Zabrak (Jedi Renaissance)

"The Zabrak species has been a part of the Jedi Order since the beginning of our history. Among the founders on Tython, Zabrak were drawn to the primordial world and discovered the Force and founded the Je'daii Order. Over the next twenty-five millennia, Zabrak have been a mainstay within our Order, serving in every capacity and holding every rank."

- Jedi Knight Horen Hote, writing about Zabrak in the Jedi Order.

Zabrak were a humanoid species from the harsh world of in the  of the galaxy. Discovered before the founding of the Republic, the Zabrak had a culture that favored those with a fierce sense of self-determination, and many were strongly independent beings. With colonies across the stars, the Zabrak found themselves involved in all forms of activity and serving in many different galactic organizations. As members of the Republic, members of the species helped found the Jedi Order, and many found membership within the Sith Empire as well.

Biology and appearance
An evolutionary offshoot from Humans, Zabrak originated on the harsh, toxic world. Due to their struggle to survive in their new environment, the Zabrak began to adapt and eventually became their own species. Maintaining baseline Human characteristics, the main physical difference in the Zabrak body was the crown of horns which sprouted from atop their head. Arranged in different patterns according to race and region, these vestigial horns grew at puberty and continued to grow into old age unless filed and maintained. Differences in race were related to horn pattern and skin tone, which ranged from peachy white, pure white, yellow, red, tan, brown and black. Like Humans Zabrak had fine hair that covered their body and thicker hair which grew on their heads; they however lacked facial hair. Sexually compatible with Humans and several other near-Human races, Zabrak were hardier and more resistant to pain then Humans and both sexes were well-muscled. Internally, Zabrak possessed a second heart needed to pump blood faster to their muscles and increase their stamina. Standing between 1.6 and 2.1 standard meters tall, Zabrak had a shorter life-span then their Human ancestors, reaching puberty by the age of ten standard years old and adulthood by age fifteen.

Society and culture
A single-minded and determined species, Zabrak culture bred its members with a strong sense of self-assuredness. Educated to be confident in their skills, Zabrak were pushed from early childhood to hone their body and their mind into weapons. Originating in their need to survive the harsh realities of Iridonia before any cities were established, this will to excel became a underlying cultural norm as society developed and stretched out beyond Iridonia. Seeking new worlds to conquer and new frontiers to challenge themselves, Zabrak civilization spread to eight different colony worlds in five different systems by the time Duros scouts discovered the race. Highly competitive, the Zabrak were not unnecessarily prideful and while the different colonies strove to surpass each other in prestige, they did not develop a sense of superiority over one another. Indeed, Zabrak philosophy espoused that the species thrived when all of its members were strong and that the different experiences of the different colonies bettered the entire species as a whole.

Unwillingly to accept a task couldn't be done, Zabrak loved proving skeptics wrong and succeeding where others could not. Zabrak from Iridonia were considered to be more war-like than Zabrak from their colony worlds, most likely due to the rugged terrain that made up their home world. As such, they developed a highly physical style of martial arts, which were a requirement for young Zabrak to learn. It was not uncommon for Zabrak from Iridonia to be among the best hand-to-hand fighters and weaponsmiths in the galaxy. Zabrak from colony worlds also shared that drive for excellence, but encouraged their children to express it in other ways. It was thus not surprising to see that the Zabrak met with success in many fields, ranging from medicine to entertainment.

The naming conventions of the Zabrak adhered to the galactic standard, with a given name preceding a surname. Their family name was typically derived from the names of animals native to Iridonia; Bukk was one of the most common, named after a common herd animal. Males took on the names of strong predators or noble beasts such as the blok, lok, and zur. Females would adapt the names of fierce and cunning animals such as the triz or sayla. One distinct custom of the Zabrak was the scarring or tattooing of the face as a symbol of their rite of passage. When a Zabrak reached adolescence, a tribal elder would begin to cut, brand or ink a pattern into the face of the youth, denoting their coming of age. These markings could provide information to others, as different patterns indicated place of birth, family lineage, and certain personality traits.

History
Originating in the Human species, the Zabrak were an artificially enhanced product created by the Infinite Empire circa 40,000 BrS using the Mother Machine. An organic device capable of developing living, sentient Force-sensitives, the Empire had built the Mother Machine as part of their investigation into the dwindling Forcefulness of several species in the galaxy. Sending the newly created Zabrak to Iridonia, the Rakata watched from afar as the species thrived against the odds of their hostile new environment. Despite the fact that a higher percentage of Zabrak were Forceful when compared to other species, the Mother Machine failed in creating an all Force-sensitive population.

