Intent: To sub the leader of the Shadow Knights.
Image Credit: Here. Helen Cain from Battlestar Galactica: Razor. The choice in pic is deliberately ironic since while Naesala is in a similar role to Admiral Cain, she's a lot nicer and more democratic. One must imagine her unifom without any of the gold piping etc. Naesala wears no insignia save for her rank tag, which is stitched to her uniform.
Role: Archon of the Shadow Knights. As Archon, Naesala is both political leader and commander-in-chief. This makes her Kaida Taldir's boss. Also essentially overall head of the Asuran Star Combine since it is a parastatal.
Permission: I own Firemane, ergo she can use its tech.
Links: To Hell and Back, Eldorai Exodus, Twin Exiles, Eldorai.
PHYSICAL INFORMATION
Age: 102
Force Sensitivity: Non-Force User
Species: Eldorai
Appearance: Naesala is a tall Eldorai female with pale eyes and shoulder-length dark hair. She has a stern disposition and a simple military appearance. Naesala is a tall woman with long dark hair. She has not gotten through her career unscathed and bears the scars of several battles. True to her background, she wears uniform, but a fairly informal one. It is a common soldier's uniform with her rank insignia stitched onto it. Indeed, whenever the Shadow Knight leadership is in one place, she is the one wearing the most mundane uniform. She has a collection of medals, but very rarely wears them. Her feet are tucked into practical boots. She wears armour in the field or if she expects combat. Naesala was tortured by the Eldorai Matriarchy's secret police. This was decades ago, but it has left scars. She has scars on her abdomen and in her foot. There is also scarring in her right shoulder from a rifle butt being slammed into it. Her left arm is still somewhat numb.
SOCIAL INFORMATION
Name: Naesala Faethyra
Loyalties: Court of the Shadows, Shadow Knights, Asuran Star Combine, Eldorai.
Wealth: Modest. The Shadow Knights are not wealthy and she is in it for the cause, not credits. Moreover, they have a maximum wage. So while her financial situation is decent, she is not rich.
Notable Possessions:
- Silver ring bearing the signet of an Eldorai eagle. It is awarded to all Shadow Knight leaders as a symbol of rank and a means of identification. The ring appears mundane, but Naesala has modified it so that is is capable of delivering poison.
- Eldorai medals of valour and service.
- Sarix
- Holdout Bolter.
- Her old Staser service pistol. This weapon is antiquated and she no longer uses it in combat, but she keeps it in her room as a memento. It has silver engravings.
- Collection of model space and water ships. Collection of star maps. Her cabin has an aquarium and she is diligent in feeding the fish inside it.
- Urn filled with soil from Kaeshana.
- Decades of experience as a soldier and officer. She is no savant of warfare, but a capable military commander.
- Political acumen and oratory.
- Talented negotiator.
- Decent shot and capable melee combatant
- Tinkerer and decent mechanic
- Speaks and is literate in Basic, Eldarai and Huttese
- Piloting non-fighter/interceptor craft.
Naesala started out as a frontline soldier, but over the decades made the at times awkward transition from warrior to leader. It has not always been an easy one, and it takes her away from fighting more than she would have liked. However, her soldier's mentality has not completely left her. Naesala expects the Shadow Knights to maintain iron discipline. She is a true believer in the principle that service guarantees citizenship, arguing that only those who have proven their willingness to place the community above themselves deserve authority.
Driven and passionate, she is a good public speaker. Her backgroud as a merchants' daughter exposed her to the outside world, causing her to see beyond the dogma propagated by the Church. Thus Naesala is willing to work with non-Eldorai outsiders, but only on terms she considers beneficial to her people. Unusual among the Eldorai, she's able to understand and converse in several alien languages since she spent a long time in exile. She is not afraid to make harsh, even ruthless decisions if needs be. When push comes to shove, she prioritises survival over tender moral questions. Securing a future for her people takes precedence over other considerations. As Archon, she has executed fellow Knights for corruption, cowardice, treason and similar failings. She abhorrs sadism and gratuitous cruelty.
