The Nevra Clan[]

(Very much WIP. Tweaks made regularly for streamlining/lore adherence.)

Common Knowledge[]

The Nevras are a loose group of people and bloodlines that first came together and followed Revan through her first rise through the Jedi Order; they continued to gather and evolve as Revan forged her legend, following her to the Dark Side and back without hesitation.

Many who find out about the Clan have only interacted with Combat Branch, leading most people to believe Nevras are rowdy, violent, and dangerous to have around. Most of those people are enemies. Friends of the Nevras learn that Combat Branch is rowdy, violent, and dangerous to be around, but if they choose you to be a friend, you are never alone.

History[]

Many of the first Nevras were Jedi who agreed with the idea of participating in the Mandalorian Wars or were soldiers in the army Revan eventually led. Some who came later had been hidden away on Dromund Kas and found common ground with the first of the Nevra Jedi. Others came to the clan as time went on; soldiers, smugglers and bounty hunters, farmers, and the occasional wild force sensitive were all drawn in.

As the years passed the clan continued to follow Revan wherever – and on whichever side – she popped up, believing more in the person by that point than in a particular doctrine. After Revan’s “final” fall, the Nevras were forced to scatter and it appeared as though the clan would fade away. It was more than a decade before small groups began finding each other again, and it took many more years before enough of them were gathered in one place to make any sort of decision.

Enough time had passed that most of the members realized a single person, most likely dead, could not be the focus of a clan. After months of arguing, fighting, and the occasional defenestration, it was decided that what Revan had stood for would be their true focus; however, the argument then focused on what exactly she had stood for. Points were made about the light and dark sides of the Force, military might, diversity, and even a short lived argument for gender superiority popped up, but still the debates went on. The one thing most of those in attendance agreed on was an idea of balance, but nobody could solidly agree on how to honor that idea or, possibly, achieve it for the universe. Finally a scientist, known through history only as Steadfast, brought up an idea. It was suggested that Revan had sought balance through conflict, and Steadfast was of the opinion that in doing so Revan had been trying to help the universe evolve to its fullest potential. According to the records, Steadfast was nearly killed three times before he finished explaining his full theory to the gathering. Many present wanted peace, but Steadfast successfully brought around each and every person at the gathering by pointing out that any organism, no matter how complex, became more successful each generation only when pressure was applied. Based on this, it was decided that Nevras would work within any system they found themselves in to perpetuate beneficial conflict without wiping out the galaxy in the process. More months of debate still followed, but most of it centered around how the hell to handle the sheer number of people in the clan and how to deal with individual loyalties.

Finally, it was decided the clan of Nevra would be made up of specifically talented branches. The Combat Branch, the Seers, the Healers, and the Keepers were the first and largest branches and would be allowed to mostly govern themselves and develop their own internal politics. Within each branch were a number of different types of people who identified themselves with secondary names, but each of them still had enough in common with the others to form a cohesive whole. It was decided each member of the clan would be of one branch and would primarily have contact with the other members of that branch; early on, however, cross-branch meetings often happened by chance, and each Nevra usually ended up with a loose group of contacts from each of the branches.

One thing the Coalition, as the heads of the branches came to be called, agreed on was the need for a degree of secrecy. While Revan had supporters, there were also those who demonized her, and the Coalition refused to allow the possibility of their clan being wiped out on some misguided principle. Thus, each individual would keep whatever family name they had before becoming a Nevra and they were allowed a certain amount of freedom in how they interpreted the Nevra way; they were also encouraged to make strong ties with whatever side of a conflict they found themselves on, as that would allow them to fight to their greatest potential for the betterment of that side. Anyone born into the Nevras usually took a family name passed down from their blood parents or found a name for themselves that would adequately represent them in the greater universe.

Time passed, and the Nevras spread across the universe. Eventually the Coalition stopped meeting in person, and even further on the holocalls between heads tapered off into near-nothingness. Branches set up small enclaves on various planets so clan members would have safe havens, but most of them quickly evolved into cross-branch settlements that raised and trained new Nevras in whatever way they thought necessary. Each of these enclaves developed small, simple marks to distinguish themselves from other planets’ enclaves; these marks were usually quarter to half inch tattoos in the shell of or just behind a Nevra’s left ear or somewhere else relatively inconspicuous on their head, if that species of clan member didn't possess visible ears.

