Rattataki Headcanon

[whats1tsay]

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“Chee moto mando sangui”

”The whole thing runs on blood” 

- Rattataki saying.

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Once, Rattatak might well have been verdant. The deep canyons of the outer-rim planet at the very least suggest there were once rivers on the surface. However, those have long since dried up, and the depths of the canyons run with nothing but blood. Indeed, the planet itself has been described as ‘a drop of blood hanging among the stars’, for its surface is predominantly a rusty red. Its landscapes are drably unvarying, ranging from dust-swept plains to dusty mountains and dusty canyons. There is very little flora present, and in the modern day even surface fauna is sparse. Some reptavians exist among the craggy rocks, and flat-backed lizards vie for the thin rays of sunlight from the system’s yellow sun. To find some semblance of a full ecosystem, one has to delve below the surface. The crust is woven with complex systems of caves and hollows, where the planet’s water supply resides. Here there’s varieties of lichen and slime-molds, and animals that feed on them. The largest of these beasts is the blind Kzuyrk, a crustacean a meter in length that feeds on the larger slime-mould colonies. Beyond these, there’s a variety of insectoids and reptilians, including aquatic ones. No mammalian species have been found outside of the native peoples.

These native peoples spent their earliest history within the caves, barely surviving and sometimes having to turn to cannibalism to feed the tribe. They rarely ventured to the surface, as it was dominated by large, vicious beasts that found the Rattataki worthwhile prey. This only changed thanks to the rise of the first Warlord, the one who would lend his name to the people and the planet: Rattatak. He united the tribes from the various mountains and cave systems, and led them to the surface to conquer the beasts. This was the first true war, and fortresses were erected, marking the surface with civilization for the first time. Rattatak led his people to the surface, but did not enjoy the spoils as he was killed before the end of the war. In the absence of their unifying figure, the tribes quickly descended back into their old ways, and started fighting over territory, insult, lineage, curses and everything they could think off.

The planet was in turmoil forever onwards. The ancient fortresses are long leveled, towns and cities are constructed and razed, fields stained in blood and broken by artillery. Indeed, the only field the people of Rattatak truly progressed in during their isolated existence was warfare. Going from iron axes and shields to blasters and bombs, all industry on the planet was geared towards combat. Strength was paramount, and strength was solely the ability to overcome an enemy. Through this philosophy, the people of Rattatak became skilled fighters.

The planet was eventually discovered by Outer Rim explorers. Having not developed spaceflight themselves, the Rattataki were defenseless against the star-people. These explorers were the typical slavers of the outer rim, and they initially thought these strong, warlike folk would be good merchandise. However, the Rattataki proved difficult to capture, difficult to keep captive, and prone to escaping at the earliest opportunity. Still looking for ways to exploit these warriors, one particularly unscrupulous businessman introduced them to the concept of blood sports. Building a large arena called the Cauldron in the planet’s largest city, he made the natural aggression of the Rattataki into a revenue stream, and began inviting offworlders to test their mettle against these savage warriors.

The final major chapter in the history of the planet is their discovery by the Sith. One Darth Vich found the planet, and was impressed by the strength of the Rattataki. He recruited a large number of them to be his personal army, and finding a relatively high incidence of Force-Sensitivity among them, started training them as his personal acolytes. This time on Rattatak was one of relative peace. Wars were reduced to skirmishes as the majority of the strongest combattants were out in the galaxy, serving the Sith. There was a brief time that culture could progress, and yet it remained as it was. The people of Rattatak had no drive to develop beyond what they had, for development in fields other than combat had not been part of their culture at any point in their history. Eventually, Darth Vich was defeated and Rattatak was put under the purview of the Empire. Some balked at this, either leaving for the mercenary life in the galaxy, or starting pockets of resistance on the planet itself. But most accepted it, as they did most things, and continued their way of fighting to live and living to fight.

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Spoiler: Culture

Rattataki culture starts at the tribal level. Though children retain inheritance rights from their parents, they are mostly communally raised. Parents deliver their children into the not-so-tender cares of Guardians. These are generally harsh if not downright cruel taskmasters, who teach children in warcraft from infancy. At ten years old, the children undertake the Kwemeran Jaeran: A trial in the gladiator pits to test their strength. The specifics of the test vary with each iteration and by tribal tradition, but always involve combat. These tests are often a matter of life and death. Victory shows strength, and the child survives. Loss means weakness and thus death. Surviving means a continued existence of combat in the gladiatorial pits, with occasional expeditions to participate in skirmishes.

Strength at arms is the only notable merit in Rattataki culture. As such, they put little to no stock in the creation of non-combat items. Their historical artifacts are invariably weaponry, and everyday items like utensils and storage are utilitarian and unadorned. Most often, crafting of non-combat items is done by pregnant women, the elderly and surviving infirm. In other words those who would be a hindrance on the battlefield. This leads to these items being inexpertly made and disposable.

Rattataki food is similarly unadorned. There is precious little to go around, and what is there is dense in nutrients and flavourless. Since agriculture is restricted to underground lichen, slime-mold colonies and small crop plots, they have to stretch their supplies. Thin soups, hardtack, and rare dried meats are common. The arid planet only allows for few vegetables in the form of hard tubers, root vegetables and bulbuous plants. It is no surprise that Rattataki cuisine finds no export to the wider galaxy.

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Spoiler: Physiology

There is a distinct difference between Rattatak-born and expat Rattataki. On Rattatak, they tend towards wiry, short figures. They hover around human heights, but tend to be slighter and though muscular, do not tend to herculean physiques. They are rather dense and wiry. Those born in the galaxy at large, where food is abundant, are rather different. As their physiology is adapted to extracting maximal nutrition from every meal, expat Rattataki quickly grow larger than their homegrown counterparts. Still, they tend towards power-lifter builds over body builder builds. Rattataki broadly exhibit a very efficient metabolism. As they are used to bare sustenance in their natural environs, the Rattaki body extract nutrients extremely efficiently. This has led to the diaspora Rattataki gaining weight very easily. However, unlike Twi’lek, who view obesity as a sign of wealth, Rattataki consider excess body mass as a sign of laziness. Instead, those Rattataki that gain weight generally lean towards more powerful builds, where mass is concentrated in muscle and powerful physique rather than fat reserves.

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Spoiler: Religion

The Rattataki have no institutionalised system of religion, but there is still a subtle spirituality in the people. Stemming from superstitious beliefs of psychopomps and natural spirits, in the modern day it takes the form of a subtle ancestor worship. No Rattataki would proclaim any being a deity, save for rare zealots that believed Rattatak himself some kind of promised chosen and believe in a return to once again gather the strength of his people and conquer the galaxy. This is a vast minority, however. Most Rattataki one would encounter in the galaxy only appeal to honouring ancestors, and even that is only done through the shedding of blood. The past is an ideal to aspire to, mighty ancestors examples to follow. They build no shrines and hold no ceremonies, but a warrior might beg his ancestors to witness his glories in battle. There also remain superstitions about curses and poor fortunes. Displeasing the ancestors, being cowardly or abandoning one’s duties are believed to be the cause of bad luck, sickness and infirmity. Finally, blood oaths are sworn, considered unbreakable. These oaths are of vengeance, conquest and very rarely brotherhood - for the Rattataki are rarely companionable sorts.

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