Spilferithimus-narlamos

Spilferithimus-narlamos, known as Spilfer, belonged to the Squib species, a diminutive race with a penchant for trash. He journeyed with his species' Reclamation Fleet, amassing refuse discarded by starships before their transition to lightspeed. Through the examination of Basic examples found among the collected debris, he acquired knowledge of that language. He ascended through the ranks of his species' government, the Squib Polyanarchy, ultimately attaining the position of diplomat stationed aboard the Thrifty, the Momship of the fleet.

Sometime between the years 0 ABY and 2 ABY, the Thrifty made its way to the Dankayo system to gather the refuse jettisoned from the Elusive, an Imperial Armored Transport that they had been tracking thanks to the efforts of Dono, a Squib spy embedded on board. During this time, they observed a battle unfolding between the forces of the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Galactic Empire. The Squibs took note of the Rebels damaging the Elusive before it jumped to hyperspace, as well as the Rebels' attempts to scan the starship's trajectory to track it to its next destination. The Squibs initiated the collection of the Elusive's refuse using tractor beams, but their efforts were disrupted by the arrival of Salvage Dreadnoughts piloted by the Ugors, the Squibs' long-standing adversaries, who opened fire on both the Squibs and the Rebels. The Ugor vessels gathered as much garbage as they could while simultaneously fending off the other vessels before escaping into hyperspace.

With the situation stabilized, the Squibs recognized an opportunity to create chaos for their enemies, the Ugors. The Rebels' scanning efforts indicated their desire to follow the Elusive to its next destination, and Dono was poised to transmit the coordinates of the Elusive so that the Reclamation Fleet could locate it once more. The Squibs could barter the coordinates to the Rebels in exchange for a small task: venturing to the Ugors' home, the Paradise system, pilfering a significant artifact, and throwing the entire star system into disarray. Consequently, upon receiving Dono's hail on a pirate-band channel, the Squibs rebroadcast it on an open frequency to ensure the Rebels would overhear. The Squib spy mentioned that the ship had established its new destination and that the coordinates would be transmitted shortly. The Squibs then hailed the Rebels and invited them aboard the Momship to speak of Chieftain of All Junkyards to bargain for the coordinates.

During the audience, the Chieftain, King Ebareebaveebeedee, pledged to reveal the whereabouts of the Elusive on the condition that the Rebels travel to the Paradise system to retrieve a "quest object"—in reality, a gravity well projector from the wreckage of the Empire's destroyed Death Star battle station, which was preventing the junk-filled expanses of the Paradise system from collapsing into chaos. The King deliberately kept the object's identity ambiguous and dispatched Spilferithimus-narlamos to guide the Rebels to it as the "Special-Ambassador-to-big-guys-who-are-not-Imperials."

Spilferithimus-narlamos boarded the Rebels' ship, a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle known as the Bonderium. Despite encountering some communication challenges due to his pronounced accent when speaking Basic, the Squib directed the Rebels to a star system identified as J21-Z64 by the ship's computers, but referred to as Paradise by the Squibs and Ugors. Upon their arrival, the Ugors greeted them as religious "pilgrims" and dispatched a dreadnought to dock with the Rebel ship. Spilferithimus-narlamos, aware of the severe repercussions that would follow if he were discovered, concealed himself. Three Ugors boarded the ship and escorted the Rebels aboard their vessel to collect the appropriate "ceremonial donation" required for permission to navigate the system. From his hiding place, Spilferithimus-narlamos felt an overwhelming desire to participate in the haggling he knew was taking place across the cofferdam. Therefore, he donned a disguise—a Human-sized blast helmet and tech-suit—and boarded the Ugor vessel. Once there, he engaged in a lively round of bargaining with the Ugors, successfully persuading the officials to grant the outsiders access to their system for a mere twelve credits in total. The Ugor Tax Chaplain GrrKack removed his glove to seal the deal with a handshake, but Spilferithimus-narlamos recoiled at the sight of the pseudopod. The appendage transformed into three eyestalks, enabling GrrKack to identify the negotiator as a Squib. The Ugors denounced the Squib as the "veritable pseudopod of the Anti-Prophet" and threatened to sacrifice him on the altar of the Angel of Taxations and Imports. Fortunately for the Squib, the Rebels swiftly negotiated for his life, securing passage for Spilferithimus-narlamos by paying a substantial "exorcism fee" and preparing a gourmet feast for the Ugors based on instructions provided by L9-G8, a cooking droid aboard their vessel.

