Kressari

			Intelligent Lifeform Index

Kressari
Four Letter Code	KRES
Federation Status	Neutral
Planet of Origin	Kressari
Encountered	DS9: The Circle
T/E Rating	T0/E0
Current Tech Level	N
List of Named Kressari
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"Only those who can both wonder at and understand the miraculous nature of botany, will truly comprehend the nature of the universe."

a Kressari proverb.

The Kressari are a species of intelligent humanoids who excel at most forms of botanical and agricultural sciences. They are well known as traders in botanical DNA and are interested in purchasing viable samples of any and all botanical sources that are new or unusual to them.

Home System

• Quadrant: Alpha
• Location: Kalandra Sector (coordinates A27-0002-1300??)
• Proper Name: Kressari Novilie system
• Star: It orbits a pair of binary class K (Orange) stars
• Distance from Stars: its orbit is approximately 296 million km from the larger of the two and 352 million km from the smaller star
• Companions: It is the 2nd of 6 planets in the system
• Moons: it has two small and 1 tiny moon

Home World

• Proper Name: Kressari
• Diameter: 14,??? km (9,716 miles)
• Gravity: 0.99 standard gravity with a density of 4.4
• Axial Tilt: 12.7%, with normal seasonal changes
• Orbital Period: 383 days
• Rotational Period: 21 hours
• Classification: M
  • Surface Water: 49%
  • Atmosphere: 1.07% is a standard pressure with 74% nitrogen, 25% oxygen, 1% trace chemicals
  • Climate: Mainly a semi-tropical to temperate planet with a small arctic and tropical zones.
  • Terrain: rolling hills, plains with dense forests, mountains, rugged foothills and brief deserts, swamps and vast rainforests.
  • Population: Just over 8 billion

Sylvana Prime

• Proper Name: Sylvana Prime
• Diameter: 18,546 km (11,524 miles)
• Gravity: 1.3 standard gravity with a density of 5.8
• Axial Tilt: 27°, with more distinct seasonal changes. The tropics are more humid and lush, while the higher latitudes experience colder, harsher winters
• Orbital Period: 415 days
• Rotational Period: 22 hours
• Classification: M
  • Surface Water: 45%
  • Atmosphere: 1.2 atm pressure. Atmospheric Composition: 75% nitrogen, 23% oxygen, 2% trace gases with slightly higher methane composition
  • Climate: Tropical and subtropical zones dominate around the equator with high humidity and warm temperatures ranging from 25°C to 40°C (77°F to 104°F). The seasonal cycles are defined, with wet and dry seasons creating growth booms in plant life. The northern pole is a massive dry tundra that is largely uninhabitable.
  • Terrain: Equatorial regions are dominated by thick, bioluminescent rainforests and immense fungal forests. The underground cave systems stretch for hundreds of kilometers, fostering unique fungi ecosystems. Mountain ranges surround the Verdant Belt, creating natural boundaries, while the northern tundra is a lifeless expanse of frozen desert.
  • Population: ~3.7 billion spread unevenly across the verdant equatorial regions, with heavy concentration in the Verdant Belt and smaller, self-sustaining colonies near natural cave systems and smaller settlements in the south.

Sylvana Prime is a super-Earth teeming with life, its vast, verdant landscapes making it the breadbasket of the entire Kressari solar system. The planet is a haven of lush jungles and expansive cave systems, illuminated by the soft glow of bioluminescent fungi that flourish in its rich, humid climate. At its heart lies the Verdant Belt, a fertile equatorial region where biodiversity thrives and agriculture sustains not only its own population but provides essential resources to neighboring worlds.

Yet, Sylvana Prime is also a planet of stark contrasts. While the southern hemisphere remains lush, the northern pole is a barren, lifeless wasteland. Geological instability, coupled with ancient volcanic activity, has left the north cloaked in a permanent haze of ash and toxic gases. Combined with cold oceanic currents that trap the pole in an icy grip, the land is an unforgiving desert of frost and soot, where nothing can take root.

