The Rantori (reposted from old Forum. Active and accepted.) /Phase I: Pitch-Snapshot/ Spoiler: STAGE ONE Pitch Xenophilic pilgrim-explorers, survivors of nuclear war, uplifted by secretive aliens. -------------------------- -The Rantori- A battered Rantori explorer investigating one of the ancient structures within the jungles of Kamdor. While the planet may have been a gift, it still hosted many native species... Some quite predatory. ((I battled with google images furry smut to get this, but it's probably the best I'll get. Don't think a Rantori pistol would look like that, but blehwhatever. Survivor foxes.)) --- ((I'm sorry that I put in one too many paragraphs and a biology section, but I can't help myself.)) Snapshot: Over three thousand years ago lived a race just beginning to dip their toes into the endless opportunity that was spaceflight, reaching out to the ends of their solar system. This race, naming themselves Rantori, enjoyed accelerated technological advancement owing to their natural affinity for sifting through the unknown and unraveling its mysteries... Yet even through this advancement, they only sought greater wealth- their foray into the rest of the system only stoking the flames. After all, their society was one ran by wealth, a plutocratic oligarchy, where wealth directly translated into political power. Of course, this only allowed their young planetary empire to survive for so long. Eventually, a part of the chain had to break. The greediest of the Rantori sought what they could not have, the planet rapidly cut apart, its resources ground to dust in the engine that was the Rantori's society- This eventually left the planet barren, leaving the wealthiest clans to war over the remaining scraps the planet offered in order to secure the survival of their lineage. While Rantori made for great pilots and on-foot skirmishers with their impressive dexterity and reflexes, their wars would not end by mech or fighter. Their wars would end with fire. With Stalemate after stalemate, the warring clans turned desperate, seeking to obliterate their foes where they could not simply defeat them. Some of these clans turned to what seemed like their only option, choosing to harness the power used in their energy plants- Nuclear fission. The original aggressor had believed that they were the only one with such weaponry, only to be shown otherwise when a very similar device was dropped into his palace. Due to the misguided decisions of only a few Rantori on their birth planet, their world was consumed in nuclear fire, clan after clan launching their missiles in revenge for their own irradiated losses. When the fires calmed, leaving a desolated planet, the Rantori still remained, few in number. These survivors had been forced into a life more fitting of a beast, yet still haunted by the aspect that had caused their hellish conditions- They continued fighting and killing for resources, only this time they were after food, water, and shelter as apposed to precious metals and fuel. Here they would stay, fighting for their lives in an irradiated tomb world. Some surviving Rantori passed as much as their knowledge down to their descendants as they could manage, as wasted as an effort this likely was. It mattered not if they could manage to escape the torn atmosphere with a scratch-made rocketship... Maybe they could reach one of the abandoned mining stations on other planets in their system... But they would run out of food just the same, those planets even more empty than their own. Things seemed rather hopeless for the continued survival of these resilient people... But in time, benevolent eyes found themselves looking over the Rantori from above their darkened skies. After nearly five hundred years of this stagnate life on a dying planet that gripped onto a thread of life that still unraveled, the Rantori would find their salvation in the form of an enigmatic and secretive alien race- so secretive, in fact, that they would never directly interact with the Rantori, nor show them their forms. However sinister the massive unmanned ships that landed across the planet were, the survivors had little choice. Either they boarded these automated ships that offered clean water and food through automatons surprisingly speaking the Rantori Tongue, or they would continue their life scraping their claws through the dirt. After the ships had gathered all of the Rantori that would board, they departed, leaving the planet behind, a Tombstone to the Rantori's past- those who refused to board the ships eventually fading into nothing. Inside of the mysterious ships, each and every Rantori were treated for the radiation poisoning they had suffered, undergoing gene therapy to render the unpleasant and aberrant mutations picked up from their lives in the Long Dark impossible to pass down to their children, effectively returning the remaining members of the race to something more akin to the purity they had before the fires. Their saviors were indeed kind, the massive ships jumping out of the system and into FTL. Exiting the jump, the arks found themselves in the Ancha system, marked θ-Aquarii on Human star maps. Within the star's