Mandalorians

## The Mandalorians

The **Mandalorians**—known in *Mando'a* as the ***Mando'ade***, or "Children of Mandalore"—are a nomadic group of clan-based people consisting of members from multiple species, all bound by a common culture.

Mandalorians wore very distinctive battle armor, including helmets with T-shaped visors that covered the entirety of their faces, and would provide inspiration for the helmets of the Republic's clone troopers. These helmets would eventually become strongly associated with the Mandalorian people.

## History

### Early History

In their early years, Mandalorian culture revolved around battle, with war being a source of honor and pride in their community. The leader of the Mandalorians was known as the *Mand'alor*, translating to "Sole Ruler" and was rendered as "Mandalore" in Basic. Throughout their history, the Mandalorians were frequently allied with the Sith, perhaps most notably the Sith Lord Exar Kun, and held a certain distrust and general dislike for the Jedi Order against which they frequently waged war. However, they would not hesitate to cooperate with the Jedi if a partnership between the two groups was mutually beneficial. In later years, the Mandalorians moved away from their obsessively war-like and conqueror ways and instead, most became bounty hunters and mercenaries, selling their skills to various individuals and factions in the galaxy. However, the Mandalorian Protectors sided with the Alliance to Restore the Republic ever since about 3 ABY and even continued to serve the Alliance of Free Planets, the New Republic, and finally the Galactic Alliance.

### Post-Empire Period

When Boba Fett took the title of Mandalore years later, they were approached by the powerful unknown empire of the Yuuzhan Vong to aid them as wealthy mercenaries, and while the offer was accepted (mainly because the other option would have been enslavement of the Mandalorian homeworld), Boba managed to feed information to the New Republic, and while the Mandalorians continued to fight for the Vong in the early Yuuzhan Vong War, they soon betrayed them and fought with the many other factions defending the galaxy. After the war ended, the Second Galactic Civil War began, and Jaina Solo, daughter of Han and Leia, came to Fett asking to be trained, given the Mandalorians' famous reputation as legendary warriors against the Jedi. The Mandalorians ironically fought alongside the New Jedi Order, their former enemies in the crusades many years before and the Alliance-in-exile in this conflict. With training from Fett, and from others, Jaina killed her brother Darth Caedus, ending the war. Before Caedus' death, he'd ordered a nanovirus designed to kill Boba Fett and any who shared his genes be released on Mandalore. This killed any Clones of Jango Fett that had been on the world and impeded Boba and his descendants from returning to the world.

Ultimately, in the span of over four thousand years, Mandalorians slowly changed from the feared Mandalorian Crusaders of the Sith Empires, to the elite soldiers of the Jedi Coalition and later the reorganized Galactic Alliance, fighting for a cause rather than mainly for credits and the destruction of worlds. Mandalore Boba Fett saw his people greatly increase their role in the Alliance government and galactic affairs as elite security and intelligence operatives. One of their roles was as Jedi Hunters, sent after any rogue Jedi that was seen as a threat to galactic peace.

### Legacy Era

During the Sith-Imperial War of 127 ABY, Mandalore Chernan Ordo led his people as soldiers for the Galactic Alliance against the Fel Empire. They were defeated on Botajef through the betrayal of Ordo by Yaga Auchs who sought to take the Mandalorians out of the conflict and stop their affiliation with the Alliance. He was successful, killing Ordo and claimed the mantle of Mandalore for himself. Auchs would later be defeated by Hondo Karr, a survivor of the Battle of Botajef that sought justice and vengeance against Auchs. Karr became the next Mandalore. During his time in exile after the betrayal, he had fought for the Fel Empire and the Alliance Remnant and so upon claiming the title he reestablished relations between the Mandalorian people and the newly created Galactic Federation Triumvirate.

