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-====== The World of the Sesheyan ======
-From the stone age to the space age, they
-are savage hunters from a night-bound world, enslaved by a powerful stellar nation and thrust into the
-light of the 26th century. Fighting to sustain an ancient culture amid the scientific wonders of galactic
-civilization, the sesheyans are held by many as an
-example of humans’ unfair treatment of alien species.
-Primitive aboriginals
-living on the largest moon of
-Gamma Leonis III, sesheyans
-were discovered by VoidCorp
-explorers. The corporation
-took advantage of the seshey-
-ans’ primitive nature and ar-
-ranged a contract placing
-them in service of VoidCorp in
-perpetuity. In effect, a stellar
-nation turned an entire alien
-race into its slaves. The
-sesheyans have learned a
-great deal about the galaxy
-since signing that fateful com-
-pact more than two hundred
-years ago, and many have be-
-gun to work in secret to free
-their people.
-===== Physiology =====
-Sesheyans are perhaps the most “alien”
-species encountered thus far by humans. They aver-
-age 1.7 meters tall with sleek, whipcord muscles.
-The sesheyan skeleton is composed of light, strong
-cartilage, so sesheyans weight only an average of 40
-kilograms and have extraordinarily flexible joints and
-posture, allowing them to crouch and bend for ex-
-tended periods of time without discomfort.
-Sesheyans are hexipedal, having six limbs.
-The upper arms end in four fingers (including an op-
-posable thumb), and the lower legs end in three
-splayed toes. Both of these sets of limbs have short
-claws, allowing sesheyans to climb trees and perch
-on branches in their native jungle. The two middle
-limbs are slim and end in six long slender “fingers”
-with flaps of leather skin stretched between them,
-forming a pair of wings with a span of six meters.
-The wings allow sesheyans to fly on their homeworld
-and other worlds with Earth-normal or lighter gravity
-and sufficient atmospheric pressure.
-The sesheyan head is wide and round, with
-four small eyes on each side and topped with a pair
-of elongated ears. Their eyes are highly sensitive to
-light, having adapted to the twilight environment of
-the jungles of Sheya. The blunt snout covers a wide
-mouth filled with sharp, bony
-ridges rather than teeth.
-Sesheyans have a voice box
-capable of producing a wide
-range of sounds, and they
-have no trouble learning and
-speaking human or other
-alien languages.
-Sesheyans have long, finned
-tails used for balance and
-flight control. The tail ends in
-a series of spines connected
-by leathery skin. The spines
-can flex to widen or narrow
-the “fan” at the end of the tail,
-providing steering while in
-flight. Sesheyans also open
-or close their tail fans to dis-
-play emotions: those in an
-excited mood open their tail
-fans, while those in a quiet,
-contemplative mood close their tail fans.
-===== From the Stone Age to the Gravity Age =====
-According to sesheyan fable, their race origi-
-nated in what is known as enoshai, or the “Twilight
-Dream,” a timeless state of being connected with the
-vastness of space and the night sky. The first seshey-
-ans were created by Vec’t’lir, the Brood Mother,
-whom the sesheyans associate with the second-
-largest moon of Gamma Leonis III. Her twin sons are
-Tal, the Hunter, and Neshii’en, the Trickster, associ-
-ated with the gas giant’s two smaller moons, which
-chase each other endlessly across the sky.
-Sesheyans were created to be the greates15
-SESHEYANS
-hunters of Sheya, “the hunting land.” (The name
-sesheyan means “hunters of the land.”) In the days
-of the Twilight Dream, great heroes like Tal and Ne-
-shii’en lived among the sesheyans, teaching them.
-Over time, they became a part of the history and cul-
-ture of the sesheyans, their names invoked by hunt-
-ers and shamans.
-For millennia, life on Sheya was largely the
-same. The tribes hunted (and warred occasionally),
-shamans kept the wisdom of the past, families mated
-and grew, and the cycle of life went on. The seshey-
-ans existed in the timeless realm of the Twilight
-Dream – until the arrival of VoidCorp.
