Resource The Fanon Thread

You know it's the Christmas holidays when Gamiel is posting at 5 o'clock in the morning

I liked your Kiffar tidbits! Here are a few comments about that:

"Kiffars are slightly more resistant to electricity then standard humans."

I like this idea. Do you have any specific examples in mind?

"Their psychometric ability is actually psychic ability, not a Force based one but they can enchant enhance it with the help of the Force just like with other senses. All kiffar have a latent psychometric ability even if only around 1% are naturally strong enough in it for it to be useful."

This is the case in canon. Did you come up with an explanation as to the origin of this ability? My idea was that there were two Force-sensitives in the original 107 colonists, the Vos one and the Malki one. The Vos mostly lost their Force sensitivity over the generations but kept the psychometry, whereas the Malki kept their Force sensitivity but lost psychometry. Once Kiffu joined the Republic, Force sensitives joined the Jedi, leaving those with psychometry to control the Guardians. Does that kind of make sense?

"I see the kiffar as matrilineal, this comes from that when we see Quinlan’s parents so is it his mother who have the Vos qukuuf."

This is something I also thought about when I read the comics. The patrilineal structure is actually canon/legends (bizarrely enough, when you see the number of female sheyfs in comics.) I'm curious to see if the upcoming Vos/Ventress novel will give us more info.

"Beside the 42 great clans so do the also exist numerous of lesser clans who are decedents from outcasts and “half-breeds”. The lesser clans make up majority of Kiffu’s lower classes."

Just to avoid confusion, I'll specify here that the 107 colonists and 42 clans are a Chyntuck Original, yes? 42 because as we all know it's the key to every mystery in the universe, 107 there was also a reason but I can't remember what.
As you can imagine the Marxist in me came up with some theory to explain social classes in Kiffar society. I need to dig up those notes

"Here are some clans, both canon and fanon
– Vos’ qukuuf is yellow lines across the face over the nose bone. A majority of the clans members are member of the Guardians which make them the most politically powerful clan. [canon]
– Mun whose red qukuuf cover their whole chin."

About clan Vos: in canon the Qukuuf doesn't have to be over the nose bone, see for instance Droo Rawk (oblique over one eye) or Tinté Vos (vertical from hairline to chin.) I take it to mean sub-clans within the main clan.

Is clan Mun a Gamiel Original? Anything else about that clan?

"What kind of storm based religious/superstitious traditions they have and what other planets there are in the Kiffu sector..."

I have a few ideas on the superstitions and traditions, e.g. the Qukuuf representing the electrical storms, also a sort of kite for children that enables them to collect residual energy from the atmosphere, a yearly feast that corresponds to the day Kiffu and Kiffex are closer and therefore the electrical storm more intense, etc. I need to write that up. Any suggestions that would give me more ideas are welcome

About the Kiffu sector, there's absolutely nothing in canon other than the fact that it includes the Azurbani system, which in turn includes Kiffu and Kiffex. I'm not big on galactic astronomy, but I'm sure Gamiel will come up with something brilliant (astronomy and astrography are a topic we need to discuss on this thread at some point.)

(I'm intending to integrate some of this in my own post after I think it over and listen to everyone's ideas.)

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Viridian-Maiden Finally a post about the Tilasa! I've been waiting for this, I really like your Nhala character.

Questions:

• I've seen you use both Tilasa and Tilasan. Is one the name of the species and the other the adjective, like e.g. Swede/Swedish?
• About their skin tone, I vaguely remember you saying "gold-flecked skin" in one of your fics and mentioning how Nhala's skin colour changes based on her mood. I also remember something about eye expressions. Did you develop their body language?
• Did you cook up a background story as to how they came to be in the Corellia system and its surroundings? I'm asking because Sullust is pretty much the other side of the Galaxy (admitting that they have a common origin with Sullustans).
• I also remember that you describe Nhala as having an accent in Basic. What is the Tilasa language like?
• You say that the Tilasa are political isolationists. Any background on their stance/role in the Clone Wars and the Galactic Civil War?
• Since they're a nomadic species, do they live on spaceships? Do they favour a particular model, and if yes is that a model/technology they developed on their own? How does the sibling-clan structure overlap with spaceship(s) of residence?
• ETA: In one of your fics I remember Nhala calling Katya "un-sister". What's the origin of the endearment?

That's it for now, but expect more question-bombing after you reply to these

 

Cool! I'd love to hear more about that.

 

The Hoatzeri are a species I created 10 years ago for a group fic called "Hapan Fire" which eventually collapsed under the weight of too many authors with too many different viewpoints. I needed an alien copilot for Luke Skywalker's great granddaughter, but I didn't want it to be anything like Chewbacca. My original inspiration was Launchpad McQuack from DuckTales . There really aren't that many avian derived species in the GFFA, so I decided to create my own. I needed to have my pilot be able to manipulate objects (and fly a ship) but I wanted to have a believable species rather than a duck with hands. I decided to use this little evolutionary oddity: the hoatzin. Juvenile hoatzins have two claw-like fingers on their wing digits, so this provided me a starting point, theorizing that my species evolved to keep their "fingers" into adulthood. I crossed the hoatzin with an ostrich to give it a more upright, humanoid shape and height and added a dash of goose and magpie in development.

I haven't found a way to use this species yet. If anyone has suggestions for further developing them, I'm certainly open to them.

Hoatzeri

Homeworld: Hoatza, an Outer Rim planet in the Hydian Way characterized by vast, rolling savannas. The Hoatzeri are the planet's only sentient species.

Biology: Hoatzeri range from 2-2.5 m tall and weigh 100-160 kg (this is analogous to the size of an ostrich). They have buff colored bodies and wings, with an unfeathered blue face, maroon eyes, and a spiky, rusty brown crest (coloring of a hoatzin). They have three claws on their wings, which are relatively dexterous, though they also use their beaks to manipulate objects as well. The Hoatzeri have strong legs with two-toed feet. They are fast runners and can also deliver a powerful kick. The Hoatzeri are primarily herbivorous, but also eat insects and small lizards.

Culture: The Hoatzeri are a generally peaceful species, though they can quickly become belligerent if they feel provoked. It's not uncommon for humans and other species to underestimate the Hoatzeri in combat situations, but they can be good fighters, and a kick from an adult male Hoatzeri can severely injure or even kill a human.

Hoatzeri are often curious, and attracted to shiny objects. Because of this, and the fact that precious metals and gemstones are plentiful on Hoatza, jewelry making is one of their primary art forms. Hoatzeri are quite fond of jewelry and have been known to wear multiple collars on their long necks, ankle bracelets, and crest ornaments. Clothing is limited to vests, ponchos, belts, etc., which can be richly decorated as well.

The Hoatzeri's creation myth states that they traded their ability to fly for the ability to use tools, and thus protect themselves from predators, which set them apart from the other birds on their world.

The extended family (flock) forms the basis of Hoatzeri culture. Hoatzeri are monogamous, and both sexes help raise the chicks. As several chicks can be hatched in a brood, aunts, uncles, cousins and older siblings also take care of the youngest generation of chicks in an extended family.

Technology: this is an aspect I haven't given much thought to. I did decide that the Hoatzeri didn't discover space flight on their own; their planet was discovered by others (possibly a Jedi expeditionary force?). I picture them as being a lot like Wookiees in that they have modern technology, but it retains a handmade, tribal quality.

Personal flying craft, such as ultra-lights, are popular among the Hoatzeri, since they allow them to "fly." Spaceship pilots ("star fliers") are thought highly of in Hoatzeri culture, with most chicks aspiring to become one at some point.

Hoatzeri architecture resembles Mande architecture. The Hoatzeri traditionally built out of mud, but now mostly use pourstone or duracrete to create the same look.

 

Not really it is just a question of evolution, in times of old so did not the kiffars who could not take a lightning strike did not survive long enough to have that many children. I also wanted the kiffar to have something more then just their psychometry to differ them from standard humans.

It is canon that it was psychic? The WotC's RPG stated that you needed to be Force-sensitive to have psychometry. When it comes to the origin for their ability so have I not given it any thoughts actually, I just saw it as one of those strange mutations that sometime happen on isolated worlds.

I know, I ignore that they are patrilineal for my fanon.

I have added "* There exist 42 great clans who claim origin from time of the first colonist (history keeping and politics being what it is so are there some debate about the truth of this claim for some of the great clans)" to clarify things.

I created the lesser clans so there was somebody for the Guardians to police that would not create clan wars every time somebody felt their clan honour threatened.

Droo's, Tinté's and Kurlin's qukuuf really confuse me when it comes to how the qukuuf works. I have decided that for my fanon the Vos clan just have the yellow lines across the face over the nose bone to keep it simple.

