Igni Irae
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Codify a group that appeared prominently in several rps and other Codex submissions. Expand on Tephrike. NPC antagonist.
Image Credit: Here. Here. Here.
Canon: N/A.
Permissions: N/A.
Links: Dominion of Light, Disciples of the Vader, Into Darkness, After Darkness, Mahtara, Tephrike, Jedi Inquisition, Cassius, Mace Windu, Yuuzhan Vong, 400-Year Darkness, Firemane Industries, Netherworld Crisis, Republican Guard, Mon Calamari, Sacred Jedi Texts, The Unchained, Nomi Sunrider, Jedi Service Corps, The Valkyrie's Diary, Diona, Rhea, Jedi Service Corps, Darth Eisen, Palmyra's Wail, Jedi Lord, Ever Loyal Vanguard.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Organization Name: Windian Jedi Order
Classification: Religious Cult, Force-Sensitive Organisation.
Affiliation: Dominion of Light, Battlemaster Mahtara, Tephrike, Jedi Inquisition, Mace Windu Thought, Grand Army of Light.
Organization Symbol: The traditional Jedi crest. Shaped like a living sunrise, the crest is a winged blade of light.
Description:
For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Founded by the legendary Nomi Sunrider, destroyer of the demonic Red Sith, they brought the light to the darkest corners of the galaxy. Before the dark times. Before the Empire. Corrupt politicians and businessmen, fearful of the Jedi's commitment to justice, aligned themselves with the evil Sith to betray the Jedi and their loyal army of clone troopers. The valiant Mace Windu saw through the corruption of the Senate and made a heroic effort to rid the Republic of corruption and restore the Light. He was aided by his brother-in-arms Jango Fett, father of the clone troopers. But the Jedi Master died a hero's death, betrayed by one of his own. A young Jedi called Darth Vader helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights. He had been seduced by the dark side of the Force. But Luke Skywalker defeated Vader and the Emperor, restoring the Republic. But though his accomplishments were great, he underestimated the tide of evil and left governance to self-serving politicians.
And so the galaxy was consumed by the Gulag Virus, the final revenge of the dark side. The true Jedi Order had only endured on Tephrike. Loyal to the teachings of Mace and Nomi, its adherents have realised that Jedi must not just be protectors, but also guides. It is the mandate of the Force that authority can only be placed in those who can hear its will and follow its Light. The dark side is everywhere, able to infect Force-blind and Forcewielders alike. Jedi must be warriors of the Light, smite evil and spread the faith of Ashla to every citizen. That is the story the Windian Jedi Order tells its members. Named after the ancient Jedi Master, it follows a heavily distorted variant of Jedi teachings.
The Windian Jedi govern the Dominion of Light, a totalitarian theocracy that holds sway over much of Tephrike. The Dominion regards itself as the sole bastion of goodness in a corrupt galaxy that was consumed by darkness. They maintain that the Jedi failed in their duty to protect the people, and so they must atone by protecting civilisation - at any cost. In that regard they act as an adjunct to the Windian Jedi Order, the Jedi order of the Dominion. Both groups are heavily intertwined. To be a Jedi in this order is to serve a regime that seeks to assert total control over its citizenry, including their reproduction, workplace and private life. The Windian Jedi stand at the peak of what amounts to a caste system, but even they are not free of totalitarian control.
Many of them are clones, for the Windian Jedi believe that the miracle of life should take place in a medically sanctioned way without lust, for lust leads to the dark side. The Windian Jedi are opposed by the Disciples of the Vader, a fanatical cult of genocidal, Vader-worshipping human supremacists, and the Republican Guard, a revolutionary vanguard movement of Force-Dead and Force-blind that opposes the Force cults. To defend and expand their realm, they have mustered military forces in the tradition of the ancient Jedi Lords and Jedi Generals.
Except whereas the Jedi commanders of old still theoretically answered to a civilian government on Coruscant, the Windian Jedi have done away with limits on their power. The order has been responsible for numerous war crimes and crimes against sentience. Examples would be extrajudicial executions, deportations, the giving of no quarter despite surrender, intentionally targeting of civilians, conscription of child soldiers, torture, enslavement and forced sterilisation. But now the Windian Jedi faces great challenges.
The brief but intense war with Firemane has levelled their temple, deprived them of a vital fortress and slain many of their soldiers. An emboldened Republican Guard has emerged from the forests and swamps to wage a war to the knife. It has forced the Dominion to make compromises, eschewing the finer points of dogma for practical reality. But therein also lies opportunity. Led by a coalition of hardliners and pragmatists, the Windian Jedi outwardly present a united front. But internally the order is divided between conservative and reformist forces.
GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Headquarters: Earthen Rampart, Nexus City.
Domain: The Windian Jedi Order essentially controls the Dominion of Light, a theocratic regime on Tephrike. There it propagates the teachings of Mace Windu Thought among Force-blind and Forcewielders alike. Citizens are raised from cradle to grave in the belief that the Jedi are the last bastion against the darkness and that they have a mandate to govern them. Many, though not all, citizens and Jedi are clones. The Windian Jedi are encouraged to spread the Ashlanite faith among the local communities. Tephrike has been isolated for several centuries, and so technology has regressed. The typical Tephriki peasant will not have access to many of the technological wonders the galaxy takes for granted.
For example, the natives do not have access to the HoloNet and must rely on more conventional medicine rather than bacta. Furthermore, private ownership of starships is nonexistent. In such a situation, the appearance of Jedi healers is a blessing and their healing abilities might as well appear miraculous. Likewise, the Windian Jedi run or otherwise control a variety of organisations that provide social services to house the homeless, feed the starving, aid and educate the poor and so on. The price is, of course, submission and conversion to Mace Windu Thought. It is the law that all Force-wielders must be trained by the Windian Jedi Order, for all other Force cults follow the dark side, which is the path of damnation.
Citizens are exhorted to report suspicious or heretical behaviour. Only then can harmony be achieved. However, while the Windian Jedi are part of the community, they also stand apart from it. They receive privileges the common citizen does not, and ultimately there is no legal mechanism to check the order's power. It goes without saying that this has opened the door to abuse and corruption. It is not enough for the Jedi to protect or even rule, they must propagate the faith so that every citizen, both Force-blind and Force-Sensitive, embraces Ashla. And when doubt arises, the Inquisition will extinquish it - first through gentle persuasion, then with a scalpel before it can fester.
To maintain control, the Windian Jedi have created a variety of organisations that police society or control government ministries. The Jedi Inquisition acts as an ideological thought police, persecuting dissidents and heretics. Unlike certain Jedi sects, the Windian Jedi do not reject the death penalty, though they prefer to 'kill the sinner and save the soul' by using a combination of conventional and Force-based brainwashing. Concentration camps have been built to detain supposed heretics and 're-educate' them. The order has not been shy about carrying out forced population transfers of civilian populations deemed 'tainted' or subjecting captives to forced labour.
Force-wielders who impress the Windian Jedi - as well as meritorious Force-blind soldiers, engineers, doctors etc. - may be included in the Blessed Lineage Project, which is supposed to clone the most worthy to make sure their talents are not lost. The Windian Jedi form a privileged caste alongside the clones of high-ranking Force-blind. Their status gives them access to privileges such as improved healthcare, private vehicles, and the right to buy wares in special shops reserved for the elites. Thus they do not have to stand in line to buy basic foodstuffs and consumer goods.
Notable Assets: In theory, Windian Jedi swear a vow of poverty. Indeed, the Dominion is so committed to creating a land of equality that it has abolished money and private property. Of course, in truth its collectivist policies have produced a highly hierarchial society. The rank and file of the Windian Jedi Order do indeed not have any notable assets, financial or otherwise. The government takes care of their needs. But the order and the government are intertwined. In practice, the Windian Jedi Order controls various temples, academies, and penal facilities. The industrial assets of the Dominion are essentially its property. It is worth noting that while all are equal in the glorious Dominion of Light, some are more equal than others. There are special shops that only Jedi, government officials and the like can purchase wares in.
On the military front, the Windian Jedi commands the Grand Army of Light. The Temple of the Fallen Grace serves as a hidden redoubt. The Earthen Rampart has been the fortified headquarters of the Dominion since the destruction of the Jedi temple. The Forest of Serenity, a light side nexus on Tephrike, is a holy site of the Windian Jedi. Ironically, the Jedi whose sacrifices spawned the nexus is still around as a Force ghost and hates what the order has become.
