Dark Jedi of the Bogan

The Dark Jedi of the Bogan was an order of during the Hutt War, a galactic conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Hutt Empire in 12,979 BBY. Originally the Ospion Guardians, a group of rogue members from the Jedi Order who broke away from the Jedi following the Conclave on Ossus, the earliest members discovered the teachings of Xendor and the Legions of Lettow on Conscio and transitioned from a rogue group of Jedi into an order of Dark Jedi. After training for ten years, the Dark Jedi returned to the known and began preparations for attacking the Jedi Order using stealth tactics.

Swearing allegiance to the dark side of the Force, which they referred to as ‘the Bogan,’ from the ancient name for the dark side, the Dark Jedi of the Bogan were guided by a Dark Jedi Code, one that was meant to be the antithesis of the Jedi Code, based on philosophies of chaos and death. Along with the Dark Jedi Code was the word of the Bogan, the leader of the Dark Jedi, which was considered to be the law of the Dark Jedi.

Formation
In 13,000 BBY, during the Alsakan Crisis between the Galactic Republic and the Alsakan Union, Banik Kelrada, Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, attempted to broker a peace between the Republic and the Alsakans by holding talks with the leader of each galactic body. After first speaking with Relana Isolde Tanoor, Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, Kelrada held talks with Lharra, the Alsakan leader, on, the Jedi headquarters. As Laharra was leaving the meeting, the Alsakan aides that accompanied her assassinated her, sacrificing their lives in the process, as Laharra had made concessions that the Alsakan government did not wish for her to make.

Days later, Kelrada called a conclave on Ossus for all Jedi who were available to attend where he hoped to discuss what the Order’s next course of action would be. During the conclave, Kelrada started to become agitated, as he was being unwillingly manipulated by Jedi Knight Sarina Lightell, who was said to have had an unknowing ability to influence the thoughts and actions of those around her. Jedi Master Edo Tesu, Lightell's husband, was also influenced by this, and Tesu and Kelrada entered into an argument due to Kelrada accusing Tesu of treason for undertaking a mission on Alsakan without the authorization of the Jedi High Council. A duel broke out between the two, and ended after Tesu lost his hand due to the combat.

That night, Lightell freed Tesu from prison, as he had been arrested by Kelrada, and took him to the Jedi monastery’s courtyard. After Tesu stated his belief that Lightell was being influenced by the dark side of the Force, Lightell murdered him by hanging him from a tree by his neck and stabbing him with his blade. Lightell would not remember her actions for nearly twenty years. A few hours after the murder, Tesu’s body was discovered in the courtyard and Kelrada was accused by many Jedi of murdering him. Kelrada was placed under arrest by the Jedi Council, but many Jedi, led by Lightell, nonetheless decided to leave the Jedi Order, resulting in a schism that broke the Order in two.

In the days that followed, the numerous individuals who had left the Jedi Order congregated on the Clouded Dawn, a warship that was lent to the rogue Jedi for the purposes of the meeting. During the meeting, it was decided that the goal of these former Jedi, who began to call themselves the Ospion Guardians, would be to fix the Jedi Order, and in turn align themselves with the Republic as the galaxy’s true defenders. Rather than following the light side or dark side of the Force, the Ospion existed in a more neutral state. Along with Lightell, Linora Tristan Tanoor, sister of Chancellor Tanoor, became a leader of the Ospion Guardians.

During the meeting, the newly-formed Ospion Guardians agreed to attempt to contact the military leaders of the Republic, who had been given extended control over the government due to the Alsakan Crisis and the declining health of the Supreme Chancellor. Weeks later, Lightell and Linora met with Chancellor Tanoor and Arthur Tudor, Supreme Commander of the Republic military, where the Ospion informed them of the events at the Jedi conclave. Chancellor Tanoor agreed to put her faith and support behind the Ospion due to her sister’s standing as an Ospion, and an alliance was formed between the Republic and the Ospion, albeit reluctantly on the Republic military’s part.

The alliance between the Republic and the Ospion continued, even despite the assassination of Chancellor Tanoor in the Galactic Senate chambers. Nevertheless, the alliance was opposed by members of the Galactic Senate, although the end of the war in 12,999 BBY following the devastation of Alsakan rendered the alliance irrelevant to the Ospion. The Ospion felt that with the war over, the Jedi and the Republic would attempt to eliminate them so the Ospion fled into the Outer Rim Territories for survival.

