Esstrop

Esstrop was a Kessurian member of the Path of the Open Hand cult who ventured out into the Galactic Frontier to spread their religion's teachings. As a result, they were not present on the Path's home planet, Dalna, when a battle in 382 BBY culminated in the cult's end. At some point between the event and around 381 BBY, Esstrop and their partner Kortanio were among the few Path members tracked down by the Evereni pirate leader and former Path member Marda Ro and chose to join her group. Upon joining, Ro introduced them to a beast called the Great Leveler in her ship, the Gaze Electric.
Esstrop served Ro as a raider, working with Kortanio and occasionally also alongside the human Milan Stor and the Twi'lek Fori Nagor. At some point no earlier than 379 BBY, all four raiders attacked a refugee camp and kidnapped the refugees; however, Ro ordered Nagor to set the refugees free when presented with them. Later, Esstrop and Kortanio escorted the Evereni siblings Vika and Velya Faer into the Gaze Electric throne hall to meet Ro. At some point, Ro mentioned the Kessurian in a message she recorded for her descendants, which her great-great-grandson Marchion Ro had listened to by 252 BBY.
==Biography==
===Path of the Open Hand and joining Marda Ro===
Esstrop was a Kessurian who became a member of the Path of the Open Hand cult at some point no later than 382 BBY.The High Republic: Quest for Planet X establishes that the Path of the Open Hand dissolved in the aftermath of the Night of Sorrow, which Star Wars: Timelines dates to 382 BBY. Therefore, Esstrop must have become a member of the Path at some point no later than 382 BBY. During their time in the Path, they ventured out into the Galactic Frontier in an exploratory shuttle to spread its teachings accompanied by their partner Kortanio. Because of this, they were not present when the Path faced its violent end during the Night of Sorrow on its home planet, Dalna,Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia in 382 BBY. Unaware that the Path was gone, Esstrop continued with Path activity on the Frontier.
At some point between the Path's dissolution and around 381 BBY,"A Closed Fist Has No Claws" establishes that Marda Ro visited Dantooine around a year after taking possession of the Gaze Electric, an event that Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia dates to 382 BBY. Therefore, Ro's trip to Dantooine must have occurred around 381 BBY. Esstrop was recruited by Marda Ro into her group of pirates prior to her visit to Dantooine. Therefore, Ro must have recruited them no later than around 381 BBY Esstrop was one of the few scattered Path members tracked down by the Evereni Marda Ro—a former member of the Path of the Open Hand. Ro told them a lie about the Path that positioned herThe High Republic: Temptation of the Force at the center of their faith and desires and offered them to either join her group of pirates—who would eventually become the Nihil—or cease any Path-related activities. Esstrop and Kortanio were among the few that chose to join Ro.
After Esstrop joined Ro's band, she took them aboard her ship, the Gaze Electric, where she introduced them to the Great Leveler—a monster that fed on the Living Force. She explained that the only objective was to survive and take care of the Leveler so that one day it could strike back against abusers of the Force. She also added that the group had no shared religion or a story to tell the galaxy anymore.
===Service to Ro and legacy===
Esstrop and Kortanio quickly turned over their faith to Ro and became her best raiders, taking their shuttle to find things to steal and happily present to Ro back on the Gaze Electric. Esstrop, their partner, and Ro's two other raiders—the human Milan Stor and the Twi'lek Fori Nagor—occasionally went on bigger missions together.
At some point no earlier than 379 BBY,The segment of "A Closed Fist Has No Claws" depicting a Jedi's death onboard the Gaze Electric takes place around 379 BBY per the reasoning here. The raid in which the green-skinned man and other refugees were captured by Marda Ro's raiders occurs after the Jedi's death; therefore, it must have taken place no earlier than 379 BBY. the four conducted an attack on a refugee camp and took the refugees themselves as they had no valuable possessions. Once they returned to the Gaze, Nagor took the refugees to the ship's throne hall and presented them to Ro. Enraged at what they had done, Ro commanded Nagor to set the refugees free, with the exception of a Force-sensitive green-skinned man who Ro led to the Great Leveler.
Later, Esstrop and Kortanio escorted the Evereni siblings Vika and Velya Faer to the Gaze throne hall after they accepted an invitation from Ro to meet with her. At some point, Ro recorded a message for her descendants where she talked about Esstrop and stressed the importance of passing on their name. By 252 BBY,"The Lie" chapter in The High Republic: Eye of the Storm 1, which includes Shalla Ro's death, features Asgar Ro's ascension to Eye of the Nihil, an event dated to 252 BBY by Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia. As The High Republic: Temptation of the Force establishes she introduced Marchion Ro to Marda Ro's journal, he must have listened to it by that year. during his youth, Ro's great-great-grandson Marchion Ro had listened to her memoirs, including the entries where Esstrop was mentioned.
==Personality and traits==
Esstrop was in a relationship with Kortanio, a fellow Kessurian. They could not bear to be fixed in place and became devoted to Ro quickly.
==Skills and abilities==
Ro regarded Esstrop as a great seeker and as one of her best raiders.
==Equipment==
Esstrop and Kortanio had an exploratory shuttle that they used both in service to the Path and Ro.
==Behind the scenes==
Esstrop appeared in a flashback in the short story "A Closed Fist Has No Claws," written by Tessa Gratton and published in the 2023 young-adult anthology The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life as a part of the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia project.
==Appearances==
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==Notes and references==
Category:Individuals of unspecified gender
Category:Individuals with unspecified pronouns
Category:Kessurians
Category:Members of Marda Ro's pirate group
Category:Path of the Open Hand members
Category:Thieves