Har-ak

Har-ak (originally called Yaunch) is a feudal-controlled industrial world in the Outer Rim. It is the homeworld of the Yaunchet species.

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Geography
Har-ak was ounce a world of unsoiled beauty. Its terrain was covered in savanah with rain forests near the equator. It has no seasons, making it perfect for agriculture, but centuries of mining, followed by years of fighting made Har-ak a barren wasteland.

History
Originally called Yaunch, it was the homeworld of the Yaunchets. For ages, the Yaunchets lived peacefully as simple farmers, bartering for what they needed.

Not long after making contact with the greater galaxy in 3995 BBY, large quantities of diamonds were discovered beneath Yaunch’s surface. Various offworld mining corporations jumped at this discovery, and divided up Yaunch. These mining corporations employed Yaunchets as workers and introduced them to money and the luxury goods it could get them. Diamond mines and diamond cutting factories sprang up across the planet, laying waste to Yaunch’s environment.

Around 2500 BBY, the philosopher Theour Siemp spoke that Yaunchets should return to their lives of simplicity they led prior to industrialization. Over a ten-year period, Siemp gained followers, whom he led to the planet Drask in the neighboring system.

Eventually, diamonds started becoming scarce and by 1760 BBY, wars started breaking out between the corporations, causing Yaunchets to migrate to Drask in the masses. Yaunch was renamed Har-ak, Yauncheti for “torn world”. The wars, combined with all the mining, left Har-ak’s surface bare of flora, and most of its fauna died.

After the New Sith Wars, the Sith Marauder Dirken conquered all the feuding corporation-controlled states on Har-ak. He established a feudal society controlled by a Grand Baron, which he supported on the outsourcing of manufacturing of offworld businesses.

Society and Culture
Society and Culture:

Har-ak’s society is feudal.

Nobles: At the top of Har-ak society, the nobles are the decedents of the business owners of the mining companies of Har-ak. They are mostly Humans; through there is sizeable number of other species too. Each noble house controls the government and economy of their fiefdom. There are about 30 of them. Each house is headed by an Earl.

Middle-Class: The middle-class does the skilled jobs of the fiefdoms. Like the nobles, they consist of mostly Humans with a sizeable number of other species. Even though they’re lower, the middle-class is still treated well, and has most of the rights as nobles.

The nobles and middle-class are collectively known as the Caromi.

Surfs: The largest and lowest group in Har-ak society, the surf class, is comprised exclusively of Yaunchets. The Yaunchets are stuck being factory workers, servants, laborers, and soldiers. They are treated as second-class citizens. Despite this, most Yaunchets are loyal to their Earl, as their fiefdoms are all they have.

The Grand Baron: The highest in the feudal system of Har-ak, the Grand Baron is the executive branch of a confederacy of the noble houses. The Grand Baron is a noble appointed by his/her predecessor and serves for life. When a noble becomes the Grand Baron, he/she sheds political ties with his/her house. The Grand Baron appoints a Vice-Baron, who keeps ties to his/her house.

Dueling
When there is a feud between to nobles or houses, the conflict is solved in a sword duel, (but occasionally, a fight results in a battle). The two individuals make agreements to what they will each gain in a victory. While it’s not illegal to kill one’s opponent in the duel, killing him/her when he/she yield’s is considered a serious crime. It is also a crime not to honor the victor’s terms. The position of Grand Baron cannot be won in a duel, but the position of Vice Baron can.

Behind the Scenes
Har-ak will appear in Legojedi26's yet-to-come Clone Wars era novel The Crisis of Three Worlds.