Rohi

Rohi
Homeworld	Adonai
Language	Original language unknown, currently Basic
Average height	1.7
Skin color	Various shades of brown
Distinctions	Seemingly eternal youth, inherant Force-sensitivity, the males have wings

Some things were not meant to be known… and others were meant to be forgotten.
—Unknown Rohi

The Rohi (pronounced: rōhē), colloquially known as Angels (pronounced: ānjělz) were a rarely seen race of what were thought to be immortals. These isolationist near-Humans lived on the remote, uncharted world of Adonai. Despite their rarity, there were a great many Rohi, though most of them lived in and around Adonai. The remainder that did not were so far-flung and scattered that to the galaxy as a whole, they appeared to be nearly extinct.

The Rohi were a quiet, peaceful, nature-loving race governed by a theocracy whose ruler was the Force, which they called the Jiréh. They were also very determined, and were readily willing to eradicate evil when given the chance. However, because of the power given them, when a Rohi did turn to the dark side, the results were usually catastrophic and often spanned the universe in its impact. One of the more devastating Rohi to the Known Galaxy was The Prophet of Shatan, who made use of a pivotal time in galactic history to gain a measure of political power. Fighting against him were opposing Rohi, the most famous of which was Michael, who later became the Watchman of the known galaxy to help it and protect it from the dark when he could.

Biology and appearance

Naarai, one of the few examples of a winged female Rohi

Rohi were extremely long-lived, some claiming to be over 150,000 years of age at the time of the Galactic Civil War. Once they reached maturity, which occurred for them around the age of 50 (the equivalent of about 22 in a Human), the aging process seemed to stop completely; reportedly they could only be killed by "fire or sword" as several legends described. Probably because of this long lifespan and seemingly eternal youth, though Rohi do marry, the birth of a child was infrequent; a natural prevention of overpopulation.

Female Rohi, known for their beauty, were marked by pointed ears and hair that had silver undertones. They had a keen connection with nature, and their innate Force strength was naturally stronger than the males, though with training, male Rohi could surpass the trained female. Male Rohi, who were typically described by Humans and near-Humans as handsome, were distinguished by their wings, which were typically white and feathery. Only rarely did a male Rohi possess pointed ears, though this was not a genetic mutation, but, in fact, not possessing the distinctive ear shape was the fluke. It was also rumored that a male owning pointed ears had a stronger connection to the Force, or the Jiréh, as they called it. The Rohi were known to have a naturally high metabolism, keeping them fit and in shape.

They appeared to be, from all known research, not that far biologically from Humans and several near-Human species. This similarity was such that interbreeding was possible, though not encouraged, due to the Rohi's long lifespan. There were some claims that Humans descended from the Rohi, more specifically from a group of Rohi under Lord Shatan, the Imager, who were given the task of enhancing his followers' powers via a form of what was later known as Sith alchemy, and never heard from again by the Rohi. Advocators of this theory claimed that something went wrong with their experiments, and it instead mutated them into mortal beings without wings. It is also said that this was why Humans and several near-Human species had such a relatively large fraction of Force adepts. These claims are unproven.

History

The rise of Lord Shatan

Lord Shatan, the Imager

It was known that the Rohi had been in several wars and were talented at warcraft, though these wars were long before any documentation and reside only in their perfect memories. Not much was revealed by the secretive Rohi, but there were several legends surrounding them. One such claim was that they were created by the Force itself, which they call the Jiréh, and had existed since the galaxy began. The latter claim was controversial, as others claimed they came into existence around 200,000 BBY, while some said they began as late as 30,000 BBY. The Rohi themselves neither confirmed nor denied any of these claims.

What was known, though, was that their first Prophet, the position of one who was given the task of speaking for the Jiréh, was named Caído. He became incredibly powerful and was favored by the Jiréh. However, his power came to be so great that he imagined himself greater than the Jiréh, beginning to disregard the commands of the Jiréh to substitute commands that he preferred more. Because the Rohi under him believed him to be speaking what the Jiréh commanded, he practically had complete control of Taivas, the Rohi kingdom. This dictatorship, however, did not last long, as he was soon cast down, losing his power and stripped of his wings. Angered, he took his followers and waged a small rebellion against the new Prophet, Jeremiah, and the Jiréh. Because of his willpower and his inborn strength, he had once again regained and controlled immense power, becoming more powerful than even the Archs, the seven powerful protectors of Taivas. However, with the power of the Jiréh, the Archs were able to cast him and his followers out of Taivas.

In exile, Caído festered plans of revenge as he prepared his army, which consisted of around a third of all Rohi population, whom he had deceived into rebelling against the Jiréh. As he prepared and planned, he commanded the more talented of his army to devise ways of strengthening his army, while others were given the task of providing them with weapons. As he practiced and nourished his dark powers, his figure and face grew contorted. However, he became extremely skilled in making himself appear to be a normal Rohi, disguising himself with his powers. He became so talented at this that he could appear to be several different Rohi at once to different people. He also became good at deceiving others, as witnessed by his large following. Because of his gained power and his wanting to forget his past failures in trying to conquer the Taivas, he renamed himself Lord Shatan, the Imager, in reference to his ability to appear to be anything.

After many years of preparation, he once again waged war with the Jiréh, where many battles were fought and many Rohi were lost, including most of the Archs. However, when victory of those following the Jiréh seemed bleak, the Jiréh intervened. The Jiréh stole Caído's physical form, leaving him only a spirit. Suddenly having no visible figurehead, the enemy army fell into disarray—the followers of Lord Shatan were beaten. Though being spirit and therefore invincible and having a greater ability to deceive, Lord Shatan was stripped of the ability to physically harm or threaten, except by the will of the Jiréh. It also made him easier to defeat and to silence, all one needed to do was to not want to listen and to act upon this decision. Some claimed that he was the source of the dark side of the Force, but these theories were unproven.

Timæus's rebellion and aftermath

Timæus calling upon his dark powers

Their history beyond this is scattered and fragmentary. It is known that they have been in at least two wars since, one caused by a Rohi named Timæus, a rare instance in that Timæus kept his wings long after he turned to the dark. Timæus was one of those deceived by Lord Shatan, and his belief in Lord Shatan's teachings prompted him to begin another uprising. The war that he led was later called the War of Megiddo, which was the most furious of any of the Rohi was then or since because of its intense use of the Rohis' innate powers. It was this extravagant use of power that caused the destruction of the Taivas moon of Megiddo. Timæus was conquered when the Archs, led by Michael, filled with the power of the Jiréh, stripped his powers from him and banished him to live on Megiddo, which he, himself, had nearly destroyed. It is unknown what became of him after his exile.

Some time later, after the invention of hyperdrives, Naarai, a Rohi, took to traveling outside Taivas's bounds out of curiosity. This led her to come across what seemed to her a tainted Rohi, as she had found a Human male, who, incidentally, had no wings. However, as they grew to know one another, they fell in love. Though she knew she would far outlive Daenor Vontarik, the Human, through her love she did not care, and she married him. However, inevitably, he died; not of old age, but poisoned by a fruit he thought edible. Though she had the power to heal him, in her innocence she was not sure what was happening to him—the Rohi cannot be poisoned—until it was too late.

Sorrowed by her loss, Naarai returned to Taivas to try and find joy once more. She knew that the Jiréh had taken and cared for her love's soul, and she was thankful that he had not simply slipped into oblivion. In her thankfulness, she began to obey the Jiréh more earnestly. To her surprise, upon the sudden disappearance of the Prophet, she was suddenly Anointed by the Jiréh to be Taivas's next Prophet. To her delight, this allowed her to speak to Daenor, her love. In her joy and thankfulness, she fulfilled her job well.

