Tapazmal

Minor human race native to Dlaekan (3134 Reft A383657-D).  Dlaekan is a hot world, its mean surface temperature exceeding 70 degrees Celsius.  Dlaekan has an unusually dense core and a surprising amount of tectonic activity.  The early Tapazmal lived on the slopes of Dlaekan's high peaks, where the atmosphere was thinner and temperatures lower.

Physically, the Tapazmal are little dffferent from the rest of humaniti.  One notable feature is their low birthrate, a result of geneering by the Ancients.  This modification likely served to limit Dlaekan's population in Ancient times, thereby conserving the mountains' scant resources.

Interstellar contact in more recent times first came around -4700, when the Loeskalth - another minor human race, native to neighboring Gushemege sector - intermittently raided the Tapazmal for artwork and other valuable objects.  (The Loeskalth had long since received jump drive from another Vilani client, but were not absorbed into Vilani culture until later.)

These raids continued until the Vilani themselves came to Dlaekan several centuries later.  The Tapazmal eagerly accepted Vilani offers of technological aid and protection, at the cost of submerging their native culture in the Vilani Way.  Tapazmal civilization grew under Vilani custody, but it never reached beyond Dlaekan.

This situation changed after the First Imperium's fall.  Old cultural records were unearthed and studied, and the Tapazmal tried diligently to return to the ways of their distant ancestors.  The expanding Solomani, eager to have a base in the area, granted the Tapazmal several colony worlds in return for their cooperation.

Today, the Tapazmal occupy six worlds in Reft - Dlaekan, G'haenbaz (2733 Reft), Bokilbom (2834 Reft), Pamraeltan (2932 Reft), P'hakar (2934 Reft), and Hoilhapuli (3229 Reft) - as well as one world in Gushemege: Choltonrul (0136 Gushemege).  Despite their reach, the low numbers of the Tapazmal have kept them from being a major force in Imperial politics.

The Tapazmal are known for their great artistic and architectural skill, combining modern technology with traditional styles and motifs.  A conservative, unaggressive, and mystical people, their roles in society are strictly defined.  Individualists defy the old standards at substantial risk.  Nonetheless, Dlaekan and its daughters are pleasant worlds, their inhabitants hard-working and at peace.

-TD20 ref