Derisians
From TFC Galactopedia
All original information here is © Meghan McKinney 1999-2006. You must have the creator's permission to use this planet or to create a character from this race.
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Homeworld
Derias, Tarat, Komi, Mari. Tarat, Komi, and Mari are no longer capable of supporting life due to pollution; all Derisians consider Derias their homeworld.
Racial Name
Derisian, plural Derisians. (Panthera pardus orientalis, Puma concolor, Lynx lynx, Lynx pardinus, Lynx canadensis, Neofelis nebulosa, Leptailurus serval, Lynx rufus, Leopardus pardalis, Prionailurus viverrina, Oreailurus jacobitus, Leopardus weidii, Felis catus)
Height
Adults average from 1.7-1.8 meters (females) or 1.8-2 meters (males), with extreme cases recorded at 1.5 meters and 2.2 meters.
Weight
Adults average 45-90 kilograms (male and female).
Average Life Expectancy
The average adult lifespan on Derias is 123 standard years for females, or 119 standard years for males.
Fur Color
Fur coloration varies between subspecies, as do markings. Normally 'natural' shades are found, varying from tawny golds to tans, browns, blacks, whites, creams, greys, and more. Many sub-species display different kinds of rosettes, stripes, and other distinctive markings. The use of fur dye to modify the natural coloration of a species is generally frowned upon.
Hair Color
Natural shades, very pale blondes and whites common among the highest of the aristocracy. Wilder shades such as crimson, violet, pink, and blue have been reported from the lower classes.
Eye Color
Jewel tones are extremely common, especially green and blue among the aristocracy. Various reds, violets, oranges, and ambers have also been reported. Grey eyes are rare, but not unheard of in any of the castes.
Aberrations
Derisian aristocracy has a recurring problem with hemophilia (1 in every 400 aristocrats is born with hemophilia, with higher numbers carrying the genes that produce hemophilia).
Vision
20/20 full color sight. 15% of males are born color blind. 2% of the population is born blind.
Hearing
Average for feline species. 5% of population is born deaf. 80% of the Derisians born with blue eyes are deaf; one blue eye often represents a total hearing loss in the corresponding ear due to the genetic structure.
Sense of Smell
Highly sensitive; heavily perfumed products are banned in many areas.
Diet
Omnivorous, high in protein with some fresh greens. Grain-based foods are rare in Derisian diets.
Mental Capacities
Average intelligence.
Other
1.5% of the Derisian population is born with Force sensitivity. Force sensitives are considered an aberration in Derisian society, and all newborn kittens are tested by both doctors and clerics. Those kittens found to have high midichlorian concentrations are sent to isolated monasteries where they will not be problematic to the rest of society.
In the Old Republic era, Force sensitive children were given to the Jedi; since the rise of the Galactic Empire, they have been offered to the Sith.
Mating and Young
Derisian genes are very receptive to other mammalian species, though half-breeds are scorned by the majority of society. What few half-breeds do exist are typically kept out of view, or even shipped offworld to live in other systems.
Female Derisians go through fertility cycles once every six standard months. Females give birth to 1-3 kittens (twins and triplets are considered a rarity) after an 11-month gestation period.
Status System
Status is granted based on sub-species. The aristocracy is particularly fond of this system, which is followed to the letter of the law to ensure that no substandard kittens are born in a place of power. The lower classes of Derisian society are not fond of the system, but usually follow it to avoid difficulties with the aristocracy. Occassionally lower-class members of society are able to earn their way into the higher ranks, but since crossbreeding between races is discouraged the effect generally lasts for only one generation.
Aristocracy: the ruling class that holds almost all of the wealth and political power of Derias.
- Amur Leopards (Royals)
- Pumas (Nobles)
- Lynxes (Nobles)
Aides, Advisors, Priests, Guards: the intermediate class that supports the aristocracy.
- Clouded Leopards (Priests, Advisors)
- Servals (Aides, Guards)
- Bobcats (Aides, Guards)
- Ocelots (Aides, Guards)
Intellectuals, Servants: one step up from common-born, often serve in hereditary positions.
