Sair

Sair was a planet in the and a member state of the Golden Empire. It was the home of the serpentine sentient Rebeyr.

Geography
Much of Sair's surface was dry and arid; rivers and streams ran through most desert areas, but did not extend much fertile space far beyond themselves. More heavily saturated areas were swamps or bogs. There were comparatively few grassy plains or forests, although they did exist.

Most of the surface fauna of Sair lived in proximity to the swamps or plains, although a few species were adapted to survive in the deserts.

Surface water made up a little more than half of Sair's surface, but the majority was its network of streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds. Only two bodies of water were truly large enough to be categorized as "oceans"; as a result, all the land on Sair was connected in a long, twisting single landmass.

Society and culture
The Rebeyr dominated Sair, though their physiology kept them from sailing and all but the coastal regions of the world's two oceans remained outside their grasp. Rebeyr civilizations tended to spring up in the swampy areas, then migrate closer to the deserts. They preferred the warm desert climate, but wished to be close enough to the swamps to have ample prey. The invention of domestication and farming allowed some cultivation of areas closer to the deserts, and the raising of herd animals for slaughter and consumption.

Before the arrival of the Golden Empire, Rebeyr dwellings were made primarily of mud, straw, and other materials which could be manipulated by the Rebeyr, whose tentacles lacked the strength to easily chop wood. Having a stone dwelling was considered a sign of either wealth or importance, as it would take many Rebeyr a great deal of time to transport stone anywhere.

The arrival of the Golden Empire, and particularly its labor droids, changed much of Sair. The Rebeyr were suddenly able to have droids construct complex buildings of which they themselves would never have been capable. Villages suddenly expanded into cities, and the Rebeyr invited many offworlders to settle on their planet, bringing with them industry and wealth for Sair itself, which otherwise had little to offer in the way of trade.

History
Geologists believed Sair had undergone a period of global warming shortly before or contemporary to the evolution of the Sair to their final form. They felt this explained both its small ocean size, particularly invite of the swampy lowlands around ocean borders, and the prevalence of deserts and boggy swamps throughout the planet.

Rebeyr societies developed in swamps and deserts, but the largest cities flourished on the borders between the two environs. Warfare was a constant fact of life for the predatory Rebeyr, and societies competed viciously for the lands with the greatest abundance of prey. Belief in the Sacred Flower of Hyssylia seemed to have existed from the earliest stages of Rebeyr society, and different belief systems were incorporated into facets of this overarching religion.

By 96 ABY, the Rebeyr had formed themselves into seven nations, ranging from tightly controlled groups to loose confederations. In that year, the Golden Empire arrived on Sair and quickly overwhelmed native resistance. Sair became a member state of the Empire and began to receive technological imports. The Great Liberation brought many of Sair's projects to a halt, although they resumed and even increased after the war.