Date: Tue, 05 Mar 1996 10:01:01 -0600 (CST)
From: Scott Williamson <williams@chartres.ee.tulane.edu>
Subject: Something nifty I came up with
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This is just something I came up with when it looked like I was going to be
running Star Wars awhile back. That didn't pan out, but I'll share it with you
folks anyway. It's an alternative view of the Force. I haven't worked out the 
game mechanics yet, but the basic background is there. Enjoy!

--scw
-- 
Common sense is genius in its working clothes.


The Followers of Orvaal
=======================

The Followers of Orvaal are Force-sensitives who follow the teachings
of an ancient (now dead) Jedi Master named Orvaal Tras. Shortly before 
the Great Sith War, Orvaal and his students realized that the Force
was more than just light versus dark, good versus evil. Orvaal began
to see that the Force, like a gemstone, had many facets, of which
the Jedi and the Sith were only two. It was then that Orvaal and his
students went into seclusion, to better learn about the other facets
of the Force. The results of their research have come to be known
as the Paths of Truth.


The Paths of Truth
------------------

The Paths of Truth are so named because of the way in which they are learned.
Each person who wishes to follow a Path must first confront what they truly
are. These tests are varied, and are never the same for different people. 
They range from trial by combat to a simple test of faith. (An example 
of the latter can be seen in Luke Skywalker's test at the tree in TESB.)
Once the test is completed, it will be clear which Path the person is
to take. Those who fail their test are returned to their former lives, 
with all memories of any training they underwent wiped from their minds.
They are kept under observation, however, in case their gift should
manifest itself again. If this happens, they are once again trained and
given the test. For some this can be an endless cycle, forever repeating
the test until theirr last days. It is rare for a candidate to fail more
than once, however.

As mentioned above, once a test is completed, the candidate (now called
a Seeker) is free to follow his or her Path. Most Seekers follow only
one Path, but occassionally there are those (such as Tavrin Dells) who
choose to follow a second Path. Starting down a second Path is extremely
difficult, as it involves adopting the philosophies of the second Path 
while adhering to the philosophies of the first. Most Seekers are incapable
of dealing with the conflict that arises from this. Those that can become
extremely powerful, and are for the most part well-known and respected
among the other Seekers. To date it is unknown if any Seeker has ever 
attempted to follow a third Path.

The number of different Paths has never been counted, but, as the Scholar
Mors Drabin once said, "The Paths are as numerous as the stars in the night
sky. There is one for each of us, and we must all strive to find out what
it is." Despite the profoundness of this statment, however, there are certain
Paths that are more commonly followed than others, and these are the ones
which will be discussed here. They are the Path of the Warrior, the Path
od Healing, the Path of the Scholar, the Path of Judgement, the Path of 
the Guardian, and the Path of the Trickster.


--Path of the Warrior: Of all the Paths, this one most resembles the Jedi 
way. There are differences however. Like a Jedi, Seekers who follow this
Path do not let their emotions control them. While the Jedi suppress
their emotions, however, Warriors embrace them, gaining strength from
that which is the very core of their being. This makes them very formidable
opponents in combat. Out of combat they are often restrained, though, for
they realize the danger of letting emotions go totally unchecked. Most hold
to some sort of personal code, but not all. Those that do not are considered
highly dangerous, both to themselves and the galaxy at large. They are
generally shunned by the other Seekers, and the Warriors in particular
will kill such a one in sight.

--Path of Healing: Those who follow this Path are people who would mend
all the hurts of the galaxy if they could. Their attentions focus on all
types of hurting, be it physical, mental, or social. They have sworn themselves
not to fight, opting instead for more peaceful means of dealing with 
problems. Healers are often found in the poorer areas of cities, caring
for the sick, and doing what they can to ease the burden of the poor.
Some even try to mend all the social faults of a world, going as far as 
manipulating the government to achieve their ends. They are one and all
dedicated to their work, and will go to great lengths to ensure that 
what they start is completed, whether by themselves or by others who
succeed them in their task.

