OOG Echani post
Entry Number: 516
Entry Subject: Echani
Status: Fanon
Information: The Echani are a race of near humans that are known throughout the galaxy for their excellent workmanship and deadly Martial Arts. Echani are generally tall, lithe, have very light hair colors, and have lifespans that average between 200 and 250 years, although some of the most powerful Echani masters can live beyond that.
History:
The Echani’s History beyond a certain point is known only to themselves, and the old Jedi Order, before their destruction. So know the only ones out there to know the Echani’s secrets are the Echani themselves. They were in existence 5,000 years ago, when the Old Republic first encounters them. The Echani and the Republic signed a neutrality act in exchange for space on worlds to create Septs or Echani settlements. The Echani soon spread across the mid-rim, and began selling excellently crafted weapons and technology. They remained neutral during the second Sith War, but some of them fought in the Mandalorian wars, which some speculate is the source of the Rivalry between the two subsects of humans.
However after that the Echani were content to meditate upon the workings of the universe and produce ever more elegant weapons, which fetched high prices. This influx of credits allowed them to buy entire worlds for Septs from the Republic when it was undergoing a serious financial crisis in 2750 BBY. The Influx of Credits saved the bankrupted government, and the Echani retired to their new worlds, and were still fairly common throughout the Galaxy. This continued for the next 2500 years.
Then, in 250 BBY, The Echani retired to their Septs and seemed to vanish from the Galactic playing field. No one knew why. In 230 BBY the Jedi Order dispatched Master Yoda to ascertain the Echani’s intentions. No one knew what was said between the two parties, but it satisfied the brilliant Jedi master. Some speculate that they encountered a Sith Lord, and knew of the fall of the Republic, but there is virtually no proof to that theory. So the Echani faded into antiquity, being mostly forgotten by the people of the time.
Then came the Empire.
Palpatine himself arrived on an Echani Sept-World to either make certain their neutrality or destroy them. The Abbots negotiated, and a treaty was signed. In exchange for leaving the Empire leaving them Alone, the Echani would pledge neutrality in the coming rebellion *and* train the Imperial Royal Guard in their deadly arts. Palpatine surprisingly held to the treaty, but many speculate he had too many other troubles on his hands with the new Rebellion against his rule.
The Empire rose and fell, and the Echani were mostly ignored by the New Republic, and their worlds left untouched by many of the crises that engulfed the time period. The Reborn Palpatine was too busy crushing the upstart Republic to worry about the monks of the Echani. And the border wars were too far away for the Echani to be worried by them.
*It is notable that since about 100 BBY several Echani have been given leave to travel the Galaxy, and given the title rangers. The most notable of these is the Legendary Assassin Tal’dras Seraphim, who fought in the Draco crisis alongside Master Mordrana Brunhildt.
Then came the Yuzhan Vong. This was the most serious crisis the Echani had to endure, as several Sept worlds were directly in the path of the oncoming Vong Juggernaut. Two of them were devoid of Echani when the Vong arrived, but at a third world, the Vong fleet mysteriously vanished. It did not attract much notice, but nowadays historians speculate that the Echani either somehow destroyed them, or the Vong never arrived. The Vong, however, stayed away from anymore Sept-worlds for the rest of the Invasion.
The Galactic Alliance and the New Empire rose from the ashes, and again the Echani were ignored (as they were perfectly happy to be) the Sith and the Jedi fought once more. The only notable thing that happened during this period was that Tal’dras Seraphim was elevated to command of the Rangers, and more Rangers were deployed. The games of Brinksmanship between the new factions continued for many years, until the assassination of Roan Fel by Darth Krayt in 130 ABY. The Echani have still done nothing. The mystery of whatever they have been doing for nearly 400 years continues to stump the experts on the subject. Only the Echani know what it is they are doing…
Martial Arts:
The pinnacle of the Echani society are their Martial Arts. Every adult Echani knows several different forms of Martial Arts, and Echani Warriors and Masters know many or all of them.
The Echani’s Martial Arts are patterned after an animal, and there are a multitude of forms in existence. A good Echani can switch forms at whim, and combat any opponents strengths and their own weaknesses with them.
The strangest thing about Echani and their Martial Arts is Xi. Xi is a state the Echani undergo when under duress or in Combat that increases their Pain Tolerance, Reaction Time, etc. They describe it as the emptiness of the galaxy, embodied by a person. Echani meditate for days at a time when learning how to go into Xi. However, most Masters can drop into the state at whim, and control how deep they are in it.
