Drinks(Alcoholic and non-alcoholic)

Bellinigransa
A spiced wine made from Deiu, with roots going back to Deiu’s mother planet, Ysonesse. There were two kinds of Bellinigransa: Pilgrim’s Elixir (originally served to pilgrims who made visits to every shrine of the mother goddess Lyorita) and Light of Najahal (created for the aristocracy, but was also given to newly created members of the Chatos Knighthood).

The wine had several different formulations, but the standard recipe had the following ingredients: Lyorita grapes, fulvum wheat chaff, Auriflamme honey, divinity pepper, and saffron extract.

(Real life origin: Derived from conditum)

Black Nerf
An ice cream float made from sweetened nerf milk ice cream and kola-flavored fizzyglug, served in a tall, frosted blossom glass.

(Real life origin: Derived from “black cow”, a term for an ice cream float, and the title of a Steely Dan song)

Breath of Heaven
A rare wine produced by the Order of Iziaka on Xaan Doro, made from Doroan rice.
Only twelve bottles a year were produced, which made the wine a very rare galactic commodity.

Breath of Heaven was rose-colored and filled with golden bubbles. The wine possessed the unique characteristic of having midichlorians that were contained within the Doroan rice and managed to survive the fermentation process. A Force sensitive individual was able to have brief visions of the future shortly after ingesting the wine.

(Real life origin: Expanded idea of a wine from Star Wars Galaxies)

Frozen Lassarine
A frozen dessert first created on Aeithera in12, 098 BBY that eventually became popular on many worlds in the galaxy.

The original recipe was fashioned by Es Coffier, the private chef of Princess Alisande Organa, who had become nostalgic for the alcoholic iced desserts that were popular among the upper class on her native Alderaan. Coffier experimented in the kitchens of Arkennine Palace to create a dessert that was very similar to those ices; his efforts proved successful when he combined crushed ice taken from the snow on the peaks of the Northern Mountains, Corellian white rum, white wine, juices from the citrus fruits limu and bergamine, champagne, and sugar syrup. The new creation was named “Lassarine”, in honor of the Alderaanian goddess of intuition. A modified version of the dessert emerged in the Republic Classic era, named “Frozen Lassarine”, which became the standard version served well into the New Republic era.

(Real life origin: Derived from Punch Romaine)

Kahve
A type of caf prepared by roasting unfiltered beans, then grounding them into a fine powder and boiling the grounds along with sugar in a small copper pot, then served in small cups. Kahve was a stronger stimulant than caf.

A premade version, Cyren Dark Star Kahve, was considered a popular beverage among university students, usually paired with reignets, or used alone as a hangover remedy.

A kahveon was a type of cafe where kahve was the predominant drink, although other types of caf and tea were served in this establishment.

(Real life origin: Derived from Turkish coffee)

Metsima
Metsima was a sweet liqueur, generally considered to be an apertif. It was made from an infusion of metsime berries, Ourano vanilla, sugar and various other ingredients depending upon the distributor. The liqueur came in various shades of blue, with the most popular variety being the ultramarine colored variety produced by the Harmonia Collective. Metsima is Vouroso's chief export, created by metsimarians who belonged to three collectives (Harmonia, Seven Rivers, and Oceanic Limited) run by the government that helped in the production and distribution of the liqueur across the galaxy.

One of the most successful metisimaries was Mfan Thio (which meant “the home of the power of clear light” in Vourosi), owned by the Giropos family.

(Real life: Name is loosely derived from retsina)

Salghren tea
A tea made from salghren root, which was predominantly used by pregnant human and humanoid women to help ease the symptoms of morning sickness.

(Real life origin: Derived from ginger root tea)

Tokaijay
A type of sweet wine originally from Alderaan, which later became a standard part of the standard upper class dinner menu on various Alderaani colony worlds including Aeithera.
It was most popular on Alderaan during the Republic Classic era, but remained a traditional part of official banquets on Aeithera well into the New Republic era.

(Real life origin: Derived from the Hungarian wines known as Tokaji)

Zeitgeist Brew
A standard top-shelf ale from the Corporate Sector, made by the Menarana Brewery Corporation. Each bottle was made from blue smokeglass, and imprinted with a gold and black label that only contains the name of the product on the front. Like many other consumer goods from the Sector, the labels for Zeitgeist Brew contained product information that can only be viewed in holographic form once the cap was removed.

Now, a mixed drink:

Cosmic Rose Shooter
A mixed drink created by Koury Vita during her stint as a bartender at the Opticsolar nightclub on Lacace. It was usually served in the club's trademark "Long Shot" glass, although it could also be placed into any kind of drinking vessel at the customer's request.

The Cosmic Rose Shooter was designed to be red on the bottom and white at the top.

Ingredients
Muja fruit juice
Ishi Tib cracked coconut cream
Corellian rum

Starshine special
Lyme's rose juice
Zherry

Certain substitutions could be made for any of the ingredients. Cracked coconut cream could be replaced with Arkanian sweet milk to provide an extra helping of alcohol to the shot. Coffeine liqueur could take the place of the rum to bring coffeine's mood-altering properties into the drink.

(Real life origin: Derived from the Cylon Shooter, a mixed drink created by the Sci-Fi Channel for a “behind-the-scenes” show about Battlestar Galactica).

FOOD

Bergamine
An orange-red citrus fruit grown on worlds including Vouroso. It was used in various industries from the comestic to the culinary, and was a primary ingredient in the dessert Frozen Lassarine.

(Real life origin: A combination of the bergamot orange and tangerine)

Kirim
A roasted meat dish made from Tapani boar. Kirim was considered a delicacy among the nobility of Tapani, but was also popular among other groups including the upper classes on Deiu.

Kriko
A game bird that originally came from Alderaan, but was eventually found on most planets in the galaxy. The bird was fed large quantities of grain to make it fatter and kept on large ranches, where it was allowed to roam freely until the end of its life. The birds were generally roasted or grilled, and are considered a delicacy.

(Real life origin: Derived from the capon)

Limu
A greenish-yellow citrus fruit grown on Savera. Five different varieties of the limu were produced, with three used for essential oil, a perfume additive, and as an ingredient in various dishes including Frozen Lassarine.

(Real life: Derived from the citron)

Rancor sauce
A relatively unpopular accompaniment to nerf nuggets. Made from the seed of the rualka plant, then mixed with black hole pepper and Barcarian claw salt.

Rancor sauce was generally considered repulsive because of its flavor, which was both too hot and too salty for the palates of most species, especially Humans.

(Real life origin: Kevin Hearne created Rancor sauce for his novel, Heir to the Jedi. He doesn’t mention the specific ingredients of the sauce, but it seems to be a substance that no one actually wants to eat, so I decided to come up with an ingredient combination that would be pretty disgusting).

Reignet
A type of pastry made with rianberries and topped with powdered sugar. Generally considered light and easy to digest, usually paired with kahve and considered a popular breakfast combination for university students.

(Real life origin: Derived from the New Orleans pastry beignet).

Rianberry
A purple-red berry with a tart flavor used in various recipes including rianberry muffins, which were a popular breakfast item.

Taio noodles
Noodles made from sura millet. Taio noodles were designed for easy consumption for beings with sensitive digestive tracts.

Thanatoberry
A blood red berry native to Ultraia, known for its sour taste. The berry was used in various culinary preparations including thanatoberry pie and wine. Thanatoberry juice was also used in the herbal tea version of sonhara, which was utilized in dreamwork.

Dried berries were strung on gold silk threads and placed over the altars at weddings to bless the couple with dreams of good fortune.

 

My second post of this month is about the Dunai elder language


Words in the Dunai elder language
Dunai = Basic
aanwar = accept
newa = actinic
dashin = armour
benir = beacon
rinin = begin
Tengwa = beyond
Moiran = black
umni = blue
Binhir = bonding
Anjii = boy
Moiran = dark
Kinna = daughter
ayan = deep
Aaquilin = eagle
Engwa = eternal
Engwari = eternity
Teng = eye
Lomin = flower
Aarani = forever
Gwalion = friend
smia = gift
verid = green
eledhir = healer
Husan = horselike mammal
tawtee = iridescent
Briku = kind of fruit
Konjy = kind of rodent
Ghenesin = kind of tree
Palant = kind of tree
Iron = land
Burzum = mask
Makyun = mountain
Nenya = name of flower
Gwalion = name of flower
ikraan = ocean
Mon = our
Moniron = our land
dashir = scales
Falgan = sea-mammal
Kin = son
Imdal = spirit
Atano = succes
shaik = teacher
Kawtun = terrible
arovan = travel
Tarba = tree
Unwari = unity
Nenya = white


A poem
Ghenesin tree planted for the eternity
Nenya flower and gwalion flower
White like the eternal soul
White like the eternal spirit
Eternity forever
Forever friends

Ghenesin tarba sonin el engwari
Nenya lomin e gwalion lomin
Nenya alt el engwa rhani
Nenya alt el engwa imdal
Engwari aarani
Aarani gwalion

 

Update 16 May 2015: Here are a few examples of Hutt dishes inspired from Lebanese cuisine (the idea came from the Q&A I had with Gamiel in the FFAMA thread in 2014, see below).

LEBNAN DISHES

Hom mousse – a popular savoury mousse made from hom beans and sesamum paste, both of which are ingredients of my invention (inspired from RL hummus)

Strained blue milk yoghurt with scry-mint (inspired from RL labneh as it is served in the Middle East)

Mutt ’abal – a spicier version of ghanuj (see below), made from mashed mutt pods (my invention) and sesamum paste (inspired from RL mutabbal)

Bababbb-harvested ghanuj – a dip made of mashed roasted vegetables harvested during the month of Bababbb in the Raspar system (inspired from RL baba ghanoush)

Taba oolleh – a salad made of taba leaves from the planet of Ool (inspired from RL tabbouleh)

Nerf-and-bantha shah-shliik – a main course of marinated, skewered meat (inspired from RL shashlik, which is another word for shish kebab)

Caramelised chyntuck rings – an instance of self-cannibalism and a shameless self-insert that has nothing to do with Lebanese food.

I elaborated on kahve, the GFFA version of Turkish coffee developed by leiamoody, to create boontaspice-flavoured kahve (inspired from RL cardamom-flavoured coffee), as well as the Pan-Galactic Kahve Society, which held a yearly competition for the Golden Roasting Award before the Clone Wars.

---

I need to make time for questions to leiamoody and earlybird-obi-wan and to dig out my notes on Old Kiffar, but DRL hasn't allowed for it so far. I remembered however that Gamiel grilled me (pun totally intended) about food when I was the FFAMA victim a while back, so I'm copying-pasting that Q&A below until I can come up with my fanon entry for this month.

 

He grilled all of us. Mmm...grilled humans.

 

I recommend that you skip the corellian, nothing but E-numbers and trans fats and their liver is completely kaputt.

 

Fanon on near-humans, human-cultures and multi-species cultures

Humans
* the spectrum of natural skin, eye and hair colour are much larger among Star Wars humans than among real live humans. This means that in my fanon so are all those groups that are classified as near-human but whose only difference from RL humans are that they have a skin/eye/hair colour that don't exist in RL are counted as human in the SW-verse. Calling somebody a near-human just because they have green skin is as racist as calling somebody with another skin colour than your own near-human in RL.
Things like glowing eyes, seeing in the ultraviolet spectrum, psychic powers, and similar are things that makes your group being classified as near-human.

Kiffar
* my Kiffar fanon have been moved to its own post

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Spacers
*Some spacers superstitions
- To have a spiritual person (jedi, priest, shaman, etc.) aboard your ship is bad fortune.
- To have a spiritual person (jedi, priest, shaman, etc.) aboard your ship is good fortune.
- Ships that have had their full crew killed is haunted, and need to be renaming and go through a long cleansing ritual to stop the haunting.
- A ships history shapes it character, know its history and you understand it quirks.
- A ship without a true name is a ship without loyalty, don't travel on one unless you absolutely have to.
- Cats/similar pet are good fortune.
- If your partner back home have the partner/sibling to your ship cat/similar pet there will be a bigger chance that you return home.
- People born in space become better spacers then people born on the ground.
- Killing a oswaft is really bad fortune, doubly so if it was a female with younglings.
- Leaving an offering of incense, flowers or a small handwritten poem at the base of the Monument to Lost Navigators on Koros Major is good fortune.
- Not leaving an offering at the base of the Monument to Lost Navigators when visiting Koros Major is bad fortune.
- Having a small statue, painting or similar of the Monument to Lost Navigators aboard your ship is good fortune.
- The captain is married to the ship, to take aboard another partner (if so for just a one-night stand) or having a husband/wife will make the ship jealous.
- To have a duinuogwuin aboard your ship is a high honour, threat it with the greatest of respect.
- Killing a duinuogwuin is a capital sin.
- Having a mummified mynock aboard the ship lessen the chances for mynock attacks.
- Carrying around mummified mynock parts lessen the chances for mynock attacks but not as much as a whole mynock would.
- Every spaceport have tales about ‘ships disappearing in hyperspace and sometime you hear stories about ‘ships that have been spited back out in to realspace, often years or decades later if not centuries. Components and parts from those ships are highly potent and are sought after by nachas, illtravellers, starseers and ship shamans.

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Jedi
* A group of three or more jedi are known as an unfortune. This supposedly comes from that anything that needs three jedi is unfortunate to have happened.

 

Grrr. The magic switch that extends days to 48 hours hasn't turned up yet, so I'll post my Dark Side Force ability known as Soul Drain and I'll be back later for questions and a post about food.

The canon abilities that I used as sources of inspiration for this are:

• Force Drain, the ability to use the Force to tap into the strengths of an organic target,
• Force Fear, the ability to cause one's opponent to collapse in panic,
• The Anzati's ability to absorb their prey's brain.

In issues 74-77 of the Star Wars: Republic comic series, titled collectively Siege of Saleucami, Dooku is shown to have recruited Anzati assassins to train his Morgukai clone warriors. The backstory I have added here is that Sidious and Dooku also wanted to learn a special skill from the Anzati, namely how to absorb the life energy of sentient beings in order to sustain themselves. The theory is that Dark Side Force users are consumed by the Dark Side over time, and that they need to gather more energy to themselves in order to remain alive and powerful. This was especially important for Sidious at this time, since he was still Chancellor Palpatine and could not afford to appear scarred or maimed by the Dark Side of the Force.

The skill that the Sith and they acolytes acquired from this alliance is Soul Drain. It is basically the same process as Anzati feeding, but strictly through the Force (i.e. without physical contact). The Dark Side user essentially invades his/her victim's mind and absorbs every aspect of their life energy. The stronger the emotions of the victim, the more powerful the energy absorbed by the perpetrator, therefore Dark Side users seek to effect this process slowly in order to allow the fear of the victim to intensify, thus enabling the perpetrator to gather more energy. The Dark Side user may also spread the process over several days for the same reason. At the end of the process, the victim is not physically dead but his/her mind is entirely gone, leaving him/her an empty shell of a body.

Soul Drain is of course even more efficient for the perpetrator when applied to a Force-sensitive or a person who has a connection of sorts to the Force. However, Dark Side users find it difficult to use Soul Drain against Jedi or other beings who have a strong connection to the Light Side of the Force. It is thought that, for Soul Drain to be possible, the victim must allow him/herself be overtaken by Dark Side emotions, otherwise the perpetrator will be repelled by the Light Side itself.

The Dark Side users who developed this skill before and during the siege of Saleucami got in a little over their heads when they started using Soul Drain against the Anzati themselves, who, as powerful Force users, were a target of choice. This was an obvious betrayal of the Sith/Separatist-Anzati alliance, and the Anzati placed a death mark on any Sith Acolyte who had used Soul Drain against an Anzat.

Known individuals to have been taught Soul Drain (other than Palpatine and Dooku) are Quinlan Vos and my OC Paraseel Malki. Vos however was never able to use it, because he never completely turned to the Dark Side.

 

Dreamwork

Dreamwork was a central practice of Ultraian folk medicine that utilized dream exploration to help diagnose, treat, and cure various psychological and spiritual ailments.

Dreamwork practitioners, known as aidents (the Ultraian word for “counselor”), generally did their work at temples called sonhariums, where patients (called “supplicants”) came in search of healing. Some aidents practiced independently in various settings for more personalized treatment options. But every aident was legally required to adhere to the traditional practices first established by the Guild of Counselors approximately 5,000 BBY. These guidelines included the following:

1. Every aident had to be registered with the government, who oversaw the sonhariums through the Guild of Counselors. Given the invasive and personal nature of dreamwork, it was considered necessary to regulate the practice.
2. Every aident had to undergo assessments every six months on their mental faculties to ensure they did not suffer from any psychological illness. Any Force sensitive aident was also required to undergo examination by a representative from the Jedi Order on a yearly basis to guarantee they were not contaminated by the Dark Side; this practice was discontinued shortly after the dissolution of the Old Republic.
3. All supplicants were screened for any violent or disordered personality traits that might create an uncontrollable dreamscape for the aident/supplicant, thus leading to possible injury or death.
4. Aidents were required to keep written records of their dreamwork sessions to be reviewed by the Guild, either according to a monthly/yearly schedule.

Sonhar, the dreaming herb
The use of sonhara was essential to the process of dreamwork. The sonhar herb was native to Ultraia, growing untamed in the valleys and mountains, but also cultivated in gardens. Sonhar herb possessed hallucinogenic properties and was utilized by aidents from the earliest recorded history. Every part of the herb was used to create the various preparations that were used to place aidents and supplicants into the dreaming state. The most common preparation was the drink called “sonhara”, made from ground-up sonhar herb, thanatoberry juice, and spring water. (Another method for ingestion was made from the leaves of the herb that were smoked through a water pipe). The sonhara or smokeable sonhar were first consumed by the supplicant, who began the process by going into the dreamscape to await the aident in a previously designated waiting space. The aident consumed their own version of the herb, then entered the dreamscape.

