Tegaea Alcori
Back to Square One
The Kraal
Kraal are most similar to the closest lizard, but with the standard 2 eyes.
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Kraal can come in a variety of colours, but are usually a shade of green. Some, especially those who live nearer the equator fulltime, have developed a more orange or tan hue.
A Kraal generally has more vibrant colouring when young, becoming duller and darker with age.
[*]Weaknesses:
[*]Elemental. Being lizards, the Kraal do not cope well with extreme temperatures, especially cold. Further, electrical discharges from lightning, ion or other weapons can stun or incapacitate them depending on the power of the attack.
[*]Style. The Kraal disdain heavy armoured vehicles, long-ranged artillery and snipers. They prefer to attack using melee and short-ranged weaponry.
[*]Stubborn. The Kraal will often refuse to retreat or underestimate an enemy, especially one defeated previously. In this case their pride becomes hubris and they are likely to stand and fight when they should retreat or re-examine the situation.
[*]Strategy. As the Kraal fight in warbands and clans there is usually a grand strategy lacking in their actions. This dilutes the amount of warriors they can actually organise against a target. Even the most respected Imperator will rarely be able to harness the full power of the Kraal for long.
[*]Fractured. Broken into so many clans and groups, the Kraal are as decentralised as possible. Though there is an Imperator leading them, his rule is by example and cannot be enforced into a single state without rebellion overthrowing him.
[*]Primitive. The Kraal started with no means to produce the latest technology, and in any case are hardly the most intellectual species. They must capture or trade for modern tech rather than making it themselves which limits their tactical abilities.
[*]Pragmatism. The honour of a Kraal can be turned against them. Ties of personal loyalty are very important to them, and though rarely given to outsiders can be manipulated.
CULTURE
With the start of raiding off world, the Kraal have been able to steal preserved and tinned food allowing for a population explosion.
There is an interesting mix of fear and awe, emulation and renouncing which is processed through these beliefs. Since so much of it is legend, myth and hearsay by now, the true story is not known well.
The rapture, the netherworld crisis was the trigger for the Kraal. When many were taken, but few returned, including the Imperator, it was taken as a sign that their time had come to go to the stars and conquer…in preparation for the final battle.
Interestingly, the Kraal have now encountered actual Mandalorians and they cannot be said to be that impressed. How this will affect their beliefs and millennial visions is anyone’s guess.
However, the Kraal realised that such petty struggles could lead to endless war and a waste of scarce resources, and so they created the position of Imperator. The Imperator is a single Warlord chosen by all the others as an official head, a symbol and arbitrator. Choosing an overlord seems out of step with their independent-minded philosophy, but there is logic behind it. For one, the Imperator is deliberately given no actual power, divorced from his own Clan, so that he cannot use his position to become a tyrant. His position rests on his prestige and ability to act fairly. An Imperator seen to be partisan or favouring his own clan in disputes will rapidly have a coalition formed against him and he will be replaced by another. In many ways it is a poison chalice for all but the most diplomatic.
The system of clans, warlords and Imperator are modelled on that of the Mandalorians who had such a profound impact on the Kraal people. However, there are several areas of society not modelled on any outside source. The first of these is the concept of the ‘Proven’.
Like in many such warrior societies, a young Kraal is not automatically accorded a place in the ranks of his clan until he has shown himself a strong and honourable warrior. The ‘Unproven’ are such young warriors, those disgraced older warriors and those from other clans who join another group. The Unproven are given the lesser equipment and sent on dangerous missions such as scouting, sabotage or support. Unproven also drive vehicles, treat the wounded and operate as spies.
If a warrior proves reliable or performs some feat of martial valour he will be acclaimed as ‘Proven’. Proven warriors form the main forces of a clan, are armed with a variety of weapons, but usually favour close combat, but are armed with rifles and heavy weapons too. They act as the gunners and commanders of vehicles and ships.
