Amborans

Basic Information

Anatomy

Amborans are bipedal humanoids with two arms and two legs. They have a distinctly feline appearance, with cat-like heads, fur covering most, if not all, or their bodies, and long tails that may or may not end in a tuft of fur. Males tend to have manes, and females do not, but some males do not have them, while some females do. There is no social stigma associated with having a mane or not.
Their legs are digitigrade, and they walk on their toes and a large pad on the bottom of their paws. Their hands and feet have claws which are hooked and retractable. They are semi-arboreal climbers. Their hands, similarly to their feet, have pads on their underside and at the ends of their digits, though these thick pads are no impediment to their sense of touch.

Genetics and Reproduction

Amborans are differentiated sexual beings with two sexes. Males tend to be bigger, stronger, and have more aggressive threat responses. Females are more lithe, and only use aggression as a threat response when their offspring are threatened. They are viviparous, having live births, typically after 6 months of pregnancy.
Females undergo induced ovulation during mating. The male's penis is ringed near the base by a multitude of small, soft, but sharp, barbs. During mating, when the male is close to ejaculating, he will thrust his penis deep into the female, causing the barbs to rake her sensitive vagina tissues. This produces a series of three actions. First, the female will be rendered incapacitated momentarily by the overstimulation of her vaginal tissues. This allows the male to finish his orgasm and release his entire load of sperm into her. Second, she will feel the rush of pain as sensation returns, causing her to attack the male. If he isn't quick enough, he could end up with a face full of claws and sharp teeth. And third, the female's body floods her system with endorphins, creating a euphoric reaction, as the female relaxes to allow the sperm to fertilize her now released eggs. The process is that quick in Amborans, and many females claim that they were aware of exactly when each of the kittens was conceived.
Males can mate up to two hundred times over three days, and so when females come into heat, there's usually no competition for breeding. The only concern is who gets to mate first. Females, being induced ovulators, are able to mate with several males over the course of their three day heat, and each male can sire a different kitten in her litter. For the males, their part is done. Long term relationships aren't a major concern among the sexes for Amborans. Females raise the kittens, and male kittens are shown the door the moment they are mature enough to start trying to mark pride territory as their own.

Growth Rate & Stages

Amboran kittens are born blind and deaf, their eyes and ears closed by a waxy substance the slowly gets absorbed into their bodies after their born. Until they are able to see and hear, they require constant attention to reassure them that they are safe. After they are able to see and hear, they require constant attention to keep them out of trouble.
Males are considered sexually mature around 10 and physically mature at 16. They are usually expelled from their prides a year or so after they sexually mature to prevent them from inbreeding among their close family. Males will pair up or form small prides of six to ten in order to stake a claim somewhere outside their home pride's territory. In the modern age, this usually involves males moving to a different city or planet to find suitable mates. While their hormonal inclination is to find females with whom to have kittens, males don't form strong bonds with these females, leaving soon after the female goes out of heat. Instead, they form strong bonds with their brothers, almost all of whom will have a different father, and when females aren't in heat, males are known to engage in homosexual acts with their brothers instead.
Females form more stable and long term prides of dozens of individuals, and tend to be multi-generational. It isn't uncommon for four or five generations of females to be living in a pride, caring for one another's kittens, and working to communally support one another. In a modern setting, females work a variety of jobs, usually those a human would consider a "man's" job because Amboran males prefer more physical labor, and intellectual work is considered boring. Females who are working often take time off when they come into heat to breed, and again when it's time to whelp their young. After that, several breeding females will stay with the pride to nurse the kittens, while the rest return to work to support the pride. Female Amborans are considered sexually mature at about 13 and physically mature at 20.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Amborans are obligate carnivores and consume almost no vegetable matter with their diet. They prefer red meet, and sometimes white meat. Fish only makes up a part of their diet when they live near coastal areas. Those who have never encountered fish before tend to avoid it, even if it is available. The strong unfamiliar smell makes it a less appetizing choice.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Males and females maintain separate social orders. Males will typically pair up, or group together in small packs of up to ten individuals, for the purposes of claiming social territory. More than that, and there is too much infighting to effectively manage the area, and they risk a solo male taking it all from them without a fight. Males typically work jobs that require physical strength or stamina, which they believe will enhance their sexual attractiveness.
Females, however, form prides of dozens, if not more, individuals, and usually two to four times as many kits. Raising kittens is a communal effort, and the eldest females watch the kittens while the younger females work or hunt to provide food for everyone. In modern settings, they hold jobs that are often administrative, managerial, or professional in nature without competition from most males who regard such work as boring.

Facial characteristics

Amborans have roughly triangular-seeming heads, with ears situated at optimal angles to catch sound all around them. Their ears are often triangular, as well, but can be rounds, but area always able to move to catch even the faintest of sounds and home in on the source. They have strong jawlines, and decent fangs. They are descended from pouncer stock, and so their jaws are designed to hold prey still while it dies before they eat it.
Their eyes have the characteristic ovoid slits that widen and narrow to adjust for lighting conditions. Their typical eye color is yellow, but can also be greed, blue, and red. Other colors, like brown or hazel, common in humans, is exceedingly rare in Amborans.

