- "The light is cruel, shining upon those seeking solace in the dark..."
- ―Atra Ventus
Now known as Anima, the once Xue Long (pronounced shu-eh) was born as Atra Ventus (pronounced at-tra) on Corellia, where he spent most of his youth getting in trouble. A bit of a smart-Alec he tended to open his mouth when he shouldn't. Gaining the reputation as a hooligan the authorities weren't overly surprised to be called to the home of the Ventus family, yet they were surprised upon arriving. As the only survivor of the bloodbath one would think he'd be at the center of the media. This was not the case, in fact he fell off the grid completely. At least, until he woke up in a holding cell staring at Methyas and Locke.
History
We All Start Somewhere
The Ventus family comes from humble origins on Corellia. While their name had not become known outside their small community they were still well loved. Always taking time to help out their neighbors, Liam Ventus and his wife Aryanna seemed to have the golden touch. It was into this world that Atra was born. Even as an infant his parents already knew he was bound to rebel. Bed times were more a suggestion than actual guidelines, food became anything he could get his hands on, and authority was something he all together ignored. Even still, his parent's good nature came out from time to time as he helped the other children out.
Due to his rebellious streak, Atra became known to local law enforcement as readily as he was known by his neighbors. If something went awry, usually Atra would be involved somehow. Still, he payed attention in classes and was an avid learner; it was as if his mind had an unending appetite. Among his studies were the basic tenants of self defense. It was from his father that he learned this. Despite the relative peace of their society, Liam knew the dangers of the world, and more notably of just about any experience to be had off-world. Through this father-son training Liam imparted his beliefs and his ways unto his son.
In 28 ABY, CorSec received complaints from the locals and made their way to the Ventus grounds. Far from their first journey, CorSec officers expected to find Atra up to no good again. Instead, as they arrived, they found the power grid shorting out and an eerie silence. No longer certain as what to expect the officers made their way warily to the entrance. Keying in the security override the door slid open with a hiss, revealing the contents inside. It was hard to see at first but as the lights flickered and sparked they were granted flashes of crimson. The first officer couldn't stomach what he saw and collapsed to the ground heaving. Activating a flashlight another of the officers did a quick scan of the room. In terms of the room, nothing was stolen or damaged, but that was the end of the normality. The crimson stain of blood coated the floor, splattered upon the walls, and filling the nostrils of the officers. In the center of the room lay three limp forms, their clothes torn and bloody.
The officers already knew by the amount of blood that survival was unlikely, if not impossible. As they carefully entered the room they reached down and rolled the still form of Liam face up. It was with heavy hearts that they did the same for Aryanna. Finally they came to Atra, wearing only his sleeping pants. Even at 16 his stature was immense, easily confused with someone older and all muscle from his work as a farmer. His back was covered in burns, possibly from a blaster but the officers couldn't be sure. Flipping him over the first officer almost heaved again. Atra's torso was split open from the upper left of his chest to the lower right. White bone glistened from the ribs of his chest through the crimson of his blood. The officers nearly jumped out of their skins as a weak cough escaped his lips.
Born of Blood
Moving fast CorSec was able to bring Atra to the nearest medical facility, which managed to save his life. His recovery was long, physically, but longer still mentally. Even after two years, as the scar on his chest bore a grizzly reminder to his fate so too did the mental scars he didn't bother hiding. Often he was found in the center of cantina brawls, whether he started them or finished them. It was in this way, in 30 ABY, that Atra disappeared from common record. It is unclear who started the brawl, but what is known is that a high ranking member of CorSec was killed during the fight and blame rested with Atra. As CorSec officers arrived Atra was questioned by a single officer. The conversation consisted of hushed tones and finally an acknowledgement from Atra. Shortly after Atra and the officer departed another detachment of CorSec officers arrived. When asked where Atra had gone, they were surprised to hear about the officer. This was the first official tangent of CorSec to arrive, and there had been no officers sent ahead. Atra has not been seen since then.
Atra in his attire as of becoming Quaestor
Breaking the Chains
Atra was discovered amongst the ruined chambers of a prison break in the Cenota Facilty by Methyas and Locke whilst they were investigating. Immediately the unknowns of the situation put Locke and himself at odds. Methyas intervened and took the Corellian to be his apprentice. As a group, they moved through the facility to find the Alchemic horrors within, and Tsainetomo Keibatsu Sadow. The warrior made short work of the two Dark Jedi, for some reason leaving Atra alone as he passed. In a great deal of pain, they made their way to the Marakith Skyhook where they could re-evaluate the situation.
On the Skyhook they made plans to blend with the crowds of the Kel Rasha Spaceport with the intent of discovering the Terrorists before they could make their move. This bid was fruitful as they discovered more than they bargained for, Locke and Atra getting wounded in the process. They were able to track the Terrorists to a base hidden on the seventh moon of Inos.
