Jaxton Ravos
Mindwalker of the Outer Rim
*Not accurate representation of form, as Daelites are liquid beings, but if that form could be held that is what they would roughly look like
Images: Link found on the Dragon Age Wiki, presumed property Bioware Corporation, a division of Electronic Arts Incorporated
Name: Daelite
Homeworld: Mustafar
Language: Basic, Yuuzhan Vong
Average height of adults: 1 square meter, can be adjusted based on width
Average weight of adults: 600kg
Skin color: Bright Red
Hair color: None
Distinctions: The Daellite is a liquid mineral-based being that operates under -extremely high- temperatures. In essence they are molten rock given sentience. Due to this they often 'swim' in the Lava of Mustafar to travel, and have extreme difficulty traveling elsewhere. Suits have been attempted to be made that can contain them and give them a more structured form to allow hyperspace travel, but thusfar none have had widespread success.
Strengths:
+ Heat Resistance: Life in the magma flows of Mustafar requires the ability to survive extremely high temperatures; thus, the Daellite are immune to the effects of heat and radiation.
+ Liquid Body: As the Daellite are living molten rock, their bodies are fluid and constantly moving. This makes it extremely difficult to damage them with conventional weapons, such as melee weapons or blaster fire.
Weaknesses:
- Environment Suit: In order to survive outside of the magma, the Daellite require a specialized enviro-suit which maintains their fluidity, as well as the heat required for their survival. This limits their movement in a similar fashion to heavy armor or a mech-suit to a solid organism. Such enviro-suits are difficult to obtain, and expensive to produce en masse.
- No Written Language: As Daellite live the majority of their lives in molten rock, the concept of a written language has not yet developed. Thus, all communication between the Daellite amongst their own kind is spoken rather than recorded or written down. This has lead some to adapt the languages of others to survive in the galaxy at large.
- Cold Vulnerability: The extreme heat required for their survival can be countered by extreme drops in temperature; a Daellite who is freed from his enviro-suit and encounters air at room temperature or below will begin to rapidly cool down, hardening into solid rock in a short amount of time. If not placed back into extreme temperatures as soon as possible, the Daellite will solidify and die.
Average Lifespan:
The average lifespan of the Daelite is roughly two hundred years in its natural environment, however that lifespan can be shortened to 150 years if the Daelite spends much of its time in an envirosuit, due to health conditions that may develop from exposure to the elements or from contact with the material of the envirosuit itself, depending on the Daelite - and of course the material of the suit in question. This is especially notable for the Low-Dwelling Daelite race.
Races:
Daelites have four different races - the Low-Dwellers, the Lake-Dwellers, the River-Dwellers, and the Nomads.
The Low-Dwellers
The Low-Dwellers live in the deeps of the lava oceans of Mustafar, and occasionally at the bottom caves of the deeper lakes. They are extremely sensitive to the cold and are the most ancient and traditional of the Daelite races, with the others spawning from the more adventures of the Low-Dwellers who decided to venture to other places. The Low-Dwellers are more susceptible to the cold and exposure to outside elements than other types of Daelites, but can withstand even more heat. Their skin often takes a more orangish tone than the other Daelite races as well.
The Lake-Dwellers
The Lake-Dwellers are the second most ancient of the Daelite races, having branched off to settle the lava lakes of their home planet, which are slightly higher in elevation than the bottom caves the Low-Dwellers inhabit. The Lake-Dwellers are generally very social and their society is quite structured compared to the other races. Like the Low-Dwellers, the Lake-Dwellers can withstand slightly less exposure then either the River-Dwellers or the Nomads, and their skin is a slightly brighter red.
The River-Dwellers
The River-Dwellers are the Daelites who make their homes in the lava rivers on Mustafar. They live relatively close to the surface and are the most commonly seen type of Daelite amongst the general non-Daelite population. They are a little more friendly and welcoming of change than the Lake-Dwellers and the Low-Dwellers, and are slightly less susceptible to the cold as well as exposure. Their skin is a little duller than the Lake-Dwellers or the Low-Dwellers, although it is still quite bright.
The Nomads
The Nomads are the castaways of Daelite society. They are constantly moving and never stay in one river, or one lake, for very long. The Nomads of the Daelite race rarely have any physical distinctions, being a purely cultural race rather than a physical one. The Nomads are welcomed by some and shunned by others, and while some Daelites choose this lifestyle, others are criminals, cast out to live without a place to call their own. Nomads are, generally, very friendly and helpful, but they hide from the outside world had rarely venture to the surface. If one sees a Daelite in an enviro-suit, it is most likely a Nomad.