The False Prophet

The Prophet of Shatan

An unknown amount of time after Timæus's rebellion, the Rohi began to show interest in the worlds outside their hidden realm. This interest was not in conquering the outside, as they were content with their kingdom as it was, but because they felt guilty for being the race that unleashed Lord Shatan, the Imager, on the universe. As well, it appeared that other races were just as susceptible as the Rohi to Lord Shatan's lies. However, their efforts to diminish the Imager's hold were seemingly imperceptible, as they were naturally reclusive to other races. Though their participation seemed little, in many of the galaxy's wars, there were Rohi fighting for what the Jiréh commanded them, though some disobeyed the Jiréh's orders to fight for themselves.

This is what happened to a Rohi who was only known as The Prophet of Shatan, or the False Prophet. The False Prophet claimed that Shatan had been right in his assumptions that the Jiréh existed to serve them, a conclusion that the False Prophet claimed to have come by because of his own logical outworkings. However, though he was powerful, he could not overcome the Archs, who cast him out of Taivas. Not giving up, the False Prophet worked to instead win the 'outside' races to his side, who, at the time, had just discovered the secret of hyperspace. Using this sudden expansion technique to his advantage, he joined a large group of planets under his rule, enchanting them with his 'magic.' However, this 'magic' was no more than the typical uses of the Jiréh, such as telekinesis, telepathy, illusions, and other such menial 'tricks.' Through this means, he convinced them that he was the ultimate ruler, and that sacrifices be made to him. These sacrifices were nothing more than having a sentient victim, willing or no, come before him. He would systematically steal the victim's life force to nourish his own dark powers. He was soon worshiped for his 'miracles,' and those who did not, he hunted down and killed, feeding on their life force.

This greatly sorrowed the Rohi, who again felt responsible for the destruction Shatan and his ilk had caused and that was now harming innocent races. Thus, the Archs, with the blessing of the Prophet, set out to enter the 'Outsider' galaxy and destroy the False Prophet for what he had done. It was a bold move, especially for them, but they knew it was their duty. They came into the galaxy and waged war on the False Prophet, but they were not prepared for how loyal his followers were to him. Because they were innocents, they at first sought to kill as few as they could. However, this led to many casualties on their side.

Upon seeing how trying to cause minimal casualties upon those who were determined to hate and kill them, Michael, a Rohi who had been an Arch since before Timæus's rebellion, reluctantly but wisely gave out the order, with Jiréh's support, to kill any and all grown enemy males who were not civilians or bystanders. This helped eradicate the evil spreading across the worlds governed by the False Prophet, and dimmed the enemy's morale. However, even when the populations started to turn on the False Prophet, there was now the Prophet of Shatan to fight. Due to his leeching off of his people, the False Prophet had grown immensely powerful. Imbued with this power, the False Prophet was able to kill any and all who opposed him, except for Michael. In order to not risk anymore lives, as it was obvious that the False Prophet could not be defeated by strength of numbers, Michael fought the False Prophet alone.

Their duel lasted days as Michael struggled to keep up with the False Prophet. As the most powerful of the Archs, Michael was able to put up a good fight. However, because the False Prophet was now sapping lives at a whim to keep his stamina and Michael had no such reservoir, the Arch began to falter. It was not long when Michael was fatally wounded with the False Prophet's sword through his heart. As he fell to his knees, dying, the False Prophet, in malicious glee, used telekinesis to push Michael against a wall, crushing him and breaking most of his ribs. After which, the False Prophet forcefully tore off Michael's wings, disgracing and shaming him. The False Prophet kept Michael just barely alive, so he could feel his shame as the Prophet of Shatan displayed him in front of the newsreels for all to see, disgraced and beaten, the galaxy in his grasp forever, for he had defeated and shamed the most powerful of his enemies.

The Prophet of Shatan, after further torturing the Arch, left him for dead in the middle of his capital city, for Michael's body to be mocked and shamed even past his death. When the False Prophet finally left Michael's thread of life to sever, Michael died there, in the town square. When life departed from him, rain began to fall on that city, almost as if to wash the blood from the streets.

