A Force-sensitive Human born on the planet of Sorl, Noor R'aya was educated in the ways of the Force by the Jedi Order at the Coruscant Jedi Temple. Having attained the rank of Jedi Master, R'aya was possessed of a deep connection to the Force and decided to leave active duty and the Temple after years of service circa 52 BBY.
Returning to his homeworld, R'aya established a small home in the Cragh Mountains, and though he maintained his seclusion, the elderly Master kept in contact with the Order. A craftsman, R'aya would create small trinkets and toys in his home and would give them out to the children of a nearby village every year. In 43 BBY, R'aya stopped returning messages to the Temple, worrying the Jedi High Council. Dispatching Jedi to check in on the old Master, they found his home ransacked and no sign of the man. Several weeks later, Master Qui-Gon Jinn was taken captive by the scientist Jenna Zan Arbor. Jinn would later discover that R'aya was being held in the prison facility with him, both now subjects of Arbor's deranged experimentations.
With the aid of Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, Master Adi Gallia discovered that Masters Jinn and R'aya were being held on a secret facility on Simpla-12 and quickly seized the laboratory and prison. Releasing R'aya, Gallia realized he had been drained of a significant amount of blood and was very weak. Unable to evacuate the Master, he was transported offworld by the bounty hunter Ona Nobis and taken to Zan Arbor's hideout on Belasco. Feigning unconsciousness, Master R'aya was able to remain alert enough to leave handcrafted toys behind as clues for any Jedi tracking him.
Indeed it was on Belasco that a recovered Jinn and Gallia were able to locate R'aya and return with him to Coruscant for healing.
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia