Siae Andronike
Character
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
GENERAL INFORMATION
SOCIAL INFORMATION
SKILLS INFORMATION
MEMBERS:
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
As the Clone Wars came to their end, with the galaxy torn by years of war and strife, the emergence of the Galactic Empire would change the landscape of the galaxy forever. The Jedi Order, which had stood to defend the Republic and serve to foster peace for centuries, had become an integral part the Republic's campaign against the Separatist forces, assuming unfamiliar roles of military officers and agents, leading Clone Troopers into battle time and again. Two Jedi, a fervent Jedi Shadow with a reputation for zealous opposition to the Sith and their minions, and an idealistic Jedi Hunter, yearning for adventure and travel, had been assigned to a mission on behalf of the Republic: To lead a detachment of Clone Troopers, scouts and experts in reconnaissance, to survey the Outer Rim, Wild Space, and Unknown Regions, traversing the fringes of the galaxy to locate and establish bases for Republic forces there, enabling them to strike out against the Separatists.
When Chancellor Palpatine announced the Galactic Empire and crowning himself as Emperor, issued the secretive "Order 66", intended to sunder the Jedi Order forever, the Clones aboard their ship responded as they did elsewhere, turning their weapons against the Jedi with whom they'd served for years. The battle was fierce and short, and the other Jedi assigned to their mission lay dead, together with the Clones who had been friends and allies, only the two survived – both left wounded aboard their damaged vessel, limping through space. The two hadn't been close – yes, both Jedi, and yes, they'd worked together for years, but their personalities had never allowed them to grow any closer before. Now, as they listened in horror to Obi-Wan Kenobi's broken, static-filled message, they found themselves alone with no one else to turn to and went into hiding.
After months, a faint 'call' through the Force reached them. They resolved to seek its source, hopeful that others of their order might have survived, coming to regroup, ready to shift to action against the new threat that promised their destruction. Hopeful, they followed this 'call' to the remote world of Indoumodo where, instead of finding a group of fellow Jedi, set to retake their disposed place, they found something altogether unexpected: A trio of Force-sensitives, members of other traditions – a wizened old Sage of the Baran Do of the Kel Dor, a fiery member of the Zeison Sha, and a young 'Defender' of the Jensaarai – who'd been prisoners of the Imperial Inquisition had broken free from their captivity in a daring escape from the prison barge where they'd been held, killing their Inquisitor captor and his minions, stealing a shuttle, and going into hiding themselves on this remote, wild planet. Their meeting was tense, and their differences – both historical and philosophical – were many. But now, resigned to the common tragedy that had befallen them and those like them across the galaxy, they resolved to put these differences aside, to work together for the common survival, in hopes of one day finding a means to strike back, to regain all that had been stolen from them.
They dubbed their meeting, and later their alliance, as the "Conclave", a gathering, a meeting of thrown-together representatives of different and often opposing viewpoints and experiences, determined to cooperate with one another now, not only to ensure their own survival, but also to protect others like themselves. Gradually, what began as a cautious experiment in necessity and mutual self-interest evolved, each of them sharing their experience, training, and knowledge with the others. Slowly, they found and gave succor to groups of desperate refugees, fleeing the ever-tightening grip of the Empire, vowing to protect them and one another. Gradually, they tested for and selected Force-sensitive members of these refugees, mostly children, to build the ranks of their order. Over time, they decided on a curriculum and system for their training, based not on the high-minded ideals of the Jedi, or the fervent independence of the Zeison Sha or Jensaarai, or even the balanced philosophy of the Baran Do, but rather something altogether their own, drawing upon of each of these traditions. They lacked the institutions and resources of their various orders, forcing them to adapt, to improvise, and to overcome these deficiencies. Each of the "Five", as they became known, contributed his or her own insights and experiences, and as the years passed, the hidden order became an institution in and of itself, with its own character and style, its own ideology and methods.