### Triumvirate Peace

Following the end of the Second Imperial Civil War the galaxy once more returned to a period of peace, one where the Mandalorians found themselves lacking enemies. The prior centuries offered them plenty of opportunity for combat but the newfound peace left many uneasy. To combat this the Mandalorians renewed their old contracts they had made with the Alliance and entered the service of the newly formed Triumvirate as elite soldiers but even then their tasks became menial and rarely demanded the skill and level of expertise the Mandalorians provided. This uneasiness naturally resulted in conflict when bands of Mandalorians in service of the Triumvirate defected and began pillaging several worlds in the Outer Rim. The culprits were easily apprehended but the people affected and the Senate demanded accountability but the decentralized nature of the Mandalorian "state" made this complicated. Following this time of uncertainty a leader now only known as Mandalore the Enforcer took charge of his people, seeking to bring order back to the Mandalorian elite soldiers. In his task he succeeded and created another new era of stability for his people which remained mostly uneventful for several centuries. Over time however the lack of open war in the galaxy and diminishing need for elite soldiers the Mandalorians role in the Triumvirates military declined. The Mandalorians influence on the galactic government however remained strong as the expertise of their warriors was still in demand, by now however mostly in a training capacity. As such a large number of Mandalorian mercenaries found their way to Mid and Outer Rim worlds where they would train planetary defense forces and in rare occasions even serve in them. Simultaneously MandalMotors work together with various arms producers around the galaxy to design the newest weapons for peacekeeping. This ensured the Mandalorians remained relevant for the time and also made the company and its owners wealthy.

### Age of Mercenaries

This practice continued for several centuries and even increased when the new Fel Empire started its first conquest of the Freestanding Sectors around 370 ABY. Here Mandalorian mercenaries served as elite shocktroops for the still inexperienced imperial forces. These mercenaries proved as effective as they had been years prior which reminded the galaxy once again of the Mandalorians status as elite soldiers. With the Mandalorians help the Fel Empire began expanding and conquering new worlds and with it the empires armed forces gathered experience - a bad sign for the mercenaries in their employ as soon they found themselves obsolete. As the Empire created its own special forces organization, the Imperial Special Operations Division, it no longer had any use for the effective but also incredibly expensive Mandalorians. In time the Empires use of Mercenaries declined and the Mandalorians found themselves looking for work once again.

This led many to seek out the various criminal syndicates and organizations all around the galaxy which always found use for mercenaries. Despite the demand, the Mandalorians were forced to accept much lower rates than what they were used to, humiliating themselves and essentially becoming slaves to the Hutt Cartel or Black Suns. Those that entered the service of these criminal organizations were looked down upon by many back in the Mandalorian hearthworlds and at times even considered *dar'manda*, no longer mandalorian. A rift formed in Mandalorian society between those that became desperate, abandoning their codes of honor and entering a life of crime, and those that abandoned their old lives of perpetual combat. Many in the Mandalorian heartworlds picked up civilian jobs over time, becoming farmers or laborers. There didn't emerge a new Mand'alor either ever since the beginning of the imperial conquests in the unknown regions, leaving the Mandalorians leaderless for centuries. While officially still part of the Triumvirate, the Mandalorians gradually began declining and their importance on the galactic stage diminished. The few still in the employ of the galactic government were now nothing more than Mercenaries themselves as the Mandalorian state practically ceased to exist. Even MandalMotors which became the sole official Mandalorian institution experienced a period of decline as the company was overtaken but other more ambitious competitors.

### Religious Renaissance

The steady decline of Mandalorian society had a strong effect on its people as those that ended up in the criminal underworld of the galaxy all but forgot their codes of honor and history. Those in the heartworlds were more sheltered of this fate and were able to cling to their rigid doctrines of the past to hold onto their culture. Other groups, primarily those outside of Mandalorian space fared differently. Mandalorians on trainingworlds such as Dxun experienced something of a cultural renaissance, returning to the ancient ways of hunters, warriors and religious fanatics. Against all odds even the old Mandalorian gods of Kad Ha'rangir and Arasuum found their way back into the minds of the people, although with extremely distorted beliefsystems. In time even an ancient prophecy resurfaced, one that foretold the end of the Mandalorian people through a long period of decline where the last Mandalorian would die in battle against the Jedi. This prophecy had mostly been disregarded in the past but now that the Mandalorians experienced such a period of great decline, many began believing in it. Instead of accepting their fate, these religious Mandalorians chose to fight their fate and began rebuilding their strength on these worlds outside of Mandalorian space, Dxun being the most prominent one. In this time, around 440 ABY a new leader emerged who would later be known as Mandalore the Crusader. Under his leadership these Mandalorian fanatics aimed to "free" their brothers and sisters from the grip of the underworld - in truth however they only waged a civil war on those they deemed to be *dar'manda.*

### Third Mandalorian Crusade

Considered a rightous war by its orchestrators, the 3rd Mandalorian Crusade, also referred to as the War of the Underworld, was much smaller in scale than previous wars the Mandalorians had fought no less bloody. At first the armies of Mandalore the Crusader targeted criminal havens in the Outer Rim where a Mandalorian presence was confirmed, seeking to purge their people of criminal tendencies. This offensive however quickly got out of hand when the Mandalorians began attacking worlds formally belonging to the Hutt Cartel, igniting a large scale war in the underworld. While the Hutts were not prepared for a war they still possessed much greater resources than Mand'alor and thus began turning the tide of the war after several months of being pushed back. In a last attempt to strike at the Hutts directly, Mandalore the Crusader attacked Nar Shaddaa with his remaining forces where he would meet his end. After the death of Mand'alor, the surviving Mandalorians scattered, leaving a path of destruction in the Outer Rim and Hutt Space. Distrustful of their Mandalorian mercenaries, many criminal cartels and syndicates refused to hire Mandalorians following the destruction the war their crusaders waged caused. As such Mandalore the Crusader was considered a Hero by some as even in death he technically succeeded in breaking the leash the underworld held over many Mandalorians.

### Galactic Legends

Under the rule of Naasade Ordo, the Mandalorian people left the Triumvirate once again and returned to the time of the True Mandalorians, the Supercommando Codex and the Resol'nare.

## Structure

Mandalorian clan structure was like a pyramid, with the ruler, Mand'alor, at the top and the Mandalorian Protectors enforcing their rule. Below them were the political factions known as Houses, which were made up of various clans. One example was House Fett, which was comprised of Clan Fett, Clan Beviin, Clan Jeban, Clan Orade and Clan Vevut. Several of the Houses exist at any given time and often represent the peoples political and cultural alignments. The Clan of the current Mand'alor would automatically form its own House with other Houses forming an opposition that would at times even challenge the ruler militarily.

### Houses

#### House Ordo

With Naasade Ordo holding the title of Mand'alor, House Ordo became the leading House in mandalorian politics. It has the support of the Protectors and generally acts as he governing body over the mandalorian heartworlds.

* **Clan Ordo:** An ancient and influential Clan that bore several rulers such as Canderous Ordo and Chernan Ordo. They are based on the planet of Ordo and are currently the ruling Clan under Mandalore the Redeemer, Naasade Ordo.
* **Clan Carid:** Under the leadership of Baltan Carid this Clan returned to Mandalore in an effort to rebuild following the destruction caused by the Yuuzhan Vong. Initially a member of House Fett during the reign of Boba Fett, they chose to remain in Mandalore when the Fetts were forced to flee the planet following the Sith nanovirus bombing of the world.
* **Clan Detta:** A Clan with strong ties to the Mandalorian Protectors and thus a loyal ally of whomever is the ruling Mand'alor.
* **Clan Farr:** Another ancient clan tracing its history back to the Mandalorian Wars against Revan after which they would ally with the Revanites out of respect for Revan. They are loosely allied to Clan Ordo due to shared political and social views.

#### House Fett

House Fett is most prominently located on the world of Concord Dawn, where they are the dominant political faction. Their members have a deep support of the Journeyman Protectors and uphold the noble traditions set forth by Journeyman Protector Jaster Mereel.

* **Clan Fett:** The Clan became well known through two of its members, Jango and his cloned son Boba Fett who both acted as Mand'alor during their time. Though the clan's line did not continue from them, the Fetts maintained influence in Mandalorian politics.
* **Clan Beviin:** A clan that allied with Clan Fett during the Yuuzhan Vong Wars and were part of their House ever since.
* **Clan Jeban:** A minor Clan that was mostly absorbed into Clan Beviin during the Yuuzhan Vong Wars through adoption. As such the two clans consider each other close kin.
* **Clan Orade:** The descendants of Boba Fett through his granddaughter, Mirta. The clan's members are unable to return to the world of Mandalore without a sealed suit due to a nanovirus released on the planet by Darth Caedus targeting all descendants of Jango Fett.
* **Clan Vevut:** A Mandalorian clan based on Mandalore. Through adoption and marriage Clan Vevut was strongly tied to Clans Orade and Fett, respectively, since time of the Second Galactic Civil War.

