Heir to the Throne
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a subspecies of Rancor present on Ryloth and to tie it in with the history of the Force Order Mandragora on that planet.
- Image Credit: Artstation (artist: Jim Beckley)
- Canon: Rancor
- Links: N/A
- Name: Rylothi Rancor
- Designation: Semi-Sentient
- Homeworld: Ryloth (introduced species); Dathomir (native)
- Language: Animalistic (growls, hisses) / can be communicated with through the appropriate power or spell
- Average Lifespan: 50-60 years
- Estimated Population: Planetary (subspecies), Scattered (generally)
- Description: Rylothi Rancors stands at no less than 6 meters and no more than 10 meters in height once they're full grown, with their skin covered with scales and sharper edges. On the top of their head, a singular horn expends. For the most part, they could easily be compared to their cousins on Dathomir, Felucia, Lehon, and Carida but because they've spent centuries in the Nightlands of Ryloth, they've developed a unique trait that makes them stand apart - they glow. Particular parts of their body, including eyes, have a glow to them (colors either blue, white or purple) which have developed for them to see easier in the darkness they've grown up to. They're heavy, large and generally look intimidating to most.
- Breathes: Type I
- Average height of adults: 6-10 meters
- Average length of adults: 1.700 kilograms (6-meter specimen)
- Skin color: Light Gray, Dark Gray, Black; Scaly, glow (either blue, white or purple glow)
- Hair color: None
- Distinctions: Large arms, scales, large singular horn on top of head, glowing body parts
- Races: N/A
-Height and weight (same as any rancor, they’re heavy and big, and their sheer presence can be intimidating)
-Very tough carapace (majority of this rancor's skin is extremely hard and impregnable, capable of stopping a landspeeder or ramming it with its horn)
-Runners (when on all four, rancors are decent runners, able to make bigger steps due to their height)
-Protectors (rancors are fierce protectors of their own herds as well as Witches they are bonded to, and in many ways their families once their trust is earned)
Weaknesses:
-Slow and harder to hide (just as their height and weight are a strength, it’s also a weakness as it makes them slow then smaller species and harder to find in a more exposed setting.
-Glow (an adjustment to spending generations in the Nightlands, they’re easily spotted due to it in the darkness)
-Weak spots (though weak spots on the carapace are hard to find, they exist, such as obvious holes, mouth, eyes though a stranger will require a lot of courage to come close enough to a beast like this one or have incredible aim to make the shot)
-Night vision (living in the Nightlands for generations, Rylothi rancors have grown more accustomed to the darkness than the light; they may venture into the Brightlands, requiring time to adjust and not look directly into the light and because of the sensitivity, they're very susceptible to flashbangs)
CULTURE
- Diet: Carnivore
- Communication: Animalistic
- Technology level: Non-existent
- Religion/Beliefs: These rancors were once part of the Mandragora religion on Ryloth, where the first of them were brought in to serve a similar purpose as they do on Dathomir (companionship, friendship primarily) and those first Rancors were semi-aware of their importance but as the original religion had died out and grown silent for generations, these rancors have become astray and untrusting of their surroundings, making them dangerous to strangers when on their own.
- General behavior: To the outside eyes, Rancors appear as brainless, dangerous monsters who are eager to kill but knowing this species gives a unique understanding of what they are. In a great many ways, they are the animalistic mirrors of the Witches. They bond together into herds, unwilling to trust outsiders, guard themselves and their young with their lives. It takes outsiders, whether rancors or other species, a long time to gain their trust and some wild rancors never allow this. They have a strong understanding of loyalty, of family (of blood or herd) and they have a deep respect for hierarchy. On top of any herd is the heard mother (or father), a singular strongest rancor which is expected to protect those around her or him, especially the weak members. Despite being animals, rancors don’t discard the weak unless those weak betray their own or attempt to harm another member of their herd.
They’re very protective of their territory and rarely will permit another herd to live beside them or join them if they’re unfamiliar with them, which is how they treat any other species well. Their trust must be earned by anyone in order to be around them. They hunt either for food or for retribution (if one of their own is harmed, they become enraged and won’t stop until vengeance has been inflicted).
Generally, rancors are diurnal, however, the Rylothi Rancors have spent generations living in the Nightlands of Ryloth which has resulted in them becoming more nocturnal and even causing changes in their biology (biological adjustment). Though they do venture into the daylight, they usually retreat back into the Nightlands, the permanent night giving them cover.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Originally, Rancors come from Dathomir which is an all too familiar tale. However, in the past, they have been introduced to a number of different planets throughout the galaxy. On Ryloth, it was the birth of Mandragora, that had brought on the necessity of these respected beings. Witches of Ryloth were formed from oppressed slaves, taught to use magic and to respect nature similar to the Witches of Dathomir. It remains unclear just how much influence did the Dathomirians have emerging Force Order in those old times but it was then that a small number of Rancors immigrated to Ryloth where the young, recently freed slaves, began to understand magic and what they were capable of. Those first Rancors were members of herds, familiar with the Witches and in many ways had helped the young Witches of Ryloth to comprehend what they were capable of, bonding with the new species on the planet.
Eventually, though, the Mandragora as an order would grow silent and the Rancors that had been brought from Dathomir, several generations now present on Ryloth grew to themselves, alone from their Witch families and friends. They retracted to the Nightlands of the planet, where the presence of the Order had been strongest then and lived among themselves, growing in numbers with each generation. They became more savage, more untrusting of the world around them. Old Rancors knew life with the Witches but not live on their own but they were forced to learn and adapt. More generations changed and they adapted to the setting they were in, the glow between their scales becoming their means of seeing through the darkness. They did all Rancors did themselves - built their herds, taught their young, hunted, killed whoever threatened them.
Away from the galactic conflict and any humanoids or aliens, they became excluded to any factors that troubled the rest of the galaxy, unaffected by the wars or the plague, unaware of it. They continued to grow in numbers, in some ways even altering the wildlife of Ryloth forever. Even as new life flew into Ryloth with the galaxy awakening, the Rancors were unaffected by it, living their lives away from it all.
It could be debated just how aware are Rancors are of magic, considering their ancient history with the Witches of Dathomir, and later on the history with the Mandragora on Ryloth, but in the recent months, they have become restless almost as if they knew that something is stirring around them though it could also be argued that the herds have grown big and unguided for centuries now, fighting for territory as they grow, requiring a restoration of order.
