Quan-Jang

Backstory

Quan-Jang was found at a young age to be Force sensitive and thus trained as a Je'daii on the planet Tython in the Deep Core. Quan-Jang would progress through the ranks, eventually becoming a Je'daii Master of the Order after years of practice and training, gaining control and understanding of his balance. His skill and expertise in the ways of the Force convinced his fellow Je'daii to make him Temple Master of Anil Kesh and the Temple of Science, allowing Quan-Jang to govern the Temple and its city. As Temple Master, he would regularly take students into the Rift, a section of land near and below the Temple, to gather specimens and train with their animal subjects. He would eventually participate in the Despot War, a conflict brought about when Queen Hadiya, the Twi'lek ruler of the planet Shikaakwa, gathered forces behind her and attempted to take control of the system and invade the Je'daii's homeworld. After the Je'daii defeated her and her forces at the Battle of Kaleth, Je'daii Master Daegen Lok and Je'daii Ranger Hawk Ryo ventured into the Abyss of Ruh underneath Anil Kesh and had a Force Vision of a dark army wielding swords of flame against Tython. As a Temple Master, Quan-Jang was put on the Je'daii Council and led all affairs of the Je'daii. When Lok informed Jang and the Council of his vision, they were skeptical and theorized that the Chasm had drove him mad, as it had done all others who entered in the past. The Council sentenced Lok to the prison moon Bogan, where he stayed for the next twelve years. Jang and the Council would continue to ponder his vision, though, over the course of those years.

Arrival of a Stranger

"Interesting. The technology of this escape pod...very unlike ours. But these symbols are in our language--Aurebesh... They say 'Predor Tulkar'. The prominence suggests someone of importance. Perhaps the ship's Captain?"

-- Quan-Jang examining Xesh's crashed escape pod.

As Temple Master, Quan-Jang was responsible for teaching Je'daii Journeyers on their travels the art of Alchemy, or using the Force and science to empower armor, weapons, and even mold animals for use. He helped create many creatures to aid the Je'daii, including flying rancors dubbed rancor dragons. One day, a storm was ravaging Tython as it had done in the past when the planet was tilted off balance, causing the rancor dragon of Journeyer Shae Koda to go berserk, break free of its restraints, and fly down into the Chasm. Koda tried to calm the beast with the Force but received a vision of the Force Hound Xesh, and agent of the Infinite Empire, as he was making his way towards Tython. Jang jumped into the Chasm head first, caught the rancor, and used the Force to calm the beast, allowing for him and Koda to return to the Temple above. Koda informed Jang of her vision and that she felt the Force was summoning her to the Rift, a stretch of land that led into the Chasm. Jang told her to trust the Force and the summoning and wished her good luck as she took the now well-mannered rancor, who she named "Butch", to the location.

Not too soon after, Jang and the other Je'daii on Tython would sense a large multitude of deaths in the Force, mostly dark presences, as Xesh's ship crashed in the Rift. Jang would head towards the crash to investigate and meet up with Rangers Hawk Ryo and Rori Fenn. Because of the crash and the dark side energies released from the deaths of the Force sensitives on board, dangerous storms erupted from the skies and large rift worms became active, causing the three Je'daii to abandon their starfighters and approach the crash site on foot. Although blind, Jang was able to find an escape pod and make out that the markings on the ship were in the same language the Je'daii used and that it belonged to someone important. Finding evidence that a battle had taken place near the crash site, the Je'daii surmise that Journeyers Shae Koda, Tasha Ryo, and Sek'nos Rath had all found the crash site and battled a dark and unknown adversary. Jang takes Butch to try and spot the Journeyers from above as Hawk and Rori take Sek'nos' mount to try and find them by scent. Jang uses a small recording droid and recounts all the information he has gathered to that point and sends it to Master Ketu at the Temple of Balance in Akar Kesh. With the knowledge Jang provided, Master Ketu tasked the Je'daii Council to meditate at all of the Temples and attempt to dissipate the dark side energies and force storm that was gathering around the Rift, its focal point Xesh himself.

Sensing Shae Koda as she enters deeper in the Abyss of Ruh, Jang commands Butch to take him to her, following his most recent student despite the dangers of the storm. His efforts are stopped when a bolt of lightning causes Butch to crash, prompting Jang to leaver her behind to heal as he heads into the Abyss on foot with Hawk and Rori. They would come upon the Journeyers as the battles a large rift worm, confirming that the nexus of the force storm was Xesh, who had for some reason chosen to aid Shae Koda as she fought the worm to protect Tasha and Sek'nos. Commanding Hawk and Rori to finish the beast, Jang took to calming the storm, linking up with the other Je'daii Temple Masters in meditation at their respective Temples. Acting as the conduit for the Je'daii's combined strength in the Force, Jang battles the dark side storm around Xesh, eventually dispelling the energies that were threatening the planet itself. He would be struck by a powerful bolt of lightning in the process, but live to tell the tale. He was taken to Mahara Kesh, the Je'daii's Temples of Healing, to recover, along with their new prisoner, Xesh. Along with the rest of the Council, Jang conceded to send Xesh to Bogan instead of allow him to stay on Tython and train in the balance, for he was dangerous to the planet and too seeped in the dark side. The hope of the Council was that Xesh would meditate on the light side and eventually be ready to accept balance.

