Je'daii Order

Origin

The Je'daii Order was founded on the planet Tython 36,453 years before the Original Trilogy of movies in the Expanded Universe.

At this time, large pyramidal structures called the Thor Yor had placed themselves throughout the galaxy at various planets - Dathomir, Kashyyyk, Ryloth, Manaan, and Ando Prime, among others. These structures were strong in the Force and called out to Force sensitives on the planets they visited, one day transporting all who answered to Tython.

The eight Thor Yor visited many worlds, gathering other sentients who heard the call, then sped toward the center of the galaxy.

Within the Deep Core, where dark matter causes stars to collide and space can warp in the blink of an eye, the Thor Yor navigated the twisted paths between black holes and stars . . .

. . . arriving at their final destination -- the planet Tython, where the ships gathered around the ninth -- and largest -- of the Thor Yor. The planet heralded their arrival with great storms.

On this world, the travelers felt the energy that surrounded them. The same mystical, primal energy -- the same Force -- that had first called them to the Thor Yor.

On that day, the travelers became as one in the Force.

The Thor Yor left the central pyramid to take the travelers to their new homes on this strange world. One in the Force, these travelers from diverse and distant worlds also became one people. They became Tythans.
--Taken from Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm

The newly dubbed Tythans discovered the reason they were all sent to Tython - to train and learn about these talents the Force gave them. The Tythans spent years training themselves, traveling all around the planet, fighting beasts, and meditating on the Force. As they discovered the two moons in the sky above, they noticed that one was always dark and the other always light. This prompted their belief on the balance of the Force, needed both light and dark, and not more of one over the other. Tython itself seemed to believe in the balance as well, as when it wasn't in balance, the planet would be ravaged by severs storms and earthquakes. In an attempt to better bring balance to the Force, the Tythans renamed themselves "Je'daii", a Dai Bendu term meaning "mystic center".

Over the next millennia, the Je'daii built temples around each of the Thor Yor, where healing and learning could occur. Those who could not wield the Force were sent to populate other planets in the system, starting with the two moons, Ashla and Bogan, and expanding outwards from there. Soon, all the planets in the system had been colonized and Tython was the home to the Je'daii Order.

Je'daii Code

There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.

There is no fear; there is power.

I am the heart of the Force.

I am the revealing fire of light.

I am the mystery of darkness,

in balance with chaos and harmony . . .

. . . immortal in the Force.
--Taken from Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm

The Je'daii of the Je'daii Order were expected to use balance both sides of the Force while making use of both in their travels. They were taught to embrace emotions like anger and fear because they could be helpful and even useful in certain situations. However, much like Tython itself, a Je'daii had to be at balance, never veering to far into one side of the Force. Those who did were sent to Tythons moons, Ashla and Bogan, to meditate on the aspect they were having trouble with. Although they encouraged exploration into the dark side to better understand the Force and its balance, the Je'daii still frowned upon illegal and corrupt activities, such as crime and cold-blooded murder.

Je'daii Temple Master Kora Ryo divorced her husband Volnos Ryo under Je'daii law because he had become a crime lord on Shikaakwa, and Master Daegen Lok hesitated during his attempt to assassinate Queen Hadiya, only going through with the act after she attacked him in return. Learning to understand one's balance and maintaining the balance of Tython was the main directive of a Je'daii.

Major Conflicts

Despot War

As the Je'daii grew in power and the nearby planets were colonized by non-Force sensitives, the they soon received requests from settlers on these worlds, helping where they saw fit, and sometimes following the will of the Force, without and formal request. Over time, they would be seen as mysterious figures of legend, earning not just praise, but resentment as well.

The Je'daii soon came into conflict with Queen Hadiya, an estranged Twi'lek who united the crime barons of her planet Shikaakwa and used them to take control of the other planets in the system. She saw herself as above the Je'daii, rejecting the "will of the Force," and sparked a major conflict between the two sides, which became known as the Despot War.

