#Bentilais san Sk’ar

[empress-violetlight]

Worlds of the Empire of the Hand - Kalee

Another in my Worlds series, along with Nirauan and Lysatra.

I LOVE the Kaleesh -- they're my second-favourite SW race after the Chiss -- and after learning of their history with everyone's favourite Grand Admiral, I had to have them join the Hand. I also think it's cool that a lot of their culture was inspired by the Epic of Gilgamesh, since I see a lot in common between Thrawn's story and The Odyssey -- it's a very nice parallel.

Mostly canon to SW Legends, though I did tweak one character's backstory a little.

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Kalee – homeworld of the Kaleesh (and colonies Oben and Abbaji Minor)

Galactic Map location:  J4 – Wild Space, on the border with the Imperial Remnant

World type:  Terrestrial planet with varied ecosystems. 40 102 km equatorial circumference 1.05 standard gravity.  Standard oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere.  Rotation Peroid:  23 standard hours.  Orbital period:  378 standard days.     

Solar system:  Orbits Iminec, a G-yellow orange dwarf main sequence star, approx. 5.5 billion years old, 0.95 standard stellar masses, sole stellar body in the solar system. Fourth planet from its sun of six (in orbital order): Prelly, a superheated terrestrial in a semi-molten state, Norbon, an airless rock terrestrial, Abbaji Minor, terrestrial with a habitable, mostly forested surface, Kalee,  Remsh, a gas giant with 43 moons, and Elke, a frozen rock terrestrial, possibly a dwarf planet.  (Wookieepedia actually had all this info for once!)

Moons:  1 medium-sized, no atmosphere.   

Surface conditions:  varied ecosphere with a continent/ocean ratio in favour of landmasses, with arctic, desert, tropical and temperate zones in different areas, featuring rainforests, canyons and steppes.

Population:  approx. 4 billion, 99% Kaleesh (spread across Kalee and its colonies)

Capital City:  Kaleela

Other population centres:  Kuru

The planet Kalee, and its proud, warrior/hunter people, the reptilian Kaleesh, were “discovered” sometime during the Old Republic era, but mostly ignored due to its people’s seemingly “primitive” tribal culture, except for a few individuals who wandered out to the wider Galaxy.  While individual Kaleesh served both sides of the ongoing conflict between the Old Republic and Sith Empire, Kalee itself remained mostly undisturbed, notwithstanding internal conflicts between clans.  This changed sometime in the century before the establishment of the Empire, when a neighbouring species, the expansionist, insectoid Yam’rii, or “Huks”, from the planet of the same name, invaded Kalee.  The Huks murdered, enslaved, sold and even ate the Kaleesh, with Kaleesh eggs being a particularly favourite delicacy of the “soulless bugs”.  After enduring generations of guerilla war against those who saw them as mere resources and livestock, two heroes said “enough!”

They were Qymaen jai Sheelal and Ronderu lij Kummar, seemingly invincible fighters who led their Kolpravis warriors in countless campaigns against the Huk and their allies.   It is unclear whether the two were lovers, relatives, or something more, but together, with Qymaen’s skill with his slugthrower and Ronderu with her lig swords, they seemed unstoppable.   Until Ronderu fell in battle.  A distraught Qymaen renamed himself “Greivous”, and massacred the Huk until the Kaleesh warriors finally drove them off their planet for good, and chased the murderous monsters out into the void from where they came.

Facing their own extinction, the Yam’rii cried out to their allies in the Trade Federation.  Through the manipulation of the corrupt Senate, the Huk convinced the Old Republic to send the Jedi to put down the Kaleesh uprising.  The Dogs of the Republic, fooled by the insectoids’ lies claiming they were the victims, put an embargo against Kalee that would lead to millions of Kaleesh dying of starvation. 

When the Intergalactic Banking Clan offered to alleviate Kalee’s suffering in return for Grevious’ services as mercenary and enforcer, he had little choice but to comply, until he learned of the Huk desecrating Kaleesh burial grounds on the colony worlds the Republic had forced them to abandon to the invaders.  The IBC did not take well to their enforcer breaking his contract, and secretly planted a bomb on the Kaleesh warrior’s shuttle.  This lead to Grievous’ near-death, until the IBC rebuilt him as the cyborg warrior that the rest of the Galaxy would know him as best.  General Grievous became one of the most feared military leaders of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, becoming especially notorious for slaughtering hated, self-righteous Jedi, until one of them finally succeeded in killing him at the closing of the Clone Wars, right before the establishment of the Galactic Empire.

