 Fallanassi White Current Powers
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Menahuun Shamans Monks of Shimura Ner Yan Nightsisters of Dathomir Order of Shasa Prophets of the Dark Side Royal Imperial Guard Scitrok Warriors Seyugi Dervishes Shadow Academy Students Shadowtroopers Sith Magicians Sorcerors of Tund Matukai Many Force-users require some sort of focus to concentrate on their power. The Matukai, a sect of Force-users spread throughout the galaxy, teach how to reach the Force without using such a focus. What makes them unique is that their focus isn't an inanimate object - the Matukai have made their own bodies the primary focus for their abilities. The Matukai have their origins in the days of the Old Republic, many years before the rise of Darth Bane and the new Sith order. In those days, the Jedi Order was at its peak, with a large membership roster and a reach that spanned even into the Outer Rim. The Jedi Council was much more lax with its views on Force-users and did not attempt to indoctrinate Force-sensitive children shortly after birth. Though the majority of Force-users throughout the galaxy were Jedi, some other organizations, such as the Sorcerors of Tund, were allowed their autonomy provided they did not sink into the dark side of the Force. The first Matukai was a Human female from the world of Karvoss II who discovered her ability to touch the Force while practicing a form of meditative martial arts. Eventually, she became a relatively strong presence in the Force and soon began teaching other Force-sensitive students. Dutifully trained, these pupils then spread out into the galaxy to teach more. While never growing beyond 50 or 60 members at a time, the Matukai could be found almost anywhere spacefaring beings might travel. One of the unique aspects of Matukai training is that it allows any being with otherwise negligible inherent strength in the Force to develop it into something formidable using their body as a focus. Through basic meditative martial arts, physical excercises, and somatic rituals, they fan the spark of the Force inside them, hoping the spark will one day become a flame. The Jedi Council eventually recognized the growing power of the Matukai tradition and sent representatives to the Matukai to discuss a possible affiliation. Most Matukai were uninterested. Some felt that the Jedi way of teaching the Force was both elitist and ineffectual. Others thought they could do a better job of training students than the Jedi Order could. Since the Matukai generally drew more from a pool of Force-users that would not qualify for Jedi training in the first place, the Jedi Council was content to let the Matukai exist as an autonomous organization, provided they steer clear of the dark side. There remained little formal contact between the groups, but hostilities did not arise either. With the passing of time, the Matukai way waxed and waned. As the Clone Wars came and went and Lord Vader began his Jedi Purge, the already scattered Matukai vanished into hiding or, more frequently, were captured and exterminated by the Empire's Inquisitors. Much like the Jedi, though, the few remaining Matukai were able to preserve their Force tradition and pass it on to apprentices in secret. Some of these Matukai chose to join Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy when the call went out for prospective students. Skywalker's academy had less stringent standards for admission than the old Jedi Council, and his eagerness to learn more about the Force meant he - and as a result, the academy - was more open to new idea and training methods than the Old Republic Jedi had been. The basic philosophies of the Matukai revolve around a balance and harmony between the spiritual aspects of the Force and the physical aspect of the body. The general tenets of the Matukai include keeping the body clean and strong, purifying themselves through physical activity, focusing on the Force through exercise and ceremony, and avoiding any taint of the dark side. The Matukai also teach a sort of flexibility of spirit. This belief entails never allowing oneself to become flustered or upset; leeping oneself in a natural state of relaxation and rest to give the body the greatest channel for using the Force: and ensuring that nothing causes anguish, fear, apprehension, or other forms of stress that have negative physical side effects. The Matukai emphasis on the body as a focus for channeling the Force has allowed many who would not otherwise be able to tap into the Force to do so consistently. May who have mastered the way of the Matukai simply prefer to focus on their own training. The Matukai have no base of operations and are spread out in groups of three to five across the galaxy. The Matukai have a signature weapon, associated with them in the same way the Lightsaber is associated with the Jedi. The wan-shen is a long staff with a short, single-edged blade attached to one end. It's a long weapon, nearly as long as a primitive polearm. The weapon is wielded along the lines of a quarterstaff, and a skilled Matukai can whip his wan-shen around his body with amazing speed and agility ((Side note by myself: This sounds so bloody dodgy...imagine in a fight: "Nooo...a Sith!" *whips his wan-shen