light was yet another gift from the Rantori's mysterious benefactors, a planet that the race would later call Kamdakkor. More importantly, this planet had a moon that seemed to be perfectly-tailored to the race's needs. This moon, later named Kamdor, was covered in ancient sands dotted by frequent oases, the moon's equatorial belt covered in lush jungles that hid undisturbed secrets. When the Rantori landed upon Kamdor, they knew what they had to do. These survivors, steeled by survival in an atomic wasteland, were no strangers to adversity. With the help of the supplies left in the massive ark-ships, they began rebuilding their society. After the surviving Rantori had settled in, the mysterious ships lifted themselves from the sands and took to the abyss once more, leaving the race to rebuild by themselves. Even without knowing their saviors' names, the Rantori would never forget the kindness of an alien race, and strove to build a society that would one day take to the stars in order to share their own kindness with whoever was out there... But first, they would have to learn from them. After over two thousand years of rebuilding and advancing their society, the Rantori were ready to test the waters of space once more, inventing their own FTL drive. After gaining contact with the Galaxy's Civspace and the cultures within, Common was translated and actively practiced by the Rantori, seeking to be a part of the galactic community despite their small size as an 'empire'. Once they were comfortable enough to begin exploring the galaxy, the race of natural pilots took to the stars, the government on Kamdor giving a large percentage of its citizens the choice, upon reaching young adulthood, to leave the planet to go on a pilgrimage across the stars in an adventure that would allow the young Rantori to see the galaxy and its wonders, as well as give them the chance to interact with the alien races that inhabited the rest of the galaxy, returning to the planet after a set amount of time. This both gives the pilgrims the opportunity to see the galaxy and gain cultural understanding, as well as giving the newly-formed Rantori Collective on Kamdor information about the universe around them- including the cultures and technology within. --- SIMPLIFIED BIOLOGY Homeworld: Kamdor Government: Plutocratic Oligarchy (Less dickish than on their birth home) Avg. Height: 4'9-4'11" (149.86cm) Avg. Weight (no equipment): 105lbs (47.63kg) Common coloration: Primarily red, brown, black, and white (with variations in darkness), with white down the front of the Rantori as well as capping their tail. Natural colors. Aint none of that neon green fuckers Leg structure: Digitigrade ---- Pictures: [edit: fixed sizing. Would use Apple's mod to resize to roughly 0.85, due to the race being shorter. Loses some detail, but we can't have people assume that the fox-nerds are 6 foot tall.] Size difference And here's the planet details because why not. /Star- Ancha ( θ [Theta] Aquarii )/ Kamdor Type: Desert (Jungles along equatorial belt) Satellites: Kamdor is a satellite of Kamdakkor, a lush jungle planet teeming with non-sentient life. Kamdor shares this trait with Kamdi and Kammar, smaller uninhabitable moons of Kamdakkor. ----- -IG picture so you don't have to scroll through the phase I app above.- (The race is semi-closed, I a character application for each prospective Rantori to be given through pm- Both to ensure race quality and to keep track of everyone. That is to say, I don't mind how many people make a character with the race.) (More information can be found in THE RANTORI RP GUIDE thread) (If anyone has any questions, concerns, or suggestions, feel free to PM me. I'm usually on my computer.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /Phase II: Full application/ ((I don't own any of the images here, rights to their respective owners, yada yada)) -The Pitch- Xenophilic pilgrim-explorers, survivors of nuclear war, uplifted by secretive aliens. -Biology- The Rantori (Vulpes Ieiunium) -A battered modern Rantori exploring the jungles of Kamdor, and the ancient ruins within. While the planet might have been a gift, it also hosted many other species... Some of them quite predatory.- Birth World: Kamarai (abandoned) Home World: Kamdor Star System: θ-Aquarii (Native Demonym - Kas) Government: Plutocratic Oligarchy, with Kamdor land split amongst the clans. Avg. Height: 4'11"(149.86cm) Avg. Weight: 81lbs(36.74kg) - 115lbs(52.163kg) Distinctions: Humanoid, Mammalian body structure, digitigrade leg structure. Four fingers, one thumb- fingers and toes capped by black claws. Rantori are covered, head to toe, in a pelt of fur. Common coloration includes hues of red, brown, white and black, with different shades of each, the tail near-universally capped by white. Carnivorous, though plant-matter spices are heavily used in their cuisine. Avg. Lifetime: up to and around the 80's, maturing to adulthood near the age of 8. While the survivors of Kamarai's atomic winter underwent extensive gene therapy to mitigate the mutations suffered over the centuries, Rantori that reach older ages tend to exhibit one sort of cancer or another. The Rantori