Seyugi Dervish

History

The Seyugi Dervishes arose from the extinct Seyugi culture of Recopia, a planet with sulfur, found in the Core Worlds. Nomadic Seyugi traversed Recopia's atmosphere on massive repulsorlift platforms. The rest of Recopia considered the Seyugi a rogue culture. Years before the Battle of Yavin, Karrh, a Force-sensitive Seyugi leader, gathered warriors with Force potential and taught them stealth. Karrh also shared his Force views with these followers. These warriors became the first Seyugi Dervishes, eliminating threats to the Seyugi. The Dervishes then spread across the Core, establishing bases on most Core planets and some in the Mid Rim. They worked as assassins for a high price. The Dervishes killed nobles, corporation heads, and other VIPs. Darth Bane, a Sith Lord, believed the Dervishes had made combat an art form. After the Ruusan campaign, he mentioned them in The Rule of Two.

The Jedi Order noticed the Dervishes and decided to stop them. The Jedi's war against the Seyugi Dervishes lasted decades. The Jedi destroyed all Dervish bases in the Mid Rim and Core. By the start of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY, the Jedi Order believed the Seyugi Dervishes were extinct. However, a few hundred Dervishes went to a secret temple-fortress on Recopia and froze themselves in carbonite.

The Mallif, religious monks and Seyugi descendants, hijacked HoloNet broadcasts to spread their beliefs. While most Mallif didn't know the Dervishes were alive, some knew and cared for the hibernating Dervishes and their hidden base, waiting to thaw them. Years later, a Mallif monk accidentally revived the Dervishes. Razi Khan, a Dervish, killed the monk and tried to reach Scapio, an island-chain city, to find someone to open the Seyugi vaults under the fortress. Khan kidnapped a slicer but was caught, forcing the Seyugi Dervishes to hide again.

Philosophy, training, and techniques

Seyugi Dervish Force Adepts usually ignored Jedi Force theories. The Dervishes saw the Force as a way to control and weaponize their bodies. While the Dervishes used the dark side of the Force and did evil deeds, they didn't follow many dark side practices. They avoided random violence and chaos and were motivated by greed, not power. They were patient during training and hid their emotions. Despite this, many Dervishes worked for Dark Jedi. Seyugi Dervishes spread rumors of their skills to instill fear.

The Dervishes sought infants to older younglings with Force potential to train. They trained recruits this young to make them fanatical to the Seyugi Dervish tradition. When a potential trainee was found, the Dervishes kidnapped and sent them to a base to study the Force and monastic practices. After fifteen years of training, an apprentice was sent on their first mission with a master watching from afar. If the apprentice failed, the master erased any trace of the incident. After completing training, a Dervish could explore the galaxy but still received orders from their masters via the Force and encrypted transmissions.

The Seyugi Dervishes were unarmed combat masters. They could sneak into armed fortresses and kill targets quickly and quietly. Survivors described their confusing, whirling movements as a "beautiful dance of death," hence their name. Dervishes rarely carried weapons, preferring their unarmed skills and the Force. They didn't carry much equipment unless needed. The Dervishes wore red clothing and white masks to hide and capitalize on the fear they caused. Dervishes studied different species anatomies to target nerve clusters. Most Dervishes worked alone, but sometimes they worked together on dangerous tasks. Rarely, a Seyugi Dervish hired mercenaries, including demolition experts and computer slicers. The mercenaries usually didn't know who their employer was and were killed to keep the Dervish's identity secret.

Notable members

Karrh

Karrh was a Force-sensitive male who led the Seyugi people centuries before the Battle of Yavin. He gathered warriors with Force potential and trained them in stealth and assassination. Karrh and his Dervishes eliminated threats to the Seyugi.

Razi Khan

Razi Khan was a Seyugi Dervish. Before the Jedi nearly destroyed the cult, members like Khan were frozen in carbonite under Mallif Cove on Recopia. Years later, a Mallif Cove monk accidentally revived them. Khan killed the monk and tried to reach Scapio to find someone to open the Seyugi vaults. He kidnapped a slicer but was caught, forcing the Seyugi Dervishes to hide again.

Behind the scenes

The Seyugi Dervishes debuted in Coruscant and the Core Worlds, a Wizards of the Coast resource book for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game released on January 3, 2003. The Dervishes were a new prestige class. The organization was also the basis for Razi Khan's backstory. Their background expanded in the Jedi Academy Training Manual, another Wizards of the Coast source book for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, released on May 19, 2009. They were one of many Force-using organizations a roleplaying character could train under. The Seyugi Dervishes also had an entry in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia. Recopia, their headquarters, was in The Essential Atlas, released on August 18, 2009. They were also mentioned in Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side.

Sources

• Coruscant and the Core Worlds (First mentioned)
• Star Wars Roleplaying Game Saga Edition Core Rulebook
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Jedi Academy Training Manual
• The Essential Atlas
• Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side

Notes and references