Out of Grievous’ eight elite Izvoshra warriors, only one outlived their leader.  A towering warrior, almost 3 metres tall, Bentilais san Sk’ar, former ruler of Kalee’s western hemisphere, had fought alongside Qymaen jai Sheelal and Rondeur lij Kummar during the Huk War, and joined Grievous during his work for the IBC.  He survived the shuttle bombing that disfigured his leader, seemingly without either knowing of the other’s survival.  He rallied the Kolkpravis under his leadership, slaughtered all the Yam’rii on the colony world of Oben, and most Kaleesh relocated to the more hospitable world, giving Kalee itself time to heal from the Huks’ decades of exploitation.  Following the rise of the Galactic Empire, Sk’ar violently resisted Imperial rule for over a decade, until in 14 AAE (6 BBY) the Empire sent in their specialist in the “Unknown Regions”, then-Captain Thrawn of the ISD Vengeance.  Famous for his talent of predicting his enemies’ tactics by studying their art, Thrawn unfortunately did not have the time to properly examine the few Kaleesh artifacts he managed to find.  Pressured by Emperor Palpatine to “get it over with”, and with his own concerns in the Unknown Regions, Thrawn simply leveled Oben with his fleet.  Though the Battle of Oben was an overwhelming victory for the Empire, Thrawn himself considered it a failure.

Sk’ar, however, was utterly impressed by the Empire’s sheer power, technological superiority, and noted how his adversary had mostly razed legitimate military targets, allowing millions of Kaleesh civilians to escape to the countryside to safety.  When Thrawn himself came down to assess the damage, Sk’ar waited for him in the ruins of his command centre.  He surrendered to the Chiss captain, and asked only one thing:  spare his people, in return for his services to the Empire.  Thrawn was equally impressed by the Kaleesh warrior’s ability to evade and fight back against the Empire for so long, and his willingness to put aside his personal pride for the Greater Good – something Thrawn was intimately familiar with.  With both knowing the xenophobic Empire would not accept a non-human recommending another “alien”, Thrawn had one of the other captains in his fleet take Sk’ar to introduce him to Emperor Palpatine.

Sk’ar quickly rose through the ranks of the Imperial Army, becoming the second-highest ranked alien in the Imperial forces after Thrawn, reaching the rank of Brigadier-General in only 5 short years by 19 AAE (1 BBY).  General Sk’ar was often sent to deal with particularly troublesome Rebel strongholds in the Outer Rim, until he was involved in another shuttle crash (caused by a very annoying Rebel whom Sk’ar had not been allowed to outright kill, much to his displeasure) on the planet Shiva IV and seemed to have died this time.  However, he was pulled from the wreckage by Imperial forces loyal to Thrawn, who had been keeping a close eye on his “colleague’s” progress in the Empire.  Waking up in a bacta tank on Nirauan after a few weeks of recovery, Sk’ar was offered a new position – become the commander of all of Thrawn’s ground forces in his “shadow Empire”, the Empire of the Hand, and in return, Thrawn vowed to always protect Kalee and its colonies, whether or not the Kaleesh agreed to join his Empire.  Sk’ar eagerly accepted.  

As Army General, Bentilais san Sk’ar serves wherever the Empire of the Hand needs boots/claws on the ground with the ruthless efficiency, yet fair and intelligent decisions both he and his Grand Admiral have become known for.  The Empire of the Hand’s numerous special forces divisions – the Chiss Rogue Phalanx, the reborn 501st Stormtrooper Legion, the Paccosh Commandos, Draconian Aerial Infantry, the Lysatran Void Divers and, of course, the reformed Kaleesh Izvoshra, among others, all answer to him.  Sk’ar was also one of the most vocal supporters of Thrawn’s wife, Governor Xelarra of Nirauan’s, ascension to Empress of the Hand.   

Kalee, where most of the survivors of Oben had once again relocated, its habitable system-mate Abbaji Minor, and Oben were left to their own devices, to be ruled fully by the Kaleesh themselves for the first time in nearly a century.  Thrawn personally extended an invitation to the Kaleesh to join the Empire of the Hand in 26 AEE (7 ABY), 3 years after Emperor Palpatine’s death.  In Sk’ar’s absence, one of his clanmates, Ninsun san Ve'Tani, rose up to lead the Kaleesh.  A talented hunter, Ve’Tani is rumoured to be the reincarnation of Ronderu lij Kummar, and she does nothing to discourage the myth, even marrying 3 of Grevious’ children – two of his sons and a daughter.  Feeling it was her responsibility to maintain her people’s long-fought for independence, Ve’Tani declined Thrawn’s offer, yet Kalee did become an ally of the Hand, and the two civilisations valued each other’s friendship.

