Abon (Jedi Renaissance)

"The Masterhome Expedition of 33 BrS, the only one ever sent to that planet, reported that the Anointed People were bloodthirsty primitives living in a feudal state almost lacking in advanced technology. The Republic has long ignored Masterhome; we cannot. While the Order had once quarantined the planet due to their leader's Sith-sympathies, it is time to welcome the Abon into the civilized galaxy."

- Jedi Knight Horen Hote, writing about the Abon people and their relationship with the Force.

Abon were a reptilian species native to the terrestrial world Abonshee in the region of the galaxy. Discovered by the Republic and the Jedi at the end of the Inter-Sith Wars Period, Abonshee was not thoroughly scouted by the Republic until several centuries later. The Jedi, however, investigated the world and quarantined the world because of the species' primitive way of life. The Jedi charged with the planet's protection, Master Rita Bandora, selected Force-sensitives from the populace to fill out her army against the Republic when she fell to the dark side and declared herself a Sith sorceress. After the Sith were defeated, the Anointed People of Abonshee were left to their own devices, while a Republic expedition scouted the planet in 33 BrS. Following the Clone Wars, the Republic established talks with the government of Abonshee and negotiated membership for the world. The Jedi Order began recruiting from the world and several Abon Jedi began their training on Ossus by Year 70.

Biology and appearance
A primitive race of reptilians, the Abon were a sentient species that belonged to the squamata order of reptiles. Evolved from four-legged, non-shelled, scaled animals, the Abon were bipedal beings with a bilateral symmetry, having a front and a back end, as well as an upside and downside. Their body comprised a head, neck, torso, tail, and four limbs. The upper limbs, called arms, ended in hands which had four clawed fingers each; the lower ones, called legs, ended in feet with two digits. Abon fingers had multiple points of articulation, and one of them was an opposable thumb that allowed for fine manipulation. A large tail dragged along the ground behind them was used for balance. Finally, they had one head perched atop a torso with an elongated skull comprised of two eyes, nose-slits, organs for hearing, and a large jaw. Abon had a three-chambered heart consisting of two atria, one variably partitioned ventricle, and two aortas that lead to systemic circulation of oxygen-rich blood. A cold-blooded species, they had limited physiological means of keeping their body temperature constant and relied on external sources of heat. Therefore, while they could serve as fierce warriors and dangerous adversaries, they tired easier than their mammalian counterparts. A carnivorous species, the Abon subsisted off nutrients derived from living flesh. Abon lacked a secondary palate, meaning that they were forced to hold their breath while swallowing. Possessing a slower digestion than mammals, Abon could consume a single large meal and slowly digest it for over a month. Thick-skinned, the Abon were dark green in coloring with bronze scales covering their backs and chests forming a strong armor from most primitive weaponry. Their large tail was tipped with a thagomizer with four long spikes, used as a defense mechanism in combat.

Abon had two sexes: male and female, with the latter being distinguished by their overall smaller stature darker scale coloration. Members of the Abon race could interbreed naturally with many other reptilian races. Despite overall physiological uniformity, Abon varied greatly in appearance, and no two Abon looked exactly alike. One of the diversity factors was height. Abon averaged 2 meters in height, although males were usually taller and heavier than females. A diurnal species, the Abon had red or black eyes adapted to daylight conditions, with color vision and advanced visual depth perception. Abon were sexually-reproduced animals, requiring the mating of an opposite sex couple to produce offspring. Male Abon impregnated females through the insertion of one of two hemipenes into the cloaca beneath the female's tail. As reptiles, the Abon females laid eggs in a clutch of four and guarded the eggs for four weeks in a humid environment before they hatched. Breaking out of their eggs on their own, Abon crawled on all four limbs for three weeks before learning to stand. According to the Dictates of the regional Godking, the legal transition from childhood to adulthood was only attained after fifteen standard years of life. Abon had an average lifespan of 50 standard years. Those who were keenly attuned to the Force could live up to 150. At any rate, individuals past the age of 60 were considered to have reached an age worthy of veneration. Natural signs of ageing in Abon included the dulling or fall of scales, the loss of teeth, and loss of motor-function. Old Abon would experience a decline in many cognitive processes, frequently losing track of time, misidentifying people or places and, in extreme cases, momentarily forgetting about their own identity or state.

Government
A feudal way of life had existed on Abonshee for nearly two millennia by the end of the Clone Wars, under which the planet maintained relative peace between its many nation-states. Led by a Godking, political power of each nation-state was centralized within the Godking's unquestioned rule. The Godking oversaw vast dynasties, made up of two classes of individuals: Godlings and the Unwashed. The Unwashed were stout serfs and workers, while the Godlings were aristocrats, ruling over a number of Unwashed individuals&mdash;mostly through verbose and meaningless speeches&mdash;and in turn obeying the Godking's orders. Some Godlings also occupied roles as the Godking's aides. Both groups favored brightly-colored clothing; the Godlings enjoyed expensive scale armor while the Unwashed were permitted to wear only common robes. While the Godlings served their ruler fiercely, a Godking only retained power so long as they could stop any Godling from overthrowing his rule. To this end, many Godkings caused infighting between the Godlings in order to keep their position of power. Primitive by galactic standards, the aristocracy kept the Unwashed content but uneducated, and they were unaware of life on other planets beyond their native Abonshee, a place called "Masterhome" by the locals. Consequently, the Unwashed concentrated their leisure time in domestic ventures and entertainment, such as drinking distilled beverages and gambling. In contrast, the Godlings were aware of intelligent life from beyond the stars and understood that it could be a great opportunity for them; at the same time the Godlings were frightened by their limited knowledge of life beyond the stars, including ignorance of the goals and abilities of those aliens. As such, the Godlings were commonly cautious when dealing with alien sentients, directing them to the Godking. While interaction with aliens had been relatively few and far between, the Godlings were wary of Forceful individuals after the rule of Sith sorceress Rita Bandora and her alchemical experimentation on several Abon warriors. The planetary leader was chosen from among the nation-states with the greatest wealth, and had been firmly situated in the city of Agronlad for two centuries by the time of the Clone Wars. Spaced across six square kilometers, the city was home to the Palace of the Stars, styled in baroque fashion and furnished with ancient tapestries and rugs.

