Gormak

"The last Gormak must not die&hellip;"

- decree of the Voss, enacted after a prophecy by the Voss Mystics

The Gormak were sentient humanoids and the most populous native sapient species of the planet Voss, which resided in the Voss system of the Allied Tion sector in the Outer Rim Territories. They were extremely hostile toward Voss's other native sentient species, the Voss, and toward off-worlders, who they viewed as allies of the Voss. The Gormak possessed an impressive innate comprehension for technology, though they had not developed flight capability prior to contact with the larger galaxy. When the planet Voss was first discovered not long after the Treaty of Coruscant in 3,653 BBY, the Sith Empire attempted to conquer the planet and the Galactic Republic moved to block them. The Voss&mdash;led by the visions of their native Force tradition, the Voss Mystics&mdash;outmaneuvered both factions. The planet remained independent, and embassies were established by the two governments in an attempt to curry favor with the Voss, angering the Gormak. The Gormak built mines, settled in camps, and scavenged for or stole technology for their weapons and spacecraft.

Biology and appearance
The Gormak were hairless, furless humanoids with dark brown skin. They had flat, noseless faces adorned with red frills that swept away from their eyes and mandible, collecting in whorls on the sides of their heads behind the jaw. They had clawed, three-fingered hands&mdash;also adorned with frills&mdash;and tended to possess a muscular build. The eyes of a Gormak were red, with orange-yellow pupils. The Gormak had a natural mental acuity for understanding and employing technology.

Society and culture
Gormak society was tribal in structure, with Gormak spread throughout the wilderness of Voss. They were by far the dominant sentient population on the planet. They settled in camps, sometimes fortified by stolen off-world technology, and constructed mines used to strip the land of valuable resources for the construction of their machines and weapons, leaving desolation and monolithic structures behind. What they could not construct themselves, the Gormak often scavenged and integrated into their machinery and weapons. The Gormak were extremely hostile toward the other natives of the planet Voss, the Voss. They held a cultural belief that in order for the Gormak to prosper, the Voss, who they viewed as an unnatural plague on the planet, must be destroyed. In order to achieve this goal, Gormak warriors repeatedly assaulted the Voss capital city of Voss-Ka over the course of centuries, though without success despite their far greater numbers. As both the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic established embassies in Voss-Ka, the Gormak viewed both factions as enemies. Although their tribal society and basic speech patterns were considered to be primitive by galactic standards, their innate talent with technology rivaled the capabilities of the top minds of the Republic.

History
Centuries before the accidental discovery of Voss&mdash;a planet in the Voss system of the Allied Tion sector in the Outer Rim Territories.&mdash;the Gormak were settled across the planet and engaged in a seemingly endless war against the Voss species. Though restricted at the time to pre-flight technology, the technological aptitude, viciousness, and superior numbers of the Gormak made them a formidable enemy. The Gormak were held at bay by the training of the Voss Commandos, the Force visions of the Voss Mystics, and the fortifications of the Voss mountain-top city of Voss-Ka. Shortly after the Treaty of Coruscant in 3,653 BBY, the planet Voss was discovered by both the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic. The Gormak, considered hostile by the off-worlders, were thought to be the only natives of the planet. The Empire implemented a plan to conquer the planet and the Republic responded to prevent that from happening. Forewarned by the visions of their Mystics, the Voss species revealed themselves and prevented either faction from achieving dominion over the planet. Embassies to the Voss were established in Voss-Ka for both the Empire and the Republic, providing additional motivation for Gormak hostility toward the offworlders. With exposure to the greater galactic society, the Gormak gained access to new technologies, such as space-flight capability. Some Gormak turned their efforts toward the construction of starships in order to gain access to the stars.

Gormak in the galaxy
Little was known to the larger galaxy about the Gormak, as the Gormak did not gain access to flight technology until the Sith Empire attempted to claim the planet following the Treaty of Coruscant. For this reason, Gormak are generally considered to be mysterious. As the Gormak began constructing space-craft based on scavenged and stolen technology, it is possible that they expanded to planets other than Voss at a later time.

Behind the scenes
The Gormak were first introduced in the Voss planetary entry in The Holonet, a promotional media website for the Star Wars: The Old Republic video game made by BioWare. They also received an entry in the inhabitants section of The Holonet.

Appearances

 * ''Star Wars: The Old Republic