It was considered necessary to ingest either form of the sonhar herb in order to practice dreamwork. Some Force sensitive practitioners claimed to have the ability to enter another being’s dreams without the need for using the herb. This claim was never proven, due to the Guild’s insistence upon following tradition.

There were few side effects from long term, limited, and monitored use of the sonhar herb. Addiction was known to occur, but this had more to due with a predisposition to addiction than any properties of the herb. Short-term side effects included sleeplessness, headaches, nausea, and temporary memory loss (although this only occurred when used in higher doses than required).

Aidents
Aidents came from all backgrounds of life: native-born Ultraians, psychiatrists, psychologists, shamans, herbalists, even doctors in traditional medicine.

The process of becoming recognized to practice dreamwork involved a minimum of seven years formalized training, including two years apprenticeship to a senior aident.

Aidents had to enter the dreams of every member of the Guild before they were legally allowed to practice dreamwork. Seven individual sessions were conducted during which the counselor trainee entered into the dreamscape of each member, then engaged in a mock encounter session that followed a standardized treatment solution. If the aspiring dreamworker successfully passed all seven dream encounters, their name was entered into the Central Registry and they were licensed to practice dreamwork.

Experience of healing
Beings in search of treatment were referred to as “supplicants”. Only ailments of a psychological or spiritual nature could be healed through dreamwork; physical ailments required three-dimensional intervention that was impossible to access while placed within the nebulous realm of dreams. Supplicants either approached one of the twenty state-run sonhariums, or went to an independently run practice, which might include a small clinic or solo aident.

The supplicant had a consultation with the aident that usually lasted ninety minutes and included a written account of their particular situation along with a full physical and mental evaluation from their doctor(s). A treatment plan was established, including the number of sessions required to successfully resolve the supplicant’s problem.

Most supplicants traveled to the sonharium for in-house treatment, considering the actual number of sessions averaged around six. The first session was an introductory encounter in a neutral setting like a forest or a temple room filled with crystal spheres meant to represent the individual settings assigned to each treatment level. The amount of time allotted for treatment ranged from one to six weeks; in addition to the dream sessions, counseling was required to monitor the supplicant’s progress. Other treatment options included going to sacred wells or mineral springs and controlled diets.

The purpose of dreamwork was not to assign rote meanings to each supplicant’s dreams. Rather than utilize a stock compendium of common dream symbols, the aident would examine the personal circumstances of the supplicant and determine whatever component in each dream might mean. Sometimes it was necessary to consult the Tome of Universal Symbology, a volume of dream symbols with sections devoted to symbols that were in common in specific cultures.

While there were standardized settings for the introductory dream, the supplicant chose the settings for the other dreams in their treatment plan. The aident was given a list of settings and individuals the supplicant wished to focus upon, and it was their job to guide the supplicant. The intention of each session was to complete one or two steps that would put the supplicant closer to a cure.

 

With the current discussion on the Writers' Desk I thought I'd type up my notes about Funeral rites and traditions in the GFFA (links to canon/Legends info at the end of this post)

My starting point is that the two most common ways of disposing of a deceased being's remains are burial and cremation

On planets where access to the ground itself is difficult (e.g. Coruscant, Kashyyyk, Csilla) burial proper is not an option so the norm would have to be cremation. A further question in such situations would be what to do with the ashes and this is where there would be some pretty big cultural differences.

• I imagine some worlds as having a collective mausoleum where the urns are kept, enabling the friends and relatives of the deceased to visit and pay tribute when they so wish -- this would be the case on Csilla, where the Chiss have carved a mausoleum/temple into the ice where the urns are sorted by birth or adoptive family.
• On a planet like Coruscant, the norm would be that people have a special alcove in their homes where they keep the urns of their loved ones, and every few generations the ashes are taken and dispersed on the Manarai Mountains to make space for recent deaths. (The idea of people living with the dead is inspired from Cairo's City of the Dead). However, because Coruscant is home to so many different species, this custom would not be observed by everyone and beings of different cultures would proceed in different ways -- with the basic idea that there is no way a burial in the soil can be conducted.
• A culture like the Wookiees, who are depicted as being very close to nature, would choose to return the ashes of the deceased to their "natural" environment, i.e. disperse the ashes over the forest. In my Wookiee fanon this practice is called Ralyiikha and it is a necessary step to enable the passage of the soul to the Hunting Grounds of the Netherworld.

On planets where access to the ground is possible (e.g. Alderaan, Naboo, Corellia, Bellassa) either option -- burial or cremation -- could be available. Canon/Legends material describes a funerary procession followed by cremation and dispersal of the ashes as being the norm on Naboo. I kind of object to that, because the Naboo are described as being very attached to their homeworld, so having a graveyard of sorts or at least a place where you can go and pay tribute to the dead would make more sense to me in such a culture. This would also make sense on a world like Alderaan or Corellia.

I also imagine a sub-category to be worlds with an extremely harsh environment and/or nomadic populations, such as Tatooine or Hoth. In a place like Tatooine, where residents are either nomadic (Jawas, Sand People) or immigrated species with no particular attachment to the planet (Humans), the deceased's remains would be buried in the desert and eventually be lost as the wind shifts the dunes.

I would think that space burial is reserved for spacers in general (this would include crewmen on military ships) but it could also be a practice for nomadic spacefaring species (e.g. Viridian-Maiden's Tilasa)

Beyond burial and cremation, I can imagine some other options for alien species -- e.g. some insectoid species could eat their dead, or avian/aquatic species could abandon the corpses to carrion eaters. I haven't worked enough on alien species to flesh out these ideas, but it's an option that I'd like to explore at some point.

EDIT (at the request of Ewok Poet and thanks for the suggestion!) -- an example from Legends is that the Sacorrians used their moon, Sarcophagus, as a burial ground. An option deriving from this is that worlds could use their satellites (moons, asteroids or space stations) to keep the caskets/urns of the dead.

Some funerary practices I came up with in relation to the above:

• The use of a proper funeral pyre would be reserved for upper-class citizens on a world like Coruscant, because procuring wood and reserving a cremation hall is expensive. The poor use industrial-type incinerators and that takes a lot of the ceremonial aspect out of the equation.
• On the more developed worlds, preservation of the remains for the funeral is not so much of an issue as stasis caskets are widely available. On less developed worlds where seeing the deceased is acceptable, there would be various embalming techniques.
• Taboos regarding seeing or touching the dead would vary hugely between species and that would obviously affect the way in which a funeral is conducted. Some species/cultures would seek to make the body disappear as quickly as possible (by cremating it or by introducing some sort of flesh-eating slugs/beetles to devour it) whereas others seek to preserve it beyond death.
• On worlds that place value on their natural environment, the casket/urn could contain seeds, flowers, etc in addition to the body/ashes. Also, the ceremony would be conducted in a place that marks this relationship to nature, e.g. in a garden, a forest, etc.
• In the more aggressive cultures (e.g. Sand People), funerals could involve a form of sacrifice. This could be the slaughter of a being of another species or merely a gift of blood.
• The material used for tombstones/caskets/urns would depend on the environment and social class. For Wookiees for instance, I imagine the urn in which the ashes are collected to be made of stone -- this would be a valuable object as accessing the ground on Kashyyyk, and thus finding stones, is difficult, and families would keep the same urn for generations. However, when the ashes are to be dispersed, they are transferred to a wooden bowl that is carved for the individual who passed away, and that bowl is abandoned in the place where the ashes were dispersed.
• The colour of clothing worn in funerals depends on the species/culture and is often related to the environment -- for instance the Chiss wear white to symbolise the ice and snow. On planets such as Alderaan and Naboo I imagine that there would be lots of colourful plants/flowers.

(This post will be updated and restructured in the not-too-distant future)

Wook sources:
Funeral - also the Funerals category
Burial
Cremation
Theed Funeral Temple

 

Chyntuck - Can I make a request to add Sacorrian customs here?

On Sacorria, the burial ground is the planet's only moon, Sarcophagus. The reasons are quite....weird.
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sarcophagus

 

Here is the start of my fanon ideas. I've spent a lot of thought on Twi'lek culture, and I've begun to develop some Barolian ideas. So let's start with the Twi'leks! I've put the text under spoilers as it gets kind of lengthy.

Religion:
Twi’lek: (The Keeper of Memories - the link to this fic on TF.n is no longer working but I have reposted on another site.)
Like the culture itself, Twi’leki religion is male dominated. It is a faith of ancestor worship, and the family is aligned along a patriarchal line. The eldest male in the patriarchal line is the absolute leader of the clan.
Ancestor worship is common. Ancestors are believed to be actively involved in people’s lives, and they can control the fate of the person.

Spoiler: Family Organization

Family organization: Each family member is represented by a meticulously embroidered and beaded ribbon or sash, on which the member’s name is recorded. Each family member’s sash is incorporated into a clan banner. The location of the person’s name on the clan banner indicates the person’s status in the clan. Removal of the name from the banner is removal from the family. It is up to the discretion of the patriarch whether an individual’s name is added or removed, and his decision is final. (The patriarch also has the last word in removing a family member’s last (family) name, at which point the disgraced member has no clan to belong to and is on his/her own.)

