Generally referred to as “Builder Rats,” or more crudely, “Rats” these extraterrestrials bear a superficial resemblance to earth Rats. They are about the size of a small dog and come in a variety of different colors, mostly brown and black. They have been members in good standing of all three Imperiums.
They have very dexterous hands which they use to produce astonishingly detailed works of crafts, usually in woods native to their planet. Craftsmanship is very highly prized within Builder Rat society. Craftsmen tend to be the wealthiest members of Rat society, largely because of the export market. It is hotly debated whether this is an indigenous development or the effect of outside contact as the wealth brought by off worlders affected local customs.
These hand crafts are highly valued luxury goods off world. These include both items made for use by the Builder Rats themselves and items made for off world consumption. This latter category can include full sized furniture and other items created by teams of Builder Rats working together to produce the larger items.
True Rat built items are extremely expensive and collecting them is a hobby only for the wealthiest; many a merchant prince has bankrupted himself pursuing them. There is a chamber in the Imperial Palace above Capital decorated entirely with Rat built items sent by them as a gift to the emperor. This room took the labor of a dozen master craftsmen over two years to complete. In a museum on the surface there are several items supposedly gifts to emperors of the First Imperium.
The Craftsman’s Guild which maintains a monopoly on selling all Rat made goods off world. This is used to keep prices high and enrich the most talented craftsmen and their managers. Much of the rest of the planet is fairly poor since the entire economy is built around exporting a single product.
A small number of Builder Rats make a living working off world on spaceship construction, maintenance, and other such tasks where being able to fit in tight spaces helps. Those dealing with outsiders wear a special voder to amplify their speech and special earphones so that they are not deafened by the speech of larger creatures.
They are known for being extremely fastidious and clean. This is probably because other species think they look like vermin and the Builder Rats want to counteract this perception. They also tend to be very submissive and non confrontational around larger species, probably because their relative size is intimidating.
They have very dexterous hands which they use to produce astonishingly detailed works of crafts, usually in woods native to their planet. Craftsmanship is very highly prized within Builder Rat society. Craftsmen tend to be the wealthiest members of Rat society, largely because of the export market. It is hotly debated whether this is an indigenous development or the effect of outside contact as the wealth brought by off worlders affected local customs.
These hand crafts are highly valued luxury goods off world. These include both items made for use by the Builder Rats themselves and items made for off world consumption. This latter category can include full sized furniture and other items created by teams of Builder Rats working together to produce the larger items.
True Rat built items are extremely expensive and collecting them is a hobby only for the wealthiest; many a merchant prince has bankrupted himself pursuing them. There is a chamber in the Imperial Palace above Capital decorated entirely with Rat built items sent by them as a gift to the emperor. This room took the labor of a dozen master craftsmen over two years to complete. In a museum on the surface there are several items supposedly gifts to emperors of the First Imperium.
The Craftsman’s Guild which maintains a monopoly on selling all Rat made goods off world. This is used to keep prices high and enrich the most talented craftsmen and their managers. Much of the rest of the planet is fairly poor since the entire economy is built around exporting a single product.
A small number of Builder Rats make a living working off world on spaceship construction, maintenance, and other such tasks where being able to fit in tight spaces helps. Those dealing with outsiders wear a special voder to amplify their speech and special earphones so that they are not deafened by the speech of larger creatures.
They are known for being extremely fastidious and clean. This is probably because other species think they look like vermin and the Builder Rats want to counteract this perception. They also tend to be very submissive and non confrontational around larger species, probably because their relative size is intimidating.
