Other Space Kaiden
Better than other-other space Kaiden
Intent:
To update the Graug sub from its original 2013 form
Image Credit:Epic Games, Blizzard Entertainment, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, Bethesda Softworks
Andrea Chiampo, Azin Janati
Canon:
N/A
Permissions:
N/A
Links:
Original Graug Sub
Name:
Graug
Designation:
Sapient
Origins:
Gratos
Average Lifespan:
15 - 150 years
- The Graug possess exceptional natural defenses against diseases and toxins which allows them a greatly increased lifespan. In spite of this, however, few Graug live to the elderly age of 150 due to their cultural inclinations and instinctual drive towards violence. Before their introduction into the wider galaxy the species suffered millions of deaths from infighting alone. Since their assisted ascendancy from the dirt of Gratos this number has likely grown to be in the billions.
These facts have drastically dropped the statistical average lifespan of the species - leading to the misconception that they live only two or three decades. In truth the average age of death, 15, can be attributed to several factors. These factors are their cultural focus on war and strength as well as their instinctual lust to violence - an evolutionary trait that is abnormal for most sapient species.
Estimated Population:
1.2 Trillion [Interplanetary]
- Over the course of three decades The Graug have found themselves spread far from their homeworld thanks primarily to the actions of Krag (now known as Darth Vulcanus). The species has always been quick to breed and have learned to live both above and below the surface. This trait allows The Graug to at least double the capacity of most worlds they live on - allowing massive influxes of population with little space.
The greatest obstacle to this is the available food on the planet as the Graug are quick to hunt to near extinction most natural fauna. In spite of obstacles, however, the species thrives both on Gratos as well as on colonies scattered in the outer rim.
- The Graug are a race of barbarous killers that originated as Sith Spawn mutations of species naturally occurring on Gratos. This origin is unknown to both The Graug and the wider galaxy, however, as their Sith progenitors landed on the planet in the early days of The Gulag Plague and died shortly after.
Their work, however, was not left undone and the Sith were successful in breeding what they considered the perfect soldiers. Always hungry for violence, naturally attuned to The Darkside and purposely designed to birth 1 leader out of every six million born.By all definition they are a hungering horde of mostly subservient beasts. Without their Sith creators, however, The Graug have evolved to have their own culture and desires.
PHYSICAL INFORMATION
Breathes:
Oxygen [can survive in types I, II & III atmospheres depending on conditions]
The Graug homeworld of Gratos is exceptionally dangerous. The world is covered in vast jungles, the air laced with darkside mutated diseases and the ground seeping with toxins. Even The Sith progenitors of The Graug, who arrived knowing its dangers, were unable to survive more than a few years before succumbing to disease, toxins or the native fauna. This toxicity is what eventually earned Gratos a Type III atmosphere rating - despite its oxygen and nitrogen levels technically being viable to support type I life.
This environment was not only what The Graug evolved in but was what they were handcrafted for. The biology that allowed them to survive on their homeworld also allows them to survive in toxic and disease ridden atmospheres without special equipment. As long as a subject planet has the oxygen and nitrogen levels to support at least a Type II atmosphere The Graug are able to sustain themselves indefinitely.
Average Height of Adults:
Males: 2.2 Meters
Females: 1.9 Meters
Average Length of Adults:
N/A
Scale Colors:Dark Green, Dark Grey, Light Grey, Light Green
Hair Colors:The Graug are a hairless, reptilian species. However, some individuals are able to grow hair-like tendrils of spongelike flesh on their skulls. These tendrils act as a water reserve for Graug who have them -collecting moisture from the air and storing it to keep their hides moist in hotter climates.
Distinctions:
The unholy miracle of Graug life begins as most species do - pregnancy. Graug of all three distinct races reproduce sexually. Graug females are both more scarce than males of their own species and able to produce more frequently than most other reptilian races in the galaxy. Each Graug pregnancy results in a clutch of ten live young - each the approximate size of a baseball and shielded by a gel-like pouch. Each pregnancy takes only three months and a female can reproduce immediately after laying, meaning a single female can produce forty children in a year.
The live children break free of their protective pouch a few days following their birth, beginning the first cycle of their life as a "Grot". Sometimes, however, a Graug pregnancy takes a slightly darker turn. As was planned by their creators, every one in six-million births produces a stronger, more force-attuned individual.
These individuals cannibalize the other Grots in the womb and use the additional nutrients to go through a stage of rapid growth. In an unnatural turn of events these children subconsciously use The Force to influence their own growth and their mother's bodily function. Instead of being born in three months these creatures incubate for an entire year by feeding from their own mothers life force. These pregnancies are terribly painful throughout the entire process but are seen as a divine gift by The Graug.
Grots born this way have generally developed greater aptitude for the force and naturally draw others of their species to them. They are born larger than others of their species and mature at twice the rate, their aging slowing down when they reach full maturity.
Standard born Grot clutches, however, do not age slowly when compared to other races - but also develop along a far different path. Within six months a Grot can sprint faster than most human adults while on all fours. By a year old they can stand upright and begin developing fine motor function. Graug begin using basic tools and climbing by age three. By six (now known as Grotta) they have reached half their full height and could comfortably fight most full grown members of other species.
Average Graug, however, don't develop language capability until age eleven. At this time they have reached their full adult height and are considered to be full Graug.
Grots born as sole children, however, develop to full maturity by age six - nearly half the standard time.
The Graug are a unique species in many ways and though there exists three distinct races all Graug share common traits. The most obvious trait is the thick, scale-like hide that covers their entire body.
Unlike the hides of most reptilian races, the scales of Graug are composed primarily of very small plates that interlock tightly together in an overlapping pattern that produces better structural integrity and energy displacement. From a viewing distance of ten feet or farther this creates the illusion of a solid, skin-like, hide. However, upon closer inspection one will begin to see what appears to be tiny fissures spidering across the Graug body.
These fissures are actually tiny gaps in the scales. Beneath these scales is a second layer of Grey flesh. Both of these layers are capable of deflecting kinetic blows and absorbing light blaster fire - but do little against heavy weapons and lightsabers. Living between these tiny fissures, where moister is highest, are also millions of tiny mites that coexist with The Graug in the same way humans do with their own mites. These mites assist The Graug by eating dead flesh and scale flakes as well as attacking microscopic intruders.
Oversaturation of the scales (too much moisture) can result in population explosions of these mites which can lead to the affliction of “Soft Hide” in which the overpopulated mites will raw areas of a Graug hide through overeating. This usually occurs under the skin and usually goes away on its own as the mites die off or are attacked by the body. However, if the mites do not die off quick enough they may accidentally lead to areas of protective scales coming loose and falling off. If the mites die off too quickly they may lead to the affliction “Scale Rot” in which the Graug body overreacts to a mild rash - leading to entire patches of scales rotting off as the creature’s cells attack the area and cause necrosis.
Additionally, Graug have thicker bones to support their much denser muscles - which helps support them against Gratos' heavier gravity. In turn this makes them incredibly strong even without the species inherent use of the force, and quite heavy for their size. It is significantly harder to break a Graug's bones by means of blunt force than a humans, in fact the amount of force is often not in the capacity of an average human to possess.
On average they maintain three times as many micro-filaments as opposed to humans, creating denser and much more powerful muscles. These larger, denser muscles allow them to comfortable wrestle wookiees and tear apart humans. However, this means that Graug must consume more energy and protein to maintain their herculean muscles.
To combat this need The Graug possess a esophagus similar to snakes - which is to say it has several times more internal folds than most species. This gives the esophagus greater expansion and pliability, allowing for the swallowing of greater sizes and shapes of food.
Once swallowed food travels to the stomach. The stomach is filled with potent gastric juices that maintain a pH of 0.1 to -0.5 and unique enzymes that are capable of breaking down dense calcium, carbon, protein and even small quantities of alloys and metals. This highly effective digestive systems allows Graug to more completely breakdown and absorb the nutrients of a meal - allowing them to stay full longer as well as gain nutrients even from necrotic flesh.
For both defense and offense Graug have razor sharp, carbon reinforced claws. Tearing through flesh is rarely an obstacle with these claws, which are direct extensions of the finger bones unlike human nails. Graug also possess razor sharp teeth that grow into the shape of daggers, allowing them to easily slice through the dense muscles and bone of Gratosian species. Much like humans Graug also have flat molars for breaking down and grinding bones. Unlike humans, however, Graug can grow and replace teeth throughout their entire lifetime.
