Je'daii Order

In the year 36,453 BBY, the Tho Yor—eight colossal pyramid vessels distributed throughout the galaxy—transmitted a signal to the inhabitants of various planets, including Ando Prime, Kashyyyk, Manaan, Ryloth, and Dathomir. Utilizing the Force, the Tho Yor compelled Force-sensitive beings in their vicinity to embark on these starships. Subsequently, the pyramid ships departed from their long-held positions and ventured into the cosmos. These Tho Yor traversed the galaxy, amassing Force-sensitive individuals from numerous species. By the time the eight vessels converged within the Deep Core, they carried members of the Wookiee, Selkath, Twi'lek, Miraluka, Iktotchi, Cathar, Devaronian, Noghri, Sith, Talid, Zabrak, Mirialan, Human, Sullustan, and Krevaaki races, along with the species that would later be known as the Koorivar. The eight Tho Yor journeyed into the Deep Core towards the planet Tython, where a ninth, significantly larger Tho Yor awaited, suspended above a stone pinnacle. The arrival of the Tho Yor was marked by a massive Force Storm that enveloped the entire planet. The eight Tho Yor initially gathered around the ninth before dispersing across the planet's surface.

This event, known as the Tho Yor Arrival, involved each Tho Yor depositing its passengers at their designated locations, with some ships embedding themselves into the terrain while others remained airborne. The Force-sensitive pilgrims immediately recognized Tython's exceptional strength in the Force. These pilgrims, collectively known as the Tythans, soon understood that they had been brought to Tython to study the Force and gain mastery over its abilities. However, Tython's beauty was accompanied by peril, and the pilgrims' existence became a continuous practice of mindful awareness of the Force, rather than passive meditation. They also learned that Tython itself reacted violently to imbalances between the light and dark sides of the Force, which they named Ashla and Bogan after Tython's two moons: the luminous satellite Ashla, and the shadowy moon of Bogan. Consequently, the pilgrims established the Je'daii Order, deriving their name from the language of the Dai Bendu monks of the Talid species: combining the terms je, signifying mystic, and dai, signifying center.

The philosophy of Balance became crucial for survival on Tython, as harmony between Ashla and Bogan preserved Tython's peaceful beauty and averted the chaos that resulted from imbalance. Over the subsequent millennium, the Je'daii constructed the Je'daii Temples, cities, and centers for learning and healing, each centered around one of the Tho Yor. Padawan Kesh, the Je'daii academy, was founded by the year 36,019 BBY, during Nordia Gral's tenure as Padawan Kesh's inaugural Temple Master. Around this period, Master Gral helped establish the tradition of the Great Journey, a pilgrimage across Tython to each of the Temples, undertaken by all Je'daii upon graduating from the rank of Padawan to Journeyer. However, as time passed, the Je'daii began to have children who lacked Force sensitivity. It eventually became evident to the Tythans that the planet posed a danger to those unable to interact with the Force, highlighted by the destruction of the city of Aurum. Therefore, during the second millennium following the Tho Yor Arrival, a second migration occurred: all Tythans who were not Force-sensitive were compelled to leave the planet, regardless of familial ties. These non-Force-sensitives initially settled on Ashla and Bogan before spreading to the other worlds within the Tython system.

Despite the Order's contributions to the other Settled Worlds, the Je'daii's existence on their isolated world of Tython faded into legend. It was not until the reign of Queen Hadiya of Shikaakwa that a full-scale conflict erupted between the Order and the non-Force-sensitives sharing the star system. In a system-wide war known as the Despot War, Queen Hadiya led her army against Tython in a series of campaigns in 25,805 BBY. Despite heavy losses on both sides, the Je'daii Order successfully defeated Hadiya and her forces, restoring balance to Tython. However, turmoil arose on Tython just twelve years later when the Je'daii Order discovered the wreckage of the first ship to enter the system since the Tho Yor brought their ancestors to the world. The ship, of unknown origin, crashed on Tython in area known as the Rift, close to the Temple of Anil Kesh, and the mass deaths sparked a Force storm of proportions not seen since the arrival of the Tho Yor. Representatives of the Order investigated the crash site and encountered a sole survivor: a mysterious man named Xesh who carried a bizarre weapon known as a Forcesaber.

