Zhell

"Zhell is a bastion of the dark side. Much more scenic, in a sense, than … but just as wicked."

- Unknown Jedi historian

Zhell was the only inhabited planet of the Zhell system in the Mid Rim. It was a harsh world dominated primarily by mountains and large oceans. The planet escaped the notice of both the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order for centuries and later became famous for being the homeworld of the Knights of Zhell. The planet was also notable for having never obtained Republic membership. It was, however, the capital world of the Zhell Empire, which controlled much of the Nos sector.

Geography
Geographically, Zhell was a harsh world which produced a harsh populous. The majority of the planet's four continents were covered in mountains and various river systems. The majority of the Human settlements on Zhell were focused on the scant plains and valleys which lay nestled between mountain ranges. The greatest of these mountain ranges, the Gorwel Mountains, was located on the northern most continent and was both the location of the bastion for the Knights of Zhell, but also the location of the Crypts — a ceremonial burial place for deceased members of the Knights.

Human colonization
Humans are thought to have settled Zhell centuries before the formation of the Galactic Republic. The first area of Zhell to be settled would eventually become Mahtah, the capital of the world. As humans continued to spread across Zhell's four continents, tribes began to form and, along with them, the foundation of the Zhell language. It is also around this time that the Zhell Mystics — monks with a connection to the light side of the Force — first came into being. The Mystics established the Temple of Zhell in the Gorwel Mountains as the monastery through which they studied the Force. They were also the first to coin the word "Zhell", meaning "stronghold", to refer to their new homeworld.

The Thirteen Tribes
Nearly a hundred years after Zhell was first settled, thirteen tribes stood atop all of the others as the dominant powers on the planet. Despite this, the thirteen were not friendly with one another. Wars were frequent during this time and political boundaries, between tribes, were constantly in motion depending on which tribe gained ground in combat. The decision was then made, by the Mystics, that the tribes must be united if planet was to be at peace. The Zhell Unification Wars were then instigated by the Mystics to bring about the forcible unification of the tribes.

Zhell Unification Wars
"The history of Zhell is long and bloody. The light side monks, who sought to bring about peace, were unknowingly the harbingers of the dark side which would consume our world in the Unification Wars."

- Theron Karr

The Unification Wars that rocked Zhell would place six of the thirteen tribes under the direct control of the Zhell Mystics. The remaining seven tribes found themselves already facing an uphill battle. The Mystics could use the Force, giving them almost wizard-like powers. Furthermore, their stronghold in the Gorwel Mountains was almost unreachable. The rough terrain of Zhell made the war long and arduous. Hundreds of warriors and innocents alike were killed and many settlements reduced to rubble.

Hoping to prevent prolonging the war any longer, the Mystics laid siege to Marwolaeth — a fort which had become the stronghold of the seven tribes opposed to the Mystics. The opposing tribes had sent their women and children to this fortress to keep them safe from the increasingly bloody conflict. They Mystics thought that by capturing the fort, they could force the dissident seven tribes to surrender which would bring a conclusion to the almost decade-long war. Instead, the Siege of Marwolaeth resulted in the ruthless slaughter of all those inside. The Mystics were horrified by the actions of their troops, but did not have the power to undo the deaths caused in the fighting. The sudden eradication of so many innocent lives opened up a and Marwolaeth would remain desolate for centuries afterwards as a result.

Rise of the Zhell Empire
Despite the horrors of Marwolaeth, the Mystics had won the war. The thirteen tribes were unified at the seaside city of Mahtah. There, the Zhell Empire was declared and Mahtah was made the Empire's capital. Under the new Empire, the Mystics were made the royal family's enforcers. Slowly, as a result, several of them began their descent to the dark side of the Force.

Within a decade, the Empire spanned much of the planet and civilization truly began to flourish on Zhell for the first time.

Zhell Civil War
"The monks were corrupt. Because of the wound they created, the dark side saturated everything. Eventually, even other monks began to fall. But the Mystics would soon remember their transgressions. The sins of Marwolaeth would not be so easily forgotten."