The group's unofficial (at first) leader was Jo Paan, an aging Sage of the Baran-Do. The elderly Kel Dor was wise and acted as the group's mediator. Deeply spiritual, he embraced the Living Force and believed that the Force itself had brought this unique group together for a reason. From him, the disparate voices of the other four members were slowly distilled into the message of the Conclave, learning to compliment rather than rival one another. Having spoken out against the Empire, he was arrested as an insurgent and subversive. The Zeison Sha Kin'li, was a Rutian Twi'lek and possessed a fiery, defiant spirit, shaped by an ethos of survivalism and devotion to independence, and it was from her that the Conclave found its grounding. She had been traveling in secret, posing as an exotic dancer as she moved about the galaxy when she was found out and captured by the Inquisition, who hoped she'd provide them with information to subjugate her order. She brought with her a belief in self-reliance, in family and community, and an unorthodox philosophy of duty and preparedness. The Jensaarai Defender, Tun Fel, was a human male, recently elevated to his rank when he became a fighter against the Empire. He was impetuous and steeped in the ideals of his own order, but brought a balanced, borne of his own order's own blend of Jedi and Sith understanding. Though entrenched in the Lightside, he was not so blinded to the Darkside as to reject it, but instead sought to understand, to know, to see that the Sith could not be simply defeated but that they must be dismantled, that by knowing the Conclave's enemy and the beliefs that guided them, they could strike deep at the heart of the Empire one day. Fel and Kin'li would eventually fall in love and wed, with their children being the first of the second generation of the Conclave. The Jedi Seeker, Hinna Gallis, was also young. Steeped in lore, trained by the Jedi Archaeologists and Republic scouts, she had joined the Jedi Expeditionary Corps in hopes of traveling to new and far-flung worlds, exploring and discovering the galaxy at large. Her specialty as a scout, surveyor, and big-game hunter and her passion for exploration and the wild brought a daring and intrepid sensibility, and her skills, practical and seated on self-reliance, survival, and stealth, proved complimentary to those of Kin'li and her own Jedi companion, M'randa Kol. Kol was 'serious and mysterious', not given to small talk, with a zealous, independent streak all her own, one which – during the Clone Wars – had made members of the Jedi Council uneasy, but now her skills as a Jedi Shadow would prove to shape the Conclave profoundly. Unapologetic in her willingness to embrace skills and methods beyond the comfort of most Jedi, she worked as a saboteur, an infiltrator, an undercover and secret operative, fighting a never-ending war against the Darkside. Perhaps initially the most reluctant of 'The Five', she would eventually become the Conclave's most ardent supporter.
The Conclave shaped its teaching and training of new members differently. Drawing on Zeison Sha practice, they didn't separate younglings from their families and community, unlike the Jedi Order had done, but rather entrusted their early education and training either to their parents or else mentored by members of the Conclave as 'day students'. Reflective of their ideals, they trained them in Form VI (Niman) from the beginning, having them spend nearly a decade mastering this one form of lightsaber combat, notable for its versatility and adaptability, heavily engrained with Jar'Kai techniques. These 'Apprentices' as they were styled, received education in other areas as well, ranging from usual academics to field survival training, influenced by Hinna Gallis' teachings, as they focused on self-reliance, survival training, and practical applications of various disciplines. Teras Kasi became standard for their training as well, influenced by the many Epicanthix who came to join their community, and gradually combining this with their lightsaber training to form a versatile, balanced armed and unarmed fighting method. Upon completion of their 'Apprenticeship', the young students would travel together with guides, fully-trained "Wardens", to distant worlds. Since they no longer had access to the usual sources of kyber crystals or other materials with which to construct their lightsabers, they turned to unusual sources – scaling mountains on the Outer Rim for Ghostfire Crystals, hunting Krayt Dragons for their 'pearls', and the like. During their escape, Jo Paan, Kin'li, and Tun Fel had slain the Inquisitor who'd held them captive on the prison barge, and had taken his lightsaber. Impressed by the double-bladed spinning lightsaber's design, they'd created from it a template for each new member to base his or her lightsaber on. Retaining the crescent or circular hand guard, they'd adapted the discblades of the Zeison Sha to this design, and much of their combat training included thorough training in telekinesis, and especially ballistakinesis as practiced by the Jensaarai, enabling them to throw their disc-shaped lightsabers with uncannily lethal accuracy up to 120m, striking out and hitting several targets before returning to their hands. Likewise, as each Apprentice had gathered the materials with which to construct their lightsabers, and despite their common template, they allowed each Apprentice to add his or her own personalization to the design, making their weapons – though all similar – an extension of their personalities and styles.
