Evereni

This article is about the species. You may be looking for the language of the same name.

"And I know that this, like everything else, is a lie. Temporary and arbitrary, a gift given by the Force that can be easily snatched away. […] But we will still be Evereni, Marda. And we will still be in search of a home."

―Yana Ro, to Marda Ro^[3]

The Evereni^[4] were a sentient humanoid nomadic species, distinguished by their slate-gray skin and pitch-black eyes.^[1] They once hailed from the planet Everon before the Great Storm ravaged their homeworld, which led to centuries of wars between the Evereni people and ultimately forced the survivors to flee into the galaxy.^[4] During the High Republic Era, an Evereni male named Marchion Ro led a group of nihilistic marauders called the Nihil and posed a significant threat to the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order.^[1]

Biology and appearance[]

Physical appearance[]

"Not fighting with knives, Marda Ro?"
"I have all the knives I need."

―Vika Faer and Marda Ro, the latter referring to her Evereni teeth and claws^[2]

ShallaRo-THREOTS1 — Shalla Ro, an aging Evereni with red streaks in her hair

Evereni were a humanoid species^[4] with slate-gray skin,^[1] long bones,^[3] and thick dark gray blood.^[2] The coal-black eyes of an Evereni^[5] saw better in the dark than humans, although their eyes still took a moment to adjust to darkness. Their bodies were especially tough, but still susceptible to intense cold.^[3] Evereni had sharp black claws and sharp white teeth, both of which could be used to tear flesh. Their nails and teeth were as sharp as razors.^[5] Red hair streaks were a sign of aging for the Evereni.^[2]

Evolution[]

"Those who survived learned to hide their intentions, to lie, to deceive, to turn others to their purpose. They became very good at it. The Evereni had evolved to become something very different than where they began… but at their heart remained an essential truth. They were still… caretakers. But after all they had survived, they were certain of just one thing. There is only one appropriate place to put your trust. There is only one person with whom your interests truly align. Before anything or anyone else… you must take care… of yourself."

―Marchion Ro, on his species^[4]

Over their history of war and strife, the Evereni evolved from a species of caretakers to a grouping of individuals skilled in deception, lying, and manipulation. All the same, the Evereni Marchion Ro once remarked that his species was still a society of caretakers at heart, but that caretaking was focusing on saving one's own life above everything else.^[4] Indeed, an Evereni could be raised in a caring environment and grow into a caring individual, as was the case with Marda Ro,^[3] who nonetheless would find herself going down a dark path as her life slipped out of her control.^[5]

To act as a "pure Evereni," in the opinion of Marda Ro, was to be as feral as her species' reputation implied they would always be. While she personally thought that reputation was unwarranted, even the normally peaceful Marda was able to use her body as a weapon: she gave into her sheer instincts on one occasion, using her sharp teeth as a weapon and feeling no pain in her injured body as she fought. While her hand was burned at that moment and her limbs were all tired, she felt nothing as she gave into her instincts.^[5]

"Seeing" the dead[]

"You left me, but I'm still with you. I will always be with you, as long as you need me."

―The "ghost" of Kor Plouth "speaks" to Yana Ro^[5]

DyingAsgar-THREOTS1 — The supposed "ghost" of Asgar Ro (pictured during his dying moments) once appeared to his son Marchion Ro as a figure with a ruined face

One peculiar trait among the Evereni was their ability to "see" the dead, who appeared as ghost-like figures or were heard as voices in their head. Such a figure could be supportive of the Evereni's desires one moment, harshly criticize them at another point, or help rationalize a situation they were faced with as if they were actually talking to another person. One story told by a Argazdan smuggler claimed it was the souls of those the Evereni in question had killed, with those souls doomed to follow their murderer forever. In truth, however, the figure seen by the Evereni did not need to be someone they killed in order to be seen as a vision:^[5] while Marchion Ro did see and hear the "ghost" of his father Asgar Ro, who at one time appeared to him with a ruined face and whom Marchion had indeed killed,^[1] he also came to hear^[6] and eventually see the "ghost" of Marda Ro, his great-great-grandmother. She appeared to him both as a young woman and as an elder.^[7] His father, meanwhile, could be limited to a voice in the back of his head or appear a figure who loomed over him.^[1]

The Evereni Yana Ro dismissed the rumor of her race 'talking to the dead' as nonsense when she first heard it, only to later see the "ghost" of her dead lover Kor Plouth from across a room, with Plouth later always seeming to be a few steps away, yet her voice remaining as clear as if they sat next to each other. All the same, she knew the figure was not the real ghost of her lover: while she had not killed her girlfriend, with Plouth's death instead being the fault of Path of the Open Hand leader "the Mother," Yana believed the apparition was her own anger and guilt given shape. She further thought of the figure who haunted her every waking moment as a figment of her imagination brought into "being" by her own desire to not let Plouth go. Plouth appeared to her as she had at the time of her death, with icy water cracking her lips and her eyes cloudy.^[5]

Marda herself experienced visions of a "ghost" in the form of Jedi Padawan Kevmo Zink, whom she had fallen in love with despite their different views on the Force.^[5] After dying in her arms after an encounter with the Nameless known as the Leveler,^[3] Zink's apparition was heard as a dead voice inside her mind and his "ghost" stood beside her as a true believer in the Path, though his skin was reduced to a chalky, white appearance^[5] as it had been as he died^[3] and his voice was gravely. All the same, Marda believed it was the real Zink returned to her. After the Battle of Jedha, she found his voice had become harsh and bitter, coming to further realize he was much crueler than his living self. At another moment, she questioned to herself whether the "ghost" who spoke to her even was the real Zink.^[5]

History[]

"Evereni take care of our own."

―"Isren," to Marda Ro^[2]

The Evereni put their trust in their stormy homeworld of Everon in an attempt to live in harmony with nature.^[4] The word 'Evereni' meant "caretakers" in the Evereni language.^[2] Eventually, a sudden storm known as the Great Storm, the type that only emerged every thousand years, emerged from the planet's core and wiped out their cities, making the Evereni believe they could not trust their home planet. After the Great Storm, as it came to be known, the Evereni tried to put trust in their institutions, but the corruption of their governments led to strife and centuries of war.^[4]

Their numbers greatly reduced and their society in ruins, the species had evolved to be untrusting to the extent that they knew the exact moment when someone would betray them, realizing the exact moment when the interests of two parties changed.^[4] While there could be exceptions if an Evereni was raised in a more caring environment,^[3] it was said by the Evereni Marchion Ro that individual Evereni only trusted themselves, so not even Evereni families could work together.^[4] After the last survivors of the Evereni left Everon around 500 BBY,^[8] they became outlaws for trying to wipe out any other sentient species they found in the galaxy, forcing them to adapt again; they learned to hide their hatred from other life-forms, becoming beings skilled at deception and lies.^[4] They developed a reputation for deception and treachery. They also avoided staying in one place and commonly left without saying any goodbyes, though they did also master how to say a goodbye should the need arise.^[3]

Evereni in the galaxy[]

Hated across the stars[]

"The Evereni are not trusted in the wider galaxy. Those beyond the Path see us as monsters. As warmongers and liars."

―Marda Ro^[9]

Across the galaxy, Evereni were feared and regarded as little more than ferocious predators,^[5] with the actions of deceitful and murderous Evereni^[4] only fueling that reputation. The physical appearance of the Evereni species further convinced people to judge them as monsters should they not know an Evereni personally.^[5] On one occasion, an Evereni approached a fire tended to by various other beings on a cold night. A deceitful Evereni, just as their species had evolved to be, that Evereni presented themself as nothing more than a wanderer who wanted shelter from the cold and offered a bottle of secretly poisoned wine as a gift in return for the hospitality. Wiping out the entire camp with the supposed gift, the Evereni collected their valuables and departed.^[4]

Without any real place to call home, the Evereni found themselves without a home nor purpose, with their identity limited to the slurs thrown at them by other peoples. For example, the slur "planet killer" was used against Evereni since the days of their escape into the wider galaxy. Another anti-Evereni slur was "shark." Outlandish rumors also spread as stories about the Evereni, and their ability to "see" the dead was spread as such a story.^[5]

Ro family[]

MarchionRo-THR-NihilPoster — Marchion Ro, the Eye of the Nihil whose authority expanded to turn him into a sovereign who ruled over multiple galactic sectors

The Ro family of Evereni once tried to make out an existence on the planet Genetia despite the galaxy's distrust and hate for their kind. When a harvest failed, the townspeople blamed the Evereni and attacked during the night. In the ensuing struggle, the grandparents of the family and Yana Ro's sire were killed, while Marda Ro's sire gave his life to hold off the crowd to let the rest of the family escape. Young cousins Marda Ro and Yana Ro escaped with Marda Ro's mother and Yana Ro's mother, with both parents killing a Theelin family to escape the world aboard the Theelins' ship. After days of hunger and cold aboard the ship as its life-support systems failed, the Hutt Clan found and captured their craft with the intention of selling the Ros into slavery on Nar Shaddaa, only for the Path of the Open Hand cult to step in and free them. Both mothers left their children with the Path, leaving Yana and Marda to grow up in the safety of the cult's community.^[3]

After the fall of the Path, Marda embarked on a hunt for her fellow Evereni^[2] and began a family line^[10] that culminated in Marchion Ro, who was heralded by^[11] Marda's granddaughter^[12] and Marchion's grandmother, Shalla Ro, as the point of the knife that would deliver their family's revenge.^[11]