of Kamarai were creatures of both desert and jungle, finding their start on the planet's equatorial belt where sand met grass. Their prey came in the form of small, agile rodents and insects, while their predators were large, brutish creatures. Of course, this drove the evolving creatures that would eventually become the Rantori to adopt agility and speed. This meant they were either fast or dead, unable to catch their small prey, and unable to escape the then-impossible to fight predators. The Rantori eventually evolved bipedal movement to aid in both climbing over obstacles in the jungle as well as increasing long-distance endurance when traversing the massive deserts that covered the planet. Forepaws no longer relegated to use on the ground, they changed into hands with opposable thumbs over time. This, as well as a pack-oriented social sense, eventually lead to the first Rantori to form their first tribes. All in all, the Rantori evolved to survive Kamarai's challenges. -Strengths- -Keen senses, notable hearing and smell when compared to a human. -Notable agility and speed. -Incredible reflexes, making them wonderful skirmishers, pilots, and hunters. -Slightly above-average intelligence, making wonderful logisticians, tacticians, and traders. (roughly equal to humans) -Fur provides minor protection from cold. -Rantori are quick learners, especially adept at learning new languages. -Weaknesses- -Smaller and physically weaker than a human, though their strong legs are often superior when it comes to kicking power. -Most of the visitors to the Fringe are young and inexperienced. While not exactly a weakness, I expect most Rantori to try and flee combat. Most Rantori are not gung-ho. -Sleep in a staggered formation, taking three three-hour naps over the day. While they do not have to take a full 8 hours of sleep like a human, this means they cannot easily stay awake for longer periods of time, having to rely on stims. -Many Rantori are impulsive, easily persuaded with wealth. They also display rampant curiosity that is both a weakness and a strength. -Rantori /REALLY/ enjoy gambling. -History- As their brains grew, the Rantori began building their own cultures, often trading or warring with other tribes for fertile hunting grounds or one of the few oases that dotted the deserts. With the use of tools, the young race could catch their prey easier than ever before, weapons even giving them the ability to fight back against their predators. With the invention of fire, the Rantori spread quickly across the planet. Eventually, fire would lead to metal. Metal would lead to industry. Industry would lead to the numerous tribes becoming a comparatively stark-few, powerful families. As their technology advanced, so did the greed of the young race. With massive machines built by Rantori hands, their miners cut into their world, the families claiming the planet's resources for their own. This lead to more trading, and more fighting, the weaker families being absorbed by the strongest. But even as these families took more and more, they sought even further. After two thousand years of this hoarding, Kamarai was eventually mined dry, And so the families turned their eyes to the other bodies in their solar system, and the riches they offered. Eventually developing spacecraft, the Rantori built mining stations on asteroids, moons, and the other planets. Yet even these would eventually run dry, leaving the greediest families to turn their eyes to where they /knew/ more resources resided- In their rival families' coffers. What followed was decades of fighting, families hiring and training their own armies. Building suits that enhanced their physical ability and firepower, these armies caused an impressive amount of destruction. While the Families tore into each other's palaces and cities, the ones who would truly suffer would be the general populace. Their planet had nothing more to give, yet the Families' armies tore into it further, building great fortresses. Many great cities were completely abandoned, firebombed. What was a government without its workers, after all? Eventually, the warring families had reached a standstill. They had fought for over half a century, and had achieved little. Yet the greed of the most powerful clans had no equal, and they sought another solution. Shock and awe. One of the warring clans, by the name of Haskara, poured what resources they had horded into a project that would end the war and plant themselves at the top of the pile. With pure destructive power, they would demand the world's riches for themselves. Harnessing the power of nuclear fission, used in their power plants, the Haskara built themselves a weapon to end all weapons. Without hesitation, they ordered the launch of their nuclear bomb at their rival's largest city. This display of pure, unadulterated force was nigh-guaranteed to force the other families into submission. No more families. No more clans. This world would be Haskara. That is, it would've been- If many of the other families didn't have the same idea. As the Haskara device landed in Dunei, the largest city of the Keru family, the aggrieved and sorrowful family