Iziz was a massive, walled city and the only modern settlement on the planet Onderon. Ruled by a popular monarchy, it served as the Japrael system's capital. The city was well-known for its defenses, which were devoted to keeping out the flying beasts that attacked the planet from the nearby moon of Dxun.

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Established originally as a colony of Humans pacifists, the city of Iziz quickly expanded as permanent settlements were established on the world. Growing to a massive sixteen hundred square kilometers, the city was protected from the jungle and the dangerous beasts which lived there by high walls and a fortified defense grid. Turret towers mounted at points along the wall and security stations at each access point ensured that peace was kept in the city and the wild beasts of both land and the air were kept at bay.

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Centered around a steep hill, the Iziz Royal Palace was the center point of the city, looking over the city for millennia. The home of the Monarchy of Iziz, the King and Queen presided over the government of Onderon while the Iziz Council of Lords dealt with the affairs of the city.

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As the Great Sith War tore across the galaxy, the Brotherhood of the Sith and the Mandalorian Crusaders set their sight upon Iziz near the end of the conflict in hopes of a last-ditch victory against the Republic. Attacking the planet, Mandalore the Indomitable and his forces were swiftly driven to the Demon Moon of Dxun by a concerted effort by King Kira and the Republic. Upon the moon, Mandalore was devoured by the drexl beasts there, and the Mandalorian fleet collapsed.

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Since the conclusion of the Great Sith War, Onderon had endured a period of peace, led by descendants of King Kira and Queen Galia who had aligned the planet with the Republic and the Jedi Order. While the Jedi Civil War had not affected the planet, five years after the conclusion of the conflict, Iziz was thrown into a civil war of its own when a power struggle within the royal family erupted. Queen Talia Kira, the planet's young ruler, was struggling to maintain Onderon's allegiance to the Republic as the Dark Wars appeared to have finally defeated the Republic and the Jedi. As Talia struggled to maintain the peace her cousin and leader of the Onderonian military, General Vaklu, secretly allied with the Sith Triumvirate and his call to cut ties with the Republic quickly gained him the support of the citizens of Iziz. During the opening salvo of the Civil War, Vaklu declared martial law on the city and ousted his cousin from the throne.

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During the battle the exiled Jedi Knight Meetra Surik landed on the planet in search of one of the last members of the Jedi High Council, Master Kavar. Searching the city, Surik quickly learned that the Merchant Quarter at the southern end of the city had been occupied by the Onderon separatists and the Western District was under the authority of the Exchange. 

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Setting up a meeting Surik interrogated Kavar regarding his motives for sentencing her to exile, however, Colonel Tobin tried to capture the Jedi during the meeting. Unwilling to be captured, Kavar used the Force to stun Tobin's men and fled to the Royal Palace, while the Exile fought her way back to the city's main starport to escape back to Dxun. As civil unrest choked the city the dispute escalated into a second uprising after which Queen Talia reclaimed control of the city and its defenses, while General Vaklu would stand trial for treason. While Iziz was reclaimed, much of the city itself was destroyed in the war.

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Onderon remained in the Republic for many years after, however, when the Emperor attacked the Republic in 28 BTC, the Onderonian people were afraid.  The city of Iziz had still not recovered even three centuries after the last war.  The western district was in a massive state of disrepair and a breeding ground for crime and gang activity.  King Petryph had the Onderonian Senator plead with the Republic on multiple occasions for funds to repair the damages done to the city but they had been repeatedly overlooked in favor of other planets.  All the wealth that came into the planet after that, the King hoarded to himself out of greed.  

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The King began to no longer care about the Republic, and would broker deals with anyone who paid a high enough price.  He began to lose the respect of the nobles who held different Districts of the city.  Most of these nobles were Republic Loyalists, but one, Helena Kira, had secret ties to the Empire, though her main goal was to seat the Kira family back upon the throne of Onderon and dispose of their current weakling king.

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Each child of the Nobility, upon reaching adulthood, was given a district of Onderon to become Lord or Lady over, to sit upon the Council of Lords.  Each would have almost full authority over their district, which was meant to serve as grooming for leadership.  Helena controlled the Western District, which had fallen into such a state of disrepair and crime that it was an eyesore on the city of Iziz.  Even the jungle had began to reclaim it, with beasts breaking through shattered defenses and encroaching within the city walls almost daily.  

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Helena was angered at the way the King squandered all of Onderon's wealth on himself, leaving her district in the state that it was.  It was through this anger that she discovered early on that she had abilities in the ways of the Force.  She had somehow been overlooked by the Jedi council, who never came to spirit her away for training as a child, leaving her abilities to develop on their own, often from her own emotions.  She knew she needed a teacher, but did not want her family knowing of her power, nor did she want to give up what little she had claim to within House Kira as the Jedi would expect of her.  She secretly ventured into the territory of the Sith Empire, to seek out training as a Sith.  She at first visited as a diplomat, and the Empire took interest in Onderon's resources, and it's rich assets, flora and fauna capable of reseeding entire destroyed worlds.  She soon was making underhanded deals with the Dark Council, who agreed to secretly send funds to begin repairs and improve way of life in the Western District.  In return, she would have to allow the Empire a secret safe haven in the mid rim within her district, having Onderonian guards look the other way and Republic military driven away from that area entirely.  She also would have to provide strains of biological materials to the Empire for study, so they too could reseed their war torn worlds and help them rebuild.  

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Crime and gambling and vices flocked to the Western District, and money from these vices flowed into the nobility like a rushing river.  Helena began to secretly amass forces to overthrow King Petryph, publicly being a Republic loyalist, and wanting to put the Kira name back upon the throne.

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