Pirate Prince
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To flesh out the teachings and origins of a nationalist theocracy/religious organization.
- Image Credit: The Arcana: A Mystic Romance
- Canon: Potentium | Path of the Open Hand
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Bartych Halcorr’s Holocron | Chaldea | Chaldean Academy | To Purge This Land With Blood: An Account of the Chaldean Civil War
- Religion Name: Chaldean Potentium; members are referred to as Potentiates, or more commonly just Chaldeans.
- Religion Type: Nationalist Theocracy | Anti-Force User Cult
- Influence: Planetary
- Influence Area: Chaldea
- Symbol: The Chaldean crest (see image above) was created by Tania Bayern, the founder of the Order of the Mystics. It represents Chaldea's moon, Zara, along with various stars visible in Chaldea's night sky.
- Description: Descended from members of the original Potentium, a group of Jedi who were expelled from the Order for their diverging and unusual views on the nature of the Force, this particular branch settled on Chaldea, an uninhabited world in the Inner Rim. The Chaldean Potentium was strongly influenced by the beliefs of the Path of the Open Hand, developing a distinct anti-Force User doctrine. In particular, the Chaldeans are known for living largely without the Force. Void Stones, ysalamiri, and nullification resin are used to make believers accustomed to being disconnected from the Force in preparation for complete severance later on down the line. Severance is handled either by the disciple themselves, or if they cannot complete it, they may request the assistance of another of their choosing. Chaldeans also place high value on humility (rejecting pride, vanity, and arrogance) and are known for completely abstaining from alcohol and other drugs, wearing modest, plain clothing, and for avoiding adornments of any kind (they do not wear jewelry or makeup, dye their hair, have tattoos or other decorative markings, etc.).
- Founder: Bartych Halcorr is credited as the founder of the Chaldean Potentium, having developed their philosophy.
- Membership: Children born on Chaldea are expected to be brought up by their parents to believe in the Chaldean Potentium's doctrine. For those with Force Sensitivity, upon turning eighteen they are expected to attend the Chaldean Academy, where they will either train as a Mystic or prepare to permanently sever themselves from the Force. It is also possible for offworlders and outsiders to join the Potentium. For an NFU, once you begin believing in their doctrine, you are considered a "Potentiate". But for someone who is sensitive to the Force, they will be expected to either become a Mystic or sever their connection. This is conducted via a private ceremony in which an individual is deliberately severed from the Force by a Mystic.
- Chaldean Mystics: Founded by Tania Bayern, Mystics are the only ones permitted to keep their connection to the Force. Their powers are limited to disrupting or severing the connections of others. Several Mystics have also become seers, experiencing Force visions.
- Chaldean Paladins: After severing one's connection from the Force, Chaldeans may choose to become Paladins, a Force Dead warrior class devoted to hunting down Force Users. They often work in conjunction with Mystics, though the two groups have a long-standing history of rivalry.
- Chaldean Potentiates: Ordinary citizens who follow the Chaldean faith. They may be NFUs or people who have disconnected themselves from the Force, but did not become Paladins.
- Sacred: Members of the Chaldean Potentium hold Bartych Halcorr's holocron as the foundational text of their faith. The holocron is housed in the catacombs of the Academy in the city of Nezamiyeh.
- Dogma: The Chaldean Potentium is rooted in the basic beliefs of the original Potentium, as well as the teachings of Bartych Halcorr and the Path of the Open Hand. They do not believe in the traditional duality of the Force between Light and Dark. Evil does exist, but it comes about when Force Users succumb to their personal failings and vulnerabilities, feeding their negative emotions and selfish or malicious desires, not because they were corrupted by the "Dark Side". To the Chaldeans, the Force is a neutral entity which some are more sensitive to. The Force does not have a will of its own; any prophecies are or clairvoyance are the result of the wills of Force Sensitives exerting a deliberate or passive influence over what can be seen and interpreted. In other words, Force visions which show a possible future are merely a manifestation of the actions and intentions of others, and should neither be taken lightly nor as absolute truth. The Chaldean Potentium considers Force sensitivity a burden at best, a curse at worst. They acknowledge that most sentients are unable to adequately control their emotions and desires, and therefore are prone to evil and selfish acts which, with the addition of the Force's power, can have devastating effects. The Force is a tool which can be used for good, but the fact that it exists and grants people great magical power has created more problems than solved them. One need only look at the history of the Jedi and the Sith to see this is the case. The Chaldean Potentium has no desire to destroy the Force, however—that would be madness. Instead, they strive to reduce its use and presence, often by deliberately severing themselves from the Force.
