Ophuchi Clan

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Brandon Rhea

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The Ophuchi Clan
"For it is written, the Ophuchi shall inherit the desert."

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History
The Jedi Bendu
To truly understand who we are, you must go back thousands upon thousands of years and look at a group of people you’ve undoubtedly never heard of, for their very existence has been erased from the annals of history by the forces of corruption that hide in the shadows of the cosmos. These lost people are the Order of the Jedi Bendu.

In the beginning, there were two brothers who learned to know the Force. They knew only of the most basic intricacies of its powers, but remained unaware of its difference aspects and the duality of its nature. Overtime, the elder brother began to use the Force for his own personal gain, growing his own power, expanding his wealth, and seducing women whenever it suited him.


Thus came the distinction between the light side and the dark side. They called these the Ashla and the Bogan. The followers of the darkness embraced the Bogan, while the protectors of the light carried the torch of the Ashla. In the end these two brothers fought one another, and the light overcame the darkness—as it always does. The elder brother fell, and the younger brother was left to mourn the loss. But this was not the end of their struggle, nor was it the end of the struggle between good and evil.


With good having triumphed in the first battle, the remaining brother, his name being Michael, gathered his people, the Ophuchi Tribe, and left their world for the Promised Land, a planet lost to the ages. It was there that they forged a new order, the Order of the Jedi Bendu, and swore themselves to be the guardians of peace in the galaxy.


They began thousands of years of peace in their corner of the galaxy, and ultimately spread to the stars and worlds beyond, becoming the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic when it was founded roughly 12,000 years ago. The two peoples existed in harmony, and had a strong alliance with one another.


That was, of course, until the schism.


In 15,147 BBY, a corrupt Supreme Chancellor called Alora Tabes came to power. She had strong religious convictions, ones that differed greatly from the Jedi Bendu. She felt herself unable to associate with individuals she so strongly opposed, and so she began introducing new religious ideas amongst the ranks of the Jedi Bendu. Many Jedi Bendu, although proud in their heritage, began to accept these new ideas, splitting the order in two.


This schism destroyed the Jedi Bendu, and even led to a violent skirmish in their great temple on Coruscant. Dozens were killed and hundreds were wounded. A few brave Jedi Bendu Masters, led by Zios Malachor and Adena Qel-Droma, chose to remain faithful to their traditions. Malachor began organizing other loyalists in order to flee from the Republic that would soon begin persecuting them, but Qel-Droma was captured by Chancellor Tabes’ forces. For her so-called crimes, Qel-Droma was cryogenically frozen and shot into space, her capsule left floating through the cosmos for thousands of years.


Malachor was able to escape, and he and his followers returned to the Promised Land and forged the Bendu Order. On Coruscant, those who followed the Supreme Chancellor reformed themselves into the Jedi Order, and all traces of the Jedi Bendu were erased from the Republic’s history and most of galactic history. Were the truth to ever come out, it would devastate the very foundations of the galaxy.
Elias, the first Ophuchi
Many Jedi Bendu, however, did not join either the Jedi or the Bendu, instead dispersing throughout the galaxy. Some came together for a short time in their own collectives, but ultimately they went their separate ways as well.

Thousands of years went by until anyone in the Republic or the surrounding systems heard of the Jedi Bendu. In the few years after the war between the Republic and the Alsakan Union, a moisture farmer named Elias lived in the desert wastes of Halm. His was a broken spirit, one of loneliness and hopelessness. Little did he know that he had a much greater destiny.


A woman appeared to him in the desert. She called herself Kara, and the only thing he knew to describe her was that she was an angel. “I saw an angel blazing with the light of God,” he said, “calling me towards a greater purpose.” She spoke the will of the Force and told him all about the Jedi Bendu, and she sent him on his journey to bring the lost children of the Jedi Bendu together, for theirs would be an important destiny.


Elias spent years searching the galaxy for signs of Jedi Bendu heritage, finding a number of possible descendents. Nothing was conclusive, however, but he felt confident that he was on the right path. They would soon have to choose where to settle, but they had few options. Kara told Elias that their people were to be simple, not extravagant. They would be a closely guarded secret that would wait for the time when the destiny of all their children would be made manifest.


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Path
When Elias first formed the Ophuchi Clan, he envisioned a society that respected, studied, and understood the Force, but one that did not use it. It is his belief that such power brought great responsibilities, and he does not think it right for the Ophuchi to sit and wait for their own destinies if they are going to wield the Force and not outwardly use it to help protect the galaxy.

To that end, he wanted to create a small civilization in the sanctuary on Tatooine, never reaching over a few hundred people, that would go about their lives in daily community jobs and tasks. Children are to choose which jobs they want, and if such a job is available they begin a period of apprenticeship with an adult already gifted in that field. When the child is of appropriate age, they formally assume that job and, eventually, become a master as well.


Elias did understand at the outset, however, that some of the individuals who joined the Ophuchi from the beginning would be Force sensitive and, because of that, already trained to use the Force, particularly if they were Jedi. He did not make it an official policy to train the Ophuchi or to insist that they were a Force-using faction, due to his beliefs on responsibility, but he never disallowed it either.


Even for those who do not wield the Force, Elias set up a spiritual training ritual for all Ophuchi to follow, based closely on the ancient ways of the Jedi Bendu. It requires an Ophuchi to have the most profound commitment and an astute mind.


