Jelph Marrian

Following the conclusion of the Great Sith War—a conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Sith—in 3996 BBY, Jelph Marrian, a male Human, was born on Toprawa. His mother shared stories of the war with him. She later abandoned him one morning, and he was found by Krynda Draay. Witnessing the devastation inflicted upon his homeworld by the Sith, he dedicated himself to preventing their return. He became a Knight of the Jedi Order but was expelled after alienating the Jedi Council. In 3967 BBY, Marrian joined the Jedi Covenant, a splinter group within the Order focused on preventing the Sith's return. For four years, Marrian served as a Covenant Shadow, gaining extensive knowledge of the planet Taris.

However, in 3963 BBY, while on a mission in a remote region of the galaxy, the Human learned of the Covenant's dissolution. Fearing his standing within the Jedi Order was compromised, Marrian fled to the Unknown Regions in his Aurek-class tactical strikefighter. Arriving at Kesh, the former Covenant Shadow's spacecraft was caught in a meteor shower and crashed in a remote jungle. Marrian discovered that Kesh was ruled by the Lost Tribe of Sith, a group of stranded Human Sith who had settled there during the Great Hyperspace War in 5000 BBY. The Tribe had also subjugated the native Keshiri, a purple-skinned humanoid species reduced to serfdom. Despite the Sith Tribe's privileged status, the planet also had a significant Human slave population, mainly outcasts from the Tribe. The planet's magnetic field made distress calls impossible, so Marrian headed to a nearby settlement. Marrian assumed the identity of a slave and became a horticulturist on an isolated smallholding by the Marisota River, taking the name "Jelph of Marisota". He produced fertilized soil from Kesh's black mud, mixed with uvak manure and clay, and traded it with Keshiri gardeners. Besides fertilizer, Marrian also cultivated dalsa flowers on hejarbo-shoot trellises behind his house. In addition to his horticultural work, Marrian spent nights repairing his damaged Aurek starfighter, dismantling it and painstakingly bringing it piece by piece to his homestead. He hid it beneath a dung heap in a former uvak stable. By 3960 BBY, he had reassembled the starfighter, except for its communications console. As a precaution, Marrian rigged the starfighter with two proton torpedoes and thousands of kilograms of ammonium-nitrate explosives, an anti-theft system designed to kill intruders and destroy the vessel. Despite his animosity toward the Sith, Marrian developed a romantic relationship with Orielle Kitai, daughter of High Lord Candra Kitai and a Sith Saber. Orielle discovered Marrian after stalking a Keshiri florist she suspected of lying about his stock's origins. The Sith woman had been buying flowers for Donellan's Day, a holiday commemorating Donellan, son of Grand Lord Nida Korsin who never ascended the throne because his mother outlived him. Orielle and Candra needed the flowers to decorate their booth at the arena Korsinata during the rake-riding games. The florist met with Marrian to collect fertilizer, a transaction Kitai oversaw, leading her to Marrian. Over the next eight months, the Saber visited Marrian to collect flowers, building a rapport with the slave. Despite their differences, Marrian developed a friendship with the Sith woman. On the day before Donellan's Day, Kitai visited Marrian to collect dalsa flowers. After discussing Donellan's Day, Marrian gifted Kitai a yoke mated to a saddle for an uvak. Marrian placed the saddle onto Kitai's uvak and the flowers into the yoke. Laden with flowers, Kitai bid farewell to Marrian and departed.

