nihil
Why?
Why would you want to make a member of the Yuuzhan Vong, what's so unique about the race? What's the allure? First and foremost, the Yuuzhan Vong are typically non force users but go so far as to be considered outside the force. Not that they can't be impacted by the force, it's just that the impact of force tactics is reduced or diminished heavily. On top of this, all technology within the Yuuzhan Vong culture is bio in nature. Meaning that every item is either a specific species or a part of a species, down to the weapons and grafted biots.
The Yuuzhan Vong culture and society provides one of the largest outlets for creative discovery, in the Star Wars Universe. This largely has to do with the fact that so little is understood about how they work, allowing for all that empty space to be filled by fan based ingenuity. Biots, grafts, beasts of war, etc.
Not only this, but the culture of the Yuuzhan Vong is inherently changing yet tied to tradition. The basis for the group revolves around the religious beliefs in a certain set of Gods, The Yun'O - The Yuuzhan Vong sacrifice limbs in order to honor the Yun'O, through belief that the Gods sacrificed of themselves to build the universe around them. It is believed, however, that this universe was given to the Yuuzhan Vong in exchange for a cleansing, or genocide, of those considered Infidels or heretics. While pain wasn't purely glorified in every corner of the Yuuzhan Vong culture, sacrifice is and will always be considered the highest form of payment one can give to honor the Gods.
Where to Begin
One of the hardest aspects of beginning a Yuuzhan Vong character is deciding where to begin. There are five major castes: Warrior Caste, Shaper Caste, Intendant Caste, Priest Caste, and Worker Caste.
The Warrior Caste:
Considered the second largest caste of the Yuuzhan Vong, this caste is devoted entirely to the waging of war either on ground or in space. Following their patron diety, Yun-Yammka, the Warrior Caste fought with a sense of pride and disregard that is unparalleled in the universe. No fear of pain, no fear of dismemberment, the Soldier of the Yuuzhan Vong army fights with a ferocity and aggressiveness that no other caste can understand. And it's because of this performance that the caste is often seen as extremely prideful, to the point of being their downfall.
The official ranking system for the Warrior Caste is as follows: Warrior -> SubAltern -> Subcommander -> Commander -> Supreme Commander - > Warmaster. Of course, the Supreme Overlord reigns at the top, but this position is closer to commander and chief of all castes.
The Shaper Caste:
The Shaper caste is the scientific caste of the Yuuzhan Vong, responsible for all developments and shaping of biotechnology in the culture. This level of capability extends all the way from clothing to worldships, allowing the manipulation and development of sentient technology to suit the needs of the Yuuzhan Vong. The Shaping Protocols, stored in the Qang Qahsa, guide the Shaper caste in their endeavors. These were not guidelines so much as strict rules and failure to adhere would result in demotion to another caste or death. This, of course, has changed in the past. The Shaper caste, much like the Warrior caste, is devoted to a Yun-Ne'Shel.
The Shaper begins their life as an initiate. Once experienced, they go through the Grotto of Yun Ne'Shel, which is the ceremony that replaces the hand with a biot called the shapers hand. Once that occurred, they would reach the level of adept and gain access to additional protocols. On top of this, they are given a Vaa-Tumor, which transforms the brain to allow for reception of additional and necessary knowledge. Once the Shaper reached master level, they were given access to all shaper protocols and the Vaa-Tumor was extracted after completion of the shaping of the brain - thought to mimic the shape of Yun-Ne'Shel's brain.
The Intendant Caste:
The Intendant Caste is the political and economically focused caste of the Yuuzhan Vong. This is the smallest of the caste and looked down upon by the Priest and Warrior Castes. Despite that, this group governed the Yuuzhan Vong and was responsible for military roles such as scouts and spies. Because of the fluid nature of the caste, they could worship any God.
The Intendant Caste had the following ranks: Attendant -> Executor -> Consul -> Prefect -> High Prefect.
The Priest Caste:
The Priest Caste is often considered the most powerful Caste within Yuuzhan Vong culture, though not necessarily the case in the Legion Yun'Do. As a group, the Priests had no specific deity but would often, individually, claim their own to which is glorified by another caste. Priests were important for blessing the warrior caste as well as significant in the selection of the Supreme Overlord.
The Priest caste had the following ranks: Savant -> Seer -> Priest -> High Priest -> Most High Priest.
The Worker Caste:
The Worker caste is the largest of all the castes, including workers, others who failed in other castes, shames ones, and slaves. Some had forms of honor, brought to them through their daily chores, but many were held in contempt by the Warrior and Priest caste.
Domains:
Similar to other tribal groups, the Yuuzhan Vong had a multitude of different clans, or what they called domains. While this isn't inherently part of the Legion Yun'Do, Yuuzhan Vong culture is often characterized by the presence of these segregated clans that showed intense rivalries, settled through violence and aggression. While I wont go through every domain, I will point out my favorites and suggest you find one that suits you as well.
Domain Shai was originally the only active domain within the Legion Yun'Do. However, after the split from Hrosha-Gul on Selvaris, there came a development of a multitude of domains, allowing a return center in the delineation of duties based on domain. For instance, the Domain Shai is typically reserved for the Warrior Caste. A fitting location, given the intense an unique focus of the Domain on pain and it's glorification.