Scientists some time ago did a full biometric scan of an Echani deep in Xi, and discovered that when they underwent this state, their Brain released a Neurochemical that literally removed emotion from their thoughts, and had them act without the clouding effects of emotions, as well as deaden pain receptors and enhance nerve reaction times. So Xi is both a scientific and philosophical state, and is unique to the Echani subrace.
Craftsmanship: For millennia the Echani were praised for their excellent Craftsmanship. Echani Armorers and Craftsmen endeavor to make everything they work on more elegant, while simultaneously increasing its functionality. This is best displayed by their weapons, which are deadlier than their counterparts, but many describe them as a work of art. The Echani bring art into all of their work.
Echani society: Echani society is quite simple. Everyone has a job (Martial Artist, Ranger, Craftsperson, Artist, Armorer, Monk, Assassin etc.) and they perform that job to the best of their abilities. The Echani are a happy people, pleased with simplicity and elegance. They are wonderful dancers and poets, and Echani clothing was very popular before the Retreat, praised for it’s lightness and it’s texture. Nowadays however, the Echani live in perfect harmony, each master improving on the work of the last.
All Echani live in a Sept, which is an Echani settlement. They can range in size anywhere from a small hamlet to a large metropolis. Each Sept has at least one meditation hall, homes for all of the Echani enclosed, Martial practice areas, and craft halls. Septs nowadays are generally the only settlement on a world, since the purchase from the Republic. These are known as Sept-Worlds. Few outsiders have been admitted into a Sept since the retreat, and those that have compliment their beauty and elegance. Each Sept is led by an abbot, all of which commune at an unknown location to discuss matters at least once a year.
There is however, a ranking system in Echani society.
Apprentice: One who is learning their trade
Cadet: One who has significant mastery of their trade to be considered proficient in it.
Senior Cadet: One whose mastery of their trade exceeds the majority of other Echani.
Master: One who has complete mastery of their trade, and can teach it to others.
Abbot: One who has mastered Xi to it’s utmost. Leads a Sept.
Rivalry with the Mandalorians: Nobody knows where the antagonism between the Mandalorians and the Echani started. Not even the Echani or Mandalorians know. The Echani blame it on the Mando’ade and vice versa. It can best be described as a cool rivalry, never coming to blows, but one was always trying to outdo the other. The rivalry stopped when the Mandalorians went into their Death Spiral, and the Echani retreated into their Septs. With the new Mandalorians however, the Echani do no know if they will continue the age-old feud, or if they have forgotten.
Their skills however, are comparable.
Let’s use an analogy.
A Mando walks into a bar, a barfight starts, and he knocks out all the combatants himself, proceeds to get Kriff-faced drunk, finds the prettiest girl there, and leaves with her over his massive shoulder
An Echani walks into a bar, a barfight begins, and he knocks out the first offender in such an elegant and deadly way that the other combatants return to their drinks. He drinks a great deal, composes a poem with which he seduces the prettiest girl there, and procedes to leave with her.
They both accomplish the same goals in different ways.
The Watch: Rumors abound about an Echani spy-net, called The Watch. It supposedly among the most efficient intelligence gathering services in existence. The Outlaw’s Guide to the Galaxy can neither confirm nor deny the existence of the Watch.Echani of note:
Master Tal’dras Seraphim: Legendary Assassin and current commander of the Rangers, Tal’dras is among the deadliest non-force users in the Galaxy. He leads the Rangers like a Scalpel, and the Echani have profited from his leadership. He has one son (Archaras) but was never officially married. His lover disappeared after the birth of his son. It is unknown whether she died in childbirth, or simply left him. Either way he was devastated and spoke only to his abbot and his son in person. He is still in mourning.
Abbot Xi: Abbot of the Sept the Seraphim clan calls home, he is the eldest Echani alive, at well over four hundred years. It is known that he does have some call of the force in him, and his mastery of the Martial Arts is storied to have drawn Yoda to a draw. Either way, Xi is the most important Abbot in the council, and most immediately defer to his judgement.
Archaras Seraphim: Please see the Imperial Personnel Database; Legacy for more.
Master Mir’calo Seraphim: Tal’dras’ Brother, and Archaras’ Uncle, Mir’calo is a Master armorer, and it is debated over whether he is the best Armorer in any Sept. He has gone into mourning for his brothers loss, and during this period his work has been darkly elegant and unbelievably deadly.
Reply
