Leviathan
“Let’s throw some screws at a Suchur, see what sticks.” -Common spacer saying
[SIZE=11pt]OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Intent: To create possible NPC’s/PC’s in the future for myself and others, and try a new mechanic involving biological magnetism[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Image Credit: [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]Lizardman by Obrotowy[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Canon: N/A[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Links: [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]N/A[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]GENERAL INFORMATION[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Name: Suchur[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Designation: Sentient[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Homeworld: Nalrobi (Submitted to Codex, not yet approved)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Language: Galactic Basic, Suchuri[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Average Lifespan: 80 years, age of maturity at 15[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Estimated Population: Rare (550,000)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Description: The Suchur are tall reptilian humanoids, with elongated snouts, powerful jaws, and long sweeping tails. Their hides sometimes sparkle with an inner-blue glow.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]PHYSICAL INFORMATION[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Breathes: Type 1 [/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Average height of adults: 2.0-2.2m[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Average length of adults: N/A[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Skin color: Varying shades of black, grey, red, green, and brown.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Hair color: N/A[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Males and females are actually extremely similar, having the same strength and height, the only immediately-noticeable difference being the male’s slightly lower voice than the female’s. They never stop growing as they mature, and the eldest of their kind are massive.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]The seemingly-powerful Suchur is actually physically equal with the average human, save for the jaw and tail. Most of the bulky muscle apparent on these reptilians are used for a different purpose, as discussed later. The Suchur’s bite clocks in at around 2,000 psi, and the whip of it’s tail could knock a Trandoshan on it’s rear end, although the jaws have minimal opening power. The most interesting feature of the Suchur, however, is it’s scales.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]A Suchur, in addition to all of the regular necessary vitamins and minerals, requires the metal Neodynium[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt], which it primarily gets from ingesting [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]monazite[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt], a mineral common on Nalrobi. While the practice of eating these stones evolved to aid with digestion, a millenia of doing this has had a very different evolutionary impact. The Suchur’s cells take the Neodynium deposits, and brings them to the dermis, depositing the metal into the scales. Then, the Suchur’s extra muscles shiver constantly, generating electric impulses which conduct throughout the scales, charging and connecting the Neodynium deposits inside, which creates the effect of a [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]magnetic seal [/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]on their body.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Races: N/A[/SIZE]
Strengths and Weaknesses:
[SIZE=11pt]Strongjaw: Suchur have an extremely powerful bite, and their tails pack a whallop as well.[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]Crocomagneto: Due to mineral deposits in their skin, as well as an electric current constantly running through their body, a Suchur’s scales are magnetically sealed, which means blaster bolts will splatter and bounce off of their shimmery hide. A downside to this is that the scales do not conduct/stop heat, so each blaster bolt is still felt, and while the scales are hard, they offer little kinetic resistance.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Survivor: The seasons of Nalrobi are extreme. Because of this, the Suchur have adapted to tolerate extreme weathers. They feel equally as comfortable in a monsoon as they would a drought, both of which are common on Nalrobi.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Unlimited Po… Oh wait: Because their scales naturally conduct electricity, things like Force Lightning or a Shock Whip have little to no effect.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Jaw-Dropping: Despite all of the power behind a Suchur's jaws, there is barely any muscle to open them once they are shut. Therefore, just about anything can hold their mouths closed, such as a tough rubber band, the average human's hand, or even a Jedi Padawan or Sith Acolyte's use of the Force, with minimal effort.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Cold-Blooded: While the Suchur is capable of shivering to generate electricity, this does not produce heat, and this means a Suchur cannot survive on a cold world unassisted. While cold-blooded animals usually do not need to eat often, the Suchur expends a large amount of energy to keep their scales magnetized, and therefore must eat as often as a human.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Magnets and Computers: The Suchur are intelligent, but have difficulty with complicated computers and devices, as the magnetic field they emit could damage the instruments. They cannot drive ships or work on computers that aren’t specially made to combat this field.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Dietary Supplements: Suchur require a specific amount of Neodynium to survive, as their bodies have become dependant on the metal. Therefore, the nutrient must be absorbed into the body, usually by digestion.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Fatal Attraction: Because they cannot actively shut off their magnetic field, almost any metal they touch annoyingly sticks to their body, requiring effort to remove. Also, a slugthrower’s slug would be attracted to their body, almost always hitting. Vibroblades also almost always hit their mark, but require effort to wrench away after they do so..[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]CULTURE[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Diet: Suchur are carnivorous, so meats and fish are the favorite dish. They require Neodynium in one form or another, however. They have no known allergies.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Communication: Verbal[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Technology level: Primitive. Their magnetic scales have stunted their growth in the way of fine computers.