But this would mean nothing if Graug could not hunt in the dark, thick jungles and hallows of their homeworld. This is why Graug possess tapetum lucidum, mirror like reflector behind their eyes that enhance night vision and give their eyes a ghostly yellow glow. Their eyes also have three different rod varieties that allow them to not only see in full color at night but perceive a greater light spectrum than humans. The ultraviolet range can be perceived by The Graug but is mostly used for the purposes of low light vision.
The Graug circulatory system consists of a thick, dark purple blood that maintains a pH level of 1.8, a drastic difference from human blood pH levels that rarely dive below 7.4. This means that Graug blood bares the same acidity as 10ML of hydrochloric acid - enough to dissolve some alloys and burn human skin given enough time (but not instantly). Graug veins are lined with mucus membranes that secret a thin layer of mucus, much the same way that human stomachs produce mucus to protect against their natural acids. This mucus keeps their highly acidic blood from damaging their bodies while the blood itself can easily kill bacteria with its high acidic content - acting in tandem with their force imbued anti-bodies to mute the effects of bacterial infections, bacterial diseases and viral diseases.
Due to the Graug size and need for oxygen to power their dense muscle structure they possess not one heavier heart, but two. The first heart is centered directly behind the sternum and is positioned more upright than a human heart. The second heart is positioned below the first and slightly further back into the chest. This second heart pumps blood at a much lower rate and is primarily there to assist blood flow from the lower body back to the upper body. However, in combat or stressful situations both hearts can kick into overdrive - allowing increased amounts of adrenaline to pump through the Graug's body.
Neurologically speaking the Graug are a perplexing subject. Perhaps the most drastic, but unsurprising, fact about the Graug brain is the underdeveloped anterior insular. Like humans the Graug have an equivalent to the anterior insular and in both species this area deals with empathy, sense of danger, worry, vigilance, etc. The average Graug has what could be described as a very primitive version of this area - which is both smaller and far less active than a humans. Due to this the Graug lack empathy, worry, anxiety and concern for danger. This underdeveloped region also explains why Graug emotional responses can be considered primal and primitive in comparison to their achievements. For the un-average Graug (namely those aforementioned 1 in six million) this portion of the brain develops more rigorously during their increased time in the womb. Despite this, it appears as if this area of the brain is still underdeveloped in comparison to most species and shows lacks of emotional depth. It is speculated that the increased development serves only to gift this chosen Graug with enough depth to be strategically relevant.
Lastly we explore the physiological difference between female and male Graug. Female Graug resemble their male counterparts in all but a few key areas. Firstly, female Graug scales are much smoother and their scale to flesh ratio is much lower. This means females will be smoother and less scaley where the males will be coarse and rough. Secondly, female Graug are known to have thinner, sharper teeth and claws that can cut through thin metal alloys like aluminum. These claws are retractable where the males claws are not.
Females of the species are also more likely to posses "skull sponges" than males are. Skull sponges are long tendrils that come in a variety of thicknesses and sizes that grow from the skull of a Graug. These tendrils are made from a light spongey material that captures water from the air or which is consumed by the Graug. The water is stored and secreted down the hide to keep it moist in hot climates or to act as a emergency water source. It is speculated that the female's higher core temperature is the reason why they are more likely to grow skull sponges. Graug skin and scales tend to become dry and uncomfortable in arid climates and bodily damage can occur through the "rotting" of dry scales. The average Graug adult could live a month without water and most skull tendrils can hold a between a few days to a week's worth of water.
Lastly, females tend to be leaner than males and have wider hips with more curvature in the abdomen. Unlike mammalian species, female Graug lack breasts.
Attractive physiological traits on males include; claw length, muscle definition, force potency and thickness/roughness of the hide.
Attractive physiological traits on females include; hip width, claw sharpness, skull tendril length/thickness, eye size and hide smoothness.
The Graug have garnered a reputation for their barbaric culture, warlike tendencies and powerful bodies. However, the Graug would never be as successful as they are without the biological realities of their cells. The most drastic trait of the Graug body is the presence of Darkside attuned cells within the body - each one powered by congregations of M-Cells at their nucleus. Due to the force imbued nature of these cells they are able to complete a wide variety of tasks, namely the production of force imbued anti-bodies.
These anti-bodies work in tandem with the cells themselves and are directed to attack viruses, toxins and other bodily intrusions. They do this by attacking foreign bodies with intense micro-bursts of force energy, destroying most of all viruses easily and without lasting damage. The most deadly diseases in the galaxy never get worse than a mild flu to The Graug, with very few exceptions. Toxins and poisons are rendered useless, resulting in mild sickness (including alcohol).
Unfortunately these anti-bodies could be described as working too well and will attack foreign bodies meant to heal the host. Bacta, Kolto and medications have no effect on The Graug. This means that Graug must rely strictly on more primitive means of healthcare to treat wounds or deal with pain. Certain Graug specific afflictions also occur due to the overreaction of this cellular system (scale rot, soft hide, etc).
Races:
The Graug have three distinct races that inhabit their planet, each one born either from direct tampering or evolutionary adaptation to their environment.
Hollow Graug tend to be tall and stocky with broad chests and short, muscular arms. Necks tend to be short, averaging 2 inches where the standard human neck averages 3.9. Eyes are generally sunken deep into the skull and protected by folds of brow skin and a thick ridge of bone beneath the brow. Their skulls tend to be slightly more elongated than humans with broader, more square jaws.
When they have a choice Hollow Graug prefer dark thickets of Forest or damp subterranian caverns.
Culturally speaking the Hollow Graug began as a clan-based Kratocracy in which all laws and governance is decided by the strongest, most violent members of society. This style of governance is not unusual to The Graug species as a whole. What does set the Hollow Graug apart - in this regard - is the slow shift in their cultural worldview that has drastically changed the outlook of all Graug. Beginning a century prior to the end of the darkness, The Hollow Graug government became a unique blend of philosophies that could be described as an Autotheocratic-Kratocracy under the leadership of Queen Kyris. Might still made right, but only if that violence did not interfere with the divine will of their queen - who claimed to be The Goddess Thirka reborn.
This religious zeal allowed The Hollow Graug to form the most united combat force since their creation. Under this new Autotheocratic-Kratocracy the Hollow Graug waged a series of holy wars that eventually united the planet under a single autocratic ruler. Under this rule leadership was still decided by those who had the power to win, but most Graug were united in their zeal. Still the Hollow Graug fought endless insurrection and war both with each other and other races. Even when united under an autocratic ruler the various Hollow Graug clans fight internally for territory, power and acknowledgement.
It was the Hollow Graug's direct action of exiling the rebellious priesthood to the broken moon, Miratos, that resulted in the race of the Hansnok-Hai coming to existence.
Unlike their terrestrial brethren the Hansnok are leaner and regularly reach heights between 8 and 9 feet. This is because lower gravity has allowed the spines of the priests to elongate - giving them greater visual range. On the downside their muscles have also become gradually leaner. The moon, unlike Gratos, is largely mountainous and it lacks the same predatory fauna found on Gratos. Instead of requiring powerful, large muscles made for brawling they have adapted to utilize leaner, quicker muscles built for swiftness and flexibility. Less muscle mass also allows them to live on the lower oxygen content of the moon without losing overall effectiveness.
Hansnok males are also far more likely to grow skull tendrils than their terrestrial neighbors. This is due largely because of the drier atmosphere of the moon. As the air alone does not have a humidity content high enough to provide adequate moisture, skull tendrils help by collecting as much as possible from the air. Their tendrils also tend to be much thicker and longer than the tendrils that grow on Gratos. Like the Hollow Graug, Serpant Graug lack defined noses and outer ears.
Culturally the Hansnok are quite different than either of their terrestrial neighbors. After their exile to the moon, the pre-Hansnok priests joined together into a single unified clan. This clan, The Kha-Boltatar (The Clan of the Priests of the Holy Marsh) is a Theocratically ruled autocracy in which the most powerful force user excerts absolute control over the others. This force user is known as the Atagoth (Priest Lord) and is considered to be the voice of the pantheon.
Before the exile, religion on Gratos was divided greatly in beliefs between clans. The only similarities were in the deities that they believed existed. Following the purge and exile of the priests by Queen Kyris the religion became unified as a term of their being allowed to live. Under this new pantheon the Priest Lord became the official prophet of the Five Graug Gods and The Reincarnated Goddess [Queen Kyriss]. After Kyriss' death her daughter, Queen Mavrin, was declared the second reincarnation.