--Path of the Scholar: Of all the six Paths listed here, this one has the
smallest following. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Scholars are the
most respected and revered of all the Seekers. They are the historians of
the galaxy, and their own past goes back even farther than that of the 
Warriors. In fact, it is said that Orvaal himself followed this Path. They
are sworn never to interfere in the affairs of the galaxy; their purpose
is simply to watch and record events as they happen. They are very 
secretive about their knowledge, and with good reason. If what they knew
fell into the wrong hands, the results would be disastrous. They do not
even meet together very often, and when they do they almost never discuss
their work. The exchange of information between Scholars for the most part
takes place once every five years, at the Grand Convocation, the location
of which is kept secret. Here each Scholar's chronicle is read and processed
into a large device similar in design and function to the ancient Jedi
Holocrons. Afterwards, the Scholars resume their wanderings and the Holocron
is returned to its hiding place, guarded by the Circle, a group of eight
of the oldest Scholars.

--Path of Judgment: These are the Seekers who settle the disputes of society.
amongst the Seekers their judgments are final, with no appeal possible. 
Anyone going against one of these judgements is treated as an outcast, stripped
of any rank or position they may have held. The influence of the Judges is
very far-reaching, and it has been said that if they wished to they could
manipulate the rise and fall of any government they choose. Indeed, they
have done this more than once, afterwards simply saying "Judgment has been
rendered; sentence carried out." They do not follow any written law; rather 
each Judge has his own personal code of morals, much like the Warriors do,
the difference being that there are no Judges without a code. There are things
which limit their power, however. Every ten years, each Judge's decisions are
reviewed by the Triumvirate, made up of the three Judges of highest rank. If
the decisions made by the Judge are found to be suspect, for whatever reason,
then that Judge is suitably punished. Often this results in either the death 
of the Judge, or banishment. To aid in these proceedings, the Triumvirate has 
access to the records of the Scholars, the only time other than the Grand
Convocation that this is allowed. Such is the importance of the Judges to
Seeker society.

--Path of the Guardian: The Guardians the most important of all the Seekers,
bar none, for it is through them that potential new Seekers are found and 
trained. It is because of the Guardians that the Seekers have lasted for as
long as they have. When a potential Seeker is discovered, the Guardians are
notified and the person is placed under observation. When the Guardian
feels the time is right, contact is made. The person is then offered the
chance to become a Seeker. Most choose to accept the offer; those that do not
have all memory of the meeting erased, and are returned to their lives as if
nothing had happened. Those that accept are under the protection of the
Guardian who contacted them. The Guardian teaches the person the basics of 
using their abilities, and prepares him for the test. Once the test is
completed, the Guardian moves on to another assignment.

--Path of the Trickster: The followers of this path are, as the name implies,
very devious in their dealing with others. They are known for their elaborate
machinations which usually result in a joke which only they know the 
punchline to. When asked a question, they almost never give a straight answer,
instead responding in riddles, plays on words, and half- (and sometimes non-)
truths. They see the majority of the galaxy as being blind, and it is their 
job the open the eyes of the masses by showing them that not everything is
as cut-and-dried as it may seem, not even a simlple question such as "What's
your name?" To others the sometimes seem crazy because of the stunts they
pull, but in truth they are very introspective. They believe in one thing,
and that is that to gain true knowledge you must look within yourself, and
that is what they try to get others to do.