The Mun clan is Gamiel Original and as for now I have not decided anything about them beside them not being of any greater importance, they can be one of the great clans but one of little influence. I needed a clan for my character and right then I did not really know of any clan beside Vos and I did not want to use them.

If we go by classic RPGlogic so do each of the great clans have their own speciality and/or sub-culture. Some good (non-swedish) examples of this are the Bauhaus and Imperial fraction in Mutant Chronicle RPG (you can get the old edition of the books describing those fractions here as pdf:s) and the Dragonmarked Houses in DnD's Eberron.

I suggest that kiffars on other planets then Kiffu and Kiffex have many of their traditional ceremonies (f.ex. giving their younglings their qukuuf) when there is a lightning storm going on. Actually we could have that ‘qukuufening’ is only done when there is lightning storm going on.

Another idea is that very seldom when a person is hit by lightning (something that is rather unusual in modern time since most of the lightning go into the generators) their bodies turns into burnt out copses. The bones of those people are sought after by mystics and the superstitious who makes protective talismans, oracle bones and/or curse bones from them.

For more worlds in the Kiffu sector I hereby create Rokovoko. Rokovoko is an waterworld with a landmass of around 10% split around many archipelagos and is over all warm and humid (no permanent polar ice). When the expanding Kiffar people first come to Rokovoko they found it already colonised by humans and nautolan, who were divided into tribes and had a rather advanced stone-age technology.
Now a-days so have the kiffars and Rokovoko people fully merged with the kiffar culture coming on top, even if part of the old Rokovoko culture exist. Rokovoko kiffars have tan to brown skin with a slight red tint and are seen as a bit more laidback and casual then most other kiffars. Beside the qukuuf so do many Rokovoko kiffars also tattoo their bodies with the traditional Rokovoko patterns (resembling Scandinavian petroglyphs), this tradition is shared with the nautolan.

The Kiffu Guardians on Rokovoko are specialised on keeping order on and under water and unlike most other branches of the Kiffu Guardians so do they accept non-kiffars into their ranks but only the Rokovoko nautolan, who themselves have adopted many kiffar ways.
Many of the guardians customise their uniforms with wooden talismans, dried sea-animals, “shark” teeth necklace and similar items. The human Guardians are all equipped with self-expanding lifejackets and aquata breathers.

 

FALSE. That would imply that every single day is Christmas. He probably never sleeps!

 

Gamiel, I enjoyed your details on the Worrites' developed creatures -- great touch having the guard critter controllable by cyber-implant. If there's no particular taboo against one or the other, it makes sense for a species to combine machines and biotechnology. I also like the Ho'Din ship gardens, the Ryn learning their ships' histories, and three Jedi making an unfortune.

Chyntuck, just remembered -- it's nifty that the name Ayesha has an ancient history on Kiffu.

Viridian-Maiden, is the unusually mild reaction to injury a normal feature of the Tilasans that has to do with their biology? It seemed like there was something about them being structurally tough, if I remember right. Or do some of them simply act that way when they are being stoic and/or in shock?

Raissa Baiard,

Space cassowaries! And I love their basis on the hoatzin. The detail on their love for jewelry and shiny things is great.

I was going to work on other things this weekend, but all the great additions on this thread have inspired me to dig out my notes on a species I haven't used yet (and may or may not get around to using in fic.)

 

These are all very good questions, Gamiel, which I have not yet answered. I'm going to keep them in mind. One thing I have been thinking about when it comes to spaceships relates to how living quarters work out with such complicated family relationships. I'm still thinking about this.

Thank you, and let me just say you all are WAY ahead of me on thinking about this. I've said this elsewhere but Nhala started as an incredibly minor character in my main fic, but then I started thinking about her and her background filled my mind. But I really haven't even begun thinking about most of your questions, either.

I have used them fairly interchangeably when writing, which I do realize, but that is the basic idea. One Tilasa, two Tilasa, The Tilasa, but Tilasan airspace, Tilasan language, the Tilasan species.

Not beyond what you've noticed so far! Stating that was meant to say something about Nhala and the Tilasa themselves, but also about Katya.

Yes, I'm quite unschooled in GFFA geography, and I also tied them very unconsciously to the Sullustans, which ended up being fortuitous I think, since Sullustans share their space-skill/orientation and can at least be seen as somewhat related in terms of social structure. At this point I think my answer would be that their remoteness from Sullust provides more fodder for the theory that they're a separate species and shouldn't really be grouped together, but then again who knows where nomads are going to end up so...idk I'll have to think about this.

You really have noticed details! I said all those things, but hadn't given them much other thought.

At least during the Civil War, their policies were generally favorable to smuggling and the black market. They have dealings with others in the galaxy, obviously, and are clearly aware of what's going on in the Empire/Republic. They just eschew group politics.

They do live on spaceships and stations, with a very few planetside outposts. Generally, tribe overlaps with spaceship - i.e. some tribes might have more than one ship but there wouldn't be more than one tribe on any given ship.


As far as the term “Un-sister,” good question. This is meant to be a direct translation of a Tilasan word and refers to one with whom there is a clan tie but who is neither a full or half-blood sibling. So if you look at the Tilasan delegation to Naboo, you’ll notice that Ashera’ and Nhala don’t share any parents, but they’re still part of the same sibling group. Thus, Nhala would be Ashera’s “Un-sister” according to the Tilasan way of thinking. Rather than in some Earth cultures (or more particularly religions) where the terms “Brother” and “Sister” are used to indicate membership in a group or a closeness to someone even when they aren’t actually a brother or sister, so to would the term “Un-sister,” in Nhala’s mind be placing Katya within a small circle of intimate individuals. It’s like calling her sister but with the added Tilasan linguistic acknowledgement that the person does not actually share a parent even though they share a level of loyalty equivalent to a blood sibling. Am I making any sense?

Well thanks for paying attention! It’s both. A- The ability to continue functioning deftly (moving smoothly, etc.) even with a broken limb is biological, while B- The overall downplay of the pain in front of another person is partly a cultural reaction and C- also personality.



And Kahara, please do add even if you haven't used the species much!

 

A problem with the SW EU is that nearly all spacehips that we know anything about are either tramp freighters, fighters or battle ships. The Firefly RPG gave us some larger ships that you could use as inspiration. F.ex. the Floating World Class cruise liner.

One possibility is that you could have some clans living in small fleets of tramp freighters and corvettes with each family manning their own ship.

 

The quarians are a nomadic species of humanoid aliens known for their skills with technology and synthetic intelligence. Since their homeworld Rannoch was conquered, the quarians live aboard the Migrant Fleet, a huge collection of starships that travel as a single fleet.

 

Wow, what a flurry of activity on this thread!

Raissa Baiard Great ideas for an avian species! I have plans to develop the Pineath at some point, but I'm not there yet.

Questions and comments about the Hoatzeri:

• I loved the jewellery idea! A few images popped in my head as I read your post: the neck rings used by Kayan women and the beaded "necklaces" of the Maasai.
• Do you have any ideas on the type of government/political organisation this species would have? Did they join the Old Republic, where did they stand in the Clone Wars, etc.
• Are there any Hoatzeri Jedi?
• Wonderful creation myth Do they practice a religion?

Also, since you're talented with drawing and not only writing, will we get an illustration at some point?

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About the Kiffar

You will I just need to do some more digging/research. The kites idea was inspired from a Belgian comic series I used to read as a kid called Yoko Tsuno (which I highly recommend, by the way, the art is absolutely beautiful). In one of the stories there was this civilisation that generated power with wind turbines, and children had kites to charge their personal batteries. I tried Google Images but I wasn't able to find an illustration.

Just remembered too -- part of the clan thing is to re-use the same first names within a clan, to emphasise the sense of belonging. I need to add that to my post when I develop it.

Hmm, yes. I've been thinking of features that would distinguish the Kiffar from baseline Humans too but I didn't come up with anything. This is a good one.

You're right, according the Wook psychometry is a Force ability, but I seem to recall something in the EU that says that you don't need to be Force-sensitive to have that ability. Can't remember where though. If I ever find it again, I'll let you know.

I think that having variations of a Qukuuf to signify sub-clans makes sense. We're talking about the population of a whole planet, so a single clan would number millions of people. So I can easily imagine clan Vos being identified by yellow Qukuuf, but then the horizontal line across the face means Quinlan Vos's sub-clan, the vertical band means Tinté Vos's sub-clan, etc. Similarly, clan Moxla could have a variety of black patterns on the cheeks, clan Konshi different sizes and orientations of chevrons, etc. I'll include this above when I re-work my post.

