Topic: The Ho'Din

[Cimter]

INFO: Ho'Din are found in many parts of the galaxy, although, when traveling to other worlds, they will usually take an oxygen supply (although some individuals can adapt to atmospheres less oxygen-rich than their own), and some of the more adventurous Ho'Din take up residence on other planets. Their great beauty (appreciated by many, though not by all, species) often leads to successful careers in modeling or entertainment.

However, most Ho'Din that are encountered will be interested in botany, and Ho'Din botanists are continually scouring the galaxy looking for plants that may be useful in their research.


RACE: Ho'Din
HEIGHT: 2.5 to 3 Meters Tall
SKIN: Green, yellow, blue, orange
DISTINCTION: Snake-like "hair"
LANGUAGE: Ho'Din

HOMEWORLD:
Moltok was a planet located in the Atrivis sector of the Outer Rim Territories. Orbiting close to its sun, the planet was quite warm, kept habitable only by the shielding action of active volcanoes. Beneath the ash they spewed forth, moist rain-forests covered the planet, home to a countless array of plant species. The planet was home to two sentient races, the Ho'Din and the Makurth. The former were known throughout the galaxy for their botanical skills, while the latter often found employment as bodyguards in the criminal underworld.



The planet was part of galactic society from at least 5,000 BBY, with its natives participating in the Great Hyperspace War, Mandalorian Wars and the New Sith Wars. Moltok almost faced ecological disaster in 300 BBY when the Ho'Din began clearing large swathes of land for new industry. This led to a plague that could have spelled the extinction of the Ho'Din, had they not created a herbal remedy. Please see post below for further info on the planet.

BIOLOGY AND APPEARANCE:
The Ho'Din people were tall, green-skinned humanoids native to the planet Moltok. Ho'Din had suction cup-tipped fingers used for climbing trees, and red-violet snake-like "hair" on their heads which acted as thermal sensors. They claimed to have evolved from plants—in fact, "Ho'Din" translated as "walking flower" in Basic. Their claims to botanical origins was probably a consequence of the nature-worshipping religion most Ho'Din followed, known as [Dinante Fli'R]. Most non-Ho'Din scientists found such claims unlikely, classifying them as reptilian instead. Whatever their origins, the Ho'Din were among the galaxy's greatest botanists and ecologists. Master Gardener was a title of respect among them.



CULTURE AND HISTORY:
5000 BBY a female Ho'Din going by the name of Lohjoy served the Sith Empire as a starship engineer.

Around 300 BBY, the tree-dwelling Ho'Din gave up their low-technology lifestyle and moved to the forest floor. There, they began mining, farming, and manufacturing. However, their understanding of ecology was rudimentary, and they did not foresee the consequences of deforestation. The decay organisms which formerly accelerated the decay of plant life on the forest floor became parasites which caused disease and malnourishment in their Ho'Din hosts. The Ho'Din were forced back to the trees, where they refocused their resources on ecological and botanical research. Ho'Din referred to this period as the "Great Rape of the Land."

The Ho'Din eventually developed herbal therapies which rid themselves of parasites. Their pharmacological techniques, combined with the eventual restoration of Moltok's ecosystem, allowed them to survive and prosper as a civilization. Other forms of technology were strictly regulated on Moltok, though off-world Ho'Din accepted them as a necessary evil when used on other, already "damaged", planets. Exports of Ho'Din plants and medicines made Moltok a very wealthy planet. Much of this wealth was spent in rejuvenating planets with damaged ecosystems, or creating "garden worlds" where all could commune with nature. Reverence for nature dominated Ho'Din society, with the [Dinante Fli'R] priests ruling Moltok.

IN THE GALAXY:
Most Ho'Din who lived away from Moltok were botanists. A few took advantage of their natural beauty and grace to become models or dancers. Many Ho'Din tended to be vain about their personal appearance.

The healer and botanist Baji and the smuggler Par'tah were Ho'Din. Two Ho'Din Jedi survived the Clone Wars and escaped Order 66—the Jedi Knight Iwo Kulka (who died later in the Great Jedi Purge), and Plett, a Jedi Master who escaped to Belsavis.