The life of an Ophuchi is a life of devotion to history, to destiny, to the galaxy, and to the Force. An Ophuchi is restless to play their part in the salvation of the galaxy, yet content to settle in one location like the desert wastes. They are free spirited, but they recognize the importance of their group. They think both inwardly and outwardly, knowing the importance of self-examination while also being keenly aware of the outside. They are, essentially, monks of prophecy.


An Ophuchi’s life is also one of sacrifice, forsaking the material world for the simple spiritual existence that was cultivated in the underground caverns of their sanctuary. Young Ophuchi are expected to always keep and learn a strong sense of self-discipline, faith, and prayer in their lives. Emotions such as anger, hatred, and fear are not shied away from. It is expected that they would be explored for understanding, but ultimately controlled. Kindness, compassion, and love are expected at all times. Evil and darkness are forbidden.


All Ophuchi learn to respect and understand the powers of the Force, even if they do not use it. The history of the galaxy and the philosophy of the Jedi Bendu, the Jedi, and the Dark Jedi of the Bogan are all required learning.


When an Ophuchi’s education ends, they are put through two trials to demonstrate their commitment to and understanding of the ways of the Ophuchi, just as the Jedi Bendu were. The first is the Trial of Wills, which is a physical challenge meant to test both physical and mental devotion to strain. The second is the Trial of Fear, which fully engages and tests an Ophuchi’s mind to determine their readiness to fully embrace the life of an Ophuchi.


With all of those things in mind, one can truly be considered an Ophuchi.


Religion

The religion of the Ophuchi is a religion based on the principles of truth, understanding, and enlightenment. From great scrolls found deep beneath the former Bogan Temple on Ando Prime, Elias learned a number of the galaxy’s secrets, beyond just the truth about the Jedi Bendu. Some of these are passed down to other Ophuchi, but most remain guarded in locations throughout the galaxy, including a sealed chamber in the Ophuchi sanctuary that could only be opened by the Chosen One whenever he or she arose.

This Chosen One was an individual spoken of in prophecy. According to the ancient prophecies of Michael, who was a seer, a person called the Son of the Suns would rise during the time of greatest despair and become the savior of the galaxy. Kara told Elias that it was the destiny of the Ophuchi to aid in the Chosen One’s quest by setting him off onto his or her journey. She did not, however, tell him when the Chosen One would be born and arise, so the Ophuchi were forced to wait.


In the meantime, they worship the great powers of the Force and respect its mysteries, as well as the mysteries that the universe itself has to offer.


Being future-minded, the Ophuchi are very strongly connected to the ideas of prophecy and destiny. They believe it is not only their duty to be on Tatooine, but that it is their destiny. Elias, speaking from an ancient text lost to the known galaxy, told his followers that "For it is written, the Ophuchi shall inherit the desert." They respect the desert, particularly the Dune Sea in which they live, where others fear it and hate it. They believe it is their destiny to watch over and protect the desert.


One of the fundamental aspects of the Ophuchi religion is the Pillars of Strength adopted from the Jedi Bendu. Elias told his first followers that the strength of the Ophuchi would rest on these five major principles: self-discipline, knowledge, divine faith, prayer, and enlightenment in the Force. If an Ophuchi is to fully devote themselves to these principles, they can solve any problem and overcome any obstacle.


Hierarchy

For the most part, the Ophuchi Clan is communal. Decisions are made primarily as a group, but some of the bigger decisions come down from a Council of Elders. One of these elders is the leader of the Ophuchi, who acts as its voice and spiritual guide. No other hierarchy, save for this Council of Elders, exists in the Ophuchi, as the Clan is not meant to be rigidly structured.

Specializations

A number of specialized roles, not counting the daily jobs, were adopted from the Jedi Bendu into the Ophuchi. They include the following:

Archaeologist - an Ophuchi archaeologist is one who specializes in gaining historical knowledge through archaeology by being sent on expeditions across the known galaxy. The primary motive of this is to learn more and gain more historical evidence about the Jedi Bendu and the other hidden truths of the galaxy.


Historian - an Ophuchi historian specializes in chronicling the history of the galaxy from the beginning of recorded time to the present, particularly new information learned by the archaeologists. Often times these two specializations overlap. Historians also act as librarians, administrating the collections of scrolls and knowledge in the sanctuary.


Sage - an Ophuchi sage is an individual who studied under an elder and dedicated themselves to achieving enlightenment. They study and learn to understand the mysteries of the Force, and they have deep insights into its philosophies and powers. Ophuchi sages believe it is important to make contact with the Jedi Order to maintain an understanding of the Jedi, but they will only do so without revealing who they are.


Resources

The Ophuchi live deep in the Dune Sea, many kilometers from Anchorhead. They are near an ancient and forgotten temple, the Temple of Desire, but they live in their own hidden and secret underground sanctuary. The Ophuchi sanctuary was built on top of one of the few areas of the planet with underground moisture, allowing them a cooler environment as well as water to help them live and grow.

It can be difficult to attain food, resources, and other supplies necessary for the sustaining of life in the Dune Sea, but they manage to do so. Using money collected from members of the Ophuchi who held that wealth before joining with Elias, they're able to acquire the resources they need in Anchorhead, Mos Eisley, and the other settlements across the planets. Rarely, but when necessary, the Ophuchi are forced to resort to stealing what they need.
 
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