‘qukuufening’


I'm not sold on the idea of human (or, well, Kiffar) bones being used as talismans in modern times -- that's the kind of thing I'd rather associate with a primitive culture like Jawas or Sand People. And more generally I find that bone wouldn't fit in Kiffar fashion (at least as depicted in canon, but if I wanted to drop everything from canon I would have invented a whole new species instead ). I could imagine something similar with amulets made from varieties of stone with a high metal content, that attracts lightning or something.

One idea I had about "qukuufening" (which is not related to the electrical storms) was that entire age classes receive their Qukuuf at the same time to signal the passage from infancy to childhood (the way the Nuer people of Sudan receive their facial markings as part of their initiation into adulthood.)

Why am I not surprised you'd casually come up with something like this? Make sure you include it in a future canon post about planets

Here again, I'm not entirely sold on the idea of the Guardians accepting non-Kiffar in their ranks, but that mainly has to do with my fanon of the Guardians as a secretive organisation.
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Thank you for the detailed anwers about the Tilasa, Viridian-Maiden !

You're making perfect sense Another question: did you draw inspiration from any real-life nomadic cultures for the Tilasa? Also, you said that they're into smuggling. Do they have a currency/economy of their own? I mentioned the Nuer above about the Kiffar, and it reminded me of tribes of cattle-herders from South Sudan that have unusual ways of defining family bonds and use their cows as a currency.

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Please do that [/quote]

 

Just a reminder that we are currently discussing fan-created/developed alien species on this thread (more here). We will keep this discussion open for another couple of weeks and everyone is welcome to participate, whether you choose to write a fanon post or not. Thank you to all who participated so far.

(You may of course write now a fanon post about something entirely different if you want to, or write a fanon post about an alien species anytime you want after this discussion is over.)

A reminder also for those who wrote fanon posts this month: please make sure that you integrate your answers to questions you were asked in your fanon post, so that this thread remains easy to navigate.

Carry on...

 

Species: Elellumiwi

@Raissa Baiard, here’s another species of avians to join your Hoatzeri. And I didn’t even know you would post those when I started on this. It was interesting to see the similarities and differences, since we derived them from slightly similar creatures. The Earth hoatzin looks like a feathered dinosaur too!

Content Note: As actual fanfic on this site requires a content warning for even such vague material, here’s forewarning that the “Culture & Society” section includes a brief mention that not all nesting pairs of this species are heterosexual.

Other: Answers to questions wil be added after the main article until I bother to integrate them into the main article.

3-15-15: Edited most content to fit under spoiler tags.

Name: Elellumiwi

Spoiler: SPOILS!

“eh-LEH-lloo-MIH-wih” -- Semi-standard translation; the full pronunciation includes species-specific gestures and vocalizations. See notes on the “ll” sound.*

The full species name means “spring leaves” in their primary language. Lelluim is a common short form and is often used as an adjective (ex: Lelluim microcircuitry, the Lelluim language, a Lelluim nest.)*

Biology & Appearance: Finch-sized sentient reptavians with a wingspan of about 9-13 inches. They have small claws attached to their wings, long tails, and a slightly elongated neck. In Earth terms, they look like a cross between a passerine bird and a small species of archaeopteryx (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeopteryx.) Feathered over the entire body except for their wing-claws and feet.

Spoiler: SPOILS

Mostly similar in plumage coloring to real-world European greenfinches (relatively plain yellow-gray/olive green birds -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_greenfinch.) However, males have a yellow-green and black crest on their heads and adults of both sexes have a long-feathered tail with black barred markings. The wings have bioluminescent eyespots (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyespot_(mimicry)) which are normally invisible but can be flashed via wing movements to startle enemies in the dark. Eye color is always a bright yellow-green.

Elellumiwi are able to fly and can continue on their course for surprisingly long distances. Their feet and wing-claws are adapted to a flexible hand-like form with opposable digits. They are capable of very fine manipulation of objects. An extra pair of digits on the upper-rear region of the foot takes care of perching and they can easily balance on one leg or upside-down while leaving their grasping digits free. They have extremely keen vision and can see in a spectrum beyond that of Humans. Their hearing is no better than average, and taste and smell are blunted – however, they are sensitive to sweet flavors.

Although Elellumiwi are omnivorous, most of their ideal diet consists of nuts, seeds, and fruits. They have an odd dental arrangement, with a seed-cracking beak tip at the end of a snout that contains both sharp, fine teeth typical of reptavians and flat grinding molars.

The natural life span is about 130-150 years.

Elellumiwi can understand and communicate well with other species, but maintain some avian and reptilian quirks. One unusual feature is their strong need for attachment. This sometimes causes them to go into a state of listlessness and eventually die if severed from their nest-group. Normally, this is a response to traumatic separations rather than voluntary and/or temporary ones. This severe reaction is not a universal, and some survive well in a solitary lifestyle, or form bonds with other species that substitute for the presence of a nest-group. Personality influences this greatly, but some of their favored companion species include: the Mrlssi, Twi’leks, Caamasi, certain Human cultures, Ithorians, Ayrou, Bimms, and Svivreni. Many carnivorous beings make them nervous, but Twi’leks have some linguistic and artistic similarities with the Elellumiwi and friendly individuals are likely to overcome this aversion.

The biological fertility of Elellumiwi is low. This is reinforced culturally because of the high demands of parenting multiple younglings per hatching. Most pair-bonded females will lay one clutch of 4 to 6 eggs in their long lifetime, though there are occasionally two or three nestings. Babies are hatched featherless and remain fairly helpless for a couple of years, maturing at a rate similar to Human children. There is no particular breeding season, though most parents aim to hatch their young in the gentler months of spring or summer if possible.

There are no records of Elellumiwi Jedi and the species has never been seen to demonstrate any Force abilities. At least one Jedi Healer who saw an ill Elellumiwi as a patient concluded that the reptavians have a normal store of latent Force that is uniquely directed: midi-chlorians congregate in their brain tissues, which allows them to store information and function as thinking beings in spite of their small size. This is unconfirmed and may have caused the revered Jedi Master Yoda to fall out of his Council chair laughing when reported, so take it with a grain of salt.

Homeworld: (Non-canon system and world.) Inner Rim, Zaric sector, Adain system*, Pemmirit.

Spoiler: SPOILS!

The four major continents are mainly made up of temperate forests and scrubland, though there are some tropical and arctic regions. These colder areas don’t take up as much of the landmass, however; the chilly poles are mostly covered by frozen oceans.

The Elellumiwi evolved on one of the many small island groups found off of the major continents, where they had no natural predators aside from sea-dwelling carnivores. They later spread to all the major landmasses and built numerous tree-cities. With the exception of some abandoned Imperial additions, Pemmirit looks uninhabited from space. Most of the Lelluim dwellings are so small and well-hidden that they are virtually invisible to the untrained eye.

History:

Spoiler: SPOILS!

The Elellumiwi had many wars in their earlier years, but developed a custom of trading younglings between the leading nests of their major divisions. This may have started with hostage kidnappings similar to the traditions of the Codru-Ji. Possibly because of the extremely strong parental instincts of the species, this worked a bit more thoroughly than it would for most beings and they became mostly peaceful.

The Lelluim civilization had developed to a mid-high technology level before they met with Duros spacefarers, and they formed profitable alliances with the Core – particularly with the Alderaanians and Caamasi. Pemmirit remained a relatively wealthy planet through most of the Old Republic era, thanks to the Lelluim expertise in creating minutely detailed technology and luxury items. They were somewhat isolationist and allowed few visitors below the planetary shields, but nurtured their chosen connections with care. The Caamasi and Ithorians were among the few species to be encouraged to maintain a presence on Pemmirit.

Lelluim inventors adapted their own technology to that used offworld and were highly successful in selling their many inventions. Their work was especially prized by the smaller sentients of the Galaxy, since it was often easy for them to use. Some Elellumiwi were also highly successful in architectural design, creating designs for beings of a variety of sizes that followed the efficient and artistic styles developed for their own structures.

The most major recent upheaval experienced by Lelluim society was the loss of many of their people when the Empire allowed them to be kidnapped and sold as “exotic pets.” Many of these enslaved Elellumiwi died due to stress or mistreatment and others became stranded in various corners of the Galaxy. In the end, only a few thousand were able to make their way home after the Empire’s defeat. Pemmirit joined the New Republic three years after the Battle of Endor. The Elellumiwi recovered much of their former glory and are considered a success story at rebuilding for species persecuted by the Empire. Nevertheless, many of the losses were irreplaceable and extinction remained a possibility for decades.

