Aaris The Aaris were one - meter - tall reptilian sentients native to the planet Aaris III in the Kathol sector of the Outer Rim Territories . Thousands of years prior to the Galactic Civil War , the Aaris built an industrial society across their homeworld , raising large cities . They had a strong tradition of oral communication , to the extent of developing a unique method of recording their knowledge . Although a peaceful race , the Aaris tore their society apart in a civil war , a conflict perpetrated by the arrival of the Plaque of Victory on their planet . The Plaque was a sentient lifeform — although it was inanimate and held within a metal ingot — that sought to influence the minds of other beings into doing its bidding . The Plaque caused the Aaris people to become violent and homicidal , turning factions against one another as they all sought to gain possession of the artifact . Eventually , the Aaris fell into decline , and their cities became ruins reclaimed by the jungle . By 8 ABY , the primitive descendants of the Aaris lived in warrens tunneled through the ruins of their former cities . Biology and appearance . The Aaris were a species of reptilian humanoids covered in warts , who generally stood one meter tall . Society and culture . The Aaris were a relatively peaceful race who had knowledge of governmental structures , as well as formal learning systems ; as such , they developed some scholars . They also maintained professional soldiers , organized into both city guard companies and legions . The Aaris language was tonal in nature , utilizing beeps , rumbles , notes , and chirps to convey meaning . Because of this , the Aaris had a strong tradition of oral history and did not develop a true written language . Instead , they developed a form of oral recording that served a similar purpose . The Aaris created bas - relief pictograph s that , when pressed , emitted sounds emulating their language . They used these to record their history and to store knowledge . By 8 ABY , the Aaris had fallen into decline , having torn their society apart in a civil war . Their descendants inhabited the ruins of their cities , living in warrens burrowed through soil and rock . These Aaris were primitive compared to their ancestors , wielding crudely made weapons and defending their territory against outside invasion . The Aaris were not known to the galactic community . No records of a civilization on the planet existed before the Imperial science team MS - 133 conducted an archaeological expedition to the planet in 8 ABY and began translating the records that the Aaris had left behind . History . The Aaris civilization reached its height several thousand years before the Galactic Civil War . Based on the planet Aaris III in the Kathol sector , the Aaris established an industrial society that resulted in the construction of cities across the face of the planet . Although generally peaceful , they did engage in occasional wars between one another . One night , a comet streaked through Aaris III ' s skies . Several days later , a military legion from an outpost entered one of the Aaris ' s cities with an artifact — a triangular metal ingot they called the " Plaque of Victory . " Unknown to the Aaris was the fact that the inanimate artifact was actually a sentient lifeform which fed off the life - force of organic beings . The Plaque ' s goal was to destroy those around it , but not by any action of its own ; instead , the Plaque manipulated the feelings of individuals , causing them to act in paranoid , irrational , and homicidal ways . Six days after the arrival of the artifact in the city , civil unrest had increased , with a rise in violent crimes which often resulted in the death of the victim . The situation quickly escalated , as more citizens began to become involved in violent acts , including street gangs and even units of the city guard . Each faction had one thing in common — they claimed that the Plaque of Victory had spoken to them , and each claimed to be its appointed guardian . One faction , who had access to the relic , removed it from its place in the gushaz and took it to a tower in the city ' s governmental complex , which rose high above the city . There , it was given over to Kastays , a noted scholar , with the hope that if the artifact was high above the population , its effects would be diminished . To safeguard it , Kastays hid it in a floor vault . The plan failed , however , and the Aaris civilization descended into civil war and anarchy , all but destroying itself in the process . Kastays recorded the events using the Aaris ' s bas - relief pictographs , calling it " the last days . " Despite the fall of their society , the Aaris continued to live on . As the Aaris cities fell into disrepair , the jungle covered the extensive structures , hiding most of the ruins from general view . The primitive descendants of the survivors made their home in the lower levels of the ruins , tunneling large warrens throughout the rock and soil that surrounded them . Fashioning crude weapons , they vigorously defended their homes from all invaders . In 8 ABY , the Plaque of Victory was discovered in its hiding place by Imperial science team MS - 133 , who were conducting an archaeological expedition on Aaris III . The Plaque once again asserted its influence , causing the members of the team to experience feelings of paranoia and heightened aggression . The remnants of the Aaris then attacked MS - 133 , killing the majority of its personnel . Behind the scenes . The Aaris were created for the roleplaying adventure " Artifact of Aaris " , which was published in " The DarkStryder Campaign " by West End Games . The Aaris were not encountered directly in the scenario , as their society had fallen into ruin during the time period in which it was set , although an adventure hook for further missions on their homeworld , Aaris III , provided a way to meet their primitive descendants . While the adventure implies that MS - 133 began turning on one another under the influence of the Plaque of Victory , " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " — published in 2008 — confirmed that the team came under attack from the remnants of the Aaris civilization .