OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
GENERAL INFORMATION
GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
SOCIAL INFORMATION
MEMBERS
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
During the earliest days of Empress Teta, when it was still known as Koros, a splinter group of Force Adherents that had once been a part of the Jedi Order created a temple deep within its forests. They sought isolation and solitude during their practice of arts both martial and Force-related in nature. It was only many centuries later when they finally became known to the people of Koros once more when a minor mining village was established close to their temple. At this time The forests of Koros were still filled with predators that posed serious threats to the fledgeling village, however, in exchange for various resources, the Order pledged itself to the protection of its inhabitants, still serving the Light as a benevolent Order of devout warriors. Some of the miners even came to eventually join the Order, though there weren’t many who preferred the barren life of the early Vigil.
The village stood for many centuries, but eventually, the vein of Carbonite ore ran dry and the village was abandoned, the Order once more left to their own devices. Their culture had shifted to be more welcoming of outsiders at this time and once the outside world came knocking at their door again they were more than welcome to oblige, having reduced in number significantly, now only an order of a few dozen. This time they would come under the service of a small warlord, a vassal to the royal families of Koros, who had staked a claim over the land the Order found themselves on. Seeing use in their talents, he called on them in times of war.
This relationship continued until the time of the Unification Wars in the Koros system. The Order had, for many years now, prioritised the martial aspect of their identity far more than it had the spiritual, leading them to become a retinue of elite warriors for the warlord’s dynasty to occasionally call upon in times of war. These were the Order’s most active years, during which they set up various temples for their members to reside in on other planets in the Koros system as part of the Koros campaign for unification.
The campaign’s brutality, however, caused the Order’s members to take a step back to look closer at what they had become. They were still firmly rooted in their beliefs in the Light Side of the Force at this time, though their focus had drifted to matters of war, which the Order sought to correct following the Wars’ conclusion. Once their duty had been fulfilled, they abandoned their original temple to go into exile further within the forests of the newly named Empress Teta, where they created a truly hidden sanctum that would not be discovered for many centuries while they corrected their ways.
However, even their exile did not spare them from the influence of the Sith War, more commonly known as the Great Hyperspace War to galactic historians, which commenced shortly afterwards. Though they had sworn to not interact with any outsiders ever again, the Darkness that had come with the invaders made an impression upon the Order’s adherents that was not easily forgotten.
The warrior monks of the Order believed that a focus upon the self would be a path to better understand that which is without. They did not reinforce their beliefs in the Force further, witnessing the trouble that very devotion could cause within the Sith invaders and instead began viewing the Force as a tool to strengthen themselves, rather than something that should be bent to one’s will or that should bend one’s own will to its cryptic design. They thought to perfect the self in order to master the imperfect that was outside the self. This endeavour is what kept them focused and secluded during their next period of extended isolation.
It wasn’t until the time of the Krath that the Order would see itself tested on its trueness to their values of isolation. Seeing the planets’ people be killed so liberally and the strife that was caused in such a short period of time by one of its own royal families, the Order came close to attempting to intervene in its own ways but remained in hiding at the behest of its Master.
It was shortly after the liberation of Empress Teta that the Order finally broke their commitment to exile and began the operations that would eventually see it become what it is so many years after the Battle of Yavin.
As a small Order numbering only a hundred strong at the time, they recognised their inability to affect major events in galactic history, but they nonetheless devoted themselves to maintaining the peace in the Tetan System. They would embark on missions to establish a network of information within the galaxy, centralised in their hidden sanctum. Whenever they learned of a threat to Koros’ system’s people they did what they could to undermine it before it had any chance to inflict any further chaos upon them. Though their contributions to Tetan safety weren’t sizeable, they nonetheless aided in making the system and eventually sector a largely pirate and marauder free space for its citizens.
Following the arrival of Sidious’ Galactic Empire, however, they would have to go into hiding once more, this time scattered within the many abandoned sanctuaries in the Tetan System which had become little more than abandoned holes in various caves and barren wastelands. Only ever returning after the Empire’s fall, where they took up their previous duties once more for the next four centuries.