Culture & Society:

Language:

Spoiler: SPOILS!

All of the several existing Lelluim languages consist of birdsong-like vocalizations mixed with hissing and body movements. Most Elellumiwi can speak Basic and a variety of other tongues. Due to some quirk in their language-learning wiring, Elellumiwi have a particular talent for languages which they retain over the years rather than losing the ability to learn easily as most beings do. Although rarely found working as translators, they often prove to be excellent at the work.

Family & Living Spaces:

Spoiler: SPOILS!

An Elellumiwi’s family and social life revolves around their nest-group, which will be found in a community of dwellings that are constructed by hollowing out parts of a central tree (or trees) and weaving spider silk* platforms and balconies between. The majority of Elellumiwi form monogamous pair-bonds; this is partly instinctive but also a social custom. Most believe in a form of “soul mates”, a concept which is found in all forms of the Lelluim religion. Nest-groups are composed of a series of extended families who live in partitioned areas of the same tree.

Individual dwellings within the nest-group usually include a family with two pair-bonded parents, some children, and grandparents. Often one member of a clutch will be adopted by mutual agreement into a different family in the nest-group as their first child; this promotes bonding among the nest-group, eases the chaos of caring for up to six reptavian nestlings, and provides an older sibling to the younger brood if and when they appear. Pair-bonds are variable in composition, though male-female pairs are most frequent. Young “bachelor” groups of unpaired males or females* – often though not always separate – congregate in the dwellings in the highest branches (where they are considered a noisy nuisance and complained about by their elders.) Members of these unpaired groups range around the forested cityscapes socializing with others and are likely to migrate to nearby nest-groups after a process of courtship. Blood kinship is not always primary, and the aunts/uncles, cousins, and grandparents of a family often include nest-group members who outlived – or have issues with – their blood families.

Offworld:

Spoiler: SPOILS!

Very few members of the species voluntarily travel offworld alone, but some come together to create “voyaging flocks” and go out into the spacelanes for fun or profit. During the Empire, young Elellumiwi were taught to be especially subtle in their dealings outside Pemmirit since there was a great risk of further endangering their homeworld. They are a somewhat obscure species, but well-known in technology circles for their expertise in micro-tech of all kinds.

The Elellumiwi have always been somewhat wary of outsiders, knowing full well that there are those who will judge them by their size and appearance. However, they remained close to the Caamasi and their allies and were well-versed in the history and languages of the Core worlds. This changed under the Empire, and there was a disconnection during the New Republic era – many had become xenophobic and wanted no contact with the dangers of the wider Galaxy, while others urged a stronger alliance with the New Republic. Some argued for a greater presence in the Galaxy on the grounds that their very obscurity was used against them by the Empire.

In spite of keeping out of the spotlight, the Elellumiwi have produced some great heroes and terrible stinkers on a Galactic scale. The dreaded warlord Londrak the Horrible proved not to be so terrifying after his prized “pet bird” (AKA the power behind the throne) ran afoul of a hungry pittin. Several voyaging flocks joined the Rebellion, though most of their exploits have remained shrouded in secrecy. Tinairo, known as “Birdy” to his Rebel teammates, was responsible for the demise of more than two dozen Star Destroyers in his brief career as a saboteur (regarding the construction of the ships, he is quoted as saying “it’s like the engineers wanted them to be destroyed by mice.”)

Government:

Spoiler: SPOILS!

The Lelluim government, with the exception of the Imperial era, has been democratically elected by the votes of the adult members of the species for thousands of years. Political processes are elaborate and described as “the most tedious slow-motion square dance you’ve ever seen” by witnesses. Also, “livened up only when the delegates gave up and began spitting namana fruit pits at each other.” Different areas on Pemmirit operate with a degree of independence from each other, but there is one central council.

Cuisine:

Spoiler: SPOILS!

Food is varied and contains many ingredients that were originally imported from offworld. For example, the Elellumiwi are one of the few species to successfully farm namana fruit outside of Bakura. And they put that in everything. Candies and sweet liquor made with fruit are both extremely popular. Staple dishes usually contain seeds or nuts. Insect crisps are a common junk food. Most dishes are cooked, although raw seeds are popular as a breakfast item. Cooking usually involves a sweetened glaze of some kind, often made using fruit or honey.

Religion:

Spoiler: SPOILS!

There are a number of variations on the most common Lelluim religion, but most have the same basics. They believe that the two basic nurturing forces of the universe, Mother Day and Father Night, created their species from the first leaves of a primordial Nest Tree. Elellumiwi astronomy was advanced enough to suggest a round world early in their development, so this became included in their concept of the cosmos. Pemmirit, its four moons, the sun, and the five other worlds in the system, are seen as eggs being cared for by Day and Night until they are ready to hatch. When this happens, those worlds and all life that has ever existed on Pemmirit will be transformed into a new state of existence. Different communities vary in how literally they take the religious ideas; some see it as highly symbolic, while others extend the traditional Lelluim cosmos to include a Galaxy of stars and worlds cared for by their deities.

Many religions from the outside Galaxy have at least a small following on Pemmirit, including the Cosmic Balance religion of Bakura and the Tyia of Revyia.

Music & Arts:

Spoiler: SPOILS!

Elellumiwi have the common avian fondness for music. The first thing a youngling hears is the voices of its caretakers crooning a nestling song. Music is highly prized at all levels of skill and most Elellumiwi compose and sing their own music at public gatherings throughout their lives. They are very proud of their musical traditions and consider them the species’ crowning artistic achievement outside of their micro-technology. Other species generally beg to differ and find the sound unpleasant. While the Lelluim language is very song-like in tone (as perceived by most beings), actual Lelluim singing includes a lot of rasping noises and clicks that differentiate it from ordinary speaking. A typical concert was described as “dry twigs and rocks rattling around in an unsecured freight container” by a Human offworlder who reported that the strongest effect the music had on her was an irresistible urge to go check on the cargo bay of her ship. The Ayrou are an exception and consider Lelluim music to be among the most beautiful in existence.

Dance is also vital to the Lelluim arts and often happens along with musical performances. It’s not uncommon to see an Elellumiwi of any age prancing around to the music played through their earbuds – personal music devices are one of their specialties and they take full advantage of the availability of the technology.

The writing system developed a long time ago, so there is a strong tradition of literature. Some portions of this have been recovered from backups or hidden troves, though much was destroyed.

Micro-circuitry, robotics, programming, and many other “technical” things are also considered to be works of art.

Technology:

Spoiler: SPOILS!

The Elellumiwi had a long tradition of maintaining a highly advanced micro-tech industry during the Old Republic. This was suppressed during the Empire, but much of the knowledge survived and new companies sprouted up during the New Republic.

Agriculture & Crafts:

Spoiler: SPOILS!

Most Lelluim agriculture is based on the cultivation of food-bearing trees and seed-bearing plants. Many kinds of Pemmirit trees with edible fruits and nuts were domesticated and bred to produce larger food items. Seed plants were first scattered in fields without much care given to their growth, but some (very small) spade and plow technology was created over time. New trees and plants have been brought by trade and cultivated since first contact with the Duros. Grafting multiple different kinds of branches onto the same tree is considered an art form and skilled tree-grafters compete to make their prized trees produce dozens of different crops.

Domesticated animals are fewer in number. They include: ten species and over seventy breeds of silk spider, several cricket and cicada-like insect species used as food, the sugarplum ipka* (a round-bodied lagomorph often kept as a pet but also farmed for its plush violet-gray fur and unusually sweet-tasting meat), and the tiaseb (gliding marsupials* about 1.5 meters long which are trained as pack animals and riding creatures; they are beloved companions – in contrast to the ipka, eating one is unthinkable.)

Metal-working was once a tricky feat due to the small size of the Elellumiwi. The tiaseb were often used to move heavy objects and materials as necessary for smelting and processing metals. Droids were eventually invented to take over the heavy lifting. In spite of these improvements, much of the metal used in Lelluim technology is imported from offworld and has been for many centuries.

Clothing is not considered necessary for modesty purposes, but the Elellumiwi do create and wear clothing at times. The purpose of garments mainly tends to be decorative (ex: colorful leaf-and-silk streamers are attached to the wings and tail in many courtship dances) or practical (ex: ipka fur shawls worn in the winter to stay warm.) Spider silk is a common material, as are leaves. The leaves have to be cured with chemicals to make them durable enough for some amount of wear.

Notes

Spoiler: SPOILS!

