The Xintrin Merchant Guild
The Xintrin are an intelligent alien species with technology roughly equivalent to that of the human race. They appear to be a mix of amphibian and mammal, hailing from a bog-covered world that has been almost entirely industrialized. The Xintrin control a territory of about 25 star systems under the Xintrin Merchant Guild. The Merchant Guild took over Xintrin society after an atomic war, about 100 years before it achieve faster-than-light technology.
Home System
The Xintrin originate from the second planet in the Xinkul star system, known simply as Xinkul II. It is an orange dwarf star, slightly larger than the Sun, orbited by five planets; two terrestrial, two gas giants and one large asteroid. Xinkul II is covered by low-lying bogs and swamps, with shallow seas and little tectonic activity. It has one small moon that houses the Xintrin Merchant Guild’s fleet command. The planet has suffered a major nuclear war, but was terraformed by the Nix to remain livable. It is heavily populated and developed, and the atmosphere is thick with smog, which does not bother the Xintrin in the least. The Xintrin use weather control technology to prevent runaway greenhouse effects and climate change.
Society
While militarily non-aggressive, the Xintrin are highly aggressive traders and merchants, and their entire culture is geared toward trade. Trade dominates their governmental structure, which is essentially a very powerful Chamber of Commerce. For the Xintrin, everything is for sale and there is no such thing as copyright protection or trade barriers. For some reason, mentally, they are unable to grasp concepts like intellectual property, and most species have stopped trying to teach it to them. They will sell anything to anybody, with no concern for their customers’ motivations or background. This, for the Xintrin, is “Fair Trade Policy” and anyone who wants a trade pact with them has to sign an agreement saying they will not meddle with the guild’s trading policy. Xintrin goods can be found throughout the local area of the galaxy as a result. Their primary trading markets are their own worlds, the Terra Protectorate, the Free Colonies, and the Nix Star Alliance.
Despite their “sell anything to anyone” viewpoint, they are very fair traders that have a reputation for honesty and working to satisfy a customer. The species themselves are gregarious and gruff at times, but jolly as well, overall. They tend to avoid confrontations with other species unless pushed, and try to stay on good relations with everyone, regardless of their politics or demeanor. The only prominent alien species they have not developed a good relationship with is the Arkhon Imperial Freehold. Fortunately, they are on the far side of the Terra Protectorate from the Freehold, meaning that the Arkhon will have to defeat the Terra Protectorate (and the Free Colonies) before they can threaten Xintrin space. If it looks like that is a possibility, the Merchant Guild is likely to throw its lot in with the Protectorate and fight to the death. Their entry would likely bring in the Nix Star Alliance, close allies, as well.
The Arkhon dread the idea of a Protectorate-Xintrin alliance, believing that together, these two species could become THE powerhouse across known space for centuries. Accordingly, the Arkhon have launched several intelligence plots to undermine the relationship. The success of these endeavors remains to be seen.
Physiology
The average Xintrin stands between 4 and 5 and ½ feet tall, and weighs between 150 to 250 lbs. Their skin ranges through various dark shades of red, green and blue and they are usually hairless. Some will, at times grow a Mohawk-like tuft of hard gristly hair, but this is viewed as unseemly. The female Xintrin do not travel or trade, and cannot be found outside of Xintrin core worlds or established, permanent, settlements. The females do, however, have most of the high governmental positions. Xintrin parents usually have twins or triplets and have extended monogamous arrangements, like marriages. These can, like with humanity, sometimes be for life, but often are just for a few years. Xintrin generally live to be about 100 years of age and reach maturity at about age 12.
Psychic abilities are rare, as is magic. But the Xintrin apparently had at least a couple historical periods where powerful mage-kings ruled their world. Still, there are some Xintrin magic-users around, but they do not figure heavily in Xintrin daily life. The Fist of Xin, named for the Xintrin hero-deity of the same name (Xintrin means ‘Xin’s Children’), is a secret sect of sorcerers who wish to one day rule again. There are rumors of humans joining the cult recently, causing concern among the Free Colonies.
Military
The
Xintrin Trade Defense Fleet guards the borders on Xintrin space and the trade
routes between there and their trade partners. The backbone of the fleet is the
War Galleon, which is the only Xintrin ship not for sale. Xintrin ships are of
very high quality, though pricey, and all of their ships have good
cargo-carrying capacity. Because the Xintrin believe a ship needs cargo space
like it needs an engine, the Xintrin have never developed star fighters.
The Xintrin fought a brief war with the human worlds before they became the Protectorate. It was a nearly bloodless, one-year war with both sides playing defense until there was a breakthrough in negotiations. The war stemmed primarily on the Xintrin’s lack of understanding regarding intellectual properties and tariffs, which humanity took as blatant disregard. Once an understanding was reach, both sides quickly stood down and the war ended with minimal casualties and bloodshed and no major fleet engagements or ground combat. This incident led to the formation of the Protectorate, the Stellar Navy and the Colonial Marine Corps.
On two separate occasions the Xintrin and Protectorate Fleets have held war games together, before the Free Colonies declared independence. But there has been little overt military cooperation since, but the two species can be considered allies.