Jelph and Ori's lives became intertwined after an unexpected development. During that year's Donellan's Day, Ori and Candra sponsored Campion Dey, a rake-rider. Rake-riding was a blood sport pitting uvaks with severed wing muscles against each other. Dey planned to assassinate Grand Lord Lillia Venn, recently elected from among the seven High Lords. Dey's assassination attempt failed, and he was captured. Due to their connection to Dey, Candra and her family were accused of staging the assassination. Grand Lord Venn ordered the Kitai family reduced to slavery, stripped of possessions and titles. Ori lost her status as a Sith Saber, and her mother was forced to shovel uvak manure at the capital Tahv's zoo. With her life ruined, Ori turned to Jelph for comfort. After two days, Ori shared the events leading to her family's downfall. Marrian was hesitant to offer shelter, needing to hide Ori's uvak Shyn, as slaves and Keshiri were banned from owning them. Jelph managed to hide Shyn in his composting barn, previously a stable. During this grief, Marrian provided Ori with water and wash rags. Conversing with Ori, Jelph learned the Tribe's political complexities. As a Jedi, Marrian was aghast at the elite's backstabbing but hid his origins. While Ori wanted to restore her family's name, Jelph advised against it, suspecting the Grand Lord was behind the assassination attempt to frame the Kitai family. He speculated that since Candra was key to selecting Venn's replacement, the Grand Lord wanted her out of the way. Marrian argued that if the Grand Lord truly suspected her mother, she would have ordered her family's execution. Jelph reasoned that the Grand Lord spared her family to make an example of her rivals. He also advised Ori not to thwart Lillia Venn as long as her mother was not suffering. Ori initially disbelieved Marrian's arguments but realized they made sense. She then allowed him to help her back up when she lost her footing near the riverbank. During Ori's time at his farm, Jelph noticed changes in her character. While he recalled her being proud, arrogant, and self-indulgent, he noted she was tentative and unsure, grieving the loss of her status. He wondered if Ori showed humility, an attribute unknown to the Sith. He sensed her anger was fueled by injustice rather than violence. As Ori recovered, Marrian allowed her to walk around the farm and look after his traps.

The following day, an unexpected twist challenged Jelph's friendship with Ori. At daybreak, the former Jedi departed into the forest to hunt and collect herbs for his fertilizer business, needing ingredients for the autumn growing season. Unwilling to be left alone, Ori threw a tantrum but could not deter Jelph from traveling upstream in his raft. Marrian assigned Ori the task of checking the traps. That same day, Flen and Sawj Luzo, two of Ori's former Sith Saber colleagues and rivals, arrived at Jelph's farm, learning from Keshiri traders that Ori was hiding with her friend Marrian. They killed Ori's uvak, claiming slaves could not own them, a tradition since 4975 BBY. The Luzo brothers revealed that Candra had confessed under duress to plotting against the Grand Lord with Dernas and Pallima, leaders of the Red and Gold Factions, who had been executed for their role in the plot. To torment her further, the brothers presented Ori with a spade to mark her status as a slave and confiscated her lightsaber before departing. Humiliated, Ori raged and destroyed Jelph's properties, including his dalsa trellises, hejarbo-shoot wreckage, and wooden cart. While attempting to destroy the manure mound in the composting barn, Ori discovered Jelph's Aurek-class strikefighter. She saw the opportunity to regain her family's standing. For millennia, the Tribe sought to return to the stars but lacked hyperspace-capable starships. The Omen, the ancient Sith starship that brought the Tribe's ancestors to Kesh, no longer functioned due to a lack of spare parts and metals. She resolved to return to Tahv and inform her mother. Meanwhile, Marrian returned to his farm but was too late to stop Ori. Over the past days, the Jedi sensed something was about to happen, sensing Ori discovering his secret spaceship. Based on the footprints, Jelph knew others had visited and feared other Sith had discovered his secret. Fearing the Tribe would endanger the galaxy if they rediscovered hyperspace travel, Marrian resolved to pursue Ori and stop her from revealing the starship's existence. Jelph also brought his blue lightsaber. Marrian traveled to Tahv, reasoning that Ori planned to reveal the starship to regain her standing. After running for a day, he stopped by a bar owned by a Keshiri bartender. To cope with his stress, Jelph ordered sweetwater. The bartender was sympathetic to the tired Human slave, as the Keshiri interacted more easily with Human slaves than with their Sith overlords. While eating, Marrian contemplated his Jedi career and experiences as a Jedi Shadow. While the Aurek starship was almost ready, he had yet to install the ship's communications console, taking another week. He also speculated on why Ori had left. The Keshiri bartender sensed Jelph was upset and queried if he was unhappy with his meals. Jelph explained it was about a woman. The bartender advised that anything could happen if he let a woman into his life. Marrian concurred, clarifying that this was what he feared. Shortly later, Jelph left the bar to continue his journey to Tahv.