Technology
Technologically medieval, the Abon were not a space-faring species and continued to use wheeled carts pulled by draft animals. Pre-industrial, the Abon suffered from poor medical care and a high rate of infant mortality. Living in cities of stone and wood, rural communities of Unwashed were comprised of daub-and-waddle homes on farmland along the borders of the dense forests. Godlings built small stone castles among the Unwashed farms, serving the Godking as defensive outposts and military facilities surrounded by a five-meter high wall and moat. While the countryside was largely made up of towns consisting of twenty or thirty families, the vast cities that held the seat of governments for each nation-state was comprised of roughly twenty thousand Abon. Favoring military combat for sport, the Abon used catapults and ballistas for large engagements. Godlings employed broadswords and shields as melee weapons, while they armed the Unwashed with cudgels and clubs of a more primitive sort. When not engaged in war games, the Abon enjoyed hunting game, using a bag and spear to capture the forest-dwelling griffs. Wealthy Godlings rode upon likka mounts when hunting the extremely dangerous eater beast.

Customs
Developing from a violent, warlike people, the Abon cultivated a rich and complex culture that outpaced their lack of technological sophistication. Maintaining their love for warfare, the Abon minimized bloodshed during their traditional war games and considered the sight of blood to be aesthetically unpleasant. Longing for sophistication, the Abon erroneously believed that the galaxy-spanning civilizations beyond their own world would have shirked all violence and therefore sought to emulate that standard. Following the conclusion of a violent civil war in 55 BrS, the Abon banned actual fighting and codified the practice of waging mock battles. Every spring, Godlings would recruit their vassals, arm them, and lay siege to a neighboring castle. The marching army would challenge the Godling of the besieged city and engage with blunted swords and clubs. These mock battles became something of a sport on Abonshee and were seen as reverent of their history. Eventually, one of the belligerents would surrender or retire. Custom dictated that the losing Godling pay tribute to the victor, commonly sponsoring a three-day fiesta for both armies.The Unwashed particularly enjoyed these events, taking the opportunity to dress in comical clothes, see other lands, meet potential mates, and most of all, thrill at the final jamboree.

The Abon had a love for nobility and chivalry, adorning themselves with colorful robes and making displays of bravery and courtesy. A Godling's court would appear a comical affair to many advanced society as they adhered to tradition and custom in both manner and address.

History
Civilization on Abonshee originated in the 3,000s BrS when conditions for evolution saw the rise of the Abon species. Establishing simple cities around the castles of great warriors, the Unwashed Abon came to worship their warrior generals as divine. Eventually taking the title Godling, these generals answered to a Godking who reigned over each nation. Historically, 77 nation-states emerged across the habitable regions of the planet and a feudal society emerged. On the fringe of explored space, the Abon avoided the conflicts of the greater galaxy, with their first interaction with the Republic occurring during the turbulent time of the New Sith Wars. Jedi Master Rita Bandora took over as Watchman for the planet and promised to keep the Abon safe from interference from other militaristic cultures. Secretly, Bandora had fallen to the dark side and announced herself as a Sith sorceress. Unknowingly, the Abon Godking Siminilo agreed to send Force-sensitive Abon to serve Bandora at her palace. These Abon became servants of the Sith and horrible monstrosities due to Bandora's alchemy. Eventually, Bandora was locked away and Abonshee was forgotten, left out of galactic politics for centuries. After the Clone Wars ravaged the galaxy for years, the Abon were remembered by the Jedi Order and negotiations began between the Galactic Republic and Godking Trisstan to allow the world into the galactic civilization. Under Trisstan's rule, the Abon entered a Golden Age, with industry slowly beginning to assist in the creation of medical advances on the world.

Abon Jedi
Since forming a strong bond with the Jedi Order at the end of the Clone Wars, Forceful Abon were sent to Ossus for training. When a steady flow of Force-sensitives began leaving Abonshee, the Order trained several to knighthood, where Abon thrived as martial artists and artisans. Their strong sense of tradition allowed them to integrate well within the Jedi culture, and Abon found themselves drawn to the life of both the Guardian and the Consular. Like all species which served in the Order, Abon were represented in the Grand Temple on Ossus. Within the main entrance of the Temple, known as the Hall of Meditating Masters, a larger-than-life bronzium statue was erected in dedication to all Abon who had and who would serve. The kneeling Master did not depict an actual Jedi, but served as a rallying point for Abon Jedi to attain mastery. In the Sword of the Jedi tower, the lightsabers of all Jedi were placed in memory of fallen warriors and scholars alike. The Edifice of Heroes stood ready to adorn its halls with paintings, monuments, or holodepictions of all future Abon Jedi.

Abon Sith
During the New Sith Wars, Darth Repulsa came to rule Abonshee from afar. Deceiving the Godking Siminilo with her kind demeanor, Repulsa took Forceful Abon as her thralls, training them in the ways of the Sith and altering them with alchemy. Several Abon became generals within her armies, fighting with a blind ferocity and consuming victims alive. Their weakness was quickly identified by the Republic and Jedi soldiers, and all enemies of the Sith were trained to focus their fire power on the golden stone embedded in the Abon warrior's spiny crest atop their heads. Once destroyed, the Abon monstrosities would weaken significantly and were more likely to be slain.