As Queen Hadiya set her sights on Tython, her forces battled the Je'daii, outnumbering them by a fair margin. With the Force as their ally, though, the Je'daii were able to fend off the Despot forces, defending their Temples with all their might. Je'daii Ranger Daegen Lok, with the help of Shikaakwa's Baron Volnos Ryo, was able to infiltrate Hadiya's inner circle under the guise of a Je'daii wishing to defect, in order to defeat her from the inside. Lok would gain her trust and prove his loyalty, sparking a romance between the two as Hadiya made him one of her Generals. When the time came, however, Lok was reminded of his mission and assassinated Hadiya during the night. With their Queen gone, the rest of the Generals fought for dominance and without clear leadership, the Je'daii defeated their enemies once and for all at the Temple of Kaleth, ending the Despot War.

Invasion of the Infinite Empire

After the end of the Despot War, newly appointed Je'daii Master Daegen Lok and Ranger Hawk Ryo ventured into the Abyss of Ruh, a deep chasm on Tython that drove all who entered it mad. Deep under the surface of the planet, Lok and Ryo shared a Force Vision of a dark figure wielding a blade of fire leading a dark army against Tython. Twelve years later, the Force Hound of the Infinite Empire Xesh crash landed on Tython after his ship couldn't land safely. Xesh wielded a Force saber, which was the exact same weapon of fire that Lok and Ryo had seen in their vision.

After being captured and sent to the prison moon Bogan, Xesh came into contact with Lok, who took him off planet to acquire his own Force saber and create an army to fight against the dark army he now knew was coming to Tython. As Xesh was later convinced to help the Je'daii, he taught them how to make their own Force sabers, how to use the dark side to ignite the blade, and taught them all he knew about the Infinite Empire, preparing them for the attack on their home.

For one year, the Je'daii fought off the forces of the Rakata and their Infinite Empire. The Je'daii utilized Je'daii Seers, Je'daii who specialized in seeing the future, to coordinate their attacks, predict enemy troop movements, and enable them to be on the winning side of more than their fair share of battles. Unfortunately, the Je'daii didn't take the Rakata and their forces very seriously into later in the war, after the Rakata had taken over other nearby systems, Shikaakwa and Tython became the focal points for the Je'daii forces as the rest of the settled worlds banded together behind the Je'daii Masters, namely Master Rajivari, while the Je'daii themselves were placed under Xesh and Lok.

Near the end of the conflict, many Je'daii like Sek'nos Rath began to voice their distaste for the war because using the Force sabers made them draw mainly on the dark side, taking them out of balance, the main purpose the Je'daii were founded in the first place. On top of that, they were on the receiving end of many losses, as the Rakatan Flesh Raider soldiers outnumbered the Je'daii profoundly to the point where even an important victory cost them major losses.

After intercepting a transmission between Lord Ryo and a Rakatan emissary, the Je'daii found out that Lord Ryo believed the Rakata would spare him if the Je'daii surrendered. Xesh told them this wasn't so, and the Je'daii feared that Ryo would withdraw Shikaakwa's forces, prompting the other settles worlds to do so as well. Master Rajivari knew the Je'daii wouldn't survive if they had to fend off the Rakata by themselves, so he came up with a plan with Xesh to locate and strike at the head of the Rakatan invasion forces, Skal'nas, knowing that the ensuing power struggle between the Sub-Predors under him would tear their armies apart. Xesh uses his Force powers to locate Skal'nas's base, and the Je'daii send their armies to attack, thinking they would catch the Rakata unawares.

During the attack, however, Je'daii Seer Tasha Ryo receives a vision in the Force, revealing that the Flesh Raiders had set up a trap that the Je'daii had unknowingly walked into. As the Je'daii forces were surrounded by Flesh Raiders, they were pushed back, and many of their forces were captured, such as Daegen Lok and Sek'nos Rath. Xesh would survive the attack and attempt to make his way into the Rakatan base via the same tunnels the Flesh Raiders used, only to be knocked out by the Force Hound Trill and taken to Skal'nas.

