Deshad was a planet in the Vesta system in the Mezlag sector of the Unknown Regions, a vassal world of the Tetrarchy of Mezlagob, later a member of the Golden Empire, and the homeworld of the Zykeds.
Geography[]
With two-thirds of its surface dominated by oceans and other surface water, and positioned second from its star, Deshad was a humid world. Much of its remaining surface was given over to swamps and wetlands, where the native Zykeds made their homes. The grasslands and the dry, mostly barren poles of the world were of little interest to the Zykeds, except as battlegrounds where valuable swampland would not be damaged.
Though not amphibious, the Zykeds engineered a complex underwater fish-breeding system to supplement their solely carnivorous diet of land creatures. Many land mammals wandered the grasslands, and some of these were herded into captivity in massive farm complexes where swamp met grass, to provide for the Zykeds. Non-sentient reptiles and avians also flourished in the swamp jungles.
Society and culture[]
Dominated by the competitive and aggressive Zykeds, Deshad was often given over to territorial and civil war. Three major independent territories existed until Deshad was conquered by the Tetrarchy in 12 BBY; thereafter, through the Tetrarchy's reign and into that of the Golden Empire, the Zykeds were united under a single, if loose, governance.
History[]
Zyked clans began integrating into larger and larger units in the millennia before the Battle of Yavin. The Zyked caste system, which had dominated their society, began to dissolve around 300 BBY, leaving only the traditionalist warrior caste in place.
After its conquest by the Tetrarchy of Mezlagob in 12 BBY, Zykeds rebelled twice, once in 13 ABY and again in 57 ABY. Both revolts were ultimately unsuccessful, but they convinced the Tetrarchy to adopt a slightly more hands-off style of rule. Given the weak central governance of the world and the inherent aggression and ferocity of its natives, Deshad became one of the Tetrarchy's foremost shadowports, playing host to a number of criminals and smugglers.
Deshad joined the Golden Empire in its war against the Tetrarchy in 101 ABY, and became a member of the Empire after.