Naesala is Kaida's ultimate superior, though they do not interact that much since the taciturn ex-Angelii is several ranks beneath her. With some justification, Kaida views herself as the superior commander. However, while the former Angelii High Captain is a strong warrior and experienced officer, she lacks charisma and is a bit of a martinet. Even her few friends describe her as chilly, domineering, prickly and stern. Her brutal fairness wins her respect, but not affection. Kaida is a Force-user, whereas Naesala is not. Naesala's and Kaida's divergent strengths and weaknesses complement each other well, but at the same time both elves are extremely willful and like having things their way. Naesala gives Kaida a degree of autonomy, valuing her competence. But she also makes sure to remind the frost elf that she is a recent convert to the Shadow Knights.
Naesala's true strength is that of a leader, who has the willpower to push her agenda and keep a rather disparate coalition of rebels focused on the larger goal, but is also able to inspire and compromise when needed. She recognises that no leader, no matter how competent they are or consider themselves to be, can micromanage everything. So she is able to delegate, giving her subordinates operational freedom, while retaining overall control. Some of her beliefs overlap with corporatism. This is reflected in the way she has organised the Shadow Knights, though there is also an undeniable influence of her military mind set. Naesala is opposed to what she terms the cult of the individual. Leaders are needed, but functioning institutions are even more important. Cults of personality lead to hubris, self-defeating one-person shows and mismanagement. One day she will not be in power and so she aims to build something lasting that can serve as a foundation for a lawfully elected successor.
Unlike some of the Shadow Knights, Naesala is not a radical atheist. Rather she is a follower of the ancient Eldorai preacher Arryn, who was executed many centuries ago by the Eldorai state for the terrible heresy of proclaiming that the nature of the Goddess Ashira was not wholly divine. Instead it postulates that she was the embodiment of the divine force given Eldorai form. She had a mortal body, but a divine will. Naesala's attitude towards the religious question is to allow freedom of conscience and worship, provided this liberty is not abused to sow discord. This sets her apart from the more extreme revolutionaries.
While she's faced criticism from them, this stance has allowed her to build bridges to splinter groups that would have otherwise been left out of the bloc of progressive Eldorai forces. When it comes to the Tygaran natives, Naesala does not have much of an opinion either way. She does not dismiss the Eldorai's 'cousins' as primitives, but does not feel obligated to 'uplift' and 'enlighten' them either. If they can contribute, good.
Unsurprisingly, Naesala dislikes the Matriarchy. She was betrayed by her country, and most of those complicit in this never got their comeuppance. There has been no karmic justice in that regard. However, she has far bigger concerns than vengenace now. The Eldorai have been thrust onto a galactic stage far bigger than anticipated. The galaxy is a big, scary place where they are outmanned and outgunned. If they keep squabbling, they will go under. In the past, Naesala has authorised raids against royalists. She does not consider them allies. But her policy is to stay out of the royalists' way and focus on the nomad fleet and the survival of her people. She has had decades to deal with her grudge and will not put lives in jeopardy to pursue vendettas.
COMBAT INFORMATION
Weapon of Choice: As the Shadow Knights' leader, Naesala is not expected to enter combat directly, using soldiers to do the fighting for her. But she can hold her own if needed. Lacking Force powers, Naesala must rely on conventional ranged and melee weapons such as blades, rifles, pistols, explosives and so on. Tends to carry a sidearm, with a hold-out bolter or hold-out blaster as backup. Proficient in the use of a Sarix, as unlike with a lightsabre NFUs can use it. Fond of lightning gloves and power gloves.
Combat Function: Naesala is no longer a frontline soldier. Her primary job is to lead, to inspire, plan, pick the right tactical commanders and make sure that they and their troops are equipped with the right tools to accomplish their objectives - and to define said objectives and ensure that they are realistic. Thus she is not expected to lead the first wave for a trench assault or a boarding operation, though she has done so many times in the past as a junior officer.
