Qrrrl Toq

Qrrrl Toq was raised on the planet of Nazzri, a descendant of its royal lineage. As a young boy, Toq insisted that everyone, with the exception of his father, the king, address him by his full title—Crown Prince Qrrrl Toq. He firmly believed that it was only appropriate for those he considered inferior, which essentially encompassed the entire population of his homeworld, to address him by his formal designation.

Similar to most members of his species, Toq was deeply religious and dedicated himself to studying the fourteen vens of the Great Structure of the Ulizra to eventually become a Nazzar Praefect. He devoted exactly one standard Nazzri year to each ven before progressing to the next in the prescribed order. Despite his perceived arrogance, Toq impressed many instructors at the Great Structure with his commitment to his studies and his aptitude for understanding each ven. During this period, his personal instructor in the vens was a Nazzar named Vrrk Jikat, who had forsaken his own personal life to guide Toq in his studies. However, Toq failed to recognize his teacher's sacrifice and instead believed that such servitude was expected of all subjects, considering it an honor for them to be chosen for such tasks. Nevertheless, he continued to excel in his studies, and whispers circulated within the palace that Toq might one day become the first king-praefect since the Nazzri had been governed by a theocracy. Toq was aware of these rumors and made no attempt to conceal his delight at what it signified for him upon completing his training.

As he matured, Toq witnessed his aspiration of becoming a king-praefect drawing nearer. Consequently, he intensified his studies, focusing solely on exploring the deeper mysteries of the Great Structure. Through his growing knowledge, he concluded that the people of Nazzri had strayed from the original, true objectives of the theocracy. To this end, Toq perceived it as his destiny to reinstate the original belief system and philosophy established by his ancestors. As a result, Toq was frequently found studying in the Hall of Edification. During one of these study sessions, Qrrrl Toq stumbled upon what appeared to be an ancient, dust-covered tome that had fallen behind one of the massive shelving units. Upon examining the text, he realized that it contained a collection of poems, personal journal entries, and historical documents, all bound together in a single thousand-page volume detailing the history of the last Nazzri monarch, an ancestor of Toq's named Prrit Qabaq.

It took him two days to read through the entire text, and the revelations within shocked the young Nazzri prince. Through his study of the ancient tome, Toq discovered that the monarchy had been single-handedly destroyed by his ancestor, Prrit Qabaq. Toq continued reading the historical accounts and found that Prrit had been seduced by what Toq could only describe as "infernal magics." Toq learned that through the use of this magic, Prrit had subjugated the Nazzar people and established a reign of fear and strength, where anyone who opposed him was killed. As Toq continued reading, he learned that Prrit's rule was challenged by his own daughter, named Ikree. Ikree led a rebellion against her father, eventually overthrowing him and ending his dark reign. In place of the monarchy, Ikree established the foundations of the theocracy that Toq currently lived under. Nevertheless, Ikree's own murder led to an even stricter control of theocratic rule among the Nazzar, fostering the tiered system that had seemed so right to Qrrrl Toq. Toq was incredulous at what he had learned about his ancestors, knowledge that had been lost for generations. He realized that he could not even begin to compare himself to the praefects who had come before him, as he was merely following in their footsteps and thus repeating their mistakes. He resolved not to continue the cycle of his family, but to forge his own path. Thus, Toq entered into a self-imposed exile, hoping that by leaving the stagnant theocracy of his homeworld, he could gain a deeper understanding of what had led to its downfall.

Having departed from his family and his homeworld, Qrrrl Toq embarked on a journey across the galaxy in search of wisdom, traversing the star lanes for three years. He eventually arrived on the tropical planet of Ulda Frav, where he encountered several Jedi mediating a local treaty. Approaching the group, Toq began inquiring about their identities and purpose. In response, the Jedi informed Toq that he possessed the potential to join their ranks. However, the Jedi were taken aback when Toq revealed that he had never heard of the Jedi Order or the Force. Recognizing that they had encountered a being with the potential to become a valuable member of their Order, the Jedi invited Toq to accompany them back to the planet of Ossus. During the journey, Toq learned about the Jedi Way and the role of the Jedi Order in the galaxy. For reasons he couldn't explain, Toq felt compelled to learn more about the Jedi and expressed his desire to become one of them.

The Jedi and Toq eventually arrived on Ossus, where Toq became the apprentice of Jedi Master Vodo-Siosk Baas. Master Baas instructed the young Nazzar in the ways of the Jedi and the Force, teaching him both general histories and intricate details, such as constructing a lightsaber. Furthermore, Toq learned the humility expected of a Jedi and how to relinquish the arrogance that had plagued his childhood. Under Master Baas's guidance, Qrrrl Toq progressed rapidly through his training, demonstrating a deep understanding of the Force and what it meant to be a Jedi. Due to his rapid progress, Qrrrl Toq was selected to be part of the Jedi task force, under the command of Nomi Sunrider, sent to Onderon to assist Ulic Qel-Droma in suppressing the Freedon Nadd Uprising.