#### House Vizsla

Clan Vizsla has been a major player in Mandalorian politics for thousands of years and brought forth several Mand'alors. The ascension of Naasade Ordo marked House Vizsla as the major opposition in mandalorian politics, conflict has however remained peaceful.

* **Clan Vizsla:** Known for bringing forth Shae Vizla, Mandalore the Avenger as well as Tor and Pre Vizsla, who were known for their leadership of Deathwatch, a mandalorian splinter group often categorized as a terrorist organization.
* **Clan Gedyc:** Clan Gedyc was divided during the Mandalorian Civil War like so many others but eventually rose to become an influential Clan in Death Watch. They worked with Clan Vizsla closely since then.
* **Clan Priest:** A relatively young clan which rose to prominence shortly before the Mandalorian Civil War and was like many divided in its support for either side. Eventually their ties to the Death Watch and Clan Vizsla strengthened leading to the clan becoming a loyal part of their house.
* **Clan Varad:** A clan with a long history of rebellion and defiance, having started with Mavrix Varad and Tyrus Brokenblade during the times of the Old Republic. By the time of the Galactic Civil War, Shyla Varad brought the clan closer to Clan Vizsla.
* **Clan Wren:** A longtime vassal and ally of Clan Vizsla, located on the world of Krownest. They were known most notably for their contributions in support of Clan Kryze who led parts of the Mandalorians' revolt against the Galactic Empire.

#### House Bralor

A minor House with little significance in politics but also a rallying point for Clans that prefer to remain neutral and simply follow their ways.

* **Clan Bralor:** An old clan with history going back to the Dark Wars, they had been allies of Clan Ordo for most of their time but decided to stay neutral following the Yuuzhan Vong Wars.
* **Clan Awaud:** A plague almost wiped out Clan Awaud out prior to 1000 BBY but under the guidance of Aga Awaud they managed to rebuild. During the Mandalorian Civil Wars the Clan was divided with members of it fighting each other. At some point it absorbed the historic Clan Beroya. It is one of the few politically active clans not residing within Mandalorian space, calling the Outer Rim world of Vlemoth Port their home instead.
* **Clan Rook:** Founded by the false Mandalorian Tayari Rook during the Old Republic Era and mostly made up of criminals, the clan eventually managed to become respected part of Mandalorian society by the time of the Galactic Civil War.
* **Clan Skirata:** A minor clan known for its frequent adoption practice, bringing many foundlings into their ranks. They adopted many Republic Clone soldiers and thus the clan suffered greatly during the nanovirus bombing of Mandalore. They became affiliated with Clan Bralor through marriage.
* **Clan Tenau:** Like many others Clan Tenau was divided during the Mandalorian Civil War and opted to stay neutral following the Wars end in order to rebuild.

#### Unaffiliated & Minor Clans

There are several minor clans that do not affiliate with one of the main 4 houses and instead keep to themselves, either because they live away from Mandalorian Space, are very isolationist or have very little influence.

