BARABEL

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Barabel were a species of sentient cold-blooded reptilians native to the dark, murky world Barab I. An extremely aggressive and territorial species, Barabel who traveled off their home world often found work as fringers or soldiers.

**Personality:** Living in low tech communities ranging from a few dozen individuals to no more than ten thousand, the Barabel community would be built around a warren where the group thrived and hunted from. The Barabel species was noted for its hunting and tracking prowess. This was because many of their actions were fueled by their hunting instincts, leading to the general feeling that Barabel were always angry, or in the very least, ornery. They were well known for their aggression but were also extremely loyal to their mates and parents. They also had a great deal of respect for the Jedi, because of their first experiences with a Jedi Master who settled a dangerous clan dispute. Apologies, whether for a misdeed or in sympathy, were an unknown concept to Barabel. It was considered mildly insulting to a Barabel to be apologized to and apologizing tended to actually make a situation worse. This sometimes was disconcerting for members of other species, especially humans, who were more ruled by emotions such as guilt or sympathy. Barabels also found the term "short-tail" a grievous insult, and the response was usually a violent one. Had Saba Sebatyne not been a Jedi Master, she would have slashed off the arm of a Yaka who called her short-tail and beaten him in the head with it.

Barabel had a native language, though they also expressed emotion-such as amusement or grief-by "sissing." They were a communal species, with separate tribes on their home world numbering up to 10,000 individuals under the guidance of a pack leader. Unlike humans, Barabel were much closer to the subconscious parts of their brains than other species. Lone Barabel tended to refer to themselves as "this one" instead of typical first-person pronouns such as me or I. Some common Barabel names were Ragath, Vangar, Tesar, Saba, Zal and Zozoped.

The Barabel had a rich mythology which revolved around a historic landing of a group of Jedi Knights early in their history. Worshiping the Jedi as gods, the Barabel mythology revered these 'warriors from beyond the clouds.' Among Barabel beliefs were a group of demons called the Blight of Barabel. Their names were often used as curses.

**Physical Description:** Barabel were a bipedal species of reptilians who were covered in very tough dark colored scales. Evolved from nocturnal lizards, the Barabel adapted a thick layer of fat which allowed them to remain active and not sluggish when temperatures dropped. A blaster set on stun would not damage them at all or slow them down, as it would merely bounce off their scales. Barabel were able to shed their tails if necessary, an ability that proved the undoing of many startled foes. They also possessed heavy retractable claws along with needle sharp teeth which could grow to be 5 centimeters in length. A carnivorous species, Barabel possessed two stomachs in order to process the massive amount of food they required to survive.

For breeding, Barabel devised a system in which the nest eggs of two females were fertilized by two males. Subsequently, the four individuals protected the nest. As fathers would end up not knowing which of the offspring were their own, Barabel younglings took the surname of their mothers.

**Home World:** Barab I was a dark, murky planet in the Barab system of the Albanin sector of the Outer Rim Territories. Located along the Triellus Trade Route, the planet was largely avoided by spacers due to the fearsome natives known as the Barabel.

**Adventurers:** While most Barabel remained on their home world during the reign of the Galactic Republic due to their relative obscurity and their dearth of available starships, some Barabel had managed to escape their world and reach the Republic. Officer Fivvic served in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars, fighting alongside Jedi Generals whom he highly respected.

Despite finding their way to some honorable positions, most Barabel became pirates or mercenaries. One famed Barabel bounty hunter active during the Galactic Civil War was Skahtul, who notably captured Luke Skywalker, a member of the Rebel Alliance. Concurrently, Tull Raine rose to widespread popularity as a shock boxer who held the championship title for the Outer Rim Territories for years. Barabels were frequent shock-boxing participants and were known to be exceptionally suited to the sport.

While Force-sensitive Barabel were not very common, a group of Forceful individuals that contained Barabel were active during the time of the New Republic. Under the command of Saba Sebatyne, these so-called Wild Knights rose to notoriety during the Yuuzhan Vong War and later became a strong part of the Jedi Order. Sebatyne would later ascend to a seat on the Jedi High Council and serve as interim Grand Master following the death of Jedi Master Kenth Hamner. Another notable Force-sensitive member of the species was Master Thared of the Imperial Knights who fought alongside Empress Marasiah Fel at the battle of the Floating World.

**BARABEL SPECIES TRAITS**

• • +2 Strength, -2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom.

• • Medium: Anzati have no special modifiers due to their size.

• • Speed 10 meters.

• • Natural Armor: The Barabel’s scaly thick hide provides a +2 Damage Reduction bonus.

• • Natural Weapons: A Barabel can choose to attack with a claw, a bite, or a tail slap instead of making a normal unarmed attack. Each of the Barabels natural weapons deals 1d6 points of damage plus Strength modifier, although the type of damage varies as follows: claw (slashing), bite (piercing), tail (bludgeoning). These attacks do not provoke attacks of opportunity.

• • Radiation Resistance: A Barabel gains a +2 bonus to Fortitude Saves made to resist the effects of radiation.

• • Primitive: Barabels cannot gain Personal Firearms Proficiency or use a technological weapons. An Amanin counts all firearms and technological weapons as Exotic Weapons, receive a -2 penalty when using any sort of technology beyond their own, and must take the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat for each individual weapon.

.**• •** Skill Bonus: Barabels gain a +4 species bonus on Intimidate checks in arid environments.

• • Automatic Languages: Barabel.