"If not for self-reliance, our ancestors would have died shortly after your ancestors left them here." - Zeison Sha warrior


The Zeison Sha were an order of Force-adepts known for their survival skills and resourcefulness, as well as their abilities in telekinesis and with the discblade. Centered on the Outer Rim planet of Yanibar, the Zeison Sha developed their Force powers as a means of withstanding their harsh planet. The order stressed independence and survival, as well as assistance to those in need. Long estranged from the Jedi, they had little use for the Order.


For millennia after the original colonists had been abandoned on Yanibar, the Zeison Sha developed an isolationist philosophy. Unlike the Jedi Order, the Zeison Sha did not separate Force-sensitive children from their parents for training. Further attempts by the Jedi Order to re-establish relationships with the Zeison Sha ended in failure.

History
The Zeison Sha were known and established as an independent Force organization as early as 4,000 BBY. A major development of Zeison Sha history occurred near the beginning of the New Sith Wars when many friends and families of the Jedi, numbering in the thousands, fled to form a refuge from Sith attacks. The group established a small colony on the harsh Outer Rim world of Yanibar. Once the refuge was established, the colonists expected the Jedi to return for them once the wars had ended. Little did they know that every Jedi with knowledge of the refuge had died in combat, taking the secret of the families and friends with them to their graves.

Forgotten, the colonists eked out a subsistence living from the trying conditions of Yanibar. The Force abilities of many of the colonists contributed significantly to their survival and they somewhat prospered. A few centuries after arriving upon Yanibar, the planet was discovered by fringe traders and a small spaceport and outpost were established, although the organization and planet of Yanibar remained in relative obscurity.

After the end of the wars, some Zeison Sha returned to the galaxy, only to find that the Jedi Order took their Force-sensitive children for training and conversion into the Order. Angered, they returned to Yanibar with reports of Jedi child-snatching. The general view of the Jedi diminished significantly as a result. Still, some members left their world and journeyed abroad throughout the organization's history. They often did so incognito, especially after the rise of the Galactic Empire.

In 580 BBY, the Zeison Sha received a visit to Yanibar by the Jedi Master Bodo Baas on a diplomatic mission. Years of planning had gone into the mission, as Bodo Baas hoped to convince the Zeison Sha to join forces with the Jedi. The Zeison Sha were suspicious of the Jedi and would not allow the Jedi unsupervised contact with their children. After such a cold reception, the Jedi commission departed, realizing that the Zeison Sha were completely unwilling to entertain any idea of unification with the Jedi Order.

Despite the numerous dangers of the Galaxy, the Zeison Sha survived during the reign of the Empire, though Imperial troops did occupy Yanibar. The Zeison Sha did not take kindly to this, with members actively resisting the Imperial occupation.

Philosophy

The armor of a Zeison Sha initiate.Zeison Sha believed in independence and self-reliance. After their perceived betrayal by the Jedi, the adherents of this tradition had no desire to be beholden to anyone. This mindset allowed them to not only endure their inhospitable homeworld, but prosper and become self-sufficient. Taking care of one's family was a central tenet and was reflected in the use of Force powers. To the Zeison Sha, the Force was a means primarily to defend themselves and their family but also to aid others who could not defend themselves. As such, they were also known to be generous and aiding another was considered honorable and noble by them.

Unlike the strictly regimented ranks of the Jedi Order, the Zeison Sha did not have a strict organization to their society, though the ranks of initiate and warrior did exist. Children born to Force-sensitive parents would be trained at home in an informal manner. For Force-sensitives born to non-Force sensitive parents, an experienced Force-sensitive adult would train the child, though, unlike Jedi training, the child remained at home to grow as an individual.[1] In fact, the Zeison Sha adamantly opposed the idea of separating Force-sensitive children from their parents.

By and large, the isolationism and independence of the Zeison Sha precluded any attempts to seize power across the galaxy; their society was simply too internally focused. Nevertheless, a smoldering resentment of the Jedi Order coupled with the pride that sometimes arose out of an overly independent mindset led to several members of the order falling prey to the dark side of the Force throughout their history. These aberrants then had to be hunted down or turned back to prevent them from spreading their influence in the community.