out*....uh-huh)), creating a virtual whirlwind of metal and blades. The wan-shen wa chosen because it gave the Matukai an external tool to use in addition to their bodis as a focus of the Force, and gave them a means of protecting themselves at the same time. The typical training methods of the Matukai often seem very simple when observed by the untrained masses. Though each Matukai's training differs based on the instructor's decisions, most involve the learning of a complex serial of martial art forms, slowed down to act as a form of physical meditation. Matukai trainees are frequently required to push themselves further than they normally could physically while drawin upon the Force for strength. Each lesson taught to a Matukai begins with some feat of strength or stamina but results in a lesson on the nature of the Force as well. A Matukai apprentice frequently spends hours or even days at a time holding one pose or stance in an attempt to let the Force flow into him, often in harsh weather or while under some other great physical strain. Those who complete the training and become Matukai are in good physical health thanks to both the influence of the Force and the rigorous training they undergo. Additionally, Matukai are identifiable by a distinct tattoo that covers part of their forehead and the sides of the face at the eyes. It is a symbol adopted when a Matukai completed his or her training. A fully trained Matukai is the master of his own body. He can feel every wound, injury, and sickness inflicted upon him. He can force his body to reject the venom of a deadly kouhun or pass through a village ravaged by a plague and never contract it. Matukai have excellent balance thanks to the Force and can push themselves longer and farther than most beings. The Matukai are known to use the Force in many ways the Jedi do, from making incredible leaps and tumbles to dashing rapidly away and withstanding enormous amounts of pain. They are completely in control of their beings and are able to manipulate their bodies in ways others find almost unnatural. Masters of the Force and controllers of their own bodies, the Matukai adepts are both formidable combatants as well as powerful Force-users. Their use of the wan-shen makes them difficult to get close to in combat, and when a lucky shot does manage to get through, the Matukai adept often can reduce the damage he takes from the attack thanks to physiology-manipulating techniques he has learned throughout the course of his training. The Matukai adepts can be found in many places throughout the galaxy, but wherever they are it is almost certain that they will quickly adapt to their surroundings. Matukai adepts spend much time learning the way their bodies move and function, matering the ability to make normally soft parts of their body become incredibly rigid and tough. Menahuun Shamans The living Force permeates Lamaredd, and the locals know Force adepts well – usually healers, charlatans, or performers in the case of the smaller invader villages, and shamans in the case of the native Menahuun. Of course, most attribute magical powers to these “magicians” and “witch doctors”, and even the adepts themselves might not have heard the term “the Force”. Menahuun shamans simply refer to and energy they call “Pa’ela”, a word that literally means “holy blood”. Most Menahuun shamans were quite strong in the Force, and had access to teachings of many Force powers. They were also fond of using crystals to make Force talismans which they would carry with them at all times, and imbuing their custom made spears with the Force. They were also known to create medicines and potions with various herbs found on the planet Lamaredd, though it is unknown whether or not they used the Force to help them in creating these potions. Most Menaheen shamans are revered among their people, and many come to be in positions of power. Monks of Shimura Long before there were lightsabers there were Jedi. After the invention of those graceful weapons Jedi began to lose sight of what the Force was all about and fall into the Dark trap of technology, or so the revered Master Kambei Shimura thought. The Knighthood was beginning to rely too much on "convenient" technology. Thats not the way of life; the way of the Force. Jedi after Jedi took up the saber and left for the stars and the adventures they contained. A Jedi craves not these things. Disgusted at the behavior of his fellow Jedi, Shimura broke away from the Academy with a handful of devoted students and established a Temple on the sixth moon of the third planet of the Nikus system. There he taught his disciples the true gifts of the Force: perfection through inner peace, compassion, contemplation and, ironically, tolerance. Millennia passed and student after student joined the Brotherhood and learned the teachings of Shimura and the way of Ka, the religious philosophy of the Monks. Similar to Zen, Ka teaches the inner spirituality of life and the soul. Everything is provided by the Force, there is little need for cold, unfeeling mechanisms. During the Emperors great purge, the Temple of Shimura was located by Dark Lord Vader and torn asunder. Few of the Brotherhood were able to escape and spread across the galaxy like seeds. Today, with the Empire