Tephrike

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


Thanks. Thoughts on how and why things descend into total insanity?

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Natural progression of a crisis.

Jedi Lord gets assassinated, an ambitious Jedi there takes control of the situation, having fallen to the Dark Side at some point. Rebellion is instigated, leading to a further crackdown, leading to total anarchy, ending in a very different situation coming out as going in.

Think Rome's 'Crisis of the Third Century' as a guide.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

Jedi Lord gets assassinated, an ambitious Jedi there takes control of the situation, having fallen to the Dark Side at some point.

One option would be to make the Jedi an 'infiltrator'. But alternately the brutality of the war could have simply caused the Jedi to fall without realising it. Then he/she discovers 'ancient texts'. Got a name and species suggestion?


[member="Valiens Nantaris"]

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


So I'm thinking the following:

- Jedi Lord Zaras Dant launches a campaign to 'restore order'. Since the remnants of Tephrike's parliament and cabinet refuse to bend the knee, Parliament Building is shelled. Capital suffers damage. Expeditions are launched to 'keep the peace'. War Communism is imposed to deal with shortages. There are requisitions and stuff. Zaras breaks her promise to step down and restore power to an elected assembly, after said assembly doesn't do what she wants. Ends up being assassinated.

- Tyjan Kree, another Jedi extremist, takes control. Unknowingly, she's fallen to the Dark Side...but she's fully convinced she serves the Light. Like in the Crisis of the Third Century, there's uprisings across the planet. Kree finishes what Zaras began by creating a totalitarian state. Believing that she's surrounded by darksiders, she launches a harsh crackdown and sets up a theocracy. Rebellion leads to further repression. Eventually dies from a heart attack while laying siege to a rebellious Gungan city. Most of the planet has been stabilised under 'Jedi' control.

- A succession of Jedi Grandmasters rules the planet. Some are more extreme than others. Over time, they become puppets of the Battlemasters. Darkside renegades found the Disciples of the Vader, as the memories of old history blurr with myth. Rebellious clone troopers team up with marginalised alien races to found the Republican Guard.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Sounds good.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]

Any other suggestions?

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
We need to mention the madness the cloning causes. Suppose they are using the Thrawn style cloning rather than the prequel type I guess, to make the madness more reasonable.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


Moreover. The medical facilities they use were originally designed for animals.


And I would not be surprised if plenty of scientists who actually know their job wind up dead for this or that reason.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Over time science and magic becomes one and the same, and the ancient systems probably get surrounded with rituals and lore.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


Wrote this. Suggestions for what consequences the Netherworld event could have had? And how to wrap things up.

Spoiler

Zaras launched a series of campaigns to restore order. As what was left of Tephrike's parliament and cabinet refused to acknowledge her claim, fierce fighting ensued in the capital of Palmyra, and the Presidential Palace was shelled. The death toll was high. However, many fatailities were not due to combat, but due to disease and malnutrition. Tephrike had always been dependent on trade, but this was obviously no longer an option in the Dark Age. Many foodstuffs and other essentials had been imported. With large swathes of the populace at the risk of starvation, the Jedi Lord implemented a policy of requisitions. All spheres of economic life would be nationalised, those who did not work would be conscripted into labour battalions and hoarding would be punished severely.


It came to clashes with the Gungans, who were accused placing their own selfish desires above the greater good and had granted asylum to renegades who'd stood with Parliament. The punitive campaigns and requisitions took their toll on the Jedi. Unable to cope with the strain - or rationalise the disconnect between the Jedi beliefs and their bleak reality - some went insane, deserted or fell to the Dark Side. Feeling that she could not relinquish authority despite having 'restored order' to most of the planet, Zaras broke her promise to step down. A rump Parliament had been convened to implement a new order and attempt to negotiate a settlement. But when several of the delegates criticised the Jedi Lord's actions, her soldiers forcibly removed them from the building. Elections were indefinitely suspended. Zaras Dant was assassinated by one of her own bodyguards. Her death led to a power struggle between the factions, out of all of which Jedi Tyian Kree emerged victor.