In 25,793 BBY, the forces of the Rakatan Infinite Empire invaded the Tython system. Skal'nas sought to reverse his species's gradual loss of control over the Force by acquiring the Infinity Gate said to exist on the planet Tython, and his forces attacked the space station Fury Station on the edges of the system before capturing both of the gas giants Obri and Mawr. The Rakata and their Flesh Raider soldiers attacked Tython, but were repelled by the Je'daii Order; the Infinite Empire fell back to the forest world of Ska Gora and conquered it before establishing their main command post there. By the end of the first year, the Je'daii had allied themselves with the forces of the Settled Worlds, placing Je'daii Master Rajivari in command of the joint forces. The Order also constructed Forcesabers, the Dark side weapons of the Rakata, and armed themselves with the weapons as they recalled the insane Daegen Lok to lead them in battle as Lok had foreseen.

Over the following decade, the Je'daii Order's equilibrium was disrupted. Two distinct factions emerged: one that championed the Ashla as the primary force of good in the universe, and another whose members discovered power solely within the Bogan. In a cataclysmic conflict known as the Force Wars, former allies clashed, and the very essence of the Je'daii Order was torn apart.

By 25,783 BBY, the war had raged for nearly a decade, leaving the planet devastated. The light-siders, under the leadership of Je'daii Masters Rajivari, Garon Jard, Cala Brin and Ters Sendon, established a new group called the Jedi Order and resolved to dedicate their powers solely to the protection of the vulnerable and marginalized. From this group, Master Rajivari broke away and formed a dissident group of dark siders. Rajivari and his followers seized the Temple of Kaleth and attempted to defeat the Jedi Order. Following the defeat of Rajivari's forces and other dissidents like him, the Je'daii Order was finished, the Jedi Order standing in its place. Having witnessed the destructive power of the dark side first hand with the ruination of their homeworld, a large group of Jedi set out from Tython to settle other worlds far from the Deep Core, eventually establishing a headquarters on the far-flung world Ossus.

The Jedi, the Je'daii's successors, would eventually defend the galaxy for millennia to come. The Galactic Republic utilized the Je'daii Order's Bendu symbol, particularly during the Clone Wars. Emperor Palpatine of the Galactic Empire—the Republic's successor state—introduced a six-spoked Imperial crest reminiscent of the Bendu symbol.

The Je'daii Order, a monastic community of scientists, scholars, warriors, philosophers, and artisans that exclusively inhabited the planet Tython, was governed by the Je'daii Council, also known as the Masters' Council or the Council of Masters. The Council consisted of the nine Je'daii Temple Masters, the highest rank attainable within the Order, each overseeing one of the nine Temples scattered across Tython. Although there were nine Je'daii Temples, the actual number of Temple Masters occasionally varied from nine; a mated Selkath couple named Calleh and Naro jointly held the position of Temple Master at Mahara Kesh, the Temple of Healing. The Je'daii Council convened in holoconference or in person at Kaleth, and possessed the authority to exile Je'daii to the moons of Ashla or Bogan if they deviated too far towards one side of the Force.

Following the departure of all non-Force-sensitives from Tython, it became customary for any Force-sensitives born on other worlds to be sent to Tython for training as Je'daii. Non-Force-sensitives born on Tython were tested for Force aptitude, but if they lacked it, they were asked to leave the world, as it was deemed unsafe for those without Force abilities. Young Force-sensitive Je'daii initiates received training and housing at Padawan Kesh until they were taken on as a Padawan by a Je'daii Master. Upon completion of a Padawan's training, typically in their teens, they became Je'daii Journeyers and embarked on their Great Journey: an odyssey across Tython to visit each Temple. Great Journeys typically lasted two years, during which Journeyers trekked unaccompanied, mostly on foot, to reach each Temple, spending several weeks learning the skills taught there. Most Journeyers chose a discipline to specialize in during their Great Journey, and many later returned to the Temple teaching that discipline as Rangers or Masters.