1. The “ll” is meant to be pronounced similarly to the “ll” in Welsh, which sounds a bit like a “hl” to me but that may not be accurate as I’m not a native speaker. You can hear samples of some varied pronunciations of that sound here: http://www.forvo.com/search/Llyn/ .
2. The difference between the species name and the adjective was inspired by a conversation that I saw on a Resource thread – possibly between Viridian-Maiden and Findswoman. Anyway, they mentioned how different forms of a word are often not just shortenings or different endings. Fun!
3. Adain system -- from Welsh for “wing.” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/adain)
4. Spider silk usage in the real world (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_silk#Human_uses)
5. Bachelor herds (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_herd)
6. To learn more about the phenomenon of birds getting plastered on “alcohol” (normally fermented berries), see here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/12/141203-drunk-birds-animals-science-winter-global-warming/.
7. Ipka – modeled on the pika (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pika), which is unbearably cute. I wouldn’t eat one, personally.
8. Tiaseb – based on sugar gliders, though they are much larger than the real thing. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_glider)

*The government and technology sections are the most neglected portions, I know. Still pretty vague on their early history as well.

Answers to Chyntuck's questions (re: other species on homeworld, migration, architecture):

Spoiler: SPOILS!

Mostly correct. There's no other sentient native life. During the Republic, there were small communities of Ithorians and Caamasi that had been invited to make their homes on Pemmirit. My vaguely-developed theory is that they are very astute in their observations, and a lot of their policies were based on the desire to keep their species from being exploited by the larger and more powerful beings of the Galaxy. So they acquired planetary shields as quickly as possible and never encouraged large settlements, particularly of Humans (because you can't trust those barves.)

Once the GFFA knew they were there and vice versa, some flocks were sent out to gather information (hiding in ships and hitch-hiking, mostly.) They assessed the politics out in the Republic and chose to cultivate the Caamasi as their primary allies based on their ethical, gentle nature and powerful political clout (and also, my fanon is that the Caamasi were really prominent advocates for newly-discovered species -- to go along with the canonical reputation as peacemakers and the fact that in many languages their name is said to mean "friend.")

The Ithorian settlements dwindled during the Clone Wars because many of them were summoned to aid their origin herdships on Ithor (another fanon: Ithorians retain a religious and political fealty to the herdship their ancestors lived in, even if they were born elsewhere.) Some returned much later, after the destruction of Ithor in the Vong War. Elellumiwi stranded offworld during the Empire often sought help from the Ithorians and certain familiar herdships often served as a sanctuary.

After Alderaan, many Caamasi were looking to avoid Imperial attention entirely, and the small group on Pemmirit expanded quickly. It became one of the main settlements of the Caamasi Remnant. In keeping with their old ties, the Elellumiwi have protected and aided the Caamasi in this project. Some of the more extreme Lelluim isolationists are bothered by this, but most consider it a fair gesture to a species that helped them thrive in the Galaxy.

(Re: architecture) None really close, but I'd love to find some. What I've pictured is something kind of like a technicolor kitsch-decorated hobbit hole "indoors" (inside the trees) and a lot of spider silk structures outside. The picture in my mind is kind of like an earth-toned aurora borealis made out of very beautiful tapestries, with some wood and metal supports and furniture here and there. Inside, they go wild with the colors -- they really like blue and other bright hues, much like bowerbirds. They don't mind a little clutter and tend to amass a lot of stuff. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satin_bowerbird) I think they may have just a spider silk ceiling (a bit see-through) during summer and cover it up with plasteel or other materials in the winter.

​

Depends on what they're doing, but generally it's hard for them to successfully establish a colony offworld. Between their low reproductive rate and the psychological preference for being near a really big community if at all possible, it's just really hard for the Elellumiwi to transplant themselves in any great numbers. There was at least one herdship that amassed a significant Lelluim nesting population during the Empire, and that one did remain at least semi-permanent for decades.

In general, being offworld is preferred to be temporary and tends to be for doing/earning/learning something that you'll eventually bring home -- though there are always exceptions, especially with those who bond with some offworlder group. For example, I could see one working for Talon Karrde's organization quite happily, given the right conditions.

Re: suggestion of Earthships as a model for the dwellings:

@Chyntuck, the Earthships look really neat. The exterior may not look much like the Elellumiwi dwellings, but I'm betting that the interior under all the decoration and such could be built on a similar line to the Nautilus thing. The efficient processing and low impact are things that they'd appreciate greatly, since they are very dependent on having healthy forests.

Answers to Gamiel's questions (re: weapons):

Spoiler: SPOILS!

​

I have been considering what kind of weapons they would use -- as you say, even the smallest of blasters might be a bit heavy for them. Though I could see an unconventional Elellumiwi using a small blaster modified for their grip (after all, humans will lug around surprisingly large and inconvenient weapons too!) Generally speaking, I think most do not carry or use weapons at all (sociology that I will probably add to the main post); it's more common if they travel offworld, however. I've been thinking that they might use some kind of small shock-grenades, maybe small gas or soporific substance pellets, or indeed some kind of dart weapon. Probably a very techy one. Another possibility is some kind of spiderweb-based spray net -- something a little like a Stokhli stick.

 

Raissa Baiard do you know of the character Leelagaleenileeleenoleela a.k.a. Legs from Schlock Mercenary? She belongs to another flightless avian species with strong legs who still have some flight instinct left, something that makes her a natural parkour traceuse.
Do the Hoatzeri have any group/species that they have prejudice to? Any unique superstitions? Is there a kind of technology/gadget that they don’t have/use or is unique to them?

the problem is that Tinté's and Kurlin's qukuuf look nothing like the standard Vos and I just feel that a sub-clan should have a variation of the standard pathern. When it comes to Droo so was my theory that she was married into the Vos clan and there for the difference in design.

I am of a different opinion, there have always been people in all kinds of civilisations that have felt a need to have something to give them extra protection and I meant that it was only small groups among the kiffars who believed in the power of “thunder-bones”.

Interesting idea.

When it comes to the nautolan Guardians so was my idea that they begun to recruit them becous there was just to hard for the kiffars to uphold the law below the sea, it was a decision of necessity. The nautolan are ritually adopted into one of the clans on Rokovoko and even given an qukuuf.
The non Rokovoko kiffars have an tendency to distrust and look down on the nautolan Guardians, something that often makes the few nautolan guardians who leave Rokovoko return rather quickly.

Adding to Rokovoko: lesser crimes that don’t send you to Kiffex is usually punished with community service at any of the fishing ships, seaweed-, clam farms, or similar.
Rokovoko main exports are foodstuff and handmade wood-, coral- and boneworks.


And a new planet for Kiffar sector: Tashtego is world whose axial tilt create extreme seasons and those extreme seasons create extreme weather, weather that all to often end in lightning storms. Earlier explorers had found Tashtego unfith for colonising because of this, not the kiffar, to them they had finally found a planet that felt like home.
Tashtego have six continent, covered in tundra in the areas where the seasons creat continual sun in the summer and darkness in the winter, in the areas between so are mostly thick forests and swamps covering the land.
The cities on Tashtego are built on, and in, primary rock, often at the mountain side or in areas that often is blessed by lightning storms. Where it is possible so are the cities connected by underground bullet-trains.
There exist a larger population of non-kiffars who are mostly farmers, workers and lower middleclass.
The last decades the Tashtego government have had problem with an religious cult who worship an pantheon of gods, the highest being the fertility goddess known, at least by the non-members, as the Black Mother which is also is the reason they are called ‘the Black Church’. The cult was declared illegal after showing subversive tendencies and one too many “accidental” deaths happened at their bacchanalian holy rites.
After being declared illegal so did the member go into hiding, either in the cities or in the wilderness. What makes the Black Church more then a minor threat is that they seem able to control the shibacks – a treelike monster with branch like tentacles (or is it tentacle like branches?), its roots ending in hooves, and trunk have numerous drooling maws – who usually live in the deepest forest and swamps and seldom wander into open land. The Guardians have come to the conclusion that it is most likely that the Black Church have Force users among their ranks but as of yet [yet can be anytime before the jedi purge or after the creation of Luke’s order if any of you want to use it in a story] have not contacted the jedi since that would mean that they admit that they can not do their job.
Tashtego main exports are woodstuff and minirals (most which are mined in the areas who have periodes of eternal darkness/sun) and have of lately become well-known in food circles for its flamboyant chefs who cock the meals fully visible for the guests and with much showmanship.

Also adding: Kiffar sector = an geographical area that share the same sector senator and administration; Kiffar space = all planets where the Kiffar government is highly influential.


I will add this at a later date to my main post.

 

The idea was mostly that a guardian animal have a tendency to be rather aggressive against people it don't know (just look at dogs) and the worrites needed something to make them presentable in new environments without attacking the host or her people.