Spoiler: Home worship

Home worship: Since the faith incorporates ancestor worship, each home has a small shrine in which copies of the home’s name banners are held. The doors of the cabinet of the shrine open, and the beaded name sashes hang on the interior of the doors. On the shelf of the cabinet is a small plate for offerings; a candle or incense holder; and strips of red ribbon, thread or other fabric (depending on the wealth of the family). To pray for a particular family member, the faithful unhooks the name sash and places it on the shelf of the shrine and then wraps the red ribbon around the hand (to promote mindfulness). At the conclusion of the prayer, the sash is hung back on the interior door, the items are placed back in the cabinet, and the cabinet is respectfully closed.

During the Imperial era, a cult of the worship of Aayla Secura emerged. This cult appealed to Twi’lek women, who admired the independence and intelligence of the Jedi. Her name, written in the beaded language, was often surreptitiously embedded into jewelry or clothing. Twi’lek men discouraged the worship of Secura as it encouraged independence and leadership among the women, but it was a powerful movement. The official story that Jedi Secura was a traitor who poisoned the wells of Felucia was not believed by her followers who interpreted the story as a metaphor for the constant attempt to disempower women in Twi’lek society. Secura was referred to as “the Guardian of Ryloth” to avoid the use of her name, which was stripped after her death and may not be spoken legally.

Spoiler: Courtship

: Marriage is based on economic, social, and emotional compatibility. Elders often arrange marriages for the purpose of advancing the clan’s political or economic status.

The fathers set up marriages for their sons, and mothers have little to no say. Daughters are offered as potential wives to affluent clans. When a daughter marries, she no longer is a member of the clan that she was born into but is now a member of her husband’s clan, and her name sash is removed from the banner of her birth family and added to her husband’s banner. There is no need for her to contact her birth family again.

Often, in communities such as Coruscant where there is a large Twi’leki population, social gatherings are set up by embassies or Twi’leki cultural organizations for the purpose of introducing people of marriageable age to each other. Before the event, the men and women undergo psychological assessments to identify compatible pairs. The participants meet at an entertaining party and socialize, hoping to make personal, emotional connections. At the end of the party, the organizers read the results of the psychological surveys and the participants discover whom they have been paired with. Ideally, this is also the person that they found themselves attracted to.

Most courtships are between Twi'lek couples, however there have been many inter-species marriages as well. As the days of the Empire waned, many Twi'leks, especially women, having experienced the societal freedom of the New Republic, fought for their rights to choose their own mates without the consent of their Clan Father. More progressive fathers, seeing the possibilities for their daughters to become more fulfilled and independent, allowed their daughters to choose their own mates, asking only that they (the fathers) be given the courtesy of granting consent for the courtship. This was seen as mainly ceremonial. Most inter-species marriages came about in this way.

A successful courtship requires that the couple find compatibility in all aspects of their lives. This includes sexuality, and a courting couple is expected to have been intimate with each other to assure that they are physically compatible. When a courtship is successful, the couple is officially betrothed. They are treated as a married couple and move in together. The woman is treated as she would be if she were a full wife. This provides an opportunity for her to see if this arrangement is for her; once she is married she will not have the right to leave.

Spoiler: Weddings

:
In this culture, marriages are celebrated as the union of two clans. A wedding occurs in the temple, with a religious clergyman transferring the name sash of the bride to the groom’s family banner. Her family name changes to that of her husband’s and the wedding ceremony is complete.
Following the wedding, there is a great celebration with the two families, with feasting and dancing. Throughout the wedding, the bride wears numerous layers of sheer veils, and the culmination of the wedding celebration is the Dance of the Veils. As she dances for her new husband, she removes the veils as a symbol of her consent to fulfill her husband’s desires. As she removes the last of the veils, leaving her nearly nude, her husband often will interrupt the dance to take her away for their wedding night. The celebration is now over, and there is no honeymoon – the couple begins their married life immediately. Occasionally, the husband does not accept the wife after the dance of the veils. (This is extremely rare, as the couple has gone through strenuous compatibility alignment already at this point.) This is disastrous for the bride as she cannot rejoin her birth family, and her husband’s rejection prevents her from joining his family (it is a form of divorce, which is always at the discretion of the husband). She is now clanless, nameless, and homeless.

Spoiler: Married Life

Twi’lek clans live in communal societies. The father of the clan has his own home, each married son has a home for his wife and children, and there is a separate dining hall. More traditional family compounds have a women’s quarters where the wives (and occasionally older daughters) live together while the husbands and sons live in the houses. Wives are summoned by servants to their husband’s homes when the husband desires them. After the couple makes love, the wife is either sent back to the women’s quarters or sleeps in a separate bed, usually in a separate bedroom. Sometimes the wife is allowed to sleep in her husband’s bedroom, either on pillows on the floor or in a separate bed. (This is a sign of a deep emotional connection between them.)

The father’s wife (or, if she is not there, the wife of the oldest son) is the leader of the rest of the brothers’ wives. She is in command of her sisters-in-law, and can tell set rules and punish as she wishes. If the father of the clan is a widower, he has the right to take one of his son’s wives for his physical pleasures.

Wives have no rights within the marriage, which is why the compatibility test of courtship and the role of betrothal are so critical. Wives may be ignored, abused, or divorced as the husband determines. Wives are expected to wait on all the husbands and tend to their every domestic need. If a wife is incapable of doing this due to illness, a surrogate or handmaid can be acquired to do the wife’s work. (This includes childrearing and sexual relations with the husband.) The surrogate is simply a servant and is not recognized by the other wives; the wife retains all the social and economic status of the clan. In clans where the women are treated poorly and the husband has an emotional connection to his wife, the husband often arranges for a surrogate to take the abuse that his wife would have been subjected to. Often, the wife is deliberately disabled for her own protection through chemical dependency or serial pregnancies. Children of such pregnancies are kept if the father wants them, or, more often, the sons are kept and the daughters, when old enough, are married off or sometimes slaved. Daughters of wealthy clans are considered valuable slave property and fetch high prices, the profits of which supplement the clan income.

Language: Twi'leks have a complicated system of language. Although most every Twi'lek can speak fluent Basic, there are many dialects and local languages. Most importantly, Twi'leks have developed a nonverbal language called Lek, in which they use their lekku to indicate emotion or communication. It is a complicated language with confusing subtle motions, and few non-Twi'leks can master it. (As a side note, most Twi'lek women wear caps or head wraps. The original purpose of this head wear was to bind the muscles that control the woman's lekku so as to prevent slave women from communicating without their slaver's knowledge. Nowadays, the headpiece is worn as a sign of modesty (a virtuous woman does not reveal indiscreet thoughts), much like many human women would consider it immodest to go shirtless.)

Writing often takes the form of intricate beading or embroidery. Entire messages can be communicated without a non-twilek's knowledge through the elaborately beaded and embroidered decorations on the wearer's clothing.


Barolian ([link=http://boards.theforce.net/threads/...hallenge-final-authors-replies.50023681/]True Blue,[/link] [link=http://boards.theforce.net/threads/...nces-ddc-2015-4-21-15-ocs-solos.50026135/]The God of Second Chances[/link])

Barolian religion is based on mathematics, the idea being that everything in the universe can be unraveled as a series of algorithms and mathematical relationships. Everything is an equation, and the goal in life is to create equivalency or harmony in all aspects of one’s life. The roots of the religion are, like many other faiths, polytheistic. The original gods and goddesses of myth have been incorporated into the mathematical faith.

The basis of the faith is comprised of the four main deities, known collectively as The Elementals: the God of Power, the God of Compassion, the Goddess of Safety and the Goddess of War. These are depicted as the sides of a square, with the gods and goddesses opposite each other. They believe that trouble in one’s life comes from a surfeit of one of these attributes at the expense of another. For example, it is not good to have too much power without compassion, and it is not good to have safety without strength (war). Because the faith is mathematically based, mathematical functions are personified by minor deities, based on their mathematical description. It is believed that there are an infinite number of gods and goddesses existing in infinite realities.

Barolian faith dictates that there be equality in relationships and in actions. This is reflected in the society. In legal proceedings, the goal is to restore equity as far as it is fair. Prisons focus on rehabilitation, to bring the convicted back into an equal basis in society. For more serious offenses, a procedure known as atonement exists. Atonement can only be invoked at the request of the victim (or the victim’s family). It gives the convicted the option to restore the balance of what was lost in the crime in place of being imprisoned. The convicted person may be released from prison early but he or she must make up the debt to society in other ways, such as through charity or other selfless acts. If the person completes the atonement in the time given, then he or she is forgiven of the offense and equality is restored. If the person fails to complete the atonement or violates the parole, then the person is returned to prison to restart their sentence. In such a case, atonement is considered to have failed and the debt to society will be paid back through punitive means. (Many people who are returned to prison in these situations will eventually commit suicide due to the stress and hopelessness of their situation.) The most serious offenses do not qualify for atonement as there is nothing that can repay the loss.

