knew that they could continue their hunting, but they could no longer hunt the Rae. The Jhi'Naam have made considerable progress since the war with the Rae, to the point of rebuilding their homeworld and civilization. However, although they still hunt, they avoid Jhi'Rae space. The current relationship between the Jhi'Naam and the Jhi'Rae is an odd one. There are a considerable amount of bad feelings over the conflict, but because of "the accident", outright war is avoided because no one is willing to kill another member of the Jhi, be they Rae or Naam. --- Game Notes --- The Jhi'Naam are one of the oldest races in the galaxy, having ranged far and wide on various hunting expeditions. Thus, the Jhi'Naam start the game with a complete game map, showing all other races. The Jhi'Naam will NEVER attack a Jhi'Rae for any reason. This will be appended to the SWRM as a diplomatic limitation on the race and it will be enforced on whatever cards are specifically of the Jhi'Naam. --- Game Cards ---
JHI'NAAM Hunting Party
Cloaking
Can not attack Jhi'Rae
Card Class: 2 ---
Submitted by Raleigh Love
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