ordered the release of their own weapon, a very similar device, to be dropped right on top of the Haskara's palace from orbit. This, of course, drove the Haskara to launch their entire arsenal. Conventional missiles, nuclear bombs. Everything. The Keru responded in turn. With these numerous detonations, the other families armed with such weaponry tore into each other as well. Combining their efforts in anger, loss, and greed, the Rantori set their world on fire. By the time the last bomb detonated, the planet was already dead. Barely anything survived. A few resilient species, a few Rantori included, but very little of what had existed before. The Rantori that crawled out of the dust, ash, and irradiated sand turned to glass found themselves in a world that was no longer their home. Their technology was largely evaporated, their grand cities turned to barely-standing skeletons, icons of their loss. Yet the Rantori survived. Where billions lived before, a paltry few hundred thousand remained. This fallen 'dominant' species found themselves as animals once more, scratching in the dirt for whatever they could pilfer. Yet even within this apocalypse where virulent storms kicked up the remaining dust and sand into massive walls of death that blocked the starlight, the Rantori's greed survived with them in what would be called the Long Dark- But this time, they would not lust after precious minerals, instead having to trade and kill for food, water, and shelter, using whatever weaponry that survived the end of the war to further their ability to survive. After nearly five hundred years of this scrounging and empty survival, the Rantori seemed doomed to fade into nothingness as their world lost more and more of its atmosphere. The survivors that had learned from that which the surviving Family-employed scientists wrote had their ideas. Perhaps they could scratch-build a spaceship to get to one of the mining stations on the other planets of their system. But in the end, they would either starve to death or suffer from terrible inbreeding. It wouldn't work. This world, the crib of their previous civilization, would become their tomb. But little did they know, benevolent eyes had been watching from above. Long after the last members of the Families that burned the world had died, the survivors found themselves looking to the sky once more. This time literally as ships nearly as massive as one of their old cities descended from the stars, landing before them. The doors opened, and alien automatons urged them to gather their closest belongings and board the ships- in their own language, surprisingly. While they had torn their own race apart, an alien civilization decided to help them, expecting nothing in return. Some were either too afraid or paranoid to board the ships, but by and large, the Rantori knew they had little chance of survival where they were. So they had to take a gamble. Boarding the ships, the Rantori did not find what they expected: for them to be processed, used as experiments or meat. Instead, they were welcomed to extensive medical service performed by the numerous automatons that kept the ship running. When asked who they were or where they came from, the machines would only respond that they were 'Arks sent by those who had watched them grow' to rescue them from their ash-choked fate. Whoever the mysterious aliens were, they would not interact with the Rantori directly. Alongside the medical treatment for injury and radiation poisoning alike came the offer of gene therapy to mitigate the effects and presence of the many mutations the race had taken on during their centuries with their claws in the dust. It did not improve the lives of the Rantori that were affected by it, but the treatment promised that their children would not be disfigured by the lasting effects of the bombs, instead being born as the old Rantori were, before the Long Dark. After the treatments, the Rantori did not return to the surface of Kamarai. They would find clean food, water, and bedding on the Ark ships, which were now turning away from the planet that had spawned the harrowed race, leaving both it, and the Rantori that hadn't boarded behind, a dead and dying testament to the dangers of greed. Jumping away from the tomb world, the Rantori survivors found themselves in orbit of an alien world- a large jungle-covered planet that they would later name Kamdakkor. Yet what was more exciting was a treasure in orbit of the planet. A moon that would come to be called Kamdor. This moon was nearly a spitting-image of their old planet before the fire- save for its comparatively smaller size. It was largely covered in desert dotted by numerous oases, the moon's equatorial belt made of dense jungle that hid secrets undisturbed for eons. When the Ark ships landed, the Rantori within walked out into what seemed like paradise. A place where sand met grass. Similar to where their species was born, this place would be the crib of a new star-bound civilization-to-be. These Rantori, survivors of nuclear wastes, were no strangers to adversity, bringing whatever knowledge from the past that they could scavenge, as well as basic equipment supplied by the ships to build their first settlements. As soon as the Rantori found themselves self-sufficient, hunting local creatures for meat, securing water sources for themselves- The Ark ships ascended, leaving the Rantori to grow once more, by themselves. It mattered little, as they were secure, beginning to rebuild their civilization. -A private oasis on the outskirts of a Kamdorian city, overlooking Kamdakkor.- While the Rantori returned once more to the Family structure of old, they did so in a unified structure. The families, brought together with a good cause, brought all of the Rantori under a single banner, working for the betterment of their race. Thusly, the Rantori Collective was born. Working together, the families dug into the moon, harvesting the resources that they needed, careful not to dig too deep. This solar system had many other habitable and resource-rich planets, and would supply what they needed to grow in time. Hauling their riches from the ground once more, these materials did not go into massive vaults, but into building their facilities, homes, and technology. With the riches around them and the technology and knowledge scavenged from the world before, the Rantori rapidly returned to the level of technology they had before the bombs, leading their civilization into a higher state than ever before, with resource-gathering operations on Kamdakkor, the planet that Kamdor orbited. Eventually, with their feet planted firmly, their eyes could once more turn to the stars. -Seal of the Rantori Collective- After centuries of building Kamdor into the seat of a system-wide 'empire', the combined efforts of the planet's powerful Families came up with their culture's first FTL drive. With this, the Rantori quickly encountered another alien race, and contact was established. Within a stark few decades, the languages spoken by the primary races of the Galaxy were translated, and communications were set. Common was taught in Rantori schools, quickly becoming a second primary language in their culture. They were driven to become a member of the galactic community, no matter their relatively-small size (both physically and civilization-wise.) in comparison. They were not afraid of these aliens, interested only in learning about them, the cities on Kamdor welcome to alien visitors, and in time, extra-solar migration. As long as they followed their rules, they were welcome to live on the planet as long as they wished, joining the workforce. With aliens welcomed into their communities, the Families offered Rantori reaching young-adulthood the chance to leave the Collective's territory after finishing their schooling to explore the galaxy- With most leaving Kamdor around age 15, an adult by Rantori aging. These self-named 'pilgrims' cross the galaxy, learning of the alien races' technology and culture. The young Rantori gain many experiences, as well as bringing back knowledge and riches to Kamdor after they return within roughly five years later. Recently, another group of pilgrims have departed Kamdor from around the globe, some aiming their ships at a rather interesting part of the galaxy- A place the Civspace races called 'The Fringe'. /Timeline/ ~14,000 years ago - First Rantori tribe formed. ~4700 years ago - First industrial revolution ~3400 years ago - Spaceflight achieved, extra-planetary mining stations established. ~3250 years ago - Planetary resource wars begin. ~3200 years ago - Kamarai is turned into a glass-covered wasteland, Rantori civilization destroyed. 3200~2700 years ago - The Long Dark. ~2700 years ago - Ark ships appear, Rantori leave Kamarai, establish first Kamdor cities. ~2650 years ago - Rantori Collective is formed, the Rantori return focus on research and construction. ~2510 years ago - Second industrial revolution begins. ~600 years ago - The Rantori of Kamdor surpass their prior world's technological peak. ~50 years ago - FTL drive invented, Rantori make first contact with Civ Space races. ~10 years ago - Primary alien languages fully translated and begin to be taught within the Collective ~6 year ago - Common becomes a second primary language of the Collective. ~2 years ago - Interstellar Pilgrimages begin. Current - Another wave of pilgrims leave Kamdor to explore the galaxy. -Culture- In the modern days of the civilization on Kamdor, the average Rantori lives in or around the outskirts of a family's city, enjoying a relatively-peaceful life working in wherever their society needs them- be it in factory, farm, or palace- including everything in between. Under the administration of a region's family, Rantori commoners are treated to the advantages of living in an advanced society, their lives easy and full of relaxation. Kamdori cities and towns are full of wonderful restaurants, hot springs, and theatres. While the rich families ran the regions and enjoyed the wealth of such, the commoners lead wealthy lives as well. With an extranet system connected throughout their solar system, information could instantly be sent to even the most isolated research outpost on Kamdakkor. -Kerukas, secondary city of the Keru family.