Earth Pigs «Sarbis»

Description (Initial Observations): The sarbis looks strikingly like a 2-meter-tall bipedal aardvark. Its body is covered with coarse yellow to gray fur, and its face is dominated by a long snout. The hands, while manipulative, end in powerful claws good for digging and fighting. Sarbises can be found in almost any terrain except the coldest. Their settlements or camps invariably signal the presence of minerals, for the sarbis are passionate miners. The camps are a mixture of above and underground constructions. Sarbises are paranoid that others (especially other sarbis) might try to "claim-jump" their diggings, so most camps are well defended with stockades and guard towers. Attack is made doubly difficult since the ground outside the camp is broken by jagged heaps of tailings. Sarbises rely on trade for food, clothing, and other interesting goods. In exchange, they sell refined minerals ingots of pig iron, copper, lead, tin, nickel; bags of sulphur, salt, and coal; whatever is useful from the earth. Because few others have the talent to dig and smelt these needed metals, sarbises are often left unmolested, even in the most hostile territories. Each camp is ruled by a strong man, a single leader who achieved his position through bullying and threat. All trading in the camp is controlled by the strong man or his minions. Sarbises will often buy artifacts useful to mining, sometimes offering other artifacts or to make useful implements in exchange.

Description (Additional Observations): The Sarbis are a race of humanoid aardvarks. Though they walk erect and are more human-shaped than their quadrupedal ancestors, they still are unmistakably aardvarks - complete with claws at the end of their arms and legs (though the hand / claes are now somewhat manipulative), a long snout, and extremely powerful body. The Sarbis are usually miners, though they live above ground in human-type dwellings. They do not use digging tools, as their extremely power claws are all they need to burrow deep beneath the earth. To this same end, they have evolved a directional organ which always lets them know where they are in relation to north. Their heightened senses are particularly effective underground and they are impossible to surprise once they enter caves, tunnels, or any other dark subterranean environments.

Equipment: Sarbis have been known to employ a rare tech level 3 item along with their more common tech level 2 devices and weapons. They seldom wear any clothing or armor, usually just gear for holding or carrying provisions and devices.