Her separation from the action has dulled her reflexes and martial prowess somewhat. However, she maintains a tight regimen of fitness and continues to regularly train with pistol, rifle and blade. This enables her to fight should say her command post be attacked or ship boarded, and also to enter a battlefield herself should direct intervention prove necessary. Lacking preternatural powers, she must rely on technology and her own wits to survive on a battlefield. Being strong-willed, it is very difficult to scare or mentally manipulate her. She has not gotten through battle unscathed, and her left arm is still somewhat numb.
Strengths:
- Commander. Naesala is a capable leader. She has a talent for logistics and unconventional warfare. She is a good organiser, skilled at recognising and seizing opportunities. She is no genius or a great innovator, but an inspirational presence for her soldiers.
- Duellist. In combat she is no slouch with blade and pistol. She can stand up to most conventional duellists.
- Naesala is no frontline soldier. Her job is to lead, not be a shock trooper, and so her fighting skills are poor against heavily armoured enemies or strong Force Users.
- Decades of service have not left her unscathed. Old war injuries have taken their toll. This would become especially apparent in protracted combat.
Naesala was born in a time when Kaeshana's isolation broke down and the Eldorai were confronted with the greater Galaxy, which posed both great dangers and opportunities. Some foreigners came as peaceful merchants, allies and friends, others as rapacious slavers and villains. The question of how to deal with them would dominate Eldorai politics, exacerbating the tensions that already existed in the race. Naesala's parents belonged to the middle merchant caste. Eldorai society possessed some rather feudal characteristics, and so the merchants was looked down upon. Naesala's parents were quite well-off and able to afford a male tutor for their daughter. To a degree, the suspicions of the highborn were correct, for her family was engaged in informal (illegal) trading with offworlders, at a time when the State Church of Ashira still propagated the old doctrine that all non-Eldorai were demons spawned by the Death Goddess Illyria.
Naesala helped in the family business and was exposed to offworlders at an early age. This broadened her horizons, as she knew that there was more than ghosts and demons out there. This would strongly influence her outlook and ultimately cause her to drift away from the Eldorai Matriarchy. However, she was still a patriotic girl, who received her education in a religious school, supplemented by what her parents taught her. Lacking Force potential, the upper ranks of Eldorai society were closed to her. Force-users, or Sciians as the Eldorai call them, occupied a privileged position in the Matriarchy, for their powers were seen as coming from the Goddess. Thus when the time came for her to serve the motherland, she was not eligible to join the Angelii.
Instead, she was conscripted into the regular army. There, she encountered some stigma for being a 'grocer's daughter'. It awakened ambition inside her, especially since her older sister was supposed to take over the family business. Furthermore, pirate attacks and slaver raids had been hitting Kaeshana with increasing frequency. Like it or not, the greater Galaxy was taking an interest in the planet. Over time, Naesala rose through the ranks, distinguishing herself in skirmishes with Eldorai rebels - the so called Dashdae or Dark Eldorai - and Kar'zun partisans. She won merit during the war against the False Aspasia, an Eldorai army deserter who masqueraded as a pretender to the throne. Bribes probably also played some role, as her family had access to some rare goods, helping secure her a place at the military academy. However, she won the soldiers' respect through bravery under fire, sharing the same risks as them and making an effort to improve their conditions. Eventually, she reached the rank of High Captain. Later on, she would complain about the highborn had it easier since their titles allowed them to gain command ranks without having to work for them.
Assigned to the Cilicia province, she was confronted with the foreign devils that menaced the Motherland so much. Kaeshana's isolation had protected its people and allowed them to evolve independently without foreign meddling, but also ensured that it was technologically behind the rest of the Galaxy. Sarixi and Sarzmigar were potent weapons, but Staser firearms were primitive and could not match blasters. Likewise, the Eldorai's personal armour was not built to resist modern blaster weapons. And so the Crimson Blade slavers attacked in great numbers, preying on the Eldorai's weaknesses. These Mandalorian warriors came to murder and pillage.
