Yevetha

The Yevetha (pronounced /jɛ'viθɑ/) are a lithe, skeletal humanoid species indigenous to N'zoth in the Koornacht Cluster, known for their xenophobia and death-centered culture.

Biology and appearances
Physically, the Yevetha are tall beings that stand on average up to 1.9 meters in height with light gray skin and a ghoulish appearance that is bereft of any body hair. Male and female members of the species are roughly the same height and build with adults standing between 1.5 to 2.5 meters. They are noted as being a mammalian species with a thin, bony humanoid form. They are described as being so gaunt as to seem skeletal due to their pallid gray skin and lithe builds. Their alien physiognomy is noted for being close enough to a humanoid to the point that it is possible to determine their body language due to the similarities. These tall gaunt humanoids have wide set and large black gray eyes. Their black eyes are said to be as expressionless as stones. The backs and necks are both scaled, which is an evolutionary vestige of natural body armor once possessed by the race. Thus, their skin incorporated this vestigial form of armor that went down from their backs to their necks and down their spines.

Amongst the males of the species, there were scarlet facials crests that ran along cheeks, jaws and the tops of their heads. This larger crest ran across the top and down the back of their heads. A males facial crests swelled when they were spurned to violence or combat. The primary head crest became engorged when a male was ready to mate. Female members of the species did not exhibit such features. Yevetha brains were located in their thoraxes where they were protected by thick bone that served as brain cages. They also possessed fine hair cells that ran as indentations along their temples which provided auditory senses. The race possessed six fingered hands that had retractable dew claws. Each one was located on the inside of the wrist above their six-fingered hands. Their dewclaws shot from a sheath of a skin from their cadaverous hands and were capable of being retracted. When extended fully, the wrist blades were equal to the length of a vibroblade. These blades extended to about a foot in length, and were used in close combat and blood sacrifices. The Yevetha also appeared to possess a greater tolerance for g-forces when compared to Human pilots.

Young Yevetha were born when the females reproduced by laying eggs that were known as "birth casks". The detachable external birth casks were known to the Yevetha as a mara-nas. These were external wombs that were placed in special chambers and the unborn child was fed blood that was absorbed through the shell of the eggs. Should the child remain within the cask past birth then they were referred to as "nestings". Normally, unborn children were fed a diet of blood that was preferably from the mother. However, the blood of any Yevetha was capable of nourishing the young, and the species' biological need for blood became an important factor that shaped their society. In rare cases, birth casks were capable of giving birth to twins that were generally identical except for their age.

Yevetha were known to suffer from a disease called gray death, but the symptoms were unknown. Though it was extremely rare, some Yevetha were born genderless. These genetic curiosities were white and pale in appearance, with their gender indicating them to be neither male or female. Although unsubstantiated, some in the New Republic speculated about a possible relation between the Yevetha and Twi'leks.

In a Yevethan lifespan, a child was considered to be between the ages of 1-5 and they became an adult between 6-11 years of age. An adult was between 12-44 and they were in their middle age between 45-66. Yevetha were considered old between 67-80 and those older than 81 were considered venerable amongst their race.

Society and culture
Yevethan culture was organized into a strict hierarchical system headed by the Darama. Politically, Yevethan society was led by a Viceroy, who also operated as the chief of state for the Duskhan League. The Darama and Viceroy were linked positions, connecting Yevethan spirituality and politics. Departments of governance, commerce, science, and culture were led by Proctors, and supported by various guilds. This structure was mirrored in the Yevethan military and shipboard staffs led by Primates. Their technical capabilities meant that they were quite capable of simply studying mechanical readouts and not only duplicating technology but even improving upon it. This meant that their guildsmen were excellent workers and quite capable starship designers. This uncanny knack for technology was just another reason for the Yevetha to think so highly of themselves. As a result, it was known that the Yevetha were considered quick studies.

Within their society, blood was an important aspect of their culture and was a central focus of their religious belief system. This had resulted in them becoming a particularly violent species. For the Yevetha, death was not to be feared. They were described as being dutiful, attentive, cautious but also fatalistic in their view of the universe. When fighting against other foes, Yevetha were notable for being ruthless fighters who never surrendered even in the face of certain defeat. Due to the brutal nature of their society, the Yevetha did not possess a single jail, penitentiary or stockade as they believed there was no need for such facilities. In fact, they did not possess a word in their language for either convict or incarcerate.

Yevetha possessed a highly stratified society that consisted of a number of different castes. Those of low ranking castes were never able to ascend to the higher ranking ones though it was known that a higher caste individual was capable of being "demoted" to a lower caste. Despite the status of these subordinate castes, it was considered a better alternative to being classed as an alien. This was because of the xenophobia of the species as even a lower caste member was considered to be still a Yevethan while aliens were considered little more than vermin. Another element within their society that stemmed from the caste system was the concept of dominance killings, where murder was only recognized to occur if a higher-ranking Yevetha was killed by one of a lower status. The killing of a low-ranking Yevetha was considered perfectly acceptable by the higher castes. This strict hierarchy dominated their lives meaning that many young male Yevetha lived with the knowledge that at any moment, their superior was justified in slaughtering them simply for their blood.

Sacrifice, particularly to provide blood for a birth cask of an important Yevetha, was considered an honor to the family of the sacrificed Yevetha. Birth casks were often placed in breederies which were considered to be private locations. On certain occasions, a Yevetha was known to meet with visitors by the alcoves. In support of high-ranking Yevetha, there was typically a breeding assistant who administered the arrival of sacrificial Yevetha for the birthing casks in order to feed them. The Yevetha considered twins lucky and it was believed in their tradition that such individuals also passed on their blessing at will by simple breath, touch and even blood. It was common for nitakka to spar, embedding young Yevetha with a unique set of fighting instincts: "the closest threat is the greatest threat—in a fight of unequal numbers, dispatch your weakest opponent first to discourage others from joining a fight against you, charge a newcomer immediately—hold nothing back when you go to kill." These instincts were difficult to suppress, producing erratic battlefield results for inexperienced military crews.

While the lower classes were treated with nothing but contempt, the reaction of the race to other non-Yevetha was even more severe. The Yevetha were considered one of the most xenophobic and bigoted species within the galaxy. In fact, they considered non-Yevetha to be little more than vermin. As a result, the Yevetha tended to consider other species to be hardly worth their attention. This was partly attributed to the relative youth of their homeworld and its location where stars of the greater galaxy were masked with the brightness of the Koornacht Cluster. As a result, the Yevetha originally believed themselves to be the only intelligent beings in existence. Following contact and their initial enslavement, this attitude was only slightly altered as the race now believed that they were the only worthy species in existence and that all other races were to be exterminated. This xenophobia extended to such a level that they refused to learn alien languages such as Basic, as they found it being repulsive. In order to communicate with "vermin", many high ranking Yevetha made those of the lower castes learn the language in order to serve as translators. While this was the case, there were certain cadres of high-ranking Yevetha that deigned to learn alien languages as they believed there were certain things not meant to be heard by the subordinate castes.

This conceited belief in their status as being the only intelligent life in existence centered from even ancient times on their homeworld. In fact, it was known that not even a single member of their greatest thinkers had even considered the concept of there being the presence of other forms of sentient life on other worlds. Ultimately, it was held that while they had rapidly advanced on a technological basis, their culture was still in an adolescent stage of development.