Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Apr 25, 2012 14:25:16 GMT -5
Species Name: Daravin
Species Type: Humanoid
Planet of Origin: Dara IV
Average Maximum age: 300 years
Age of Maturation: 30 years
Average Height: 1.8 meters (Males) 1.6 meters (Females)
Average Weight: 81.7 kilos (Males) 59 kilos (Females)
Notable biological features:
In comparison to humans, there are several superficial differences and many more internal differences between them and Daravin. There are also qualitative differences between the two.
The superficial differences are the easiest to tell. They possess dark skin, in shades of grey and blue-grey, long and pointed ears, and red eyes that (like the Chiss) glow in Oxygen rich environments. Generally females are short by human standards and men are tall. Regardless of sex, both species have smooth skin and sharp nails, and have naturally occurring body hair. Common hair colors include black, brown, grey, and white. Contrary to conventional human wisdom, their hair does not change color with age, and those with white hair were born that way. Rare hair colors are shades of red and blue. Their superficial appearance has led some humans to refer to them as “dark elves.”
Internally, Daravin are vastly different from humans. To begin with, nearly every organ in the body has a back up. Inside a body with fifteen pairs of tightly packed ribs, there are two hearts (one in the chest and one in the abdomen), three lungs (each slightly smaller than a human lung), two livers, a stomach, two kidneys, and a single intestine. Their digestion works entirely differently from that of a human, having only two phases of digestion, those in the stomach and those in the intestine. The very lining of these organs secrete enzymes that perform equivalent functions, but in a much smaller space and more rapid time. However, generally speaking they absorb less nutrition from food, and are required to eat more than a typical human in a single day.
Unlike many species possessing multiple hearts, the Daravin have two complete circulatory systems. Each heart carries out the same essential function, but parallel to the other. This physiology makes the species very resistant to physical injuries, and they also possess a remarkable resistance to radiation, thanks to high levels on their home planet. They refer to their physiological durability as “basara,” a word that translates to “Resiliency.”
Daravin blood has hemoglobin, a protein bonding iron, like that of a human, and is a red color. However, there are distinct differences in the needs of each species. While arsenic is toxic to humans, Daravin need it in a regular diet. In fact, most of the ‘toxic’ heavy metals are not harmful at all to them, being found in abundance on their planet and in their cuisine. However, for them the gas helium is extremely toxic.
While Daravin reproduce sexually in the same way, give birth to live young in the same way, and produce breast milk in the same way, they are incompatible with humans, and indeed with any other species. Scientists have theorized that with enough time, the species will evolve to enable interbreeding, but those rare instances of conception with another species have invariably led to miscarriages and stillbirths, vindicating certain religious beliefs in Daravin society.
In general, Daravin have better eyesight than humans in low light environments. All of them have much keener hearing than humans, extending into both higher and lower ranges, as well as control of volume. As such, exceptionally loud noises and sonic weapons can frequently disrupt them.
Force sensitivity is rare among the Daravin, but not unheard of.
Number of limbs and Type: Four (two arms, two legs)
Culture:
Daravin are, first and foremost, traders. Their culture is centered around commerce, House, religion, and the family. Not necessarily in that order.
Houses
The two governing forces for the Daravin race are the Houses and the religion. There are three major houses, and dozens of minor ones (With most of the minor ones in turn affiliated with a major one). Each House is an integral corporate, military, and social unit occupying a certain area or field. Each possesses a combination of colors unique to them, with which they identify their resources, from material to personnel. The major Houses are Osra (Black and silver), Gilora (Blue and bronze), Rasia (Green and orange). Of these, Osra is the keeper of tradition, Gilora the most financially successful and adventurous, and Rasia the one most connected to the religion.
All of the Houses form the government, an oligarchic Council composed of the head of each House.
Religion
Known simply as “the Way,” or “the Temple,” the Daravin religion is a complicated philosophy and worldview as much as a faith. The core principle of it is that the Daravin were made in the image of the Old Gods, and that the first three Daravin became Divine through piety. They became the bridge between the Old Gods and the people, and through devotion to both sets of deities, a Daravin could win a place in Paradise in the afterlife. Those Daravin who showed the most piety became known as Saints, and existed in a hallowed pantheon, numbering a thousand in all.
