Drijoken

The Drijoken were one of the species of the planet Eniam. In their native language, Driyoin, Drijoken meant "caver" or "cave-dweller". They lived mostly in the planet's caves, and were well suited to working and living there. Among other species, they were often characterized as calm, shy, and patient. They often had difficulty making decisions quickly, and were not as quick-witted as the Eniamos or as bold as the Keegs, the other species of the planet. However, many showed genius intelligence if given enough time and peace to think.

Biology
Drijoken were mostly related to bears, but also had some bat-like qualities. That included sensitive eyes that could see in low light, as well as a form of ultrasonic echolocation. They were easily blinded by bright light, but their pupils could contract - their irises were just hard to distinguish. Their hands each had 5 fingers. These fingers were very muscular, flexible, and opposable to lift rock and dig quickly. Their chests were large and round to hold their lungs, which were able to keep a Drijoken alive with little atmosphere, and allowed them to store emergency oxygen in case they were stranded underground.

They had a poor sense of smell and saw colors as more dull than most other species, but could see in very little light and see some spectrums of infrared and could hear pitches very high and very low. They also had hairs senstive to movement, ideal for detecting motion in dark caves - or precious vents to open air. Drijoken had large, conical ears similar to bats, and snouts like a bear or bats, but short and "smashed".

For many years, their life expectancy was about 48 standard years, or 86 Eniam years, but the lifespan increased with the technological soar after 1138 BBY. Drijoken usually ate underground moss and fungi, but they could also eat kinds of plants found outside the caves. There was once a popular myth among the Eniamos that Drijoken could digest and extract nutrients from nearly every kind of stone, but that was not even close to true. Drijoken did not have gizzards, but they could eat concentrations of soft minerals, thanks to their hardy digestive system, which suited their lifestyle.

Female Drijoken usually gave birth to 2-3 babies at a time, but the highest in recorded history was 9. Drijoken parents looked after their young carefully, and made sure they stayed in areas proven safe.

Society
Both parents had a job in the community, but they took turns with the job and caring for the family. After a childbirth, the mother would automatically be relieved of work so she could nurse her babies, and the father would work outside the family until the chilDrijoken could eat solid food. A Drijoken child was called an ayklukkih (masculine: ayklukkeh, plural: ayklukkihleein), which literally meant "child" or "offspring". Sometimes they were called drayklukkihleein, which meant "cave chilDrijoken".

Drijoken names were all one word, the family name was the first five letters and the individual name was the rest (Reklikohooe, Kohooe Rekli). Individuals were almost always identified by their full name, and sometimes their individual name, but rarely their family name alone.

The Drijoken had been wearing primitive loincloths and clothes made of moss for many millenia. However, it was not until around 5000 BBY that they covered most of their body. They prefered simple, long shirts similar to Eniamo clothing.

Their cloth came from both imported Eniamo textiles and plants and fungi of the caves. They wore leggings more than the Eniamo, however. Their trousers were made of the same cloth as their shirts. ChilDrijoken wore light frontal padding to protect their shins, which often accidentally had hard contact with stone in the dark. Later, Dirquwn wood was used for that purpose. Shoes were also a useful comfort in dark, rocky caves. Drijoken made their shoes out of cave bear leather, processed mushroom paste, or Dirquwn wood.

Jobs were usually passed down from family to family unless in special occasions, but this was never an enforced law. As of around 1500-1000 BBY, were several types of workers in Drijoken society. First, there were miners, who gathered resources. Then their were crafters, who used existing resources to forge tools and other items. Cave diggers enlarged caves to make more room for the growing Drijoken popuation. Scientists worked with the other workers to develope new technology. Last but not least in importance were the leaders, the benevolent politicians who worked with the other groups to decide on matters like where to expand caves and which machines to use more.

Pre-Alliance
Until 1138 BBY, the Eniamos had all governmental control of the planet. However, the Drijoken allied with the Keegs and negotiated for deserved representation. While first considered primitive by the Eniamos, the Drijoken had developed quite advanced technology. They just kept in the dark caves.

Having lived in caves, they had access to many stone and metal resources. Earlier than 10000 BBY, they discovered electricity could be produced by interaction between magnetized rock and metal. It was discovered that naturally magnetized rocks could be used to magnetize more versatile metal, which could also be used as a pathway for electricity. They first used hand cranked generators, then used underground water to turn mills, then gathered grasses and flammable minerals to boil water, which powered generators. This also lead to purely steam-powered machines. They also discovered combining different metals with acids also produced electricity. Later on, they also discovered the oil petroleum, and invented plastics, plaistoids, and plasteels around 1200 BBY, but petroleum was rare, and so were its products.

Union
Drijoken could cooperate extremely well, but had trouble with other species. They also did not like to venture out of the caves without glasses that were once fashioned from dark, translucent rock. This lead to their being considered primitive by the Eniamos. When this all changed, Eniam technology and society soared. Higher quantities of wood and grass were used for bigger forges and boilers. Aircraft were invented, first fashioned of wood, grass, and leather, and then of light metals. Eniam flamegrass was extremely flammable. It was strong enough to power planes.

Meanwhile, the New Sith Wars were raging across the Galaxy. In a space battle over Eniam, several small starships crashed into the planet's surface. All the crashes were completely fatal to passengers and pilots, but a few of the ships were quite intact. The Eniam natives, as they were now proud to be known collectively as, learned the secrets of the sublight engine and the hyperdrive. They discovered the resources needed to reproduce the newly-discovered source of power right on their own planet. They also developed simple computers.

Upon developing their own starships sending scouts into the Galaxy, the Eniam natives discovered the size of the war. Most scouts returned to Eniam and tried to keep the planet a secret.

Rise of the Empire
Many years later, late in 23 BBY, the Eniam eventually sought representation in the Republic. Eniam starships became known to the Galaxy as an obscure, but pleasant to fly, design. However they were only to soon see another war erupt. Eniam was spared the horrors of the Clone Wars, but as the Republic became an Empire, the Drijoken, along with Eniam's other races, were rounded up to become slaves. Some stayed hidden on their world, and very few joined the Rebel Alliance.

Soon after fall of the Empire in 4 ABY, Eniam gained represtentation in the New Republic. Unfortunately, the Empire's slavery had severely decreased the poplution of the planet. In 16 ABY, the natives of Eniam decided they could do without intergration with the rest of the Galaxy, and retired to only their own planet.