Mephitisian

"During this time of celebration for our magnificent Moff, the city is alive with entertainment. We are here to drink to his health and wish him well&hellip; even if he can't be here to join us."

- Mosh Pelkan

The Mephitisians were four armed sentient species from the planet Mephitis. Their homeworld had an obnoxious atmosphere, and as a consequence, the species had a number of evolutionary adaptations, including lacking noses. The Mephitisian Mosh Pelkan gained prominence on the planet Questal as a Turf Boss&mdash;criminal leaders with quasi-official authoriy. He hosted a celebration for the birthday of local Moff Bandor which was infiltrated by a number of Alliance agents.

Biology and appearance
The Mephitisians were a sentient species with four arms, that they could use independently of each other. Having evolved on a world with an obnoxious smell, they had a number of adaptations to their environment: the Mephitisians had no noses, and their black eyes were small and covered with clear lids. They had large upper lips that they flapped over their mouths to limit its exposure to the air. The Mephitisians were very dexterous, and had purple-tinged skin. Their heads had two horn-like projections, which were sensitive to vibrations and air movements.

History
The Mephitisians evolved on the planet Mephitis, located in the south-western portion of the Colonies. The atmosphere on their homeworld was obnoxious, and offensive to all species that visited the planet. The Mephitisians were part of the galactic community from the time of the Galactic Civil War. The Mephitisian Mosh Pelkan was a Turf Boss on the planet Questal. Turf Bosses were criminals leaders who had agreements with the official District Commanders to keep down insurgency in exchange for the Commanders turning a blind eye to their activities. Originally traveling to the planet with the intention of becoming an ardanium prospector, Pelkan soon realized importing illegal goods earned a greater profit. He established a significant powerbase, and was a popular figure in Gralleenya, Questal's capital city. When Imperial Moff Bandor was given jurisdiction over Questal, he gave Pelkan control over a district of Gralleenya.

Pelkan hosted a costume gala at his mansion to celebrate Bandor's birthday. The party was infiltrated by a number of agents of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, who were searching for missing agent Tiree. The Rebels believed Pelkan could provide them information on Tiree on the advice of local bar owner, Tan Shilley. She had earlier suggested to Tiree that he contact Pelkan. At Pelkan's party, entertainment was offered in the form of gladiatorial combat.

Despite their best efforts, the Rebel agents gained no useful information from Pelkin, but were instead forced to fight against his champion, Cromag in the arena. They defeated Cromag, and escaped the party, eventually rescuing Tiree from where he was being held in Bandor's Palace.

Behind the scenes
The Mephitisians were created by Robert Kern for the roleplaying adventure The Game Chambers of Questal, published by West End Games as a stand-alone paperback in 1990, and as part of the collection Classic Adventures: Volume Five in 1995. In the scene involving the Mephitisian Mosh Pelkin, there are a number of possible explanations for why the players end up fighting Cromag; whichever reason the gamemaster chose, the fight was a set part of the adventure.

In Roman mythology, Mefitas was a goddess synonymous with poisonous vapors emitted from the ground in swamps. The Mephitisians and their homeworld are a clear allusion to Mefitas.