A Devaronian Jedi Sentinel, Kree was very ambitious - and had unknowingly fallen to the Dark Side. Obsessed with the idea that the Plague had been a Sith conspiracy and that agents of darkness lurked everywhere, she saw the uprisings sparking across the planet as confirmation. The infrastructure for a dictatorship had already been put into place by Zaras, but Tyian finished what her predecessor had started by implementing a totalitarian theocracy. For it was the only way to ensure that the Light would not be eclipsed by the forces of Darkness. In order to save the last vestiges of civilisation, the Jedi would have to harden their hearts. Furthermore, they would have to spread their beliefs to the common people, lest they become pawns of the Darkness.


A harsh crackdown followed, as her rule was challenged by Jedi who believed she was going too far, genuine darksiders and secular or secessionist rebels. On both sides, the war became increasingly savage. Abandoning the devastated Palmyra, she ordered the construction of a new capital, which would in time be known as Nexus City. By the time of her death, she'd secured most of the planet, though insurgents continued to challenge the Jedi's rule from hideouts in the jungle or underwater. To bring the rebels to heel, Kree laid siege to a Gungan city that housed rebels, but ended up dying from a heart attack.


The Jedi commanders met in secret conclave and elected a new Jedi Lord, who also assumed the title of Grand Master. After all, as far as they knew, they were the last Jedi. The new realm would be called the Dominion of Light. Palmyra was abandoned for good and Nexus City became the new capital. Here, the population could be monitored and indoctrinated. Here, the Grand Master reigned from a Jedi Temple modelled after the one on Coruscant...though said Grand Master increasingly became a puppet of the Battlemasters. Moreover, the Jedi began to make use of the medical cloning facilities that had been built before the collapse. Of course, since these had originally been designed with animals in mind, many clones ended up being of inferior quality. Many had a very short life expectancy or were afflicted with clone madness. Over time science and magic became one and the same, and the ancient systems were surrounded with rituals and lore.


A group of rebellious clone troopers deserted the regime and joined with Gungan and Nautolan insurgents to found the Republican Guard, as the indoctrination backfired. While Jedi idealised a warped Jedi order, believing that they were the inheritors of Mace Windu and Lord Hoth, these clones idolised the Republic. Red Coral City became their new headquarters. From there they would launch raids and skirmishes in their bed to liberate the planet from its theocratic rulers. Rebellious Jedi students, drunk on the power they wielded in the remote provinces, declared war on the Light and founded the Disciples of the Vader. The leader of this cult had been grown in a lab and was more than a little mad, believing that the Vader spoke to him in his dreams and had given him a mission to destroy the Light. Using primitive sorcery, they amassed an army of beasts and undead, using them to overrun a number of settlements, before failing at the ruins of Palmyra, after being lured there by the Jedi Battlemaster. However, disease and lack of supplies took their toll on the Jedi army as it pursued them. The Vader cultists would eventually claim an old castle as their stronghold, using slave labourers to restore it and augment its defences. Reflecting the racial tensions that had plagued Tephrike for so long, they also adopted a human supremacist ideology.


Lacking the means to directly overthrow the theocratic regime, they became raiders, slaveholders and marauders. Increasingly, the Windian Jedi Order grew bloated and corrupt. In the territory it managed to seize, the Republican Guard restored semblances of the rule of law and even democracy on the local levels, but also persecuted Force-users. Given the harm Forceful beings had done, one could not blame them. Both rebel factions remained implacably hostile to the Dominion of Light, but refused to cooperate due to their mutual animosity. This probably helped keep the regime afloat, even though its power was diminished under the reign of a succession of weak Grandmasters. For those who lived within the heartland of the Jedi's dominion, there was a degree of stability and security, albeit at the price of living under a totalitarian regime. Over time, what knowledge the Tephriki had once possessed of the outside world faded into the realm of myth.


Time passed, and most of the rest of the Galaxy emerged from the Dark Age. Great powers tried to exact their dominance upon the known worlds, empires rose and fell, but Tephrike remained in a state of stasis. The Netherworld Incident caused an outburst of religious fervour, as suddenly tons of people vanished. In the territory controlled by the Windian Jedi, the event was blamed on nefarious darkside magic. Clearly collaborators and Sith sorcerers had caused the disappearances, even though the Vader fanatics had been affected, too, and even underwent a civil war. The ensuing purges weakened the Windians, allowing their rivals to make some territorial gains. It remains to be seen which side will prevail and be able to enforce its vision upon Tephrike, and whether the planet's population will finally get lasting peace and the chance to recover.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

The Netherworld conspiracy is clearly a Sith plot. Collaborators and 'Sith Sorcerers' caused the vanishings!

