Swokes Swokes/Legends

The Swokes Swokes were a sapient species native to the Outer Rim planet of Makem Te. They had sharp, protruding teeth, a series of horns crowning their pallid heads, three nostrils, and no hair. Some members of the species had long, heavy, spiked tails. Swokes Swokes had the ability to regenerate lost limbs, which afforded them considerable bravado on the battlefield. Death was a prominent aspect of their culture. They were known to view jewelry as status symbols, and Swokes Swokes often had such objects implanted close to vital organs. Makem Te society was under-advanced, with little high-technology, and cities constructed from delicate-looking yet sturdy cast iron. Transport for Swokes Swokes was often reliant on domesticated schingas, serpent-like creatures native to their world.

A coalition of royal families known as the Congress of Caliphs ruled the species' homeworld. The introduction of galactic technology set off a wave of social unrest on Makem Te, disturbing the tradition-minded people and spurring several religious schisms. The Temple of the Beatific Razor, a violence-worshipping sect, attracted enough adherents to challenge the authority of the aristocracy. Over the next few decades, these rulers called in the aid of the Galactic Republic (a body in which the species was represented at the time of the Invasion of Naboo), the Confederacy of Independent Systems, and the Galactic Empire. The Swokes Swokes never joined the New Republic.

Biology and appearance
The Swokes Swokes were stocky bipeds who stood between 1.4 and 2 meters tall. They had four clawed fingers on each hand and four forward-pointing toes on each foot balanced by a single backward-pointing digit. The beings had long, thick tails that ended in knobby spikes, although not all members of the species exhibited this trait. Their glistening skin ranged in color from sallow gray to ashen off-white, and their soft tissue was thick and rubbery. The Swokes Swokes visage featured two large, lidless eyes that ranged from black to red,  a gaping grin of fanglike teeth, and three nostrils. The bulbous head was ringed by a series of sharp horns. The overall effect was that of a creature common to the nightmares of many cultures.

Internally, Swokes Swokes biology resembled that of more primitive lifeforms, such as flatworms. The Swokes Swokes nervous system was underdeveloped in comparison to other sapient species, lacking all but the most essential pain receptors. This gave the Swokes Swokes a remarkably high pain threshhold, but it also made their sense of touch less accute than that of other species. Swokes Swokes blood had the consistency of watery sap and oozed through their bodies. Like flatworms, Swokes Swokes had the ability to regenerate lost body parts. Regrowing a missing limb took about 10 standard days, provided the individual avoided physical exertion. Coupled with their naturally damage-resistant hides and resistance to pain, this made Swokes Swokes fierce, relentless opponents in battle.

Swokes Swokes entered adolescence at 9 standard years and were considered adults at 14 standard years. The average Swokes Swokes lived to 75 standard years. Swokes Swokes grew tougher and and more resilient with age. The oldest Swokes Swokes were often the most difficult to take down in a fight.

Society and culture
The Swokes Swokes had a reputation as merciless, unscrupled, overbearing ruffians who cared only for personal prestige. This desire manifest differently from being to being, with some Swokes Swokes guided by mercurial longing for money and others more concerned for fame, notoriety, or influence over others. This attitude was reinforced by official Swokes Swokes institutions and religious doctrines. Wealth was one measure of status, and expensive gifts were a sure way to gain an audience with a Swokes Swokes. A popular status symbol was to have jewelry surgically embedded in the flesh near vital organs. The practice became so common that bioscanners operated in most Swokes Swokes buildings so that the relative status of the individuals inside could be detected and monitored; this prevented all but the most determined Swokes Swokes from trying to pass themselves off as coming from a higher station than their own.

Swokes Swokes were known for their fierceness in battle and their violent culture. The beings seemed made to fight, what with their resistance to pain, ability to regenerate lost limbs, natural weapons, and belligerent mindset. Swokes Swokes relished conservatism and tradition. Ancient traditions guided the people for millennia, and the species disliked change. The most visible manifestation of this penchant was in Swoke Swokes religious beliefs. Cannibalism was acceptable in Swokes Swokes culture.

The Swokes Swokes' language was known as Swoken. Other species found the language harsh and guttural. Written Swoken used a primitive alphabet. Most Swokes Swokes could speak and read Basic as well. Swokes Swokes names commonly consisted of a given name followed by one other elements. For some, this was a region of origin or a notable feature. Examples include Burba of Strekk and Fabswa the Mutilated. Other Swokes Swokes had two different names, such as Oakie Dokes. Notable Swokes Swokes adopted a double name as a symbol of their fame. Examples include Woorta Woorta and Yeb Yeb Adem'thorn.

