"WING COMMANDER ACADEMY"
TALKING PAPERS ON THE KILRATHI
An unsavory, savage feline race, the Kilrathi descended from the predators that roamed the savannas of the planet Kilrah in the distant past. Aside from despicable hairy looks and thorny demeanors, their ancestors passed on a ruthless sense of cunning and aggressiveness. The whole Kilrathi history is an extended chronicle of civil wars so brutal that those in human history pale by comparison. The race remains a predatory species, only now they operate on a galactic level, claiming their prey in the far reaches of space and taking by force those who do not bow to their claim. Their entire culture is based on a sense of war and aggression, elevated to religious levels.
They Kilrathi warriors live by a three-tiered code of honor -- personal honor, the honor of their clan, and the honor of the Emperor. This code of honor is more important to the Kilrathi warrior than his own life.
Kilrathi technological and aesthetic ideals reflect their cultural focus on aggressions. Their starships are designed to resemble ornate cutting weapons, with sharp, blade-like wings swept toward to lethal-looking points.
Females control all religious factions on Kilrah and direct all offering and religious ceremonies. The Kilrathi are polytheistic, with the war-god Sivar being the most important deity.
The homeworld of the Kilrathi is the planet Kilrah, a semi-arid world of rolling savannas pierced by the smoldering cones of giant volcanoes. Huge rift valleys, reminders of the planet's even more active seismic blast, form the "continental" boundries. There are no oceans, but almost all of the rift valies contain long and relatively narrow brackish lakes, which help define the perimeters of the ancient clan homelands.
All in all, a terrifying terrain for a frightening race.
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