Within the facility, they discovered the presence of the Organization, and evidence of a super soldier program. These soldiers made an appearance as they brought their as of yet unknown strength to bear upon the Dark Jedi. Locke and Atra were once again wounded in the encounter, something Atra was beginning to begrudge.
Upon returning to the Marakith Skyhook with their newfound knowledge a coup d'etat was performed upon Macron, the man who was behind Atra's five year imprisonment and experimentation. During the battle Macron nearly fatally wounded Atra, leaving his mark upon the Corellian's chest. In the aftermath, Atra was appointed Quaestor of House Shar Dakhan, a position he had no previous knowledge of. After receiving medical treatment, the Corellian was sent off with Mirado, his master's brother, for more personal combat training.
Ambition is the Ladder we Climb
During training Mirado and Atra received notice that they were to travel to Kar Alabrek and hunt down Tsainetomo. This was a task Atra did not revel, having seen the Son of Sadow fight once more. Still, they followed their orders. Shortly after arriving they encountered members of Arcona already engaging Sai. After interfering, the pair discovered there was far more going on than they first realized.
Tsainetomo was making the ultimate sacrifice, giving up his home and family to become the enemy to unite the clan. Atra respected the man all the more for it, developing admiration for the wayward warrior. In addition, it was Sai's goal to put an end to one of his greatest mistakes, the clone Orenth. Developing the plan, a temporary alliance was forged between Sadowans and Arconans as they worked together to end this threat.
Atra became a temporary partner with Marick, the Proconsul of Clan Arcona. Together they were able to track down and confront Orenth. During this encounter, Atra and Mirado became privy to the Arconan's Force Wraith, witnessing it first hand. In the following encounter the group was separated, leaving Atra broken and alone with the clone, Orenth. Seemingly defeated, Atra's hidden persona took over, betraying the hidden truth behind the experiment. He was deemed a failure because the extent of the experimentation performed by Macron had shown no effect, but the true face of the experiment belied the effectiveness of them. Orenth was left crushed and defeated, no longer a threat to anyone.
Upon returning, though their initial mission was a failure, Atra was annointed with Knighthood, his newfound skills and adeptness recognized by the Summit he now served.
File:Atra Ventus - New Look - Sep2012 v2.pngAtra as of becoming Proconsul
Ghosts of the Past
In the lull upon his return, Atra commission a secret investigation into his own genetic structure. As an experiment of the Mad Alchemist, the Quaestor needed to understand the extent of his alterations. With something as simple as a DNA test, Atra discovered his life was more of a mystery than he knew. Based on the results, it was ascertained that his father had been a Firrerreon. This had been completely unknown to him growing up. Speaking further with the Geneticist he had commissioned, several aspects of the Alchemist's tests became clear. Due to his mother being Human, Atra hadn't received the entirety of the Firrerreon traits. Their healing factor was first and foremost. While he did heal faster than normal, it was no where near the scale of a pure bread. A true Firrerreon could survive a direct blaster shot, he could not. They could also see into the Ultraviolet spectrum, something that had passed on to him and had resulted in Macron trying to pull that ability out of his very genetics. The test had failed in the most painful of manners, nearly rendering him blind. Atra had inherited the lengthened life-span of his father's race, something that could be a curse and a blessing. In addition, Atra's hair was two-toned and he retained their ability to change skin tones. It was this trait that Macron had played upon, finding a means to graft his Sith Tattoos onto the secondary spectrum. It was this innate ability that allowed him to shift between his more frightening visage and the one he regularly bore. Less noticeably, his canines were extended compared to a typical human, giving his grin an animalistic quality.
The discovery of such hidden truths within his own past prompted Atra to delve deeper, perhaps utilizing the newly formed SHADOW program from Marka Ragnos. During this time, the Orian Incursion occurred. During the fight, with the Firebases almost lost to the opposing forces, Atra ordered their self-destruction. The order was given without the knowledge of Summit and resulted in the deaths of countless DSOG and Sadowans alike.
Surviving the Plague
Atra wearing his Proconsul robes.
Memories of the plague will haunt Atra like the scar upon his throat. A grim reminder to the morbid tale. While the Brotherhood fell to the rage-inducing effects of the Force-siphoning Plague, he fought to retain his sanity alongside a myriad of forces. Among those were his old master and Archangel of Palatinae. Cut off from the group, in the middle of a fierce fire fight, he finally succumbed to the plague. Suddenly cut off from the Force and feeling more alone than ever, he was distracted long enough for a stray blaster bolt to catch him in the throat. Falling immediately unconscious from the shock and pain, it was Archangel that pulled him from the battlefield and returned him to the forces led by Kalia, the Quaestor of Marka Ragnos. She immediately brought his near lifeless form to his old master, Methyas, who did what he could to repair the damage.