This system changed drastically after the priests again rebelled under Mavrin's rule and were put down by her son, Krag, who would later be known as Darth Vulcanus. Again the priests were left to live, but only after declaring Krag their Stymphalian - an ancient religious title that implied that he was chosen by their gods to rule. This declaration built a tenuous bridge between the exiled Hansnok and the terrestrials and their Priest Lords have stayed true to Krag since.
Most recently the Hansnok have begun integrating into clans outside their own for the first time in decades. No longer confined to their moon and allowed to step foot in Graug colonies - their numbers have drastically increased.
Baarann-Hai, "People of the Sun Fields", Sun Walkers, Smooth Scales, Plains Graug. The Plains Graug are the most culturally and physiologically divergent of the three races. While still hairless reptilians with the same general biological makeup, they have some significant evolutionary differences. Some of this is due to experimentation by the original Sith progenitors while others appear to be have naturally occurred over centuries.
Firstly, plains Graug have large, pointed outer ears and have the capacity to develop pronounced noses. Likely, this is due to where Plains Graug make their homes. Unlike Hollow Graug, who have taken over much of the deep jungle and underground, Plains Graug thrive in the less dense outskirts of the jungles and the open wetlands and valleys between mountain ranges.
Sounds and smells travel much further in this open enviroment and larger ears and noses theoretically assist Plains Graug smell and hear further than their counterparts. Despite this and the fact they are called "sun walkers" by the Hollow Graug, Plains Graug eyes are still more suited to darkness than sunlight. Most Plains Graug have thus become nocturnal. Ones who are not tend to live closer to the deeper, darker parts of the jungle.
Plains Graug have also developed smoother, fused scales that are irradescent and reflect sunlight much more effectively than Hollow and Serpant Graug scales. Males tend to remain bald but statistically speaking male and female plains graug grow skull tendrils at a higher rate than Hollow Graug but at a lower rate than Serpant Graug. However, female Plains Graug tend to grow the longest skull tendrils and are considered extreamly attractive by Graug standards.
Culturally the Plains Graug were the first to develop the system of united clans that is common for all Graug today. These collections of clans, known as Bands, were led by a warlord who united them. This system eventually developed further into Hordes - massive collections of clans and bands that followed the leadership of a War Chief. After the Graug were liberated from the control of their Sith creators this system spread to all Graug and led to the first Khaans - War Chiefs so powerful they commanded hordes twice the size of others.
The term War Chief and the Band organizational unit eventually fell out of usage with all but the Plains Graug. Only recently, under the leadership of Vulcanus, have these terms begun to return to usage with Graug in general.
Plains Graug are considered to be Master Beast Riders as opposed to the Master Forgers of the Hollow Graug.
Force Sensitivity:
Rare
- Although all Graug are sensitively attuned to The Force and are capable of sensing its pull, very few Graug are born able to use The Force like other species. By design the creatures have few trainable members but are all attuned to the force to allow them to be commanded easily. Even among those born more sensitive it is rare to possess enough talent or mental discipline to actually train in The Force.
Strengths:
- Born to War [Strength]: As mentioned above, The Graug possess several physiological mechanisms that allow them to conduct war in ways that most species are incapable of. The presence of several times more muscular micro-filaments than humans gives The Graug several times the strength of humans, allowing them to wrestle wookiees comfortably in hand-to-hand combat and tear smaller humanoids limb from limb.
- Born to War [Resilience]: Denser musculature comes with denser bones to support them. In the Graug's case these bones are calcium based with thick carbon based cores that reinforce them. These thicker bones make them superbly difficult to break through with humanoid strength alone.
- Born to War [Impenetrable]: The Graug hides are made to resist the claws, fangs and other deadly devices of their world. This resistance extends to the kinetic energy and cutting power of physical blades, small caliber slug throwers and low power blasters.
- Unbound to Pestilence [Cellular]: As Sith Spawn the Graug were created with a small list of unnatural remedies to not only the natural world, but the poisons created by intelligent hands. Darkside imbued cells that flow through the Graug bloodstream are powered by a nucleus of M-cells and are tasked with attacking foreign bodies via a unique form of force drain. This method destroys most viruses and disease before it truly effects the Graug body.
- Unbound to Pestilence [Blood]: The Graug blood pH level reaches no higher than 1.8 - the same pH levels of hydrochloric acid. Bacteria cannot grow at levels lower that 5.0 and levels of 2.0 and lower sterilize bacteria. This means that the sheer acidity of Graug blood is enough to kill bacteria and most infections.
- A Mind for Violence: Graug have reduced feelings of empathy, worry, anxiety and sense of danger which makes them far more effective warriors. The same areas of the brain that deal with empathy are just as underdeveloped as several of the Graug's nerve endings, which do not sense pain at the same levels of many other humanoids.
- Darkside Affinity: All Graug are naturally attuned to The Darkside of The Force, despite the fact that only 1 in 6 million are more attuned than the rest. Further only a small fraction of these individuals are capable of training in The Force in any meaningful way. Despite this the natural attuning towards the Darkside draws the species towards nexus of it and being in their presence allows them greater access to strength than usually possible. Commandment through The Force is also much easier due to this attuning.
Weaknesses:
- Bred to Serve: The vast majority of Graug, more than 90%, fall into the category of mere warriors - or what may be more accurately described as "drones". These drones, while capable of thought, forethought and planning, were created specifically for servitude. Without direct leadership/guidance from an authority figure become little more than a mob of frenzied beasts - unable to direct their bloodlust into coordinated action. Not only this, but said leaders must be of a powerful darkside affluence. This creates a dependency for Graug not born as a 1-in-6 million leaders (who are more intelligent, powerful, etc) to have direct leadership for meaningful military action.
- Primitive: The Graug are a barbaric, primitive species that was handed a technology level they could never acquire on their own. There are no great thinkers or scientists among their number and those intelligent enough have no interest in perusing such matters. Due to this the Graug have no capacity for diplomacy nor would they seek it even if cornered on all sides. Violence is their way and they will seek it, even to their own detriment.
- Eclipse or be Eclipsed: The Graug were created to loath that which radiates with the power of the lightside. They lust to tear and sunder all that The Light touches. But beings of such pure darkness, as much as they hunger, cannot withstand the light alone. When not on a planet of particular darkness or when they are not under the command of powerful darksides (or many average leveled darksiders) the Hordes can easily be terrified by displays of lightside power. Depending on the enviromwnt and who leads them this weakness varies in strength - but on worlds of particular ligbtside aura it becomes very problematic.
- Greatest Gift, Greatest Curse: The Graug's immune system is on a level that most sapient beings could only dream of. But dreams are always better than reality. The truth is that The Graug immune system works far too well. Medications, stimulants and other enhancers don't exist in Graug society because they would do nothing for them - their immune system would attack and disable it as it entered their blood. Cybernetic enhancement, unless forged for them specifically through Sith Alchemy, is also near impossible due to the rejection of the augmentation. So while even the most deadly diseases and viruses, such as Blackwing and Gulag, are rendered to inconveniences the toll for such power is a complete lack of modern medicines, stimulant enhancement or mainstream cybernetic augmentation.
Cultural Information:
Diet:
The Graug are technically an omnivorous race in the sense that their gastric acids and gut enzymes are capable of breaking down everything from bone to shards of duarsteel. However, the amount of musculature and bone the Graug possess means that to stay at peak capacity they must eat a diet that consists primarily of proteins and calcium. When eating meals on their homeworld the Graug will typically eat an 85% meat diet - consuming both the flesh and bones of a hunted creature. In doing this they are able to obtain both needed calcium, protein and other nutrients in a much more efficient way than species like humans.
Graug will also eat their own kind and can do so without ill effect - meaning that the strong will readily eat the weak in dire food shortages. This can be extreamly difficult for forces attempting to siege The Graug into submission as not only will they eat their own, but they are capable of obtaining trace nutrients from plants, seeds, soils, mold and other food sources.
Despite this Graug are not invulnerable. Weeks without regular, and large, protein intake will begin to put Graug into a state akin to a blood rage. Hungry Graug rarely starve only because they tend to fly into madness and attack anything it can eat - resulting in death or a good meal.
Communication:
The Graug truly have three avenues of communication. The first is on a subconscious level that utilizes Graug force sensitivity to create a hivemind-like effect. More accurately, this effect is an enhancement of something humans experience...mob rule. Unlike humans, however, a collective of Graug feel the pull of each others emotions constantly and it is this effect that allows powerful leaders - such as Vulcanus - to easily sway mobs of their own people. Strength is perceived not just on a physical level, but also on a metaphysical level and per design the Graug always congregate towards those of them who are strongest.
Secondly is the unspoken communication of Graug body language and auditory ques. Clicking ones fangs together in a chomping motion is a sign of anger, for instance. Snorting and snarling are common signs of disgust and can be compared as well to scoffing. Spreading ones fingers apart symbolizes preparedness to fight, as it readies the claws, and direct eye contact is seen as a challenge of strength.
Thirdly is their spoken language, commonly referred to as Graugspeak. While all Graugspeak shares common roots in deep, guttural sounds and growling noises it would be charitable, at best, to categorize Graugspeak as a unified language. Each clan, band and horde have their own unique dialects of Graugspeak. As Graug society is simple in nature, there was never widespread need to unify the spoken languages or even develop writing systems.
This changed when Krag, later known as Darth Vulcanus, brought the Graug into the wider galaxy and began The Great Horde. Never before in Graug history had such cooperation between the clans been necessary nor had the clans ever needed to communicate with other races. Thus began a new age of Graug language. Clan dialects gave way to Vulcanus' native dialect, Laama-Ghul. when literally translated this means "Speech/Tongue that is (of) Shadow" but is more commonly translated as "Shadow Tongue" but may also be referred to as Shadowlandian in basic.
Shadow Tongue developed rapidly thanks to Vulcanus, who put priests to work divising an expansion of the language. Not long onto its expansion the Imperial Intelligence of the Eight Sith Empire became dismayed at its lack of a cohesive writing system that would allow them to monitor Graug activity. Prior to Sith contact Shadow Tongue utilized a system of glyphs cut into stone using claws - usually these glyphs would use pictures or symbols as full sentences or to convey meaning. Vulcanus was not initially pleased with Sith pressure to remedy this, but as The Graug collected slave races under The Empire it became apparent that having a system that slaves could be taught was beneficial. Thusly, Shadow Tongue writing developed two distinct forms. The first was referred t9 simply as "Shadow Runic" and the second as "Hollow Runic".
While Shadow Runic continued Graug tradition of using various pictographic runes and ancient symbolism - most of which relies on cultural context - Hollow Runic was developed specifically to mimic the phonetic nature of Aurebesh. This allowed the Graug to keep their slaves ignorant of messages they did not want them to read while simultaneously forcing them to use the Graug language so they could be monitored.
Hyphenation is used when attaching these particles to words, but this is where Shadow Tongue becomes confounding for many due to its nonuniform fluidity. Take the particles -Hai and -Sek for instance. -Hai, translated as "Supreme Being" and used only in relation to Graug, and -Sek, translated as "Below Beasts" and used in relation to all creatures not from Gratos.
In sentences these particles are always attached via a hyphen (a vertical dash when written in Hollow Runic). Examples being Korriban-Hai and Korriban-Sek, both of which barrow the Imperial Basic name of Korriban and add the suffix -Hai and -Sek to denote a Graug inhabitant and non-Graug inhabitant respectively. However, one could also see "Hai" and "Sek" used as standalone words to generalize those that are of Graug and not of Graug - giving the appearance that hyphens are used to compound words. This is not true, however, such as in the case of Sharku - a compound word made up of Shar (old) and Ku (Male).
Even more confusingly, however, are instances in which particles will appear with a hyphen when used as a suffix but without when used as a prefix. To this end it is believed that particle hyphenation exists only for emphasis on words that have special significance to individual Graug - and are almost exclusively used when adding postpositions to certain nouns. Almost certainly the meaning of Korriban-Hai does not change if written as Korribanhai and even Graug themselves do not seem to follow hyphenation rules in all instances. This means that, likely, hyphenation is a result of underdeveloped grammatical rules or is simply a matter of preference to each individual writer.
(OOC NOTE: The Hollow Runic language is based heavily on fan expansions of Black Speech from LoTR - namely Land of Shadows fan dialect and the Zhabuuri blog. Small changes, such as the inclusion of word particles, were inspired by Japanese. Additionally, the written form of the language uses Draconic from Elder Scrolls as its rune base.)
Technology:
The Graug have had a short but rapidly expansive history with technology - almost all of which was a result of advancement being handed to them from outside sources. In the beginning of Graug history their Sith progenitors gifted them the knowledge of slugthrowing weapons - most of which used caseless ammunition cartridges until - with the help of The Sith who created them - they discovered magnetism and created their first rail guns. The Graug were then gifted the knowledge of interplanetary travel using Solid Fuel lift-off engines and ion-based engines for propulsion in space. The Graug used this technology to slowly begin colonization efforts on their moon - but the ships regularly exploded on takeoff, leaving miles of charred jungles in their wake.
Following the death of their creators, Graug technology stalled almost completely for the next three centuries. Railgun slugthrowers were the primary weapons of choice next to Ultrachrome melee weapons. The only major technological leaps made were in "Magma Forging" - a Graug technique of harnessing magma from a planet's core to create massive forges - and in warbeast taming harnesses.
The next leap happened when Krag, later Vulcanus, was sent to Sith Space following a force vision seen by his mother. The Graug salvaged the original Sith vessel that had long been buried in the jungle - using its ancient hyperdrive to create the first Graug vessel capable of interstellar travel. Soon after, Vulcanus returned with Sith Imperial ships in tow and ferried millions of Graug to Sith space. Again The Graug experienced a rapid era of development brought on by gifts of Sith technology. However, despite access to technology of vastly superior complexity to their own, The Graug opted instead to make their simple technologies more reliable, effective and brutal.
Slugthrowers still reigned paramount and brutality always took precedent over everything else. Magma-Forging, now known as Graug Forging, became three times as effective and the implementation of HUD systems became widespread.
In space The Graug still rellied heavily on other species - but slowly they began developing their own vessels with the same mentality as they have always kept. Clunky. Cumbersome. Deadly.
It is also important to note that even three decades after their ascendancy from Gratos, Graug make heavy use of organic technology in the form of war beasts and naturally occurring organic phenomenon of their world and others.
Religion:
The Graug religion underwent a drastic shift following Vulcanus' ascension to final Emperor of the Eigth Sith Empire. Before that point, however, the Graug pantheon consisted of twenty gods organized into four tiers. Three Gods were of the Lords From The Sky, Seven were of The Neverborn, Nine were of The First Born and the last was The Dark Master who ruled them all. These tiers acted as a hierarchy of sorts in which The Dark Master was at the top, followed by The Lords From the Sky and then The Neverborn with the First Born making up the lowest level of the divine hierarchy.According to the creation myth of The Graug, The Dark Master took the blood of his children - The Lords From The Sky - to create the perfect species. The first of this species were known as The Neverborn, as they were forged by The Dark Master's hands and were not birthed. The Neverborn did well to serve the will of The Dark Master but they craved an army of their own and so Gothlobugadhol (The Queen of The Island) rewarded them by bearing their seed and producing The First Born Nine - the first mortal gods and those from who all modern Graug are said to have descended. This divine belief of being directly descended from gods still drives The Graug to conquer and take the galaxy - which they see as theirs by right of being the "most supreme" species in the galaxy.
The Dark Master is said to have created The Neverborn, the predecessors to The Graug. He is said to have also created several forms of animal life on the planet - the most notable being the extinct Cold Ones. The purpose of these animals was said to be challenges for The Neverborn to overcome - all of which they tamed or destroyed with ease (thus giving birth to Graug knowledge of beast taming, or so is said). When animals were not enough of a challenger any longer, the pleased Dark Master crafted deadly plants to test them further.
When the last carnivorous plant had been bested and the last beast tamed - The Dark Master declared the Neverborn to gods in their own right. At this point the Neverborn beseeched the higher gods to grant them their own minions to rule in their name. Thus it is said that the The First Born were conceived.
Following years of living Godhood over The Graug it is said that he was slain by one of his children.. When The Dark Master died he didnt perish, however, and it is said that he then led The Neverborn to kill all of his children so they may not rule in their living forms. It is then said that The Dark Master guided The Neverborn into war with one another to decide who would rule The Graug as his living vessel.
This War is said to have raged eternally and several Warlords have claimed to be the chosen Stymphalian over the ages. These claims only ended when Darth Vulcanus killed his mother and declared The Great Horde - becoming the First warlord to lead his people to conquer other species and thus cementing him as The Stymphalian and later "The Living/Burned God"
The Dark Master was said to have a body made of solid smoke and a face of plated gold, from which two serpentine eyes glowed - seeing all that came to pass in the universe. The Dark Master was said to be the God of Gods and he who would guide The Graug towards the destiny he had chosen for them, doing so from a throne room of stone, blood and darkness. Both of these roles were later usurped by Vulcanus.