I like this idea, it dose not fit with the way Korto Vos get his qukuuf but we can say that Quinlan is just as an unorthodox kiffar as a jedi.

Kahara you description of Elellumiwi is so detailed that I don't really have any questions. Regarding technology so can I see blasters being hard to make small enough to not count as heavy weapons for the Elellumiwi so maybe they use weapons like dart guns, whose projectiles could be dipped in poison.

I have also updated my main post http://boards.theforce.net/threads/...d-alien-species.50024318/page-2#post-52007483

TrakNar can you spot the Lovecraft reference?

 

Personally I would use layfolks/-people/-gands intead of seculars since I associate secular with non-believer.

Yes.

One possible way for a findsman to go bad is that he allows the blood hunt to overtake him. One who only follow the holy rites when it fits him in his hunt or worse use blaspheme versions of them. One who no longer is findsman but a bloodhunter.

* Here are some techniques/skills that I believe could be among the findsmen’s bag of tricks.
- Mist sense: as long as the findsman is a reasonably tick mist so do he have a seventh sense comparable to radar that works in all directions. The range of the radar varies depending on the mastery of the Mist sense.
- Mist shaping: the findsman is capable of creating shapes and falls moments in the mist around him, he is also able to make the mist ticker or thinner, but not dispel it.
- Summon mist: as long as the air condition allows it so is the findsman able to call upon a mist that fills the area before/around him. This technique was not developed by the findsmen until after they left Gand and found worlds not within the mist.
- Findsmans mark: by touching a person/object and concentrating the findsman leaves a “mark” on the person/object that the findsman can follow anywhere in the galaxy. Worth to remember is that just because the findsman know in which direction to go don’t mean he knows how to get there.
- Mist step: a legendary technique that is supposed to make it possible for a findsman to make a short range (or long range for the truly legendary findsmen) teleportation, usually just 3-5 m, as long as he appear in the same mist bank as he disappeared from. May be a variation of Shadow step in which case we should be thankful it is now a legendary ability. [Shadow step allows one to do a short range teleportation by for an instant stepping outside the normal reality and then repapering where she wanted. The problem is that there are things in the outer reality and in that instant the adept is there she is fully open for possession or being used for a piggyback into our reality.]

I like the musicbox idea and I can actually see it being an common item among the spacefaring findsmen, something handmade and traditional to remind them of home.

Suggestions of things/weapons that could be useful for findsmen: bolas, glue rifle, net launcher, dart gun (for sleeping and tracking darts), mist grenades, gas grenades, tracking/hunting animals, sodegarami, sasumata, jitte, taser rifles and whatever the weapon Flint Shrubwood used is called.

 

Sorry for the double post but I thought this deserved a new post

Other examples of alternative technology are Disney's Gummi Bears; Okko (mostly standard samurai japan tech but the exo-bunraku is a real game changer); most European fantasy comics settings; most steam- and dieselpunk that don't just use the aesthetics; the Gungans; etc. - I am open for suggestions on other alternative technology settings

--------

One thing Fantasy Flight Games' Warhammer 40k RPG books are masters of are creating weapons/items/gear that are full of culture/character, they may not be the best or most useful but you want your character to have them just because of how personal they are. For inspiration for my fellow posters here I have copied some of the items from some of the books that FFG have published.

Spoiler

 

I updated my post about the Kiffar.

-------------------------------------------------

Gamiel I saw that you were asking about Kiffar architecture a few days back and there's a tidbit that might be interesting for you.

Also, a question: you said that clans Kas' and Vel are canon, where did you find them?

About Worrite culture, I think a few ideas you may want to explore is the social organisation of RL insect societies. Are the Worrite organised like RL ants, for instance, with a queen, workers, etc? What would their creation/origins myth be? Also, since they rely on biotechnology, what value do they place on individual lives/life as a whole?

Oh, and thanks for the FFG weapons list. That's a useful resource (we'll have a discussion about weapons etc on this thread at some point in the future.)

-----------------------------------------------

Viridian-Maiden Just FYI

I'm not very knowledgeable about GFFA geography either, but I know that Sullust is not too far away from Endor (there's something Vader says about it in ROTJ), meaning way out in the Outer Rim, whereas Corellia is in the Core.

-----------------------------------------------

Kahara I loved the idea of a diminutive, super-smart tech-savvy species!

Am I correct to understand that there is no other sentient species on the Elellumiwi's homeworld, even immigrants/colonists?

Any RL sources of inspiration?

Do you imagine them to remain nomadic when they leave their homeworld, or do they establish colonies?

Oh, well, you know, there's also Gamorrean opera

------------------------------------------------------------

Findswoman Thank you for your detailed answers about the Gand. I need to go back to your fic before I ask any more questions because I expect some things will be clearer now, but I liked some of Gamiel's suggestions for specific Findsmen powers and I agree with him that small, handmade devices meant to remind travelling Gands of home (like copies of that ancient music box) would make sense, as Gands appear to be very attached to their home planet.

 

Kas - http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Maritan_Kas
Vel - http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sintas_Vel

When it comes to the worrite so was I more thinking along the line of the crustacean part of them being crustacean–insectoid hybrids - they are giant social lobsters .

One of the reasons for that they rely on biotechnology is that they are amphibians and lots of their original biotechnology originated from animals and plants that could survive both on land and in water, at least for a short time, which made it more effective before they had developed higher technology. And now when they have developed higher technology they still use the biotech since they continue to develop it and many time find it more useful, for them, to use then spend millions of credit on developing a fully technological solution. There is also that animals and plants can multiply without them having to fully understand how they work and build a factory.
I see the worrite, at least their "engineers", as having a tendency to look at what exist in the galaxy and thinking "How can I use that". There is probably more then one less empathic worrite who have looked at the sentients they have meet and thought about how to best make lobotomised thralls out of them.
Something I plan to add in the future are coral based blades, and phosphorus algea.

If people are interested so can I copy more from FFG's WH40k book, what I posted was mostly just from the human cultures and there are some strange weapons and items among the non-human items. Of cores not all of them can easy fit into SW but they can serve as inspiration.

 

Viridian-Maiden,

I really like the thought you've put into the Tilasan family and social life here. It feels very realistically un-Earthly while still retaining a "human" emotional resonance. Thanks for answering my question about the pain thing, by the way. Out of further curiosity, is the social component of suppressing pain more of a personal pride and appearance or a mustn't-upset-or-frighten-the-group kind of thing?

Gamiel,

I have been considering what kind of weapons they would use -- as you say, even the smallest of blasters might be a bit heavy for them. Though I could see an unconventional Elellumiwi using a small blaster modified for their grip (after all, humans will lug around surprisingly large and inconvenient weapons too!) Generally speaking, I think most do not carry or use weapons at all (sociology that I will probably add to the main post); it's more common if they travel offworld, however. I've been thinking that they might use some kind of small shock-grenades, maybe small gas or soporific substance pellets, or indeed some kind of dart weapon. Probably a very techy one. Another possibility is some kind of spiderweb-based spray net -- something a little like a Stokhli stick.

Findswoman,

This is really cool! I seriously admire your ability to get into the Gand mindset and dig out the things that make them tick.


Chyntuck,

This makes for a great mental image -- I could see that being a major community event with the whole clan (or clans if they do it as a group) showing up to watch.


Re: the Elellumiwi

Thanks, I had a lot of fun with the idea. My mental picture of them is... well, cute. Though the term would likely be a mortal insult since they're quite protective of their dignity. Anyway, I have a soft spot for aliens who aren't entirely as they first appear.

Mostly correct. There's no other sentient native life. During the Republic, there were small communities of Ithorians and Caamasi that had been invited to make their homes on Pemmirit. My vaguely-developed theory is that they are very astute in their observations, and a lot of their policies were based on the desire to keep their species from being exploited by the larger and more powerful beings of the Galaxy. So they acquired planetary shields as quickly as possible and never encouraged large settlements, particularly of Humans (because you can't trust those barves.)

Once the GFFA knew they were there and vice versa, some flocks were sent out to gather information (hiding in ships and hitch-hiking, mostly.) They assessed the politics out in the Republic and chose to cultivate the Caamasi as their primary allies based on their ethical, gentle nature and powerful political clout (and also, my fanon is that the Caamasi were really prominent advocates for newly-discovered species -- to go along with the canonical reputation as peacemakers and the fact that in many languages their name is said to mean "friend.")

The Ithorian settlements dwindled during the Clone Wars because many of them were summoned to aid their origin herdships on Ithor (another fanon: Ithorians retain a religious and political fealty to the herdship their ancestors lived in, even if they were born elsewhere.) Some returned much later, after the destruction of Ithor in the Vong War. Elellumiwi stranded offworld during the Empire often sought help from the Ithorians and certain familiar herdships often served as a sanctuary.