The worldview associated with the faith is as distinctive as the faith itself. Religious Daravin (of which the majority are) believe that only the Daravin are the divine race. They have a distrust of outsiders, and in addition to xenophobia, they feel a sense of racial pride that many would consider disconcerting.
The Temple itself is monolithic, with splintered branches crushed rather mercilessly. As a result, the ‘true teachings’ have been in place for thousands of years.
Family
To a Daravin, family is everything. From the poorest to the richest and from the youngest to the oldest, existing inside a family is considered essential. It is not at all unusual to see four generations living in the same house. It would be longer due to the long life expectancy, except children are not conceived, by custom, until the age of one hundred years.
The head of the family is traditionally the father, whose title falls to the oldest father in the family at any given time in a respect for age. In the same way, the eldest mother is the head of the household, often delegating work to the younger women. The junior-most members of the family are cast into the roles of follower until the 'age of independence' at 100 years. Then they are expected to gain wealth or prestige and skills, and return soon to make a life, though it is still common for them to remain in the same house.
Another tenet in their belief is respect of elders. Age confers wisdom in the family tradition, and it is the responsibility of the young to take care of the old. Those who are derelict in their duties to their elders are viewed as lacking. Even personal animosity is not viewed as an excuse, and the expectation is that it is to be overcome.
Language
The Daravin language is an extremely flowery, poetic, and lyrical language perfectly and uniquely suited to take advantage of trade and commerce. Almost every word in it is conditional based on the circumstances, the intonation, and the placement in the sentence. As a result, the language is very subjective and can make translation protocols very complicated. When speaking Basic, those with Daravin as a first language often are characterized as ‘elusive’ due to a preference for adding conditional statements, often multiple ones for the same sentence.
Also when speaking Basic, they tend to have gravelly and accented voices, with a rough quality. (The accent resembles a Hungarian accent) However, not all Daravin have accents, many speak flawless Basic.
Clothing
In the Daravin System, attire is highly variable. On Dara VI, offworld attire is most prevalent, as it is the only planet particularly welcoming to outlanders. On Dara IV, the homeworld, traditional wardrobes are mostly followed. The wealthy, the merchants and the leaders of the Houses wear flowing robes in the colors associated with their affiliation. Those under them, retainers in the Houses or associates of the businesses, wear less gaudy and less flowing robes, with increasing embellishment indicating prestige inside the organization. Even Daravin away from the homeworld have adopted a similar pattern of dress, with ornamentation indicating power or wealth. Those of noble birth particularly are entitled to embellishment.
Traditionally those in the military wear armor made from leather and carry ornate spears for ceremonial purposes, but on actual duty they wear commercial body armor and carry blasters.
Commoners traditionally wear simple clothing, in both color and cut. Those who dress above their means are viewed as deviants, though it has not stopped prominent activists from campaigning for a change to society to allow anyone to dress in any way. Technically there is now law regarding the customs of clothing, however on Dara IV the customs are followed. On Dara V and VI the populations are considerably more open-minded.
Textiles
One of the great contributions of the Daravin are their finely crafted textiles. Daravin fabric is highly sought after in the galaxy, particularly their silk. The workmanship is fine, and the best they have is sought after by the elite in the galaxy, while the more average goods are desired by home directors for the middle class.
Temperament
Though social behaviors and emotions vary among individual Daravin, there are trends that can be safely listed as general traits. In general they are shrewd, with keen minds and no small degree of ambition. They are xenophobic, distrusting and often disdainful of outsiders. Many are business-minded, generally having an excellent mind for money and percentages. They are evasive, rarely providing a yes or no answer, and they are loyal. When a Daravin promises fidelity, it is for life and unconditional. However, due to their evasive natures and refusal to make commitments, it is rare for them to ever be in the position where their loyalty can be found.
