Shapers of Kro Var

The Shapers of Kro Var were an order of Force users indigenous to the planet Kro Var. They originated circa 1000 BBY when a damaged cruiser fleeing the devastation of the New Sith Wars crashed on Kro Var. The survivors of the crash eked out an existence on the inhospitable world. Eventually, the population split into clans and underwent technological regression as infighting between clans occurred. Force-sensitive individuals became leaders within the clans and were referred to as Shapers. Eventually, the Republic and the Jedi Order made contact with Kro Var and, after some initial hostility from the Shapers of Kro Var toward the Jedi, established peaceful relations. This allowed the Shapers to travel offworld and explore the galaxy, which they continued to do into the Clone Wars. They were not specifically persecuted during the reign of the Galactic Empire due to the fact that the majority of them did not go offworld.
The Shapers were considered superstitious and proud of their powers. They distrusted Force users who used invisible manifestations such as telekinesis or mind tricks, and individuals with those talents on Kro Var were persecuted. Instead, most of the Shapers' abilities were focused on warfare and the harnessing of the elements of earth, fire, water, and air. As such, their particular uses of the Force centered on utilizing and manipulating the powers of nature to suit their needs.
==History==
During the New Sith Wars, a group of refugees fled from the planet Ruusan following the Ruusan campaign. However, their ship emerged from hyperspace at the wrong coordinates, crashing on Kro Var, an inhospitable planet located in the Unknown Regions of the galaxy. The survivors of the crash formed into various clans and, over generations, fought among themselves for control of resources. The result of this infighting was technological regression to the point where the weapons of choice on Kro Var were simple melee weapons. Eventually, some of the survivors demonstrated sensitivity to the Force and became known as Shapers. The clan conflicts became more aggressive, and the Shapers played an important part in them, using their powers to shape the elements and lead their clans.
Eventually, a Galactic Republic trading vessel discovered Kro Var. The planet's power structure was thrown into chaos as a result of the sudden contact with the galaxy, and a group of Jedi were sent to Kro Var to regain order and bring the people there back into galactic society. However, the Shapers were suspicious of the Jedi, resulting in a brief conflict between them. Peace was eventually restored, and the Jedi decided that the Shapers were not users of the dark side of the Force. The Jedi Order later sent envoys to monitor the Shapers and learn their Force techniques. Some Shapers also took the opportunity to leave Kro Var and spread throughout the galaxy during this time, though they were considered primitive.
Shapers tended to remain on Kro Var, but small numbers of them did leave their homeworld and travel elsewhere. At one point near the end of the Republic's regime, some of their membership came into conflict with the Confederacy of Independent Systems and fought against their battle droids during the Clone Wars. At some point during the conflict, the Nightsister Mother Talzin wrote about the Shapers of Kro Var in her treatise Wild Power, in a section of the document that detailed Force traditions that Talzin considered to be in competition with the Nightsisters. During this period, the Shapers made their services available to clients in the Marzoon sector.
==Philosophy==
The early Shapers occupied the roles of "battle shamans" for their clans. They were considered superstitious, as well as brash and bold when demonstrating their power to others. Another characteristic of the Shapers was their distrust of both technology and Force powers that were unseen, such as telepathy. Individuals demonstrating aptitude for such talents on Kro Var were persecuted as witches and warlocks. They remained largely suspicious of outsiders, particularly Force users with those unseen powers, though those attitudes did slowly change. The early shapers also were not prone to diplomacy, and in general preferred direct confrontation. Some Shapers were less superstitious, though, and traveled the galaxy in search of the Jedi in order to learn different views of the Force. The concept of learning different views of the force also led to them seeking out other minor orders. An example of this would be the women of Kro Var that would sometimes seek the Witches of Dathomir.
The powers wielded by the Shapers of Kro Var were largely focused into warfare. In battle, they utilized elemental powers that harnessed elements of nature such as earth, air, water, and fire against their enemies. They were considered aggressive and suspicious, which led to their initial hostilities with the Jedi. Shapers often specialized in a particular element, such as fire, but Master Shapers could wield many or all of them. Shapers tended to take the philosophy involved with their element of study and apply it to the battlefield; for example, a Shaper specializing in air was expected to be mobile in combat.
Shaper training began at an early age, as younglings were sent to study with a Shaper cabal to determine in which area of elemental control they possessed the most potential. The youngling was subjected to numerous tests and then sent to an appropriate temple to study their particular element and develop their powers. The training was intense and, in addition to harnessing the Force, included lessons in warfare and weaponry.
The Shapers claimed to be a similar tradition to the Nightsisters, a group of Force-wielding witches from the planet Dathomir. The Nightsisters contended that their Force powers were derived from two spirits known as the Fanged God and the Winged Goddess, and the Nightsister Mother Talzin believed that the Shapers of Kro Var also gained their abilities from the spirits. However, Talzin claimed that the Shapers were misguided and had not heard the spirits' call as clearly as the Nightsisters had.
==Common abilities==
The Shapers of Kro Var were said to have wielded the dark side of the Force, and were regarded as being deeply connected to the elements of earth, fire, air, and water. Their abilities included buckling stone, creating walls of wind, and generating spouts of flame. They could ignite targets using fire, or make their motion more fluid in battle. Their manifestations of the Force depended on their element of study, but were also influenced by the location of their habitat. Shapers native to the Ungoth Valley were more apt at wielding fire due to the presence of lava flows there. Master Shapers were also able to wield other physical manifestations such as lightning, which was considered a further extension of their elemental capabilities. Despite rejecting telekinetic abilities, they did begin to learn Force resistance after their encounter with the Jedi. Shapers were also skilled in the use of simple melee weapons such as clubs and swords.
==Behind the scenes==
The Shapers of Kro Var were created for the 2009 Wizards of the Coast sourcebook Jedi Academy Training Manual.
==Sources==
*Jedi Academy Training Manual 
*Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side
==Notes and references==
Category:Dark side organizations