The military governor of the province, a a minor scion of the Cadalthor clan, tried to oppose them, mustering her forces. Among those were the soldiers commanded by Naesala. They met the marauders in combat, but despite inflicting casualties on them, they stood little chance with their outdated weaponry. Naesala was injured by shrapnel from a frag grenade and disarmed, but managed to overcome a raider with a stolen blaster. Rallying what was left of her forces, she led a spirited charge to save Eldorai that had been taken captive. But the retreating raiders bombed the Eldorai with their gunships, dropping napalm along with high explosives. Injured during the bombing run, she awoke in a medical tent. Unsurprisingly, the Crown was most displeased with events. The Crimson Blade corsairs demanded a constant tribute, or else they would return.
Angry, vengeful and a bit desperate, Naesala decided to do the unthinkable and seek the help of outsiders. They were not demons, they were simply people from other worlds, and could be useful if they were treated as such. In order to prevail, the Eldorai had to adapt. The Goddess Ashira loved her children, so she would approve. So using the connections of her family enterprise, she reached out to a smuggler crew. Using these shady contacts, she procurred a few spaceships. They were nothing fancy, but would do the job. One of her contacts tipped her off about the fact that the marauders had built a base on one of the asteroids in the system.
After acquiring some modern weapons, she began her campaign, with the tacit support of Cilia's governor. As she lacked pilots, she paid the smugglers a considerable amount to fly the ships. The pilots deceived the marauders by claiming that they wanted to join them and had brought gifts for their commander. Then they used their ships' weapons to fire upon the raiders when their guard was down, enabling the Eldorai soldiers to land and get close enough for their Sarixi and Sarzmigar to take effect. Many pirates were slaughtered as the Eldorai took vengeance and rescued their brethren. Naesala made an effort to spare some of the corsairs, as she reasoned that they would reveal useful information while under interrogation. The battle was a great victory, but cost the Eldorai a considerable amount to pay to their offworld associates.
However, the reaction Naesala got at home was astonishing. In hindsight, she should have anticipated it though. When she arrived at the governor's residence to report her success and present booty in form of captured slavers and weapons, she was accused of treason and put in irons. The governor had tacitly approved her plan to get rid of the pirate problem that made her look bad at the Court of the Star Queen - and the Court of House Cadalthor - but now that she was no longer needed, framed her as a traitor. Her alliance with the outsiders was judged heretical (since offworlders were still considered demonic apparitions...officially anyway), and she was accused of organising the raid. The Ardarvian Priestess of her unit, who acted as a moral office/commissar, denounced her. Beatings and unpleasant interrogations ensued.
Due to the nature of the accusations, the Crown took an interest, which did not really agree with the governor, as it meant her own deeds might be investigated, too. She was stripped of rank, had her pension revokved and was put under 'Assisted Living'. This essentially amounted to house arrest until her illegal contact with unsactioned life forms beyond Kaeshana was investigated. Naesala was experienced enough to know that said investigations rarely ended well. They were generally a prelude to appearing before a kangaroo court and executed. She managed to slip out a message to her family, urging them to disavow her for their own sake.
With the help of a loyal subordinate, who as a lowborn had love for the aristos' power plays and whose brother had been rescued during the attack on the slavers, she managed to evade her guards and escape. Having been declared a nonperson, there was no place for her on Kaeshana. So she fled the planet, after breaking out one of the smugglers who'd been arrested in connection with the investigation. There was no comeuppance for most of those who had wronged her. The governor who had framed her made an oily transition to successive regimes until she lost her job for being corrupt.
It is even more ironic that the Eldorai would soon accept the existence of outsiders after a Jedi-led expedition negotiated terms. But by then Naesala had built a new life in the stars. Adrift, she was thrust into an unfamiliar Galaxy. It was a scary experience, but also an opportunity. Angry at the betrayals, she hooked up with smugglers for a while, learning the basics of piloting, maintenance and so on. Eventually, she got her own ship and crew. As great powers rose and fell, she became a mercenary in the Republic and the Mandalorians. She tried to find and reach out to other Eldorai exiles wherever possible, and was delighted that there were others who walked the same road. For the first time, she engaged those she'd once regarded as Dark Eldorai as something other than enemies. One of them educated her about the beliefs of the heretic Arryn, whose views on Ashira she adopted as her own. Deciding that even though she was no longer a soldier of the Crown, she could still serve her people, she built her own Eldorai paramilitary force. They accepted contracts from various powers, but also sought to rescue enslaved Eldorai and protect exiles. Their methods against slavers were quite brutal, for they showed them no mercy.