removed, these remaining skilled Monks are establishing their own Temples in remote systems to pass on what they have learned. Beliefs/Lifestyle: 1) Avoid the use of (unnecessary) technology. “There is nothing that technology may provide that the Force cannot. Why artificially radiate food when nature provides fire? Why ride aback metal creatures when the wind can send you across sea just as surely? Technology is quick and easy. These are traits of the Dark Side. Life should be neither.” Although it is true that nothing can be provided by science that the Force cannot, very few Jedi have been able to step across worlds. The modern Brotherhood believes it is in the spirit of Ka to except one’s limitations. The Monks will avoid most technology whenever possible (datapads, blasters, lightsabers, scanners, holocrons, bacta tanks, etc.) but will reluctantly use other forms (starships) when needed (which isn’t often. Followers of Shimura discourage “adventuring” and tend to live entire lives in their Temples. The rare exceptions are traveling teachers and emissaries). A Shimuran Monk would never accept cybernetic replacements or enhancements, nor are they likely to associate with droids. 2) The way of Shimura is the way of Ka. All answers may be found in it’s techniques. Ka is the foundation of all Shimura’s teachings. When a student is first accepted into the Brotherhood he begins learning Ka. First simple koans and history and later develop the physical disciplines. In line with the Brotherhood’s beliefs, the process is not quick or easy... it takes several years of hard work and devotion. 3) Follow the Jedi Code. Although the Knighthood has allowed technology to cloud their judgment, the Shimuran Monks still believe in the Code. 4) Tolerate the misgivings of others. Shimuran Monks are not retro, anti-technology fundamentalists. They do not attack technological centers or those who choose to use technology, nor do they harass commuters at starports with pamphlets damning them for their way of life. They simply have a different outlook on life. If asked, they will tell a koan of enlightenment. If sought out, they will teach their beliefs (but only those who prove worthy will learn Ka). The Monks do not hate the Jedi; in fact, they feel sorrow for their fallen brothers and would do anything to help bring them back to the Light. The Monks of Shimura are best known for their mastery of Ka, their proto-martial art. Practice of Ka strengthens the mind, body, and soul. Masters of this art are capable of incredible feats. Through Ka, Shimuran contemplatives seek perfection and enlightenment, and with it, they stand powerfully against all who would threaten the sanctity of their Temples. Ka can be broken down into three parts: Skill (Ka Lore), Martial Art (Ka Combat), and Force Powers (Ka and Empower Self). Those who are not Force-Sensitive may join the Brotherhood and learn the first two aspects of Ka but not the third. Ner Yan This was the name of an obscure Cerean tradition, whose name literally meant "mind chord". Its followers were all sensitive to the Force, and could link their minds in a kind of haphazard way. Nightsisters of Dathomir Dathomir is an all but unknown world living in a state of barbarism. Six hundred years before the Battle of Yavin, a failed Jedi named Allya found herself exiled to an obscure prison colony on Dathomir. Using her meager Force training, she rose up against the overseers, subjugated the other prisoners, and learned to tame the planet's fierce natual predators, the rancors. Allya's female descendants became the ruling class on Dathomir, and like her, they were strong in the Force. Allya taught her children what little she knew about the Force, and they passed it on to their children, and to their children, until Dathomiri understanding of the Force came to resemble shamanistic magic, and its users 'witches'. Over the centuries, Dathomiri Force witches occasionally fell to the dark side and were expelled from their clans for their evil acts. Such Dark Force witches came to be known as Nightsisters and practised more violent forms of Force 'magic'. Where light side Force witches learned to work with their environment, the Nightsisters bent the environment to their will, and were able to call forth rain, wing, and lightning, to climb spiderlike on vertical surfaces, and to control the weak-minded like virtual puppets. The most powerful of the Nightsisters was an aged crone named Gethzerion. It is rumored that Palpatine feared their power, so he had the planet interdicted and used atmospheric bombardment to destroy any ships on the planet. They are noticeable by the way the blood vessels near their eyes have ruptured from their rage, and from their use of the Dark Side. They made a deal with the Imperial Warlord Zsinj for a transport ship with which they could escape Dathomir, but they were destroyed by Luke, Han, and Leia just as their ship tried to leave Dathomir. Order of Shasa Though their origins were lost to history when Manaan fell into economic decline, the Order of Shasa has protected the Selkath for thousands of years. According to their own legends, the order was founded by a Selkath that had studied with the Jedi, or perhaps the Sith. With no input or influence from either group