Beautiful, isn't she?
- Intent: To create an interesting species for NPCs and Player Characters.
- Image Credit:
Artist 1 - Artist 2
[*]Canon: No
[*]Links:
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Name: Quaug
- Designation: Sentient
- Origins: The Quaug originally came from the far reaches of the Unknown Regions. Their home planet was one of the first to be ravaged by the terrors of the Yuuzhan Vong over 800 years ago. They fled to the known Galaxy as refugees and utilized their skills to make homes in places of industry such as Kuat, Nubia, Corellia, Mon Calamari, and several other technological hubs in the Galaxy. Being such an isolated species however their planet was never touched by the New Republic's reconstruction efforts and they were forced to remain in their new home.
- Average Lifespan: Equivalent to baseline Humans
- Estimated Population: Inter-Planetary; Hubs include
Velx-Shel - Nubia
- Generally Outer Rim
[*]Description: The Quaug were a diminutive race of insectoid-like creatures from the Unknown Regions. Because of their original planet's unique atmosphere however the species were forced to don extremely advanced exoskeletons and implants that made them more machine than flesh making them ostensibly a race of cyborgs. They had large eyes that took up almost 70 percent of their heads which were also disproportionately large for their small, twig-like bodies. They had four fingered hands that could twist as if on a ball bearing and could compress their bodies in order to get into small areas making them great mechanics. Their large head wasn't for show either. The Quaug were incredibly intelligent tinkerers, their brain being the reason their heads were so large. Naturally they didn't have good hearing, but with the introduction of their exoskeleton suits they had incredible hearing. Between the species they had a form of hive telepathy, a leftover from their more primitive days when hives more closely resembled actual insect hives rather than simply being the name of a society or group.
- Breathes: Unknown Type
- Average Height of Adults: 1.2 - 1.3 Meters
- Average Length of Adults: N/A
- Skin color: Grays and browns
- Hair color: N/A
- Distinctions: Quaug were a small insectoid species from the Unknown Regions that had four fingered hands and lacked an exoskeleton. Instead they had scaly skin and large compound eyes. Their scales varied in earthy tones and their mouths hand small mandibles that had regressed in size as they evolved. They had small antennae that could be retracted and were largely cosmetic in their current evolutionary stage. Females and males were almost indistinguishable outside of their exosuits except for the small bulge on the small of a female's back which was the organ that laid their eggs. In their exosuits they are difficult to tell apart outside of the individual customization of their suits.
- Races:
Soldier: Soldiers were Quaug bred to defend the various hives. They were typically taller (1.3-1.4 Meters) and had densely packed muscle. Their exoskeletons were also geared more towards combat typically.
[*]Force Sensitivity: Low
Strengths:
- Technologically Advanced: Their species' intelligence has gifted the Quaug to be extremely tech savvy.
- Collapsible Skeleton: They were able to squish into small areas and confined spaces due to their collapsible skeletons.
- Communication: They can communicate wordlessly with their own species.
- Exosuits: Their exosuits allowed them to move between vacuum and non-vacuum with ease.
- Small: They are small and outside of the Soldier Quaug they were easily pushed aside and attacked.
- Exosuits: Breaches in their exosuits, while not immediately fatal, can suffocate them as they need them to breathe and interact with the galaxy.
- Ion Weapons: Ion weapons and electricity-based weapons can fry their suits, making them unable to breathe and cuts off their hearing.
- Flash Bangs: Because their eyes are so large, flash bangs and similar sudden flashes can permanently damage their eyes if their suits aren't modified to handle them.
- Diet: Omnivorous
Outside of the few incredibly small Quaug colonies where they've managed to create biomes similar to their homeworld, Quaug largely rely on nutrient pastes. They can use the same as most species. - Inside these small, rare communities Quaug typically enjoy sweet things like fruits and meat from animals that primarily eat fruit.
[*]Communication: Quaug can communicate in basic and could learn a variety of languages, though their speech is peppered with their natural melodic chitters, hisses, and stutters. Sounds that are typically difficult for the species to make were "h" sounds, "s" sounds (which usually included chittering), "T" sounds, "x" sounds, "z" sounds, and "d" sounds. They also had a their own language and could also communicate telepathically within their species.
[*]Technology level: Advanced Galactic Standard
[*]Religion/Beliefs: The Quaug were a pragmatic people whose history dated back to the Yuuzhan Vong war where they were forced to leave family and their lives behind. They were no stranger to the cruel calculus of war or progress, though they believed in finding the solution that would cause the least amount of grief for all involved, which made them great at designing mult-species cockpits.
[*]General behavior: By nature Quaug were builders and tinkerers. While originally a reserved species, they've since taken on the persona of adventurers and explorers. Be it untouched realms of physics and robotics or discovering new fauna in systems long forgotten or never explored, the Quaug have taken to their home-less existence very well. They were master craftsmen, a carry over from their primitive days as hive dwellers, and many have become galaxy renowned architects. This penchant for pushing boundaries however has developed a new generation of trouble makers compared to the reserved Quaug of old. These new-age Quaug take up work as mercenaries, smugglers, slicers, and other various seedy jobs. Their penchant for compromise and finding a great deal has led them into various partnerships throughout the Galaxy as well. They can often be seen int he company of Twon-Ketee for example and have been one of the few communities in the Galaxy to fully accept them despite their reputation. Stylistically many have taken to the elegant whites and curves of Nubian architecture as that was the first world they came to after being run from their original homes by the Yuuzhan Vong. Quaug also organize in family and community units they call hives. While not a true hive mind any longer, they kept the name as a nod to their history which is largely unknown, even to them. They are one of the few species still in the Galaxy who continue to hold animosity towards Yuuzhan Vong despite their efforts to rebuild the Galaxy.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The historical record of the Quaug is severely lacking as most of their records were destroyed when the Yuuzhan Vong decimated their world and nearly wiped out their species. The only records can be found in individual hive histories which mainly include only that particular hive's history and only up to a certain point. Finding and combining all these hives has proven an incredibly difficult challenge for historians the Galaxy over. They've come into contact with the Chiss and Quarth and between the three their history has been theorized to date back to before the Infinite Empire. While not as ancient as other insect species like the Killik, they are theorized to have been one of the first insectoid species in the Unknown Regions to achieve space flight.
Around 20 ABY the Yuuzhan Vong decimated their world as they began creating a foothold for their skirmishes against the Chiss Ascendancy and the New Republic. Along with the Quarth they were one of several species to flee the Unknown Regions to the Core worlds. Called the Great Journey the Quaug spent years jumping from relay to relay until they made it to the known galaxy only to be forced to don exosuits in order to live. They settled on Nubia, boosting the already popular Nubian Shipyards to even greater heights. Many stayed on that world, but as the war waged on they spread out to centers of technological advancement to aid in the war effort with their incredible intellect and tech savvy skills. While their efforts were largely lost to history, several hives have marked this era with the triumphs of individual warships that their ancestors helped construct or design and is considered a time of great revenge on the Yuuzhan Vong.
Due to their exosuits they were largely unaffected by the Gulag Plague physically, however many of their businesses fell due to lack of patronage. On the flip side, many made strides in the medical fields and shipwright fields as executives died off left and right, advancing their careers. In today's age, many Quaug have reclaimed their explorer identity, calling for a new Great Journey and spreading out throughout the galaxy in new fields such as literature, architecture, and art. The more militant of this explorer generation have taken to mercenary work, smuggling, and transient labor to see as much of the Galaxy as they can.
