Hyla

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Hi'la evolved in an island jungle on the southern pole of Wreel. This jungle is widespread with various toxins and poisons, used as defense/hunting mechanisms for much of the indigenous flora and fauna.

A troll-like race with an anatomy akin to that of an upright tree frog, Hi'la evolved with a great leaping ability in order to elevate quickly into trees. Within these trees they would excrete a potent neurotoxin to debilitate their prey. Hi'la prey upon any number of insect-like animals that use the trees sap for food. The Hi'la neurotoxin mimicks the tree sap and incapacitates any animal unlucky enough to endulge itself.

Since the human migration and the subsequent Great Cultivation the Hi'la have undergone drastic changes in their abilities, appearance and culture.

History and Overview

Hi'la were seperated from the Khor for millenia by a salt lake and a vast range of mountains. Their ecosystem is unique on Wreel, a thick, humid jungle flourishing with a variety of flora and fauna. More life exists here than anywhere else on the massive desert planet. Much of this life developed various delivery mechanisms of

Sub-classes

The Great Cultivation transformed the Hi'la through multiple generations of selective breeding overseen by the Consortium. The seperate classes of Hi'la were designed to perform three very different tasks.

Mum'luk

Main article: Mum'luk

Mum'luk were bred for their increased musculature and above-average psionics. The Consortium selectively mated only the strongest, most ferocious of the Hi'la - their rage would be exploited for its advanced psionic properties. Using gene augmentation the Consortium boosted Mum'luk follistatin levels to further increase muscular strength gains.

After generations of selective breeding the Mum'luk were put to work by the Consortium and its corporate network to enforce their dominance over their two silbling sub-classes: Artificers and Kabi'chi.

Appearance

Mum'luk were bred of only the strongest Hi'la. As a result they have well defined musculature, their legs are short and stalky limiting their once impressive jumping ability.

The long ears of the Mum'luk stand straight and pointed like that of a dolbermann pinscher.

All Hi'la exercise similar body modification but none are more extreme than the Mum'luk. Mum'luk gauge their ears, tattoo their skin and pierce anything worth decorating.

Artificer

Main article: Artificer

When first discovered the Hi'la were talented artisans, weaving everything from baskets and clothing to their habitat - a city of spliced trees, woven together to form pods for shelter and a regular (now defunct) mating ritual.

The Consortium sought to optimize this hand-eye coordination during the selective breeding process. They mated the most intelligent and docile Hi'la to generate the desired breed of assemblers. A new third-world laborer was born. Artificers were tasked with the creation of common components for the advanced technology of the humans.

The irony of their inbred intelligence is that it provided the Artificer with the capability to reverse engineer the components they were designed to assemble. Within a few generations the Artificers - armed with their own bootleg armor and weaponry - led the revolution against the Consortium and instilled their own economic system.

Appearance

Only the most docile and intelligent Hi'la were allowed to breed when the Consortium domesticated the troll-like race. As a result they are skinny but maintain the greatest leaping ability of the three Hi'la breeds.

In contrast to the pointed, dolbermann-like ears of the Mum'luk, their long ears lay limp along the sides of their head.

Kabi'chi

Main article: Kabi'chi

The Consortium used the domestication process to develop the Kabi'chi breed specifically to increase the production of the natural chemical-compound that they produced. Gene augmentation was coupled with the selective breeding of Hi'la with naturally high yeild levels of the neurotoxin to develop the Kabi'chi sub-class.

Penned and milked regularly like cattle, the Kabi'chi had the worst role of the three Hi'la breeds before the revolution. Since then they utilize their optimized production for their own economic gain, even using Consortium tactics to exploit lesser jungle creatures for their unique and valuable organic compounds.

Due to their heavy toxin-production, Kabi'chi are insatiable eaters and will consume most any food, organic or synthetic.

Appearance

Kabi'chi are stout and bright. The intense red and deep black patterned skin serve as a warning to any would-be predator of their mutually assured destruction. Upon their consumption the Kabi'chi - and all Hi'la - release their potent toxin, taking revenge from within the predator.

Attribute Ranks

Each sub-class has its advantages and disadvantages. A character with higher than average intellect typically has lower than average psionics.

	Intellect (INT)	Psionics (PSI)	Vigor (VIG)
Mum'luk	3	1	1
Artificer	1	3	3
Kabi'chi	2	2	2

Secondary Attribute Ranks

	Speed (SPD)	Perception (PCP)	Ego (EGO)
Mum'luk	1	2	2
Artificer	2	1	1
Kabi'chi	3	3	3

Economy

The economy of the Hi'la have undergone many transformations over the generations. What started as a post-tribal community of hunters/gatherers morphed into a trade economy where artisans would barter their wares in exchange for food. After their encounter and subsequent oppression by the Consortium the Hi'la were no more than a slave economy. The Artificers were housed and fed a ration when they weren't assembling. The Kabi'chi were penned and fed synthetic rations and milked of their neurotoxin at regular intervals.

Currently the Hi'la economy is governed by a workers democracy. After the revolution the Hi'la rebels gave the government and economy back to its people. Transactions are taxed and regulated to maintain a communal pool of money in which any Hi'la may draw. This collective fund is used to subsidize the material costs of component assembly (Artificer) and genetic modifications (Kabi'chi.) Any profit derived from the sale of subsidized production is taxed, with that money going back into the collective for further investments in labor.