Kian

Kian
TBD
Base Information
Classification	Herbivore/grazer
Terrain	Unknown
Locomotion	Walker
Size	3.0 m
Speed	Unknown
Strength	Unknown
Social Structure	Few
Weapons	Unknown
Armor	None
Source
Homeworld	Prilissa (Spinward Marches 3035)
Multi-world	Yes
Canon	Yes
Extinct	Extant
Reference	Journal of the Travellers Aid Society No. 9
TBD

The Kian is a creature lifeform that is not a sophont.

• It is a Macropodoid species that most closely resembles a Terran Kangaroo or Ostrich.
• It is a domesticable Riding Beast.

Description (Specifications)

Though they resemble Terran ostriches and are often described as a bird, kian are actually bipedal mammals. Kian fill many of the same functions as Terran Horses and have been exported throughout the Marches almost as widely.

Image Repository

1. Kians being ridden by the Imperial Guard.
   
2. A Kian with a rider, a military mount.
   

Physiology & Ecology

Externally, the Kian is a large bipedal creature with a long neck, short tail, and no other limbs (the remains of an atrophied pair of fore-limbs can be found in some species). They are thickly furred, their coats showing distinctive color patterns of brown, gold, lemon-yellow, and black. A kian's legs are powerfully muscled for fast movement over long distances. Kian's hearing and eyesight are extremely good, reflecting their predator-laden environment of origin.

Life Cycle & Reproduction

Much like the odd Terran Platypus, they are one of the few mammalianoids that both secrete lactation and bear a clutch of eggs. Litters consist of several offspring, generally two to five pups and mating is decidedly polygynous in nature. Females outnumber males by at least 5 to 1 in most natural groupings. In domesticized captivity, much larger ratios can be maintained.

Diet & Trophics

They are herbivore/grazers and will consume any number of grasses and grains. They are not known for pickiness and will also gladly consume fruits.

History & Background (Dossier)

The sturdiness of their overall frames has made them a frequent choice for use as mounts and pack animals on the planets where they can be found.

Derived Products (Goods & Services)

The Kian is a large flightless animal that originated on Prilissa (Spinward Marches 3035) and is used on many worlds as a beast of burden or for riding.

• It is of particular use as a Riding Beast.
• Kian are used as ceremonial mounts for the Imperial Household Cavalry.

Travellers' Aid Society Advisory

The Travellers' Aid Society (TAS) classifies the Kian as non-threatening to most sophonts and makes no special advisory regarding this creature.

Worlds & Sectors (Astrography)

This creature can primarily be found in the following areas:
Charted Space:

• Spinward Marches Sector
  • Trin's Veil Subsector

Homeworld: 1105

The homeworld of this creature is:

• Prilissa (world)

World Listing: 1105

Significant communities of this creature are known to be found within the following systems and worlds:

3 of 3 World articles in Kian

Capital  •  Prilissa  •  Rhylanor  •  

startbacknext(3 listed)

References & Contributors (Sources)

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 Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Loren Wiseman. "The Besitary." Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society 09 (1981): 36-43.
• Marc Miller. The Spinward Marches Campaign (Game Designers Workshop, 1985), TBD.
• Martin Dougherty, Neil Frier. Behind the Claw (Steve Jackson Games, 1998), .
• Martin Dougherty. The Spinward Marches (Mongoose Publishing, 2008), .
• Gregory P. Lee. Cirque (Greylock Publishing, 2014), TBD.
• Signs & Portents 89 - Kian (Creatures) February 2011 by Roger E. Moore
• Gregory P. Lee. Cirque: The Usual Suspects (Far Future Enterprises, 2019), TBD.
• Matthew Sprange. "Kian." Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society volume 3 (2019): 78-79.