Common abilities
"I had heard that Zeison Sha are masters of the telekinetic powers, but I was astonished to see that their abilities in this area far surpass those of many Jedi." - Jedi Master Bodo Baas

As a Force organization, the Zeison Sha specialized in telekinetic abilities, able to perform great feats of skill with minimal effort, ranging from levitating objects to knocking over enemies or even crushing them with the power of the Force. Their telekinetic ability was, in many ways, superior to that evidenced by many members of the Jedi Order. Zeison Sha warriors were largely known as the guardians of the community and their powers in telekinesis and mastery of the discblade garnered them considerable prowess. Some even possessed the power to use telekinesis for defense, using rocks and other loose objects to block blaster bolts, or even using the Force itself to create a physical shield.[1] This was described as the Zeison Sha wrapping the Force around his or her body to resist damage.

Whereas the Jedi used the lightsaber as their signature weapon, the Zeison Sha favored the discblade, a razor-edged throwing weapon. Trained in its use from a young age, a Zeison Sha could hurl a discblade with great accuracy before calling it back to their hand. Experienced warriors were also known to have their discblades imbued with the power of the Force. Their use of the discblade could also be further enhanced through the Force, whether by adding accuracy, calling the weapon back to the thrower, or imbuing the blade to make it stronger.

The Zeison Sha also had their own design of light armor, which afforded them some defensive capability, with only a slight reduction in mobility. There were at least two classes of this armor, Zeison Sha Initiate Armor and the more advanced Zeison Sha Warrior Armor, which provided even more protection for the wearer. Typical of the independent nature of the Zeison Sha, both models of armor were customizable to suit the preferences of the wearer.

Behind the scenes
The Zeison Sha are described as first coming into existence "nearly two millennia before the rise of the Empire," which is conflicted by the appearance of Zeison Sha armor four millennia prior to the rise of the Empire. No official explanation for the discrepancy has been given.

If there ever was a sect of Force-users built for survival under harsh conditions, it is the Zeison Sha. Nearly two millennia before the rise of the Empire, a group of families fleeing the wars between the Jedi and the Sith escaped to a remote Outer Rim planet known as Yanibar. The group consisted mostly of families and friends of Jedi, who were potentially targets of Sith attacks. The plan was to set up a home on the out-of-the-way world and wait for the Jedi to come for them once it was safe. However, the Jedi who set up the refuge were all killed in battle, and, as a result, the colony on Yanibar was left alone and forgotten.Yanibar was a harsh world of seasonal extremes - dry, blistering summers and frigid, wet winters. In the early years, the mixed group of beings stuggled for survival, and thousands succumbed to an environment so extreme and fickle that most would consider the planet uninhabitable. However, the blood of the Jedi was strong among the colonists, and over the years many learned to channel their Force abilities to adapt to and overcome the environmental hardships of their world.

As the centuries passed, the original reason for colonizing Yanibar faded into myth. The Zeison Sha, unaware that their original protectors had been killed, began to see their isolation as abandonment by the Jedi. Over the generations, the Jedi came to be viewed not as protective but as uncaring. Having already become rugged and self-sufficient in their life's trials, the Zeison Sha developed a philosophy of self-reliance and rejection of the Jedi. What was once a colony full of Jedi descendants became the roots of a philosophy that rejected the Jedi as protectors and took it upon themselves to provide strength and solidarity for the inhabitants of the refuge.

This philosophy, and the lessons taught by Yanibar's harsh environment, became the basis of a new Force tradition. The Force flowed easily through members of the society, and the Zeison Sha honed their skills to help the colony not only survive, but eventually to grow and prosper. After a few centuries, the planet's isolation lessened. It was discovered and occasionally visited by fringe traders. In time, Yanibar developed into an outpost between known space and the Unknown Regions. Visits were infrequent but grew over the course of decades. What was once a small settlement eventually became a well-populated fringe city and spaceport, though the inhabitants of the world still maintained a relative measure of anonymity.

Some Zeison Sha, learning that the wars with the Sith were over, returned to the galaxy at large. They found, however, that the Jedi were all-too-eager to snatch their Force-sensitive children and turn them into disciples at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Many returned to Yanibar with angry stories of the Jedi, only bolstering the Zeison Sha's anti-Jedi philosophy. Those who continue to feel the need to travel the stars make sure to hide themselves from both the Jedi and, later, Darth Vader's hunting squads.

