Heir to the Throne
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: The flesh out the planet of Katrine’s two-year captivity, which would represent a corrupt Mandragora location for CIS’ force group with plenty of potential to develop and create stories on.
- Image Credit: Pinterest, (alternative source: Memory-Alpha)
- Canon: N/A
- Links: III - True Love’s Kiss, IV - Break the Curse
- Planet Name: Orcus
- Demonym: Orcani
- Region: Outer Rim
- System Name: Orcusi System
- System Features:
Suns: 1; Ozorau - Moons: 2; Morok, Nuna
- Other Planets: 2; Ahsen, Oxe
- Asteroid Belts: N/A
- Spatial Anomalies: N/A
- Orbital Position: 3
- Rotational Period: 28 days
- Orbital Period: 432 days
[*]Coordinates: T-53
[*]Major Imports: High Technology, Processed Foods, Modern Medicine, Luxury goods, Modern Weaponry (after re-discovery)
[*]Major Exports: Shimmersilk, Foodstuffs, Leather, Raw Materials (raw latex, lumber, animal skin/hides), Common Ore (after re-discovery)
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
- Gravity: Standard
- Climate: Tropical
- Primary Terrain: Grassland, Forests, Rivers, Mountains
- Major Locations:
Makasch (Bad Lands): Orcus is filled with a number of forests but the largest one is called Makasch by the local tribes, which can be translated from their distorted Paecean as Bad Lands because it houses the majority of their predator animals and is considered the deadliest area of the planet. It’s where the Orcani warriors hunt, where they send their children to test their readiness to become adults and where a few of the smaller groups make their houses in trees.
Angani Oyote (Spirit City): The largest settlement inside Makasch is formed by the Angani Oyote, meaning literally Spirit clan in their distorted Paecean though, for the Orcani, the word clan has begun to mean city. These Orcani build housing in trees though it’s never only one location. These settlements last for as long as two or three generations but where ever they settle in the Makasch, they structures build are the same, created high in the crowd to provide safe shelter from the predators.
Chevoyee Oyote (Spirit Warrior City): Largest and probably most advanced of cities on Orcus, Chevoyee Oyote (meaning Spirit Warrior City in distorted Paecean) began its development several hundred years ago as several clans began to see the purpose in coming together in order to protect themselves from the predators. Beneath the mountains, they make use of the plains to grow their food and train while they travel from the city into the Makasch to hunt and teach their young their warrior ways. Living together for the Orcani means the loss of clan identifications, creating one larger clan together but it doesn’t change their warrior ways or their easiness to take lives during combat but it’s a testament to just how they’ve developed in reflection to their older settlements.
Donama Templa (Sight of the Sun temple): On Orcus, there are a great many places of worship close to the Orcani people but the most sacred is the Donoma Templa which in their distorted Paecean translates as the Sight of the Sun temple. A wonder of the world, it was built high in the mountains and surrounded by large faces on surrounding mountains. While Orcani believe that nature’s hug is a blessing to their buildings which is why they allow for the green to consume their structures, this one stands over that and is kept vigorously neat as the shiniest representation. Majority of the Shamans live there, dictate commands which are then spread to other temples by messengers. It’s also where the sacred book of the religion is held, the Orenda.
Helewaut (Warrior Mother Spirit): Orcani don’t have a word for a cemetery in their language. Until the death of their goddess, they did little to commemorate the dead. It was only with her bones returned to Orcus and her followers beginning to make a tomb for her that the tradition began. Originally, only a small space was built and her bones were placed on a large stone table, with massive doors closing after which a large monument was built right in front of it to mark the location. From there, the tradition of commemorating the dead began. Those of less importance had holes in the ground made with a stone placed beneath the bodies which were then buried with the markings created by families to identify the spot. Those markings rarely show the name of the deceased, instead, have words carved in by those same family members who speak of the dead’s traits. Earliest markings were carved in perfect Paecean, later ones in distorted Paecean and New Orcas.
POPULATION
- Native Species:
Danorian wolf - Gasnit
- Jungle Rancor
- Orcani (humanoid), believed to be extinct or blended into the immigrated species in time through breeding. The term is now used for the entire population.
- Panther
[*]Immigrated Species: Human, Near Human
[*]Population: Sparsely Populated
[*]Demographics: Primarily human and near human, with the native species Orcani all but lost to history or mixed into the immigrated species due to breeding. The inhabitants of the planet don’t separate too much between each other other than in individual strength or ability. Though there is some order in the chaos, primarily, Orcani (as the modern day group), are violent and harsh. They organize work based on what is necessary (growing food, hunting, building structures). They are highly devoted to their religion and much of the population hierarchy is organized based on it, where power held primarily by their priests with the common folk requiring to be useful within their society where the weaker will be killed during their games.