Although generally a peaceful people, they will fight to defend themselves or to protect others from injustice. They look upon bullying or oppression as a sign of moral weakness in the oppressor. They take it as a duty in their faith to intervene if someone is being victimized, and it's considered a crime almost as terrible as the offense to see evil and not take action. Slaving is abhorrent to them as the ultimate inequality, and it was one of the main reasons that Barolians favored the rebellion in the war against the Empire. Although there were some Barolians who volunteered to actually fight, most aided the rebels through technical and scientific support. Their exceptional code breaking skills, for example, helped the rebel forces keep ahead of the Imperial intelligence efforts.

Barolians strive for fairness and equality in their relationships with peers and significant others. A relationship in which one person controls the power is considered unfair and therefore very abnormal. Marriages are looked upon as the balancing of an equation, where one person fulfils the needs of the other. Marriages are equal partnerships, parents have equal responsibilities in child rearing, and all family decisions are made with everyone’s input. Neither partner has the right to summarily dismiss the desires or wishes of the other partner.

Spoiler: tattoos

Tattoos: Barolian religious beliefs stem from a time when the cultures of the planet were much more unstable. Countries often went to war with each other, and disputes were settled on battlefields. Tattoos began to become popular as ways to intimidate opposing sides in battle, the idea being that a person who was strong enough to bear the pain of elaborate facial tattoos was someone who would be fearless and terrifying in battle. Eventually, as this practice became common, the tattoos no longer served the purpose of intimidating enemies and developed into more of a way to identify people. Tattoos began to become more specific to regions: travelers who died in foreign lands, sailors whose bodies washed up on shore, and soldiers who fell in the battlefield could be identified by their tattoos and their bodies returned to their home districts. Eventually, when the common language and logic of mathematics became the universal faith of Baroli, the tattoos assumed a religious nature.

Currently, tattoos serve two main purposes: to demonstrate religious faithfulness and to mark major life milestones. Most Barolians receive their first facial tattoos around the age of puberty, usually around fourteen or fifteen years old. A youth who has demonstrated maturity by excelling in academics and by proving mastery of the Ancient Tongue is eligible to receive the first set of tattoos, a series of vertical lines on the forehead. This painful procedure is done without any pain relievers and the youth is expected to receive the discomfort stoically. This is the most basic tattoo that a Barolian would receive. Later, at the discretion of the wearer, other designs can be added, especially those that honor or recognize one of the faith’s many gods or goddesses.

Another time when a tattoo is added is when a person marries. Traditionally, the couple does not wear any jewelry (which can be easily removed) to indicate married status, but makes a permanent design that is tattooed on the inner forearm. The design is either a tribute to a god or goddess (the most popular ones being the Vish, the god and goddess of passionate love, or Jarush, the goddess of family and childbirth), or it is a design created by the couple that integrates elements from both people. Should for some reason the marriage end in divorce, the tattoo is not removed but instead a symbol indicating termination is added. Widowed people often add the infinity sign to their marriage tattoo, indicating that their love has become eternal.

Members of religious orders have tattoos that indicate their status. These tattoos are often located on the chest and shoulders of the priest or priestess, and can be added to as the cleric’s religious authority or expertise grows. Senior members of the order often have elaborate, beautifully detailed designs that encompass their entire back, their arms, and/or their chest.

Priests who specialize in tattooing are known as escrivers. They are accomplished artists who can create beautiful, stylized images on skin. Escrivers must practice for years before they are allowed to work in the temples. They are held in very high regard in their community as they must have a thorough knowledge of all the complex mathematical symbols of the faith.

A tattoo is a very personal and important marking. No tattoos are acquired simply to decorate oneself. This is considered blasphemous. (Occasionally, rebellious teenagers refuse to be tattooed at all, much to their parents’ consternation.)

Spoiler: marriage traditions

In earlier times, marriages were often arranged by the parents of the couple, for the purpose of political or economic advancement of the families. Often the couple had no say in the decision and were expected to comply without question, for the benefit of their family or tribe. Occasionally people were forced into marriages to satisfy tribal debts or to secure peace between hostile tribes.
The adoption of the mathematical faith, with its emphasis on equality, makes this practice not only obsolete but offensive. No marriage may be performed without the full consent and willing participation of both parties. To prevent any coercion, the only people who are present at a wedding are the couple to be wed and the clergymember who is officiating the ceremony. Each person enters the temple from a separate entrance. They may have family members in the antechamber, but only the person to be wed may enter the temple. The priest awaits the couple at a small altar. Before the ceremony, the priest reminds the pair that they are under no obligation or duty to marry, and that if they chose to leave at this point they may do so via an unattended back entrance to the temple. Only when the couple each acknowledges that they are present under their own free will are they bound together in marriage.
The ceremony is brief, a blessing and a bonding prayer, then the couple chooses the name by which they will now be known. Couples may choose to adopt either the wife’s or the husband’s family name, or they may select a new family name.
The final part of the wedding ceremony happens one to three days following the ceremony. The married couple meets with an escriver, or ritual tattooist, who tattoos a symbol of union on the forearm of each partner. The tattoo combines a symbol of the husband and of the wife, and often has a religious element to it. Being a permanent marking, the tattoo is a symbol of unbreakable love and is thought to be more meaningful than a removable piece of jewelry such as a wedding ring.
Ending of a marriage:
Barolian religion recognizes that sometimes a couple becomes incompatible, and allows for divorce as long as both parties are in agreement. The property is fairly distributed, and if children are involved, both parents are expected to raise the children equally. Often divorced parents will live nearby so that the children’s lives are not disrupted further than is necessary.
When a marriage ends in divorce, the escriver makes a circle around the marriage tattoo to show that the marriage has been terminated. If the marriage ends because of spousal abuse or another traumatic inequality, the tattoo may be removed and the marriage is annulled.
A marriage that ends with the death of one of the partners is often notated by a change to the marriage tattoo. In such a case, the infinity sign is added either at the edge of the tattoo or underneath it. The surviving spouse may remarry, if he or she chooses.

Spoiler: funeral customs

The four primary gods and goddesses of the Barolian faith are known as the Elementals, since they correspond to the four elemental operations of mathematics. However, this replaces an earlier, more nature-based belief. Centuries ago, the Elementals referred to the four elements of nature: air (wind and sky), soil, water, and fire. Funeral rites reflect the earlier definitions of elementals.
It is common for people to identify with one of the nature elements, based on their personal preferences. For example, someone who is interested in flight is aligned with the element of air, whereas someone who enjoys hiking in the forest would be aligned with the element of soil. The person’s death is thought to return their remains to the element from which they came.
Most people are cremated. Their remains are dispersed according to the element they represent. The ashes of a person associated with the element of soil is buried, someone whose element is water would have their ashes dispersed at sea or in a river, those whose element is fire would have their ashes placed in a ritual kiln, to be disposed of by the temple. For a person whose element is air, ideally the remains would be jettisoned in space. However, another common dispersal for the air element is to attach the ashes to a paper lantern, and release the lantern into the winds. Eventually the lantern is consumed and the ashes released to drift with the air currents.
Afterlife:
Barolians believe that souls are reincarnated. Unlike the mortal body, the soul is immortal. Human existence occurs in the three dimensions bordered by the Elementals. However, there are multiple dimensions. A person who has lived a virtuous life will be rewarded in the afterlife by advancing to the next dimension, existing closer to the pantheon.
Each action or decision a person makes is a function in the summation equation of his or her life. Upon death, the summation is calculated. If the sum of the functions is greater than or equal to zero, then the person has either lived a balanced life or has exceeded the virtues of a good life, and their soul advances to the next dimension. A person whose summation is less than zero has failed to live a balanced life, and their soul is reincarnated into another body. It is very difficult to achieve a balanced or positive summation, therefore most people have reincarnated souls instead of new souls.

(source inspirations: [link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tā_moko] Ta Moko of Maori culture [/link] and [link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_deities] Hindu deities [/link]. The idea of tattoos being used as regional identification markers comes from the legend that the designs of Aran sweaters (Irish knit sweaters) were used to identify the home village of fishermen who drowned at sea.)

Zeltros

Spoiler: Zeltron customs

Zeltrons are near-humans who are distinguished from baseline humans by three major characteristics: a second liver (which allows them to consume great quantities of alcohol), their pink skin, and their ability to manipulate pheromones. Zeltrons also have empathic qualities, whereby they can sense the emotions of others. They also have the ability to project emotions onto others. Because of this, Zeltrons have developed a reputation for hedonism and unchecked sensuality, and their world, Zeltros, has been dubbed the “party planet.”

On Zeltros, the pursuit of pleasure has become a cultural norm. People do not usually marry, and monogamy is so rare that it is considered a rude and selfish behavior among Zeltrons to refuse to share their sexuality with others. (They regard monogamy in non-Zeltrons as quaint, but generally respect boundaries set by the monogamous couple. This is not because of respect for marriage or monogamy but rather to avoid the resulting negative reaction to the perceived “cheating.”) Children take either the last name of the mother or father, depending on the agreement that the parents make. It is also common for children to adopt the name of their village as their surname as paternity is often unclear. Most children live in extended family units, where multiple adults take on the task of raising children. Since there are many confusing half-sibling relationships, the children are considered to belong to the community as a whole rather than to a single family unit.