Average Intelligence

Amborans have the average cognitive abilities of the typical human.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Amborans have exceptional sight, and are capable of seeing in almost total darkness. They can function effectively with as little as half a candela of light to work with. They are minimally effective at one tenth of a candela. Their eyes have a nictitating membrane that acts like a polarizing filter to protect their eyes from damage in normal daylight.
Their hearing is exceptional, as well. Their ears swivel, and they can home in an sound without turning their head, knowing exactly where it came from in relation to themselves, so they can pounce on it, if needs be.
Their sense of balance is also consider preternatural, and stories talk about how hard it is for an Amboran to fall and not land on his feet.
But it is their slightly spooky psionic abilities that are most interesting. All Amborans possess a certain degree of psionic ability, usually telepathic in nature. However, a small minority have an even greater ability, the ability to see between worlds, to sense the otherness of someone from a different universe, and to see those who walk between worlds and their servants. Originally thought to be ghosts, afterimages of psychic residue, or faint impressions of things long past or not yet having happened, it is now known that what Amborans are able to see is the thin veil between worlds and those who are on the other side. They can see into parallel timelines, see alternate worlds, and even into other Universes, when they are close to our own.
They are also able to see those who come from no universe, the servants of the universes themselves, often called Shadows or shadowbeasts. While the servants of this Universe are considered creatures of light, typically held to be good and helpful, those from who serve other universes are typically considered to be agents of darkness, shadows that move out of the corner of your eye. There is an uncanny wrongness about them, and their slip from your vision like oil off a wet countertop. But movement catches an Amboran's eye, and slippery things are fun to play with. Amborans have made sport of hunting down things that don't belong in this universe.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Amboran names are a mixture of growls, purrs, and hissing like sounds. It wasn't until they encountered Dragons that they felt the need to have more "common" names. An Amboran is allowed to name himself when he comes of age, though he will also have a name his home pride uses. And there is also a name he uses for himself that he will tell no one else. Knowing this name means you know the Amboran as he knows himself. It is of special significance, and therefore so is the person who knows it.
Pride names will be playful, and the type of thing you would call a kitten, because they are given by females who are weary of the antics of kittens, and are chosen to cause the kitten to stop because they're embarrassed to be called out. Flopear, Bugchaser, Mudbug, and such are typical pride names. Each has a specific story behind how and why they have that name.
The name they choose for themselves also have special significance, and are referred to as soul names. These can literally be anything, but the only person besides the Amboran who chose it that will ever know it is his most significant soulmate, and that person, in a culture that doesn't foster long term relationships, is rare as fine spun gold.
Their public name is usually picked because it sounds good, awesome, cool, or heroic. There are far too many male Amborans in the world with the name Zoltan, Thorgax, and Krush. Think along the lines of letting a hormonal teen pick his own name, and you get why this isn't a great idea, but that's what Amborans do. Female Amborans aren't any better. They just tend to pick the names of celebrities, people of influence, or something that sounds like a princess would have it.

Beauty Ideals

Amborans are grace personified. Clean fur, well groomed and properly cared for teeth are considered the most beautiful thing in the world to them. Males like a strong body, and can be slightly narcissistic, as they are in love with the masculine ideal, particularly if they meet it. Females, too, go for this, because strong males make strong kittens, or so the saying goes.
Like humans, however, there are a select subset that believe that intelligence is sexy, too, and they find the less physical to be more beautiful.

Gender Ideals

Males and females might as well be different species. Males espouse the masculine ideal of strength, virility, and prowess over intellect and wealth. They go where the work is, and will move around with their brothers to wherever there is something that needs doing. Military life agrees with them, and in both the Federation and Empire, there are clauses in their contracts for service that state that they won't be discharged back to the world they came form.
Females bear and raise the young, and work the jobs that males consider too boring. They are the scientists, managers, bankers, and board members. They also tend to be wealthier, which helps them support their pride. Amboran females will typically buy out entire apartment buildings, large villa complexes, and huge estates, as their means allows, and move the entire pride in to live there as others work to bring home food and the older matrons teach the kittens who happen to still live with them.

Courtship Ideals

Amborans have the most simple courtship rituals of the known species. Females come into heat, usually most of the breeding females in a pride, and males gather to mate with them. There's little ceremony, except among the males, who wait for the biggest, strongest, or best looking to take first pick, after which the rest choose their own. It doesn't really matter, because after three days of doing little besides mating, all of the females will be pregnant by up to six different males, and no one, even the least masculine male, will be unsatisfied.
After the period of mating is done, males and females go their own ways and probably will never meet again. Males are nomadic and keep moving with the jobs they like to work. Females tend to stay in one place. This prevents inbreeding, and keeps the gene pool relatively stable.

