Martian Dwarf

Referred to simply as Martians, or as "Dwarfs" or "Gnomes", these two-feet-tall humanoids were the major terrestrial intelligence on the planet Mars over three billion years in the past. They speak in a language based on the musical notes and are also telepathic to some extent.

They have bulbous oversized heads, disproportional when contrasted with their diminutive bodies; and menacing red eyes encircled by green marks. Their limbs are thin and skeletal, with the legs being jointed in a fashion reminiscent of a grasshopper's. The arms terminate on tentacle-like fingers which can be used to extract nutrients from other creatures.

Savage Dwarfs
The savage, tribal Dwarfs from the Northern tundra have an either parasitic or symbiotic relationship with a type of anteater-like creature which they use for mount as well as for nourishment, sucking out the beasts' fluids with their tentacle-fingers. Their skin is almost transparently pale and appears to be covered in a thin layer of fat.

Civilized Dwarfs
The civilized Dwarfs of the equatorial region have a slightly different appearance, with greenish skin and telepathic capabilities. Their crops and factories are largely fully automated and they use weapons that generate heat beams. These Martians are divided into two types: the smaller noussaï, which make up the worker class; and the more intellectual macrocephales, which are considerably taller and have comparatively larger heads as well as a much longer lifespan of about 300 years (likely Martian years). Females of this species have a more oval-shaped head and more yellowish skin.

Unlike the parasitic savages of the north, the equatorial Martians seem to be exclusively herbivorous. They do not consider the Setissi and other sapient races of the planet as anything more than animals, yet are known to have waged war against them. They also domesticate several kinds of creatures for companionship, including a species of fur-covered snake-like beings and a type of cylindrical hexapodes described as looking like a cucumber.

Appearances

 * Doctor Omega (Fr: Le Docteur Oméga), by Arnould Galopin (1906)