Domesticated Squall

Creature Feature

By Jeff Quick

Squalls are floppy-eared herbivores from the ecologically sensitive world of Chandrila. These small
quadrupeds rarely weigh more than 5 kg in the wild and range between 30 and 40 centimeters from
nose to tail. Even in the wild, they seem to want to be around nonpredatory creatures; whether these
companions are other squalls or Rodians seems to make little difference.

Within the Core Worlds, squalls seem to be the universal standard for cuteness. Even farther out,
they're renowned for their fuzzy fur and friendliness. Beings from nearly every world find them at least
nice to look at, if not adorable. They hop around freely on Chandrila, even into commercial and
industrial sectors, in search of foliage and an occasional scratch behind the ears.

They're so ubiquitous, they're almost a nuisance. Since they're so endearing and seem to like contact
with other creatures, the fact that they're frequently underfoot or in the way is forgivable. However, it
is noteworthy that Chandrila schedules "squall maintenance" funds into its public works budget each
year to clean up after the creatures and herd them back out of urban centers just after birth season,
when the new wave of squalls lope into town looking for handouts or attention.

Smuggling squalls off-world is so easy that some spacers do it by accident. The creatures hop on board
ships at the spaceport and hide until take-off. Chandrila technically outlaws animal export without
licensing and proof of humane transportation facilities. But because squalls are so common, and
because exporting them does negligible damage to the local ecology (in fact, it might help keep the
population under control), the authorities rarely prosecute for the "crime." At worst, they might slap
offenders with a small fine.

This policy is fine for traders who deal heavily in the herd animals. The off-world market for squalls is
not high margin, but the demand is steady since squalls don't seem to reproduce well off Chandrila for
some reason. Breeders usually must take a dozen or more pairs to get the creatures to produce enough
viable offspring. To begin the otherwise relatively easy job of producing domesticated squalls for
resale, breeders must raise a generation of squalls by hand, teaching them to be dependent on the
companionship of some other creature. Then, they're ready for sale. Domesticated squalls are generally
sold for two reasons: to be pets or to be meat.

Pets
Pet shops in the Core do a brisk business in domesticated squalls. Squalls are so adorably cute that most
young girls living on Core Worlds either want one or already have one for a pet. They're also the
traditional pets for lovers to exchange at various romantic holidays (although holographic recordings of
hopping squalls are just as popular and require less clean-up).

Wild squalls can literally be picked up off the street on Chandrila, but they tend
to be fickle pets that bite and try to escape. Domesticated squalls have been
raised with attention and affection from birth. Escaping doesn't even seem to be
in their behavioral lexicon, and they whine when left alone for more than twelve
hours.

Sadly, this widespread sale of squalls also leads to widespread abandonment.

When children get bored or lovers part, many squalls are released into the wild.
On Chandrila, the problem is minor. It's difficult to tell domesticated squalls from wild ones, and an
abandoned pet can usually find someone else to take care of it in a populated area. On other worlds,
domesticated squalls don't last long. They seek out the company of other creatures, but without
learned behaviors that they would receive growing up wild, they don't know how to differentiate
predators from friendly or ambivalent creatures. This grisly end to a beloved pet points to the other
major use for squalls in civilized areas of space.

Meat
The squall trade for food is big business on several planets in the Expansion region where portable,
inexpensive meat is a boon on long hyperspace jumps, and Core delicacies are enjoyed by the upper
classes. In either case, squalls fit the bill. The herbivores don't have a lot of meat, and two or more are
sometimes served together to make a full meal in more expensive establishments. Squall meat is a
little stringy, but it has a powerful flavor that many discriminating palates find appetizing. Finer
restaurants refer to squall as "Chandrilian Tendermeat" and serve it in a rich sauce. Meanwhile, just
down the street, more working-class eateries put it on the menu as "squall meat" or "squallburgers."
They might have their own special sauce, but it's probably less special than they'd like you to believe.

Diners are encouraged to buy squalls only from establishments that purchase their meat from reputable
buyers with the official Chandrila "Positive Ecology" seal of approval. Buyers without the seal often
keep squalls in fetid cages and feed them substandard food byproducts. Not only do these squalls
produce lower quality meat, but it's difficult to dine in good conscience once a diner has seen the cruel
treatment: rows of dingy cages stacked ten high, with miserable, fat squalls hunkered forlornly in each
one, fed on cheap pellets.

Some who witness such a sight swear off squall meat altogether so they don't encourage the
mistreatment of the animals, even incidentally. A few of these protestors stage elaborate break-ins to
free squalls and return them to their rightful "homes." Of course, domesticated squalls have no homes
other than their cages, so many freed squalls are put to sleep for humane reasons. As this type of
behavior intensifies, the Chandrila government has considered cracking down on squall smuggling,
although whether good intentions will translate to action remains to be seen.

Pet Squall: Domesticated herd animal 2; Init +4; Defense 16 (+4 Dex, +2 size); Spd 10 m, burrow 2 m;
VP/WP 3/5; Atk -3 melee (1d3, bite); SQ Docile, keen senses; SV Fort +3, Ref +4, Will -3; SZ T;
Face/Reach 1 m by 1 m/1 m; Str 2, Dex 18, Con 10, Int 4, Wis 9, Cha 12. Challenge Code A.

Skills: Hide +15, Listen +5, Spot +3.

Feats: Improved Initiative (bonus feat).

Special Qualities: Docile -- Handle Animal skill check DCs are reduced by 5 when attempted on pet
squalls.

For GMs Only

Squalls aren't scary monsters to throw at your heroes, but there are still plenty of other things you can
do with them! For instance:
Food Poisoning: Squall meat's taste can hide other flavors, which is why sauces have to be thick and
rich to make a dent in the overall taste. This makes squall the perfect meal for an assassin to use to
cover the taste of poison. Even experienced food-tasters have missed poisons hidden in squall meals.
The Wisdom check to pick out the taste of poison within a squall dinner is DC 13.

Alternately, the squall simply could have been prepared incorrectly and carry natural food poisoning. In
that case, everyone who eats it must succeed at a Fort save against DC 18 or be shaken for a day as
their bodies deal with the bacteria of undercooked squall.

Little Lost Squall: Pet squalls usually have tags in their ears or around their necks to identify their
owners. Heroes who find one of these might want to be kind and return it, leading them to a rich
benefactor who wants to hire kind-hearted people for a more important job. A villain might squallnap
the same creature and hold it for ransom. The heroes may not think a squall is worth risking their lives,
but little girls are less pragmatic. They might try to rescue their pets with or without help.

Crackdown: As the heroes prepare to leave Chandrila, a port inspector insists on coming aboard their
ship to look for smuggled animals. Even if the heroes have pure intentions, one or more squalls could
have smuggled themselves on board. The inspector might be an overly efficient functionary, or he
might be taking bribes to delay or imprison the heroes. The law allows a judge to sentence smugglers to
two or more weeks in jail. If someone wants to slow the heroes down or keep them on-planet, squalls
can easily get the job done.

Tractor beam fights, hyperspace microjumps, and spinning ships -- all in the
latest installment of "Jedi Counseling!"