Keetael

Keetael
General Information
Status	Active
Leader	None Recorded
Historical Information
Founded	Year -32 Day 174
Political Information
Industry	Religion

Keetael is a Force tradition, spawned on Panatha, on the outskirts of the Unknown Regions, teaching its followers to increase fighting and hunting skills of those who studied it. Keetael was a mysterious, but not secret tradition, and there were no more than a few hundred adepts at any given time. Its art taught adepts to inflict pain to victims, extending suffering through manipulation and speed. Teaching that the final blow should only come when absolutely necessary, the art of the skills have been sought by many force users on both sides of the conflict, along with various non-force sentients as a method of self defence or displaying prowess in battle.

Background

The Keetael recognize the differences between the light and dark side of the Force, but did not follow either of them exclusively. Instead, they utilized aspects of each to improve their combat, hunting, and fighting abilities. While the methods of the Keetael have a tendency to be barbaric and inhumane, they encourage full exploration of skill and pleasure centres to strengthen knowledge. Following exclusively the light side could cost a victory in battle, while following solely the dark side could lead warriors to become vengeful and selfish beings who put their own importance over those they defended. Keetael who were more aligned with the light side of the Force were unwelcome in warrior society because of their pacifistic views, encouraged to explore other avenues or seek knowledge elsewhere. Keetael who had fallen to the dark side occasionally banded together to become a potent mercenary or criminal group, but were often destroyed by their fellow warriors, who recognised them as a true threat to their existence.

The Keetael operated as a loose fellowship, focusing on the training of new members, with no prominent structure or leadership. They did not act or live in large numbers. Rather than encouraging the use of lightsabers, the Keetael used other non-projectile weapons in battle, because they regarded themselves as regular members of their families and clans, only with unusual abilities. Some Keetael teachers lived among a single community during training, but most travelled the lands, seeking new initiates, especially in regions where no established masters operated openly.

Ancient Training

When a Force-user was identified by a member of the Keetael, they received intense training to hone and control their abilities. Instead of training in isolation, they participated in extended training hunts, called Ube-tel. Initiates were also taught the customs and history of the Keetael. Upon the completion of training, each initiate received a small silver disc, one side of which was inscribed with an elaborate series of shapes (the symbol of the order), and the other side carried the symbols and signatures of the Keetael masters and initiates involved in the individual's training. The disc was a symbol of membership in the order, but the members were not required to display it or even carry it. Many practitioners of Keetael even concealed their abilities and membership to maintain a significant advantage over their opponents in battle.

For a non-Force-user, they were no cast aside, instead welcomed and trained along side force users, receiving no preferential treatment. All adepts, regardless of affinity to the force were trained to strict rules, cast out or even killed should they fail various assignments in their teachings. The primary aspects of Keetael training, aside from fighting techniques with non-projectiles, focused on tracking. They learned to efficiently and secretively manipulate surroundings in ways that were difficult for others to sense. They could use this training method to enhance the momentum of their strikes through the element of surprise, or setup false trails for an ambush on an unsuspected target. They were very adept at perceiving visions of the past and of their distant targets' surroundings to ensure advantage in combat.

Historical Upkeep

Recently, the teachings of the Keetael have rarely been seen publicly. Confined to books and holocrons in libraries, the intense, brutal teachings were cast aside in favour of more rudimentary tactics. Due to the detail of the knowledge within the history of Keetael, their style has been superseded due to the desire for organisations to roll out generic, efficient training cycles to troops through automation. Droids were unable to translate various passages, nor able to carry out the training to students. The teaching remain available to anyone who desires to learn its combat styles and the art of tracking, maintaining a small following around the galaxy.