That about takes us up to now.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


This leaves the following:

• 
  Intent: [Describe the plan for your planet. NOTE: This section alone can have your planet dismissed. Planets created on a whim or for purposes to undermine the integrity of Star Wars will not be approved.
  
• 
  Coordinates: [The X,Y coordinates of the planet and its relative position in them according to the Galaxy Map]
  

And I guess I need a pic for the planet.


Also should the population be moderate or lower?

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
What did you have in mind for location?

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

Will eventually sub the capital of the Jedi Kingdom of Heavenly Peace.


Should be fun.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]


Feel like subbing two locations mentioned in the planet sub. Ruhewald and Red Coral City. This is what the planet sub says:

• Red Coral City: A cross between a refugee settlement and an armed rebel camp, it is protected by the Republican Guard. The underwater lies in the a sea called the Cerulean Expanse, in the north of Tephrike. Located in some underwater caves combined with the hydrostatic bubbles the Gungans use keep the water out. As in Otoh Gunga, these bubbles contain a breathable atmosphere and have special portals that allow inhabitants to exit. However, space is sparse and quarters are very cramped, meaning there is little privacy for the inhabitants. The members of the leadership fare better, but it is still a far cry from luxury. Security is very tight and the partisans are a vigilant lot. Scarce resources mean that those who gain entrance to the underwater city must make sure they contribute to society, for otherwise they must leave. Red Coral also houses the command staff of the Republican Guard and the leadership committee of its political wing.
• Ruhewald: A thick jungle occupied by a schismatic Jedi sect called the Order of the Blessed Way. They are pacifist flower children who reject violence against sentient beings...which does not prevent them from being the planet's biggest drug producers. They believe that they can commune with the Force through use of mushrooms. The forest's name is rather ironic because it is populated by nasty creatures with a healthy appetite, including mosquitoes, giant spiders, fast growing creepers, feral nexu and carnivorous plants. The cultists have tamed some of the beasts. A cynic would say that the beasts enable them to be pacifists because the Mother Jungle does the killing for them. Aside from being adept at animal friendship and concealment, the cultists employ plant surge to ensure the forest remains untainted. They have been known to provide guidance and healing to refugees who find their way to the jungle, but on the whole are isolationist. They refuse to get involved in outside affairs.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
Those look like good places to explore.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]

Thanks. Ideas for the subs?

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]
You've covered most things already I feel. Just expand on what the summaries you have there are.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

[member="Valiens Nantaris"]

Should Red Coral City be a military base or a city sub?


It's a cross between refugee settlement and military camp. Nominally it's the 'capital' of the Republican Guard...as much as a rebel paramilitary group can have one.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: Further flesh out Tephrike.
• ​Image Credit: Here. Otoh Gunga in 'The Phantom Menace'. Found on Wookieepedia.
• Canon: N/A.
• Links: Otoh Gunga, Nexus City, Castle Maysaf.