SOCIAL INFORMATION
Hierarchy: On paper, the hierarchy mirrors that of a typical Jedi order. There are Jedi Younglings, Padawans, Knights, and Masters. In theory the Windian Jedi have a Grandmaster, but the title has been vacant since its last holder was murdered by the Council during the war with Firemane on account of him being mad. The Jedi High Council has been dissolved for the duration of the state of emergency. No one knows when the emergency will end. And so for the time being the the Windian Jedi answer to a more compact war council that unites the highest-ranking leaders of the order, military and the government. However, the Windian Jedi have a more elaborate hierarchy than is typical for a Jedi group. The classical Jedi order has a council, but little formal organisation beyond that outside of a few groups that provide training or maintain the archives or civilian organisations like the Jedi Service Corps. But the Windian Jedi have a far more formal, elaborate hierarchy, for they are also a government and an army.
To this end the order has been divided into several Congregations. Ironically, they mirror the Spheres of Influence of Vitiate's Sith Empire. Each Congregation is akin to a ministry, focusing on a specific branch of the order and with a broad mandate to implement policy. The recent turmoil has forced the Windian Jedi to streamline the hierarchy, but the principle remains the same. The Congregations have autonomy to set and implement policy within their remit, but are required to cooperate and resources are distributed by the central leadership. As a result, some are naturally larger and more powerful than others. Some Congregations 'own' government ministries and other national assets, but not all of them do. The present Congreations are as follows:
- Congregation of the Eternal Wisdom of Windian Thought - handles 'canon', scripture and right practice.
- Congregation for the Illumination of the Shadowed Heart - espionage, intelligence gathering etc. Controls the Jedi Shadows.
- Congregation of the Path to Righteous War by the Faithful - military planning, supplies, logistics.
- Congregation for the Propagation of Right and Just Dictates - law, justice and order.
- Congregation of the Hallowed Way to Knowledge - research, alchemy, science and technology.
- Congregation for the Negotiation of Beneficial Treaties - diplomacy, exploration and political warfare.
- Congreation for Conciliation and Understanding between the Faithful - mediates disputes between Jedi, provides psychological assistance.
- Congregation for the Induction of the Faithful to the Light - recruitment, basic training, agitation and propaganda.
- Congregation of the Forgotten Knowledge of Ashla - historians & archivists, record keeping, holocron storage, excavation and archaeology.
- Congregation for the Restoration of Mind and Spirit - healing, humanitarian aid and outreach.
Membership: Must be Force-Sensitive and a citizen of the Dominion who believes in Ashla. Typically, there are two ways to join the Windian Jedi Order. The first is to be grown as a future adept. The Dominion maintains extensive cloning facilities to clone its best servants. Thus several Jedi who serve are clones of alive or deceased Jedi. This has the advantage that they come into this world with a world view that has been shaped by Mace Windu Thought.
The other way is through recruitment. After all, not everyone can be grown in a laboratory. All children in the Dominion must be tested for Force-Sensitivity. If they are strong enough, they will be inducted into the Windian Jedi Order as initiates. This is mandatory, not optional. A Youngling will go through a training and educational programme comparable to one typical to Jedi orders, though probably a lot more militant and totalitarian, and eventually become a Padawan.
Once a recruit has reached a certain physical standard, they will hone their skills with weapons. Lightsabres are extremely rare on Tephrike, so the standard weapon of a Windian Jedi is a Force-Imbued Blade. However, they also learn how to use conventional weapons. Force-Imbued Blades, while capable, are less good at blocking volleys of gunfire than lightsabres and high-powered slugthrowers are quite common on Tephrike, so the Windian Jedi cannot afford to totally reject 'crude, uncivilised weapons', though very conservative elements do. Naturally they also undergo Force training and ideological indoctrination. There are no racial or gender barriers, for the Dominion is a multispecies society. Many of its leaders have been non-humans. Initial training is essentially a boot camp. While an Initiate will be assigned to a Knight or Master to serve as their Padawan, their instructor has less leeway when it comes to determining their curriculum or doling out assignments than is typical for a Jedi order. The Windian Jedi are a heavily militarised, bureaucratic organisation. Each Jedi is part of a Congregation and must follow the policies set from above.
Moreover, Jedi who serve in a military capacity are integrated into the hierarchy of the Grand Army. That said, particularly influential Knights or Masters do have the ability to pull strings, ensure they and their apprentices get favourable assignments and promote their trainee's career. Sometimes a Knight may take more than one Padawan. This is quite common among Jedi serving in a military capacity. A Jedi being groomed for a military career will be trained in small unit tactics, squad-based combat and the like, as military cohesion is important. To finish their training, a Padawan must complete a set of trials. These may be set by their Master, but meritorious conduct during wartime is also sufficient. Another example for a trial might be exposure to a dark side artefact or some other form of temptation to test the Padawan's willpower.
When the Dominion of Light occupies a settlement on Tephrike, it will naturally integrate native Force-Sensitives, be it by persuasion or force. Those deemed receptive to the teachings of Ashla will be incorporated into the order. They do not get a say in this. Those deemed too far gone will be detained or eliminated. The order is not above using brainwashing to facilitate integration. The concept of the Lost Twenty doesn't exist in the Windian Jedi Order. There is only the light, and the dark, and one cannot find salvation outside of the order.
The present crisis has forced the Windian Jedi to become a bit more flexible. Certain moral purity laws remain in the books, but are not being actively enforced. A degree of constructive criticism is allowed, as long as it does not fundamentally question Mace Windu Thought. But the Dominion itself cannot be criticisd. Nor can the leading role of the Windian Jedi Order. A Windian Jedi who wants to make changes must tread carefully.
Climate: On the surface, life is characterised by camaraderie, faith, duty and compassion. All Knights are brothers and sisters, and they in turn are like elder siblings to the Padawans and Younglings. The Windian Jedi Order is a family. Scratch the surface, and one finds astounding hypocrisy. In the typical galactic Jedi order, no matter its flaws, there are few barriers when a Jedi becomes disillusioned and wants to leave. Indeed, it could be argued that some Jedi orders are too permissive. With the Windian Jedi there is no option to opt out. There is only the light, and the darkness, and so anyone who wants to leave the order has already fallen to the dark side. Those who show obvious signs of doubt will receive a helpful visit to help them correct their errant thoughts. Blind obedience to authority is a virtue, questioning it is a vice. In short, it is a militarised cult.
The Light or Ashla is treated as something akin to a deity, which stands in contrast to the more secular approach of many galactic Jedi. As a result, their understanding of the Force is steeped in mysticism. Legendary Jedi Masters of the past such as Nomi Sunrider, Mace Windu, Yoda or Luke Skywalker are venerated as saints. The same applies to the founders of the Windian Jedi. Jedi do not have surnames. As a whole, the Dominion prefers occupational surnames to family names. However, a Jedi is simply known by their rank and given name. For example, a Jedi called Diana would be simply be called Jedi Diana. A clone will receive a given name derived from that of their template. Individuality is reactionary, all must give themselves to the collective to create a harmonious society free from strife, selfishness and greed.
Officially, discrimination is banned. While the Windians are responsible for many unpleasant or frankly insane policies, they are not speciesist. After all, Tephrike's first Jedi Lord, Zaras Dant, was a Duros, and her successor Tiyan Kree was a Devaronian. Twi'leks, Mirialans and Zabrak have also been part of the upper echelons of Dominion society. Humanocentric speciesism is looked upon very poorly. It helps that the Vaderites, one of the foes of the Dominion, are human supremacists who treat non-humans as lesser beings who should be exterminated or enslaved. However, Mon Calamari are unofficially discriminated against because many of them support the Republican Guard. This is justified on the basis that they need to be 'freed' from reactionary beliefs. Furthermore, while the Windian Jedi are not speciecist, they are extremely conformist. Per the 'Three Togethers', everyone must be the same. For instance, a Mirialan who has the typical tattoos of her species would be accused of 'bourgeois nationalism' and 'chauvinism'. Recently, the Windian Jedi have quietly done away with the rule that there is a set number of order-approved hairstyles.