Spilferithimus-narlamos guided the Rebels' ship through the debris-strewn system to a burnt-out hulk of debris from the Empire's destroyed Death Star, announcing their arrival at the location of the "quest-object." Despite the Rebels' shock at the prospect of hauling away such a massive piece of scrap, he clarified that the object of their quest was actually located within the hulk. Despite the presence of numerous Ugor ships guarding the wreckage—considered their Holiest of Holies by the natives—the Rebel ship slipped past the patrols and landed on the wreckage.

The hulk still possessed artificial gravity but lacked breathable air. Spilferithimus-narlamos and the others donned breath masks, and the Squib led them through the labyrinthine remnants of corridors and chambers. Along the way, the Squib diplomat filled his pouches with vast quantities of refuse, becoming suspicious that the Rebels allowed him to do so without competing with him for the most desirable pieces. Spilferithimus-narlamos led the group through the remnants of a stormtrooper locker room, assisted the Rebels in surviving an encounter with rogue, power-seeking automata known as Void Droids, and guided them through the personal chambers of Darth Vader, a Dark Lord of the Sith who had been stationed aboard the Death Star prior to its destruction. Eventually, the group reached the remnants of a garbage masher. There, Spilferithimus-narlamos was overjoyed by the abundance of garbage and busied himself retrieving items with his garbage grabber, filling his collection pouches. A dianoga in the water wrapped a tentacle around the Squib and attempted to strangle him. Initially, the Rebels dismissed Spilferithimus-narlamos's screams as excitement over the detritus, but they eventually recognized the danger and rescued the ambassador.

Spilferithimus-narlamos then led the group to the center of the hulk, where the gravity well projector was located, powered by Ugorian power plants. The Squib suggested they take it quickly before the Ugors arrived. He then produced a long tool and struck the projector, triggering an alarm. Spilferithimus-narlamos then closed his eyes and randomly selected a dial to turn, only to have the knob come off in his hand. Nevertheless, the siren ceased, and a green light illuminated within the device. Spilferithimus-narlamos pocketed the knob. He led the Rebels back toward their ship as the Paradise system began to collapse into chaos, deprived of the one element that had maintained its order.

Before they could board their ship, the Squib and the Rebels were attacked by pirates led by a Human woman named Teehl, who worked for Jabba the Hutt, a crime lord who also sought the projector. The Rebels convinced the droid L9-G8 to maneuver the ship closer and use its tractor beam to latch onto the gravity well projector, thereby pulling it—along with the Rebels holding onto it—into the vessel and away from the assailants. The Rebels fled the Paradise system, which was now transforming into an obstacle course after being stripped of its artificial focus. Spilferithimus-narlamos manned the ship's tractor beams to deflect junk that threatened the vessel. Nevertheless, four Ugor dreadnoughts attacked the group, enraged by the theft of the projector, which they considered a religious artifact known as the Prime Mover. The Rebels avoided destruction and prepared to jump to hyperspace when a fleet of Squib needle ships—including the Momship, Thrifty—arrived and began swiping up garbage. The Ugors retreated.

King Ebareebaveebeedee hailed the Rebels and invited them aboard the Momship. There, he accepted the gravity well projector and revealed to the Rebels the coordinates of the Elusive, which was undergoing repairs at the Tolan Navy Yards and scheduled to depart for the Imperial Intelligence Operations Center on the planet Coronar. The King also agreed to let the Rebels have the gravity well projector in exchange for salvage rights to the soon-to-be-destroyed Elusive. In closing, he gave the Rebels a sealed datapack for them to open only after their mission was completed. The Rebels used the projector to yank the Elusive from hyperspace and destroy it. When they opened the King's parting gift, it broadcast a gigantic hologram of the Squib leader, who declared a pact of mutual support between the Squib Polyanarchy and the Alliance to Restore the Republic, with Spilferithimus-narlamos attesting to the agreement.

Spilferithimus-narlamos was a male Squib characterized by his blue fur and a dark nose. During his mission to the Paradise system, which took place sometime between 0 and 2 ABY, Spilferithimus-narlamos was still relatively young for a Squib. Standing at 0.97 meters tall, he was somewhat shorter than average for his species and quite small by Human standards. As a result, Spilferithimus-narlamos possessed limited physical strength. Nevertheless, he compensated for his small stature with agility, alertness, and reflexes that enabled him to evade harmful attacks. He demonstrated proficiency in bargaining, fast-talking, and searching, and he was a skilled operator of tractor beams. As a diplomat, Spilferithimus-narlamos spoke Basic, although he overestimated his level of fluency, unaware of the comprehension issues caused by his pronounced accent.

Spilferithimus-narlamos aspired to gain recognition from his fellow Squibs by "securing the best deals." In his role as a diplomat, he held the authority to sign treaties that were binding for the entire Squib species. He wore a formal Fizz-Pop Cap (with foil cluster) as a symbol of his office. Spilferithimus-narlamos adorned his body with pouches and pockets—considered "clothing" only loosely—that conformed to his species' sense of fashion. These bags and satchels allowed the Squib to indulge his inclination for collecting random pieces of junk that caught his attention; in fact, the sight of large quantities of garbage filled the Squib with joy, and he was highly suspicious of anyone who did not share his enthusiasm for collecting it. He had no qualms about begging people to give him items they possessed, and he tended to favor those who yielded to his persistence. The diplomat carried a garbage grabber slung across his right shoulder to assist him in this task. Although the device appeared menacing, it simply enabled him to retrieve distant pieces of detritus using its built-in tractor beam. Spilferithimus-narlamos carried a small blaster pistol plated in tin for personal defense; the weapon resembled a toy and was ineffective beyond short range. Although he considered the Ugor-controlled Paradise system to be a paradise in every sense of the word, he shared his species' fundamental aversion to the Ugors. Indeed, Spilferithimus-narlamos recoiled at the mere thought of touching a member of the unicellular species.

Author Brad Freeman introduced Spilferithimus-narlamos in Scavenger Hunt, an adventure published in 1989 for the first edition of West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. His portrait was drawn by artist John Robinson. In the adventure, Spilferithimus-narlamos is a non-player character controlled by the gamemaster. As such, the character adds comic relief to the adventure, such as when his poor language skills in Basic lead the player characters to believe they must cart away an enormous chunk of the destroyed Death Star rather than the much smaller gravity well projector stored within it. Including him in the Rebel characters' party also allows the gamemaster to provide clues and suggestions through the Squib in situations where the players have difficulty formulating plans to overcome the adventure's obstacles. For instance, during their escape from the Death Star hulk, the Squib suggests that the Rebels grab hold of the gravity well projector and then get their ship droid to pull it into the starship via a tractor beam should none of them come up with the idea first. Later, if the player characters cannot figure out how to successfully ambush the Elusive after learning of its location from the Squibs, Spilferithimus-narlamos suggests using the gravity well projector to yank it out of hyperspace.

The events recounted above assume a best-case outcome for the player characters. At certain points in the adventure, however, the adventure can become more difficult if certain events befall Spilferithimus-narlamos. For example, if the Ugors discover Spilferithimus-narlamos aboard the Rebel shuttle when they first board the vessel in the Paradise system, they take him prisoner as an "enemy of Ugor" and force the Rebels to leave the system, permanently banished—and thus fail their mission. Later, if the Rebels prevent Spilferithimus-narlamos from striking the gravity well projector, the device remains firmly ensconced in the Ugors' power plant and proves much more difficult to remove. Depending on where the Rebel operatives land their shuttle on the Death Star wreckage, the order of encounters within the hulk changes. The sequence above reflects the order in which the encounters appear in the published version of the adventure. In the 2003 sourcebook Ultimate Alien Anthology, for Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars Roleplaying Game, Spilferithimus-narlamos is an example name for the Squib species.