Kian'thar

Kian'thar were a nomadic people from Shaum Hii, most notable for their ability to sense emotions. Though they evolved from land-dwelling reptiles, their culture was based around the seas and oceans of Shaum Hii. They only became part of the galactic community in about 300 BBY, due to the difficulty of travel in the Tragan Cluster and the Bakisian Drift. They were finally discovered by the Shistavanen scouts who charted the cluster.

Kian'thar were humanoids, standing 1.8 to 2.1 meters tall. They had purplish-pink heads, keratin plates protecting their necks, and large, deep-set eyes. One of their most distinctive features was the two dangling, tentacle-like olfactory organs on their faces.

The Kian'thar emotion sense was their most notable feature. They used this ability to avoid conflicts with others, though unscrupulous Kian'thar used it to manipulate people and start conflicts. This ability even worked well on non-Kian'thar. Though this put Kian'thar in demand on other planets, many non-Kian'thar were wary of the Kian'thar's empathic ability.

Shaum Hii's main economic activity was the ranching of derlacs, large grazing beasts that roamed Shaum Hii's oceans. These herds roamed freely, with each Kian'thar family branding the derlacs of their individual herd to avoid confusion when it came time to take them to market. Derlac herders travelled on bentails, large flying beasts. Kian'thar ranchers frequently developed close bonds with their mounts.

Kian'thar usually lived in small villages near marshes and shorelines. Their technology was fairly primitive, even after contact with the Shistavanen. Aquatic speeders were rare on their homeworld, and most Kian'thar claimed to have no use for other sophisticated devices like droids. Not all of the Kian'thar were isolationists, however &mdash; they were divided between the Ith'lon, or Preservers, and Lllun, or Progressives. While the Ith'lon wanted to keep their traditional way of life, the Lllun desired greater integration with the galactic community. The disagreements between these two factions rarely went beyond arguements over cups of oceanroot, however.

By the Imperial era, nearly two million Kian'thar had left their planet to seek their fortunes, often using their empathic skills as mediators or counselors. These Kian'thar were noted for their wanderlust and appetite for hard work. Kian'thar emigrants included Rebel operative Kkral'Nas, MadisCorp mediator Ttul'Thar, and criminal Lleag'Mak.