Little is known of the Order’s activities or even method for survival during the long years of darkness that followed the advent of the Gulag Plague, however, once Empress Teta reemerged they had found themselves reduced in numbers to less than ten who still adhered to a code that still saw them as the protectors of Tetan people. They had, however, reformed as the Koros Vigil, drawing on their ancient connections to the planet’s history and were now positioned to enter into the service of its Royal Families, though the turbulent years of war that followed kept their hand withdrawn.
Though they yet remained obscure, their role as protectors was now known in passing by at least some of the Tetan nobles. Knowledge of their existence was something the Vigil sought to control carefully while they rebuilt their numbers.
It was only in recent years that the Koros Initiative was founded in order to regain the Vigil’s full strength and maintain it. Similarly, it has also only been recently that the Vigil has become known as a group of elite mercenary bodyguards, hired out by the Tetan Royal Families or at their own whim. However, still only a few connect these warriors with the Koros Vigil, that is the extent to which their sworn secrecy extends.
Most recently the Grayson Imperium has conquered the world of Empress Teta in a military action against a supposed and unnamed Geonosian Cult that had seemingly taken root in the planet’s population. However, even under this new overlord, the Vigil continues to strive for perfection in maintaining the peace on Empress Teta. Only now have they fully entered into the service of the Tetan Royal Families, though their reason for finally becoming more closely aligned with the ruling elements of Empress Teta remains obscure and only known to their Master.
- Intent: To add to the unique Force Orders within the Star Wars universe.
- Image Credit:
- Dave Dorman - Crimson Empire Covers found on Roqoo Depot
- Symbol recreated from the Helmet of the yellow warrior on the Crimson Empire #2 cover
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Empress Teta, Unification Wars, Hyperspace War (brief mention only), Krath Holy Crusade, The Debacle on Teta (Grayson Imperium Dominion of Empress Teta),
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Organization Name: Koros Vigil
- Classification: Force Order
- Affiliation: The Royal Families of Empress Teta
- Organization Symbol:
- Description: The Koros Vigil is an ancient Order of warriors from Empress Teta who have sworn themselves to the protection of the planet’s people. Eventually shifting their role within Tetan society to that of bodyguards, they now serve the four royal families of Empress Teta. Each family has one cadre in its service. Each cadre is composed of four fully initiated disciples and operates independently, yet remains connected to the Order by their common traditions and Master, who acts as the mediator and ultimate authority in matters of conflict between the cadres.
Their service to their families does not, however, fully take away their autonomy. The Vigil still exists as its own order, though their Master sees it fit for the cadres to serve the families as guards from the shadows, they remain their own group separate from the Tetan military. While each cadre is subservient to their royal family and adheres closely to its responsibilities, they do so less out of loyalty to the family and more out of loyalty to their duty, which happens to be determined in majority by the royal families.
The Order’s core tenants are discipline, duty, and balance. They dedicate themselves to mastery over their own abilities, through rigorous discipline and an almost fanatical sense of duty. They see their duty to be to the preservation of balance in the Koros system. This balance, which takes the shape of the conservation of Empress Teta’s central role in the sector, is of paramount importance to the Order, though its precise definition has changed as the centuries have passed.
Members of the Order are chosen from amongst the Koros Sector’s greatest, who are inducted into the hidden Sanctum on Empress Teta itself, where they are trained in the Vigil’s ancient arts and techniques. Here they work towards the ultimate goal of every acolyte, full induction into one of the cadres as a result of passing the Exikar Trials. Acolytes are most often taken into the Koros Vigil by one of the Inner Circle, however every now and then a prospective member may be introduced by the Master themselves. The Inner Circle will usually guide the acolytes they have introduced in the hopes that they surpass or replace one of their cadre eventually.
