Ferran

Ferran

(Creature)

Type

Humanoid
(ferran)

CR

By class level

Environment

Any high-gravity (Ratheren)

Alignment

LG	NG	CG
LN	N	CN
LE	NE	CE

Adjective

ferran

Source: Temple of the Twelve, pg(s). 55

Ferrans are the native inhabitants of Ferrantus-4, a world consumed by a black hole. The few surviving ferrans live in a self-sufficient base on the moon Ratheren, floating just outside of the event horizon.

Appearance

Adapted to their high-gravity homeworld, ferrans are short and squat with constantly furrowed brows and bald heads.

History

Centuries ago, the ferrans discovered a black hole near their homeworld Ferrantus-4, which they named the Maw. As Ferrantus-4 was far enough from the Maw to not be affected by its gravitation and radiation. Many ferran scientists got fascinated by the Maw, and astrophysics became popular, launching a scientific revolution. After the ferrans discovered rudimentary space flight, they established a self-sustaining research station on Ferrantus-4's moon Ratheren.

Decades later, the ferrans discovered that the Maw was going to collide with a rogue black hole-like object, which would create a quasar and make their home uninhabitable. Against this crisis, cults sprang up, the most popular of which declared that merging with the Maw is inevitable and will bring salvation to the ferrans, and succeeded to convert the ferran leader of that time.

Some ferrans refused to believe in any of these cults and continued to try and find a way to save their people. They came close to discovering interstellar travel long before the Drift, but in the end, they were too late: the fanatical ferran leader successfully used a combination of force fields and teleportation magic to launch Ferrantus-4 into the Maw. Only the researchers on Ratheren, which was pushed away from the Maw by the burst of energy generated when Ferrantus-4 fell into it, survived the catastrophe, thinking that their people have committed mass suicide. A few die-hard optimists continued to pick up strange signals that shouldn't have been able to pass the event horizon.

Society

Much of ferran tradition is rooted in science, and as such, they rarely worship deities. Today, most ferrans spend their time eking out a living on Ratheren and attempting to discover whether the rest of their people are still alive. Some consider this foolish and wish to find a new homeworld. Though their base is self-sufficient, just another disaster can make them extinct.