R'iia was a divine figure, a deity, venerated by the Teedos who inhabited the desert planet of Jakku. The Teedos considered R'iia to be a wrathful and malevolent being. They attributed the perpetual storm, which brought about widespread famine and drought, and held it responsible for both the Battle of Jakku and the creation of the Starship Graveyard, to R'iia's breath. As a result, they gave the storm the name X'us'R'iia. Rey, a human scavenger, did not subscribe to this belief, even though the Teedos cautioned her about it.
The first reference to R'iia appeared within Before the Awakening, a young adult novel penned by Greg Rucka and released in 2015.