Mowling
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Mowling
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The Mowling are a species of small mammal like creatures, who are decidedly accident-prone in nature. Having somehow survived to reach their own space age, they have recently been taken under the protection of a living God, who styles himself Jeff. Little is known about this mysterious figure other than the fact that he is a being of considerable power.
Biology
The Mowlings are a seemingly mammalian species comparable to mustelids or rodents. They are covered in fur of varying colors and posses two eyes, two arms and a nose. They give live birth to sizable litters and have quite high birth rates. They evidently mature very fast. Sex is said to have a "non-trivial casualty rate" but it unknown if this has anything to do with their biology. Jeff has wondered if the Mowlings accident-prone nature is a natural adaptation.
They are classified by The Measured as a level A4 sentient species
History
The Mowlings evolved as the only animal life on the planet Moop, with their only natural predators being plants. It took them only four centuries to go from primitive cave dwellers to a space faring civilization. Their accident prone nature means that natural selection works faster on them. After they managed to master the more docile plants of Moop, they began the long road to inventing technology... and industrial accidents.
They were discovered by the Scryve after they had recently discovered space travel, and were subsumed into the empire within the year. Two years later, several Mowlings were taken back to Scryveno Seat itself, where the Scryve public adored the little creatures. However due to the fact that none of the Mowlings survived this visit, their role in the empire was to be designated as Organ Donors. They are one of the only Ward species of the Scryve Empire that have not had any genetic modifications.
A lot of their early history is unknown, even to the Mowlings themselves. Due to the library fires that happen every few years.
A few decades ago a comet was on a crash course for Moop. The Mowlings sent a ship in an attempt to stop but it only crashed into it. They next attempted to build a giant paddle to bounce it away. This was when the powerful alien known as Jeff appeared, and stopped the comet for them.
The Mowlings built a large building in his honor, but it collapsed and killed many of them. Jeff, feeling guilt, began to help them often and eventually the Mowlings began to worship him as their God.
Jeff predicts that the Mowlings might be the equivalent of Gods in a few hundred years or so.
Due to having to leave the sector Jeff tasked the Captain to become the new god of the Mowlings and look after them. When he managed to do so, Jeff left behind a copy of his physical body to answer the call of Prayer Control Circuits on Mowling ships.
Society and Culture
The Mowlings are a kind people, a kind people that regularly die in horrible ways. They have a strong sense of family, telling their children rhymes to protect them from Moop's plants. They are more intelligent than they seem, as all of their technological advancements were purely of their own making.
Worship of Jeff is an important aspect of every Mowling's life. After Jeff's departure they were quick to try and find someone new to worship, initially picking the Pinthi, they quickly built many tributes to them. Functionally, humanity is their current guardians.
Territory
The Mowlings homeworld, Moop, is in the Delta Xiphios B system. Their territory encompasses many stars in the Xiphios cluster and surrounding stars. One of their notable colonies is in the Eta Xiphios system.
Relations with other species
The Mowlings are very friendly and naive. Even liking species that are mean or rude to them, and commonly give physical affection to strangers, and hugging viruses that should not be hugged.
Jeff-Jeff
The Mowlings absolutely love Jeff, worshipping him and building many things in his honor. Jeff did his best to assist the Mowlings, confiscating their robots when they started killing them, piecing together as much of their history as he could and protecting them from outside threats. He eventually however, would have to leave the Mowlings, and had grown tired of having to take care of them all the time.
Scryve
The Mowlings think that the Scryve are "just okay". In their brief encounters the Mowlings thought that they seemed nice, but reconsidered when the Captain told them otherwise.
The Scryve themselves seemed to be fond of the Mowlings. The general populace greeted them warmly during their visit to Scryveno Seat; the Elite complimented their clothes and patted them on their heads. The fact that none of the Mowlings survived this visit seems to be accidental.
For unknown reasons, one Scryve Legate had planned to wipe out the Mowlings, but changed his mind upon being given a "Conscience Machine" by Jeff.
Humans
Ships
Mowlings Fencer
The Mowling Fencer vessel is relatively simple, by the standards of other aliens in this part of the galaxy, though still not one to be taken lightly. Its primary weapon is a short range laser, of surprising strength, though historically it has resulted in the deaths of more Mowlings than anyone else. Of more interest to those on the hunt for Mowlings is their Prayer Control Circuits, capable of calling for help from Jeff, the obscenely powerful alien who styles himself the Mowlings' God. When activated, Jeff soon arrives on the scene, and does not look too favorably on anyone causing the Mowlings grief.