Krath (order)

Scholarly and insular, the Krath are the most mistrusted of the three Orders. Their foundations are rife with betrayal; even the most inexperienced Obelisk knows that it was a Krath whom betrayed Exar Kun to the Jedi Knights. They know that the Antei system is the barren desert of today, because of a failed Krath ritual.

Among themselves, the Krath speak of the Wanderer as the first of their kind, in hushed whispers and veiled innuendo. Only a few Krath can claim to have any understanding of this enigmatic figure in the legends of the Dark Side. Common knowledge says that the Wanderer was the first Apprentice of Darth, selected as the first after Darth’s exile from the Jedi community. The Wanderer was a prophet of exceptional clarity, and lived a nomadic existence across the Galaxy. After the exile of the Dark Jedi from the Republic, it was the Wanderer who led them to the future Sith Empire.

Another version says that the earliest known Jedi of this Order were the followers of a cult of personality, lead by a Dark Jedi residing on Andiron, called Negas. He wielded a potent form of dark side sorcery, used to ensnare the minds of those around him. It was said that with the merest words, he could alter the seasons, darkening the sky for months at a time, or even fester disease in an entire village. According to the Book of Memories, this sorcerer even ensnared the First Dark Lord, Darth himself. When he was mysteriously destroyed, his legend passed into myth, feared and loathed as an evil god of darkness and destruction by the future residents of Onderon.

A Sith Lord named Freedon Nadd resurrected the legend of Krath, in two Sith initiates, Aleema and Satal Keto. They and their group of students took the name Krath in memory of the god of darkness that haunted the people. Nadd used them to destroy King Ommin, the Sith heretic of Iziz, and begin his purge of the Jedi. The Krath became a feared presence in the Empress Teta System. Even slaughtering a conclave of Jedi Masters at Deneba, this prompted the Jedi hero Ulic Qel-Droma to infiltrate their sect. Satal Keto used an ancient ritual, and poisoned Qel-Droma, rendering him unable to betray the Dark Side. The former Jedi then took Aleema as his lover, and slew Satal Keto. This act cemented his position in the Dark Side, and he joined the Dark Lord Exar Kun as the commander of his war-fleets.

Fate however, would bring this Krath low. Stripped of his power by vengeful Jedi Knights, Qel-Droma betrayed Exar Kun’s base of power on Yavin IV. Kun and his followers were promptly destroyed.

It would be another thousand years, before the Sorceress Taimat, already half-insane, joined the Admiral Okemi and warrior Ferran, to found the Star Chamber. In a misguided reading of an ancient text, she developed a ritual to strip the light from a star, and rend it to pure entropy. In her madness, she lost control of the ritual, the Assassin slew here as the rite collapsed.

Two of her surviving apprentices carried on what they knew of her magics They took their own apprentices, and established what is the modern Order of the Krath, named both for the ancient god of Onderon, and those who later took his name.

In The DJB

In the modern Brotherhood, the Krath are invaluable as diplomats, researchers, and scientists. Their particular form of magic allows them to manipulate the Dark Side though sympathetic relationships between other elements of matter. Their knowledge boggles most of the Sith and Obelisk, and intrigues the Elders who were not initiated into their ways. Young Sith and Obelisk tend to fear the Krath, the Elders of these Order, tend to emulate the Krath, in their scholastic pursuits, and they wonder who is really in control of the Brotherhood. This inherent connection to the Force is both their strength, and weakness. While an individual Krath might create rites that have powerful effect, it is only through communal effort that the Krath are truly effective.

The Krath are just behind the Sith in terms of leadership positions, and when they do not hold the command position itself, they often serve as advisors, especially to Sith Dark Councilors. This places the Order in a position of quite heady authority, without many of the consummate risks of actual political power. This also places them in a precarious position. Despite their best efforts, the Sith often play the political game with more finesse than they. When the Crown changes heads, the Advisors are often the first to lose theirs.

Stereotypes

Krath stereotypes of the other orders:

Sith: “Headstrong and proud, many Sith are too caught up in their own games to really pay attention to the ‘glory’ they babble about. When the time comes, they will realize just how empty their lives really are.”

Obelisk: “These are best suited to watching your libraries and temples, young one. Be cautious, however, even the best mind is useless when separated from its body. The Obelisk are not known for deferring their anger in such considerations.”