Moreover, unofficially there is a clear preference for clones who have been raised and moulded by the Windian Jedi. They are often called Pureborn, whereas those who came into the world through natural conception are called 'Randoms'. Relationships with families are banned, as are romantic relationships between Jedi. This obviously still happens behind closed doors. The Jedi department that is responsible for mediating disputes between Jedi and act as an ombudsman has often been complicit in covering up abuses, such as cruel treatment of Padawans at the hands of a famous Jedi Master.
Now with that in mind, why do so many Jedi remain loyal? For starters, the order is all they know. They have often been raised by it. Thus while the propaganda is obviously full of lies, the claim that it is their family is not incorrect. Clones in particular tend to form familial bonds with others who belong to their clone line, and thus turning on the Windian Jedi would mean betraying their siblings - and potentially exposing them to peril. The order has draconian rules, but takes care of their needs. By the standards of the Dominion, the Jedi are a privileged caste. Influential Jedi Masters form patron-client relationships with Knights and Padawans, and take care of 'their own'. Officially, a clone should not be trained by their template, but an influential template will make sure to form a network with their 'offsprings' or 'siblings'.
They receive the best medical care the Dominion can provide. A Knight or Master has wide scope to requisition resources for their private use. Moreover, the Vaderites are genocidal human supremacists, so they are not an option for most. The Republican Guard is not genocidal, but reviles and distrusts Force-Users. So neither is an alternative for many members. There are splinter groups such as the Inheritors of the Light Father, a Vaderite offshoot that converted to the Light, but they are small and cannot effect change. At the lower levels, one finds many Windian Jedi who honestly believe they can do good, even if they acknowledge the order's crimes.
Not every Windian Jedi has been involved in horrible atrocities, but it becomes more and more difficult the higher they rise in the ranks. When you are raised in a machine, it is difficult to break out and see it for what it is. There is a high degree of cynicism in the upper ranks, but it would be a error to believe that everyone on top is a cynic who doesn't believe in what they are doing. Some of the worst atrocities in history have been committed by people who believed they served some nebulous 'greater good'. Evil committed while in a state of serenity is still the dark side. By and large, the men and women who lead the order are convinced of the righteousness of their cause.
Reputation: Tephrike has been isolated from the rest of the Galaxy for centuries. Its isolation came to an end recently when Firemane made first contact with the planet, but outside contact is still extremely limited. Thus very few people outside of Tephrike would have an opinion on the Dominion. Firemane hates the Windian Jedi since they betrayed it and tortured one of its officers. The Unchained despise them since the group is composed of former concentration camp inmates who suffered under the Windian Jedi's tyranny. Closer to home, both the Republican Guard and the Disciples of the Vader oppose the Windian Jedi.
The Guard does so because it regards the Jedi as tyrants and wishes to free Non-Force-Users from the control of Force-Users. They also regard the Force as a curse and prohibit its use. By contrast, the Vaderites are Vader-worshipping Sith who believe it is their destiny to eclipse the Light, enslave non-humans and create a racial slave state. The Windian Jedi are anathema, though they will seek to convert human members.
Within the Dominion, the state-controlled media depicts the Windian Jedi as heroes and wise sages who protect the last bastion of civilisation. Without them, there would be no Tephrike. There are many supporters in the Dominion, but the public's perception of the Windian Jedi is not free of cynicism. After all, they see the Jedi's privileges all too well. But dissidents must tread carefully and be cautious about who they confide in, lest they are denounced to the religious police. Because the Dominion has been around for so long, even dissidents might share some of its preconceptions and prejudices due to being moulded by its propganda.
Curios: The standard apparel of a Windian Jedi is the brown robe that their ancient Jedi forebears would have worn during the twilight of the Old Republic. Unlike their ancestors, incredibly few Windian Jedi carry a lightsabre, for these are extremely rare on Tephrike. Instead the Force-Imbued Blade is their traditional weapon. The Jedi are given space to personalise their blades through sorcery and smithing. A Jedi who loses their blade is regarded as having dishonoured themselves. The Windian Jedi Order is very militaristic, and so Jedi who serve the Dominion in a military capacity will don Jedi battle armour.
Ironically, it probably resembles Imperial Knight armour. In certain cases, it may be imbued with the Force. Windian Jedi swear a vow of poverty, and are expected to eschew extravagant garments or jewellry. Each Jedi receives a copy of the Book of Ashla, which outlines their theological views, tenets and history. The few lightsabres in the order's possession are treated as akin to holy relics. Ironically, if the Windian Jedi came across the actual sacred texts of the Jedi, they would rewrite, hide or declare them heretical forgeries and destroy them because they'd totally contradict their narrative.
Rules: The Windian Jedi follow a heavily distorted variant of the old Jedi Code:
"There is no emotion, there is calm.
There is no ignorance, there is obedience.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is order.
There is no death, there is the Light."
This is the code every Windian Jedi - or Dominion citizen, for that matter - learns from an early age.
To achieve salvation, all citizens must revere the Light, for it is their only shield against the Darkness. The Windian Jedi are the Vanguard of the Followers of Light. To be keepers of the peace, Jedi cannot not be at the beck and call of career politicians and capitalists. They have to take control and shape society in accordance with what they considered to be the will of the Force. A Windian Jedi must believe in the tenets of Mace Windu Thought and obey their superiors. They must strive to be a paragon of the holy code, and be relentless against all who serve the darkness that has consumed the galaxy. Piety, self-discipline, righteousness, temperance and obedience must be cultivated. By contrast, anger, passion and jealousy are to be suppressed.
However, while a Windian Jedi must be compassionate, too much compassion is also a problem. For there are times when a Jedi must harden their heart to do the Light's work. There are individuals who have fallen so far that showing them compassion would endanger the common good. The greater good of the community takes precedence over the individual good. The order is highly collectivist. Alone, the individual cannot achieve anything. Indeed, it will fall prey to the temptations of the dark side. Only by standing together, under the guidance of the wise Jedi, can a person become something greater. For this reason, Force-Sensitives must be raised and trained by the order, ideally from infancy.
A Windian Jedi must be cordial and helpful when dealing with loyal citizens, but give no quarter to enemies of Ashla. Windian Jedi should be simple in dress and eschew extravagant garments, for greed and vanity are paths to the dark side. The Windian Jedi Order provides for everything, and so a Jedi must strive to serve the benevolent state. Romantic relationships and marriages between Jedi and others are banned. Indeed, the Windian Jedi mandate chastity. Lust is wrong, and Jed are wed to Ashla. This obviously does not prevent it from happening behind the scenes, but it will have consequences if it is found out, unless the Jedi has a lot of clout.
The old Dominion would have liked to do away with family units entirely, but it is not feasible to grow all Jedi in laboratories. Officially, a Windian Jedi should not discriminate between vat-grown comrades and those who came into the world the conventional way due to hailing from a more backwards part of Tephrike. The emergency situation has forced the Windian Jedi to become less purist in this regard. Officially, sexual intercourse is still wrong and remains on the books, but the order has unofficially become lax in enforcing the law. For the time being, at any rate. Any light side nexus is to be treated as a holy site because it represents a manifestation of the Light's power. For this reason, they strive to guard these holy sites and protect pilgrims who travel there to seek the blessing of the Light. By contrast, a dark side nexus is a manifestation of evil and must be cleansed or contained. Use of the dark side is a capital crime. There is only the shining light of Ashla and the darkest abyss of Bogan. Possession of dark side artefacts or heretical literature is punished severely.
Those who calls themselves 'Grey Jedi' or claim that they can harness both sides have already fallen to darkness. For their own good, they must be isolated and re-educated and, if they continue to cling to their selfish delusions, eliminated. Killing someone who has become so debased is treated as an act of mercy, for now they can no longer stain their dark soul. It is a harsh duty, but a Jedi's life is sacrifice. A maverick Jedi who plays by his own rules would not be tolerated. Punishments for violations of the Jedi Code can include demotion,detention, severance from the Force, brainwashing or execution. Discrimination on the basis of species or gender is prohibited, for either is symptomatic of a reactionary, bourgeois mentality Mace Windu Thought has overcome.
Goals: Protect the Dominion of Light and spread its influence across Tephrike. Provide protection to its people and educate them in the ways of Ashla. Crush all heretics, real and imagined.
