Mandalorians

[Aedan Archer]

Is anyone able to share me links containing the forum's information on the Mandalorians as a people? I can't remember if it is possible for Mandalorians to be force-sensitive, but if so is it possible for a Mandalorian to be taken into the Jedi Order or Sith Empire? I am making a Jedi Initiate character who comes from a war-torn world and whose culture and people live and breathe battle. I thought the Mandalorian and Echani fit this well, but as I want my character to look more human I was hoping Mandalorian would be the better pick. I just want to make sure that if I go this route, I have accurate information for his backstory.

 

[Richie B.]

http://www.thestarwarsrp.com/forum/index.php?forums/mandalorian-dominion.622/

That is our current mandalorian faction.

Currently Mandalorians aren't in face a people but a culture which anyone can be a part of. So Mandalorians can be force sensitive they can be trained to be Mandalorian before joining the Jedi/Sith and that is still fine.

@Arclight and others apart of that faction can be of more help.

 

[Aedan Archer]

Thank you for that. I had a difficult time finding the link for the faction. I have a couple follow-up questions though as a result of reading through this.
1) With the prospect of a force-sensitive Mandalorian joining the Jedi or Sith, what impact does that have on the force-sensitive's relationship with the Mandalorians? Do Mandalorians frown upon them, believing that by joining the Order they are abandoning their ways, their culture, and their people?

2) How likely is it to have infighting with the Mandalorians (clan vs clan) in general and in this timeline? The idea I have is that my character was brought up and raised in war but rather than growing up with the same blood lust, he saw and learned early the damage that war brings and thus desires to heal and restore rather than harm and take. Though he tries to follow these core beliefs of his through his Jedi teachings, his native battle lust still yearns inside of him and he often finds himself conflicted by what he is and what he strives to become. I am hoping to implement some clan vs clan battles in his backstory but I just don't know if it works.

3) Where does the Mandalorian Dominion stand in relation to the Mandalorians as a whole? Is this a union of all clans or is it simply the strongest and most prominent faction of Mandalorians? Does the Dominion speak for the culture as a whole or just a select few?

4) What are some planets that the Mandalorians occupy in which could potentially be my character's homeworld?

I have more, but i'll stop with these for now. Thanks for the help!

 

[Richie B.]

http://www.thestarwarsrp.com/forum/index.php?threads/faction-territories.64242/

The yellow is Mandalorian territory. From my understanding the domain is all if not most of the clans united under a single banner. Don't think there is a lot of Clan vs clan action currently in the past maybe. As per the force user thing depends on the mandalorian I guess but I don't think you can be a part of the Mandalorian faction and the Jedi/Sith faction at least I think. Again not the best to ask, but that is about everything I know. Currently nursing a headache for studying and getting pepper spray in police academy training. (fun times)

So good luck I'm sure you will get to do what you want man.

 

[Vosrik]

Another note as per the Time Skip landing on May 4th, the Mandalorian Dominion will actually be absorbing a portion of Republic territory and become their own Main Faction alongside the Jedi and the Sith Empire. We'll be jumping ahead 5 years into the IC future - just something to think about if you're creating a new character!

 

[Kori Buor]

Thank you for that. I had a difficult time finding the link for the faction. I have a couple follow-up questions though as a result of reading through this.
1) With the prospect of a force-sensitive Mandalorian joining the Jedi or Sith, what impact does that have on the force-sensitive's relationship with the Mandalorians? Do Mandalorians frown upon them, believing that by joining the Order they are abandoning their ways, their culture, and their people?

2) How likely is it to have infighting with the Mandalorians (clan vs clan) in general and in this timeline? The idea I have is that my character was brought up and raised in war but rather than growing up with the same blood lust, he saw and learned early the damage that war brings and thus desires to heal and restore rather than harm and take. Though he tries to follow these core beliefs of his through his Jedi teachings, his native battle lust still yearns inside of him and he often finds himself conflicted by what he is and what he strives to become. I am hoping to implement some clan vs clan battles in his backstory but I just don't know if it works.

3) Where does the Mandalorian Dominion stand in relation to the Mandalorians as a whole? Is this a union of all clans or is it simply the strongest and most prominent faction of Mandalorians? Does the Dominion speak for the culture as a whole or just a select few?

4) What are some planets that the Mandalorians occupy in which could potentially be my character's homeworld?

I have more, but i'll stop with these for now. Thanks for the help!

Hey there, I'll try and help you out! Richie B did a pretty good job, though, so props to him.