History:
Daravin history begins on the fourth planet from the star in the Daravin system, with microbial lifeforms millennia ago. Slowly they evolved into life, and that life gradually became sentient on a world rich in resources. Dark oceans brimmed with fish, volcanic soil was ready for planting, and everything but wood was in abundant supply. However, as the early Daravin developed, they formed hostile clans and engaged in costly wars for thousands of year. Their evolution was hindered by their warring nature, though they developed great survivability from it, and finally when things seemed they could sink no lower, the very first unifying attribute came to be.
In 5650 BBY, an unknown prophet began to preach that the Old Gods had made the Daravin in their image, that their own blood was sacred and that they were all made in a holy image. He taught that the very first Daravin had learned to be pious and had made themselves gods, and he preached their example. He became the first visionary leader, and when he died he was made a Saint by the new religion. His example changed the very nature of their society, and the formerly warring factions joined together into a very loose affiliation. Tribes became Houses, and they ended their fighting and exchanged it for a system of political intrigue and alliances. They formed a Council to rule them in a single planetary government.
Over the next thousand years they advanced like lightning, developing everything from slugthrowers to solar panels, and then aircraft. It was a period of peace and growth, and the stagnation of the previous years was gone. Success suited them, and from then they turned their attention outwards to their star system.
Astronomers had come to the conclusion that two other planets were habitable, and House Gilora was determined to reach them. While House Osra scoffed at fairy tales of space, Gilora sank every bit of wealth into reaching and claiming Dara V and VI. Over twenty years they reached space, they made it to Dara V, and they sent space explorers there and back, proving it was both habitable and rich in resources. With twenty additional years they established a base of operations on the planet, and started colonization.
Dara V made Gilora the richest House on the planet and brought them a newfound prestige.
In 4,307 BBY, the Daravin found out something surprising, and to the Temple Orthodoxy, heretical. There was life elsewhere in the galaxy. The Galactic Republic made first contact with the Outer Rim civilization, an explorer ship deviated from the normal routes stumbled onto their system, arriving on Dara V and encountering the shocked colonists. There was a considerable amount of fear and doubt, but it was House Gilora that was in charge of the colonists, and they were open-minded. The Daravin learned all about the Republic as soon as translators were arranged, which took weeks. Being shrewd business people, they saw opportunity. Dara IV and Dara V were both rich in resources and finished goods, and Dara VI was untapped potential. Without consulting the other Houses, Gilora agreed to lease Dara VI to the Republic as a trading outpost and military base.
The other Houses were irate. Rasia especially was convinced these outsiders were demonic foes not made in the image of the Old Gods. However, Gilora was able to persuade enough of the minor Houses to accept the Republic and Rasia and Osra fell into line.
It was thirty years later that the Republic finally finished their construction and charting of hyperspace routes to Daravin. By that time, a surplus of goods had been built up for trade, and the more shrewd members of House Gilora were ready to buy spacecraft. They arranged for the purchase of basic ships, and they reverse-engineered them, too proud to simply ask for plans. Their attempts at reproducing them failed for several years, particularly with the hyperdrive. Finally they requested aid, and received it, developing new designs and putting them into production.
It was a commercial fleet that they were producing, ships designed to carry out goods and return wealth, not being content to let trade come to them. It was a proactive and bold approach. It was also successful in spreading the name of Daravin to the galaxy and showcasing a newly discovered race.
Over the centuries, space travel and trade became second nature to the Daravin, and a class of spacefarers formed in their society, usually composed of minor nobles and the middle class working together. It was that class that became responsible for the accumulation of wealth, and they profited by it. The path to success was viewed as being space, that trade would bring rewards to both House and individual. Increasing numbers of Daravin left Dara IV and V in search of their fortunes.
During the Jedi Civil War, The Daravin system fell to the Sith. The occupation was hardly brutal, and the Daravin themselves didn’t particularly mind what flag was flying on Dara VI as long as the trade money kept coming in. For them the war had little impact, and they came through unscathed and thriving while many other planets were suffering.
While loosely affiliated with the Republic, the Daravin system never actually became a voting member in the Senate, instead having a non-member observer status for their small delegation. Officially, the Daravin are neutral, and only interested in prosperity. Unofficially, they have little use for ‘outlander politics’ at all and prefer to keep to their own affairs.
Species Type: Humanoid
Planet of Origin: Dara IV
Average Maximum age: 300 years
Age of Maturation: 30 years
Average Height: 1.8 meters (Males) 1.6 meters (Females)
Average Weight: 81.7 kilos (Males) 59 kilos (Females)
Notable biological features:
In comparison to humans, there are several superficial differences and many more internal differences between them and Daravin. There are also qualitative differences between the two.
The superficial differences are the easiest to tell. They possess dark skin, in shades of grey and blue-grey, long and pointed ears, and red eyes that (like the Chiss) glow in Oxygen rich environments. Generally females are short by human standards and men are tall. Regardless of sex, both species have smooth skin and sharp nails, and have naturally occurring body hair. Common hair colors include black, brown, grey, and white. Contrary to conventional human wisdom, their hair does not change color with age, and those with white hair were born that way. Rare hair colors are shades of red and blue. Their superficial appearance has led some humans to refer to them as “dark elves.”
Internally, Daravin are vastly different from humans. To begin with, nearly every organ in the body has a back up. Inside a body with fifteen pairs of tightly packed ribs, there are two hearts (one in the chest and one in the abdomen), three lungs (each slightly smaller than a human lung), two livers, a stomach, two kidneys, and a single intestine. Their digestion works entirely differently from that of a human, having only two phases of digestion, those in the stomach and those in the intestine. The very lining of these organs secrete enzymes that perform equivalent functions, but in a much smaller space and more rapid time. However, generally speaking they absorb less nutrition from food, and are required to eat more than a typical human in a single day.
Unlike many species possessing multiple hearts, the Daravin have two complete circulatory systems. Each heart carries out the same essential function, but parallel to the other. This physiology makes the species very resistant to physical injuries, and they also possess a remarkable resistance to radiation, thanks to high levels on their home planet. They refer to their physiological durability as “basara,” a word that translates to “Resiliency.”
Daravin blood has hemoglobin, a protein bonding iron, like that of a human, and is a red color. However, there are distinct differences in the needs of each species. While arsenic is toxic to humans, Daravin need it in a regular diet. In fact, most of the ‘toxic’ heavy metals are not harmful at all to them, being found in abundance on their planet and in their cuisine. However, for them the gas helium is extremely toxic.
While Daravin reproduce sexually in the same way, give birth to live young in the same way, and produce breast milk in the same way, they are incompatible with humans, and indeed with any other species. Scientists have theorized that with enough time, the species will evolve to enable interbreeding, but those rare instances of conception with another species have invariably led to miscarriages and stillbirths, vindicating certain religious beliefs in Daravin society.
In general, Daravin have better eyesight than humans in low light environments. All of them have much keener hearing than humans, extending into both higher and lower ranges, as well as control of volume. As such, exceptionally loud noises and sonic weapons can frequently disrupt them.
Force sensitivity is rare among the Daravin, but not unheard of.
Number of limbs and Type: Four (two arms, two legs)
Culture:
Daravin are, first and foremost, traders. Their culture is centered around commerce, House, religion, and the family. Not necessarily in that order.
Houses
The two governing forces for the Daravin race are the Houses and the religion. There are three major houses, and dozens of minor ones (With most of the minor ones in turn affiliated with a major one). Each House is an integral corporate, military, and social unit occupying a certain area or field. Each possesses a combination of colors unique to them, with which they identify their resources, from material to personnel. The major Houses are Osra (Black and silver), Gilora (Blue and bronze), Rasia (Green and orange). Of these, Osra is the keeper of tradition, Gilora the most financially successful and adventurous, and Rasia the one most connected to the religion.
All of the Houses form the government, an oligarchic Council composed of the head of each House.
Religion
Known simply as “the Way,” or “the Temple,” the Daravin religion is a complicated philosophy and worldview as much as a faith. The core principle of it is that the Daravin were made in the image of the Old Gods, and that the first three Daravin became Divine through piety. They became the bridge between the Old Gods and the people, and through devotion to both sets of deities, a Daravin could win a place in Paradise in the afterlife. Those Daravin who showed the most piety became known as Saints, and existed in a hallowed pantheon, numbering a thousand in all.
The worldview associated with the faith is as distinctive as the faith itself. Religious Daravin (of which the majority are) believe that only the Daravin are the divine race. They have a distrust of outsiders, and in addition to xenophobia, they feel a sense of racial pride that many would consider disconcerting.
The Temple itself is monolithic, with splintered branches crushed rather mercilessly. As a result, the ‘true teachings’ have been in place for thousands of years.
Family
To a Daravin, family is everything. From the poorest to the richest and from the youngest to the oldest, existing inside a family is considered essential. It is not at all unusual to see four generations living in the same house. It would be longer due to the long life expectancy, except children are not conceived, by custom, until the age of one hundred years.
The head of the family is traditionally the father, whose title falls to the oldest father in the family at any given time in a respect for age. In the same way, the eldest mother is the head of the household, often delegating work to the younger women. The junior-most members of the family are cast into the roles of follower until the 'age of independence' at 100 years. Then they are expected to gain wealth or prestige and skills, and return soon to make a life, though it is still common for them to remain in the same house.
Another tenet in their belief is respect of elders. Age confers wisdom in the family tradition, and it is the responsibility of the young to take care of the old. Those who are derelict in their duties to their elders are viewed as lacking. Even personal animosity is not viewed as an excuse, and the expectation is that it is to be overcome.
Language
The Daravin language is an extremely flowery, poetic, and lyrical language perfectly and uniquely suited to take advantage of trade and commerce. Almost every word in it is conditional based on the circumstances, the intonation, and the placement in the sentence. As a result, the language is very subjective and can make translation protocols very complicated. When speaking Basic, those with Daravin as a first language often are characterized as ‘elusive’ due to a preference for adding conditional statements, often multiple ones for the same sentence.
Also when speaking Basic, they tend to have gravelly and accented voices, with a rough quality. (The accent resembles a Hungarian accent) However, not all Daravin have accents, many speak flawless Basic.
Clothing
In the Daravin System, attire is highly variable. On Dara VI, offworld attire is most prevalent, as it is the only planet particularly welcoming to outlanders. On Dara IV, the homeworld, traditional wardrobes are mostly followed. The wealthy, the merchants and the leaders of the Houses wear flowing robes in the colors associated with their affiliation. Those under them, retainers in the Houses or associates of the businesses, wear less gaudy and less flowing robes, with increasing embellishment indicating prestige inside the organization. Even Daravin away from the homeworld have adopted a similar pattern of dress, with ornamentation indicating power or wealth. Those of noble birth particularly are entitled to embellishment.
Traditionally those in the military wear armor made from leather and carry ornate spears for ceremonial purposes, but on actual duty they wear commercial body armor and carry blasters.
Commoners traditionally wear simple clothing, in both color and cut. Those who dress above their means are viewed as deviants, though it has not stopped prominent activists from campaigning for a change to society to allow anyone to dress in any way. Technically there is now law regarding the customs of clothing, however on Dara IV the customs are followed. On Dara V and VI the populations are considerably more open-minded.
Textiles
One of the great contributions of the Daravin are their finely crafted textiles. Daravin fabric is highly sought after in the galaxy, particularly their silk. The workmanship is fine, and the best they have is sought after by the elite in the galaxy, while the more average goods are desired by home directors for the middle class.
Temperament
Though social behaviors and emotions vary among individual Daravin, there are trends that can be safely listed as general traits. In general they are shrewd, with keen minds and no small degree of ambition. They are xenophobic, distrusting and often disdainful of outsiders. Many are business-minded, generally having an excellent mind for money and percentages. They are evasive, rarely providing a yes or no answer, and they are loyal. When a Daravin promises fidelity, it is for life and unconditional. However, due to their evasive natures and refusal to make commitments, it is rare for them to ever be in the position where their loyalty can be found.
