Je'daii Order

"And so the travellers defined themselves, ever seeking the balance. They became the Je'daii, a Dai Bendu term meaning "mystic center"."

- Ketu

The Je'daii Order was an ancient organization unified by its belief and observance of the Force on the planet Tython, in the galaxy's Deep Core. Focusing on maintaining a balance in the Force, a state at which Tython was itself hospitable, the Je'daii saw the Force as two aspects of a whole; the Ashla and the Bogan. They saw this duality in the Force represented in the night sky of Tython in the form of two natural satellites; one bathed in light, another shrouded in darkness. In keeping with their ideal balance, Je'daii who fell too far to either the light or darkness were exiled to one of the moons to meditate until they returned to balance.

The Order's presence on Tython was spread between nine Great Temples, each of which was presided over by a Je'daii Temple Master. In order to gain mastery in the Order, all Je'daii were expected to travel to each of the Temple to hone different skills. The Order was led by a Council of Masters, consisting of the nine Temple Masters, which decided important matters and directed the Order. Surviving on Tython for millennium in isolation from the rest of the galaxy, the Order was deeply shaken by the arrival of a Force Hound from the Infinite Empire. In the years following the Hound's initial crash landing on Tython, a schism shook the Order to its foundation. The followers of the Bogan declared themselves the True Dark Sons of Tython while a breakaway group of light-siders formed a new group called the Jedi Order. After a bloody civil war, known to history as the first conflict between light and dark side philosophies, the dark side adherents were routed while the Jedi Order thrived. A large group of Jedi departed Tython, eventually finding a new home on Ossus, where they would eventually join the Galactic Republic as defenders of the peace.

Settling Tython
An organization of scholars and warriors devoted to the study of the Force, the Je'daii Order's roots were founded in a mass migration to the planet Tython via eight mysterious, pyramidal ships known as Tho Yor. Of unknown origin and manufacture, the Tho Yor had been stationed on planets across the galaxy for over a millennium, drawing to them Force-sensitives who marveled at their existence. It wasn't until 36,453 BBY that the massive Tho Yor activated, calling out to all Force-sensitives through the Force itself, beckoning the Forceful to board. First to answer the call were the Dai Bendu monks of Ando Prime, the Wookiee warriors of Kashyyyk, the shamans and seers of Dathomir, the water dwelling Selkath scholars of Manaan, and the hardy Twi'lek philosophers of Ryloth; all of these and more boarded the Tho Yor as they traveled from planet to planet, gathering more and more Forceful people along the way. Among these diverse species were representatives of the Cathar race, Devaronians, Humans, Mirialan. Additionally, members of the Noghri, Sith, Zabrak, and Iktotchi were all brought together as passengers on the Tho Yor. In an event historians dubbed the First Migration, the eight Tho Yor traversed the complexity of the galaxy's Deep Core and arrived at the wild and lush world of Tython. Gathering together for the first time over a towering natural spire of land, the eight Tho Yor joined a ninth, even more massive Tho Yor and together they shielded their passengers from the violent effects of the Force storm which heralded their arrival on the planet.

When the storm passed, the Tho Yor shot away from the central ship and set down in separate locations across the planet. Once settled, the passengers from the ships disembarked and found a world of lush beauty and mystery, drenched in the Force and like no other planet the settlers had encountered before. Unified by their connection to the Force, the colonists became known collectively as the Tythans, the planet's dominant sentient inhabitants. It was not long after their arrival that the Tythans discovered the purpose which necessitated their presence on the world: they were to study the Force and learn to control and master the abilities which manifested in each of them. In order to survive the wilds of the world, the Tythans learned to live their lives in a type of Moving Meditation, being ever mindful of the Force and its undulating currents. The Tythans erected cities and temples to provide shelter and a meditative atmosphere in which they could contemplate the Force. The nature of the life-giving energy was evident to the Tythans through what they saw in nature. In the sky were two natural satellites; one bathed in light which they named Ashla, and one shrouded in darkness, called Bogan. To the Tythans, the moons represented the duality the perceived in the Force and between the two they saw a balance in constant need of maintenance.

A world in the balance
Indeed, the Tythans soon learned that the balance was necessary to the continued existence of the colony. When the balance tipped too far in one direction, Tython itself responded in violent storms which shattered the earth and tore the sky. Fires cleansed the forests and quakes brought cities to their foundations. As the necessity of keeping the balance was made clear, the colonists took the name Je'daii, a term derived from the Dai Bendu phrase meaning mystic center. As the Je'daii colonists began to come to terms with their destiny, an Order was founded in which all Forceful beings could unite as one around a singular purpose. As a single unit, the Je'daii Order brought peace through balance to the world, erecting large cities, schools and temples around the nine Tho Yor which brought them to their new home. Science and philosophy flourished on Tython. Great strides were made in the fields of medicine and technology, and martial arts and Force techniques were honed. Notable inventions of the era were the creation of durasteel blades enhanced through the Force, which would become a signature weapon of the Order. These Force-imbued blades glowed with the power of the Force coursing through them and could cut through nearly any object except durasteel.

As the Order grew into a massive, planet-wide civilization, children were born who could not touch the Force. In the beginning, the Je'daii believed that their mastery of the Force would protect their loved ones from the unstable nature of the planet. However, after the destruction of the great city of Aurum, the wisest of the Order deemed the planet inhospitable to non-Forceful beings and ordered the planet evacuated of all non-Je'daii. In the second millennium of the planet's history, an event known as the Second Migration tore families apart and sent many to space. These non-Jedi settled the moons in orbit of Tython before moving ever outward to discover and populate the other habitable worlds of the Tython system. As the Je'daii Order flourished on Tython, so too did the colonies beginning on other worlds. Forceful children born on the so-called Settled Worlds always returned to Tython to study the ways of the Force, and in return the Order offered its wisdom and protection to the respective governments which controlled Tython's neighbors.

Despite the services the Order provided to the other Settled Worlds, the existence of the Je'daii on their isolated world of Tython became a thing of legend. It wasn't until the reign of Queen Hadiya of Shikaakwa that a full-blown conflict erupted between Order and the non-Force-sensitives that shared the star system. In a system-wide conflict known as the Despot War, Queen Hadiya led her army against Tython in a series of campaigns in 25,805 BBY. Despite massive casualties on both sides, the Je'daii Order was able to vanquish Hadiya and her forces and return the balance to Tython. While balance was indeed restored, turmoil festered on Tython just twelve years later when the Je'daii Order found the wreckage of the first ship to enter the system since the Tho Yor brought their ancestors to the world. The ship, of unknown origin, crashed on Tython in area known as the Rift, close to the Great Temple of Anil Kesh, and the mass deaths sparked a Force storm of proportions not seen since the arrival of the Tho Yor. Representatives of the Order investigated the crash site and encountered a sole survivor: a mysterious man named Xesh who carried a bizarre weapon known as a Forcesaber. }}

The Force Wars
In the ensuing decade, the balance of the Je'daii Order was shattered. Two splinter groups emerged, one which held the Ashla as the main power of good in the universe, and another whose members found power only in the Bogan. The light-siders, led by Je'daii Masters Rajivari, Garon Jard, Cala Brin and Ters Sendon, founded a new group known as the Jedi Order and deemed that they would only use their powers for the protection of the weak and disenfranchised. From this group, Master Rajivari broke away and formed a dissident group of dark siders who called themselves the True Dark Sons of Tython. Building an army of dark side monstrosities, Rajivari and his followers seized the Great Temple of Kaleth and attempted to defeat the Jedi Order. In a tumultuous conflict known as the Force Wars, former allies were pitted against each other and all that the Je'daii Order had become was torn asunder.

In 25,793 BBY the war had raged for nearly a decade, leaving the planet a ruined waste. Following the defeat of Rajivari's forces and other dissidents like him, the Je'daii Order was finished; the Jedi Order standing in its place. Having witnessed the destructive power of the dark side first hand with the ruination of their homeworld, a large group of Jedi set out from Tython to settle other worlds far from the Deep Core, eventually establishing a headquarters on the far-flung world Ossus with the help of Jedi Master Odan-Urr.

Leadership
The Je'daii Order was led loosely by a group called the Masters' Council, a gathering of the Je'daii Temple Masters who met at the Temple of Balance, Akar Kesh to discuss the happenings on Tython. The Council had the authority to summon all Je'daii to the Temples as well as to banish those who strayed too close to either the Bogan or the Ashla.