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Ho'Din were mostly left alone by the Yuuzhan Vong. This was primarily due to the Ho'Din's aversion to technology and reverence for plant life, but may have also been influenced by the Ho'Din's similarity to the Shapers.

APPEARANCES:
Lost Tribe of the Sith: Precipice
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Commencement
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 9: Flashpoint Interlude: Homecoming (Appears in hologram)
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 16: Nights of Anger, Part 1 (Vision to Raana Tey)
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 25: Vector, Part 1 (Appears in hologram)
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 44: The Reaping, Part 2
Marked
Star Wars: Jango Fett
Episode I Adventures 5: The Ghostling Children
MedStar II: Jedi Healer
Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
Star Wars Dark Times 7: Parallels, Part 2 (Appears in flashback(s))
Coruscant Nights I: Jedi Twilight
Rookies: Rendezvous
"Spare Parts" - Star Wars Adventure Journal 11
"The Quality of Mercy" - Star Wars Adventure Journal 1
Child of Light
Shadows of the Empire novel
The Lost City of the Jedi
Queen of the Empire
The Last Command (First appearance)
Children of the Jedi
Planet of Twilight
Vision of the Future
Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial
Balance Point
Edge of Victory II: Rebirth
Star by Star
The Unifying Force
Betrayal
Tempest
Millennium Falcon
Star Wars Legacy 42: Divided Loyalties

SOURCES:
Galaxy Guide 4: Alien Races (First mentioned)
Galaxy Guide 7: Mos Eisley
Cracken's Rebel Operatives
Alliance Intelligence Reports
Star Wars Encyclopedia
No Disintegrations
Star Wars Gamemaster Screens
Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook
The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
"Counterstrike" - Star Wars Adventure Journal 8
"The Smuggler's Alliance" - Star Wars Gamer 3
"Ships of the Smuggler's Alliance" - Star Wars Gamer 4
The Essential Guide to Alien Species
The New Essential Chronology
Ultimate Alien Anthology
Coruscant and the Core Worlds
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji
The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

I would like to thank Wookieepedia for this info.

[Cimter]

HOMEWORLD:
Moltok was one of the inner planets of the Dartibek system located within the Atrivis sector of the Outer Rim Territories. It had such a swift orbit that on a planet of its proximity to a star, the atmospheric temperatures would typically be intolerable for life; however, Moltok had a number of active volcanoes that spewed ash into its skies. This layer shielded the planet from the worst of the heat, bringing its temperatures within a comfortable range. This ash also caused diffraction at dawn and dusk, creating brilliant shades of crimson in the sky. In the lower latitudes of the planet, the temperature reached up to 113 standard degrees during the day. There were occasional cold spells on Moltok, which caused the reptilian species on the planet to enter hibernation, and Moltok had such a high degree of axial tilt that the polar regions of the planet were significantly cooler than equatorial regions and inhospitable to the Ho'Din.

The oxygen-rich world was covered in rain-forests of huge trees, within which varying amounts of light produced distinct layers. In the upper levels grew leafy greens, a staple diet for the native Ho'Din, as well as huge aerial vines that were fashioned into walkways and structural supports for the arboreal sentients. Enormous flowers up to several meters across also grew there, ranging in coloration from dark black to pale pink. On lower levels of the forests carnivorous plants grew, used by the Ho'Din as sentries to control insects and pests. Further down, the forest floor of Moltok teemed with organisms specializing in the breakdown of decaying matter. This action replenished the soil, ensuring the huge trees had adequate nourishment. Of particular note were the wuppa—its giant flowers of red and violet were reminiscent of Ho'Din tresses—and the Camba-Fruit.

Two reptilian sentient species evolved on Moltok; the Makurth and the Ho'Din. The Ho'Din were active in galactic society from as early as 5,000 BBY, when Lohjoy served as an engineer for the Sith Empire during the Great Hyperspace War. Later, members of the Ho'Din also served the Galactic Republic, as in 3,964 BBY, when Oojoh trained as a Jedi Knight on the Outer Rim world Taris, and Lieutenant Rutu served in the Republic Navy during the Mandalorian Wars. Makurth were found offworld by 1,000 BBY when at least one participated in the New Sith Wars.