-===== Aikeita: The Day of Ghosts =====
-On July 13, 2274, a VoidCorp exploratory ves-
-sel landed on the largest moon of Gamma Leonis III.
-There, project leader JT795 42IWQ (Erim Ollander)
-made contact with the sesheyans. To the primitive
-sesheyans, the arrival of the explorer ship was noth-
-ing less than the appearance of ghosts from the
-night sky, as in their ancient fables. The visitors dis-
-played magical powers: Their weapons spat fire,
-blinding light spilled from their instruments, and their
-bodies were tall and strange. Sesheyan shamans
-called the arrival of these strangers aikeita, “the Day
-of Ghosts.”
-The VoidCorp crew had little difficulty mak-
-ing peaceful contact with the sesheyans, who consid-
-ered them visitors from the Twilight Realm. Under-
-standing the value of their discovery, JT795 42IWQ
-decided to remain on Sheya and conceal her discov-
-ery, even to the point of not sending transmissions to
-VoidCorp management, lest they be overheard by
-agents of another stellar nation.
-Immediately after translating their language
-enough to converse with the sesheyans, JT795 42IWQ
-negotiated the Sesheyan Compact with the leaders
-of the most powerful tribes. The Compact granted
-the sesheyans right of passage off their homeworld
-and access to advanced technology. In exchange,
-the sesheyans agreed to serve VoidCorp in perpetu-
-ity. In essence, every sesheyan became a VoidCorp
-employee, subject to VoidCorp rules and authority. VoidCorp now owned the sesheyan race.
-At first, the sesheyans were delighted by the
-Compact, since it seemed to them a religious experi-
-ence of unprecedented proportions – a chance to
-share in the power and wisdom of the ghosts and to
-serve them faithfully. As time passed, the sesheyans
-began to discover that their visitors were not all they
-appeared to be.
-When news of the Sesheyan Compact ar-
-rived, VoidCorp management was supremely
-pleased. They immediately ordered the exploitation
-of this valuable new resource. VoidCorp ships ar-
-rived on Sheya and established bases to handle ad-
-ministration of the population for the maximum utility
-of the company. Sesheyans were displaced from
-their long-held territories without consideration.
-They company assumed supreme authority on
-Sheya, and any disagreements on the part of the
-sesheyans were handled swiftly and forcefully.
-Thousands of stone-age sesheyans were thrust into training programs designed to test their
-capabilities and make them useful employees. Void-
-Corp discovered that the sesheyans were remarka-
-bly intelligent and adaptable. They were able, even
-eager, to learn new languages and technologies,
-which the sesheyans considered magical. VoidCorp
-decided that the sesheyans would serve the com-
-pany in several ways, especially in handling menial
-or difficult tasks. In a matter of years, sesheyans
-were being shipped off their homeworld by the thou-
-sands to serve their new employer.
-To those who remained on Sheya, the
-sesheyans taken by VoidCorp became aikaya,
-“Ghost Walkers.” From their point of view, Ghost
-Walkers had left the living world behind and entered
-the Twilight Realm. For all intents and purposes,
-they had died and moved on to a new life elsewhere.
-Sesheyans held funeral rites for family-members
-chosen to leave Sheya and travel with the ghosts;
-their lives as hunters of the land were over.
-===== The Twilight Realm =====
-When the other Stellar Nations discovered
-the Sesheyan Compact, there was an outcry against
-VoidCorp. Many denounced VoidCorp’s exploitation
-of the species. For their part, VoidCorp officials
-pointed at the primitive conditions on Sheya and all
-the humanitarian aid, education, and technology that
-VoidCorp had devoted to assisting the sesheyans in
-becoming galactic citizens. They also pointed out
-that the sesheyans were considered full VoidCorp
-employees, with the same rights and responsibilities
-as employees of any species. VoidCorp defended
-their actions and ignored protests from other Stellar
-Nations who called for them to renegotiate or sus-
-pend the Compact.
