Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sunglar" data-source="post: 3289856" data-attributes="member: 854">Just finished doing midnight Laundry and I HAVE to go to sleep since I have two presentations to do tomorrow, but I have more Star Wars ideas I wanted to run by you.First of all I’ve decided to include another character from the prequels, Asajj Ventress. But I am recasting her as a member of the religious sect, at least a supporter. Not a full fledged Jedi, but a force sensitive character with some training (as she is in the EU I believe!).Dirge and Grievous I like but still see no place for them, at least as they were cast in the movie and the Clone Wars series, which I really liked by the way!I’ve been thinking about the Jedi sects/groups/orders… I figured collectively they would be called Jedi Orders. There is no unified Jedi Order, instead these factions that eventually band together and form a council to act collectively in their conflict against the Sith.I don’t see the Sith threat being as continuous and large as it is in the EU timeline, perhaps a big war some 2 to 3 thousand years ago, some battles before and after, not a major threat at least not for a long time.The council is never completely effective, never unifying the orders into one cohesive force. If we imagine the Jedi as the religious orders of the early Catholic Church, the Council never becomes the Vatican, there is no standardized dogma.So to the common man a Jedi is a Jedi, period! Those with a little more savvy and knowledge know they are divided into orders, called sects or groups more often than not. Originally there were more orders, but when the campaign starts there are only two large ones still influential enough to be players in a galactic scale.There are less and less Jedi, mainly because the few force sensitive beings born see little motivation or prestige in joining the orders. There are less beings displaying force sensitivity also, maybe as life becomes less dangerous for many beings in civilized worlds and technology takes over many aspects of their lives, there are less chances for those few who have the gift to discover it. (Don’t know how this matches with the set up I’ve presented for the galaxy, feel free to tell me if I am not making any sense.)Likewise, force sensitivity is commonly developed and manifests as a pre-teen this being the common age force sensitive beings begin training. There are some truly gifted beings that show their prowess in the force before, but it is rare. In the past some orders had seers that examined candidates and did begin to train them from childhood but the practice was abandoned as many did not live up to their potential and never became full fledged Jedi.(A real world analogy may be the Castrati, some children were mutilated in hopes they would become famous Castrati, but they never made it, instead singing in local choirs to little glamour or success or even worse!)The Leoco Actum, or the Military Order, is the largest tradition. They believe in organized structures of rank and respect, being proactive in the face of dangers, they have a very militaristic lifestyle and organization. While they have no decrees against marriage amongst its members, it is commonly encouraged for them to marry other Jedi in the hopes of strengthening bloodlines. The result has been the opposite as less and less Jedi are born of these unions. Some may take non-force sensitive concubines searching for a force sensitive heir (Does this sound too much non Jedi?). The concubines are treated with great respect and taken care off.The Military Order has their members give up their names when they become apprentices and choose new names representing how they leave behind their past lives and families and their commitment to the order. Thus young Ben Lars took the name Obi-Wan when he became an apprentice in the Military Order, taking the surname Kenobi from his teacher an adoptive family.(I remember this and I’m running with it! From Wookie Pedia: “In the novelization of Return of the Jedi Owen Lars was said to actually be Obi-Wan's brother…”)The Military Order has a long tradition of adoption and many of its members joined the family of their teachers. Mace is an adoptee, identified as a force sensitive as a baby by a seer. The Military Order has renewed the practice of taking force sensitive children identified by their seers. The problem is that not all of the selected have the potential or the drive to become full fledged Jedi. They remain in the order in a position similar to squires. If the Jedi are the elite in the order, the officers, then these force sensitive beings with some training are the sergeants and leaders to the regular troops the order maintains.The Mystic Order, The Contemplatives, Gelamen Lie’Prospis, is a looser gathering of like minded Jedi. As a reaction to the military sect they follow a more democratic and open decision making process. Since each master has much liberty and may have very different opinions, consultations and decisions can take long and are often debated for long periods.While it is up to each master, many adhere to the ideas of celibacy and vows of poverty as paths to enlightenment. They are opposed to the taking of young children for training, and will often turn away candidates for training many times as tests before agreeing to train them. I see them more like Buddhist monks thank medieval knights, which would be a closer approximation to the Military order.There are those who begin in one order and eventually end up in the other. When the Council last met Yoda, the leader of the mystic order and his apprentice Dooku were close allies to Mace.I am still undecided what conflict the Council faced, but it broke them apart… The practice of taking the young ones will play apart in this and probably the reason the Military order holds such a big protectorate, still giving it shape.What I do know is that Ben Lars (the Future Obi-Wan) was briefly under the care and tutelage of Yoda and that Dooku abandoned his master and joined the Military Order and Mace’s cause. He eventually parted ways in no amicable terms with Windu and left the military order. As a result of this Dooku is called the Oath Breaker.Running with the idea of the mega corporations, I am thinking Tarkin would have a big interest in this, I am tying him up wit this element.One request before I end this VERY LONG post. What good sources of Star Wars art and images are out there? I know Wookie Pedia, the Force.net, Star Wars artist gallery (I think that’s what it was called they haven’t updated in ages!), any other source that you know of? Thank you in advance!Signing off now…</blockquote>

Verification