SETTING INFORMATION

• City Name: Red Coral City
• Classification: Armed rebel settlement.
• Location: Tephrike.
• Affiliation: Capital of the Republican Guard of Tephrike.
• Demographics: The majority of the population is composed of aliens. To be specific, aquatic aliens such as Nautolans, Gungans and Quarren. Humans, Twi'leks, Duros and so on can be found as well, but they're a minority. While the Republican Guard strives to create a secular, pluralistic state, racial tensions exist. These have historical roots because strife between race-based political parties did its part to weaken Tephrike's fragile democracy prior to the outbreak of the Gulag Virus. Humans are not persecuted, but less likely to get the best jobs or homes. There is a small, tight-knit community of Yuuzhan Vong. They possess a special status because their Force Dead nature makes them excellent at fighting Jedi or Sith, who both constitute the rebel movement's main adversaries.
• Wealth: Low. The people of Red Coral City are not wealthy at all. Tephrike is isolated from the rest of the Galaxy and there's an ongoing civil war between feuding factions for control of the planet. Even the commanders of the Republican Guard have little an outsider would consider valuable. The city operates under a regulated economy and rationing has been imposed to deal with shortages. There are harsh rules against hoarding and 'profiteering'. In spite - or perhaps because - of the regulations, there's a flourishing black market, which the rebel junta tolerates. Due to lack of funds, there's little in terms of a social safety net. Those unskilled, poor or just plain unlucky enough not to find an appropriate job are conscripted into communal or military service. Unemployment handouts are considered a luxury that encourage sloth. Since the currency is worth very little, barter trade is common. The command economy has been created out of emergency measures, pragmatism and necessity rather than communist zeal, and with an understanding of the system's flaws. Small businesses endure in many sectors.
• Stability: High, due to strict security and population controls. Because everyone has to give their all to survive, there is a strong sense of unity among the community of this settlement, despite the disagreements, shortages and pervasive rationing. This is not to say that the settlement is free from strife, crime or corruption, far from it. But there is a strong feeling that they all must hang together. The Republican Guard has some rather harsh views on crime and punishment. Because space and resources are limited, they prefer to exile felons that are not considered redeemable. The wilderness of Tephrike is extremely dangerous, so this is often a death sentence. It should be noted that the Guard expects every citizen to own a weapon and become reasonably proficient in its use. Free citizens form a part-time militia and must participate in regular drills. However, the best weapons are obviously reserved for the Guard's soldiers. There's also a free press, which is allowed to criticise the régime. However, due to emergency wartime legislation, this criticism must operate within certain bounds. Essentially the press is allowed to criticise individual leaders or policies, but not the general line. Thus no journalist would suggest making peace with the theocratic factions or treating Force-users like normal people. Force-users are monitored very heavily and must suppress their powers. The Republican Guard supports freedom of religion and people are allowed to worship whichever deities they like...excluding any form of Force worship or idolisation of Force-users. Due to wartime necessities and shortages, the settlement has a tightly regulated economy. This has less to do with ideology and more with the simple fact that Tephrike is an impoverished planet and the Guard are rebel insurgents.
• Description: Red Coral City is a cross between a refugee settlement and an armed rebel camp. It is protected by the Republican Guard, a secularist rebel group that opposes the Jedi and Sith theocrats. The underwater settlement lies in the a sea called the Cerulean Expanse, in the north of Tephrike. It is located in some underwater caves combined with the hydrostatic bubbles the Gungans use keep the water out. As in Otoh Gunga, these bubbles contain a breathable atmosphere and have special portals that allow inhabitants to exit. However, space is sparse and quarters are very cramped, meaning there is little privacy for the inhabitants. The members of the leadership fare better, but it is still a far cry from luxury. Security is very tight and the partisans are a vigilant lot. Scarce resources mean that those who gain entrance to the underwater city must make sure they contribute to society, for otherwise they must leave. Red Coral also houses the command staff of the Republican Guard and the leadership committee of its political wing. Gungan hydrostatic barriers keep the water out of the settlement. Air purifiers leading to the surface make sure fresh air is available. Its inhabitants get most of their food from fishing and kelp farming. Kelp soup is a common dish. Soldiers also launch raids against convoys and settlements of hostile groups to gain foodstuffs and other essentials.

