Coertl
| Coertl | |
|---|---|
| Status | Minor Race |
| Classification | Radiosynthetic autotroph |
| Size | 0.5 m length & 0.5 m wingspan |
| Weight | 10.0 kg |
| Homeworld | Arjesh (Touchstone ) |
| Multi-world | Yes |
| Canon | No |
| Extinct | Extant |
| Reference | Michael J. Maley - High Tortuga |
Coertl (Sophont) Synopsis
The Coertl are natives of Arjesh (Touchstone ) and are an insectoid species who resemble slender wasps.
Coertl (Sophont) Physiology & Environment (Ecology)
Natives of Arjesh (Touchstone ), Coertl resemble slender wasps. They have bright amber bodies marked with bright red rosettes a half meter long with a wingspan a half meter across when spread. They have 6 limbs (2 arms, 4 legs) that allow them to attach to almost any surface, even upside down.
Evolving on Arjes (a planet with a dense oxygen atmosphere and factor 3 radiation levels), they are radiation eaters, needing to absorb at least 20 grams of radioactive material every 3 days to maintain their systems. They can stand radiation up to level 5 before feeling ill effects. Coertl that absorb more than 50 grams in a day are subject to torpor unless they bleed off the radiation. Their feathery antennae are excellent at detecting and determining radiation. Their slender abdomens (½ of their body length) are quite flexible.
Coertl see in the infra-red and ultraviolet spectrums quite easily. In normal, dense atmospheres their sight is equal to a human's; however in normal or light atmospheres they suffer a penalty of 2 unless wearing corrective lenses.
Coertl population is pretty split between male and female, unlike other insectoids. Also, mating requires the ingestation by the female of the proper isotope:
- To stimulate maturity of egg cells;
- To stimulate the male interest.
The females only produce 1 clutch of 6 to 36 eggs, which upon laying, hatch in about 66 days. There is usually no competition, as there are plenty of females to go around, and the female usually has a male selected from her close associates before she mates. Once successfully mated (there’s a 67% failure rate), father and mother go back to their (before mating) relationships.
Coertl (Sophont) History & Background (Dossier)
The total population of the Coertl race is 0.75 million, with 25,000 scattered throughout the home system, and the rest scattered throughout the human held planets of the Touchstone Sector and the rimward Beyond.
Coertl (Sophont) Psychology & Philosophy (Mindset)
No information yet available.
Coertl (Sophont) Culture & Society (Ethnology)
Exposure to the cultures of other sophonts has affected great change in Coertl society. One example is that exposure to humans over the past two and a half centuries has created a fad among the Coertls for human-style relationships and marriage.
A great deal of this change is the natural emphasis for the gregarious and xenophilic Coertl to mimic anything they perceive as superior, or at least interesting. This has allowed the race to upgrade from TL–4 (when the first humans arrived on Arjesh in 823) to TL–9 quickly without the usually social chaos involved with rapid changes. They like to make friends and are angered easily when friendly overtures are rebuffed.
The Coertl are fascinated by the concept of romance, seeing how it binds many non-Coertl races closer together. Since Coertl prize friendship and communal cooperation, they tend to perceive romance as a similar, survival-motivated bond. Many Coertl practice romance (particularly human romance), and romance stories and vids are popular exports.
The Nasedran tend to annoy the Coertl since the Coertls basic materialistic nature is appalled by the 'vapid' spirituality of the Nasedran. Of course the Coertls see any anti-material religion or philosophy as unnatural or subversive.
Coertl (Society) Social Organization
No information yet available.
Coertl (Sophont) Government & Politics (Leadership)
They are a race with an innate ability for mutual cooperation that evolved from centuries of internecine warfare (The Broken Years (-1056 to -457 Imperial calendar) that has resulted in a Representative Democracy.
A senate of 100 individuals is elected every 3 years to run the local government. The senate elects an Overlord to preside over legislative sessions and enact laws.
Coertl (Sophont) Language & Letters (Communication)
They communicate by two methods:
- Radio waves similar to the way Poicxh communicate, but at a higher frequency (Poicxh bug-speakers will work with communicating to Coertl); and
- Click-speak, done by rapid clicking of mandibles, a battle-language developed to prevent interception of Coertl broadcasts in past conflicts between rival Coertl. There are 458 known click-speak codes.
Coertl (Sophont) Calendar & Timekeeping (Chronology)
No information yet available.
Coertl (Sophont) Technology & Trade (Economy)
Coertls, when off world tend to wear special suits that are similar to Poicxh airsuits but also incorporate anti-rad shield to protect non-Coertl as well as contragravity units to help Coertl on standard or high gravity worlds (Arjesh gravity is .71 standard gravity). Contragravity belts are important as Coertls away from the light gravity and dense air of Arjesh would have trouble flying let along trying to walk. This is very important in a race that flies or hovers to do almost every activity.
Coertls exports tend to be radioactive ores, isotopes and power devices. Nuclear and fusion power plants are also an export specialty (they had reached atomic power at TL–4) and their power plants can be rated as TL–12. In fact scientists make up the second largest 12% of the population.
In spite of, or maybe because of, their radiation-eating and emitting habits, they are in demand as drive and power plant engineers with those humans who know of them. They have a little problem with the Aslan, who conceive them as little more than 'smart' bugs.
Coertls are also born traders, with practically 60% of the race involved with a merchant career in some way. Even their politicians and diplomats come from the merchant class.
The race has a hazy, gray area mentality towards commerce which tends to make them great as free traders or corsairs. That said, one say in their defense, that though a Coertl merchant may rob or cheat you given the chance, they have a phobia towards selling shoddy, substandard products or services. It's a matter of racial pride that they refuse to deal with merchants who try to sell junk, whether to Coertl or non-Coertl (in fact such merchants will find themselves the target of a punitive raid, called a 'rhazza'). This attitude also makes them natural allies of Dark Goddesses with many females serving as members.
Many of the Coertl merchant princes have their own orbital mansions which they run as a corporate entity.
Because of planetary radiation and the radioactivity that emits from Coertl bodies (Level 2), most business with off worlders is transacted via orbital cities where irradiation is minimized. These cities Gavrial (pop. 12,008 Coertls) and Aki (pop. 14,320) are treated as separate planets each with a separate senate. The cities were built from the combined resources of the Coertl and the Huin Hierarchy.
Coertl (Sophont) Military & Intelligence (Force Projection)
Coertl battledress (built offworld) are designed more like flexarmour with contragravity lift and small impellers for thrust. Battledress also incorporates a tail weapon to complete what weapon the Coertl warrior carries in its hands. In fact many tail weapons tend to be the main assault gun with hand weapons as back ups.
Warrior Coertl will mount weapons, quite often lasers. Their exoskeletons are natural reflec armor with the toughness of ballistic cloth.
At least twenty-three thousand Coertl serve in the Huin Hierarchy navy, mostly on the Aslan border regions. The race is fiercely loyal to the Huins and all attempts to subvert them have failed to this date.
Coertl (Sophont) References & Contributors (Sources)
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This article is incomplete meaning it lacks important features, structure, or content. More work needs to be done to make this a good article. This is step 4. in the article refinement process.
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- Author: Michael J. Maley
- External Link: High Tortuga
- Author Notice: [The High Tortuga Traveller website is managed by Darkhstarr. Requests to post material on this site welcomed. Any non-canonical material by the author may be posted to another site as long as the author gets credited and a link to this site is published with the posted material.] (Paraphrased)