Fearing for their lives, the Ratmen decided to flee off world rather than risk destruction if they were discovered. They raided less defended ships and scrap heaps in order to assemble their own fleet. Before they left, the Ratmen agreed that they could not escape and leave the other rats to their fate. Together, the Ratmen launched a raid on the laboratories where they were created, and despite heavy casualties, they escaped with the surviving test subjects.
The fleeing Ratmen fleet found a remote and uninhabited system, where they could build a new home for themselves. Some have remained hidden on this secluded system, safe from the Battle Brothers and those like them. Others decided that they no longer wished to hide from the galaxy. Instead, these Ratmen formed into family-run clans on their ships and began to explore the stars.
As the Ratmen clans encountered other factions, they began to recognise their own former plight in those oppressed or imprisoned by other factions. The Clans use their skills to help others escape, or otherwise sabotage those they view as oppressors, and some factions have come to view them as foes and vermin, to be actively sought out for destruction.
How will you survive in a sector that views you as vermin?
History
Test Subjects
The Ratmen’s ancestors were created in the Protectorates’ labs, as Custodians studied the Zone and tried to find ways to adapt their organism to withstand the Radiance and reach the Core. They began testing on the rodents who had stowed away in their fleet. The scientists had to rely on the rather limited number of test subjects, reusing them multiple times over a number of tests.
Side Effects
Prolonged exposure to the Radiance changed the rat population from those found on Earth; increased size, strength and reaction time became common in the total population. The Battle Brothers began to grow concerned as their subjects showed increasing signs of collaboration, tool use, and even communication. Some of these rats escaped to form feral colonies.
Creation
Within a couple generations of hiding on the world where they were created, the rat population continued to grow and mix until they had become fully fledged Ratmen. This new species had become fully sapient, but the Conduit’s followers saw them only as vermin and failed test subjects.
The Escape
Many among the Ratmen sought to escape from the clutches of the world where they were made. They began to raid less defended ships and scrap heaps to slowly put together a fleet escaping to the edge of the Zone.
Freedom
Although their fleet was nearly prepared, the Ratmen agreed that they could not escape and leave the rats to their fate. Together, the Ratmen launched a raid on the laboratories where they were created and, despite heavy casualties, they escaped with many other rats in tow.
Settlement
Wishing to stay out of reach of their creators, and faced with the difficulty of securing territory in the Sector, the Ratmen took advantage of their engineered metabolism and colonised planets on the external fringe of the Zone, because they have a higher tolerance to the Radiance compared to other species. Although it is an unstable place where travel is dangerous, they are free from interference there.
Timeline
- 18 ARC: Beginning of Gene-Mod Enchancement Experiments Gene-Mods
- 27 ARC: The First Ratmen Emerge
- 32 ARC: The Escape
- 36 ARC: First Permanent Settlement
- 44 ARC: First Liberation Mission Launched
- 52 ARC: Emergence of the Clans
Society
The Ratmen have built up their new settlements in remote systems near the Zone. Some prefer to remain there, safely hidden from the Battle Brothers and those like them. Others did not wish to be confined to a new planet as they once were confined to the lab and were willing to risk discovery in the hope of finding new allies. These Ratmen formed into family run clans on their ships and began to explore the stars.
As the Ratmen Clans encountered other factions, they began to recognise their own former plight in those oppressed by other factions. These clans used their skills to help people escape or otherwise sabotage those who they viewed as oppressors. Some view them as foes and vermin, seeking them out for destruction.
Hidden Passages
Living on the edge of the Zone allows them access to Jumpgates that are not in use by anyone else. Over time, they have established a network of secret routes and become skilled navigators, able to use unstable Jumpgates that others would deem too risky. They have put these skills to use, becoming smugglers and spies for the highest bidder. They are the ones you need if you want to send a message across enemy lines, locate a hostage or obtain your enemies’ superweapon plans.
Beyond their colonies in the Zone, Ratmen establish tiny enclaves near major Jumpgates, often offering services like handling toxic waste, satellite maintenance and other unwanted tasks in exchange for being tolerated. It’s through this network of small communities that they stay informed about events in the Sector and potential clients.
Familial Bonds
Ratmen, though bound together by a strong sense of solidarity, are not a wholly united society. They usually fall into familial clans, which value individual freedom and personal bonds between its members. Each clan can trace its origins back to a lineage of common female ancestors or ‘Great Mothers’. These clans lack a formal hierarchy, but experience and wisdom are valued and decisions are reached through consensus.
This is what makes the Ratmen so efficient as special operators: they trust each other and are able to adapt quickly to any new situation. However, this also means that they are rarely able to mobilise large forces quickly and struggle with large-scale engagements. Inter-clan conflicts are not frequent, but they can happen. They rarely turn into all-out war, though it can happen when escalating vengeance gets out of hand.
Liberators
Ratmen still remember their origins, born inside cages as test subjects, and a result they despise slavers and jailers. They will often go out of their way to free prisoners during missions, especially if they consider their incarceration as unjustified. This has earned them some enemies and led them to decline lucrative assignments, but has also helped them build a network of exiles, fugitives and refugees that act as informants.
Insurgent Tactics
Ratmen favour surgical attacks in battle, with the goal of completing their mission quickly and efficiently; making use of cover, surprise and the sophisticated technology they have been able to obtain over the years. They have no desire to be heroes or earn glory, although individual fighters might take risks to save their brethren or secure victory.
The Radiance
The Ratmen see the ebb and flow of the Radiance as possessing certain natural tunnels which they can hide within, though these are ever shifting and require them to be willing to move quickly. They know the region as Ipsit Hicvit, meaning "The First Haven". The Ratmen are more resistant to the Radiance than most, but mild effects are not uncommon. Many Ratmen will eventually die from long-term effects, though usually not until they are already near the end of their life span. Some become uncomfortable when taken away from it for too long, and in extreme cases, those suffering from Radiance-poisoning may even seek out areas of heavier Radiance.
Language
The language of the Ratman Clans has been influenced by their human creators, with the Ratmen emulating the sounds of the scientists without fully understanding them while adding the occasional squeaks. The emergence of new dialects have largely come from terms and codes developed by liberation teams operating deep within enemy territory which seeks to confuse translation devices and otherwise avoid detection.
The Ratmen have inherited the use of a personal name and surname from their human creators. These were chosen by the original escapees from the lab and have been inherited by all the clans which emerged a few generations later. Male personal names generally end with a consonant while female tend to end with a vowel. Surnames are often three syllables long, while personal names are usually just two.
Example Names
[Eipva] [Latinec] - [Personal name] [Surname]
Male Names
- Quipried Peikakip
- Letnip Veikasip
- Bricnip Teibacrit
Female Names
- Eipva Latinec
- Tibtha Veikareig
- Micsie Britanec
Note that characters are usually referred to by their personal name (in italics).
Trivia
Notable Characters
- Quiprie (Breaking the Cycle) – A secretive operative who acts as the self-appointed law enforcer of the remote station known as Tugator.
Proverbs
- Honour is no use to the dead.
- Plan carefully, then act swiftly.
- If you have one enemy, get two friends.
- Vermin is what tyrants call slaves when they stop obeying.
- Freedom whispers in the walls, waiting for the tyrant to sleep.
