Athar

Starport	C	Routine: No Construction, Major Repair, Unrefined fuel
Size	5	Medium (8,000 km, 0.40g - 0.57g)
Atmosphere	4	Thin (tainted)
Hydrographics	6	Wet World 60%
Population	8	Moderate (300 million)
Government	A	Charismatic Dictator
Law	D	Extreme Law (paramilitary law)
Tech Level	5	Industrial (mass production)

Primary Star

M2 V

Atmosphere

Thin (tainted)

Off-world presence

No

Zoetic individuals

Yes

Source

Reference

Signal-GK 02 54-58.

Canon

No

Also see

The Athar are a Minor Race native to A'a'suni (Dagudashaag 2227).

Description (Specifications)[edit]

The Athar are descended from six limbed carnivore chasers that originally adapted to a pack existence in the badlands and plains of A'a'suni/Pact (Dagudashaag 2227) The forerunners of the Athar hunted within clearly marked territories, preying on large herbivores as they followed traditional migration routes.

Physiology and Environment[edit]

The Athar are homeothermic, trilaterally symmetrical quadrupeds. They have two pairs of powerful rear legs ending in a wide padded foot, and a single pair of forearms ending in dexterous hands. The head mounts the sensory organs, and sits atop a long neck. A broad flat tail is used to aid balance. Their bodies are covered in a thick leathery hide that acts both as insulation and protection. They mass around 200 kg, and average five meters from the point of the snout to the tip of the tail.

The Athar are adapted for low gravity. Relatively speaking an Athar is just as strong as a Human, but in practical terms Humans are far stronger. Humans are more dexterous with their articulate hands, but Athar are naturally more athletic, able to jump, spin and twist with grace and confidence, a result of evolving to hunt small, fast prey.

The Athar live for approximately sixty standard years. They reach physical maturity at eight standard years. Human anagathics do not work on Athar, and no native anagathic substances have been discovered.

Feeding[edit]

Feeding is the main focus of an Athar's day, and a meal is preceded by a series of rituals culminating in the capture and killing of live prey. Athar revel in the thrill of the chase, and a strict hierarchy exists within the feeding group as to who gets the best targets, though part of the meal is always taken to those unable to participate in the hunt. Care is taken to ensure that all members of a family are well fed.

Culture[edit]

Government[edit]

The overall leader of the Athar is the I'Suther.

As with many carnivores, Athar have a strong sense of territory. However, individual Athar rarely hold their own land; usually it is owned by the family as a collective (so more Drakaran than Aslan). Most territories are areas of wilderness carefully maintained to provide an environment for food animals, and it is rare for this land to be used for any other purpose. Industrial centres and cities are usually constructed in areas that do not provide a suitable environment for food animals, and are usually run by the government.

Aesthetics[edit]

The Athar display a preference for rounded tines, domes, and arches. They rarely wear clothing, but liberally adorn themselves with body paint and jewellery. This often denotes an individual's occupation and rank.

History[edit]

The Athar developed intelligence as a result of major climatic changes and pressure from other competing carnivores.

Timeline[edit]

-400,000: Athar develop animal herding.
-9000: Athar at TL-1 civilisation. They are contacted by Vilani scouts, and almost immediately inundated by merchants seeking new markets and exotic alien items.
Circa -5300: During the Consolidation Wars, the Athar briefly resist the Vilani, but are forced to capitulate when they are threatened with nuclear weapons. Athar are now at TL-7.
Circa -2200: The Athar are quietly brought into the Rule of Man.
-1776: The coming of the Long Night marks the end of a golden age for the Athar. Their technology, artificially raised by both the Vilani and the Solomani, plummets back to TL-3.
- During part of the Long Night, the Medurma Pact claims A'a'suni as a member state by default, but there is no real interaction.
0: To trailing, the Third Imperium is founded. Athar technology has climbed back to TL-4.
83: A'a'suni voluntarily joins the Imperium.

References and contributors[edit]

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Mongoose Publishing or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

Jae Campbell, Leighton Piper. "Contact:Athar." Signal-GK 02 (1989): 54-58. via HIWG
Jae Campbell. Encyclopaedia Dagudashaag (Signal-GK, 2017), 43.
Artist: Tim Osbourne