Title: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on January 04, 2018, 09:01:46 PM So, in writing recently I've had to fill in a LOT of cracks for the Mak'Tor's background, origin, etc. And I think there might be some misconceptions about this group of Grays that were totally unintentional. So I will do my best to correct that here.
I will attempt to create a post for different categories - Origin, Organization, Infrastructure, Characters. I'll do my best to fill in what I "know" about each. If a question comes up or something is missing, let me know or just ask the question and I will do my best to fill the gap. Thanks again! Since we all share a common universe (SW) its good to know what's going on. You know, in case we happen to 'bump into' each other... :-) Karmack Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: TheDutchman on January 04, 2018, 09:05:26 PM I canNOT wait to read this! I'm already hooked Karm ;)
Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Taegin Roan on January 04, 2018, 09:08:19 PM Yes, this will be great. If I could make a request, could you also do one on the "Song". Maybe just go into a little more detail as to what you had thought about it and stuff. I know I have used it a little in my own story, but I feel like I still don't have a good grasp of what it is.
Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on January 04, 2018, 10:21:13 PM ORIGINS
The Mak'Tor Order, as best as can be determined from the incomplete records now available, began with a single care-taker Knight. In the very early days of the Jedi that order noted a strong locii in the force on Coruscant. This mountain, one of the tallest on the planet and in the form of a steep cone-shaped spire, was already riddled with caves both natural and artificial and there were various "holy places" and shrines built on its slopes from unrecorded antiquity. The Jedi Order established an informal shrine of their own, and left a care-taker who hired workers from the local human population to assist. Over time several shrines were consolidated and incorporated into the Jedi Shrine as the Jedi came to dominate the site. The leader of the care-takers was known by a title bestowed by the local helpers - The Mack of the Tor, or "King of the Hill". Over time, these caretakers evolved into a small Jedi sect, generally human, almost exclusively humans from Coruscant in the early days of the Order, who were not only force users but also members of a very small group known as "singers". These force-users heard an expression of the force that was musical in nature. Some described it as having a 'sound track' for life, like watching an entertainment with background music that set a tone or tenor for the scenes. It tended to be predictive (again, background music) and could also assist multiple singers in coordinating their movements. "Battle Song" became a catch-all term for what was in essence an enhanced battle meld singers shared when in joint combat. Over time, several songs, or "motifs" were discovered that could, through the force, be used to enhance various force abilities, particularly force-assisted healing. For more than a millenia the Mak'Tor shrine on the Spire was known as a center for healing. It was also noted that some particularly strong singers could make connections with force-sensitive crystals like Adegan and Kyber. These connections allowed strong singers to focus and enhance their force abilities even further. A few highly specialized crystals also became part of the Mak'Tor, most notably a trio of Adegan crystals emplaced within the Spire that used a connection to the Song to help maintain the balance of the force nexus within the Spire. This trio of crystals was first created and emplaced by Kage Jim Xandin. His grandson, Klu Xandin, created another crystal known as "The Ancient One" that reportedly acts as a form of Holocron for the Masters of Song who have carried it within their sabers. Another crystal, StarFire, was lost when its holder was killed with Master Hoth and members of the Army of Light at the end of the Jedi-Sith war on Ruusan. Through the millenia, the Mak'Tor were never more than a very small sect of Singers within the greater Jedi order. For the most part they concentrated on the healing arts, with a rare Sentinel tasked with monitoring an entire planet from hiding or battle master among them. Singing was very rare, more rare among the force-sensitive than force-sensitivity was among the general populations, so their numbers were never large. This co-existence continued until Grand Master Kimar expelled the order circa 600 BBY. About a third of the Order of the day renounced the Order's "heretical" teachings and remained in the Jedi order where Kimar required them to also purge the techniques of the Song as well as their Gray beliefs. The other two-thirds - about one hundred Knights plus mates and children (almost exclusively humans from Coruscant but with a smattering of other races) travelled to M'Tzigon, a human colony in the Deep Periphery well off the beaten pathways. The already existing colony world was fairly small but had a thriving tech base and abundant land and resources. Sadly, the final group to leave the Jedi Temple with Kage Odjina never arrived on M'Tzigon, disappearing en-route to a secondary colony site the Kage had selected to diversify the Order's holdings. No official record of this effort has survived. Unofficial records record the survival of a handful (perhaps as few as two) of the expedition's members - and no Knights. Since 600 BBY the Mak'Tor have lived in the M'Skigon mountains on M'Tzigon. They continue to focus on the healing arts, and their healers are famous throughout the Outer Rim and along the space lanes for their skill and knowledge. Since very few of these healers are Knights (and therefore do not carry lightsabers) they were not generally harrassed or harmed by Order 66, though they did tend to 'fly under the radar' during the tenure of the Empire to avoid any "Imperial entanglements". The small number of Mak'Tor knights have remained covert, often working in the shadows to maintain Order and Justice when possible. Mak'Tor Knights also have a propensity for hunting Inquisitorious as well as an on-going effort to find and assist any Jedi survivors that may remain at-large. Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on January 04, 2018, 10:22:44 PM Yes, this will be great. If I could make a request, could you also do one on the "Song". Maybe just go into a little more detail as to what you had thought about it and stuff. I know I have used it a little in my own story, but I feel like I still don't have a good grasp of what it is. I will add this. Good idea! :-) Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on January 04, 2018, 10:24:16 PM So, in writing recently I've had to fill in a LOT of cracks for the Mak'Tor's background, origin, etc. And I think there might be some misconceptions about this group of Grays that were totally unintentional. So I will do my best to correct that here. I will attempt to create a post for different categories - Origin, "The Song", Organization, Infrastructure, Characters. I'll do my best to fill in what I "know" about each. If a question comes up or something is missing, let me know or just ask the question and I will do my best to fill the gap. Thanks again! Since we all share a common universe (SW) its good to know what's going on. You know, in case we happen to 'bump into' each other... :-) Karmack Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Lord_S_Gray on January 04, 2018, 10:49:31 PM Fascinating detail! A lot of holes in that History unfortunately...some of it almost seems...intentional...
Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on January 05, 2018, 02:20:41 AM Fascinating detail! A lot of holes in that History unfortunately...some of it almost seems...intentional... It ... might be. One thing to remember, though: They lost a lot when they got kicked off of Coruscant. Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on January 05, 2018, 06:15:09 PM The Song
OK, so this is more OOC. :-) "The Song" was born when we were talking around a table at home one evening over dinner. "What would it be like if real life had a sound-track, like a movie or TV show?" We've all had that moment, its been parodied in movies itself: "Don't go in there? CAN'T YOU HEAR THE MUSIC????" LOL So, I started thinking: What if a Jedi could "hear" the "song" of life? And the Mak'Tor Singers were born. **** IC **** The Mak'Tor will tell you that the Song is the underlying "current" or "river" of direction for all living things, sung by the Maker Himself to provide the structure, rhythm, harmony and direction of all life in the Universe. The Force is the medium through which the song propagates, much as air is the medium through which normal aural music propagates. Most force users can hear the song to some extent, but since they're not trained in what it is or are even aware of it's existence they can't really hear it. Far fewer hear it clearly, and only a very small group of people can actually sing the song and manipulate it themselves. These few are Singers - people who not only hear the elements of the song in the force, but can create that song themselves. The overall creation of song does not imply Godhead or demigod status, any more than using the force makes one a wizard or demigod. The vast majority of singers only use motifs already known and which fit into specific parts of the song, enhancing their use of the force for specific things. Healing is one of the most common uses, as healers are able to apply force power far beyond their own native ability by singing a force song - and therby focusing force energy that they cannot otherwise harness. And that is the essence of the Song theory and theology. The song is the direction. The mind structures the direction mechanism as music because it is comprehensible to us in that form. But what a singer is really doing is using a force-enabled connection to either focus energy (via a known song) or harness power in a new way (with a unique song not already flowing in the underlying song of the force) for a specific task. The functional expression is a boost to the user's overall ability to harness the force, sometimes in extremely dramatic ways. Crystals come into play when they are tuned to the force already. Kyber and Adegan crystals help channel and connect the force user to the force. Singing via these crystals enhances the focus and power even further. However, when crystals come into play there is a dual danger. To much energy can create a feed-back loop in the crystal, causing the crystal to shatter. The crystal can also allow a force-user to focus so much force energy that the energy could overwhelm and even kill the user as well. Some evidence suggests that repeated usage increased the user's tolerance for this energy channeling effect. Other evidence suggests the opposite. Empirical data seems to indicate that which way a user goes depends primarily on other factors of the user, as results are inconclusive and the data pool is to small for any meaningful statistical analysis. How singing is accomplished is not precisely known. Most singers realize it through vocalization, particularly when improvising. It is generally described in the same terms. Singing. Humming. Whistling. One Zabrek male called it "grunting at pitch". Truly advanced singers, however, can do it without vocalization. In the Mak'Tor, Master of Song Karmack and Master of Song Chillum are both known to vocalize when singing - and have been observed to "sing" while also speaking or otherwise engaging in non-song vocalization. Kage Silman Lo also does not vocalize, but rumors abound that he makes a burping sound when singing something that requires intense concentration. As you may imagine, the Song is considered the underpinning of life in the universe by Mak'Tor theologians. The Mak'Tor tend to consider perversion of the song the way a Jedi thinks of a Sith. However, while an ideal of Right and Wrong are laid down in the holy books (The Way of the Maker primarily, and a secondary book, The Psalter) it is understood that the song, due to the influence of evil, may not always flow as the ideal would want. Even the song's path is secondary to what is Right and Good. Evil is the true enemy. Which is where a singer can find him or herself in trouble. If a powerful Dark Singer has changed the song in their area of influence from Good to Evil, the motifs they wish to use may not be present. If the singer is not trained or capable of singing independently (i.e., creating a structure for directing force energy in the 'song matrix' as it were), then they will not be able to sing effectively. They will be forced back on just their native force talents, which in the case of healers are often small and some Healers and Knights let their native talent languish, relying only on song. This can be a serious weakness. Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on January 05, 2018, 08:05:20 PM Organization
The ancient organization of the Mak'Tor order was quite simple. The members of the Sect were Singers. The senior Singer was the "Master of Song". The remaining members of the order organized themselves by seniority. They were Jedi, members of the Jedi order, and primarily tasked with maintaining and tending the Spire shrines. Around 3000 years BBY the order became a more formal sub-set of the Jedi Order. However, at this time the song was also seen as almost exclusively useful for healing. The leader of the Mak'Tor was bestowed the title "Master Healer" and tasked with training Jedi with singing capabilities as healers. This changed dramatically during the New Sith wars, when the dramatic power of singers came to the fore. Two powerful healers - Master Jars Kinsler and Master Slo'Ma Mack - were members of the Army of Light and followed Master Hoth into the 7th Battle of Ruusan. Master Kinsler was Master Hoth's personal healer and went with the 99 to the final battle. Master Slo'Ma stayed behind with the bulk of the army and helped deal with the aftermath of the thought bomb. Slo'Ma was believed to be carrying the Ancient One at the time, while Master Kinsler was buried with the StarFire crystal on Ruusan. Both crystals were "focus" crystals, song-modified to allow the wielder to enhance their song capabilities and extend the reach of their force techniques and songs. During this time the Mak'Tor developed their warrior traditions, both of the Knights and the Men-At-Arms, non-singing (and sometimes non-force-using) military men who supported the knights in the field. When the Ruusan Reformation was instituted by Supreme Chancellor Tarsus Valorum following the end of the New Sith War on Ruusan, Master Slo'Ma reverted to his primary role of being a healer, but he also passed on his battle knowledge and what he had learned of the crystal to his protege. As the Jedi-led Republic military disbanded, the Mak'Tor Men-At-Arms founded a new colony in the Outer Rim on a world called M'Tzigon. While the Mak'Tor Order remained on Coruscant and embedded in the Jedi, over 20,000 military men, spouses and children migrated to M'Tzigon and quickly established a highly independent and thriving colony. The Mak'Tor colony took its name from the Order that spawned it, but outside of a small Sentinel outpost there were no representatives of the Order on M'Tzigon at this time. The people who migrated there set up a constitutional representative republic to self-govern the planet and hold to a strict form of free enterprise. The Sentinels stationed on the planet played a critical roll in this, acting