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Name: Ssi-Ruuk (Ssi-Ruu)
Biology: The Ssi-ruuk are large bipedal lizards that displayed traits from both saurian and avian species. They walked on two powerful hind legs with balance attained by a muscular tail along with two upper limbs that sported three prehensile claws. The species also developed a series of oddities such as black prohensile 'scent tongues' which protrude from their nostrils as well as triple layered eyelids. While they were reptilians, they were in fact a warm-blooded species. An average adult reached a height between 1.9, 2, to 2.2 meters (approximately 7.2 feet) and weighed close to 350 kg (~770 pounds) Though there were notable exceptions to either side. They were notable for their physical strength, comparable to that of a large adult male Wookie. However, while this strength waned in their arms and tail, they exceeded it in their legs and jaws to make up for it. It was known too all who encountered them that their race moved with remarkable grace and speed for creatures of their size due to their powerful legs and spring-loaded body structure, capable of jumping great heights of up to 10 feet with relative ease. Their skin is so thick that it could withstand basic blaster pistol shots with only minor yet still painful burns to show for it. The bodies of an adult Ssi-ruu were covered in shining scales that ranged in color from brown to turquoise. They had long beak-like muzzles which contained razor sharp teeth, often used in conjunction with their talons to kill prey as they were carnivores by nature.
Breeding: The species reproduce normally through intercourse, though culturally, the strict caste system only allows those within the same color-groups to mate with one another. Brown Ssi-Ruuk, being often the children of breeding within either the brown group itself, or between two Ssi-Ruuk of differing casts are considered illigetimate and are used as enslaved workers, drones, gladiators and servants to other Ssi-Ruuk. Generally considered lower class citizens, though not quite as low as the P'w'eck.
Strengths: Ssi-Ruuk have an impressive land-speed and agility for their size, their mouths are strong enough to crunch bone, comparable to that of the modern crocodile. They evolved to sapience due to their maintained status as the apex predators on their planets for a reason. Their triple layered eyelids make them resistant to bright flashes while their black forked 'tonges' which protrude from their nasal cavaties have an incredible sense of smell to the point of being able to read the complex pharamones given off by animals during certain moods, allowing them to 'read' peoples emotional states as well as track prey or recognize familiar scents from people or places they have been before. It was this very sense of smell that made them insidiously difficult to lie to, as they would often smell the apprehension or subtle changes in the body while one would lie, usually because of their own natural intimidation factor, and the nervousness many would feel at the thought of getting caught triggering adrenaline.
Weaknesses: While their strengths are many, they are far from faultless, they suffer from exceedingly poor eyesight due to the protective layering over their eyes and sensory overload from pungent scents can disorient the species exceedingly effectively. Their large size makes them easy targets in many places as well as unique hand structure often means that weapons and armour usually have to be custom made for them in the greater galaxy, or they would have to use weapons made to befit larger, stronger creatures like wookies and trandoshans. Notedly also, the Ssi-Ruuk seem to be blind to the powers of the force, though perhaps no impossible, no known force users have ever been noted amongst their ranks. Those that would appear, would have very limited affinity for its use.
Diet: The Ssi-Ruuk are Carnivores through and through, they eat meat and best process it while it is still raw, though they can eat cooked food just fine, many a Ssi-Ruu has furrowed its face at Sapient people who would ruin a good tenderloin by roasting it under a fire. But they can appreciate meat wanting to be served warm.
Behavior/Temperament: The Ssi-Ruuk are not often a trusting species, exceedingly Xenophobic for the most part save for those few who would have proved their worth to them by performing great acts of service or being honored by them in one form or another. They are mostly quick to anger and often do not forget their grudges, many who has run afoul of a Ssi-Ruuk trader, has been slain by that same Ssi-Ruu based on a decade old promise due to a long forgotten infraction. Exceedingly prideful, they enjoy having their ego appeased in most ways, while some are keen enough to see through deceptions and alterior motives, many without the willpower are blinded by those who would be quick to praise them.
Communication: The Ssi-Ruuvi language is a very short very practical one that is spoken with a series of high and low pitch clicks and low throaty calls, much like that of velociraptors. The pitch of the clicks as well as the emotional context of those talking to one another makes the language able to convey a lot, while taking very little time to do so. Sadly, it's a language many hominid species are unable to replicate, making the language mostly useless outside of other reptilian species.
Culture: The Ssi-Ruuvi had two seats of power; the conclave, which acted as the leadership of the religious body, and the Elders Council, the head of the political body. The Conclave and the Elders Council often competed for control of the Clans and only the leader of the United Clans could prevent civil war from happening. The leader of the United Clans was known as His Potency the Shreeftut and was the supreme ruler of the Ssi-ruuvi people. These two councils worked in an advisory capacity for the Shreeftut. Ssi-ruuvi society itself was largely clan based with it being entrenched in tradition, religion and family history. The clans were headed by patriarchs and those that demonstrated charisma were able to command several clans. Control of a large number of clans earned their patriarch a great deal of respect from their peers.