once the world was abandoned by the rest of the galaxy, these Force adepts have had to find their own way through the gray areas between darkness and light-but always with the ultimate safety of the Selkath people in mind. Unfortunately for the Manaan natives, even the order was powerless to stop the initial Imperial assault on the planet. Their numbers were simply too small and their understanding of the Force too limited. Yet they continued to train in their secret base in the ruins of an ancient underwater mining facility, awaiting the moment when they would be able to strike back and drive the invaders off their homeworld. At the time of the Ahto uprising, more than two hundred adepts comprised the Order of Shasa. Though their numbers were reduced in the incident, the Order continued to train any Force-sensitive Selkath willing to join them. Considering the small population of natives left on the planet, they have discovered a surprising number of candidates, which serves to reinforce the Order's belief that the Selkath have been chosen by the Force for greatness. Initiates must study for months, sometimes years, before they are formally inducted. Like the Jedi and the Sith, the Order usually pairs an initiate with an experienced trainer during this period. Members of the Order follow a simple code: The protection of the Selkath is the first priority, and all other considerations are secondary. Yet many of the Order are scholars as well, storytellers and mythweavers who guard what knowledge remains of the planet's history and pass it on in the form of stirring tales of Manaan's glorious past-made even more stirring with the influence of the Force. The Order's weapon of choice is a simple curved sword called a fira that each adept must construct for himself from metal found only in the Hrakert rift. This metal, the remnants of a massive ancient kolto harvester, is infused with synthesized cortosis that makes the blades resistant to lightsabers. The blade itself must be shaped and sharpened using the heat of volcanic vents on the sea floor, which makes the experience as dangerous as it is challenging. Only when the fira is complete will the adept be considered a member of the Order of Shasa. Prophets of the Dark Side The Emperor keeps his subjects in the dark about certain things. For example, few members among the Imperial hierarchy have any inclination that the Emperor is a powerful Force-user, That's just not something he likes to broadcast far and wide. The Emperor's campaign to discredit the Jedi and reduce beliefe in the Force to a myth would suffer greatly if his own abilities were revealed to the galaxy at large. Many of the Emperor's secrets, therefore, revolve around his connection to the dark side. One of those secrets concerns a small group of dark side devotee's called the Prophets of the Dark Side. Led by the Supreme Prophey, Kadann, these darksiders use their powers and abilities to explore the dark side of the Force and make predictions on the outcome of plans, strategies, and upcoming events. The Emperor regularly consults with his prophets, using their skills to augment his own sojourns into the dark side of the Force. If anyone beyond the Emperor's most trusted advisers know of the existance of the Prophets, they make certain to keep that knowledge to themselves for fear of drawing the Emperor's wrath. The Prophets maintain two sanctuaries - one near the Emperor, another far from even their master's prying eyes. The first fills a portion of the Imperial Palace on Coruscant, not far from the Emperor's throne room. Here, Kadann, or one of the High Prophets constantley keeps the oracles and seers tuned to the ebb and flow of the Force. By employing meditative techniques and judicious use of the Farseeing technique, the Prophets reach out for signs and portents concerning topics specifically requested by the Emperor. They also troll the dark side for warning signs that might threaten the Empire or opportunities to increase the Emperor's power or the influence of the dark side. The second sanctuary, an ancient temple devoted to the dark side of the Force that dates back to the earliest days of the Sith, lies hidden in the wilds of the uncharted planet Bosthirda. Kadann makes a pilgrimage to the temple at least once every year to bask in the darkness of the place and look for a deeper understanding of the Force. At least one lesser Prophet always resides in the temple, maintaining the place and keeping the meditation chambers attuned to the dark side. Whispered rumours in the grand hallways suggest that Lord Darth Vader himself once studied here, but that fact has never been confirmed by any of the younger prophets - and Kadann won't discuss Vader with anyone, except perhaps for the Emperor. The Prophets of the Dark Side are a secretive, clandestine group. No one outside of the Emperor and his top associates have any idea that the Prophets even exist. Later, after the Battle of Endor, Imperial Intelligence will use the Prophets in a last-ditch effort to keep the Empire together, but none of the true Prophets of the Dark Side will be involved in this charade. During the height of the Galactic Civil War, the Prophets keep to themselves, reading the vibrations in the Force and presenting the