Next, upon constructing their lightsabers, performed in the presence of the 'Five' who watched and studied the Apprentice's skills and technique, noting their personalization and design, the student would be promoted to the rank of 'Padawan'. Now, in their early to mid-teens, the student would begin to study and incorporate Form III (Soresu) and Form V (Djem So / Shien) into their fighting style. This would fit nicely with the Conclave's understanding of its own limitations and situation, realizing their numerical inferiority (as the Conclave, at its peak, had only ever numbered two hundred or so members, of all ranks) and so embraced a philosophy of asymmetrical warfare, relying on cunning, stealth, and subterfuge rather than open warfare. Thus, while Niman gave them a well-rounded versatility, they refined their style to emphasize defensiveness, staying alive and wearing down their opponents until the right moment appeared, an opening in which to change from defense to offense, now switching from Soresu to Djem So and Shien, striking with decisive, powerful counterattacks and relentless onslaughts to defeat the various threats they encountered. Further, rather to limit their education to a solitary 'Master', the Padawans were entrusted to several "Wardens'" tutelage, as M'randa Kol had known while studying at the Almas Academy. In this way, the Padawan was shown several approaches, and allowed to distill for themselves from each of their mentors. Successive journeys were taken away from Indoumodo, traveling the galaxy incognito, and taking on a number of challenges to locate and gather materials with which to craft their armor, following the Jensaarai traditions. Now, since this meant only gathering limited supplies of various materials, the armor each Padawan would construct required an unorthodox and creative approach. No Padawan's armor was the same as another's, and despite similarities, they would – just as with their lightsabers – construct their individual armor before the scrutiny of the 'Five', each according to his or her own design and the materials they'd amassed.
Once having completed their armor, the Padawan, having endured a number of precarious – often dangerous – challenges to gather the materials and develop the skills needed to accomplish this, they became ready to be elevated to the rank of "Warden", the Conclave's equivalent to 'knighthood' among the Jedi. Traditionally, Wardens then became the Conclave's agents, sworn protectors of their isolated community, charged to guide and train Apprentices and Padawans coming up behind them. However, with Siae Andronike's elevation, her status as the Conclave's last and only Warden and with no one to follow her, the present 'Five' have given her a different mission: Sent forth into the galaxy, to seek out others with whom she might work to further the Conclave's ideals and continue its legacy elsewhere. Vague and open-ended, this mission as her only guideline, Siae took her leave, traveling first to nearby Adumar where, using cleverly forged documents and posing as a native of that world, she boarded a series of low-budget transports, eventually making her way to Naboo.