The Lords From the Sky, Lords of The Sky and The Dark Children of The Master. These three beings are also referred to as "The Three Strengths" as they are said to represent the three tenants that all Graug are imbued with. Following the birth of The Firstborn, The Lords From The Sky commanded that three great cities be built - one to serve as the seat of power for each of them.
Sraucbi, Gothbalt
Sraucbi, Lord of Marshes is pictured to the left in the picture above. Sraucbi was described as a living shadow who wore a cloak of Marsh Moss that would lash out at his enemies with razor sharp vines. When The Firstborn were commanded to build the cities of the Three Skylords, Sraucbi ordered that his be built atop the waters of the deepest swamp on the continent.
This city came to be known as Dralbogh and was known to be haunted by apparitions. Dralbogh would later become lost to time in the jungles.
Sraucbi was said to represent the act of bringing terror upon others - as well as being The God of nightmares, darkness, slavery and the void between worlds. According to myth Sraucbi was later killed by The Neverborn on order of The Dark Master.
Khaan, Gothurbh
Khaan, The Lord of The Mountains is pictured in the center of the above picture. Unlike the other Lords of The Sky, Khaan's name went on to become a common word in the Graug language that means roughly "A Graug Warlord Who Rules a particularly large Horde or Khaanate". Due to this, most Graug refer to the God Khaan as The Lord of the Mountains (Gothurbh) to avoid confusion.
Gothurbh is depicted as a monstrously sized humanoid who wears a suit of "godly metal" that has been permanently grafted to his skin. His city was seated in the middle of a Mountain Valley and was named Zagh-Goi (City of The Mountain Pass). Zagh-Goi was the only of the god cities to not be lost and currently serves as the planetary capital.
Gothurbh was said to represent superiority over all living things. He was also to be the God of war, conquest, feasts, hunting and the sun. It was Gothurbh who was said to have killed The Dark Master and attempted to take his place. He was killed by The Neverborn shortly after his coup, after which it is said that Graug took his name as a sign of rulership.
Azzau, Gothlobugadhol
Azzau, Queen of the Island is pictured in the right side of the above picture. When the Graug mythos was created they had only been to a single continent of their planet and were aware only of one island - the Isle of Azzau where this goddess made her city. According to myth her city, Azzau-Goi (named after herself) had buildings that reached high into the sky. This city and the island it was on are said to have sank into the ocean.
Azzau was described as a tall, slender humanoid with several arms and eyes - whose face and body were ever changing. She was also described to be the most vain of the Lords, taking great pride in her form - which is said to have displayed itself according to the viewers innermost desires.
She was also said to represent mastery of nature and was said to be The Goddess of female beauty, fertility, beast taming, priests, temples and The Immortal Wind (The Force). She too was said to have been killed by The Neverborn.
The Neverborn were the first race of beings that were created by The Dark Master and are the genetic predecessors to The Graug. It is said that The Dark Master bred the Neverborn in a deep vat at the center of his throneroom - using the blood, soil and energy of Gratos itself. The creatures that sprung forth were monstrous, even by Graug standards, and were insatiable in their lust to devour. None have record names in Graug mythology and are always referred to as a unit rather by individual achievement - a rare focus in all Graug writing.
The Neverborn were said to be biologically immortal and were capable of sustaining life without need for eating. The held no divine domain and are closer to what some cultures may consider demigods or angels than true deities. Their role is sometimes unclear with the exception that their main purpose seems to be delivering the will and judgment of The Dark Master. However, several challenges of their strength are described in Graug oratory tradition and The Dark Master seems to have delighted in their success.
After years of challenges, The Dark Master rewarded them by allowing them to lay with his daughter, who gave birth to their children - The Firstborn. These Firstborn served as an army for The Neverborn, who used them to build cities, tame beasts and fight wars among themselves. It is around this same time that it is said that The Dark Master delivered his prophecy that The Firstborn's children were destined to rule all existence.
Sometime after this it is said that Khaan poisoned his father as he could not match his strength, then bested him in physical combat. The Dark Master's physical form died, but his soul lived on, commanding the Neverborn to slay Khaan and his other children as act of vengeance. It is unclear why The Darkmaster commanded all his children to die and it is not explored in Graug myth.
Khaan faced the Neverborn in combat - but his act of cowardice in using poison had weakened him as a whole. This allowed the Neverborn to easily kill him and his siblings. At this point The Neverborn assumed the title of Khaans - a sign that their power was second only to the Dark Master himself. They then proceeded to procreate with their offspring, The First Born, which led to the births of the first modern Graug.
It is said that the Neverborn forced the Firstborn females to drink Khaan's poison as they were pregnant - killing them but forever strengthening The Graug against all ill effects of poison and disease. The Neverborn are said to have ruled for only a short time before The Graug warlords rose up to take their place - killing them and starting the first Age of recorded Graug history (The Age of Khaans).
The Firstborn are described as the first perfect beings and The Dark Master's true goal all along. There were mortal but with the strength of gods and their children, The Graug, were destined to be those who conquered all existence for The Dark Master. They are said to have procreated with each other to create a pre-Graug race that is never named in the mythos. Thess first children were the ones who built the cities and did most the work - including serving as the military of The Neverborn. It is said that The Firstborn mostly died off after the Neverborn had children with them and forced the females to drink poison as they gave birth - creating The Graug but killing them in the process.
Most stories of The Firstborn tell of some great warriors leading hordes during the Age of Khaans but are mostly told to have died out - the males of the species siring children with female Graug - creating the Leader Caste that rule modern Graug society.
Current Graug religious views differ drastically, though it still acknowledges the "truth" of the old tales. Current Graug worship centers around Darth Vulcanus and his promise of a "Great Tide of Blood and Fire" that will destroy the old galaxy and reshap it in the Graug image. This "Blood Tide" is said to come to fruition through direct action of The Graug, who believe that a Second Great Horde - one comprising the entire Graug race - will bring about The Blood Tide.
The Graug believe that Darth Vulcanus used Sith Knowledge to unlock the power inside him due to his being the son of Queen Mavrin - whose mother subverted the religion earlier by claiming she was the reincarnation of The Queen of The Isle. This logic made Vulcanus a demigod in Graug eyes. However, when Vulcanus conducted a ritual that turned himself into a force entity on Atrisia they believed he had ascended to Godhood, becoming "The Burned God".
Darth Carnifex
and
Darth Prazutis
for over two decades during Vulcanus' death and entrapment in the Netherworld. Vulcanus' spirit also managed to periodically reach out from its entrapment thanks to his soul being tethered to Atrisia - allowing him to communicate with Graug priests to further cement his godhood.Following Vulcanus' revival by The Sith Empire The Graug began to experience a second golden age of religious fervor. The Graug believe a story propagated by Vulcanus that he absorbed the energy of the original gods and became the new Dark Master. They further believe that his return as The Living God is an omen signifying that The Blood Tide is near.
General Behavior:
The basic family unit of Graug society is the clan and this is universal across all three distinct races of The Graug (with the exception of plains Graug who will sometimes organize into larger units called Tribes - which generally consist of one or two small clans who unite for purposes of nomadic survival). Unlike similar clan oriented societies, most notably Mandalorians, Graug Clans are not united under a shared sense of tradition or family - rather the clan stays united on the basis of the leadership caste Graug wishing to be known as a member of a strong people or they wish to make their own name by assuming leadership roles or raising a weak clan to a strong one. In other words clans revolve almost solely around the identity of its leader rather than a sense of "family". If a strong leader dies and is not replaced, is disgraced, or other such tragedy were to strike, then most of The Graug in a given clan would simply rally to the next strongest leader, even if that leader is of a different clan altogether.
It is not uncommon for clans to disappear over night or to quickly bloat only to fizzle out. Few clans in Graug society ever grow to be more than blips on the radar of history. Clans that do manage to overcome this fate are looked upon with envy as well as hatred - and most do not stay simple clans for long. When a clan reaches numbers in the hundreds of thousands it becomes a force of nature within Graug society - its leaders begin subjugating other clans and forcing their will upon others. At this time a large clan becomes a Horde, a massive societal unit in which the original clan assumes a dictatorial position over authority over smaller clans - who become little more than extensions of their new leaders.