MEMBERS
Battlemaster Mahtara - the most senior Jedi Master and de facto ruler of the Dominion since the death of Grandmaster Aegus. The Jedi Master is a member of Yoda's species. Her long life span means that she was alive when the Gulag Virus was unleashed. Thus she remembers the old days. Deep down she knows that the Dominion has strayed from the Jedi Code, but believes the old ways failed, making her complicit in many of the Dominion's totalitarian measures. Freedom produced chaos and so she chose order. The madness and zealotry of her peers forced her to take control after trying to mitigate the damage their actions caused. It was she who destroyed Palmyra, an act that causes her a great deal of guilt.
However, she prioritises ends over means, has a great capactity for ruthlessness. Mahtara is a formidable duellist, focusing on Ataru. She is a powerful practitioner of Battlemind, Protection Bubble, Dampen Force and Severe Force. She specialises in buffing herself and her allies and negating or severing the Force powers of her enemies. She is also an experienced battlefield commander and strategist. Time will tell whether her skills will be sufficient to ensure the survival of the Dominion and perhaps its transformation into something better.
Jedi Karros (NPC) - a human Jedi High General and Jedi Master. A hard-bitten military man, he is missing an eye. He is nicknamed Sith Slayer due to his accomplishments, but this is a nickname he does not encourage. He prefers a steady, attrition approach. Karros sees himself as prudent, just and devout. His detractors consider him severe, arrogant, bigoted and cruel. Blunt to the point of rudeness, he is a coarse man who cares little for philosophy, higher learning or the finer things in life. He is most at home on the battlefield. Karros hates backroom intrigue, but he is by no means apolitical. His vision is an imperialist one: the unification of all Tephrike under the Dominion's banner. He knows that this will require great sacrifices. Karros is not an articulate speaker, but no one disputes that he is very effective at doing his job. Physically strong and imposing, the Jedi Guardian is a formidable duellist and tank with a focus on physical augmentation.
Karros gained his monicker by routing a Vaderite army at the Battle of Kleidion, taking many Vaderites prisoners. At his command, captives who refused to repent were blinded - all of them. Then he sent them back home. In his own words: "If the Dark Side is your strength see your way home." He then had those who collapsed or strayed from the path shot. For a while he served as the Jedi Lord of a troublesome border area, leading several relentless counterinsurgency campaigns against partisans. Today, he is highly placed in the Congregation of the Path to Righteous War by the Faithful and the Grand Army of Light.
Jedi Cassius - a Jedi Shadow and dealer in secrets, Cassius is a dangerous man. Like many Windian Jedi, Cassius is a clone. His template was Grandmaster Aegus. When Cassius was born, Aegus was neither Grandmaster nor mad. But when his paranoia threatened to lead the Dominion to its doom, it was Cassius who delivered the killing blow and covered up the act, claiming that the Grandmaster had been cruelly murdered by Firemane while searching for survivors in the ruins. Cassius is no stranger to covering up inconvenient facts. When he was a young Jedi, he discovered a holocron that showed a Luke Skywalker whose words and actions contradicted the Dominion's narrative. Mahtara gave Cassius the 'talk' about the danger of knowledge and the need for order.
Cassius took these words to heart. As a Jedi Shadow, he performed assassinations to further the cause of the Light. One of his targets was a Sith Lord who wanted the Vaderites to ease discrimination of non-humans. His place was taken by a fanatic whose megalomania would hurt the Sith in the long run. The suffering of innocents his reign of terror would cause in the meantime was unfortunate, but there was a greater good.
Cassius emerged as an independent power player during the Netherworld Crisis. Now he runs the Congregation for the Illumination of the Shadowed Heart, while serving as Master of the Order. Not content with being a hidden manipulator of events, the spymaster aims to attain true authority. Cassius has a serious, dour demeanour. It is said he has never laughed. He and Mahtara need each other, but there is no love lost between the two.
Jedi Eudocia (NPC) - a Twi'lek female Jedi Master who runs the Congregation of the Forgotten Knowledge of Ashla Its primary duties are record keeping, holocron storage, maintaining the archives, excavation and archaeology. All the knowledge the Jedi acquire of the past and present eventually ends up in her archives. To build the future, one must know the past. Sometimes the past must be massaged. A special section of her Congregation is the only group allowed to interact with dark side artefacts. Officially the sole objective is to contain or destroy them. This has long been a source of controversy within the order. Officially, Eudocia is strongly opposed to the extended handling and study of forbidden items tainted by the dark side. She has heavily restricted access to those Jedi deemed not at risk of giving in to temptation.
Under her watch, it is an uphill battle even for senior Jedi to access the simplistic of Sith lore. She refuses to taint her precious library with the presence of forbidden items. There is a logic to this, since the archives are an obvious target for anyone to try and raid. Eudocia makes a show of destroying heretical texts and Sith artefacts, but secretly keeps them safe at a secret location. Of course, it'd be madness to not use the weapons of the enemy against them. Over the years, she has taken an interest in alchemy, and claims to have discovered a light side counterpart to the dark arts practiced by the Sith. She has a habit of writing long, academic tomes in her spare time.
At the same time, Eudocia feels strong revulsion for the Vaderites. This is also rooted in the brutal massacres they have committed against the Twi'lek people. She is a clone, and witnessed several of her 'sisters' in the aftermath of being cruelly experimented on by the Sith. Eudocia was not a clone of anyone special in the order, but rose to the top through intellect and determination. Whatever else might be said about her, Eudocia is devoted to her siblings.
Jedi Nomiki (NPC) - a Miraluka female who runs the Congregation of the Eternal Wisdom of Windian Thought. One would expect someone in her position to be a guardian of orthodoxy. Nomiki insists she is...but she bucks the trend in many ways. Within certain boundaries, she encourages debate. The Miraluka has come to the conclusion that the present Code contains several doctrinal errors and doesn't accurately reflect correct practice. To her, the Windian Jedi Order must be guided by collective leadership, not the unfettered autocracy of one Master and a circle of favourites. This means policy must be determined through free discussion among the leaders.
The Jedi Master believes that minorities should be given a degree of cultural autonomy. Nomiki is unwilling to abandon Mace Windu Thought, but argues that the faith must be 'freed from the chain of bureaucracy'. She promotes the introduction of term limits for senior leaders of the Order, including the Grandmaster. Indeed, she has demanded that the Grandmaster be directly elected - by full Jedi, of course. Even she's no democrat, after all. Nomiki is serene, and very slight. She apparently doesn't even carry a weapon, but is incredibly strong with the Force. She wears a hooded veil over her head. The Miraluka can quote canon law with near-perfect recall. Like all Miraluka, she only has vestigial eye sockets and uses the Force to see. She has droids to read certain things she cannot see with her Force sight.
Nomiki was twice purged and twice rehabilitated by the old regime. As a result, she has little love for it, and has overseen the purging of unrepentant loyalists. Simultaneously, she has tried to rehabilitate people persecuted by the government and restore their rights as citizens. Detractors accuse her of 'bourgeois liberalism'. Mahtara supports her - to a point. They are partners, but Nomiki wants to go further than her ally to reform the Dominion and the Order. She has been accused of wanting to overturn the Windian Jedi's policy on relationships. She has not actually said that, but has been trying to end discrimination against 'Randoms'.
Nomiki thinks the death penalty should be used far less frequently. She is known for being very merciful and understanding...once. For the Light is about justice, mercy and compassion. But those who continue to err...are punished. She mind wipes them and makes them 'tranquil'. Sometimes one needs to strip away the bad habits, learned behaviours and sinful ways and leave the spirit clean. Like a blank sheet to be written on with the tenets of the Light.
Jedi Kyar (NPC) - Kyar is a human male and a personal foe of Darth Eisen. In his younger days, Kyar successfully carried out missions behind Vaderite lines. He touched the dark side during this harrowing time, but emerged with his purity intact. Eisen still holds a grudge against him because of the successful deception. Kyar has risen to the rank of Jedi Master. However, he is paranoid about Sith infiltrators. He demands that all he work with be 'examined' for the taint. This is ironic since he has become a cruel, corrupt man. After the Netherworld Crisis, Kyar had a run-in with someone he was certain was a darksider, but turned out to be a Light Sith from the Inheritors of the Light Father.