The ability to feel and project emotions is a double-edged sword for Zeltrons who leave their homeworld. When in the company of those who were looking for pleasure, Zeltrons can amplify the positive mood by using their pheromones to create an irresistible urge to relax and party. Their empathic ability supports the pheromone impact by encouraging the participants to continue to indulge in the pleasurable activity.

However, when the Zeltron leaves Zeltros and enters a more diverse population, their empathic capability can become a liability. Used to open sexuality and multiple partners, Zeltrons have gained a reputation for being promiscuous. Unscrupulous people sometimes take advantage of their open attitude toward physical pleasure and trick them into providing sexual services that would otherwise cost money in a brothel. Zeltrons are eager to please others, with the expectation that this pleasure will be reciprocated. This has led to a secondary reputation of Zeltrons being gullible, when in fact they are simply trying to please others.

During the imperial days, slavers sometimes captured both male and female Zeltrons and sold them as pleasure slaves. Jabba the Hutt had a Zeltron woman in his court, a “dancer” who was in fact used as a pleasure slave and was kept chained to Jabba’s dais. Non-Zeltrons justified this by claiming that the pleasure slave in fact wanted this treatment. Often, the Zeltron was reacting in the only way he or she knew how, and desperately hoped that their sensuality and affection would be eventually reciprocated.

Other Zeltrons, wiser to the ways of offworlders, use their sensuality and their ability to manipulate pheromones to their advantage, manipulating others into doing what they want. Some Zeltrons became very successful in this way.

Zeltrons draw great comfort from positive emotions, and reinforce those emotions with their projected empathy. Positive, loving, happy emotions are physically soothing to Zeltrons. The reverse, however, is also true; negative, hateful emotions are physically painful to Zeltrons. Zeltrons avoid discord and negative emotions because such emotions cause distress and physical pain. Due to their empathic capabilities, Zeltrons can literally, physically feel negative emotions such as hatred, envy, and fear. Some Zeltrons (such as the bounty hunter Delia Blue) whose occupations involve dealing with dangerous and cruel people find that they must occasionally purge the physical pain with a corresponding pleasure, usually sexual, to restore balance to their body.

Their unique empathic capability also allows them to soothe the sad or fearful emotions of others, assuming that the other is willing to accept such care. People report that spending time relaxing with a Zeltron is emotionally therapeutic, and off-world Zeltrons sometimes find employment as home companions to the ill or elderly for this reason.

Sources: [link={URL}http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Zeltros{/URL}] Zeltros (planet) [/link], [link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Zeltron] Zeltron (culture) [/link], [link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Deliah_Blue] Deliah Blue (Zeltron bounty hunter) [/link]

Naboo

Spoiler: Naboo religious practices

The human citizens of Naboo find comfort in the dependable rhythms of nature. As part of their faith, the Naboo revere the powers of nature as manifestations of their many deities. A powerful metaphor in Naboo mythology is that of the journey - the faithful prove their loyalty and devotion by travelling significant distances to develop new perspectives on their lives. Sometimes thes travels are metaphorical; for example, the Naboo believe that the ashes of the dead, released into the rivers surrounding Theed, release the life spirit of the dead as the ashes tumble over the waterfalls. The life spirits then are absorbed by the planet and return to the planet's core. From that point the spiritual essence, or unique soul, of the deceased moves on to a new plane of existence while the life force of the deceased is re-absorbed by the planet to be reborn in a new being.

Another aspect of the sacred journey is that of a spirit walk. The life spirit of a person can be affected by negative and by positive energies. When there is a surfiet of negative energies (hate, opppression, grief, anger), this dampens the person's spirit light. A journey of enlightenment can "reset" the negative emotions, effectively giving the person a fresh opportunity to find happiness and serenity.

As this technique is mainly a metaphorical journey, most spirit walks involve focused meditation and can be achieved in a relatively brief amount of time. If, however, the ennui and negativity persist, a follower of the Naboo faith can practice a more radical spirit walk in which the participant literally travels about. The idea is that one's current location has acquired too much negativity for one's soul, and the person must physically leave this one point and journey to another. By travelling to a new environment, the participant will discover knowledge about themself. This knowledge will allow him or her to recognize and appreciate their "true home," the place where positive emotions such as compassion, loyalty and love are stronger than the negative emotions that had previously troubled the participant. A physical spirit walk may involve great distances and may take months to successfully complete, but at the end of the journey the person's life has been reset: he or she has new priorities and feels a deep sense of belonging.

Sources: [link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Naboo] Naboo [/link], [link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Naboo_religion] Naboo religon [/link]

RL inspiration for Naboo spirit walking: Native American vision quests.

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RL inspirations for Twi'lek religion: Shinto. RL inspirations for Barolian religion: Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu. Please note that these RL faiths are only echoed in the fics and I had no intent to presume myself an expert on them; no disrespect is intended.

 

Updated the abnormal Force arts post to include practitioners of said arts.

A List of Abnormal/Forbidden Force Arts and Anomalies

 

Organisations

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Interstellar Planetary Preservation
An organisation that work with restoring the ecosystem of worlds that has been damaged by war, pollution, or other catastrophes. They work with modern technology and their usual modus operandi is, when possible, to take at least two examples of each still living species – animal, vegetable and other – and transplant it to the “garden” part of an modified Ithorian Herdships (or similar) that ISPP have in orbit. They also try take samples of all dead species and so many living subjects as they can for later cloning and insemination when possible. After they have done that they try to clean up the ecosystem so they can replant the native life forms. This usually take decades if not centuries but ISPP know that they can not hurry healing, it has to take the time it needs.

Interstellar Planetary Preservation is, relatively speaking, rather well funded with backing from, among others, the Republic, the Ithorian and Ho’din government. Ithorian and Ho’din are also in majority among ISPP’s members.

ISPP have a presence on Duro, Eriadu, Honoghr, among other. And are trying to recreate the ecosystems of Alderaan, Byss, Carida, Da Soocha V, Firrerre, as best they can in Ithorian Herdships.

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The Han Saa trade-clan
A mainly duros trade-clan that have control of a majority of all the major shipping going on in the Lahara sector and its near area. They actually accept anybody, including non-duros, into the trade-clan that have shown themselves worthy, the downsides are that the Han Saa don’t like it when family members try to leave or try to marry outside of the trade-clan (just having a partner from outside the clan is something different and fully allowed). Colours are green with yellow highlights
Have an ancient agreement with the Buru-Buru ryn who travel with them and whose demon-masked elite-warriors function as bodyguards to the trade-clan’s leaders and scions.

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Mercenary Organisations

The Sorority of the Blade
Begun as a Separatists militia group on Oorn Tchis, that fled into space when the Clone Wars ended and begun to sell their services as mercenaries. Most of their equipment are hand-me-downs, foraged or looted which gives the members a rather ramshackle appearance; they create a superficial look of uniformity be all using the same blue-n'-purple coloured hooded cloaks or ponchos. Many of them also use coats, jackets, tabards, sashes and other pieces of clothing in the same colour. Jewellery, fasteners and trinkets made out of brass, bronze and coper are also common.

The only item the all have that is the same is the slender bladed katar with wooden hilt that’s given to each member when becoming a full member in the Sorority.

 

I haven't written my entry for this month yet, but here's what's on the brain right now as far as Paranormalities lore goes (with some abridged descriptions).

- Forceless (in general)
- Purple-eyed Chiss (Chiss subspecies)
- Skakoan Commandos (Skakoan mercenary sub-culture)
- Kur'Ada Equalists (Force-blind Miraluka cult)
- Races of Valkor's Forceless Collective (species that have allied or been possessed by said Collective)
- Kratzar (relatively young planet and Mustafarian mining colony)
- Krantisi (former Infinite Empire world and home to several unusual creatures, some now extinct)
- Guaymar (perpetually night-shrouded planet and former Infinite Empire world; notable for a haunted, crashed colony ship)
- Chilades (former Infinite Empire world; notable mutated predators, chemical-tainted water and perpetual winters)
- Ockla Prime (former Infinite Empire world and capital of the Valkoran Empire)

I'm having a little trouble deciding, and I'm only allowed to write one entry per month. I'd like to know which of these any of you are most interested in hearing about this month.

 

I would like to know more about the Purple-eyed Chiss myself

 

I updated my Wookiee post to include a small list of foods and drinks.

While I'm on food and drink, I thought that the description of sulyet (Quarren sushi/sashimi) was one of the best transpositions of a RL food in the GFFA -- perfectly alien yet perfectly understandable. You'll find that in Michael Reaves's Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight.

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Gahmah Raan I'm also interested in the purple-eyed Chiss. However bear in mind that we recently updated the rules of this thread to allow for multiple back-to-back posts on the same subject (check the details in the OP) -- so maybe you can group some of the topics you listed under a broader category and make them a single entry? I still haven't had the time to get started on your fic, but I promise I'll get there soon(ish) and then I'll be back with questions for you.