-As the years passed, sesheyans in the em-
-ploy of VoidCorp learned to function in a technologi-
-cal society. Their children were born as employees
-of VoidCorp, often away from Sheya itself. Sesheyan
-breeding was originally limited by the delicate bal-
-ance of their ecosystem and the relatively harsh liv-
-ing conditions on Sheya. Now, the sesheyans were
-limited only by the requirements of VoidCorp corpo-
-rate breeding programs, which encouraged employ-
-ees to produce even more employees. The sesheyan
-population exploded across numerous VoidCorp
-worlds as the sesheyan lifespan was greatly ex-
-tended through modern medical technology.
-Billions of sesheyans have grown up never
-having touched the soil of their homeworld, hearing
-only legends of the hunting land where their people
-originated. Some of the new generations of seshey-
-ans threw themselves into the corporate culture,
-serving to the best of their ability and seeking ad-
-vancement where they could find it. Others, edu-
-cated and raised by VoidCorp, began to see flaws in
-the Sesheyan Compact.
-===== The Galactic Concord =====
-In the more than two hundred years
-since the signing of the Sesheyan Compact, some
-sesheyans have turned against VoidCorp. The
-chaos of the first and second Galactic Wars allowed
-a few million sesheyans to escape from VoidCorp
-space to other stellar nations or unknown frontiers
-like the Verge. VoidCorp maintains that all seshey-
-ans remain their employees, and it works to hunt
-down any “absentees” (as they are known). The dis-
-covery of the sesheyan colony on Grith in the Corri-
-vale system of the Verge has led VoidCorp to lay a
-claim on the colonists before the Galactic Concord.
-The Grith colonists maintain they have been on Grith
-since long before the Sesheyan Compact, trans-
-ported there by a precursor race that once inhabited
-the planet. Thus far, the Concord has upheld the
-sesheyan claim.
-There have been occasional upris-
-ings and rebellions of sesheyan employees on Void-
-Corp worlds. Rogue sesheyans who attempt to re-
-turn to their homeworld are detained by the Void-
-Corp authorities. Even if they manage to slip unno-
-ticed into the sesheyan population, their former
-friends and families consider them dead or – if born
-off-world – complete non-entities. The majority of na-
-tive sesheyans refuse to have any dealings with these
-Ghost Walkers and do not listen to what they have to
-say. Still, there is some discontent on Sheya about
-the Compact, and some native sesheyans have real-
-ized that VoidCorp does not have their best interests
-at heart.
-Perhaps the greatest opportunity for
-the sesheyans since the Day of Ghosts came when
-VoidCorp agreed to recruit half a billion sesheyan
-employees to join the Galactic Concord. Although
-they remain employees, these sesheyans have
-greater opportunities for interaction with people from
-other Stellar Nations and societies. Many sesheyans
-hope to plead their case to the Concord and gain as-
-sistance in overturning the Compact, but the Con-
-cord is far too new and still testing its authority in civi-
-lized space. It will be some time before the Concord
-can challenge VoidCorp’s claim.
-===== Culture & Society =====
-Before VoidCorp’s arrival, sesheyans main-
-tained a simple, tribal culture based around the ex-
-tended family unit. Even two hundred years after the
-Sesheyan Compact and their introduction into galac-
-tic civilization, some sesheyans maintain their old
-customs.
-==== Families & Tribes ====
-Sesheyan families tend to be quite
-large, mainly due to the sesheyan definition of
-“family.” They do not limit family ties to biological
-connections; sesheyan families include extended
-clans with many relationships. Sesheyans do not
-mate for life but instead have many mates and many
-children over a lifetime. A group of sesheyans involved in mating – along with their children, close
-friends, and other relations – make up the whole of a
-family. The sesheyan language includes many terms
-for relations that do not translate into human lan-
-guages.
