Gossam/Legends

The Gossam were a small saurian species from the planet Castell in the Colonies region of the galaxy. They had colonies on Felucia and Saleucami. The Gossam had wrinkled skin, elongated necks and small, shriveled heads.

Known for their shrewd and cunning nature, most Gossam on Castell served the Commerce Guild, which was headed by the Gossam Shu Mai during the Separatist Crisis and the Clone Wars.

Due to their intelligent and scheming nature, Gossam could be found all over the galaxy, acting as either legitimate merchants or as law-breaking pirates and smugglers.

The average lifespan of a Gossam was about seventy-five years.

Biology and appearance
Gossam stood roughly 1.25 meters high, had pebbly green or blue skin, elongated necks, wide yellow eyes and a tapered head which sloped back on an incline. Gossam balanced their thin bodies on two three-toed feet, and had long, graceful three fingered hands.

Wealthy Gossam aristocrats and trade negotiators often wore elevated footwear to appear taller when dealing with other species, in addition to the exotic robes and finery favored by most Gossam.

Society and culture


Like most reptiles, Gossam young were hatched from eggs. Gossam mothers watched over the eggs more for the status than for any practical purpose. Because the species is so appearance driven, Gossam families would build nests of elegant warm fabrics and cushions to show off their young before they were even hatched. They would also throw elaborate parties for egg viewing where the eager parents would receive gifts from their friends and relatives. The higher the status of the parents, the larger the gifts. The party's were thrown late in the eggs' incubation period in the hope that the egg would hatch during the event.

Gossams held their appearances as extremely important, and dressed in elaborate clothing in an attempt to impress other sentients. Females used oil-based creams to mold their hair into a wave that traditionally swept up from the back of their heads.

Most Gossam were selfish, scheming beings skilled at the art of business. Though most Gossam were intelligent and independently minded, many spent much of their lives working for the Commerce Guild, who offered them food, housing and a decent income for a ten year exclusive contract. Gossam goods were generally cheap to manufacture, and overpriced. Always looking for an angle they can play to come out on top, Gossam were considered untrustworthy by other beings.



The Gossam had a military in the form of Gossam Commandos, a group of male Gossam soldiers who wore heavy armor and used heavy repeating blasters. They also used a heavy shoulder-mounted cannon that took two Gossams to operate&mdash;one to fire and one to reload. Commerce Guild Presidente Shu Mai personally authorized their use in the Outer Rim Sieges during the Clone Wars.

Gossam spoke a language of the same name. It consisted of lispy vocalizations, croaks and trills. Written Gossam had a jagged alphabet that combined into short words and long sentences. Due to their industrial relationships with many offworld companies, most Gossam also spoke Galactic Basic.

Gossam names were usually quite short&mdash;both first names and surnames usually only had three or four letters. Common Gossam names were Min Cho, Xiri Gan, Zim Li, Shan Sien, and Mei Tran.

History
For ten years before the Invasion of Naboo, the Gossam homeworld of Castell suffered a devastating economic depression due to the heavy taxation of trade routes. This resulted in a loss of profits and little demand for goods from Castell. Many Gossam resorted to fighting over food, jobs and passage offworld, until the Commerce Guild appointed Shu Mai as its president. Mai almost singlehandedly helped Castell out of this depression due to her aggressive business practices, her support of the Gossam workforce, and her taciturn negotiation tactics. Mai had each able Gossam serve as an indentured servant of the Commerce Guild for a portion of their lives. In return, they were offered food, housing and a modest income. Most Gossam saw this as the dreary reality. Once Castell grew out of its economic depression, this tradition continued, with most young Gossams taking indentured contracts to gain business experience before venturing out into the corporate world alone. Many Gossam made large profits by investing their credits in offworld bank accounts, not trusting their own people. Still others built offworld estates on Saleucami and Felucia, thus starting Gossam colonies on those Outer Rim worlds.



Just before the outbreak of the Clone Wars, Shu Mai secretly pledged her support to the Confederacy of Independent Systems, despite realizing that it would amount to treason. Her reasons were simple&mdash;she couldn't resist a potentially profitable venture. The Commerce Guild pledged massive amounts of DSD1 dwarf spider droids, as well as the Gossam Commandos. The Gossam as a species did not pledge their support to the CIS, but as they were considered the property of the Commerce Guild, they were expected to help the war effort whenever possible. Due to this, during the Clone Wars, Gossam were banished from Coruscant.

After the Clone Wars, the Gossam were enslaved by the Galactic Empire, and very few were able to join the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Due to their former alliance with the CIS, the Gossam and their planet were a primary target of Palpatine's reign of terror against non-Human species. Not until after the Alliance's victory did they receive their freedom; however, Castell still had not fully recovered as of the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War.

Gossam in the galaxy


Many Gossam established offworld estates for recreational purposes, on planets like Felucia and Saleucami. Gossam were well known as some of the shrewdest business people in the known galaxy. Their products were nearly always inexpensive to manufacture in mass, and extremely overpriced. Gossam were excellent barters, though their self-centered and greedy nature often led them to cheating and lying to amass as many credits as possible. A Gossam's word was rarely valued, both by Gossam and those with whom they were doing business. Some members of the species were legitimate merchants&mdash;though most were quite the opposite. Large amounts of Gossam were involved with piracy and smuggling operations. Due to their size and calm demeanor, Gossam are frequently underestimated&mdash;a perception they were happy to exploit. However, Gossam rarely rose to positions of power, with Shu Mai being one of very few exceptions. This was largely due to the fact that their innate independence and lust for profits seem to prohibit the long-term planning needed to achieve real influence. Force-users amongst the Gossam was extremely rare.

Behind the scenes
The neck rings worn by Gossam females were most likely inspired from the Padaung women of Myanmar.

Appearances

 * The Approaching Storm
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * CIS Shadowfeed Dispatch 14:3:10 Edition
 * CIS Shadowfeed Dispatch 15:3:21 Edition
 * Evasive Action: Reversal of Fortune
 * ''Labyrinth of Evil
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
 * Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption
 * Sacrifice
 * Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption
 * Sacrifice