- Reputation: On Chaldea, this cult governs the planet. It is thoroughly embedded into Chaldean culture, to the point where those who leave the faith will often cease to even call themselves Chaldean. Outside of Chaldea, most people have never heard of the Chaldean Potentium. Outsiders are typically put off by the radical, strict, bizarre beliefs and practices of its adherents. Anyone who knows about the history of the original Potentium may see the Chaldean Potentium in a similar light to how the old Jedi scholars did: as a corrupt, misguided cult, or perhaps even a Sith plot to subvert the Jedi. The Sith are likely to view them the same way, though they will probably take more issue with the notion of Force Users being persuaded to sever themselves from the Force, finding it "unnatural", degrading, and disgusting. A Chaldean would of course insist that their beliefs are widely misunderstood by most of the galaxy, and in a way this is true; their doctrine has come a long way since its inception and bears little resemblance to the original Potentium from which it was formed.
MEMBERS
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
“If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” ―Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago
In 132 BBY, a concept was theorized among a sect of the Jedi that would become known as Potentium. Followers of Potentium rejected the orthodox belief in the Force as an entity split between Light and Dark, and instead saw it as a whole, without duality. They typically explained their beliefs by stating that evil came from within the Force User as a result of selfish or malicious desires, not any "Dark Side" of the Force. Many members of the Potentium were less interested in serving as guardians, which was the traditional role of the Jedi, and instead wanted to explore the limits of the Force, stretching their powers into realms forbidden by the Jedi.
As a result, they were expelled from the Jedi Order. The Council made their decision on the grounds that Potentium followers were not true Jedi due to their desire to explore the limits of the Force, which the Council feared would lead to the Dark Side. Potentium, of course, argued that there was no such thing as the "Dark Side". The sect was considered enough of a threat that it was even suggested that it may have originated as a Sith plot to subvert the Jedi, with many dismissing it as a corrupt, misguided cult that could only lead to suffering and evil.
At the time of their expulsion, the most well-known leader of the group was Leor Hal, who had recruited many students from prospective Jedi among the aristocratic families of Coruscant and Alderaan. But there was already another split in Potentium between those who, while respecting Hal as a man, resisted the idea of having a single leader, or "Magister" as Hal would come to call himself. Thus, while Hal and his followers settled on Zonama Sekot, Bartych Halcorr, another Potentium member, led a smaller but no less fervent group to Chaldea, a lush temperate world in the Inner Rim.
Bartych Halcorr harbored a radical philosophy of his own. The doctrinal elements he would contribute to the Chaldean Potentium included a belief that everyone, including Force Users, was vulnerable to moral failure. Weaknesses are found in everyone, and the line between good and evil cuts through the heart of all living beings. So he proposed that "Potentiates" devote themselves to service, knowledge and learning—and ultimately find a way to sever themselves from the Force completely, living as ordinary citizens.
The most important event in recent history for Chaldeans is the Chaldean Civil War, a global conflict which devastated their world, but in which the Potentium emerged victorious. The great cost of the war led the Potentium government to banish all Force Users from Chaldea—rules regarding the tolerance of Jedi offworlders had become lax in the centuries since the Gulag Plague, and Sith were also able to sneak by. As of the current date, Chaldeans are more zealous than ever, exhibiting suspicion toward Force Users of any kind, especially after all the wars that have been waged lately between Jedi and Sith factions.
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