Lejon

Lejon are a feline species that live on the planet Basetes, which orbits the yellow G-type star Seka. They have a strong tradition of loyalty and honor that tends to remain for generations after they have left the planet.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Lejon are a bipedal, bilateral species of feline descent. Their bodies are covered in fur and they have claws on their hands and feet that can be used for fighting. Their blood is red, and it is said that there are swords forged completely of the iron found in Lejon blood.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Lejon primarily subsist on a carnivorous diet, especially creatures with meat rich in iron. They also eat fish, considered a delicacy. Besides meat, Lejon also eat hexe, a rice-like grain, and a flavor their foods with different roots such as athe, a sweet, garlic-like plant.
Like many other felines, Lejon consume every part of the animal in order to make up for their limited diet, except particularly study parts without much nutrition, such as antlers and teeth. Bones are drained of marrow through a heating process and then can be made into decorations such as jewelry.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Lejon senses are quite acute. They can see in the dark up to sixty feet and can hear a feather hit the floor from thirty feet away. Lejon are especially renowned for their sharp sense of smell. They can smell even slight impurities in the air, and can smell the hormonal changes that tell when someone is pregnant. As a result, many Lejon in the intergalactic community have taken up positions such as security guards and doctors.

Civilization and Culture

Gender Ideals

Historically, Lejon men were considered to be stronger in the physical department, while women had more mental ability. Due to this, men were the ones pulled out of school whenever the family needed extra help with tasks such as farming or creating goods. While child labor laws have been passed to make this illegal, the stereotypes still remain, especially in the military where women tend to serve as commanders and men as front-line fighters.

Common Etiquette Rules

Lejon Dining

Lejon usually only eat one “meal” in the evening, rather snacking on small morsels throughout the day when they take breaks from work. Lejon whose jobs are more physically or mentally taxing might have an informal early afternoon meal, after which they take a short nap.

The Evening Meal

The traditional evening meal is formal, traditionally a time for the family to gather and discuss the events of the day, and a time to get any worries off one’s chest before heading to bed. There usually are three courses, served one at a time: a soup course, a meat course, and a dessert course. If a Lejon family is wealthy and hosting guests, they may show off their riches by having a fish course, or perhaps more meat courses. Five courses is considered a sign of wealth. Eight or more courses is considered showy and snobby.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

There are many, even among are own kind, that believe that because [the Lejon] value loyalty, that we are easy to manipulate, that they can bully and abuse us with no resistance...Loyalty is about trust, and any who betray that trust will have their bones hung from our rafters. Woe to the one who mistakes our loyalty for unthinking obedience.

— Carmihina Neka

Society at Large

Lejon society is heavily rooted in codes of honor and duty. Most governments on the planet run on a feudal system, and even in areas where the system isn't heavily implemented, there is still a strong tradition of loyalty. As long as lords defend their vassals in times of need, vassals will continue to be loyal to their lord. One must not, however, confuse this feudal tradition with a rigid caste system. While nobility do tend to intermarry, it is not unheard of for a commoner who has worked under a noble family for a long time to marry into it. The exception to this tends to be the royal family, but it has happened.

Family Culture

Lejon tend to have strong family ties, and are proud of it. Family history is considered as important to learn as general history, and most Lejon families have records going back several generations, carefully preserved. Ancestors are honored with daily offerings to an ancestral shrine, usually kept in the family room.
A typical Lejon household houses a pair of grandparents (or great-grandparents as the case may be) their children, and their grandchildren. Households are under control of the Nachatha (na-hath), the eldest mother of the family. The Nachatha's roles are to dispense advice, sort out disagreements between family members, bring offerings to the ancestral shrine, and manage the household finances. If the Nachatha falls ill or is otherwise indisposed, the role then falls to the next oldest mother. If the Nachatha reaches the age of eighty, the money-managing duties are given to the next eldest mother permenantly, to give the Nachatha some rest. Once the Nachatha passes on, each nuclear family separates, and the mothers of those families become Nachatha for the new households.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Military Service- In many parts of Lejon territory, young Lejon are required to complete military training or volunteer work to finish their education. This can be as short as 60 days or as long as 800 days depending on the exact territory and military branch. A Lejon cannot take place in the Choosing Ceremony until this service is completed.
The Choosing Ceremony - In this ceremony, completed after any required service is finished, a young Lejon goes in front of their community and declares their future career. After that, they enter training for their career and are legally considered an adult.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Lejons are one of the five founding members of the Confederation of United Planets and Kingdoms, their Council Representative being Carmihana Neka.

A Lejon honor guardsman

Scientific Name

Auzes felis sapiens

Lifespan

99 Standard Years (85 Lejon Years)

Average Height

4'10" (1.47 m)

Average Weight

91.5 lbs. (41.5 kg)

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Fur color

• Light blue
• Navy blue
• Black
• White
• Orange (rare)

Eye Color

• Gold
• Blue
• Orange
• Red (rare)