Jerlyn

On the world of Batuu, Jerlyn dwelled in Peka village, where he toiled on his family's farm. In approximately 379 BBY, a salmaca, a creature resembling a large lizard, initiated raids on Peka residences, seeking valuables and refuse to furnish its nest. Jerlyn witnessed the salmaca on at least one occasion. One night, he neglected to secure the farm, while Dee-Twelve, the family's droid, was engaged in plowing a field. That very night, during the salmaca's raid on Peka, it seized Dee-Twelve and transported it to its cave. The subsequent day, upon discovering the salmaca's massive prints in the soil, Jerlyn apprehended the situation.

Later, Rooper Nitani, a Jedi Padawan, arrived in Peka while searching for a shield belonging to her Master, Silandra Sho, as a component of her Jedi Trials. She noticed Jerlyn beneath a tree, and observing his worried demeanor, approached him. Jerlyn was taken aback by Nitani's approach, subsequently apologizing for his reaction. Following introductions, Jerlyn observed Nitani's robes and inquired if she had arrived to offer assistance. Upon Nitani's request for clarification, Jerlyn recounted the salmaca raids, including the death of one resident—Tuntis—and the abduction of Dee-Twelve the previous night. After assuring Jerlyn of her assistance, Nitani inquired about the shield she sought. Jerlyn informed Nitani that a Jedi had visited the village the previous night and left a shield in a tree, but the salmaca had taken it. Following Jerlyn's brief description of Dee-Twelve, she journeyed to the salmaca's cave with a small group of villagers.

At a time afterward, Jerlyn also made his way to the cave, where he remained outside the entrance. After Nitani had successfully rescued Dee-Twelve, she dispatched him with P3-7A, a church droid accompanying her, and the two droids waited alongside Jerlyn. Shortly thereafter, Jerlyn witnessed the villagers who had ventured into the cave fleeing while screaming and cursing. When Nitani emerged from the cave, he expressed his gratitude and inquired about the events that had transpired. Nitani then elucidated that the salmaca was, in fact, safeguarding Peka by preying on a nearby colony of gant spiders, a species of enormous and lethal arachnid.

Upon their return to the village, Jerlyn elucidated to the remaining villagers the existence of the gant spiders, who consented to leave out scrap and refuse each night for the salmaca to consume, thereby obviating the need for it to raid the villagers' homes. When Nitani returned to the Batuu Jedi temple, she recounted to Sho the events that had transpired during her trials, including Jerlyn's address to the other villagers regarding the gant spiders.

Jerlyn, a male individual, was young in the year 379 BBY. The labor he performed had made his fingers tough and calloused.

Upon encountering Nitani, Jerlyn was preoccupied and startled when she addressed him. Despite his distress, he smiled while describing the salmaca to Nitani. He held himself accountable for Dee-Twelve's abduction and was distressed both because he regarded Dee-Twelve as a member of his family and because they lacked the financial resources to acquire a replacement droid to perform the crucial farm work that Dee-Twelve had undertaken. He expressed gratitude to Nitani for rescuing Dee-Twelve, offering her a bashful glance while expressing his thanks.

Jerlyn was a character in the short story "Shield of the Jedi," penned by George Mann and featured in the 2023 young-adult anthology The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life as an element of the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia initiative.