Cuchulain Darkblade Palpatine

This is an extensive history of Cuchulain Darkblade Palpatine, and also includes the back story of the man himself.

Character History

Cuchulain Darkblade started life in opulence and very quickly developed a taste for the more expensive things in life. Coming from an extremely wealthy family on a very peaceful, densely populated, though not very technologically advanced agricultural planet he and his siblings could choose any path in life that appealed to them. As he moved into his teens he took to several high-adrenaline sports but excelled in hunting, being able to seek out the savage beasts that roamed over the continental grassland plains of his home planet. Instead of finding a proper job to fill his time between various sexual conquests and range of sporting activities, he became a tracker, both leading hunting parties organised for other wealthy families, or tracking feral animals that had been attacking livestock. His skills very quickly developed, as did his knack of Cuchulain being able to track and kill animals that had evaded everyone else. More of his time was dedicated to hunting these more dangerous animals at the request of local governments, and Cuchulain became well known. On a low-tech planet with next to no crime he was probably the only form of real policing required.

One day he was approached by the planet’s security department -a largely redundant organisation given the passive nature of the planet - and requested to help track and capture five escaped convicts that had landed on the planet. He very quickly aided in the capture of two, one took his own life and the other two escaped. These two worked very well together and sought Cuchulain out. These criminals never found Cuchulain but attacked his home when Cooch returned. Not knowing the full devastation that had been unleashed he viciously fought back, first killing one with his bare hands. This criminal had been a failed Bounty Hunter and had worn Mandalorian Armour in a bid to increase his poor reputation. Not needing it anymore, Cuchulain relieved him of the burden and went to stop the second man.

This one however was different. He had been a Jedi Knight and though he had never fallen to the Dark Side he had been seduced by it and expelled from the Jedi Order to live in hiding, until he slowly slipped into a life of crime. When Tarda Pack had been hunted by Cuchulain he realised the latent Force powers at rest within this hunter and had wanted to manipulate him, but the younger man was stronger, and so in a rage the Jedi had decided to destroy Cuchulain. Even with his training the Jedi was unable to best Cuchulain, but was able to escape from the planet. Cuchulain returned to the house to find that his parents had been gruesomely slaughtered by the ex-Jedi, and his anger caused a powerful thunder-storm to erupt, centred on his home, which destroyed a mile-wide circle of land and animals. He moved his injured siblings into a safe-house under new identities and wearing the armour taken from his family’s would-be attacker he became known as Dark Boba.

The DJB & Drynwyn's Flame

The fallen-Jedi had not been the only person to feel Cuchulain’s power. Another Jedi who landed on the planet tried to talk Cooch into joining the New Republic as a Jedi Knight. Angered by this man's suggestion to join those who had murdered his parent and ruined his family’s safety, he murdered the traveller, stole his ship and made his way to Eos. There he enrolled as a Krath and quickly rose through the ranks, allowing his anger towards the New Republic consume him, which in turn gave him much power...

This power manifested itself first in Drynwyn’s Flame. His anger and arrogance had him quickly noticed and he soon became Executive Office. Whilst here he was offered the position of Tetrarch in Ebon Cloak Phyle, but turned it down due to his commitment to DF and its members. When the Tetrarch stepped down he was quickly moved up into this position, and worked hard with the Quaestor and Aedile to come up with a way of ensuring the most active Phyle possible. For the first time in its history Drynwyn’s Flame Phyle became Elite. The standards set and required from all members was complete activity. A submission has to be received for all competitions – a standard that many though was too strict, but a standard that marked the way for things to come. With Cooch at the head of DF, spurring on competition with Ebon Cloak Phyle, Acclivis Draco became a Force to be reckoned with.