as arbiters and negotiators, keeping the system honest and providing an injection of compassion and justice to temper the raw laissez faire edges of the system. The adoption of the Way of the Singer at a near planetary level helped in this, as at least lip service was done to principles of Right and Wrong by even the most hardened commercialism. At the same time, Master Slo'Ma Mack and his successor, Master Julian Kree began a philosophical shift within the Mak'Tor order that would lead to them adopting what amounted to a "Gray Declaration". Due to their stubborn belief in the Maker, the song, and the Way of the Singer and it's extrinsic codes of Right and Wrong the Mak'Tor more and more did not see the force as "light" or "dark" but just as a force. While there were of course serious dangers to allowing emotion - especially anger - to control a Knight's actions, the Mak'Tor did not forbid or necessarily discourage delving into gray areas of force use or even what main-stream Jedi would consider Sith powers. This legacy can be traced back to "Kage" Dorian, head of the Order and Master of Song. Dorian defeated a Dark Singer who had managed to take over, briefly, the balance crystals on the Spire in 2534 BBY. Dorian defeated the singer and restored the balance crystals, then spread them out and separated them. Dorian is credited with creating the Mak'Tor Shrine that still exists below the Emperor's Palace on Coruscant, as well as the deep chamber where the Light and Dark crystals reside. Following the battle and his near death at the hands of the Dark Singer, Dorian also began exploring ways to harness what he saw as the far more effective combat techniques employed against him by the Dark Singer. This legacy - of learning and using every technique while maintaining and solid grip on the moral compass provided by the Way - became the hallmark philosophical teaching the Mak'Tor. This led to conflict, which began in earnest when the Jedi reformed in 1000 BBY under the Ruusan Reformation. Mild debates became heated ones, and relationships began to fracture. This culminated in the Kimar Purge, where the remaining Mak'Tor were expelled under Sentinel Guard like common criminals in an effort to both remove them and destroy their credibility. The Mak'Tor Order formally became Gray at that time, moving officially into and expanding the Sentinel Outpost on M'Tzigon. The "civilian" Mak'Tor government welcomed them, folding the Knights and Healers into their Department of Defense. Today, the Kage of the Mak'Tor also serves as the planetary Secretary of Defense, serving on the planetary Governor's cabinet. Their interaction is very much like the Jedi of the Old Republic, as they were before the Ruusan Reformation. The Kage is the head of the Council of Balance, which has five members. Kage Master of Song Master of Balance Master of Blades Master Healer Reporting directly to the Kage is the Head of Intelligence - Master Telow'na Jackson. Most of the intelligence network are Healers, who observe and report when on assignment. (Zearic, you didn't hear that...) Master's College The collected Knights who have attained the rank of Master form what is called the Master's College. The College gathers to confer rank on all Order members and assigning Teidowans for individual training once they complete the formal schooling in the Temple. The Master of Balance is the informal head of the College, but his only powers are to chair meetings and in the event of a deadlock to cast a tie-breaker vote. Currently the Mak'Tor Master's College has twenty-three members. Of these, the following are masters of both force and song: Silman Lo - Kage - Zabrek Male - blue saber Du'an Chillum - Master of Song Human Male - blue saber J'Nor Kroven - Master of Balance Human female - light-blue saber L'Gan Zane - Master of Blades Human female - green saber staff Ju'Lus - Master of Healing human male - blue saber Er'Lav Racc - Maenowan Master / master of song - human female - aqua-green saber Ka'A'Mack - Master of Song/Maenowan Master - human male - yellow/gold saber Additionally of note: Meanowan Telow'na Jackson - human female - hot-pink saber. Numbers: There are 23 Meanowan Masters and/or Masters of Song in the Mak'Tor Order. There are 28 Silver Kowan Knights. There are 59 Kowan Knights. There are 14 Teidowans assigned to Silver Kowan Knights or Meanowan Knights for final training. There are 237 padawans in the Temple in training between the ages of 7 and 16. There are 1028 trained Healers. Seven are also Knights. (Note - many Knights are trained in healing, but are not considered "healers". Ka'A'Mack, for example, is a powerful healer but is not considered a "Healer") Men-At-Arms The Men-At-Arms are the Mak'Tor Regular Army (Militia). They are small but professional. General Elax Cliff is the Master-of-Arms and commander of the Militia. The militia has a standing cadre of 20,000 Men-At-Arms supported by a small Navy. The Navy has a few corvettes (blockade runners) and a wide variety of modified light freighters like the "Wayfarer". The Mak'Tor militia also has a large supply of ARC-170 heavy fighters modified with updated weapons and with a crew reduced to two - pilot and tail gunner/observer. There are also seven Eta-2 Actis-class interceptors and four Syliure-45 hyperdrive docking ring modules to fit them. Knights usually use the Eta-2s, while the ARC-170s are flown by Men-At-Arms. Men-At-Arms generally carry song-steel tipped spears for ceremonial purposes. The weapons are archaic but all Men-At-Arms train with them on the off-chance they may need to use them in real combat. They can be effective even against force-users, as the weapon can block and survive several saber strikes before being damaged beyond use. In addition to the Cadre, every able-bodied person on the planet between the ages of 18 and 55 are considered part of the Militia and undergo basic training and enter reserve units, which meet and train for 2 weeks twice a year.Total population of M'Tzigon is about 20 million people total. The Shires and Provinces are self-ruled via a constitutional representative democracy not unlike the Old Republic. The Men-At-Arms represent the professional standing army, 20k strong. The Militia constitute over a million additional fighting troops trained but only serving 4 weeks / year on-duty, spent mainly training. Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Lord_S_Gray on January 05, 2018, 08:16:07 PM Only read the section on the song but very useful
... So it's almost like emphasizing the resonant frequency of a situation, emotion, or pattern of behaviour to enhance it? Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on January 05, 2018, 08:36:17 PM Yes, that's a really good way to put it.
There's also a predictive aspect of it. I played on that more in the beginning but we've gotten away from it. Imagine being able to hear the music of a movie while you're "in" it. The music gets suddenly tense. You know something is about to happen. Or there's a massive minor chord. Someone died. Or like in the fighter sequences where you have an "empire" theme and "rebellion" theme going, dueling back and forth... But if you can tap into it and bring aspects out and to the fore... Its like picking the part of the sound track you like and turning that part up louder... :-) Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Taegin Roan on January 05, 2018, 08:44:47 PM Yes, the "Song" section was extremely useful. Gives me a little more to work with with Rowahn. I am pretty sure that I have had the "if you could hear the soundtrack" conversation before. It seems like one that I would have had. But I really find the "Organization" section to be extremely interesting. I don't know why, but it was really cool to see the breakdown. I can definitely tell you have put some thought into if recently. And I gotta say, Meanowan Telow'na Jackson has quickly risen to one of my favorite characters, for one simple reason. She has a Hot Pink lightsaber.