Above the proven is the system of Chiefs. This is a military class which contains all the officers of the Kraal. A system of ranks such as Chagatai, Sagir and Oirat each command units based on multiples of 10 ranging from 10 to 100 to 1,000. These Chiefs are expected to lead their warriors in person and display bravery in the field to show an example. A cowardly Chief or one who risks his warriors’ lives will swiftly be outcast. Some of the larger clans will have Tumen of 10,000 led by a Yuan Chief.
At the top of a clan is the position of Warlord. He leads his clan as primus inter pares (first amongst equals). He is expected to make wise judgements for all the clan, and acts as formal arbiter in legal cases, decides on war and peace and gives rewards to his warriors. A Warlord is expected to be impartial and honourable, placing the needs of the Clan above family.
Honour is the glue which holds together the Kraal and prevents their squabbles from becoming a vortex of apocalyptic nihilism. It is honour which binds all the clans to follow an Imperator, honour which makes them follow complex codes of respect. Messengers and guests are scrupulously protected and treated well, even if it is a hated enemy. Those who make a promise or oath but then break it without due cause are viewed as the most underhanded and despicable of scum. To lose one’s honour is seen as far worse than losing one’s life. The ethos of the Kraal dictates that a warrior should die in battle or hopeless combat rather than submit or dishonour their clan.
This honour however only applies to other Kraal. Non-Kraal are not granted any of the respect or protection of the law and are there to basically be killed, enslaved or robbed. However, particularly valiant or noble enemies are given a measure of respect and are granted clean deaths and burial without mutilation.
A central part of the Kraal, especially since their expansion into space, is slavery. Slaves are the lowest of the low. Any Kraal captured in battle usually only did so if wounded or craven. The wounded were often tended to and traded, but those who surrendered were treated as cowards and brutally treated.
The same now applies to any humans or others captured by the Kraal. Slaves taken are clearly unable to protect themselves and so are treated pitilessly, being forced to work amidst terrible conditions. Since most species are less resilient than Kraal they rarely survive long which is a good thing. Some however are taken as pets by Kraal to show off and torment, especially those either in the prime of their life or those with disabilities.
Not all Kraal are cruel and vicious to their slaves, but this cultural bias is a long standing one, and those who treat their captives well are seen as too soft.
The status of female Kraal is a curious one. Physically weaker and smaller than males, females have long been relegated to the position of homemaker, raising the spawnlings and preparing food. However, despite this all freeborn Kraal have protection under the law, and those who are the breeding partners of chiefs and warlords can take on administrative tasks. Female literacy is usually higher than male for the reason that they provide the support and technical skills needed to keep the military forces going.
Females can fight when needed, but culturally this is frowned on. All female Kraal are trained with weapons for self-defence though, and so can use them to defend themselves and their clan.
Kraal are typically reptilian in many ways when it comes to birth and reproduction. Kraal derive almost no pleasure from sexual activity, so it is seen instead as a necessity to continue the clan, family and extend one’s prestige. Negotiating for a breeding partner is an important step for any father with his male or female children. Since love is almost never a consideration, these matches are for influence and power.
Only those males who are Proven may marry, as only they have shown themselves worthy of passing on their line. However, chiefs and the warlord are most likely to take multiple female breeding partners, whilst a Proven warrior will usually only be able to obtain one.
Kraal females lay 3-5 eggs yearly. These hatch within a month, and the spawnlings – as the babies are called – have to grow quickly. Many die early, though infant mortality is much less than it once was, leading to a sharp population rise now captured food and medicines are available.
A spawnling becomes a juvenile at age 5 and starts to be taught the arts of fighting or homemaking depending on the gender. At age 10 the Kraal becomes an adult and sexually mature. Males become Unproven, a status which usually lasts for 5-10 years, whilst females are contracted off as soon as they can breed.
The Force is not unknown to the Kraal, though they see it in a shamanist manner, as the spirits of nature and the ancestors. Force sensitivity is rare among the Kraal, perhaps only 1 in 10,000 having gifts which can be used. These typically become advisors, spiritual guides and healers. The latter is especially open to females.
Dark and Light are concepts rather than set alignments to the Kraal. A Force user who embraces the Dark Side and uses it dishonestly or against their own clan will often be turned on. A Force user who attempts to call for peace, harmony and such will usually meet a similar fate.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The origins of the Kraal lost to the mists of prehistory. However, it seems likely that the two species of the Korhilli and Kraal arose in the harsh climate of Karakorum and reached sentience some 30,000 years before the present.
The two species which evolved on Karakorum had some similarities, but also many differences. Both species are reptilian and likely descended from a common ancestor. However, after their divergence several million years ago they evolved very differently. The Korhilli were a communal species more taken to living in groups and subsisting in the north and south of the planet where the annual advance of the ice gave way to swampy shallows.
The Kraal on the other hand remained largely nomadic, roaming around the equator and occasionally encountering the Korhilli. Such exchanges were rarely peaceful.
Whilst the Korhilli took the best lands the Kraal were relegated to the margins, always migrating. Were it not for a fluke of history the Korhilli would likely have reached the stars about 3000BBY and joined the galactic community soon after. The Kraal seemed destined to wither away until they were subjugated and settled on reservations.
However, this did not happen. Instead, during one particularly strong season of the Great Heat the Mandalorians came from the sky in fire, and everything changed.
With the Korhilli settlements as stationary targets, the Mandalorians concentrated on them. The ‘war’ was an exercise in blitzkrieg destruction. The Kraal hid in the hills and caves, too hard to catch by the Mandalorians. Many died regardless, but their guerrilla attacks became annoying enough that the Mandalorians abandoned the world. Unknown to the Kraal a certain young Jedi had joined the fight and every warrior was needed to battle the Republic….
The aftermath of the war was apocalyptic. The Korhilli were broken, their cities destroyed and their people scattered. The Kraal, long resenting their overbearing oppressors, closed in for the kill. All across Karakorum the remaining Korhilli settlements were looted and abandoned, and that species dwindled, eventually dying out some time within 500 years of the war.
The psychology of the attack had a deep impact on the Kraal, one that persists to this day. As covered in behaviour, it engendered an apocalyptic, millennial reaction in the Kraal.
The following several thousand years had no written records made. It was only when the scattered clans grew and they looked back to the ruins of the Korhilli cities that they developed writing and developed other marks of civilisation again.
As it had no contact with the outside galaxy the Gulag Plague passed Karakorum by unhindered. However, by chance a spacer named Nol Arim landed on the planet after an engine malfunction and was captured by the Kraal. Disappointed he was not one of the sky gods come once more they tortured him for information, using his droid to translate. Fortunately the protocol droid was not boasting about its millions of forms of communications and learned quickly.
From this spacer they learned of the galaxy, and more importantly its tech. To their disappointment they learned that the Mandalorians were scattered and not a threat to the galaxy yet.
A gathering of clans decided to go into space instead of waiting for Ragnarok. They chose Imperator Gazrakh, their strongest and most honoured chief. In the way of the Mandalorians he became Imperator, and after scavaging all they could from the spacer’s ship they disposed of him but kept his droid. The metal man was a perversion of their spiritual beliefs, but it was the only thing which could understand the galaxy outside.
At this time the Galaxy was at the end of its Dark Age and the Kraal embarked on their first raids. In this they achieved mixed success as they were neither numerous or advanced enough to cause much damage. Unused to space travel they stumbled for many years, seizing only small pieces of tech.
However, one day an event which shook the galaxy occurred; the rapture. Thousands of Kraal were stolen away from Karakorum, including the Imperator. However, the Imperator returned, afflicted by his travel with great powers in the Force and greater knowledge.
It was taken as a sign for the Kraal, and they swiftly built their arsenals using this new knowledge and intensified their raids. Fortunately, they struck at a time of great confusion and disorder in the galaxy, and many planets abandoned by Sith or Jedi were easy pickings. With each raid they grew stronger and stronger.
The Kraal believe that war is the true mark of greatness for a species, and therefore they will continue to fight until they face an enemy strong enough to defeat them. They look to seize upon the lack of a rim Hegemon and thus grow in power until they can openly begin their conquest of other worlds.