For a while Naesala worked with Varisanthra Lycaeni, a fellow Eldorai exile and opponent of the ancien régime. Varisanthra was a businesswoman and provided some funding for Naesala's group. However, there was an ideological gulf between them. Varisanthra was willing to help out fellow Eldorai, but would not support ventures that put her at risk. She was a businesswoman above all and a proponent of capitalism. By contrast, Naesala was a military woman. Just like Varisanthra did not want to get entangled in crusades, Naesala did not want herself and her soldiers to become corporate mercenaries who collected debts from delinquent debtors. Thus the two had a parting of ways.
Meanwhile, great changes occured on Kaeshana. The archconservative Queen Tirathana VI died and, after a brief civil war, was succeeded by her pleasure-obsessed, but more open-minded daughter Silaqui. The new monarch had the support of the Omega Protectorate - and especially of the notorious Colonel Siobhan Kerrigan. Later, she was murdered by religious zealots and her sister Anya succeeded her. The new queen took the regnal name Tirathana VII. Anya had been exiled during her mother's reign, causing her to experience revelations similar to many of the Dashdae. Close to Tegaea Alcori and Siobhan Kerrigan, she sought to drag the Eldorai kicking and screaming into the future, desiring to rule as a benevolent despot. Many stomach-churning punishments were abolished and heretics were no longer burnt on the stake. Eldorai were encouraged to educate themselves about the larger Galaxy and learn from the outsiders to strengthen the motherland. Firemane Industries helped the Eldorai develop robust planetary defences to deter attackers.
A general amnesty was declared for repentant Dashdae. They were allowed to return to Kaeshana, provided they swore an oath of allegiance to the Crown and refrained from violence. A good number of the exiles took this opportunity, but Naesala was not among them. Events had embittered her against the monarchy. Moreover, she was sceptical that the nobility and church would allow real change to take place, even if the Queen might desire it. So she refused to bend the knee - but also to return to Kaeshana and foment insurrection. The great cataclysm changed all this. The Great Exodus and Kaeshana's destruction by a huge asteroid was - and still is - a highly traumatic event for the Eldorai. About three billion Eldorai were evacuated prior to the collision, but many had to be left behind. The survivors eked out a primitive existence, struggling to survive in the desolate wasteland. Unsurprisingly, they resented the Exodites. Some believed that the policy to prioritise the best and brightest was unfair - and that it benefited the rich and privileged. Naesala was one of them. So she returned to a Kaeshana that had been thrown into turmoil by the news of the coming doom.
Much to her frustration, the rebels were divided. Some saw it as their mission to help the downtrodden escape the cataclysm, such as by stealing or otherwise acquiring ships, or to build shelters that could survive the calamity. The Ashiran fanatics believed that the Goddess would stop the asteroid if they regained her favour by purging all nonbelievers. And some hardline Dashdae Eldorai cared less about helping their people and more about getting revenge on government lap dogs and giving the régime a bloody nose. What was needed was leadership and focus. Naesala was deeply embittered against the Monarchy and felt intense antipathy for it, but above all needed to think of the survival of those who were being forsaken. It was in this hour that the Shadow Knights were born out of a coalition of rebels, deserters soldiers and even some desillusioned clerics. Their stated mission was to ensure the survival of the Eldorai race, outside of the confines of the Matriarchy.
