Kalee

Kalee is a predominantly jungle planet in Wild Space, and the homeworld of the Kaleesh.

Geography

Kalee is mainly covered by dense jungles, though small areas of the planet in midst of its equatorial continents show patches of desert and tundra. Kalee's continents are relatively small by continental world standards, resulting in significant humidity across most of the planet, and giving birth to many island chains and coastal regions.

History

The Kaleesh are the original sentient denizens of Kalee, and from early in their history built a complex and advanced society. As with most young civilisations, the Kaleesh operated for many centuries in a tribal structure, with hundreds of tribes across their homeworld, predominantly relying on a hunter-gathered lifestyle for food. Because of the dense growth covering most of Kalee, little of the planet was suitable to support the shift to agriculture - though a number of coastal Kalee tribes came to settle permanent sites based on fishing and aquatic hunting.
While wars are of course not unknown between the Kaleesh tribes, a shared polytheistic religious foundation in the Kahtrama - the Kalee pantheon of mutually existent gods - promoted the early emergence of a priesthood and good relations between most tribes most of the time. This culminated in the foundation of the Confederation of Kaleesh Tribes, through the First Great Conclave, around 1700BBY as a form of collective governance between tribes. Though many on isolated continents or parts of the world did not initially partake, the Confederation served to establish a diplomatic forum, shared central religious architecture, and a formal capital for the most populous Kaleesh tribes, particularly on the main continent of Abeesh. Over the century-or-so that followed, most Kalee tribes came to send delegates to the Confederation, which served to mediate disputes and allow for increasing levels of collaboration on joint projects, including the establishment of a permanent capital at Kaleela.
Kalee was only discovered by the Galactic Republic around 1400BBY, a century or so before the start of the Republic-Sith Wars. The Republic quickly discovered Kaleela, and a conclave of the tribes was launched - with the Republic supporting the Kalee to reach even the most distant tribes using their starships and transports (which the Kalee had yet to develop).
As a result of the Second Grand Conclave, the Kalee agreed with a two-thirds majority to establish a relationship with the Republic, on the basis of the Republic providing a dossier of key technologies as well as supplies of communicators, light planetary craft and power generators to allow for permanent communication to be established between the Kaleesh tribes. The Republic, eager to gain footholds in Wild Space, agreed.
Over the fifty years that followed, the Confederation made exceptional use of their newfound technology to connect tribes which had, for the most part, operated on their own and independently. A population boom followed the widespread adoption of radar and laser weaponry, and the associated improvement in hunting efficiency, with more Kaleesh choosing to settle by the coasts in permanent settlements, using sustainable fishing practices of their own design adapted from the Republic's trawling technologies. While some tribes continued to sustain their traditional ways, almost all adopted communicators as a way of enabling permanent, democratic governance and lawmaking through the Confederation, with many sending permanent diplomats to Kaleela. The Jedi also established an outpost on the planet with the Confederation's consent, seeing it as a place of quiet contemplation far from the Galaxy's woes.
During the Republic-Sith Wars, Kalee lacked strategic value and so was not threatened by Sith forces. However, Sith agents are believed to have operated on the planet, recruiting mercenaries and stirring discontent with the Republic. Some time shortly after the fall of the Sith Empire, the Jedi Temple on Kalee was destroyed by the Imeni tribe without warning, which resulted in the expulsion of the Imeni from the Confederation.

Institutions

Kalee continues to be governed by the Confederation of Kaleesh Tribes, which formally meets annually for a Conclave to determine new significant shifts in legislation, foreign policy, and economics. The Ai'Kaleel - a form of president with relatively restricted authority - acts as the representative of the Confederation to foreign powers, and manages emergent challenges and issues, supported by a small civil service and diplomats from the most influential tribes. While there are central laws and shared institutions, such as the Kaleesh Trade Association (an export and advocacy organisation), tribes largely manage their own affairs day-to-day - including adopting their own specific laws built atop the federal code.
The Confederation operates ostensibly on a premise of tribal equality, with each holding a single vote in the House of Confederation. However, in practice (and physically through seating in the House), the tribes are separated into tiers of greater relevance and influence depending on their territorial possessions, roles held in the Confederation, and socio-cultural influence. This is represented in four tiers of seating in the House, with the most influential tribes sitting in the centremost ring, with tribes of decreasing strength and importance moving outwards. For many tiny tribes, participation in the House is limited to delegating their votes to a more significant local tribe with whom they are geopolitically aligned.
Major tribes include the Toroi, Tsoian, Amkadar, Izfan and Tahir. The Deshret, a second-tier tribe, have been in persistent conflict with the Imeni for a matter of years in light of the Imeni's exile.
Belief in the Kahtrama remains widespread, though over time the number of actively worshipped deities has tended to decline as tribes shared beliefs and different gods blended into one, allowing for greater sharing of belief. The Kaleesh priesthood is based in Kaleela but spread across the planet, operating relatively freely within core doctrines.

Locations of interest

Most visitors from the Galactic Republic do not stray far beyond Kaleela: both because the forests of Kalee can be rather dangerous, and because the Confederation leaves the demense of ancient tribal lands to those tribes. This means that visitors wishing to venture beyond the capital must seek patronage from those tribes' lands, or else face punishment varying in harshness by the preferences and laws of the affected tribes. Few other locations on the planet are accessible to most travelers - though a Republic science outpost and the Jedi Temple are accessible to those who have appropriate Republic clearances.
The Imeni, as a tribe-in-exile, are based at Jzo'kadar - around 55 kilometers from the Jedi Temple on the southernmost continent, far from Kaleela. Nearby to their settlement is the mobile capital of the Deshret tribe at Deshrayyt, just across the Saar Crags and Zadaar Valley from Jzo'kadar.

Environment

Kalee's jungles are strangely homogenous, and are dominated by the opesh and yakadi trees - both of which built sprawling root networks and canopies, and employ highly buoyant seed pods to allow their travel over great distances. Between these great trees, a range of smaller flora flourish.
Kalee is also renowned for its diverse and often savage wildlife, including the mumuu - the skulls of which the Kaleesh traditionally use to make war-masks - and the karabbac, which were widely hunted by the Kaleesh for their furs. Kalee is also notable for its breadth of bird-life, including the hakaa (a sea-bird) and the illua, a many-coloured avian.

Kaleela

Jzo'kadar

Region Wild Space
Planet type Jungle-Continental
Affiliation Independent
Locations of interest Kaleela (capital), Jzo'Kadar, Jedi Temple of Kalee