Krath

Many of the origins of the Krath Order are enshrouded within the mists of time. What is known is that four thousand years ago, the Jedi were numerous and powerful throughout the Galaxy, but it was also a time when thousands of Force-sensitive individuals (including those who had potential to be Jedi Knights) were succumbing to the Dark Side's fascination. In those days there was a star system called 'The Empress Teta System', after a woman warlord who had conquered and united its seven worlds in the early days of space travel. As the millennia passed, the Teta system, situated deep in the galactic core, became the prime source of carbonite.

The descendants of Empress Teta were still the figurehead rulers of the seven worlds, but they had been largely forced to share their power with the commercial interests that had developed the carbonite mines. Together, the Tetan royalty and the wealthy mine owners formed an elite society, a tightly knit group that reigned over multitudes of the less fortunate. The sons and daughters of these elite were a self-indulgent lot with a good deal of leisure time on their hands. As a way of amusing themselves, these young aristocrats began dabbling in the lore of primitive magic. At some point in their mischievous experiments, the young Tetans crossed an invisible threshold and tapped into a stratum of magic that unleashed its malign mental reality with unexpected power. What had started as a game suddenly grew serious and took on a life of its own.

In the following weeks, this sinister power reshaped the minds of the young Tetan elite and began to transform them into powerful magicians. Under the guidance of Satal Keto, the first of the group to fall, the young Tetans formed a secret society dedicated to the Dark Arts. They called themselves the Krath, after an evil god worshiped to the region, and began to build up a huge space armory. The Light Jedi of the time had a gathering on the planet Deneba. Jedi Master Ulic Qel-Droma's words rang true to the other Light Jedi: "We are witness to sinister developments... A war with the Krath might last for years. Many Jedi will die, and what will be gained by this bloodshed? We will have slain thousands, but the Krath themselves will survive, their dark powers intact."

Soon after, it was suggested that a Jedi Master infiltrate the Krath and learn their dark secrets. As watchman of the Teta system, Uric Qel-Droma chose to do so. He disguised his identity and merged with the population on Cinnigar, the largest planet in the Teta System. After many months, he became a Krath and disappeared. Years later, he emerged...as the High Priest of the Krath. What followed was the first major war between the Light Jedi and the Dark Side.

The Krath are a mysterious and secret Order that prefer to keep to themselves and keep their large tomes of knowledge hidden within the Order's archives. This innate scholarly nature often causes them to be mistaken for an easy target by outsiders, but anyone who has truly met a Krath will tell another story entirely. The Krath Order is an Order strong in the use of the raw Force. Through centuries of honing and study they have come to possess the ability to destroy things with mere thought and perform other astounding feats with the Dark Side provided they have progressed into the advanced ranks of the Krath Priesthood. Unlike the Sith who rely on their ships and the Obelisk who rely on their arsenal of weaponry, the Krath rely on the pure, unaltered Force to do their dirty work.

Aeons of study have made them brilliant tacticians. They are often consulted by the Sith and Obelisk in times of war to find the best strategy of attack in a crucial battle. The Krath are particularly strong in being able to see into the future, often claiming that one only has to study the past to know how it repeats itself. This powerful, Force-reliant Order was lead by the Krath High Priest, who inducts all new members into the Order, later giving them the age-old Krath Talisman upon their ascension into the Krath Priesthood, believed in ancient times to be a way to communicate with the god Krath. The Krath High Priest was not alone in his duties, however, and was assisted by a group known as the Krath Consistory, a group of individuals appointed by the Krath High Priest who lead the various programs of the Krath Order. These individuals had the ability to earn the title of Cardinal, a title that calls for great respect and deference even among the members of the Consistory. The title symbolizes an individual's rise to power within the Krath Order and is an honor infrequently given, as few Krath met the high standards it calls for within their lifetime.

Platforms used: Fiction, Role-playing.