POINTS OF INTEREST

• Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: A small, but dignified monument dedicated to the memory of all soldiers of the Republican Guard who died in defence of freedom against the forces of oppression. Or at least that's what the rebel junta sees it as. The shrine contains the remains of an unidentified Gungan soldier who died during an incursion to liberate captives from a Sith death camp. There is an honour guard at all times. Schoolclasses often visit this memorial to pay their respects and be reminded that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.
• Jango Fett Barracks: Both the Republican Guard and the Windian Jedi Order lay claim to Jango Fett. The Jedi insist that Jango was a Mandalorian marauder who saw the error of his ways, was redeemed by Mace Windu and agreed to become the genetic donor of the clone army to atone for his misdeeds. The two were inseparable comrades, until they were betrayed by the evil Stormtroopers. By contrast, the Republican Guard believes that the clone troopers were slaves who were abused by their cruel Jedi and Sith masters. Either way, these facilities house clone troopers who were able to escape the grasp of the Windians, whose elite battalions consist of rapidly degrading clones. Aside from the usual military installations, these barracks also house a medical complex. Its employees are largely concerned with trying to find a way to fix the mess caused by the Windians' inferior cloning methods. However, the primitive tech at their disposal limits their success.
• Amidala Asylum: The Republican Guard has strong views on Force-users. Since a lot - though by no means all - of Tephrike's misery can be laid at the doorstep of competing Force religions, this is understandable. Force cults are prohibited and the Force is regarded as a disease. Individuals who manifest Force powers are brought to the Asylum. There, they are subjected to brainwashing, drugs and a good bit of mental trauma to associate the Force with bad things. Those who are deemed sufficiently stable are released into society. The rebels have some Yuuzhan Vong in their ranks, but their attempts to cure Force-users and pass on the Force Dead condition have achieved mixed results at best. So they resort to mental conditioning to suppress Force use. The asylum is run like a medical facility and is named after Padme Amidala, Queen and later Senator of Naboo. As anyone who has the misfortune of visiting the asylum is reminded, she was murdered by a psychotic, out-of-control Force-user called Darth Vader. He may have claimed to love her, but the disease inside him drove him to murder her and then the Jedi stole her children.
• Senate Chambers: Resembles the High Tower Boardroom in Otoh Gunga, ironically. Here the Republican Guard's 'senate' convenes. Despite the name, it is more comparabl to the Advisory Council of the Rebel Alliance, as the Guard is not a state, but a rebel insurgency run by a semi-elected junta. The senators are directly elected and represent the population of Red Coral City plus of the 'liberated territories' outside of the settlement. Due to the ever-changing fortunes of war, membership fluctuates. Moreover, while some rebel-controlled territories have seats, their representatives are unable to attend due to being too far away and cut off by hostile forces. Despite these shortcomings, the senate serves as a check on the power of the rebel commanders. Like the chamber in Otoh Gunga, this area features listening plates to give advancing warning of danger. In addition to the chamber itself, there is an adjoining suite of offices, which house the various departments of the Republican Guard's political wing.
• Liberty Bay: As the settlement is located underwater, submersibles are the primary means of getting to the surface and back. Admittedly you could swim, but the manifold sea monsters would make this rather hazardous. The inhabitants of Red Coral City make use of submersibles that share the organic look common among Gungan bongos, though they tend to look more rusty than fancy. Unsurprisingly, many Gungans and Nautolans work here. Security is rather tight, as the Guard is concerned about infiltrators. However, there's still a lot of smuggling. Smuggled goods include 'happy drugs' produced by the Order of the Blessed Way, a schismatic Jedi sect whose members live in a foreboding forest and commune with the Force via mushrooms. The Republican Guard's War on Drugs has only achieved mixed success. For every dealer who is unmasked and sentenced, there are many more to continue where he left off.
• Trap Cantina: A famous cantina located in Red Coral City's entertainment district. Obvious homage to the legendary Admiral who gave his life in the service of freedom. Here the citizens of the settlement can gain some respite from a hard day of labour. If they have the means and contacts, they can also purchase black market wares under the table. For everyone else there's booze, gambling and other vices - all denied to the common man and woman in Jedi or Sith territory.
• Library of the Republic: So much knowledge has been lost since the outbreak of the Gulag Virus ushered in the Dark Age. The Library of the Republic aims to preserve and recover as much as possible. It serves as a data repository and is open to the public. Unlike in the Coruscanti library of the same name, the written word is preferred to electronic data. An outside scholar who were to visit this place would probably find many of the historical records to be riddled with inaccuracies, but in most cases this is due to genuine ignorance as opposed to malicious manipulation. The Library of the Republic also dispatches research teams to locations on Tephrike to recover lost knowledge that will help the Guard rebuild Tephrike. Or at least improve the lot of the people under their protection. Not all make it back, as the planet is a war-torn hellhole and has a very dangerous flora and fauna. Academic and scientific research facilities are attached to this institution.
• Tipoca Fertility Clinic: The main purpose of this clinic is to help couples conceive. Unlike on many worlds, such help is of existential importance because the Dominion of Light, as the Windian Jedi call their regime, has a general policy of sterilisation. Upon reaching a certain age, every 'citizen' must report for mandatory egg and sperm harvesting, followed by an operation because intercourse, even for the purpose of bringing new life into the world, is viewed as of the dark side. Instead all 'citizens' must be grown in labs and controlled from craddle to grave. The Tipoca Fertility Clinic aims at reversing these horrific procedures and enable the inhabitants of the settlement to conceive naturally. Those who can are encouraged to have children. After all, the rebels need new workers and fighters.
• Chancellor Valorum Memorial Museum: An institution dedicated to keeping the past alive and teaching future generations about it. However, the view of history propagated here is a little bit distorted. Isolation, technological regression and inaccurate records tend to have that effect. It is named after Valorum because the Republican Guard believes he was the last good chancellor of the Old Republic. He is stereotyped as a good man who was overthrown due to Force machinations. Furthermore, it is also believed that Palpatine was the apprentice of Sidious, but overthrew his master and corrupted Anakin. Likewise, Sidious and the Jedi conspired together to foment the Clone Wars so that the Force blind could be brought to heel. Interestingly, their view of Luke and Leia is more charitable. Both are seen as well-intentioned people who were duped by the Jedi into continuing the cruel war and perpetuating a broken order. According to this interpretation, Luke went into exile and renounced the Force because he realised the harm Force-users had caused. He hid the Jedi's sacred scriptures to keep future generations from repeating the same mistakes. Sadly, even burning the holy texts was not enough. A visitor to the musem would also learn that Jedi Rey fought the Yuuzhan Vong and that the First Order was led by Supreme Leader Thrawn. Snoke was a failed Sidious clone who believed he was the true emperor. Interestingly, the Vong are whitewashed, for they are regarded as righteous crusaders who saw the evil of Jedi and Sith and stood up for the common man. General Jar-Jar Binks was a brave warrior who fought in the Clone Wars and later led the Rebellion and the Resistance to many victories.
  
