Legions of Lettow

History

During the early history of the Jedi Order, the Kashi Mer exile Xendor was studying on the planet Ossus, fortress world of the Jedi and home to a culture devoted to the study of the Force and its light side aspect called the Ashla. A respected Jedi Knight, Xendor was a vocal opponent to the Order's views on the Force which he saw as "exclusionary". Among his closest allies was a Follower and Steel Hand of Palawa named Arden Lyn; the two of them shared philosophies away from the eyes and ears of the Jedi High Council and eventually became lovers.

Xendor, able to bear his frustration no longer, approached the High Council and requested their blessings in opening a new Jedi academy far from Ossus to focus on the darker aspects of the Force, the Bogan. When the Council refused, Xendor quietly broke with the Order and traveled to the planet Lettow to open an academy which focused its teachings on the Bogan. Drawing on Force traditions such as the Order of Dai Bendu, the Followers of Palawa, the Kashi Mer Guardians of Breath, the Baran Do, and the Chatos Academy, Xendor's academy drew a trickle of interest which quickly transformed into a roaring river. Xendor and his followers embraced the dark side of the Force, rejected the idea of order and structure and celebrated their freedom by giving in their passions and emotions and touching the power of the dark side. It was these acolytes which named their new group the Legions of Lettow, as they believed that they would one day be forced to defend their traditions from the Jedi High Council's wrath.

At the academy, the Legionnaires followed similar initiation ceremonies that were practiced by the Jedi Order; for example, the forging of Force-imbued blades was carried over from ancient Tythonese practices. Initiates shaped high-carbon steel in the furnaces of the academy in an extremely challenging ritual, melding the blade's molecular lattice with that of the energy crystal, making the blade and the crystal one-in-the-same. With the furnace-forged steel, the Legionnaires adopted the ancient Jar'Kai fighting art, calling it Niman, after the triumvirate of Kashi gods.

Sometime in the 24,500s BBY an open war erupted between the Legions and the Jedi Order. According to the Jedi Order's recordings and some historians it was General Xendor and his Legionnaires who attacked the Jedi, others says it was the Jedi Council who declared war against the Dark Legions. The most detailed version of the events provided by Imperial Grand Inquistitor Laddinare Torbin, based on Arden Lyn's recalling of the events. According to this account, it was the Jedi Order who raised army first so the reluctant Xendor took up the title of general and attacked Ossus directly, to prevent bloodshed. However, during the battle, Xendor's forces were fought off and forced to commit troops to several fronts as the Order pushed the Legionnaires towards the galaxy's core. Xendor then tried to warn the Galactic Republic that the Jedi Order wanted to take power under the guise of the protectors, but was ignored and branded as a warlord by the Republic.

The war between the Jedi Order and the Legions ot Lettow raged on Chandrila, Metellos, Brentaal IV and Coruscant until the Jedi leader, Awdrysta Pina managed to come into direct battle with Xendor on Columus. Known as the Green Blade, Master Pina and his Jedi Knights were able to separate Xendor's vanguard from the bulk of his army through the use of a strong Force meld - a practice rejected by the Legionnaires since they saw it as giving up their individuality. Cutting through powerful warriors such as Sethul Asaiage and Tun Bohoi, Pina eventually dueled Xendor and slew him in hand-to-hand combat.

With Xendor dead, Arden Lyn took command of the remaining Legionnaires on Lettow. As Pina's forces took over the academy, Lyn and her followers held off the Jedi until the Legionnaires could flee Republic space. Separating from the rest of the survivors, Lyn attempted to hide beyond Kitel Phard but was followed by Master Pina and he finally cornered her on Irkalla. There, Lyn used a Kashi Mer talisman gifted to her by Xendor to channel her rage and sorrow over the loss of her lover to shatter Pina's blade and send the shards through his body. As he lay dying, Pina poured his last bit of life into attacking Lyn with the Morichro technique, stopping her heart and nearly killing her.

Legacy

In the centuries following Xendor's separation from the Order, the Jedi who would eventually be known as the Dark Jedi Exiles of the Hundred-Year Darkness believed themselves to be the heirs of the Legion of Lettow's legacy. The Exiles, banished to the Unknown Regions, were able to create the Sith Empire with a philosophy which focused on the dark side of the Force.

A record from the final battle on Columus survived the conflict and was obtained by the Jedi Order. Called the Columus Data Card, the files were written through audio records by Padawan Danzigorro Potts. Describing the final battle as he lay dying, Potts described the deaths of Xendor and other former Jedi, including his own master Jook-jook H'broozin and friends Blendri and Cuthallox.

Millennia later, "Minions of Xendor!" remained a common curse among smugglers.

Behind the scenes

The "Legions of Lettow" is the name of the Knights of Sith in George Lucas' first revision of the original script for A New Hope, simply entitled "The Star Wars," in which members were simply referred to as "Lettow." This script is barely recognizable from the final script used for the film. Power of the Jedi Sourcebook later revealed that the "Legions of Lettow" was the name of a historical enemy of the Jedi Order and The New Essential Chronology identified Xendor's followers as the Legions of Lettow.

Sources

Appearances

Unknown

Unknown

None