Domain Lah was characterized by an intense and fanatical belief in traditional Warrior Caste mentality. As a part of their honor system, members would wear a gash across their face that would be extended to reflect their honor. Full honor was signified by a cut that extended from ear to ear.
Domain Phaath, the shaper domain responsible for the creation of the Voxyn. This domain is considered an ultra-orthodox domain, never deviating from the shaper protocols.
Vong Traditions/Culture:
There are a multitude of traditions within the Yuuzhan Vong culture, that are pertinent to the desire to properly role play a member of the society. Here are a list of particular traditions and their meanings in the society.
True Way: The name for the Yuuzhan Vong religion, originating from a worship of life that leads to the hatred in blasphemous machinations. This is also the origin of the glorification of pain. Its believed that the creator god endured longing pain and sacrifice in order to create the universe and thus, the Yuuzhan Vong follow this example.
The Great Doctrine: Guiding Ideals for the True Way. Asserted that Yuuzhan Vong were dominant to all other species in the universe and was the justification for invasion and war.
Festival of the Twin Gods: One of the few holidays where the Yuuzhan Vong let their proverbial hair down and stop taking themselves seriously. Domains speak to one another, children play tricks on one another, ect.
Escalation: When a Yuuzhan Vong had earned the right to be promoted, through either accomplishment or achievement, they would sacrifice a limb to the gods and have it replaced with another creature, by the shapers. These were called biots. If the graft was successful, the individual was seen as a success. However, if there was a flaw or it was rejected, the member would be pushed into the caste of the shamed ones. While it was believed that the failure of the grafting was due to the individual, it was actually realistically a failure on the part of the shaper.
Shamed Ones: While considered a caste of their own, the shamed ones were essentially the untouchables of the Yuuzhan Vong culture. They had either had implants rejected, were heretics, or were deformed in some way. They were only allowed to worship Yun-Shuno. After the wars, this group was called the Extolled, though the names are interchangeable.
History of the Legion Yun'Do:
The Legion Yun'Do, translated to the Legion of God's Woe, began as a contingent of the Hrosha-Gul, which was formerly the major Yuuzhan Vong presence within the One Sith. The Legion began on Manaan as a small subset, pulled from the ranks, particularly from the domain Shai. However, as the invasions proceeded, the contingent grew and grew in size until it was no longer just Hrosh-Gul. It was during the Netherworld event that, in the name of the Legion Yun'Do, Selvaris was vongformed to allow for a home location for the Vong that remained loyal within the One Sith.
Of course, with the revival of the Hrosha-Gul and the removal of Titan Industries from One Sith territory, the Legion Yun'Do became the last remaining force of loyal Yuuzhan Vong in One Sith space. The major difference between the Legion Yun'Do and it's predecessor is the difference in traditional beliefs. Whereas the Hrosha-Gul was tied to the One Sith in their belief that the Dark Lord was their deity in living form, the Legion Yun'Do holds no such illusions as truth. The Legion Yun'Do supports religious freedoms of the Yuuzhan Vong, meaning that all of the Yun'O are glorified properly. While traditional in this belief, not all of the Legion is nearly as orthodox as others. Considering the size of Selvaris, there is an abundance of room for development in this respect. However, the attainment of Sovereignty on Selvaris is the glue that binds the Legion to the One Sith, whom is currently led by multiple leading members of the One Sith. This includes the Wrath and Warmaster, [member="Reverance"]; The Hand and Supreme Commander, [member="Vrag"]; and Sith Lord and upcoming Shaper, [member="Matsu Xiangu"].
How is the Legion different from other Vong?
First and foremost, the Legion Yun'Do is an astonishing mechanism for scientific development. This stems from the acceptance that the shaping protocols were not, in fact, strict rules but instead initial guidelines for development. It's through the acceptance of this concept that the shaping protocol has been expanded immensely, allowing for substantial creativity and ingenuity. Civilization tends to follow the science and as such, the Legion Yun'Do bolsters an army that is constantly advancing in biotechnology. Thus, the Vong army within the Legion is one of the strongest in existence.
The Legion, while once part of the Hrosha-Gul, no longer limits participation of the group to either religion or domain. Given the vongforming of Selvaris, the planet bolsters a large enough massing to house the entire needs of the Legion, including all castes and multitudes of domains.
The position of Supreme Overlord is currently unfilled in the Legion and will remain that way, until a time when it is needed. The reasoning for this is that the Legion is a heavily militarized variation of it's former contingent, meaning that war time efforts guide and solidify the unit - Leadership is based on military performance and as such, a military leader is not an appropriate leader for all aspects of the culture. As such, there are roles to be filled by PC's, including leadership over the Priest, Intendant, and Shaper Caste.
Finally, the Legion Yun'Do, while largely composed of Yuuzhan Vong, is not restricted entirely to Yuuzhan Vong. Allowance into the Legion, when not Yuuzhan Vong, is typically accepted given proper appreciation for the culture and understanding of what drives the society as a whole.