This planetary duality—fertile and flourishing in the south, barren and desolate in the north—defines the balance of life on Sylvana Prime, a world where nature has shaped civilization’s rise and survival.

History

The Kressari waged a war with the Subytt in the mid-24th century. The Federation mediated the end of the conflict.

Although a politically neutral race with no standing military, elements within the Cardassian Central Command employed Kressari as intermediaries in 2370 to secretly supply the Bajoran insurgence group known as the Alliance for Global Unity (or "the Circle"), so that they would force the Federation from Bajor and allow the Cardassians to reclaim the planet.

Government

In this as with most things the Kressari adhere to some unusual practices. For them only those members of their society who have shown incredible mastery of all forms of botanical sciences is eligible to hold a position of importance within their government.

Description

Since their skin is not as flexible as most other humanoids, Kressari express emotional states through changes in the colors of the irises of their eyes. These colours include black, white, blue, violet and vermillion, with each colour denoting a different emotional state. The colours can also combine, with one surrounding another in concentric rings, to express more complex emotions.

Physiology

As with most intelligent humanoid species they have a very complex system with specialized organs, and unique hormones, chemicals and enzymes. They are typical humanoids with most of the physical, mental and biological medical problems that seem to plague most humanoids.

Psychology

Surprisingly their medical records show almost no tendency towards any of the expected mental health issues that most intelligent humanoid species tend to have to deal with. In fact their records show that less than 1 in 10 million of their people ever suffer from some kind of mental health problem.

Religion

While they do not seem to have a true religion, their all-consuming interest in and devotion to the care and maintenance of all plants, especially those used in their private living spaces does border on devotion and reverence. As a result many experts believe that this universal social custom could be considered the basis of some kind of quasi-religion dedicated to nature and plants.

Mythology

In general, the Kressari do not possess a formal mythology in the traditional sense. However, their culture is rich with fables that emphasize the importance of harmony between people and plants, highlighting the connection between this balance and maintaining a healthy mental and physical state.

On Sylvana Prime, a colony world of the Kressari, a pantheon of gods has been adopted, believed to reside within the fabric of the cosmos. These gods are not necessarily considered real entities but serve as a way to explain natural phenomena in a colloquial and philosophical context. Rather than contradicting scientific evidence, these deities are used in a manner similar to how Humans regard luck—symbolic rather than literal.

Rituals associated with these gods are conducted more as cultural holidays than as genuine offerings, reflecting a blend of tradition and philosophical reflection rather than actual worship.

Gods

M’rathyr the Verdant Reclaimer also known as the Sovereign of Rot

is the Kressari god who embodies death, decay, and rot. Though these aspects might suggest a malign deity, M’rathyr is revered as the ruler of the Kressari pantheon. Within Kressari culture, death is not feared but embraced as a crucial part of the natural cycle of life. M’rathyr oversees this process, ensuring that the deceased return to the soil, nourishing the plants that sustain the living. This cycle of life, death, and renewal is viewed as sacred, and M’rathyr is honored as the patron of this eternal transfer of life from the dead to the living.

Domains:

• Decay and Rot: M’rathyr governs the natural decay of all living things, from the withering of plants to the fungal spread that breaks down the dead.
• Transformation: As a force of transformation, M’rathyr oversees the transition from life to death, ensuring that decay leads to new growth and life.
• Endurance and Patience: The Kressari see M’rathyr as a symbol of endurance, embodying the slow, patient work of decay that eventually gives rise to renewal.

Appearance:

M’rathyr is often depicted as a figure draped in tattered, plant-like robes that seem to be in a constant state of decay, with moss, fungi, and creeping vines growing from their form. Their face is obscured, showing only glimpses of hollow, dark eyes beneath a hood of woven, dying branches. Despite this eerie appearance, M’rathyr exudes a calming presence, reminding the Kressari that decay is simply another step in the cycle of existence.