This was the case with the Gha'Shran Clan of which Darth Vulcanus was originally apart of. This clan was led by a female Graug who styled herself a Queen and eventually grew to such prominence that her clan was reorganized into the Gha'Shran Horde. This Horde grew into such strength and power that it became the de facto planetary government of Gratos. During this period of history all clans were considered apart of the Gha'Shran Horde - but not all Graug were apart of the Gha'Shran clan proper, which was reserved for the Queen and a few thousand of her children. Much the same process plays out for any Graug Horde, which resembles more a massive army than a true family unit.
Fighting among clans is common in hordes as each tries to grow its place among the Horde ranks. If the Gha'Shran Queen had not suppressed the practice the third unit of Graug "familial" society would have formed - as it has begun to again in the past two decades.
The Khaanate is the most complex and largest unit of Graug society - resembling a cross between a nation, an army and a violent family unit. Ruled by a supreme leader (A Khaan), usually imbued with divine qualities by priests and oratory tales, a Khaanate is formed when a Warlord has conquered so many of his own people that ruling them as a single Horde is no longer feasible. When a Horde reaches hundreds of millions, or even billions, the statistical average of born leaders is sharply skewed upward and threatens to burst. Unless vast majorities of these leaders are viciously, systematically hunted and murdered - as was the case under the Gha'Shran - it becomes impossible to contain the violence.
Now that Graug have expanded so far from their homeworld the Gha'Shran model is no longer possible - thus the slow return of the Khaanate model. Under a Khaanate several hordes unite under The Khaan with their warlords allowed to rule within their own territory with the understanding that The Khaan will destroy them if they step out of line. This threat of violence is backed up, generally, through both a superior Force Signature as well as a hefty personal army.
Vulcanus is currently seeking to create a fourth model, The Great Khaanate, which theoretically would be a unit so large that entire Khaanates would exist underneath it. This type of unit would be impossible for all but the strongest of Graug Warlords - but with the vast amount of Graug now in the galaxy the numbers for such an endeavor already exist.
Monogamy, Mating & Children:
Graug do not have a concept of marriage nor do they have ceremonial traditions to bond mates. Monogamy, even as a concept, is very rare within Graug society even though mating traditions may very from clan to clan. Typically a strong females/males will take mates as they see fit. Leaders and rulers will maintain concubine harems, etc. Rarely does monogamy crop up and when it does it is usually due to a Graug finding a particularly fancy in another or wishing to breed with a certain individual for purpose of strong offspring. These spouts of monogamy have never lasted forever, however.
Partners are rarely dedicated to a single individual either, except in cases of concubines taken by a warlord. Intercourse is a communal affair in which males a females will casually fornicate for purposes of both mating and pleasure - however sexual protection is generally not used nor is it a general concern due to the retaliative ease of Graug pregnancies. Choosing a mate is something that can vary widely across Graug clan and society - depending heavily on gender roles within a given clan and the traditions of said clan. Typically finding a mate is done one of three ways.
A). The male or female will find interest in another and approach them - initiating an erotic situation through groping of the flesh with claws, biting of the neck area with fangs or touching of or with the skull tendrils.
B). "Mating Brawls" are common as a sign of strength to the one you wish to mate by brawling (bare claws only) with the one you wish to mate.
C). Non-leader Graug within a clan will routinely mate in large groups.
Homosexual relations in Graug society are exceedingly rare but are not unheard of. There appears to be no stigma attached to homosexual relations as a whole but as sex is seen as a dominating act there can be importance placed on perceived "roles" in such an encounter - depending on clan. Relations with other species is also exceedingly rare thanks to The Graug view on other species as lesser than themselves. Such encounters are recorded among Graug slave populations or within warzones. No children are born of these encounters as Graug are not compatible with other species.
Graug children are also raised communally - with some exceptions to warlords who tend to raise their young between themselves and their concubines. Other young, however, are born lain in communal spawning ponds where the Grots first see light. At this stage Grots are not seen as full beings and are typically left to their own devices - they congregate in groups referred to as "spawns" and eat by catching food in the soil or small ponds. When Grots grow into Grotta they slowly make their way back to their parent's clan where they learn from the community as a whole.
War, fighting, language and individual clan specific skills are taught through experience rather than schooling. Graug education rarely focuses on realms such as advanced mathematics or sciences - though the priest caste tend to have at least some emphasis on these fields.
The everyday routines of Graug depend on clan and geography - from maintaining the caverns for Hollow Graug to moving camp for nomadic sects of Plains Graug. Some clans maintain a loose hygienic routine though it would pale in comparison to most other civilizations. In a general sense most Graug hygiene consists of scrubbing one's hide with sharp, comb-like objects called dûth-spaz (Polishing Spike) that peel away old scales and unclog the gaps between scales. It is also common practice for Graug with skull tendrils to drain old water from the sponge-like material to avoid over-bloating that could rupture the tendrils. Some Graug may also use Puspaz-gund (tooth stones) to chew on, sharpening their fangs and dislodging food. Other than this, however, Graug do not generally take measures to clean their hides - resulting in many Graug being covered in dry blood, mud and other filth, giving them a foul smell to other races.
An exception to this rule are certain Plains Graug clans, in particular the Plains Graug females. Unlike Hollow Graug and Serpent Graug, The Plains Graug open themselves up to a wider range of bacteria, debris and mites. While these things would not cause life threatening conditions they often cause clogs, irritations and rashes born of immune overreactions. Plains Graug thus have a more thorough hygiene routines that include washing in rivers and lakes with intense scrubbing with dûth-spaz. This hygienic need has led to a cultural attraction to cleanliness - with males finding the smell of lesser blood on females unappealing. Plains Graug females thus have better hygiene than most others of their species and even have developed primitive cosmetics such as using natural berries and ground flowers. This unique cleanliness makes Plains Graug women somewhat of an exotic taste for the rest of the species.
Other daily activities include hunting, usually carried out by packs of Graug warriors. In more developed clans the Graug may have developed animal husbandry in which they maintain herd animals for food - or even slave pins for the same purpose. It is a daily task of Graug to maintain these pins, or at least oversee the slaves who do.
Maintaining the integrity of architecture is yet another task the Graug see to daily - or rather see their slaves to daily. Hollow Graug have taken to creating both subterranean as well as above ground structures, which almost always connect to one another. The surface structures of The Graug tend to be of a heavily industrialized nature, comprised primarily of simple, blocky shapes forged from available stone - with an obsidian, duracrete composite being favored. These buildings are accented with sharp corners or bladed accents. Cities are generally centered or dotted with high towers that can be hundreds of feet high. Obelisks of varying sizes are also very common throughout Graug cities.
Both towers and obelisks hold a special symbolic importance in Graug culture as they believe that towers and obelisks can influence the Immortal Wind (The Force) by changing the direction of flow of the energies. Despite the massive size of some of these towers many are layered in perpetual smog and smoke that rises high from Graug surface cities. Conversely the cities of the Graug Hollows are made of rows upon rows of stalagmite-like structures that connect the floors of the massive caverns to their ceilings. Bridges connect areas over dark gorges and palaces of stone are built into the hollow walls. Hanging structures are common as are caves repurposed to become structures. Plains Graug do not typically erect great cities, but are known for their "Tent Cities" - which are compositions of thousands or millions of tent structures that can be easily disassembled and moved.
Great-thinkers and inventors are not in Graug society as they would be in others. Those Graug with enhanced intellect do not use their gift of intelligence to compose works of art or soul wrenching poetry. Instead, Graug thinkers put their efforts into industrial engineering, sturdy walls and weapons of war. Ever since the Sith brought The Graug into the wider galaxy there has been a steady increase in the number of Priest Caste Graug - and thus a surge in technological advancement that is spurned on primarily by the reverse engineering of other species' technology. In this way may of the Graug technologies can be seen as crude imitations of other technology they have come into contact with.
Technologies that are of a pure Graug design tend to be crude, primitive weapons that rely on sheer brutality - such as the explosive Hunter's Bow and their various versions of magnetic slugthrowers.
History:
Gratos' story begins four centuries ago on the planet of Mrlsst with an unassuming microbiology professor by the name Ansel Talis, known in secret as Darth Sanem the Scholar. Recruited into a Sith cult during his younger years as a biological scientist, Darth Sanem quickly turned his interests in evolution and biology into Dark Side pursuits upon his indoctrination. Unlike his Sith Master, however, Sanem was not interested in conventional ideas of power and he saw the accumulation of political, military and even Dark Side power as a means to an end. In his mind true power would not come from dominating life - but through the creation of it.
