Zedvyoyen

Zedvyoyen (//) was a title of respect among the Garjo people of Renthiv, denoting respect for the ultimate warrior.

The legend
The legend of the term's origin, as recited to (and later by) the Centurion Vos'elk'eetash, was:


 * In ancient times—maybe ancient history, maybe myth—there was a Garjo general who assembled the mightiest army ever fielded. He laid waste to cities and entire countries; his brilliance and the ferocity of his warriors was unrivaled. None could stand against him, and he proclaimed that the very gods themselves would tremble to face him.


 * His army was encamped under Mount Zedvyoyen. That very night, the long-dormant volcano erupted, and ash and fire consumed the general and his army to the last being.


 * Since, zedvyoyen has entered the Garjo tongue as a description of ultimate respect for a warrior. It's come to mean "the one who lays low the proud, to whom even the mightiest must bow".

Modern times
Various champions and warriors longed to be styled zedvyoyen by their comrades; by custom, the title was never assumed by a warrior himself, but bestowed by others. Those who earned the title through history ranged from noble heroes to those who were simply incredibly skilled killers.

In 155 ABY, the term was, for the first time, applied to an alien: Vos'elk'eetash, who slaughtered over a hundred Garjo alone to avenge her brother Assayr in the Battle of Renthiv. The handful of survivors who did not retreat voluntarily surrendered, and those who did retreat spread the story both to the citadel Selkee was attacking and around the planet. After Renthiv was finally taken, the story spread further, to the point that Selkee's mere presence was often enough to still a mutinous crowd which was chafing under the newly asserted control of the Golden Empire.