Post by ☠War☢Gerbil☠ on Feb 24, 2011 0:01:18 GMT -5
Shokuur
Planet Name: Shokurr (sho-kooOR)
Planet Type: Terrestrial
Galactic Region: Outer Rim
Sector: Abrion Sector
System: Tarshagal System
Sun(s): 1 ; Shelaak "Golden Orb of Day"
Moon(s): 1 ; Saalok "White Circle of Night"
Orbital Period: 340 days
Day Length: 26 hours
Axial tilt: 19°26'
Gravity: 2.1 Gs ; 9.81 m/s²
Escape Velocity 10.2 km/s
Surface Pressure: 101.325 kPa (MSL)
Habitable: Yes...if you dare to try
Atmosphere: Type-1[/u]
Climate: +/- 30º Centigrade [86 Fº], high humidity
Faction(s):
- Independent Kaung'aavi tribes
- Templar of Shokuur (extinct)
- Order of Shokuur (soon to come)
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Terrain Overview
________________________________________________________________ Swamp
Jungle/Rainforest
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Notable Geographic Features
_____________________________________________________________ Kaung'aavi Territory Totems
[/center] Monolithic statues carved by the Kaung'aavi from rock and wood and decorated with bones. These ominous sentinels mark the boundaries of different clan territories. To pass into the domain of another clan without consent or diplomatic intention is grounds for war.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sacred crystal cave
This cave was important to the Templar of Shokuur because it naturally produced various crystals usable in lightsabers. The location of the crystal cave may in fact be the reason for why the Templar built their academy where it is. Where as the academy and temple are at the top of a cliff near a convergence of waterfalls, the entrance to the crystal cave is at the bottom of the cliff tucked in behind a wall of water. A thin stairway hewn into the side of the cliff from the top leads down behind the waterfalls and to the entrance of the cave.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ancient T.o.S. Academy
The place where it all started. The original Templar of Shokuur, along with their Kaung'aavi followers, lay down the foundations for there sanctuary here after feeling a strong presence in the Force at this location. The crystal cave beneath them was later discovered to be the reason for the Force nexus there at the edge of the waterfalls. Over time the T.o.S expanded upon their sanctuary creating an elaborate main temple with separate training rooms, meditation chambers, and living quarters. There are even catacombs and storage rooms in the basement of the temple.Similar temples have been built around Shokuur, but this remains the most elaborate and famous academic hub.
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Darkside Cave
About 4 kilometers down river from the main T.o.S academy and 1 kilometer down a side river lies the once renown Dark Side cave. Another Force nexus, this cave once served as a stage in the trials of Zealots. The cave is saturated with Dark Side energies. Any who enter are tormented with illusions that will test their mettle and will.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Capital City: N/A
Major cities: none
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Sentient species:
_____________________________________________________________Kaung'aavi ::: Population-1 billion, spread out across the planet in tribes of a few hundred to a few thousands. Settlements are secluded usually in canyons or in elaborate cave systems. Some are in tree canopies like wookiee settlements.
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Non-Sentient species of note:
_____________________________________________________________[li]Sii'aphu- The sii'aphu is a crafty, ferocious, predatory feline species. Sii'aphu are also pack animals and tend to live in groups of anywhere from 3 to 15. They hunt, eat, and sleep together, but each pack has an alpha male or female. Deadly enough alone or in groups, the sii'aphu are also force sensitive. This ability possibly evolved to help them hunt a force empowered prey such as ysalimiri on Myrkr. Or perhaps the Templar of Shokuur crafted and corrupted them from a different predatory feline species native to Shokuur. Regardless, a side effect is that they've developed a sweet tooth for sentient Force-sensitives.
Their origin a mystery, they were introduced to Shokuur a long time ago most likely by the Rakata. The short haired sii'aphus range covers all of Shokuur; the swamps, inner jungles, and mountainous rainforests.