Je'daii ranks
Acceptance into the Je'daii Order began from childhood, from which point students embarked on a lifelong physical and spiritual journey. As Je'daii moved through the Order's hierarchy, ranks were created in which to define an individual's place on the path of their journey.


 * Je'daii Initiate – The youngest members of the Order, these Force-sensitive children were given the rank of Initiate when they began their communal training in classes at the Great Je'daii Academy of Padawan Kesh. Recruited from across the Settled Worlds of the Tython system, Initiates were removed from their families and brought to the Jedi academy for formal training.
 * Je'daii Padawan – Following their earlier education in the ways of the Je'daii at Padawan Kesh, each Initiate would be selected by a master or teacher to continue their journey on a one on one basis. Departing Padawan Kesh, a master would take their student to one of the other Great Temples to continue forming the core of their education. During their time as a Padawan, students were expected to complete a complicated ritual to produce a Force-imbued blade which they would carry with them for the rest of their lives.
 * Je'daii Journeyer – After completing their early training successfully, a disciplined Padawan was eligible to become a Journeyer, a Je'daii disciple who continued their training by traveling to each of the nine Great Temples and mastering the different disciplines taught there. At this time Je'daii were expected to select a field in which to specialize, whether it be the healing arts, martial skills or the sciences.
 * Je'daii Ranger – Once their travels were complete, Journeyers separated from their mentors indefinitely and gained Ranger status within the Order. Accepting missions from their superiors, Rangers roamed Tython and the other planets in the star system completing assignments set by their superiors.
 * Je'daii Master – A Ranger who showed great understanding of the Force may have eventually gained the title of Master to distinguish themselves as highly evolved in the Je'daii arts and constantly in balance.
 * Je'daii Temple Master – Among the Order's Masters, only a select few held the position of Temple Master at one time. Made up exclusively of wise, experienced Masters, the Temple Masters were responsible for the governance of one of the nine Great Temple and the oversight of those who studied there. Together, the Temple Masters made up the Masters' Council, the Order's highest governing body.

Exiles
In keeping with the balance of the Force, it was vital that each Je'daii be monitored and assessed of their actions to ensure they were neither too entrenched in the light or the darkness. Within the Order, straying too far to either extreme meant exile to one of Tython's dual moons for meditation and reflection. Je'daii to immersed in the light side were sent to the moon Ashla from which they would revolve around Tython in deep contemplation of Bogan. Likewise, those with an unusual fascination in the dark side were exiled to Bogan to reflect on Ashla amid the ruins of former civilizations.

Je'daii Code
Members of the Je'daii Order, from Masters to Padawans, were encouraged to follow a set of guidelines, including self-discipline, responsibility, and service which were designed to keep a Je'daii in balance with the Force. This reminder to remain in balance between light and darkness was put forth in a mantra known as the 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."

- The Je'daii Code

The Code was not necessarily a strict set of rules, but a general set of guidelines that could help a Je'daii in time of struggle to remain in balance and remember the duality of the Force's nature. Taken as an oath and spoken as a mantra, the Code was taught across Tython at all nine of the Great Temples and would eventually become the foundation of the Jedi Order's own Code.

Locations
The Je'daii Order was a massive institution on the planet Tython, erecting massive temples, cities, and seats of learning at the height of its existence. Having been brought to Tython by nine massive Tho Yor ships, the Order established each of its nine Great Temples around these ships which had been scattered across the planet in different regions.

Of the Great Temples, the Temple of Balance, Akar Kesh, was the most sacred. An open-air place of reflection, the Temple stood below the greatest of the nine Tho Yor on a massive pylon of earth which jutted up into the sky. From this temple, eight rivers flowed in different directions, each one pointing towards the other Great Temples. Over the crags of the massive gorge known as the Chasm, the laboratories within the Temple of Science, Anil Kesh produced bizarre examples of alchemy. At Bodhi, Je'daii studied the arts while the Order's healers resided at Mahara Kesh, set far out in the Deep Ocean. Deep in the Silent Desert, the Order's members cultivated their Force powers, discovering new ways in which to use the Force. In the heights of the snowy mountains, Stav Kesh produced warriors and martial artists, while the blade-smiths of Vur Tepe armed them. The halls of Padawan Kesh were filled with the sound of children studying diligently to attain high ranks in the Order, while the quiet serenity of Kaleth was reflective of a deep concentration and focus needed in the journey to obtain knowledge.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi