Krynda Draay

"Eyes of the Jedi."

- Vodo Siosk-Baas

Krynda Draay, born Krynda Hulis, was a female half-breed Jedi Master of the pre-Ruusan Old Republic. Born to a Human mother and the Miraluka Jedi Master Noab Hulis, she was apprenticed to Vodo-Siosk Baas and became a Sage Master. She married Barrison Draay, with whom she had a child, Lucien Draay. After the Great Sith War, she left the Jedi Order but eventually went on teaching Jedi for thirty years without the supervision of the Jedi Council. She founded a Jedi cabal known as the Jedi Covenant, aimed at preventing the return of the Sith, but she was exposed to the Jedi Council by a member of one of her Watchcircles, who sought to end the repercussions of the Padawan Massacre of Taris.

Early years
"I want nothing more to do with the Jedi&mdash;or their wars."

- Krynda Draay

Due to her Miraluka heritage, Krynda was born with both sight and Force Sight. She was placed under the tutelage of Jedi Master Vodo-Siosk Baas and trained as a Jedi Consular. During her time as a Padawan, Krynda met Barrison Draay and Haazen, whom she fell in love with the former but was unaware that the latter had feeling for her. Though Krynda and Barrison were knighted, Haazen wasn't for his lack of perception.

Eventually, Krynda achieving the rank of Master. Krynda married Barrison and became pregnant, her attentions were drawn elsewhere and she failed to see the rise of the Sith under Exar Kun. On the day that Ulic Qel-Droma had his first contact with the dark side of the Force in the Beast Wars, she gave birth to a son, Lucien Draay.

During the Great Sith War, a war she could not participate in due to the difficult birth of Lucien, she lost her first mentor, half-sister, fellow Jedi and her husband, who was lead into an ambush by Haazen, desiring Barrison's life. For years she blamed herself for these deaths and stayed into seclusion on Coruscant, spending her days in grief and shame in the Draay estate, though still taking help from Haazen, who she took in after the war to continue his family's service to the Draays, to manage the household. She refused all contact with the Jedi Order, who were hoping she would return to active duty as a seer. Even though her son was an only child and grew up without a father, Krynda was distant from Lucien, leaving him to be brought up mostly under the care of the household droid 9BD and Haazen.

Forming the Covenant
"There are more Jedi loyal to Krynda Draay than you can imagine, Hierogryph."

- Master Xamar, to Marn Hierogryph

In 3,993 BBY, Haazen brought to the Draay Estate a young Miraluka girl named Q'Anilia. Krynda sensed something special in the child and agreed to train her. Drawn back into the Jedi Order, she began a secret organization&mdash;the Jedi Covenant&mdash;to prevent the Sith from ever returning again. To this end, Krynda personally set out to train the greatest Consulars of the Order, which she hoped would be strong enough to find the shatterpoint that was to lead to the next Sith outbreak. The Covenant would then take any action necessary to stamp it out immediately. Several Watchcircles were formed, some of them using Jedi foresight even for investment advice, siphoning power to the Draay Trust, which would then lend influence to the Covenant both in the Republic and Jedi Order. They also made use of Shadows to search dangerous Sith artifacts and dispose of them. However, this goal became an obsession, and blinded Krynda to the rise of the dark side through other means until it was too late.



During the training of the Jedi Covenant members, Krynda's relationship with Lucien became unpleasant. Due to Lucien inheriting his fathers traits instead of his mothers, Krynda left him under tutelage of Haazen rather than herself and as such, she became more of a mother towards Q'Anilia than Lucien. When he protested, she furiously yelled at him that if her father's blood was stronger she would've gladly given him second sight.

In 3,988 BBY Krynda predicted the coming of the most potent seers her secret sect would ever train; the WatchCircle which would foresee the return of the Sith. Eventually, she would encounter these students:

"This is the finest group of seers I've ever had before me! Raana Tey, Xamar, Q'Anilia--easily the best of their species! And who ever heard of a Feeorin Jedi? But Feln is a natural. It's the group I've foreseen. The ones who'll do what must be done!"

- Krynda Draay on the First WatchCircle

In addition to the four seers she had selected, her own son - Lucien - was chosen to be the Hand, a position that was suggested by Haazen; and was responsible for handling arrangements and protection for the Consulars. Together, these five Jedi made up the "First WatchCircle". They were sent to Taris to locate the Muur Talisman while working under the guise of a school for their Padawans.

Haazen, who greatly helped her construct the Covenant, regularly reports to her. Many of his reports include a Sith text on Chandrila, which was disposed of by a Shadow, the Vanjervalis Chain discovered to have a flaw that they've "obtained".

Repercussions of the Padawan Massacre
"I've never seen a grown man call his mother so often."