Members of the Conclave, being born and bred on Indoumodo's forbidding landscape, have learned to use the poisons of that world's indigenous kouhun species to great extent, with hunting these creatures having been among their first challenges as Apprentices. Having learned to refine the venom of these vermin, members of the Conclave learned to portion and ratio it, allowing the various grades of their poisons to range from potent paralytics which were non-lethal to incredibly lethal doses, the effects of which mimicked natural forms of death, such as heart attacks, strokes, and aneurisms. The influx of Epicanthix among the Conclave's small community also led to high proficiencies in Teras Kasi, leaving Conclave members quite able to defend themselves even unarmed and fighting against Force-using foes. Skilled stalkers, scouts, and survivalists, members of the Conclave learned to endure and thrive amid Indoumodo's unrelenting landscape, and thereafter, hunting dangerous creatures (including krayt dragons, taozin, etc.) or traversing rugged, hostile worlds like Kashyyyk, Tatooine, Hoth, and elsewhere. They were shown how to navigate through the twisting, claustrophobic corridors and throngs of Coruscant or the wide-open wastelands of Lothal unnoticed, to infiltrate and ingratiate themselves among different worlds and diverse populations. From Lorddians living among their community, they studied kinetic communication and also learned Bocce, in addition to Galactic Standard, enabling them to communicate with one another and outsiders, understanding nuance and barely perceived 'tells' of others. The 'stock and trade' of a Warden in the Conclave was patience, cunning, and daring. They traveled to places such as Adumar, where they practiced and honed their skills at piloting speeders, swoops, and small craft. And, by necessity, trips to worlds like Ord Mantell to scavenge for parts and supplies amidst the junkyards and back alley dealers and markets, learning to fix, repair, and jury-rig various pieces of equipment or starship systems as needed. In short, they became 'jacks-of-all-trades and masters of few', able to adapt, improvise, and overcome, and while they lacked the rigid discipline and structure of the Jedi, and while their skills – formidable yet limited – were not as varied, they learned to overcome their deficiencies, even turning these apparent weaknesses into strengths!
- Intent: To create a unique Force Tradition for future submissions and role-playing.
- Image Credit: n/a
- Canon: n/a
- Permissions: n/a
- Links:
- Baran Do
- Zeison Sha
- Jensaarai
- Jedi Sentinel
- Jedi Shadow
- Jedi Seeker
- Jedi Hunter
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Tradition Name: The Conclave
- Tradition Type: Formal Order
- Tradition Focus: Philosophical, Militant
- Influence: Minor; Only six members remain, with Siae Andronike being the last and only member operating off of Indoumodo.
- Orientation: Lightside
- Influence Area: n/a
- Symbol: n/a
- Description: A small, virtually unknown Force Tradition, born out of necessity and desperation, it evolved over time into a distinctive order, amalgamating traditions and methods of several others as it evolved on a remote world. It has persisted over centuries, until now – its numbers dwindled – its single remaining member is sent forth to re-ignite it and continue its legacy elsewhere.
SOCIAL INFORMATION
- Membership: Force-sensitive members of the Conclave's isolated community, its population replenished now and again by immigrants/refugees who have come to dwell there, are usually trained from early childhood and raised within the order. Progressing through their education and training, they gradually evolve into 'full members' of the order, styled as "Wardens", through a series of initiations and tests.
- Motives: What began as an agreement to cooperate and survive together by the order's original "Five" evolved over time and necessity into a small community of Force-sensitive members, trained in their blended philosophy and system to protect and safeguard the small colony of refugees and fugitives who had come under its care. Now, their numbers having waned, and seeing their time drawing to a close, the present ruling council has charged their last remaining member with perpetuating their legacy elsewhere.
- Rules and Teachings: The Conclave did not originate with a single ideology or system of belief, but rather gradually combined the philosophies and experiences of its founding "Five" into a hybridized system, built around pragmatism and shared intentions. Taking the teachings of the Baran Do Sages, the Jedi Order (and, in particular, the Sentinels and Seekers), the Zeison Sha, and the Jensaarai, gradually distilling them into a blended system, the Conclave emerged as a separate identity and understanding of the Force and its own purpose and principles. (see Historical Information, Below for greater detail and explanation)
- Reputation: Virtually unknown, the Conclave's existence is known to but a few and its impact to the galaxy has been, at best, minimal. In fact, it remains – among the very few outside of it who have even heard of it, a veritable 'spacer's tale', largely rumors and speculations, often viewed speculatively if not outright dismissed.