After learning all of this with the singers and Karm and stuff, I kind of wonder what would happen if Rowahn ever met Karm. I feel like the "She is untrained, but stronger than she knows" quote would apply in that situation. Anyways, good information. This is exactly the kind of thing that I have done in creating my own Fantasy universe. More of just information than actual stories. Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on January 05, 2018, 10:00:07 PM Equipment
Much of Mak'Tor equipment is typical of the Republic/Empire. Generally their military equipment is older, from the Clone War era, though many of their auxilliary ships are actually Old Republic-era freighters that have been upgraded. A typical example is the "Wayfarer", a CEC XS Stock Light Freighter. The "Navy" of the Mak'Tor consists of ten CR90 Corvettes, aka CEC "Blockade Runners". Of these, two are generally down for overhaul at any time, with 8 online for active duty. Fighters consist of ARC-170-M heavy fighters. These clone-war era fighters were modified to accept R2 units and to carry a crew of two instead of three. The Men-At-Arms had about 400 of these fighters on-hand and the capability to manufacture more. Additionally, during the Clone Wars a dozen Eta-2 Actis fighters and six Syliure-45 hyperdrive docking rings were acquired through cut-outs from Kuat Industries. Of these, seven fighters and four rings remain in-service and are used exclusively by Knight pilots. Parts to keep these systems on-line are produced locally but no new fighters of this type have been constructed. Ironically, no T-65 X-Wings or other iconic Rebel Alliance fighters are known to be operated by the Mak'Tor. The CR-90s are the newest ships in service. Deposits of Songsteel ore were found on M'Tzigon shortly after the initial colonization. Larger deposits are found in the asteroid belt. It is common for Mak'Tor knights to build their lightsabers from song-steel hilts, and song-steel is used for weapons and personal armor. Typical Man-At-Arms "kit": A280 heavy blaster rifle DL-44 heavy blaster pistol (side-arm) song-steel fighting kukri blade (Gurka) Smart-fabric battle fatigues - Dark Gray with black load-bearing harness 2 aerosol/smoke grenades 2 fragmentation grenades 2 concussion grenades surival pack medical kit rations (5 days) communications gear compass and wire spool climbing gear various (individual) Heavy boots gloves helmet "Overlay" - loose-fitting combat smock, inter-woven with a blaster-dissipation net. Men-At-Arms smocks are black with light gray markings on the smock. Most troopers also carry a good supply of power packs for pistol and rifle. Minimum required is enough for 50 pistol shots and 200 rifle shots. Mak'Tor Knight standard equipment: Same base uniform - Dk Gray smart-fabric fatigues, black boots, gloves, LBH Generally knights do not carry grenades in favor of more specialized gear, like listening devices, sensors, etc. DL-44 Heavy blaster pistol (side-arm) Lightsaber (or two) Song-steel fighting knife (style of choice to individual) Song-steel wrist guards and sometimes armor plate over fatigues. Note: Knight smocks are trimmed in color, generally matches the Knight's blade color. Ken: blue trim Arnor: cyan trim Karmack: Gold trim Combat knives - Karmack prefers the kukri-style blade forged in song-steel. Arnor uses a more traditional tanto-style fighting knife and stiletto-shaped throwing knives. Karmack's boot daggers are also 6" Stilettos. Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on January 05, 2018, 10:45:32 PM Characters
Name: Karmack (actually Ka'A'Mack of the Mak'tor Clan, M'Skigon Province, M'Tzigon System) Race: Human Gender: Male Home world: M'Tzigon Age: 37 Saber Crystal: Kyber, bright yellow. (The Ancient One) Karmack is a Gray Jedi and has attained the rank of Maenowan. He served the M'Tzigon system and surrounding area as a Sentinel, guarding against and intercepting evil influences. His mentor is Master Chillum, an aged Sentinel who was originally part of the Jedi order but left when he fell in love. Rather than fight the Order, he resigned and took up residence on M'Tzigon with his wife and eventually his family. His daughter, Arnor, is also a Gray with the rank of Silver Koawan and is married to Karmack. Coincidentally, the pair were married on the day Order 66 was implemented by the Emperor. Shortly afterward, some of the first Inquisitorius visited M'Tzigon, following rumors of a Jedi in the area. Master Chillum, his apprentice M'Klonda, Koawan Karmack and his apprentice Hermon Layne, and the Gray Knights T'lumm, Jo-Lon and Arnor confronted the Inquisitorius, who were backed up by a company of clone troopers. In the battle, Master Chillum was severely wounded and crippled, M'Klonda, Layne, Jo-Lan and T'lumm were killed and Karmack suffered an injury to his right hand and forearm that destroyed most of the nerves in his hand. As a result, Karmack wears a cybernetic glove over his hand, which is tied to a surgically implanted interface in his mid-right forearm. This allows him to use the hand as normal, with somewhat greater than average strength. Master Chillum continues to serve as a Seer and battle-master and resides in a rebuilt complex in the territory of Clan Macktor in the M'Skigon province of M'Tzigon. Karmack and Arnor left M'Tzigon shortly after his rehabilitation and promotion to Maenowan on the extended and on-going mission to hunt down any remaining Inquisitorius or other Jedi hunters they can engage as well as to assist any living Jedi and the growing Rebel Alliance. Their last known whearabouts appears to be Naboo, where a mysterious explosion has set the construction of the new Death Star back severely, which may give the Rebels time to organize an attack on it before it becomes fully operational... Karmack: Born 33 BBY Began training at age 7 - 26 BBY Gray Trial: 16 BBY Koawan Trial: 14 BBY Silver Trial: 8 BBY Maenowan Trial: 2 BBY Maenowan Master Trail: 4 ABY Master of Song: 4ABY - unique to the Mak'Tor, initial level of those who will eventually become "Singers" of the Clan. Saber: Primary - golden-yellow "The Ancient One" Kyber Secondary: song-steel hilted saber-staff, matched Adegan crystals, "captured" and tuned, bright yellow, not as golden as the Ancient One. Arnor: Born 28 BBY Began training at age 6 - 22 BBY Gray Trial: 11 BBY Koawan Trial: 6 BBY Silver Trial: 3 BBY Saber - Aqua-blue kyber Master Du'an Chillum - Master of Song and Member of the Council of the Mak'Tor. Master Chillum is Karmack's mentor as well as his father-in-law. He was close friends with Karmack's father and when his father died Master Chillum took Karmack as his own Teidowan and trained him in both the Jedi Arts and as a singer. Karmack is married to Arnor Chillum, daughter of Du'an Chillum. Master Chillum wields a blue saber. Kage Silman Lo - Kage of the Mak'Tor - Dathomirian Male - Red Hills Clan (origin). Silman Lo is a typical Dathomirian male - muscular and powerfully built with dark red skin tones, red-black markings and vestigial crainial horns. His eyes are a striking light-blue/silver-blue color. He wields a blue blade. Master J'Nor Kroven - Master of Balance - Human female - Member of the Council of the Mak'Tor - Master Kroven is a master singer and experienced in force meditation and precognition. She is also the council member with the strongest personal control, capable of pin-point telekinesis and is also the most knowledgable of the council on the Way of the