Adam Anderson was head of Ebon Cloak at this time, and a fierce rivalry grew between the two men. As Drynwyn’s Flames’ activity and prowess soared EC fought to keep up. Constant battling between the Phyles meant that the scholars were pushed to their limits, the warriors built new up new resources of courage and energy and the pilots pushed the limits of their crafts. This was a Golden time for “Dark Boba” and he made many friendships in DF that would last throughout his time with the Dark Brotherhood, including Mike Halcyon, Saitou and Timbal Lara. Cooch was happy to shake things up as well, and not afraid of making enemies.

On joining the Brotherhood and being assigned to HAD, SBM Brad was Consul. At the beginning of Cuchulain’s time as Tetrarch Brad had been very active, and led the Clan from the front, leading by example and showing all the members how a member of the Clan should act. As time went on, however, Brad’s presence became less and less as he was distracted by other outside influences. Rumours of conspiracies, secret missions, and even work against the Clan tore through all levels of membership, and it was Cuchulain who finally put his head above the parapet to challenge the Consul. After speaking with his Aedile and Quaestor to complain about the lack of support from the Consul and then going on to the ProConsul, Cuchulain made his grievances known to the Consul himself. Under pressure from the junior man, Brad retired from the position of Consul and passed on leadership of the Clan to his ProConsul, J’lek. This then caused a stir in the hierarchy of the Clan over the next few months, and those leaders in Acclivis Draco gained most as it was mostly they were elevated into the higher positions. J’lek had been elevated into the Consul position, soon to be followed up the food chain by Stalker5, Karva, Arkane, and Quowal It was all progressing as Cuchulain had foreseen.

The Rule of a House

Though when the position of Aedile became available Cuchulain had to think for a long time whether he would apply or not. He had taken DF through a lot, they were all working very well together, and Cuchulain did not like the though of passing over control to someone who may not put in such effort that the individuals in the Phyle deserved. He felt there was still a lot to do with the Phyle, but the choice to apply for Aedile was made all the easier with his choice of replacement. Mike Halcyon, who was the first and only choice, took over the reigns as tetrarch.

First working under Arkane Maithal Cuchulain learnt about leading a House, the intricacies of what was needed to keep a House ticking over, the admin of making sure that all the members had everything they needed, and the difference on a House level when compared to a Phyle. The step away from the general membership meant that there was sometimes no direct link to the individuals with instructions going first to the Tetrarch, and this at times bothered Cuchulain.

As time passed Arkane passed on leadership of the House to Karva and under his tutelage Cuchulain learnt that the admin was definitely not all what the House was about, and was given the opportunity to push the members. Having them sit in their happy state generally unchallenged when compared with the level of activity Cuchulain had expected from Drynwyn’s Flame while he was Tetrarch was difficult and Karva released Cuchulain to attempt to bring that to the whole of the House. Setting out to do this was quite a task and it took time, but with Drynwyn’s Flame setting the foundations for a shake-up of HAD Cuchulain charged on. His energy was at all all-time high and he also took on the role of Praetor to Krath High Priestess Mairin, and overseeing the implementation of the ACC for the whole of the Brotherhood was one of the tasks he was given, as well as standing in for the KHP when she wasn’t there.

Karva was then asked to take over as Pro-Consul and leapt at the chance, knowing that Cuchulain would be given the reigns of HAD and he was leaving the House in the hands of someone who cared deeply about the members and the reputation of the House. When Cuchulain was elevated to the position of Quaestor of Acclivis Draco he saw a personal goal met and was happy where he was. Acclivis Draco was getting stronger and stronger and getting themselves seen by the whole of the Brotherhood. There was only one choice that Cooch wanted for his Aedile and that was Mike Halcyon. With this team commanding the House they quickly overtook the very strong Caliburnus as the Number One house of the Clan. The House got stronger and stronger, and at this time Mairin stepped down from the Krath High Priestess position in charge of the Krath order. Cuchulain was offered the position though turned it down due to his wish to stay within the Clan. Taking the position of Krath High Priest would further remove him from the general membership and mean that he would have another layer of bureaucracy to fight through in order to ensure that he was doing all he could for the general membership. Karva became Consul and took Maverick from House Caliburnus as his Pro-Consul to give a balance to the Clan Summit. When Karva moved on and Maverick was elevated to Consul, the PCON position was offered to Cuchulain, who subsequently passed on control of HAD to the only person worthy – Mike.