If the Journeyer survived, upon the successful completion of their Great Journey they were elevated to the rank of Je'daii Ranger. Rangers were deployed by the Je'daii Council all across the Tython system, fulfilling assignments and missions requested by the Council or the other Settled Worlds. Rangers wore a badge known as a Ranger star to signify their rank, and they were given their choice of a starship: either a Hunter-class starfighter, or the larger Peacemaker-class cruiser. Rangers were tasked with missions of diplomacy, tracking fugitives, ending conflicts, and a wide variety of other missions, and some Rangers rarely returned to Tython. If a Je'daii Ranger had shown sufficient experience, wisdom, and understanding of the Force, they might be promoted to the rank of Je'daii Master, which was the highest rank a Je'daii could achieve other than a Temple Master. Numerous Masters made their home at each Temple, providing their knowledge to younger Je'daii and studying the Force and other pursuits.

Early in the Je'daii Order's history, the Order established their nine Je'daii Temples around the nine Tho Yor across Tython. While other cities and settlements were later built, the nine Temples were home to most of the planet's inhabitants and were the seats of the Order's presence upon Tython. Akar Kesh, the Temple of Balance, was considered to be one of the most sacred Temples, and it was built within the great pinnacle of stone above which the largest Tho Yor hovered. The Temple of Science, Anil Kesh, straddled the planetary rift known as the Chasm near its floating Tho Yor, and its inhabitants meddled in science and alchemy. The Temple of Healing, Mahara Kesh, was located in the Deep Ocean, and the Temple of the Arts, Bodhi, was located on the plains of the continent Masara.

Padawan Kesh housed and trained young Je'daii before they became Padawans, while the Temple of Martial Arts, Stav Kesh, was located high in the Ice Giant Range next to the Tho Yor that had buried itself in the mountains. Vur Tepe—the Forge—was located directly over an active volcano near its floating Tho Yor, and its inhabitants focused themselves on the creation of weapons and anything else that Anil Kesh's scientists could think of. The Temple of Force Skills, Qigong Kesh, was located in an enormous cavern beneath its floating Tho Yor in Tython's Silent Desert, and the last Temple—Kaleth, the Temple of Knowledge—was home to the Je'daii Library and the meeting place for the entire Order.

The Je'daii Order's central philosophy revolved around Balance. Because of Tython's sensitivity to imbalances in the Force, the Je'daii endeavored to maintain personal equilibrium between the light and dark aspects of the Force. This principle was also inspired by Tython's moons: the luminous Ashla symbolized the light side, while the dark moon Bogan represented the dark side. Je'daii philosophy acknowledged the inherent presence of light within darkness and darkness within light, rendering complete freedom from either impossible. Unlike the later Jedi Order, Je'daii were encouraged to explore the temptations of both light and dark, believing that embracing both was essential for a deeper understanding of the Force. Nevertheless, the Je'daii were careful to keep their emotions under control and discouraged to use purely dark Force powers. The Je'daii viewed living on Tython as a near-constant meditation and study of the Force, and the Great Journey was intended to expose young Journeyers to the various disciplines and arts that were studied at each temple.

The Je'daii Order formulated its own code, which encapsulated the core tenets of the Order's philosophy and was taught at all Temples across Tython. Given Tython's susceptibility to Force Storms, the Je'daii assumed the responsibility of policing their ranks for those who lost their balance, exiling those who were unbalanced to Tython's moons. Those who delved too deeply into the dark side were banished to Bogan, where they were instructed to meditate on the light side and the bright moon of Ashla. Conversely, Je'daii who excessively favored the light side over Balance were sent to Ashla, where they meditated on the darkness of the moon Bogan to restore their equilibrium. Exiles on Tython's moons received regular deliveries of foodstuffs, and they were kept separate from other exiles by their cuffs and the sentry droids that patrolled the moons.