Dilbian are a species from the planet Dilbia.
Biology[]
Dilbians evolved on a world whose gravity was about a sixth less than Earth. Though they have the resemblance of Kodiak bears standing on their hind legs at all times with a slimmer, they are highly intelligent creatures.
Dilbian are also very large creatures, the average male height being nine feet. They possess great strength, able to lift a full grown human like a doll. They have keen senses of smell, which causes them to be sensitive about human odors.
History[]
Dilbia for some time has been contested by the Terrans and Hemnoids, each race trying to garner the native Dilbians for exclusive trade rights. A situation on Dilbia threatened Terran interests when a native named Streamside Terror kidnapped a female Terran sociologist nicknamed Greasy Face, after being rejected by the father of the female he had been wooing who was counseled by a human diplomat. Streamside lacking the courage and power to challenge his lover’s father instead opted to avenge his personal honor by kidnapping a Terran as they indirectly insulted him.
In order to smooth out relations with the natives and prevent an incident, the ambassadorial office on Dilbia drafted a biochemist named John Tardy, not due to his out of place qualifications but his strong attitude which they lazily believed would be enough to handle the Dilbians. When the error was found out the ambassador in his sheer incompetence refused to correct the error and instead send his unqualified representative on an illegal rescue operation.
As Streamside had fled with his hostage into the countryside a Dilbian mailman named Hill Bluffer was hired to bring John to the runway. However when John caught up tor where the Dilbian was hiding out in. He was approached by Greasy Face, who urged him to turn away as he was most at risk of being killed by her kidnapper and was confident she could deescalate the situation once Streamside took her back to his clan and she explained the circumstances of her kidnapping to its grandfathers.
Boy is She Built found to be collaborating with a Hemnoid named Tark-ay or Beer-Guts Bouncer and managed to capture John. Later it was revealed that the entire kidnapping of Greasy Face was conspired by the human ambassador John Guy in order to manipulate an outcome that would ensure his retirement from his post on Dilbia. The Hemnoid despite approving of the ulterior underhandedness of the human, we’re wholly against humanity jeopardizing their trade relationship with the Dilbian and sent their representative to remedy the problem. That being to eliminate John on the ground of Clan Hollows, the presence of John’s apparent fatality being enough to convince the grandfathers to release Greasy Face.
Culture[]
Dilbians all in all they are a naturally independent and strong-willed people.
Dilbian possess two names, their given names and their nicknames. While their given names are similar enough to humans, nicknames are a bit frivolous and somewhat immature that describes a first impression of an individual and can be composed of phrases such as Greasy Face, Two Names, Daddy Shaky Knees, etc.
Dilbians are organized into clans and appear to be forestry and mountaineering folk. And despite their appearance are culturally more similar to humans. Their clans appears to be run patriarchally and decisions made by the grandfathers of the clan.
Though majority are aware of the existence alien life on other worlds, a few clans from the back mountains have trouble comprehending the notion. They also have a centralized mail system, in which are handled by mailmen who are considered government officials and regard the treatment of mail to be sacrosanct.
For the most part Dilbians are seen as primitive, touchy, and insular race and very much indifferent to anything outside their own mountains and forests. This indifference extends to their offworld visitors such as humans and Hemnoids, even though humanity has been in touch with them for thirty years and the Hemnoids have for nearly twenty.
Dilbians sometimes view humans to be somewhat soft and humorous. Due to humanity’s small size and apprehension towards them they find them pathetic and beings who are unable to defend their rights. Those his perception of humans is a result of the Terran ambassador crying himself when picked up by a Dilbian, hence giving the species a negative impression.
What they respect in people is not advanced technology but their perception of manliness. They don’t take kindly to critters that got to go around using all kinds of tools for things. Fighting with tools, taking advantage with tools, getting ahead of somebody else by using tools. But particularly fighting with them—that's just plain, downright yellow or cowardly.
Dilbians are very gregarious and love drinking and fighting . There is a saying that to have one’s drinking mug spilt is synonymous of having one’s personal honor insulted and could give legitimate reasons for a blood feud. Disputes of any kind must be fought, in hand to hand combat.
Though there are exceptions such as treaty ground, clanless areas where no trouble is to be done. Hence it expected that parties are polite to one another.
Dilbians do possess some superstitious belief. One being the Cobblies, the Dilbian equivalent of elves, brownies, or what-have-you who are said to be ruled by their own royalty such as the Cobbly Queen.
Dilbians have no standard currency, but value steel and metal products when bartering their services.
Diet[]
Dilbians were omnivores, and consisted of hearty meals of bread, meat cheese and beer. Dilbian bread was coarse and full of uncompletely milled kernels, the cheese was sour and the meat tough, with a sour taste to it. Though to a human they tasted delicious.
Terminology[]
- Shorty: A derogatory term for Terrans.
- Fatty: A derogatory term for Hemnoids.
Source[]
- Spacial Delivery (1961) by Gordon R. Dickson