Clan Leadership

At the time of taking the pro-Consul positions Cooch and Mike had been preparing the House for an inaugural Order Wide competition, and with Cuchulain moving on Mike was in charge of the House. Mike led Acclivis Draco to a stunning victory over all other Krath Houses that was never in doubt.

As PCON, Cuchulain knew that Mike would deal with any matter that faced HAD and so when appointed had started addressing Caliburnus and was bringing it back to the strengths that it once knew. Mike had done all that he could as Quaestor of HAD and now it was time for a new Challenge. On being elevated to Consul Cuchulain offered the position of Pro-Consul to his long-time friend and ally, but was shocked when he was turned down. Mike had almost taken Acclivis Draco as far as he could and wanted to spend more time with the House to finish what he had started. While there Mike began the Master / Student Programme and brought it to Cuchulain for his permission to work with it more and implement it in HAD. After some adapting of the system it was put into motion, to be taken up and used across the whole Clan and then offered to the Dark Council as something that could be utilised across the whole Brotherhood. While the idea of the system and general format was all down to Mike, Cuchulain was more proud of this as anything he had done himself including even the ACC, having assisted in it right from the beginning. Mike then decided that there were people who were able to take on the work that Cooch had started and that he had brought so much further, and with Caliburnus beginning the find its footing next to HAD he decided to concentrate on House Dorimad Sol – the Obelisk and oft-overlooked House of the Clan, little sister to the other two. Under Mike’s leadership the House began to flourish again as had never been seen before.

After helping set up the Master-Student Program and also implementing the ACC, Cuchulain’s first time as Consul of CSP was one of his content periods. Acclivis Draco was second to none – no other House in the whole of the DB not just the Krath could compare to them and that was recognised through the whole of the Brotherhood. Caliburnus had once been a guiding light for the Sith and that was slowly coming back into being, and with Mike at the helm of Dorimad Sol, himself a champion across the DB, the Clan was in very good shape. So much so that in the next Brotherhood-wide competition that came up, after languishing in 6th place for so long Scholae Palatinae roared up the table into the 3rd Place, with HAD stamping their authority on the Krath all over again.

Cuchulain’s time and rise through the ranks and positions of the Brotherhood has been marked by several breaks in his service, and this was the time of his first.

Vanquishing an enemy

Having gained so much training and mastery over the dark side of the Force he experienced a vision that horrified him and he left immediately, leaving the Clan in the hands of ProConsul Saitou. He apologised to the Grand Master for allowing personal issues affect his leadership of the Clan - his family, hidden away by him so many years ago had been found by his enemies.

Fallen Jedi Tarda Pack had never fully recovered from the injuries inflicted on him when he had attacked Cuchulain’s home. The Dark Jedi’s rise through the Dark Brotherhood was easily discovered by those who wanted the information and slowly Pack had built up a plan of attack against his sworn enemy. He sought out Cuchulain’s sisters and brother and murdered them. By the time Cuchulain got to his home planet his oldest sister and brother had already died but his youngest sister had some life left in her. As he picked up her battered and broken body he realised that she was keeping herself alive until he had come. She had seen it in a vision that he would come to her. In her beautiful innocence she had held on to the Force and she released it all into him as she slipped from the universe. As was tradition in his family all three bodies were wrapped in pure white coverings and lowered into a volcano. As he released the first two from his Force grip he lifted the smallest bundle closer to him and gently stroked it before lowering the body of his youngest sister into the lava. This was her first appearance to him as a spirit.