Kraal are most similar to the closest lizard, but with the standard 2 eyes.
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create an interesting race to populate Karakorum. This race is specifically made to be something of a physical, social and ideological counter to the Eldorai. As a result they are a masculine dominated warrior culture, more like the Mongols than the more sedentary Eldorai. Though they possess savage physical power they are more than balanced by their weaknesses.
- Image Credit: Here. The origins of this image are obscure. Cannot find an artist, only that it was used by a hacking group named ‘Lizard Squad’. Whether they drew it, took it or otherwise is unknown.
- Canon: N/A
- Links: N/A
- Name: Kraal
- Designation: Sentient
- Homeworld: Karakorum.
- Language: Ulraa
- Average Lifespan: Though they can in rare cases reach 70-80, Kraal rarely survive beyond 40, killed in battle or wounds before then.
- Estimated Population: Planetary. Around 300 million of them live on Karakorum, virtually none elsewhere.
- Description: The Kraal are a species of tall, bipedal, lizard-like creatures, ferocious looking and strong in body. To a human observer they appear to be similar to Trandoshans in some way, but possess a small tail, longer snout and different colouring. They tend to be somewhat hunched over, not always standing up to their full height.
- Breathes: Type 1
- Average height of adults: Males: 1.8m Females: 1.5m
- Average length of adults: N/A
- Skin colour: Most commonly shades of green, orange or tan predominate. As Kraal age their skin colour becomes darker, whilst spawnlings are quite bright and vibrantly skinned. Unusual colours such as grey, white or black do occur, and are usually taken as signs of a great destiny, for good or ill.
- Hair colour: N/A
- Distinctions: Kraal tend to appear hunched over at times, only rarely rising to their full height. Their hands and feet end in four clawed appendages, these claws being 5cm long and capable of tearing a human’s throat out. These claws cannot be retracted, but do regrow swiftly if lost. Their mouth features over three dozen serrated fangs, again capable of crushing and tearing an opponent.
Kraal can come in a variety of colours, but are usually a shade of green. Some, especially those who live nearer the equator fulltime, have developed a more orange or tan hue.
A Kraal generally has more vibrant colouring when young, becoming duller and darker with age.
- Races: Those that live underground become more sensitive to the sun and are shunned by their more warlike and nomadic cousins. These ‘Sun-Hiders’ are not respected and tend to be looked down on by their relatives.
- Strengths:
Ferocious. Kraal are tall, strong and tough. Their claws and teeth make savage natural weapons, but when equipped with modern weapons they are even more dangerous. A Kraal warrior can lift 1.5x what a human can, and do it for prolonged periods. - Warriors. The Kraal are formidable warriors. Their physical attributes certainly assist, but mentally they are well prepared for battle. They can fight through injuries and are generally fearless no matter the odds.
- Cunning. Kraal are not merely death charging savages. They use ambushes, feints and unexpected tactics to gain victory. Any method used to obtain victory is fair game for them.
- Honourable. A Kraal’s word is his bond, and they take honour seriously. If they make an alliance or pact they can be relied on not to betray their word.
- Organised. With a strong, hierarchical society backed by slave labour and the work of their females, the Kraal can summon powerful forces to their disposal. In both numbers and availability the Kraal can summon large numbers of warriors with high morale, discipline and experience.
[*]Weaknesses:
[*]Elemental. Being lizards, the Kraal do not cope well with extreme temperatures, especially cold. Further, electrical discharges from lightning, ion or other weapons can stun or incapacitate them depending on the power of the attack.
[*]Style. The Kraal disdain heavy armoured vehicles, long-ranged artillery and snipers. They prefer to attack using melee and short-ranged weaponry.
[*]Stubborn. The Kraal will often refuse to retreat or underestimate an enemy, especially one defeated previously. In this case their pride becomes hubris and they are likely to stand and fight when they should retreat or re-examine the situation.
[*]Strategy. As the Kraal fight in warbands and clans there is usually a grand strategy lacking in their actions. This dilutes the amount of warriors they can actually organise against a target. Even the most respected Imperator will rarely be able to harness the full power of the Kraal for long.