Institutions
The Congress of Caliphs, a body made up of hereditary family leaders, ruled the two billion Swokes Swokes of Makem Te, the species' homeworld. Individual caliphs had sovereignty over individual settlements or portions of a larger settlement. For example, 12 caliphs shared sovereignty over Thousand Thousand, the largest city on the planet with its some two million inhabitants. The caliphs often hired Swokes Swokes or offworlders to do various services, especially if such jobseekers brought appropriate offerings.

Rival religious sects vied for the devotion of the people. The most prominent of these was the Temple of the Beatific Razor. Its doctrines stressed fanatical devotion and the use of force against those who violated the order's precepts. Some Razor penitents flayed large strips of flesh from their bodies as a sign of their devoutness; such individuals appeared thinner than most Swokes Swokes. The Temple was ruled by 11 High Mystics. Its radical policies, violent protests, and ever-growing popularity led to its banning by the Council of Caliphs.

Regardless of their sect, most Swokes Swokes believed in the veneration of their ancestors. They carried relics of their deceased relatives—their ashes or small body parts such as fingers, gallstones, or teeth—in small pouches. These were considered good luck charms. This zealous devoutness was most readily apparent in the Tract, an enormous patch of the planet made up of two-meter-wide squares of polished stone, each housing a monument called a stela. Each tile was thought to contain the soul of a deceased Swokes Swokes. At one point, the Tract was home to more than 1.2 trillion stela and took up 7% of Makem Te's landmass. When Republic scouts discovered Makem Te some 25,000 to 24,000 years before the Battle of Yavin, the Tract had already reached 2,300 km on a side. The Tract appeared as a large, white mass from space and was listed among the Twenty Wonders of the Galaxy.

The Tract was of such importance to the Swokes Swokes that it supported its own industry. The maintenance of the area and its continued expansion required vast outflows of capital and a large workforce. This was overseen by the Tract Conviction. Record-keeping and accounting alone required millions of Conviction employees. Other Swokes Swokes, known as flatstenders, traveled the Tract in landspeeders, looking for areas in need of repair or for supplicants in need of help. Tract stones came from rock quarries. Flying over the Tract or traveling its expanse in vehicles was verboten and met with force from Makem Te defenses. Instead, supplicants were expected to enter only at specified points, register with the Conviction, and pay a fee of up to 500 credits. This covered the necessary sacraments, including a spotted robe of a color that signified which portions of the Tract the supplicant had the right to access. Even with flatstenders on guard, visitors still fell prey to desert hazards or attacks by wild schingas. Offworlders faced the additional threat from penitents of the Beautific Razor, who considered visits by non-Swokes Swokes sacrilege and attacked such interlopers.

Trade and technology
Although the Swokes Swokes had access to only primitive technology before contact with the Republic, they perfected the industries of metal working and animal husbandry. For example, Swokes Swokes cities were made of cast iron. Although this was originally a survival mechanism to withstand the constant wars on the planet, Swokes Swokes smiths embraced the material and developed it to new heights of aesthetics. While such a material might have proved clumsy or unworkable to some species, Swokes Swokes smiths learned to create buildings and structures with intricate, even delicate, designs.

The Swokes Swokes domesticated species of the serpent-like schinga, the dominant lifeform on Makem Te. For example, the schinga equa was used for its strength and obedience, while the schinga shikou was the most conducive to riding. To ride a schinga, the Swokes Swokes developed equipment known as a coiling tack set: a bit, bridle, reins, and saddle. A long electropole was used to guide the schinga (and as an impromptu weapon in the event of an attack). Schinga shikou breeding was an important industry on Makem Te; the creatures were pricey signs of status.

Makem Te lay along the Perlemian Trade Route and enjoyed a steady flow of space traffic. Hundreds of mining machines operated on the planet. Although the machines were owned by offworld interests, a cut of the profits from the ores and spices extracted went to the Council of Caliphs. The mining machines were common targets for the Temple of the Beautific Razor, which opposed foreign influences on Makem Te. Major exports from Makem Te included raw ores and spices, while major imports were food and high technology.

History
"Yellow star: Makem. Third planet: Makem Te. Arid, pebbly, no oceans, one large ice cap."

- Republic scout

The Swokes Swokes evolved on Makem Te, a desert world in the Outer Rim Territories. With no surface water to drink, they learned to dig into the planet's subterranean aquifers, which were replenished by heavy rains twice each local year. A number of families rose to prominence and came to dominate the rest of the species. The heads of these families, known as caliphs, waged war on one another for generations. Under this constant onslaught of rival armies, Swoke Swokes turned to cast iron for a building material. At some point before or shortly after the Republic discovered their world, the Swokes Swokes royalty joined forces to form the Congress of Caliphs, a governing body with planetwide jurisdiction.

The Swokes Swokes developed a native religion based on ancestor worship. Religion joined warfare at the pinnacle of Swokes Swokes endeavor, and a planetwide graveyard known as the Tract began to take shape from an early date.