  

SECURITY

• High.
• For starters, the settlement is underwater and thus difficult to reach. Especially the waters are populated by creatures such as piranha-like fish, sharks and huge squid. The Republican Guard have mined most of the approaches, so only a few well guarded pathways exist. Torpedo launchers help defend those. Furthermore, they have a 'gate' that can be closed and is a section of rock, which can rise and seal the entrance. Sonic cannon emplacements provide additional defences. The rebels have a small force of military submersibles. Foreign submersibles and divers who approach the settlement without authorisation will be targeted as hostiles.
• Within the settlement, every citizen who is old enough to fight is expected to own a weapon and be proficient in its use. Security is provided by the militia and regular soldiers, who tend to be hardened insurgents. However, their weaponry is very outdated by modern standards, as Tephrike has been isolated from the rest of the Galaxy for centuries. Slugthrower weapons are more common than blasters. This is the norm for Tephrike because blasters are more difficult to maintain, especially since the planet's jungles are home to dangerous fungi. Turrets have been set up at crucial points of interest.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION


The outbreak of the Gulag Virus had a profound impact on almost every inhabited world in the Galaxy. Galactic commerce came to an end, billions died from the plague and many more due to internal strife. Galactic governments collapsed and many planets succumbed to anarchy. The repercussions for Tephrike were extreme. The planet's fragile democracy had already been under fire due to racial and social tensions. Moreover, the planet was highly dependent on galactic trade. Things turned from bad to worse as the survivors warred amonst themselves.


Tephrike's small Jedi enclave tried to impose order and fight the darkness, but ended up becoming the very evil they fought against, while insisting that they were righteous. Influenced by a debased, warped interpretation of the old Jedi code, they sought to bring the planet under the control of a radical Jedi theocracy, the Dominion of Light, which took totalitarian control to new heights. Inevitably, there was opposition. Heretical Jedi turned on their masters and declared a dark crusade, forming a Sith cult that worshipped Vader as a god and believed all Force blind should be enslaved and treated as chattle.


The common people of Tephrike were caught between a rock and a hard place, as both theocracies vied for control. Their religious war cost many lives and devastated the planet. It was only a matter of time before Force blind rebel groups united and formed their own faction, the Republican Guard. Like the Jedi and the Sith, this faction turned to an idealised past. The Dominion of Light saw itself as the successor of the Jedi Lords, Lord Hoth and Mace Windu, the Disciples of the Vader regarded themselves as the heirs of the 'Dark God' Vader and the Republican Guard believed it was restoring the Old Republic. Their capital became a humble settlement called Red Coral City.


Prior to these cataclysmic events, Red Coral City had been a rather minor settlement. Founded by Gungans and Nautolans, it had been one of many aquatic settlements created by aquatic aliens who'd settled on Tephrike. It only really made the headlines when the locals complained that the activities of a foreign corporation were causing serious damage to the sea and the wildlife in it, leading to protests, Its obscurity turned out to be a blessing because it was spared much of the initial destruction that took place during the Age of Strife. However, social unrest, food shortages and the plague forced the local administration to implement harsh measures to keep order. The small town was soon faced with a refugee crisis. Desperate to escape the fighting, refugees bribed smugglers to help them get into the settlement. Strict border controls were imposed, not the least because the natives feared that they would be inundated. In one highly controversial action, a police submersible used torpedoes to turn refugee craft away.