Quickly adapting to their harsh environment on Iridonia, the Zabrak instantly began seeking a way off the broiling rock they called home. Looking to the stars, they reverse-engineered some of the remaining Rakatan crafts on the planet and were able to build rockets that could take them out of the system. Colonizing the tropical world of in the neighboring system, the Zabrak were able to develop a massive fleet of colony ships and over the next several millennia were able to colonize seven additional worlds in three other systems. By the time Duros scouts arrived within the, the Zabrak held dominion over a large swath of the sector and dubbed it the Zabrak Commonwealth. With their capital cities on, the Zabrak had established Iridia as a vacation destination and home to artisans and crafters; served as the major shipping and trade center; the five  over 's Fire Rings proved a huge commercial success;  with its dense jungles and Iridonia with its toxic seas served as perfect locations for young Zabrak to test themselves and craft their fighting prowess. ,, , and , all were established as major colonies as well. Continuing to expand, the great setback was the loss of an extra-sector colonization project which was lost and never recovered. While the Zabrak believed the colonists dead, they actually survived, traveling to the distant world they would call and adapting to their new world and eventually coming to be an entirely different species called the Elomin. Many Zabrak males were eventually exiled on where they were sold as slaves to the Nightsisters there and forced to breed with them over the centuries.

Joining the Galactic Republic near its inception, the Zabrak contributed greatly to all aspects of society; from political theory to warfare. The High Council of Iridonia, a body which governed the military and martial training of the Commonwealth's youth, was renowned throughout the galaxy as providing some of the most skilled fighters in the Republic. The Commonwealth remained loyal to the Republic for much of its history, siding with the Sith Empire during the occasional war. Situated along a vital trade route, Iridonia often was contested by the Republic and the Sith Empire, constantly swaying back and force with their allegiance. During the, the High Council allowed the Empire to establish a training academy on Iridonia and the entire Commonwealth was held in thralldom to their Imperial masters. Serving in their military and promised centuries of military might, the Zabrak eventually saw that the Sith could not win in the long-term against the Republic and Jedi Order and abandoned the Imperials after the Battle of Ruusan.

Zabrak Jedi
When a Tho Yor hidden in the mountains of Iridonia called out through the Force to the Zabrak Force-sensitives across the systems, hundreds descended on the mountain to pray. Entering into the mysterious ship known as Yēād-dhāv, the Zabrak fought and trained within the depths of the ship until it transported them to the primordial world of Tython and deposited them deep within the snow-covered peaks of the Ice Giant mountain range. Together with several other species that had traveled within the Tho Yor, the Zabrak banded together to build fortresses and keeps to survive in their new environment. Finding survival easiest when they harnessed the Force, the colonists aboard Yēād-dhāv quickly made contact with the colonists from the other eight Tho Yor and established the Je'daii Order. Over the next ten millennia, the Order grew and thrived, with Forceful Zabrak serving as Masters and Rangers while those of their children that could not touch the Force were made to migrate and settle the surrounding worlds within the system. When war came to Tython, the Zabrak that remained allied with the Je'daii assisted in establish a new Order, known as the Jedi, and fled the world they had known as home. Aboard great colony ships, the Zabrak members of the new Jedi Order traveled the stars for generations; some in suspended animation, others maintaining vigil for a habitable world. The ships eventually found purchase on Ossus, and the Order began to rebuild and flourish on their new homeworld.

Continuing to serve the Order through the Clone Wars, Zabrak Jedi returned with the Order to Ossus after three centuries of displacement. Like all species that served in the Order, Zabrak were represented in the Grand Temple on Ossus. Within the main entrance of the Temple, known as the Hall of Meditating Masters, a larger-than-life bronzium statue was erected in dedication to all Zabrak who had and who would serve. Erected near the front of the corridor, the kneeling Master was built in the likeness of Master Klor Imandre, famed warrior-scholar of the Ductavis Era. In the Sword of the Jedi tower, the lightsabers of all Jedi were placed in memory of fallen warriors and scholars alike, with an entire wing dedicated the weapons of past Zabrak Jedi. The Edifice of Heroes memorialized the Zabrak of the past, present, and future with paintings, monuments, or holodepictions of their likenesses.