- Openness: Reclusive and operating in relative silence, the Conclave has remained an obscure and little-known organization for centuries, wary of outsiders and reluctant to reveal its existence to the galaxy at large.
SKILLS INFORMATION
- Characteristic Equipment:
- Lightsabers: The Conclave developed a standardized lightsaber template early on, with variations being more aligned with each member's own personalization of this design, rather than true variation from it. Choosing a double-bladed lightsaber – based on the lightsaber taken from a slain Inquisitor, and the double-bladed weapons favored by Jedi Sentinels. The Conclave also developed it's own unique fighting style, which they have dubbed as "Form VIII, or The Way of the Sand Panther", echoing the group's underlying philosophies and strategies, calling for versatility, patiently enduring and defending until the precise moment to launch a decisive counter-strike or attack. (See Historical Information for more details)
- Armor: Drawing on the Jensaarai tradition of students creating personalized armor for themselves, the Conclave has adopted this as a completion event for their Padawan stage of training and education. However, due to the Conclave's limited size, influence, and resources, they were forced to use unorthodox designs and materials to achieve this. Collecting materials from a variety of sources, the Conclave members created pragmatic and unconventional armor components and pieces, creating a vein of traditional styles and concept designs all their own.
- Facemasks: A key component of Conclave members' armor, special facemasks were often incorporated, combining mystery and protection, enhanced with a number of sensors and systems, these became a sort of 'trademark' among members, with each member's mask reflecting their own individual personalities and character.
- Notable Force Skills: A full-range of Force techniques are taught, however special emphasis has been placed on telekinesis, including the specialization in ballistakinesis.
- Notable Force Limitations: Owing to the general inexperience and limited understanding of Sith alchemy and traditions of its Jensaarai founder, the Conclave possesses only a partial understanding and adepthood with such things, and further, the various specializations and traditions of its other founders left them with an incomplete curriculum – thereby focusing their order's skills and training even further.
MEMBERS:
- Siae Andronike ~ The last remaining 'Warden' of the Conclave, its numbers having slowly dwindled for a long time.
- 'The Five' ~ The Conclave's 'ruling council', successors to its original five members, are now aged and waning in their years, resigned to the Conclave's closing chapter, they have opted to remain on Indoumodo, continuing their tradition of protection and guidance to the declining community there, and have placed any hope of the group's survival or continuation on Siae Andronike. [OOC Note: The "Five" are NPCs and exist only to preface Siae Andronike's backstory.]
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
As the Clone Wars came to their end, with the galaxy torn by years of war and strife, the emergence of the Galactic Empire would change the landscape of the galaxy forever. The Jedi Order, which had stood to defend the Republic and serve to foster peace for centuries, had become an integral part the Republic's campaign against the Separatist forces, assuming unfamiliar roles of military officers and agents, leading Clone Troopers into battle time and again. Two Jedi, a fervent Jedi Shadow with a reputation for zealous opposition to the Sith and their minions, and an idealistic Jedi Hunter, yearning for adventure and travel, had been assigned to a mission on behalf of the Republic: To lead a detachment of Clone Troopers, scouts and experts in reconnaissance, to survey the Outer Rim, Wild Space, and Unknown Regions, traversing the fringes of the galaxy to locate and establish bases for Republic forces there, enabling them to strike out against the Separatists.
When Chancellor Palpatine announced the Galactic Empire and crowning himself as Emperor, issued the secretive "Order 66", intended to sunder the Jedi Order forever, the Clones aboard their ship responded as they did elsewhere, turning their weapons against the Jedi with whom they'd served for years. The battle was fierce and short, and the other Jedi assigned to their mission lay dead, together with the Clones who had been friends and allies, only the two survived – both left wounded aboard their damaged vessel, limping through space. The two hadn't been close – yes, both Jedi, and yes, they'd worked together for years, but their personalities had never allowed them to grow any closer before. Now, as they listened in horror to Obi-Wan Kenobi's broken, static-filled message, they found themselves alone with no one else to turn to and went into hiding.
After months, a faint 'call' through the Force reached them. They resolved to seek its source, hopeful that others of their order might have survived, coming to regroup, ready to shift to action against the new threat that promised their destruction. Hopeful, they followed this 'call' to the remote world of Indoumodo where, instead of finding a group of fellow Jedi, set to retake their disposed place, they found something altogether unexpected: A trio of Force-sensitives, members of other traditions – a wizened old Sage of the Baran Do of the Kel Dor, a fiery member of the Zeison Sha, and a young 'Defender' of the Jensaarai – who'd been prisoners of the Imperial Inquisition had broken free from their captivity in a daring escape from the prison barge where they'd been held, killing their Inquisitor captor and his minions, stealing a shuttle, and going into hiding themselves on this remote, wild planet. Their meeting was tense, and their differences – both historical and philosophical – were many. But now, resigned to the common tragedy that had befallen them and those like them across the galaxy, they resolved to put these differences aside, to work together for the common survival, in hopes of one day finding a means to strike back, to regain all that had been stolen from them.
They dubbed their meeting, and later their alliance, as the "Conclave", a gathering, a meeting of thrown-together representatives of different and often opposing viewpoints and experiences, determined to cooperate with one another now, not only to ensure their own survival, but also to protect others like themselves. Gradually, what began as a cautious experiment in necessity and mutual self-interest evolved, each of them sharing their experience, training, and knowledge with the others. Slowly, they found and gave succor to groups of desperate refugees, fleeing the ever-tightening grip of the Empire, vowing to protect them and one another. Gradually, they tested for and selected Force-sensitive members of these refugees, mostly children, to build the ranks of their order. Over time, they decided on a curriculum and system for their training, based not on the high-minded ideals of the Jedi, or the fervent independence of the Zeison Sha or Jensaarai, or even the balanced philosophy of the Baran Do, but rather something altogether their own, drawing upon of each of these traditions. They lacked the institutions and resources of their various orders, forcing them to adapt, to improvise, and to overcome these deficiencies. Each of the "Five", as they became known, contributed his or her own insights and experiences, and as the years passed, the hidden order became an institution in and of itself, with its own character and style, its own ideology and methods.
The group's unofficial (at first) leader was Jo Paan, an aging Sage of the Baran-Do. The elderly Kel Dor was wise and acted as the group's mediator. Deeply spiritual, he embraced the Living Force and believed that the Force itself had brought this unique group together for a reason. From him, the disparate voices of the other four members were slowly distilled into the message of the Conclave, learning to compliment rather than rival one another. Having spoken out against the Empire, he was arrested as an insurgent and subversive. The Zeison Sha Kin'li, was a Rutian Twi'lek and possessed a fiery, defiant spirit, shaped by an ethos of survivalism and devotion to independence, and it was from her that the Conclave found its grounding. She had been traveling in secret, posing as an exotic dancer as she moved about the galaxy when she was found out and captured by the Inquisition, who hoped she'd provide them with information to subjugate her order. She brought with her a belief in self-reliance, in family and community, and an unorthodox philosophy of duty and preparedness. The Jensaarai Defender, Tun Fel, was a human male, recently elevated to his rank when he became a fighter against the Empire. He was impetuous and steeped in the ideals of his own order, but brought a balanced, borne of his own order's own blend of Jedi and Sith understanding. Though entrenched in the Lightside, he was not so blinded to the Darkside as to reject it, but instead sought to understand, to know, to see that the Sith could not be simply defeated but that they must be dismantled, that by knowing the Conclave's enemy and the beliefs that guided them, they could strike deep at the heart of the Empire one day. Fel and Kin'li would eventually fall in love and wed, with their children being the first of the second generation of the Conclave. The Jedi Seeker, Hinna Gallis, was also young. Steeped in lore, trained by the Jedi Archaeologists and Republic scouts, she had joined the Jedi Expeditionary Corps in hopes of traveling to new and far-flung worlds, exploring and discovering the galaxy at large. Her specialty as a scout, surveyor, and big-game hunter and her passion for exploration and the wild brought a daring and intrepid sensibility, and her skills, practical and seated on self-reliance, survival, and stealth, proved complimentary to those of Kin'li and her own Jedi companion, M'randa Kol. Kol was 'serious and mysterious', not given to small talk, with a zealous, independent streak all her own, one which – during the Clone Wars – had made members of the Jedi Council uneasy, but now her skills as a Jedi Shadow would prove to shape the Conclave profoundly. Unapologetic in her willingness to embrace skills and methods beyond the comfort of most Jedi, she worked as a saboteur, an infiltrator, an undercover and secret operative, fighting a never-ending war against the Darkside. Perhaps initially the most reluctant of 'The Five', she would eventually become the Conclave's most ardent supporter.
