Port Ol'val is a shadowport existing within a hollowed-out asteroid, which orbits the far reaches of the Dajorra System. Founded by the Corellian pirate Jarem Mal in 22 BBY as his retirement location, the port has grown to become the home of several criminal syndicates, including Mal Company, Fly On The Wall (FOTW), the remnants of the Besadii Hutt clan, and one Dark Jedi House.
The shadowport had operated for decades before Clan Arcona came to inhabit the system, and the Dark Jedi were unaware of its existence until it was found by Marick Del'Abbot and Dralin Fortea. After their small party took out a minor Black Sun group on a personal mission, Marick and Dralin were made the new Summit of House Qel-Droma and chose to occupy the small vacuum of power left by the defeated Black Suns.
History
Foundation
Jerem Mal was a Corellian pirate who was active from 46 BBY to 22 BBY. Regarded as something of a folk hero among the Corellian diaspora, Mal was renowned for his charm, sense of honor, and complete neutrality. In addition to the regular merchant boardings, Mal had a penchant for boarding slaver ships, killing the slavers, and giving the ships to the former slaves themselves. His loathing for slavers also extended to bounty hunters, whom he saw as beings who had given up their freedom to act as they saw fit in exchange for quick credits. After twenty-four years of active piracy, Jerem Mal took his amassed fortune and found a secluded system in which to settle. The system, later known as Dajorra, had many active asteroids and comets orbiting it, and so he chose one and proceeded to hollow it out, outfitting the resulting cavern with artificial gravity, lighting, and an atmosphere, all chosen to imitate Corellia.
For years Mal ran the port, which he named "Ol'val", the Olys Corellisi word for "hello/goodbye", with a firm hand. What began as a simple base for him and the crew of his modest flotilla drew notice from the other fringe elements of galactic society, and soon they began to arrive in twos and threes. The simple cavern that Mal had dug became a system of shelves and tunnels, and workers were brought in to create a series of mining tunnels. A ramshackle community grew, and before Captain Mal knew it, he was in charge of a burgeoning city.
Death of the Captain
The illegal port ran successfully under Jerem Mal up until his death in 13 ABY. Without the guiding hand of the captain and his code of honor, the criminal elements that were attracted to Port Ol'val began pushing for more control. For a little over a decade, the situation was under control by Mal Company, the association of mercenaries and pirates that had grown out of Jerem Mal's original crews and their descendants. While the economy of the port shifted toward the drug trade and more contract killing, slavery was still outlawed. In 26 ABY, however, the Hutts of the Besadii clan were ousted from their home in Nal Hutta and scattered, with some of the crime lords finding residency in Port Ol'val. The Hutts, experienced as they were and accompanied by their retinues of Niktos and Klatooinians, quickly integrated themselves within the economy of their new home and brought with them the drugs, prostitutes, and slaves for which they were known. Arriving in force as they did, Mal Company was powerless to stop them.
The resulting influx of illegal goods and services caused Port Ol'val to become even more successful, and the credits generated by the unsavory business of the Hutts gave rise to a technological group known as Fly On The Wall. While none truly knew how many members the group could claim, FOTW dominated in the burgeoning electronic security field, and their utility and combat droids were in high demand. Once the economy stabilized, the dust cleared to find that the Hutts and FOTW were an even match for Mal Company in their own right, and something needed to be done in order to ensure that business continued as usual.
The Triumvirate
A meeting was held between Mal Company's Captains, the highest-ranking Besadii Hutts, and the droid-projected holograms of FOTW. In the interest of the continued prosperity of Port Ol'val, and the continued survival of each of the three groups, they became what would be known as the Triumvirate. With Mal Company's private army, the Besadii's credits, and FOTW's technological prowess, the Triumvirate would be able to stay above the minor criminal syndicates and control the interests of Port Ol'val. While the veneer of cordiality worked well to make others think them a solid whole, the Triumvirate nevertheless continued to jockey for position, each attempting to subtly undermine the others in order to become the more dominant group.