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Religion/Beliefs: We have Nalrobi in our blood, therefore, we are blessed.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]The Suchur believe in a form of Astrolatry. Their homeworld, Nalrobi, is, to them, a dead deity. In this religion, Nalrobi was once a Goddess Suchur of immense power, until another unknown deity, colloquially known as “the Thief” by Nalrobi’s people, stole her power and cast her spinning into the abyss. Nalrobi’s body transformed into a planet, and was populated by her children.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]To most Suchur, the Force is viewed as a curse, a strange perversion of nature that is often associated with the Thief. Due to this, Force-Sensitive Suchur are often cast out into the swamps, forced to live alone, away from civilization. These Suchur, known collectively as “Gris” often become Dark-side Witches, specializing in voodoo rituals and darker powers. Desperate Suchur, with illnesses or famine, will sometimes seek out Gris for aid, and almost always regret it afterwards.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]The Suchur believe their magnetism was residual, left over from the power stolen from the Goddess Nalrobi. The absence of this power is what makes their bodies attract certain items, and deciphering what power was lost from Nalrobi is a never-ending puzzle to the religiously astute.[/SIZE][SIZE=11pt]As is normal with most species, these beliefs aren’t shared by all Suchur, and some groups have rejected the religion entirely, intent on forging their own path.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]General behavior: Suchur culture is based off of their magnetism. Attraction, repulsion, the scales armoring their body and the stones under their feet that give them this power.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Suchur congregate into small tribes of 25-100 members, known as Basqs. Each Basq occupies large swathes of territory, where they hunt, fish, and gather water from trees in the dry seasons. They erect small stone structures in the center of their territory, and work to prepare them for monsoons and monsters that may attack.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]The Suchur keep each other at a distance. Their culture forbids physical touch except for family, a remnant cultural effect of having scales that repel each other, due to their magnetic charges. They mate with one member of the tribe, and lay eggs. Suchur hatchlings are able to stand and catch bugs from the first few minutes of their hatching, and mature quickly, being able to hunt for the Basq in a short time. [/SIZE]
In peace, there is no leader, and all Suchur are expected to pull their own weight, and eat only what they themselves catch. Hunting parties are organized by the people, and often bring back enormous prey for the entire tribe. Others fashion weapons and armor from the bones and hide of animals, and still others look after the hatchlings. Communication between Basqs are minimal, but they sometimes make alliances during wars.
In wartime, the Suchur elect a Warmaster to organize attacks and defenses. Some Basqs regularly trade with posts set up by Humans or Trandoshans, obtaining slugthrowers, vibroblades, or metal-tipped spears to war against each other. They generally fight using raiding tactics, stealing food and killing their enemies under the cover of night, or during hunting patrols. Almost all Basqs are xenophobic, and do not allow other species into their tribes.
A Suchur in the galaxy can often be found as a mercenary or bodyguard. They avoid physical contact at all costs, and can seem icy and distant.
[SIZE=11pt]HISTORICAL INFORMATION[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]The Suchur evolved from reptilian predators in the swamps of Nalrobi, that used electricity to confuse and hunt fish. Due to genetic weaknesses, they needed to use gastroliths to aid with digestion. An evolutionary miracle happened where the Neodynium was absorbed and used to make them magnetically sealed, an evolutionary advantage over other large species as ancient sentient hunters came to capture and kill dangerous quarries. As they became more and more intelligent, they eventually developed a culture, and the Suchur as we know them now came to be.[/SIZE]
Before their written history, not much is known. What historians can tell from interviewing various tribes is that there was a series of wars against an army of Gris and their followers, led by a massive Suchur Witchdoctor known as Grammama Odie. Odie and her forces were eventually defeated, and historians believe this is where the Suchur’s general distrust of Force-Users came to be.
[SIZE=11pt]The Suchur remained relatively unchanged until they were discovered the the Old Republic in 1145 BBY. The Republic sent diplomats, who, due to bad past experiences with Humans, were promptly killed and butchered. The Republic sent soldiers, who, due to the Suchur’s magnetically-sealed scales, were promptly killed and butchered. The Two Month War was aptly named, as after two months, the Old Republic was fed up with the war, and abandoned the effort, too concerned with other things. Because of this, the planet was labeled dangerous, and forgotten about for some time.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]The next time they had contact with the outside world was during the Galactic Civil War. Stormtroopers were dispatched to establish an outpost. They were promptly killed and butchered. This time, instead of turning tale, the Empire tightened their grip, using superior air support to subjugate the Suchur. They were rebellious, but were sucessfully enslaved until the planet was liberated by the Galactic Alliance.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]The Suchur accepted their aid, letting them set up small settlements in the more moderate areas of Nalrobi. They were taught Galactic Basic, although they mostly kept to themselves, trading precious minerals and Neodynium for weapons and learning materials.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Then there was the darkness.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]The Gulag Plague devastated the Suchur, dropping their numbers to dangerous levels. Their numbers, which had begun to grow, were immediately depleted. The remaining Suchur retreated into the more dangerous areas of Nalrobi, to recover and pray to the Goddess. Eventually, they began to repopulate, and things seemed to go back to normal, although the religious zealots of the Suchur blamed the Plague on the “Thief’s Men”, a.k.a. The Jedi they had aligned themselves with.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=11pt]Throughout the warrings of the galaxy, Nalrobi and the Suchur remained generally untouched, almost forgotten to all but big game hunters and explorers. But as Suchur have finally begun to filter into the galaxy, the planet won’t be untouched for long.[/SIZE]