- Fishing Cats (Intellectuals, Servants)
- Mountain Cats (Intellectuals, Servants)
- Margays (Servants)
Commoners: the lowest class of natural-born Derisians, lead a middle-class to lower-class lifestyle depending on personal skills. Commoners are sometimes able to become servants or to receive a higher education leading to a place in the intellectual community.
- Domestic cats
Other Classes:
- Derisian half-breeds (the illegitimate child of a commoner and an aristocrat, for example)
- Alien half-breeds (half-Derisian, half-mammalian alien)
- Force-sensitives (regardless of birth caste)
Fine Art
The common classes enjoy traditional dances, songs, and musical instruments which have remained virtually unchanged for untold centuries. The cultural dances of Derias are taught to all schoolchildren, including the aristocrats, and play an important role at planetary and religious festivals. Traditional dances, songs, and instruments are also used at weddings in every level of Derisian society.
Wood carving has also been enjoyed by all Derisians since the founding of their society. Many members of the common classes have made fortunes and earned their way into higher castes due to their exquisite woodwork, which ranges from tiny wooden figurines to elaborate carved panels for use in the royal palaces. The wood used in Derisian wood carvings is almost always native to the thickly forested planets, and is a source of planetary pride.
A number of different jewels have also been mined on the planets of the Derias system, and jewelers are highly compensated for their work. The jewelers' art is enjoyed most by the aristocracy, who can afford the high price, but ownership of jewelry is not restricted only to nobles. The largest and most extravagent jewels are all a part of the royal collection.
Architecture is both a game and an art form to the aristocracy, with many noble clans keeping skilled architects, sculptors, and painters on retainer. The aristocracy has been competing for generations untold to see who can build the most extravagant home in which to display their treasures.
Sports and Entertainment
Acrobatic and gymnastic pursuits are popular with cubs of all ages from all social castes, though the aristocracy tends to move away from such ventures as they near puberty. Swimming is also enjoyed by almost all castes, and the common classes have a number of popular variations on "kick the ball."
Young members of the aristocratic classes often enjoy fencing and blaster-dueling (though the latter sport is illegal and has been for some time), though the sports are considerably more popular with young noblemen than with young noblewomen. Hunting is considered the true sport of the aristocracy, particularly hunting that utilizes the primitive weapons and methods of the ancestral nobles who freed Derias in ancient times. Antiquated hunts are often held to coincide with religious festivals and other planetary holidays, typically to demonstrate the current king's prowess and dedication to tradition.
Most members of the aristocratic levels of society tend to pursue more academic or leisurely forms of entertainment. The holonet is extremely popular, as are artwork and reading. Dancing and music are an integral part of the life of an aristocrat at court, particularly for noblewomen. Winters are a season of forced court attendance for the nobility with frequent balls, parties, and theatrical productions available to entertain the bored aristocrats.
Games
Sabaac and other forms of gambling are enjoyed by all the social castes of Derias in state-owned casinos. The largest concentration of casinos is in Temeris, the capitol city of the planet. Private gambling is not permitted, though it still happens in many taverns and at private social gatherings. Games of chance and risk are especially popular with the aristocracy.
Board games with intricately carved wooden boards and playing pieces are popular throughout society, as are wooden puzzles. Technology-based gaming has very little following on the planet.
Religion
Though forced religion is unusual for most planets within the Empire's grasp, Derias still maintains its ancient religion. The priests of Derias demand absolute loyalty to the monarch and his family, and total adherence to the caste system. Ancient religious laws dictate that none may be married to someone outside their caste and that half-breeds of any sort are an abomination. Force-sensitives are also scorned and feared as devils, aberrant kin of the reptilian race that once held the system in thrall. Most of the planet's citizens pay little attention to the laws, which have not been enforced by the royal guard for many generations, but the priests continue to tout the old ways whenever possible.
There are a number of religious holidays on Derias, most notably Liberation Day and Ascension Day. These holidays are planetwide, and on the holidays no businesses may operate without a permit from the clerics. Liberation Day is the winter solstice and celebrates the day the royal family and nobility of the planet drove an ancient invading race offworld, while Ascension Day celebrates the crowning of the first king of Derias, an amur leopard named Jaro Kalita. Other holidays are also celebrated, including the ascension date of the current ruler, but those holidays have less extravagent festivities and less economic impact and are believed to have little religious meaning.