Symbol:

The symbol of M’rathyr is a spiraling, decayed leaf, half-covered in fungal growth. It represents the endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth, with decay as the crucial turning point.

Role in Kressari Culture:

M’rathyr is honored during times of harvest and at the end of life, as the Kressari believe that death and decay feed the soil for the next generation. During rituals, offerings of decomposing plant matter or fungal spores are made to M’rathyr, asking for their blessing in ensuring that the natural cycle continues without interruption.

Key Beliefs:

• Death as Renewal: The Kressari believe that M’rathyr guides the dead into their next form, whether it’s nourishing the soil or giving rise to new life.
• Respect for Decay: Decay is seen as a sacred process, and the Kressari avoid interfering with it unnecessarily. Composting and allowing natural rot are seen as acts of devotion to M’rathyr.
• Balance: M’rathyr embodies the balance between life and death, ensuring that no part of life is wasted but rather returned to the cycle.

M’rathyr is not feared but respected, seen as a gentle guide who helps the Kressari understand the importance of every phase of life, including its end.

Society

The one common feature of all of their communities and most buildings is the presence of numerous different types of plants, also the presence of countless greenhouses that range from tiny household ones to massive commercial facilities.

Most of their homes are literally more plant than anything else with them being used to create walls between rooms, growing on walls as a kind of covering and filling every space with countless fragrances.

Culture

They are one of the few intelligent humanoid species who do not have a true appreciation for most forms of artistic expression. While they will listen to and enjoy some forms of music their true love is and will always be towards the wonder and beauty that most forms of botanical plant life inspire in them.

Customs

The gifting of rare and exotic plants is considered to be a mandatory aspect of most important ceremonies or gatherings. Most weddings, funerals, births and other important occasions will result in guests arriving with a botanical gift intended to show their respect towards the important occasion and those most involved with it.

Technology

While not as advanced as most member worlds in the Federation they do excel at most botanical and agricultural sciences. As a result their services have been sought out by many species both for planetary terraforming work, revitalization of plant species endangered by one means or another or to create new types of plants designed to survive and flourish in adverse conditions. They have even been known to recreate extinct botanical species.

Economy

While they do have an extensive series of trade routes with both long and short term trades deals with many different species they are primarily known for their commercial trade of botanical DNA.

Kressari freighter

A Kressari freighter was a type of freighter used by the Kressari during the24th century to haul mainly agricultural and floral materials. Many boasted small greenhouses or arboretums.

At least one such freighter was used by the Cardassians to smuggle weapons to the Alliance for Global Unity, an extremist faction on Bajor. In doing so, they hoped the Alliance would banish the Federation from the planet, allowing them to reconquer it.

In 2370 Zef'No, the captain of the freighter Calondon, told Deep Space 9 first officer Li Nalas that the Kressari government would lodge a formal protest over the detention of his vessel by DS9 personnel.

Military

The Kressari do not possess a military. However when they were engaged in a war with the Subytt in the mid-24th century they hired mercenaries, pirates and other species to do their fighting for them.

In 2370, the Cardassians used the Kressari to smuggle weapons to the Circle as a way to destabilize Bajor and keep their involvement secret. Constable Odo of Deep Space 9 was able to infiltrate the Kressari freighter Calondon and obtain proof that the Cardassians were behind the weapons shipments, thus discrediting the Circle.

Federation Intelligence Files

Beginning with the year 2370 Kressari were also frequently seen on the Promenade of space station Deep Space 9 and in Quark's.

In 2370 - though Commander Sisko erroneously referred to them as the Yridians during the first Maquis crisis.

Gul Benil was suspected to have connections to the Kressari.

In the year 2354, Darrah Mace made a rendezvous with the Kressari.

As a lieutenant, Liam O'Donnell once spent time among the Kressari.

