Neshtovar The Neshtovar were , in the years before the Great Hyperspace War , the ruling council of the isolated planet Kesh . Renowned as riders of the native avian uvak beast , the Neshtovar held a position of aristocracy on Kesh ' s continent Keshtah Minor . Along with being the region ' s political leaders , police force , and foremost religious authority , the Neshtovar also served as a communication system for the region , utilizing their uvak to surmount natural obstacles so that they could bring news to the farthest corners of Keshtah ' s far - flung landscape . In 5000 BBY , the Neshtovari High Councilor was the venerable Izri Dazh . That year , he led a public inquest into geologist Adari Vaal ' s teachings on Kesh ' s formation , which he considered heretical . After Vaal ' s home was besieged by angry mobs , she fled into the mountains , where she stumbled across a group of crash - landed Sith . The newcomers posed as the Skyborn gods , and Dazh and the Neshtovar fell for their charade , ceding control of their society to them . Unfortunately for the Neshtovar , in 4985 BBY their uvak were taken away by the new Lost Tribe of Sith , leading many Neshtovar to join a Keshiri resistance , led by Vaal , dedicated to overthrowing Sith rule . However , their plans were unsuccessful , and the Sith regime continued on . Description . The Neshtovar were the ruling council of the isolated , remote planet Kesh ' s continent Keshtah Minor , in the years before the Great Hyperspace War . The Neshtovar were famed throughout Keshiri society as riders of the native avian uvak beast , which the all - male body used in their service as a sort of police force for the continent . The Neshtovar were seen by the Keshiri populace as the direct mortal representatives of the Skyborn gods , who , according to legend , created Kesh ' s landmass in a Great Battle against the wicked Otherside — to sin against the Skyborn was to sin against the Neshtovar , who proclaimed themselves to be the " Sons of the Skyborn " . Completely devoted to their religion , the Neshtovar could be quite incurious , never actually hammering down who or what the Otherside supposedly were . In the case of crimes such as heresy , the Neshtovar had the authority to subject the alleged offender to a public trial at the Circle Eternal plaza in the capital city of Tahv , where the accused would be forced to defend themselves directly . In olden times , if a Neshtovari predeceased his family , his entire family was slain by the community . However , by 5000 BBY this practice had ended . If a Neshtovari died , his widow became a protected person in Keshiri society . The change was a boon to the social lives of the Neshtovari , and they became highly sought - after as mates . The Neshtovar were led by a High Councilor — by 5000 BBY , that title was held by Izri Dazh . The High Councilor , among other duties , conducted the trials at the Circle Eternal . Other elders in the Neshtovar would often fashion thrones for themselves . Along with being the peacekeepers and lawgivers of Keshtah , the Neshtovar also served as a sort of communications system for the continent , their uvak allowing them to transport messages across the far - flung reaches of Keshtah . They were especially valuable in this capacity , as they were able to surmount the natural barriers that divided the region . As such , the Neshtovar were recipients of generations of knowledge about Kesh ' s ecosystem , including the chaotic air currents that surrounded the Sessal Spire volcano . Each village had an elder rider , who received information from circuit riders that brought news from Tahv . Members of the Neshtovar lived in wooden houses that were considered to be luxurious compared to the hejarbo - shoot huts that most Keshiri called home . The Neshtovar primarily used the Keshiri language . History . Rulers of Kesh . According to legend , it was the ancient Neshtovar that in mythic times brought the knowledge of the Great Battle , and the story of Kesh ' s creation , to the people from the planet ' s oceanside mountains . The stories became gospel in Keshiri society , with the Neshtovar layering them over earlier stories of the Protectors and the Destructors . Over the ensuing centuries , the Neshtovar led map ping expeditions around the coasts of Keshtah , finding the planet ' s landmass to be highly asymmetrical — this supported the story of the Great Battle , which held that Kesh ' s landmass was formed from drops of blood shed from the Skyborn gods . The Neshtovar also undertook expeditions beyond Keshtah ' s coastlines , finding nothing but seemingly endless sea in all directions . In 5000 BBY , the Neshtovar began a trial of Adari Vaal , a Tahv geologist accused of heresy . Through examination of volcanic rock , Vaal had uncovered evidence about the creation of Kesh ' s landmass that contradicted the story of the Great Battle . Vaal was the widow of Zhari Vaal , a promising young Neshtovar rider who suffered an untimely death when he was thrown off his uvak , Nink . Ironically , Vaal ' s findings were partially as a result of Neshtovari help , as a sympathetic rider had volunteered to bring her samples from the Cetajan Mountains . Vaal ' s hearings were attended by vast crowds of Keshiri , who watched as the geologist was cross - examined by High Councilor Izri Dazh . However , the fourth day of testimony was disrupted by a massive explosion in the nearby Cetajan Mountains . Although the reason for the blast was unknown , a number of Neshtovari joined a large throng of Keshiri surrounding Vaal ' s home , suspecting that Vaal ' s supposed heresy had invoked the wrath of the Skyborn . Feeling unsafe , Vaal fled into the mountains on the back of Nink , evading Neshtovar pursuit . In the mountains , Vaal stumbled across the source of the explosion — a crashed Sith starship , whose surviving crew had taken up a makeshift camp near the site . The Sith captured Vaal , and their captain , Yaru Korsin , convinced her to bring them to civilization . Vaal promptly flew out of the Cetajan Mountains and attracted Neshtovari patrols in the area , who followed her into the wilderness only to find a group of 240 Sith armed with lightsabers . Once delivered from their predicament by a series of Neshtovari rescue operations taking place over three days , the Sith posed as the Skyborn gods , returned to Kesh . The Neshtovar bought the Sith charade , with High Councilor Dazh personally being convinced by Korsin using his telekinetic powers to levitate the aged Keshiri . Dazh led every Neshtovar in the region in publicly welcoming the " Skyborn " to Kesh in a massive celebration in the Circle Eternal . As a sign of tribute to their gods , the Neshtovar moved out of their fine homes , ceding them to the supposed Skyborn . Sith subjects . However , the arrival of the Skyborn was not the boon that the Neshtovar had expected . Indeed , it marked a change of the Neshtovar ' s very way of life . Soon after taking control , the new Lost Tribe of Sith took the strongest uvak for themselves , while most of the other domesticated uvak were used as animal labor . Although the Neshtovar were for a time allowed to fly uvak on visits to the mountain Kesh Sith Temple along with other administrative duties , that ended in 4985 BBY . That year , after prominent pureblood Sith Ravilan Wroth caused mass Keshiri deaths in the Ragnos Lakes region , and the subsequent extermination of his people from Kesh by the Lost Tribe ' s Human members , Grand Lord Yaru Korsin decided that the only word that he wanted spread was the Lost Tribe ' s . The Neshtovar had their uvak stripped from them , with the former riders either being reduced to police work , staffing local bureaucracies , or keeping stables for uvak they would never get to command . This caused a backlash among many Neshtovar , a number of whom reacted by joining an undercover Keshiri resistance led by Vaal that was dedicated to overthrowing the rule of the Lost Tribe . In 4975 BBY , the resistance was ready to execute their final plan , one which would heavily employ the group ' s Neshtovar agents . According to their plot , the Neshtovar stablehands that tended the Lost Tribe ' s uvak would steal the beasts and take to the skies , using the creatures ' bleating cries to attract other , unbroken uvak . In control of a herd of thousands of uvak , the Neshtovar would then lead them into the chaotic air currents surrounding the Sessal Spire volcano , which would bring them all to a watery grave . Their sacrifice would leave the Sith unable to effectively move across Keshtah ' s vast landscape , making them vulnerable to an armed uprising . However , when the time came for the plan to be carried out , not enough uvak gathered at the Sessal Spire . Tona Vaal , a member of the Neshtovar and son of Adari and Zhari Vaal , had fallen for Korsin ' s daughter , Nida , and divulged the details of the plot to her — allowing the Sith to protect most of their uvak . Ultimately , that led to the plan being foiled , and the Lost Tribe continued their reign over Kesh . Notable members . Izri Dazh . Izri Dazh was , by 5000 BBY , the High Councilor of the Neshtovar , presiding over the body at the Circle Eternal . By then a rather aged Keshiri , Dazh was responsible for leading the Neshtovari inquest of Adari Vaal ' s geological work . Dazh was an especially fanatical adherent to the religion of the Skyborn and did his best to paint Vaal as a faithless heretic . When the Sith arrived on Kesh shortly afterward , Dazh wholeheartedly fell for their disguise , personally convinced after being levitated by Yaru Korsin with the power of the Force . Dazh subsequently proclaimed that the Neshtovar should give their homes to the " Skyborn , " ceding his own to Korsin and his future wife , Seelah . Dazh died sometime before 4975 BBY , but by then his sons and grandsons had become top members of Adari Vaal ' s Keshiri resistance . Zhari Vaal . Said to be the " valiant young rider of the Neshtovar on whom so many hopes rested " at his funeral by Izri Dazh , Zhari Vaal was a prominent member of the Neshtovar at a young age . Although respected by his fellow riders , Vaal was known for mistreating his stalwart uvak , Nink , which eventually led to his death . On one morning ride , Nink flew Vaal far out over the ocean and unceremoniously dropped him into the water . At his wake , Vaal was personally eulogized by High Councilor Dazh . Vaal ' s widow , Adari , later clashed with the Neshtovar in 5000 BBY , and his son , Tona , eventually became a member of the group . Behind the scenes . The Neshtovar first appeared in John Jackson Miller ' s 2009 eBook " " , the second installment of his nine - part " Lost Tribe of the Sith " series . They also appeared in the next two sequels , " " and " " , to go along with mentions in " " and " " .