[*]Fractured. Broken into so many clans and groups, the Kraal are as decentralised as possible. Though there is an Imperator leading them, his rule is by example and cannot be enforced into a single state without rebellion overthrowing him.
[*]Primitive. The Kraal started with no means to produce the latest technology, and in any case are hardly the most intellectual species. They must capture or trade for modern tech rather than making it themselves which limits their tactical abilities.
[*]Pragmatism. The honour of a Kraal can be turned against them. Ties of personal loyalty are very important to them, and though rarely given to outsiders can be manipulated.
CULTURE
- Diet: Food is always hard to come by on Karakorum, and in previous eras this was one of the major checks on population growth. Kraal are omnivorous by necessity, feasting on both animal and plant as needed.
With the start of raiding off world, the Kraal have been able to steal preserved and tinned food allowing for a population explosion.
- Communication: The Kraal language, Ulraa, is a complex collection of tone, cases and compound phrases. A simple phrase can have multiple meanings depending on the context, order of words and other words around it. This can hinder it being learned by outsiders who often find it hard to make the necessary sounds.
- Technology level: The Kraal had managed to reach an atomic age level of technology by themselves, using old Korhilli and Mandalorian tech as examples. When they reached out to the stars to loot and steal technology they were able to incorporate that into their militaries. Each raid which brought back more captured weapons, ships and other technology emboldened and strengthened them.
- Religion/Beliefs: The Kraal have a strong spiritualist base where those with the Force become shamans or advisors to leaders. It is believed that the ancestors of those who have passed on can provide guidance to those who still live. Tradition, loyalty, honour and martial skill are considered the hallmarks of virtue. Learning, cowardice and weakness are despised.
There is an interesting mix of fear and awe, emulation and renouncing which is processed through these beliefs. Since so much of it is legend, myth and hearsay by now, the true story is not known well.
The rapture, the netherworld crisis was the trigger for the Kraal. When many were taken, but few returned, including the Imperator, it was taken as a sign that their time had come to go to the stars and conquer…in preparation for the final battle.
Interestingly, the Kraal have now encountered actual Mandalorians and they cannot be said to be that impressed. How this will affect their beliefs and millennial visions is anyone’s guess.
- General behaviour:
However, the Kraal realised that such petty struggles could lead to endless war and a waste of scarce resources, and so they created the position of Imperator. The Imperator is a single Warlord chosen by all the others as an official head, a symbol and arbitrator. Choosing an overlord seems out of step with their independent-minded philosophy, but there is logic behind it. For one, the Imperator is deliberately given no actual power, divorced from his own Clan, so that he cannot use his position to become a tyrant. His position rests on his prestige and ability to act fairly. An Imperator seen to be partisan or favouring his own clan in disputes will rapidly have a coalition formed against him and he will be replaced by another. In many ways it is a poison chalice for all but the most diplomatic.
The system of clans, warlords and Imperator are modelled on that of the Mandalorians who had such a profound impact on the Kraal people. However, there are several areas of society not modelled on any outside source. The first of these is the concept of the ‘Proven’.
Like in many such warrior societies, a young Kraal is not automatically accorded a place in the ranks of his clan until he has shown himself a strong and honourable warrior. The ‘Unproven’ are such young warriors, those disgraced older warriors and those from other clans who join another group. The Unproven are given the lesser equipment and sent on dangerous missions such as scouting, sabotage or support. Unproven also drive vehicles, treat the wounded and operate as spies.
If a warrior proves reliable or performs some feat of martial valour he will be acclaimed as ‘Proven’. Proven warriors form the main forces of a clan, are armed with a variety of weapons, but usually favour close combat, but are armed with rifles and heavy weapons too. They act as the gunners and commanders of vehicles and ships.