As Skal'nas returns Xesh's memories and Xesh rejoins his side out of self regret, Skal'nas uses his new Force Hound to lash out at the Je'daii Seers, cutting them off from the Force and blinding Tasha Ryo, since he now knew that the Je'daii seers were using visions of the future to coordinate and thwart his attacks. The attack sent out a strong surge in the dark side, empowering the Flesh Raiders and forcing the Je'daii to retreat and label Xesh a traitor.

With renewed vigor, Skal'nas leads his armies to Ashla where he catches the forces there off guard and begins to overpower them. Je'daii send their starfighters to aid in the attack, but are too little in force, only barely holding off the Rakatan ships. Ranger Hawk Ryo then informs the Je'daii on Tython that Flesh Raiders are incoming, preparing to attack Anil Kesh. As ships are shot down and Flesh Raiders engage the Je'daii, the effects of the deaths starts to hit Tython, resulting in more massive storms. Despite this, the Je'daii hold fast and do all they can to prevent the enemy from taking Anil Kesh, including releasing their flying rancors and other creatures that were bred through Force alchemy against the Flesh Raiders.

As this is happening, Ranger Sek'nos Rath manages to free himself from the Rakatan slave cells and starts a revolt, freeing the other slaves, killing his captors, and allowing them to return to the fight. With the battle raging outside, the now blind Seer Tasha Ryo seeks wisdom from the Holocron of Master A'Nang, one of the original inhabitants of Tython. With Je'daii Master Ters Sendon using the Force to allow Tasha to connect with the Holocron, the two Je'daii travel to the lowest level of Anil Kesh to activate the Thor Yor of which the Temple was built around. Tasha steps into a beam of light, becoming reconnected to the Force, as she uses the newly activated Thor Yor against the Rakatan forces, blasting many of their ships out of the sky and destroying the Infinity Gate in the Abyss, preventing Skal'nas from using it to travel to and conquer any world he wished.

With the Gate destroyed, Xesh, inside the Abyss with Skal'nas and Shae Koda, manages to kill the Rakata and escape the impending explosion. With their leader dead, the Rakata fight amongst themselves for power, just as predicted, and eventually fall to the power of the Thor Yor and the Je'daii, seeing the Je'daii victorious.

Je'daii Council

The Je'daii Order on Tython was governed by the Je'daii Council, a group of the nine Temple Masters. These masters would assign missions and tasks to Rangers throughout the system, teach at their Temples, and meet in times of crisis through holocommunication. Council members usually kept small recording devices on their person, like Master Quan-Jang, in order to inform their respective Je'daii of information should that Je'daii be separated from communication devices at the time.

They were the deciding factor of everything when it came to Tython, sentencing Je'daii to one of the moons of Tython should they need meditation to help with the balance and sending off would-be threats to the system, like they did with Xesh. In times of crises, like natural force storms caused by the unbalance of Tython, the Council would meet in meditation, each at their respective Temples, and use their combined power to dissolve the storms.

Je'daii Ranks

Much like the Jedi Order of the Clone Wars and beyond, the first Je'daii Order had different ranks for different Je'daii as they progressed through their training in the Force and balance.

Je'daii Temple Master

After achieving the rank of Je'daii Master, a Je'daii with exceptional experience and talents in the Force were named Temple Masters. These Je'daii were leaders of the nine Temples, numbering one for each, and made up the members of the Je'daii Council.

Je'daii Master

These individuals had completed all of their studies in the aspects of the Force, had achieved balance through years of rigorous training, and were expected to teach and train the next generation of Je'daii. Je'daii Masters were usually stationed at each of the nine Temples throughout Tython.