As with the Sith species, Ssi-ruuvi society was compartmentalized by a rigid hereditary caste system. However, unlike the former, the latter's caste system was based solely on color. Their caste system comprised six main groups: blue, gold, yellow, red, black, and green. The skin color of a Ssi-ruuk symbolized his socio-economic standing in society.
The known castes included:
- Blue : Blue Ssi-ruuk representing the noble caste were the politicians and leaders of Ssi-ruuvi society and held most of the political positions; dominating the executive Elders' Council which administrated the Clans. They were distinguished from other Ssi-ruuk by their blue scales, smaller body size and longer tails. They were the highest caste, equal to the gold and thus they received the most honor and praise. They tended to be, as a caste, extremely perceptive and ambitious.
- Gold : Gold Ssi-ruuk were the religious caste of Ssi-ruuvi society. They were small in number and stature but dominated the Conclaive which was entirely concerned with religious affairs. Gold Ssi-ruuk also performed religious ceremonies like the Consecration Ceremony which "consecrated" foreign planets to enable their annexation by the United Clans.
- Yellow : Yellow Ssi-ruuk studied the sciences and operated the technology employed by the Ssi-ruuvi Clans.
- Red: Red Ssi-ruuk comprised the military caste. These Ssi-ruuk tended to be broader and stronger than other Ssi-ruuk and also had a predatory nature as well, these Ssi-ruu also have the ability to not be sensed when they are alone or in pairs.
- Green : Green Ssi-ruuk were the largest caste. This caste was the lowest that still possessed respect. They had never held any position of power, but staunchly upheld the caste system as workers.
- Black : Very rare; worked as assassins and espionage agents for the Imperium. Honored among other Ssi-ruu tribe members and were physically the largest of all Ssi-Ruuk.
- Brown : Brown Ssi-ruuk were considered the outcasts of Ssi-ruuvi society as they were the offspring of two Ssi-ruuvi from two different castes. Since class intermarriage was strictly forbidden in Ssi-ruuvi society, many of them were destroyed at birth. They performed the most menial jobs in Ssi-ruuvi society. It was commonly believed that they were the ancient progenitors of the P'w'ecks. According to the G'nnoch, the birth of a multi-colored Ssi-ruu known as the Keeramak would herald a popular rising by the oppressed brown Ssi-ruuk and P'w'ecks.
They eventually began to settle many of the nearby planets. These chain of events saw an expansion into the Ssi-ruuk's star cluster which contained six other inhabitable worlds all of which were conquered with the native races cleansed as part of the testing phase of the entechment process. The practice of entechment of lower life forms became common; even the P'w'ecks, cousins of the Ssi-ruu were used. But gradually it was learned that containment of these "souls" for long periods would result in madness and it was decided that the Imperium needed to expand its realm once again. Another reason was due to the dwindling resources in their isolated region of space. After the discovery of entechment, the Ssi-ruuk sacrificed countless P'w'eck's to power entire hordes of battle droids which they used as part of their forces when they emerged from their stellar cluster. Sometime around 25000 BBY an experimental Ssi-ruuk hyperdrive vessel crashed on the planet Garos IV. Prior to that, the Clans had never before dared to expand beyond its cluster, partly because of the large distances involved, partly due to the xenophobic nature of the Ssi-ruuk, and partly because of their religious fear of traveling to 'unconsecrated' worlds.
Planet: Many planets in the Outer Rim / Unknown Regions, notably, Zakuul, Lwhekk and the planets nearby them.
Technology: The Technology of the Ssi-Ruuvi is basic and primitive to many, but not ineffective. About on the same par as the Wookies they are often compared to. Having developed space faring technology, in large due to reverse engineering and learning from the crafts of settlers that had come to their planets, skyrocketing their own technological civilization. Though, of all their technology, one budding gem stands out among the rest, which is the theory of Entechment. The very religious group, having focused largely on looking for a power source, have formulated a means to convert life-force or chemical vitality into electricity. While this technologies applications, while well developed, are far from perfected, as such they have weaponized it into dirty grenades, force fields or torture devices which use entechment energy fields to incapacitate or kill aggressors, and powering for their ships and homes. Though this technology is unrefined, and in many cases is somewhat shoddy at best, often due to killing its power-source unnecessarily.
Intent: The intent is to add probably one of the coolest (imo) saurian race into the site to the planets of Zakuul and Lwhekk (their homeworld) which is present on the map. They introduce a really interesting technology which I think would be fun and flavorful to play around with, with the 1000 year BBY acting as a great limiter to keep the technology from getting overpowered or silly.
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