Chiss Society / Hierarchy

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The Chiss (Thrawn's species) occupy a corner of the Star Wars galaxy known as 'Unknown Space', so far away from the galaxy's core as to be thought of as myth or legend to all but the most far-flung people.

To the Chiss, they call their portion of space the Chaos, for good reason: their homeworlds are surrounded by black holes, supernovas, and gravity wells, making it incredibly difficult to chart a direct hyperspeed route to anywhere close to other occupied territories. This has served both to protect the Chiss from the greater galaxy and to isolate them. As such, they have a very rigid, isolationist view of things, preferring to keep to themselves and not offer any aid or support to other species.


The Chiss are collectively ruled by the Ascendancy, a collection of aristocratic Ruling Families (sometimes as few as one or as many as twelve). The Ruling Families command everything from military action to governing their collective people, to the economy, based on their wealth, their number, and their importance to bringing prestige and honor to the Chiss as a whole. They also serve to keep one another in check: often there will be strong political motivation to sabotage another Family increase the importance and ranking of one's own Family.

Some important bodies of government and military in the Chiss Ascendancy:
-The Syndicure, the executive and legislative branches of the Ascendancy.
-The Aristocra - a group within the Syndicure that includes representation from all the Great Families (ranked below the Ruling Families).
-The Chiss Defense Force, the military

These Families are hierarchies as well; one can be born into them or adopted into them, and each person in one of these families holds a rank denoting their importance to the head of their respective ruling head. Further, each Ruling Family tends to specialize in something they wish to hone in their members: the Mitth Family, for example, places emphasis on turning out exemplary military commanders.

There are five ranks: some are granted by circumstances of birth and some by invitation by proving themselves worthy.

In order of importance:
-Blood (born a full-blooded child of a Ruling Family)

-Cousin (an elevated status, similar powers of Blood without being born to that rank)

-Ranking distant (Trial-born who have been granted the honor of having their bloodline incorporated into the family. Their children will be forever blood-born)

-Trial-born (Merit-adoptives who wish to elevate their status in the Family can ask to take the Trials. Each Trial is different for each Family depending on what the Patriarch wishes it to be. They can also be asked to join the family at the rank of Trial Born, although this is rare.

-Merit-adoptive. (A probationary rank, typically offered to young Chiss who show promise in their careers. They are offered an invitation to be adopted into a higher-ranked Ruling Family and are given a name change and a rematching ceremony).


Within the Families there are also:

The Patriarch (head of the Ruling Family)
The Speaker (chief Syndic)
The Syndics (members of the Syndicure)
The Patriel (handler of family affairs per-planet)
The Councilors (handlers of family affairs locally)
The Aristocra (members of the Aristocra governing body)