Vulpimancer

Vulpimancers are an extraterrestrial species of blind mammals from the garbage planet Vulpin (a play on the word vulpine, which means fox). A pitch-black planet at the galaxy's edge, Vulpin has long served as a dumping ground for hazardous materials far too dangerous for other worlds and everything else that the rest of the galaxy wants disposed. The little that was once natural here long ago became corrupted by dangerous outside influences. Part penal colony, part toxic waste dump, Vulpin’s original ecosystem has been poisoned beyond compare because of this, and whatever life that does survive here among the subzero temperatures and the poisoned forests must learn to adapt and evolve to the harshest of climates and extreme conditions. Vulpimancers are one of the few creatures to survive on Vulpin, and are no less mutated than the planet itself. They are the only sentient species that has evolved on this planet after it was turned into intergalactic dumpsite by Vulpin’s original inhabitants the Vulpinic Torgutans.

Vulpimancers are bizarre and beastly beings that are far more animal than humanoid. Ranging from human size to several times the size of a human, Vulpimancers share few common characteristics. Vulpimancers do not seem too friendly with their own kind, but this is a common trait among animals that aren't family. Vulpimancers live for the moment, hunting down whatever they can find and moving on to the next meal. Some Vulpimancers however do live in tight family groups from ten to twenty individuals inside caves or the old wrecks of starships and old buildings. These Vulpimancers are more ‘civilized’ and are known for collecting and recycling materials they find on their garbage planet and selling them to offworld cities and companies. Vulpimancer technology comes from different ships and other devices that have been dumped on Vulpin by other races. Vulpimancers have the ability to easily learn most languages. However, they lack the vocal structure to speak anything other than their own languages and to untrained ears their words sound nothing more than bunch of growls and snarls so they can't talk down a powerful enemy who does not know their language

Vulpimancers can move at high speeds in almost any terrain using their powerful, apelike arms. Vulpimancers have incredible athletic ability and heightened senses of smell, hearing, and taste, but no sense of sight. This is supplemented with the porcupine-like quills on their back, which serve both as weapons and finely tuned sense receptors that can sense things and "see" in ways most other creatures cannot. From sound to heat, few things escape a Vulpimancer's notice. Super-adept, Vulpimancers can use their quills to detect the slightest movement, heat signatures and some even say fear. Once prey is located, the quills on their backs can be fired off like projectiles, or the Vulpimancer can roll itself into a kind of spiked ball to attack its enemies. Vulpimancers can only launch the quills on their back once they reach adulthood. Having no eyes means that Vulpimancers have some trouble with finer movement, and a select few enemies have ways of getting close to them undetected or can get the drop on them fairly easily.

Vulpimancers have an incredible sense of smell. Unlike most mammals, a Vulpimancer relies on two sets of gills, each on a side of his neck, to smell the world around him and in combination with the quills on his back and his heightened hearing is able “see” the world around him. Because they rely on their sense of smell, hearing and quills to see, they are vulnerable to strong smells and loud noise and are rendered helpless if their gills or ears are clogged. Vulpimancers seem to be canine when young and become more feline like as they grow older. The males gain stripes on their backs, and both male and female vulpimancers grows tails.

Trivia

 * The planet Vulpin's name is a play on the word vulpine, which means fox.