Shade Order

Almost thirty years ago a disillusioned Jedi, named Cain Ray, turned his back upon the Jedi Order, leading a sizable number of followers with him. They went away from the self righteous path, but they also shunned the lure of simply power. The day they left they travelled to Thyferra, the jungle world and as they made their home there, the Shade Order was formed. An organisation that operated much like the Jedi in how its padawans are trained, one to one tuition from an elder knight or master, in its early years, working from an enclave, the Order flourished.

Despite being keen to maintain an heir or secrecy of their existence and location, many people eager for a new start, or a new purpose, sought out the wise teachings of Cain's people. The knights themselves, too, sought possible potential apprentices wherever they could, without trying to offend the Jedi or be seen as forcing their easily influenced padawans from their so-called light path. Even so, Cain was sure too to send his followers wherever there was talk of a dark disturbance. Often they were mistaken for Jedi, and they rarely paused long to correct bystanders.

They believe in no absolutes of the force. Inherent light and dark to them is a myth. There is only the force in all of its manifestations. They do not try to bend the force to their will entirely, as do try the apparent slaves of the dark side, but neither do they serve its every suggestion, as the Jedi profess to. Their entire mandate relies on balance.

Nearly twenty years ago, during the Alsakan Crisis, the Order were plunged into woes of their own. Only weeks after finally bestowing upon himself and the first few of his followers the rank of master, troubles began. A meeting with a powerful Dark Jedi brought a series of questions that were barely answered with the emergence of the Ospion Guardians, and an attack on their very enclave that culminated in the deaths of a couple of the Shade despite a victory, were just two large trials in a great series that had all but ended with the Alsakans' surrender. The Shade Order were out in the open. They were known.

Cain moved quickly, and tirelessly with his most trusted masters upon their newly formed Masters' Council. The enclave on Thyferra, upon a nexus of force energy, was expanded, camoflaged and protected with numerous techniques. Cain, too, began to put plans together for other such enclaves, although much smaller. He began paving the path for this by establishing small safehouses on a fair number of worlds, always leaving these outposts with at least one master. They fed information back to Cain, as he allowed the force to guide him to places where they might yet want to go, and with these outposts he began to gather an idea of where next they should entrench. Over twenty years he put together more than enough of these small outposts to know where he would turn his hand to installing his secondary enclave.

It seemed he was preparing to give the very order for them to move when he announced that he wanted the Shade Order to go vanish into the smoke for a time, as the Hutt Empire's threat became worrying. He made sure every person in his order was accounted for, and with the enclave and outposts safe, he ventured forth alone, to investigate. That was about a year ago.

Cain's ship returned to the enclave very recently and he has consulted the Masters' Council with his findings. He placed Master Aleyn Julius in charge of the Order before he disappeared again. She is now gathering the forces and preparing to fight against the Bogan alongside the Jedi.