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leiamoody Your food and drinks post is just mouth-watering I don't have any particular questions on that, just a comment -- the Cosmic Rose Shooter reminded me of two RL cocktails. One is the Tequila Sunrise (which is normally a long drink) and the other is the B-52 (which is layered in a shot glass). You'll actually see the Cosmic Rose Shooter appear in one of my fics quite soon

About your Dreamwork post, I'd be curious to know a number of things.

• I didn't find Ultraia in the Wook, so I guess that this is a world/civilisation of your invention? If yes, can you please elaborate on it a little (e.g. are they humans/aliens, which part of the Galaxy are we talking about, etc) or, if the amount of info you have about it warrants it, give it a post of its own?
• You say in the post that the rules for dreamwork were established circa 5,000 BBY, and then that the screening of Force-sensitive aidents for Dark Side tendencies was stopped once the Empire was established. Can you tell us a bit about how you imagine the development of this technique over time? E.g. was it confined to Ultraia during some periods of galactic history, was it ever adopted by other medical schools, did the Jedi/Sith ever opt to use it and for what purposes, etc.
• Also, any specific RL sources of inspiration? I have a few ideas on what you might have used, but I'd like to hear your side of it before I take the idea and run away with it.
• Lastly, did you ever use this concept in a fic? I'd be curious to see it at work.

Oh, and I loooved the word "thanatoberry"

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divapilot Great post about Twi'leks and Barolians! I have a few minor questions for you too:

• Did you borrow from any RL cultures/myths for either civilization?
• What happens in the situation where a Twi'lek decides to marry someone from another species? (You can probably imagine what I'm thinking of )
• About the Barolian religion, you say "it is not good to have safety without strength (war)" -- I'm not sure how to interpret that regarding the Barolians' stance on war, do their beliefs lead to the concept of "just wars"?

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Gamiel About Interstellar Planetary Preservation, can you please describe a little:

• the structure of the organisation -- do they have a board of directors, do they have offices in various planets/systems/Coruscant, do they use volunteers or paid staff, etc.
• how they manage cultural differences between species, seeing as some are very nature-oriented while others are very technology-oriented,
• the era(s) in which you imagine this organisation to operate and, if applicable, how it all works out when the Vong turn up.

That's it for me today

 

Since this seems to be the consensus so far...

Spoiler

Chiss (Purple-eyed subspecies)

Throughout galactic history, Chiss were known for being blue-skinned humanoids with monochromatic red eyes. However, in times before the Chiss became known to galactic society - before the Mandalorian Wars - there were races with eye colors besides red. These eye colors included purple, blue, green, gold, silver and orange.

While Force-sensitivity was rare among red-eyed Chiss, it was incredibly common among the other Chiss races. The purple-eyed race in particular had a Force-based religion where they worshiped a formless cosmic entity they believe to be the source of their magic (but they didn't call it the Force) and some higher entities such as the Celestials, the Ones and the Five Priestesses as lesser gods (although they heard of them, they knew very little about these entities). On the other side of the spectrum, some unique nightmarish creatures lurking in parts of the Unknown Regions outside the Chiss Ascendancy came to be viewed by this religion as eldritch horrors spawned by wounds to the Force, such as Mnngal-Mnngal and Facadma (ironically enough, they weren't too far off about the latter, considering the entity possessing her). They feared them because they were a void in the Force.

If they weren't priests or seers, they were sometimes soldiers. However, not all purple-eyed Chiss took on those roles (and some weren't Force sensitve) and some lived relatively simple lives.

On the other hand, the usually atheistic red-eyed Chiss did studies on the cellular organisms found in all (natural) life-forms known to the rest of the galaxy as midi-chlorians. They learned that despite the correlation between the number of them per cell and higher Force potential, the former wasn't necessarily the cause of the latter, as experiments involving artificially increasing/decreasing the number of midi-chlorian per cell didn't affect their Force sensitivity in the slightest.

Unfortunately, with the red-eyed being the majority race, a large number of them grew envious of the other races' powers (and fearing them coming to dominate the Ascendancy despite centuries of all the races mostly being at peace with each other) and started an ethnic-cleansing campaign under the pretense of declaring these powers as "witchcraft". This campaign resulted in the extinction of all other Chiss races except for the purple-eyed, and the red-eyed tried to censor the existence of the other races from their history until centuries later, when they learned of the existence of Force-based cults and magocracies outside the Ascendancy.

The surviving purple-eyed Chiss fled from the Ascendancy, knowing the red-eyed wouldn't dare follow them into the unknown. Most of them settled in regions throughout the Outer Rim (and away from the Unknown Regions since that's where their old gods lurked), such as Hutt Space. These immigrants decided to cut all ties to their homeworld and didn't disclose the name of their species to any others.

While two sisters from House Ze became part of the Jedi Order after being discovered, some of the others went through major ordeals when it came to preserving their endangered race, some resorting to rather questionable means of doing so such as taking prostitution jobs (and did not always work depending on the species of their clients) or resorting to incest (for keeping the genes pure, and in a few cases, this lead to genetic disorders). In places like Nar Shaddaa, this was even more difficult because of excessive gang violence and slave trafficking. Some of the purple-eyed Chiss that didn't turn to shadier careers used their Force powers for fortune-telling or being stage magicians.

When the Great Galactic War began centuries later, and the red-eyed Chiss became known to the galaxy through their alliance with the Sith Empire, the purple-eyed Chiss were either forced into hiding on neutral worlds, seeking asylum on Republic worlds, or fighting for the Republic so they didn't face extinction at the hands of two xenophobic governments. Both that war and the Cold War served to trim down their numbers even further.

By the time of the New Republic, purple-eyed Chiss have become nearly extinct, with only less than 1,000 pure-blooded specimens left and having all but forsaken their original culture (otherwise, signs of purple-eye ancestry are buried in the genes of other species through cross-breeding and diluting it). These specimens are sometimes mistaken by other species for not being Chiss, or when they were wearing obfuscating eye-wear, other blue-skinned humanoids such as Wroonians or Pantorans. Thankfully for these remnants, a large number of red-eyed Chiss have grown beyond their early xenophobia as a result of exposure to the greater galaxy (and facing slight species discrimination themselves from the Empire), and if they do meet a purple-eyed Chiss, they generally feel the need to apologize for their ancestors' actions. Rumor has it that Mitth'raw'nuruodo (better known as Grand Admiral Thrawn), being an exile himself and having an appreciation for lost cultures, was sympathetic to the purple-eyed Chiss (but the purple-eyed Chiss in turn didn't think much of him aside from the surprise of their being a high-ranking non-human in the Galactic Empire).

Aside from eye-color and higher-affinity for Force-sensitivity, purple-eyed Chiss aren't biologically any different from red-eyed Chiss, retaining their tolerance of low temperatures, high metabolism and the same range of natural hair colors (black to different shades of blue). Personality-wise, purple-eyed Chiss are a little more emotive and obviously empathic ("a little more" being the key word).

Cultural Details from before and after the cleansing

Dress code: Pre-purge: The seers and priests dress a bit more theatrically than the civilians. Otherwise, they dress like any other Chiss. Post-purge: They became a bit more subtle to blend in with the rest of the galaxy, dressing pretty much like everyone else. They only retained their theatricality for jobs like fortune-telling and magic shows. Some of the females dress scantily as a means of seducing potential mates (regardless of species).

Body modifications - Pre-purge: None, aside from cybernetic limbs and eyes. Post-purge: They sometimes take on piercings and tattoos if they become part of gangs. Some of them also dye their hair unnatural colors (for both them and humans).

Superstitions - In addition to viewing the Force as a god from which they gain their powers, they also believe that they consciously become one with it when they die. Unlike the red-eyed Chiss, they were not as xenophobic due to having more Force users who can sense the natures of others. Unfortunately, they don't have an entirely clean slate, as they had their own Force Wars (fought over belief) with the other Chiss races thousands of years before the purge.

Technology - They tried to invent some kind of "eye dye" during the purge to help them escape execution. It didn't work out so well, since it ultimately resulted in blindness, or worst case scenario, death due to optic nerve-to-brain poisoning. This eye dye ended up finding it's way out of Chiss space when red-eyed Chiss came to the galaxy and some shady dealers tried to sell it on the black market. Some non-Chiss spacers derogatorily spell it "eye die".

Weapons and Martial Traditions - The soldiers' combat training is coincidentally similar to the Jedi's (until some actually became Jedi post-purge), but unlike them, most of them are willing to use ranged-weapons such as the Charric rifles and wear light-weight battle armor, making them seem little different from the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force. Their main melee weapons are laser swords similar in design to the Valkoran Shadow Troopers' "Mocksabers". It can be summed up as a high-powered laser on a stick sandwiched between an emitter and a spike-tipped receiver separated by an expandable rod. They are easier to build than a lightsaber, but more impractical and dangerous to wield due to the risk of the expansion rod or receiver breaking (if this happens, they take precautions to immediately shut it down). However, unlike the Mocksabers, they're put to more practical effect since their wielders are Force sensitive. Otherwise, non-Force sensitive soldiers are more comfortable using conventional melee weapons such as knives.