Estimated Population:
The Daelite exist only on the planet Mustafar, where their population is roughly 250,000 planet-wide.
Breathes:
Can breath Type II atmosphere, can also draw the necessary gases from the lava.
Diet:
Lava rock - especially Mirkanite ore, the main staple of their diet - occasionally supplemented by Kubaza beetle.
Communication:
The Daelite communicate using a system similar to echolocation, by causing their bodies to vibrate at certain frequencies to send out messages. This form of communication is rather vague and not as reliable as the main form of communication, which is shape. By contorting and twisting their bodies, the Daelites can send complex and specific messages to each other, and is the main form of communication. Daelites in envriosuits can learn to speak more conventional, spoken languages, but they will always have a gurgling accent and their speech will not be terribly fluent.
Culture: The Culture of the Daelite isn't (as would be expected) the same among all Daelite settlements, but it mostly depends upon where they live due to the nature of their environments and how it affects how a Daelite must think to survive. However, it is similar to the Yuuzhan Vong only in that they have a strong center in sacrifice and the glorification of pain. Though, the strength of the centered belief largely depends upon which race a Daelite hails from:
~The Low-Dwellers~
As the oldest race of Daelite, the Low-Dwellers are among the only societies that do not embrace the influence of the Yuuzhan Vong, though similarities still exist. They have a strong sense of family, but they are much more rigid and aggressive in the inclusion of outsiders within that bond many Low's are associated with. They have a very rich oral history, and often pass on all of their knowledge through each generation, parent to offspring. They don't believe in a warrior philosophy, viewing such ideals as too invasive, and risks destruction (a moral most other Daelites disregard as a dull motive to live). However, they believe in a caste system (or layers of discipline). It consists of three basic levels: Biots, Tamers, and the highest Regulators. The Biot caste is merely anything they consider to be one of their living tools, that build their borrows or alert Regulators of happenings. Tamers are the normal Daelite who are tasked with growing the Biots, and serve little other purpose in Daelite society. Regulators are merely those Daelite tasked with making sure the peace is kept, and any raging Daelites are kept from doing unsavory things. Since such events rarely happen, the Regulators often have the most free time to simply think, and thus often suggest improvements to particular biots to fit a new task. Before the biots came however, the caste system was roughly in the same shape: the mediators at the top, and the workers on bottom. According to oral history, rebellions were rather rare, and when they did happen, didn't last for very long. There was no huge rift of rivalry between the two castes back then, and there is no rift of rivalry now.
~The Lake-Dwellers~
The social Lake-Dwellers have a much more sophisticate culture, that has an even greater focus on family. Being more adventurous than their Lower ilk, they are a little more comfortable with strangers, and are just a bit easier to accept and adopt new ideas. Despite this though, they had a mild distrust in anything to particularly alien, or things that appeared to be antithetic to their worship of living things. Also, with a much higher influence, these Daelite have a larger caste system, that do sometimes have short feuds due to their more assertive natures. These castes include: Biots, Drones, Guides, Enforcers, and Overseers. Biots have been explained, Guides fulfill the role of Tamers, and Drones are the basic citizens of Lake-Dwellers, and serve few purposes other than to live and reproduce. Next come the Enforcers, who may as well be called the warrior caste, except for the fact real war is rare, as the flowing-to-explosive nature of the Daelite only require mediators (who are the Overseers), and the Enforcers are used to facilitate this mediation both among themselves and of foreigners. Because of the castes, it is believe individuals should present their lives as offerings to the lives of their family, to where life itself is owed. Since Lake-Dweller family's can be culturally huge, sometimes this definition expands to caste, and sometimes to the whole species. Most Daelite won't even think twice about putting their lives into a suicide position if it means others will live, or benefit (i.e., a Kubaza beetle explodes upon death, so at least one hunter must take the brunt and likely die so that food can be brought back). Also, Masochism seems to be an odd quirk of this societies civilization, undoubtedly of Yuzhan Vong influence.
~The River-Dwellers~
Of the races already described, the River-Dwellers are generally the only race that doesn't have former civilization. Family is important to them, but not to the size of Lake-Dwellers do. They live together in packs, and welcome strangers a lot more comfortably than anyone else of their ilk. They aren't quite as contemplative as the other's either, and don't generally use Biots very often. This is undoubtedly due to the obviously smaller size of rivers in comparison to lakes or other large bodies of molten rock, and due to their much more hunter/gatherer mind set (even if the gatherer part is missing). The River-Dwellers are susceptible to sacrifices for the betterment of the pack, though they tend to avoid it as best as possible, so as to not weaken themselves beyond use. However though, they are known among the Daelite for being quite good story tellers, being more adventurous and mobile than the others. Because of this, their oral tradition is riddled with inaccuracies, hyperbole's, and out right fictitious material. But this is okay to them, because they don't have an ordered society that depends on the word of... uh -body?-, to maintain their way of life.