* **Clan Kerada**: A clan hailing from the world of Kol Atorn, which is currently within Imperial Space. They don't often interact with other Mandalorian clans due to their world's distance from the culture's home sector. The clan sometimes cooperates with the Empire, notably in their service with the Imperial Special Operations Division.
* **Clan Eldar:** A minor clan mostly known for allying with Bo-Katan Kryze during the Second Mandalorian Civil War.
* **Clan Kryze:** Once one of the major Clans and most prominent supporter of the pacifist New Mandalorians, Clan Kryze greatly declined after the death of Duchess Satine Kryze. They still possess major holdings on Kalevala but remain isolationist.
* **Clan Sornell:** A small nomadic clan dating back to the Mandalorian Wars where they actively participated in the fighting. Ever since then the clan experienced a steady decline to the point where most would not recognize the name.
* **Clan Rodarch:** Active during the Cold War of the Old Republic Era, Clan Rodarch adopted the Asharl Panthers as their mascot and symbol.
* **Clan Kelborn:** Another historic clan dating back to the time of the Old Republic. Kelborn was among the clans that rebelled against Mandalore the Vindicated. Unlike the now extinct Clan Cadera, Clan Kelborn managed to rebuild but never became a major player again.
* **Clan Ario:** An offshoot of Clan Kelborn based on Troiken led by the Jedi and Mandalorian Kron Ario during the Clone Wars and Galactic Civil War. After some infighting several members took refuge on Tatooine.
* **Clan Deshra:** A minor clan known for its mechanical expertise. At one point they managed to reverse-engineer alien technology to develop retribution feedback shields.
* **Clan Itera:** A clan at the height of its power during the time of Mandalore the Vindicated against whom they rebelled together with Clan Cadera. They were accepted back into Mandalorian society but remained largely irrelevant.
* **Clan Jendri:** An old clan most notably active following the campaigns of Revan where they searched for Mandalore's Mask on Rekkiad. After being defeated by Clan Ordo, Jendri never properly recovered.
* **Clan Chorn:** A historic clan most notable for its participation in the Battle of Darvannis where they followed Mandalore the Avenger against Zakuul and suffered heavy casualties as a result. A minor power even then, the clan never properly recovered and remained insignificant.
* **Clan Jennis:** A small Clan dating back to the Cold War between Galactic Republic and Sith Empire where they worked as Mercenaries and Trackers.
* **Clan Lok:** Once the most influential Clan of its time under Artus Lok, Mandalore the Vindicated, the clan fell from grace after their leader was killed during the invasion of Zakuul and his daughter, together with other survivors, refused to follow Mandalore the Avenger.
* **Clan Shale:** A small clan dating back to the Old Republic where they were involved in a feud with Clan Nerak. While Shale survived the dispute, Nerak did not.
* **Clan Saxon:** The clan barely survived being wiped out following the fall of the Galactic Empires rule on Mandalore, which the Saxons fully supported. They would be exiled by Fenn Shysa for their crimes and flee into Imperial Remnant territory in order to avoid the ire of some of the more vengeful clans such as the Wrens. Eventually they would settle on Kol Atorn and become the most ardent supporters of the Empire there.

## Notable Mandalores

* Mandalore the First (ca. 7000 BBY)
* Mandalore the Conqueror
* Mandalore the Indomitable ( - 3996 BBY)
* Mandalore the Ultimate (3996 BBY – 3960 BBY)
* Mandalore "the Preserver" Canderous Ordo (3954 BBY - )
* Mandalore the Infernal
* Mandalore the Lesser ( - ca. 3653 BBY)
* Mandalore "the Vindicated" Artus Lok (ca. 3653 BBY - ca. 3636 BBY)
* Mandalore "the Avenger" Shae Vizla (3636 BBY - )
* Mandalore the Binder
* Mandalore "the Destroyer" Ranah Teh Naast
* Mandalore Ung Kusp (ca. 1500 BBY)
* Mandalore "the Uniter" Aga Awaud (ca. 1051 BBY)
* Mandalore the Hammerborn
* Mandalore "the Protector" Jaster Mereel (60 BBY - 52 BBY)
* Mandalore Jango Fett (52 BBY - 22 BBY)
* Mandalore Pre Vizsla (ca. 20 BBY)
* Mandalore "the Resurrector" Spar (ca. 20 BBY - 19 BBY)
* Mandalore Fenn Shysa (19 BBY - 21 ABY)
* Mandalore Bo-Katan Kryze (2 BBY - )
* Mandalore "the Unyielding" Boba Fett (23 ABY - 41 ABY)
* Mandalore Chernan Ordo ( - 127 ABY)
* Mandalore Yaga Auchs (127 ABY - ca. 140 ABY)
* Mandalore Hondo Karr (ca. 140 ABY - )
* Mandalore the Enforcer ( - ca. 300 ABY)
* Mandalore the Crusader (ca. 440 ABY - 458 ABY)
* Mandalore "the Redeemer" Naasade Ordo (ca. 1000 ABY - )