Prior to his Sith indoctrination Sanem had become interested in how diseases affected the evolution of species - leading him to pursue pathology as a secondary study. During this study he discovered what he believed to a be a cycle of galactic epidemics and, perhaps through the help of his latent Force ability, predicted that a new disease was soon to erupt. His beliefs on this did not wane following his indoctrination - instead, they only doubled. Sanem became convinced that this apocalyptic scenario would wipe out most of the galaxy - killing swaths of all the species in the galaxy who had not evolved to be completely resistant to viruses and bacteria. Though he knew not the time he knew that his vision would come soon, and when it did he would have little time to find safe harbor.
But safety was not Sanem's only concern. The Sith Apprentice wished to fulfill his long held dream and this coming epidemic provided him with the exact challenge and opportunity he desired. While the coming epidemic was ravaging the galaxy he would retreat to a remote world where he could begin the process of creating a perfect species of Dark Side servants. They would be powerful, immune to disease and perfectly evolved to conquer, breed and most importantly, to serve him eternally. Once this species was formed he could command them to conquer the galaxy in his stead while he turned his focus to evolving his own body through the Dark Side, ruling from his safe haven until he had discovered the secrets to biological immortality, at which point he would assume direct control. Then he could see to the most important work of all: deciding which species of the galaxy could be evolved to perfection and which were simply taking up space.
When the dust settled and with his goals accomplished, Sanem would rule over a galaxy evolved to his precise specifications. A biologically perfect and subservient galaxy. War would be a thing of the past. Disease would be eliminated. The galaxy would know true peace at last.
Sanem would apprentice under his master for over two decades, using his credentials as a respected researcher to further his master's schemes. Sanem, however, used these various trips for his master to study and develop a fast-acting poison that he could administer without rousing suspicion. His master would die a quick but agonizing death after twenty-one years of training his apprentice. Leaving his old master in a shallow grave, Sanem took his place as master and began his own journey to power - one that left his master's old plans to rot.
Shortly after his master's murder, Sanem traveled to the planet Mrlsst where he applied to become a professor at the Mrlsst Trade and Science Academy. During his twenty-one years of apprenticeship Sanem had accumulated several accolades and published several essays, papers and books under the guise of his former life. These credentials made him an easy hire for the university staff and before long he found himself teaching classes of hundreds in some of the most pristine and respected facilities in the galaxy. It was here that Sanem not only used his position to garner project grants to discover his safe haven and future testing ground, but also to begin tempting the minds of any gifted and Force sensitive students among his classes. Sanem would become close with such students, becoming a mentor and friend to them as he slowly warped their minds to his way of thinking.
Through such insidious means, Sanem was able to induct three apprentices who he trained in the Dark Side under the guise of a student research program he created - which was known simply as The Student Interstellar Tutelage & Research Apprenticing Program, or SITRAP for short. Under this program Sanem would tutor three disciples; Darth Malisent, Darth Sifonus and Darth Genisus. Together, with his apprentices, Sanem dove deep into research on the relationship between the Dark Side and nature - sending his students on university funded expeditions across the galaxy to find ancient Sith knowledge from the likes of Darth Sidious and Darth Plagueis. When they weren't searching for knowledge they were searching for what their master described as "The World That Never Was". This planet, Sanem said, would be one that's ecosystem did not support intelligent life and was hostile enough to suppress it altogether. It was here, at the planet he had yet to find, that Sanem believed he would create his perfect servants.
He would find this planet three years before the first signs of Gulag Plague emerged - a mostly forgotten planet that appeared only on charts that mapped systems for purposes of hyperspace travel but had never been explored. This planet would later be known as Gratos and would become the birthplace of The Graug species.
Sanem would visit Gratos several times before the outbreak of Gulag - readying his experiments and bringing dozens of droids to construct facilities for himself and his apprentices. When the plague did arrive, Sanem and his apprentices were prepared and left as soon as the first reports of the virus came in. As the galaxy was ravaged by Gulag the Sith, under Sanem, began the first experiments on lifeforms on Gratos. Hundreds of years worth of supplies and purified air were delivered to the remote planet over the three years that Sanem developed the world - turning the deadly and deserted planet into an oasis where the Gulag Plague could not reach.
But Gratos was far from safe. Deadly plant life, countless predatory animals and a festering ecosystem of unknown diseases made the planet anything but a paradise. This, however, was exactly what Sanem had wanted. Using his grand temple, which he had specifically designed to channel Dark Side energy into his genetic experiments, Sanem toyed with the DNA of the native species - meticulously calculating every test with the help of his apprentices. A decade of failed experimentation would go by before the first viable specimens were created. These first specimens would be known later as The Neverborn, but they would never receive an official name from their creators.
At some juncture in time it was decided by Sanem that his strongest apprentice, Darth Genisus, would donate were own genetic code to be entangled with that of The Neverborn. This was in an attempt to balance the monstrous nature of the Neverborn with the qualities of a human, which could then be further twisted to perfect the evolution. The Firstborn were the result of this experiment, who were then bred with The Neverborn to create the first Graug.
Nearly fifteen years of experimentation were needed to reach this avenue and while Sanem focused his efforts solely on his creation...one of his apprentices had other plans. Darth Malisent, the weakest but most brutal of the apprentices, had plotted to overthrow his master and slaughter his fellow students in a bid to lead The Graug himself. To do this he collected samples of a deadly spore native to the planet, refining into a powder that he unleashed in Sanem's personal quarters. The master quickly fell ill and while he was delirious with a fever, Darth Malisent struck him down with Sanem's own lightsaber.
Acting quickly, Malisent set a trap for Genisus - who he knew would feel Sanem's death. As soon as the apprentice entered Sanem's temple, Malisent dropped a container of his refined spores onto the woman. Using several times the amount of spores immediately began hemorrhaging her lungs, incapacitating her and allowing the traitor to behead her with ease. Finally, Malisent ordered the Neverborn to lead the Graug and Firstborn against Sifonus - who was dispatched after killing several of the Neverborn himself. At this juncture Malisent assumed he would be able to easily influence The Graug...but he was wrong.
His force signature was not strong enough to influence the likes of The Neverborn nor the Firstborn for long. As soon as all other Sith on Gratos had been killed they turned against him, ripping him limb from limb. With no masters left the Firstborn eventually turned on the Neverborn, wiping the species out before they themselves began following victim to their own children. Three decades following the death of The Sith a new age of recorded history began for The Graug race.
The Age of Khaans refers to a century-long period following the death of Darth Sanem and his apprentices. During this time period The Graug species was fractured into several warring factions ruled by Firstborn warlords known as Khaans. During this time period The Graug were still confined to only a single continent of their planet and so war became a brutal, destructive affair. Cities built for the original Sith were destroyed by savage wars and entire jungles were burned to root out enemies. Several Graug became well known figures of history during this war; Ramm Khaan the Disemboweler, Gharash Khaan the Unconquered and Uglúk Khaan of The East were some such individuals.
Most of the original Sith ruins were destroyed or lost during this period as The Graug either did not care to preserve them or cared so much that countless wars took place to keep them - resulting in their utter destruction. Technology during this time saw little progress outside of basic development of slugthrowers and forging techniques thanks to information left behind by the deceased Sith.
For a time it seemed as if The Graug race would simply exterminate itself during this time period as it is the only time in Graug history that birthrates were being exceeded by more than double by death rates. More than eighty percent of the original Graug population was annihilated as the century drew to a close. The Graug may have continued this way until they went extinct if it were not for the indecisive Battle of Three Peaks.
The Battle of Three Peaks is so named for the three most note worth Khaans who were the driving force behind the battle - Ramm, Gharash and Uglúk. These three Khaans commanded the majority of living Graug between them and met at a mountain pass to do battle and decide which of them was meant to lead their people in the name of their gods. Unbeknownst to them word had spread quickly to all the minor Khaans of Gratos who rallied their own hordes to meet the three at the mountain pass. They hoped to use the battle as a means to get the advantage on the otherwise insurmountable enemies.
The resulting battle decimated what hordes were left, resulted in the deaths of three dozen Khaans and led to the shattering of the last Graug Khaanates. The warriors who survived scattered into the wind, no one leader strong enough to rally a force that could command the territory and power of the old Khaans. Over several months the wars would sputter and holdouts would collapse.
Thus ended The Age of Khaans.