The Yanibar colony is composed of a mix of Humans and non-Humans, but other species include Duros, Twi'lek, and Rodian's, to name a few. The diversity of species living on Yanibar increased as some colonists left the planet to explore the galaxy and made its presence known to others. The Zeison Sha focus their teachings on self-reliance and independence. Following their perceived abandonment by the Jedi, the Zeison Sha came to be completely self-sufficient, and passed on to their descendants the ideals that allowed them to survive such harsh conditions. The Zeison Sha philosophy centers on being able to take care of oneself and one's family, teaching not only autonomy but also ways to manipulate the Force for one's own defense. In addition to the independance that is such a large part of their philosophy, the Zeison Sha encourage helping those in need; though each member of the community is expected to take care of himself, using one's powers to assist someone else is a noble and honorable pursuit.

Those members of the Yanibar colony who had the blood of the Jedi flowing in their veins eventually formed a loosely organized tradition that allowed them to train future generations in the ways of the Force. The Zeison Sha use their talents to fend off the dangers native to Yanibar and defend those who cannot defend themselves. Whether protecting a home from a violent storm or fending off a pack of wild Voorcats terrorizing an outlying region, the Zeison Sha train to ward off any threats.The Zeison Sha are masters of telekinetic powers, and their training far surpasses that of many Jedi. Unfortunately, their philosophy of self-reliance has caused a number of losses to the dark side over the years. Self-sufficiency can quickly turn into selfishness, independance from the Jedi Order transforms into bitterness, and the incredible feats of telekinetic skill often lend themselves well to attack rather than defense. Dark Zeison Sha are not common, but every few years one or two trainees are lost to the dark side and must be turned back or eliminated.

Typically, a Force-sensitive parent is charged with teaching his or her son or daughter the ways of the Zeison Sha. When a Force-sensitive child is born to non-Zeison Sha parents, the youth is assigned to an experienced member of the organization for Force training while still remainnig at home to grow as an individual in a normal setting.

An integral part of training is the use of the discblade, the chosen weapon of Zeison Sha warriors. The discblade is a focus for their discipline and telekinetic ability, and is a unique weapon that defines the Zeison Sha warriors as separate from the Jedi but powerful Force-users nonetheless.Most Force-based training of Zeison Sha warriors resolves around telekinetic ability: lifting large objects, protecting oneself (and others) from incoming projectiles, snatching objects from the hands of an enemy, and, of course, controlling the flight path of the discblade as it streaks towards a target.

The Zeison Sha excel in powers that involve the manipulation of physical objects using the Force. They discovered for themselves a way to wrap the Force around their bodies so that they can resist damage from harmful objects. One power that gives the Zeison Sha warriors an edge in combat is the ability to make their discblades return to their hands when thrown; if he misses, a Zeison Sha can recover his weapon quickly and be prepared to hurl it again immediately.

In fact, the sight of a Zeison Sha warrior hurling his discblade and having it return perfectly into his hand appears to be an amazing feat of athleticism when, in truth, it is little more than a logical application of the Force. They are masters of pushing, pulling, lifting, hurling, and smashing any perceived threats using the Force as an extension of their will. The Zeison Sha are capable of using telekinetic powers with such ease that it becomes almost second nature to them, and they are frequently able to perform tasks that normally seem difficult with an almost effortless grace.The most telented Force-users among the Zeison Sha become warriors. They use their telekinetic powers to their fullest and are experienced masters of the discblade weapon. Many of the beings from the Yanibar colony owe their lives to the vigilance of powerful Zeison Sha warriors, and many in the galaxy at large who have encountered Zeison Sha travelling the stars can attest to their prowess. Though a few Zeison Sha warriors have turned to the dark side of the Force, the movement has remained a presence on its homeworld and has survived over the years despite threats from both the Jedi and the Empire.

The Zeison Sha warrior can imbue his or her discblade (a discblade theZeison Sha wields personally) with the Force. It takes a few seconds to imbue the weapon wit the Force, and will drain the wielder very slightly for a small amount of time. This will increase the damage done by the imbued discblade for a certain amount of time. A Force-imbued discblade gains another benefit when used against a Lightsaber. If the wielder of a Lightsaber attempts to strike a Force-imbued discblade, the Lightsaber's cicuits will be damaged slightly.