Emperor with possible outcomes based on their intuition, insight, and true precognative abilities. If one of the Prophets must interact with either the Imperials or the Rebels, he does so without revealing his true nature - the Prophet presents himself as simply one of the Emperor's many advisors and courtiers. As the Battle of Endor grew closer, the Emperor refused to acknowledge any prediction that revealed less than total victory for the Empire. Whether he saw such revelations during his own meditations, or of his military advisors offered scenarios in which the Rebellion gained the upper hand, he dismissed such dire predictions. He preferred to hold onto the whispers and urgings of the dark side that assured him that he would crush the Rebellion and corrupt yound Luke Skywalker. When Kadann brought his own prophecy from the Force, one in which the balance was returned to the galaxy, the Emperor laughed at him. It isn't unheard of for one of the Prophets to follow his own personal agenda and missions based on the visions the dark side reveals to him. In no way does he allow these personal missions to get in the way of his service to the Emperor, but he isn't prohibited from also promoting his own interests. In this way, a Prophet might seek out a Force-sensitive being who has caused a ripple in the Force, or a prophet might observe a battle or event because of the promise that it might lead to other, more important revelations. Visions and dreams, seen in the midst of Force meditation, hold a very significant meaning for the Prophets of the Dark Side. While the future is always in motion, the visions the dark side reveals to the Prophets hold at least a modicum of truth. Sometimes a Prophet goes to the aid of a being because the dark side needs them for some future situation. At other times a Prophet may approach a being to seduce them into joining the dark side. Most often, however, the Prophets simply observe what happens in the galaxy around them, waiting for the proper moment to stop watching and start acting. Royal Imperial Guard Those members of the imperial stormtroopers who showed particular expertise were recruited into the Imperial Royal Guard, the red-garbed personal bodyguards of the Emperor himself. But each was also tested for Force potential, and those who displayed an aptitude for wielding the Force were singled out for special training on the isolated world of Yinchorr. There, these stormtroopers honed their battle prowess so that they were almost a match for the formidable Darth Vader himself. As a final test, they were paired off with their closest companions among the other trainees and ordered to fight to the death for without absolute loyalty to the Emperor, they were useless to him. Upon successfully passing the Emperor's test, the recruits were given the ceremonail armour of the Royal Guard and assigned to his personal staff. Their primary duty was to protect the Emperor from any threat - but failing that, they were trained in the Force techniques that could sustain the Emperor until help arrived. In all its history, the Royal Guard was never called upon to perform the latter duty. Scitrok Warriors This is a sect of warrior monks which live in the barren hills of the planet Vengler. The monks must complete religious training before taking up training in the use of the Scitrok blade. Once they complete their weapons training, they are sent out into the world to sell their services as mercenaries. Any credits they earn are returned to the monastery. The religious training allows the monks to obtain some ability to use the Force, although they don't understand what it is, and are not Jedi. Seyugi Dervishes The Seyugi Dervishes were once a fanatical cult of Core-based assassins. Acolytes honed their Force-augmented combat skills to sell their services as professional killers. The sight of red-cloaked, white-masked figures struck terror in the hearts of Core elites for more than a century before the Jedi moved to destroy the order. One Seyugi fortress hidden on Recopia escaped notice. Its Dervishes sleep in carbonite hibernation, awaiting the day they might awaken to terrorize the Core once more. The Seyugi school neglects most Force theory in favor of developing deadlier, unarmed Force-augmented attacks. Practitioners of this style close quickly with opponents. Once an enemy is within reach of the Dervishes' smiting blows, the fight is as good as over. A Dervish master surrounded by a throng of equally skilled opponents is capable of slaying them all in seconds. Shadow Academy Students When Luke Skywalker felt that he had learned all he could of the ancient Jedi, he decided that he should share his knowledge with others who might be strong in the Force. He converted the old Rebel Alliance base on Yavin's fourth moon into a school for Jedi - the new Jedi academy - and invited students from all over the galaxy. Master Skywalker was not entirely certain that he was ready to teach others the Jedi arts. He remembered all too well that his first mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, tried and failed to tutor his father, Anakin Skywalker-and thus contributed to Anakin's fall to the dark side and eventual transformation into the monstrous Darth Vader. Of course, some of Luke's new students were not yet ready to become Jedi, or were only interested in becoming Jedi to pursue their own plans. Some fell to the dark side influence of Exar Kun, whose spirit haunted Yavin 4 since his defeat by the Jedi of the Old Republic four thousand years earlier. Others, like the twisted Dolph and the Imperial spy Brakiss, turned their backs on Luke's training and set off to find their fortunes elsewhere. Still others never came to Luke's school at all but studied the Force on their own, giving the dark side easy targets. Of the many students who came to Luke Skywalker's new Jedi academy, a handful were actually spies sent by the Empire (or other interested parties), eventually weeded out by Master Skywalker. The handsome young student Brakiss, on the other hand, possessed real Force potential, and though he had already taken his first few steps toward the dark side, Luke Skywalker thought he could still be saved. Skywalker was wrong, and Brakiss fled the academy. Brakiss was an emotional wreck until he was discovered by Kueller, another former student of the academy who had also turned to the dark side. Kuefer and Brakiss worked together, with Brakiss operating Kueller's droid factories on Telti. After Kueller's death on Almania, Brakiss departed and drifted through the galaxy for a while, finally coming to the attention of the Second lmperium. This group was under the leadership of Emperor Palpatine, who somehow managed to survive yet again after his defeat on Onderon. Having always been a loyal Imperial subject, Brakiss swore loyalty to the Second lmperium immediately, and the Emperor commanded him to begin work on an academy equal to Skywalker's-but devoted to the dark side. Within a few years, the Shadow Academy was ready. Housed in a torus-shaped space station ringed with deadly weapons emplacements and crowned by magnificent towers, Brakiss's academy was protected from discovery by a powerful cloaking device and equipped with a serviceable hyperdrive. It could move wherever it needed to and remain undetected, even in heavily traveled space. (For a time, it even lay in stationary orbit over Coruscant.) The station was also rigged to explode, with a remote detonator under the Emperor's control. Should any of Brakiss's students become too powerful-or should Brakiss displease the Emperor-the Shadow Academy would be blown to oblivion. Brakiss understood his tenuous position and resolved not to disappoint his Emperor. Through the influence of the Second lmperium, students loyal to the Empire began to arrive for training. Those without true power in the Force were indoctrinated into the academy's corps of stormtroopers. Aiding Brakiss in both training and recruitment was the Dathomiri Force witch Tamith Kai, a member of the Nightsister Clan that also swore allegiance to the Second lmperium. Tamith Kai was able to use threats, violence, and pure cruelty to teach the students about the dark side, while Brakiss employed the somewhat subtler method of gaining their trust through the Force, and encouraging them to explore the dark side themselves. Between the two of them, they effectively managed a surprising number of students. The Shadow Academy came to the attention of Luke Skywalker and the New Republic when Brakiss had Tamith Kai abduct the children of Han Solo and Princess Leia, Jacen and Jaina Solo, as well as their fellow student, a Wookiee named Lowbacca. Brakiss's intention was to bring the Jedi students to the Shadow Academy and train them in the ways of the dark side, enticing them with equipment and training Skywalker denied them (specifically lightsabers, and the skill to use them) or coercing them with brutality. The students were tempted, but were rescued by Luke Skywalker and another student, Tenel Ka, before the Shadow Academy's evil could corrupt them as well. Brakiss learned his lesson from the experience: the Shadow Academy should concentrate its efforts on turning students who already had nothing to lose. Jacen and Jaina Solo had powerful reasons to resist the dark side-and their parents had the might of the New Republic to bring to their aidbut less privileged individuals could prove easier to sway. He was proved correct when Tamith Kai abducted a young Coruscant street urchin named Zekk who, while a friend of the Solo children, had none of their advantages. Zekk was turned far more easily, and even led assaults that put him into direct conflict with his former friends, though he refused to harm them. After one such mission during which the Jedi students thwarted Brakiss's plans, the Emperor grew impatient and declared that Brakiss must wipe out Luke Skywalker's new Jedi academy and end the interference of the Jedi once and for all. The Emperor himself came to the Shadow Academy to oversee the operation, remaining hidden in his isolation chambers throughout, protected by his crimsonclad Royal Guard. The assault was a disaster, with Tamith Kai's hovering battle platform being destroyed and Luke Skywalker himself defeating Brakiss in combat. Barely managing to escape, Brakiss fled back to the orbiting Shadow Academy, demanding to see the Emperor. After cutting his way through the Royal Guard, Brakiss was stunned to discover that the "Emperor" was nothing more than a holographic