The Exikar Trials are a biannual ritual conducted at the time of the Tetan Solstice. During this time the entirety of the Vigil convenes within the Order’s hidden sanctum, where several ceremonies and rituals are performed. The Trials usually begin with an opening ceremony, during which the various cadres convene in a display of loyalty towards the Vigil’s Master. Afterwards, any new acolytes are introduced and brought in to the Order, which is usually followed by modest celebrations. The next day competitions are usually held amongst the acolytes and the cadres which are less serious in nature, often revolving more around bragging rights than any physical reward. Following the conclusion of these competitions, each member of the Order is given the chance to challenge their superiors to take their place. Acolytes usually challenge the members of the cadre and they, in turn, challenge the Inner Circle. Acolytes may challenge the Inner Circle, but such challenges are generally frowned upon and entail special stipulations. These duels are carried out during the second-to-last day of the Trials. The final day is reserved for the most important of the ceremonies. During this ceremony, all of the Inner Circle are expected to face the Master in a four-on-one duel which may result in a change of leadership for the Order. While this may appear skewed in the Inner Circle’s favour initially, the expectation is that they will attempt to sabotage each other, as only the one who lands the final blow is the one who takes the Master’s place.
Any acolyte that succeeds in the Exikar Trials will find themselves assigned to the protection of one of the royal families of Empress Teta. While they may appear like well-trained bodyguards, their duties range far from simply standing at their liege’s side. Each cadre of the Koros Vigil is composed of trained combatants and experienced practitioners of the Force. Their focus varies but is usually placed within the disciplines of personal warfare and stealth. Intense training at the Sanctum will have prepared the disciples for nearly any combat scenario they may find themselves in, as well as the arts of infiltration and deception. Many may find themselves on missions outside of the Empress Teta system, either as spies, assassins, or mercenaries all at the behest of the Inner Circle or their liege. Overall coordination of each cadre is left to the Inner Circle member in charge, who will usually act as advisor and/or bodyguard to a family’s ruling member.
Rivalry between the cadres is commonplace as a result of their division. Especially when conflict between the cadres within the line of duty is not seen as conflict in the same sense as hostility. Situations may occur when one disciple of the Order is expected to battle another outside of the ceremonial duels that are part of the Vigil’s customs. When such an occurrence arises, both members are expected to fulfil their duty, even if it would cause the death of another disciple.
Despite the great honour that comes with giving your life in such a display of duty, these occurrences are rare. For balance to exist on Empress Teta the Order believes the ruling families must not be disturbed in any major ways. Aggressive actions targeted towards members of those families come with a stigma attached and may be refused by the cadre or Inner Circle should it be deemed that such an action might threaten the balance of Empress Teta directly. The Vigil is ultimately a sword that is to be used to defend, not grow, the power of the royal families.
This dedication is what sets them apart from a group of common assassins and is what has made the Order endure over the many centuries of strife within the Koros Sector. Especially in years when conflict has seen Empress Teta under the thumb of a tyrannical regime of external origin. Additional hideouts within the Kronos Sector serve as sanctuaries for the Vigil, where they may bide their time or coordinate from should Empress Teta itself have fallen under the tidal waves of galactic powers.
The Order’s view on the Force is less that of an all-encompassing entity and more of a pragmatic tool they may employ to enhance their own senses and abilities. They mainly employ techniques that would mask their own appearance or presence, alongside abilities that boost one’s own physical prowess or resilience. The Force itself does not usually play a major role within the disciples’ beliefs, however individual disciples may ascribe to various mysticisms and rumours surrounding it. This more secular approach to the Force has seen some members of the Order be inducted without any connection to it at all, though this is rare and usually only a result of extraordinary talent on the part of the inductee. The Order’s ruling criterion for success or worth is merit, after all, and as such anyone deemed suitable for the Vigil is given equal opportunity to advance through its ranks.
To the general public of Empress Teta, the Koros Vigil does not exist. Though the individual cadre members may be seen here and there, through the use of various Force Techniques and technologies they change appearances whenever in the public eye. The organisation as a whole is only known through its front, the Koros Initiative. The Initiative is a minor player in the world of Tetan scholarships, awarding its funds to both the academically and athletically gifted. Those who enjoy the scholarships of the Initiative are usually unwittingly contributing to the Vigil, but this is not the front’s main purpose. The students who remain ignorant of the Vigil are the ones who had at one point been regarded as prospective members but fell short of meeting the criteria to be initiated. Those who are deemed worthy are usually taken into the Order and mostly disappear from the public eye, though these people have little to do with the Koros Initiative in the first place.
GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
- Headquarters: Empress Teta
- Domain: A small Temple in the forested parts of Empress Teta still free of Cinnagar city.
- Notable Assets: N/A
SOCIAL INFORMATION
- Hierarchy: At the pinnacle of the Koros Vigil resides the Master who chooses four of his best students to serve within the Inner Circle. Below those are the many students and acolytes, differentiated by their induction status. Fully inducted members of the Koros Vigil are under the command of the Inner Circle, below them are the acolytes who have not yet fully completed their training. Finally, there are the students and individuals acting towards the Vigil’s benefit in ignorance.
- Membership: There are approximately fifty members of the Koros Vigil at any time. One Master, four Inner Circle, twelve permanent fully inducted Koros Vigil, and more than twenty acolytes.
To become a member one must first be chosen by the Inner Circle. Prospective acolytes are observed and, should they be deemed worthy, brought into the Order by one of the four Inner Circle, who becomes something like a sponsor to them. Acolytes are then groomed to join one of the four Inner Circle’s cadres, evaluated for their performance and judged harshly. Acolytes may come from anywhere within the Koros Sector, though are usually recruited from Empress Teta’s best and brightest usually at the time they would move on to higher education. No distinction is made between an acolyte’s origin once they are a part of the Koros Vigil, whether they’ve proven their excellence in civil or martial matters, it is merit that the Inner Circle seek within their recruits more than it is status.
It has occurred that outsiders to the Empress Teta system have gleamed knowledge of the Vigil and wished to join their ranks. In these cases, the Master and the INNER COUNCIL would convene to assess the potential initiate. The outsider would then have to undergo a series of tests to prove their merit and their loyalty to the Vigil. Should they be deemed worthy, they would be allowed to join the Vigil as one of the acolytes, where they would have to swear off all previous loyalties and dedicate their lives to the goals of the Order. Should they fail, they would be wiped of their recent memory, brought to the Vigil’s public front, given a pendant and let back out. They’d have their freedom back, but the Vigil continues to keep tabs on them.
Promotion through the ranks occurs at the annual Solstice Ritual, the Exikar Trials. During this event, the entire Vigil gathers in their sanctum, where a competition is held amongst the cadres and the acolytes. Acolytes are free to challenge a member of the cadre, or even one of the Inner Circle, for their position. The duel is usually not lethal, however, when an acolyte is brazen enough to challenge an Inner Circle member outright, it is seen as a direct attack on the entire cadre.
The direct challenge to the cadre’s authority and style of leadership is normally resolved in a duel to the death, where the Inner Circle fights the acolyte, no holds barred, not just for their position but the honour of their cadre
Should an acolyte manage to win their duel, whether it be against the Inner Circle or one of the cadre, they take over directly where the loser left in a straightforward transition of rank. The acolyte joins the cadre and the cadre member is demoted to an acolyte again. This structure keeps the organisation’s numbers high and breeds a healthy sense of competition that ensures that skill and merit are placed over tradition and seniority.
In recent years the Master of the Koros Vigil has decreed that a direct challenge to the Inner Circle would not be a duel to the death. This gesture, perhaps seeming to be of little significance, is a change to one of few ancient rules of the order which had been observed for many generations and has brought a measure of discontent into the Koros Vigil’s ranks.
Every now and then students who have been granted scholarships by the Vigil’s front, the Koros Initiative, surpass expectations and are also inducted into the Vigil itself, but this is a rare occurrence that comes with a lot of clean-up of the person’s ties to the Initiative attached and is thus only done under very extraneous circumstances.