Je'daii Ranger

The precursor to the later Jedi Knights, Je'daii Rangers were Je'daii who had completed their training as Padawans and mastered all the skill sets of each of the nine Temples on Tython. They were tasked to explore and travel the neighboring systems around Tython, providing aid whenever and wherever it was needed.

Je'daii Journeyer

Journeyers was the title applied to Je'daii who had completed their Padawan training and were tasked to travel by foot to each of the nine Temples on Tython to learn and master all the skills of each Temple, which would be called the Great Journey.

Je'daii Padawan

A Je'daii Padawan was a Force sensitive who had finished their training at the Academy and had been taken under the wing of a Je'daii Master to learn from a on-on-one stand point, being taught at either a Temple or traveling to another world.

Je'daii Temples

The Je'daii built nine Temples on Tython, with eight of them built around each of the Thor Yor. Each Temple was dedicated to a different field of study that a Je'daii was expected to learn before achieving balance and completing their training.

Anil Kesh

Anil Kesh was the Temple of Science, where Journeyers would go to learn talents in using the Force to enhance weapons and armor, as well as learn to mutate creatures to aid them in battle.

Anil Kesh Temple straddles the deep and unfathomable Chasm. No one has ever reached the bottom.

[...]

Within Anil Kesh, the Je'daii practice Alchemy, melding the Force and science -- enhancing armor and weapons, and genetically manipulating wild creatures to serve the Force.
--Taken from Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm

Qigong Kesh

This Temple, the Temple of Force Skills, was located in a large desert and was the place where Journeyers went to gain knowledge of the Force and hone their abilities as well.

The SIlent Desert is one of the great mysterious of the planet Tython. Its sand has a natural property of nullifying all sound.

Je'daii seek the silence of the sands outside of Qigong Kesh in order to focus on the Force skills a Je'daii must master.

Qigong Kesh Temple is built within a natural rock cavern that is cut off from the effects of the sand . . .

. . . where some come to push the boundaries of knowledge of the Force.
--Taken from Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm

Mahara Kesh

This was the Temple of Healing and had the best healing facilities on all of Tython. It was situated above and below the surface of the ocean.

"You are in Mahara Kesh, the Temple of Healing." -- Master Calleh to Xesh
--Taken from Dawn of the Jedi: Force Storm

Stav Kesh

This Temple was also known as the Temple of Martial Arts, as this was where Je'daii Journeyers trained to hone their martial ability. The Temple was located atop a snowy mountain range, presumably to help the trainees with their stamina.

Tython. Stav Kesh in Ice Giant Range. A place for Je'daii to train in the Martial Arts, and a place to bring body and mind back into balance.
--Taken from Dawn of the Jedi: Prisoner of Bogan

Akar Kesh

This was the Je'daii's most sacred Temple and was located on top of a great monolith. Eight rivers flowed from its summit down, creating a serene location for the Temple of Meditation. This Temple as housed under the biggest Thor Yor on Tython.

The waterfalls of Akar Kesh feed the rivers that flow beneath the towering monolith. Islands dot the landscape, tranquil in their isolation. A place for meditation.
--Taken from Dawn of the Jedi: Prisoner of Bogan

Vur Tepe

This Temple was home to the Forge, where Je'daii have their weapons and ships built.

Vur Tepe, the Forge, where the Je'daii study how the Force is made physical -- where their tools, ships, and weapons are created -- and tested.
--Taken from Dawn of the Jedi: Prisoner of Bogan

Kaleth

Kaleth housed the Temple of Knowledge and was located in the lush forests of Tython on the Talls continent. It was the main and last battleground between Queen Hadiya's forces and the Je'daii during the Despot War.

Bodhi

This was the home of the Temple of Arts and was located on the island of Masara along the edge of a forest. Students learned to write, read, cook, draw, and sculpt here.

Padawan Kesh

This was the Temple where Je'daii initiates learned the basics and took steps to become Je'daii Padawans. This was located on the same continent as the Bodhi Temple.