Coynite



Coynites were humanoids from the planet Coyn. They are large and typically quite strong. They had fine gold, white, or black hair over their entire bodies, with their heads are crowned with a shaggy mane,and bony forehead ridges in place of eyebrows. Their hands are clawed. As a society, they were known for being quite militaristic and feudal in outlook.

Coynites are natural-born warriors, with a highly disciplined code of warfare. These proud warriors are rarely seen without armour and are ready to die at any time, and indeed would rather die than be branded af'harl.

Nobles are called Ag'Tra, each Ag'Tra has at least 58 Kroyn, elite warriors of exceptional honour and status. Each Ag'Tra sends one Kroyn to serve as the En'Tra's bodyguard for one year. Thus, the En'Tra always has 30 Kroyn as a personal eliteguard (one from each noble's holdings and one from the En'Tra's own family or territory). the vast majority of noble families were so appointed thousands of years ago, although every few centuries, a new family will be added to the nobles bloodlines by the En'Tra's decree. It is possible that a family nay have noble status stripped by decree of the En'Tra, but this has never happened. this may be due to the likelyhood that the dishonoured family would attempt to unite disgruntled factions and lead a revolution, few En'Tras have felt secure enough in their power to risk a full-scale civil war. To help prevent this kind of war the Coynites follow a law called the En'Tra'Sol (King-Law), now a ridged code of conduct for all Coynites to adhere to.

There are 29 Ag'Tra who answer directly to the En'Tra. Of these 29, 9 are sympathetic to the Empire, 5 are sympathetic to the Rebellion and the remaining 15 are neutral. While subterfuges and behind the scene skulking are not a permissible part of Coyn life, nobles are permitted to indulge in a little political wrangling, and some of this involves setting up unfavourable circumstances for rival nobles, or even large battles with uneven odds. Even so, if any hard evidence of such behind the scenes planning came to light, the noble would be branded af'harl. In an extreme case, the entire noble family could be branded af'harl, in which case a new family from within that territory would be selected to be the new noble bloodline.

Coynites could conceivably live up to 250 standard years, but their warrior culture results in an average life span of a mere 53 years. Coynites reach physical maturity in their early twenties. Coynite children are born in var'sairk (birth-group or litter; capitalised when referring to noble families) of two to six children. All children of a litter are of the same sex.

Coynites value bravery, loyalty, honesty and duty. Coynites save displays of affection for their own families in private surroundings.

Coynites speak Coyn, but may learn to speak Basic or any other language.

Jedi Knights are a source of fascination to the Coynites. One one hand, there is little doubt that the Jedi are formiddable warriors with a code. However, Jedi are not supposed to simply rush into fights or provoke them; peaceful methoids of resolving a conflict are preferred, and violence is a last resort. This code mystifies the Coynites, but they greatly respect their abilities and their adherance to their own strict code.

En'Tra'Sol is extraordinarily strict code, forbidding for example virtually any display of "weakness." Those who broke this code were known as af'harl, and lost all standing in Coynite society. They were able to be hunted down and killed or enslaved without repercussion. En'Tra'Sol also dictates that the length of mane is directly related to social status. The more respected and successful a warrior, the longer the mane and the more intricate the braids. the type of braid is also indicative of family and Ag'Tra that the Coynite swears loyalty to. Coynites value long hair, since in their culture long hair is a sign of great combat ability and honour. Aliens with long hair or shaggy coats (such as Wookies) are treated with respect. Beings who are bald, or hairless, are shunned as deformed beings.

Coynite names and words have an important social and status depending on the way they are written. Names are not just words, but stories. By literally translating the meaning of the phrases, it is often possible to know the history of an item, a person, or a location. The longer the name, the more honoured a being is or more noble their family. However, Coynites seldom use their full names except when first establishing who has higher standing, such as upon first meeting. As a concession to off-world customs, Coynites will allow aliens to use shortened versions of names, but only if the alien confers the appropriate level of respect upon the Coynite. To deride an object of great importance or be disrespectful is an unforgivable offense.

When syllables of a Coynite name are captilised, it means that the object, place or person is worthy of great respect. All things associated with the En'Tra are always capitalised. Likewise, proper names are capitilised. Some phrases or names are never capitilised. this indicates a relationship with af'harl.

Many Coynite warriors of noble birth have very long names, which an example might be translated as "Trel'tak, honourable warrior who defeated a noble of higher standing, of Clan Muls'rak, leaders of the War of Unification".

Coynite Glossary:

Ag'Tra - nobles (ruling, clan leaders)

En'Tra - king

Sat'skars Fas'Ba - swords ended in battle (meaning that there remain unresolved differences that will not be forgotten)

Sat'skars Fas'Tawws'Rattar - swords ended in honour and friendship (which means all conflicts have been satisfactorily resolved, thus we are friends)

Sat'skars Kabar'Ba - swords together, joined in battle (a challenge to battle or warning that animosity exists and great care should be taken or a challenge to combat will be made)

Sat'skars Kabar'Rattar - swords together, blunted in friendship (a greeting)

Sratt - word or promise

Zal'Tra - Security Force rank - junior rank

af'harl - cowardly deceiver (probably the worst curse of all)

af'tah - deception

fas'tracc'sorr - end of submission and blood loyalty (a declaration)

fa'tar - peace (a curse)

harl'tah - cowardice

kzah - poison (a curse and the substance)

mora'ga - weakness (a curse)

tracc'sorr - submission and blood loyalty or fealty

zee'tah - fear (a curse)