- Climate: The Koros Vigil places great value in personal discipline. The rules of the sanctum are to be obeyed at all times, any failure to do so is punished. The perpetual endeavour for perfection breeds a culture of competition, which in turn puts great amounts of pressure on its members. True trust between the members is also not given lightly, especially when even the leaders’ positions are perpetually at risk.
Each acolyte observes a harsh training regime and precise schedule during their stay at the sanctum. Their life is that of unending training, striving for perfection to one day surpass one of the cadre and take their place.
Those who have been initiated into the cadres enjoy more freedom, yet the threat of an acolyte taking their place further reinforces their behaviours learned as acolytes. As failure is not tolerated, they must endure a lot of scrutiny in order to perform their duties to their Inner Circle’s expectations. The honour of being inducted into the cadre is not to be taken lightly.
As one of the Inner Circle, one has greater control over their destiny. However, with power comes responsibility. The Inner Circle is tasked with ensuring that their cadre is composed of the greatest the Vigil has to offer and that they carry out their duties to the letter. That responsibility weighs heavily on them, in addition to the threat that their cadre and, to some extent, the acolytes could succeed them at any point. The task to find balance between the interest of their cadre and their duties is a fine line to walk for the Inner Circle.
Punishment of failure is not usually lethal, however. The punishments are more symbolic in nature than they are physically torturous. To undergo one of these is to lose honour and face within the Koros Vigil, which brings with it a stigma can only be cast-off through hard labour and dedication.
Similarly, treason and treachery are seen as a betrayal of all the order stands for. This includes the purposeful neglect of duty and in most cases defiance of the Master or Inner Circle. Traitors to the Vigil’s ways don’t find themselves alive for long, however, as the only measure fit for the severity their crime is the cessation of existence.
There is no mercy for traitors in this dojo.
- Reputation: Within the Empress Tetan system the Koros Vigil is seen more as a myth than anything. The common people know very little to nothing of the order, most knowledge having come from old tales passed down. The Noble families, on the other hand, see them as a means to an end.
The general public has knowledge of the Koros Initiative, a Tetan scholarship organisation that is seen as one of the more prestigious initiatives due to its loose ties to the royal families of Empress Teta. Though it’s one of the minor organisations in the world of Tetan scholarships, it enjoys popularity amongst both the athletically and academically gifted students. Though all of this is merely a front for the Vigil to find potential recruits from Empress Teta’s best and brightest. Most of the students who are granted scholarships never actually become a part of the Koros Vigil, but unwittingly remain in service for them through various events and scholarship guidelines that must be observed by those who gain them.
The Koros Vigil outside of the Empress Tetan system are practically ghosts, knowledge of them being lost to the annals of history except for the rare few who have had interactions with them in recent years.
- Curios: Ceremonial blade made of Songsteel with an Aurodium finish primarily used for ceremonial or ritual purposes.
- Rules: “Duty before honour.” Taken at face value the mantra for the Koros Vigil testifies their dedication to the order and its goals. All must be willing to set aside what they believe to be right or honourable in the name of fulfilling their duties.
- Goals: To keep peace and preserve the balance in the Tetan system.
MEMBERS
- The Koros Vigil Grand Master [NPC, Anzat]
- Members of the Koros Vigil
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
During the earliest days of Empress Teta, when it was still known as Koros, a splinter group of Force Adherents that had once been a part of the Jedi Order created a temple deep within its forests. They sought isolation and solitude during their practice of arts both martial and Force-related in nature. It was only many centuries later when they finally became known to the people of Koros once more when a minor mining village was established close to their temple. At this time The forests of Koros were still filled with predators that posed serious threats to the fledgeling village, however, in exchange for various resources, the Order pledged itself to the protection of its inhabitants, still serving the Light as a benevolent Order of devout warriors. Some of the miners even came to eventually join the Order, though there weren’t many who preferred the barren life of the early Vigil.
