Whiphid

Last Updated: 2/6/2024 (INCOMPLETE)

Name: Whiphid

Humanoid: Yes

Classification: Beast/Alternative

Homeworld: Toola

Coloration: Pink, Green, Tan, Brown, or Black

Biology: The Whiphid were a large, quite unique beastly species, hailing from the frigid world of Toola. They were cover in thick brown or black fur, aside from their face, although this fur varied in length, especially on the chest and stomach area. They had what appeared to be furry, cloven hooves for feet, although some depictions show them with more reptilian-looking feet and three toes with massive toe-nails. It is possible that there are more than one subspecies with varying differentiations in biology, although more than likely the version with the three-pronged feet was some sort of artistic liberty.

The majority of their body was usually thick and muscular, with a thick coating of silky but also mangled hair that had evolved to protect them from Toola’s incredibly cold climates. They had no problems in warm temperatures, however, and often times shaved some of their hair before wearing clothes. This thick fur also served a few purpose that were specifically for surviving on Toola, and Whiphid born and raised off world eventually lost some of these traits. For one, the fur actually complimented the layer of blubber native Whiphid had by serving as a near perfect insulator. It was also covered in a special oil that served as a water repellant, making them fairly proficient swimmers and divers. Both of these factors allowed them to travel the icy plains and oceans of their homeworld in search of food or shelter.

Their heads were a rather unique shape, with an elongated about, massive nostril slits, and a wide mouth at the bottom. They also possessed two massive tusks, and hollow cheek cavities that helped their fur less faces hold and expel heated air. Their eyes were very squinted to help protect them from the cold, and could actually be slightly retracted and extended from their skull at will. The hair on the top of their head was also much longer than that of the rest of their body, contrasting their bare faces.

The average Whiphid stood somewhere between 2 and 2.5 meters tall and generally weighed nearly 400 kilograms. The females were slightly stouter, their eyes were more pronounced, they possessed longer eyelashes, and the hair on the top of their head was shorter and more concentrated in the back. Young Whiphid also had a lot less hair, shorter snouts, and no blubber. Their lifespans were much longer than that of the average humanoid, with the oldest known Whiphid being over 250 years old. They preferred speaking in their local tongue, also called Whiphid, but has no problems pronouncing and speaking Basic if they needed to.

Lore: Much like species such as the Togorians, the Whiphid are generally a nomadic people, living in villages of no more than ten families at a time. The icy world of Toola offered little food, and so the encampments would often travel to locate wild game. They were fierce hunters, and because most vegetation could not grow in Toola’s climate, the Whiphid usually spent their entire life as carnivores . Of course, Whiphid in other parts of the galaxy could still consume plants and other food products without issue, and they were technically classified as an omnivorous species. Your ability to hunt, seemingly for both the men and women, determined your role in the group. The greatest and oldest hunter was known as the “Spearmaster,” and served as leader of the pack.

Even then, because of their survivalist nature, the Whiphid didn’t take family or relationships too seriously, and children had no qualms leaving their family without a second thought. It was fairly easy to break away from the tribe and either join another or start your own, although join another tribe would be hard as they rarely if ever associated or even crossed paths with each other. The strongest bond a Whiphid could have was with their spouse, and even that wasn’t the end all commitment. Self preservation always cane first to he Whiphid of Toola, and the Spearmaster made sure to lead the group in a way that would benefit them all.

During the summer months, some of the ice did thaw on Toola. This is when they would gather crucial material such as wood and stones for constructing shelters, hunting spears, and the wooden sleds they used to travel the tundra for the majority of the year. During this time they would also set up camp near pre-determined hunting grounds, and would wait for the eventual freeze to bring in their prey. This prey was usually a massive 8 meter tall boar-like creature known as a Mastmot (by offworlders) or Motmot (by the local Whiphid), which were incredibly dangerous and hostile, but also supplied months worth of food for an entire clan if they could bring the wooly beast down. If they could not find or kill any of these bohemoths, they would actually find the nearest body of water, dive into the frigid depths, and spear fish to tide them over. They also domesticated a carnivorous canine known as the Tuggle, which they trained in packs to pull their sleighs, but they usually never resorted to eating these animals.

The one time the Whiphid would gather with others of their kind was if they came across one of the few hot springs that dotted Toola. These were the only semi-organized gathering spots for the Whiphid, and they would sometimes meet at these springs to collaborate and create a massive, temporary hunting party. This is when they would recount their stories and learn about what else had happened around the planet, as well as what was going on in the outside galaxy, if anyone had even made contact with any offworlders.

There was rarely infighting among the Whiphid, and they generally did not believe in any violence against each other whatsoever. They believed a that if a tribe initiated aggression towards another, it would bring the entire tribe bad luck and curses until they either all died or disbanded. They also believed that the more hunters there were, regardless of tribe, the better off they were as a species, so it would be reckless to take the life of another hunter. If a young Whiphid was demonstrating cruel of violent behavior, the Spearmaster would take them on a long hunting journey to learn about patience, among other things, and amend the errors of their ways. If the young continues to rebel or deliberately chose not to learn, they would simply not return back to the village with the Spearmaster.

The Whiphid were surprisingly widespread throughout the galaxy, despite not developing any space fairing vessels of their own. Some left with explorers, others were hired by mercenaries or recruited by the Jedi, and some were even forced offworld by slavers. They were not ever officially a part of any galactic government, and did not really interact with either the CIS or the Galactic Republic (aside from the handful of Whiphid Jedi). They did, however, tend to gravitate towards the Empire. And many Imperial officials and officers employed rugged Whiphid bodyguards. They had no qualms about the Empire’s actions, and were generally welcomed into their ranks because of their expert close combat prowess and survival skills.

There was also one large, joint community of Whiphid and Aqualish running a thriving trade and market settlement on the planet Gertafuu VI, but no one knows exactly when and how they got there, nor why the community existed of solely Whiphid and Aqualish. They could similarly be found on worlds like Coruscant and Tatooine, working for crime bosses, and even the Hutts. This was far less common than the Imperial Whiphid, but they were still some of the scariest mercenaries you could possibly have tracking you.

Legends/Canon: The Whiphid were introduced in Return of the Jedi, and as such, were canonized from the get-go. Nearly all of the information above, however, was not, and so we currently do not know much about the Whiphid in Canon (aside from their extended biology being essentially the same) at this time. One non-canonical event that took place that is unlikely to be canonized now was an incident when an Imperial Whiphid Spearmaster known as Ch’unkk was killed some time between 11 and 12 A.B.Y., resulting in all remaining previously Imperial-allied Whiphid abandoned the Imperial Remnant in unison, as mass exodus of sorts.

Unexplored:

Additional Notes: I find the Whiphid fascinating, both in design and culture. They remind me of the the Vurk and the Advozsec in regards to their traditions and lifestyles on their homeworld, but there are enough unique practices here to set them apart as well. I appreciate all the detail that went into designing everything about this creature, and they remain far underutilized as it is, especially within Star Wars Canon.

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