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| Whenua
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Harakoa
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8 BBY
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Harakoan
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Male
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10 Hands, 3 Fingers
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210 lbs
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Black
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Yellow
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Ornate Stump
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Traditional
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Chieftain
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Tribal Alliance Representative
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Dark Jedi Brotherhood Era
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Whenua is the International Leader of the Harakoan People. Acting as a representative of all tribes, he was originally a peacekeeper for various tribal groups before rising to the position of representative for Harakoan-Tythonian relations. He held this position until 37 ABY, when the planet was conquered and the Harakoan people decimated. He was imprisoned in Purity Rock alongside Gideon Varos, and was instrumental in uniting his people and bringing about the Treaty of Menat Ombo. He now serves as the representative of the Harakoan Tribal Alliance in international dealings on the planet.
History
Childhood and Adolescence
Born to the Iwu Gioki, Whenua was taken by his father, a Harakoan man named Nuahu'a, from a young age and brought to study under the Monastic Order of the Optui Turico in the hopes that he would one day join the Priesthood, and aid his people in maintaining harmony. He was raised this way until his eleventh year, when, during retaliation for the initial death of a settler on his tribe's Holy Blue Mountain, Nuahu'a would be killed by a Tythonian's blaster bolt.
Filled with rage, he would ignore the Priesthood's refusal to allow him to fight and leave their order, joining the cousin tribes of his own in the jungle as they fought back against the colonists. There he learned to fight with hide buckler, spear, and club, becoming a quick study of guerrilla tactics as he held back the colonists. Though the dust would settle, Whenua would forever be denied entry back into the Priesthood, nor did he seek it; instead, he worked within his people and with their cousin tribes to become a skilled defender of Harakoa, eventually becoming something of a leader among tribals.
Though the Jedi of Odan-Urr would work for peace throughout the years, outbreaks of fighting between colonist and Harakoan would continue, and Whenua would continue to find his way toward sating the desire for vengeance he felt within himself. It was in one such raid, a quite successful one against Vard Mislu, that Whenua would be forever maimed; driving Tythonian men and women toward the sea, their charge was halted when Jedi forces in the area arrived and demanded a halt in the atrocities.
Whenua engaged their leader, and through his skill in combat forced the Jedi's hand; his lightsaber would take the young Harakoan's arm, and wound his pride. Whenua was seventeen at the time of the injury, and while his fighting style and aggressive ways would be forever altered by the incident, it would work together with his father's death to ingrain a distrust for Jedi and Tythonians in his heart.
Adulthood
As an adult, Whenua remained a member of the Iwu Gioki, but became something of a nomad as he travelled between tribes and worked for the good of Harakoa. He would be seen again on the field against Tythonians, though he was forced to adapt his tactics and rely more on stealth and guerrilla ambushes on account of his wound. In his travels, he would gain favor with many Chieftans as their representative and would even be seen as a "War leader" for the few Gioki warriors, while learning the arts of mounted combat and honing his skills as a tactician. His anger at the Tythonian people would persist, though over time and peace negotiations with the Jedi it would wane to a more passive resistance, as he sought to maintain traditional Harakoan ways and practices.
It was at the age of twenty-five that he would first truly gain respect for the Jedi, as he met with their leader, Ji, over a scuffle with the Tythonian colony of Varri'alis. Whenua would come to know Ji over the proceeding months, and would even come to understand and tolerate his worldview, though his own beliefs remained strong. Over time, Ji and the Odanites would begin spanning bridges between Jedi and Harakoan, an act that would see some Harakoans aid in the creation of the Kotahitanga-Unity Defense Force to protect against the spectre of extraplanetary threats. Being both a faithful follower of his people's traditions and a stalwart for Harakoan supremacy, Whenua put little stock in these fears, but would nonetheless respect the need for cooperation.
It was in 35 ABY, when the forces of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood invaded Harakoa, that Whenua would get his first taste of true Galactic warfare. While the initial strikes of the Sith would be met by Harakoan warriors, they ended almost unanimously in slaughter, despite valiant efforts and brilliant tactics on the part of the Harakoan tribes; Brotherhood weaponry was too advanced, their tactics too brutal. Whenua's distrust for the Jedi would be replaced by gratitude as they turned to face the threat, bringing Mandalorians of Clan Ordo to bear against the Sith, and though the Jedi would lose they would forever gain an ally in Whenua - especially given the regard they gave toward saving Harakoans alongside Tythonians from destruction.
Whenua's trust in the Jedi would remain in the following years, even as Tythonian trust of the Jedi would wane and the terrorist actions of the New Dawn would begin to surface in the Tythonian city of Menat Ombo. The actions there would shake many of the tribes, turning them against the colonists anew, leading to a series of altercations that would have boiled over into all-out war had Whenua not intervened and negotiated on their behalf. However, the events would drive a wedge between the two people, while the Gioki - now well into his middle years - would be wounded by the apparent death of Ji at the hands of Cy Thuron. Leading Harakoan efforts to track the terrorist, he was unsuccessful in apprehending the man, but would go on to become the lead representative for Harakoan-Tythonian relations after Thuron's disappearance from New Tython.
Imprisonment
At the dawn of 36 ABY, Whenua was among his people when the forces of the Thuron Monarchy launched their surprise assault against New Tython, crippling the many Harakoan tribes on the world and sending millions into hiding. The Iwu Gioki, smashed by the assault and forced into seclusion, saw thousands of their kind among those forced into Purity Rock by Thuron's forces. Though he resisted for weeks, Whenua, alongside other Chieftans and leaders of his kind, was eventually rounded up and forced into imprisonment. He would be joined weeks later by Gideon Varos, at the time the Prime Minister of Menat Ombo.
