Lonto

The Lonto were a sentient humanoid species. They had pale green skin covered in lines, brown or black hair, blue eyes, and pointed ears. The Lonto were Force users who, through a mystical power, could grow and manipulate plants. With their power, they could use plants as weapons or protection, and could heal injuries with the use of tragia leaves.

The Lonto were spiritual and worshipped the light side of the Force. They had a deep connection to the natural world, of which they were very proud and were devoted to channeling the power of the Force for the good of nature. They believed that when a person died, they passed into a realm known as the Garden Beyond.

The Lonto had a long history with the Yacombe, a religion that was once affiliated with the dark side of the Force but later denounced it. In 382 BBY, Lonto member Susalee represented them in the Convocation of the Force, a council of various religious groups affiliated with the Force that operated on the holy moon Jedha. In that year, in the Convocation Chambers in Jedha's Holy City, Susalee restrained Fallanassi representative Sirené from attacking a Yacombe envoy—who was attempting to petition for a seat on the Convocation—by wrapping Sirené's body with vines.

Susalee defended the Yacombe, citing their history with the Lonto, but the Matukai representative Waran Val sliced through Susalee's vines with an axe, upsetting her, knocking her off balance, and causing her to cry out. After the envoy retracted their petition, Susalee decided that they should not discuss what had happened and look to the next day for a fresh perspective. When various artifacts began going missing across the Holy City, Susalee suggested that it was spicerunners using them for collateral in their deals.

Susalee later helped heal Jedi Master Vildar Mac's injuries that he sustained from a bombing at the Temple of the Kyber using tragia leaves, which she used the Force to control and wrap around his body. She revealed that Archivist Zumeg had died in the explosion by telling Mac he had "passed into the Garden Beyond." Later, she was present at a meeting of the Convocation with Mac where they discussed the potential perpetrators of the bombing, eventually deciding to present a cover story to the public that claimed a buildup of gas had caused it.

When Werth Plouth, the Herald of the Path of the Open Hand, a cult disapproving of using the Force, petitioned for the Convocation to be disbanded and use of the Force to be temporarily banned, he also accused the Lonto of abusing the Force. Susalee and Val defended the Lonto, insisting they only channeled the Force for the good of the natural world. Shortly after, during riots incited by Plouth at the beginning of the Battle of Jedha, Susalee was mentally disturbed by the presence of the Leveler, a Nameless creature used by the Path that preyed on Force-sensitives and caused them to hallucinate. As a result, Susalee began attacking many citizens with her vines while proclaiming that she was protecting the peace and the light. Jedi Master Leebon attempted to talk her down but failed.

When a member of the Path, Fel Ix, later explained the cult's motives to stop the Jedi to Padawan Rooper Nitani, the latter asked why they did not target other groups that used the Force like the Lonto. Ix replied that the Path also wanted them to stop using it, but the Jedi were the most powerful and prominent Force-using group.

In 229 BBY, the Lonto Lycos was a member of the Nihil marauders and their Children of the Storm, Jedi hunters chosen for their Force-sensitivity who were experimented upon by the Nihil scientist Baron Boolan. Around that time, Lycos was attacked in the Nihil-controlled Occlusion Zone by Trandoshan Jedi Master Sskeer, who clawed out Lycos's left eye.

In that year, Lycos acted as a bodyguard to the Nihil envoy Affanar for a meeting with the Hutt Skarabda on the planet Ballum. Upon their arrival, Lycos led a Nameless on a chain off the envoy's ship to the meeting. There, he was attacked by Skarabda's enforcer, Lourna Dee, who he dueled with a vine-wrapped sword until Dee disarmed him. When Jedi and Republic Defense Coalition forces arrived on the planet, Lycos released the Nameless. The Lonto then attacked the forces himself, using barbed vines grown from his robes to attack Jedi Master Keeve Trennis and Jedi Knight Terec. By leaping to a great height, Lycos caused Terec to crash their Jedi Vector starfighter. Lycos eventually located Terec and taunted the Jedi after stabbing an RDC soldier through the chest with a vine. Lycos injured and restrained Terec following a duel between the two, but the Lonto was shot through the chest by another RDC soldier. While Terec eased his pain with the Force, Lycos revealed his prior encounter with Sskeer.

Later, the Sephi wanderer Tey Sirrek explained to Terec and their bond-twin Ceret that members of groups strong in the Force, such as the Lonto, were sought out by Boolan to join the Children of the Storm and were subjected to his experiments.

The Lonto species first appeared in the comic story "Peace and Unity," written by Cavan Scott and illustrated by Andrea Broccardo, which was published in the first issue of the 2022 comic series Star Wars: The High Republic on October 12, 2022. Although "Peace and Unity" originally implied that all member organizations of the Convocation of the Force were religious groups, on October 1, 2023, Scott clarified that the Lonto were a species, which was later confirmed by Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia, a reference book written by Amy Richau and Megan Crouse and released on November 9, 2023.

• Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia