The Kal'Shebbol system was located within the Kathol sector of the Outer Rim Territories and contained the planet Kal'Shebbol. As was common throughout the galaxy, the system was named after its principal world. The system was connected to the Brolsam and Torize systems in the Kathol sector, and the Pergitor system in the Minos Cluster via hyperlane. It was also a major port on the Trition Trade Route, which ran through the sector. The system was located close to the border between the Kathol sector and the Minos Cluster. Starships traveling from the Kal'Shebbol system took just over nine days to reach Pergitor, eighteen hours to reach Torize, and a day and six hours to reach Brolsam using a Class 1 hyperdrive.
The Trition Trade Route, showing the Kal'Shebbol system in relation to the rest of the Kathol sector
The system's prime world, Kal'Shebbol, was settled by escaped Twi'lek slaves around 392 BBY. When the Kathol sector was formally integrated into the Galactic Republic, Kal'Shebbol was selected as the sector capital over the planet Gandle Ott, which was located at the end of the Trition Trade Route. Gandle Ott had been settled two hundred years before Kal'Shebbol and was the first official colony in the sector. However, Kal'Shebbol was appointed as the capital by virtue of the fact that it was closer to Republic space than Gandle Ott.
In 19 BBY, the Galactic Republic was dissolved and reformed as the Galactic Empire following the end of the Clone Wars, and the Kal'Shebbol system fell under Imperial control. In 2 BBY, Moff Kentor Sarne was assigned to oversee the sector, and was headquartered on Kal'Shebbol. Under Sarne, free travel to and from the Kal'Shebbol system was prohibited.
In 4 ABY, Emperor Palpatine was killed at the Battle of Endor. With the fracturing of Imperial High Command as high ranking officials broke away from the Empire and established their own warlord territories, Moff Sarne quietly withdrew the Kathol sector from Imperial authority and established his own fiefdom. For the next four years, the Kal'Shebbol system was the heart of Sarne's domain, and he kept a number of warships in the system to protect his capital.
In 8 ABY, the New Republic initiated a campaign to oust Sarne from power. The Moff had made incursions into the nearby Minos Cluster, gaining victory through the use of exotic technology. He had been repulsed, and a task force was sent to liberate Kal'Shebbol and end his rule. The task force engaged Sarne's forces in orbit around Kal'Shebbol, while a commando team lowered the planetary shields. The New Republic was victorious—although Sarne managed to escape the system with the majority of his fleet—and the Kal'Shebbol system came under New Republic control. The New Republic installed an Elomin named Monjai as governor, and expected to deploy a defensive fleet to the system a few months later.
Kal'Shebbol had a single continent, where the planet's population lived. The world was covered in wide, open plains and rolling hills, and had a breathable atmosphere compatible with most oxygen-breathing species. The planet's conditions were favorable for both agriculture and the grazing of herd animals, such as the native chollas. Traditionally, the planet had been governed by a system of clan and city-states, but the social order was overthrown when the Empire took control of the planet, as the new officials cared little for the planet's traditions. The planet was inhabited mainly by Twi'leks and Humans, but also included large communities of other alien races.
The Kal'Shebbol system was created for The DarkStryder Campaign, a roleplaying game sourcebook published by West End Games in 1995. The system's prime world, Kal'Shebbol, was the primary setting for the short story The Saga Begins, written by Timothy Zahn. The system was later included in 2009's The Essential Atlas and its online companion.
- The DarkStryder Campaign
- The DarkStryder Campaign, Deluxe
- The Essential Atlas