Like many areas dominated by aquatic aliens, Red Coral City's inhabitants supported Tephrike's old, federal government, which was losing ground to the Force cultists and warlords. Indeed, there was soon little to separate the old regime from just another warlord group and its leaders demanded contributions from the locals. Furthermore, the Dominion of Light launched punitive expeditions to bring the underwater towns into the fold, after the Vaderites' Dark Crusade had been halted at Palmyra, the planet's old capital. Fear of fifth columnists was rampant and led to the lynching of suspected spies. Moreover, refugees told horrific stories about the deeds of the Windian Jedi's elite soldiers: Clone troopers.


Ironically, some of these clone troopers would turn out to be Red Coral City's best allies and help found the Republican Guard. Prior to the Collapse, Tephrike had been a location for several medical companies, which had been attracted by the planet's bountiful flora and fauna. Medical facilities had been set up to run tests and experiments, encouraged by rather lax laws. This included a medical cloning facility. The Windian Jedi later appropriated this facility and used it to breed soldiers. Eventually, they would seek to do away with natural reproduction entirely, viewing pleasures of the flesh as the path to the Dark Side. However, since the tech had been created with animals in mind, their method of cloning was less than ideal and they ran into issues such as clone madness or rapid aging. A group of clone troopers who had managed to subvert their programming rebelled against their masters, turning on them mid-battle, which helped save the town when it was being assaulted by the zealots. It was these rebels Red Coral City's embattled government made an alliance with.


The move was controversial among the settlement's more xenophobic and/or isolationist elemenets. Some believed the interests of the people would be best served by trying to appease one of the two theocratic Force cults, whose war was ravaging the planet. These views were squashed by a radical party of secularists, who proclaimed that the inhabitants of Red Coral City had to rally around the banner of freedom and liberty, for otherwise they would be nothing but slaves. This faction also gained support from many refugees, who in many cases had fled from Jedi or Sith territory with little more than the clothes on their backs and left loved ones behind. The Republican Guard controlled city administration declared itself the successor to Tephrike's old federal government and reached out to other rebel groups that shared its vision.


The battle for Red Coral City became the touchstone of the Republican Guard's foundational myth. Here, so the myth says, brave citizen-soldiers decided to put their foot down and stamp out the fires that threatened to consume all of Tephrike. Ordinary people decided to stand up for themselves, rather than become the playthings of mages. As so often, the truth is les rosy. In actual fact, the forces the Dominion of Light had dispatched to take the city had been ravaged by diseases such as dysentry and malaria. To a significant degree they were undone by logistics. Many of the soldiers lacked training in underwater combat. The Grandmaster who ruled from far away Nexus City was loath to commit an overly large force, especialy with the Vaderites still a threat.


Still, every nation, being an imagined community, needs a myth and the Republican Guard got theirs. The new state would be a secular one. Its credo would be: government of the Force blind, by the Force blind, for the Force blind. Never again would Force-users wield power. The few Force-users in the city were excluded from political power or positions of importance. Indeed, reports of cultist activities, nocturnal rituals and blood sacrifices caused a mass panic amongst the populace, Force use was prohibited entirely. Too much time has passed for it to be possible to verify whether there really was a fifth column during the battle or a cult of Sith 'deep state agents' plotting to undermine the fabric of society. Both seemed real to most inhabitants of Red Coral city and so harsh laws were imposed to protect the populace from Force-users - and Force-users from themselves and the wroth of the public. The The Amidala Asylum was founded to teach Force-users to suppres their powers. This institution operates to this day and is a cross between a high-security prison and mental health facility.


For the average citizen, life in Red Coral City is not good, but bearable. There is limited freedom of expression, and something like independent cultural life. However, most goods are rationed and there's a flourishing black market, which even the security police has been unable to stamp out. While the press is relatively free, there's a good deal of self-censorship. Outsiders who wish to settle here must overcome a variety of hurdles. The rebel junta wants to avoid overcrowding and is concerned about infiltrators. Thus refugees who manage to reach Republican Guard lines are often directed to other camps or settlements. Only those who have proved themselves and are regarded as an asset rather than a burden are allowed to reside in Red Coral City. Many refugees find that the best way to speed up the process is to join the military. Especially since combat veterans and their families receive comparatively generous benefits.