Above the proven is the system of Chiefs. This is a military class which contains all the officers of the Kraal. A system of ranks such as Chagatai, Sagir and Oirat each command units based on multiples of 10 ranging from 10 to 100 to 1,000. These Chiefs are expected to lead their warriors in person and display bravery in the field to show an example. A cowardly Chief or one who risks his warriors’ lives will swiftly be outcast. Some of the larger clans will have Tumen of 10,000 led by a Yuan Chief.
At the top of a clan is the position of Warlord. He leads his clan as primus inter pares (first amongst equals). He is expected to make wise judgements for all the clan, and acts as formal arbiter in legal cases, decides on war and peace and gives rewards to his warriors. A Warlord is expected to be impartial and honourable, placing the needs of the Clan above family.
Honour is the glue which holds together the Kraal and prevents their squabbles from becoming a vortex of apocalyptic nihilism. It is honour which binds all the clans to follow an Imperator, honour which makes them follow complex codes of respect. Messengers and guests are scrupulously protected and treated well, even if it is a hated enemy. Those who make a promise or oath but then break it without due cause are viewed as the most underhanded and despicable of scum. To lose one’s honour is seen as far worse than losing one’s life. The ethos of the Kraal dictates that a warrior should die in battle or hopeless combat rather than submit or dishonour their clan.
This honour however only applies to other Kraal. Non-Kraal are not granted any of the respect or protection of the law and are there to basically be killed, enslaved or robbed. However, particularly valiant or noble enemies are given a measure of respect and are granted clean deaths and burial without mutilation.
A central part of the Kraal, especially since their expansion into space, is slavery. Slaves are the lowest of the low. Any Kraal captured in battle usually only did so if wounded or craven. The wounded were often tended to and traded, but those who surrendered were treated as cowards and brutally treated.
The same now applies to any humans or others captured by the Kraal. Slaves taken are clearly unable to protect themselves and so are treated pitilessly, being forced to work amidst terrible conditions. Since most species are less resilient than Kraal they rarely survive long which is a good thing. Some however are taken as pets by Kraal to show off and torment, especially those either in the prime of their life or those with disabilities.
Not all Kraal are cruel and vicious to their slaves, but this cultural bias is a long standing one, and those who treat their captives well are seen as too soft.
The status of female Kraal is a curious one. Physically weaker and smaller than males, females have long been relegated to the position of homemaker, raising the spawnlings and preparing food. However, despite this all freeborn Kraal have protection under the law, and those who are the breeding partners of chiefs and warlords can take on administrative tasks. Female literacy is usually higher than male for the reason that they provide the support and technical skills needed to keep the military forces going.
Females can fight when needed, but culturally this is frowned on. All female Kraal are trained with weapons for self-defence though, and so can use them to defend themselves and their clan.
Kraal are typically reptilian in many ways when it comes to birth and reproduction. Kraal derive almost no pleasure from sexual activity, so it is seen instead as a necessity to continue the clan, family and extend one’s prestige. Negotiating for a breeding partner is an important step for any father with his male or female children. Since love is almost never a consideration, these matches are for influence and power.
Only those males who are Proven may marry, as only they have shown themselves worthy of passing on their line. However, chiefs and the warlord are most likely to take multiple female breeding partners, whilst a Proven warrior will usually only be able to obtain one.
Kraal females lay 3-5 eggs yearly. These hatch within a month, and the spawnlings – as the babies are called – have to grow quickly. Many die early, though infant mortality is much less than it once was, leading to a sharp population rise now captured food and medicines are available.
A spawnling becomes a juvenile at age 5 and starts to be taught the arts of fighting or homemaking depending on the gender. At age 10 the Kraal becomes an adult and sexually mature. Males become Unproven, a status which usually lasts for 5-10 years, whilst females are contracted off as soon as they can breed.
The Force is not unknown to the Kraal, though they see it in a shamanist manner, as the spirits of nature and the ancestors. Force sensitivity is rare among the Kraal, perhaps only 1 in 10,000 having gifts which can be used. These typically become advisors, spiritual guides and healers. The latter is especially open to females.