Starship designs and tastes: Since they once coexisted peacefully with the red-eyed Chiss before the purge, they used the same general design aesthetic such as jagged parts and a few alterations such as larger crew space. For foreign ship designs, they usually prefer ships with unusual cockpit designs or placements, such as Corellian freighters or Verpine fighters, as it teaches them to go outside their comfort zones and become one with their ships (however, there are some who just find them impractical and bizarre).

Food: Due to the high metabolism of the Chiss species in general, their specialty meals are very high in calories (and these meals can be fattening to other species if consumed more than once a day). However, they still try to avoid eating too much, as obesity is still a possibility for Chiss. Thousands of years after the purge, some red-eyed culinary specialists rediscovered some of the lost purple-eye recipes and introduced them to the galaxy at large as part of their attempts at making amends for their ancestors' actions. Amusingly, some of these dishes have a lot of Csillian sugar in them, suggesting that most purple-eyed Chiss had a bit of a sweet tooth. For other species, these were typically served as desserts or consumed in small quantities by those who wished to stay in good shape. And like all the other Chiss races, the purple-eyed had a higher alcohol tolerance than most species (but intoxication was possible).

 

1. Cosmic Rose Shooter: Wow, that is freaking awesome! Interested to see how you use it!

2. Ultraia is a planet of my own creation. It's a differently spelled version of the word "Ultreya", which means "Onward". I figured that the Ultraian culture would be based around the use of dreams as a means of going forward in terms of emotional/spiritual development. It's located somewhere in the Mid Rim (not really sure where, I only developed a certain amount of the planet's culture that would be useful for story purposes. I always viewed Ultraia as a planet where things came from, not a planet where you want to go to necessarily. It's not a terrible planet, but the culture is generally overly traditional to the point of oppression).

3. Dreamwork was predominantly practiced on Ultraia, but it was also utilized by other groups during certain periods of galactic history. The Whills (my version) were the biggest non-Ultraian group to utilize the techniques, while the Jedi were practitioners for a certain time period until around 2,000 BBY. Ultraian tradition actually had a certain bias against Force users as aidents, since they viewed Force sensitives as having an unfair advantage in dreamwork. That was the reason for the legal mandate to use sonhar herb as the means to enter the supplicant's dreamscape. There is a way to use the Force to accomplish this instead of using the herbal method.

4. The most obvious real world influence would probably have to be Sigmund Freud. But anyone who thinks Inception has played any part in the development of the concept...seriously, there are other movies about going into other people's dreams. (Sorry, that's the most obvious so-called influence people jump to when they see my concept).

5. I began exploring the concept of dreamwork in a story about my OC named Nalieza Fejier going into Han's personal dreamscape while he was in carbonite. It was a very early attempt at working out the process, before I really had notes written down for it...anyway, the story needs to be reworked, but here is the original version: Sleeping and Dreaming.

 

earlybird-obi-wan I suggest that you put some kind of marking between your Dunai elder words and their basic counterparts, maybe a - or a =, it would make it easier to read. At least for me.

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leiamoody some questions

* Who are the Ultraia? If you have explained it earlier or they are a canon species so have I missed it.

* Do the aidents have any kind of mark (special pieces of clothing or jewellery, tattoo, face paint, etc.) to show their statues?

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Chyntuck regarding funeral rites do you know about the planet Dahrtag, better known as Necropolis. Also I think that some high-tech worlds recycle their dead in different ways.

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divapilot we often see many good looking ladies near the thrones of important twi'leks, in your fanon are they concubines, wives from polygamic marriages or something else?

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* Have not really thought about it but they probably have a "high" board of directors that make the decisions for the whole organisation and then "lesser" board of directors for each planet they work on.
* I would say that there is no real problem, more then the usual, since all members use technology for their space travel and to help save and repair ecosystems.
* Interstellar Planetary Preservation have probably existed for at least a thousand of years in one form or another but the ideas I have for them is in movie-era and beyond. For example so are they working on Honoghr sometime after Dark Empire.

My fanon ignores most of NJO but ISPP's reaction to the vongs would probably be something along the line of panic as they try to save what they can of vongformed worlds and work out where the vong would strike next so they can get their before the vong and save as much genetic samples as possible.

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I have also updated my organisation post with the crime syndicate 87, my language post with some new spacer slang word, Kiffar slang, expletives, curses and insults and words in the Worldlist

Regardin food & beverages so don't I have any on me right now but I can recommend the RPG books New Horizon: Campaign Setting Guide (you can get it for free here and just go to page 142 for beverages & food) and the core book to the Swedish RPG Mutant - Undergångens arvtagare and its monster book Zonernas Zoologi, they are the only RPG books that I know of that give culinary comments after describing the monsters.

 

The Ultraian people are my own creation, and are Humans who live on a planet in the Mid Rim.

I never really gave much thought to the aidents having uniforms or any kind of distinctive markings, although that does make sense since they are medical practitioners of a certain sort. Just off the top of my head, maybe the aidents at the sonhariums wear robes in "healing colors" like blue, green, and purple. There's more I probably should come up with and to my original post. Thanks for getting me to think more about it.

 

Gahmah Raan do you have any cultural points regarding the purple-eyed Chiss? I can actually see them keeping some ancient chiss traditions that the normal chiss have forsaken.

Also I would like to know how in Waru's most holy name they ended up in Hutt space since it is more or less at the other side of the galaxy of chiss space.

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The first thing I jumped to was Lovecraft's dream cycle

Since the aidents come from so many walks of life so do robes maybe take up a bit to much of the wardrobe
I would probably use some kind of headband, collar, gorget or face marking, but that is just me.

 

1. I read Lovecraft a long, long time ago (okay, even as recently as a decade ago). The Dream Cycle had no conscious influence on how I developed the concept of dreamwork, although I could go back and read them now to expand upon how the actual process works (I did draw inspiration from Carcosa when I created my GFFA version of the afterlife, but I was using Ambrose Bierce's original version).

2. Maybe a signet ring or pendant with a coat of arms that represents the Guild of Counselors?

 

That sounds like a good idea

 

Hello!
If this is a traditional Twi'lek society, those ladies are not wives. The wives would not be allowed anywhere near the husbands if the husbands are conducting official business. Wives have their own separate society, as they are considered inferior to men.

The ladies are probably slaves or possibly low-status concubines. Their purpose is ornamental. Occasionally one (or more) may be traded or temporarily gifted to another Twi'lek man. (The slave dancers in Jabba's palace were often given as amusements for the male guests of Jabba.) The women are expected to be returned in pretty much the same condition that they were in when they were loaned.

A female Twi'lek's life was one of accepted abasement. She had few rights and was little more than the property of her husband.Those women who could escape the culture of Ryloth rarely, if ever, returned to the planet again.

Chyntuck, I answered your questions back in my original post.

 

They didn't all go to Hutt Space after the purge. Those that went did a bit of hopping around the Outer Rim before getting there (paying whatever neutral-party freighter captain whatever they had to take them to the best place to go into obscurity, and they decided Nar Shaddaa).

As for their culture, I would think the pure-blooded remnants have all but forsaken their culture by the New Republic era, and their Force potential weakened due to centuries of holding it back (the Jedi Purge certainly didn't help matters either). As for them during the Old Republic era, I imagine them becoming what are essentially space Romani (with only a few of the negative stereotypes, such as a number of them becoming criminals). On Csilla, they would have had their own Force religion (but they didn't know it as the Force, but still saw it as a great entity from where they got their powers nonetheless), and they did worship the Celestials, the Ones and the Five Priestesses as lesser deities (even though they believed in them, they didn't know too much about them or that they actually existed). There were a few unique physical entities existing throughout the Unknown Regions (as far as Paranormalities treats it, it's essentially Lovecraft Country) that the purple-eyed Chiss viewed as eldritch horrors spawned by the wounds to the cosmic Force, such as Mnngal-Mnngal and Facadma (funny enough, they weren't too far off with the latter).

The red-eyed Chiss, on the other hand, did a bit of midi-chlorian studies, and while they did find a correlation between the larger number per cell and higher Force potential, and after a few artificial infusion experiments, they learned the former didn't necessarily cause the latter, and this is what ultimately led to the purge.

After the purge, some of those purple-eyed Chiss that didn't become unfettered criminals or desperate prostitutes used their Force powers for fortune-telling or magic shows.

Spoiler: Warning! Spoilers from later in Paranormalities in this tab

The only leftovers of the original purge survivors are the Ze sisters, who have cheated death through differing means and lived past the Yuuzhan Vong invasion (willingly in Ze'grein'aradi's case, not-so-willingly in Ze'emilin'asana's), and they've most definitely forsaken their old culture, and not just from joining the Jedi Order as children. Grein was just a little girl when the purge started, and Emilin hadn't been born yet when it happened.

Grein tried to avoid thinking about that considering the other trauma she's had to put up with from cheating death so often just to stop an eventual invasion from the Forceless Collective, and Emilin was possessed and psychologically tormented by Facadma for thousands of years.

I might as well update the original post now that I've described that much.