Peladonian

The Pels or Peladonians were a race of Near-Humans on the planet Peladon who retained a feudal culture.

Physical Characteristics
Peladonians are nearly identical to Humans, with whom they could reproduce. They had thick hair with distinctive red and white stripes.

History
In the 3900s, Peladon, the young king of the Pels was attempting to join the Galatic Federation, a move which more conservative Pels, led by the High Priest Hepesh, were opposed to this. With some help by the Doctor and Jo Grant (who found the king very attractive), Peladon was able to gain acceptance into the Federation. (DW: The Curse of Peladon) Decades later, during the Federation's war with Galaxy 5, the planet was found to contain Trisilicate, which was vital for the war effort. The lower class was forced into mining the Trisilicate, which caused further unrest between the classes. (DW: The Monster of Peladon)

Culture
The Pels lived in a feudal society. There were two main classes. The upper class was ruled by a King, who had a High Priest and Chancellors. The upper class had lesser laws and more privileges. There was also the lower class, who did all the physical labour, such as the mining. There was also a distinction of rules between men and women. As an example, only women of noble blood were allowed in the court-room.

The most important figure for the Pels was Aggedor. Though it was originally just a noble animal, it was eventually moved to the concpet of a god. Aggedor was thought to curse the enemies of Peladon and defiling the Temple of Aggedor was punishable by death (unless you were part of the upper class).

Though they knew of more advanced technology, the Peladonians usually used swords and clubs for their purposes. The traditional Peladonian greeting is to put your arm to your chest with your hand facing down.