-A tribe is composed of a group of
-families. The structure of the sesheyan tribe is fluid,
-shifting according to the needs of its members.
-Tribes split when they’ve grown large enough, break-
-ing into two or more tribes that go their separate
-ways. Likewise, sesheyan tribes encountering each
-other might exchange families as a sign of friend-
-ship, strengthening the ties between them before
-moving on. In this way, stories and history are
-spread among widely dispersed tribes. This practice
-also serves to maintain a healthy gene pool.
-Tribal and family loyalties are sup-
-pressed by VoidCorp, which emphasizes loyalty to
-the company above all else. Some tribes on Sheya
-are allowed to maintain their traditional structure, but
-they can be broken up by VoidCorp officials at any
-time to serve the company’s needs. Ghost Walker
-sesheyans do not maintain tribal ties.
-==== Aikei ====
-Sesheyans have as broad a range of
-emotions and expression as humans, if not more, but
-they do not change moods as quickly or as arbitrarily
-as humans do.
-To the sesheyans, every state of be-
-ing is embodied in a mythic archetype from their fa-
-bles, known as an
-aikai
-, meaning ghost or spirit.
-When a sesheyan needs or wants to experience a
-particular state of being, he or she calls up the ap-
-propriate aikai. A sesheyan on the hunt calls upon
-the ghost of the Hunter and, for him, nothing other
-than the pursuit and capture of the prey is important.
-On other occasions, a sesheyan might call upon the
-ghost of the Dreamer, the Dancer, the Traveler, or
-the Maker. Each basic archetype also has dozens, if
-not hundreds of variations associated with particular
-situations. So there is a Patient Hunter, a Feral
-Hunter, a Hunter Who Speak With Spirits, and so
-forth.
-Each of the hundreds of aikei is
-strongly rooted in sesheyan myth. Some are spirits
-or animal totems, while others are based on great
-heroes from legend. Instead of saying, “I am sad,” a
-sesheyan says, “the ghost of sadness is upon me” to
-express sorrow. The elaborate rituals and myths as-
-sociated with various aikei makes it seem – from the
-human point of view – as if a sesheyan has many dif-
-ferent personalities. A sesheyan embodying the
-Brood Mother can be tender and nurturing. The
-same sesheyan can call up the Feral Hunter and kill
-prey with savage abandon.
-VoidCorp officially bans the practice
-of aikei, but it is so strongly rooted in the sesheyan
-psyche that it is nearly impossible to eradicate. Mod-
-ern sesheyans continue to use aikei to express them-
-selves, but the mythic elements have faded almost
-completely.
-==== Clothing and Decoration ====
-Sheya is a temperate world with little
-climatic variation. Sesheyans have little use for
-clothing, often wearing only simple loincloths. Belts
-and harnesses allow them to carry things. Even in
-galactic society, Sesheyans wear little, unless envi-
-ronmental conditions dictate otherwise.
-Sesheyans like to decorate them-
-selves and often wear different kinds of jewelry. Na-
-tive sesheyans tend to wear jewelry made from natu-
-ral materials, particularly carved animal bones and
-teeth, as well as carved and stained wood. Since the
-arrival of VoidCorp, sesheyans also wear metallic
-jewelry, including rings in their ears and pierced
-through the skin of their wings or tails.
-Sesheyans also use paints to deco-
-rate their bodies. Particular patterns of decoration
-are often associated with particular aikei, so seshey-
-ans wanting to invoke the ghost of the Hunter paint
-their bodies accordingly. Sesheyans use tattooing to
-decorate themselves in a more permanent fashion,
-usually something related to a great accomplishment or a patron spirit. Sesheyan shamans are often tat-
-tooed in this manner. Patterns tattooed on the skin of
-their wings are the most common.
-Sesheyans living in galactic society
-tend to eschew many of the personal decorations
-worn on Sheya. This is mostly out of deference to
-VoidCorp policy, which prefers employees maintain
-an appropriately “businesslike” appearance.
-Sesheyans employed by VoidCorp as scouts and
-spies are given greater leeway and often wear more
-decorations.
-==== Outside Influences ====
-Sesheyan culture has been irrevoca-
-bly changed by contact with galactic civilization. Al-
-though the old ways are still practiced by tribes on
-Sheya, sesheyans living away from their homeworld
-must adopt human mannerisms and abandon or
-hide their traditional customs and rituals to fit in.
-Many sesheyans fear that continual suppression of
-their culture by VoidCorp will cause them to lose their
-unique cultural identity entirely.
-Since the Compact, sesheyan soci-
-ety has split into three fairly distinct segments: the
-esosha
-(Free Hearts), the
-aikaya
-(Ghost Walkers),
-and the
-huraikai
-(Wind Spirits). Free Hearts are
-those sesheyans still living on Sheya. The Ghost
-Walkers are sesheyans in the employ of VoidCorp.
-Sesheyans who escape from VoidCorp become
-Wind Spirits. Wind Spirits are considered outlaws
-throughout the galactic arm, and even other stellar
-nations cannot always shelter a Wind Spirit from the
-vengeance of VoidCorp.
-The split between these three fac-
-tions of sesheyan culture is even deeper than most
-people realize. After two hundred years as galactic
-citizens, the sesheyans cannot return home. The dif-
-ferences between the Free Hearts and the other of
-their race are substantial. Free Hearts cling to the
-ancient culture and traditions of Sheya, permitted to
-do so by VoidCorp. They have little comprehension
-of the vastness of galactic space or the true nature of
-VoidCorp. Many Free Hearts remain as primitive as
-their pre-compact ancestors. To sesheyans born
-away from their home world, Free Heart life seems
-either idyllic or hopelessly primitive. Having learned
-so much, the galactic sesheyans cannot return to a
-blissful state of ignorance.
-Despite the claims of the Wind Spir-
-its, many Ghost Walkers are content with their lot as
-employees of VoidCorp. Raised since birth to honor
-and appreciate the company, these sesheyans are
-completely loyal to VoidCorp. They look with pity on
-the primitive Free Hearts, who are unaware of the
-wonders of life among the stars, and with disgust on
-the Wind Spirits, who betrayed their benefactors. A
-few Ghost Walkers harbor misgivings about Void-
-Corp and the Compact, but most are as loyal as
-VoidCorp’s human employees.
-The Wind Spirits have benefited from
-modern education and technology. They claim to
-understand the nature of interstellar politics in a way
-their ancestors could not have imagined when they
-agreed to the Sesheyan Compact. Wind Spirits
-range from pirates and renegades to political activ-
-ists who claim VoidCorp illegally and immorally en-
-slaved their race. Either way, VoidCorp considers
-them criminals to be hunted down.
-==== Government ====
-Before the arrival of VoidCorp, sesheyan
-tribes were governed by a council of the eldest mem-
-bers, usually including their greatest hunters and the
-tribe’s shaman. Matters were decided by simple
-vote, usually involving various rituals to call upon
-helpful ghosts and a divination by the shaman to
-read any omens.
-The Sesheyan Compact officially dissolved
-all political and social organizations on Sheya and
-replaced them with VoidCorp institutions. Teaching
-and practicing sesheyan traditions is banned by
-VoidCorp, except in certain areas of Sheya where
-company scientists study the sesheyans’ native cul-
-ture.
-Since the Compact, all sesheyans are con-
-sidered citizens (employees) of VoidCorp from the
-moment of birth, just like all other sentients in Void-
-Corp space. The sesheyans are governed by the
-same set of rules and regulations as any other Void-
-Corp employee. They are assigned Employee Identi-
-fication Numbers at birth and may apply for positions
-with VoidCorp. VoidCorp holds the dozen or so
-sesheyan Vice Presidents in the company as exam-
-ples of what the sesheyans can achieve, as well as
-showing their equal treatment.
