The Arctonyx are a bipedial mammalian sophont species, originally from the Arc’Uthret system in a well-traveled volume of the Tulaki Spur Sector. Their homeworld is a large, rocky and high-gravity world covered with large rocky plateaus interspersed with thick, forested valleys. The Arctonyx evolved from burrowing forest creatures into hunter-gatherer sapients, and then went on to dominate their home world, eliminating the other nomadic sentients that made their home on the windy plateaus. Arc’Uthret II is relatively rich in native flora and fauna, as well as rare elements, particularly in the sparse Tulaki Spur Sector. As such, it was visited by other warp-capable species as a resupply point for several hundred years prior to the arrival of the Tulaki. By this point, the Arctonyx were a relatively new industrial society, and were able to establish contact and trade harvested resources for new technology and finished goods. Through reverse engineering and covert development, the Arctonyx were soon able to manufacture their own sophisticated weapons and vehicles, and eventually took to space and developed their local system. Some poor experiences with exploitative visitors led the Arctonyx to develop military vessels and keep a tight rein on entry to their inner star system. Unauthorized intruders were greeted with large numbers of small, aggressive and nimble fighters distributed throughout the system on asteroid bases and moons.
The Arctonyx were discovered by the Dominion during their spinward expansion in the Sagittarius Arm around 2850 PT. Due to what is recorded as an initial misunderstanding, Initial Dominion exploration vessels were greeted with some hostility and attacked by Arctonyx fighters in the outskirts of the Arc’Uthret system. This led to a larger Dominion fleet presence being sent to the system, which was again met with hostility due to poor initial communications, with the Arctonyx believing that the Dominion Missionary fleet was in fact a full-scale invasion force. Every fighter in the system was scrambled, leading to a vicious space battle in which Arctonyx fast attack ships nearly cost the Tulaki a capital ship as well as several escort vessels. With such staunch resistance, Admiral Soluk N’drak, the Saurian in charge of the exploration fleet opted to cease fire and withdraw. They ordered a delegation of priests to review the battle logs and decide if diplomacy or overwhelming force were warranted. The High Priest attached to the fleet, Iksath V'nar, ruled that the Admiral was correct, and despite their primitive technology in comparison to the Tulaki, the Arctonyx were astonishing combatants and would benefit from the guidance that came with the Path of Tulak. After several months of more cautious incursions into the system to make contact, eventually diplomacy prevailed and delegations of Priests visited the Arctonyx. Several decades of positive relations led to strong diplomatic and trade relationships and eventually full membership of the Dominion. Arctonyx pilots in particular were especially valued for the skill, bravery and insight - by the time of the First Tulaki Invasion of the Orion Arm their approach had reshaped Dominion naval doctrine to be devastatingly effective against the more ponderous Ascendancy fleets. Today, Arctonyx are a common sight amongst the crew of Dominion Naval fleets, particularly when smaller fighter craft are employed for tasks.
Physically, the Arctonyx have a number of sensory differences that give them a profoundly enhanced sense of their spatial environment compared with Terrans, Elysians or Tulaki. Their vestibular system is very well developed, giving an excellent sense of balance and equilibrium. This is combined with a greater number of proprioceptor neurons throughout their body to give Arctonyx an excellent overall sense of where their body is, and the overall presence and strength of the local gravity field. They possess an organ at the base of their skull similar to a statocyst that allows them to detect disturbances in their balance relative to the local gravity field - this organ has greater prominence than ocular input does in other species, giving Arctonyx a much greater resistance to nausea induced by conflicting visual and inner ear input. These physical characteristics give the species their well-renowned kinesthetic prowess, and inform their cultural appreciation of movement and physicality.
Arctonyx have a reputation as being somewhat gruff and direct, although there are plenty of individuals who do not embody these traits. They do, however, tend to react poorly when others (particularly strangers) impinge on their personal space - with their enhanced sense of proprioception, accidentally bumping someone is very unlikely, and seen as a deliberate slight. This is highly contextual, and does not represent a general dislike of close contact - when in close confines such as a starship or in a context such as a partner dance then they rarely have any problems. With a cultural history of exploitative contact on their home world, Arctonyx are still somewhat suspicious of outsider species, although they accept most other Dominion species as equals. There is some lingering distrust for the Kelki, both due to their relatively recent accession into the Dominion and their impulsive, confrontational attitudes, which often rub Arctonyx up the wrong way.
Arctonyx enjoy the sensation of movement, and appreciate precise physical movement and ability in others. This gives them a tendency to enjoy flying, ritual athletics, martial arts and most of all dance. Dance is considered the highest art-form in Arctonyx local culture, and their artists are always looking for new forms and styles, particularly those that involve precision, flow and speed.
The Arctonyx took quite well to the teachings of the Path of Tulak, although they are renowned throughout the Dominion for their tendency to focus on excelling at tasks that benefit from their excellent spatial and kinesthetic senses.
The Arctonyx are bipedal mammalian sophonts whose outward appearance strongly resembles members of the ancient Terran order Mustelidae - they have heavyset skulls with prominent snouts, short ears and sharp, carnivorous teeth. They have short fur on the majority of their skin, adapted for cold conditions - this fur tends not to shed individually, but moults in large areas on a fairly regular cycle, which is thought to be a very convenient evolutionary trait by life support filter engineers. Arctonyx fur tends to be coloured in various shades of grey, occasionally with a hint of red or brown, and patterns of dots or stripes are common. They have a tendency towards stockiness compared to Terrans and similar humanoids, due to the higher gravity of their homeworld.
Each member of the species emits a characteristic musk that is used to identify individuals and families. This musk contains a high proportion of esters and ketone compounds, similar to ancient Terran fruits such as pears, strawberries and pineapples, which makes typical Arctonyx smell quite pleasantly to Terran sensibilities. However, it can also be quite confusing for Arctonyx who encounter Terran foods containing these fruits for the first time.
The sturdy frames and resilient physiology of the Arctonyx grants them a natural resistance to toxins and better chances in surgery. Arctonyx characters have 2 locational hits and a 250 second Death Count, and get one rank of the Steel Viscera skill for free at character creation.
Arctonyx have a natural affinity for spaceflight that allows them to rapidly develop considerable skill with starship systems. Archetypally, Arctonyx gravitate towards Helm and Weapons console positions, but individuals may specialise in any console skills. The first Spaceflight Skill that Arctonyx Characters buy is automatically upgraded to Rank 2 for no additional Character Points.