Michael's death threw the Rohi into a state of despair and confusion, it seemed as if the Jiréh had deserted them. What even more distressed them was, while the Jiréh had chosen other Archs to replace the six others not long after their death, a replacement for Michael was not ordained. This also cast a shadow of doubt among those worlds which had come to the Rohi's side, some even announcing loyalty to the Prophet of Shatan once more, and causing riots on numerous others. The worlds under Shatan, however, were having a celebration upon the Arch's death. The False Prophet had declared it a holiday, as well as using the Arch's defeat to threaten any that were contemplating joining the Rohi. It was a mockery and a challenge to the Jiréh, one the False Prophet had won. It seemed the battle against the False Prophet was over, the rest of the battles would merely be afterthoughts, right there, on that high mountain, the False Prophet had won the war.

On the final day of the celebration the False Prophet had declared, three and a half days after Michael's death, something happened. The rain, which had not stopped since Michael's death, finally began to abate, allowing an intensely bright beam of sunlight to illuminate Michael's fallen body, beam that suddenly grew blindingly white and shook the ground. When it ceased not long after, Michael came to life, restored and whole and given bright, new wings. He came unto the False Prophet, surprising and terrifying him. When the Prophet of Shatan, in utter astonishment exclaimed that he, the Prophet, had killed the Arch, Michael laughed as his reply came as swift as his sword, which struck down the Prophet of Shatan and caused the body of his rival to dissipate.

Rohi at home and abroad

Ìdril, a Rohi Jedi Knight

When the War of the False Prophet was finally finished and the dissenters quelled, the Rohi left the galaxy to return to their home in Taivas. Because of their valiant fight against the Prophet of Shatan's cruel leadership and their help in establishing regular communication between worlds, the Rohi were seen as heroes, and the male's distinctive appearance garnered them the nickname of 'Angels,' based on creatures seen in Human folklore.

However, intrigued with the galaxy, some Rohi stayed to keep watch against any more of Lord Shatan's followers. The Rohi that stayed preferred a certain amount of anonymity as they helped keep peace and fight for the Jiréh in that galaxy. As they did well in hiding their identity, tales of just how much the Rohi effected the history of the galaxy is unknown, but it is suspected that their part was greater than might be expected. When the Jedi Order came into prominence, several Rohi joined it to take a more active role in peacekeeping and fighting the dark. One such Rohi was Fay, and another was Ìdril. Both played an active role in the affairs of the Galactic Republic in its waning days.

Back at Taivas, life went on as usual for many years, Michael still served as the leader of the Archs, and, in light of his conquering death with the help of the Jiréh, he was from then on known as Michael the Conquerer. When Michael heard of a vision seen by the Prophet that foretold the possibility of the death of many Rohi in the Outsider's galaxy, a galaxy, which, by now, they had come to take great interest in and care for, Michael himself went to help somehow stave off these deaths, taking only Malachi, the Messenger, with him. However, it was too late to stop most of the deaths, but Michael would not give up his efforts to save the remaining Rohi, and if he could not, to take special interest in protecting the Outsider's galaxy from what evil he could. This destruction came about when the Galactic Empire was established, for most of the Rohi that were Jedi were killed, and the Rohi that were not killed were assassinated for rebelling against the new regime. Michael and Malachi did their best to gather the remaining Rohi, and some of the remaining Jedi, as well, without calling too much attention to themselves.

However, while he and Malachi were searching for more Rohi, Malachi was given a vision that their entire task force was being slaughtered. They returned to the site of destruction as Emperor's Hand Tiranna Montrare was killing the last of the group that had not fled. This sorrowed Michael, but he focused on stopping the one whom he called the Woman of Shatan, though she wasn't sure of its meaning. As an effort to distract and kill him, she sent several Inquisitors after him. However, he soon disposed of or incapacitated them, despite them all attacking him at once, though Malachi was wounded. This done, Michael then finally could go after Tiranna. However, Michael had the upper hand, but before he could strike her down or find some means of incapacitating her, she managed to flee, bringing news of the 'Angel' that had attacked and almost defeated her.