- Brenin Karr

Peace on Zhell would remain fragile. Much of the populous still remembered the events of Marwolaeth, leading to distrust between the citizens of the new Zhell Empire, particularly between the common folk and the Mystics. Unbeknownst to the Mystics, several inhabitants from Marwolaeth survived the devastation and were saturated by the dark side that had been unleashed there. Among them, members of the Karr tribe which returned to the known Empire some twenty years after the war's end.

The return of the Karr tribe reignited the deep-seated tension within the fledgling empire. The Karr were outspoken against the Mystics and their government for what happened at Marwolaeth and spoke openly about the horrors they experienced first-hand there. As it would happen, this would be enough to rally supporters to their cause, causing a large majority of the public to turn against the Mystics. With no other choice, the Emperor ordered the Mystics be disbanded, arrested, and held on trial for their war crimes. Unwilling, however, to submit, the Mystics fought back and the Zhell Civil War ensued.

Schism of the Zhell Mystics
With the civil war in full swing, some of the Mystics — fearing for their lives and their future — spoke out against their own Order's crimes and defected to the side of the Karr. They would teach the Karr to harness the Force and use it as a weapon, deepening the power of the dark side over the world. As a result, the Empire had its own Force-users to employ against the Mystics. The resulting Schism greatly weakened the Mystics, forcing them to retreat back into their stronghold: the Temple of Zhell.

Creation of the Knights of Zhell
"No longer will our empire be lorded over by these wizards! The Knights of Zhell shall remain vigilant, guarding over our people and our borders. With the power of Wyll on their side, what need have they of the magics of the Mystics?"

- Cyfnos Karr, founder of the Knights of Zhell

With the Mystics in full retreat, Cyfnos Karr — patriarch of the Karr tribe — declared his new Order: the Knights of Zhell. The Knights were to replace the Mystics as the Empire's Force-using faction (which they associated with magic, at the time) and would act as the defenders of the Empire, as well as their enforcers. Cyfnos also declared Wyll — the Zhell's personification of the dark side of the Force — to be the Empire's patron deity.

In a symbolic move by Cyfnos, the Knights retook Marwolaeth and declared it a holy site. Cyfnos' lust for power, however, was not sated. In his lust for revenge, he pointed his sword at the Emperor himself. Accusing the Emperor of being a puppet of the Mystics, Cyfnos declared that he must be removed from power. When the Emperor refused to give up his throne, Cyfnos took his Knights to Mahtah to remove him from power themselves.

Coup d'état
Only a year and a half into the civil war, Cyfnos marched the Knights and his troops into Mahtah. There, on the steps of the Imperial palace, he fought the Emperor and slew him, claiming the throne of Zhell for himself. Days later, he declared the Karr tribe to be reorganized into the Karr Dynasty. With the Empire under his firm grip, Cyfnos had one last enemy to overcome: the remaining Mystics hiding in their fortress in the Gorwel Mountains. With the full power of the Imperial military at his side, Cyfnos directed his troops — led by the Knights of Zhell — into the Mountains to capture the Temple of Zhell.

Final conflicts
The war finally came to an end with the capture of the Temple of Zhell. The remaining Mystics were captured and killed for their crimes during the Unification Wars and Cyfnos' power over Zhell was solidified. The Knights of Zhell took the Temple as their new headquarters, a trophy for their victory over their old enemies, and became the dominant Force-users in the Nos sector.

First Contact with the Jedi
"Unlike the Sith, the Knights owe their history to themselves. We are not Jedi, nor have we ever been. If we owe them anything, it is for introducing us to the lightsaber. Still, in time, we made even those our own."

- Theron Karr discusses the Jedi influence on Zhell

Behind the scenes
Zhell was conceived in early September of 2015 to act as the homeworld of the Knights of Zhell. It is a planet set in the new canon.

Despite it being set in the new canon universe, Zhell was named after the nations of Zhell from the continuity — the Zhell being the original humans who originated from Coruscant.

Appearances

 * TheStarWarsRP.Com