FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Overview

The Ta'rall are a race of Naga-like reptilians native to Cryona, a tropical world orbiting the A-class star Syire. Cryona is covered by large tropical forests, taking up roughly 60% of the surface. The rest of the planet is composed of oceans. Unlike Earth oceans, the oceans on Cryona contain no salt and only traces of other elements, making the planet desirable for colonization due to the easily accessible supply of fresh water.

The natural life on Cryona is either hardy enough to withstand the heat and radiation coming off of Syire, or spends as little time in direct sunlight as possible.

Physiology

A fully grown Ta'rall has a torso and head about 8 - 9 feet tall when the rest of their snake-like body is on the ground. Males tend to be more brown and red, with a frill not dissimilar to a Cobra's. Females are more blue and green in color, slimmer in build, and lack the distinctive frill.

All Ta'rall are constrictors, meaning they lack venom. They have a number of small sharp teeth in their jaws, serrated on the inside. Their jaw structure is similar to a lizards, rather then a snake. A fully grown Ta'rall can be up to 40 feet long (including the torso), though 25 - 30 is more common.

Ta'rall have excellent night vision, as well as a second set of "water-lids" that protect the eye from dust and liquids while still allowing some sight. Another distinguishing characteristic is that Ta'rall have 4 arms, two on each side, and two fingers (and a thumb) per hand. Their limbs are extremely flexible and a Ta'rall can easily reach around and grab someone hanging on their back.

Ta'rall scales are extremely tough, meant to keep out predators and the harsh sun. A healthy Ta'rall has scales that can deflect arrows, combat knives, stun guns, and other forms of non-lethal ballistic projectiles (such as rubber bullets). Depending on where conventional bullets hit, small calibre rounds can also be deflected. This effect is most notable on the snake portion of a Ta'rall's body, their chests, and the upper half of their heads. The neck is also protected, in the case of males, by their frill which when closed, adds an extra layer of scales and flesh.

Ta'rall communicate in a series of hisses, grunts, and clicks. Their language is nearly impossible for humans to produce since some of the sounds can vary in pitch by amounts too small for the human ear to notice. The Ta'rall cannot speak English, or any human language, since their vocal system is incapable of producing the sounds needed for human speech. Typical communication occurs through written medium, all though the Ta'rall are more then capable of learning human languages.

Society

Ta'rall live in a tribal society. There is a counsel that controls the day-to-day activities and a leader, typically male, who leads during times of conflict and war. The leader can veto any decision the council makes, however, upon doing so, he or she may be challenged by another member of the tribe for the leadership role. The victor becomes the new leader and the old leader takes the winners previous role in the tribe.

Tribe's tend to be fairly peaceful towards one another, with a few exceptions. There are a few mountain tribes who are generally looked down upon by the other tribes for their behaviours, though what those behaviours are have never been documented. Tribes refuse to speak about it and all attempts to contact the mountain tribes have lead to the disappearance of those sent.

Ta'rall society is separated into a social ladder, though much of the process is hidden. Each member of a tribe has a standing on the ladder based on their contributions to the tribe and their combat prowess. There is no formal list of who has what standing, but rather every tribe member keeps track of a given individual's status. Social standing can be advanced by providing valuable service or by defeating someone higher on the ladder. In the case of normal advancement, very little is made public and the most notable change is which tasks the Ta'rall in question is assigned, marking their status. In the case of combat, there is a public fight held. The winner is the one who does not surrender. The entire tribe notes who wins and the ladder is adjusted accordingly.

In terms of laws, there are very few definite laws in Ta'rall society. Conflicts are resolved between individuals with the council or leader stepping in only for the most extreme cases such as murder. Those who are found guilty of a crime are sentenced based on the severity of the crime. Most sentences result in a stripping of tribal rank for several days to weeks followed by the assignment of tasks normally only performed by the lowest social rung. Serious crimes result in banishment, either for a given time period during which no tribe is allowed to communicate with the individual, or permanently. An individual who is permanently banished is marked with a special colored liquid which is splashed over their entire body. The liquid stains the individual's scales and skin, marking them as banished. The stain cannot be removed, even with medical procedures, due to the large amount of skin affected. Those banished temporarily are marked with a scented sap which washes away with a special mineral dissolved in water.

