Creature:Garganz

The savage 'Garganz of Sheol are a new but exuberant arrival on the galactic scene, known in their region as pirates and mercenaries who have carved out a small empire for themselves. They are strong and tough but not especially bright, well-endowed with low cunning and good cheer. There's nothing they love more than a good brawl followed by a hearty revel (which is sometimes followed by another brawl). They appreciate guile, but prefer more direct means when available.

It is worth noting that the Garganz did not achieve space travel on their own; their only interest in rockets was using them to blow each other up. They were climbing and clawing their way back to civilization after their third nuclear war (having failed to learn anything from the first two) when a pirate happened upon their battered world and thought to beam up some spice from one of their ruined cities. Unfortunately, the spice crate that the pirate selected was actually being used as the home for a band of raiders and refugees. One short but very bloody fight later, the Garganz found themselves in possession of a spaceship. They managed to puzzle out its operation, easily conquered the rest of the planet[1], made contact with other pirates, and have been a minor menace to the spacelanes ever since.

Garganz culture is hedonistic and focused on living for the moment, because you could die tomorrow (hopefully in a glorious battle for which you will be long remembered). There is a strong thread of shamanism and ancestor worship going back to the tribal period. Zealot sects arose on Sheol late in the first age of civilization, but were eradicated (in one of the major wars) for "being annoying." Few modern Garganz give much thought to the matter of a creator-god.

Their system of government is also nearly unchanged from the tribal period, being a form of feudalism where a chief rules over other vassal chiefs (and so on down the line, all the way to pirate captains and their crews). Sometimes chiefs of similar rank will form an alliance or council to share power and improve their position, but such arrangements tend to be short-lived. The position of chief is non-hereditary, though the chief's children can challenge for it along with anyone else. Challenges are resolved by single combat, usually employing only the Garganz' natural weapons; they may be made at any time (though custom and what passes for manners among Garganz keeps them from being too frequent) and are only rarely to the death, especially with modern medicine.