Tutelas Order

The Tutelas Order(Also known as The Ancient Knights of Order and formerly The Galactic Organization) was an Order of sentients who served the Republic back around the very formation of the Republic, up until the formation of the Jedi Order was created. The Knights and Jedi fought each other in a small war, as the Jedi saw the Knights as an abomination and the Knights thought the Jedi were an enemy trying to replace them. In the end, the Knights lost and were exiled after being framed for several crimes not committed by them.

They accepted the exile, but vowing they they would not die out and that their Order would live on. They kept true to their word, staying in the shadows and keeping their Order alive for thousands upon thousands of years, doing what they can to put a stop to the corruption and crime, as well as the Jedi, all in the name of The Order and the Republic. But they soon had a new enemy to face eventually, one more powerful then the Jedi: The Sith.

The Beginning
The Tutelas Order have existed for thousands of years, even before the rise of the Jedi Order. They served as guardians and protectors of the Republic. Unlike the Jedi though, who refuse to give into emotions, Passions, and the Dark Side, The Tutelas Order have learned to use a combination of both Light and Dark powers without risking themselves. They see both the "Light Side" and the "Dark Side" as just beliefs and their powers as abilities, but know not to over use them. Most records predating back to this time are either locked away in the Republic History Archives or lost. How they were first formed together and who was the man or woman responsible for their creation is unknown to any who live to this day.

Their Service... and Their fall...
The Tutelas Order has served The Republic and all its people for thousands of years from the Evils that wish to destroy or corrupt it, Both Paladins and Knights ready to risk their lives for those in need. Then one day, all that changed when a new group entered the Galaxy: The Jedi. Their beliefs and teachings saw the Order of the Holy Knights as an abomination and was slowly killing the Republic. When they were ordered to stand down and let the Jedi take their place as Guardians, the Knights and Paladins refused, and a small civil war broke out between the Jedi and the Knights. The war lasted for two years before the Knights were later framed for Murder and Conspiracy and were branded as Assassins then Knights, and were banished by the Republic with the help of the Jedi. Without a Choice, the Knights and Paladins left Republic space and went towards the Outer Rim. But it would not be the last time the Jedi would hear from them.

As the years went by which turned into Thousands of years, both the Jedi and Knights grew in numbers, The Jedi Order now large and was the now what the Knights and Paladins once were: The Guardians of the Republic and its People. Many thought the Tutelas Order was all but dead, but they were wrong, Far from it. As most either died or left the order, several stayed true to their Order, and recorded everything that would be needed to revive their Order. Everything from there teachings, there beliefs, there history, all recorded so when they were gone, ones who discovered their teachings would one day revive there long lost order and strike back at the Jedi, once and for all.

Even though they were thought to not exist, they continued to serve the Republic and it's people, but from the shadows and through contacts who still were loyal to the Knights. Years turned into decades, and centuries turned into thousands of years, and the Knights continued their duty, never being discovered by Jedi. If discovered, they did their best to cover their tracks, even as going as far to kill the Jedi who knew of their existence.

Revival
Braig Lomax, Once known as Darth Maleficus when he was a Sith Lord, was killed by the infamous Darth Traya Around the time before The Mandalorian Wars and his soul was trapped in her tomb for his failure to kill her, until the Sith Lord Darth Mulluns came to the tomb around 3,500 BBY, sensing the strong presence there. Maleficus seized his chance and possessed the Sith Lord, using his body as his own, and went by a new name: The Unknown. For years, he studied on what has happened in the past years, and discovered the Republic...The True Republic, before the Jedi came. He started an uprising, forming the Knights and Paladins who stayed in the shadows to his cause, The Tutelas Order was reformed and they set their sights on The Sith.

Over the next following years, the Tutelas rose to power, and had one goal: Wipe out both the Jedi and Sith and revert the Republic back to the way it was. Braig also met several people who he fought and was helped and he helped:
 * The Ghost, a former rogue.
 * Scurge, a former Sith
 * Kira Marda, later to be Braig's future wife.
 * Agricola Marcetta, former Jedi General

Some helped him, some tried to kill him, He waged war on the Jedi and Sith for years, eventually siding with one just to use them. As the wars waged on, Mulluns got free from The Unknown's spirit holding him and died in a dual with Jedi Master C, though The Unknown has had enough time to fully regain his physical appearance, and the Jedi and Republic were in ruin, and they weren't by him, but by the Sith.

