Geelan

Geelan

Species: Geelan
Home Planet: Needan

Geelan
The Geelan, or Geel, were a species of sentient, bipedal canines with pot bellies, lanky arms, and stubby legs. Thick fur covered most of their bodies except for parts of the face and hands. Each Geelan had two large, yellow eyes, a dark, wet nose, and a muzzle of sharp teeth. The species hailed from Needan, a planet in the depths of Wild Space, where they lived in cities and divided themselves into tribal nests under the ultimate rule of the Geeloniran, or "Master Geel." Members of the species were nosy and greedy by nature, traits that made them incurable hoarders of nicknacks and baubles. The typical Geelan made every effort to engage in a bout of haggling each day—and to a Geelan, haggling was a sport with no rules. Although such aggressive behavior did not endear them to many non-Geelan, it did make Geelan gifted entrepreneurs and businesspersons.

Although Needan was once a lush world, a passing comet struck the planet and wrenched it from its orbit. The resulting cool-down forced the Geelan to move into domed cities to survive. After they were first contacted by outsiders from the galactic community, many Geelan fled the world to operate businesses and act as traders in the galaxy. One of the more visible Geelan business ventures was the space station Zirtran's Anchor, which was jointly owned and controlled by several nests. The Galactic Empire sent a representative to the station to demand the Geelan pay proper taxes and collect the proper tariffs, which annoyed the canines. At some point, Zirtran's Anchor disappeared mysteriously in an event that came to be known as "the Vanishing." Spacer rumors circulated about the cause of the disappearance, but the station eventually reappeared in another part of the galaxy, devoid of all life. The Geelan reclaimed their wayward property and reopened for business. Nevertheless, the specter of the station's previous fate hung over the place.

Biology & Appearance:
The Geelan, also known as the Geel, were sentient canine mammals marked by their protuberant bellies and dark, wiry fur. Geelan had short, squat bodies that matched a broadly humanoid physiology. However, their arms were markedly longer than their stubby legs. Members of the species ranged in height from 0.75 to 1.5 meters, although aged members of the species sometimes appeared shorter due to a stooped posture. Their five-fingered hands sported sharp claws. Thick hair covered the body except for most of the face and fingers. The Geelan were divided into two sexes, male and female.

The Geelan visage was wrinkled and hairless except for a hairy beard along the chin. Two resplendent, yellow eyes peered forward from atop a snout full of sharp teeth that protruded even when the mouth was closed. In some specimens, the muzzle was short and snubbed, but in most members of the species, it was long and prominent. A dark, wet nose lay at the end of the snout. Pointed ears stood erect on the sides of the head, large in some Geelan but small in others. Few taller beings found the Geelan's appearance intimidating.

Society & Culture:
On their homeworld, Needan, the Geelan originally lived in cities in the tropical forests of the planet. However, after the world cooled to arctic temperatures, they inhabited domed habitats that protected them from the elements. Many Geelan inhabited Zirtran's Anchor, a space station the species bought after their world's frigid period had begun. In their artificial environment, various Geelan groups set up their dwellings in the central section of the station, known as the Hub.

The species was divided into autonomous, tribe-like groups called nests. Each nest member received a role to play for the benefit of the group, positions such as nest leader, negotiator, secretary, treasurer, and even assassin and spy. The nest leader answered to an individual who, in the Geelan's native language, was known as the Geeloniran—a term that translated as "Great Geel" or "Master Geel." The Geeloniran was the ruler of all Geelan in the galaxy and presided over all enterprises and contracts that affected the Geelan as a whole. During the Galactic Civil War, an Imperial presence aboard Zirtran's Anchor maintained some control over the Geelan's affairs.

The Geelan personality was driven by two overwhelming goals: to obtain an ever-increasing store of possessions, and to do so by getting the best of others in negotiations. They had a reputation for being intrusive, annoying, covetous, and greedy for personal profit. These traits led non-Geelan to write the species off as nosy, meddlesome, and egotistical, and caused most non-Geelan to avoid the species whenever possible.

