Big Badger
Big Badger is a member of an unknown species, the only
member of his species on Rathorn. He looks very much like
a very large Earth badger. It is unknown if he is sentient
but the Rathorns work under the premise of "Well, he
might be so we'll leave him alone unless he proves a threat".
It's a situation that works very well. Big Badger can teleport
short distances.
His constant companion is the Confederation Human, Pala,
who happens to be an anthropologist studying Big Badger.
A massive creature, there is only one known. No one is
certain where he came from, though definitely from another
world. His fur is normally a swirl of tawny and brown but
changes color and texture as needed. His tail is very long,
thick at the base and thinning down it's length, plus it
is prehensile. . .the Hoag-Tash can use it to not only grip
things but also to grasp a stylus and write. Of his three
eyes, two are regularly placed with the third "cyclops"
eye up and between them (which is normally closed as it
detects heat and isn't used all the time. When he does use
it, he closes the other two eyes.). He has two alarmingly
long, sharp saber teeth but is an omnivore, switching from
meat to vegetable as needed.
His fur is actually in three layers: a short inner layer,
a long outer layer (which changes color and texture), and
a seasonal middle layer. The middle layer is harvested yearly
by the Rathornians, who use it in a variety of ways, including
the making of the decorative plates the Shiketo wear.
The Hoag-Tash is actually very friendly with the other
sentient species and it takes a lot to tick him off. Even
when angry, he'll rarely injure a sentient being but he
will attack shuttles and other inanimate objects. He's pretty
close to indestructible (having been known to walk across
the floor of the ocean days on end and hibernate in live
volcanoes. Speculation runs to whether the Hoag-Tash can
survive the vacuum of space but no one's dared try it.).
Though the Hoag-Tash is referred to as "he", it
is unknown if he is male or female and it is suspected he
is actually both. The Hoag-Tash is very adaptable; after
meeting the Rathornians, the Hoag-Tash began to grow an
arm (in the center of his chest at the top of the breastbone.
Not very far grown as yet but getting there)
The Hoag-Tash has taken to wearing a harness, which is
well-hidden by his fur.
The Humans of Rathorn are divided into two different camps:
Rathornians and Confederation Humans. Rathornians are divided
into "Families". Some of these Families are:
Bishop: Dark skin, light (usually white) hair, green or
blue eyes.
Bran:
Heinlein: fairly tall, well-built with red hair and green
eyes
Kencyr:
Kender: Shorter with stocky builds, dark hair and eyes
Shanir: Tall, pale-skinned with silvery hair and blue-gray
eyes (yes, they are from the same batch as McQueen). They
were adopted by the Rathorn, Hellspawn.
Carl (Bran): Dancer
Carl is a dancer, currently playing Alonzo with CATS:
the Interstellar Production. He is off-world for months
at a time, making a point of coming back during the rain
season, when the dig is closed and he can spend time with
Llewelyn and Skrye. It's understood that this time is his
and Llewelyn's. Usually Skrye is very pregnant and doesn't
mind. . .too much.
Carl is partnered with Llewelyn Shanir and Skrye Bishop.
Since he has no interest in Skrye sexually, his relationship
with her is more that of a sibling's, though early in the
relationship, it was stormy with jealousy. Even so, he has
three children by her.
Elspeth (Shanir): Xenobiologist
The smallest of the Shanir, she is one of the few people
that can roam outside of the Safe Areas without fear. She
studies the native Rathorns.
Femi (Kencyr): Dancer
A dancer partnered with Mandy, Puck, and Signey. She currently
plays Cassandra in CATS: The Interstellar Production.
Gary (Shanir): artist
Henk
Born on the Confederation planet, Nervana, now living on
Rathorn. Henk does the mandatory talk ("Rathorn: The
People, The Places, The Pleasures, the Perils") to
everyone going down to Rathorn.
Honor (Shanir):
Commander of the Blood and Ivory Rage of Rathorns
Standing as tall as her brothers (at 6'), she commands
a Rage of Rathorns (nine Confederation war ships). She is
partnered with the chief security officer and the chief
researcher of the Blood and Ivory. They have no children
as yet but do have several frozen embryos stored in the
Womb Room on Rathorn.
Illyana (Shanir):
Daughter of Mandy and Puck. She has ambitions of being
the first female to play Misto in CATS. Nicknamed Magik.
Jacob (Shanir)
Jacy (Shanir): Doctor
Joshua (Shanir)
Kerowyn:
Llewelyn (Shanir): Archeologist
Llewelyn is of average height for a Shanir (6'1")
with a muscular build. Years of working in the sun have
tanned his skin to bronze and his hair (normally worn short)
is totally white. Even his eyes have faded to a light silver.
