Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Zarib Theocracy

Sci-Fi Worldbuilding: Zarib Theocracy

Here we have another arthropod race, this time a flying religious one. As a racial template they are quite mundane, but the suggested mental disadvantages can make them more fun.

Zarib Theocracy

Capital World: Zarib II.

Major Species: Ka’zzoks.

Languages: Ka’zzok, High Ka’zzok.

Culture Groups: Ka’zzok.

TL: 10.

Zarib II is a desert world orbiting a red giant star. In the ancient past, Zarib II was a lush garden world, but an impact with another celestial body has shifted its orbit closer to the star. This has raised the average temperature, triggering an extinction event. Despite this, life on the planet persevered thanks to the most habitable polar zones.

A sentient lifeform managed to develop in the northern polar zone of Zarib II. These winged arthropods, known as the ka’zzoks, formed a highly spiritual civilization that advanced quickly thanks to their unity of faith and abundance of natural resources. The ka’zzok pantheon consists of three deities – the Creator, the Destroyer, and the Unifier. The people of Zarib II believe that the Creator helps them to create, build, and develop; the Destroyer helps them to protect against invaders; and the Unifier creates peace between all the ka’zzoks and, later, other species as well. The ka’zzoks do not accept any other religions and usually consider others preaching their dogmas among them to be a grave insult.

The first alien race the ka’zzoks have encountered was the shee who have arrived at Zarib II before the ka’zzoks have developed advanced space flight. The contact was peaceful at first, but when the shee started explaining their divine nature and their intent to help the ka’zzoks become closer to the divine, the arthropods opened fire and killed the crystalline ambassadors. The infuriated shee almost started an orbital bombardment, but after a long discussion that sometimes turned to violence decided that wiping out an inferior species is not worth the effort and departed the orbit of Zarib II.

After this first contact, the ka’zzoks started developing their technologies more quickly, striving to reach the stars and meet the other beings the Creator has made. A deposit of material X was discovered on a moon of the gas giant Zarib VI. This allowed the ka’zzoks to construct their first warp drive, allowing them to travel between the stars.

Nowadays, the ka’zzoks are known for their mining guilds – mining facilities ruled by three priests. The priest of the Creator oversees mining and production; the priest of the Destroyers oversees military protection and escort; the priest of the Unifier oversees the transactions. Both alien governments, free traders, and smugglers, often use these mining guilds to procure rare materials.

 

KA’ZZOK [37] Attribute Modifiers: ST-1 [-10]; DX+1 [20]. Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Basic Move -1 [-5]. Advantages: DR 1 [5]; Flight (Small Wings, -10%) [36]; Sharp Teeth [1]. Disadvantages: Restricted Diet (Herbivore) [-10]. Natural Comfort Zone: 1°C - 32°C (35°F - 90°F), 1 atm., 0.8g, oxygen atmosphere. Ka’zzoks look like upright winged beetles with sharp mandibles. They aren’t very strong, but are agile and mobile thanks to their wings. The ka’zzoks rarely walk, as it is significantly slower than flying. Despite having sharp mandibles, the ka’zzoks are strictly herbivorous. Ka’zzoks are very social creatures, and the Chummy or Gregarious disadvantages are common among them. They are also very spiritual, and as such often have faith-related advantages and disadvantages. Intolerance (Preachers of other religions) is quite common. Ka’zzok priesthood uses a separate artificial language called High Ka’zzok. The use of this language by non-priestly ka’zzok is considered heretical. Sample Universal Names: Lank’zzan, Kala’kozza, Mazz’grik, Farz’mat.