Valik
Professor of Alchemy
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: To create an interesting alternative species with which to make characters and plot elements.
Image Credit: Source, The Kett from Mass Effect Andromeda.
Canon: Xi'Dec, Ysalamiri
Links: Valik
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name: Xi'Dec, Ysalam Gender.
Designation: Sentient
Homeworld: Stic
Language: Xi'Dec, Galactic Basic
Average Lifespan: 35
Estimated Population: Rare
Description: The Ysalam body is a wiry frame compounded by chitinous plating. Growing on average to be about 1.8 meters tall, with a mass of about 70 kilos. Physically their chitin is most certainly harder than skin, but nothing to write home about defense wise. Strength is generally a little bit weaker to a human of similar mass, to account for the mass of chitin versus versus hair. Coloration is made by tannish yellow chitin plating with darker gray musculature.
PHYSICAL INFORMATION
Breathes: Type
Average height of adults:1.8m
Average length of adults: N/A
Skin color: Blackish gray(muscle), Tannish yellow(chitin)
Hair color: N/A
Distinctions: The Ysalam gender Xi'Dec do not yet exhibit any regional differences from one another, and obviously do not have genderal differences between them. Adulthood is attained after roughly five years. Signs of aging are the general changes of color in the chitin plating. While a young and healthy Ysalam will have tannish yellow plating older specimens will begin to get spots of darker plating on their chitin, a sort of brownish-yellow tint. Venerable specimens (30 years or older) will exhibit a near-complete change towards this color before passing away a few years later.
Races: N/A
Strengths:
+Force Negation Field: Like the Ysalamiri the Ysalam Gender can exert a field around them in which the Force cannot be felt or used. This field is notably smaller than an actually Ysalamiri Field, each Xi'Dec making a field around 3 meters in diameter as opposed to 10. Like the Ysalamiri fields these fields magnify and expand when in each other's radius, at roughly similar rates. However unlike the Ysalamiri the Ysalam Gender's negation field is not exerted passively, but rather requires activation. This activation is usually at first a fight-or-flight response when around a Force user. Once the ability is identified however a specimen can train themselves to do it on command.
+Chitin Plating: Ysalam gender Xi'Dec have chitin plating on their bodies and skulls. It won't stop bullets, swords, hammers or blaster bolts, but it is useful in stopping the occasional punch or pistol whip.
Weaknesses:
-Force Negation Field: The Ysalam as a gender are incompatible with Force sensitivity, being unable to touch it themselves and also being unable to be healed by the Force.
-Duration: A Ysalam Gender can only exert the Force Negation field for so long at a time. An inexperienced Ysalam Gender may exert the field for around ten minutes, though with experience, training, and an excellent bill of health an upper limit of around an hour of activation is theoretically possible.
-Once Per Day: Due to the intense requirements of creating and maintaining a Force Negation Field the process can be done roughly once per day, the Ysalam Gender's body requiring rest, food, and time to rebuild the glandular/metabolic requirements the body needs.
-Continuous Use: When the Ysalam Gender activates their Force Negation Field they activate it for a set duration, anywhere from ten minutes to an hour depending on experience and health. This is an all or nothing tactic however. A Ysalam Gender cannot for example, make a field for two minutes when fighting a Sith Lord, then turn it off for two minutes when it's Jedi friend comes help, then activate it back when the Sith begins to emitt lightning. This makes co-operative fighting with Force Users and Force artifacts difficult if not impossible.
-Metabolism: The Force Negation Field seems to take a toll on the Ysalam gender's metabolism, requiring them to eat roughly twice as much a human of similar size. This is somewhat further hindered with their stomachs being unable to process heartier meats.
CULTURE
Diet: Plants, fungus, and tender meat. Their stomachs are unable to process tougher meat.
Communication: Audible word, audible clicks, holonet forums, commlinks, etc.
Technology level: Below Galactic Standard, as part of the total Xi'Dec community.
Religion/Beliefs: None thusfar.
General behavior: Being a species varied in population and specialized individually means that Xi'Dec culture is one that believes in nature rather than nurture, with a Xi'Dec's job being defined by birth rather than training. Thus some Ysalam believe they were born to integrate and study humanoid technology, but many are wary of this, with standard technology being an antithesis of their desire for diversity. As a result the Ysalam are often confused about their purpose in life, leading to introspective behavior and psychology.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Survival of the Fittest. That is the Sith way. The Old Sith Empire, in the days of Darth Desmius they conquered a sector that included a very odd species, the Xi'Dec. The Xi'Dec were a species that evolved not over millennia, but generations. In times of war Xi'Dec had children with natural spears and blades built into their frame. In times of industry large insects hatched to load and move girders and planks, with web spinnerets to help stick them together. Such an ability was a boon and a curse, as immediate problems were solved but it was impossible to create standardized equipment for a species that possesses literally hundreds of differing forms.
Enter Warren Valik. A young Sith Scientist aiming to promote "Survival of the Fittest", and use the Xi'Dec to create super soldiers. When he had time he created scenarios that would hunt down Xi'Dec with latent Force Potential, and reward them for having a body that could interact and use standardized equipment. It took a lot of bribes and favors, but eventually Valik managed to organize the assault, resulting in several thousand deaths and "forced evolution", publicly blaming a series of unfortunate accidents prompted by Sith testing new weapons and alchemical beasts.
What Valik created however, was not what he intended. Rather than a soldier that evolved with Force Sensitivity the Xi'Dec evolved with a response exactly like the Ysalamiri had to the Vornskr on planet Myrkr. Instead of the blessing of Force Sensitivity, this gender of the Xi'Dec could somehow create a negation field around them, in which no one could use the Force. Fearful of how the Sith Empire would view the creator of potential Force-Negating soldier, Valik reported that the Xi'Dec had not evolved with the desired miltaristic response, but ultimately did not choose to "cleanse" his mistake, thinking their existence could prove useful one day.
Initially only a few dozen of the Ysalam existed, however Xi'Dec culture is one that lauds and encourages diversity. Houses are often praised for their diversity, causing them to diplomatically attempt at marriages that enables more genders into the family. Thus breeding options for the Ysalam were many, and the gender has managed to increase their proliferation to perhaps a hundred strong. Thus far none of the Ysalam have discovered the true nature of their abilities, as few have ventured off world to join in crusade with or against Force Users. Stic itself is an odd tourist destination at best, not attracting enough attention of the Force-wielding variety. As with all things however, that can only last for so long.
