The Toribota clan language was a coded language used by the Clan of the Toribota, a nomadic enclave on the moon Jedha. The language used the High Galactic alphabet, with a direct correspondence existing between its letters and those of the Galactic Basic Standard language. An ancient tablet located at the temple of the Clan of the Toribota aided with the decipherment of the coded language. A spy of the Galactic Empire had to perform such translation at some point by 1 BBY during a mission to Jedha, during which they encountered several pilgrims of the nomadic enclave speaking the Toribota clan language.

Description[]

Characteristics[]

The Toribota clan language was a distinct coded language used on^[1] the moon^[2] Jedha by^[1] the nomadic enclave known as the Clan of the Toribota.^[2] Each letter in the written form of the language, which used a calligraphic form of the High Galactic alphabet, directly corresponded to a different letter in the High Galactic–based alphabet of the Galactic Basic Standard language. In addition, an ancient tablet with carved glyphs and symbols, including patterns of parallel-running straight lines, served as an aid in translating from the Toribota clan language to Basic.^[1]

Vocabulary[]

History[]

Language of pilgrims[]

At some point by 1 BBY,^[3] the Clan of the Toribota^[4]—including the human Omisha Joyo^[5]—migrated to^[4] and settled^[6] Jedha, which the enclave revered as a holy site.^[4] There, the group established a temple that hosted both the ancient tablet and, on its exterior wall, a map displaying the Clan of the Toribota's pilgrim caravan route. On the map, the position of the moon's Jedha City and Deserted Canyon were annotated in the Toribota clan language.^[1]

The fact that the Clan of the Toribota members spoke the coded language was eventually noted in a dossier on the group that was available from the computer system of a Galactic Empire Zeta-class Heavy Cargo Shuttle.^[1] At some point by 1 BBY,^[7] that shuttle crash-landed on Jedha, with the Empire subsequently dispatching a spy to retrieve the vessel's valuable cargo of kyber crystals. In order to meet an informant for more details on the crash, the spy visited Jedha City's Gesh's Tapcafe, where a Rodian patron was also present. Eventually, the Rodian told the spy about the pilgrims' use of the coded language, claiming that "nobody" outside of the Toribota temple could understand it.^[1]

Deciphering the language[]

Later, while searching for the missing crate of crystals in the desert outside Jedha City, the Imperial spy encountered a ransacked pilgrim caravan. The agitated pilgrims, worried about their fellow Clan of the Toribota member, who had fallen into a canyon due east during the attack on the caravan, repeatedly attempted to relay to the spy the fact that help was needed there. Since the spy did not understand the Toribota clan language, however, they were forced to first travel to the enclave's temple in order to translate the pilgrims' message.^[1]

At the temple, the spy encountered another member of the Clan of the Toribota, who, speaking in the coded language as well, summarized the caravan's planned route and noted that it should have returned by that time. Utilizing the ancient tablet present at the temple, the Imperial deciphered the coded language and, realizing the caravan members' message, traveled to the indicated canyon. There, they rescued the thankful pilgrim, who informed the spy that, although they had indeed discovered the crate of crystals, it had been stolen by the profiteer Jalice Andit. After the pilgrim gave the spy further information on how to retrieve the crystals from Andit, the Imperial ultimately traveled to the profiteer's hiding place in the Deserted Canyon, the location of which they had learned from the Toribota temple map.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

The Toribota clan language appeared in "Secret Mission on Jedha," a scenario of the 2020 Space Cowboys card game Unlock!: Star Wars Escape Game.^[1]

Appearances[]

• Unlock!: Star Wars Escape Game (First appearance)

Notes and references[]