Nyriaanan

Nyriaanan

Biology and appearance[]

The Nyriaanans were thebipedalsentientnatives of theplanet ofNyriaan, in theExpansion Region. Though biologically they wereHumans, the Nyriaanans were classified asnear-Humans and had some minor evolutionary adaptations that helped them to survive in the Nyriaanan environment, such as a stocky stature andeyes that could cope with the dim levels of light on Nyriaan's planetary surface. However, a variety of different body-forms could be found amongst the various different Nyriaanan clans. While most Nyriaanans hadpale-colored skin,^[1] some Nyriaanans from theMalvina clan had dark skin.^[2]

Society and culture[]

The Nyriaanans were divided up into hundreds of different clans, tribes and family groups, and while some clans were nomadic, others inhabited permanent settlements that were centered around groves ofMeadlin's trees, a large species offungi that could grow up to sixtymeters tall. The largest such settlement was the townStarveil, which was built on the site of thewrecked starship on which the Nyriaanan's ancestors had first arrived on the planet and was considered by the natives to be sacred. At any onetime, the Nyriaan planetary authorities estimated that there were between 1,200 and 2,000 Nyriaan natives alive on the world, although in reality their true numbers were much higher. The natives spoke a colloquial dialect known as "Nyriaanan," which was a hybrid mixture of thelanguagesGalactic Basic Standard andHigh Galactic. However, the language bore enough similarities to its antecessors that the Nyriaanans could easily pick up Basic quickly when exposed to it.^[1]

While they were by their nature a peaceful people, the Nyriaanans were distrustful of outsiders and viewed the various colonists and prospectors who settled on Nyriaan as competitors for the world's resources. They were easily angered by off-worlders who exploited Nyriaan for profit and they particularly despised the variousmining conglomerates that established operations on Nyriaan to extract the valuablemineralmadilon, because they feared that the mega-corporations would eventually destroy Nyriaan in pursuit of theore. They disliked the environmental damage that was caused by the mining operations and had a particular hatred for theMining Guild-run colonyTonnage, considering the settlement a blight on the landscape because of the contamination that was caused by the colony's madilon extraction efforts. On occasion, the Nyriaanans encountered theinbred descendants of the crew of the crashedSithwarshipDying Sun, who were hostile and attacked the Nyriaanans without mercy.^[1]

The Nyriaanans were not a technologically-advanced people and they used technology based upon that of theOld Republic, such as ancientblasters, which they inherited from they ancestors when they crash-landed on Nyriaan. They believed that everything had a use and that by keeping old-style technology in service and well-maintained, they honored their forebears. Nevertheless, the Nyriaanans were an adaptive race and were willing to utilize more modern forms of equipment.^[1]

History[]

In4067 BBY, the RepublicexplorationvesselStarveil crashed on Nyriaan while performing astudy of theLuire system. Fifty-two members of the ship's crew survived the crash, including theStarveil'scaptainBethanie Melan and they were forced to eke out a new life for themselves on the planet after a subsequent Republic rescue effort was unsuccessful at finding them. They became the first Nyriaanans and through their resourcefulness and their determination, they were able to survive in the alien environment. Over time, their population grew in size, both throughchildbirth and through additions from the survivors of other crashed starships, and the Nyriaanans remained in isolation for thousands ofyears.^[1]

After the discovery of deposits of madilon—a naturally-occuring alloy that was used in the construction of starshiphyperdrives—on Nyriaan in85 BBY, the world was colonized by off-worlders and numerous madilon extraction operations were established by big mining corporations, including theCorporate Sector Authority and the Mining Guild. The corporations had scant regard for the well-being of the Nyriaanans, building on their land and using the natives as pawns in their plots to undermine their corporate competitors. The townTemperance was constructed just outside the native settlement Starveil to allow off-worldmerchants to sell their wares to the native market, and it became popular among the natives as a place to purchase modern weapons and spare parts. At some pointanthropologists from the Galactic Republic ventured to Nyriaan to study the natives.^[1]

Tensions between the natives and the off-worlders erupted in47 BBY and following the liquidation of a native settlement by the Corporate Sector Authority, the Nyriaanan clans staged a coordinated uprising and destroyed several frontier towns. TheJedi KnightAmar Cros was dispatched to Nyriaan to resolve the conflict, and in43 BBY a non-aggression pact between the Nyriaanans, the Republic and the mining corporations was signed, restoring Nyriaan to a state of uneasy peace. Cros was fascinated by the natives and he chose to remain on Nyriaan with them. In36 BBY, CSA breached the peace agreement by prospecting on native land, causing hostilities to erupt between the Nyriaanans and the off-world colonists once more, but this time directed solely at the CSA. Amar Cros was at the forefront of the conflict, playing a pivotal role in the native insurgency, while rivals of the CSA, the Mining Guild and theTrade Federation quietly provided support to the Nyriaanans.^[1]

In30 BBY, theGalactic Senate, the governing body of the Republic, passed a decree known as the "Luire Accord" in an attempt to defuse the tensions between the natives and the mining corporations. Under the terms of the agreement several environmental reservations in the unexplored regions of Nyriaan were set aside, in part to appease the natives, while a new planetary government, theNyriaan Concord was installed inLocus, the planet'scapital. The Concord included a separate body called theNative Delegation, which was made up entirely of native Nyriaanans, and Amar Cros served as the leader of the first group of natives to sit in the government. However, the views of the Native Delegation were largely ignored by the Concord, which was dominated by the off-world corporations. Cros soon left in disgust and, accompanied by a large group of Nyriaanans, withdrew to the planet's unexplored regions.^[1]

During theClone Wars, Nyriaan fell into the hands of theConfederacy of Independent Systems. Without the restrictions that had been placed on them by the Republic, the CSA and the Mining Guild both expanded their operations and began exploiting land owned by the Nyriaanans The natives resisted violently, and were assisted by the remnants of the Republic forces.

Nyriaans captured by theYuuzhan Vong in26 ABY. The Yuuzhan Vong originally ignored the native clans, but when they began using captured natives for experiments, the natives initiated a guerrilla war, to try and drive the invaders out. Following the defeat of the Vong in29 BBY, a number of Yuuzhan Vong refugees settled on Nyriaan and were eventually accepted as equals by the native clans.

Following the formation ofDarth Krayt's Galactic Empire in130 ABY, severalJedi took refuge on Nyriaan and lived among the Nyriaanan clans.

Appearances[]

• "The Perfect Storm" —Galaxy of Intrigue(First appearance)

Sources[]

• Galaxy of Intrigue(First mentioned)

Notes and references[]