[*]Primary Languages:
- Old Orcas (primitive, verbal and nonverbal)
- Distorted Paecean
- New Orcas (combination of the native language and distorted Galactic Basic)
[*]Culture:
- Daily Life: Order in chaos. Orcani work to ensure there is food and housing for their people, hunt and play to show their strength. They tend to be merciless when in combat with each other though they show a form of respect to the animals, killing the injured or out of necessity for food. Their days will be however interrupted due to prayers throughout the day, one when the sun is highest and the second at the end of the day.
- Society: Bordering between pre-industrial and industrial. Because of the interruption in their original progression, the society has become mixed and deteriorated rather than progressing as it possibly could have been without the interruption of the corrupt Mandragora Witches. Orcani are primarily gathers and hunters though they also do show signs of horticultural and agrarian societies on a small scale. Much of their culture is devoted to their belief system, which also dictates that entire hierarchy. Orcani respect their priests and representatives of their deity. They provide a tribute to appease and give them blessing and even believe the elemental conditions of the planet are either gifts or courses from their goddess. They have however achieved a form of advancement in time, in service of providing food and housing for themselves.
- Gender rights: Witches in the galaxy have often put themselves above men in their cultures. To an extent, this holds true on Orcus as well, however, because Ryloth itself described this differently than Dathomir did on their creation, men aren’t slaves to the women, nor have they ever been. Each individual has to prove him or herself through their strength, cunningness and a number of different factors. Female warriors are respected for the number of kills, female Shamani are considered normal. Male warriors are respected for standing side by side with women and male Shamani are given respect because they possess talents in the Force as blessed by their deity. More often than not though as female Shamani will ascent to the role of the High Shamani than a man will, which shows a slight disadvantage of men in the culture.
- Arts: As anything, their art is primitive and brutal. Orcani don’t believe in devoting their time to arts, rather choose to hunt and kill. When they do divulge into it, these activities are meant to be used in religious rituals which would include dancing under the moonlight, using blood to leave marks on rocks or on the bodies of their warriors in the belief that they will become stronger for it in their endeavors.
- Sports: The natives enjoy primitive and brutal sports. They hunt and fight to demonstrate their own strength and prove their worth among the others. During such activities, they’re able to take the lives of their opponents if the others deem them too weak.
- Religion: There is only one religion left on Orcus now. It’s the beliefs of the Mandragora. Ancient Witch culture brought to the natives by the Witches that had been banished from their own Force Order on Ryloth after attempting to take it over. What they serve is distorted and altered but based on the same principles as the Ryloth Witches believe. There are three spirits, each unique in their ways - Doashim, representing strength; Lylek, representing the shadows and Jart, representing power and knowledge of which Jart is regarded as higher and more powerful than the other ones. However, in the beliefs of the natives, these three spirits are manifestations and agents of the spirit realm and the one more powerful than they are - the Goddess of Mandragora, the Mother. However, this Mother was a woman named Avarisa, the banished Witch of the true Force Order who used her Force powers and spells to present herself more powerful than she truly was. The religious aspects are regulated by the Shamani, their priesthood.
GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY
- Government: Theocracy
- Affiliation: Currently none, Confederacy of Independent Systems and their Force Order Mandragora in the near future.
- Wealth: Low. In the galactic standards, Orcus wealth is extremely low. They don’t possess a currency of any sort, they have a minimum understanding of what galactic credits are and use materials to trade amongst themselves. Food was grown by a family belongs to that family, if they wish to purchase something else, they have to use a portion of their food to buy it. Hunters use pieces of their hunted animal to acquire what they need and so on.
- Stability: Medium. To the outsider, the stability of Orcus would be defined as extremely low considering how easy it is for one to kill another in a combat that could be solicited for something as basic as running into someone but for the Orcani, it’s a way of life. They handle their affairs through combat, they use it to eliminate the weak factors of their society or to defend their honor. They do, however, respect their religion and their Shamani and will obey them when addressed, meaning that priests have power like no one else on the planet to end an argument or fighting and their word has to be obeyed. The priesthood is for the most part regarded as fair and just, serving the will of their deity. Other than respect for their goddess and respecting the rules set forth by her hundreds of years ago, Orcani are fairly free in their daily activities.