This included trying to help Eldorai escape outside of the official channels. This included raids to acquire ships from the Exodus fleet. But also trying to set up bunkers and such that would allow those doomed to stay behind to escape. It was not an easy alliance, for many of the Knights bore a grudge against the government and some considered it more important to fight it, pursuing their vendettas and throwing bombs even as Nemesis came. They ended up being purged. Becoming one of the Knights' leaders, Naesala threw herself into the task. Harsh, ruthless choices had to be made. Resources were scarce and could often only be acquired via raids, as Kaeshana descended into chaos, with violence breaking out in the streets of Santaissa. They also tried to acquire and hoard tech that would be of use for the Forsaken and Exiles. With the asteroid drawing closer, the last government troops evacuated from Santaissa. Seeking refuge in one of the deep underground shelters in western Kaeshana, Naesala elected to stay on the homeworld she'd fled from so many years ago.
The asteroid's impact was cataclysmic, though thanks to Firemane's efforts the destruction was mitigated, as they used a powerful warship to severely reduce the enormous rock in size. Many Eldorai still died and the planet was devastated. When Naesala emerged from the bunker with her companions, she beheld a ruined world. Santaissa had been turned into a ghost town. The Eldorai who lived in the west, far away from the impact, had fared better, but the planet was a desolate wasteland. Word of the disaster soon spread, and predators took advantage of the survivors' weakness. Corsairs, slavers and the Archangel machine cult also saw easy prey and pounced.
Divided, the surviving Eldorai split into small groups run by warlords, which warred over the scarce resources. For the remaining Eldorai, it was a daily struggle for survival. Many starved to death, perished in conflicts over resources between different warlord factions or ended up being abducted by slavers or the nefarious machine cult Archangel. As one of the leading Shadow Knights, Naesala decided to wrest some order from the chaos. The Knights worked with the surviving communities, offering protection. At the same time, they dedicated themselves to recovering lost technology. A cynic would say that they were just another warlord faction - but certainly a better organised one. Indeed, their regime was an elective dictatorship. Hoarders and looters were punished, those able to work were conscripted into labour battalions. Slavers - and those who collaborated with them - were publicly executed.
Less a military commander and more a politician, she showed diplomatic talent when it came to getting people to band together and work towards a common goal, showing a pragmatic appreciation of reality. Though criticised by the hardliners, she took the step of reaching out to the surviving Kar'zun, who dwelt in Kaeshana's mountainous regions, and coming to an arrangement with some of their clans. Ironically, some of the rock people had once been the rebels she'd fought against during her time as one of the Crown's soldiers. Once when she was ambushed by a rival warlord who'd received the backing from pirates, a Kar'zun clan came to her aid, enabling her to fight her way out.
She showed bravery when Archangel forces descended upon Eldorai settlements, leading her forces into battle. The soldiers acclaimed her as Archon. But in spite of these successes, Kaeshana was still a hellhole. The Dashdae Eldorai were divided, attempts to barter with smugglers were complicated by the fact that the Forsaken had little to offer them. Food, medical supplies and other essentials were scarce. Strife, raids, malnutrition and disease thinned the numbers of the Forsaken. Deep down, Naesala knew that they would need external aid, but she continued to soldier on because duty compelled her to. Keeping a disparate coalition of Dark Eldorai rebel groups together was not easy. Relations were particularly tense with the Aspirants, a sect of Ashiran reformists led by Priestess Sahome Tyral. Naesala attempted diplomacy, but both groups soon clashed over resources. The threat posed by Archangel forced them into a coalition, though their cooperation remained tense.
Then one day, the Forsaken's estranged brethren, who'd built themselves a new home on Tygara, returned to Kaeshana. In cooperation with Firemane and the Galactic Alliance, the Tygaran Eldorai launched a humanitarian mission. There was a great deal of suspicion and bitterness. Reluctantly, many of the Forsaken, as the Kaeshana-based Eldorai had come to call themselves, agreed to accept their aid...though not submission to the Throne. Naesala was among them, though she demanded that the Star Queen's ambassador meet her in person. However, the First Order had also taken an interest in Kaeshana, seeking to annex it. The result was war.