When he realized the Sith was too powerful, and if they weren't stooped, all would be lost. He went to the Gray Jedi Josh Cambell, and they both allied with each other in an attempt to rebuild the Republic, back to the way it was. In time, he married Kira, and had two children, a boy, and a girl. As he aged on, and the new Republic was made, he went by his old birth name Braig Lomax and knew his children would be the new masters of the Order. By now, he was nearing an Old man and he knew he could no longer help the Tutelas in Combat and that his children, Dallen and Caren, would soon become strong Knights that would lead the Tutelas to victory.

Soon, he passed on and his son took up the title of Grand Master and turned to the Sith who had been in a thorn in the Galaxy for so long. No one knows how long the battle lasted, but it was known that Dallen eventually managed to persuade The King of Iridonia Faccio Feldroth to work together in this time of need, as well as keeping his eye on the slowly recovering Jedi Order.

A new threat
Several thousand years later. The Tutelas remained alive by existing in the shadows once more after yet another powerful battle in the past left them crippled and forced to retreat into the unknown regions of space to escape annihilation. They saw what had happened in the past as they overheard the news on The Sith being wiped out on Ruusan and how the Jedi was weak, but not weak enough to be eliminated. And so they waited for the right moment to strike, and before they could, they had nearly failed their primary goal as they witnessed Supreme Chancellor Palpatine ascend in the politics and doing what they had never thought be done. When he transformed the Republic the Tutelas had sworn to protect turn into a Galactic Empire and Palpatine an Emperor, they knew they had waited too long, and must strike.

It was only after three failed assassination attempts on Palpatine that the Tutelas realized they were dealing was not an Emperor, but a Sith Lord. This set things back and knew that a full frontal assault on him would be a mistake, as his Empire outnumbered the Tutelas by thousands, if not more. But not only did they have to deal with Palpatine, who's true Sith name turned out to be Darth Sidious, but also his apprentice Darth Vader and their Imperial Army which was soon spreading. After years of watching the former Republic spread out and inspire fear throughout the galaxy, and all the Tutelas could do was watch and observe.

However, soon there was a new organization that emerged, one who opposed The Empire: The Rebel Alliance, the remnants of the old Republic that were not absorbed into The Empire. Seizing this opportunity, The remaining Paladins of the Tutelas emerged and joined the Rebels for their cause, posing as former mercs and former Storm Troopers while the Knights focused on dealing out with Sidious and Vader. After years of serving both factions in this civil war, things soon came to a climax as a large battle was taking place over the Moon of Endor. While the Paladins aided how they could, the Knights found they had yet another problem among themselves.

Revenge and Peace
Both Darth Vader and Darth Sidious were responsible for the near extinction of The Jedi Order, which was one of the only good things that came out of them, but they knew there would always be survivors, and one happened to be one known as Luke Skywalker. Not knowing if he was from the old Order or if he was new, the Knights knew he was strong and that he could possibly pose a threat to them once the battle was over. Posing as two Imperial Royal Guards while suppressing their Force Presence, they managed to get onto the Emperor's Royal Guard unit as they escorted him on The second Death Star. There, they witnessed some of the space battle outside, and the battle with Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, ending with Skywalker defeating, but not killing Vader, who turned out to be none other then the Jedi's father. In a turn of events, when Sidious was close to killing Skywalker for refusing to give into the Darkness, Vader turned on his former master and threw him into the core to save the life of his son.

With the Emperor dead, Vader close to death due to his wounds, Skywalker without a weapon as both his and Vader's sabers were lost in the aftermath of their battle, and the Rebels and Paladins finishing off the remains of the Imperials outside as they make their move to destroy massive space station they were on, it was time to set things right. Moments after Vader's demise, the two Knights disguised as Royal Guards revealed themselves to Skywalker, brandishing lightsabers as they fought the young Jedi. With not Lightsaber or weapon to defend himself, and already weakened by the Emperor's attack, Luke Skywalker soon fell and was with all the other Jedi who had died. Wasting no time, the two Knights used the Emperor's shuttle to escape the explosion of the Death Star as they realized this was a crushing defeat for the Empire and a victory to the Republic. With both the Jedi and Sith defeated, and both the Rebels and Imperials finishing off their war, it was time for the Knights and Paladins to reveal themselves.

After the liberation of Coruscant, the Crusaders of the Tutelas approached the new leaders of the New Republic and offered to be their guardians, to replace the once ancient Jedi who are now extinct. They even revealed what had transpired throughout the years and what had happened on The second Death Star, twisting the truth abit to make it seem the Jedi and Sith destroyed each other as they finished off the Sith. Buying into the half truths and lies, the new leaders of the New Republic accepted the Tutelas as The protectors of the Republic. After a millennium of waiting and being patient, the Knights and Paladins of the Tutelas Order have regained their spot as the true Protectors of the Republic.