~The Nomads~
Though not technically a society, the Nomads are a significant enough populace to mention. They might come from different races, but all Nomads share one thing in common: they are outcasts... similar to the Shamed Ones in the Yuuzhan Vong. They are generally the antisocial, infectious, overly-aggressive, or just down right strange of the Daelite, of the various societies who just couldn't stand their presence any more. They are the rejects, and are often either dead or the adventurous type. As a Nomad, they quickly learn that you either find a way to live with yourself by wandering, or you stay still and die from depression and cold exposure. Sometimes, Nomads band together in their nostalgia for community, and the bonds can be very strong, to the point of obsession depending on the case. That's all there really is to say on the matter.
Technology Level:
The Daelites really don't have a whole lot in terms of technology. They are a society of scholars mostly, having not much else to do while wriggling through lava but to think or play. You might say they are primitive, but you must consider their environment and physical biology: they are quasi-liquid beings that spend most of their lives beneath the surface of molten rock. Not an ideal place to start building skyscrapers, and not an ideal body for putting armor on or sticking a gun in its... tentacles? Anyway, the point is, they don't have much to go on, and require another sentient being to do something for them. Or perhaps just another creature bent to their will. It is through technology that the Yuuzhan Vong and the Daelite connect, explaining why they speak their language so often. They have a variety of creatures of their lava dwelling variety capable of performing specific tasks. For instance, there is a particular creature that makes a nice under-lava house by burrowing; another is a network of fast darting creatures that serves as message couriers, among other things. Using technology like this, they are comparable in technology, to a civilization in the copper or bronze age.
General Behavior:
The Daelite are generally quite passive creatures who "go with the flow" so to speak. Despite this, they are intrinsically inquisitive and curious about their environment, and (to a lesser extent) the environment beyond them. However they are rather quick to jump to conclusions about things that inevitably end up just horridly wrong, but most of the time their judgmental behavior is mostly benign. Also because of their curiosity and flowing nature, they really hate the idea of idleness, and make a unconscious effort to remain in motion for as long as possible. This usually means the Daelite hums its body if it has to remain in a particular area without much else to do, such as waiting near the shore for a Kubaza beetle. This buzzing is sometimes a give away, but not often due to usually being beneath a noisy bed of lava. They also tend to bottle emotions, for the sake of just moving on, and can be seen as always looking for the easiest way around a scenario. Sometimes though, those bottle emotions hit a wall, which gets it to build and build and build until they almost literally explode in an infamously powerful rage. At this point they'll plow through anything they perceive is in their way, no matter how easy it may have been to avoid entirely.
History:
The Daelite, due to their literal fluid nature, have quite a different history than most species. Being sentient molten rock in a pool of lots of other non-sentient molten rock does not encourage a species to create buildings, weapons, transportation, as the large majority of all such things are useless to a Daelite in it's natural environment. Thus the usual historical markers of war and technological advancement were largely non-existant, as killing a Daelite in it's natural environment is extremely difficult without another Daelite coming under it and pushing it to the surface, far too dangerous to be worth it. In fact the Daelites themselves do not keep up with history as the rest of the galaxy does, nothing is written down, nor carved into stone(valuable food), nor measured in years. A Daelite recounting it's history could only tell you that something happened before or after something else, they could not tell you what year or generation it occurred. If forced to the issue however most Daelites would separate their history into four 'eras', each not marking a specific time period, but time periods that differed significantly from one another. The Ancient Era, The Exploration Era, the Yuuzhan Vong Era, and the Modern Era.
The Ancient Era was the beginning. The Daelites, not knowing why or how, simply began. A cluster of molten rock bonded to each other, that could think and flow as it desired. These forms found more forms and and soon discovered that hunting and gathering food was far easier in a group than individually, and clans of Daelites began to form. Though each evolving culturally in slightly different ways and speeds common themes emerged. Firstly the caste system of Biots, Tamers, and Mentors. Secondly the desire to live deeper towards the planet's core. While the increased heat as one dug deeper was an incentive for this it is believed the primary reason for this was a superstition amongst ancient Daelites that if one traveled too far upwards the lack of pressure would cause a Daelite to flow outwards until they split, not unlike the "drawn and quartered" method of execution by near-human species.