1) Mandalorians generally find it somewhat taboo to use the Force. It's not so much that they're abandoning their ways, as a Mandalorian who is in the order can still show their heritage and culture to a certain extent, but mostly because the Dominion and the Mandalorian people find the Force to be a crutch, and they find the Sith, in particular, to be manipulative and power hungry and generally distrustful. The Jedi, on the other hand, tend to represent their antithesis, a group of monks trying to bring peace and justice with their magics... not exactly something most "normal" Mandos would agree with. Of course, individuals are allowed to think and feel however they wish. Now, there is an exception to this which I will get to in Answer 3.

2) Not particularly, before the Dominion there was about 25ish years of rule under the Republic which would have kept it relatively safe, as well Mandalore being a part of the Border Alliance. Inter-clan warfare would have been very unusual, though not completely unheard of. It is possible that two smaller clans on a backwater world of Mandalorian space could have gotten away with some small blood feud, but anything larger than that is unlikely. Basically, while most Mandalorians might not be surprised, it's occurrence would be like any sort of tragic violent event we hear about in today's world, perhaps even less so, and probably not on the scale you're thinking of. (Also, just a side note, Mandos don't really go in for the whole blood lust this TL. They enjoy war and fighting, and have caused a fair amount of damage because of it, but they don't take on any sort of frenzied space barbarian aspects.)

That being said, I do think if done correctly a Mandalorian Jedi could be really interesting to read. Lots of growth and potential for a character like that.

3) The Dominion represents all Mandalorian space and all of the clans and houses that are still "true" Mandalorians. There are, however, some clans who joined the Sith Brotherhood/Empire many decades ago that might work for your character. However, it should be noted that these Mandalorians are not viewed as true Mandalorians by literally the rest of the Galaxy. So, you wouldn't be a Mando from Mandalore and still be on good terms with most Mandalorians for being a Jedi or Sith, but you can be one of the breakaway Sith Mandos and be on good terms with... well other Sith-aligned Mandos. Back to your original question, though, basically view the Dominion as the official government of what you would normally think of as Mandalorian. Any clan that does not fall under the Dominion would be disavowed and basically hunted by the Dominion as traitors and oath breakers.

4) For True Mandalorians that would be Mandalore, Concordia, Kalevala, Concord Dawn, Krownest, (not sure if Vhett got approved), and I'm sure you could even use some of the Legends planets like Ordo or Shogun if you'd like. As far as Sith worlds I have no idea.

Anyways, best of luck, and if you have any other questions feel free to ask.

 

[Aedan Archer]

If you dont mind me asking, what would a Jedi-Mando built right look like exactly?

 

[Kori Buor]

I don't think there's so much of a "right" build as there is a wrong one. Basically, don't make him a stereotype or a Mary Sue. Don't make him some god of combat, and give him reasoning and justification to his desire to fight beyond "he's a Mandalorian." For example, go into detail about his formative years when he was a Mandalorian and why/what makes him yearn for combat. What sort of fulfillment does he get by it and why? Now, apply this to him being a Jedi and trying to cope with the more pacifistic tendencies of the Jedi, or at the very least, their desire to not wage war for the sake of fighting. Don't just have him be "Oh well he's a Mando so he wants to fight because that's what Mandos do, but he's a Jedi, so he struggles." Really get into the meat of that struggle and make it interesting; make his reasonings relatable to the reader as far as why he desires to fight and then make the reader feel his struggle to overcome that aspect.

Have him struggle and be real, not just a caricature of a Mandalore, a Jedi, or a hybrid of the two. Make sure he's unique and a person with fears, doubts, desires, goals. I guess my best advice is to make him as normal as one can be while being both Mandalorian and a Jedi, then use that and how he's not perfect or super awesome to tell an interesting story.

Now, looking back on it that may seem rather advanced, so my suggestion is to start small and build into it so you don't overwhelm yourself, just keep three main things in mind. He should not be 1) A Mando/Jedi Stereotype, 2) A Mary Sue good at all the things character, and 3) Make him relatable. In that order.

 

[Aedan Archer]

I apologize if it seems like I am having others do my work for me, but I just have a couple follow-up questions. I have done SW RP for a while now but honestly I have never looked too far into the Mandalorians.

1) If it is not "I love to fight because I am Mandalorian," what is it exactly? I know the battle lust isnt genetic, but what is the root cause for a Mandalorian's love of battle and war? Is it purely environmental; my grandpa lived to fight, my oa lived to fight, now I live to fight- or is it more than that?

