Terl obar: Created page with '==Physical Appearance == Ul-Mor resemble octopi adapted to life on land. Like octopi, Ul-Mor have eight large limbs. Each limb ends in five small tentacles useful for grasping an…'

Terl obar — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 21:38:29 GMT

Created page with '==Physical Appearance == Ul-Mor resemble octopi adapted to life on land. Like octopi, Ul-Mor have eight large limbs. Each limb ends in five small tentacles useful for grasping an…'

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==Physical Appearance ==
Ul-Mor resemble octopi adapted to life on land. Like octopi,
Ul-Mor have eight large limbs. Each limb ends in five small
tentacles useful for grasping and manipulation. They walk on
the four largest limbs, using the other four to hold weapons
and tools.

The Ul-Mor also have a ninth limb, a tentacle about 30 centimeters
long. This tentacle is an extension of the spinal cord. The
end contains a hard cartilage point encasing a series of nerveendings.
The Ul-Mor can insert the tip of this tentacle into the
fatty tissue surrounding the spinal cord of other creatures,
achieving a nerve link which allows them to communicate
directly with the creature's mind. The UI-Mor use this tentacle
so effectively they can achieve a direct mind-link with any
being.

They do not have a complex spoken language, since they
communicate with each other using mind-link. The UI-Mor
have, however, developed a secret sign language used in
situations where mind-link proves impractical.

== Culture ==
The Ul-Mor are pastoral nomads inhabiting the deserts and
rocky barrens of Volturnus, where they herd kwidges and
cactus whompers. While tending their flocks, the Ul-Mor ride a
4 meter tall dinosa ur called a loper. They control these animals
using mind-link, and, as a consequence, very close ties
develop between rider and beast. The Ul-Mor's high regard for
lopers is apparent to anyone associating with them.

Much of the Ul-Mor culture is based on their religion. They
believe in the "One Who is Many," a deity that encompasses
all things. Though there are many different forms of the One,
the Ul-Mor believe that all objects, no matter how strange, are
part of the One.

As an Ul-Mor matures, he identifies with a particular object
(such as a tree, rock, or bush). When he dies, he is buried near
this object, and is believed to have been transformed into that
object. The object is then named after the dead Ul-Mor. In this
manner, the Ul-Mor avoid considering a tribe-member dead.
Instead, dead Ul-Mor merely assume a new form of the One.

A special historian, called a Remember, memorizes the names
and locations of those who have assumed a new form of the
One. Usually, these names include a capsule history of the
individual's life.

Ul-Mor life is filled with pageantry and ritual. The most important
ritual is the Time of Oneness. When the two moons of
Volturnus enter conjunction with its sun,the capacity for mindlink
is increased greatly. The Ul-Mor then have a tribal mindlink
known as the time of Oneness. During this mind-link, they
undergo a mystical experience, seeing everything as a part of
the great Oneness.

Another important ritual is the Great Game. At the end of each
year, Ul-Mor males ride their lopers in a very rough contest
called the Great Game. This contest is similar to a cross
between polo, rugby, and fox hunting. The new year is then
named after the victor.

The basic social unit of the Ul-Mor is the "clutch," a marriage
unit consisting of several Ul-Mor that have found themselves
compatible during the "Time of Oneness." The adult males of
the clutch care for the herds and prepare themselves for combat.
while the females take turns incubating the clutch's eggs
and maintaining the camp.

Though most decisions affecting Ul-Mor life are made on the
family level, they do have tribal and inter-tribal councils. These
councils make decisions affecting the tribe and the nation. If a
family does not agree with a council decision, they may leave
the tribe and do as they please.

The Ul-Mor legal system is strongly objective, making no
allowances for extenuating circumstances. Because the law is
designed to protect the tribe, the Ul-Mor feel that extenuating
circumstances are unimportant. If an individual violates the
law, he has injured the tribe and must be punished.

Punishment usually emphasizes compensation for injury
inflicted upon the tribe. Some crimes, however, are so serious
that the individual can never compensate for his transgression.
Such crimes include wasting water, breaking eggs, and desecrating
sacred objects. The punishment for these crimes is
always banishment. (Most banished Ul-Mor quickly die without
the comfort of mind-link.)

Though the Ul-Mor are basically communal beings, they maintain
a facade of individualism. The Ul-Mor often wear brightly
colored headdresses with dyed kwidge feathers, have decorative
body tattoos, and engage in a form of ritualized theft
designed to display their cunning and battle prowess. An individual
may attempt to steal anything he wishes from any being
who is not a friend of the tribe's. If he succeeds, the thief
divides his prize among all members of the tribe. The easier it is
to divide the prize, the more impressive the Ul-Mor consider
the theft.

== Ul-Mor Reactions to Players ==
Like most explorers meeti ng a new race, the player characters
will find their smallest actions are likely to provoke strong
reactions from the Ul-Mor. Any selfish or greedy action will be
regarded with distaste by the Ul-Mor. The Ul-Mor will take
immediate and forceful action to prevent wastage, but will not
punish a character unless he does the same thing several
times in a row. Any character who desecrates a sacred object
or steals from a member ofthe tribe, however, will immediately
be stripped of his equipment and left to die in the desert. (If an
Ul-Mor marriage unit is willing to repair the damage and take
responsibility for the character, however, the Ul-Mor will give
the transgressor another chance.)

Any character who gives them gifts and cooperates easily will
be well-liked, and treated with courtesy. A character who
exhibits courage, battle prowess, or a showy display of ostentation
will be greatly admired. The UI-Mor will go to great
lengths to impress this character.

See also this article, [[Planet of Mystery: The Ul-Mor]] from the [[Star Frontiersman]].

[[Category: Races]]

Ul-Mor - Revision history

Terl obar: Created page with '==Physical Appearance == Ul-Mor resemble octopi adapted to life on land. Like octopi, Ul-Mor have eight large limbs. Each limb ends in five small tentacles useful for grasping an…'