Character
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: Create a species for the planet Okarthel
- Image Credit: (X)(X)(X)(X)(X)(X)(X)
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Okarthel
- Name: Kiir (keer)
- Designation: Sentient
- Origins: Okarthel
- Average Lifespan: 2,000 to 2,500 standard years
- Estimated Population: Planetary
- Description:
- Breathes: Type 1
- Average Height of Adults: Males: 1.64 meters, Females: 1.58 meters
- Average Length of Adults: N/A
- Skin color: Same as baseline humans
- Hair color: Same as baseline humans
- Distinctions: A short arboreal species, the Kiir stand between 1.58 meters to 1.64 meters with a naturally athletic build. A set of horns adorn their heads, these horns are made from a tough keratin and will grow their entire lives and will regrow if broken off. Kiir have a prehensile tail that is a little longer than half their body length and is strong enough to hold almost twice their body weight when hanging from an object. They also possess a set of sharp canines and fore teeth, with strong crushing molars in the back. Their teeth can quickly grow back if lost. They also possess a flexible tounge that reaches six to seven inches in length. Kiir are always barefoot and have tough but soft soles on their feet that aid in climbing. Kiir barely seem to age during their lives, staying relatively close to their late teens in physical appearances. The only real way to tell a kiir's age is by their hair and eye color. As Kiir get older their eyes turn light green and their hair turns white. Kiir have a child like curiosity, often having them described as a group of excited school children on just about everything.
- Another unusual feature about the Kiir is that they're monotremes, or mammals that lay eggs. The Kiir carry the eggs for two months before laying them, then the eggs spend the next seven months growing on their own. As an egg grows, it forms a scale like pattern caused by the growth of the egg. These eggs are pretty dull in color, ranging from dark brown to mossy green, mostly for camouflage purposes. Each egg produces a low song like sound that seems to resonate through the force and is unique to the individual egg, this song is easily recognizable by the parents. The song can also tell other things about the Kiir inside the egg, such as what gender or element breathe it possesses. These songs are believed to originate from the World tree as it speaks with and through the unborn Kiir, tying it to both family and planet.
- Races: Kiir only truly different based on their dragon ancestors. They may have different horn shape or numbers and different elemental abilities, but there is very little cultural differences between tribes.
- Force Sensitivity: All: Kiir have a natural connection to the force of varying levels. The vast majority will never be capable of manipulating the force in the ways that a Jedi or Sith would, but they can use it to sense certain things around them. A Kiir's force sensitive allows them to "feel" the world tree from anywhere on the planet, as long as they can make physical contact with the ground or trees, allowing them to use it as a guiding compass for their travels. They can also sense life within the trees and other animals. The Kiir describe it as seeing vast swarms of fireflies with different colors for every individual. The stronger the being is in the force, the more fireflies there are. "Even on the darkest of cloudy nights, a Kiir can sink into the force and light up the sky with a million living stars."
- Alchlys Organ: Is an organ that is unique to their species. This organ rapidly dilutes poisons and toxins found in a variety of fruits and plants found throughout the galaxy. The organ is highly efficient, allowing them to eat a wide range of plants and fruits that would otherwise make humans and near humans sick or could lead to death. The organ also allows them to eat nearly raw meat, by using excess stored toxins to kill bacteria or drawing bacteria in from parts of the body to flush it out or kill it.
- Elemental breath: One of the most notable features of a Kiir is their ability to breathe elemental abilities, such as fire, is or toxic gas. The exact type of element is based off of what dragon species they believe is their ancestor. This ability has varying strengths depending on ones force sensitive, the stronger the sensitivity the stronger the ability and vise versa. The most common abilities are a fire thermite mix, toxic gas, ice and electrically charged balls of plasma. No Kiir has ever been able to directly breathe electricity. Using such abilities is taxing on the individual and is used sparingly.
- Long life: In terms of lifespan, Kiir have a very long one in terms of most sentients. Naturally Kiir can reach up to two thousand standard years.