The village stood for many centuries, but eventually, the vein of Carbonite ore ran dry and the village was abandoned, the Order once more left to their own devices. Their culture had shifted to be more welcoming of outsiders at this time and once the outside world came knocking at their door again they were more than welcome to oblige, having reduced in number significantly, now only an order of a few dozen. This time they would come under the service of a small warlord, a vassal to the royal families of Koros, who had staked a claim over the land the Order found themselves on. Seeing use in their talents, he called on them in times of war.
This relationship continued until the time of the Unification Wars in the Koros system. The Order had, for many years now, prioritised the martial aspect of their identity far more than it had the spiritual, leading them to become a retinue of elite warriors for the warlord’s dynasty to occasionally call upon in times of war. These were the Order’s most active years, during which they set up various temples for their members to reside in on other planets in the Koros system as part of the Koros campaign for unification.
The campaign’s brutality, however, caused the Order’s members to take a step back to look closer at what they had become. They were still firmly rooted in their beliefs in the Light Side of the Force at this time, though their focus had drifted to matters of war, which the Order sought to correct following the Wars’ conclusion. Once their duty had been fulfilled, they abandoned their original temple to go into exile further within the forests of the newly named Empress Teta, where they created a truly hidden sanctum that would not be discovered for many centuries while they corrected their ways.
However, even their exile did not spare them from the influence of the Sith War, more commonly known as the Great Hyperspace War to galactic historians, which commenced shortly afterwards. Though they had sworn to not interact with any outsiders ever again, the Darkness that had come with the invaders made an impression upon the Order’s adherents that was not easily forgotten.
The warrior monks of the Order believed that a focus upon the self would be a path to better understand that which is without. They did not reinforce their beliefs in the Force further, witnessing the trouble that very devotion could cause within the Sith invaders and instead began viewing the Force as a tool to strengthen themselves, rather than something that should be bent to one’s will or that should bend one’s own will to its cryptic design. They thought to perfect the self in order to master the imperfect that was outside the self. This endeavour is what kept them focused and secluded during their next period of extended isolation.
It wasn’t until the time of the Krath that the Order would see itself tested on its trueness to their values of isolation. Seeing the planets’ people be killed so liberally and the strife that was caused in such a short period of time by one of its own royal families, the Order came close to attempting to intervene in its own ways but remained in hiding at the behest of its Master.
It was shortly after the liberation of Empress Teta that the Order finally broke their commitment to exile and began the operations that would eventually see it become what it is so many years after the Battle of Yavin.
Following the arrival of Sidious’ Galactic Empire, however, they would have to go into hiding once more, this time scattered within the many abandoned sanctuaries in the Tetan System which had become little more than abandoned holes in various caves and barren wastelands. Only ever returning after the Empire’s fall, where they took up their previous duties once more for the next four centuries.
Little is known of the Order’s activities or even method for survival during the long years of darkness that followed the advent of the Gulag Plague, however, once Empress Teta reemerged they had found themselves reduced in numbers to less than ten who still adhered to a code that still saw them as the protectors of Tetan people. They had, however, reformed as the Koros Vigil, drawing on their ancient connections to the planet’s history and were now positioned to enter into the service of its Royal Families, though the turbulent years of war that followed kept their hand withdrawn.
Though they yet remained obscure, their role as protectors was now known in passing by at least some of the Tetan nobles. Knowledge of their existence was something the Vigil sought to control carefully while they rebuilt their numbers.
It was only in recent years that the Koros Initiative was founded in order to regain the Vigil’s full strength and maintain it. Similarly, it has also only been recently that the Vigil has become known as a group of elite mercenary bodyguards, hired out by the Tetan Royal Families or at their own whim. However, still only a few connect these warriors with the Koros Vigil, that is the extent to which their sworn secrecy extends.
Most recently the Grayson Imperium has conquered the world of Empress Teta in a military action against a supposed and unnamed Geonosian Cult that had seemingly taken root in the planet’s population. However, even under this new overlord, the Vigil continues to strive for perfection in maintaining the peace on Empress Teta. Only now have they fully entered into the service of the Tetan Royal Families, though their reason for finally becoming more closely aligned with the ruling elements of Empress Teta remains obscure and only known to their Master.
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