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- "Kneel … now"
- ―Ahnjai Rahmma
The Srrors'toks were a sentient species of fur-covered, fanged, anthropomorphic felinoids native to the planet Jankok in the Bozhnee sector. They had a mostly non-technological society of hunters, characterized by their stern concept of honor and their life debts. A Srrors'tok could be indentured to any being, which led some Srrors'toks to leave their homeworld to travel with an alien who had saved their lives. Such was the case with Tyionsis Cex and Ahnjai Rahmma, two Srrors'toks who served the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War.
Biology and appearance
Srrors'toks were sentient felinoids,[4] although they had some anthropomorphic features. They were commonly 1.4 to 1.7 Imperial standard meters tall in adulthood, standing digitigrade on the four clawed goes of each of their hind limbs. They were usually burlier than a Human of comparable height. Their long arms ended in three clawed fingers. A Srrors'tok walked as fast as a Human. Having evolved from predatorial creatures, a Srrors'tok had a tail and natural fangs that could be used in combat to bite an opponent. The Srrors'tok face was relatively flat and featured two slit-pupiled eyes, a distinct triangular nose, prominent jowls from which grew whiskers, two large, triangular ears, and a mouth that featured a long, cleft upper lip into which slotted the U-shaped lower mandible.[1]
Srrors'toks easily endured high or medium temperatures, but they were uncomfortable when naked in cold climates because they were covered with short natural fur that did not keep them warm. Their pelage was commonly golden,[1] yellow, or gray streaked with shades of brown.[3] Certain Srrors'toks grew longer hair around their necks in the form of a mane; such accouterments did not share the color of the body fur.[2]
Some Srrors'toks developed the skill of ventriloquism, being able to generate grunts from different positions in a nearby area. The ability could be used to confuse prey, making them believe that they were surrounded by several Srrors'toks.[3]
Society and culture
- "As … you … (growl) … wish, Lord."
- ―Ahnjai Rahmma to Antinnis Tremayne
The Srrors'toks lived in small groups that were linked by blood relations. The Srrors'toks in each tribes bonded with one another through certain activities, such as hunting together. For the most part, Srrors'tok culture had not adapted to advanced technology by the time of the Galactic Civil War, although some individuals used blasters. Knowing that they were susceptible to cold weather, Srrors'toks commonly wore warm clothes when visiting inclement areas. Some pierced their ears. Otherwise, Srrors'toks chose to avoid clothes and wore only bags to carry tools.[1]
The language of this species, known as Hras'kkk'rarr,[1] used the sounds that they could produce naturally and easily[2]—namely growls, grunts, and clicks—combined in an intricate and elaborate way.[1][2] To fully communicate concepts, Hras'kkk'rarr also used non-verbal communication, including body poses and gestures.[1][2] Communication with aliens was not easy for the Srrors'toks, as their mouths had not evolved to pronounce Galactic Basic Standard with ease. The Srrors'toks only attempted to say complex words in Basic if they knew the listener was already familiar with Basic spoken with the Srrors'tok dialect.[1]
Honor concept
Ahnjai Rahmma, a Srrors'tok with a life-debt
An unsparing concept of honor was the basis of Srrors'tok society.[1][2] A member of the species could never betray any of his or her friends or any other Srrors'toks. Nor could a Srrors'tok abandon any of those people to their fate. Some Srrors'toks were unable to even conceive the abstract idea of doing so.[1]
An important part of this honor-bonded social structure was the Srrors'tok tradition of life debts, which was in many senses similar to that of the Wookiees.[1][2] If a Srrors'tok's life was saved by another person, the Srrors'tok was obligated to pledge their life to serve the savior, sometimes as a bodyguard. The life-debt only ended when either of the parties died.[1] If the Srrors'tok was unable to fulfill the life-debt—either by choice or, more commonly, by impossibility—the Srrors'tok was considered dishonored and was supposed to commit suicide as a punishment for the failure.[1][2] Srrors'toks sometimes contracted a life-debt with a dishonorable person, an event that most Srrors'toks loathed; but, even in these cases, the Srrors'toks felt compelled to do their best to protect the individual.[2]
Sometimes, a Srrors'tok contracted two simultaneous life-debts, and in some cases the beneficiaries happened to be enemies of each other. In such a case, the Srrors'tok could decide to either consider the older life-debt to be canceled[1] or to consider both life-debts to be canceled.[2] However, Srrors'toks believed that contracting a second life-debt on purpose was a great shame,[1][2] speculating that, should such be allowed, their society would became a labyrinth of interwoven life-debts leading to the end of their culture as they knew it.[1]
History
The Srrors'toks evolved on the planet Jankok,[1] located in the Bozhnee sector of the Outer Rim Territories.[5] By the time of the Galactic Empire, Jankok had been discovered by the galactic community. However, as the rainforest world had few resources of interest, it was only rarely visited. Extraplanetary arrivals commonly included scouts and some merchants, who occasionally attempted to make deals with the native Srrors'toks. Due to that lack of interest, Jankok had no spaceport.[1]
Srrors'toks in the galaxy
Tyionsis Cex, a Srrors'tok bounty hunter
Very few Srrors'toks ever left Jankok—partially because they had little chance to do so due to the light traffic to their native planet.[1] Nonetheless, Srrors'tok itinerant traders were not unheard of, and a number of Srrors'tok families settled on planets other than Jankok, such as Sellasas.[3]
Certain Srrors'toks traveled through the galaxy as a consequence of having a life-debt with a highly mobile individual. The Srrors'tok Ahnjai Rahmma contracted a life-debt with High Inquisitor Antinnis Tremayne[2] and became Tremayne's bodyguard,[2][4] buffoon, and occasional assassin.[2] A Srrors'tok with a life-debt might travel either in the company of that Srrors'tok savior or alone if the Srrors'tok could better serve the savior's interests by not being in the individual's presence. The Srrors'tok Tyionsis Cex, born into a family of traders on Sellasas, lost his relatives during a raid of the Rebel Alliance mostly directed against the local Imperial presence. Cex's life was then saved by Imperial commander Amara Jedselk and, due to his resulting life-debt to Jedselk, Cex eventually became an almost-independent bounty hunter, accepting works for the Empire and seeing Jedselk only infrequently.[3]
Behind the scenes
The Srrors'toks first appeared in the 1993 roleplaying game book Galaxy Guide 9: Fragments from the Rim, by Simon Smith and Eric S. Trautmann, in which the species was exemplified by the character of Ahnjai Rahmma. The illustration of a Srrors'tok that accompanied the game text was drawn by Mike Vilardi. The following year a new Srrors'tok, Tyionsis Cex, was mentioned in Galaxy Guide 10: Bounty Hunters. The species was further developed in another roleplaying game book, Alien Encounters, published in 1998.
Sources
- Galaxy Guide 9: Fragments from the Rim (First mentioned)
- Galaxy Guide 10: Bounty Hunters
- Alien Encounters
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 Alien Encounters
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 Galaxy Guide 9: Fragments from the Rim
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Galaxy Guide 10: Bounty Hunters
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- ↑
Star Wars: The Essential Atlas Online Companion on StarWars.com (article) (content now obsolete; backup link)