The Squats (Homo sapiens rotundus) were short, stocky and physically hardy subspecies of Humanity from the Fop'lla Universe. They were adapted to the heavy gravity conditions that predominated on the worlds they had settled near the core of the Fop'lla Milky Way Galaxy. Of all the Abhuman types encountered by the Imperium of Man, the Squats most closely resembled the common traits of a Dwarf. Squats were the descendants of Human settlers who had colonised the worlds around the galactic core in the far distant past. These worlds are some of the oldest in the galaxy, formed when the galaxy's structure had not yet been fully stabilised.
The Squat species originally presumed to have been wiped out by the Combine Empire, or consumed by the Tyranid swarm in the Warhammer Wars, (but in truth they survived after stealing the Combine’s dimensional drive to escape to another reality), though some survivors still serve in the Astra Militarum, hoping for revenge and to find a new beginning for the remnants of their people.
The Squats' ancestors were genetically Human colonists who settled on heavy-gravity, mineral-rich worlds around the galactic core during the time of the initial expansion beyond Holy Terra's own star System during the Age of Technology. They were the dominant species of the League of Votann and joined the Alliance of Nations during the First Multiverse War to fight against the Combine and later on, the Multiversial Federation.
History[]
Biology[]
Squats are the most Human-like of the Abhuman subspecies, strongly resemble Dwarves from other universes and share common traits, standing about two-thirds the height of a normal Human at four feet or 1.4 metres with a stocky, powerful build. Their hair is very strong and fast-growing, and most Squats cultivate short, pointed beards, or at least moustaches and sideburns. Despite their short, thick-fingered hands, Squats have a very high degree of manual dexterity, and are able to operate the most intricate machinery with ease.
Squats are extraordinarily long-lived by normal Human standards. The original lifespan of 300 years was normal to Squats before the exposure to the Combine Nanites, and some Squats, known as Ancestor Lords, were often so ancient that their true age can only be guessed at.
Culture and Society[]
Prior to the Warhammer Wars, Squat society was based on the social unit known as the stronghold. A stronghold may have been a surviving mining community from the original colonisation of the Squat Homeworlds, or a so-called "newhold," founded when the Squats expanded during the latter part of the Age of Isolation and the early part of the Age of Trade. During their time of isolation from the rest of humanity which lasted thousands of years the original human colonists evolved so much that they are no longer considered human and the Squat civilization took a divergent path. This adaptation gave the Squats many advantages over the Imperium of Man when contact was reestablished.
Squats are an honourable people, but they are also irascible and often short-tempered. In battle they are renowned for their doughty resolve and tenacity as warriors. Coupled with their amazing abilities as miners, engineers and workers of metals, this has made them a valuable asset for the Imperium and to the Alliance of Nations.
Strongholds were self-contained, autonomous communities, ruled by a hereditary Squat lord and an aristocratic class known as the "Hearthguard." They were comparable to the city-states of early Terran cultures, and a great number of strongholds sometimes co-existed close together on the same world or in the same star system.
Military[]
Technology[]
During the Time of Isolation the Squats, cut off from other human controlled worlds and external supplies as they were, were forced to defend themselves and to develop their own technology. This included re-inventing spacecraft, advanced weaponry and other complex technology. Also much of the civilian equipment had to be converted into efficient wargear (for example the Exo-armour). Another issue was maintaining and keeping their life-support systems and hydroponic tanks running that they needed for their air, heat and food supply. Achieving these objectives was helped by the very nature of the Squat population - the tough miners knew how to exploit the resources at their disposal. They were thus able to rapidly come up with alternative technologies to replace the ones not longer available from Holy Terra.
The Squat Guilds had developed a number of technologies that no other Fop’lla race possessed and that are so specific that not even the Technomagi of the Adeptus Mechanicus can fathom how they work. Examples for this Squat ingenuity in technological matters include the Neoplasma reactor which is powered by a Warp core and harnessed by a zero-energy containment field. Another of the inventions of the Squats are the Land Trains: gigantic moving fortresses with broad tracks designed to cross the treacherous dust seas and massive continental shelves. However not even these behemoths are immune to the dangers of the environment of the Squat worlds and Land Trains can sink without leaving a trace when travelling into deep dust. Factory Land Trains that are equipped with giant scoops and that tow powered track-cars or living quarters or ore supplies can mine the ore of the dust seas. But there were also many other technological advances of the Squats, including some which the stocky abhumans even consider too dangerous for use.
While the Guilds ensures that all their members have access to the discoveries and knowledge they refuse to share their know-how with other races. Their attitude towards the Adeptus Mechanicus is also shaped by this and their character. The Squats were said to have allow the Adeptus Mechanicus free access to their technology.
During their conflict with the Combine, the Sqauts had used their long extensive lifespans to study captured technologies it reverse engineer, even learned to built their own version of a Dimensional drive to travel toil fast distances and universes. By the Broken Age, they have become a highly advance race to.