Teras Kasi Archive

History of the Teräs Käsi:

The order of the Teräs Käsi is a secret organization born from the belief that near infinite power, regardless of the intention behind it, should not go unregulated. The Teräs Käsi - bluntly, did not trust the Jedi to police themselves.
The Teräs Käsi was founded thousands of years ago, during the last of the great wars between the Light and the Dark. The final decisive battle between the two great forces occurred in the Pacanth Reach, devastating the planet of Palawa itself. The victory was attained, but at momentous cost to the civilian population. The Jedi Council, deeply saddened by the outcome of the events, nevertheless deemed it 'acceptable losses'. The battleground was not one of the Order's choosing, the evil had to be stopped, it was one planet against thousands - there was no choice.

But the civilians that survived the battle saw it differently.

The meager handful of survivors relocated to the nearby world of Bunduki. There they concluded that so much force, so much power - in the hands of one people, regardless of how well intentioned and regulated, could indeed be very dangerous. They vowed never to let happen to others what had happened to them. They began the study of the mind over the body, how to master self from without and within. They forged themselves to be a force that could pose a problem to the Jedi, should the need arise. It took generations to conceive and implement the plan, but the Teräs Käsi martial arts were born.

Since that time, the order has grown strong. During the heights of the Old Republic, the exact number of Teräs Käsi masters is unknown - but the number was estimated to be from several hundred up to slightly more than a thousand. Of course the number of Teräs Käsi practitioners are considerably less during the reign of Palpatine and his Empire. During the era of the New Republic, the order is growing again, but has yet to fully recover.

About the Teräs Käsi:

Although not they quite as all-powerful and versatile as the Jedi arts, the practitioners of Teräs Käsi are formidable in their own ways.

A master of Teräs Käsi must be able to command their own bodies in addition to learning the external arts. As such they are able to ignore pain, control disease and poisons within themselves, focus on injured areas and accelerating their own healing, and summon great strength to release it in one blow. The Teräs Käsi are also exceptionally attuned to the ebb and flow of the Force - if not actually out and out Jedi material. This attuned nature of the Teräs Käsi not only allows them to be aware of Jedi and Force Users, but also makes them exceptionally resistant to uses of the Force.

Mastery of the teachings of Teräs Käsi also imparts one additional benefit - a long life span. Not immortality - no matter how long you live, how far you run, you can't escape the hand of death forever. However, a master of Teräs Käsi can live several hundred years - and many of the order often do so.