However, the Geelan's aptitude for bargaining and their penchant for hoarding valuables meant that some beings had no choice but to deal with the diminutive canines. The Geelan were born hagglers with a well-earned reputation as experts at negotiation. Deals with Geelan followed different norms than those familiar to members of most other species. Geelan bargaining had no rules: in an anything-goes style, the Geelan used any means at their disposal to get the better of their rival, including blackmail, bribery, intimidation, and even physical violence. Despite being able to fight with their sharp claws, the Geelan were comparatively weak in comparison to many other beings. Geelan thus preferred to negotiate with several of their compatriots present. They used their wealth to hire larger, tougher beings to protect them, such as assassins, bounty hunters, and mercenaries. Most members of the species carried sidearms as well for additional protection. On the space station Zirtran's Anchor, owned and operated by the Geelan, particularly violent business deals were broken up by the security firm Defensus Solar before they got too serious. Geelan preferred complicated deals; the more difficult a deal was to comprehend, the better. Overall, most non-Geelan found the species' negotiating style taxing. However, their love for the deal was a soft spot that others could use against them. Geelan considered any day without some new acquisition to be a day wasted.

Their gift for haggling translated into business acumen as well. The Geelan took a laissez-faire attitude toward free enterprise, allowing traders to do business on Zirtran's Anchor with a minimum of bureaucratic hassle—even known outlaws were welcome to deal with the species or the other inhabitants of the space station. The canines were thus resourceful entrepreneurs, driven both to make a profit as well as for the sheer sense of accomplishment involved with success in the private sector. Nevertheless, their anything-goes attitude toward negotiations made Zirtran's Anchor a rough-and-tumble place to do business. Geelan preferred to conduct their business as a nest. Each nest owed a cut of its profits to the Master Geel, but the cut was only a nominal tariff. They meddled in deals between visitors to Zirtran's Anchor who might wish to exclude the Geelan; any bargaining session might be interrupted by a handler, who represented a particular Geelan nest and tried to insert his or her nest's interests into the deals of outsiders.

The goal of such haggling was, of course, acquisition of new items for the Geelan nest. Although they preferred valuable commodities such as credits, gems, and spice—or shiny, eye-catching objects—Geelan were incurable hoarders who valued virtually anything, provided they had it in their own possession. The only way to part a Geelan from something he or she owned was to trade something else for it or to threaten the Geelan's life. Many of these possessions wound up in a communal treasure horde owned collectively by a particular nest. Such treasure troves were secreted away from prying eyes, but rumors told of collections large enough to fill a shuttle bay, with items that ranged from artwork to creosol to spice, in addition to more unusual fare. Stories told of even average treasure hordes holding enough wealth to buy an entire fleet of starships. Geelan nests made good use of their stores, as their wealth allowed them great leeway when bargaining with outsiders, especially when dealing with customers who sought some hard-to-find item found in the nest's horde. They also brokered information.

Geelan wore clothing typical of other galactically integrated species, including vests and trousers. At least some Geelan had a slovenly appearance and wore dirty, ragged clothing. Some Geelan also pierced their ears and wore rings on their fingers, and most members of the species carried pouches with them in which to hold new acquisitions.

History:


Zirtran's Anchor:


Attribute Dice: 12D
DEXTERITY 2D+2/4D+2
KNOWLEDGE 1D/3D
MECHANICAL 2D/4D
PERCEPTION 2D+2/4D+2
STRENGTH 1D+2/3D+2
TECHNICAL 2D/4D

Special Abilities:
Claws: The claws of the Geelan inflict STR+1D damage.

Story Factors:
Hoarders: Geelan are incurable hoarders - they never thrown anything away. The only way Geelan will part with a possession is if they are paid or if their lives are in danger.

Move: 10/12
Size: 0.75-1.5 meters tall
Source: Alien Encounters (p. 60) & Wookieepedia (For the Geelan Description)