Advancement
-----------

As the name implies, the Paths of Truth are just that: paths. They each have a 
definite beginning and ending. Some are longer than others, and some are more
difficult than others. Advancing further down a Path is something that every
Seeker strives to do. It is considered a great achievement to reach the end
of one's Path, for it signifies the end of a long journey through life. Some
never finish their journey, suffering setback after setback until they
finally give up in frustration. (Actually they are abandoning the Path
completely and starting down the Path of Darkness, which will be discussed 
later. Few Seekers are sensitive or knowledgeable enough to realize that this
has happened, however.) There has been much speculation as to what happens 
when the end of a path is reached, as only three Seekers have been known to
accomplish this: Orvaal (Scholar), the Twi'lek Bolo Granis (Trickster), and
Mash'ka'rin Doz'a, a Coynite (Warrior). Unfortunately these three achieved 
their goals in isolation from the rest of the galaxy, so one one save perhaps
the Scholars know exactly what happened, and if the Scholars do know, they're
not telling.


Involvement in Galactic Affairs
-------------------------------

The level of involvement the Seekers have with regards to the rest of the
galaxy varies with each Seeker. Some, such as the Warriors and Healers, are 
very much involved, offering their services to those who need them. Others
prefer to have little or no contact at all with others, preferring to isolate
themselves so that they may follow their Path uninterrupted. Most Seekers
do consider themselves a part of the larger whole that is the galaxy, though,
and will act should something threaten that whole, although their efforts
are often unseen by those they are helping. Presently there are three such
threats: the Empire of Palpatine, the growing number of followers of the
Path of Darkness (Dark Ones), and the Pariahs.

--The Empire: Although not a direct threat to the Seekers themselves, the 
Empire's quest to either control or destroy any Force users it finds is 
definitely something to be dealt with. This purge threatens any chance
Force-sensitives have of becoming Seekers and finding their true Paths. The
Guardians have begun to take action against this threat by actively searching
for Force-sensitives, and training them in groups in secret locations whenever
possible. They have also asked the Judges to do what they can to stop the 
purges. To this end, a few Judges have infiltrated the ranks of the Inquisitors
and COMPNOR, working their way up through the power structure. It is not 
known if Palpatine knows of the Seekers existence; if he does he has not
shown evidence of such knowledge. Despite this, the Seekers are doing 
everything in their power to hide their presence, lest they become targets of
the New Order as are the Jedi.

--The Dark Ones: Unlike the other threats discussed here, which come from 
outside the Seekers, the Dark Ones originate from within. They are Seekers who
have become frustrated on their journey and forsaken their Path. Thus starts
their new journey, down the Path of Darkness. It is a quiet journey at first,
slowly building up the power of the Seeker. Oftentimes the Seeker doesn't even
realize they have started down this new Path until it is too late. Like the 
other Seekers, the Dark Ones strive to complete their journey; unlike them,
the Dark Ones will allow nothing to stand in their way, not even other Dark
Ones. Because of this there is no real unity among the Dark Ones, and that
is the only thing which has prevented them from wiping out the Seekers 
completely. Each Dark One is quite powerful in his own right, however, and is
a threat which should not be taken lightly. All the Seekers are aware of this
threat, and have been instructed to alert the others should they encounter a
Dark One.

--The Pariahs: Of all the obstacles a Seeker must face on his journey, the 
Pariahs are the most dangerous. Cast out of Seeker Society, the Pariahs' main 
goal in life is the destruction of that which they once upheld. Thet operate
alone for the most part, but have been known on occassion to band together
to further their endeavours. They are ruthless manipulators, using every trick
and trap possible to gain revenge on the Seekers. They believe that by casting
the Pariahs out, the Seekers have committed the ultimate sin: interrupting 
their journey down the Paths. Thus they seek nothing less than the destruction
of those they see as responsible for their misfortune.


Seeker Society
--------------

The society maintained by the Seekers is a very loose one. It has no central 
government, and generally no laws or law enforcement save for the Judges.
There in only one place that can make a claim to be the homeworld of the 
Seekers, and that is the planet where Orvaal first began his research. They
are free to wander the galaxy as they please, and can take part in galactic
affairs as much as they wish, provided they do not reveal anything about
the Seekers to outsiders. For the most part they keep to themselves though,
especially now with Palpatine in power looking to purge any Force users he
doesn't control from the galaxy.