The confrontation has left him even more paranoid, as the infiltrator called him out on the darkness inside his soul. Kyar is deeply in denial about how far he has fallen, but has cultivated a pure aura to mask his corruption. He rationalises this by telling himself that the Order has been compromised by Sith agents. The war with Firemane and the resurgence of the Republican Guard has left him even more mentally unbalanced. He is under the belief that the Windian system is threatened by a vast conspiracy of hidden agents who have infiltrated his nation.
Kyar is good at playing the noble champion of the Light, even to the point of fooling himself. He presents himself as calm and righteous. But the facade is cracking, and he has been passed over for promotion. Much to his annoyance, he was not selected to run the espionage apparatus. Kyar is a highly skilled blademaster, but very prideful. He has secretly learned techniques of the dark side that are forbidden by the order. He claims to have learned Electric Judgement, but it is actually Force Lightning.
Jedi Eirene (NPC) - a Mirialan and the leader of the pompously named Grand Division of Most Learned Medicos for the Restoration of the Righteous, a special group of Jedi healers, and a member of the Congregation for the Restoration of Mind and Spirit. She has built a reputation for compassion, chastity and selflessness. She has sworn an oath to aid the weak, feeble, ill and wounded, regardless of the cost to herself. She has been commended for putting her life on the line to rescue wounded comrades on the battlefield and provide emergency medical treatment. However, she has always modestly refused any honours. When Yuuzhan Vong terrorists bombed a rally, she used her powers to shield a group of Younglings who had been watching the parade. While injured by the blast, she refused medical attention until her charges were safe.
Many a Vaderite or Republican Guard who was healed under care has seen the Light and rejected the evil ways of their master. Once a Sith Lord tried to capture and torture her to turn her to the dark side, but ended up repenting and turning away from Sithism. The brave healer has often gone up against corrupt officials who maltreat the people under their protection. Several of these stories are true. Others have been embellished or outright invented. Eirene is indeed a gifted healer and mentalist, but her public image is a well-constructed facade. In truth, she is an egotistical hypocrite with a holier than thou persona. She became a healer because she enjoys the limelight.
In other words, she likes to be seen as altruistic. Ironically, she falls short of many of the virtues she expects those under her care to live up to. She heals captives she believes can be useful to the Dominion and herself. Eirene believes she is entitled to adulation, but also that she is above the 'petty rules' of 'normal people'. The Inquisition has covered up a number of incidents where she violated the purity laws she publicly espouses. Privately, Mahtara dislikes her showboating, but the Battlemaster recognises that she is a useful icon for the masses. Furthermore, sinners in the guise of paragons can be kept in line. Needless to say Eirene is part of the Blessed Lineage Project. She keeps careful track of her 'siblings' to make sure that they do not bring the bloodline into disrepute. She does feel affection for them, but it is tinged with narcissism. She takes a strong interest in their education, which on her end is about making them model Jedi in her own personal mould.
Jedi Ganodi (NPC): Ganodi is the chief healer of the Windian Jedi. Aside from overseeing the Dominion's healthcare system, she is responsible for the growth, education and health of clones. The female Rodian genuinely cares for her flock, albeit in a rather patronising way. She has a habit of referring to the clones as her 'single spirit broods'. Her attitude annoys Mahtara a bit, but she is good at her job. The Ministry of Health and all Jedi healers answer to her. Her office keeps detailed files on all clone 'bloodlines' in the Dominion. Humanitarian aid and relief work are part of her portfolio.
She is a formidable healer, with an affinity for Force Slow, Malacia, Morichro, Crucitorn and an impressive knowledge of medicine and biology. These qualities make her very dangerous if she ever desires to be. However, she tends to downplay her capabilities. Ganodi is a wily political operator with well-honed survival antennae. Somehow, she managed to maintain friendly relations with the late Grandmaster after he succumbed to paranoia. One veteran Dominion official has described her political career in the following manner: "The rascal is able to walk through Heavenly Square on a rainy day without an umbrella and without getting wet. She can dodge the raindrops."
She met Elpsis briefly when the latter was a brainwashed drone of the Dominion. Ganodi had taken charge of a sanctuary that had been set up to accommodate bombing victims who had been wounded during Firemane's air raids on Nexus City. This allowed her to help people, but had the welcome side-effect of keeping her away from the chaos in the capital. It kept her safe from both Firemane bombs, and the power struggle between the Grandmaster and Mahtara. The indoctrinated Elpsis - known by her Jedi name Roxane - helped her tend to a young, severely injured Padawan whose leg had to be amputated. Ganodi was strict, but not unkind to 'Roxane', treating her as another assistant instead of an enemy. However, she was content to leave the girl's conditioning intact instead of help her break free.
Jedi Dione (NPC) - The commander of the Ever Loyal Vanguard, an elite unit of Jedi Guardians. A Jedi paladin of high repute with an intimidating body count. It was she founded the Vanguard to respond to the calamities the Netherworld Event had inflicted upon the Dominion. In doing she brought together a force of crack Force warriors. Dione is a commanding presence, preferring the battlefield to the meditation room. The Republican Guard has carried out several assassination attempts on her - all failed. She once posted a fake bounty on herself to lure in assassins, then crushed her would-be killers. However, recently she has suffered a personal blow, for one of her clone sisters died in battle against Firemane, and another by the name of Diona seemingly defected to the enemy. She tries to hide it behind a stoic facade, but these losses have affected her deeply.
It is kept concealed from the public, who know her as a war hero and righteous paladin. Nonetheless, Master Nomiki has been trying to discreetly seek her out. Dione has pledged her support to the Dominion's new régime and is now focused on fighting - and winning - a war to the knife. True to the mind set of the Vanguard, she has a very militaristic view on the Jedi Code and its tenets, advocating decisive action against the foes of the Light. Dione held a grudge against Grand Inquisitor Antonius for framing one of her clone sisters. While she was unable to defy orders from high-up to face Firemane in battle and regarded them as invaders, this made it easy for her to go along with Mahtara's coup. She wasn very enthusiastic about smashing the Grand Inquisitor's surviving network of supporters, and beheaded several of his allies herself.
Jedi Draako (NPC - Neimodians are commonly stereotyped as greedy, cowardly, corrupt and lazy. People are individuals though, not monoliths. Draako works in the Congregation of the Hallowed Way to Knowledge. Draako is a moderate reformer, but wants to make changes at a more gradual pace than Nomiki and to a more limited extent. He takes a more 'technocratic' approach that is less governed by 'enthusiasm'. He supports promoting technological experts to senior positions in the Dominion's administration. Draako regards a market economy as unsound, but promotes the idea of creating a computer-managed socialist economy. To provide the necessary processing power, the super computers will be powered by the Force and hooked up to the synchronised minds of living beings with precognitive abilities. He claims the programme will eliminate corruption, waste and inefficiency.
This is not say that he is an unideological technocrat who 'only cares about efficiency'. For one, efficiency by itself is not an end. Draako has been recently elevated to his present position. His predecessor was killed during the turmoil that accompanied the Dominion's war with Firemane. This means that his position is still quite weak. Draako has a degree in advanced technology. This is, of course, by Tephriki standards, but he has taken an interest in studying the wrecks of outsider ships, such as the hyperdrive of a Firemane starfighter that was shot down by Dominion flak during the fighting.
Jedi Releqa (NPC) - a Caamasi Jedi Master who oversees the Congregation for the Induction of the Faithful to the Light. She specialises in personnel management, data science, psychology, and propaganda. Her department approves the curriculum of a Windian Jedi academy. Jedi recruiters answer to her. The Caamasi is outwardly friendly and charming. She prides herself on being able to take a long view of the future of the Windian Jedi. She works closely with the Dominion's propaganda apparatus to disseminate a positive view of the Windian Jedi. Releqa is not the type of propagandist who'll mesmerise the crowd with a dramatic speech. But she is incredibly good at winning someone over and fostering goodwill in a one-on-one setting or small group interactions.
She is a skilled dissembler, who is good at attuning to the sensitivities of her conversation partners. At the same time, her training as a data scientist enables her to determine patterns. Like all Caamasi, Releqa can share vivid memories called memnii. She does not just do marketing for the Order, but also helps shape personnel policy. Releqa uses her influence to assign promising initiates as Padawans to Masters and Knights who support her. A Jedi at odds with her might be assigned a Padawan considered problematic or with a low potential. That said, she knows how to choose her battles. She will not mess with someone who has enough clout to ruin her. It is rumoured that the Jedi Inquisition had a very thick file on her, but it was lost when Firemane's bombardment destroyed their archives.
