Faction: Followers of the Force

[RocketBoy]

  Followers of the Force                                              

Faction: The Followers of the Force (FF)
Faction Leader: RocketBoy
Focal Worlds (Decentralized): Ankus, Hijo, Jedha
Planets: Ankus, Kril'Dor, Sinton, Hijo, Dorin, Reecee, Selvaris, The Redoubt, Mortis, Ilum, Jedha
Sectors: Freestanding Subsectors, Outer Jalor Sector, Rago Sector, Hijoian Space, Terrabe Sector
Grid: I7, H7, J8, I9, G7, H10

The Followers of the Force are a free association of those who study, respect, and live in balance with the mysterious energy field commonly known as the Force. They are pilgrims, scholars, warriors, and colonists all around the galaxy, sharing one distant, familial community. Often, they're seen as nutjobs. Most of them are okay with that.

Description

Spoiler

   Different peoples know it by different names: Ashla, the Life Current, the Tide, the Life Wind, the Great Presence, the Spirit, and a thousand more. The Force has been widely known throughout history, but has never been perfectly understood. Little is known of the Force in the current age, though it reveals itself in different ways to different people. Some perceive it as a great tapestry into which all of life is woven, others as a song to which all living beings contribute. Still others see a river, a great meeting and flowing of waters with untold branches and winding paths, or a tree whose limbs uphold the galaxy and whose roots descend into the unknown. The Force is created by life, and dwells in and amongst the many elements of the universe.
         Most Followers are not force-sensitive and do not use any of the fabled abilities once wielded by the Jedi Order, but share a philosophy similar to the Jedi Order at its founding; life is best lived with compassion, humility, understanding, and selflessness. Followers try to better the galaxy and the lives of those around them, to understand those who are different, and to use violence as a tool only when absolutely necessary.

        

 

    The Followers are friendly with several different organizations, and some members belong to multiple groups, like the Church of the Force, the Searchers, the CFS, the Guardians of the Whills, and even the fabled Jedi Order. Most pilgrims simply live their lives like anyone else, whether they’re colonists, politicians, or adventurers. Some go on actual pilgrimages—journeys in search of objects related to the Force, or to return important artifacts to their places of origin. Some pledge themselves in defense of their communities or sacred places.

 

               
 

                Others are motivated to return balance where things have become withered by darkness and oppression. The Followers disown those who knowingly pursue the dark side of the force. They believe the dark side to be a corruption, a twisting of the good that brings destruction and pain to those who practice it and anyone they encounter. Some Followers dedicate their lives to redeeming those poisoned by the dark side, or opposing its ruinous influence. 
That said, not all Followers of the Force are good, per se. The Force is a mystery, as wild and unpredictable as nature itself. So too, at times, are its devotees.

 
                      
 

 

Organization

Spoiler

While the Followers are mostly just individuals, sometimes they band together to build outposts or form circles of scholars or guardians. Followers who garner a lot of respect might be known as Elders or Sages, and different groups of Followers in different parts of the galaxy may be overseen by councils or circles. It's all up to those particular Followers.
                Because the Followers are a loose association, individuals often belong to other groups.
 

The Searchers
The Searchers are a disciplined organization with a focus on scholarly study of force-related artifacts and phenomena. Led by Archscriptist Morcaster Trin, the Searchers delve into the most dangerous force-worlds, seeking to learn and preserve. These places are always treacherous, so they must be prepared for all kinds of dangers. 
(Player Notes: The Searchers are sort of a hierarchal group that lean VERY Space-Fantasy in their aesthetics. For example, the picture below depicts three Searchers inspired by the mage, warrior, and rogue archetypes. They're a bit inspired by the Destiny series' look and tone, that mesh of mystical fantasy and retro sci-fi.)

Relevant Post: Searchers on Ossus

 

The Freedom Fighters
An independent group of soldiers with ties to the CFS and many Followers among their ranks, the Freedom Fighters help oppressed people, but only when specifically asked to intervene. Many of their members were formerly part of the Rebel Alliance. Their leader, Admiral Yima, is a member of the Followers.
(The Freedom Fighters tend towards Rebel and Resistance-inspired aesthetics, but there are also mercenaries and spiritual warriors.)

 

The Warden-fold
 The Wardens believe they should use their knowledge of space and the Force to protect travelers across the spacelanes. Believing in everyone’s equal right to travel through space and live peacefully, they actively fight pirates and raiders, and assist smugglers and colonists. They have no organization and each Warden typically operates by themselves, sometimes as part of a neutral starship crew or a mercenary company.
(The Wardens would be a good choice for a player character who likes to go lone-wolf, maybe a wandering-ronin style story.)

Church of the Force
The Church of the Force follows the Jedi ideals and believes their resurrection is key to restoring balance. Members of the Church usually forewent modern technology in order to be more in touch with nature (a pretty common perspective for force-devotees, but a discipline for the Church).

                ...As well as others. These are a few groups I've created or used for my own stories. FotF players are welcome to use them, and I'd love to help you develop your own, too.

 

Faction Recruits

Spoiler

The Followers of the Force are a relatively peaceful Faction great for people interested in storytelling, the Force, and the humble, spiritual side of Star Wars. We are NOT Jedi, and if there even is any force pushin' or force jumpin' or force trickin', it's going to be rare and the kind of thing you'd have to really earn with story. 
The Followers exist to offer a space for creating diverse characters and types of stories. Members of the Followers have all kinds of jobs and roles out in the wider galaxy: think Maz Kanata (a bartender and pirate queen), Lor San Tekka (an explorer), and the Guardians of the Whills (warrior protectors).
                I’m less interested in giving you strict Lore to follow and more in encouraging you to do some worldbuilding yourself and providing freedom to come up with your own stories, groups, and dastardly foes.
 

Builds could include almost anything! They might tend to include a lot of natural landscapes and frontier structures like homesteads, outposts, barren wastes, and peaceful, wooded groves. Ideas like building giant, force-sensitive creatures (like the Bendu, Loth-wolves, or Shyyyo Bird), ancient temples, and bustling villages will fit right in, but cities and military ships also play host to members of the Followers. I personally love to incorporate influences like Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli) and old-school fantasy films like the Dark Crystal, Willow, and Labyrinth, contemporaries of Star Wars that share a lot of its DNA, and really lean into the “Fantasy” of Star Wars’ space fantasy.
                 You can definitely expect an involved community and plenty of feedback on your projects.

        How do I join?
                Send a PM to the Faction Leader, RocketBoy, to ask to join or if you have any questions.

 

Thanks for looking!

Spoiler

And may the Force be with you!

Edited May 25, 2021 by RocketBoy

[RocketBoy]

Followers of the Force | Territory

Planets - Descriptions & Narratives

This serves as a way to track the Followers’ influence and activity around the galaxy. 
 

• Mortis

Spoiler

Access to Mortis is never voluntary, so to say the Followers “control” Mortis would be dangerously arrogant, and stupid to boot. How then, do they keep a presence in the Chrelythiumn system? There is a Follower who is allowed—at times—to observe Mortis, which is the closest anyone is likely to get.
                Through investigations, story-chasing, a series of visions, and a long journey of discovery, Follower Gossan Faldspar was given (by whom, he does not know) a tiny, strange, habitable planetoid that orbits the spot where Mortis most commonly appears. Faldspar, known for his literal nature, calls this place “Highest Honor” and resides there still today, having dedicated his existence to watching and writing about his glimpses of the monolith. He welcomes all peaceful guests, whether they’re pilgrims hoping to see the legendary realm-world, or simple travelers in need of respite.

