When the Drelg come a’callin’

Here’s another excerpt from my upcoming book, to be available on this site as a free PDF file upon completion, Terra-M: Science-Fiction Roleplaying in the Age of Mirus. This post deals with one of the less inimical species of my Sci-Fi setting: the Drelg, enthusiastic military allies of one of my xenohuman races, the Kai’Siri, and influential in their own right. Enjoy…

General Description:
Evolved from forest-dwelling, brachiating carnivores, Drelg are bilateral, semi-upright sapients native to a 1.4 gravity world, the planet Dreldu. Drelg average 2.2 meters tall and mass approximately 225 kilograms. The species possesses two pairs of arms; an upper pair, long and heavily muscled, for climbing, swinging on branches, and useful for quadrupedal sprints on the ground, and a smaller pair beneath it useful for fine manipulation and tool use. Drelg are endothermic, with a closed circulatory system, and a single, five-chambered heart.

Drelg may enter a state of hibernation when oxygen and food become scarce.

The eyes, which come in two pairs, are an unusual feature. The front pair is well-suited for highly acute binocular vision with excellent depth-perception, and the side pair is used for wide-angle vision with good perception of motion. Both pairs are capable of low-light acuity, but only one pair is open at a time, to prevent sensory disorientation caused by a conflict in data reaching the visual cortex.

Drelg smell and hear by means of a pair of branching antennae on the sides of the head, which resemble the gills of a terrestrial axolotl salamander, its capabilities in these areas being superior to the human norm.

The species has a long, heavily muscled prehensile tail, which permits the beings to hang upside down from tree branches to snatch prey, or as a favorite sleeping position.

Psychology:
The Drelg evolved from a species with a temperament similar to that of a terrestrial wolverine, and they are a naturally aggressive, violent race. They are also, however, highly intelligent, at least as much as humans, and intellect in this species is inextricably linked to one’s propensity for aggression. Drelg like to fight, and frequently engage in “sparring matches” with others, as the humans call the act of two or more Drelg beating the crap out of each other for fun, which is, simply, both a form of entertainment and stress-relief, like social grooming among Terran primates.

It is interesting to note, that though Drelg intelligence is directly proportional to aggressive tendencies, this works both ways, and those Drelg who are particularly bright are also better able, by virtue of their intelligence, and insight, to regulate these tendencies and curb the inappropriate expression of their aggression, or channel it in constructive ways. Conversely, those of lesser mentality may not be as frequently aggressive as their more intelligent kin, but are more prone to improper displays of violence, though Drelg intellect follows a bell-curve like most complex physiological traits rather than having a linear distribution in the species.

They possess several other notable behavior traits, such as a propensity for inflexibility of thought, and a direct, crass and highly unsubtle nature. They have a tendency to become zealots when accepting a cause or calling, and are steadfastly loyal to an employer for the duration of a contract, especially a mercenary contract, but, paradoxically, are very laid back and not prone to nursing grudges, often working with or even for former enemies when hostilities are officially over.

Society:
Drelg social organization is based around nuclear or small extended family groups, with all kin participating in the raising and education of young. Drelg education and discipline of young is seemingly abusive by human standards, but Drelg regenerative abilities (see sidebar) allow the young to shrug off injuries that would cripple a human child. This process socializes the more aggressive ones, and serves as a screening process to weed out the slow learners, that they may be removed from their more aggressive and mentally adept peers and placed in specialized educational institutions, as the passive ones do not often develop adequate means of self-defense in what other Drelg would consider perfectly acceptable academic standards.

The species is competent in a number of fields, but by and large, their most well known exemplars are those Drelg who are mercenary troops or formal military personnel, such as the Drelg Marine battalions of the League of Sapients, or the Special Operations squads of the Exarchate’s Migataruun Arm, or the security contractors, Karnazh’s Pups, based in Tokmolos Sector, and usually employed by Palutroogha Ecologies & Terraforming LLC. Less well known are those Drelg who have acquired some measure of moderation in their attitudes, and who make skilled diplomats, still aggressive, but channeling that aggression instead to end a war that threatens to destabilize a region economically if not brought under control, a situation that even the most pecunious military contractor would find unprofitable if it were to get out of hand.

Drelg Regeneration:
Drelg have a rather remarkable ability to recover from serious injury in a very short time in comparison with most humans, as well as a limited capacity to regrow missing fingers, toes and sensory antennae in a slightly longer period. While the wounds won’t literally close before one’s eyes, it generally requires about three weeks for the regrowth of missing extremities, and two weeks for complete recovery from sprains and broken bones. This healing factor also applies to recuperation from otherwise lethal injuries treated by surgical means. It does not, however apply to the loss of complete limbs, and these must be replaced by conventional means, such as prosthetics and regenerative medicine.