Her Congregation is the definition of soft power. Releqa does not have armed battalions of trained killers at her disposal. She cannot make anyone disappear into a black site. Like all Windian Jedi, she has been trained to fight with a Force-Imbued Blade, but she is no blademistress, and her strength in the Force is similarly average. She is a Master with all that implies, but not an exceptional one. But she is not someone to be taken lightly. Her weapons are words, stylus and data management tools. Her power to shape public opinion and manipulate personnel appointments is formidable. Patronage is not just a feature of the system, it is its essence. A Grandmaster can make a decree, but it is toothless if those responsible for its implementation stall or outright sabotage it. This would make her a valuable ally to any reformist or conservative cause.
Jedi Bekk (NPC) - the new Grand Inquisitor. He was put in charge after Battlemaster Mahtara took control of the Dominion. Given her troubles with the late Grand Inquisitor Antonius, the Battlemaster wanted someone reliable in charge of the political police. For this she needed an outsider who was not a nutcase, but could administer Commissar justice where needed. Bekk is a male Zabrak and a newcomer to the Inquisition, but no stranger to investigative work and politically sensitive cases. He started his career in the Dominion's youth movement before briefly serving in the Grand Army. He helped organise partisan groups during the Netherworld War. Then he climbed the bureaucratic ladder of Windian Jedi Order.
As an inspector, he was responsible for adjudicating personnel cases, including breaches of discipline and appeals against expulsion from the Followers of Light. He also scrutinised the administration of state-owned enterprises. Working in the Congregation for the Induction of the Faithful to the Light, he headed the Council of Reassignment. There he cultivated a network of failed Jedi initiates who were given a second chance by him instead of being carted off to the Jedi Service Corps.
He transferred to the Congregation for Conciliation and Understanding, chairing the Council of Reflection and Understanding. Officially, this division was supposed to mediate disputes between Jedi as well as provide counselling to those who are experiencing temptation. However, it had a darker side, since it covered up incidents that would make the Windian Jedi look bad. He gained a reputation for 'making problems go away' without needing to involve the Inquisition. His discretion did not go unnoticed.
His talent in discreet resolution of 'problems' has made him the top secret policeman. He has a reputation for orthodoxy and dislikes radical change, but follows the party line. The new Grand Inquisitor has aborted most of the Inquisition's vanity projects and overseen the incorporation of its private army into the regular military. Instead he has reemphasised its role as an internal security force and punitive organ that should serve the Windian state, not aspire to rule it. Bekk has been busy consolidating his control over the secret police and quietly installing his allies in important posts in the Ministry of Harmony and the judiciary to fortify the Dominion against internal enemies.
Jedi Leonitas (NPC) - Once upon a time there was a rogue vigilante called the 'Mynock Man', who hunted down the corrupt and criminal elements of the City of Harmonious Industry. He headed a gang of vigilantes called the 'Mynock Family'. Master Leonitas had him arrested and detained in a prison camp. Later the vigilante was shot whilst escaping. The law is the law, and the Cathar Jedi is the chief lawman of the Windian Jedi. He enforces the laws of the Dominion, and makes sure to claim credit for all the things he has done. He first came to public attention when he led the manhunt to track down and arrest a notorious serial killer nicknamed the Crimson Butcher who murdered and often mutilated over fifty people. The case was politically sensitive because, at the time, the Dominion leadership was pushing the line that something as mundane as crime could not exist in the Ashlanite paradise. All criminals had to be deviants and traitors.
The omnipresent Inquisition was not equipped to stop a serial killer who defied their neat, ideological boxes. Local leaders were afraid that the revelation would make them look bad. Leonitas worked under the late Grand Inquisitor, but was distant enough from him to avoid being purged. He has not inherited Antonius' complete control over the security apparatus. He is a lawman, but also a politician, rather than an 'apolitical' enforcer. His Congregation is composed of the police, detectives, and judges of the Windian Jedi Order. In addition, it exercises an oversight role over the 'mundane' police forces of the Dominion and emergency response organisations. Leonitas' deeds have provided fodder for police procedurals.
The Dominion loves to shoot and broadcast deeds about heroic Jedi Investigators almost as much as about Jedi healers or aces. Many procedural cop shows have been based on cases he's solved. The members of the security apparatus are inevitably depicted as heroes. 'Bad apples' in the Congregation for the Propagation of Right and Just Dictates are aberrations who cannot poison the basket. Trained to follow the path of a Jedi Sentinel, Leonitas is a skilled duellist and detective.
Jedi Kyrric: Kyrric is a Kel'Dor Jedi Knight and Mahtara's apprentice. His species is already pretty obscure in the greater Galaxy and damn rare on Tephrike. Kyrric found it hard to fit or find a Master. Mahtara found him in a meaningless job, for he had been relegated to being a pen-pusher who was responsible for registering new Jedi initiates. She took the lad under her wing. He has not disappointed her. Kyrric tracked down the traitorous Jedi Tyrus, who had decided that from his point of view the Jedi were evil, and fought in the Netherworld War. When a young clone technician realised that the intel the Dominion had received on Republican Guard's troop movements were faulty and that the rebels were marching on Fortress Purity, it was he who brought this to his Master's attention. This allowed the Dominion to rout the rebels.
However, when the Grandmaster schemed to instigate war with Firemane, Mahtara turned on the Dominion's leadership and ordered her apprentice to do the unthinkable: to fight his own comrades to save the nation. He obeyed, but was conflicted, as he had to violate his vows. Kyrric is someone who takes oaths very seriously and is loath to break his word. But at the same time the Grandmaster was leading his country to ruin. The mere thought that the Grandmaster could be anything other than the embodiment of the Light was heresy, yet his policies were disastrous. Deceiving and fighting his comrades has left Kyrric with feelings of guilt. Nonetheless, he followed Mahtara's orders because he trusted his mentor.
Like many Jedi Guardians, Kyrric was given a command position early on. Mahtara taught him to value the input of the clone troopers under his command instead of treating them as disposable fodder that is not good for more than marching at the enemy in a straight line, shooting and getting shot at. Kyrric still has a bit of a superiority complex. But he has developed an affinity for the soldiers under his command and is not careless with their lives. This also played a role in his decision to have them surrender to Firemane's superior forces rather than fight a battle he knew they would be slaughtered in. His telekinetic powers are subpar, but he is a formidable duellist, a tank and can utilise the technique called Electric Judgement or Emerald Lightning. Naturally, it has nothing in common with Sith Lightning.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
In one form or another the Jedi Order has existed for over twenty millennia. Its great heroes - and those who turned to evil - have been immortalised in history. But memory is a fickle thing, and twenty-five thousand years is a very long time. Knowledge is lost, distorted or altered to suit a specific agenda. To the average sentient being - and even the typical Force-User - what happened millennia ago is not relevant to their lives. At the same time, a supposedly glorious past is a source of legitimacy for any government, even if the one presented to the public has little to do with what actually happened.
On Tephrike, the Four Hundred Year Darkness never came to an end. When civilisation collapsed, the planet was split into warring factions. Each tried to exact its vision on the planet, trying to reclaim a past they did not remember. It was a brutal struggle for survival. One of these groups was the Dominion of Light, a Jedi theocracy. Its leaders believed that all galactic civilisation had been destroyed by the Gulag Virus. As far as they knew, it had been a machination of the dark side and they were the only Jedi left alive. The servants of the Light had failed in their duty to protect the people. Billions upon billions had died because they had not been vigilant enough. The only solution was to do whatever was necessary to ensure that the last bastion of Light did not fall - regardless of the cost.
Nomi Sunrider became one of their heroes. Time, deliberate manipulation and the accidental loss of many historical records has distorted their understanding of history. According to them, she was one of the first Jedi. Trained by the venerable master Vodo-Siosk Baas, she became the first Grandmaster and led a relentless inquisition to bring the Dark Lords to heel in the Great Sith War. Her cleansing light destroyed the Sith Purebloods, a race of demonic manifestations of the Dark Side. However, they had passed their teachings on to weak people who became the Sith of later times. As Jedi chancellor, she was a practitioner of Mace Windu Thought before it even existed. Sadly, unworthy successors forgot the true path.
