Dark Jedi of the Bogan

Dark Jedi of the Bogan
Organizational information
Title of leader	Bogan
Other positions	Dark Master Crusader Dark Jedi Acolyte
Headquarters	Bogan Temple
Affiliated groups	Hutt Empire
Beliefs
Deities	The Force (dark side)
Notable locations/temples	Ando Prime Conscio
Historical information
Date of founding	12,999 BBY
Planet of founding	Conscio
Founder	Ospion Guardians
Other information
Era(s)	Old Republic era

[Source]

"...the Dark Jedi are, at the moment, a covert force. We aren't supposed to exist. Not yet."

―Tourniquet

The Dark Jedi of the Bogan was an order of Dark Jedi during the Hutt War, a galaxy-wide conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Hutt Empire beginning in 12,979 BBY. Originally called the Ospion Guardians, a group of rogue members from the Jedi Order who broke away from the Order following the Conclave on Ossus in 13,000 BBY, the earliest members fled into the Outer Rim Territories, where they hoped to avoid persecution from the Jedi, and settled on Conscio.

On Conscio, the Ospion discovered the teachings of the Dark Jedi Xendor and the Legions of Lettow. After a brief schism between those who did and did not wish to follow Xendor’s teachings, the Ospion transitioned from a group of neutral Force users to a Dark Jedi order. The renamed Dark Jedi of the Bogan, from the ancient name for the dark side of the Force, trained in the dark side for ten years before returning to the known galaxy and settling on Ando Prime. In 12,979 BBY, they began preparations for attacking the Jedi Order.

Swearing allegiance to the dark side, the Dark Jedi of the Bogan were guided by a Dark Jedi Code. This code was based on philosophies of chaos and death, and was meant to be the antithesis of the Jedi Code. Along with the Dark Jedi Code, the Dark Jedi were guided by the word of the Bogan, the leader of the Dark Jedi. The word of the Bogan was considered to be Dark Jedi law.

History

Formation

"I had originally intended to flee known space and start life anew in solitude, but the number of Jedi here supporting me has given me a gift I never expected: the resolve to fix a broken Order. We must oppose the Jedi."

―Sarina Lightell during the assembly that created the Ospion Guardians

In 13,000 BBY, during the Alsakan Crisis between the Galactic Republic and the Alsakan Union, Banik Kelrada, Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, attempted to broker a peace between the Republic and the Alsakans by holding talks with the leader of each galactic body. After first speaking with Relana Isolde Tanoor, Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, Kelrada held talks with Lharra, the Alsakan leader, on Ossus, the Jedi headquarters. As Lharra was leaving the meeting, the Alsakan aides that accompanied her assassinated her, sacrificing their lives in the process, as Lharra had made concessions that the Alsakan government did not wish for her to make.

Days later, Kelrada called a conclave on Ossus for all Jedi who were available to attend where he hoped to discuss what the Order’s next course of action would be. During the conclave, Kelrada started to become agitated, as he was being unwillingly manipulated by Jedi Knight Sarina Lightell, who was said to have had an unknowing ability to influence the thoughts and actions of those around her. Jedi Master Edo Tesu, Lightell's husband, was also influenced by this, and Tesu and Kelrada entered into an argument due to Kelrada accusing Tesu of treason for undertaking a mission on Alsakan without the authorization of the Jedi High Council. A duel broke out between the two, and it ended after Tesu lost his hand due to the combat.

That night, Lightell freed Tesu from prison, as he had been arrested by Kelrada. After disarming the guards protecting Tesu, Lightell took him to the Jedi monastery's courtyard. Tesu expressed his belief that Lightell was being influenced by the dark side of the Force, causing Lightell to murder him by hanging him from a tree by his neck and stabbing him with his blade. Lightell would not remember her actions for nearly twenty years. A few hours after the murder, Tesu’s body was discovered in the courtyard and Kelrada was accused by many Jedi of murdering him. Kelrada was placed under arrest by the Jedi Council, but many Jedi, led by Lightell, nonetheless decided to leave the Jedi Order, resulting in a schism that broke the Order in two.

In the days that followed, the numerous individuals who had left the Jedi Order congregated on the Clouded Dawn, a Republic warship that was lent to the rogue Jedi for the purposes of the meeting. During the meeting, it was decided that the goal of these former Jedi, who began to call themselves the Ospion Guardians, would be to fix the Jedi Order, and in turn align themselves with the Republic as the galaxy’s true defenders. Rather than following the light side or dark side of the Force, the Ospion existed in a more neutral state. Along with Lightell, Jedi Master Linora Tristan Tanoor, sister of Chancellor Tanoor, became a leader of the Ospion Guardians.