Relationship Ideals

Males form strong bonds with their brothers, and these can and do have homosexual components. While not gay in the traditional sense, male Amborans will engage one another casually. Males rarely take longer than a few seconds to finish, and make up for it by mating hundreds of times over a few days, so when females aren't around, it isn't uncommon for brothers seeing each other after along day to quickly mount one another and then help one another groom before getting something to eat. Their relationships are intimate on all levels.
Females are no less intimate, but they have almost no sex drive when they aren't in heat, so sexual activity is less of an imperative. They have strong bonds of sisterhood with their families, supporting one another by doing what they can to keep the pride stable. Females who work in the military have to take hormone suppressants to keep from coming into heat. They run the risk of the suppression becoming permanent, and so will typically take vacation every few years to go back home to mate and have a littler of kittens before returning to active duty.

Average Technological Level

Amborans are relatively primitive on their own. They were barely past the industrial age when they were encountered by the first Jade exploratory vessels. They would ahve been catalogued and ignored for the time being, had the Jades not witnessed a pack of males hunt down and slaughter a shadowbeast that was troubling a small settlement outside of wherethe Jades were monitoring. They believe it was likely that the beast was tracking them, and that the Amborans, with primitive technology, killed it easily, and in fact could see it at all, was worthy of note. They made contact and requested to speak with the planet's leader, only to find there was no single female in charge. So they gathered the representatives of all of the prides and offered them collective citizenship in the Empire (after getting the Emperor to sign off on it, of course).
In the intervening time, Amborans have made great strides forward on their own with technology, and have even built on dragon science to advance scientific theories the dragons would have considered well beyond them. Amborans now possess an innate technological rating on the Kardeshev scale of .95.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Amboran language is guttural, almost feral. It is completely impossible for a human to speak, but dragons can speak it easily. Once you get past to tonality of the language, most dragons find it isn't completely dissimilar to Low Draconic.

Common Etiquette Rules

Amborans are strange in the etiquette department. Males and females have different sets of social rules, but both have things they do in common. Males develop complex seeming rules for how to interact with each other, but no two groups of males share these rules with each other, resulting in lots of fights. This seems to be the reason they don't share their rules, and fighting is a recreational pasttime for them.
Females, on the other hand, have strict rules passed from pride to pride, and generation to generation, which sees to it that Amboran society remains stable. Females respect the territory of other prides, and when entering said territory, particularly to do business, they will formally introduce themselves, and ask permission to work in their territory for as long as the job requires. If a pride is ravaged down to a few members, a nearby pride will step in to help them, absorbing the females and kittens into their own pride and taking over their territory. These absorbed members are treated as if they had always been a part of the pride.

Common Dress Code

Amboran males prefer open chested shirts and tunic. They tend to style a tuft of fur to spill out of the top. Pants have openings in the front that are easy to get at, for quick moments of indiscretion should the urge arise. They think in those terms, too. They wear foot covering that provide traction, and are reinforced internally because of their claws.
Females like power suits, skirts that intimidate males of other species, and anything that emphasizes their femininity to other species because they know that, unlike themselves, other species expect that they will be sexually demure, and a female Amboran in business is anything but demure. They'll use their sexuality against their competition all day, every day, and twice on Tuesdays.
Kittens are rarely required to, nor interested in, wearing clothing. There is a special outfit called a "Ma'het" that covers the kitten's chest and groin, presenting socially acceptable modesty for when they are taken out in public, though they're usually discarded by the kittens at the first opportunity so that they can play without feeling restricted. "This is why you can't have nice things" is often commented by females minding such kittens.

Common Taboos

Males have few taboos outside of "don't touch my stuff", which doesn't apply to the male's brothers. The biggest taboo, however, is killing another Amboran. It used to be common for males to move through an area and kill the kittens and unwilling females as they took over, but the more social males decided that wasn't a good idea, and began systematically hunting down those who killed kittens that weren't theirs, The War of Blood was long, but in the end, the males who respected the territory of the female prides were victorious, and the marauder males were all put to the sword. Now, killing one another is taboo, and when males fight, it's usually ritualistic, for fun, or to see who is paying for drinks. If the fight accidentally gets too violent, the ruffian usually makes it up to the injured party in trade.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Male Amborans are the ones most likely to encounter non-Amborans, as they travel the most. As such, they don't always make the best impression, though they are well respected by the dragons of the Empire, and the Shiang of the Federation. Female Amborans are similarly respected in the Empire and Federation, and treated as competent members of the business community when encountered.
Only humans and Tyroleans look down on female Amborans due to the sexism of their societies.

Scientific Name

Felis Sapiens Panthera

Lifespan

120 years

Average Height

2 m

Average Weight

90 kg

Average Length

n/a

Average Physique

While the average Amboran tends to maintain an active lifestyle, they are, on average, no more or less healthy than humans.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Amborans are typically tan, white, black, tawny-orange, or dusty blue in fur color.

Related Organizations

• The Eternal Empire