- Force connection: All Kiir have a natural force connection, ranging from barely noticeable to the level of a Jedi or Sith. This connection allows them to feel the World tree for anywhere on the planet, which then gives them an inbuilt compass to navigate the planet. The connection itself is mainly down through physical contact with either the planet or the trees. They can also detect the life in the forest itself all connected through the roots of trees. Because the Kiir are always barefoot, they can feel the connection of the planet at all times. When a kiir reaches deep enough into the force, they can see individual force signatures in the form of swarms of fireflies. Each individual having a different color of light and swarm density depending on their strength in the force.
- That glowy feeling: Deep down in Okarthell's understory is a plethora of bioluminescent plants and fungi. Each with their own levels of light and color. Oddly enough, when certain fungi are eaten, the Kiir can gain some of the bioluminescent glow. The color depends on the fungi but the pattern where the bioluminescence happens is different for each individual. This isn't strictly related to the Kiir, but can happen to any human or near human species. This ability gives a form of camouflage in the understory of the forest. The effect itself will only last a few days before it is flushed from their system. Some tribes of Kiir live in the understory who continuously it the fungi may have these effects for weeks or longer.
- Keen senses: The Kiir have senses nearly four times that of the average human, from hearing to smell. They even possess greater night vision
- (+/-) Fast and agile: The Kiir by nature are fast, agile and very flexible, more so than most humanoids. This aids greatly in their arboreal lives. This helps balance out their lack of raw power most larger species have. While strong for their smaller size, they will never reach the strength levels of a human in excellent physical condition.
- (+/-) Monotremes: The ability to lay eggs has proven beneficial to the Kiir as it allows for a nearly nonexistent pregnancy, meaning no members of the tribe are slowed down during their nomadic movements or during times of danger. The draw back is that the eggs need to be closely monitored for both temperature levels and for animals that prey on eggs.
Weaknesses:
- Alchlys Organ: There is a drawback to the Alchlys organ, because of its efficiency, it also dilutes bacta at a rapid rate. A Kiir would require nearly four times the amount of bacta that an average person would for the same injury. To much bacta can cause "bact drunkenness", where the body suffers the same effects of intoxication only with worse side effects, such as sickness and chills. Worse cases caused by several applications of bacta overtime can cause bacta allergies.
- Somewhat feral: You can take the Kiir out of the wild, but you can't take the wild out of the Kiir. Always barefoot and running free, the Kiir are a species that feels far more at home than in a civilized setting. A Kiir placed in a city planet is like a caged animal looking for a way out. Because of their ability to sense life through the force, city planets feel dead to them. They're also a species that had a tendency to follow their instincts more often than not, such as finding places high off the ground to sleep and following their natural curiosity. They also have a have urges to hunt, especially when tracking things in the wilds. The Kiir have been known to go into a very aggressive state when they come in contact with their century old enemies, a subterranean species called the Munthrek.
- Slow growers: A Kiir's naturally long life comes with a draw back, their slow growth rate. For every three years a human ages, a kiir only ages one. This means the age till they can have children is much longer than the average sentient.
- Weary of droids: Kiir have a natural weariness of droids and anything like them. Due to their natural ability to sense life from their force connection has created an unusual circumstance with droids and some technology. This connection allows them to feel the electrical charge coming from the droid, which in turn is mistaken for signs of a living creature. The Kiir know the droid isn't living and find it unsettling, drawing out their more feral side in the process.
- Diet: Omnivore, but leans towards a heavy meat diet. Will eat fruits found at the tops of large trees. Main diet consists of hunted game or fish.
- Communication: Verbal communication, small tail movements.
- Xanalre is a language with exaggerated consonants and a sharp dragon like edge at times. The language also includes subtle tail movements that can be difficult for some to pick up on.
- Technology level: Well below Galactic standard. The Kiir are nomadic by nature and therefore they haven't developed very far. Most of their tools and weapons are made from obsidian or bone.
- Religion/Beliefs: The Kiir are a religious bunch. Each morning they meditate in order to balance themselves with the planet once again, and do so each night before they sleep. They believe everything on the planet is connected, and thanks to the World tree they are, and what effects one thing can effect another. Connecting to the planet helps them find balance and gives them the ability to understand their surroundings and everything that lives in it. To them, the forest is full of spirits and other caretakers of the forest. Thousands of years ago, the main deities of the Kiir were the dragon gods. Their numbers ranged in the dozens and held many different roles and ranks in power. All of them descended from the heavens through the World tree. After the Age of fire, things began to change for both the dragon gods and the Kiir. The number of elder dragons who the Kiir believed were the physical form of their deities began to vanish from the face of the planet. Smaller dragons became wilder in nature, turning more into a threat than something to worship. The decline of is elder dragons brought a rise in new more mythical creatures that seemed to have strong connections to the World tree. Worship of these different spirits quickly rose as many Kiir believed the old dragon gods found their final resting place within the World tree. Their strength and power slowly seeping out in the form of new spirits. Now only two of the original dragon gods recieve worship, even if it's declining. Even with the dragon gods decline and the rise of the new spirits, the World tree has grown even more sacred in the eyes of the Kiir and sits at the center of their religious beliefs.
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- Caesin: The ruler of the forests. His thick hide is covered in bark like scales and thick vines, large branch like horns rise from his head and sharp talons like gnarled old roots. He is the one who protects and brings life to the forest. It is said that the seeds from many trees fall from his hide and moss grows up from each step. After the age of fire, Caesin was the one who spent decades roaming the planet, reseeding it as he went. The Kiir pray to Caesin for not only hope of finding plentiful fruit trees but to make their travels through the forests safer.
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- Guawysvern: The king of all the dragon gods. Master of the skies, bringer of storms and largest of all the dragons. He is the one who brings not only fierce storms but gently rains. The Kiir believe he can create storms with the beat of his wings and rain lightning down from his breath. The roosting place of this great dragon is amongst the highest branches of the World tree. From there he has both a connection to the heavens and the planet of Okarthell.
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- Kaldak: These spirits of the hunt are mere shadows amongst the trees. They Kiir seek to Please these spirits and draw them out before a hunt. To see one is considered good fortune and the sign of a good hunt. Attracting one of these spirits differs from kiir to Kiir, but after each successfull hunt, a Kiir will leave behind some of the kill as an offering.
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- Wurunra: When first described to an outsider, the Wurunra may seem like a giant giant nightmarish bat like creature. A beast three times the height of a Kiir with large leathery wings upon which it rides the night sky. In reality the Wurunra is a peaceful creature who seeks knowledge amongst the dreams of those who offer them. He gains knowledge from his nightly flights and gives it to those who ask and only takes knowledge if offered, never by force. The Kiir seek simple things from this nighttime spirit, such as locations of the best fruiting trees, safe passages and good hunting grounds. In turn they offer knowledge of similar things that can be passed on to the next seeker of knowledge.
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- General behavior: The Kiir are a very long lived semi nomadic species, spending the majority of their lives traveling through the canopies of the large trees that dominate the planet. They are smaller than most humanoids, only reaching 1.6 meters at the tallest, they possess horns, sharp teeth, a prehensile tail and soft soles on their feet for climbing. To the Kiir the tribe is everything, family, friends and a means of survival. Kiir are a varied species, all depending which species of dragon they descend from, with skin and hair colors matching that of humans, they even inherited the ability to breath the elements of the forebears as well. One thing they all have in common is that as they get older, their eye color changes to a pale shade of green. -Dr. Declan Carter
- Warfare isn't super common amongst the Kiir, but it doesn't stop them from being fierce warriors. Being nomadic hasn't given the Kiir a true reason to settle down, which hasn't given them a reason to build armies to defend themselves. They do have warriors though to fend off rival tribes, wild animals or even the seldom seen Munthrek that live deep underground. From a young age Kiir children are trained to hunt large game to keep the tribe fed, most of this teaching is in the form of ambush hunting, but also in the use of a variety of weapons. A group of Kiir warriors can appear and then vanish without a trace.
- Tribe is family and family is tribe. To the Kiir, the tribe and their families are almost the same thing. They rely one another for survival and everyone does their best to pitch in. Elders normally take part in leading the tribe with the wisdom they have gained, younger memebers do all the hunting, gathering and any other physical work, children are normally tasked with simpler tasks, mainly to keep them within the safety of the tribe. The job of watching out for the wellbeing of the eggs falls on the entire tribe, from carrying them in safety baskets to monitoring temperatures.