Qel-Droma and three other Jedi apprentices—his brother Cay, Oss Wilum, and Tott Doneeta—had been left to fend for themselves against King Ommin and his Naddists after their Master, Arca Jeth, was kidnapped by Ommin. In desperation, Qel-Droma sent a request for additional Jedi support to Ossus, and Toq, along with Sunrider, Kith Kark, Dace Diath, and Shoaneb Culu, was chosen to assist Qel-Droma and the others on Onderon. They journeyed to Onderon, and almost immediately upon arrival, they became involved in a Republic/Jedi assault against the dark-side Naddists.

As their cruiser landed on Onderon for the first time, Toq and the others sensed Qel-Droma battling the Naddists near Iziz, Onderon's largest city. They landed their cruiser and charged straight into battle, employing various Force techniques to create a protective shield around each other. Nomi Sunrider was skilled in battle meditation, an ancient Jedi art that allowed the user to diminish the morale and spirit of enemy forces while simultaneously bolstering that of the user's allies. Skilled practitioners, such as Sunrider and many ancient Jedi Masters, could use this power to visualize their desired outcome of a battle, helping to turn the tide in favor of their own forces. However, Sunrider's ability was being blocked by a powerful dark side energy. Forced to rely on their lightsabers, Toq and his fellow Jedi fought off the Naddists' ancient war bots, though the dark side energies surrounding Ommin's citadel were becoming overwhelming. Toq noticed that these energies were preventing Qel-Droma and his brother from effectively fighting off the Naddists.

Although the Jedi task force was slowly diminishing Ommin's forces, the battle claimed the life of one of their own: Kith Kark, a Gotal Jedi Knight. The Jedi's protective shield had momentarily faltered, and a Naddist gunner seized the opportunity to fire upon them, taking Kark's life. Toq and the others managed to survive and reestablish their shield. Aided by Qel-Droma and his group of Jedi, as well as Oron Kira's forces, Toq, Culu, Sunrider, and Dace Diath fought off the Naddist droids, surrounding Ommin in his citadel.

After recuperating, Qrrrl Toq and his fellow Jedi launched an attack on Ommin and his men, who were hiding deep within their subterranean lair. The seven Jedi faced over a hundred dark side warriors and droids, yet managed to hold their own and fight them off. Realizing his impending defeat, Ommin attempted to flee, but Ulic Qel-Droma defeated the darksider. The Jedi ultimately emerged victorious, suffering no further casualties, and managed to rescue Jeth and restore his health. Toq later traveled to Onderon's moon of Dxun with Jeth and the others to ensure the smooth removal of Ommin and the other dark side worshipers' sarcophagi. The Naddists were defeated, however, and did not attempt a raid, as they had during the previous attempt to relocate the sarcophagi. Instead of returning to Ossus, Toq and the Jedi who had accompanied him to the Inner Rim world chose to remain on Onderon and began learning the skills of riding Onderonian warbeasts from Master Jeth.

Their time on Onderon, however, was cut short by a new threat emerging in the galaxy. Master Jeth returned to Onderon to inform the young Jedi there of a crisis brewing in the Empress Teta system. A coup of the system's government had been carried out by two of the Tetan elite, Satal and Aleema Keto. Having previously visited Onderon and become involved in the continued machinations of Freedon Nadd, the two Tetans had formed a dark side cult called the Krath. Jeth instructed Qrrrl Toq, Diath, and Culu, along with Oss Wilum, to return to Ossus and warn the leaders of the Jedi and the Republic of the dangers posed by the duo and their Sith background.

Responding to the threat, the Jedi and the Republic dispatched a fleet to Empress Teta to aid the few planets in the system that still resisted the new regime; Qrrrl Toq flew with the strike team. As the fleet entered the system, the last holdouts of resistance on Koros Major were battling the Krath, and the task force joined their efforts. The Krath, led by Satal and Aleema Keto, employed Sith magic and suicide runs in their Chaos fighters, leading to the defeat of the Republic force. Few of the Jedi sent to Empress Teta survived, but Toq was among them.

Following this catastrophe, it was announced that a great convocation of the Jedi Order would be held at Mount Meru on Deneba, where the growing threat of the Krath and strategies to counter them would be discussed. Qrrrl Toq traveled to Deneba, joining the masses of Jedi at the event, which was presided over by Master Odan-Urr. After recounting the events of the battle in Empress Teta, Ulic Qel-Droma made a daring proposal: to infiltrate the Krath, learn their secrets, and defeat them from within. Unbeknownst to the Jedi, the Krath were plotting against them. The servant droids used by the Jedi Masters had been secretly reprogrammed by Krath agents to attack their owners on command, and a ship full of combat droids had been secretly delivered into Deneba's orbit.