To this day, the Republican Guard continues its struggle against the Jedi and Vaderites, waging a low-intensity guerrilla war. As far as the Tephriki know, the rest of the Galaxy has been consumed by the Gulag Virus. So the Guard considers itself to be the inheritor of the traditions of the Old Republic. Propaganda posters and the like can be found throughout the settlement, reminding citizens of the evil deeds perpetrated by Jedi and Sith cultists and the need to stand together. In a number of ways, cultural life is freer here than in most other places on Tephrike. There's booze, theatre, a primitive cinema and a press that reports more than just government propaganda. The life style is comparable to that of a military base. Regimented, hardy, but not without amenities. However, lives of opulent luxury are virtually unheard of. Certainly if one were to apply the standards of a Core World or even your moderately developed fringe planet on the Outer Rim. Centuries-long isolation simply is not productive. The same applies to pervasive militarism.


Surface level diversity is celebrated, but when it comes to politics, a citizen's choices are to 'toe the government line' or 'complain that the government isn't going far enough'. The strict line taken on social justice, 'corruption', 'separatism' and 'cultism' has created a system where the official ideology of secularism, republicanism, civic nationalism and 'support for freedom fighters in the oppressed territories' has become the only acceptable political discourse. Thus the main debate within the revolutionary coalition consists of how best to accomplish these goals. Local politics are dominated by the Popular Front, the Republican Guard's political wing. Opposition parties exist and even get votes, but they do not differ much from the hegemon. For all the pretentions of progressivism, there is a strong suspicion of those who rock the boat. The guiding values of society are resilience, sustainability, duty and unity. In Red Coral City, "the cost of freedom is always high" is the unofficial motto. There is room for some offbeat things, but sloth is not one of them. Citizens must be willing to obey their supervisors and do their jobs.


Like virtually every place in the Galaxy, Red Coral City was affected by the Netherworld event. Suffice to say it was a huge shock when hundreds of people suddenly vanished. Mass panic and hysteria ensued as those who had been left behind tried to find a culprit. Many blamed dark magicks. Little did they know that they were right, but no one knew of the mad goddess Akala and she was beyond their reach in any case. An enraged mob, whipped into a frenzy by demagogues, stormed Amidala Asylum, blaming its inmates for the calamity. To their credit, many guards tried to protect the facility and their charges. Nonetheless, it was a bloodbath. Some of the inmates managed to escape during the chaos. Some sought to flee the settlement with varying success, but others stayed and went underground. Feeling vengeful, they formed a gang that became a menace to the inhabitants of Red Coral City, terrorising those who had scorned them. Eventually order was restored by the Guard. The asylum was rebuilt, but suspicion of uncontrolled Force-users only intensified.


The pentup aggression was directed outward, as the Republican Guard launched raids against the Jedi theocracy and the Sith slavocracy, seeking to liberate lost territories. Attempts to form alliances between two of the three factions to gang up on the third (before inevitably turning on each other) never go far due to the considerable animus between all three. Thus they remain in a deadlock, and so does all of Tephrike. Territory is invaded, seized and often lost just as soon. However, Tephrike's isolation is bound to end soon. Little do the inhabitants of Red Coral City know that outsiders are en route to the planet, for as far as they know they're the only survivors of the Plague. It remains to be seen whether contact with the outside world will help change Tephrike for the better or just be the cause of more misery for its people.


The present leader of the movement is a Gungan called Odoh Senks, who bears the title of chancellor. A former slave, he managed to escape a Sith concentration camp and find refuge with a partisan group before rising through the ranks of the Republican Guard and the Popular Front. He came to power after his predecessor lost a vote of no confidence for collaborating with Darth Krieg. Ironically, Krieg had been trying to turn the Vaderites to the light side after discovering a 'lost tome' that told the story of Vader's redemption...though this did not stop him from being a despot. Due to his background, Senks is very committed to the goals of the Republican Guard and staunchly opposed to compromise with Force cultists. Though no longer able to participate in frontline combat due to his position and old war injuries, he is an inspiring figure for the party stalwarts. Elafuh Thaal, a hardened Yuuzhan Vong commander, commands the rebel soldiers.