projection. Brakiss had been duped, and he died with the Shadow Academy when the remaining Royal Guard set off the explosives that were planted aboard the station. Shadowtroopers Shadowtroopers are a unique breed of villain cooked up by Desann in his experiments with the power of the Valley of the Jedi. One part storm commando, one part Dark Jedi, the shadowtroopers combine the latest in technology and military training with the awesome power of the Force. Their armor, based off of storm commando armor layered with Cortosis ore and including a built-in electronic camouflage device, provides not only protection against blasters and lightsabers but also an added measure of stealth in addition to the standard amenities of stormtrooper armor. Though their training includes a more militaristic approach, they remain formidable warriors that are not easily dealt with. Much like their cousins the Reborn, shadowtroopers are unerringly loyal to Desann and the Empire, and have proven to be a difficult challenge to overcome when faced by the New Republic and Luke Skywalker's fledgeling Jedi. Sith Magicians This ancient race of insect-like humanoids was characterized by its dark, red skin, cranial horns, and long bony chins. There were several subspecies of Sith, each with its own place in their society. Some were slaves, other were warriors, and the highest caste of all were the magicians. They lived in a remote sector of the ancient galaxy, and were unknown to most until a group of Jedi Knights discovered their existence. The early Sith regarded the Dark Jedi as gods. The Force-sensitive Sith magicians proved to have control over the Dark Side of the Force, and the Jedi took many of their tomes and teachings back to study. They hoped to determine ways to avoid the Dark Side, but a group of Jedi found the allure of the Dark Side and the Sith teachings too powerful. They rose up against their Masters, but were not yet powerful enough to defeat them. The Dark Jedi were banished from the Old Republic, and chose to flee across the galaxy to the worlds of the true Sith. Over the millennia, the two groups intermingled, until very little pure Sith blood remained. One of the early Dark Lords of the Sith was Marka Ragnos, who was succeeded by Naga Sadow. Freedon Nadd was a later Dark Lord who was caught by the Jedi Knights on Onderon and entombed there. Nadd's spirit invaded the body and mind of Exar Kun, who eventually became a Dark Lord himself. They developed a rigid hierarchy of magicians and warriors, with the leadership of the brotherhood falling to the current Dark Lord of the Sith. The Sith wrote expansive volumes on the control and use of the Dark Side, and described incredible manifestations of power. Later, they were able to created amulets and weaponry that could assist the user in controlling the Dark Side. These devices amplified the Dark Side, making the user incredibly powerful. Much of the Sith lore was hidden on various worlds when the ancient Jedi Knights first sought to eradicate the Sith. Some was stored on Korriban, some on the moon of Yavin 4. The last remained true-blooded Sith were wiped out by Exar Kun during the Great Sith War, when he stole their life energy in an effort to defend his fortress on Yavin 4 against the forces of the Old Republic. Sorcerors of Tund For thousands of years before the Battle of Yavin, the Sorcerers of Tund studied the mystical arts in their monastic enclaves on their homeworld of Tund, seeking a better understanding of the galaxy and the powers that held it together. While members of the Jedi Order would recognize their field of study as training in the Force, the Sorcerers saw their abilities as a kind of magic, and presented themselves to the galaxy at large as powerful wizards. The Jedi Council knew of the Sorcerers, and periodically sent representatives to Tund, at first to try to convince the Sorcerers to join the Jedi Order and study the Force without the trappings of mysticism and magic. But as the Sorcerers demonstrated power oftentimes at least as great as that of the Jedi sent to recruit them, the Jedi Council discreetly chose to allow the Sorcerers to study the Force in their own way-provided, of course, they did not delve into the teachings of the dark side. Later representatives came only to observe and evaluate, seeking signs that the Sorcerers had become corrupted. Satisfied that they were not, the Jedi Order developed a comfortable detente with the Sorcerers of Tund. But roughly one thousand years before the Battle of Yavin, the Jedi Order became preoccupied with the Sith Lord Kaan, and following the terrible battle on Ruusan, the depleted ranks of the Jedi ceased visiting Tund and eventually the Jedi all but forgot about the Sorcerers. In the aftermath of the Battle of Ruusan, the Sorcerers were all but forgotten. What no one realized is that, near the time the Empire was born, the Sorcerers were wiped out, and the planet Tund reduced to a glowing ball of ash, by Rokur Gepta. Gepta continued to spread rumours and stories about the Sorcerers, to keep his mystique valid. Emperor Palpatine even became interested in the Sorcerers, believing that their religious teachings were based on ancient Sith doctrines. |
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