• Ankus

Spoiler

Related Posts: The Sage of Ankus | Unwinding



The Cragmaloids of Ankus had been cruelly enslaved by the mining corporation TaggeCo for years, and things only worsened after the fall of the Empire.
                Jeju the Wise, Shaman of the Whills and the last of the Sages of Jojah, entreated the Freedom Fighters for aid. Admiral Yima—one of the Followers—sent his data master, the thoughtful Bothan Bey’Wan Pw’Tua, to the planet to assess the need and whether or not it was within their capacity to help. What Pw’Tua found was a proud, magnificent culture in horrible agony, and though it would stretch their skill and resources to the limit, he promised Jeju that the Fighters would partner with the Cragmaloids to drive out their oppressors, and not to offend the tribe’s dignity in the process.
                The Freedom Fighters established several hidden outposts on Ankus in the weeks following, from which they launched small prison-breaks, sabotage missions, and hit-and-runs. For months they waged war, with more and more Cragmoloid’s joining the cause as they were freed and restored to strength. Pw’Tua stayed on Ankus for most of the time during the campaign to learn about Cragmoloid culture and do his part in helping the Sage record and protect their ancient lore.
                At the end of the 6-month campaign, TaggeCo had caught on. The mining corporation demonstrated their desperation by blowing up one of their own camps, a stronghold that held thousands of enslaved Cragmoloids, all of whom died either in the explosion or the blaze that followed. Pw’Tua and the Freedom Fighters, who now had made friends among the people, joined the freed Cragmoloids in mourning, ceremonies that filled the plains with sorrowful horns and made the very air tremble.
                The battle that followed brought great death to Ankus, but by its end, there was a kind of balance restored. The Cragmaloids—a powerfully force-attuned people—relished their newfound freedom, respected their friends, and began to rebuild their society. Bey’Wan stayed to live among them, as did many others from the Freedom Fighters—many of them Followers—who had come to love Ankus and its people.

Many Followers of the Force have been welcomed by the Cragmoloids to make Ankus their home, where they now live in harmony.

• Tython

Spoiler

Mythologized as the birthplace of knowledge of the Force, Tython ranks among the most significant force-worlds in the galaxy. It’s twin moons—Ashla and Bogan—have witnessed the beginnings of many orders of force-wielders, as well as their centuries of conflict and destructive supernatural storms. Millennia of warfare have made most of the planet uninhabitable except to the most desperate of creatures; the arctic mountains of the Ice Giant Range and the wastelands of ash called the Rift, home to nothing but flesh raiders who won’t risk the insanity of the Silent Desert. Even the still-living portions are home to a variety of dangerous creatures: hook hawks and Silik lizards and vicious raptors.
            This plethora of threats makes the Follower Enclave on Tython an insane undertaking. But it's also admirable, in the way insane things can sometimes be.
            Established on Tythos ridge in the waning years of the Empire, the enclave began as a small camp to house the Searchers’ studies. Over time, necessity transformed their research outpost into a small fortress and turned the Searchers from a ragtag party into a hardened, experienced group of warriors. Over the last several years they’ve fought off scores of monsters in their own defense, additionally taking up the responsibility of conserving the lives of the many peaceful species, such as the Guid and Uxibeasts, from the predators driving them deep into extinction. The decimation of the planet has pushed its natural fauna into the small regions that could support life, but the many different species weren’t made to coexist in such close quarters. Tython is unbalanced, and the Followers sought to help.
            Brave (and foolhardy) Followers have joined them over time, bringing weapons and supplies and defensive technologies, slowly making the Enclave the best-defended and most established community of Followers in the known galaxy. After all, there’s strength in numbers, and Tython is a planet that, in every practical way, respects strength most of all.
            The Archscriptist, Morcaster Trin, keeps her primary studies on Tython. Those from the Enclave, both scholars and armored “protectors”, continue to explore the planet’s ruins and search for the secrets of those who came before. As they do, they risk every kind of danger: wildlife, raiders, and things from the dark that minds cannot comprehend.

• Ilum

Spoiler

Posts: The Thaw | Glacier Home | Visions of Horrors | Attack on the Imperial Trench | Labyrinth of Evil | Silence



WAR IN THE UNKNOWN REGIONS
After years of searching for the location of the sacred crystal planet of ILUM, members of the FOLLOWERS OF THE FORCE venture out of the known galaxy on an epic pilgrimage. To their horror, they found a planet stripped and cracked open by the EMPIRE, long plundered of its Kyber Crystals. An equatorial durasteel trench desiccated the planet, out of which still crawled Imperial troops. Furious at the planet's savaging, the pilgrims' call goes out for help and the FREEDOM FIGHTERS answer...

 

Edited June 9, 2021 by RocketBoy

[Simulterious]

May the Force be with you. Hope this really turns into something great! 

[Ross Fisher]

An auspicious start. You've done really well at carving out a story for your characters. May the force be with you, always. 

[Brickwolf]

Great Idea! Good Luck. May the force be with you!

[karmajay]

Great start!

[TalusMoonbreaker]

Jal Mes

• “Duros Space Monk Adventurer”

Like many Duros, Jal has always been adventurous and curious about the galaxy outside of his homeworld of Duro, including the mysterious entity called the force. Unlike his fellow monks who prefer to meditate and study in tranquil monasteries, Jal prefers to study the galaxy by seeing it, which usually leads him to interesting and sometimes dangerous adventures, like the hot spices on Ossus or the run-in with a pirate gang above Felucia. Generally, he prefers to wander around alone, but is always welcoming to other Followers heading in the same direction.

 

Edited May 21, 2021 by TalusMoonbreaker

[RocketBoy]

15 minutes ago, TalusMoonbreaker said:

Jal Mes

• “Duros Space Monk Adventurer”

Like many Duros, Jal has always been adventurous and curious about the galaxy outside of his homeworld of Duro, including the mysterious entity called the force. Unlike his fellow monks who prefer to meditate and study in tranquil monasteries, Jal prefers to study the galaxy by seeing it, which usually leads him to interesting and sometimes dangerous adventures, like the hot spices on Ossus or the run-in with a pirate gang above Felucia. Generally, he prefers to wander around alone, but is always welcoming to other Followers heading in the same direction.

https://blockheads.builders/creations/jal-mes-bBMrW

 

Brilliant setup. Welcome to the Fold, it's an honor to have you!

[TalusMoonbreaker]

5 hours ago, RocketBoy said:

Brilliant setup. Welcome to the Fold, it's an honor to have you!

Thanks Som! I'm glad to be here :)

[Carculio]

Hey Guys!

My name is Carculio and I have felt a calling in the force which has led me to join "The Followers of the Force Faction"

 

 

Meet Honey Lemon, an Explorer who grew up among the rubble of the rebels and the exploits of the empire. Having her home destroyed and her parents lost to war at an early age she was forced to live a life of scavenging. Typically surviving on whatever could be found and never staying in the same place twice.

Regarding her scavenging, she has spent a great time on Republic war wrecks leading to finds such as her tattered clone armor as well as the yellow lightsaber she carries. With it, she continued to explore and hold her own. Well, that was...that was until she was approached. 

She had never really had a family. She couldn't even remember her own blood, yet something about the Followers of the Force felt like home and so here she is.

Edited July 14, 2021 by Carculio

[RocketBoy]

48 minutes ago, Carculio said:

Hey Guys!

My name is Carculio and I have felt a calling in the force which has led me to join "The Followers of the Force Faction"

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/191003260@N02/51281572329/in/photostream/

 

Meet Honey Lemon, an Explorer who grew up among the rubble of the rebels and the exploits of the empire. Having her home destroyed and her parents lost to war at an early age she was forced to live a life of scavenging. Typically surviving on whatever could be found and never staying in the same place twice.

Regarding her scavenging, she has spent a great time on Republic war wrecks leading to finds such as her tattered clone armor as well as the yellow lightsaber she carries. With it, she continued to explore and hold her own. Well, that was...that was until she was approached. 

She had never really had a family. She couldn't even remember her own blood, yet something about the Followers of the Force felt like home and so here she is.

Welcome, it's very good to have you! Thanks for joining up!

[TalusMoonbreaker]

5 hours ago, Carculio said:

Hey Guys!

My name is Carculio and I have felt a calling in the force which has led me to join "The Followers of the Force Faction"

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/191003260@N02/51281572329/in/photostream/

 

Meet Honey Lemon, an Explorer who grew up among the rubble of the rebels and the exploits of the empire. Having her home destroyed and her parents lost to war at an early age she was forced to live a life of scavenging. Typically surviving on whatever could be found and never staying in the same place twice.

Regarding her scavenging, she has spent a great time on Republic war wrecks leading to finds such as her tattered clone armor as well as the yellow lightsaber she carries. With it, she continued to explore and hold her own. Well, that was...that was until she was approached. 

She had never really had a family. She couldn't even remember her own blood, yet something about the Followers of the Force felt like home and so here she is.

Willkommen, Bienvenue, Bienvenidos, Kalos Irthate, Benvenuto, Velkominn, Yōkoso, Karibu! Sorry for my language Sam :)

Discord: https://discord.gg/fTRt8eEc (We chat, strategise, share wips, and give feedback here.) 

BTW, how did you find us?

Anyways, I hope Honey Lemon dies bravely. May the Force be with You!

 

[Carculio]

On 6/30/2021 at 10:41 PM, TalusMoonbreaker said:

BTW, how did you find us?

Thanks, so yeah I was invited by Sam on Flickr and then decided to join in.