Kal'Shabbol



"It is historical irony that the first planet to develop a sentient life form later became the first planet where the Jedi Bendu Order would be forced to take the life of another."

- Zios Malachor

Not to be confused with the Outer Rim world of Kal'Shebbol, Kal’Shabbol was once a Jedi Bendu world and later became the sole residence of the Bendu Order. This world was the first in the galaxy to bear life, which is why the Jedi Bendu of the Ashla were so desperate to find it before the death of The Skywalker. Because it was the first planet to bear life, the Force of Others was stronger there than on most other worlds, though it was not the strongest source of the Force of Others in the galaxy. When the Jedi Bendu arrived, they set up their conclave in the habitable region of what they called the Ashlan Mountains. Deep within the mountains, they buried their scriptures so that only they would know where to find them. They soon began to watch over the inhabitants of the world, introducing them to the ways of the Force of Others. Once the Jedi Bendu Order split into two on Coruscant, a group loyal to the old ways settled on Kal’Shabbol and formed the Bendu Order.

Terrain
Considered the “Shining Star” of the Ashlan Expanse, wild grasslands and enormous mountain ranges were all one could find on the planet’s land. A vast ocean and a few scattered islands provided the planet with the ideal conditions for a small society to grow, live and thrive. The villages of Kal’Shabbol were generally small, holding only a few hundred people in each, and they took great care to protect the environment of the planet. One city, Vattica, was built at the edge of an ocean. When they built the limited amount of machinery they required, they built it far from the ocean. Though it would not have harmed it, they were unwilling to risk any contamination. The capitol, Ashla Prime, was known to be the seat of the Bendu Order and the home of the Bendu Temple of Light.

Jedi Bendu
To cover more territory in a more efficient manner, the Jedi Bendu Order sent a group of Jedi Bendu out into the galaxy and they settled themselves on Kal’Shabbol. Whereas Ashlan Four was the second planet to bare life, Kal’Shabbol was the first. When they arrived, they set up their enclave in the habitable region of what they named the Ashlan Mountains. Deep within the mountains, they buried their scriptures so that only they would know where to find them. They soon began to watch over the inhabitants of the world, introducing them to the Way of the Ashla.

However, one of The Skywalker’s fears began to play out. There was a group that lived deep within a valley at the bottom of the mountains, an area that all Jedi Bendu were forbidden to travel to. The Jedi Bendu called it the Valley of the Shadow of Death, perhaps rightfully so. The group that lived there was introduced to the Way when they traveled into the mountains, becoming fascinated by it. However, this fascination soon turned into greed. The Valley’s Medicine Man gathered his people, telling them about it. “Listen, children, to a story about the kingdom on the mountains towering high above us. On the mountain is a treasure buried deep beneath the stone.” It was then that the people of the Valley swore that they would have the treasure for their own.

The people of the Valley sent a message up the mountain, asking for the buried treasure the likes of which they would kill for. Days went by and the Jedi Bendu received the message from a local courier. The Jedi Bendu sent a small group into the Valley to answer the message personally. Upon arrival, they gathered the people of the Valley around them. “All living beings are our brothers. With our brothers we will share all the secrets of our mountain and all of the riches buried there.”

This outraged the leaders of the Valley people, and so the Medicine Man drew his staff. It was then that the first Jedi Bendu to be murdered fell, vaporizing by the power of the Medicine Man’s staff. The Valley cried with anger and the Medicine Man turned to the crowd. “Mount your horses! Draw your swords,” he decreed. The Valley people rode up the mountain, overpowering the limited number of Jedi Bendu on the mountain. And so, they killed the Jedi Bendu and unearthed the ‘treasure’ that was buried within the stone.

Now they stood beside their treasure, on the mountain darkened red. They turned the stone and looked beneath it. “Peace in the Force of Others” was all it said. The Valley people dropped their swords, mortified by what they had done. They believed that the Jedi Bendu had stolen treasure from their lands, but in reality it was a treasure for all living beings to learn from. In deep regret, the people of the Valley took their own lives and, because of the forgiving nature of the Ashla, dwelled within the Force of Others for eternity. The Jedi Bendu on Ashlan Four discovered this, thus adopting the principle that no one is beyond redemption.

However, with every victory of the light the darkness can still prevail. When the Jedi Bendu of Kal'Shabbol were murdered, the Bogan was awakened. Even when the Ashla redeemed the people of the Valley, the Bogan still stirred and its shadow began to slowly claw it's way back into existence.

The Prophetic Arrivals


A month after the end of the Great Territorial War, a group of refugees from Coruscant was picked up by the Bendu in the Ashlan Expanse. This group comprised of Ussej Padric Bac, Laili Jeyna Rendar and Kit Corwin Rendar, along with the son of Ussej and Laili. They were accepted by the Bendu Order as the Bendu believed that Ussej and Ussej II would fulfill two of the ancient Jedi Bendu Prophecies, regardless of the fact that Ussej and Kit had been Sith Lords. Ussej and Kit eventually became the Bendu High Priests, positions they held into their deaths. Ussej’s death was the most significant as he sacrificed his life for all of Kal’Shabbol. However, Bendu history would later record that he became the Shaman of the Whills and dwelled, as a spirit, on Ashlan Four with the Whills. Because of all that Ussej Padric Bac had done, the Bendu decreed that all male sons of the Bac Family would be named “Ussej Padric” in his honor.

Holy War Aftermath
After the devestating Holy War that exiled the Jedi Order, destroyed the Bendu Temple of Light and ended the life of Ussej Padric Bac III, the newly elected High Priest Josiah Rendar helped the Bendu Order rebuild itself from the ground up. During this time, there were not only changes in apperance to a more formal and monk-like style but also a change in the way that the Bendu Order viewed itself. Ussej Padric Bac, Ussej Padric Bac II and Ussej Padric Bac III all helped them to realize what happens when you let pride get the better of you. Because of this, they vowed to only protect the Ashlan Expanse and stay out of the affairs of the Galactic Republic as the Jedi Order was the rightful protector of the galaxy body. The newfound peace within the Bendu Order would last for almost four thousand years.

Kal'Shabbol also went through many changes during this time as well. Fearing annihilation, a few dozen citizens began protesting the government led by the Bendu Order, stating that their recklessness during the Holy War was what caused the attack on Kal'Shabbol. Though the Bendu certainly could not deny those claims, they were not prepared to sacrafice their mandate as the protectors of Kal'Shabbol. They had already done that once, to no avail. The few dozen protestors were eventually exiled by the citizens of Kal'Shabbol to Had Abaddon where they were not heard from again.

Apperances

 * The Beginning: The Legend of The Skywalker
 * The Beginning: The Legend of the Jedi Bendu
 * The Beginning: Dawn of a Republic
 * The Beginning: The Legend of the Bendu
 * Shadows of the Jedi: The Legend of Ussej Padric Bac II
 * Shadows of the Jedi: The Legend of Ussej Padric Bac III
 * Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Beginning
 * Star Wars: Episode V - Shadows of the Republic
 * Star Wars: Episode VI - Fall of the Lettow
 * Star Wars: Episode VII - A New Hope
 * Star Wars: Episode VIII - Sins of the Father
 * Star Wars: Episode IX - Return of the Jedi