Tephrike has been isolated from the rest of the Galaxy since the outbreak of the Gulag Virus. Originally colonised a few centuries prior to the downfall the Old Republic, it was subjugated by the Galactic Empire. The human supremacist regime established by the Empire was overthrown with the aid of the Rebel Alliance and the planet emerged as a democratic, multi-species federation. For a while there was peace. But over time economic woes, social and racial tensions and political polarisation destabilised the federation.
Then the Gulag Virus sent the Galaxy spiralling into chaos. Warlords, Jedi, Sith and rebels vied for power. Prolonged warfare and the use of primitive weapons of mass destruction brought great devastation to the planet. Benign intentions turned to evil over time. Cut off from the rest of the galaxy, the planet's local Jedi enclave tried to assume a protective stance. Jedi who sought to restore order and reunite the planet fell to the darkness they claimed to oppose, while still believing that their intentions and actions were good. In so doing, they followed in the footsteps of Atris and Jorus C'boath.
After government soldiers shot unarmed protesters who had come to parliament to deliver a petition, the Jedi decided that it was their duty to intervene and take control. The radical Duros Jedi Master Zaras Dant was the ringleader of the coup d'état. With the support of renegade elements in the army, they took control of the capital Palmyra, arrested Tephrike's prime minister and disbanded parliament. However, they soon faced opposition from rebel forces, such as the Alliance of Democratic Forces. What was supposed to be a provisional emergency junta turned into a dictatorship without end. Racial tensions between Tephrike's people triggered pogroms and the Jedi came under fire when they tried to put an end to the violence.
Faced with enemies on all sides, the Jedi had to militarise. They became soldiers and generals like during the Clone Wars. Except this time they were also control of the government and thus had no one to answer to. When Parliament opposed her coup, Zaras denounced the lawmakers and declared the body dissolved. Forming a military junta, she declared herself Jedi Lord of Tephrike. She vowed to leave office once the crisis had passed, and free elections could be held. Unlike her successors, Zaras was sincere at the time. But this day would never come.
The Windian Jedi Order had been born. The Jedi and their soldiers fought a series of bloody battles against the Alliance of Democratic Forces, a coalition of old government loyalists and former rebels who had sided with their old foes. The Jedi were victorious, but Zaras was assassinated by rebels and rogue Jedi who viewed the coup as contrary to Jedi principles. This brought a Devaronian Jedi Master called Tyian Kree to power. Unlike her secular predecessor, she was a theocrat and had unknowingly fallen to the dark side, while remaining convinced of her own righteousness. It was she who created the Dominion of Light as a theocratic government, though it would not solidify until her successor Norn Astur came to power.
Until her death from a heart attack while laying siege to a rebel stronghold, she fought a series of campaigns against secular rebels, human supremacists and Sith. Mace Windu Thought came into being in this time period. The chaos of the Dark Age had paved the way and the generation of Jedi and Non-Force-Users that followed Tyian were convinced that they were the last bastion of light in the galaxy. They would impose their warped interpretation of the code not just on the Jedi, but the entire population. At first, small sects formed, espousing these radical beliefs. Some performed charitable work, filling a vacuum left by the collapse of the planet's old government and its fragmentation into warring factions.
Others formed militias to keep the peace and crack down on those they believed disturbed it. As the Jedi assumed a protective stance, word of their deeds spread. Jedi healers went out into the land to cure the sick and help the needy. Increasingly, the Jedi-led government took an interest in these cults and decided to shape their dogma - and persecute those who preached the wrong teachings. Zaras Dant had been wary of these groups, but her successors embraced them.
The Harmonious and Compassionate Inquisitors of the Public Wellbeing for Defence Against the Depredations of the Dark Side and all its Manifold Evils were founded to act as a thought police. An Ithorian prophet called Momaw Naawat did much to popularise the faith and spread it among the masses. Travelling from village to village, he spread the word, delivered aid and judged the wicked. It was he who discovered the aurodium tablets that supposedly contained the sacred texts of the Jedi. He was martyred when he was murdered by rebel terrorists, though stories soon spread that he had managed to retain his identity within the Force.
But the Windian Jedi and their regime faced many challenges. Renegade Jedi established a Sith cult called the Disciples of the Vader, for they idolised the long-dead Vader as a god and believed it was his will to enslave all those who could not wield the Force and were not human. Tephrike's old capital was devastated by a great battle fought between the Dominion and the Vaderites. The Republican Guard, a faction that glorified the Old Republic and staunchly opposed Force-users, was founded by disgruntled clone slave-soldiers and racial minorities that declared war on both Force cults. In between these three extremes, several smaller factions tried to carve out a niche for themselves. The planet was locked in stasis, divided by riven groups trying to recall a past they did not remember.
The rebellion of the Republican Guard and, even more threateningly, the rise of the Disciples of the Vader led to a surge in religious fervour. The war to secure the Dominion was transformed into a righteous crusade. Barbaric atrocities committed by the xenocidal Vaderites fanned the flames. The Sith were very open about how they viewed aliens as lesser beings to be exterminated or enslaved, so the war assumed millenarian proportions.
While ultimately the Vaderites' war of annihilation was halted with the Battle of Palmyra, it was a Pyrrhic victory. The devastation wrought by the conflict had left the city in ruins and turned it into a dark side nexus. The Vaderites were forced to retreat, but were able to create their own breakway state. It was built upon a bedrock of human supremacism, slavery and terror. Meanwhile, the Republican Guard had been able to endure and declared war on both Force cults, waging an insurrectionary campaign. By then Tyian Kree was dead, having died of a heart attack during the siege of Red Coral City.
Norn Astur, who lacked his predecessors' pedigree as a warlord, was more of a theologian and administrator than a warrior. Fittingly, Mace Windu Thought was codified under his reign at an ecumenical council of the Jedi and 'wise men'. To give himself legitimacy, he took the title of Grandmaster. Religious and political authority had been fused into one. The Windian Jedi had to settle down and learn to govern as well as fight. The minimalistic internal structure of past Jedi orders was not up to the task. The order evolved into a sprawling bureaucracy. To facilitate efficient management of every sphere of life and ensure oversight of the Dominion's government, the order was split into several Congregations.
Like every ideology or religion, Mace Windu Thought had its share of deviations. One of them was the Balance Heresy, also known as the Grey Jedi Heresy. Its followers were unmasked by the Inquisition. Those who did not see the light and refused to recant were exiled into the Dune Seas. Mace Windu Thought facilitated countless atrocities, such as mass killings and deportations. When a Jedi Knight stormed a poorly defended Sith Academy at the head of his troops, he put the student body to the sword, even though they did not represent a threat and were mostly in their mid-teens. He justified this with the argument that they were beyond saving. Even while the 'Great Enlightenment' produced famine, the ideologues insisted that the people of the Dominion lived in a paradise and in fact accused suffering peasants of being capitalist saboteurs. It also legitimised experiments on captured Yuuzhan Vong in order to find ways to 'heal their curse' and the persecution of non-believers and people advocating for democratic change.
For a while, the Dominion went through a thaw. There was a time of relative liberalisation, 'constructive criticism' and even theological debate in the faith. The regime even let peasants keep a surplus to sell on local markets. This came to an end when Grandmaster Tsal Te Mon, frustrated by the failure of his collectivist economic policies, instigated the Cultural Revolution. His Blue Guards unleashed a wave of terror. The Blue Guards were a mass paramilitary movement composed of students, Padawans and young Knights. It was supposed to usher in a utopia where all would be equal and no one would experience toil and misery. But to reach this promised land, the fervent followers of Ashla first had to 'smash the four olds' and destroy all forms of old thinking.
The recalcitrant Grand Inquisitor was purged by his successor Dree Annora. She had a background in the field of Force research and believed in absolute collectivism, denouncing individuality as selfishness. If all citizens of the Dominion were literally of one mind, greed, hatred and other negative desires would cease to exist. Thus a collective consciousness would revolutionise society and redefine what it meant to be sentient. No citizen would ever be alone or stand apart from the people. She founded a special group of Windian Jedi called the Paragons to serve as an educational and training group to teach young Jedi new ways of thinking. They were part of tests to create the 'Perfect Ashlanite'. To this end particularly zealous Blue Guards were recruited for these trials. Dree attempted to combine telepathic powers and alchemy to create a collective consciousness failed. Indeed, one experiment impaired her connection to the Force, which some viewed as judgement of the Light.