In 300 BBY, the arboreal Ho'Din began to shift to a more industrial society. This required widespread clearing of the planet's forest to make way for factories, cities, mines and farms. As certain flora became extinct, the aggressive organisms on the forest floor were forced to adapt; the parasites found a new home within Ho'Din digestive tracts. The Ho'Din suffered greatly from this parasite as it drained them of nourishment, eventually forcing them to withdraw back to the forests. After decades of research, the Ho'Din were able to overcome the parasite through herbal remedies; however, the experience had transformed them. The period of their strip-clearing became known as the "Great Rape of the Land," and the Ho'Din worked hard to restore the natural habitats of their planet.

This restoration was supported by their dominant religion, [Dinante Fli'R]. It described the Ho'Din evolving from mobile plants and later being transformed into animals as retribution for their sins against nature. Nature was considered a passive force known as [Dinegia]. The religion further taught that if the Ho'Din acted as good stewards of their environment they would fulfill [Flik'a kirki] and be reborn as plants. The priest of [Dinante Fli'R] became the main civic rulers of Moltok, and erased records of the advances in technology produced by Ho'Din in their strip-clearing years. They also ensured that what little technology was on the planet was strictly controlled. Crumbling ruins of the old factories and cities were the only reminder of this time. This repression led some Ho'Din to develop a fascination for technology.

The focus on botanical sciences bore fruit for the inhabitants of Moltok, as they were able to export their herbal medicines to the galaxy. Such Ho'Din products included Distilled Water of Moltokian Camba-Fruit and Ho'Din herbal teas. These strong exports, coupled with the minimal imports to the world, made it one of the richest planets in the galactic market. This wealth was frequently used to sponsor botanical projects on worlds struck by disasters, and to terraform other planets into "gardens" to enable other beings to commune with nature. Ho'Din also transported rare plants back to Moltok for botanists to study in greenhouses. Other studies that took place on Moltok included simulating the life cycle of the winged-stars of Caluula.

LIFE ON MOLTOK:
The Ho'Din were bipedal reptilians of green and yellow coloration, averaging between 2.5 and 3 meters in height. They had a lipless mouth, two bulging dark eyes, and their heads were topped with red and violent tresses that functioned as thermographic sensors. Ho'Din had four-fingered hands with suction pads that aided the arboreal sentients in climbing. The average Ho'Din lifespan was 120 years, reaching sexual maturity at age 30.

The [Dinante Fli'R] church was very important in Ho'Din life. Its consent was required for Ho'Din marriage, and the priestesses played a key intermediary role in the reproductive process, transferring the "seed of life" from the male to the female in imitation of insect facilitated pollination. Younglings produced outside this ceremony were drugged and sacrificed to the organisms of the forest floor. Dead of all ages were likewise deposited on the forest floor to nourish further life.

Many Ho'Din became botanists renown throughout the galaxy, such as Master Gardener Spero and the Jedi Master Plett who settled on Belsavis. However, a number became radical environmentalists, using their skills in acts of eco-terrorism. These included Ort Hoogra-D'En, Maki Salak, and Yansan.

The other life on Malkoth were the Makurth who are bipedal saurians, covered in green scales and with four prominent curved horns on their heads. They were nocturnal creatures, prone to snorting and flaring their nostrils in order to intimidate opponents. The carnivores also had a terrifying scream that they uttered before entering combat. Makurth found frequent employment with the criminal syndicate Black Sun as bodyguards. A notable Makurth was Fohargh, who trained as a Sith apprentice at the Brotherhood of Darkness Academy on Korriban. He was killed in a duel with the future Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Bane.

[Cimter]

RELIGION:
[Dinante Fli'R] was the nature-worshipping religion which most of the Ho'Din people followed. In their belief, the Ho'Din were originally mobile plants, but they were transformed into animals as punishment for their sins against the [Dinegia], or passive force of nature. Only by acting as stewards of their natural environment could they complete the [Flik'a kirki], or "Virtuous Circle of Nature". If they did this, they would be reborn as plants.

Ho'Din customs mirrored these beliefs. For example, children were conceived only via artificial insemination, in a ceremony which mimicked the pollinization of plants by insects. Ho'Din funerary customs involved returning the dead to the forest floor as a gift to the soil.

The priests of the [Dinante Fli'R] also acted as the government of Moltok, the Ho'Din homeworld.