That evening, Marrian arrived at Tahv, uncomfortable with the strong presence of the dark side. He overheard a Sith man violently castigating his Keshiri slave and a Sith couple plotting their neighbors' deaths. Reading a sentry's mind, Jelph was disturbed by the man's malevolent thoughts. Jelph attempted to shut out these impressions but could not, as the Sith broadcast their feelings. Still, Jelph was determined to find Ori and stop her plans, reasoning she was not as dominated by the dark side as her Sith compatriots, contending she was proud and indignant rather than venal and hateful. After difficulty, Marrian recalled Ori's favorite stomping ground was the city's aqueduct system. He used a pillar to scale the structure, avoiding detection. Jelph proved correct and encountered Ori, who used the Force to knock him into the canal. However, the Jedi fought back with his Force powers and lightsaber. Finding Ori in the aqueduct's flume, he acknowledged he owned the starship and was a Jedi. Ori was angry to see him, blaming him for her misfortunes, angry he withheld his origins. Marrian admitted his plans to return to the stars. By then, Ori had informed her mother about the starship. At her mother's suggestion, Ori had also informed Gadin Badolfa, who had ties to members of the Red and Gold factions. Marrian attempted to reason with Ori, telling her she was not power-hungry like the other Sith. Ori retorted she had succumbed to defeat. Jelph replied he liked her for her good attributes. Ori tried to deny these attributes, stressing her Sith identity and Tribe's ambitions. Jelph claimed there were no more Sith in the wider galaxy. When Ori argued Marrian's ship was a military starfighter, he acknowledged Exar Kun had triggered the Great Sith War but he and his followers had been eradicated. Jelph emphasized the Tribe was the only remaining Sith community. He asked her to feel his thoughts and sense he was telling the truth. When Ori vowed her people would fight the Jedi, Jelph responded the Jedi were looking for him and would discover the Tribe. Marrian reasoned that as long as Lucien Draay was alive, someone in the Jedi Order would be looking for the Sith. Unable to counter Marrian's arguments, Ori asked what she could do if she could not save her family or people. Marrian replied Ori should choose her own course. Ori also commented they could never trust each other. Ori also sensed Jelph had feelings for her, sensing he found her beautiful, desirable, and trustworthy. However, she also sensed Marrian scrutinized her, attempting to trap her because she was Sith. Jelph acknowledged his feelings. Ori expressed discomfort, claiming she could not live up to his expectations, not wanting to be weak and live a simple life. Jelph consoled Ori, telling her she could be strong but did not need to rule the galaxy. When Ori replied it was part of the Tribe's identity, Jelph countered the Tribe was built on a lie since everyone was fighting for power, something only one person could have. He reasoned this was why Sith philosophy was flawed and doomed. Ori then admitted she had contacted several rival High Lords, telling them she had discovered something that would interest them, to meet her at Jelph's farm but conceded she did not reveal the starship. These High Lords were supposed to meet Ori at Jelph's farm the next day at sunset. Having agreed to hide the starship, Ori and Marrian lured an uvak rider into the aqueduct with Marrian's lightsaber. After overpowering the rider, they flew the uvak back to Jelph's farm.

Marrian and Ori's uvak managed to tap into the jet stream above Kesh's atmosphere, allowing them to increase their speed. During their journey, Marrian and Ori agreed to give the High Lords a sack containing four functioning blasters instead of Marrian's starfighter. Ori would claim she had found these blasters in a grave. Since more than a millennium had past, the Sith Tribe had exhausted all their remaining weapons that had come aboard the Omen. Since the Sith lacked access to such technology, it would give any faction an upper hand over its rivals. Jelph was concerned the uvak was not able to travel as fast carrying two passengers. The couple was then pursued by three other uvaks who were led by a lone rider. However, Marrian and Ori managed to arrive at the farm before their pursuers arrived. Jelph quietly slipped off the uvak and hid out off sight before touching down on the farm. Shortly later, Ori found Marrian's bag of blasters beneath the mixing trough and brought them toward the visitors, hoping to buy her mother's redemption and to make them leave. However, these visitors turned out not to be the High Lords but consisted of the Grand Lord Lillia Venn and her entourage, which included four Sith Sabers and the two Luzo brothers. These Sith brothers had recently been promoted as High Lords to replace Dernas and Pallima, who had been executed following the failed assassination attempt against Lillia Venn. Ori was quickly taken prisoner by four of Lillia's bodyguards. The Luzo brothers then opened the door of the barn which revealed the excavated Jedi starship. Lord Venn revealed that Ori's mother Candra had secretly made a deal with the Grand Lord to alert