-In practice, it is often difficult for sesheyans
-to advance within VoidCorp. Some sesheyans man-
-age to overcome the limitations of their culture and
-background to rise in the ranks, but they do so at the
-cost of their cultural heritage and traditions.
-==== Religion ====
-Religion and ritual have been central to
-sesheyan life throughout their history, but they are
-vanishing due to the influence of VoidCorp. The
-tribes on Sheya still follow the old ways and keep
-their traditions alive, mostly as a “living laboratory”
-for VoidCorp scientists to study. Elsewhere in Void-
-Corp space, however, the practice of any religion is
-banned. Possession of religious icons or artifacts is
-subject to heavy fines and other penalties. Still, the
-practice of sesheyan religion continues in secret
-among some, particularly the Wind Spirits.
-Sesheyan religion is based around stories
-told by their shamans. The fables revolve around im-
-portant figures from myth and history, and they pro-
-vide the framework for the many different ghosts the
-sesheyans believe in. The practice of fable animism
-involves telling the various stories at the correct
-times, often in conjunction with certain rituals to
-honor the ghosts of the tale, particularly reenact-
-ments of legendary events and rituals intended to
-maintain things like the movement of the celestial
-bodies and the continued prosperity of the hunt.
-“And so Neshii’en found himself trapped in
-the heart of the Ska Mother’s lair when she returned.
-Thinking quickly, Neshii’en covered himself with the
-scent of the cubs, knowing the Ska Mother’s sight
-was weak. He rolled on the ground and imitated the
-mewling noises of the other cubs as the great Ska
-Mother came closer. She nuzzled the cubs with her
-head, and Neshii’en lay still, calling on the ghost of
-the Great Ska to be with him, making him like a ska
-cub. The Ska Mother did not notice him among her
-children and so dropped the prey she captured for
-them and lay down to sleep. While the Ska Mother
-slept, Neshii’en spirited away one of the cubs to be-
-come his friend and companion. He named the cub
-Nura the Brave, and she became Neshii’en’s good
-friend.”
-– from “The Tale of Neshii’en the Trickster
-and the Great Ska Mother,” a traditional sesheyan fable
-“Neshii’en found himself in great trouble
-when the Manager returned to her office unexpect-
-edly. Thinking quickly, Neshii’en wrapped a cord
-from his pouch around his neck, folded his wings,
-and bowed his head, his eyes cast down as the Man-
-ager entered. Neshii’en called for the ghost of the
-Humble Servant to be upon him as the Manager
-asked him what he was doing in her office.
-“’A thousand pardons, SZ472 556XX,’ he said,
-‘I come on an errand for Vice-President KG228
-ZA. He requests an immediate update on the
-status of...your project.’ The Manager regarded Ne-
-shii’en for a long moment, but she saw nothing but
-the Humble Servant, eager to do his employer’s bid-
-ding. She told Neshii’en to return to Vice-President
-KG228 712ZA and tell him an update would be im-
-mediately forthcoming. Dipping his head in obedi-
-ence, Neshii’en backed out of the room, his folded
-wings concealing the information chips taken from
-the Manager’s safe. The manager’s anger was great
-when she discovered what Neshii’en had done, but
-the Trickster had already vanished like a shadow
-among the trees.”
-– from “The Tale of Neshii’en and the Foolish
-Manager,” a modern sesheyan fable
-Shamanism
-The central figure in sesheyan religion is the
-shaman, known as the
-losaika
-, or “keeper of ghosts.”
-VoidCorp xenologists have noted remarkable simi-
-larities between sesheyan shamanism and that prac-
-ticed by primitive human cultures. In essence, a sha-
-man is “called” to the profession by a sign from the
-spirits, often an omen or an illness in which the sha-
-man has visions. Many neophyte shamans spend
-lengthy periods alone in the jungle seeking such vi-
-sions.