- Beads and shiny things are used extensively in Kiir culture. From trading objects to adorning their hair, horns, tails and clothes. The Kiir them don't have a form of currency, but rather use bartering to get what they need from friendly tribes. Most of these tradable items include seashells, gemstones, beads made from bone or carved from obsidian and other shiny stones. Hair horns and tails are normally decorated with these fine objects as a means to be show what tribe they're from and a items to trade that are always with them. The Kiir are known to braid their hair and weave beads and fabric into them, shaving the sides of ones head is not uncommon. Clothes are normally close fitting to prevent snags on branches or anything when traveling through the canopy. Most daily clothing is died in reds, blues, greens or mahogany, while hunting close are normally earthy colors for blending in. Dyes for clothes are mostly found from flowers, berries and sometimes colored sediments.
- The Kiir are semi nomadic and will set up temporary villages for a few short years. These treehouses are made from wood and thick bark, held together with vines or thick woven rope. Large leaves and bark are used for the roof to prevent water from getting in. Most homes aren't heated, due to the natural warmth of the planet, rather their designed to keep out moisture. When traveling, the Kiir live in huts made from hides and the thick elytra (wing coverings) of giant beetles. These homes can be quickly torn down and carried with them.
- Date unknown: Thousands of years before the gulag plague and the even the rise of the old Republic, the planet Okarthel was nearly destroyed during the Age of Fire. A time of great destruction and according to Kiir folklore, the time they were created by the dragon gods. Long ago another race held sway over Okarthel, the Munthrek. A species that stood taller then the Kiir and looked more human in appearance. They built grand cities and empires that slowly expanded across the planet. Large temples began to rise in these cities that were quickly devouring the forests. The Munthrek were greedy and always desired more, enough so that they worshipped the dragon god Aryte. A god of deceit, power and destruction. He tricked his followers and twisted them into shells of their former selves. Aryte lead his army in a conquest to destroy the other dragon gods and claim the world for his own. The battles raged for years, destroying and burning everything in their path. The dragon gods were drastically outnumbered by Aryte's followers. To defeat Aryte, the gods gathered as many dragon eggs as they could, they breathed their essence into these eggs and created the Kiir. The Kiir resembled the gods in their human forms, and even carried some of their abilities. They were fierce fighters who were more than capable of pushing back the corrupted Munthrek. With the help of the Kiir, the dragon gods drove Aryte and his followers deep underground, thus bringing an end to the Age of Fire.
- Age of renewal: The destruction left by the Age of Fire was catastrophic. The land was scorched, entire forests were decimated, seas turned black from ash. Thousands of animals perished and many more had nowhere to go. Many sought refuge at the Ithquenti tree, the only tree undamaged by the battles, even the Kiir called this places home for centuries. The roots from the massive tree proved vital to the gods as they brought life back to the world, using the trees roots as a means to connect the planet and heal it rapidly from the ground up. As the forests began to thrive, the Kiir ventured out and began to roam the land as nomads instead of warriors.
- Ten years before the start of the Gulag plague: A new arrival appeared on the planet of Okarthel. Beings from beyond the stars in the form of an archeological research team lead by Dr. Declan Carter, a well known anthropologist at the university of Coruscant. Declan was surprised to find the Kiir and at how curious they were about the new comers. For several years he stayed with the Kiir and studied all he could of them, it wasn't every day you met an uncontacted sentient species. Declan eventually returned to Coruscant with the large amount of data he accumulated over the years.
- One year into the Gulag plague crisis: Declan and his team returned to Okarthel with several new faces and grim news. He told the tribe of Kiir he befriended before about the plague and the staggering cost of life it was claiming. Then he told them about how his research found that the Kiir had a much stronger resistance to the disease then the average being and that samples of their blood could help with finding a way of slowing it down. The Kiir were hesitant at first, but then agreed. Declan then told them of a device his new assistant had made, a device that could take their blood sample and alter someone else's to help with their studies. Keeping it simple, he told them the man could do magic or alchemy of sorts to accomplish this. The man in question made the Kiir uneasy, he had a uncomfortably cold aura about him. In the end they trusted him because of Declan himself. Once the samples were taken, the team left. This was the last time Declan and his team returned, or anyone for that matter.
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