Kressari system

Kressari was a binary star system in the Kalandra sector of the Milky Way Galaxy's Alpha Quadrant. The Kressari system formed part of the Galador Corridor along with Farius, Kotaki, and the Klaestron system.

Calondon

The Calondon was a Kressari freighter in service in the late 24th century. She was commanded by Zef'No. In 2370, the Calondon ferried contraband material from the Cardassians to the Circle, a Bajoran faction who sought isolation and autonomy for their people.

Shing-kur

Shing-kur was a female Kressari who lived in the 24th century. After being imprisoned by the Cardassians in the Letau prison facility, she became Iliana Ghemor's closest lieutenant and confidant. She was the only one of Ghemor's group that knew her true identity.

Shing-kur was once an independent bio-research scientist (and was considered a genius) and lived on a planet in the Demilitarized Zone. In the year 2370, she was arrested by the Cardassians on suspicion of espionage and conspiracy and imprisoned in Letau. Shing-kur spent the next five years in prison.

In 2375, during the Battle of Cardassia, Letau came under attack by the Jem'Hadar and a Romulan vessel was forced down, damaging the facility. Ghemor deactivated the force fields in one of the cellblocks where Shing-kur was imprisoned. Joined by Telal and Zhag, she encountered Ghemor, then appearing to be Bajoran, and Rokai as they made their way through the facility. Shing-kur was with Ghemor when she learned her true identity and promised not to reveal it to the others. Shing-kur later transported to Harkoum with Ghemor, Telal, Mazagalanthi and Fellen Ni-Yaleii.

After establishing Grennokar on Harkoum as their base of operations, Shing-kur used Cardassian technology to establish control over Taran'atar. Shing-kur also spearheaded the plan to assassinate Intendant Kira Nerys and have Ghemor take her place.

In 2377, Shing-kur, Telal, Mazagalanthi and Fellen Ni-Yaleii were captured by the crew of the USS Defiant on Harkoum and brought to Deep Space 9 for interrogation. After Cenn Desca revealed to Telal, Mazagalanthi and Fellen Ni-Yaleii of Ghemor's true identity, Shing-kur activated implants in their brains that released a neurotoxin that killed them. After Kira Nerys and the mirror universe Iliana Ghemor arrived to question her, Shing-kur gave a message to them from Ghemor, simply telling them "Trakor's First Prophecy". The mirror universe Ghemor identified the toxin and deactivated the implant, so when Shing-kur attempted to commit suicide, she was unable to.

Several days later, Shing-kur was still being held aboard Deep Space 9.

Sources

Both Memory Alpha and Memory Beta were used as referances as well as the following TV episodes: DS9: The Circle, DS9: Necessary Evil, DS9: Rivals, DS9: The Maquis, Part I, DS9: The Maquis, Part II, DS9: The Wire, DS9: The Collaborator, DS9: Tribunal, DS9: Equilibrium, DS9: The Abandoned, DS9: Defiant, DS9: Life Support, DS9: Heart of Stone, DS9: Distant Voices, DS9: Explorers, DS9: The Visitor, DS9: Hippocratic Oath, DS9: Rejoined, DS9: Bar Association, DS9: Let He Who Is Without Sin..., DS9: Business as Usual, DS9: Ferengi Love Songs, DS9: Behind the Lines, DS9: The Sound of Her Voice, DS9: Prodigal Daughter, DS9: Field of Fire, DS9: Chimera, DS9: 'Til Death Do Us Part and DS9: The Changing Face of Evil.

Also used are the following written sources DS9 novel: Fearful Symmetry, DS9 novel: The Soul Key, DS9 novel: Sacraments of Fire, ST - Terok Nor novel: Night of the Wolves, VOY novel: Children of the Storm and the TNG - Perchance to Dream comic: To Take Arms Against a Sea of Troubles.

Last of all the following ST references were used: Star Trek, Star Charts, page 47, CCG set: Rules of Acquisition and the CCG reference: All Good Things.

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 Memory Alpha

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