By the time Qel-Droman forces arrived on Ol'val, the triumvirate was stable. However, with the shadowy presence of the house came abrupt disruptions to their proceedings. As the port began to shift into the hands of the Arconans, Mal, FOTW, and the Hutts were all uncertain as to how to stop the transition.
Description
Kas Tunnel
An incoming pilot's introduction to Port Ol'val begins with Kas Tunnel. "Kas" is the Olys Corellisi word for "chaos", and the tunnel is aptly named as it winds in a corkscrew pattern into the asteroid. Equipped with magnetic shielding to keep in the artificial atmosphere, Kas Tunnel proves a challange to unwary or inexperienced pilots. Wrecked ships are regularly cleaned out of the tunnel by droids and salvage crews.
The Docks
A large part of the enormous cavern is taken up by the Docks, a system of shelves lining the interior of the asteroid just outside of the Kas Tunnel. The shelves are of many sizes, capable of housing anything from a snub fighter to a Corellian Corvette. Connecting the shelves to Port Ol'val proper are tunnels, know as the Ducts, all of which lead to Jerem Plaza. Prices for docking a ship are figured out according to how far away from Jerem Plaza the dock in question sits. All fees are put towards the maintenance of the Docks, aside from the costs of refueling the docked ships.
The Ducts
A series of winding tunnels, varying in width from four meters to ten, connect the Docks to Jerem Plaza. At irregular intervals, the tunnels open up to larger rooms, in which rough-and-tumbles bars are often established. Because of the way the Ducts lead exclusively to Jerem Plaza, the Mal Company supposedly controls who comes into the port and who leaves. Rumor has it that FOTW maintains their headquarters somewhere within the Ducts.
Jerem Plaza
Jerem Plaza was original site of Port Ol'val, as founded by Jerem Mal. Mal Company makes their home there, and it is from the Plaza that combined patrols of Mal soldiers and FOTW security droids originate. Constituting a large portion of the shadowport, the Plaza contains most of the more reputable cantinas and temporary living accommodations for visitors- for a price, of course. This section of Port Ol'val is noted to be one of the safer districts.
The Pride of Corellia
The Pride of Corellia, often shortened to "the Pride", is the living space for a majority of the beings who call Port Ol'val home. The miners, the employees of the Besadii, those of Mal Company with families, and many others live here within the apartments built into the artificial stalagmites and stalactites of the district and the wall of the asteroid. This area originally served as the home of the Corellian diaspora who flocked to Jerem Mal's private fiefdom, and its name comes from a speech in which he referred to the Corellians as such. Since his death, however, the Pride has become a home to many different species, and one never knows what one will find there.
Besadii Entertainment District
When the Hutts arrived at Port Ol'val, they had this area dug out on the other side of Jerem Plaza and the Minefield from the Pride, as if they wanted to ensure that the rabble would not bother them. The Besadii Entertainment District is lit up at all hours, and its expensive lodging and games of chance appeal to the crime lord with some credits to burn. The Besadii employ a good deal of beings from the Pride, and they offer everything from drugs, prostitutes, weapons, and slaves for sale to visitors. Even the locals have difficulty resisting the temptation to spend their hard-earned credits in the casinos or the red-light district. Only the wealthiest criminals reside within the District, where they maintain an imitation of high society, complete with galas and high-stakes games.
The Minefield
The original source of income for Port Ol'val, the Minefield is a system of mine shafts that pull ores from the surrounding rock. The mine is owned by Mal Company, ostensibly, and operated by beings from the Pride. Ever since the Hutts moved in and stole workers looking for what they believed would be easier work, the miners have been assisted by mining droids from FOTW.
The current headquarters of House Qel-Droma after the destruction of their former temple at the hands of the Yuuzhan Vong, this sprawling complex was an extension of the Black Sun holdout that was discovered by Marick Del'Abbot and Dralin Fortea. This base of operations is unique amongst the structures of Ol'val for many reasons, the chief among them being that it is a complete secret from the general populace. It is also self-sustaining and has direct access to every region within the asteroid by a series of concealed mag-car tunnels.