After healing Malachi, Michael decided to take a more subtle approach to restoring peace to the Outsider's galaxy. The Arch and Malachi decided to help several splinter groups of dissenters into a larger, more organized group, though just how much he helped with this is unknown. He, in effect set himself up as the Watchman of the Outsider's galaxy, helping to fight evil with Malachi by his side. Though details after this are rare, it is known that he and Malachi were able to help police both Taivas and the Outsider's galaxy for many long years—perhaps even still.

Culture and government

The Appointing of Jeremiah

Rohi culture was normally very peaceful and was based around a kind of theocracy governed by the Jiréh, as translated to them by one whom they called the Prophet. The Prophet was chosen by the Jiréh, not by the Rohi themselves. It was claimed that the Jiréh picked one who was earnestly desiring to follow the light and was obedient to it. They say that when there was no Prophet, due to the previous one being corrupted or given to death, suddenly a Rohi fitting the above criteria and on whom the Jiréh showed favor would be suddenly bestowed with great power. These powers were said to include great foresight, as well as the unique ability to be able to directly speak to the Jiréh. Being the Prophet also garnered the position as supreme judge by the will of the Jiréh. This act of bestowing was christened the Anointing. The Prophet was usually a male, but there had been known to be at least one female Prophet, Naarai. The Prophet was distinguished by glowing white wings and eyes. His radiant light was the only glow that could not be dimmed at will, and could only be snuffed out by the Jiréh if it abandoned him because of his corruption. The Prophet was not treated as royalty, and, unless corrupted, would reprimand any treating him as such, citing that he served as the voice of the Jiréh, nothing more.

Under the Prophet were the Archs (pronounced: ärks), the equivalent of high-ranking generals. There were usually no more or less than seven Archs at one time. Archs were chosen by the Jiréh through the Prophet for their bravery, their knowledge of military tactics, their ability to fight, and their loyalty to the Jiréh. They were granted this position by the Prophet laying his hands on the Rohi's shoulders and bestowing on him power given by the Jiréh. The Archs were the most powerful of the Rohi; it was their task to lead the force to snuff out the dark powers at the Jiréh's command. When wars came, it was they who led the battles. Archs were also in charge of policing Taivas, which spanned Adonai and several other nearby worlds. In addition, as the Prophet could not possibly handle every case as judge, it was they who also served as judges under him, and they who assigned judges under them, the requirement being that they judge by the will of the Jiréh. Archs were always male.

Michael, the most well-known Arch

Because they were less distinctive than the males, it was the female Rohi who were more commonly seen throughout the known galaxy, while seeing a male was extremely rare.

Rohi were not known for high-tech weapons. They mostly utilized rather primitive melee weapons, usually swords. For ranged fighting, they used their powers in telekinesis to move the weapons. Caído in his days as a wise Prophet invented a weapon he called the light blade, which was similar in appearance to a lightsaber, though it was not at all the same. The device helped them funnel their light and pure thoughts and acts into a tight laser or beam of light that could cut through anything. It was unknown if it could pierce another light blade, as his was the only one in existence, and it no longer worked when he turned to the dark, and he thus disposed of it. In later years, when several wandering Rohi came across the Outsider galaxy's lightsaber, finding it to be most useful, they took the design back to their people. Because of its practicality, it soon became the staple weapon of the Rohi.

Connection to the Jiréh

Perhaps because of their inborn connection to the Jiréh (the Force), and, as the Rohi claimed to have been made from it, their alignment to the Jiréh greatly affected them as a whole. Naturally, they were all connected with nature and growing things, and thus their powers reflected this, as shown by their talents in helping things grow and in taming and controlling wild animals. They also had a knack for healing, which was known to be so powerful as to heal anything that had even just the smallest spark of life left within it. This power was also used to rejuvenate or refresh the weary. Telekinesis of self also seemed to be inborn, but was only witnessed in males who had lost their wings. Their agility was almost as good as if they did use wings, but was wearying to use.

