Nuar

Nuars are one of the many species that trace their origin to Edras, as they bear a close resemblance to the minotaurs known to have developed on that world. Despite beginning the era after the Gap with no home world and living only in the Galactic Alliance, the desire of nuars to build a place for themselves, coupled with a natural aptitude for complex patterns and structures, has led them to spread far and wide as explorers, colonists, troops, and engineers. Nuars prove quick to adapt to local customs, and many spend much of their adulthood far from any other members of their species.
Nuars are generally described as being pale minotaurs, and this is a fair (if oversimplified) description. They're bipedal and hooved, with strong, nimble hands. Most nuars have tails, which range from short tufts to long, flexible ropes that nearly reach the ground, but this trait isn't universal. Nuars are covered in short, thick hair, with longer, shaggier hair common at the crown of the head and sometimes along the spine and at the tail-tip, wrists, and ankles.
Nuar brains are particularly adept at visualizing complex patterns and can memorize twists, turns, and interlocking shapes more easily than lists of names, abstracted historic dates, or purely philosophical ideas. Many nuars use their aptitude for patterns to excel as engineers, artists, and navigators; others delve into more esoteric subjects by constructing “memory mazes” within their heads, envisioning an imaginary labyrinth and placing key ideas or facts in specific turns and twists of the metaphorical structure.
Once a nuar is an adult, they often seek a sense of connection to a broader community than that of their caregivers. A desire to wander and see what lies beyond familiar walls is commonplace and often results in a nomadic existence many nuars call the Maze of Life. Some nuar scholars feel this wanderlust is a result of nuar brains quickly grasping complex patterns and shapes, with everything they know as youth becoming too familiar and simple to satisfy their desire for intricacy in adulthood. Others feel the tendency of adult nuars to leave home for long stretches indicates there's some crucial cultural touchstone in their lives that's missing, and, lacking an ancient history to guide in fulfilling it, many nuars become explorers in a subconscious desire to connect with a missing part of their culture.
For many nuars, the Maze of Life results in finding some other culture or settlement that speaks to them. Many nuars enjoy the aesthetics and traditions of places with strong orc and half-orc influences, including the Sarraruki Star Empire and places within the Veskarium where orcs have settled over the generations since the Drift became accessible.

Origin/Ancestry

Heir of Edras

Lifespan

90+2d20 years

Average Height

7-8 ft.

Average Weight

260-350 lbs.