- While the Rantori tended not to be religious after their harrowing of fire and dust, they did not forget the kindness given to them by their saviors, building spires in their cities as an icon of thanks, in case they were still watching. While a stark few might worship these mysterious aliens, most Rantori are now quite aware of the possibilities of the universe- Gone were the days that one needed to explain the rain with the name of a god. Yet from the kindness presented to them, the Rantori learned, promising to share it with the other races of the galaxy. Like Kamarai, the equator of Kamdor was blanketed in dense jungle. But unlike Kamarai, these jungles hid secrets from a civilization from before life first walked on the Rantori's birth planet. While the Rantori preferred to live in the desert's oases or where the grass met the sand near the equator, the race could not resist the secrets that beckoned them from within the trees. Research outposts are built around these structures and artifacts, trying to decode the symbols of whoever built them. While the jungles were inhabited by dangerous predators, the curiosity of Rantori explorers was insatiable. Nothing would stop them in their drive to discover- And now, they were ready to explore the galaxy. Rantori take great pride in their appearance, keeping their fur clean and having a penchant for wearing expensive clothing and robes. If you were dirty while not at work, (or at work if your job was relatively clean) it meant cutting jokes and mistreatment. While the spurned tended to be left alone after correcting their hygiene, there were other characteristics that could bring stigma, such as genetic defects that survived the therapy received by Kamdor's first generation. While few serious problems arose, a few among the populace were subjects of ridicule for simply having shorter ears or thinner, coarser fur than other Rantori. Depending on the city, and the Family that owned it, day-to-day life was relatively free from crime, while a few clever Rantori here and there found great pleasure and wealth in running the planet's notorious black market ring. Yet despite a few backdoor dealings, a Rantori city is well-protected, each family owning privatized armies tasked in defending their cities from wildlife, as well as keeping the peace. While the dirt on Kamdor is protected by private forces, Kamdor's navy is under the command of the Collective, serving to protect the star system. The navy is not nearly as large or as powerful as other Civspace races', but is more than enough to deflect the attacks of pirates and pillagers. Of course, the history of the Rantori themselves protected their planet from larger forces, such as potentially-greedy civspacers. After all, they did say that they were rescued by a completely-unknown alien race that were apparently technologically advanced. Attacking Kamdor might incur the wrath of these aliens, for all the other races knew. While life in the cities was usually surrounded by wealth and entertainment, /someone/ had to do the dirtier work. Built along the outskirts of every major Kamdorian city are facilities that keep the city going. Waste disposal, energy plants, water purification. Everything that the cities needed to continue being the beacons of prosperity that they were. Many of the workers in these facilities live in villages on the outskirts of town as well, caring more for keeping their jobs than being able to relish in the high life of the city. These outskirt-dwellers are usually quite alright with their lives, their living directly-funded by the city's ruling family. While living miles away from the clean, beautiful cities might be tiresome, it meant pure profit. They could move freely between the city and their villages freely, often spending much of their earned currency in many of the city's entertainment venues. Of course, the Rantori living in the outskirts had their own ways to entertain themselves. With wide stretches of desert separating city from city, civilians needed ways of transporting both themselves and goods over far distances without the cost of a ship. While most Rantori were wealthy enough to afford such, they often instead saved on resources by designing vehicles that hovered over the ground, powered by miniaturized fusion reactors often discarded or sold as surplus by the Collective navy. These vehicles proved fast and smooth enough on their travels across the deserts of Kamdor that even the richest of Rantori took notice. These vehicles, fast and maneuverable, naturally drove some Rantori to try and race them. Before long, the entire planet had been gripped by their new sport of Dune Running- drawing both city and outskirt-dwellers to build their speeders and compete in frequently-dangerous races, with tracks often slipping through the natural obstacles the Kamdorian deserts and jungles provided. Of course, the most skilled racers were often recruited as pilots by the Collective Navy, but that didn't stop the sport from becoming one of the most popular activities on Kamdor, with both private and public races all along the spectrum. This leads many outskirt-dwellers to trade in their jobs at civil facilities for careers in mechanics