Over the next five years, the Kaleesh became a common sight on Nirauan and other Hand worlds, whether following Sk’ar’s example and serving in the military, lending their survival skills to the Explorer corps, or just enjoying a peaceful civilian life, often being seen in the company of other reptilian races of the Hand – the Paccosh, Draconians, and the sizable community of Trandoshan immigrants, among others.  Inspired by Nirauan’s socialist policies and programs, which had a lot in common with their own tribal traditions, Kalee and its colonies implemented their own, taking the steps needed to make sure no Kaleesh child ever starved to death again.  The Empire of the Hand, in turn, quietly ensured that nobody, especially the Huk, violated their ally’s borders.

In 31 AAE (12 ABY), Ninsun san Ve'Tani would invite then-Govenor Xelarra for a diplomatic visit to her world.  The Chiss and the Kaleesh, both leaders of their people, and fiercely protective mothers to their children, got along quite well, and shortly after the visit, Kalee and all its colonies petitioned for membership to the Empire of the Hand.  A vote in Parliament on the issue was unanimous. 

Shortly after Kalee’s acceptance into the Hand, it became known that the Huk were plotting to cry to the New Republic (whom they were not even a member of), to try to launch another invasion of Kalee, to start the cycle all over again. By doing so, they declared war on the Empire of the Hand.  From his Nightstalker-class assault ship, Grievous, General Sk’ar, with support from Admiral Karyn Faro of Seeker Fleet, launched a pre-emptive strike on Huk.  As the fleet orbital bombarded all other Huk settlements – taking care to utterly destroy all spaceports and ways off-planet, Sk’ar commanded an invasion of the Huk capital, liberated all remaining Kaleesh slaves in the city and personally killed the Yam’rii Queen with his bare hands.  The Hand forces left the surviving Yam’rii in their capital, with no way off their planet and nobody coming to their rescue this time, to starve to death – just as their lies had condemned countless Kaleesh to starvation before the Clone Wars. Probe droids were left in orbit to ensure they don’t escape their well-earned fate.

As a gesture of friendship, then-Govenor Xelarra of Nirauan offered to return to the Kaleesh a sacred relic that Thrawn had managed to acquire for the Hand’s Imperial Museum before his death in 9 ABY – the Mask of General Grievous, which he wanted as the ultimate artistic example of the Kaleesh’s unrelenting warrior spirit.  The Kaleesh declined.  Grievous has ascended to godhood for his people, and the Kaleesh prefer that his mask remain on Nirauan, so all Hand citizens can share in their culture, and pay homage to him. 

[accursedkaleeshi]

Kaleesh Week Day 2: Empire

Former right hand to kaleeshi General Grievous, Bentilais San Sk’ar likewise became a weapon for the Empire when Thrawn bombarded his settlement from orbit.

A skirmish ends in the killing of his nephew whom was determined to remind Sk’ar what he had forsaken as a Kaleesh [story here!]

[inonibird]

Hey Inoni, I wanted to ask what happened to bentilais after the crash, since he survived the crash in the legends comics. Do we get to know what happened to him in your fanfic or how he survived? (if he survived in your fanfic)

Bentilais did indeed survive! (I couldn’t imagine changing that) However, it’s not easy to bring up in the context of Sahuldeem. In the original script it DOES get revealed (only to the reader), but I’m honestly still deciding whether to adapt that scene at all or shift things around to make mention of it at a different point. Will cross that bridge when I come to it. 🤔 That said, it would be interesting to explore what happened to Beni in the aftermath of the crash in, say, a short story. We shall seee~

[zellkernchen]

As per @pastel-kaleesh‘s request: Here’s some information on (my version of) Grievous’ Izvorsha! Please do keep in mind that my designs are by no means finalised and could still face some small redesigns in the future (since they’ll need a looooong time until they’ll be relevant in my fanfic series (if I even have the motivation and time to finish it ToT)

This is Kahazan gin Ohlarhilli, one of Grievou’s Izvorsha from Grendaju. He was well known for his many piercings and that he spoiled his only child, Nusigal, and wife quite a lot. He loves them more than anything.

Here is some overall information about him:

Gender: Male (he/him)

Birthplace and year: Kulsheg, continent of Grendaju, Kalee, 60 BBY

Height: 196cm

Spouse: Nanakletta uim Vynikkaijli

Child: Nusigal gin Babbar

(Under the cut for length!)

The second and last of Grievous’ Izvorsha from Grendaju is Tshoat kel Nejilneski!

She used to be a gladiator in Kaleela and Grendaju before joining the Izvorsha. Tshoat is also distantly related to Grievous’ first wife, Ouhlma.

Here’s some overall info about her:

Gender: Female (any pronouns)

Birthplace and year: ???, Grendaju, Kalee, 91 BBY

Height: 210cm

Spouses: ??? (m. 76- 71 BBY), ??? (m. 70- 68 BBY), ??? (m. 69- 68 BBY), Yvliznal hiz Nuneashtel (m. 66 BBY)

Children: Many children and step- children

Next up are the oom twins: Lehmez oom Vaznij and Uupooka oom Statec.

They were Grievous’ first Izvorsha and childhood friends, though many in their village considered them and Qymaen non- biological siblings. Grievous cared about them a lot. These twins are polar opposites.

Overall infos about Lehmez:

Gender: Male (he/him)

Birthplace and year: Uipzik, Vykonpoul, Kalee, 67BBY

Height: 188cm

Overall infos about Uupooka:

Gender: Female (MtF, hence why she has two pairs of tusks) (she/her)

Birthplace and year: Uipzik, Vykonpoul, Kalee, 67BBY

Height: 189cm

Spouse: Alakaz uip Muskanzi

Children: Buubar uip, Buuin uip

Vazekalik Poomstak is a Kaleesh who, by their own words, has no clan. Not much is known about them as they were recruited 2 weeks before the shuttle crash to replace a previous Izvorsha who had to quit the Kolkpravis due to health problems. It’s theorised that they suffered from malnutrition while their body was still developing.

Overall infos:

Gender: None (any pronouns, but is mostly referred to by they/them)

Birthplace and year: ???, Kunbal Jungle, Kalee, 44BBY

Height: 153cm

Spouse: Alleged husband

Children: ???

Unfortunately I’m still brainstorming the designs for the next three characters because I genuinely cannot find one I’m happy with (I will post them once I am though) but at last but not least there’s the san clan trio. It consists of Bentilais san Sk’ar and his two cousins: Zrrokiguul san Dim’dim and Bvuhala san Sakkanasaggil. Originally they were meant to be Benti’s siblings but I decided against it and made someone else (who will 100% never be important to the story/s) his sibling.

Here’s some overall infos on them:

Bentilais:

Gender: Male (he/him)

Birthplace and year: Royal castle of Kaleela, Zapadipoul, Kalee, 71 BBY

Height: 301cm

Children: pre- Shuttle crash; none, post- Shuttle crash; his 2 “nephews” and 1 “niece”

Zrrokiguul:

Gender: Male (he/him)

Birthplace and year: Near the royal castle of Kaleela, Zapadipoul, Kalee, 68 BBY

Height: 212cm

Spouse: Yvenskjo pin Sohur

Children: 2 sons and 1 daughter

Bvuhala:

Gender: Female (she/her)

Birthplace and year: Near the royal castle of Kaleela, Zapadipoul, Kalee, 68 BBY

Height: 205cm

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That’s it for now on my version of Grievous’ Izvorsha! Feel free to ask me more questions about them or any other topic ^^

[tuberculosis-bot-9000]

@inonibird I hope you don’t mind, I saw an opportunity and I had to take it

[haltraveler]

Some Headcanons About The Kaleesh

AKA since neither Lucasfilm nor Disney give a shit about this fascinating corner of the Star Wars universe I guess I’ll do it myself. (These aren’t specific to Legends OR Canon since almost nothing about Kalee has been changed between the two continuities)

Physiology

Due to their combination of reptilian, avian, and mammalian features I think non--mammalian synapsids (sometimes called “mammal-like reptiles” despite not being true reptiles) are the best model for Kaleesh biology.

Kaleesh are warm-blooded and lay soft-shelled, leathery eggs similar to that of a platypus or echidna. 

Kaleesh have sclerotic rings within their eyes like most nonmammalian vertebrates.

I generally prefer the digitigrade, avian legs shown in The Clone Wars and Galaxy at War as opposed to the plantigrade, human-like legs shown in Visionaries, New Essential Guide to Alien Species, and Resistance. These legs, along with their blunt, hoof-like claws would make them extremely adept at running at high speeds.

Due to inconsistency in their portrayal I’ve decided that the number of tusks that a kaleesh has varies depending on ethnicity, with all kaleesh having the two large tusks in the upper jaw but with the two smaller tusks in the lower jaw being absent in some ethnic groups. 

Due to their keen smell and sensory pits, they are naturally nocturnal, but agrarian Kaleesh societies have shifted to become more diurnal in their habits. 

Society

As with humans, polygyny is not accepted in all Kaleesh cultures, and some have monogamy or more freeform polygamy as their primary structure for romantic relationships. 

Similarly, the use of terms like Khan and Khagan is normally restricted to Qymaen jai Sheelal’s steppe-dwelling native culture, but it became more widespread once jai Sheelal became General Grievous and united the planet under his Khaganate. 

Abesmi and Shrupak were originally the centers of two entirely separate religions from opposite hemispheres of Kalee, but the two faiths ended up being syncretized during the formation of a pan-Kaleesh identity under Sith occupation back in the 3000s BBY. By the time of Grievous the two religions had fully merged into a single faith. 

Kaleesh naming structure is complex. The first name (i.e. Qymaen jai Sheelal, Ronderu lij Kummar, or Bentilais san Sk’ar) is a given name equivalent to those seen in most galactic cultures. The middle syllable (i.e. Qymaen jai Sheelal, Ronderu lij Kummar, or Bentilais san Sk’ar) is the last syllable of the Kaleesh’s tribe/nation (so a member of the Muja bandit tribe might be named Aitze ja Zahol). The second full name is a patronym/matronym (depending on which parent holds higher status) but is often replaced by an honorific once the Kaleesh has committed deeds worthy of awarding them respected status and therefore establishing themselves as independent from their parent’s legacy (i.e Qymaen jai Sheelal, a name referring to Grievous’s prophetic dreams). 

The Kaleesh have their own force-using religious tradition, similar to the Nightsisters or Bardottans. 

Kaleesh technology levels prior to Grievous’s khaganate varied significantly, with Bentilais san Ska’ar’s people being semi-industrialized with advanced firearms while Ronderu lij Kuumar’s Grendajuan tribe was using steel blades and arrowheads, and Qymaen jai Sheelal’s people still used bone and stone as their primary materials. All kaleesh might buy or salvage offworld technology, like Qymaen jai Sheelal’s Czerka-manufactured outland rifle, but lacked the industrial capabilities to replicate such technology.

History

The Trade Federation were heavily-involved in the Huk occupation of Kalee, selling offworld food supplies at inflated prices to the kaleesh, often in the aftermath of punitive action by the Huk that destroyed the kaleesh’s ability to manufacture their own food. It was this enforced reliance on imported foodstuffs that lead to the deadly famine that killed millions of Kaleesh in the wake of the Jedi-enforced trading embargo. 

Prior to Qymaen and Ronderu the most prominent revolutionary leader of the eastern hemisphere of Kalee was a Khan who died along with nearly his entire fighting force of thousands in an attack against a Huk fort on the shores of the Jenuuwa Sea. One of the casualties in the battle was Qymaen jai Sheelal’s father. It was during a successful second attempt to take the fort decades later that Ronderu was killed by Huk forces and her body swept into the sea.

Sidon Ithano’s Kaleesh helmet came from an officer in a Kaleesh stormtrooper regiment created by Bentilais san Sk’ar during his time as the general of an Imperial strike force, thus accounting for the mask being made of plastoid instead of bone. 

[thegrievousone]

Kaleesh Language (Kaleesh World Building #3)

So this is kind of a spur of the moment post, but I though I would add my thoughts on the Kaleesh Language.

1. For one, I believe that Kaleesh is like the Navajo language as in there is no written form of it.

2. In the case of Bentilais san Sk'ar, the ‘ in his last name would like an abrupt stop to speaking before starting up again.

3. This goes into a bit of biology, but due to being anologs of reptiles. Kaleesh throats have air sac. when pronouncing the ‘ in Sk’ar, the word would make a small popping noise as the air in the sac would be forced out.

[inonibird]

HEY, remember how I chatted about making soaps and candles earlier this year?? And then barely posted about it? I've been actually doing it all along, I just never shared a whole lot about the journey. :'D But for anyone curious, here's what I came up with for the various Scents of Sahuldeem (not all pictured, but everything WAS crafted as some point and thusly sniffed and approved), accompanied by excerpts where the original source of said scents were mentioned throughout the series:

Kuninda :: Peony ~ Plumeria ~ Orchid The only touch of decor to suggest this chamber housed someone special was the ceramic pot of kuninda blossoms on the table. || The rest looped chains of fiery kuninda blossoms over the stone statue wherever they could reach.

(note: looks and smells like Starburst)

Kushlal :: Butterscotch ~ Marshmallow ~ Warm Vanilla Sugar “Ah,” said San Hill with a knowing smile when the droid translated. “So you do have a word for sweetness. Though I suspect it is an uncommon flavor?” || The kushlal taste of the blue food—so much more intense and delightful than the fruit on Kalee!—was almost worth the stomachache.

Nuurma :: Grapefruit ~ Verbena ~ Bergamot The fruit trees and bushes were not quite ready for harvest, but it would not be unheard of for someone to pluck a round, juicy nuurma from a branch prematurely to enjoy its tartness. That is precisely what Bentilais san Sk’ar did as he strolled into the courtyard, first nodding down at the posted attendant and then pausing to pick a rose-flushed nuurma that looked like it had been specially cultivated for children in his huge hand.