Growing a special hatred for Vorlem Tytis, the warden of Purity Rock, Whenua would go to great lengths to preserve his people and maintain hope in the face of the Monarch's atrocities. Tytis, once known as the "Blue Butcher" for his serial killings of Harakoans prior to the Fall of New Tython, would go to great lengths to starve and kill tens of thousands of Harakoans at a time - presumably just to cleanse them from the world. Over the weeks that followed, thousands of colonists would be forced into the Rock as well, and would be beaten and emaciated much like the natives.
Though distrustful of Tythonians, Whenua would find himself in desperate straits and would be forced to work with Varos in keeping the prisoners from killing one another, and focused on the hope of eventual escape. In this, the two became united in tales of their work with the Odanite Jedi, and would grow to become friends. It was in this time that Whenua and Gideon both faced starvation, disease, and severe mistreatment at the hands of their captors - a fate that pushed them both near death. Over the course of months, Whenua's muscle and fat seemed to disappear, his face and body becoming gaunt and skeletal. Still, his faith in the Jedi and their return would remain strong, and he would frequently pray to the Great Father that they might return from the stars soon to face the False King.
It was during the imprisonment of the Knights of Allusis that Whenua saw his prayers answered, and he quickly worked with Gideon and V'yr Vorsa, then-Knight Commander, to weaken the stun collars of the Jedi and unite the prisoners for a future breakout. After weeks in captivity, their plans came to fruition as Strike-Team Ooroo and the Disciples of Baas assailed Purity Rock, crippling its defenses and forcing its guards to fall back on the facility's failsafes to hold off a Jedi assault. It only took Vorsa and the Jedi gaining freedom from their collars - and returned use of the Force - for them to break into the compound and fight their way through the rear of the guards. Once the armory fell, the fight became a Thuronian massacre, as every prisoner that fell took ten guards with them.
While the Jedi escaped onboard two pirate corvettes, the Harakoans would escape into the Hunonum Desert to the north, eventually coming upon the mountains on the edge of Owyhyee. Whenua, raised in a mountain tribe, was instrumental in uniting them all and seeing them to safety, where they were met by KUDF forces bearing supplies, armor, weapons, and equipment. A months-long effort to resuscitate, heal, and train the Harakoans for battle against Thuron would begin, which would see many of Whenua's misgivings toward Tythonians evaporate in favor of what modern tech, tactics, and cooperation could do for his people.
Signing the Treaty
What would follow was dubbed the Liberation of New Tython, as this new force - the Harakoan Tribal Army - would move in alongside the KUDF to liberate the Dac Compound. From there, they would move in to conquer the towns of Tanduran and Vard Mislu, before Whenua and the Tribal Army massed in the fields of Menat Ombo to draw out Thuron's army. Whenua - now seen as Chieftan for the entire army - brought together the elderly, the sick, and the crippled for the assault, with thousands giving their lives in a battle that drew out the bulk of the soldiers of fortune within. Meanwhile, KUDF forces and the healthy majority of the Tribal Army blasted their way through the walls of the ruined It'kla District, moving throughout the city to take the many districts while the Jedi took on Thuron and his Jedi Killers. In the end, the combined offensive and loss of their stronghold caused Thuronian forces to scatter or surrender en masse, validating the sacrifice of so many Harakoan lives for peace on the planet.
All the while, Whenua would move to secure Harakoan freedom, dignity, and protection in the drafting of the Treaty of Menat Ombo. Upon signing, he would become the representative of a new nation, comprised of tribes that would keep their sovereignty, borders, and dignity while embracing a new future of prosperity, advancement, and peace - the Harakoan Tribal Alliance.
Characteristics
Personality
Once a hard-liner for Harakoan traditionalism, Whenua had gradually shifted toward a shared-world perspective before the invasion of the Thuron Monarchy. Having been forced together with his own kind and those Cy deemed traitors en masse, his perspectives have changed wildly, while his feelings toward the Jedi have gone from seeing them as well-intentioned outsiders to accepting them as the protectors they need to be. He is known to pray for their return daily, while still working to keep his people strong and alive.
Always a natural leader, Whenua's hardships have made his resolve a will of iron, and cemented his belief in the continuation of the Harakoan people. Furthermore, he has been thrust moreso than anyone into the obvious fact that the Harakoans are not alone in the universe, and are hilariously outgunned by all modern standards; slowly, through interaction with the Jedi and Gideon, he has been shifting toward the opinion that Harakoan society largely needs to become more modern. Even so, he is one of the loudest voices against their total assimilation into modern society, and thinks that the tribes can adapt without losing their identity.
Physical Appearance
Whenua is a tall Harakoan, sturdy of build and rugged of feature. His missing arm has not lent itself to weakness, and rather has made the Chieftan stronger than ever before, hence his ability to hold on to power and influence. Though once hale and healthy, he has seen some heavy weight loss within Purity Rock, and has seen some inevitable atrophy and sickness due to the experience. However, despite sunken eyes and weakening limbs, he retains more strength and command than most of his peers, thanks largely to the actions of Gideon Varos. Today he begins to show signs of recovery as weight and strength slowly return, yet the graying of his hair and lines of his face show that his ordeal has forever changed him.
Trivia
- Whenua is one of Odan-Urr's oldest NPCs, featuring in some of their earliest events.
- Until the Fall of New Tython, Whenua was largely undefined, seeing more fleshing out as part of the event's Saga.