HOUK

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Houks were a people with a reputation for raw strength and short tempers. They were very powerful due to their large bulk of pure muscle. They were among the largest and strongest humanoid sentients, rivaled only by species such as the Wookiees for physical power.

The Houk came from the planet Lijuter in the Reibrin system, though they spread out to colonize several nearby systems after being contacted by Vaathkree traders. All Houk colonies had their own societies and systems of government, though they all answered to the Lijuter Congress which administered their home world. By the Imperial era, they had thirty-one off-world colonies, mostly in the Ansuroer sector. One of their colonies was in the Lesser Cueva Expanse on the Weequay home world of Sriluur. The presence of these two belligerent species on the same world led to a fierce rivalry, culminating in a civil war which began in 10 BBY and lasted for nearly a decade.

Though their tempers were not as explosive as those of Wookiees, Houk were known for their tendency to solve problems violently. In politics, they would often wage war without formal declarations, negotiate in bad faith, and ignore treaties. Though this preference for violence tended to cause the Houk problems in dealing with other societies, it often got them what they wanted. Surprisingly though, in personal combat, Houk preferred to use stealth rather than direct confrontation. This gave them a reputation for deceit and cowardice. However, just as each Houk colony had a different culture and government, Houk individuals had varied personalities. Though all Houk came from a culture with high levels of corruption and violence, many Houk were hard workers who had learned to get along with other sentients.

The Houk produced little technology of their own, though they adapted themselves to the standard technology of the rest of the galaxy, including hyperdrive-equipped starships and modern weapons such as neuronic whips (a weapon many Houk particularly enjoyed using).

The Galactic Empire abducted many Houk for experimentation, intending to use their physical strength as part of a program to create a "perfect slave." Those Houk who were kidnapped by Imperial science teams were never heard from again.

One of the most famous Houk was Anchor Blue, a fierce gladiator who fought in The Cauldron on Rattatak. Other members of the Houk species included cantina owner Gorb Drig and criminals Lun Rask and Egome Fass.

Gundark, the infamous arms dealer, was suspected to be a Houk by CorSec.

**HOUK SPECIES TRAITS**

• • Ability Modifiers: +4 Strength, -2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom, -4 Charisma

• • Medium-size: As Medium-size creatures, Houk have no special modifiers due to their size.

• • Speed: Houk base speed is 10 meters.

• • Natural Armor: Houk are thick-boned and thick-skinned. They get a +2 natural armor bonus to Defense.

• • Physical Intimidation: Houk use their Strength modifier instead of their Charisma modifier for Intimidate checks.

• • Free Language: Read/Write and Speak Houk, Speak Basic.