- Marn Hierogryph, on Lucien Draay's frequent contact with Krynda after the massacre

As of 3,964 BBY, Krynda was acting as "associate" and advisor to the First WatchCircle, who by this time were stationed together as Jedi Masters in the Jedi Temple on Taris in order to secretly recover the Muur Talisman, a Sith artifact of great power.

During a joint meditation on the rogue moon, the WatchCircle envisioned the destruction of the Jedi Order and the rule of the Sith. Circumstance had it that the Dark lord they all saw in their vision reflected the appearance of their Padawans, a red environment suit, so they assumed it was going to be one of them falling to the dark side. Master Raana Tey suggested to kill them all right away, while Xamar and Q'Anilia insisted on speaking with Krynda first, for her evaluation. Lucien lied to them about his mother's position on the execution, and arranged for the five students to meet their end at their knighting ceremony.

After Padawan Zayne Carrick escaped the Masters' grasp and the Taris security force entered the chase, tagging Zayne as a wanted criminal, his Master Lucien spoke to Haazen, who was outraged by his handling of the "Taris affair", and told him he would not bring Zayne to them alive. He also told the other Masters he had made contact with their associate on Coruscant, and argued that the intervention of civil authorities was expected, to offer people a show of justice. Later on, when Lucien and the other members of the Covenant went to visit Krynda on Coruscant, Haazen denied them entrance and later would not tell Lucien where Krynda was. However, weeks later Haazen told Lucien that she was upstairs in the Estate, though he could not feel her presence.

During the Mandalorian siege of Taris, the dying Raana Tey asked Zayne Carrick to tell Krynda that she was "sorry". She was offered salvation by Carrick, whom she had attempted to kill, supposedly making her question the rightfulness of the actions of the WatchCircle. A statue and memorial was constructed outside the Draay Estate in honor of the fallen Togruta, though it appears that Krynda did not attend the memorial service.

Before being put in stasis, Covenant agent Celeste Morne asked Zayne to find Krynda and tell her what had really happened to his friends, believing she would never allow something like that to happen. Zayne then became determined to find Krynda and put an end to the Covenant.

Zayne journeyed to Odryn where, after a hectic confrontation with Feln, he was able to find proof of the Covenant actions: a collection of Sith artifacts that the Covenant were studying.

Zayne also sent two of his friends, Shel Jelavan and Alek Squinquargesimus, to Coruscant to meet with Masters Vandar Tokare and Vrook Lamar. They told the Councilors that Raana Tey had said Krynda was the figure behind the Covenant before dying and that Zayne was coming to them with proof. Vrook, however, knew that there were many Jedi whose loyalty was to Krynda, and worried that if Krynda was accused the Order would be torn apart.

Xamar later confessed everything to the Council. His reason was to ensure that Krynda would be given full immunity. They hoped that Zayne's presence would draw her from her chamber to examine him. However, Haazen claimed that Krynda was meditating with Circle Culu and could not be disturbed.

Hostile takeover
Later, Haazen surprised and horrified them all as he revealed himself as a servant of the dark side. Soon he, not Krynda, was the leader of the Jedi Covenant, pitting the Jedi Order against itself — the true Jedi loyal to the Council vs. the deceived Jedi of the Covenant.

Death
"I... was wrong. Face...The Future...with Humility..."

- Krynda Draay to Lucien Draay

Q'Anilia rushed into Krynda's room, so that she might aid them against Haazen. Krynda, however, was sealed inside a stasis pod, and could not be woken. Q'Anilia believed her dead, and took her own life by poisoning herself, thus fulfilling the prophecy. Gryph realized that Krynda was only in stasis, and removed her from the pod by breaking it open. Gryph helped her into the courtyard, where she confronted Lucien over the murders of the Padawans. As it transpired Krynda had not authorized the killings, as Haazen had claimed, but had received a vision of the massacre taking place. This caused her to have a stroke, which left her severely ill. Haazen used this to his advantage and placed her in stasis within a prototype Oubliette to keep her out of his way while he put his plans in motion.

In her final moments, she asked her son who had led him to believe that murdering the padawans was the right thing to do, and was horrified when he said she had. Krynda finally admitted she was wrong to try and force her visions to come true, and died in her son's arms. Consumed by rage, Lucien attacked Gryph, only to be interrupted by Zayne Carrick, whom Lucien began to duel.

Behind the scenes
Before the stand alone issue Homecoming, Krynda was known only as the "Jedi associate" of the Jedi Covenant on Taris.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Commencement
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 9: Flashpoint Interlude: Homecoming
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 16: Nights of Anger, Part 1
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 18: Nights of Anger, Part 3
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 24: Knights of Suffering, Part 3
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 25: Vector, Part 1
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 27: Vector, Part 3
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 28: Vector, Part 4
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Exalted
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 31: Turnabout
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 32: Vindication, Part 1
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 33: Vindication, Part 2
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 34: Vindication, Part 3