Unlike many alien species that have made contact with the galaxy beyond their own homeworld, the Pardu do not have a united government or society. This would be alien to their nature. Most Pardu are fairly isolationist and anti-social, existing in loose clans that consist of a single male with a large home range that overlaps the smaller ranges of females and their progeny. The Pardu do not congregate in large groups save for once a year, when individuals within a geographic locality meet together to trade and compete for the acquisition of mates by showing off their prowess. In pre-historic times, this would consist of brawls and contests of physical superiority, but once the Pardu developed intellectually, these contests became scientific and artistic in nature. They have little interest in socializing in the sense that other sapient species would understand.

As a result of this unusual "culture," the Pardu have been slow to develop technology, generally conceiving many divergent and incompatible solutions to a particular challenge. Concurrent developments are aggressively reviewed for flaws and tested against each other, as each designer attempts to prove his solution is better than everyone else's. Standardization is unknown to them, and the few researchers who manage to transcend or bridge gaps achieve a legendary, mythic status. The Pardu who are not so brilliant will adopt better technologies from others, provided they can customize them.

Children are not considered adults until they split off from their mother and establish themselves. Until then, they assist their mother in her manufacturing role, and occasionally take apprenticeships under their sire or other males.

Although this species has spawned a great many artists and brilliant technicians who would find their skills very marketable in the galaxy at large, the stigma of doing someone else's work (which is equated with being a child) and the social interaction required dissuade the Pardu from leaving their home world. The average Pardu equates in- person contact with the hormone- and emotion-saturated annual gatherings, and prefers to limit socialization to heated discussions on the Snowflake. Thus, a very skilled Pardu is likely to have many projects underway, and is constantly defending them on electronic "bulletin boards" when not occupied with day-to-day activities.

Also, the Pardu, lacking any real governmental structure or body of rules and regulations, come across as a fairly lawless bunch to aliens. Lacking any sort of national identity, the Pardu do not wage wars on each other, and also lack any sort of police force. A typical Pardu attitude is that if someone takes something of yours, then it's your fault for failing to properly lock it up; thus, property crimes are common. On the other hand, rape, murder and organized crime are extremely rare among them.

Alien contact gave the Pardu a technical boost, as well as providing several new topics to be debated ad nauseam on the Snowflake for generations. The general disdain for technology they didn't personally develop or don't fully understand has delayed the full adoption of many things the galaxy has to offer. Droids, for example, are notably absent from Geluvil as they are considered highly controversial. The galactic technology that is adopted by the Pardu has been customized almost beyond recognition, and in many cases improved.

("Snowflake" is a planet-wide electronic network that in some ways is a smaller, more primitive, text-based version of the Holo-Net, developed by the Pardu on their homeworld.)

Personality: A hero character that is from the Pardu is most likely an exception to the rule insofar as the typical Pardu disdain of association outside of family bonds, but still suffers from a lack of development in social skills taken for granted by other species. The stereotypical Pardu is overly concerned with showing off, and has little interest in general socializing that does not offer opportunities to display skill and intelligence.

Physical Description: White-furred, spotted humanoid with feline characteristics, standing approximately 1.7 to 2.1 meters tall as an adult.

Pardu Homeworld: Geluvil.

Language: Pardu, though some learn Basic.

Example Names: Choma, Zaky, Vranes, Hume, Churnee, Reechee, Babbage, Shinsa.

Adventurers: Pardu adventurers are the exception to the rule in general Pardu culture. Quite possibly, the hero is someone who was approached as a youngster by an alien organization, and offered a chance to "apprentice" offworld, with the promise of learning impressive skills with which to return when he is a full adult. Or, perhaps it is an older, bitter Pardu who has failed to acquire a clan of his own, and cannot bear living under the rule of his sire any longer, and has thus decided to break with the tradition of his people and find his worth beyond his homeworld. In general, a Pardu character who is interested in adventuring is someone who is not settled down in typical Pardu fashion, either through personal choice, temporary arrangement, or forces beyond his control.

Pardu Species Traits

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