The Knights
The Knights of Tutelas are trained in the arts of close combat, mainly with Bladed weapons such as swords, and now with Lightsabers. There are two types of Knights: The Robed and the Armored. The Robed Knights rely on Agility then Defense and use both a combination of Mêlée combat and The Force when combating against enemies. There has been exceptions of some Knights to rely fully on the Force though, known more as "Force Knights", with a reputation of causing destructive ends to evil in ways not seen by Jedi or Sith in ages.

The Armored Knights rely on Defensive Armor then agility. Their main focus is mainly on Mêlée Combat and little on Force Wielding, but know how to use it if necessary, mainly for defensive means. Different Knights use different Mêlée weapons, from Vibroswords to War Axes even to Lightsabers, and even in Hand to Hand combat if they have no weapon with them. Many enemies mistook them for unskilled men and women, and all payed for their mistake with their lives.

The Paladins
Unlike the Knights, the Paladins are trained more in Long Range Combat then they are in Close Range. They wield a variety of Blasters, most which are Tutelas crafted, or even the rare Projectile Weapons. From Pistols, to Shotguns to even Heavy Assault Rifles. They sport different types of armor depending on their preference. Small Armor for the ones who seek cover from a distance and Infiltration. Medium and Heavy for the ones who wish to assault there enemies head on. However, when engaged in close combat, they are trained in hand to hand combat when needed and are seen carrying Vibroblades at times. They may seem like Soldiers, but they are not much for military style and are just mere Holy Fighters who prefer Long Range then Close Range.

While there helmets may seem almost intimidating, the only ones who were to fear their appearance was enemies of the Republic. While rare, some Paladins have been rumored to know how to take down enemy force wielders such as Jedi and Sith.

The Unknowns
After their Exile, sightings of black robed men and women who hide their faces in darkness from a hood over their faces began to creep throughout the Galaxy. Most believed them nothing more then Smuggler's tales and children's bedtime stories, which is exactly what They wanted. In truth, they were none other then Knights souly dedicated to the Holy Knights of Order and they roamed the Galaxy to "Keep it nice and clean", through acts of assassination to sabotage, but never harming one who was innocent or ones who did not threaten their presence and their true goals. There was a number of Unknown beings in the galaxy, dating back to as far as 13,000 BBY and all the way to 20 BBY, where their long and almost forgotten services had finally paid off. These Unknown men and women are nothing more then the former Knights of Tutelas, hiding in shadows and darkness as they continue their mission to preserve the Republic. Most carried bladed weapons, as Lightsabers and wielding the power of the force would only attract unwanted attention, the kind they avoided at all costs.

Beliefs
As stated before, the beliefs of The Tutelas are unique then others. They value peace and order above all other elements, sometimes freedom, but only in the most extreme cases. Their hate for the Jedi and Sith would have drove others down the path of the Dark Side, but since the Knights have not fully devoted themselves to either side and manage to keep themselves from falling to either side, they have little to worry. Light Side and Dark Side are nothing but superstitions to them and they view both sides as a balance between good and evil powers. If a Knight were to use a dark power like Lightning or kill, they would not be considered evil if the act they were using it was for good.

Acceptance
Acceptance into the Tutelas is sometimes complicated, especially for ex-Jedi and ex-Sith. For others though, all they must do is take the vows of becoming one with the Tutelas, completing a training course to see what line of duty they will serve, and completing a task to prove their loyalty. Once they are completed, they are welcome into the Order as an Initiate. It is different for former Jedi and Sith though.

For them, they must complete the first two tasks, along with severing their ties from whatever group they once belonged too. The task is also different, and involves going against whatever order they once belonged too, such as killing one of their former allies in that Order, stealing from them, spying, depending on how their training course turned out.

Behind the Scenes
The Tutelas Order was first created by Mulluns back in late 2005 and was simply known as "The Organization", which was later changed to "The Galactic Organization". While most people found the name to be not the best, Mulluns saw nothing wrong with it if there could be a criminal faction in Star Wars known simply as "The Exchange". After Reworking his faction several times, as well as being inspired by video games Kingdom Hearts and Half-Life 2, he finally finalized his work, but still lacked a good name. It was known as The Holy Knights of Order until he spoke with fellow author and friend Darth Tom and he suggested the name "The Tutelas Order" which was Protector in latin.