Salsene

Salsenes were humanoid salamanders inhabiting the planet Ishtar. They fought in the Clone Wars on the side of the Republic, and later on some salsens joined the Rebel Alliance.

Appearance
The average salsene is about four feet tall, and weighs about a hundred pounds. They are typically blue or green, or sometimes a mottled combination of the two.

Salsenes have evolved a bipedal stance, allowing them to use their four-fingered hands for tool use.

Culture
Salsenes evolved in the harsh conditions of the Deserta Vasta, during a period when the entire surface of Ishtar became covered in cold desert. They became a rough culture of tribesmen. Honor was held in high regard.

In salsene society, the females had a higher place in the tribe then the males. The females went to war and hunted, whilst the males tended their houses while they were gone.

Religion
Most salsenes worshipped the Supreme Creator, while others believed that they had been created by the Creator's aide, Ping'uin. Still others believed that there was no creator, and that the universe was formed from primordial emptiness.

History
As Ishtar's natural resources disappeared, salsene wars became more frequent and more violent. For a time, it seemed that no tribe would emerge victorious, and that life on Ishtar was doomed to become extinct. But that was not to be.

During the height of the Fifth War for Haran Puddle, an alien spacecraft crashed into the territory of the Haran salsenes. The ship was intact, although whatever aliens once resided were missing. The Haran tribe, after much experimentation, learned the basics of controlling this vessel, and used it to destroy all of the other tribes.

After the end of the Puddle Wars, the Haran tribe was able to advance their technology very far. So far, in fact, that they at last became capable of serious study of the mysterious vessel. Eventually, they discovered how to reproduce the design, and created the Salsene Grand Fleet. Ishtar was slowly dying, however, and so the Salsene Council took action. Ships were sent in many directions, in order to discover alien worlds the salsenes could settle.