Mana Nyvree

Det Tog'na Ki

> "*Like the snake, I shed my skin. And so, I am reborn.*"
> ― Mana
>
>

**Mana Nyvree**, also known as **Det Tog’na Ki** to her people, the Togruta, is a former Y’grritii— Or ’shaman’ —of the Sa’darrra Tribe on Shili and presently a Jedi Knight in the New Jedi Order. Recognized as having 'miraculous' powers since a young age, Mana joined the shaman order of her people at the age of ten and served with them for many years. She would earn her unique title after her Force sensitivity was formally recognized by her peers, and after she passed a challenge ordained to her by her spiritual leader, who later dubbed her 'Det Tog'na Ki' or '**The Serpent**' in the styling of other Force-sensitive shamans.

A year later scouts for the New Jedi Order would visit the Y'grritii at their mountainous refuge, seeking recruits for their new Order. Mana would be one of the few to go with them at the age of sixteen. Taken to Yavin IV and taught under Grandmaster Leia Organa Solo herself, Mana proved herself to be gifted in the Force and passed her Knightly trials in record time. She would be one of the four Knights sent to Anaxes to found a Jedi Temple, taking on students of her own at only seventeen.

A natural leader even so young, Mana would remain with her students on Anaxes for close to ten years, taking on a number of padawan learners in that time. She would also participate in the Disciples of Ragnos Crisis in 14 ABY. Following the short-lived conflict, though, Mana felt a call in the Force that seemed to be originating from Wild Space. Having proved herself an adept teacher, she had no issue petitioning the burgeoning Jedi Council to join the just-minted New Order Exploratory Force in 18 ABY, believing that she must be there for a reason.

She would once again assist in the foundation of a temple, this time restoring the ancient temple at Lothal, before she was picked to be one of the ’masters’ to go to the border world of Odessen and found the newest Jedi Praxeum.

Mana has a pet shadowsnake, who she named Agu.

## Biography

### Early Life

Mana was born during a lunar eclipse, an astrological event that might appear mundane to the rest of the galaxy, but held unspeakable weight on Shili, the Togruta homeworld, which, in accordance with their primitive-by-choice culture, still held to ancient superstitions.

Born under the black moon to the leaders of the small Keetch Clan, Mana was parted from them when she was barely newborn and she was effectively banished to the mountainous tribe of Sa'darrra, due to the circumstances of her delivery. It was there where the Meht-Daaark, the spiritual leader of the Torguta's shamanic order, took Mana in as an adopted daughter.

#### Childhood

The Meht-Daaark recognized Mana's potential in the Force as she grew up under her care, and was the one who ordained Mana to the ranks of the Nightsnakes Sect when she joined the monastic ranks at ten. It could be said that Mana had little-to-no childhood to speak of, pressed into service with a higher cause in mind always and reared with likeminded orphans who would otherwise be left to fend for themselves on the fringe.

After completing the initiative rites of the Y'grritii, Mana would begin to consume the toxic berries that would eventually leave her completely sterile by age eleven. Now, according to shamanic tradition, fully cleaved from what divided the mortal from the sacrosanct, Mana went on to worship the nature spirit of the Nightsnake with her brothers and sisters in their sect, and would continue to do so even so young -- As part of their worship was the handling of Nightsnakes themselves, Mana became very adept at snake-handling, and eventually cared for her own shadowsnake, Agu.

#### Teenagehood

At the age of fourteen Mana was identified as a Force-sensitive by the Meht-Daaark after unknowingly using the Force to calm an Akul who threatened a Y'grritii settlement closer to the forest floor. Immediately following this event Mana was forced to survive in the hostile jungle of Shili at the behest of the Meht-Daaark. If she could find her way home to the mountain, it would affirm her status as a *Shili'neh*, or what the Togruta called their Force-sensitives, her spirit directly tethered to that of their homeworld.

Abandoned in the middle of Shili's largest jungle it was Mana's task to guide herself back. Unfortunately, she had barely enough time to understand her own powers, much less apply them in a survival setting, and spent the first few days fending off predators and just trying to stay alive. Still, the sense of danger kept her senses sharp, and she eventually learned how to use the Force to sustain herself and use it to track the sensations of her people, eventually able to follow the 'call' back to the mountains and the Y'grittii stronghold. Upon her arrival home, the Meht-Daaark gave her the title of Det Tog'na Ki, the Serpent, in recognition of her sect and her kinship with animals.

### New Order

In 7 ABY scouts for the New Jedi Order would go searching for potential students for Leia Organa Solo, who was opening a Jedi Praxeum on Yavin IV and needed students to teach. Some of these scouts came to Shili to the Y'grittii, having heard the stories of Togruta Force-sensitives winding up there. Mana was one of the few to agree to go with them, believing that in order to protect her homeworld's spirit she must venture beyond to see what threatened it.

Experiencing extreme culture shock upon arriving at the new Praxeum, Mana was quick to excel in learning the ways of the Jedi from the Grandmaster, becoming fiercely loyal to the ideals which she came to hold closer than even those of the Y'grittii. While combat did not come naturally to her, she grew to be more of a Consular Jedi and while not forsaking combat entirely, pivoted to focus on healing arts and diplomacy.

## Appearance

Mana is a rather athletically-built Togruta, which is not unusual for her species, especially ones hailing from Shili itself. She has red-and-white pigmented skin, which has been marked with the symbols of the shadowsnake as part of her religious beliefs. Her montrals are striped black-and-white, and she often is seen with her shadownake Agu coiled around her uppermost montrals.

## Personality

Mana is best described as a distant, old, and wise soul, motherly, but also naive. She places absolute trust in the Force and is fiercely protective of the ideas of destiny, fate, and the causes she throws her weight behind. And while, inherently, a passive spirit, she also holds a capacity for quiet anger within that might prove her ultimate downfall if not tempered adequately.

Thanks to the Y'grritii initiative rites that Mana underwent at the age of ten, she has been left completely sterile. This has emotionally affected her and she now treats her students and charges as surrogate children, which is very apparent in certain circumstances.