The Hadrati Sprites Unclothed, because I can't be bothered to try a piss poor attempt at Arabian clothes. Biology A race of mercantile felines, the Hadrati closely resemble the lion of the old Human planet of Earth. Though they did not evolve directly, and in fact were never within 1000 light years of a lion prior to space travel, the resemblance is uncanny. Hadrati stand about 1 foot taller than the average Human, and are somewhat gangly in appearance, having about the same musculature as an average sized Human. The Hadrati are covered in a fine, luxurious coat of fur, with hair colors ranging between orange-red and light yellow. Hadrati's eyes vary greatly, with a large pool of earthy hues. Hadrati are bipedal, unlike lions, although despite this they can easily match them for speed. Unfortunately, they suffer from the same drawbacks that ancient lions did, in that they can only sprint for short distances. The male Hadrati possesses a mane of fur similar to a lion's, which in more primitive times was an indicator of the subject's vigor and strength. In modern days, the male Hadrati simply use their mane as a human would hair, stylizing and accessorizing it, and sometimes even completely shaving it. All Hadrati have razor sharp claws; it is highly advised not to entertain the notion of a fistfight with one. Sociology The Hadrati are largely merchants by trade, most often relying on other races for protection, transport, and food. Hadrati are expert appraisers, and will be willing and able to name the price of almost anything...for a reasonable fee, of course. Though their trade is something often thought to be dishonest, with con artists fooling people for a quick buck, the Hadrati hold trade in the highest respect, and consider it to be an honor and a privilege to take part of. For the Hadrati, knowingly taking advantage of someone in trade is akin to emasculation. The Hadrati's social structure and aesthetics most closely resemble an Arabic culture, though capital punishment isn't particularly big with them. They also have a more modern governmental system, although mostly what their government concerns itself with is commerce. The class distinction seen in Hadrati society is maintained by family wealth. If one family sells Erchius, they will become higher class based on their wealth. If that same family chooses to change their path, and sell novelty ties, they will clearly lose wealth, and thus become lower class. The one exception to this is that no matter how successful a dishonest family is, they will still be considered low class for their dishonesty. The Hadrati have no particular quarrels with any other races, due to the nature of their society. They do however have a keen distaste for trade with Florans, given their savage nature. They also have a particular fondness for Novakid, for their history together, although the Novakid are largely unaware of this history, due to the fragmented society they have. Due to their strange and unlikely friendship with the Novakid, Hadrati will often conduct interspecies relations in as uncomfortably personal of a manner as Novakid. Unlike the Novakid, they have the charisma to pull it off. Technology The Hadrati are a very modern people, technologically speaking. They are capable of little more than space travel, and tend to be less oriented towards advancing their technologies outside of what they percieve to be useful. Their appraisal and marketing technologies are far beyond any other race's, but this is the only field in which they are the forefront. History The Hadrati were born savages. Their monstrous visage brought fear and awe among the inhabitants of their homeworld. Hadrati were known to rip each other limb from limb for entertainment in their early days. What made the Hadrati stop fighting amongst themselves and unite is unknown, but there are archeological fragments that suggest that their race came under attack from foreign invaders. Uniting to fight them off, they eventually won (temporary) control of their homeworld. After the Hadrati had united for protection, they began to see the advantages of society. Building a large trade network, it wasn't very long until not a single Hadrati was going hungry. As ambition caught up to demand, and then surpassed it, it became clear that something had to be done. Hadrati were at this point advanced to about the level of modern day humans, only they had the distinct advantage that comes with the absence of war. United as one people. it took Hadrati scientists only one century to perfect a ship capable of interplanetary travel, though they were still a long way off from FTL. The Hadrati made many missions throughout their solar system, looking to expand their horizons as merchants. They had no luck with this for the most part, but on one lifeless rock they found a colony of Novakid. To say the Novakid enjoyed their business was an understatement. This was the most prosperous this particular settlement had been since it's founding. In exchenge for large ammounts of metals useful in the construction of Novakid mining rigs, the colony of Novakid shared the secret of interstellar travel with the Hadrati. Shortly after the Hadrati had learned the secrets of interstellar travel, their would-be foes that had driven them into the union they now held took over their homeworld. By the time the Hadrati returned from their business venture, they found their homes were destroyed, and the now complacent Hadrati that had stayed behind were brutally slaughtered. The remaining Hadrati hired a group of mercenaries to clear out the planet, and took the surviving creatures as prisoners, selling them to Apex scientists. Seeing that there was nothing left for them there, the Hadrati sold the planet to the highest bidder, and used the pixels they earned to fund their interstellar trade route. It only took 10 years for a trading network to be set up spanning accross the known galaxy, with a bazaar in every major settlement. Due to this, it is not uncommon to see a traveling Hadrati, as they are widely considered to be the most prominent race in existence. In fact, in some cultures, it is considered bad luck to go three days without seeing one. This is my first ever Starbound suggestion, not to mention my first ever post on this forum, so it would be greatly appreciated if I could get some constructive feedback. Thank you.
It's probably worth noting that we have had lion race suggestions before, as well as merchant races and races with an Arabian theme. We've even got an existing suggestion for a race of lion merchants. So, it's a good idea to ensure your idea stands out in some way. On the actual suggestion side, it's actually quite good for a first suggestion. At this stage, I'd suggest you keep on expanding and filling in gaps where you can to ensure maximum detail. The more thought-out your race is, the better we can understand and hopefully approve of it.
I might be able to polish it a bit more, but my schedule is pretty hectic right now. I likely won't improve this much unless I think of something idly. Or if I make something really fitting in-game, but I'm busy with other games right now, so meh. Might also make a functional mod at some point, but I don't want to promise anything that I won't ultimately deliver, I'm sure you understand.
I like this Idea, reminds me of the Khajiit of Elder Scrolls fame. Maybe you could have a "Fur" option in the avatar creator that makes your Hadrati PC look like various breeds of cats, like cheetahs, jaguars or even just a tabby cat. Also make sure to stuff in at least one Thundercats reference.