The Grandmaster's contradictory proclamations led to factionalism in the Blue Guard movement. The excited youths had been manipulated into treating his word as holy writ, and so they engaged in verbal and physical skirmishes. The Cultural Revolution sent the nation spiralling into chaos, forcing the military and the old Windian Jedi establishment to step in. Master Mahtara emerged from retirement to restore order. The Blue Guards, once the standard-bearers of the Ashlanite revolution, were dropped in the interest of stability. Indeed, they were often denounced as counter-revolutionary and sent to the countryside for re-education.
The Army of Light violently put down a Blue Guard uprising. Mass executions were carried out. This would have been the chance for political liberalisation. But while several victims of the Cultural Revolution were rehabilitated, the regime closed the door on political change. Creating a harmonious, orderly society required growing and moulding citizens for specific roles. Many Grandmasters were puppet of the oligarchs. When Grandmaster Kalija tried to break out of the gilded cage and exercise true power, she was quietly eliminated. Since then few Grandmasters left the palace after being put into power. Under the leadership of the fanatical General Kennobi, the Dominion waged a campaign of conquest to annex Mon Calamari communities that had managed to remain neutral during the war.
One underwater city was destroyed in order to make an example. However, Dominion troops were targeted by partisans. As a reprisal measure, the Dominion deported many Mon Calamari, forcing them to leave their homelands so that they could be controlled. Moreover, the Inquisition expanded its network of detention centres and penal colonies. One of the most infamous that was set up during this time period was the Tranquility Vocational Education and Training Centre, also called Transformation Through Education Centre IX. Many Mon Calamari accused of 'heresy' were interned here.
The Windian Jedi were put to the test by the Netherworld Event. The mass disapearances disrupted a grand offensive against opposition forces. Unrest broke out in Nexus City. The Republican Guard took advantage of the fact that its primary enemies had been weakened by the Force being thrown out of balance. The rebels launched the Hundred Days' Offensive. Around the same time, the Vaderites had had a civil war that brought Darth Krieg to power. Krieg had discovered a book that told the true story of Vaders' redemption. In actuality it was a Galactic Civil War for Dummies type book. Regardless, it had led him to conclude that the Vaderites must forsake the Dark Side.
He rallied slaves and members of the underclasses to his banner, promising them freedom. Having renamed himself Darth salus, he extended an olive branch to the Dominion, urging reunification. Of course, he expected to be in charge. He was rebuffed, and so he declared the Jedi to be heretics. The Vaderites made a secret pact with elements of the Republican Guard leadership and entered the war as their de facto cobelligerents.
The weakened Dominion was backed against a wall. To buy time and make every enemy victory as costly as possible, Mahtara implemented scorched earth policies. At the same time she used subterfuge to drive a wedge between the two unwieldy co-belligerents. With many Vaderites more interested in marauding, the Republican Guard bore the brunt of the fighting. Their attempt to seize Fortress Purity, a crucial breastwork on the way to Nexus City, ended in a rout and the expected mass uprising of Dominion citizens did not materialise. Their offensive ground to a halt. Krieg was later murdered by Vaderites, who swiftly returned to Dark Side worship.
However, some of the heretical Light Sith had managed to cross the border. Indeed, for a while some Windian Jedi were ready to grant them sanctuary, seeing them as a useful tool against the Vaderites. Then some people tried to say the Jedi should not be a totalitarian dictatorship. The Inquisition conducted a fiery purge, eliminating a Light Sith camp. However, they failed to capture the Illuminator, as the supposed leader of the sect turned out to be an illusion, leaving some Inquisitors to suspect it might be a group of people or just a projection.
Jedi Master Aegus was elected as the new Grandmaster. Prior to his ascent to supreme office, he had been the Barse'thor of the Order. At the time he was known for his kindness, moderation and compassion. He had become popular with the small folk by fearlessly walking into homes whose inhabitants had been infected with a deadly disease and using his powers to heal them or alleviate their pain. He had also exposed corruption in the Order and punished Jedi who had been abusing their students. However, the Netherworld Event had a negative effect on his psyche. He was wounded in a poison gas attack, which left him temporarily blinded. During his recuperation he was tormented by apocalytic visions. These did not cease after his election. They took a toll on his sanity.
Behind the scenes, Battlemaster Mahtara and Grand Inquisitor Aegus vied for influence, each trying to control the increasinbly unbalanced Grandmaster. The Grandmaster at the time was obsessed with spiritual purity and purging, believing that the Dominion had become infested with traitors. Thus they had been dispatched to another part of the Dominion's realm. There they dealt with heretics who shared the Jedi's dualistic views of the Force, but believed it was impossible to explain and live without both sides. They shared the Windian Jedi's view about chastity, considering sex a product of a corrupt world. However, they saw clones as trapped spirits kept tethered to the sinful, mortal world.
Moreover, they maintained that any of the faithful could become Jedi. The ability to use the Force was not some mystical gift, but something anyone could use. To this end, they had conducted Force research to awaken the innate potential of mundanes and ascend them. This cult had become popular among the common folk of a distant province, and even among the local elites. Realising that this was heresy, the Windian Jedi conducted a crusade to tear out the weeds in the garden. This culminated in laying siege to and storming a fortified city that had sadly fallen into sin. Sadly, it was difficult to distinguish the faithful from the heretic, but the Light would know its own.
In the middle of the purge, the Dominion made first contact with a group of outsiders called Firemane. While Mahtara wished to negotiate with and use them, the Grandmaster believed it was an armada of darkspawn. Grand Inquisitor Antonius convinced him to 'eradicate the plague'. When a Firemane delegation visited Nexus City to meet with Jedi Master Airla, the order's chief diplomat, they were ambushed by Inquisitors and militia. A Firemane officer called Elpsis Kerrigan-Alcori was captured and brought to an Inquisition ghost site, where she was tortured and brainwashed.
In response Firemane bombed key installations in Nexus City, including the Jedi Temple, and aligned itself with the Republican Guard. Mahtara was declared a traitor and was forced to go underground. However, she was able to rally her followers. Biding her time, she waited until the Grandmaster had suffered a serious setback when the unlikely coalition of Firemane and Republican Guard troops managed to storm Fortress Purity after a bloody battle. In order to cover for the retreat of his high command, Jedi General Kennobi ordered a large force of brainwashed Padawans and Younglings to conduct a suicidal death charge. Their enemies were exhausted and did not have stun weapons, so the child soldiers ended up being slaughtered. Having sent them to their deaths, Kennobi committed suicide.
In the meantime, Grand Inquisitor Antonius had been slain by Elpsis, who was able to free herself with the help of rebellious concentration camp prisoners and a Firemane task force. Two former members of the Windian Jedi, an Inquisitor called Rhea and the Grand Inquisitor's former apprentice Rhea aided in her escape. The Grandmaster was apoplectic when he heard of the defeat. Alarmed by this, Jedi Cassius, Aegus' own clone, conspired with his fellow Jedi Councillors Varus and Karana and the Temple Guard to assassinate Aegus. Officially, it was declared that the kindly Grandmaster had been killed by Firemane Sithspawn bombs while he was touring the ruins to help trapped survivors. Using secret backchannels, Cassius sent a message to Mahtara, inviting her to enter Nexus City. Forces loyal to the Battlemaster initiated Operation Apotheosis. Ironically, it had originally been drafted as an emergency continuity of government operations plan.
Now it was used to unseat the government while maitaining the facade of loyalty. Tanks surrounded government buildings and communications were cut with the outside world. Government officials deemed disloyal were placed under house arrest or shot. After heavy fighting, soldiers stormed the headquarters of the Inquisition. When Mahtara convened the High Council, she came with an escort of clone troopers. This was a clear breach of sacred Council rules. She found that many Masters were unwilling to accept her coup. Enraged by what she saw as ignorance, she declared the Council dissolved and bid them to go in the name of the Light. Cassius agreed to serve on the new council of war that would replace the moribund body and she appointed him as her deputy. Firemane had withdrawn its ground forces, but continued to support the rebels with shipments of armaments and supplies as well as occasional air strikes. Faced with a resurgent Republican Guard that held one of its key fortresses and was marching on the City of Harmonious Industry, the Windian Jedi Order mobilised for war.
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