The Age of Silence - so named for its lack of wars on the scale of the previous century - was a two-century period directly following The Age of Khaans. It was during this time period that The Graug population recovered from the constant war of The Khaans. More than this it an age of migration that led to the eventual distinctions between Plains Graug and Hollow Graug and the period in which the Graug clans began to see priests develop in their numbers. While some Graug clans maintained control of their jungle dwellings - where they were first born - other clans were forced into the more open terrains of the continent. These Graug developed smoother hides and the first instances of skull tendrils to deal with their new environment. Frequent attacks by rival clans and the migration of animals outside the jungles forced most of these plains clans to adopt a nomadic lifestyle. While this did have its disadvantages, the plains Graug actually began to see a population boom over their jungle brethren thanks to the open space and more abundant food supplies.
Meanwhile, the jungle dwelling Graug would become embroiled in several small scale wars for territory as clans fought for the developed cities deep in the hearts of their original habitat. One such war - The Culling of Mount Eriador - was a major turning point in the development of Graug society. During this conflict, which centered around the ownership of a fortress at the foot of Mount Eriador on Gratos, ended when a crude nuclear device was fashioned from old star ship parts left by The Sith. The Fortress of Eriador was destroyed but it also destroyed the face of the mountain and caused a violent eruption that shattered the ground. The resulting magma flows split the earth and created magma rivers that cut through the landscape, fueled by a constant churning of molten rock from under Gratos' surface.
At first The Graug fled the area, but soon they discovered that some of the fissures had not overflowed with magma and instead opened up into massive caverns. This was the first discovery by The Graug of the Hollow Network bellow their planet and marked the beginning of Graug subterranean settlement. Within fifty years the Hollow Graug became its own distinct culture as the Hollow Network was explored and colonized by the beasts. New sources of food became available and the magma rivers of Eriador inspired the invention of Graug Magma Forging. Further, The Hollow Graug learned of the Grave Watcher's role in digging The Hollow Network and learned to tame and ride them soon after - allowing for the expansion of the Hollows by The Graug themselves.
Despite being known as an Age of Silence the years that passed became somewhat of a golden age for The Graug - though the lack of war and battle would be considered dull and unimpressive by Graug standards. Yet the discovery of The Hollows led to a massive surge in Graug birth as the hollows flooded with Graug. Meanwhile in the plains, Graug had learned to tame beasts of all sizes and learned to domesticate mounts and other beasts of war. The priest castes scavenging in the Sith ruins, leading to the discovery of technologies that propelled Graug culture and civilizations forward from their rather primitive state.
But such progress, for a Graug, is little more than a reason to test one's strength again one's enemies.
The Age of Mothers is marked by the rise of Queen Kyris, The Gha'Shran Horde and the spread of The Graug species across the entirety of their planet. In the last years of The Age of Silence a young female warrior from a small Hollow Graug clans assumed leadership after besting her father in single combat. Kyris was far from the first female to assume clan leadership and even further from the first child to kill their parent - yet she had something the rest did not. Intelligence that surpassed even the galactic standards of genius. Kyris planned a complete takeover of her people, staring by claiming to be the reincarnation of The Graug goddess Azzau before leading her clan on a conquest of The Hollows.
At the time the Hollows were not controlled by any one clan, nor did any clan hold a meaningful position of power within The Hollows. Constant warring and raids had kept most clans weak until Kyris began conquering and assimilating clans into her own - a drastic divergence from the usual slaughter of a clan that has directly opposed you. As the victories mounted more Hollow Graug clans from across the jungles flocked to her side, swelling her numbers until the Gha'Shran Clan controlled the entire Hollow Network and declared itself a Horde due to its vast size.
Instead of immediately rising from the underground to attack the jungle clans who had not submitted, Kyris began drastically expanding The Hollow Network. Soon The Graug had begun digging under Gratos' cast oceans and emerging on other continents. A mere thirty-years after her rise to power in the Gha'Shran clan, Kyris had managed to colonize every major continent on Gratos and swelled her ranks to well over ten times the size of any other Horde on the planet. Soon this Horde began to look more like a Khaanate of old - yet Kyris suppressed the rise of warlords by having single born children murdered, instead using only her own sons and daughters as leaders.
Kyris was murdered on her thirty-fifth year of rule by a warlord from the surface - leading to the ascension of her daughter Queen Mavrin. With her mother having already completed or begun the work of global colonization, Mavrin sought revenge immediately and began The Unification Wars. Over the next forty-years The Gha'Shran Horde slowly decimated, destroyed, exterminated and assimilated not only the clans of the jungles but The Plains Graug as well. By the time the last Plains Graug chieftain had bent the knee, colonization efforts across the globe had turned Gratos into a densely populated planet with the number of Graug well over twenty-billion - thanks largely in part to their expedient breeding.
For the first time since Darth Sanem, The Graug were united under a single powerful ruler. The population continued to rise and Queen Mavrin's third single-born son, Krag, had grown into a capable warrior. On her forty-fifth year of rule, Queen Mavrin faced a mass rebellion by the united priesthoods of The Graug who declared her a heretic in the face of The Dark Master. The rebellion was bloody and resulted in the surviving priesthood being banished to the Gratos moon using cobbled together sub-light starships created from parts found in old ruins. This action leads to the development of the Serpent Graug race.
Two years later the priests retaliate again, killing Queen Mavrin's second single-born son. This leads to "The Culling War" in which the priests are nearly destroyed entirely by her third born, Krag. During the closing days of the war Krag demands that the priests name him Stymphalian - a form of prophetic leader - and begins killing every third priest until they agree to do so. Not long after this war, Mavrin has a Force vision in which she foresees her son becoming a great leader of her people after receiving training from a dark hooded figure. The vision leads her and her people to discovering lost hyperdrive technology in one of the Sith ruins left on the planet and among the hyperdrive data were the coordinates to Korriban. Krag is sent away to Korriban by his mother, who knows nothing of the galaxy outside their system.
The Age of Mothers ends after just over a century when Krag returns as a Sith Knight, slaying his mother and assuming the position of Warlord over his people.
The Great Horde was, at its time, the single largest gathering of Graug Warriors in the species' short history. Billions of warriors united under Krag, who claimed to have ascended to Godhood after killing his mother, and followed the Sith Knight to the space of The Eighth Sith Empire. It was here that the species made itself widely known on the Galactic stage through their several merciless campaigns against The Sith's enemies. Eventually, Krag was awarded with his own oversector of Sith Space which he quickly reorganized into a massive Graug colony.
The first planet to ever be colonized by The Graug - outside of their own system - was Kalee, which was turned into a planet-wide slaveyard to build Graug weaponry. It was also during this time period that The Great Horde came into contact with Darth
Darth Carnifex
&
Darth Prazutis
, two figures who would play a pivotal roll in their continued galactic development later on. Under the leadership of Krag and the other Sith Lords of The Empire, The Graug thrived as never before. Billions became trillions as they spread across conquered worlds and began swelling the military ranks of The Sith Empire.The Great Horde would reach its peak after the capture of Sith Emperor Darth Carnifex by a team of Jedi during the closing days of The Galactic Republic's war on The Sith. This created a vacuum of power that Krag quickly exploited by traveling to Korriban with millions of his warriors and forcibly taking the planet. It was here that Krag declared himself Darth Vulcanus, Emperor of The Sith. The Graug were then immediately ordered to wipe out several Sith garrisons across The Empire in a bid to rip control away from remaining Sith Lords and transform The Eighth Sith Empire into The First Graug Empire.
This plan never came to full fruition, however, as a final attack by The Republic at Korriban shattered The Great Horde and Sith alike. Remnants of The Horde either fled with Vulcanus, stayed and fought The Republic or joined forces with the likes of Carnifex and the newly formed One Sith.
The current Age as of this writing. Twenty years ago, directly after the fall of The Sith Empire, Darth Vulcanus sacrificed himself in a ritual on Atrisia - believing it would ascend him to true godhood. While it did little but destroy his body, the lie of his ascension quickly shifted the focus of Graug worship. Vulcanus, now known as The Burned God, became the ultimate deity of Gratos and this was supported by propaganda efforts from Darth Carnifex and Prazitus - both of whom assumed leadership over large portions of the Graug population.
Carnifex and Prazitus led several Graug Hordes across several campaigns, further swelling the numbers of Graug in the galaxy to countless trillions spread across several systems. Carnifex, in particular, began his own forms of genetic tinkering to create several offshoot races of Graug and eventually form The Dark Legion - the largest gathering of Graug warriors since The Great Horde.
Now, however, their God has been resurrected and the dawning of a new age may soon be at hand...
Last edited:
