Dradan

"Dradan, Dradan."

- Dreambeast Dradan upon meeting Rebel Alliance operatives on Trinta

The Dradan were species of peaceful setients native to a planet in the Drada system of the Outer Rim. After the Galactic Empire was formed in 19 BBY and began hunting down and killing the Jedi Knights, the Dradan offered their homeworld as a refuge to Jedi fugitives. The Empire discovered the Dradan's treachery by 1 BBY and retaliated with genocide of the species and despoliation of their homeworld.

When the fallen Jedi Halagad Ventor fled torture at the hands of the Empire and took up a hermitic existence on the planet Trinta, he tapped into the world's natural dark side Force nexus to create illusions known as dreambeasts to chase away anyone who visited the swampy planet. Among the apparitions he used for these purposes were Dradan, whom Ventor presented as thin humanoids with red eyes and simple technology. When a group of Rebel Alliance operatives landed on Trinta, Ventor sent his spectral Dradan to lure them into eating poisonous food. However, Ventor's control over the illusions was incomplete, and the Rebels rejected the false Dradan's offering. Upon this failure, Ventor dissipated the phantasms.

Biology and appearance
The Dradan were a sentient species. In an illusion created to misdirect outsiders who visited the planet Trinta, the Dark Jedi Halagad Ventor presented them as tall humanoids with thin frames and five-fingered hands. Each of Ventor's illustions had large eyes that glowed red, a wide mouth, a flat, broad nose, two Human-like ears, and a head of long hair. As long as he concentrated on his illusion, Ventor's Dradan had calm and peaceable expressions. However, when his attention was distracted, the illusory humanoids instead exhibited menacing grimaces, savage-looking eyes, prominent, sharp teeth, and long claws.

Society and culture
"S'jak, S'jak!"

- Dreamscape Dradan attempting to convince Rebel operatives to follow them

The Dradan were a peaceful people. In the apparitions presented by Halagad Ventor, they dressed in plain, white robes and carried simple, wooden implements. They cooked meat over a fire and served it on wooden plates, accompanied by fruit and vegetables. Ventor's Dradan spoke a simple language and used mime and gesture to communicate with those who did not understand them. The illusory Dradan were skittish and fled at any sign of hostility.

History
The Dradan hailed from a world in the Drada system, a star system that became integrated into the greater galaxy at some point between 3,000 and 1,000 BBY. The world eventually fell within the bounds of the Halthor sector in the New Territories region of the Outer Rim Territories. From 1,004 to 1,000 BBY, as the New Sith Wars raged, the system fell within unaligned or contested space. By 19 BBY, during the Clone Wars, the system was within space allied to the Galactic Republic.

As the Republic gave way to the Galactic Empire, Emperor Palpatine declared Order 66&mdash;a command that resulted in the systematic assassination of the Jedi Knights and led to the Great Jedi Purge, whereby all remaining Jedi were hunted down and killed. In response, the Dradan offered their homeworld as a safe haven to Jedi fleeing persecution. However, when the Empire discovered the Dradan's pro-Jedi policy, they retaliated by exterminating the entire species and scorching their planet. Nothing but cinders remained by 1 BBY.

Dradan in the galaxy
At some point after the Clone Wars, a fallen Jedi Knight named Halagad Ventor fled to the planet Trinta to escape the notice of the Empire. The world had a strong dark side nexus, upon which Ventor drew to create powerful Force illusions known as dreambeasts. These phantasms reflected Ventor's fears and inner turmoil born of his experiences of torture at the hands of the Empire, and he used them to mask his presence on the world and drive away intruders. Among his repertoire of illusions was a group of simple Dradan swamp dwellers.

At some point between 2 and 1 BBY, a group of Rebel Alliance operatives fled to Trinta, followed by their pursuers, a Taloron bounty hunter named Crutag and his crew.

In an effort to draw the intruders away from their starship and possibly kill them, Ventor created illusions of about 25 Dradan and brought them from the swamps to introduce themselves to the Rebels. The Dradan dreambeasts gestured for the strangers to follow them and led them to a campsite. Ventor directed the apparitions' actions from afar, so his illusions were far from perfect; for instance, his Dradan sometimes walked through trees and other solid objects. Similarly, Ventor concentrated on the appearance and actions of the Dradan within the Rebels' line of sight, so that those walking behind the offworders grew translucent and fuzzy, and their features eventually grew savage and evil-looking.

Nevertheless, Ventor succeeded in getting the Rebels to follow the Dradan to a campsite in a clearing, where a carcass lay over an open fire and fruit and vegetables awaited consumption&mdash;unbeknownst to the Rebels, though, the food was also illusory and masked poisonous substances. As the Dradan figures beckoned the offworlders to eat, the phantoms' appearance shifted from friendly and welcoming to menacing and evil. The Rebels chose not to partake in the feast, and Ventor dissipated the incorporeal figures.

Behind the scenes
The Dradan are mentioned Domain of Evil, an adventure written by Jim Bambra and published by West End Games in 1991 as part of their Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game line. The story takes place after the Dradan species has been wiped out by the Empire, so only Ventor's false Dradan make an appearance. The adventure fails to indicate whether Ventor's illusions reflect actual Dradan biology, culture, and society, or simply the fallen Jedi's fevered imagination. An illustration of the dreambeast Dradan, drawn by artist Allen Nunis, accompanies the adventure. Author Eric S. Trautmann revised Domain of Evil for Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, Second Edition, as part of the 1995 sourcebook Classic Adventures: Volume Two. Trautmann's update retains most of Bambra's details about the species with one exception: a line spoken by Ventor's illusions as they beckon for the player characters to follow them into the forest changes from "Sajak, Sajak!" to "S'jak, S'jak!"

This article assumes that the player characters follow Ventor's Dradan illusions to their camp but reject the food the Dradan offer. However, the adventure also allows the characters to ignore the Dradan completely or attack the apparitions, in which case the figures dissipate. Partaking of the food offered by the Dradan dreambeasts poisons and possibly kills any character who consumes it.