her to Ori's planned meeting in exchange for improved working conditions. Candra did not believe that her daughter's discovery actually existed and did not think that the other High Lords would be interested. In fact, none of the other Grand Lords had arrived at the meeting. Venn was jubilant that she had discovered a way for the Tribe to reach the stars and create an interstellar empire. Unknown to the other visitors, Marrian had managed to use the Force to levitate the sack of blasters toward him. Ori witnessed this and heard Jelph's telepathic call but did not inform the others. At the right moment, she fell down to the ground and surprised her captors. This distraction gave Jelph enough time to emerge from the farmhouse and open fire on Venn's entourage. The Sith Sabers were unfamiliar with blaster technology and a few were struck down. The remainder attempted to use their lightsabers to deflect the blaster bolts. Ori took advantage of the chaos to break free and steal one of her captors' lightsabers. Meanwhile, Venn entered the Aurek starfighter's cockpit while the Luzo brothers guarded the barn's doorway. Jelph quickly arrived and helped Ori out of the skirmish while firing upon the Luzo brothers and the other Sith guards. Without explaining his plans, Marrian grabbed Ori and pushed her into the Marisota River. Marrian then jumped into the waters after her. Shortly later, the Aurek starfighter and the barn exploded; killing the Grand Lord, the Luzo brothers, and the remaining Sith Saber. Unknown to both Ori and the Sith visitors, Marrian had already rigged the starfighter with explosives. He had already buried thousands of kilograms of volatile ammonium-nitrate explosives beneath the starfighter as a fail-safe in the event that the Aurek starfighter was discovered. The ensuing explosion also leveled the surrounding riverbank and wiped out all evidence of the farm and its occupants. While Jelph had prevented a Sith tribe from returning to the galaxy, he also destroyed his only known means of transportation offworld.

Having turned their backs on their former lives, they committed themselves to establishing a new existence in the untamed wilderness. Each day, as dawn broke, Jelph would rise to set traps for the local fauna to provide their morning meal, later gathering fruits as the day progressed. The jungle's consistent warmth meant it offered sustenance throughout the year. Marrian, in turn, would dedicate the daylight hours to constructing their shelter, only to retire at dusk, engrossed with his transmitter, the sole surviving artifact from his life beyond this world. Jelph had brought the transmitter along on their journey into the wilderness, hoping that one day he might establish contact with a passing starship, allowing him to return to the wider galaxy and alert others to the Tribe's presence. Despite Marrian's inability to transmit signals due to the fluctuating magnetic field surrounding Kesh, he could still capture signals from the void and record them for later listening. Upon intercepting a signal indicating that a civil war had erupted among the Jedi, Jelph resolved never to return to the broader galaxy. Marrian confided in Ori that he had been a member of a Jedi faction that had sought to prevent the Sith's resurgence. The signal also carried a warning from a Republic admiral, stating that the Jedi could no longer be trusted. The ancient agreement between the Republic and the Jedi had also been dissolved. Marrian blamed the Covenant for fragmenting the Jedi Order into competing factions. With the Jedi divided and engaged in internecine conflict, Marrian felt he had lost his purpose and sense of duty. As a member of the Jedi Covenant, he had dedicated himself to safeguarding the galaxy. Sensing his distress, Ori implored Jelph to prioritize his own well-being and that of their family for the remainder of his days. She explained that in Sith philosophy, the Sith were taught to be egocentric, believing that nothing but themselves mattered. Given that the Sith had rejected her and the Jedi had rejected Marrian, she argued that neither side deserved their assistance. After careful thought, Marrian concurred with Ori's counsel and agreed to undertake what he considered a "selfish" act for the first time in his life: caring for himself, Ori, and their future offspring. Ultimately, Marrian decided to destroy the transmitter to sever his remaining connections to the Jedi and the larger galaxy. They cast the transmitter into a nearby river, where it struck a rock and shattered into pieces. ### Legacy Eventually, Jelph and Ori had three children and spent the rest of their lives in the jungle highlands of Keshtah. It is believed they eventually passed away due to old age. Millennia later, Jelph and Ori appeared in a Force vision to Quarra Thayn, a Keshiri woman of the Alanciari ethnicity who was at that time leading the High Lord Edell Vrai across the continent of Alanciar, so that he could infiltrate the Alanciari capital Sus'mintri on behalf of the Tribe. In the vision, Marrian was observed tending a small garden plot with a hoe, while his wife engaged in conversation with Quarra. Ori encouraged Quarra to accept the reality of the Sith invasion and cautioned