- Freedom & Oppression: Orcus lives in a free society for the most part. Their priesthood doesn’t fully engage themselves in their lives, leaving the old traditions and ways to flourish as long as rituals and beliefs are held. In the eyes of the Orcani, the singular ruler of the planet is their goddess who’s been dead for hundreds of years where the priesthood acts as her representation which is the sole purpose of their power. That power is however unquestioned.
- Military: Majority of Orcani are warriors and fighters. Children are taught from a young age to use primitive weapons, to be merciless against their own people in combat and to not show fear when faced by dangerous animals of the planet. Hunters work in groups and organize well enough in scales of 30-50 people at a time if necessary with those most capable among them to lead them. To someone unprepared for this sight, they would appear as a monstrous sight because of just how merciless and dangerous they are in their advancement with little regard to women or children if necessary. That is, however, the extent of their military capabilities. They’re still extremely primitive in regards to other civilizations and the use of ranged and plasma weapons would be a challenge for them.
- Technology: In terms of technology, Orcus is deficient in comparison to other worlds. They can forge their own kinetic weapons, they’ve created constructions that can grindstone and can use materials within nature to build firm structures though the process is extremely long. They’re capable of creating less advanced agricultural technology and building other necessary tools.
Orcus was once a planet with a singular humanoid race, spread between tribes and slowly developing through their own history. Little is known any more about the overall attributes of the species but a warrior culture of the planet hadn’t changed too much even with the immigrated species.
Their story takes a different turn at about 350 BBY, with the arrival of the banished Witches of Ryloth. Just a couple of years before these events, the Mandragora Force Order of Ryloth was in full bloom, growing in numbers and had seen the change of several generations in their members and Shaman. Among them was Avarisa, the Shaman of Jart, a woman born with purple hair and eyes. She grew up among the Witches of Ryloth, chosen by the spirits to guide one of their three pacts. However, her ambition was dangerous and wicked, she sought to stand at their Nightmother and submit the Force Order to her will. The spirits were aware of her actions, waiting for her to make that willing decision to strike and when she did, they acted. Her most loyal of followers, the Shaman of Doashim, Eli Talus, was punished most severely, forced to fight the Doashim animals before his own soul was ripped from out of his body and sentenced to suffer in the spirit realm for all eternity, without being given access to the mortal realm. Avarisa had been banished, unaware that she was even pregnant. The spirits knew, just as they knew past, present, and future and chose to banish her for the sake of their own future. Witches that stood at her side during the rebellion were cast out as well.
In their arrival to Orcus, the banished Witches had forever altered the future of Orcus. Using her Force Powers and spells, something that not even the Witches of Dathomir could do in those times, she had struck fear and respect in the primitive culture and began establishing herself on the planet with her follows. In many ways, Avarisa herself was primitive as well, nurturing the savage side of her new people as she inserted herself into their beliefs and way of life. Those that had a connection to the Force among the locals gained a special interest by the Witches. To an extent, she had given them some forms of advancement at that time but it was extremely limited and for her own benefit. Those Force Sensitives who proved strong enough to learn their ways would become the first Shamans of their people (a term which would in time be distorted to become Shamani among the Orcani).
The result of her actions was the creation of a new society subjected to the will of the woman who they would bow to as their deity and she in return called herself the Goddess of Mandragora, their Mother. With her, she had also brought the spellbook of her clan Jart, an artifact created before her which she herself had updated and altered. For the Orcani, this book would become their most sacred artifact, a gift from the goddess herself, and something the Shamans would go on to protect with their lives and read. Avarisa also discovered Jungle Rancors on Orcus, and based the Witches’ experiences with the Rylothi Rancors, taught the natives how to befriend these rancors as well, though they proved to be a far more domicile subspecies than others.
Avarisa’s cult building under her direct hand would occur throughout five-six years, in which time she had also given birth to her daughter Ceta, who in the Orcani mythology would be regarded as the child. Then, Avarisa moved to the second part of her plan and took her daughter with her as she traveled, never to return in her physical body to the planet of her cult. Reaching the planet, the ship crashed, with her dying and the child left in the hands of the Witches unaware of the darkness her mother had intended on spreading. Sometime later, with their leader missing, a few of her followers traveled to Dathomir, finding out what had happened to her and bringing back Avarisa’s bones. This would start the creation of Helewaut, the cemetery as a small space was created to store her bones as the followers preached of her one day’s return.
From the life came the legend, from the legend did a powerful religion form and grow.