Before Cuchulain returned to the Brotherhood he had one thing to do – find and destroy Tarda Pack. Hunting a fallen Jedi could have taken many years, but his own Force sensitivity and his time as a Bounty Hunter reduced this to mere months. After finding him and dispatching of the criminals that surrounded him, Pack was made to suffer like no creature every before. Even the tattoo of the Black Sun did not stay Cuchulain’s had as he though up more and more extreme methods of inflicting pain on his prey. When his sister reappeared to him he was convinced to deal the killing blow to release the man from his torment.

A Clan Destroyed

As time passed a rift began between the Emperor's Hammer and Dark Brotherhood, and when they eventually looked like splitting Cuchulain returned to help where he could. Scholae Palatinae was in turmoil with the new Consul being totally one-sided and devastating the Clan members who chose to leave the Emperor's Hammer. After taking account of the people who had moved with him, Firefox was going to close Scholae Palatinae. Cuchulain returned and begged for Firefox to reconsider, promising that he would take temporary control of the Clan, guide it, and build it back up until it was ready for a new leader of a new time. Firefox gave in to Cuchulain’s requests (nothing to do with the Chiss brandy or Twi’lek dancing girls), and re-created Scholae Palatinae as a House with the Battle Teams named after the Houses. Cuchulain worked long and hard to have this changed around and soon had enough people to justify Clan and House status be returned.

Its weaker numbers than the rest of the Clans around it drove people to forge friendships and alliances within that would last forever. This leadership over the Clan was always going to be short-lived and Cuchulain had only put his name forward to guide the Clan for as long as was needed to ensure a good footing.

As yet untold Influences from outside the Dark Brotherhood again conspired to take Cuchulain away from the family and home of CSP. The Clan had been dragged from the doldrums of near death and inactivity, and Cuchulain saw this, while not the most suitable of times, as an opportunity to pass on the position of Consul to someone else who could continue the work he had started. While he remained on the Roster he then disappeared, his absence attributed to many stories and tales of secret missions. No doubt these blank spots in his history are soon to be filled in by Epis Cuchulain. Whilst away Cuchulain as the first person to be given the title of Son of Palpatine in recognition of the works he had done for the Clan over the years and the devotion he shows to it to this day.

Cuchulain has recently returned to Scholae Palatinae, and is as argumentative as ever, happy to stir things up, constantly harassing the Clan leadership to ensure that they are doing all that they can for the members of the Clan.

DJB Facts

Cuchulain has held every House position in Acclivis Draco and Clan position in Scholae Palatinae, including the Consul position on two separate occasions.

Cuchulain was also Praetor to the Krath High Priestess under Mairin’s rule of the Order, and after implementing the ACC was subsequently offered the KHP position when she stepped down. Cooch however turned down this proposition, preferring instead to lead CSP to glory.

Cooch was also Praetor to the HeadMaster when Mejas Doto was HM, and completely re-wrote the Leadership course, which is still used to this day.

Cuchulain is always very happy to take credit for other people’s work. The Master / Student Programme was created by Mike Halcyon, and Cuchulain was very happy to help with this work alongside Mike, optimising the system before putting it out for use through the Clan and then the whole Brotherhood.

Trivia

• Cuchulain’s closest ally has always and always will be Mike Halcyon. Although Halcyon is actually a Light-Sided Jedi Master, Cuchulain does not hold that against him. Having joined HAD at roughly the same time, it was to Mike that Dark Boba eventually first revealed his true identity, Mike installed and constantly updates Cuchulain's cybernetic eyes, and their paths have always been intricately linked.
• Cuchulain's other closest allies are Timbal and Saitou, both of whom have also unfortunately left the Clan.
• Under the Master / Student Programme, Cuchulain has had a total of seven students. Three of those students have gone on to become Consuls of CSP, with two others taking control of Acclivis Draco as Quaestor.
• Cuchulain Darkblade Palpatine has been in Clan Scholae Palatinae for his whole career and has made an oath never to join another Clan.