Eorna

From Star Frontiers Network

Physical Description

The Eorna are a race of intelligent creatures descended from bipedal Volturnian dinosaurs. Most Eorna stand about 3 meters tall. The thick hide of the reptile has been replaced with a coat of fur that serves as insulation in cold temperatures. They have a rather large tail which is used for balance in walking. Their smaller forelimbs have developed hands that are somewhat human in appearance and function. Their vocal sounds are very different from those made by Humans due to the different structure of the Eorna palate.

Eorna are warm-blooded omnivores who evolved to build an advanced technological civilization. The Eorna are natural hypnotists. Their technology stresses mental control, often reinforcing the natural abilities of the Eorna.

Culture

The Eorna worship beauty. They believe that the purpose of life is to come to know true beauty, which can take many forms; it can be physical, moral, intellectual, historical, etc. Of course, the Eorna idea of beauty is not necessarily the same as that of Humans or other player character races.

The Eorna have no priests or spiritual leaders. As a form of worship, the Eorna create magnificent sculptures of crystals and light, high technology items, great works of music, logical systems of thought, and other objects of beauty. To an Eorna, creative work is in itself a religious experience. Anything which tends to destroy life and beauty should be discouraged, or if necessary, totally eliminated.

The Eorna now see the Sathar as the ultimate enemy of all that the Eorna believe in. To meet the Sathar challenge, the Eorna have undertaken what they call the Great Mission. The Eorna long ago realized that their numbers were too few to survive as a race. The Eorna have artificially interfered with evolution on Volturnus to produce the Edestekai, the Kurabanda, and the Ul-Mor. The Eorna hope one of these races will eventually achieve a high level of civilization, dedicated to beauty, but with sufficient technology and military skill to defend against, and eventually destroy the Sathar.

The efforts of most surviving individual Eorna are given wholeheartedly to the Great Mission. The original survivors of the Sathar attack have undergone cryogenic sleep. Only 10 of the original survivors are awake at any given time. When one of these individuals dies, a sleeper is awakened to replace the dead Eorna. Forty-six individuals remain in cryogenic sleep. Those who are awake are aided in their efforts by the most capable of their descendants (many of whom have inbred genetic defects).

The number of Eorna is so small that they no longer need a formal society. There are no social organizations other than the family. Eorna society thus maximizes individual freedom of choice and minimizes social control of the individual. Criminal behavior is handled by a computerized/robotic legal system. This system works for the Eorna because they all share the same basic goals and ideals (the Great Mission).

The Eorna legal system remains the one that was used before the Sathar attack which nearly destroyed their race. All laws have been codified and entered into special computers. Computers run the robot police and serve as ultimate judges in all civil and criminal cases. Eorna law recognizes that there may be extenuating circumstances involved in a criminal act. The system tries to evaluate a person's intentions and motives when considering guilt or innocence.

The usual punishment for serious violations is imprisonment in a mental hospital. In some cases convicted criminals may be required to provide some type of restitution to the victims of their crimes. Finally, Eorna law recognizes a special appeal based upon the criminal's value to society.

The prison and mental hospital systems have largely broken down. Some criminal or insane Eorna do exist and wander free in a few areas of the planet. The robot police frequently malfunction due to neglect.

Reactions to Player Characters

The Eorna will be impressed by any player character who shows an interest in beauty, and the Eorna are likely to discuss the finer points of beauty with these characters for hours. The Eorna will at first be wary about explaining the Great Mission to the player characters, but will eventually take the player characters into their confidence.

Any form of unnecessary violence, any destruction or vandalism of works of art or intellect, or any similar behavior on the part of a player character will cause an unfriendly reaction from the Eorna.

Regardless of a player character's behavior, all sane Eorna will recognize an obligation to provide food, water, and medical attention to any other intelligent creature, no matter how repulsive. Extremes of bad behavior may result in an Eorna calling the robotic police by means of the computers found in most Eorna dwellings and work places.

It is important that the referee eventually allow the player characters and the Eorna to become allies. Without such an alliance, there will be no hope of defeating the Sathar armada which is already en route to Volturnus.

Sources

• SF-01: Volturnus, Planet of Mystery