With blessing on their brutal and primitive life, their ways blossomed even further and their progression slowed as they kept to their way of life guided by the Shamani. In time, the languages used would distort, especially the Paecean that had been introduced to them and New Orcas would spur as a combination of their old language and Galactic Basic of the time which the Rylothi Witches used. It’s possible even some Twi’leki had mixed to it though it all gave forth a new language, leaving the Orcani in using two languages, sometimes even a mix of both. Distorted Paecean became the language of the Shamans and New Orcas a more tribal form. In their actions, the Shaman stagnated any development they regarded as too fast, keep the planet backwater as their sacred texts spoke of outsiders and their desire to keep Orcus pure from outer influences.
The language of the planet would distort many words even Avarisa had introduced. The Spellbook would become Orenda, Force Sensitive children once discovered capable of using the Force in any way would be referred to as Wakanda and set forth towards becoming Shamani, Avarisa would be referred to as Anna or Mandragora Ragno and her daughter would be written down as Topponi in later texts.
Second discovery of Orcus occurred shortly after the collapse of the First Galactic Empire, with the New Republic forces exploring the planet. Influenced by their Shamani and frightened with stories of slavery, the Orcani showed themselves to be savage creatures, picking out the outsiders one by one until not a single one was left standing. When it was finished, what they would have is a piece of technology beyond their advancements. Shamani permitted and the natives began setting it apart, learning some things about the advanced technology that might have been a little too early for them. Newly found knowledge permitted a jump in the progress, advancing in their building and agriculture though it was an incredibly small step in the grand scheme of things.
The third discovery occurred about a hundred years later. Similar fate found the new explorers though, this generation of Orcani spared the life of a few of them. Though New Orcas so different from Galactic Basic, especially so long after it had been introduced to the natives, the natives still recognized some of the words used by the outsiders that it sparked their curiosity enough to leave some of them alive. Finding a way to communicate was difficult but they would eventually find a way to speak to each other, in a mix of the native and outside languages. These foreigners allowed an even bigger jump in progression, much to the dismay of the Shamani, especially as the outsiders began to question their religion. One of the explorers would lose his life the very next day as he continued to question their beliefs, providing an invaluable lesson to others that their way of life was not to be threatened and their goddess was not to be questioned. In time, the outsiders would adapt to their civilization enough and would have children with the natives that their presence became a blip in their history, proof of it in the abandoned ship which had been dismantled as the natives studied it with their help.
At 425 ABY (GST), as the Gulag plague began to spread throughout the galaxy, the Orcani were unaware of what had been happening. Following the new discoveries, they progressed further, advancing their building and agriculture, their hunting, farming and building tools become far better and more useful. Chevoyee Oyote and Donoma Templa would become proof of their progress with each of them standing firm and tall, the city continued to grow as more tribes came together. Their warrior nature and combat sports never subdued though, still nourished by the Shamani.
Fast forward to the times of the Netherworld, the freak lighting that spread throughout Orcus had been interpreted as confirmation of old Shamani swearing in the return of their deity almost 400 years ago and their religion is reaffirmed. Shamani would soon feel the shaking as further proof. The events only strengthened what they already believed by and pressed on with their lives expecting someone no one of the living had ever laid eyes on though some claimed to be able to communicate to, which was never confirmed. Shortly after more than half of the priesthood disappeared from the face of the planet which caused a mass panic. Remaining Shamani tried to explain that their deity had summoned the priests and they would return with the deity. That didn’t occur.
In 848 ABY (GST), a ship landed on the planet, a girl with purple hair much like art and description described their goddess. The young woman kept to herself, socializing with the wild animals, showing strength a short girl like herself shouldn’t have had. Some even began to swear she changed into a wolf while others wondered. One of the priests announced she saw their goddess and was told to prepare for the ceremony of rebirth which made the natives impatient, a few of them even risking and going out to meet the young girl, which would be identified as the new Topponi. Two years passed and the ceremony hadn’t taken place. A second ship arrived, this time with a young man. What they didn’t expect however was that this young woman would end up making her way into the tomb of the goddess and smashing the bones of their sacred deity before departing the planet.
A result of the young woman’s actions left Orcus confused, with whatever communication held with the priestess gone afterward. Their goddess hadn’t returned and her sacred tomb desecrated left the people aimless, confused and even angry. The Shamani tried to explain what had occurred but in their lack of proper explanation, made this even worse.
Present day, with the remains of their goddess desecrated, the natives turn more violent to each other as they seek meaning to the actions of the Topponi. Their violent behavior would even influence the Jungle Rancors, who until then had been faithful companions and members of domesticated herds, causing their violence as well, which caused panic among the natives.