In Derisian religion, the nobility are quasi-divine and the royalty semi-divine, all purebred descendants of the small army that drove away their ancient opressors. Open worship of the monarch and his family has been discouraged for many hundreds of years, but some priests still prostrate themselves before the royal family.
With declining interest in the religion from all but the most devout, it is left only to the priests and their acolytes to maintain the many religious statues, shrines, and temples scattered throughout the planet. Many have retreated to monasteries to study ancient religious manuscripts, while others have adapted to the changing social and political climate of the world in order to assure themselves positions of authority. The intellectual caste in particular finds the religion and the blind devotion of its priests to be distasteful, but the majority of the nobility continue to encourage the priests into spreading their message throughout the system. The common classes are split down the middle in terms of belief, and religious icons of Jaro Kalita - mostly wood sculptures - have become more of a decorative accessory than a way of demonstrating faith.
History
The modern Derisian people are the descendants of numerous races that developed on the Derias system's two habitable planets, Derias and Tarat, and on the twin moons of Derias (Mari and Komi respectively). Their cultures developed independently of one another, though the different races were all genetically compatible. Derias was inhabited by three tribes: leopards, pumas, and lynxes, all of whom warred against each other. The Derisians were an extremely aggressive race that enjoyed nothing so much as hunting their prey and their enemies. On Tatar, Mari, and Komi, the tribes that developed were more nomadic in nature and crafted weapons only to defend themselves. They lacked the organization present on Derias to inspire them to war, and were more isolated from one another than the tribes of Derias. Some agriculture did develop on Komi, but the tradition of working the land lasted only a few generations.
The Derisians were still thousands of years away from the development of sciences and space travel when the system was discovered by a reptilian species called the Salius. The Salius had been exiled from their own homeworld due to centuries of war and viewed the untapped resources of the new system as their key to victory. The Salius wasted no time relocating the populations of Tarat, Mari, and Komi to slave camps on Derias in order to make room for mining equipment and factories. Within five generations, more than half of the original populations of the two moons and Tarat had been killed by Saliusi diseases or in the Saliusi mines and factories. Air and water supplies had been completely ruined, and most of the plant and animal life on Tatar, Mari, and Komi had been wiped out. At that point, the Salius turned their eyes to the resources that remained hidden on Derias.
While the Salius pillaged Tarat, Mari, and Komi, the warrior tribes of Derias had banded together and built a massive army. They freed slaves from the Saliusi camps and stole weapons and mining explosives, hiding everything in networks of caves deep in the mountains of Derias. The chieftain of the leopard tribe, Kalit, led the freed slaves and the warrior tribes against the Saliusi overseers on Derias. The ships that had carried the Salius to the system were all captured or booby-trapped with the explosives the Salius had used to mine the planets. Within two months of fighting, the primitive Derisian alliance had shattered Saliusi control of Derias, and their eyes quickly turned to Mari, Komi, and distant Tarat. Freed slaves who had been forced to maintain and pilot the Saliusi ships now turned their skills to transporting bands of elite warriors to the mining camps on Tarat and the moons to ambush and kill the Salius there. Within two years' time, almost all of the Salius had been killed or captured, and those who remained were ready to speak of peace. Kalit demanded that they leave and never return, and bribed the Salius into compliance with generous gifts of jewels and ore that the Salius had forced their slaves to mine. Kalit also made sure that the majority of the chests loaded onto the Saliusi spacecraft contained leftover explosives looted from the mining camps, all of which were programmed to go off as soon as the ships left orbit of Derias.