During the meeting, the newly-formed Ospion Guardians agreed to attempt to contact the military leaders of the Republic, who had been given extended control over the government due to the Alsakan Crisis and the declining health of the Supreme Chancellor. Weeks later, Lightell and Linora met with Chancellor Tanoor and Arthur Tudor, Supreme Commander of the Republic military, where the Ospion informed them of the events at the Jedi conclave. Chancellor Tanoor agreed to put her faith and support behind the Ospion due to her sister’s standing as an Ospion, and an alliance was formed between the Republic and the Ospion, albeit reluctantly on the Republic military’s part due to their reservations about allying with a potential enemy of the Jedi Order.

The alliance between the Republic and the Ospion continued, despite the assassination of Chancellor Tanoor in the Galactic Senate chambers. Nevertheless, the alliance was opposed by members of the Galactic Senate, although the end of the war in 12,999 BBY following the devastation of Alsakan rendered the alliance irrelevant to the Ospion. The Ospion felt that because the Alsakan threat had been eliminated, the Jedi and the Republic would attempt to eliminate the Ospion, so the Ospion fled into the Outer Rim Territories for survival.

Embracing the Bogan

After fleeing into the Outer Rim to avoid persecution from the Jedi, the Ospion found a planet called Conscio, a dark-sided world. The dark side powers inherent on the planet began to influence the Ospion, causing them to act differently. Their darker emotions, however, were kept in check due to their continued desire to help the galaxy. This changed when they found a manifesto belonging to Xendor, the first Dark Jedi and the instigator of the First Jedi Schism centuries after the formation of the Republic. This manifesto contained the teachings of Xendor and the Legions of Lettow, a Dark Jedi organization led by Xendor that was destroyed by the Jedi during the First Jedi Schism. Many Ospion then desired to follow the dark side, called "the Bogan" in the ancient teachings, although others wished to continue trying to save the galaxy.

The Ospion argued for weeks about which path to follow, ultimately resulting in a schism within the Ospion ranks. Linora Tristan Tanoor, who had become the sole Ospion leader, did not want to embrace the dark side, so she and a number of her followers were killed by those who did decide to follow Xendor’s teachings. Following this, they renamed their order the Dark Jedi of the Bogan, taking the name for the dark side, Bogan, that they found in Xendor's manifesto. The Dark Jedi then appointed a leader, also called the Bogan, and began training with Xendor’s teachings as their guide.

After ten years of training, the Dark Jedi left Conscio and returned to the known galaxy. They settled on a Mid Rim ice world called Ando Prime, where they discovered a sect of light side Force-users called the Bendu monks, descendants of the Order of Dai Bendu that had helped form the Jedi Order thousands of years earlier. The Dark Jedi initially ignored this group, although they felt that the group started to become too curious about Dark Jedi affairs and murdered them before constructing a monastery in the ruins of the monk's own temple. The Dark Jedi considered the murders to be a test of their devotion to the dark side of the Force.

Reemergence

"We have decided the time to strike has come."

―Issan Pandara Tanoor

The Dark Jedi spent the next ten years watching galactic events. Following the Alsakan Crisis, the Republic moved into the Mid Rim to gain additional member worlds and allies in the event that the Alsakans attempted to attack again. However, exploration into the Mid Rim provoked tensions with the Hutt Empire, as the Hutts believed the Republic would attempt to invade the Hutt space in the Outer Rim. In 12,979 BBY, the situation escalated into open warfare, which the Dark Jedi believed provided the perfect opportunity for them to stop living in the shadows and instead strike against the Jedi Order. This plan of attack was based upon the Dark Jedi philosophies of chaos, and their desire for revenge.

As the Dark Jedi leadership, specifically High Lord Issan Pandara Tanoor, daughter of Linora Tristan Tanoor, and Dark Master Matu Bestia, explained to the order's members, the order's Dark Masters and Crusaders, the two primary ranks in the order, would be used to fight against the Jedi. They would use assassin-like tactics at first, hoping to be a low-level presence yet a high-level threat. The Dark Jedi felt that subtlety would be far more effective than fleet and army-based strategies.

Structure

"If you believe yourself to be capable enough to handle this Jedi scourge without the strongest of our numbers by your side then your arrogance will doom you to fall."

―Matu Bestia

The Dark Jedi of the Bogan were organized into five ranks, four being considered full Dark Jedi while the fifth was a student-level position. The Dark Jedi were led by the Bogan, who was considered the most powerful of the Dark Jedi and an embodiment of what it meant to truly swear oneself to the dark side. The Bogan would appoint a High Lord to serve as his or her right hand and closest adviser, as well as the apprentice of the Bogan. With the status of the Bogan’s apprentice, an individual who held the rank of High Lord was seen as someone who could potentially overthrow the Bogan and take his or her place.