History:
Daravin history begins on the fourth planet from the star in the Daravin system, with microbial lifeforms millennia ago. Slowly they evolved into life, and that life gradually became sentient on a world rich in resources. Dark oceans brimmed with fish, volcanic soil was ready for planting, and everything but wood was in abundant supply. However, as the early Daravin developed, they formed hostile clans and engaged in costly wars for thousands of year. Their evolution was hindered by their warring nature, though they developed great survivability from it, and finally when things seemed they could sink no lower, the very first unifying attribute came to be.
In 5650 BBY, an unknown prophet began to preach that the Old Gods had made the Daravin in their image, that their own blood was sacred and that they were all made in a holy image. He taught that the very first Daravin had learned to be pious and had made themselves gods, and he preached their example. He became the first visionary leader, and when he died he was made a Saint by the new religion. His example changed the very nature of their society, and the formerly warring factions joined together into a very loose affiliation. Tribes became Houses, and they ended their fighting and exchanged it for a system of political intrigue and alliances. They formed a Council to rule them in a single planetary government.
Over the next thousand years they advanced like lightning, developing everything from slugthrowers to solar panels, and then aircraft. It was a period of peace and growth, and the stagnation of the previous years was gone. Success suited them, and from then they turned their attention outwards to their star system.
Astronomers had come to the conclusion that two other planets were habitable, and House Gilora was determined to reach them. While House Osra scoffed at fairy tales of space, Gilora sank every bit of wealth into reaching and claiming Dara V and VI. Over twenty years they reached space, they made it to Dara V, and they sent space explorers there and back, proving it was both habitable and rich in resources. With twenty additional years they established a base of operations on the planet, and started colonization.
Dara V made Gilora the richest House on the planet and brought them a newfound prestige.
In 4,307 BBY, the Daravin found out something surprising, and to the Temple Orthodoxy, heretical. There was life elsewhere in the galaxy. The Galactic Republic made first contact with the Outer Rim civilization, an explorer ship deviated from the normal routes stumbled onto their system, arriving on Dara V and encountering the shocked colonists. There was a considerable amount of fear and doubt, but it was House Gilora that was in charge of the colonists, and they were open-minded. The Daravin learned all about the Republic as soon as translators were arranged, which took weeks. Being shrewd business people, they saw opportunity. Dara IV and Dara V were both rich in resources and finished goods, and Dara VI was untapped potential. Without consulting the other Houses, Gilora agreed to lease Dara VI to the Republic as a trading outpost and military base.
The other Houses were irate. Rasia especially was convinced these outsiders were demonic foes not made in the image of the Old Gods. However, Gilora was able to persuade enough of the minor Houses to accept the Republic and Rasia and Osra fell into line.
It was thirty years later that the Republic finally finished their construction and charting of hyperspace routes to Daravin. By that time, a surplus of goods had been built up for trade, and the more shrewd members of House Gilora were ready to buy spacecraft. They arranged for the purchase of basic ships, and they reverse-engineered them, too proud to simply ask for plans. Their attempts at reproducing them failed for several years, particularly with the hyperdrive. Finally they requested aid, and received it, developing new designs and putting them into production.
It was a commercial fleet that they were producing, ships designed to carry out goods and return wealth, not being content to let trade come to them. It was a proactive and bold approach. It was also successful in spreading the name of Daravin to the galaxy and showcasing a newly discovered race.
Over the centuries, space travel and trade became second nature to the Daravin, and a class of spacefarers formed in their society, usually composed of minor nobles and the middle class working together. It was that class that became responsible for the accumulation of wealth, and they profited by it. The path to success was viewed as being space, that trade would bring rewards to both House and individual. Increasing numbers of Daravin left Dara IV and V in search of their fortunes.
During the Jedi Civil War, The Daravin system fell to the Sith. The occupation was hardly brutal, and the Daravin themselves didn’t particularly mind what flag was flying on Dara VI as long as the trade money kept coming in. For them the war had little impact, and they came through unscathed and thriving while many other planets were suffering.
While loosely affiliated with the Republic, the Daravin system never actually became a voting member in the Senate, instead having a non-member observer status for their small delegation. Officially, the Daravin are neutral, and only interested in prosperity. Unofficially, they have little use for ‘outlander politics’ at all and prefer to keep to their own affairs.