The decimation of the Salius was not enough to restore life in the Derias system to its previous ways. Tarat, Mari, and Komi were no longer able to support life, and several generations of war between the different Derisian races quickly followed. Kalit's descendants and the descendants of the lynx and puma tribes crushed the insurrection for the final time three centuries after Kalit's death, and Kalit's victorious grandson Jaro Kalita was proclaimed king. Small uprisings continued to occur at least once every generation, but Jaro Kalita was able to slowly envelop the other races into the fold, using devout priests who believed his grandfather to be a god sent to free them to strengthen his position. With the aid of the priests, Jaro Kalita developed the caste system that is still used today, and built a strong army of royal guards to crush anyone who dared to oppose him. Though he was as warlike as his ancestors, Jaro Kalita declared an era of peace and began to build the capitol of Derias, Temiris, forcing the aristocracy to settle there with him so that he could make sure they built no armies of their own. With the only economy on the planet centered on Temiris, it quickly became a beacon to the rest of Derisian society.
With Derias no longer torn apart by endless tribal wars or under the ruthless suppression of alien invaders, the new breed of Derisians were able to live in relative harmony and peace for another millennium. The capitol city of Temiris grew by considerably larger, becoming a true metropolis and a showcase of extravagant manors and palaces. Smaller towns were formed around the country homes and castles of the aristocracy, with technological advances hidden behind beautiful facades of stone, wood, and glass. Small numbers of Derisians were permitted to retrofit ancient Saliusi spacecraft in order to begin explorations outside the Derias system, which led to Derias making contact with the Old Republic.
The Derisians enjoyed contact with the Old Republic, particularly with their ability to send Force-sensitive children away for study at the Jedi Temple rather than keeping them on the planet in isolated monasteries. Tourism thrived, and the mining of Tarat, Mari, and Komi resumed in carefully planned stages when representatives from the Old Republic showed interest some of the metals found there. Some efforts were even made to restore small areas of Tarat and the twin moons to their prior glory so that colonies could be established. Very little else, however, changed when the Derisians established contact with the Republic. The caste system remained as restrictive as ever, and many Derisians of the lower classes emigrated offworld until restrictions were placed on them by the monarchy.
With the rise of the Empire, Derias saw another shift in its political climate. Though the planet had long been known for its general dislike of Force users and its willingness to give away Force-sensitive children, three illegitimate children had been born to King Arezi's brother during the course of his reign. When the Jedi Temple on Coruscant was attacked, Arezi diverted private money from the royal coffers to all manner of smugglers, paying them to traffic Jedi refugees to safe harbors. He also gave instruction to one of his courtiers, ordering him to have the planet's senators on Coruscant search for the three boys in hopes that they had survived. The Junior Senator of Derias, Jeren Rivval, betrayed his king to the Empire instead - bargaining away his king's life for the chance to rule the planet himself as the new system governor.
Arezi and all of the known members of the house of Kalita were arrested and taken away for interrogation, and Jeren Rivval was promptly installed as the system Moff. Political tensions in the aristocratic houses have been extremely high in the years since the Kalita family was removed from power, and in recent years the lower classes have begun to join the tide of dissent. The flags of welcome waved when the stormtrooper garrison first arrived on the planet have long since ceased in conjunction with a rise of Imperial manhandling and mistreatment of the planet's population. The priests in particular long for the return of royal rule, since in the absence of the Royal House of Kalita they have had no demigods to worship. The new ruler, Moff Jeren Rivval, has responded to each small rebellion with force and is extremely unpopular with the vast majority of Derisian society.
Current Status
The Empire has brought some beneficial changes to the Derisian people. The state religion of monarch-worship has been largely suppressed, and the Empire willingly accepts Derisians from all walks of life into its institutions thanks to their mammalian roots.
Despite promising prosperity to the people of Derias, the Empire has addressed very few of their concerns. The caste system remains unchanged since the fall of the house of Kalita, and the new Imperial governor has imposed higher taxes. The Derisian economy has taken a sharp downward swing: though extravagances such as wood carvings and jewelry are still exported for high prices, the main source of the Derisian economy – the sale of mined ore from Tarat, Mari, and Komi – has been funneled directly to the Imperial shipyards at a discounted rate. The Imperial garrison in Temiris is particularly unpopular, and tourism has seen a decline since storm troopers now patrol the streets of the otherwise beautiful cities of Derias. Despite the flaws in the autocratic system used before the arrest of the Kalitas, many of the common people long to see a restoration of the monarchy.
Derisians in TFC
TFC Expanded Universe
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