The Xintrin military’s primary concern at the moment is the Orion Expanse, the sparse, almost empty space between the Orion and Sagittarius Arm. It contains many old stars with old, mostly extinct, races. The Xintrin believe that some kind of corrupting influence spread through this area of space tens of millions of years ago, and destroyed most of the species there. Some believe this same corruption is what caused the cataclysm on earth, which is technically within the Expanse. Some also believe that it is the force behind the Fist of Xin. The Xintrin have never expanded in that direction, and while many species find it humorous that the most heavily guarded border of Xintrin space is the side that faces virtually nothing, most people who have spent any time in the Expanse would know better than to laugh.
The last war the
Xintrin fought was with an alien species from the
The Xintrin, who have high population numbers, use swarming ground troop tactics to overwhelm their enemies. Those troops are supported from orbit by precision strikes. Xintrin ground pounders tend to use microwave beam weapons that kill organics, but leaves most technology intact. The Guild either uses or sells any captured goods to offset the cost of going to war.
Technology
The Xintrin discovered faster-than-light capabilities about 50 years before humanity did. Whereas humans cover their ships entirely in a negative mass field, the Xintrin just project a negative mass field in front of their vessels, causing them to fly into the effect. It is more energy efficient, but it is believed they have a much lower “upper ceiling” on FTL development in the long run, meaning that eventually the Protectorate’s ships will go much faster. The Xintrin make a lot of use of anti-gravity fields and negative mass fields, like humanity. They differ in that they still rely on beam weapons heavily, and they claim to be closer to making a break-through on forcefield technology. But they lag on ballistics, with almost no use of ballistic technology in their ships. They are experts of mass construction and engineering design, and have begun an ambitious, multi-centennial project around one star system to build a Dyson Ring. It is expected to take several hundred years, and is based on the belief that Xintrin technology will continue to progress and that the massive engineering problems will be solved later. The Xintrin also make heavy use of bionics and cybernetics, and there is little stigma in Xintrin society regarding cyborgs, though it is rare to find a full conversion borg.
Trade
The Xintrin export starships, particularly small and medium transports, construction materials and construction machinery, weapons, and ground vehicles. They import computer technology, entertainment, some raw material, and ballistics from the Protectorate, and foods, terraforming materials, atmospheric control devices and techniques from the Nix. They have also taken a liking to beef, and it is currently an exotic food for the rich in Xintrin territory.
Cultural notes
The Xintrin stomp their right foot rhythmically to express approval; their version of clapping. They laugh and talk loudly, and view quiet individuals with a little suspicion. Xintrin have extended family trees and are very close to brothers and sisters, cousins and parents. Xintrin families can be very large. Xintrin love it when someone gives them a good, reasonable haggle.
Xintrin Racial Stats
Alignment: Any, no particular lean
Attributes: I.Q.: 3D6, M.E. 2D6+6, M.A. 3D6, P.S. 4D6, P.P. 2D6, P.E. 4D6, P.B. 2D4, Spd.: 3D6
Hitpoints: P.E. + 2D4 per level
S.D.C.: 20 S.D.C., in addition to any gained from O.C.C. of choice.
Horror Factor: None
Height: 4 feet to 5 and a half feet tall.
Weight: 150 to 250 lbs.
P.P.E.: 2D6
Natural Abilities: Resistant to gases and toxins (1/2 effect and duration), breathe underwater indefinitely. Additionally, a clear, secondary lens can be deployed over their eyes to allow them to see through murky water and hazy conditions. Reduce the effects of smoke grenades, clouds of smoke and similar visual obstructions by half. All Xintrin can swim at 95%, due to their amphibious nature.
Combat: By hand-to-hand combat skill and any other physical skills acquired.
Bonuses: +2 to save vs poisons, gases and toxins, +4 to save vs. disease.
Skills: By O.C.C. All Xintrin have the following “everyman” skills: Appraisal (+10%), Speak and Read Xintari (98%), Computer Operation (+15%), and all have at least Hand-to-Hand: Basic (part of early school curriculum).
Common O.C.C.’s include: Operator, Man-at-arms, cyborg (partial), head hunter, rogue scientist, rogue scholar, vagabond from Rifts Ultimate Edition. From Phase World: Space, Turbo-jockey, Galactic Tracer, Space Pirate, Runner and Colonist O.C.C.s. Rarely, a Xintrin will be a Mystic O.C.C., but with the ability to learn new spells (very, very rare and hard to find). Most such mystics are members of the Fist of Xin and are evil in alignment. Remember that in “other” skills, many will be geared toward space skills.
Magic: Rare, as per O.C.C. only.
Psionics: Rare: 2% chance of being a minor psionic, only 1% chance of being a major psionic. Only 1 in 1,000,000 are master psionics. All master psionics are mystics.
Allies and Alliances: The Xintrin are closely associated with humans in both the Protectorate and the Free Colonies. Their region of space also surrounds the Nix Star Alliance on all sides, and they are perhaps closest to them. The Xintrin are very protective of the Nix, and in Xintari, the name for Nix translates to “little space sisters.” The two species were acquainted by radio for 20 years before the Nix landed on Xinkul II and helped the Xintrin re-terraform a world scarred by nuclear destruction.
Enemies: The Xintrin see the Arkhon as likely future antagonists, and avoid them for the time being whenever possible. They also view the Vorhasi with suspicion, as the Vorhasi have destroyed several Xintrin ships which were, genuinely, intruding in Vorhasi Space…a big no-no. The Xintrin view their actions as extreme, to say the least, and are not the sort to forgive that sort of thing just because the Vorhasi are very alien in nature. Still, they know a Vorhasi scout expedition could probably clean the clocks of their entire military, so they’re not going to press the issue.