Sthiss

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Sthiss
General information
Classification:	Reptile
Designation:	Herbivore
Planet of origin:	New Tython
Average lifespan:	4 years
Physical characteristics
Average height:	0.91 meters
Average length:	1.82 meters
Skin Color:	Green
Eye Color:	Brown
Distinctions:	Heat-sensing pits
[ Source ]

The Sthiss is a reptilian herbivore native to the continent of Kamuekiko on the planet New Tython. Living of herds ranging from hundreds to even a few thousand individuals, these swift and graceful creatures have evolved to live within thick canopies of rainforest. Herbivorous, swift, and attentive, they flourish in numbers against the fearsome predators and locals of the planet, and are hunted by both Harakoan tribes and the local Wookiee village of Gradrrbecca as a source of meat.

Evolution and History

Studies conducted by Tythonian researchers within Kamuekiko, as well as by Jedi of Odan-Urr, estimate that the Sthiss evolved within Kamuekiko from a much smaller species of reptile, one of many that were quite common on the continent. It is suspected that, due perhaps to famine or some environmental effect, several member species of the Kamuekikan biome died out; this left species like the progenitors of the Sthiss to spread and flourish, taking advantage of a population explosion within the continent's flora due to a lack of herbivorous consumption to grow larger and larger. Over time, the Sthiss grew to live well within the thickest, most secluded rainforest copses and the wider meadows, becoming a swift and agile herd animal.

Preyed upon by larger predators such as the Fullasi, Sthiss populations naturally took to areas that were harder for large or airborne attackers to enter, and thus took to the floors of misty, tangled rainforests for survival. To live in such poorly lit areas, they evolved heat-sensing pits within their noses, alongside wide, saucer-like brown eyes capable of seeing multiple spectrums and levels of light; this, combined with their natural grace, agility, and speed, allowed them to evade predators and thrive in huge populations throughout the continent.

Though agile and capable, the lower intelligence and herd mentality of the Sthiss would inevitably lead it to become a prey species for Harakoans. As several tribes across the continent began to study the animals and their habits, they would abandon traditional tactics and instead frighten herds to intentionally chase them toward obstacles, traps, and snares. Largely successful, these tactics would still result in the deaths of only a few dozen animals at a time, thus allowing the fertile and numerous reptiles to replenish their populations in the span of time between hunting seasons for the various tribes.

Though most of the human and alien settlers that would colonize the planet had little to do with the Sthiss, preferring the Histya and its subspecies as pack animals and livestock, the reptiles would become a crucial source of food for the Wookiees of the Chosen and their families within the village of Gradrrbecca. Though swift and capable, the beasts would nonetheless fall prey to the clever wit, shrewd trap-making skills, and treetop hunting tactics of the Wookiees, and would become the staple of the village's dietary sustenance.

Biology and Description

Sthiss have a quadrupedal stance, standing three feet tall at the shoulder and six feet long from snout to tail. Green-scaled, and bearing large, saucer-like brown eyes, they at first appear ungainly but quickly reveal a strange, flowing grace to their movements throughout the canopy - signs of the superior balance and reflexes that allow them to move swiftly across any terrain. Their cone-like skulls possess heat-detecting pits across the nose, capable of supplementing their already impressive eyesight with detection into the infrared spectrum. Their bodies are carefully balanced, their legs corded with muscle and possessing strong, multi-jointed bones that allow them to sprint through the forests or meadows as needed. The throat of a Sthiss is specially built; though they seem silent, they in fact communicate constantly, reverberating hums at frequencies too low or too high for most animals to hear. Though graceful, swift, and capable, they are very instinctual and are not overtly thoughtful creatures; thus, while they act to protect themselves out of habit, a strong herd mentality leaves them susceptible to traps, ambushes, and unexpected angles of attack.

Behavior

Herd Mentality

Sthiss herds usually number anywhere from several hundred up to a few thousand individuals, and are known to occupy wide stretches of rainforest as they forage throughout the undergrowth. Habitual animals and instinctual survivors, they constantly scan for threats and communicate with one another, allowing the herd to move at a moment's notice if a threat emerges. This mentality makes them very social animals, and has allowed their survival for millennia; however, it also leaves them susceptible to clever or unexpected attacks, and can result in death for the animals should a wiser creature set a trap before the charging herd.

Unruly Disposition

Though Sthiss are docile and herbivorous in nature, they also exist in a state of permanent paranoia, taking off at the first sign of danger. Because of this, and the reptilian nature of their brains, they lack the patience and emotional connectivity needed to domesticate an animal. Though herds of Sthiss can be corralled and kept within designated areas, they will forever remain in their wild state, and will flee if approached or panic if approached or mounted, resulting in the animal charging, bucking, and kicking in a mad effort to escape their captors. These facets of the animal's disposition mean that they will forever be hunted as wild game, and cannot be kept as true livestock or mounts short of Beast Control by a Jedi or other Force user.

Mating and Maturation

Social and gentle creatures, the Sthiss are similar when mating season arrives; rather than competition, the mating process becomes a race, with as many males as possible impregnating as many females as they can find. Females will then undergo gestation, going about their typical behaviors for two weeks before leaving a clutch of eight to sixteen eggs concealed within burrows the animals have dug and then concealed. These will gestate young for another fortnight before the animals hatch, living off of moss and fungi before growing to half size over a span of two months and gathering to form herds of their own with other clutches of newborn Sthiss. Reptilians as they are, the animals do not nurture their young, but instead rely upon centuries of instinct and habit to guide them through life once they are left behind.

Sthiss newborn herds will at first number into the thousands, though they experience many deaths to exposure or predation before they reach adulthood at six months of age. Fully grown, these adults then split up, typically into three or four herds, and spread across more territory to support their ravenous appetites. It is not uncommon for successful herds to split off, or for two small, depleted herds to link up and merge; this process will often bring parents and elders back into contact with their unknown young, and is the only mechanism by which young and old Sthiss ever congregate naturally.

Tribal Impact and Significance

Harakoan Sustenance Hunting and Economy

Sthiss are seen by many jungle tribes as a reliable, plentiful source of food, and are typically hunted by way of ambush, traps, and driving the animals toward cliffs or pitfalls. Though their hides make for poor clothing, their bones are nevertheless kept, in particular the dense leg bones that allow them to sprint and turn with such acuity. Often made into tools, these are then traded throughout different tribes to reinforce alliances, make pacts, and facilitate the exchange of goods between ethnic groups that lack any true currency. They rarely factor into warfare, aside from being sources of food, as armies of Harakoans tend to be loud enough to drive off Sthiss herds from miles away.

Wookiee Survival and Sustenance

A new competitor for Sthiss meat are the Wookiees of Gradrrbecca and their warriors, the Chosen of Bacca. These Wookiees will often herd the animals en masse, seeking out huge concentrations and driving them toward pits, bulwarks, and other obstacles where several of the beasts can be delayed or trapped. Unlike Harakoan hunters, who use stealth, tactics, and careful technique to approach herds, the Wookiees take advantage of the fact that the Sthiss typically dwell within clusters of trees too thick for aerial predators or larger beasts like the tree-dwelling Hutan'kera; by attacking from above, where their stealth skills are unmatched, the Wookiees can catch the animals completely off guard and approach to within a few meters of their herds.

This allows the Wookiees to hunt sufficient meat in one good hunt to last a season, though they are careful not to deplete local populations and they oppose sport hunting. Interestingly, the presence of the Wookiees only continues because of Sthiss for meat, and yet their reputation for ferocity and skill in combat has made the Wookiees a stabilizing force in Kamuekikan jungles; tribes are discouraged from warring and spreading violence due to fear of Wookiee reprisal, allowing for peace negotiations between tribes and the Jedi of Odan-Urr.