Taking up arms alongside her estranged brethren, Naesala rallied the Knights. At the defunct Citadel of Dusk, which had been turned into a safe zone for countless refugees, she negotiated with Countess Selene Tarai, the Star Queen's emissary. An agreement was reached, granting the Forsaken Home Rule once the First Order had been repelled. However, the Battle for Kaeshana ended in defeat for the Alliance. Naesala was among the Forsaken who managed to escape from Kaeshana. With the fall of Kaeshana, she was at a crossroads. In her own estimation, she'd failed to protect her people. Attrition had thinned the ranks of the Knights. Some criticised her leadership, but she survived a heated debate in the Council when some demanded she resign. Facing her detractors with a fiery speech, she was able to weather the crisis of confidence. In this dark hour, she counted it as a success that they'd managed to avoid bloodshed between themselves.
There would be no submission to the Crown. But those who had been left on Kaeshana would not be forgotten. For now exiles would build their own future, with the Knights operating from a mobile base as they dedicated themselves to protecting the Eldorai who were not under the dominion of the Crown or the First Order. Some of the Tygaran Eldorai, attracted by more or less covertly operating recruiters, joined the cause. Some were motivated by guilt, others simply wanted to build a new life outside of the tripartite order of crown-temple-nobility. To give themselves a mobile base of operations, the Shadow Knights hijacked an Ashira Class Fast Cruiser that belonged to House Cadalthor.
The Cadalthors were in disarray after their head, Duchess Tarissa, had tried to launch a coup to make herself Queen and purge all unbelievers and foreigners - and been executed by Siobhan Kerrigan. Weakened by harsh reparations imposed by Firemane and busy grumbling about Vaena Askari, a bastard, being forced on them as Duchess, their attention was elsewhere. So the Knights hijacked the SQS Tarissa's Legacy, En Caerith Wain. It has been put to good use helping protect Eldorai colony ships and neutral settlements. She also took the step of agreeing to let Kar'zun join the covenant. This resulted in some purists leaving the group, but she stood by her decision due to how the Kar'zun had helped her after the cataclysm.
During this time Naesala recruited Yseult Faerin to serve as her top general. Yseult was the bastard daughter of the Evoras, an Eldorai noble family that had been deposed and driven into exile by Tirathana VI. However, she had grown disillusioned with the game of thrones early on. She made a name for herself as a mercenary and then signed up with the Republic army to fight the One Sith, reaching general officer rank. Her background was unusual and radicals found her noble heritage suspicious, but Naesala recognised a kindred spirit. Yseult signed up for the credits, but also because she believed in the cause. She was also removed from the squabbles between the competing factions. She became an important source of important for the Archon.
The Shadow Knights maintained a united front of sorts with the Eldorai Matriarchy during the war. Shadow Knights and Angelii fought side by side on Skor, supporting the Galactic Alliance in its defence against a First Order invasion. Naesala also supported Eldorai resistance cells on Kaeshana. However, the coalition did not last. Meanwhile, the Shadows had to deal with internal issues. By their very nature the Shadow Knights are a coalition. A good number of their members were former 'Dark Eldorai' insurgents, but others were former royalist soldiers who defected to the Shadows - and might have fought the former insurgents at some point.
Moreover, the renegades opened their ranks to Tygaran natives, declaring them to be fellow Asurans. All this required delicate management to overcome old grudges. Sects such as the Illyrians, Rationalists and Followers of Arryn had a history of rivalry. Enforcing central authority was not entirely possible without bloodshed. This led to strife and schisms. Some Shadow Knights were banished or split off. Yet the nomad fleet could not be held together by force alone. Reliance on it would tear it apart, sooner or later. Moreover, the group also faced external threats, such as pirates, Kraal raiders, the Archangel machine cult, Sith groups and rival Eldorai factions. Centrifugal tendencies caused strife.
Naesala herself had to survive an assassination attempt. She was able to defeat her assassins with the help of her guards. Examples were made of the traitors. There was a bit of a crisis when the nomad fleet lost contact with Naesala's command ship. It was feared she had died. This led to bickering and intrigue. Fortunately, her ship had only experienced a hyperspace malfunction, throwing her into Otherspace. There she and her crew faced Charon boarders. Naesala joined her soldiers with blade and pistol, fighting the abominations. The engineers were eventually able to fix the hyperdrive and get back to realspace.