Suddenly, the Krath droids launched their attack, catching the Jedi completely by surprise. Qrrrl Toq, reacting swiftly, began smashing war droids with his lightstaff. Master Jeth demonstrated that weapons were not necessary, manipulating the droids' internal mechanisms to destroy them. After a desperate fight, the Jedi prevailed, but at a great cost—many prominent Jedi Masters, including Arca Jeth himself, were killed in the battle. Ulic Qel-Droma, having lost his master, remained determined to carry out his mission to infiltrate the ranks of those who had killed Jeth.

After several months without hearing from Qel-Droma, a Jedi team consisting of Nomi Sunrider, Tott Doneeta, and Cay Qel-Droma traveled to Koros Major in an attempt to secretly contact him. However, they had not anticipated Qel-Droma's change of heart—he had joined the Krath in his mind, increasingly influenced by the dark side. After a confrontation revealing Qel-Droma's true intentions, the three Jedi retreated to Ossus. After proposing a strike team be sent to Koros Major to force Qel-Droma's hand and make him choose between the Jedi and the Krath, the young Jedi Knights assembled a small force. Accompanying the Jedi were Oron Kira and a contingent of Beast Riders with their drexl mounts.

Arriving on the planet, Oss Wilum, Dace Diath, Shoaneb Culu, and Tott Doneeta provided cover for the Onderonian warbeast transport in their Star Saber XC-01 and S-100 Stinger-class starfighters. Once the citadel's heavy defenses had been breached, the warbeast transport deployed its cargo of Beast Riders, accompanied by Qrrrl Toq, Nomi Sunrider, and Cay Qel-Droma. Crashing through the palace windows, Sunrider ordered Cay Qel-Droma and Toq to subdue the guards while she dealt with Ulic Qel-Droma. The team attempted to take Ulic Qel-Droma by force, but he refused to submit, forcing them to retreat once again as more forces, including those of Exar Kun, a fallen Jedi who had taken a similar path to Qel-Droma, arrived to support the Krath. Kun and Qel-Droma joined forces, and the spirit of Marka Ragnos branded them Sith Lords: Kun as Sith Master and Qel-Droma as his Sith apprentice. The Great Sith War had begun.

In one of the initial conflicts of the Sith War, Ulic Qel-Droma led an attack against Coruscant, the Republic's capital. Qrrrl Toq was on the galactic capital world, having arrived with a group of Jedi accompanying Vodo-Siosk Baas as the Jedi Master sought to advise the Galactic Senate concerning the Krath crisis.

As the group came under attack by Qel-Droma's new Mandalorian allies, Toq took the initiative, knocking a Mandalorian Crusader off his Basilisk war mount and commandeering the vehicle. Along with Dace Diath, who had also acquired a Basilisk, Toq helped clear the way to the Republic war room, where the Jedi, guarding the Supreme Chancellor, could take control of the situation.

Breaking into the war room, the Jedi discovered Qel-Droma alone, abandoned by his mistress and lieutenant, Aleema Keto. While the Krath forces retreated from the planet, Qel-Droma was contained by a collective Force technique administered by the group of Jedi, and temporarily cut off from the Force by Nomi Sunrider and Master Baas. However, Qel-Droma later managed to escape justice when Exar Kun's forces crashed his trial before the Senate. Qel-Droma made his way back to his forces, fully aware of why he had been captured. However, he chose not to take overt action against Aleema, instead deciding to incorporate his retribution into his other ambitions.

As the war escalated, Exar Kun carried out a devastating plot against the Jedi Order. Having subverted a number of Jedi to his cause, including Zona Luka, Kun ordered the converts to assassinate their former masters. Zona Luka traveled to the home of her former mentor, the Jedi Master known only as Dominus. However, as she struck down her master with her lightsaber, he retaliated using the Force, and neither survived. Qrrrl Toq, along with fellow Jedi Dace Diath and Shoaneb Culu, arrived on the scene to investigate. The trio, saddened by their discovery, met with the gathered Jedi on Ossus to share what they had learned.

Ulic Qel-Droma saw an opportunity to exact his revenge on Keto when Exar Kun's plans required a feint to draw out the Jedi and Republic forces, allowing the Sith to catch Ossus unprepared. He ordered Keto, along with the fallen Jedi Crado, to take an ancient Sith battleship to the Republic jump station known as Kemplex Nine and attack it. Aleema was unaware that the mission did not call for survivors on either side of the conflict, and she and Crado attacked the station, drawing the attention of the Jedi. When Master Thon pointed out that the attack may be a feint, Toq, along with his comrades Diath and Culu, volunteered to lead a Jedi and Republic task force to the station, while most of the other Jedi remained on Ossus to guard the Jedi world.