The Conclave shaped its teaching and training of new members differently. Drawing on Zeison Sha practice, they didn't separate younglings from their families and community, unlike the Jedi Order had done, but rather entrusted their early education and training either to their parents or else mentored by members of the Conclave as 'day students'. Reflective of their ideals, they trained them in Form VI (Niman) from the beginning, having them spend nearly a decade mastering this one form of lightsaber combat, notable for its versatility and adaptability, heavily engrained with Jar'Kai techniques. These 'Apprentices' as they were styled, received education in other areas as well, ranging from usual academics to field survival training, influenced by Hinna Gallis' teachings, as they focused on self-reliance, survival training, and practical applications of various disciplines. Teras Kasi became standard for their training as well, influenced by the many Epicanthix who came to join their community, and gradually combining this with their lightsaber training to form a versatile, balanced armed and unarmed fighting method. Upon completion of their 'Apprenticeship', the young students would travel together with guides, fully-trained "Wardens", to distant worlds. Since they no longer had access to the usual sources of kyber crystals or other materials with which to construct their lightsabers, they turned to unusual sources – scaling mountains on the Outer Rim for Ghostfire Crystals, hunting Krayt Dragons for their 'pearls', and the like. During their escape, Jo Paan, Kin'li, and Tun Fel had slain the Inquisitor who'd held them captive on the prison barge, and had taken his lightsaber. Impressed by the double-bladed spinning lightsaber's design, they'd created from it a template for each new member to base his or her lightsaber on. Retaining the crescent or circular hand guard, they'd adapted the discblades of the Zeison Sha to this design, and much of their combat training included thorough training in telekinesis, and especially ballistakinesis as practiced by the Jensaarai, enabling them to throw their disc-shaped lightsabers with uncannily lethal accuracy up to 120m, striking out and hitting several targets before returning to their hands. Likewise, as each Apprentice had gathered the materials with which to construct their lightsabers, and despite their common template, they allowed each Apprentice to add his or her own personalization to the design, making their weapons – though all similar – an extension of their personalities and styles.
