The Muraak are a hardened, tribal species. Hunted on their home planet by megafauna, the Muraak evolved extremely hardened skin which provided resilience and survivability. They are a very spiritual people, and even having expanded amongst the stars, continue to practise these customs.

Amongst the Federation, the Muraak often make inspiring leaders, guides, and healers, whilst being some of the most fearless military personnel in the galaxy.

They are a proud people, often donning ceremonial leather armour and hunting trophies, as-well as jewellery and artefacts handed down through many generations of their respective tribes.

Species Perk:
Muraak hold strong spiritual beliefs, and their rituals provide minor buffs to all involved.
After hosting a ritual of at least 5 minutes, Muraak and all those involved in the ritual benefit from a single call of RESIST for the remainder of the day.

Muraak Pinterest Board

Muraak

Muraak, the homeworld of the proud and stalwart Muraak people, is a rugged planet defined by vast stretches of untamed wilderness and ecosystems shaped by constant struggle for survival. Towering basalt cliffs carve deep shadows across lush dense, labyrinthine forests teeming with colossal megafauna. The planet’s turbulent climate means its residents frequently experience freak storms, hurricanes and droughts. The Muraak carved their earliest societies in the shadows of titanic predators and its harsh environment, forming a culture centered around resilience, vigilance, and reverence for the natural world.

Settlements on Muraak blend harmoniously with the environment and are built from stone, wood and cured hides, decorated with carvings depicting heroic hunts and sacred visions. Each tribe maintains its own ceremonial grounds, often located in places believed to be spiritually potent: atop windswept cliffs, deep within echoing caverns or beside ancient crater-lakes. These sites act as hubs for festivals, rites of passage and speaking with ancestors. Inter-tribal gatherings are common and marked by great feasts, athletic contests, and the sharing of oral histories. Although the Muraak have ventured beyond their cradle world and integrated into the broader Federation, their home planet remains a spiritual anchor. 

The first contact of the Muraak with extra-solar beings would not be through peace. Before the Muraak had contemplated building their first starships, the Kalithin Dominion had set its sights on the fertile lands and rich resources that the Muraak mega-fauna and the Muraak people thrived upon. Mere weeks after the first Kalithin scout craft had arrived on the planet, an armada would arrive into orbit, laying siege to the planet against the stout and defiant Muraak. 

It was the arrival of the Federation that would finally break The Hundred Cycle siege. Initial attempts by the Federation to bring an end through diplomacy failed, and they would be drawn into open warfare against the Dominion across the galaxy. A cycle later, the Federation would break the siege, adding the Muraak to their ranks in the signing of the accords, but it would be another thirty cycles before the Federation finally brought the Dominion to the negotiating table.

Culture

Muraak have survived due to the wisdom of their ancestors being passed down between generations. Their belief systems centre around respect of the formidable forces of nature and of ancestral veneration. Tribes grew around communal hunts, spiritual rites, and the belief that every creature, from the smallest insect to the largest behemoth, carried a lesson gifted by the planet’s ancestral spirits. Even now, despite their technological ascendancy, these tribal bonds remain integral to their identity. The Muraak more than most know that nature can provide but it can also take away. 

Muraak only go to war as a final option, preferring to move their tribes away from unsafe lands. They do not do this out of fear or cowardice – loss of life is undesirable and has long term consequences for the longevity of the tribe. 

However if Muraak are forced to go to war they do so without fear. They favour hide and leather as to not restrict movement. Some more traditional tribes will favour melee weapons. Muraak fighting is typically a guerilla-style of fighting, with heavy emphasis on reconnaissance and intelligence, shadowing the enemy and skirmishing with the goal of exhausting adversaries and forcing them to withdraw. 

Tribal Structure

• Leaders who lead the tribe into battle. This is a very prestigious position. Leaders are chosen before battle and if they die, their replacement would not be chosen until before the next battle.
• Shamans (Starwatchers) who can inherently more easily commune with nature and their ancestors. Generally there is one Starwatcher per tribe with one in training. Starwatchers also have a role as a herbalist healer.
• Guardians who have the important role to look after the tribe in peacetime, manage resources and make political decisions, although they still fight in battle.

Tribes can vary in size, with the smallest being a collective of individuals and the largest being made up of a number of families. Tribes can be chosen as well as born into; it is not unusual to move between tribes due to marriage or conflict. It is much more unusual for a Muraak to not be part of any tribe – exile is one of the greatest forms of punishment. Muraak who have ventured forth into the stars often create their own tribes. 

Beliefs

• Muraak beliefs centre around ancestral veneration. There is no central organised religion, with traditions passed down through stories and rituals.
• The Muraak believe that the souls of the Muraak exist eternally. The Muraak believe that their ancestors can influence the affairs of the living and that their ancestors can visit them in their dreams. Certain rituals can be performed to reach Muraak ancestors to ask them for guidance or protection. For most Muraak this is a simple form of meditation, but for Starwatchers there are more elaborate rituals involving brews and spirits used to enter an ascended mental state where elaborate forms of divination may be possible. 
• The Muraak believe that their ancestors sometimes send guidance or warnings in the forms of messengers in nature. 
• Everything a Muraak does is centred around honour, on the basis that their ancestors are watching over them. Muraak who live honourably are thought to join their ancestors in death, and those who live well do not fear death. 
• The Muraak highly value exploration of and understanding their world and the wider universe. The Muraak see travel into the stars as a rite of passage in itself and members of tribes are encouraged to seek out new knowledge amongst the stars. 

The Muraak have many ceremonial rites for different occasions, but there are two that are most important.  These are the naming ceremony (Taka), and the death ceremony (Leita). 

Taaka – The Naming Ceremony

Due to the hostile conditions on Muraak, children are only named when they reach one month old, at which point they are then considered part of a tribe and raised together as part of the community. 

• Muraak first names tend to be 1-2 syllables. Female names usually end in an ‘a’ or ‘i’, and male names usually end in a consonant or ‘o’, but different tribes may take individualised approaches. 
• Muraak second names usually represent whichever tribe they are part of. Exiled Muraak lose their second name. 

Muraak may receive a further name at a point in their life when they do something of such significance that it is deemed worthy of recognition by their tribe. This may be a valiant achievement in battle, a scientific discovery, or some other form of achievement. This is usually in the form of a descriptor, i.e. Jonak the Furious, Mari the Negotiator. This naming will take place in a ceremony known as Taaka, witnessed by the other members of the tribe. 

Luraa – The Rites of Death

Death is viewed as an important step in Muraak life. It is believed that those who have lived honourably step into the next stage of life beyond death, and that they become guiding ancestors for future generations. 

Funerary rites revolve around the burning of the body, key to ensuring the deceased passes onto the next stage so that their souls did not remain trapped in the physical world. If the situation allows, the body would be wrapped in cloth and prayers and well-wishes given before being burnt alongside any possessions considered necessary to help them in the next stage. The location of the ceremony would be marked with a cairn. Muraak whose bodies are not burnt are believed to trap their souls.