Embracing the Bogan
After fleeing into the Outer Rim to avoid persecution from the Jedi, the Ospion found a planet called Conscio, a dark sided world. The dark side began to influence the Ospion, causing them to act differently. Their darker emotions, however, were kept in check due to their continued desire to help the galaxy. This changed when they found a manifesto belonging to Xendor, the first Dark Jedi who caused the First Jedi Schism. This manifesto contained the teachings of Xendor and the Legions of Lettow, a Dark Jedi organization led by Xendor. Many Ospion then desired to follow the dark side, called "the Bogan" in the ancient teachings, although others wished to continue trying to save the galaxy.

The Ospion argued for weeks about which path to follow, ultimately resulting in a schism within the Ospion ranks. Linora Tristan Tanoor, who had become the Ospion leader, did not want to embrace the dark side, so she and a number of her followers were killed by those who did decide to follow Xendor’s teachings. Renaming their order the Dark Jedi of the Bogan, the Dark Jedi appointed a leader, called the Bogan, and began training with Xendor’s teachings as their guide.

After ten years of training, the Dark Jedi left Conscio and returned to the known. They settled on a Mid Rim ice world called, where they discovered a sect of light side Force-users. The Dark Jedi initially ignored this group, although they felt that the group started to become too curious about Dark Jedi affairs and murdered them before constructing a monastery in the ruins of the group’s own temple. The Dark Jedi considered the murders to be a test of their devotion to the dark side of the Force.

Reemergence
The Dark Jedi spent the next ten years watching galactic events. Following the Alsakan Crisis, the Republic moved into the Mid Rim to gain additional member worlds and allies in the event that the Alsakans attempted to attack again. However, exploration into the Mid Rim provoked tension with the Hutt Empire, as the Hutts believed the Republic would attempt to invade the Hutt space in the Outer Rim. In 12,979 BBY, the situation escalated into open warfare, which the Dark Jedi believed would be the perfect opportunity to stop living in the shadows and instead strike against the Jedi Order. This plan of attack was based upon the Dark Jedi philosophies of chaos, and their desire for revenge.

As the Dark Jedi leadership, specifically High Lord Issan Tanoor, daughter of Linora Tristan Tanoor, and Dark Master Matu Bestia, explained to their members, Dark Masters and Crusaders, the two primary ranks in the order, would be to fight against the Jedi. They would use assassin-like tactics at first, hoping to be a low-level presence yet a high-level threat. The Dark Jedi felt that subtly would be far more effective than fleet and army-based strategies.

Structure
The Dark Jedi of the Bogan were organized into five ranks, four being considered full Dark Jedi while the fifth was a student-level position. The Dark Jedi were led by the Bogan, who was considered the most powerful of the Dark Jedi and an embodiment of what it meant to truly swear oneself to the dark side. The Bogan would appoint a High Lord to serve as his or her right hand and closest adviser, as well as the apprentice of the Bogan. With the status of the Bogan’s apprentice, an individual who held the rank of High Lord was seen as someone who could potentially overthrow the Bogan and take his or her place.

Beneath the High Lord were the Dark Masters, considered to be the most powerful Dark Jedi in the order besides the Bogan and High Lord. As Dark Masters, individuals could specialize in three distinct classes of expertise: Instructors, Dark Assassins, and Marauders. Instructors were the teachers of the order and served as the primary instructors for acolytes. Dark Assassins were individuals who would fight from the shadows and manipulate events using the dark side, whereas Marauders were battle masters and supposed experts in combat. Only a Dark Master could specialize in one of these classes.

Crusaders were the core of the Dark Jedi. They had graduated from being a student and moved on to undertake missions and other assignments of their own. However, as Crusaders, they had not yet grown powerful enough for the Dark Jedi to declare them fit to specialize in a Dark Master class, although Crusaders were trained by Dark Masters in these classes in the hopes of one day becoming a specialized Dark Master. Before becoming a Crusader, a Dark Jedi served as an Acolyte, the raw recruits of the Dark Jedi that required training in order to be considered full Dark Jedi.