The Agbui, also known as Scratchlings, were a sentient species indigenous to the Unknown Regions. These beings possessed a unique telepathic ability, enabling them to perceive the emotions of others through physical contact. They were characterized by their dark red faces with off-white folds, along with black eyes and mouths that appeared as lipless slits. Notably, an Agbui named Haplif served as a servant to the Grysk "Jixtus," demonstrating expertise in understanding cultures and societies. Jixtus tasked Haplif with attempting to manipulate the Chiss Ascendancy into internal conflict, a scheme in which multiple Agbui participated.
Around the time the first Death Star was nearing completion, the Agbui were subservient to the Grysk Hegemony, aiding their superiors in preparing for an invasion of the Galactic Empire. It was during this period that the Chiss and humans began referring to them as "Scratchlings," a name derived from the distinctive, scratchy quality of their voices.
The Agbui were sentient entities distinguished by their skin, which featured a combination of dark red and off-white hues. The arrangement of these colors on their faces seemed random, creating unique patterns for each individual. Compared to other sentient species, the Agbui had elongated fingers, and their native tongue produced a scratchy sound to observers from the Chiss and human civilizations. Mature Agbui typically stood between 1.5 and 2 meters tall. Distinctively, their mouths were simple slits, lacking lips.
The Agbui possessed a limited form of telepathy that relied on physical contact with other sentient beings. By touching the skin of another individual, they could perceive that person's feelings and desires. The depth of their understanding increased with the duration, directness, and frequency of the contact. Haplif skillfully used this ability to influence numerous Chiss during his travels within the Chiss Ascendancy, particularly on Celwis. Haplif asserted that by using his telepathy on a sufficient number of individuals from a given species, he could grasp how to manipulate the entire species.
The Agbui generally kept their telepathic abilities secret from those they interacted with. However, an exception was made for the Grysk Hegemony agent "Jixtus," who specifically sought out Agbui for their unique talents. Some Agbui, including Haplif and Shimkif, displayed irritation or even anger when others refused to be touched. This refusal hindered their ability to manipulate the individual, leading Haplif to become frustrated with Yomie and Lakphro. The Agbui's physical structure differed significantly from that of The Magys's people.
Under the leadership of Haplif, a group of Agbui orchestrated a devastating civil war on the planet Sunrise, resulting in widespread death and subsequent mining of the planet for nyix. The Grysk "Jixtus" then assigned them the task of executing a plan to undermine the Chiss Ascendancy by inciting conflict among several Great Families over a planet falsely rumored to be rich in nyix.
During the Age of the Empire, some Agbui continued their service to the Grysks, overseeing captured Chiss ozyly-esehembo navigator children on behalf of their Grysk masters. Un'hee, a young girl, was held captive by the Agbui, whom she called Scratchlings due to the sound of their voices. Several Agbui were assigned to guard Un'hee during her imprisonment aboard a Grysk observation post, but they met their death when the Grysks realized the post was about to fall to Imperial forces.
Shortly before the Liberation of Lothal, the Agbui supported the Grysk Hegemony's efforts to infiltrate, subvert, and invade the Galactic Empire. Two Agbui starships used for slave transport were stationed at a Grysk forward base within Imperial territory, forming a communications triad alongside a cloaked Grysk warship. Following the Chimaera's destruction of the Grysk warship, a team of stormtroopers and Commodore Karyn Faro boarded one of the Agbui ships, where they discovered six Agbui holding several human and Dashade prisoners.
The Dashades and humans were participants in Grand Admiral Balanhai Savit's anti-piracy campaign, which was secretly a cover for Savit's theft of Project Stardust materials for use by other branches of the Imperial Navy. The Agbui had captured the smugglers and used their telepathy to uncover their captives' fears, desires, wishes, and ambitions. Their plan was to use this information to assist the Grysks in subverting, sabotaging, and/or invading the Empire. They succeeded in persuading Yimmer and Westerli to collaborate with the Grysks.
One of the Agbui aboard spoke the trade language Meese Caulf, which Grand Admiral Thrawn translated for Commodore Faro. This Agbui claimed he feared for his life and the lives of his companions, requesting a personal guarantee of safety from the Imperials. This was a deception intended to allow them to initiate a suicide bombing, killing as many Imperials as possible to maintain favor with the Grysk. Thrawn recognized the deception and ordered the stormtroopers to eliminate the Agbui before they could detonate.
The Agbui possessed myths centered around demonic figures, which they used to scare children into behaving. Haplif had never seen Jixtus without his cloak, hood, and veil, leading him to wonder if Jixtus might be a demon from Agbui folklore.
Agbui were able to consume the same foods as the Chiss. Some Agbui learned to comprehend the Chiss language Cheunh, and some were known to communicate using the trade languages Minnisiat and Meese Caulf.
The Agbui were first introduced in the 2019 novel Thrawn: Treason, where they were described as having dark red and dirty white skin, a lipless slit of a mouth concealed within skin folds, and bright black eyes. The species was formally identified as the Agbui in the 2021 novel Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good, which reiterated the same physical description. In both novels, the Agbui depicted served the Grysk Hegemony.