Drakaran

Starport	A	Excellent: Starship Construction, Overhaul, Refined fuel
Size	6	Medium (9,600 km, 0.60g - 0.81g)
Atmosphere	6	Standard
Hydrographics	7	Wet World 70%
Population	A	High (10 billion)
Government	7	Balkanization
Law	7	Moderate Law (no firearms)
Tech Level	G	High Stellar (terraforming)

Primary Star

K5 V

Atmosphere

Standard

Off-world presence

Yes

Zoetic individuals

Yes

Source

Reference

Alien Races 1 100-112.

Canon

Yes

Also see

The Drakarans of Kas'Drak (Ghoekhnael 0323) are a Minor Non-Human Race with a reptillianoid appearance and technologically sophisticated sophonts.

Description (Specifications)[edit]

The Drakarans or Drak Ne'Vha (Humans and Vargr call them Drakarans) resemble man-sized, one-eyed tyrannosaurs covered in beautiful jeweled armour that flashes with all colours of the spectrum.

Biology[edit]

Senses as compared to those of a Human:

Sight is comparable, though Drakarans constantly swivel their heads back and forth to establish depth through parallax, having only the one eye.
Smell is superior; Drakarans track prey through scent, and can sniff out water sources.
Hearing is inferior, adapted for a denser atmosphere.

The Stalking[edit]

Rather than sleep, Drakarans periodically enter The Stalking, a state of non-sapient predation in which they spend several days hunting and feeding as their primal ancestors would. Different Drakarans enter the state at different times of month. They will only eat food they have killed themselves while in this state.

Lifecycle[edit]

After developing internally for about 150 standard days, three to four translucent eggs are laid and then transferred into the mother's pouch; they will hatch about 90 standard days later. Young were originally fed on blood and food predigested by their parents. These days, commercial baby food products are used. Drakarans fully mature after 20 standard years and can live for around 80.

History & Background (Dossier)[edit]

The Drak Ne'Vha are a starfaring race of traders, warriors and seekers, uncompromising in their search for 'truth', yet bound to the ancient, cruel customs developed for survival on their brutal homeworld.

The Drakarans inhabit the Taakas Yh'Drak, which means in their tongue worlds of our race. About thirty-even worlds comprise this territory which is centered on Kas'Drak, their homeworld. 1-3 jump routes connect it to a larger area of Vargr worlds and some human systems (most of which are Zhodani). It is situated in parts of the Ghoekhnael and Chit Botshti sectors.

Psychology[edit]

Drakarans appreciate simplicity and order, and are generally in control of their emotions (The Stalking provides a release). They are known for a ruthless, uncompromising sense of reason. Prosperity of the family, or for the race, is paramount to Drakaran psychology; the individual is self-sacrificing.

Culture & Society (Ethnology)[edit]

Drakarans from wealthy families typically enjoy hunting for sport. Those raised on their homeworld or other frontier planets (rather than in asteroid colonies) will often practice with traditional hunting weapons and riding animals. These include morning-stars, throwing spears, and lances, often wielded from a mount. Even today Drak explorers and hunters often ride and fight from large two-legged Drakaran Riding Lizards.

Drakarans are forthright and honest. This makes them appear rude to some outsiders, but Zhodani tend to find them easy to deal with.

Linguistics[edit]

The common language of modern Drakarans is N'Toz.

Drakaran speech is a mix of harsh sounds and occasional whispering sibilants. When angry, they hiss like a kettle boiling over.

Drakarans are naturally modest and uncompromisingly blunt. They dislike flowery speech and consider excess praise extremely insulting.

Naming[edit]

Drakaran names consist of a personal name followed by a family name. Most family names are of three syllables, ending in a consonant sound. Sample family names include Ikishkat, Jisarok, and Annaket. A Drakaran who marries into a family adopts the new family’s name. Drakaran personal names are one or two syllables, taken from colours or odors. Drakarans travelling among aliens often translate the personal name into the alien’s language, while retaining the family name; a Drak might call himself Blue Ystok, for instance.

Drakarans use few titles, but a member of a family that is part of the Lumog (the aristocratic ruling council) usually adds the title Vrai (translated as Lord or Lady) in front of the family name. e.g., Blue Vrai Ystok. A family matriarch is usually addressed as Ki ("Greatmother") instead of the personal name, e.g., Ki Iriska, or Greatmother Iriska.

Government & Politics (Leadership)[edit]

Taakas Yh'Drak

Timeline[edit]

Circa -1500: The matriarchal clan-based Neh'Toz society becomes dominant in the southern latitudes of Kas'Drak
Circa -1400: The Limak Neh'Toz religion is founded by the Neh'Toz
Circa -1050: Neh'Toz create the Great Canal Empire
-500: Great Canal Empire begins to fragment under the pressure of southern steppe nomads. One remnant, the south-eastern province of Ta'tohk, will retain Imperial culture.
-400: Inventing the steam engine, Ta'tohk experiences an industrial revolution
-200: Railway Clans of Ta'tohk dominate the Drakaran supercontinent
Circa -150 to -50: Many small wars are fought as greater clans attempt to annex lesser
Circa 520: Drakarans colonise N'Varr, the second (marginally) habitable planet in their system. Settlement fuels innovation in previously neglected life sciences. A dramatic population explosion results.
Circa 900: Spacer clans begin constructing specialized warships to enforce and protect their claims.
954: A Vargr starship misjumps into the Kas'Drak System (known as Odye to Vargr). It is mistaken by ships of the Shimaak, a medium-sized spacer clan, for a claim-jumping rival vessel, and attacked.
Circa 1050: A multi-clan alliance led by the Shimaak -- the Ashket Vhadrakis Oom -- has established six colony worlds
1095: The Drakarans possess dozens of colony worlds. Knowing that technologically advanced aliens exist, they develop a true interstellar navy.
The Drakarans make contact and offer the Ilksang Oekhgnoull Vargr nation apologies and reparations for the destroyed ship.
1094: Hearing rumours from their clients and trading partners of a new minor race, the Zhodani Consulate dispatches a diplomatic mission.
1102: The Zosokhsourztourrgh corsairs decide to extort funds from the Drakarans and their trading partners.
1111: Knowing that the raids come from corsairs aligned with the unrepentant Thoerz Zdarr nation, the Drakarans strike that state without warning.
1112: The Ash-Trankar -- Drakaran clan marines -- wage a bitter ground war on five of the seven Thoerz Zdarr worlds.
1113: The Ksoesueng Reghz seize the two remaining Thoerz Zdarr worlds.
1114: An uneasy peace is established between the Drakarans and their neighbours, in part due to Zhodani mediation.

Image Repository[edit]

No information yet available.

Astrography[edit]

This race is primarily located in the following areas:
Charted Space:

Homeworld[edit]

The homeworld of this race is:

Kas'Drak (Ghoekhnael 0323)

World Listing[edit]

Significant communities of this race are known to exist within the following systems and worlds:

19 of 19 World articles in Drakaran

Afca • Andvu • Dasewe • Efre • Ehttied • Eitabeerat • Enwhid • Faneef • Fene • Hata • Itick • Kas'Drak (Ghoe 0323) • Mealle • Mie • Muce • Oncip • Sondi • Tishind • Weare •

startbacknext(19 listed)

References & Contributors (Sources)[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.

David L. Pulver. Alien Races 1 (Steve Jackson Games, 1998), 100-112.
Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science