Sandanul :: Gardenia ~ Ylang Ylang ~ Lavender The largest and most preeminent zaagmade belonged to the San Clan, and all of the entrances from each neighboring district were appropriately festooned with night-blooming sandanul and rippling, silken banners embroidered with their clan sigil.

(note: this is definitely a nighttime soap smell)

Seshu :: Ginger ~ Bamboo ~ Lemongrass “You really need to remember to chew on seshu root before a flight.” || “I’m still not used to the feeling myself,” he went on, “and I’ve been flying for years. I find seshu root helps. We may still have some on hand, if you want it.”

Simsu :: Frankincense & Myrrh ~ Sandalwood ~ Lilac Lanterns of priceless simsu resin—a gift from the mountain city of Sukundar—which blazed with blue spirit flame when burned. || He rummaged until he found his pouch of simsu and, moving from one pillar to the next, he took a small handful of the colorful resin and filled the depressions before taking a fire-striker to each and setting them ablaze.

(note: the flame is not blue :c)

Ulekni :: Lily ~ Lotus Blossom ~ Aloe The lush southeastern region lent itself well to the cultivation of greenery that was strewn like a form of art across the landscape of the city, an urban garden interspersed with decorative fountains, quiet pools that brimmed with blooming ulekni, and practical channels running to and from the Shumiv’za.

Zigmash :: Red Poppy ~ Green Tea ~ Agave Musk The scent of brittle grasses, brambles and flowering zigmash, mingled with the scorched sands of the desert lands that stretched beyond the northwest hill of the valley, meant he was home. || “Zigmash. ‘Breath of the twin’, or ‘breath of the moon’. A flowering plant indigenous to Kalee. It possesses analgesic, soporific, and mildly euphoric and hallucinogenic properties.”

(note: OG recipe was too grassy, 2.0 smells like candy and I want to bite it)

Zuulum :: Fig ~ Caramel ~ Pomegranate “It’s dried to represent life where you least expect it—this dry, withered husk, like the desert—but then you taste what’s hidden inside. So sweet and soft.” || “We don’t have zuulum most of the year. We only eat it during Sudab’a Ud-Imin.”

[accursedkaleeshi]

Izvoshra: Khan Bentilais san Sk’ar, Fist of the West, Prince of Kaleela, Right Hand of Grievous, The Warmonger

His BIO

[accursedkaleeshi]

Accursed Izvoshra: Bentilais san Sk’ar

Behold! The only Izvoshra to be (retroactively) named & expanded upon in the source material! After surviving both the shuttle crash that took Grievous from his people & Thrawn’s orbital bombardment of his colony on Oben, Sk’ar was put to work as an Imperial General. That’s Legends canon bruv. The rest of this is community headcanon!

Long before that Sk’ar was the Prince of Kaleela & the Hand of the West. When he met Qymaen & Ronderu he was young, younger than them by a couple years, but already 9 standard feet tall & accomplished enough to be the Khan of his father’s military. Through the Huk war he would be instrumental in the defeat of the yam’rii & even kept getting bigger, just under 10 feet at his largest. Out of all Kalee, Bentilais worked closest to Grievous for the longest. They were comrades in arms in a way that the term best friends didn’t really seem to cover.

How did big Benny meet Qymaen & Ronderu? I asked some of the other Grievous nerds what they thought & outsourced really liked what TB came up with. Meet-cute under the cut by @tuberculosis-bot-9000. (The Consumption. #bentalais, Kaleeaboos. Discord, July 7, 2023.)

Kaleela is in and of itself a nation. Located on the convergence of multiple major trade routes by land and sea, it’s the largest city on Kalee by a massive margin. It’s influence is incredibly widespread. The Kaleela Tongue is a pidgin language that is spoken almost globally, as a lingua franca is some places and as the default in others. The state-sponsored faith is the most codified “church” type thing Kalee has. The pockets of Kaleela’s elite are deeper than some countries. And all of it bows to the Emperor.

The Emperor of Kaleela is… not what you expect when you imagine the most important person on Kalee. He’s miserly, he’s physically unimpressive, and he’s ancient as shit. He’s a hop, skip, and a jump away from being a skeksis. And he’s Sk’ar’s father.

Because Kaleela is untouched by the war! Yes, the outlying colonies to the east are bedeviled with rumors of invaders, and the southern territories are all but wiped out, and more and more refugees are flooding in by the day, but the Jewel City is safe. There is no war in Kaleela. The Emperor sees no reason to join the war effort, much less bend the knee to some backwoods eastern barbarian.

This makes Q+R very mad.

They just park their army in the city and start making other connections. It’s a careful song and dance convincing cushy nobles to lend their strength and resources, but it’s one they play well. They have to. Kaleela is the crux of it all. Without Kaleela’s army and navy, the war will eventually end in a Yam’rii victory.

Then, at a party, they meet the prince. It’s a celebration of his recent appointment as Khan of Kaleela. He’s the one that controls Kaleela’s military now. So they have to be precise.

Sk’ar is intrigued by the demigods. He’s heard tales of their glory, their cunning, their prowess in battle. He knows the skinny man with a rifle is the best shot on the planet and the woman with the mane and swords moves faster than the eye can see. And he knows he’s got them on the back foot. He’s interested in seeing what they do more than what they say.

They tell him, in no uncertain terms, that the war will come, and sooner rather than later. The Emperor wants to hide behind his money and his wives and his 88,888 things, but the bugs don’t care. They’ll drag him off his throne, crack open his skull, and eat him before his mewling pups if something isn’t done. Sk’ar finds the idea hilarious. He knows his father is weak. But he wants to know why he should follow Qymaen rather than take a throne by himself. He certainly has enough money and warriors for it. Qymaen just shrugs. If he wants to do it that way, he can, and Qymaen will take what remains when the bugs rout the Kaleela prince. Sk’ar throws his head back and laughs. The gall!

He agrees.

(Thank you @tuberculosis-bot-9000 for letting me use your words & the Benny braincell!)

[accursedkaleeshi]

Daakalidae Sez Muja

TL:DR: Muja bandit lore. Daakalidae gives himself up to spare his clan. He’s all in for his people first & foremost. Secondly, to steal shit. The only other Izvoshra to know Qymaen before he was Grievous. Instrumental in establishing unifying routes across Kalee. There are horses. 1k words below the cut.

As the beacon of security for Western Kalee, the Sez Muja were a significantly large pain in Sk’ar’s significantly large ass. When the bandits heard that Sk’ar had left the capital on some quest or another, they thought they got lucky. They had been planning to strike the large klănta to the north of Kaleela for months. The Klăntasiil Delta was the temple of Many that served the delta north of the capital.

“Aha, the mountain prince will not be home,” they thought. This gave them full confidence descending upon the pilgrims & keepers of the temple.

Except that Sk’ar, the prince the size of a mountain, was not at home because he was with Qymaen scouting out what he intended to do about the Huk. And Qymaen’s war band had gone north & stopped to camp outside of Klăntasiil Delta.

So when the screaming started the Muja were not thrilled to see Bentilais san Sk’ar come bounding around the corner of the ziggurat. Not only was their (literal) biggest threat there at their carefully planned raid, but he heralded an entire war party. And they were pissed. Although the Muja had showed up with no small raiding party, it was nowhere near the size of jai Sheelal’s modified Kolkpravis.

It became clear they were not going to win. The cheiftan of the Sez Muja, Gankengrriz the Stampede, had mutual beef with Sk’ar. Gankengrriz could outmaneuver him on the battlefield but, as with most of Sk’ar’s enemies, didn’t stand much of a chance if Sk’ar got ahold of him. Daakalidae called for a concession.

Daakalidae was one of the chieftain’s top sons. In order to prevent Sk’ar from beating his father to death & their raiding party from being wiped out, both of which were well on the way, Daakalidae proposed everyone stand down. In return for letting the Muja go, Daaka offered himself up to serve the war band’s leader.

He thought the leader was Sk’ar & Sk’ar was ready to crush him. But Qymaen stepped forward with Ronderu on his heels & agreed. It was said that the Sez Muja were the only other kaleesh to raid a huk installation & Qymaen wanted all the information he could get about what the huk were doing on this continent.

Before Grievous, kaleesh historically warred with each other. At the start of Qymaen’s warpath he was not taken very seriously. In the early days his & Ronderu’s proclivity for extreme violence did more to attract people to their cause than the threat of the huk. Working with the Muja bandits was the first real hurdle in getting over kaleeshi hostilities. It got easier to fold different groups into the war as time went on but Daakalidae didn’t have the luxury. Kaleesh did not look kindly upon bandits.

Qymaen was initially the only one that treated him with moderate civility because he had information he wanted. He also respected that Daaka didn’t hesitate to give himself up to spare his people. Something Qymaen was always trying to impart to everyone was the idea that they were going to have to expand who they considered “their people”. Most kaleesh thought it was a nice sentiment but there was no way that would happen. They would say he was definitely the Dreamer.

