Darth Hater

Today we have another Lore article produced by guest contributor Allenion!

In an era of galaxy-wide war, the aid of the Force-sensitive Voss could mean victory for the Republic or Empire. But the Voss seem equally hesitant of each faction. Faced with the constant threat of their enemies, the primitive yet technologically savvy Gormak, the Voss are wary of being drawn into another conflict. To gain their trust, Republic and Empire alike will have to prove their loyalty to the stoic Voss.

For insights into the Voss and recent discoveries that could decide the future of this diplomatic war, hit the jump.

Mystic Knows Best

The planet Voss, with its bizarre landscape of living autumn, was only recently discovered within Hutt space. Once hyperspace routes were recorded, the Empire attempted to seize the planet by force, sending a fleet of capital ships to attack and enslave the Voss. To the surprise of the Empire and Republic alike, the fleet was inexplicably destroyed in orbit. Instead of retreating, the Empire executed enough of their own to convince the Voss that their attack was not sanctioned by the Imperial military. The Empire and Republic then sent emissaries to vie for the favor of the Voss in hope of gaining the mysterious Force-users as allies.

Unfortunately, the Voss are not swayed by military might or experienced diplomats. They follow none but the Mystics, prophets who see the future of their people in visions. These visions are interpreted, a process that can take years, and relayed to the Three, the triumvirate of rulers who oversee the day-to-day management of Voss-ka, their mountaintop capital city. The Voss claim the Mystics are never wrong and will give their lives to ensure their prophecies are fulfilled. To the Voss, there is no Light or Dark side of the Force. There are only the Mystics.

Trouble with the Neighbors

The Voss are locked in an eternal conflict with the Gormak, hostile nomads who disregard the Force as “something Voss” and follow Shamans who serve as spiritual leaders and master technicians.

Though the Gormak outnumber the Voss by millions, they were on the losing side of the war for as long as they could remember. The Voss, though calm and conservative by nature, enlist a brutal military made up of every able-bodied citizen to defend their city. These soldiers have successfully kept the Gormak at bay for years, but their well-implemented defenses are crumbling beneath newfound Gormak might.

For the first time in known history, the Gormak have united under one cheiftan, a warrior called Jokull who has given his people strength and purpose. Instead of a collection of disparate tribes, the bulk of the Gormak population has settled in the well-fortified Gorma-Koss, which translates to “Gormak Kingdom” in the old Voss tongue, where Jokull has led his people to their greatest technological achievements yet.

Under his direction, the Gormak are building a colossal cannon pointed at Voss-ka. If completed, this will mean certain destruction of the Voss capital city. The Gormak are also crafting their first starship. With these tools, the tribesmen look forward to a golden age free from the Voss with galactic travel at their fingertips. But their true power comes from a sinister source.

Spoilers Below

Deal with the Devil

Before his ascent to power, Jokull met a spirit in the Dark Heart, the core of the Nightmare Lands, a shunned place corrupted by the Dark side. It inhabited a hideous body unlike any Gormak or Voss Jokull had ever seen, and promised him the power to defeat his foes. Jokull agreed and unknowingly unleashed a monster.

This being of living evil gave the warrior-cheiftan an unwanted power. He began experiencing visions like those of the Mystics. To him, they were nightmares, horrible visions of conquest and murder he was constantly forced to make a reality. His people flourished because of his new power, but at the cost of his own sanity. He learned dark secrets of his peoples’ past which led him to hate all outsiders, blaming them for the war between the Gormak and Voss.

Despite his torment, Jokull’s power was vast. Voss soldiers consistently fell to him until an outsider led a strike team of Voss commandos to infiltrate Jokull’s lair in Gorma-Koss. When the strike team reached the warrior-cheiftan, Jokull told the outsider of the evil spirit he met in the Nightmare Lands. After their encounter, Jokull was brought to justice.

The outsider then traveled to the Dark Heart and confronted the spirit Jokull spoke of. The spirit claimed it was the avatar of a mysterious being it referred to as Sel-Makor. As the outsider struck down the avatar, a glowing ghost of a Gormak called Nemok-Ta rose from its body and thanked the outsider for freeing him.

Relatives and Revelations

Nemok-Ta revealed the true source of the war between Voss and Gormak to the outsider. He claimed the Sith had invaded Voss thousands of years ago. “To them,” he said, “we were beasts.” Then the Jedi arrived, hunting the Sith. “To the Jedi,” Nemok-Ta said, “we were tools—weapons to turn against the Sith.”

Desperate for the power to defend themselves, the ancient natives of Voss appealed to the Jedi, who agreed to share the strength of the Force with them if they pledged to fight the Sith. The natives agreed and underwent rituals connecting them to the Force. “The Force rituals changed us,” Nemok-Ta said. “Those who studied with them became Voss. Those who did not became Gormak.”

Sel-Makor was born out of the ritual that brought the Force to Voss, corrupting the planet itself and creating the Nightmare Lands. This curse, according to Mystic Valen-Da, is “a being of pure evil. Will without a body.” It has pitted the Voss and Gormak against each other since their separation and aims to drive the inhabitants of Voss against each other in a war of madness, exterminating all life on Voss.

Armed with these revelations, the outsider was faced with a choice: reveal the truth and bring the Voss one step closer to peace, or bend the words of Nemok-Ta to gain the favor of the Voss in hopes of ending the Great War.