Springer

Description
A hardy people from a dusty world, Springers pride themselves on their ability to take care of themselves. They are actually a prey species, and had to evolve amongst some of the most deadly predators in the galaxy. Springers themselves are roughly the same size of Humans, but slightly shorter. Springers rarely grow bigger than 6 feet at the head, but they pack a lot of mass, especially in their legs. Springer legs are very powerful and muscular, ending in four claw-like hooves. They evolved the ability to jump incredibly high as well as run away from danger. They also will primarily defend themselves by kicking with enough force to crush ribcages and break bones. They walk in a digitgrade stance, aided in balance by their long stiff tails. Despite having a digitgrade stance, Springers are bipeds, and they cannot run or walk on all fours. They have very tough feet, which allow them to run over sharp rocks and hot ground. As a result, they cannot wear shoes, but instead will traditionally wear a type of shin guard on the front of the foot, to protect the bones from serious injury. They are very candid looking in face, with muzzles resembling a dog or a fox. They have a cat-like nose, and it is very sensitive, allowing them to scent out danger. They rely more on their hearing, aided by two foot long flexible ears. These ears end in tufts of fur, and can rotate in just about any direction to catch the slightest noise. As a result, it is very hard to sneak up on a Springer. Their necks are rather long and thick, designed to protect the spine and neck bones as they run over rough ground. They have four fingers to a hand; the ends of the fingers are capped in hooflets. This allowed them to use their hands in climbing over sharp rocks without the fear of cutting or injuring themselves. Their eyes are always yellow, the iris taking up the entire whites of the eyes, much like a dog, with large pupils. They have excellent vision, and are more designed to see out into the distance instead of close up. There are visible differences between male and female individuals. Females are smaller and lighter in build, and also have visible breasts, a common trait for mammals. Males are more muscular and taller than females, and are often darker in color. Springers are covered in a short coat of fur that comes in many colors, which are thicker on the neck, chest, elbows, tail, head, and back. Color wise, they come in what we would call 'natural colors', which are shades of red, yellow, tan, gray, brown, and everything in between. Pure white or black individuals are very rare, and nearly unheard of. They also come with several markings, with stripes, splotches, spots, and patches being the most common. Usually a Springer will have lighter or darker 'sock' markings on their arms and legs, but of course there are exceptions.

Diet
Springers are omnivores. They prefer to eat lighter meats, such as birds and lizards, and various grass and grain species. Their teeth reflect this diet, as they are very similar to an opossum in structure, although the teeth are very sharp like a dog, and they have no qualms biting a person to defend themselves. Because they are a prey species, they are used to eating very quickly and often, and eating whatever they can get a hold of. They also do not like eating around other people, preferring to find a secluded place, like a home, to eat in privacy. That is why restaurants are rare on Seco; they tend to mainly use taverns, which have a lot of secluded booths to eat in peace. Off world, Springers carry over this instinct, and often are very uncomfortable when being dragged off to a restaurant. The one thing Springers do love is beer, and since their entire planet is just grassland, there are several species of grains to ferment. Indeed, Seco is formally known for their alcohol exports, and it’s considered a type of shame if a Springer can't hold their liquor. As a result, the best way to track down a Springer is to check the local bars first.

Reproduction
Springers pair off fairly young, often around the age of 17/18. Springers will court each other for a while, similar to Humans, before getting married. Because of the harsh planet and low life expectancy, Springers will often find themselves widowed fairly often in their lives. They don’t have a concept of a life partner, and they will remarry often. It’s not that Springer couples don’t love each other, and they do, it’s just that they live on a planet were either could die at any time, and they make peace with that. Some individuals that lose a spouse will sometimes choose to not remarry, but most do in order to not be alone in life. Springers are very sociable, and to imagine a life alone is a very scary thought to them. Homosexuality does exist on Seco, but it’s somewhat rare.

Springers reproduce identically to most biped mammals. A Springer woman will carry her children for 5 months, before giving birth. Springer women always give birth to twins. Usually they are fraternal twins, with one being male and the other female. Identical twins do happen, but it’s just as rare as identical twins for other species. The children are born with blue eyes and are able to run after only a few hours. They are covered with a baby coat of soft, sandy-tawny fur, and it’s covered in spots. Each Springer child looks identical to each other up until they reach 9 years of age, when the spots start to fade and their adult coat grows in. It takes 4 years for their adult coat and colors to grow in, and by that time their eyes will have changed from blue to yellow. Springer children are fully grown by the time they are 16 years old, when they are able to strike out on their own. On their planet, life expectancy ranges from 25-40 years old, as you have to live hard and die young on Seco. But off world they’ve been known to reach their 60’s, since nothing is out there to eat them. Old age is very rare on the planet, and any Springer that’s managed to survive to old age is treated with a sense of reverence.