-The student is apprenticed to an experi-
-enced shaman, who teaches the various stories, leg-
-ends, and rituals the new shaman needs to know.
-The process takes several standard years, at which
-time the new shaman is presented to the tribe in a
-special ritual.
-Sesheyan shamans have considerable au-
-thority in their tribes, since they are believed to be in
-closest contact with the ghosts and their wisdom.
-Scientists have discovered that some sesheyan sha-
-mans possess psionic abilities, which they often use
-to aid their rituals and perform their duties. They
-speculate that the emergence of psionic abilities, es-
-pecially telepathy and clairsentience, may induce the
-“visions” required to become a shaman. These abili-
-ties most likely account for sesheyan tales of the fan-
-tastic powers of their shamans. Psionically-gifted
-sesheyans are high on VoidCorp’s recruitment list.
-==== Weapons & Technology ====
-Before the arrival of VoidCorp, sesheyan
-technology was limited to bone knives and simple
-snares woven from jungle vines. The sesheyans had
-not even discovered the use of fire, due to damp con-
-ditions in the jungles and their efficient night-vision
-which precluded the need for artificial lighting. All
-advanced technology on Sheya is imported by Void-
-Corp to supply their own operations and is kept
-strictly under control, out of the hands of any possible
-sesheyan rebels. Sesheyan employees of VoidCorp
-have access to all of the company’s advanced tech-
-nology, the same as any other employee.
-The pre-existing sesheyan technology is still
-effective. Many people who have scoffed at the im-
-age of sesheyans wielding bone knives and simple
-spears have discovered just how effective, to their
-own regret.
-==== Weapons ====
-The standard sesheyan tool and weapon is
-the
-jaeja
-(dagger). Sesheyan daggers are typically
-carved out of bone and curved, with a point and a
-single cutting edge, about 20-30 cm in length. Some
-sesheyans also make use of straight, double-edged
-daggers chipped out of stone. Since the arrival of
-VoidCorp, nearly every sesheyan hunter carries a
-metal dagger on a leather belt around the waist.
-The short spear is another common
-sesheyan weapon. Originally tipped with bone or
-stone, modern spearheads are made of metal.
-Sesheyan hunters can hurl spears with deadly accu-
-racy from the air, and spears are a preferred
-weapon for occasions when tribes go to war with
-each other. While hunting, sesheyans also use vari-
-ous types of darts, made of wood or bone. Small
-darts are fired from a blowgun made of hollowed out
-wood, while heavier darts are thrown.
-A native sesheyan weapon is the
-hureja
-, or
-wind claw, a melee/throwing weapon that consists of
-a short wooden shaft ending in two blades of bone
-(metal for modern versions) that curve in opposite
-directions. The wind claw is grasped and wielded
-from the middle of the shaft. It can be thrown a con-siderable distance by a skilled hunter.
-Sesheyan hunters also use a weapon similar
-to an Earth bola: three or four round stones tied to-
-gether by tough cords. The bola can be thrown a
-considerable distance by a capable hunter and can
-entangle the limbs or wings of small prey animals.
-In addition to their various native weapons,
-sesheyans have proven adept with modern 26
-th
--
-century weapons. Their sharp eyesight makes them
-capable marksmen, once they become accustomed
-to the feel of a modern gun. An airborne sesheyan
-with a laser pistol is a formidable opponent.
-Sesheyans normally wear little or no armor,
-since it tends to interfere with their wings and weighs
-them down. They can wear light, modern body ar-
-mor specially tailored to accommodate their body
-structure and wings, however. This armor is gener-
-ally limited to softsuits and similar light, flexible mate-
-rials. Cerametal armor and bodytanks modified to fit
-sesheyans are extremely rare, and sesheyans don’t
-generally like wearing them. A deflection harness is
-perhaps the ultimate armor for a sesheyan: light, un-
-encumbering, and capable of being built into a pair
-of bracelets, a belt, or an amulet.
-==== The Sesheyan Homeworld ====

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