But a rigid caste system of free-flowing beings with little to do but think and eat would not last forever. There it no one event or occurrence that took the Dealites out of Ancient Era and to the Exploration Era but it is characterized by the Daelites exploring upwards towards the surface. The three less traditional Daelite Societies emerged slowly but surely as the Daelites explored lakes, rivers, and even became nomadic accepting no one square distance as a home. Some attempts at reaching the surface were made but most of them ended the same way. In the solidifying death of whatever Daelite left it's lava home. Despite this rumors emerged of odd things existing past the lava's flow, with the Daelites having no comprehension of organic material, much less life. Towards the end of the Exploration Era the Daelites understood what organic life was, but had no reason to engage in politics. The Daelites had no way to trade, nor any territory to be gained through war. Though the occasional philosophical discussion would arise in general the Daelites left the rest of Mustafar's inhabitants be, and most Mustafarians believed that creatures of living lava were a myth as a result.
That was until the Yuuzhan Vong came into the galaxy, conquering and warring with it's inhabitants. By chance a Yammosk detected a Force-using Daelite hidden under the lava of Mustafar. Though the Yammosk's keeper was a bit incredulous as to the claim he nevertheless told his commanding officer, who had the claim investigated with the Force-hunting Voxyn. The Voxyn confirmed the Yammosk's report, trying to get into the lava to find the Force Sensitive Daelite. While the Force-sensitive Daelite was never found the Yuuzhan Vong discovered the Daelites and attempted to integrate them into Yuuzhan Vong society. With the Daelites being a culture that existed without electronic technology the Yuuzhan Vong's approach towards them was uncharacteristically friendly. They aimed to integrate, but did so by teaching Yuuzhan Vong speech, philosophy, religion and even attempting to create envirosuits for the Daelites by crossbreeding/vongshaping the Vondun Skerr Kyrric with the Eol Sha Fireworm. Their attempts, while successful insofar as letting the Daelites leave their lava home, were prohibitively expensive as well as fatally brittle in any sort of combat resulting in the Daelites being unable to contribute in more than moral support to the Yuuzhan Vong's cause. While the Yuuzhan Vong Era was undoubtably the quickest in the Daelite's history it was perhaps the most important. For the first time as a species they had interacted in depth with an alien society, learned a new language, studied new ideas, and left the comfort of their mostly liquid home. It was an era that changed everything the Daelites believed in, and opened their minds in a way that only a first contact situation could.
And the rest of the galaxy took notice. While precious few of the "Vondunn Skerr Moltos" existed after the end of the Yuuzhan Vong war a few did, and one was used to remarkable effect by a Daelite named Bearn. Bearn took the opportunity the envirosuit presented him and met with what remained of the Galactic Republic after the war, attempting to thrust the Daelites into the political spotlight and starting the "Modern" era. Thanks to his efforts technology such as the LavaRide was used to create vehicles for exploration and diplomacy with the underdwellers of Mustafar. Sadly while the galaxy took notice of these fascinating creatures they were, from a financial position, doomed from the start. With no real resources to trade or services to render aid towards the Daelites was reduced to charity, and little of it at that. Daelite envirosuits, while existent, were remarkably rare and expensive. Visits from offworlders to the Daelite seas wer few and far between, with the majority of them being for scientific study. Bearn's name lived on as perhaps the most important ambassador in Daelite history, but in truth he accomplished little but to create a footmark in the public's eye of a sentient species compendium. Somewhere in that time the Gulag Plague happened and the Four Hundred Years Darkness resulted, but the majority of the Daelites simply assumed that people stopped coming to visit them, unaware of the medical and political state of the galaxy around them. Perhaps envirosuits will again be built and the Daelites will explore the galaxy, but for now they lie in the underbelly of Mustafar. Eating, thinking, discussing, and carrying on as if the rest of the galaxy simply isn't there.
Dev Threads:
http://starwarsrp.net/topic/32173-swrp-builds-a-species-round-1-origins/
http://starwarsrp.net/topic/32213-swrp-builds-a-species-round-2-physical/
http://starwarsrp.net/topic/32307-swrp-builds-a-species-round-3-strengths-and-weaknesses/
http://starwarsrp.net/topic/32432-swrp-builds-a-species-round-4-biological/
I can't find the round 5 thread. I'm a horrible person. I'm sorry Fatty.
Notable Player-Characters: None(yet)
Intent: To finish what the community started a long time ago, introduce interesting RP opportunities with a fluid species, study what implications that might have, and becuz lava people.
Accreditations:
[member="Tefka"] - For creating the "SWRP Builds a Species" Thread series
[member="Evad"] - For contributing the species Origins
[member="Chupa La'Roi"] - For contributing the species Strengths and Weaknesses
[member="Kila Cadau"] - For contributing the species Biology
[member="Fatty"] - For contributing the species Culture