her against the dangers of "living within a dream." Convinced of the inevitable Sith takeover and intrigued by Ori and Jelph's peaceful existence in the jungle, Quarra chose to remain loyal to her family rather than becoming Edell Vrai's consort after the Sith occupied Alanciar. ## Personality and traits Jelph Marrian possessed blonde hair and bore a prominent reddish scar that extended from his right cheek down to his neck. From his early years, Jelph Marrian harbored a deep-seated aversion to the Sith, stemming from his experiences as a child during the Great Sith War on his homeworld of Toprawa. This anti-Sith sentiment led Marrian to join the Jedi Order, where he eventually became a member of the Jedi Covenant, a clandestine faction dedicated to preventing the Sith's return. During his visit to the Sith Tribe's capital, Tahv, Marrian was disturbed by the psychic emanations of hatred and anger generated by the local Sith inhabitants. He also believed that followers of the Sith Code were destined for failure because they were all competing for something that only one person could possess. During his time on the planet Kesh, Jelph Marrian was able to project a gentle and unassuming demeanor, which allowed him to conceal his true identity as a Jedi. This enabled him to cultivate a close and affectionate friendship with Orielle, who became his wife and the mother of his children. Whenever questioned about his origins, Marrian would avoid providing a direct answer, instead feigning ignorance about his ancestry. Despite presenting himself as an impoverished slave, Jelph was more educated and possessed more refined manners than his contemporaries. He became an informal mentor to his friend Orielle Kitai, who came to value his perspective and insight. Due to his assumed identity as a human slave, Marrian was also comfortable interacting with the native Keshiri, who primarily served as serfs to the Sith. However, despite his aversion to the Sith, Marrian developed feelings for and ultimately fell in love with the Sith Saber Orielle Kitai, who would have been his adversary under different circumstances. He was able to understand her sorrow and humility following the disenfranchisement and enslavement of her family, who had been falsely accused of a failed assassination attempt on the reigning Grand Lord Lillia Venn. Marrian recognized that while Orielle was capable of arrogance and had a violent temper, she was not corrupt or hateful like many of her Sith counterparts. Ultimately, Jelph was able to regain her love and friendship by convincing the Sith woman that she could be strong without needing to be powerful. As a husband and father, Jelph was a loving and devoted family man who cared for his wife and their three children. ## Powers and abilities As a member of the Jedi Order, Jelph Marrian was Force-sensitive and highly skilled in lightsaber combat. He was also trained to pilot an Aurek-class tactical strikefighter. Furthermore, Marrian was knowledgeable in the chemistry of fertilizer, enabling him to become a horticulturalist specializing in selling ammonium-phosphate fertilizers to Keshiri peasants. He was also proficient at tinkering with machinery, allowing him to disassemble and meticulously reassemble his starfighter, which he intended to use to return to the Galactic Republic. He was also resourceful enough to construct a clever anti-system consisting of proton torpedoes and ammonium-nitrate explosives in case the Sith discovered his starfighter. ## Behind the scenes Jelph Marrian was initially mentioned in the twenty-seventh edition of the Knights of the Old Republic comic book series, released in 2008 and authored by John Jackson Miller. His first appearance occurred two years later as a central character in the eBook, Lost Tribe of the Sith: Purgatory, also penned by Miller. He also featured in its sequel, Lost Tribe of the Sith: Sentinel, which was published in 2011. He also made a brief cameo appearance in Lost Tribe of the Sith: Pandemonium, the final story in the Lost Tribe of the Sith series, included in the 2012 mass paperback Star Wars: Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories. On his personal website at Faraway Press, Miller explained his intention to use the Jelph connection to provide readers with a Jedi's perspective on Sith society. Furthermore, the author made Marrian a member of the Jedi Covenant, an organization fixated on monitoring for the Sith to prevent a recurrence of the Great Sith War. Miller also intended to use Marrian to connect the Lost Tribe of the Sith series with another of his comic franchises, Knights of the Old Republic, which ran from 2005 to 2010. Miller also clarified that Purgatory takes place after the events of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic: Vindication. Miller also mentioned his intention to use Marrian's expertise in fertilizer chemistry to signal to readers that he was not the simple farmer he appeared to be. The author also reasoned that the Tribe possessed limited knowledge of chemistry. Finally, Miller also noted the possibility of a younger version of Jelph appearing in a computer shot, alongside Celeste Morne in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 25.