Sometime between 25,000 and 24,000 BBY, a Republic scout visited the Makem system while mapping the Perlemian Trade Route. The explorer made little note of Makem Te and even mistook the Tract for an ice cap. The scout's report made no mention of the Swokes Swokes. Long after the discovery, a Republic beacon crew came to install a navigation buoy in the system. Intrigued by Makem Te's large "ice cap", the mission sent a team of scientists to visit the surface. There, they learned of the Tract's true nature and made contact with the Swokes Swokes. At this point the Tract had already sprawled to 2,300 km on a side. The scientists entered the Swokes Swokes' iron cities and learned more about the planet and its lifeforms.



Although Makem Te joined the Republic at some point before the Invasion of Naboo, the Swokes Swokes and their planet were little more than a passing interest in the early days of their contacts with the Galaxy at large. The Republic installed a fueling station in orbit around Makem Te and left the world largely to its own devices. However, a pair of bored geologists, stuck at the orbiting station for a long period, visited the surface and investigated one of the quarries where Tract stones were obtained. What they saw astounded them: Makem Te housed rich deposits of metal ores and medicinal spices. News of the discovery spread, and soon Republic investors struck a deal with the Congress of Caliphs to allow them to establish mining operations on Makem Te.

Offworlders and advanced technology quickly became common sites on the planet and profoundly affected Swokes Swokes society. The miners paid little heed to environmental safeties, and the already harsh biosphere of Makem Te became even more inhospitable. As a people comfortable with ancient traditions, the infusion of foreign influences made some Swokes Swokes question their ages-old faith and institutions. Religious sects sprung up across the planet. One of these was the Temple of the Beatific Razor, which preached a faith of blind religious fervor and violent protest. As the Razor's popularity grew, the Temple's 11 High Mystics and swelling ranks of penitents gained enough influence to challenge the primacy of the Congress of Caliphs.

The planetary government responded by calling in the aid of the Galactic Republic Judicial Department. Security officers were dispatched to quell the Razor-led rebellions, pleasing the caliphs but outraging the populace and driving more adherents to the Razor's cause. After the outbreak of the Clone Wars, the Beautific Razor eliminated all Republic peacekeepers on the planet. The galactic government, already taxed from waging the Clone Wars, abandoned its mission. Seeing little choice, the caliphs approached Count Dooku and the Confederacy of Independent Systems for help in repelling the Razor's aggressions. Troops from the separatist-allied Techno Union undertook the task of repelling of Razor penitents and propping up of the caliphs. They became common sites near Thousand Thousand. Upon the rise of the Galactic Empire, the new government maintained deals brokered with the Separatists. Rather than sending large contingents of stormtroopers to keep the peace on the planet, however, the Empire supplied advanced weaponry to the caliphs. Despite the defeat of the Empire at the Battle of Endor, the Council of Caliphs remained affiliated with various Imperial remnants for nearly another 20 years. When its final Imperial patron was defeated, the caliphs remained neutral in galactic affairs and refused to join the New Republic. During the Yuuzhan Vong War, the invaders targeted Makem Te in an attempt to disrupt the Perlemian Trade Route. They bombarded the orbital fueling station, still in use since its creation millennia ago, and caused it to crash to the surface of the planet. It narrowly missed the Tract.

Swokes Swokes in the Galaxy


Those Swokes Swokes who left Makem Te often capitalized on their natural fighting abilities and found employment as bodyguards, bounty hunters, and mercenaries. Higher ranking Swokes Swokes sometimes took up residence on out-of-the-way planets and became involved in organized crime. Others tried to fit in with high society as gamblers or debutantes.

Swokes Swokes of note included Gragra, a gorgmonger on Tatooine, Okie Dokes, an artist on Coruscant, and Yeb Yeb Adem'thorn, the Makem Te senator during the last days of the Republic. Woorta Woorta was an influential importer and schinga breeder on Makem Te. Finally, Fabswa the Mutilated was the First Glorious Assassin of the Temple of the Beatific Razor.

Behind the scenes
The Swokes Swokes were named after Live Action Creature Effects Supervisor Nick Dudman's wife, Sue Oakes. Both Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds and The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide depict Swokes Swokes with large tails, but the Hasbro action figure of Gragra has no tail at all. This may be a continuity error, although it is possible Gragra lost her tail and had yet to regrow it. In the Star Wars Roleplaying Game by Wizards of the Coast, the Swokes Swokes are stronger and hardier than most species but less agile, clever, and likeable.

Appearances

 * Survivors
 * Podracing Tales
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace comic
 * Star Wars Manga: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Republic: Outlander
 * The Bounty Hunters: Aurra Sing
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Best Birthday Ever
 * Rookies: Rendezvous
 * Rookies: Rendezvous

Notes and references
Сu1091 оu1082 -сu1091 оu1082 и