Arriving at the undefended space station, the Jedi found the facility in ruins, with no life-signs aboard. However, the ion trail of the Sith vessel could be detected leading into the nearby Cron Cluster, and the Jedi gave chase. Once they had lured the pursuers inside the cluster, Keto called on the power of the dark side and the ancient Sith crystal aboard the battleship to rip the core out of one of the stars, causing a massive explosion that instantly killed Qrrrl Toq and his friends. The stellar core broke down into a chain reaction that Keto had not foreseen, but Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma were fully aware of. An incredible amount of energy was released in a supernova, destroying the Sith vessel and unleashing a huge shock wave.

In his youth, Qrrrl Toq demanded unwavering loyalty and servitude from his subordinates, insisting on being addressed as Crown Prince Qrrrl Toq. In his view, those of lesser status were inferior beings whose sole purpose was to serve those of higher status. His mentor, Vrrk Jikat, sacrificed his life to tutor Toq, but the Nazzar prince showed no gratitude, expecting it of Jikat. Despite his arrogance during his time as a Nazzar prince, Toq was extremely diligent in his studies and devoutly religious. He was determined to make a name for himself, spending seven years studying the vens, performing exceptionally well and impressing the praefects. After becoming more humble and mature under Master Vodo, Toq once again demonstrated his ability to work hard, progressing far faster than anyone had anticipated.

Toq exhibited an intense desire for authority during his time on Nazzri, with the ambition of becoming the first king-praefect ever. When his instructors at the praefectory began to consider the possibility of this happening, Toq made no attempt to conceal his happiness and satisfaction, and he escalated his studies even further. He sought power not for selfish reasons, but for the benefit of his people, who he believed had drifted away from the original principles and way of life of theocracy. Toq's aspiration was to revive the traditions of his religion and guide his homeworld toward an era of peace that its inhabitants had long forgotten. Moreover, Toq yearned to be a pioneer, and after learning that there had been previous king-praefects, he was eager to forge a new path and establish a new standard.

A consistently evident characteristic of Qrrrl Toq's life was his courage; he played a significant part in numerous battles during the Great Sith War, never faltering or retreating. It was Toq's bravery that ultimately led to his demise—he volunteered to confront the Krath at Kemplex, despite the immense dangers involved.

Qrrrl Toq was born with sensitivity to the Force, although due to his home planet's isolationist policies, he was unaware of his potential and the existence of the Jedi Order. After being recruited by the Jedi, he quickly adjusted and proved to be a quick study, excelling in his training and progressing rapidly, which surprised the Jedi Masters on Ossus. Toq was a skilled swordsman, initially wielding a green lightsaber and later a larger lightstaff in combat. The reason for Toq's weapon change is unknown, but he stopped using his saber after the Freedon Nadd uprising. The Nazzar prince often charged into battle without considering alternative strategies, a trait that Jeth quickly noticed and pointed out to Toq.

Toq was also a talented pilot, participating in several missions during the Great Sith War, including his final one at Kemplex. During his time with Master Jeth on Onderon, Toq acquired the skills to ride the wild beasts of the planet, and he later rode one during the Jedi assault on Koros Major. Throughout his life, Toq demonstrated his ability to collaborate effectively within teams, ranging from small groups of four to large formations, such as at Deneba. In the later years of the Great Sith War, Toq adopted a suit of heavy Jedi armor, presumably of his own construction.

Qrrrl Toq was conceived for the comic book series Tales of the Jedi by writer Tom Veitch, making his debut in the issue Tales of the Jedi – The Freedon Nadd Uprising 1, with artwork by Tony Akins. Toq continued to appear in subsequent issues of the series, where his character was further developed by Veitch and author Kevin J. Anderson, and he was also illustrated by artists Chris Gossett, Art Wetherell, and Dario Carrasco, Jr.. His final appearance, which also marked his death, was in the issue Tales of the Jedi – The Sith War 4. Qrrrl Toq's background was expanded upon by author George R. Strayton for the West End Games sourcebook Tales of the Jedi Companion, where his first name is written as "Qrrl." Ultimate Alien Anthology, another sourcebook, also uses this spelling for his name. In the comics, his name is consistently spelled "Qrrrl," except for all three instances in Tales of the Jedi – The Sith War 4, which also use the "Qrrl" spelling.

While Qrrrl Toq's appearance remained relatively consistent throughout the comics, he was only depicted using a lightsaber in The Freedon Nadd Uprising. In Dark Lords of the Sith and The Sith War, Toq is shown wielding a lightstaff, a Force-imbued melee weapon resembling an armored quarterstaff. Furthermore, his description in Dark Lords of the Sith is expanded to portray Toq as a Jedi armorer, and in The Sith War, he and his two companions are seen performing the duties of Jedi investigators, although their specific role is not explicitly stated.