Jor Kvall
Ain't found a way to kill me yet
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To submit a new canon planet that is home to Mandalorians
- Image Credit: starwars.wikia.com (edit by Lira Kros) "Mountain" by Karl Kopinski (edit by Lira Kros) "Edoras" by Alan Lee "The Dark Mountain" by skyehopper pexels.com (stock photo, free for personal use)
- Canon: Yes
- Links: House Kvall, Jor Kvall, Lira Kros, relevant threads: 1, 2, 3
- Planet Name: Krownest
- Demonym: N/A (The only inhabitants are Mandalorians. Thus, they would refer to themselves as such, rather than by planet demonym.)
- Region: Outer Rim Territories
- System Name: Mandalore System
- System Features: Krownest resides in the same star system as the planet Mandalore, the homeworld of the Mandalorians and the capital of the Mandalorian Empire. Krownest orbits further from the sun than the planet Mandalore, thus giving it a colder atmosphere.
- Coordinates: AC, 22
- Major Imports: Beskar
- Major Exports: Steel
- Gravity: Standard
- Climate: Frigid
- Primary Terrain: Mountains, forests, tundras
- Atmosphere: Type I (breathable)
- Major Locations:
- Heorot Hall - The stronghold and ancestral home of House Kvall. Heorot Hall is a subterranean fortress, built into White Mountain, one of the tallest mountains on Krownest, overlooking the settlement of Heorot below. The fortress is only accessible by a single pathway leading up and down the mountain known as the Trembling Path, approximately 3 miles in length. The oftentimes treacherous nature of the trail means that Heorot is only accessible by foot; the only landing pad for ships is at the base of the mountain. Heorot lay abandoned for several generations, until Jor Kvall returned there and made it the seat of House Kvall once more. The stronghold now acts as his permanent residence along with his family and loyal retainers.
The Trembling Path of White Mountain, which leads to the gate of Heorot Hall.
- Heorot - The settlement at the base of the White Mountain. A river from the mountain runs through the settlement, bisecting the town proper from its outskirts. A population of about twenty thousand Mandalorians loyal to House Kvall live here, thus making Heorot the largest settlement on Krownest. Most of the other members of House Kvall live in isolated enclaves around the planet.
The White Mountain looms beyond the town of Heorot.
- The Rimewood - Approximately 3,000 square miles of virtually uninterrupted forest near the planet's equator, this is Krownest's largest forest range. The forest is covered in snow and frost for the majority of the year, but the warm summer months produce a vivid greenery. Heorot lies on the edge of this great wood, and though Mandalorians once inhabited its interior, all settlements inside the Rimewood have since been abandoned. In centuries past, Mandalorians imported various wild beasts and birds of prey, including the famed mythosaur, to hunt for sport in the Rimewood. But when the Kvall left Krownest for the first time, their curation of the beasts of the forest left with them. The untamed Rimewood is now considered a dangerous place to traverse, even in well-armed groups.
The Rimewood fog, home to unspoiled and untamed nature.
- Native Species: Unknown
- Immigrated Species: Humans (Mandalorians)
- Population: Sparsely Populated
- Demographics: Almost entirely human. The exact demographics of Clan Wren are unknown, but there are no alien species in the ranks of House Kvall. Thus, an alien in Heorot Hall or the village below would be a peculiar sight indeed.
- Primary Languages: Mando'a, Galactic Standard Basic
- Culture: Krownest is defined by the Mandalorian culture of its inhabitants, although the somewhat unique ways of House Kvall, the dominant population on the planet, pervade. Those of the Kvall choose to live simply, with as little reliance on modern comforts as possible. The ability to endure the oftentimes harsh atmosphere of Krownest is prized, and the planet's snowy landscape often figures into cultural activities, including duels. Physical challenges such as swimming in one of the planet's many frozen lakes are a known way to settle duels, and there is even a holiday dedicated to this activity, known as Tuur Ciryc ("Day of Cold"). After braving the frozen lakes, participants are treated to a feast. Additionally, both the onset of winter and spring are celebrated by the Kvall with large feasts and ceremonies. The winter celebration is generally more solemn, representing stoicism and endurance in the face of the hard months ahead, with the secondary purpose of venerating the ancestors. The spring celebration is more jovial, representing a "rebirth" of both the planet and the soul after the relentless winters.
- Government: Tribal confederations (Kvall, Wren) united under Mand'alor's rule
- Affiliation: Mandalorian Empire
- Wealth: Low. The majority of the population are Mandalorians who subsist on a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. The richest are the warrior elite of House Kvall, who tend to have finer beskar and weapons, and more valuable possessions.
- Stability: High. There is little to no inter-clan unrest within the Kvall, outside of personal disputes. Crime is low. However, outsiders are often viewed with suspicion, especially non-Mandalorians. A random non-Mandalorian visitor will not find the atmosphere particularly hospitable, and may even be expelled by local forces.
- Freedom & Oppression: Two main tribal confederations exist on Krownest - Clan Wren and the larger House Kvall. The inner workings of Clan Wren are unknown. House Kvall is governed by a hereditary ruler, the Alor, along with his Council of Clan nobles from around the planet. Landowning males have governmental representation in the form of a democratic vote for Council members (See also: House Kvall, Social Information - Hierarchy).
- Military: The Mandalorians under Kvall rule are subject to a regional levy, in which all free men are expected to serve. The regional levy can be called up at the Alor's discretion when there is need for defense or a time for campaign. The warriors are expected to provide their own arms and armor, although settlements almost always contain defensive forts, and the town of Heorot is additionally fortified with a deflector shield. The total number of free men available to serve in the levy at any one time are about 30,000 men out of a total population of about 100,000. Though since it is unlikely that all would be able to mobilize at the same time, the real number would be smaller than this.
- Technology: In the Kvall domain there is a noticeable absence of much of the technology the rest of the galaxy takes for granted, but it would be a misnomer to label Krownest a technologically regressed planet. Despite the absence of modern comforts such as climate and indoor temperature control in most citizens' houses, Krownest does in fact boast a few remarkable technological innovations in the form of resource harvesting machines. Because most of the Kvall Mandalorians have rejected modern agricultural practices by the Alor's decree, hunter-gatherer droids have been developed that assist the populace in gathering resources.
Krownest was conquered by Mandalorians in an unrecorded time, many thousands of years ago. The Kvall, at the time a small Clan, were recorded as having originated on Krownest during the Mandalorian-Jedi War, which if true, would make them among the planet's earliest human inhabitants. Other Mandalorian tribes to settle on Krownest also included Clan Wren, the other major political faction on the planet. Both Clans Wren and Kvall were supporters of the Death Watch during Pre Vizsla's reign, effectively making the entire planet de facto Death Watch territory. Krownest was notably the site of a confrontation between Clans Wren and Saxon during the Imperial era of galactic history. Gar Saxon's death at the Clan Wren stronghold on Krownest ultimately triggered a Mandalorian civil war between pro- and anti-Imperial factions in 2 BBY.
In the centuries that followed, Clan Kvall reached House status, became the dominant authority on the planet, and the population of Krownest grew dramatically. This population growth would ultimately be upended by the Gulag Plague, from which the population numbers of Krownest still have not recovered. The planet remains sparsely populated today, with perhaps a tenth of the population it once held before the Plague. Krownest's population was further decimated by centuries of infighting between Mandalorian factions (see: Mandalorian Resource Wars) culminating in House Kvall's departure from the planet, which saw them evicted from their ancestral home by Mand'alor's edict for failing to take up arms in the Vong-Mandalorian War. For over a century, Krownest's only inhabitants were Clan Wren.
Eventually, House Kvall returned to their old settlements on Krownest under the leadership of the new Alor Jor Kvall. Heorot was repopulated and refurbished, and became Krownest's most populous settlement. Meanwhile, the creatures and dangerous wild game that the Mandalorians imported to the planet had taken over large swathes of wilderness, turning several of the planet's large forest regions, including the Rimewood, into perilous areas. As part of the Mandalorians' greater emphasis on ecological rehabilitation under Yasha Cadera, Jor Kvall has outlawed traditional forms of farming in all but the largest settlements on Krownest, instead adopting permaculture and technology-assisted hunter-gatherer techniques which sustain the planet's small population.