He and his team are currently digging up the ruins of a
city in the Ebonbane mountains.
Llewelyn is partnered in a three-way marriage with Skrye
Bishop and Carl Bran. They have thirteen children.
Mandy (Shanir): Dancer.
About the same height as McQueen but very lean with lots
of hidden muscle, built up from years of dancing. For several
years, his hair was very long (he'd grown it long to play
the part of Firesong in the Mage-Wind/Mage-Storm
series), almost to the floor but he's taken to cutting it
short a foot at a time, much to the chagrin of his partner.
His current role is as Rum Tum Tugger on CATS: The Interstellar
Production.
He's been partnered with Puck Pierson for over 17 years.
They have three children: twins Joshua and Jacob and Illyanna.
Both have just entered into a long-term contract with Femi
and Signey .
Mazziani (Shanir): the planet's administrator.
He's the tallest of the Shanir, standing 6'4", with
broad shoulders and a muscular build. His hair is silvery-blond
and shoulder-length, usually worn in a ponytail. He switches
from clean-shaven to lightly-bearded to a goatee as the
mood takes him.
He's been partnered with Shard Bishop pretty much from
decanting. (Rumor has it they ended up literally nose
to nose and have been together ever since.) They have nine
children.
Pala
Ralland
Shard (Bishop): Moderator
Shard is one of the trade moderators on Rathorn. She is
partnered with Mazziani Shanir and has been pretty much
from decanting. They have nine children.
Signey:
Skrye (Bishop): Archeologist
Skrye is partnered with Llewelyn Shanir and Carl Bran and
has children by them both (though Carl's are from artificial
insemination).
Nikolas
Puck:
Zar:
Darkness Rising
Kero's mother, very protective of her daughter. The planet
dreads the day Kero starts dating. . .they fear they will
be finding pieces of boyfriends all over the planet.
Demonsbane:
Hellsbane:
Hellspawn:
The mother of the Shanir, she is very opinionated and protective
of her children.
Lucifer
One of the few male Rathorns allowed in Safe Area/Borderlands.
Cassandra (Lilac-Point Siamese)
Cassandra is in command of the Shiketo trading enclave
on Rathorn. She is female.
Gary didn't like the Cassandra commonly seen on CATS and
redesigned the look when he redid the Cassandra decorative
plates (she was originally a Seal-Point). Her constant companion
is a burgundy flat cat which she keeps in her environmental
suit.
Caster (Cas)
Pollux (Pol)
Cassandra's twins, sex as yet unknown (or maybe undecided).
They are often found with the planet's "child packs",
running wild with the other younglings of the planet. They
wear black and white environmental suits.
Coricopat "Cori"
Tantimelle "Tanti"
Cori and Tanti are known as the Twins. They stick together
and tend to move in synch, like their namesakes. They often
act as moderators and can usually be found perched on the
Hoag-Tash's back. Both are neuter.
Etcetera
One of the newest Shiketo CATS and the first to join simply
because he wanted to learn how to dance. He's fairly small
for a Shiketo, barely 5'9" and is male. (rather confusing
considering his CATS persona is female)
Jemina (Calico)
Jemina has lived most of her life on Rathorn and is best
friends with Kero.
Mistopholis "Misto" (Tuxedo Cat)
Misto is perhaps the shortest fully-grown Shiketo seen,
standing barely 5'7". He was the first to actually
take up dancing and often takes Puck's place during rehearsals
of CATS. He is male.
Mungojerrie "Mungo" (Calico)
Rumbleteaser "Rumple" (Calico)
Mongo and Rumple take after their namesakes in alarming
ways and the Rathornians haven't helped (they taught them
how to pick pockets, for one thing). Mungo is herma; Rumple
is female.
Munkastrap "Munk" (gray Tabbie)
Munk is the captain on the Merchant Ship, Paws.
He is male.
Plato
Plato is the friendliest of the Shiketo, the most tolerant
of young Rathornians perching on her head and shoulders.
She often takes part in CATS rehearsals, doing the Rumple
Cat and Macavity. She is a neuter and another confusing
one. . her persona is male.
It's almost impossible to individualize the Tazs, especially
since they like to confuse other beings by dressing identically.
Occasionally, individuals will add colorful bandanas or sashes
to their uniforms so that other beings can tell them apart.
However, some beings have begun to suspect the Tazs switch
bandanas/sashes as the mood takes them. For this reason, individual
Tazs are not being described.
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