Language
Springers speak a language called ‘Sprig’, which sounds very vaguely like Spanish on Earth, both in structure and sound. Springers learn Common and other languages fairly easily, though they speak it with a slight accent, sounding somewhat like an Southern accent on Earth. They tend to speak with a lot of slang that changes constantly, so it’s not uncommon for an outsider to learn Sprig, only to return to the planet a year later and not understand a thing anyone is saying. Springers also rely on body language, and their ears and tails are very important in conveying unspoken emotion. Since they tend to understand these visual cues better, they often have a bit of trouble communicating with humanoid species (no tails/movable ears), as they have a hard time judging emotion with these species.

Race Relations
Socially, Springers are a warm, but wary, race. Springers do not like to be alone, as it is instinctual to them that there is safety in numbers. So both on and off world, they tend to stay around highly populated areas, or make several friends. They are also rather humble, as they are not as technologically advanced like other races. Prior to being discovered, they haven’t even achieved radio astronomy, and were very similar technically to the Old West era on Earth. Even after being discovered, they are very slow to integrate technology. Currently they make use of things such as space ships and vehicles, but still rely mainly on old tech, such as radios and printing presses. It’s not that they are not intelligent; it’s just that they did not have the proper resources or peace of mind to discover such things on their own. Despite that, they eagerly go off world, and are one of the more numerous races you’ll see out in the galaxy, along with Reracks, Humans, and Kalarians. They also welcome travelers to their own planet, and tend to not mind the influx of adventurers brought on by tales of rough badlands and vicious creatures. They do however, have a problem with poachers, and they do not take kindly to people that wish to kill the planet’s wildlife for sport instead of self protection or food.

Homeworld
Seco is an extremely harsh and unforgiving planet, covered in short craggy mountains, badlands, deserts, and wide open plains. The planet is very dry and windy, and she can be very unforgiving. So unforgiving, that the death toll for the planet is extremely high compared to other inhabited planets. If getting caught in a sandstorm doesn’t kill you, there are always the deadly predators that roam the planet that would be more than glad to finish the job. Open water is also very scarce, which makes it even harder to survive there. Despite that though, Seco herself is very beautiful, as most of the planet is virtually untouched. There are no large bodies of water or ocean, so the planet herself is one big continent. Seco only has one moon, and there are 5 uninhabited planets in the solar system. Seco is also extremely close to WarpPoint, and many of the citizens of Seco helped to terraform the asteroid to support life. They regularly trade with other species, mainly exporting grain and their well renowned alcohol.

Society
Seco herself has no real sense of unified government. Much of the planet just has towns scattered across it that pretty much govern themselves, with rare and infrequent contact with each other. Each town has an elected mayor with elected underlings that keep track of things such as food storage and exporting. The different towns did meet once, years and years ago to discuss law, and though each town may have a few different laws, they all carry the same core ones. Things such as no stealing and murdering are among the top ones, and Springers take law enforcement very seriously. They have a system of law enforcement similar to small towns on Earth, where a Sheriff and other law enforcers (such as Deputies, Guards, and Marshals) are appointed to keep the peace. Those found caught breaking the law are apprehended and brought to trial by a jury of their peers. If they are off world criminals they are deported, if they are native born they will either serve jail time or be executed. However, since this is a very harsh planet, with equally harsh criminals, most of the time the law enforcement must use lethal force, which suits the people of the planet fine. Currently they are not too terribly involved in politics on other worlds, nor are they very active in the galactic council. Currently they have one permanent representative, but other than that, they are not very concerned on what goes on in the rest of the galaxy.

Springers are fairly mixed when it comes to religion. The majority believe in some sort of higher power, as it’s nice to imagine an afterlife for yourself on a world where you can be killed at anytime. They are free to choose any religion, or lack of religion they like without fear of repercussions. They value hardiness, resourcefulness, logic, and cleverness, and they are a simple, hardworking race. They tend to end up as law enforcers and mechanics when they go off world. It’s highly advisable to make friends with a Springer, as they will watch your back just as much as they will watch their own.

Trivia

 * Because there is very little surface water, Springers are renowned terrible swimmers.
 * Springer customs, law, and order is identical to the American Old West

Examples of
Annabelle - The sheriff of Severa Pass

Kasabian - A player