Sii'aphu use their keen senses to hunt at night when their prey is at its most vulnerable state. They prefer to strike from the darkness with whip-like highly poisonous barbed shoulder tentacles to stun smaller animals. This gives the pack more than enough time to close in on the animal or being and finish it off with throat puncturing fangs. Larger prey they smack once or twice with their tentacles and then give it room to run. The poison injected into the prey from their barbs will slowly kill the victim so all the sii'aphu must do is follow the bloody trail until they come across the fallen creature. This killer cat is normally dormant during the day, but hunger or other factors can drive them to hunt during daylight hours.
[/li][li]Dianoga - Dianoga are large cephalopods, capable of growing up to ten meters in length, though most specimens grow to approximately five or six meters. They have a single eyestalk protruding from their mollusk-like bodies, and seven suckered tentacles surrounding a fanged maw.
[/li][li]Dragonsnake - Dragonsnakes are well armored with razor fins, and have rows of sharp fangs in their mouths. They use their wide tails to propel them through their watery habitat; their long arms were mostly used for digging or grasping. In mass, they can be up to 50,000 kilograms. The dragonsnake is a patient predator, usually lying in wait under the water until its prey wanders too close to the water's edge. Lashing out with fins and fangs, the dragonsnake drags its victim underwater, coiled in its body, until it drowns.
Only a few fellow Shokuur creatures pose a threat to dragonsnakes as their scales are stout enough to withstand most melee weapons and even some small arms fire. Dragonsnakes rarely mate more often than once every five standard years, with females laying one to six eggs. These are buried and abandoned, usually resulting in consumption by predators. Hatchlings achieve full size within months and then are adults.
[/li][li] Ebo - Ebo are species of omnivorous reptomammals indigenous to Shokuur. Ebo are interesting in that they, like other rare reptomammals, have a mix of traditionally reptilian features, such as a lack of mammary glands and scaly skin. They are also warm-blooded, have coarse brown hair, and give birth to live young; mammalian characteristics. Adult male Ebos have a crest like horn protruding from the crown of their head down to their nose. All adult Ebos are around 6ft. tall.
A peaceful foraging and grazing herbivore. Ebos don't get violent unless they're backed into a corner or their young are endangered. Unfortunately Ebos are common game for the apex predators like stalkers, sii'aphu, and gancors. Ebo aren't helpless though. Males are quick to use their facial crests to headbutt enemies. Both males and females will surprisingly out of character attack ferociously with their short, but sharp hand claws as well as trampling and kicking.(a lot like kangaroos)
[/li][li]Shrew-pig - Shrew-pigs are large foraging herbivores. Their name derives from their appearance which is something between a rodent and a pig. Adult shrew-pigs are usually about the size of a cow.
[/li][li] Twilight Stalker - The stalkers origins lay with unfortunate ship wrecked Trandoshans, a sentient reptilian species. The Trandoshans had the misfortune of attempting to land and then crashing on Shokuur during the ending civil wars of the Templar. In an attempt to get the upper hand over their adversaries some Templar twisted and bastardized the Trandoshans into the bestial horrors they are now. The Twilight Stalkers were able to breed and out live the Templari Empire, thus their descendent's have merged with the wild ecosystem of Shokuur. Standing at around 2.1 meters stalkers can be mistaken for sentient humanoids, but they are not. Savage and cunning these creatures track prey via their hyper sensitive olfactory system. An adverse side effect of their original corruption, T-stalkers have poor sight. Badly near sighted they can only see within a 13 foot radius. They rely on their sense of smell primarily for guidance, with hearing being equivalent to a normal human.
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Regisaur- Regisaurs are large carnivorous reptomammals whos ancestry derives from the monstrous Rancors. The prefix in their name "regi" comes from "regicide". This is a nod towards the fact that they're so powerful they can kill a godly Kaung'aavi king AND that they are viewed as the king/dominant non-sentient species of Shokuur. Warm-blooded, Regisaurs fall into the reptomammal category. Regisaur females tend to lay eggs in 1's or 2's. The hatchlings will stay with their mother for 2 out 3 adolescent years. When they're really young the hatchlings ride on their mother; 1 dorsal and 1 ventral. These usually solitary beasts find other gancor mates once every two years by a strong pheromones.
