Tianmao

Avian species. Scholars and archivists. Officially extinct—or so the records claim.

Physical Characteristics

The Tianmao were an avian species known for their distinctive appearance:

• Feathered crests - Varying colors by family line
• Melodic voices - Almost musical speech patterns
• Graceful movements - Retained from flying ancestors
• Keen vision - Excellent for detail work
• Light frames - Hollow bones, delicate build

Their physical records are incomplete—the Confederation claims the species went extinct generations ago.

Culture & Society

Tianmao culture revolved around knowledge and preservation. They were the galaxy’s archivists, maintaining records that other species lost or destroyed.

Known values:

• Knowledge - The highest good
• Preservation - Nothing should be forgotten
• Community - The collective mattered more than individuals
• Music - Woven into daily life

Their archives contained information spanning millennia—history, science, art, and secrets that powerful entities would prefer forgotten.

History

Official records state the Tianmao succumbed to a devastating plague that swept their homeworld of Tianwei. The planet was quarantined, declared uninhabitable. The species was listed as functionally extinct.

But questions persist. The plague appeared suddenly. The quarantine was unusually thorough. And some claim to have encountered Tianmao survivors in the decades since—scattered, hiding, preserving what they could of their lost civilization.

What really happened to the Tianmao? And what secrets did their archives contain that someone wanted buried?

Notable Individuals

• Official records list no living Tianmao
• Rumors persist of survivors in the Outer Colonies
• Their archives, if they survived, would be invaluable

Connections

• Tianwei - Quarantined homeworld
• The Archives - Their legacy, location unknown
• The Parliament - Timing of the plague raises questions
• Ace - The AI’s speech patterns are… interesting

Tianmao appear throughout the Fannec Records series.