Swokes Swokes
Species: Swokes Swokes
Home Planet: Makem Te
Swokes Swokes
The Swokes Swokes were a sentient species native to the Outer Rim planet of Makem Te. They had sharp, protruding teeth, a series of horns crowning their pallid heads, one to 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 viewed jewelry as a status symbol and often had gems implanted close to vital organs. Makem Te society had little advanced technology. Builders relied on sturdy yet delicate-looking cast iron for their primary construction material, and transport often relied on domesticated serpentine creatures called schingas.
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-worshiping 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 & Appearance:
The Swokes Swokes were stocky, sentient bipeds who stood between 1.4 and 2 meters tall. They had four or five clawed fingers on each massive 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, hairless loose-hanging 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 or blue, hidden behind goggle-like natural shades. A gaping grin of irregular, fang-like teeth and one to three nostrils lie beneath. The bulbous head, situated atop the fleshy neck, was ringed by a series of sharp horns, and another set of horns at the top. 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 species' nervous system was underdeveloped in comparison to other sentients, lacking all but the most essential pain receptors. This gave the beings a remarkably high pain threshold but deadened their sense of touch. Swokes Swokes blood had the consistency of watery sap and oozed through their bodies. Like flatworms, they 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. An average member of the species lived to 75 standard years. Swokes Swokes grew tougher and more resilient with age. The oldest were often the most difficult to take down in a fight.
Society & Culture:
The Swokes Swokes had a reputation as merciless, unscrupulous, overbearing ruffians who cared only for personal prestige. This desire manifested 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 view of the Swokes Swokes as brutes 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 the past. Ancient traditions guided the people for millennia, and the species disliked change. The most visible manifestation of this penchant was in Swokes Swokes religious beliefs. Cannibalism was an acceptable punishment for disgraced members of the species and came in varying degrees of severity: to be eaten by one's own family members was preferable to being eaten by strangers.
The Swokes Swokes' language was known as Swoken. Other species found the language harsh and guttural. Written Swoken used a primitive alphabet. Members of the species sighed to convey forlorn feelings and laughed to convey amusement. Most Swokes Swokes could speak and read Basic as well. Some Swokes Swokes names were simple, such as Machug and Sorpaat. Others names commonly consisted of a given name followed by one other element. 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, Yeb Yeb Adem'thorn, Chako Chako, Gragra, Kruke Kruke, and Wruuta Wruuta.
History:
The Swokes Swokes evolved on Makem Te, a desert world in the Outer Rim Territories. The species' ancestors evolved thick hides to resist either fierce predators or severe radiation. 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, Swokes 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.
Between 25,127 and 25,096 BBY, strangers from the stars arrived on Makem Te. They belonged to the forces of Xim the Despot, and before long, the Swokes Swokes had become part of Xim's empire. Despite Xim's death in 25,095 BBY, Makem Te became part of a region of the galaxy known to both the Tionese and the Hutts.
Sometime between 15,000 and 10,000 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 at all 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 kilometers on a side. The scientists entered the Swokes Swokes' iron cities and learned more about the planet and its lifeforms. As news of the species and their world spread, the historian Vicendi included the Tract on his list of the Twenty Wonders of the Galaxy in 10,000 BBY. Makem Te eventually became part of the Nilgaard sector.
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. Nevertheless, over the centuries, the Swokes Swokes and their homeworld were caught up in galaxy-spanning conflicts. During the Mandalorian Wars, Mandalorian and Republic forces clashed at the Battle of Makem Te, which resulted in a Mandalorian victory. Later, they became part of Darth Revan's Sith Empire during the Jedi Civil War of 3,959 to 3,956 BBY. The Swokes Swokes remained unaligned during the New Sith Wars of 1,004 to 1,000 BBY.
Eventually, a pair of bored geologists, stuck at the Makem Te 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 the world. Offworlders and advanced technology quickly became common sights 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 Beatific 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 quelling the Razor's aggressions. Troops from the Separatist-allied Techno Union undertook the task of repelling the Razor penitents and propping up the caliphs. These forces became common sights near Thousand Thousand. At some point before the end of the war, Makem Te rejoined the Galactic Republic to safeguard its mining sector. The Separatists stationed an experimental land tank called the Bogg Behemoth outside Thousand Thousand. The Republic deployed a legion of clone troopers led by Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to defend the city and destroy the weapon before it could be made operational. The Republic's intelligence proved faulty, however, as the tank had already been brought online; during the ensuing battle, the Republic forces destroyed the tank and captured its engineer, a Geonosian named Bogg. After the rise of Emperor Palpatine, the Galactic Empire maintained deals brokered with the Separatists but provided the caliphs with advanced weaponry and only kept occasional troops on Makem Te.
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. Imperial troops remained on Makem Te, making it a fortress world. However, after Mon Calamari forces allied with the New Republic won a battle at nearby Emmer, Makem Te found itself isolated from other Imperial systems. In 7 ABY, the forces of the Warlord Zsinj expanded Zsinj's Empire to include the Makem system, once again reuniting the Swokes Swokes with the greater Empire. The affiliation was short-lived, however, as Zsinj died in 8 ABY, and his empire dissolved. The Swokes Swokes maintained their Imperial allegiances during the Thrawn Campaign, despite the fact that their world lay within the disputed Borderlands Region. When its final Imperial patron was vanquished, 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 sent it crashing to the surface of the planet. It narrowly missed the Tract. Years later, Makem Te fell within the Galactic Empire of Darth Krayt.
Swokes Swokes in the Galaxy:
While many members of the species gained renown on their homeworld—such as influential importer and schinga breeder, Woorta Woorta; and the First Glorious Assassin of the Temple of the Beatific Razor, Fabswa the Mutilated—others emigrated. These often capitalized on their natural fighting abilities to find employment as bodyguards, bounty hunters, and mercenaries. For example, a Swokes Swokes was among the crew of the pirate Reess Kairn sometime before 27 BBY. Later, during the Clone Wars, the Swokes Swokes diplomat Mokshok found himself stranded near a black hole in the Unknown Regions and joined the Black Hole Pirates trapped there by its gravity well. Mokshok became the first mate of the pirate captain Hethra Mcgrrrr until the Trandoshan Bossk managed to usurp his position. Higher ranking Swokes Swokes sometimes took up residence on out-of-the-way planets and became involved in organized crime. Even Yeb Yeb Adem'thorn, Makem Te's senator during the last days of the Republic, was accused of corruption after he took up residence in an opulent abode on Coruscant.
Others tried to fit in with high society as gamblers or dilettantes. Oakie Dokes left her family's schinga ranch on Makem Te to show livestock on Coruscant. There, she mismanaged her funds and fell into poverty. She eventually discovered a talent for art—with works that necessitated the killing of her subjects. At least one Swokes Swokes was present at the Galaxies Opera House in 19 BBY. By 0 ABY, another Swokes Swokes had clawed her way into high society on Ord Mantell.
On Tatooine, Swokes Swokes lived in Mochot Steep and Mos Espa. In the latter location, the Swokes Swokes Gragra sold a variety of food items from a market stall, primary among them gorgs, which she raised in the sewers beneath the town. Another member of the species tended bar at Mos Espa's Poodoo Lounge. Several Swokes Swokes worked in the nightlife establishments of Coruscant's lower levels in the latter days of the Republic; such beings had difficulty telling a human's age, so human teenagers sometimes slipped into clubs illegally. A Swokes Swokes was among the victims of the ruthless dictator Uda-Khalid.
A number of Swokes Swokes served in the Jedi Order and due to their lack of hair, Swokes Swokes Padawans would plant medallions into the flesh beneath their foreheads, as an alternative to the standard Padawan braid worn by apprentices.
Attribute Dice: 12D
DEXTERITY 1D/3D+1
KNOWLEDGE 1D/3D+2
MECHANICAL 1D/3D+1
PERCEPTION 1D/3D+2
STRENGTH 2D/4D+2
TECHNICAL 1D/3D+1
Special Abilities:
Natural Armor: A Swokes Swokes’ rubbery hide grants +1
against physical damage.
Limb Regeneration: With ten days of rest, a Swokes Swokes
can completely regrow a lost limb or organ.
Resilient: Swokes Swokes become hardier as they age. Adults
gain a +1 bonus to stamina rolls. The bonus increases to +2
at middle age, +1D at old age and +1D+1 at venerable age.
Move: 10/12
Size: 1.4-2.0 meters tall
Source: Wookieepedia (For the Swokes Swokes Description)