Star Wars Universe Roleplaying Game

Pau'an

Pau'ans are a tall, gaunt Species of long-lived humanoids native to the sinkhole world of Utapau. With gray, deeply furrowed skin, sunken eyes, and mouths full of sharp carnivorous teeth, they cut an intimidating silhouette to most offworlders—yet their true nature is far more nuanced than their appearance suggests. Known as the "Ancients" due to their extraordinary life spans measured in centuries, Pau'ans often carry the weight of generations of memory, political change, and social responsibility on their narrow shoulders.

For much of their early history, Pau'an civilization was established on Utapau’s windswept surface. Over time, catastrophic shifts in the planet’s climate turned the surface into a near-constant storm of hyperwinds, powerful enough to scour structures and flesh alike. Faced with extinction, the Pau'ans migrated downward into vast natural sinkholes and cavern systems, creating layered cities built into the walls and floors of these immense chasms. There, they adapted to dim light, vertical architecture, and a social structure that depended on cooperation with the smaller native Utai, forming the dual-people identity sometimes referred to collectively as "Utapauns."

Despite their predatory features and preference for raw meat, Pau'ans are not mindless brutes. They are deliberate, thoughtful, and often deeply diplomatic, balancing their carnivorous biology and intimidating presence with centuries-honed traditions of negotiation, city governance, and inter-species cooperation. From overseeing sinkhole starports to managing delicate arrangements with galactic powers, Pau'ans have long walked the line between survival, hospitality, and self-defense in a galaxy that often judges them by their fearsome looks alone.

Home Planet: Utapau
Physical Description: Pau'ans are tall, slender humanoids, usually standing around 1.9 meters in height with lean, almost skeletal builds. Their skin is a pale to ash-gray tone, deeply lined and wrinkled, giving even younger adults an ancient, weathered appearance. Their eyes are sunken and dark, set into narrow sockets that enhance their somewhat eerie, skull-like facial structure. Rows of sharp, jagged teeth and a thin-lipped mouth mark them unmistakably as carnivores, and their soft, gravelly voices only add to their unsettling aura for those unfamiliar with their kind. They are completely hairless and have long, bony fingers that end in pointed nails reminiscent of talons, which make them well-suited to fine manipulation, ritual gestures, and the precise, ceremonial movements common in Pau'an leadership roles. Adapted to a life in sinkhole cities and dimly lit caverns, Pau'ans are more comfortable in low-light environments than under harsh glare, and many wear ear coverings to shield their hypersensitive hearing from sudden noise. Although their frames appear frail, they move with a measured, deliberate grace that suggests practiced control rather than brute physicality.

Average Height: 1.9 meters
Average Weight: 70 kilograms
Age of Adulthood: 31 years

Personality & Customs: Pau'ans are, by temperament, calm, patient, and outwardly composed. Their great longevity encourages a long-term view of events, and many Pau'ans develop an instinctive sense for timing, politics, and subtle shifts in social currents. They tend to be courteous and welcoming toward offworlders, prizing diplomacy and hospitality despite their daunting appearance. Harsh winds, environmental upheaval, and the need to cooperate with other Species in tight sinkhole communities have taught them that survival often depends more on alliances and careful leadership than on raw force. Culturally, Pau'ans value experience, memory, and continuity. Elders, administrators, and seasoned negotiators often occupy positions of authority for decades or even centuries, guiding cities, trade, and planetary relations through multiple galactic eras. They typically favor measured speech, formal introductions, and ritualized politeness when dealing with outsiders, even while quietly assessing potential threats or opportunities. Their preference for raw meat, nocturnal or low-light living, and cavern-dwelling aesthetics can appear macabre to visitors, but among Pau'ans these habits are simply practical traditions shaped by their environment. While generally friendly and fair, Pau'ans are not naïve. They remember betrayals and political compromises keenly, and some see the rise and fall of regimes—Republic, Separatist, and Empire alike—as proof that only careful, locally anchored leadership can truly safeguard Utapau. Adventuring Pau'ans often step into roles as negotiators, officers, governors, or spokespeople, using their presence, insight, and centuries of cultural discipline to guide allies through crises both political and military.

Languages: Utapese, Basic

Example Names: Tion Medon, Timon Medon, Lampay Fay