After Alderaan, many Caamasi were looking to avoid Imperial attention entirely, and the small group on Pemmirit expanded quickly. It became one of the main settlements of the Caamasi Remnant. In keeping with their old ties, the Elellumiwi have protected and aided the Caamasi in this project. Some of the more extreme Lelluim isolationists are bothered by this, but most consider it a fair gesture to a species that helped them thrive in the Galaxy.

(Re: architecture) None really close, but I'd love to find some. What I've pictured is something kind of like a technicolor kitsch-decorated hobbit hole "indoors" (inside the trees) and a lot of spider silk structures outside. The picture in my mind is kind of like an earth-toned aurora borealis made out of very beautiful tapestries, with some wood and metal supports and furniture here and there. Inside, they go wild with the colors -- they really like blue and other bright hues, much like bowerbirds. They don't mind a little clutter and tend to amass a lot of stuff. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satin_bowerbird) I think they may have just a spider silk ceiling (a bit see-through) during summer and cover it up with plasteel or other materials in the winter.

Depends on what they're doing, but generally it's hard for them to successfully establish a colony offworld. Between their low reproductive rate and the psychological preference for being near a really big community if at all possible, it's just really hard for the Elellumiwi to transplant themselves in any great numbers. There was at least one herdship that amassed a significant Lelluim nesting population during the Empire, and that one did remain at least semi-permanent for decades.

In general, being offworld is preferred to be temporary and tends to be for doing/earning/learning something that you'll eventually bring home -- though there are always exceptions, especially with those who bond with some offworlder group. For example, I could see one working for Talon Karrde's organization quite happily, given the right conditions.

Question to the sock: I've appended these answers to the main article. Does their appearance here constitute clutter? Would putting them under a spoiler-cut here be better? Still trying to figure out how to get this right...

 

The mini-Stokhli stick sounds great. Given their size, I was also thinking that they could use some sort of technologically-enhanced sling (perhaps for the gas pellets you mentioned?)

Have you ever heard of Earthships? No, it's not a SW thing , Earthships are a type of RL construction that aims at reducing the human footprint on the environment to virtually zero, so they're made of recycled materials and they have entirely self-contained systems for water, waste, electricity, etc. For some undefinable reason, the Elellumiwi made me think of the Nautilus model:

Spoiler

 

If there were a way to do this right, we would have told you Honestly, whatever format you're comfortable with for your fanon post is fine as long as all the important information is in one place in the end, so that we can keep the index up to date. As for answering questions in a new post, that's perfectly acceptable because the discussion helps us all come up with new ideas, so no, it's not clutter at all The one-fanon-post-a-month limit is meant to maintain a degree of coherence that we thought was necessary given the purpose of this thread, but it's not supposed to hamper discussion.

 

I have created alien species for my numerous fics

The species I have used most is the Dunai elder and their descendants the Dunai (a mix of human and Dunai elder)


Dunai elder: lifespan of up to 990 years. Fertility begins as early as 50 with 690 as the upper limit to get children. But the Dunai elder have only a few fertile years with an offspring of four children at the most.
Form bond of the soul when they meet their partner.
All Dunai elder are Force sensitive but only a few of them were given to the Jedi. Dunai elder met humans and their descendants became the Dunai with a life span of about 260 years or more depending on the amount of Dunai elder in their ancestry.
They live on Moniron (mostly)

One of the leaders of the Dunai-elder
Jasir Ere-Dun and his sister the Jedi-knight Master Fay

More about Moniron
Moniron
System: Moniron nebulae

Location: Few days travel in hyperspace from the core, outer rim. Errased from the star charts by Darth Vader four years after his rise to power

Details: Moniron is the third planet in the Moniron system. Moniron revolves around a sun and has one moon. The planet is not large (about the size of Earth) and lush. Has four continents separated by seas. Names: Aarga, Rhova, Monira and Harada. Aarga is the most developed part and has some large cities and the capital Monir. Most settlers from other planets are on that continent. Rhova is the home continent of the natives of Moniron, the Dunai elder.
The planet has two snowcapped polar regions.
Moniron is difficult to travel to because of the nebulae that errodes the drive. Coming from Moniron the drive needs an overhaul.

Climate: like earth: all kinds of terrain: woods and lush green hills and fauna. The planet experiences four seasons.

First discovery: by the Sheir-Irel from Irellion. In 200.000 bby they guided a race of long lived humanoids – discovered on Dunai – to Moniron after discovering that the Dunai sun was about to go supernova.
Sheir-Irel were able to get offspring with Dunai elder. Pointed ears and luminescent patterns come from Sheir-Irel genes.


Main Industry: agricultural and main export: Husans a horse-like creature.

Fauna: Falgans, Monir birds, Aaquilin Rhovanian, Aaquilin Kaaginha, Kerebuy hawk, Konjy, husan, Darrin (extinct)

Flora: Gwalion tree, nenya flowers

Context in which the planet appears: Two Jedi-healers come from Moniron (time of prequels and Yoda’s lightsaber ends up on Moniron. Moniron becomes the place for the new Jedi-healers academy.

Continents:
Aarga: Monir (capital) Moneyna (small village)
Harada: Haradan (capital)
Monira: Rondor (capital) Noranan (city with large hospital and harbor)
Rhova: Rhonda, Mitrinna, Safinaz, Eled-Hir, Ere-Dun

Colonies:
Bor Rhimmol
After learning about spacetravel from the Sheir-Irel guardians Dunai elder moved early in their history to Bor Rhimmol and formed a colony there interbreeding with the humans.
Bor Rhimmol humans are the same as Dunai with varied amounts of Dunai elder in their ancestry. All are more or less Force sensitive and about a thousand years ago (after the Ruusan transformation) the humans of Bor Rhimmol became xenophobic of Force sensitives.
The Dunai could continue to live on Bor Rhimmol because of their living in small rural communities and whenever they could, they travelled to other planets or back to Moniron.

Lingala
Lingala was the second planet to be colonized by Dunai elder and stayed for the Dunai friendly when humans came. Many Dunai live on that planet. Is after the Jedi purge protected by buoys.

Irellion
Irellion was a Dunai elder colony until the planet was abandoned after the Dunai elder leader Jasaran Arovan had a meeting with the Sheir-Irel, the original inhabitants of Irellion.
Irellion was destroyed by Dooku.
The Sheir-Irel continue to protect their descendants the Lingalans, Ceitans and Falgans. They are responsible for the bioluminescent patterns in the skin of Falgans, Ceitans, Lingalans, Varankonin and Dunai elder.
40.000 bby first pairing of Sheir-Irel and Ceitans
50.000 bby first pairing of Sheir-Irel and Varankonin
55.000 bby first pairing of Sheir-Irel and Lingalans
200.000 bby first pairing of Sheir-Irel and Dunai elder
200.000 bby first pairing of Sheir-Irel and Falgans

Varanko
Homeplanet of Ceitans and Varankonin and Dunai colony.
Sheir-Irel are the ancestors of Ceitans and Varankonin and taught their offspring to use the light side of the Force.

Varankonin. They – being grey skinned, grey haired and sporting grey eyes – were the name-giver to the planet with their language and the word ‘Varan’ meaning grey and ‘Konin’ one of the words describing the bioluminescent patterns seen on the grey skin when it was dark and natural or artificial light was shining on the skin.

Ceitans were humanoid in appearance with hairless blue black skin and tiny scales covering that skin. Rather flat noses – shared with Varankonin and Sheir-Irel – had two tiny nostrils that could be closed when swimming under water. A large lung capacity and blood that could store oxygen very efficiently made it possible for a Ceitan to stay submerged for 10 minutes, more than enough to reach a depth of 20 metres and return. Ears were slightly pointed. Feet were webbed but hands sported rudimentary webs. They displayed even more luminescent patterns in the dark, an inheritance from the Sheir-Irel.
And when seeing the one that would become their bond-mate both species displayed patterns even in broad daylight.

Varanko was never visited by members of the Jedi and the entire Force sensitive population of Ceitans and Varankonin remained unknown to the Jedi.


A Ceitan

Unitiy on Moniron
By Dagnir Adaemeh 60.100 bby
Dagnir Adaemeh born 60.290 bby
Siga Adaemeh born 60.905 bby

The Moniron people were ready to use the Force to chase the Rakata away in 30.100 bby

An account of the unification is



http://boards.theforce.net/threads/anjii-el-unwari-boy-of-the-unity-mmm-challenge-beginnings-short-story-with-fanart-complete.50017526/]Anjii-el-unwari[/url]


Sheir-Irel

They are an aquatic species, now extinct and had their homeplanet Irellion
A picture of the Sheir-Irel



Added the answers to some questions

Some questions regarding the...

