Gruhhz

The Gruhhzes (//, singular "Gruhhz") were a sentient species native to Tizgo V in the Xoquon sector of the.

Biology and appearance
Gruhhzes had large, round bodies which were usually almost three-quarters of their total heights. Their two large, thick legs ended in wide, flat feet. Their heads jutted forward from the tops of their torsos rather than up, and the top of their cranium were usually equal to or slightly higher than the tops of their backs. Gruhhz arms started slightly lower than their necks on the torso and ended in hands which almost touched the ground naturally. Their elbow joints were closer to their wrists than on most species; rather than the roughly half-and-half division of upper and lower arms common to other sentients, Gruhhzes had roughly three-quarters upper arm and one-quarter lower arm. Their arms ended in large, powerful hands with four thick digits.

Gruhhzes had tusks which originated in their upper jaws and curved slightly down and forward. Their snouts began midway down their faces and drooped below the line of their mouths. A Gruhhz could independently control his snout; while it did not have the dexterity of a trunk, it could move around to sniff, even curving to point back up. Gruhhzes' ears were large and set back on their heads, and their two eyes were located to either side of their snouts.

Male Gruhhzes had a ring of tough bristles around their necks which looked like a collar to many alien observers. Female Gruhhzes had four breasts.

The Gruhhzes were omnivorous, though their diets were largely composed of plant matter. They preferred to eat decent portions daily, although they could overfeed themselves and slowly digest their food in times of scarcity or on long trips. The Gruhhzes had stamina vastly beyond that of Humans; while they could usually only run in short sprints, they could walk for hours without tiring.

They bore live young after a gestation period of eleven standard months. Infant Gruhhzes were born without tusks, which grew during puberty. The species reached full physical maturity at approximately twenty standard years.

Society and culture
Though many s, Mezzels, Hudrelans, and other species believed the Gruhhzes looked slow-witted and oafish, they were a fully sentient species. Despite their heavy builds, they were a generally peaceful species, able to defend themselves if attacked but not given to unusual violence. The single exception was during the puberty years, when male Gruhhzes developed a tendency for brutal violence when competing for the affections of females. This instinct died down after Gruhhzes reached physical maturity and, in modern times, rarely escalated beyond fistfights.

Gruhhzes were often farmers, and foodstuffs were a major export from Tizgo V. The presence of the Tetrarchy of Mezlagob's military depot also led to the creation of a weapons industry; after the Great Liberation, Tizgo V continued to produce artillery for the Royal Army of the Golden Empire.

Apart from mating-related violence, the Gruhhzes generally had a strong sense of communal responsibility. While the family (which often included multiple generations) unit was considered the basis of society, civic participation was highly prized. The most successful politicians were those who provided the most opportunities for employment, and those Gruhhzes who still could not find work were expected to devote their time to volunteerism. This tight-knit feeling of community could sometimes also manifest as xenophobia, with Gruhhzes resistant to other cultures with competing ideals and beliefs.

Gruhhz buildings and especially dwellings were usually more round than angular. In areas where space was plentiful, Gruhhz buildings often resembled numerous hemispheres linked together, although they had no hesitation about building up rather than out when necessary. Most dwellings included at least one and sometimes two basements as well.

History
The Gruhhzes evolved from four-legged pack animals, using their tusks to dig in the ground for delectable roots and insects as well as to fight predators. As they gradually shifted to a two-legged position, their large hands became digged instruments as well, and their powerful arms enabled them to injure or kill predators on which they could get a grip. Gruhhz and alien scientists both felt the shift to a two-legged gait came before the evolution of sentience.

The pack mentality contributed to the closeness of societies and their emphasis on communal welfare. Though war was not uncommon, crime was rare relative to other sentient species. Waging war—even offensive war—was widely viewed as more morally acceptable than committing crimes against one's own people or country. Treason was harshly punished throughout history, and even by the time Tizgo V was absorbed into the Tetrarchy it still carried a mandatory death sentence.

Most Gruhhz communities had large stretches of farmland which grew crops and nurtured livestock, both of which the Gruhhzes consumed in abundance. The advent of flight technology introduced the concept of airstrips and landing fields, and these were usually on the farthest outskirts of older cities, beyond even farmland. Some cities planned and built after the invention of flight incorporated landing sites into central spots in cities, and these were often more economically successful.

The Gruhhzes had developed automatic projectile weaponry and the precursors to spaceflight by roughly 100 BBY, when the Tetrarchy of Mezlagob discovered Tizgo V. Fresh from its acquisition of Xoquon, the Tetrarchs were not overly impressed with the relatively primitive Gruhhzes, but the wide-open spaces of Tizgo V itself caught their interest. They offered the Gruhhzes member status in the Tetrarchy in exchange for the use of the planet as a military depot. Since the "offer" was accompanied by tens of thousands of Tetrarchy soldiers and s, the leaders of the Gruhhz nations felt it prudent to accept.

Tizgo V received new revenue from the military foundries relocated to the planet, but never received the income of other military depots, or even Xoquon. The Tetrarchs generally regarded the Gruhhzes as ignorant primitives who had probably been given more than they deserved, and while many Gruhhzes volunteered for service in the Tetrarchy military, only a small fraction were ever accepted as officers, and most of these served only in the Xoquon sector on expansion campaigns. Droid labor was introduced to Tizgo V and allowed the expansion of farms, and with them the Gruhhz population.

The eruption of the Great Liberation caused consternation among many Gruhhzes. Few had conceived of an interplanetary government before the Tetrarchy arrived; the discovery of a second was a similar paradigm shift. While many had developed instinctive loyalty to the Tetrarchy as their overarching "community"—no living Gruhhz had known the planet before the Tetrarchy by the time of the war—others felt their species was being shortchanged. There was, however, no spirit of rebellion like that among the Curhax on Xoquon and no open revolt to mirror that of Wemod and most of the rest of the Xoquon sector.

After the Empire's disastrous defeat at Hudrel, many Gruhhzes believed the end of the war was a foregone conclusion. The Battle of Tizgo V was a complete shock to the natives, not to mention the Tetrarchy forces stationed at the depot. Over the two-day battle, some Gruhhzes joined in with the Tetrarchy military to defend their home, while other families huddled in their dwellings and waited for the fighting to be over. When the dust had settled, the Tetrarchy army was massacred, its fleet destroyed or captured, and the Golden Empire controlled Tizgo V.

Despite her grief at losing her apprentice in the battle, Queen Rin Sakaros met with the leaders of Tizgo V. Though she annexed the planet's military foundries and orbital s as Royal possessions, she left most of the rest of the planet untouched. Many Gruhhzes resented her war on "their" government, but popular sentiment against the Tetrarchy in the rest of their sector led them to go quietly.

After Rin conquered the Tetrarchy, she allowed Tizgo V to continue producing arms for the Royal Army. The Gruhhzes went on much as they had under the Tetrarchy's rule, although with greater access to offworld opportunities. Tensions eased gradually, and the Gruhhzes responded well to the creation of the Tribune position in 127 ABY. In 129 ABY, as a gesture of reconciliation, several local Gruhhz governments near the famous battle site erected a monument in honor of Keltrayu.