The Knights of Kal'Shebbol
Who are the Knights of Kal'Shebbol?The Knights of Kal'Shebbol are a united, utilitarian military force specializing in combat against Force Sensitive beings. They emphasis the training in and mastery of the ancient martial art Teras Kasi. Lead by a Crusader Commander, the Knights are a well organized, culturally diverse fighting force. Accepting of all beings, they do not discriminate due to sex, species or creed. They are vehemently opposed to slavery and will actively disrupt slaver's operations and slave trades. Their Dominion is watched over by a Tribunal that is headed by the Crusader Commander.
What is the Ideology?
Looking to history and the wars of the past, they view the Jedi as the sole purpose of the majority of wars fought throughout the life of the Galaxy. They hold that it was the precursors to the Jedi that first initiated the split between Force Users, which the Jedi would only later reinforce through their exile of those Force Users seeking to learn about the Dark Side, thus indirectly forming the Sith Empire which would later plague the Galaxy throughout countless eons.
Furthermore they do not view the Force in the terms of a mystical field; rather, they focus on teaching that the Force can be understood through logical thinking and common sense. They seek to understand the Force through the use of science and knowledge, beyond claiming that it is mystical in its nature that only Force Users may understand. Likewise, they view the understanding of the Force as a "mystical field" as dangerous, resulting in the creation of and nurturing of religious cults centered on the Dark or Light side of the force. The Knights further maintain that the Force is neutral in its aspects, and that it is the nature of and the actions of those that use it that create what people call the "Light" Side or the "Dark" Side.
Among their core beliefs are that; which maintains the training of a beings to use the force as a weapon is morally and ethically wrong. They view this as the ultimate corruption of a being and that it is this act in itself that causes many to fall to their darker desires within their own hearts. Included with these beliefs is also the view that the Jedi socially stagnate children by taking them away from their parents and forcing them to live their lives in a locked and sealed environment in the Temples until they enter their teenage years. This thinking is so morally wrong to the Knights that it has founded the foundation of their core beliefs, that in which; The Knights maintain that they have not, will not, and will never train children.
Where do they Operate?
The Knights of Kal'Shebbol are located on the planet Kal'Shebbol in the Outer Rim; situated at the end of the Rimma Trade Route. They maintain operations throughout the immediate region, watching over the worlds of Kal'Shebbol and the Kathol Sector. They also maintain a close watch on the Lost Tribe of the Sith located on the neighboring planet Kesh. While they maintain operations in this rather secluded region, their focus is to open up their watch to new regions with the establishment of satellite academies.
How are they organized?
The Knights of Kal'Shebbol are led by a Tribunal which is headed by the Crusader Commander; which oversees all the day to day aspects of the Knights. The tribunal is further more separated in their duties and power with each of the remaining Tribunal members, often referred to as Diarchs; given the duty to oversee the Crusader Knights and the Crusader Rangers. This splits the Knights of Kal'Shebbol into a three branch system each with their own command structures and specialties.
The Crusader Commander watches over the primary branch, the organization wholly referred to as the Knights of Kal'Shebbol. Operating much like the Jedi Order or the Sith Order, this central branch focuses on the training of Teras Kasi to its members. The Crusader Commander maintains the central authority figure of a Grand Master, with Crusaders, Knight Commanders and Knight Errants filling in the hierarchy below in the same way as do Jedi Masters, Jedi Knights and Padawans do; with the standing separation being that the Knights do not and will not train children. Likewise the remaining branches are overseen by one of the two Diarchs.
Crusader Knights form the bulk of the military and naval force of the Knights of Kal'Shebbol. Rather than being an armed force of members of the Knights, they are more akin to what the Grand Army of the Republic was. The bulk of the military is volunteer forces, each lead by either a Crusader, Knight Commander or Knight Errant; whose ranking is appropriated through experience.
Crusader Rangers form a special branch of civilian enforcement. Their training includes both military training; which sees some Crusader Rangers acting in a force akin to special operations, while the remaining of the training is centered on law enforcement. This places the Crusader Rangers as a central authority figure overseeing the execution of actions against crime.
Do the members speak any other Languages?
Due primarily to the Knights of Kal'Shebbol being socially accepting of all species no matter their sex, creed or species; the majority of the Knights speak multiple languages beyond Galactic Basic Standard. Likewise, many Knights are capable of speaking multiple languages while also comprehending multiple others that they are otherwise incapable of speaking due the structure of their vocal cords prohibiting the speech of those languages.
Do they mint their own currency?
The Knights of Kal'Shebbol in a bid to distance themselves from the Galactic Republic and other major Outer Rim regional powers have begun to mint and produce their own currency. This currency is focused on three denominations. The Aureus, the Denarii, and the Sestertii. While it is a bid to distance itself from the Republic Currency, it is still based upon it with a simple trade rate.
1 Sestertii = 1 Republic Credit
1 Denarii = 25 Republic Credits
1 Aureus = 100 Republic Credits
25 Setertii = 1 Denarii
4 Denarii = 1 Aureus
What are their views of the other Factions?
[+] The Mandalorians are viewed with great respect and honor. They believe that in the past they have been wronged at the hands of the Sith, and still remain inspired by their prowess in combat and their military culture. Viewing the Mandalorians as a pinnacle of what a warrior can be and what one can become, they also view them as potential rivals rather than potential enemies.
[+] With their desire to bring peace and protection to the innocents in the galaxy, they look upon the Omega Protectorate as what the Republic should have been and what it could have become had it not become corrupted and mired in red tape and bureaucracy. They however are leery of the Force Sensitive and Force wielding beings that have found positions of power within the Protectorate, causing them to watch with a careful eye.
[+/-] Ambivalent in their views of the Hutt Cartel/Black Sun, they seen no reason for any need to interact in any negative nor positive manner with the Faction. While they are staunch in their stance against slavery and will openly oppose it where they can, their reach is such that they would rather leave the Hutt Cartel/Black Sun to their own devices; seeing nothing wrong as a whole with their operations as they believe that the Hutt Cartel/Black Sun regulates criminal activities and policies their own members.
[+/-] Likewise with their Ambivalent view towards the stated above, they view the Confederacy of Independent Systems in the same light. While they see potential in the organization, they remain at an arms length primarily due to the inclusion of individuals aligned with the Sith and other prominent Force Users that have established positions of power within the overall structure of the organization. This will cause the Knights to keep a close eye on their actions.
[-] The Republic was once a shining beacon of hope in another wise dimly lit galaxy. Now though they see it as nothing more than the poster child of corrupt officials and morally corrupt beings. Furthermore they see it as having been misguided and mislead by the Jedi Order, whose speech of protecting the people while turning children into weapons has further pushed the Republic from the good views and graces of members of the Knights.
[-] Though not wholly viewed in the same manners as the Republic; in such as being corrupted, the Sith Empire is still looked at through jaded lenses. They see that the Empire is capable of maintaining order and a semblance of peace within their own borders, however they also see the Sith Order itself as an entity capable of corrupting the Empire and turning it into a mirror of the Republic.