Culture

Ta'rall have no notable religion. This is mostly due to the entire species having a belief in relying on no one to survive. This belief is mitigated in tribes, where it becomes a belief in the tribe not relying on anyone for survival, including gods. When asked about their gods, the leader of one tribe was noted for saying, "We have none and never will. We rely on each other, not some being who none of us can see or hear, no matter how powerful they are. This is the way it has always been and always will be!" (Approximate Translation).

Technology

The Ta'rall possess basic technology. The common weapon among warriors and hunters is the bow. Ta'rall bows are strong and light, but require surprising strength to draw. Many humans are incapable of fully drawing these bows. The arrows are tipped in scales shed from the Ta'rall themselves, carved and chipped into shape. The shafts of the arrows have scale fins in place of feathers. These fins run the entire length of the arrow, though they are the most prominent at the back. The fins along the body of the arrow are serrated to prevent the arrow from being pulled out. The bows have a small wooden attachment placed at the point where the arrow would normally rest. The attachment is a guide. The arrow is slotted into the holder, which guides it and prevents the rigid fins from hitting the bow and changing the arrow's flightpath.

Knives and other cutting tools are made from bone and scales. The bone serves as a handle, while the scales the blade. Unlike arrows, which use scales from any part of the body, knives and other weapons are made from belly scales, which are scale plates that cover the entire width of the Ta'rall's belly and provide traction during movement. Two such scales are used, one for each half of the blade. They are stuck together and the join between them is then sharpened to a razor edge. This creates a curved blade. Some spend extra time adding teeth the inside of the curve for sawing through tough materials. Such blades are highly valued. Once constructed, Ta'rall blades require very little upkeep. The scales are tough enough to rival steel, and lose their sharpness much slower.

First Contact

The Ta'rall were first encountered by Colonist James Tamrel and his family aboard the colony ship CL-1202. The CL-1202 was destined for the planet Jakar in the Kirah system. During transit, it's suspected a large asteroid or other object passed nearby the ship, pulling it off its course. The computer system, in hibernation, did not notice the change until the ship was caught in Cryona's gravity well. At this time, the computer woke the colonists up and they were able to make an emergency landing on Cryona.

It was nearly three weeks before the Colonial Administration realized something was wrong when the CL-1202 failed to transmit its confirmation that it had arrived in Jakar's orbit. A search was immediately started, but it would be another four months before the CL-1202 was located. A heavy freighter received a long range communication signal. The captain reported it and a marine search and rescue team was sent. The signal came from a jury-rigged transmitter setup by Colonist Amy Tamrel, wife of James Tamrel and the group's medical and science officer. The frigate Larson arrived in orbit of Cryona nearly five months after the CL-1202 crashed on the surface.

The marine team located the vessel and the transmitter, which had obviously been left unattended for some time. A quick investigation revealed that the ship have been uninhabited for some time. The marine team assumed the family of colonists to be dead, and would have left if not for the youngest of the Tamrels, Lisa Tamrel, age 12, who dashed out of the forest surrounding the crash site dressed in rough leathers and fabrics which covered only what was needed and left the rest of her free to move. The marines were caught off guard and the sight of several burly marines with rifles leveled at her was enough to send Lisa Tamrel fleeing into the forest. The marines chased her down and managed to catch her.

Unfortunately, Lisa Tamrel's cries had been heard by a member of the local Ta'rall tribe with which the Tamrels had been living. The Ta'rall male, G'lek, attacked the marine who had caught Lisa Tamrel, knocking the soldier unconscious and breaking his left arm before fleeing into the jungle before the other marines could react.

The marines regrouped at the CL-1202 crash site. It was a matter of minutes later when James Tamrel, Amy Tamrel, and their three children, plus G'lek, entered the clearing. It was quickly established that G'lek had meant no harm, only desiring to protect Lisa Tamrel, who, like the rest of her family, had formally become a member of the tribe. The marines relayed the message back to Earth, where it was received with much joy and surprise, as humans had never encountered another intelligent race during their colonization efforts. A request was made for the colonists to return to Earth to submit a formal report of everything that had happened.

The colonists agreed to return, however, the leader of the local tribe made it clear that he was not about to allow them to go anywhere without an escort. The Tamrels were highly valued by the local tribe for their dexterity and unique skill set. It was decided that G'lek would be sent along with the colonists back to Earth. For more information about events that occurred beyond this point, please see Earth History: Ta'rall: Section 1.