Beneath the High Lord were the Dark Masters, considered to be the most powerful Dark Jedi in the order besides the Bogan and High Lord. As Dark Masters, individuals could specialize in three distinct classes of expertise: Instructors, Dark Assassins, and Marauders. Instructors were the teachers of the order and served as the primary instructors for Acolytes. Dark Assassins were individuals who would fight from the shadows and manipulate events using the dark side, whereas Marauders were battle masters and supposed experts in combat. Only a Dark Master could specialize in one of these classes.

Crusaders were the core of the Dark Jedi. They had graduated from being a student and moved on to undertake missions and other assignments of their own. However, as Crusaders, they had not yet grown powerful enough for the Dark Jedi to declare them fit to specialize in a Dark Master class, although Crusaders were trained by Dark Masters in these classes in the hopes of one day becoming a specialized Dark Master. Before becoming a Crusader, a Dark Jedi served as an Acolyte, the raw recruits of the Dark Jedi that required training in order to be considered full Dark Jedi.

Philosophies

"No peace, only suffering.
No knowledge, only instinct.
No serenity, only passion.
No harmony, only chaos.
No life, only death."

―The Dark Jedi Code, as written by the first Bogan

The Dark Jedi were guided by the Dark Jedi Code, one centered around the philosophies of chaos and death in the universe, which was written by the first Bogan. There were five tenets in the code, each with its own explanation and philosophy based on the core Dark Jedi beliefs. The first tenet stated that all life was suffering, and until an individual accepted that they would never understand anything, as suffering was used to motivate and anger individuals. The second tenet was a criticism of the Jedi Order, one that said that the Jedi had been plagued by indecisiveness since the Order’s foundation. The Dark Jedi believed that the Jedi failed to react due to over-contemplation, as opposed to the Dark Jedi who preferred to act swiftly instead of waiting for guidance from the Force.

The third tenet was also a criticism of Jedi beliefs. The Dark Jedi believed that individuals could not become content and serene like the Jedi did, as sentient beings required emotion and passion that could not be repressed. The Dark Jedi required their members to use their emotions to fuel their power and guide their actions, which they stated was the opposite of the Jedi. One of the reasons that serenity could not be reached, as expressed in the fourth tenet, was that there was no will of the Force and the universe was chaotic. The Dark Jedi believed that sentient beings were animalistic creatures driven by instinct, something that should not have been avoided but rather used to further one's power.

The fifth and final tenet in the code spoke of death, which the Dark Jedi believed was part of everything and could not be avoided. Despite saying that there was no death, the Dark Jedi also believed that there was no life and that they were meaningless creatures in a meaningless universe. The goal of a Dark Jedi was to live well or die swiftly without any thoughts about an afterlife, as they did not believe that there was an afterlife to reward those who were pure of heart.

Locations

The primary location of the Dark Jedi was the Dark Jedi Temple on Ando Prime. The monastery was constructed in the Andobi Mountains on the ruins of the temple that housed the Bendu monks, who were slaughtered by the Dark Jedi after attempting to redeem them. The Dark Jedi Temple housed the private chambers of the Bogan, where the Bogan would lead the order from, although the temple's primary purpose was to train Acolytes and specialize Crusaders.

Behind the scenes

"...we have an evil dark side faction that will be just as good as the Sith."

―Brandon Rhea

The Dark Jedi of the Bogan is a role-playing faction on TheStarWarsRP.Com, an active Star Wars role-playing website owned by Steven Alldis. The original incarnation of the faction was the Ospion Guardians, which operated during the website’s third and immediate past role-playing timeline. The faction was described as a “rogue group of Jedi formed after the schism on Ossus” in their faction board, although the faction was meant to be a group of Dark Jedi and ended up being considered untapped potential. This contributed to what many members of the website felt was a lack of a “good vs. evil” storyline, which they believed was necessary in Star Wars. Therefore, when the fourth and current timeline was proposed by Head Administrator Brandon Rhea and developed by a think tank of members, the Ospion were renamed the Dark Jedi of the Bogan and became a Dark Jedi faction. They are, however, considered to be the same faction, just one that has evolved.

Appearances

• Alsakan Crisis (First appearance) (as Ospion Guardians)
• Great Hutt Wars (First identified as Dark Jedi of the Bogan)

Sources

• TheStarWarsRP.Com (First appearance)