Government: Feodality. Llort government is feudal in nature, with power deriving from a succession of allegiances on the home world. Whoever holds the most power at any given time dubs themselves Mi-Ma-Ti, The Chosen of the Burrow. Theoretically the Mi-Ma-Ti wields supreme power, in practice however the allegiances which give the Mi-Ma-Ti his or her authority are constantly changing and thus the Llort government is always in turmoil. This turmoil affects interstellar alliances as well. Llorts seem to thrive on this as by nature they are aggressive, independent and chaotic.
Religions: Llorts worship Morta. There are three main branches of this worship: Morta Ja, Morta Efa, and Morta Na. Morta Ja, Father Morta, see the god as a patriarchal figure, stern and vengeful. Llorts who worship Morta Efa, Mother Morta, see the god as a goddess, the nurturing mother of all, with a creator/destroyer duality. Morta Na is an all-powerful neuter other. Llorts generally follow whatever branch supports the most powerful faction in their area. If the balance of power shifts to a faction which follows another branch, the Llorts in that area gleefully change religions. Indeed most Llorts will change their ways of worship numerous times throughout their life, seeing religion mainly as just another form of a power bloc.
Social Structure: The Llort Civilization is only about 1,500 years old and many believe it's a miracle they exist at all.
Llorts live underground in elaborate, maze-like villages, towns and cities. This is necessary because the surface of Vartas is a rocky hell.
There are great disparities in social class among the Llort - there is a small wealthy elite, a large middle class and an even larger lower class. Llort are constantly shifting from lower to middle class and back, depending on what group is in power. The wealthy are more or less stable, their finances making them immune to power changes. Many Llort opt for military service since soldiering is one of the most steady professions.
Skirmishes between rivals are frequent on Vartas, sometimes escalating into full scale war, a complicated affair due to the interlinking allegiances which give factions their power.
Men and women are considered equal and it's not uncommon to see a female Mi-Ma-Ti. Llorts do have a version of marriage and as a rule are very loyal to their mates.
The Llort also have a strange quirk, they collect things, much like pack rats. Sometimes these things are valuable, more often a Llort is simply attracted by the item. It is common among the Llort to take whatever appeals to them if this can be done without obstacle. If a Llort is caught in the act of stealing from another Llort, the item is simply returned with no further ado. Theft is not considered a crime in their culture. This fact has given the Llort a well deserved reputation as thieves. On the other hand, the Llort don't see it that way, they seldom take things for profit but just to have them.
Despite all their odd habits, the Llort get along passably well with other races. As individuals they can actually be quite pleasant companions though they can be very fierce when angered.
Technology: The Llorts technology is low, they have had interstellar flight for only about 100 years. Most of their technological progress is directed toward machines and techniques useful in their underground habitats.
Military: Despite the fact that their world is constantly torn by strife the Llort are not major military players. Their factionalism keeps them from uniting or allowing one powerful government to emerge and so they squander all their energy on fighting each other. Their ships are slow and clunky, though heavily armored and their weapons are just about adequate.
Colonies: The Llorts have been too concerned with their intercine warfare to make any concentrated efforts to develop the rest of their solar system.