Short in comparison with the rest of their body, Regisaurs have large(width wise), powerful, perpetually bent legs. Protecting its back and tail is a thick, caramel-colored shell-like carapace. It has spikes coming from its chin, the sides of the mouth, the underside of its neck, the elbows of its front arms, and its shell. The creature also has two horns projecting forwards from the top of its head. The regisaurs skin is very hard and thick, able to deflect heavy blaster bolts, providing excellent armor. A regisaurs flat face is dominated by a gigantic mouth full of razor sharp teeth.
These terrifying beasts have a symbiotic relationship with various kinds of birds that clean their teeth. This provides the birds with food and the regisaur with a form of dental hygiene. Their favorite food are shrew-pigs.
[/li][li]Gizka - Gizka are a small reptilian species similar to frogs in diet and behavior except they are larger and only have 2 legs. They're unintelligent and tend to live in small colonies. Gizka have no means of fighting so when danger approaches they flee to burrows made in the mud of river banks and swamps. A staple of many things diets, the Gizka have to reproduce amazingly fast. Around 3 days to be precise.
[/li][li]Sleen - The Sleen is a slow and omnivorous lizard native to Dagobah and Shokuur. A swamp forager, it eats insects and preferrs a damp and dark environment. It hunts the swamps and forests for insects before going back to its hollowed out log or hole in the ground.
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History:
_____________________________________________________________Shokuur is a planet teeming with history, but shrouded in mystery. Around 6,900BBY in the wake of the Hundred-Year Darkness a small band of Dark Jedi escaped the rounding up of defeated Exile forces and fled from persecution. They traveled into what at the time was Unknown Space. The cultists wound up in the Tarshagal System. When they emerged from hyperspace, they found themselves gazing down on an uncharted world. They descended to the surface of the planet Shokuur; there they found a humanoid sentient species calling themselves the Kaung'aavi. The dark sider cultists awed the primitive species with their display of Force power and were regarded as demi-gods sent from the heavens to lead and enlighten the Kaung.
They became the rulers of the Kaung'aavi and founded a new cult of force users dubbed the Templar of Shokuur. Templar were composed of the offspring of the cultists as well as Kaung'aavi with high midi-chlorian counts and showing great potential. Their leader being called the Zen'ari, or "High Templar" of the Kaung'aavi. The first High Templar was an zabrak named Krassus Xang. Xang began uniting warring Kaung tribes into a new planet wide empire lead by Templar instead of native Kaung'aavi. Over time the original Templar and the Kaung interbred to make the two groups indistinguishable from one another, and the Empire continued to be lead by a succession of High Templar. Deceased High Templar were entombed in the various natural caves and caverns of Shokuur instead of cremated on massive funeral pyres as Kaung'aavi Kings had been. Their tombs were filled with the treasures they had accumulated during their life, as well as strong dark side energies. Often the tomb would also house the spirit of the Templar lord himself, who remained attached to his body and possessions through the Force.
At the apex of the Templars power, around 6,300BBY, there were a good 10 or so planets encompassed into the Templari Empire. All of these worlds were in the Outer Rim, at the time Unknown Space; thus the Templar went unnoticed by the rest of the Galaxy.
Around 6,000BBY the Templar of Shokuur went into a power struggle the cause of which is unknown. Perhaps a prominent High Templar died thus causing a power vacuum. What ever the reason, the empire descended into a civil war. Imperial planets in different systems became cut off from the happenings in the rest of the empire and thus became enveloped in their own sub civil wars. On all worlds the High Templar warlords vying for power fully annihilated each other in their obsession for control. Even Templar forces on Shokuur, dubbed the holiest planet in the Empire, splintered and waged bloody cataclysmic wars in the jungles and swamps.
The outcome was that all original non-kaung templar were killed off. Shokuur, the only remaining planet in the galaxy with Kaung'aavi, was plunged back into its pre-templar state. The Kaung spread back across the planet into tribes ran by force trained Kaung dubbed Seers. Seers of each generation continued to pick out and train other force sensitive Kaung'aavi just like the Templar had done so long ago. Although they fight each other over territory, politics, and minor religious differences, all Kaung'aavi await the return of their demi-gods, the return of the Templar
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