Fosh/Legends

Biology and appearance

The Fosh were bird-like creatures with slender torsos and delicate arms ending in four-fingered, talon-like hands that had evolved from wings over tens of thousands of years. Because their bodies were frail, Fosh generally avoided conflict and confrontation. Their necks were particularly vulnerable and were instinctively protected during combat. They were nevertheless agile, typically standing in an avian digitigrade posture, with flay-toed feet suited to jumping.

The Fosh had convex faces ending in beak-like mouths, surrounded by tufts of soft whiskers resembling those of avian birds. Two twisting antennae topped a Fosh's head; their function remains unknown. A feather-lined ridge also projected from the skull. These feathers changed color according to the Fosh's mood: green indicated inquisitiveness, thoughtfulness or amusement, orange signaled happiness, blue meant apathy, and gray represented anger, disgust, irritation or seriousness.

One of the species' most intriguing features was the chemical composition of its tears. Female Fosh, in particular, possessed lacrimal glands that allowed them to modify their tears into a variety of pheromonal substances affecting males during mating. The Sith apprentice Vergere had such control over her tears that, with the aid of the Force, they could be engineered to produce numerous chemical substances, from poisons to healing fluids more potent than bacta.

Society and culture

As a society, the Fosh were highly private, preferring to go unnoticed by the larger galaxy. They generally spoke only when the matter was of great importance, and otherwise were content simply to listen. The Fosh were believed to have a small total population, though this may merely have reflected their reclusive nature in comparison with other species.

The Fosh were, however, skilled in political intrigue; culturally, they were a manipulative species, much like the Bothans, but considerably more devious—many Fosh were indeed bigots who regarded other races as inferior, and sometimes even as toys for their amusement. To accomplish either highly complex or, at times, very simple goals, the Fosh devised plots within plots. They communicated indirectly, seldom disclosing their true desires, and favored riddles and analogies intended to confuse and confound. Consequently, the Fosh were highly self-serving and self-interested, displaying generosity only when it concealed an ulterior motive. They were also aware and wise enough to recognize the dangers inherent in other species, remaining vigilant about self-preservation in their dealings with other races.

History

"We Fosh were never at home among them. We were too few in number. Humankind had filled all the evolutionary gaps, bringing about the extinction of species like mine, which were merely holding a place, a niche in the continuum."

Because of their secretive and private nature, Fosh were rarely seen anywhere in the galaxy. The species may have been among those targeted for extinction by Emperor Palpatine, even as late as a decade before the Clone Wars; by then, the species was considered largely extinct.

The only notable Fosh to affect the galaxy beyond the species' homeworld was Jedi Knight Vergere, who was active during the final decades of the Galactic Republic. After the Yuuzhan Vong attacked Zonama Sekot, Vergere spent many years traveling with the alien invaders, eventually returning to the civilized galaxy with Jacen Solo. Until then, even New Republic Intelligence had been unaware of the species' existence. However, Droma once saw a Fosh in the Corporate Sector.

Behind the scenes

The Fosh depicted in The New Essential Guide to Alien Species have knees that bend like those of a humanoid, although they are said to bend backward like a crane's. As in most vertebrates, however, this joint is actually the ankle rather than the knee.

Notes and references

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• Fosh

Related Categories:- Fosh