The Branches[]

"My self before my blood.

My blood before my clan.

My clan before the truth."

-Nevra High Code

While there are "civilian" Nevras, every clan member has a designated Branch they belong to. Higher ranking Branch members are highly specialized in their skill sets and capabilities, making a cross-branch team extremely difficult to deal with as an enemy. Most high ranking Branch members also have very strong personalities that sometimes seem stereotypical to their Branch and are adept at navigating their Branch's politics.

Each Branch member is easily distinguished from another by the different codes tattooed on their backs; every Nevra wears the primary code of the clan low on their backs and the Sith and Jedi codes on either shoulder, but each also wears the codes developed by their specific branch on their upper backs. As the Clan evolved, other tattoos were developed to symbolize different milestones in a clan member’s life such as marriage, giving birth, becoming a widow/er, and other such important events. Some were also developed to help Nevras recognize each other without having to take their shirts off; most Nevras that leave their home planets have tattoos on the palms of their hands representing their branch and specialty. Other symbolic identifiers, such as those indicating medical allergies or infertility, are in more discrete places only medics or very close individuals ever see.

Each branch developed very specific customs, rights of passage, politics, and social cues based on the traits the Founders felt would be necessary to be an effective member of their Branch. Members of all Branches pick up cues from other Branches since most Enclaves house members of each Branch; it helps keep misunderstandings from getting too out of hand.

Combat Branch[]

"By my weapon I serve my purpose.

By my purpose I prove my worth.

By my worth I honor my clan.

With my clan I prepare the future."

-Combat Branch Code

Combat Branch makes up the bulk of the Nevra Clan, but it also has the most "civilian" members; this is mostly because other branches need very specific skill sets or inborn talents. Among the more active members there are general members and two broad subsets called Shadows and Ragers; within each of those are specialists labeled Guns or Blades, depending on their preferred weapon, but those titles are also given to specialists that don't fall into either the Shadow or Rager camps. Shadows and Ragers wear the Combat code as well as one specific to their talents:

"From the shadows I wield my weapon.

My weapon silences our enemies.

With their blood I protect my clan.

With my clan I prepare the future."

-Shadows

"My rage forges my weapon.

Its heat burns our enemies.

With their ashes I protect my clan.

With my clan I prepare the future."

-Ragers

Combat Branch is the most visible arm of the Nevra Clan. They are the defenders of the Enclaves, the Enforcers of Clan code and law, and are generally considered to be the most dangerous Branch to deal with. Combat Nevras are the most likely members to leave their Enclave to find work or out of sheer curiosity. Many of them leave their Enclaves for extended periods of time to help keep them from killing each other.

Combat Branch politics are best compared to that of a pack of wild dogs; strength is prized, with cunning and tactical acumen coming a close second, and one's rank is determined by regular fighting and sometimes vicious maneuvering. Most of the time a fight will end before anyone is grievously injured, but particularly aggressive members have been known to injure each other to the point of needing cybernetic prosthesis. Social cues are modeled after pack predators; baring of the neck to show submission, being careful about direct eye contact, careful regulation of posture and pose, and baring teeth as a sign of aggression are only the most obvious cues that have developed over time.

Healers[]

"By my hands my clan is born.

By my hands my clan survives.

By my hands my clan is laid to rest.

With my clan I build the future."

-Healer Code

Healers are the second most visible and well known Branch of the Nevra Clan. They are exactly what they are called; Healer members run the spectrum from the local medicine man to midwives to highly trained field medics and surgeons. What they are, specifically, depends on where their Enclave is located. Membership in the Healer Branch is only earned, as it takes an interest and dedication that's simply impossible to determine at birth. Healers don't really have any labeled subsets, but there are two schools of training: science and the Force. Those who are Force sensitive and want in are automatically trained in Force healing, but if they want they can be trained in other methods. Most don't, as they fear knowing the science will interfere with their more intuitive methods. This causes some friction between the two schools, but the Healers as a whole are very non-violent among themselves.

Healer Branch politics are difficult to understand for outsiders; position in the Branch is based largely on seniority and years of practice, but there is very little "rank" as most would understand it beyond the very basics. In Enclaves with a large enough population to necessitate an established hierarchy there are Trainees, Initiates, Nurses, Doctors, and Surgeons.

(WIP)