History:
The Urr first ventured into space around the year 130. They have
not been a space faring species for very long but they have made
up for it by the sheer ferocity of their scientific programs.
They are possessed of a drive only found in young dynamic civilizations.
They spread from their home world to establish outposts on each
of the bodies in their system. Once they had perfected their own
jump modules shortly thereafter, they proceeded to explore the
systems in their immediate cluster, but were inevitably drawn
toward the Dark Well System and the secrets it might hold. The
first inkling that a humankind had met new race came in 136, when
the MG Emerald Star observed a small unidentified vessel near
the cataracts that feed the maw of the Dark Well.Society: Urr society and government is communistic in nature. An individual Urr simply does not regard anything as a personal possession, but rather belonging to the race as a whole. The only exception to this rule is in mating, which is quite territorial and often violent. The center of government of the Urr Consulate is the Inesk Jin, or inner council. Membership on the council is through seniority. The 8 eldest mating Urr being the council regardless of past experience or profession. Since the violent mating habits of the Urr tend to take their toll among older citizens, the council is usually composed of the best fighters, i.e. military Urr. Thus, though a combination of biology and society, the Urr are a very military species. Military service is highly sought after and only the most proficient are accepted. Urr warriors are among the most formidable in Dark Well Space.
The Challenge Ring: ('Virilgen Sat' in the Urr tongue) dates back to before recorded Urr history and is the oldest and most respected ritual of the Urr. The ritual associated with it formalizes the Challenge, which forms a basis of Urr society.
The Ring itself is constructed of native material. In most cases rock is used in construction although wood is an acceptable alternative. In either case the walls of the ring are built to a height of 1.5 meters in a circle having a radius of 20 meters. At the north and south, openings are left which are 10 meters wide. Although there are no actual gates across the openings, a frame is built around each one to a height of 5 meters. The southern gate is named the 'Monag Griell' or 'The Challengers Gate' and the northern gate is the 'Monag Ruug' which is translated as 'The Defenders Gate'.
The rituals involved are varied and complex because the ring has taken on many functions over time. The basic principle is that one who wishes to challenge another must first prove his intentions by constructing a ring and then formally issue challenge (some towns/cities have a ring already constructed as do most ships). It is used in mating ritual, duels, determining succession, parley, and in general, any one-on-one meeting to resolve conflict.
Symbols hung on the Defender's Gate announce the intentions of the challenger. The Challenger will then enter the ring through the Challenger's Gate and, facing the Defender's Gate, will stay within the ring until sundown. Three days the Challenger inhabits the ring until sundown. If the Defender does not respond, then he has lost great honor (to the point his followers may refuse to serve him). The Defender may send a proxy to meet the challenge though this is frowned upon and is acceptable only when the defender cannot physically make the deadline.
The conflict is between the Challenger and Defender alone. No help or any aid is allowed to either participant. The conflict does not have to be settled by combat, sometimes the challenge is in the form of a contest or challenge of action. Usually however, combat is the intended outcome. Combat is claw to claw, no weapons are allowed with the exception of the 'Gishtamu', the Warglove. The Warglove was made of a heavy leather-like substance from the skin of the Aurank. Modern versions are made of a metal mesh. The glove covers the entire hand and extends halfway up the forearm. There are openings for the claws to extend from the fingers. The Warglove is primarily a defensive weapon.
Burial Rituals: In accordance with ancient Urr traditions, warriors' remains are cremated on a funeral pyre to release the spirit so that it may join the ancestors in the Spirit Council or "Inesk Haar Ruu". The clans must be called together by the beating of the Mor'nar (the ancient Urr often used drums to communicate clan to clan).
The family or status of the deceased determines how lavish the entire ceremony is and how strictly the rites are followed. The entire ritual is called the Rite of Passage, A'r Bithal, in Arngesh (the Urr Language). A large ring, called the Bithal Sat, is constructed similar to the Virilgen Sat. The Bithal Sat has four "gates" (framed gaps in the walls) called Monag Haar Ruu (Spirit Gates) and when the spirit is freed, it will choose one of these gates to exit this plane of existence. The gates are aligned to the primary directions (which also represent the Urr virtues), North - Gate of Strength (Monag Noruge), South - Gate of Loyalty (Monag Bar-uth), East - Family? Den? Gate (Monag Mour Ruu), and West - Life? Honor? Gate (Monag Haar Gdaat).
In front of each gate a "table" (slab of rock, wooden log, whatever) provides the things that the spirit will need for the journey; food, weapons, etc. The warrior's body is brought into the circle through the South gate by an honor guard of warriors who place it on the pyre. Then a group of warriors enter from the West gate and begin a ritual known as the Nar Rith or Warriors' Dance. The deeds of the slain are glorified in dance and preserved in the "History". The last act of the Nar Rith calls for the nearest of kin to light the pyre. If no kin remain then a warrior/priest lights the pyre and the higher the rank of that warrior, the greater the honor done to the deceased. The pyre is watched in silence and when the fire is out the ashes are thrown to the winds.
Each town or city has a Bithal Sat. This ceremony is one which still ties the Urr to the home world. The Urr have a great sense of home and it is important that the Nar Rith be performed at their ancestral home.