Too far gone, it was left to Atra's latent Firrerreo legacy to aid in his recovery. The scarring too extreme, the Proconsul was left unable to speak. Refusing to face his long time phobia and undergo cybernetic surgery, Atra turned to the Force once more for aid. Taking to telepathy like a fish to water, he remains mute except for when he deems it required of him to speak within the minds of those around him.
On the Shores of Crusade
The Dark Crusade took its toll on both the mind and body. Through hardships on Nfolgai and Khar Delba Atra became more and more disillusioned in regards to the war effort. He realized with each passing day that he lacked the power to defend anyone, and started making plans. Reaching out of his comfort zone, he reached out to Xia Long (Sildrin Sadow) to learn more of the Sadow Apostates. The meeting was enlightening, though he couldn't make much sense of it at the time. Turning his attentions elsewhere, he decided to make a desperate gamble. Banking on the One Sith presence within the Orian System, Atra took it upon himself to ply what little knowledge of Sith Alchemy he had learned from Macron and siphon the power from an Elder class opponent.
The plan backfired in more than one way, resulting in his capture and subsequent torture. Through a series of events, Sildrin was also taken in by the One Sith. During the ensuing events, Atra released his most primal instincts, which were fragmented during his experimentation. Using his bestial rage, Atra killed his captors and then rushed to perform the ritual. The results were an utter failure, causing the corruption of his own flesh starting in his right arm. Through quick thinking, Sildrin suppressed his connection to the Force and halted the spreading of the corruption. In shame, Atra and Sildrin returned to Sepros while the Proconsul did his best to hide the corruption from prying eyes.
Atra before abandoning his post
To better facilitate those who were unresponsive to his telepathic methods, Atra worked with the Alchemists of Naga Sadow to develop a synthetic larynx and return his voice.
Burn Too Bright, Only to Snuff Out
After his abrupt departure from Naga Sadow, the once Proconsul of the Clan seemingly disappeared from existence. The names Atra Ventus, nor Xue Long, were no longer uttered, not even upon a whisper. Corruption and mistakes had left their mark and what remained was cut away, leaving only Anima in its place.
Chronicles of a Judge
In the far reaches of Antei, the Combat Centre lies in wait for those seeking to prove themselves within its daunting halls. Taken to combat, Atra wasted little time in becoming a Judge within it. During his tenure, he found himself often engaging in qualification matches against the Journeyman wishing approval to take part in the matches. Taking his trademark, frigid style with him, he became the sword in the stone for the Journeyman to pull free, though his icy hilt wasted no time biting at their palms.
Mirus Cavataio
One of Atra's most memorable matches took place against the young Journeyman, Mirus Cavataio. Fresh off the successes of his trials among the Grand Master's Royal Guard, the Taldryan found his way to Antei. It was there he was placed against the newly appointed Judge. This being his third attempt at qualification, Mirus was eager for battle. In his haste, he sought to prove himself beyond his means. It was a lesson Atra wasted little time in teaching. The Obelisk's authority within the realm of combat was firmly planted upon Mirus' body. In a final act of tenacity and sheer stubbornness, Cavataio refused to back down and learned his lesson in one of the most difficult manners possible for a warrior... The loss of a limb.
In a single, decisive strike, Atra severed Mirus' arm and left him upon the floor. It was not for tenderness that he existed within those halls, but to teach. The young Taldryan had learned, Atra's fellow judge, Tsainetomo, rendering a verdict in Mirus' favor. The warrior had succeeded in attaining his qualification, but left humiliated as well.
Equipment and Inventory
File:11708-saber.pngVestigium of Duriel
Atra is extremely humble in terms of the equipment he brings to bear. His ally is the Force, and beyond that anything he needs can be acquired on site, other than a vibroknife of course.
Lightsaber
Atra's custom-made lightsaber, Vestigium of Duriel. Due to the design, the hilt can only fit one hand, and can only be wielded by a two-hand gripped if they are clasped together.
Positions Held
Trivia
- When Atra enters serious combat his eyes become solid Gold, besides his pupils, and Sith Tattoos cover his flesh like forks of lightning giving off a faint blue glow.
- Atra is known within SHADOW of Marka Ragnos by the code name: Fenrir, formerly Dark Wind but reclassified
- For easy reference, Atra's combat style resembles "Neji" from "Naruto" combined with an Elemental "Air Bender" from "Avatar: The Last Airbender"
- Atra is half-Human, half-Firrerreo
- When alone in his quarters, he finds it easier to meditate by playing melancholy songs upon his personal Viol.
- The corruption effecting Atra's arm looks like a "Zerg" infection, much like the Queen of Blades from Starcraft 2.
OOC Trivia
- Appointed Quaestor at the rank of Jedi Hunter
- Has served as Magistrate to the Fist in addition to his Summit roles
- Authored Official Competition RunOn Guidelines with, at the time Voice, Vodo's approval
- Given the name Xue Long upon joining the Long family
Knighted Apprentices