Singer. (Holy text) Carries a light-blue blade. Master L'Gan Zane - Master of Blades - Human female. Master Zane is in charge of all saber training and is a master of all seven forms. She is a practitioner of Juyo, wielding a green-bladed saber staff. The staff is unique in that the hilt is shrouded with a song-steel shroud plated with cortosis and inlaid with sapphire etching in a runic pattern. Master Ju'Lus - Master of Healing - human male - Ju'Lus is a rare Knight among the healers. He is only surpassed by Chillum and Karmack as a singer and his focus on healing makes him the most potent healer among the Mak'Tor. Many of his motifs are to powerful for the normal cadre of healers to use safely, but he has taught them to Chillum, Lo, and Karmack. Rumor is that the Geonosis motif that restored Ken and Zearic and drained Karmack was a motif Ju'Lus taught him augmented by the crystals in play. Regeneration on that scale is generally not possible, however, as it will kill the singer before the healing is complete. Ju'Lus wields a blue blade, rarely ignited. Master Er'Lav Racc - human female - Meanowan Master and Master of Song - Er'Lav is middle-aged and bright eyed. She is a Sentinel, works for Telow'na Jackson, and is currently off-world on a mission. She wields a cyan saber. Meanowan Telow'na Jackson - human female - Meanowan Master and head of Mak'Tor intelligence. Telow'na comes across as someone's grandmother, but at her core she is a dangerous opponent. Capable of deep thought, she is a chess master and loves the intrigue of intelligence and counter-intelligence work. She was trained as a Sentinel and spent most of her field work under cover on Coruscant, spying on the Jedi and the Senate. She wields a hot-pink saber. Historical Characters from the Mak'Tor past: Master of Song Master Klu Xandin - Master of the Mak'Tor - Human Male - circ. 3000 BBY. Created the Kyber crystal known as "The Ancient One", the original "smart" crystal. It is now Karmack's saber crystal but is also a form of holocron. Kage Dorian - Human Male - Cir. 2500 BBY. Defeated the Dark Singer only known now as "The Namless One", who had set up a series of dark crystal caverns around the Spire on Coruscant and used her art to take over the crystal caverns with Dark Energy. She was eventually defeated by Kage Dorian, who restored the three Crystals of Balance on Coruscant and cleansed the Crystal Cavern, creating the Mak'Tor Shrine on the Spire as well as the deep vault at the base of the Spire. Kage Odjina - Twi'Lek male - Cir. 300 BBY. Leader of the Mak'Tor when Grand Master Kimer expelled them in his efforts to "cleanse" the Jedi of undesirable teachings. Kage Odjina then led a colony effort on Vyth, which ended in disaster, but was able to overcome much of the damage by mutating the Song of the Dark Singer back to balance. His sacrifice is remembered in the Tragedy of Odjina, in the form of an epic poem often sung. Master Jars Kinsler - Master Healer - Member of the "Army of Light", bore an Adegan crystal called "StarFire" which was a song focal crystal and possibly a holocron as well. Died on Ruusan, buried in the Shrine there with his saber stored as one of the artifacts. Master Slo'Ma Mack - Master of Song - Battle Master of the Mak'Tor at the time of the 7th battle of Ruusan. Carried the Ancient One. Assisted in the Jedi Order reformation that as done as part of the Ruusan Reformation following the end of the New Sith War. Other story characters you may run into... Kowan Illian - Former Jedi, Kowan Knight, Singer Initiate. - Wields a blue saber. Illian is a former Jedi padawan who was 'adopted' by Karmack when his master was killed on a joint mission. He was promoted to Kowan and is able to hear the song faintly and utilize a few basic motifs, qualifying him for continued advancement. While he will never be a great singer, the young knight is highly skilled and with his wife are becoming key players in the Mak'Tor intelligence community. Julwynn (Hri) Kohl - MIM agent, former Night Sister of Dathomir and force-sensitive. "Free Trader". Juwynn Kohl is the wife of Balnard Kohl, a Mandalorian mercenary with a dark past and unique physical characteristics. Julwynn converted from serving Darth Mendax and assisted Karmack and Arnor in finding and stopping a plot to assemble what amounted to a controlled force nexus capable of using song-enhanced force techniques to literally brain-wash and enslave an entire planetary population. She is now a member of the Mak'tor Intelligence Militia (MIM) and an official Agent of the Mak'Tor government, though not a Knight. She is a singer and force-user, wields a red light saber and amber force-whip. Balnard Kohl - Mercenary/MIM Agent. "Free Trader". Veteran of the Clone Wars, fought with the Clones but was not one of the Kamino clones. Based on a different Mandalorian genotype, he was bred for combat prowess but also made "invisible" in the force. Unlike other living things, he has no force trace, no connection. Force energy does not work on him and he is not succeptible to mind tricks or mind control or force pushes, lighting, etc. A skilled force user can still effect him by touching his equipment, however, which DOES exist in the force. He is husband to Julwynn Hri, supplanting her entire coven, and generaly neutral in leaning and morals. He does prefer to work for good people, though, for the simple reason that they are "less likely to cheat you or kill you rather than pay you." Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on January 05, 2018, 10:55:15 PM So, that's my current "Writing Bible" for the Mak'Tor. The current date is circa 5 ABY going into 6 ABY.
Please, if you want to cross-over and use a character or characters, just IM me and keep me in the loop on what you're doing. As Dutchman and LSG and Taegin will tell you I don't mind if you play with the Mak'Tor, just let me keep control of them. I will pay you the same courtesy. Thanks everyone! I hope you enjoy and that this helps! Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: TheDutchman on January 06, 2018, 12:20:59 PM Wow Karm...
This is OUTSTANDING! I really enjoy reading about the Mak'Tor in this kind of detail! Truly, this is a labour of love and it shows: SO much wonderful backstory, character bios, the organizational table of equipment... Maybe I should have you do that for the Vhal-Dan Gray Jedi ;D Is it bad that I want to read more ;) Great job my friend! Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on January 06, 2018, 11:41:13 PM Thanks Dutchman. As LSG pointed out, there are still a LOT of holes, many of them intentional and others because I just don't know the SW canon as well as I'd like. For example, I stumbled across the Ruusan Reformation totally by accident. I think it was a RetCon in part to explain why the Jedi in Knight of the Old Republic had such cool armor and stuff, but that was all gone in the SW movies. So they "explained" it.
Kind of like what they did with Rogue One and the "flaw" in the first Death Star. :-) There will probably be more. I imagine I'll have to update the character list, for example. But for now, the bones are there so we can all dance around them in step. Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Lord_S_Gray on January 08, 2018, 09:04:24 AM Just Awesome, so much detail...I guess everyone creates their own little world for their characters but this is really deep, I'll be sure to try and integrate some of their past heroes as much as possible!
Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on January 08, 2018, 03:29:26 PM Just Awesome, so much detail...I guess everyone creates their own little world for their characters but this is really deep, I'll be sure to try and integrate some of their past heroes as much as possible! *bows* Thank you, LSG. :-) Some of this was driven by you when you first suggested Odjina. It turned my thoughts in directions I hadn't anticipated at first. So my thanks to you for that spark! :-)Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Lord_S_Gray on January 10, 2018, 09:25:02 AM *bows* Thank you, LSG. :-) Some of this was driven by you when you first suggested Odjina. It turned my thoughts in directions I hadn't anticipated at first. So my thanks to you for that spark! :-) My pleasure, that is the benefit of collaboration, new ideas and directions you could never imagine on your own! "We are the spark that will light the fire that will bring the Mak'Tor to Life!!" Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Illyiss on February 07, 2018, 05:22:51 PM So some things I saw that I am more curious about (unless I somehow missed where they were explained);
Songsteel: I am guessing it's a lightsaber resistant metal, like Beskar? The various rank(?) titles, such as Maenowan, Koawan,and the like. Also, the title "Kage" what language base did you use or derive this from? And do you pronounce it "cage", "ka-je" (as in the Japanese), or another way? Amazing job building an organization with a great in depth story, background, motivations, and structure! Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on February 07, 2018, 05:45:06 PM So some things I saw that I am more curious about (unless I somehow missed where they were explained); Songsteel: I am guessing it's a lightsaber resistant metal, like Beskar? The various rank(?) titles, such as Maenowan, Koawan,and the like. Also, the title "Kage" what language base did you use or derive this from? And do you pronounce it "cage", "ka-je" (as in the Japanese), or another way? Amazing job building an organization with a great in depth story, background, motivations, and structure! Songsteel is in fact a lightsaber resistant material. I actually happened across it on Wookipedia and considering the 'song' motif I build my stories around I couldn't resist using it. :-) The ranks are Gray Jedi ranks. The Mak'Tor were originally a sub-set of the Jedi order, though they pre-date even the Jedi, coming originally from a religious group that existed on Coruscant and tended shrines on the Spire before there were more than a handful of local shrines there. When the Jedi built their first shrine, the Mak'Tor adopted it as part of their mission. Over time they were incorporated into the Jedi Order. Then under Grand Master Kimar they were expelled, about 600 BBY, for "heresy" and migrated to a planet called M'Tzigon. After that expulsion they adopted the Gray Jedi ranks when they replaced the Jedi's structure for their Knights with their own new one. At that time they incorporated the unique religious features officially into their founding documents and by-laws that had caused their expulsion. And in the process of hiding themselves from the Jedi after the Vyth massacre they effectively insulated themselves from order 66 as well. As for Kage... I favor the japanese pronounciation of 'ka-je". :-) Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on February 23, 2018, 08:34:05 PM M'Tzigon Planetary Information
M'Tzigon is an "alpine" world, with towering mountain ranges and deep oceans. There are several extremely fertile valleys with extensive farmlands, but the growing seasons tend to be short and extreme. Most of the population live in the mountain regions, where despite high snowfalls during the winter months the overall climate is actually more moderate and comfortable for most humanoid species. Two primary mountain ranges dominate the main planet. The original colony, founded around 2500 BBY, is centered around the capital of Sierra in the M'H'Ron Range. There are numerous sub-ranges that make up the M'H'Rons, but the main spine of this range dominates the planet. It is known for the vibrant and varied colors of the granite that make up the mountains. The tallest peak in this range, Mount Arvon, overlooks Sierra and guards the entrance to the Arvon Vale, the primary agricultural and industrial area on the planet and where over half of the planetary population live, scattered in towns up and down the valley along the M'Ar'Quette river. The tallest mountains, however, are in the M'Skigon range. This area was primarily wilderness until the Mak'Tor arrived from Coruscant. Today the primary peaks of the M'Skigon range are occupied by Mak'Tor facilities, and the Grays occupy several high-mountain valleys in scattered, small villages. There is also a sizable "belter" population in the M'Tzigon system. These people live and work in space, either on the orbital platforms that ring the planet or in the industrial centers that are built in the inner and outer asteroid belts. M'Tzigon has a 25.3 standard hour day and the orbital period is almost exactly two standard years. However, M'Tzigon also has a pronounced orbital "wobble" which results in the planet presenting two sets of seasons per orbital period. Hence seasons are just as long on M'Tzigon as on Coruscant, but happen twice per year. The Year is divided into twenty-six months, labelled by numeral. Each Month has 4 weeks of seven days. The two remaining days are added to the last week of month 13 and month 26 and are called "Comp" days and are considered holidays. An example of how a date would be logged: IX-III-IV:1248. This would be the 9th month, third week, fourth day of Year 1248 from Founding, or approximately September 25, 5 ABY ** For syncronization: Year 1248 FF (from Founding) is 5-6 ABY ** Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Lord_S_Gray on February 24, 2018, 02:52:56 AM Wow its own dating system...a lot of thought into this!
Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on February 24, 2018, 05:32:10 PM Well, every planet rotates and orbits on its own unique pathway, so... :-)
I was working on something for the Jokers and needed a date, and that started me thinking. And that, as we all know, is never a good thing... :-) Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Illyiss on February 24, 2018, 10:27:31 PM Thinking is dangerous, it changes worlds!
Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on March 26, 2018, 06:53:11 PM M'Tzigon Political Structure (Planetary)
The political structure on M'Tzigon is geared primarily toward local control. When the colony was originally founded the colonists codified their views in a document known formally as the "Sierra Declaration of Fundamental Principles" but which is generally referred to as the "Mountain Man Manifesto" or simply the "Declaration". The Declaration states that, wherever possible, personal liberty and freedoms will be preserved to the individual. When it is necessary to curtail that freedom by force of law for the good of the community the power to create, modify and police that intrusion will be maintained as closely as possible to those who are affected by those intrusions. Additional principles limiting the size and scope of the government's power and authority were also stated, and these principles directly informed the M'Tzigon Planetary Constitution which was written two years after founding and ratified seven months later. As would be expected the M'Tzigon planetary government was heavily influenced by the Old Republic, but it is not a direct copy by any means. The original colony was settled almost exclusively by ex-Military personnel who had seen first-hand many abuses of power by a Republic that was to heavily swayed by the rich and powerful 'upper crust', often at the expense of the poor and middle-class working folks. The colony was also infused from inception with the teachings of the Book of the Way, among which were found the principles of "reap what you sow" and "created in the image of the Maker". As a result the colony began with what the Republic would have seen as a highly radical and extreme lazze faire attitude toward economics and personal freedoms, attitudes which were on par with the likes of the Vhal Dan. The "religious fanaticism" continues to infuse the world and provides the underpinning of its social and judicial order, without which the Mak'Tor would soon fall into the greed and corruption of the Hutts or Trade Guilds, and as such this 'pillar' of Mak'Tor society is zealously guarded and propagated. Politically, however, the main effects on M'Tzigon are twofold. First, ALL politics are in essence "local" politics. Second, the various religious establishments on the planet, led by but not limited to the Church of the Way of the Maker, tend to be heavily involved in political discussion and debate while maintaining a discrete separation from the actual mechanics and structures of political power. The Constitution established M'Tzigon as a Representative Republic. There are 23 Provinces on M'Tzigon. M'Skigon Province is in the high mountains and is under the direct rule of the Mak'Tor Council of Balance, though the various cantons and villages elect local government officers just like everyone else. The other 22 Provinces are made up of between eight and fourteen Cantons. A Canton is a political district with approximately 100,000 people in it. There are currently 202 Cantons on M'Tzigon. The various villages and towns in a Canton elect their local officials per their local by-laws as incorporated on their charters. Areas not within these incorporated areas are governed by the Canton officials directly. The local judicial system and constabulary are also maintained at the Canton level. All Cantons have the following offices: Alderman (Chief executive), Sheriff, Council (seven positions), and Chief Justice. The Alderman is the Canton's chief executive. The Council is the Canton's legislative arm. The Sheriff is the head of the local police force, and the Chief Justice is the senior judge. The Alderman proposes legislation and budgets. The Council creates laws, budgets, levies necessary taxes and creates infrastructure as required by the Canton. Legislation can only be created by the Council and must be approved by the Alderman. The Council is also advised by the Sheriff and Chief Justice. Any budgetary expenditure greater than 5% of the total budget must be put to an up/down vote of the entire Canton in the next general election. Judges are nominated by either the Chief Justice or the Alderman, and must be seconded by either the other office or a majority vote of the council. Nominated judges are placed on a ballot for voter approval. Judges (including the Chief Justice) serve 10-year terms. Councilmen serve 3 year terms, with 2 or 3 council positions up for re-election annually. Aldermen serve 5-year terms. There are no term limits, but NO person may serve in the same position for two consecutive terms. Province government is described Constitutionally as being bi-cameral with a Chief Executive and a Chief Justice. The House of Assembly (a.k.a "Assembly) is made up of two Chambers. One chamber (known as the Peers) is made up of representatives appointed by each Canton's council and endorsed by the Alderman, 1 from each Canton serving a five year term. The second chamber, known as the Commons, is directly elected by the people of the Canton to a six-year term. Each Canton is apportioned for one Commons district per 10,000 people, rounded up. (So a Canton with a population of 104,887 would round to 110,000 and divide, as evenly as possible, into 11 districts.) The Chief Executive of each Province is given the title of "Governor" and is the head of the Province's executive branch. A "Lieutenant Governor" is also elected, his role primarily ceremonial, his primary purpose to step in should something prevent the Governor from completing his term of office. Governors are elected for 5-year terms. The Judicial branch is made up of a Supreme Court of five justices nominated by the Governor and approved by general election to 10-year terms. Appeals courts in each Canton are to be created at need by the Governor, the justices appointed by the Governor and confirmed by a vote of the Assembly. The chief Law Enforcement officer of a Province is the Bailiff. The Bailiff may hire and empower deputies to assist him in his duties. The Bailiff is responsible for law enforcement, crime investigation, and incarceration of prisoners. The Bailiff is appointed by the Governor and confirmed by popular vote. He serves at the Governor's pleasure and may be fired by the Governor or an act of the Assembly, again with confirmation by popular ballot required. If the Bailiff is upheld by popular vote after at attempt at removal by the Governor or legislature, such removal may not be attempted again until after the next popular vote. At the Province level, the Assembly creates legislation, the Governor must either approve it via signature or veto it. If the Governor does not approve or veto within 10 days, the legislation automatically returns to the Assembly. If it is passed with a 60% majority on return it becomes law. A deliberate veto requires a 2/3 majority to override the veto. Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on March 26, 2018, 07:43:37 PM M'Tzigon Political Structure (Planetary)
*continued* The provinces of M'Tzigon are united in the M'Tzigon Confederation. This is the "Federal" level of the planetary government, and it mimics very closely the Provincial level in its workings. However, the Confederation government is limited by the Constitution to three areas: Inter-Provincial commerce (strictly defined as the creation of common measures and currencies, the Confederation-wide recognition of Provincial documents and licenses, etc, and the creation and maintenance of common travel and communications standards and infrastructure), Planetary Defense, and inter-planetary diplomacy. The government follows the tripartite structure of the Provinces: Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary. The Executive branch is led by a Planetary President, elected to a 5-year term. There is also a Vice President elected on the same ticket to a 5-year term. Again, there are no term limits but no official may hold the same office for consecutive terms. At the Planetary level there is an additional prohibition concerning Presidents and Vice Presidents - a President may not hold the office of President OR Vice President in the term immediately following his term of office as President. (This was done to prevent two people from rotating back and forth as President and Vice-President) The President's Council is made up of 7 positions: Vice-President/Council Chairman, Minister of State, Minister of Defense, Minister of Commerce, Minister of Justice, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Minister-at-Large. The Vice-President always serves as the Chairman of the Council. The Minister of Defense, as defined by the Constitution's 7th Amendment, is the Mak'Tor Order's Kage. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff may NOT be a member of the Mak'Tor order, also defined by the 7th Amendment. Each Council member (save the VP) is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Planetary Assembly. The Legislative Branch is made up of the Planetary Assembly. The Assembly has a House of Peers and House of Commons. The Commons are elected by direct election of the people. Planetary Commons districts are apportioned one district per every 80,000 people. There are currently 250 Planetary Assemblymen. The Peers are directly appointed by the Provincial Governors with confirmation required from the Provincial Assemblies. There are currently 23 Peers. All fiscal bills must originate in the Commons. The Peers have the responsibility of approving Judicial appointments. The Judicial branch is made up of a Supreme Court consisting of seven Justices. The Chief Justice is the member with the most seniority. Justices are appointed to the Court for 20-year terms and may not serve consecutive terms. Appointments are made by the President and must be approved by a vote of the Peers. The Supreme court serves as the final arbiter of legal disputes for the Planetary court system. They stand immediately above the Provincial Supreme Courts. Legislation for appropriations, taxation, and regulation must go through three "Readings". The "First Reading" consists of the text of the proposed legislation being read out-loud on the originating chamber floor. After this reading debate on proposed changes is opened and entertained until a simple majority of the quorum votes to close debate. Any proposed amendments are voted on. If amended, the legislation is updated and then re-read, again out loud, and given an up/down vote. Second Reading is the same process, but in the opposite House. If the legislation is amended after Second Reading, it goes to a reconciliation committee formed of three members from each house and an at-large member appointed by the Senior Assemblyman. Third Reading consists of the reconciled bill being read out to both houses for an up/down vote. If there is no need of reconciliation, the bill will go directly to Third Reading. If the bill passes the up/down vote after third reading, the bill goes to the President for signature or Veto. If the President vetoes, the Assembly may override with a 2/3 majority. No amendments are allowed during an override attempt. If the President neither signs nor vetoes the bill, it may be implemented by a 60% super-majority vote of the Assembly, again without amendment. This by-pass vote is sometimes called "Fourth Reading" and happens automatically after 60 days. If the bill does not meet the 60% super-majority it is considered the same as a veto and the bill must be re-submitted from scratch. Last Election Cycle: 3 ABY Current Office Holders (Planetary Level) Planetary President: Jason Alvarez (Until 8ABY) Planetary VP: Susan Colman (Until 8ABY) Minister of State: Rev'Lan Tryx (human male) Minster of Defense - Kage Silman Lo Minster of Commerce - Jo'Lin Tor (Human female) Minster-At-Large - Pho'Bus Xir (Huaman male) Minster of Justice - Had'Rian Dir (Human female) Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - General Elax Cliff, Master-At-Arms Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: TheDutchman on March 27, 2018, 01:52:20 AM ...Wow Karm...just...wow...