and engineering. The largest and most organized of these races, often between different Collective-families, drew quite a lot of gambling. Depending on who won the race, massive fortunes could be won and lost between parties in an instant. With racing, theaters, and a massive Film organization, as well as music and a wonderful night-scene in the cities, the Rantori kept themselves quite entertained. ((Yeah, basically podracing. But hey, a Rantori has to go fast.)) /Rantori Collective Families - Family Seals/ ((Information on each family is contained in the Rantori RP Guide, where I keep a list of active Rantori, as well as an application format)) -Anbas- -Djinas- -Ichin- -Kalus- -Keei- -Keru- -Unbarai- -Maeor- -Technology- Before the fall of their civilization on Kamarai, the Rantori had reached an advanced atomic age, their cities and vehicles powered by early, dirty forms of Atomic Fusion- Yet in the end, this very technology proved to be their world's end. Through the Long Dark, the Rantori survived off of scavenged and scratch-built technology. This also drove the survivors to return their focus on the usefulness their planet could offer, however poisoned it was at the time. This focus, in addition to the lessons learnt on the horrors of an atomic winter, drove the Rantori who moved to Kamdor to focus on rebuilding their society in a purer form. When building their cities, the Rantori dug deep to anchor them to the planet itself, building the cities to survive millennia. In addition to allowing the cities to rise high above the jungles and sand, the Rantori harnessed the planet itself for their energy needs, building massive geothermal systems within and under each city that reach out for miles. These systems, in addition to solar, wind, and hydroelectric power, powered their cities and outcropping villages, as well as their outposts. All relatively cleanly. Although most of the civilian technology remains clean, the Rantori did not abandon Fusion power completely, unable to deny its advantages. While most of the Rantori's technology was focused on keeping their planet free of the dangers nuclear power presented, geothermal energy was not quite fit for powering starships. With their prior knowledge in nuclear fusion, it took less than a thousand years for them to surpass their older society. In modern times, Rantori ships are powered by fusion reactors, the nuclear waste disposed of by venting over one of the gas giants in their solar system. Rantori military technology is roughly equal to Humanity, with a focus on mobility over strength, emulating the Rantori themselves. Their ships are built as such, light and fast, with impressive G-force diffusion systems. For weaponry, their military focuses on the use of railguns and coilguns- from massive ship-sized main guns on their navy ships to miniaturized versions to be held by a Rantori skirmisher. While the technology used within such weapons allows the platform to be fired by a Rantori without mechanized assistance, they are roughly equal to conventional human weapons in power and usability, a smaller slug being fired at faster speeds with recoil manageable by an average member of the smaller mammals. ((Basically, smaller firearms able to be wielded by Rantori, roughly the same strength as the average conventional counterpart. No full-auto weapons.)) Both the navy's marines and the private armies of Kamdor sometimes employ mechanized suits fitted around an exoskeleton to enhance a unit's survivability, though the suits, like the Rantori themselves, are built for enhanced speed and agility- An average Rantori mechsuit standing at six and a half feet tall. However, these suits are few and far between, not a single specimen found outside of the Kas system. As uncommon as the suits themselves are, a few Rantori are selected from childhood to pilot them, as well as other military machinery and ships. These Rantori are selected depending on their reflexes and natural affinity for controlling such machinery, and are often pushed into training directly after they finish primary schooling. Professional Pilots are highly prized in Rantori society, taught to control both suit and ship- From the smallest jet-bike to the heaviest cruiser. While many civilians can be trained to fly, few can measure up to a Collective Pilot. Of course, many of the top Desert Runner Racers are offered the training, and the station that comes with it. After moving to Kamdor, the Rantori discovered that they were not the first to be hosted by the planet, the dense jungles along the equator marked with ancient structures and artifacts, their secrets untouched for millions of years. While the Rantori did research weaponry and other military technology, it was not their sole priority. With the secrets Kamdor presented, the curious race dived deep, learning what they could of how the planet worked, as well as the universe at large. This lead to the discovery of FTL capabilities, allowing them to make contact with the races of the galaxy. And when they were ready, the Rantori would send their explorers out to learn of their alien technology as well, intent on adding it to their own society.
