User:Val`a Forh/Banasthaur

Banasthaur
Homeworld	Banasthau (lost planet)
Language	Banasthi, Basic
Average Height	≈1.5 meters
Skin color	Pale to dark brown, red to yellow, blue to green
Hair color	Red, blonde, brown, black, blue
Distinctions	Bipedal mammalian primates, insectoid wings, tail, regeneration
Average lifespan	Millennia

The Banasthaur are a race of near-Diathim predating the Rakata by millennia.

Biology and appearance

Banasthaur are bipedal humanoid mammals which evolved from a tree-dwelling species. They have two arms and two legs, each ending in five digits. Banasthaur have two bairs of breasts, though only the upper pair are developed on females. Their spines end with split tails of varying functionality. A Banasthaur's wings can regenerate if damaged or amputated. Banasthaur have unusually long lifespans, since they do not appear to die of old age. However, they are prone to diseases which can be fatal if untreated.

There are two major varieties of Banasthaur. The first variety is characterized by its large wings, which are capable of flight, and half-meter long tails of limited functionality. The second variety, thought to be extinct, was flightless due to its smaller wings, but had a prehensile tail which was as long as their body.

Society and culture

According to legend, and confirmed by Val`a Forh, the Banasthaur were a peaceful people prior to the rise of the Infinite Empire. Many had lived as farmers and hunters, living in small tribes of about two or three dozen. Banasthaur were aware of the Force, which was heavily incorporated into their polytheistic Bendu religion. Familial connections were forbidden, and Banasthaur younglings were raised by the entire tribe and were never told who their parents were.

Following their enslavement, the Banasthaur managed to maintain their religion and traditions. However, many Banasthaur were brainwashed to become warriors for the Rakata. Nothing is known of Banasthaur culture following the fall of the Rakata.

History

Both sub-races of Banasthaur lived peaceful lives on their homeworld of Banasthau for millennia. Banasthau was one of the many worlds conquered by the Infinite Empire, and the entire Banasthaur race was enslaved. The flightless sub-race apparently died out over the thousand years, but the large-winged variety became a valued asset to the Rakata, who forced members to become airborne soldiers. This led to disdain for the Banasthaur among the other slave races, which may have led the Banasthaur to exile themselves following the fall of the Infinite Empire. The Banasthaur were largely forgotten by the galaxy and eventually came to be regarded as myths. While many relics of the Rakata had remained in the millennia that followed, relatively little existed to prove the existence of the Banasthaur.

This changed during the Second Galactic Civil War, when a single live individual, as well as an Esh-kha and several dozen Rakata, were discovered aboard a derelict Rakata ship which had been orbiting a black hole since ancient times. Due to time dilation cause by the black hole, those on the ship had aged only a year.