Next, upon constructing their lightsabers, performed in the presence of the 'Five' who watched and studied the Apprentice's skills and technique, noting their personalization and design, the student would be promoted to the rank of 'Padawan'. Now, in their early to mid-teens, the student would begin to study and incorporate Form III (Soresu) and Form V (Djem So / Shien) into their fighting style. This would fit nicely with the Conclave's understanding of its own limitations and situation, realizing their numerical inferiority (as the Conclave, at its peak, had only ever numbered two hundred or so members, of all ranks) and so embraced a philosophy of asymmetrical warfare, relying on cunning, stealth, and subterfuge rather than open warfare. Thus, while Niman gave them a well-rounded versatility, they refined their style to emphasize defensiveness, staying alive and wearing down their opponents until the right moment appeared, an opening in which to change from defense to offense, now switching from Soresu to Djem So and Shien, striking with decisive, powerful counterattacks and relentless onslaughts to defeat the various threats they encountered. Further, rather to limit their education to a solitary 'Master', the Padawans were entrusted to several "Wardens'" tutelage, as M'randa Kol had known while studying at the Almas Academy. In this way, the Padawan was shown several approaches, and allowed to distill for themselves from each of their mentors. Successive journeys were taken away from Indoumodo, traveling the galaxy incognito, and taking on a number of challenges to locate and gather materials with which to craft their armor, following the Jensaarai traditions. Now, since this meant only gathering limited supplies of various materials, the armor each Padawan would construct required an unorthodox and creative approach. No Padawan's armor was the same as another's, and despite similarities, they would – just as with their lightsabers – construct their individual armor before the scrutiny of the 'Five', each according to his or her own design and the materials they'd amassed.
Once having completed their armor, the Padawan, having endured a number of precarious – often dangerous – challenges to gather the materials and develop the skills needed to accomplish this, they became ready to be elevated to the rank of "Warden", the Conclave's equivalent to 'knighthood' among the Jedi. Traditionally, Wardens then became the Conclave's agents, sworn protectors of their isolated community, charged to guide and train Apprentices and Padawans coming up behind them. However, with Siae Andronike's elevation, her status as the Conclave's last and only Warden and with no one to follow her, the present 'Five' have given her a different mission: Sent forth into the galaxy, to seek out others with whom she might work to further the Conclave's ideals and continue its legacy elsewhere. Vague and open-ended, this mission as her only guideline, Siae took her leave, traveling first to nearby Adumar where, using cleverly forged documents and posing as a native of that world, she boarded a series of low-budget transports, eventually making her way to Naboo.
Members of the Conclave, being born and bred on Indoumodo's forbidding landscape, have learned to use the poisons of that world's indigenous kouhun species to great extent, with hunting these creatures having been among their first challenges as Apprentices. Having learned to refine the venom of these vermin, members of the Conclave learned to portion and ratio it, allowing the various grades of their poisons to range from potent paralytics which were non-lethal to incredibly lethal doses, the effects of which mimicked natural forms of death, such as heart attacks, strokes, and aneurisms. The influx of Epicanthix among the Conclave's small community also led to high proficiencies in Teras Kasi, leaving Conclave members quite able to defend themselves even unarmed and fighting against Force-using foes. Skilled stalkers, scouts, and survivalists, members of the Conclave learned to endure and thrive amid Indoumodo's unrelenting landscape, and thereafter, hunting dangerous creatures (including krayt dragons, taozin, etc.) or traversing rugged, hostile worlds like Kashyyyk, Tatooine, Hoth, and elsewhere. They were shown how to navigate through the twisting, claustrophobic corridors and throngs of Coruscant or the wide-open wastelands of Lothal unnoticed, to infiltrate and ingratiate themselves among different worlds and diverse populations. From Lorddians living among their community, they studied kinetic communication and also learned Bocce, in addition to Galactic Standard, enabling them to communicate with one another and outsiders, understanding nuance and barely perceived 'tells' of others. The 'stock and trade' of a Warden in the Conclave was patience, cunning, and daring. They traveled to places such as Adumar, where they practiced and honed their skills at piloting speeders, swoops, and small craft. And, by necessity, trips to worlds like Ord Mantell to scavenge for parts and supplies amidst the junkyards and back alley dealers and markets, learning to fix, repair, and jury-rig various pieces of equipment or starship systems as needed. In short, they became 'jacks-of-all-trades and masters of few', able to adapt, improvise, and overcome, and while they lacked the rigid discipline and structure of the Jedi, and while their skills – formidable yet limited – were not as varied, they learned to overcome their deficiencies, even turning these apparent weaknesses into strengths!
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