Dunai-elder:
How do they dress?
Originally they dressed like Master Fay but now the most basic things are in fashion, easy out-doors clothes.
Do they make their own spaceships? If yes how do they look? If no what shipping yard/s do they by from?
They get spaceships from the usual builders like on Kuat and Corellia
How do their architecture/s look like?
Architecture is natural materials and blending into the environment. They love nature
Any group/species that they have prejudice to?
Only the Sith but they are living quite isolated
Any unique superstitions?
None
Is there a kind of technology/gadget/items that they don’t have/use or is unique to them?
They had access to the whole galaxy and resources until Darth Vader errased Moniron from the star-charts.
Do they have an Force tradition of their own and if yes what is their philosophy and powers?
They are all Force sensitive and know to become one with the Force (or as they say ‘the eternity’) They can ‘see’ the ones in the eternity.
What kind of martial tradition do they have and what arms and armour do they use?
Dagnir Adaemeh united the tribes 60.100 bby. Before that the tribes were at war using swords and darrin as their mounts.


A picture of a darrin and Dunai elder warrior


Dunai:
Dunai are a mix of humans and Dunai elder and depending on the amount of Dunai elder blood they are almost the same as Dunai elder.

Varanko:
How do they dress?
Varankonin: like Dunai elder
Ceitans: a wetsuit or easy clothes
Do they make their own spaceships? If yes how do they look? If no what shipping yard/s do they by from?
They get spaceships from the usual builders like on Kuat and Corellia
How does their architecture/s look like?
Varankonin: buildings blending into the nature
Ceitans: natural caves with access to the sea by moonpool and access to land
Any group/species that they have prejudice to?
Sith
Any unique superstitions?
None
Is there a kind of technology/gadget/items that they don’t have/use or is unique to them?
Ceitans: almost never use scuba-gear
Do they have an Force tradition of their own and if yes what is their philosophy and powers?
Varankonin and Ceitans are Force sensitive and have learned from the Sheir-Irel.
Both species are peaceful and believe in the eternity
What kind of martial tradition do they have and what arms and armour do they use?
No martial tradition

Sheir-Irel:
How do their ruins look like?
Their planet Irellion was destroyed by Count Dooku when he set up the artifacts found by his mother and Jerec on Korriban (originally beloning to the Rakata) in one of the Sheir-Irel caves to make the Tetrahedron. (my story with that name) The Tetrahedron showed him the ultimate weapon (Death Star)
What kind of artefacts can be found on among them?
None
What kind of Force-techniques/secrets would a jedi/similar archaeologist find?
If a Jedi/archaeologist would have access to Moniron, Lingala, Varanko he would meet the offspring of the Sheir-Irel and learn about the eternity

questions Findswoman

Wow, what a lifespan—move over, Methuselah! I'd be curious to know about what ages are considered "childhood" and "adolescence" for the Dunai Elders. Are they considered "children" or "adolescents" the entire time before they reach their fertile period?

Dunai-elder and Dunai reach adulthood at the same time as humans and are called adults when they are 21. They just have to meet the right partner before falling in love and bonding.

I'd be curious to know more details about their indigenous force tradition centered around the Eternity.
Dunai elder learned from the Sheir-Irel about the ‘soul’ that is the essense of their being and passes into the eternity.

How did practitioners of that tradition regard those Dunai Elders who became Jedi?
Only two Jedi-masters visited Moniron and could take a Dunai elder child to be trained as a Jedi. Master Fay was with her older brother Jasir Ere-Dun the only survivor after an earthquake hit her village. Master Yoda was there to help and got the permission from Jasir to take his sister to Coruscant.
Master Glinis Ra-Ond and his apprentice Aaqu Maerhin rescued Kaagi and got permission from the Dunai elder leaders to take the child.
Aaqu Maerhin was given by his parents to the Jedi after a meeting between parents and Yoda.
Other Dunai elder and Dunai ending up as Jedi came from other planets. It was unknown to them that they were of the Dunai elder species until they ended up on Moniron.

Did they see their own tradition as compatible with the Jedi tradition or incompatible with it?Their tradition is different from the Jedi tradition

Finally, was there a particular reason Vader was so keen on erasing Moniron from the archives? Did he see the Dunai Elders (and their related species) as a particular threat, perhaps on account of their great Force sensitivity?
Vader was led to Moniron after discovering that Aaqu Maerhin had survived the purge. Aaqu was in a cabin in the wilderness and helping his father as a country doctor when guards from Jasir Ere-Dun came to get him to a safe place.
Jasir knew that the empire was coming.
Vader’s stormtroopers torched the cabin thinking that Aaqu was inside. They were given that illusion by the Dunai elder.
Vader – also influenced – saw the growing intense white light coming from the cabin and his heart began to beat rapidly before the life-support took over. He returned to the Exactor and – in his chamber – dreamt about slain children, the white light and hideous beings (Yuuzhan Vong) invading the galaxy and decided to errase Moniron from the archives.He didn't destroy the star-system after seeing the nebula and more thoughts about his powers. With the Death Star under his command he can decide to errase or not.

 

I have added a Spacer section to my main post and updated the Mandolrian section.

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Chyntuck

My idea for the origins of the Kiffar Guardians are that they begun as a combined law enforcement group and protective militia that then just grow until it become a planetary organisation, then a star system and then just continued to branch out until they become sector rangers.

When it comes to the size of the clans so do I picture most of the great clans not being larger then some thousand individuals, with some of the small once having less then a thousand members. When it comes to the lesser clans so can they vary in size from so small as around thirty individuals to being as large as the great clans. Regarding the clan politics so do I recommend reading the Bauhaus and Imperial fraction books from Mutant Chronicle RPG for some ideas. You can get the old edition of the books describing those fractions hereas pdf:s.
Also I recommend reading Tony Hillerman's Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels, the way he present the way the people in the Navajo Nation present each other, their genealogy, think and similar things should be of interest for anybody who want inspiration for a way of acting/thinking that is not "standard western".

Regarding not conductive materials so do I suggest something more like organic rubber or polygum (see my WH40K items post), there already exist so many fictive metals in SW but not enough organic materials.

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Raissa Baiard do you know of the jannoks? They are a kind of bird-human hybrids from, to my understanding, Australian mythology. They are incapable of natural flying but can whistle up dust devils in which they can ride. I suggest using jannok as a term for a kind of hoatzeri wizards (maybe Force user) that are masters of air and wind.

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Kahara to continue with the weapon I can see the elellumiwi use some kind of miniature automatic harpoon rifles which the harpoons being poison tipped. There is also that they could be using human sized mechas who can use standard weapons.

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Kahara
Findswoman
Something I can see both elellumiwi and gands use/create are something like the filament paper books from Dune

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earlybird-obi-wan I take it that the Dunai-elder are inspired by fantasy elfs.

Some questions regarding the...

Dunai-elder: How do they dress? Do they make their own spaceships? If yes how do they look? If no what shipping yard/s do they by from? How do their architecture/s look like? Any group/species that they have prejudice to? Any unique superstitions? Is there a kind of technology/gadget/items that they don’t have/use or is unique to them? Do they have an Force tradition of their own and if yes what is their philosophy and powers? What kind of martial tradition do they have and what arms and armour do they use?

Dunai: How do they dress? Do they make their own spaceships? If yes how do they look? If no what shipping yard/s do they by from? How do their architecture/s look like? Any group/species that they have prejudice to? Any unique superstitions? Is there a kind of technology/gadget/items that they don’t have/use or is unique to them? Do they have an Force tradition of their own and if yes what is their philosophy and powers? What kind of martial tradition do they have and what arms and armour do they use?

Varanko: How do they dress? Do they make their own spaceships? If yes how do they look? If no what shipping yard/s do they by from? How do their architecture/s look like? Any group/species that they have prejudice to? Any unique superstitions? Is there a kind of technology/gadget/items that they don’t have/use or is unique to them? Do they have an Force tradition of their own and if yes what is their philosophy and powers? What kind of martial tradition do they have and what arms and armour do they use?

Sheir-Irel: How do their ruins look like? What kind of artefacts can be found on among them? What kind of Force-techniques/secrets would a jedi/similar archaeologist find?

 

I take it that the Dunai-elder are inspired by fantasy elfs.
They were inspired by a clonewars comic with master Fay. I liked her and included her in my stories

Some questions regarding the species are added in the thread