When the Shadow Knights left Kaeshana, they had intended to one day return and overthrow its occupiers. This was obviously a long-term goal rather than something that could be realistically accomplished in the short-term. Little did they know that the planet would be hit by another calamity, for Kaeshana was pulled into the Nether and dragged to the other side of the Galaxy. When the Shadows learned that the planet had moved, they suspected some kind of trick, but sent an expedition to confirm. There they ran into royalists, who had come to Kaeshana with the same goal in mind. They soon realised that Kaeshana had indeed moved and was no longer occupied by the First Order. However, the Netherworld's horrifying shockwaves had turned it into an inhospitable, haunted tomb world. The sight was horrible enough to force the rebels and royalists to agree to a truce and evacuate the last few survivors. Then they left Kaeshana. It forced them to acknowledge that if they wanted a home, they would have to build it, for the old was lost forever.
A solemn ceremony was held on the Defiance to mourn the dead. The Archon gave a speech that was broadcast to the entire nomad fleet. Kaeshana was lost. The elves could overcome their squabbles and build a better future, or follow it into the pit. The Shadow Knights were the vanguard of the Asuran people. It was their mission to safeguard and protect their people, for no one else would. They had to be the sword and the torch, protecting the Asurans against threats and guiding them to freedom. Only then would they be honouring those who had been lost on Kaeshana.
To raise funds, the Shadows started offering the services of their soldiers and elements of the nomad fleet to interested parties. The funds generated through these activities were supposed to be invested into expanding their manufacturing basis, upgrading their vessels and improving the lives of their people. Naesala dispatched exploration teams to discover worlds they can exploit or establish outposts on. Finding a new homeworld was a long-term goal. For the time being they functioned as a paramilitary migrant fleet on the galactic fringe. The realisation that Kaeshana was lost for good compelled the Shadows to implement sweeping changes in their society to streamline and organise it better.
Naesala devised a system of Courts, which would organise the various members of the nomad fleet based on profession and aptitude. Each would oversees a broad mandate, controlled by the central Archon and the leaders. The first body to be founded was the Court of the Four Elements. It had its roots in a similar organisation that vetted Force-Users in the Eldorai Matriarchy and selected potential Angelii recruits. This form of organisation was gradually applied to other spheres of society. Though the Shadow Knights regard themselves as revolutionaries, they are quite conservative in a number of ways. Thus the Courts bear a strong resemblance to guilds, which is nothing new in Eldorai society. However, the Shadows took it a step further by having them encompass the military, which is the heart of their society. While they have conventional forces, many of their soldiers are independent-minded irregulars, privateers and raiders who cannot be easily integrated into regular units. The Courts were designed as a combination between government department and guild. They were supposed to directly involve citizens in governance, but also regulate all spheres of society.
The Shadow Knights are a nomadic, militaristic, regimented people and the Courts were designed to reflect that. Each citizen would be given a place, a means of influencing the direction of his or her chosen path and a superior to obey. Society was to be based on characteristics such as creativity, discipline, concern for the greater good, productivity, service and self-sacrifice. Shadow Knight society would be founded on the distinction between command and obedience. Democracy would be the possibility of attaining every existing rank if one had performed the necessary service to society. One imagines that many people would not see this as particularly 'democratic' and argue it has more in common with an oligarchy. This is true, but Eldorai do not like the idea of letting ordinary people decide a lot of things.
The Archon played a leading role in devising this structure. Naesala is a military woman, not a theoretician. But she did not need to be one, as she was reorganising the Shadows into a regimented structure not unlike an army. Naesala was not building some sort of abstract society here. Rather she was grouping everyone into sections which could administer their part of the machine. There was little consideration for rights and aspirations - the Shadows must survive and this would help them do so. At the same time it would decentralise administration, get the citizens involved and mobilise them. Unsurprisingly, there was tension. Individual war bands and rebel leaders disliked being forced into a regimented structure that would reduce their influence and independence. Some of the protests had to be resolved through force, others negotiation. Naesala continues to lead the Shadow Knights to this day, determined to do her duty and lead her people on a better path.
Last edited:
