Vyborg

Vyborgs are winged humanoids from the planet Vyboria in the Tarameanian Sector.

Appearance and Biology
Vyborgs are bipedal humanoids, and are generally more physically powerful than humans. Being nocturnal, Vyborgs are very adept at concealing themselves within shadows, perfectly camouflaging themselves in the dark for ambushes, or simply to get around stealthily. In fact, apart from their inherent strength and beastly features, the cover of the night is generally a Vyborg's strongest weapon against their adversaries. Most Vyborgs have crests on their foreheads in addition to horns, but some Vyborgs lack one, the other, or sometimes even both. They have arms that have four taloned fingers, legs that end in three taloned toes, and prehensile tails. All Vyborgs are shown to have a pair of wings that vary in appearance. Most Vyborgs have mammalian wings containing a variety of different digit-combinations, while others have avion wings. The rarest wing variation are those stretching between the arms and legs, rather than extending from their back as with other Vyborgs. Male Vyborgs' eyes glow white when in an excited stage, and females' eyes glow red, signaling an adrenal response. Vyborgs can be extremely long-lived and even in old age they are not as frail and incapacitated as other creatures.

Vyborgs are mammals, but unlike most mammals, they lay eggs. Female Vyborgs nurse their young with breastmilk, however.

Vyborgs are omnivorous, but they prefer a general diet focusing on meat or fish as a primary food source. Vyborgs are descendants of a highly efficient, specialized group of predators/scavengers.

Clans and Family
Vyborgs live in clans, gatherings of fairly closely-related Vyborgs. Each clan has a leader, and a second-in-command underneath. The leader's function is self-explanatory; the second-in-command's function is to lead the clan in the leader's absence, and to succeed to the leader position in case the leader is slain or has to step down due to unfitness. (Indeed, leaders of Vyborg clans have to appoint seconds-in-command to ensure a ready-made successor for such an occasion.) If the former leader is still capable of participation after stepping down, then he or she can act as an adviser to the successor.

Vyborg children are raised by the entire clan, and the concept of biological parentage does not exist. This custom may have arisen in part due to the high death rate in Vyborg society; since it is entirely possible that a hatchling's biological parents meet death even before his or her hatching, this policy ensures that orphans will not exist in the clan, and that all hatchlings will be cared for, protected, and raised.

Vyborg clans do not care about biological relations. All Vyborgs in a single generation are brothers and sisters, all of the Vyborgs who contributed eggs to that generation are the parents of those Vyborgs and the entire clan is all family. Members of hatchling and parent generations form bonds without regard to blood relation.

Although hatchlings belong to the entire clan, Vyborgs are a strictly monogamous race. They mate for life, and in nearly all cases, when one Vyborg in a pairing dies, the other remains single thereafter. Affairs and separations are quite rare, due to not only biology but also strong ties of custom to discourage a split.

Vyborgs gather their eggs in caves or underground chambers called rookeries, generally set in mountains or high cliffs, their preferred habitat. Here they can be safely watched over.

In Vyborg society, the sexes are more or less equal. Female Vyborgs are the ones who lay the eggs and nurse the young, of course, but other than that, male and female Vyborgs alike fight as warriors to defend the clan, and female Vyborgs are just as capable as male Vyborgs of becoming seconds-in-command or leaders.

Crime and Government
Xenosociologists still debate how and why the Vyborgs developed into a society of criminals, some believe it is because they evolved from scavengers. But whatever the reason, Vyboria is a world of gangsters, outlaws and pirates. They will honor laws, loyalties and friendships only as long as they calculate it to be in their best interests to do so. They also have no compunctions against blasphemy, theft, kidnapping, murder, genocide or anything else that may help them reach their goals.

The Vyborgs governing body has always been which ever clan can maintain dominance over the others. Some clans have only ruled for a few days before being overwhelmed or wiped out by a rival clan. While other ruling clans managed to stay in control for decades. The current ruling clan, Abraxas, has been in control for a couple hundred years due to the backing and support of the Nihtrad Crime Syndicate and the Ramesh Kajidic.

RPG D6 Stats
Technology Level: Space

Government: Organized Crime

Home Planet or System: Vyboria

Attribute Dice: 12D

DEXERITY 2D/5D

KNOWLEDGE 1D/3D+1

MECHANICAL 1D/4D

PERCEPTION 2D/4D+2

STRENGTH 2D/5D

TECHNICAL 1D/3D

Special Skills:

Strength Skills:

Flight: Time to use: one round. This is the skill used for flying.

Special Abilities:

Teeth: They have sharp fangs that do STR+2 damage.

Claws: Do STR+1D damage and they receive a +1D bonus to climbing.

Prehensile Tail: Vyborgs can use their tails as a third arm at -1D their die code. In combat, the tail does STR damage.

Stealth: Vyborgs have such a natural ability to be stealthy that they receive a +2D when using their hide or sneak skills at night and a +1D during the day.

Story Factors:

Reputation: Vyborgs have a reputation for being thieves, con men, gangsters and murderers.

Move: 10/13 (walking); 14/18 (flying)

Size: 1.6-2.2 meters tall; 2.4-3.3 meter wingspan

Lifespan: 500 standard years (although due to their criminals activities the typical lifespan is significantly lower)