Dark and Light are concepts rather than set alignments to the Kraal. A Force user who embraces the Dark Side and uses it dishonestly or against their own clan will often be turned on. A Force user who attempts to call for peace, harmony and such will usually meet a similar fate.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The origins of the Kraal lost to the mists of prehistory. However, it seems likely that the two species of the Korhilli and Kraal arose in the harsh climate of Karakorum and reached sentience some 30,000 years before the present.
The two species which evolved on Karakorum had some similarities, but also many differences. Both species are reptilian and likely descended from a common ancestor. However, after their divergence several million years ago they evolved very differently. The Korhilli were a communal species more taken to living in groups and subsisting in the north and south of the planet where the annual advance of the ice gave way to swampy shallows.
The Kraal on the other hand remained largely nomadic, roaming around the equator and occasionally encountering the Korhilli. Such exchanges were rarely peaceful.
Whilst the Korhilli took the best lands the Kraal were relegated to the margins, always migrating. Were it not for a fluke of history the Korhilli would likely have reached the stars about 3000BBY and joined the galactic community soon after. The Kraal seemed destined to wither away until they were subjugated and settled on reservations.
However, this did not happen. Instead, during one particularly strong season of the Great Heat the Mandalorians came from the sky in fire, and everything changed.
With the Korhilli settlements as stationary targets, the Mandalorians concentrated on them. The ‘war’ was an exercise in blitzkrieg destruction. The Kraal hid in the hills and caves, too hard to catch by the Mandalorians. Many died regardless, but their guerrilla attacks became annoying enough that the Mandalorians abandoned the world. Unknown to the Kraal a certain young Jedi had joined the fight and every warrior was needed to battle the Republic….
The aftermath of the war was apocalyptic. The Korhilli were broken, their cities destroyed and their people scattered. The Kraal, long resenting their overbearing oppressors, closed in for the kill. All across Karakorum the remaining Korhilli settlements were looted and abandoned, and that species dwindled, eventually dying out some time within 500 years of the war.
The psychology of the attack had a deep impact on the Kraal, one that persists to this day. As covered in behaviour, it engendered an apocalyptic, millennial reaction in the Kraal.
The following several thousand years had no written records made. It was only when the scattered clans grew and they looked back to the ruins of the Korhilli cities that they developed writing and developed other marks of civilisation again.
As it had no contact with the outside galaxy the Gulag Plague passed Karakorum by unhindered. However, by chance a spacer named Nol Arim landed on the planet after an engine malfunction and was captured by the Kraal. Disappointed he was not one of the sky gods come once more they tortured him for information, using his droid to translate. Fortunately the protocol droid was not boasting about its millions of forms of communications and learned quickly.
From this spacer they learned of the galaxy, and more importantly its tech. To their disappointment they learned that the Mandalorians were scattered and not a threat to the galaxy yet.
A gathering of clans decided to go into space instead of waiting for Ragnarok. They chose Imperator Gazrakh, their strongest and most honoured chief. In the way of the Mandalorians he became Imperator, and after scavaging all they could from the spacer’s ship they disposed of him but kept his droid. The metal man was a perversion of their spiritual beliefs, but it was the only thing which could understand the galaxy outside.
At this time the Galaxy was at the end of its Dark Age and the Kraal embarked on their first raids. In this they achieved mixed success as they were neither numerous or advanced enough to cause much damage. Unused to space travel they stumbled for many years, seizing only small pieces of tech.
However, one day an event which shook the galaxy occurred; the rapture. Thousands of Kraal were stolen away from Karakorum, including the Imperator. However, the Imperator returned, afflicted by his travel with great powers in the Force and greater knowledge.
It was taken as a sign for the Kraal, and they swiftly built their arsenals using this new knowledge and intensified their raids. Fortunately, they struck at a time of great confusion and disorder in the galaxy, and many planets abandoned by Sith or Jedi were easy pickings. With each raid they grew stronger and stronger.
The Kraal believe that war is the true mark of greatness for a species, and therefore they will continue to fight until they face an enemy strong enough to defeat them. They look to seize upon the lack of a rim Hegemon and thus grow in power until they can openly begin their conquest of other worlds.