Before Qymaen had come out west it had just been as many Kolkpravis punks as him, Ronderu, & his brother Iqarn could manage. After they had acquired the globally unmatched forces of Sk’ar’s capital military & the mobility of Daakalidae’s resources, Qymaen’s pinpoint focus actually caught the Huk’s attention. After several years of this, it proved to be the undoing of the Dreamer & the Dreamt.

After Ronderu was killed & Qymaen was assumed dead, Sk’ar, Daakalidae, & Iqarn all thought the others would go back to their previous lives. But none of them did. Daakalidae agreed to keep scouting out the bugs’ movements & reporting them to Sk’ar & Iqarn. The least they could do was try to keep their people out of the way. None of them thought they could live up to Qymaen’s power of persuasion, even if Sk’ar would die before admitting it.

When General Grievous returned in Qymaen’s place he was not fucking around. Grievous telling them he was proud of them for sticking together for the cause was definitely a core memory for Daakalidae. Even though they had become his greatest allies in the years they had worked together, Daaka still had the lingering notion that he wasn’t one of them. So when Grievous rocked up with zero hesitation like, “I love you & we have a lot of fuckin work to do.” Daaka realized, “Oh, these ARE my people.”

All these people were his people.

A great number of Muja joined their ranks. Daakalidae, elevated to Khan as the Izvoshra formed, led countless raids on huk installations. He was almost always on the back of one of his prized ausezka even when he wasn’t leading cavalry specifically. His ambassador status was able to keep the Muja in better standing with the rest of their people while everyone was pooling resources for the war effort.

When he wasn’t leading raids he was working on logistics with his best friend Kedjat. Daakalidae embodied the hiil of the Many & put the people before himself. While this was a common notion for kaleesh to carry, he felt like, having seen Grievous build up everything they had, he closely understood what Grievous stood for. It was funny, then, that Kedjat became his partner in crime. Kedjat embodied the opposite spiritual branch of the One & tried to always make sure everyone “was good”.

After the war Daakalidae tried to help Grievous & other Izvoshra in keeping Kalee united. Daaka took his father’s place as chieftan of the Sez Muja & took three wives from different Muja clans. There were other clans that were tired of playing nice & declared themselves openly hostile. Daakalidae spent most of his time dealing with that headache. He was psyched to go to Oben & remind those bugs (& maybe their people) what happened when they got together. He, of course, was thoroughly obliterated when Grievous’ shuttle was bombed.

[accursedkaleeshi]

WAIT IT'S STILL NATIONAL BOOB DAY AS I AM TYPING THIS SO PLEASE DRAW SK'AR WITH HIS TITS OUT

Should have drawn banana for scale so no one forgets this bitch is almost 10 feet tall.

[accursedkaleeshi]

You guys want some Bentilais San Sk’ar lore?!

If I write a big post about it I will link it here

[tuberculosis-bot-9000]

Researching for a thing and by my calculations the kolkpravis was almost 20 million soldiers??

A kamen is made up of 2 to 40 soldiers. Roughly 100 kamen make up a horde, so assuming an average of 20 soldiers per kamen, that’s 2,000 soldiers in a horde. Respectable sized horde if you ask me. Brigades were made up of 100-200 hordes. Again, with an average of 150 hordes, that’s 300,000 soldiers in one brigade.

There are reportedly, “several brigades” in a khanate, which are led by the 8 khans. So I’ll give 8 brigades to each khan, because I like when the numbers go together, to make 64 khanates. 64 is several, yeah? All done and dusted that is:

19,200,000 soldiers

with a maximum of

51,200,000 soldiers

…

No wonder Qymaen lost his fucking mind when the Jedi just stepped in. Imagine you had 20 million warriors at your command and some fucking wizard with a glowing sword told you to quit. I’d freak too.

[tuberculosis-bot-9000]

Methinks because of his gratuitous size, Benny was in a lot of pain constantly. He usually had a cane made of the sturdiest fucking wood to keep his big ass upright. When he was getting older sometimes he’d have days bad enough that he needed a wheelchair. When Thrawn nuked Oben Benny fully thought he was just going to lie in the ruins until he starved to death. Then he was scooped up by the Empire. The Empire took one look at a massive lavender ogre with mega-arthritis and basically went in and put some cybernetics in his legs/spine. It’s also why he’s not digitigrade, and they completely replaced his feet because years of grinding bone had turned them all gnarly. So Benny’s loyalty to the Empire doesn’t just stem from his recognizing a greater foe, but also because they took away his pain.

[tuberculosis-bot-9000]

Qymaen, whispering-singing at the top of his lungs in the highest falsetto imaginable as he slices off Huk heads: I'm holdin' out for a hERO

No no, see, it’s Bentilais who sings Holding Out For a Hero.