Zabrak Sith
Long ago, the Sith had made contacts with the high council of Iridonia in order to hire the services of their most talented mercenaries. This influence remained with the Zabrak people long after the Sith were thought to be wiped out at the Seventh Battle of Ruusan, though it remained more closely associated with the Zabrak of Iridonia than the Zabrak of their colony worlds. {| class="wikitable sortable"
 * Name||Birth||Death||Allegiance||Special titles||Master||Apprentices
 * colspan="8" align="left"|
 * Meki Denan||Year 1||Year 44||Shadow Collective||General||Shon-Ju||Apprentices
 * colspan="8" align="left"|A young Force-sensitive girl, Meki Denan was born on her parents' star yacht and was never tested in time to join the Jedi Order. Raised amid the stars, she eventually abandoned her parents as her political and philosophical beliefs diverged from theirs and struck out into the galaxy to find her own path. Finding her way to Druckenwell, Denan met Shon-Ju, a Human Jedi washout who sought to train young Forceful individuals the ways of the Force. Gathering two others to join him on Cavamina Minor, Denan took up residence at the abandoned castle estate in the frozen mountains of the world and studied ways in which to use the Force as a weapon in hand-to-hand combat. During the second year of her training, the academy was visited by a shipwrecked and injured Jedi Aayla Secura. Denan and the other students stayed behind at the academy as Shon-Ju escorted Secura back to her fleet, and she was deeply saddened when her mentor returned grievously injured. Blaming the Jedi, Shon-Ju had actually betrayed Secura and received the injury as she defended herself. Despite this, Shon-Ju manipulated his students into believing that Secura was the violent traitor. Contacting the Confederacy after he was fitted with prosthetic hands, Shon-Ju led his students to join the Shadow Collective, the Order of Dark Side Acolytes under Darth Tyranus. Taking up arms, Denan began leading droids against the armies of the Republic. When the war ended, Denan fled into hiding with the rest of the Collective and waited to regroup. Helping to corrupt average citizens and turn public opinion against the Jedi, Denan was appointed as a General during the Hutt Offensive. Leading troops on Toydaria, Denan was shot to death by Republic and Confederate troops.
 * Meki Denan||Year 1||Year 44||Shadow Collective||General||Shon-Ju||Apprentices
 * colspan="8" align="left"|A young Force-sensitive girl, Meki Denan was born on her parents' star yacht and was never tested in time to join the Jedi Order. Raised amid the stars, she eventually abandoned her parents as her political and philosophical beliefs diverged from theirs and struck out into the galaxy to find her own path. Finding her way to Druckenwell, Denan met Shon-Ju, a Human Jedi washout who sought to train young Forceful individuals the ways of the Force. Gathering two others to join him on Cavamina Minor, Denan took up residence at the abandoned castle estate in the frozen mountains of the world and studied ways in which to use the Force as a weapon in hand-to-hand combat. During the second year of her training, the academy was visited by a shipwrecked and injured Jedi Aayla Secura. Denan and the other students stayed behind at the academy as Shon-Ju escorted Secura back to her fleet, and she was deeply saddened when her mentor returned grievously injured. Blaming the Jedi, Shon-Ju had actually betrayed Secura and received the injury as she defended herself. Despite this, Shon-Ju manipulated his students into believing that Secura was the violent traitor. Contacting the Confederacy after he was fitted with prosthetic hands, Shon-Ju led his students to join the Shadow Collective, the Order of Dark Side Acolytes under Darth Tyranus. Taking up arms, Denan began leading droids against the armies of the Republic. When the war ended, Denan fled into hiding with the rest of the Collective and waited to regroup. Helping to corrupt average citizens and turn public opinion against the Jedi, Denan was appointed as a General during the Hutt Offensive. Leading troops on Toydaria, Denan was shot to death by Republic and Confederate troops.
 * colspan="8" align="left"|A young Force-sensitive girl, Meki Denan was born on her parents' star yacht and was never tested in time to join the Jedi Order. Raised amid the stars, she eventually abandoned her parents as her political and philosophical beliefs diverged from theirs and struck out into the galaxy to find her own path. Finding her way to Druckenwell, Denan met Shon-Ju, a Human Jedi washout who sought to train young Forceful individuals the ways of the Force. Gathering two others to join him on Cavamina Minor, Denan took up residence at the abandoned castle estate in the frozen mountains of the world and studied ways in which to use the Force as a weapon in hand-to-hand combat. During the second year of her training, the academy was visited by a shipwrecked and injured Jedi Aayla Secura. Denan and the other students stayed behind at the academy as Shon-Ju escorted Secura back to her fleet, and she was deeply saddened when her mentor returned grievously injured. Blaming the Jedi, Shon-Ju had actually betrayed Secura and received the injury as she defended herself. Despite this, Shon-Ju manipulated his students into believing that Secura was the violent traitor. Contacting the Confederacy after he was fitted with prosthetic hands, Shon-Ju led his students to join the Shadow Collective, the Order of Dark Side Acolytes under Darth Tyranus. Taking up arms, Denan began leading droids against the armies of the Republic. When the war ended, Denan fled into hiding with the rest of the Collective and waited to regroup. Helping to corrupt average citizens and turn public opinion against the Jedi, Denan was appointed as a General during the Hutt Offensive. Leading troops on Toydaria, Denan was shot to death by Republic and Confederate troops.