I wish that I had such an incredibly complex and intriguing backstory! That is fantastic!! Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on March 29, 2018, 05:08:43 PM ***** RETCON *****
OK, guys, I was talking over this political system with my wife and she pointed something out to me: The population of M'Tzigon is REALLY small for a successul colony that's been around for literally THOUSANDS of years! The colony was founded in 2500 BBY, so its a little over 2500 years old. There should be more than 20 million people on the planet... So... Updated population numbers for M'Tzigon... The actual population of the planet is 653,778,034 persons. Just over half of these live in the Arvon Vale, along the M'Ar'Quette river. Cantons are still created for areas with about 100,000 people in them. So, there are actually 6,612 cantons spread across the 23 Provinces of M'Tzigon. Of those, 3,518 cantons are in the Arvon Vale, generally centered on towns and villages along the river or in the various side-valleys that feed into the Vale. (If you want to visualize this area, think Wales) The Planetary Assembly is increased to 500 seats (change from 250). Each district therefore serves approximately 1.3 million constituents. Districts are apportioned strictly by population and are made up of adjoining cantons, usually 12 to 14. Districts are apportioned without regard to Provincial boarders, so there are a few that straddle two Provinces. No other changes, but some of the Provincial Assemblies are quite large and very unwieldy. This is generally not considered a problem as virtually all critical services are maintained at the Canton level. As for the Mak'Tor... They've been on-planet for 600 years and their overall population is pretty large, but they have a very high attrition rate among the Knights and while they don't discourage relationships many of them don't get married or have children simply because of the nature of their work. So the Order is still small - less than 1000 Knights - but there are a LOT of healers. Virtually every medical facility on the planet has at least one Mak'Tor healer in residence, and most have several. The combination of high-tech devices, droids, highly trained doctors and song-sensitive healers had made M'Tzigon medical standards extremely high. 3/4 of the training facilities in the province of M'Skigon are dedicated to healing arts, rather than to the Knights. Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on August 31, 2018, 03:10:09 PM **** HOLIDAYS ****
As stated in an earlier post, there are two "comp" days built into the M'Tzigon calendar which are official holidays. These days are known to followers of the way as S'Kar'Yom, the "Day of Thanksgiving", or simply as "Comp" to the bulk of the secular population. The days are also often referred to as "Yom", the day before as "Yom'Eve" or "S'Kar'Eve" How do the "Comp" holidays work? They're essentially like Christmas and Thanksgiving rolled into one. On the eve before the holiday, religious folks attend Vesper services that are times of reflection on the previous half-year, a time of giving thanks and offering praise to the Maker for His provision. The Holiday itself is a time of feasting, gathering with family and friends, and giving and receiving gifts. S'Kar'Yom Eve services are traditionally held in the early afternoon, but some temples offer them in the morning, others right at sunset or immediately afterward. Tradition has evolved that the two days are combined to into a two-day holiday, which is then immediately followed by another official holiday, the first day of Month I (New Year's Day) and the first day of Month XIII (Renewal). There is also a two-day holiday mid-summer, celebrated on VI-IV-VII - VII-I-I and XVIII-IV-VII - XIX-I-I and known as the "Fire Festival". This is basically just celebrated as a mid-summer holiday, a chance to take a break and go to the beach (or one of the many cool mountain lake resorts). Reference Link for calendar info: http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=37079.msg620959#msg620959 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=37079.msg620959#msg620959) Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Lady Revan on October 13, 2018, 07:46:33 PM Wow! There's a lot here in regard to the History of the Mak'Tor! This clarifies a lot of the questions I had that I messaged you about... Not a lot of info on the period in question, but it's something to note ;)
Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Golden Fedora on October 15, 2018, 06:08:36 PM That is very helpful info Karm. thanks for posting this.
Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on October 15, 2018, 06:56:11 PM Thanks guys!
Please note that the Mak'Tor live on M'Tzigon as of 600 BBY, but the M'Tzigon Republic has been around for 2300 years aproximately. :-) Just a reminder that they're not the same. (Yes, this is my mini-version of the Jedi and the Republic. Sorry! :-) Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Golden Fedora on October 15, 2018, 07:17:37 PM No need to apologize, I love it!
Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Lady Revan on October 15, 2018, 09:15:59 PM Thanks guys! Please note that the Mak'Tor live on M'Tzigon as of 600 BBY, but the M'Tzigon Republic has been around for 2300 years aproximately. :-) Just a reminder that they're not the same. (Yes, this is my mini-version of the Jedi and the Republic. Sorry! :-) For verification, the thing we discussed would be super-early stages approximately 1650 years before the M'Tzigon, correct? (3964 BBY) Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Karmack on October 15, 2018, 09:20:12 PM Yup. The Mak'Tor order itself is ancient, on Coruscant, as we discussed.
Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Lady Revan on October 15, 2018, 10:29:19 PM Got it! Thank you!
Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Taegin Roan on October 15, 2018, 10:43:59 PM And here is another thread I forgot to add to the list. :-[ Definitely needs to be in there though.
Title: Re: The Mak'Tor - background information... Post by: Lady Revan on October 15, 2018, 11:11:21 PM *waves hands frantically at moderators*
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