2) My character will be taken to join the Order at a young age. He will be playable at the age of 10-11 pre time skip and 15-16 post. He would have a fair amount of training as a youngling, but I also want him to have characteristics of his roots. I want some internal conflict; a desire to do good, to heal and nurture the Force, yet a deep seeded passion for war and battle. He hates war and what it represents, how it kills and harms so many. Yet he feels most alive when he is in the middle of it. I am a little lost on how i go about doing this.

 

[Kori Buor]

It is easy to portray Mandalorians as loving battle because they are Mandalorians, but this (in my opinion anyways) is boring and lazy and really makes one lose out on a lot of storytelling and character development.

To answer your question, it's partly environmental. It's a warrior tradition that has been passed down for generations, so yes it is likely your ancestors and extended family lived to fight, but why did they live to fight? Let me ask you this then, when you think about fairly popular warrior cultures, Celts, Vikings, Samurai, etc. Do you think simply "Oh they love to fight because they are X" or do you think that maybe there's more to it than that? I mean, sure, you can say that and you'd be right, but it's a gross oversimplification. It would be like saying, "Oh, I love to pray because I'm, say, Christian." Sure, you are, but deep down you do it because some part of you gets fulfillment out of it. The reasoning goes deeper than simply it's because who they are. Now, I'd challenge you to think up a reasoning for your character's enjoyment of combat. Is it because he gets a thrill? Because he aspires to be like great past Mandalorians deep down as a part of some childhood fantasy he never grew out of? He finds something about it glorious and fulfilling? Why does he find it fulfilling? What drives him? It's your character man, go to town!

 

[Wit]

Going on what you've said so far about your character, with him being taken to the Jedi to train at a young age, he would in all probability be mandalorian in name alone. No matter how talented, he would hardly have picked up any mandalorian traits in the short time he was among then.

As for the character trait of wanting to be good but only feeling alive in battle, you could do that without making him a Mandalorian. He could simply have a slight disposition towards violence, a personality trait that makes him what he is instead of a certain kind of heritage.

 

[Aedan Archer]

@Wit i get what you saying. So far in my character creation, I've grown fond of the idea of him being split by what he is versus what he strives to be. I wanted him expose to the culture of his people, to see a little of how they live, what they do, and the impact they have on the galaxy.
Perhaps it is faint, dormant memories of seeing the carnage of war inflicted by his people (maybe he traveled with his family as a young child as they raided? Would mandalorians do that and if so, what would be the age children get to go or at least observe battle?). If its memories, maybe its the legacy of the people that he comes from? Perhaps as a youngling, he embraced his heritage as Mandalorian and he was inspired by his lineage to take battle more serious than others. Maybe when he got older and got to the horror of war and carnage, perhaps dealt by Mandalorians affiliated with the Sith, thus tarnishing the image he had of a proud and glorious people?

 

[Wit]

Perhaps as a youngling, he embraced his heritage as Mandalorian and he was inspired by his lineage to take battle more serious than others. Maybe when he got older and got to the horror of war and carnage, perhaps dealt by Mandalorians affiliated with the Sith, thus tarnishing the image he had of a proud and glorious people?

This bit's really cool, I really like that! You have a character who has this image of his people, maybe there are some other younglings who think differently and he has had to grow up defending Mandalorians to his peers, and then when he realizes that the truth doesn't completely match with his idealized image he has to cope with that. A lot of scope for really good character development! Even your first line, being split between what he is and what he wants to be, that alone has the makings of a really good character! Looking forward to seeing what you're going to do with this character, looks like he's gonna be an exciting addition to the story!

 

[Aedan Archer]

The character pre- time skip will be of the mentality that he idolizes his heritage and where he comes from. Perhaps this leads some resentment towards the Order for denying him the potential glory he could have achieved as a Mandalorian. He will experience the carnage done by the Sith aligned Mandalorians during the 5 year intermittent (towards the end), which will start his shift in thought and action.

The idea here is that he is a warrior-minded individual that desires harmony and rejuvenation for the galaxy. He embraces his brutal savagery and molds it with his proficiency with the healing arts and support. I'd go as far and say that his passion to heal extends beyond the physical realm. He believes the Force needs a cleansing and that the dark side corrupts too many. Since the Sith affiliated Mandalorian kickstarted the change in him, he may hold the dark side responsible for tarnishing and corrupting the Mandalorian name; that his quest to heal the force of the dark side may not only bring harmony to the galaxy but will end the war and, which will help unite the Mandalorians again.

Does this seem like a stretch?