A Rohi's hands while healing or rejuvenating

Evidence shows that the Rohi probably also had the ability to teleport. This was evidenced by their claims that Adonai was hidden beyond being found by mortals, and that they very rarely used starships, though they lived on several other planets around Adonai. It is believed that they could only teleport from planet to planet, not anywhere they pleased, as they seemed to not use it for any other purpose. This, however, could just be a preference. Besides these, the varying degrees and powers were just as diverse as any Force-sensitive.

Their alignment also effected them physically. If a Rohi grew very close to the light, the male's wings would shine with a bright white light and the female's eyes would glow with the same light. Both lights could be dimmed at will. Conversely, though known to be physically attractive, this could be marred if they grew too close to the dark, as it somehow greatly sharpened their features to almost grotesque proportions. It also had a way of making the males lose their wings permanently. Though naturally able to heal, as mentioned above, turning to the dark caused this ability to be replaced by a powerful ability to injure, harm, or plague any one, or any group, that they so pleased. After losing this healing power, even if the Rohi turned back to the light, they would never regain the ability to heal. The Prophet of Shatan is the only exception to this rule, probably because of his consuming his follower's life forces, several of which might have been capable of healing. It was this power that he used to keep the Arch Michael alive so he could shame and torture him.

Behind the scenes

At first, the name of the race was Angel, but this was changed to Rohi for aesthetic reasons, and to be more creative.

Most names, places, and ideas were taken from Hebrew names and places. The only names not Hebrew-related are Shatan, Caducar, Ìdril, Taivas, and Daenor Vontarik. The name Shatan was chosen because if its phonetic similarity charlatan—which means a person who pretends to more knowledge or skill than he or she possesses—and its visual similarity to Satan—the antagonist of the Christian God— whom Lord Shatan symbolizes. Lord Shatan's rise and fall is also similar to Satan's. Caído was chosen because it means fallen in Spanish. The name Ìdril was given before the idea of the Rohi was ever birthed, and was thus named after a Tolkien-esque elf. Taivas means heaven in Finnish. Daenor, not being a Rohi, was not given a name of any meaning.

The Hebrew-related names and their significance is as follows, in order of their appearance:

Rohi—means roughly "my shepherd" or "shepherd"

Adonai—means roughly "our sovereign" or "sovereign"

Malachi—means "the messenger of Jehovah"

Jiréh—means roughly "our provider" or "provider"

Jeremiah—means "whom Jehovah has appointed"

Arch—a shortened form of "archangel", which is an angel of high rank

Timæus—means "polluted"

Megiddo—means "place of troops," also, the height of the real-life city is named Armageddon, which is, incidentally, the name of the planet Megiddo orbits

Michael—means "who (is) like unto God?," also the name of the archangel mentioned in Jude and Revelation in the Bible

Naarai—means "youthful"

Tiranna Montrare—"Tiranna" is a kind of feminine form of "tyrannus," which means "tyrant," and "Montrare" was chosen for aesthetic reasons

Armageddon—a place at the height of Megiddo, as mentioned above

Many themes having to do with the Rohi were taken from or inspired by other media. The male Rohi were, of course, based on Angels, while the female Rohi were inspired by Tolkien-esque elves. Naarai and her love for a mortal Human was inspired by a similar tale in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion, and partially by Arwen's love for Aragorn in Lord of the Rings. The fact that Rohi can die of sorrow and can only be killed by "fire or sword" is based on the elves of Tolkien's works. Naarai being a Prophet was based on the biblical Deborah mentioned in the book of Judges in the Bible. The Prophet of Shatan and his rule is based on that of the Antichrist. Michael's death and reanimation was inspired by the death and resurrection of the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11 in the Bible. The Prophet who was taken to the Jiréh before death was based on Enoch, mentioned in the book of Genesis in the Bible.