Preparing for War

Xesh would escape Bogan with Daegen Lok and travel to the neighboring systems to create Force sabers for the two of them and to create an army to follow Lok against the dark army of his vision. As this was happening, the Je'daii Masters on Tython discovered that the crashed ship had belonged to a species called the Rakata, a cannibalistic species that utilized the dark side, conquered and enslaved planets and their inhabitants. From the Holocron of Master A'Nang, one of the original individuals sent to Tython, the Je'daii learned that the Rakata intended to invade their homeworld. The began to prepare for war, and with the help of Xesh, now willing to start training as a Je'daii, began to plan ahead for the invasion. Jang and Shae worked closely with Xesh at this time and helped him to understand the concept of balance as he told the Je'daii all he knew and could remember of the Rakata.

Invasion

The Rakata would invade not long after, overtaking distant planets on the edge of the system on route to Tython and its neighbors. The Je'daii however, not taking the threat as seriously as they should have, forbade the use of Force sabers because of their reliance on the dark side to activate, and soon the Rakata had captured most of the worlds in the system, including the lush planet Ska Gora. The Je'daii, now armed with Force sabers and taught in their use and construction, pushed back the invaders as they made their push on Tython, forcing them to stop at Sikaakwa. As the Je'daii closed in on the Rakatans main forces on the planet, Jang fought on the back of his own rancor dragon against enemy Force Hounds atop their own. After a strafing run by Ranger Hawk destroyed Rakatan Annihilators and much of the ground forces, the Je'daii and their allies were able to secure a much needed victory against the invaders.

The next day, Xesh and the Masters came up with a plan to attack the head of the invading Rakatan forces - Predor Skal'nas - knowing that without their leader, the Sub-Predors (Rakatan version of General) would fight amongst themselves and effectively defeat themselves. The Je'daii gathered their forces and traveled to Ska Gora, where the base was located. During the battle, however, the Je'daii's ground forces were overrun by a Flesh Raider ambush, and they captured Daegen Lok and Sek'nos Rath, among others. During the ambush, Jang would be fighting atop his rancor dragon again but would have to fend for himself on the the ground as his mount was felled. Shae Koda came around and picked him up, saving him from being surrounded by Flesh Raiders, mutated Rakata bred solely for war. Flying over Lok's troops and noticing he was missing, Jang jumped off and took command of them himself, grouping back together with Masters Tave and Tem Madog. The three Masters would lead the Je'daii and their allies into a retreat as a surge of dark side power strengthened the Flesh Raiders and weakened the Je'daii. At this time it was revealed that Xesh, now allied with the Rakata after witnessing the horrors of his memories as they were returned to him, had led an attack with Skal'nas against the Je'daii Seers, cutting them off from the Force and blinding Seer Tasha Ryo, prompting the Je'daii to label him a traitor.

As the Je'daii made their way back to Tython, Quan-Jang and the rest of the forces prepared for the invasion of their planet and attack on Anil Kesh, which was foretold by the Seers before they were attacked. As the Rakata attacked Ashla and defeated most of the forces massed to defend it, they sent their ground troops at the Temple of Science. Jang took up another rancor dragon and continued the fight, this time releasing the pens housing all the creatures worked on at the Temple and having them join the fight as well. The battle at the Temple was just a ruse, however, as Skal'nas took Xesh into the Chasm below, intending to find and claim the Infinity Gate at the bottom, a gate that could transport him to any world he wished. As Shae Koda took Butch into the Chasm to go after Xesh, Jang followed her but stopped when he noticed Sek'nos Rath, previously believed to be dead, fighting and holding off a large Flesh Rider force. Joining Rath, Jang helped him hold off the Flesh Raiders until the end of the battle, which saw Xesh strike down Skal'nas after denouncing the Rakata and the destruction of the Infinity Gate as Tasha Ryo activated the Thor Yor at Anil Kesh, an ancient weapon that had originally transported Force sensitives to Tython to inhabit the world millennia ago, and destroyed the Infinity Gate. With the Thor Yor now activated, the Je'daii easily defeated the confused and infighting Rakata and drove them from their home and from the system.

With the war over, Quan-Jang returned to his duties as Temple Master and instructor to younger Je'daii. It is unknown whether he chose to help Daegen Lok as he hunted down the escaped Flesh Raiders still on Tython.

Powers and Abilities

As a Temple Master, Quan-Jang was one of the most experienced and powerful Je'daii on Tython, as only Je'daii with those credentials are put in charge of one of the nine Temples of the planet. Although blind, Jang would use the Force to see the world, allowing it to act as his eyes. He was a master at Alchemy, teaching Je'daii Journeyers as they made their way through his Temple on their Great Journey. He was powerful enough to act as a conduit of the amassed Force power of the nine Temple Masters and other Je'daii Masters meditating with them and use that power to dispel the force storm around Xesh, one so large its kind hadn't been seen since the founding of Tython. His powers allowed him to sense other Je'daii's balance, and noted to his student Shae Koda that darkness was taking over her during the conflict against the Rakata and their Empire. On top of that, he could easy calm the berserk rancor dragon Butch as well as take away the pain from her acid burns.

Outside of the Force, Jang was also a skilled duelist, able to survive battles against superior numbers in the Despot War and have mastered the martial arts and techniques taught at the Temple of Martial Arts, Stave Kesh. Before constructing his own Force saber, he used a long-handled sword in battle (resembling a small spear), carrying it over his back and having the blade extend out of the handle when he needed it. His skill wouldn't be diminished when using a Force saber, using it to defeat multiple Flesh Raiders and enemy Force Hounds alike. Much like his spear-sword, his Force saber's hilt was arm length, allowing for greater reach against enemies. He was similarly skilled in mounted combat, fighting in the back of a rancor dragon for most of the engagements against the Rakatan's forces.