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- "The Jedi fear what they do not understand. The Sith are not evil. People are evil. The Sith merely seek to understand the Force in all its forms—is perspective truly a crime?"
- ―Darth Vexatus
Darth Vexatus, born under the name of Xanos, was the son of a Falleen noble, Viscount Haxim of House Zorrixor, and a survivor of the Great Jedi Purge, Maziel. He became a Jedi Knight of the New Jedi Order but fell to the dark side and joined the Shadow Academy on Eos to become a Sith acolyte. Xanos trained under many masters, including Astronicus Sadow, Manesh and Trevarus Caerick, and became a member of the Dlarit Corporation as a mask for his activities as a Dark Jedi.
After the peace treaty between the New Republic and the Imperial Remnant, Xanos helped organise the Great Exodus with the Star Chamber. Following the exodus, he oversaw the establishment of the Dlarit Corporation's operations in the Orian system. Shortly after, Xanos became a Son of Sadow, an heir to the legacy of the Dark Lord of the Sith Naga Sadow.
In 20 ABY, Xanos became a member of the Dark Council and oversaw the Invasion of Antares. Later that year, archaeologists uncovered the ancient Star Chamber and released Okemi from his imprisonment. In the war that followed Xanos was nearly killed by Kem-Shu Maeda. His injuries caused Xanos to question the path he was on and he left to seek answers.
During his exile, Xanos discovered the Holocron of Tulak Hord. With it, he hoped to achieve mastery. He returned to the Orian system and sought the aid of his fellow Sons of Sadow to unlock the secrets of the Holocron. In 23 ABY he was named a Sith Master. However, mastery did not bring answers. Instead, for the next year, Xanos became plagued with visions of the Dark Hall in ruins. After the council dismissed his concerns, Xanos began to use his remaining personal funds to reinforce the Orian system. Eventually, as the visions got worse, the Star Chamber turned its eye on the Sith Master and near the end of 24 ABY Xanos was chosen by Jac Cotelin as his Shadow Hand.
When reports of the fall of countless worlds to the Yuuzhan Vong began to come in the truth became clear. News of the invasion of Falleen crippled him and Xanos left for Korriban to seek answers. On Korriban, the spirit of Naga Sadow proclaimed Xanos a Sith Lord and bestowed him with a vision of a new Sith Empire. Casting aside what remained of his original heritage, Xanos declared himself Darth Vexatus and swore to safeguard the Sith legacy.
Biography
- "His future is clouded. I see a Jedi... but I also see great pain."
- ―A troubled Maziel, speaking about her son's future.
During the height of the Galactic Empire, Xanos was born to Maziel, a Jedi Knight and one of the few survivors from the Old Republic, and Viscount Haxim, a noble of one of the royal Falleen households. Even as an infant, Xanos exhibited a natural affinity to the Force. His parents feared what would become of their son should the Empire learn of his abilities, and they vowed to keep them hidden, even from Xanos himself.
While Maziel spent most of her time on Falleen, often being forced into hiding to avoid detection by the Inquisitorius, Haxim, as one of the few surviving nobles of House Zorrixor following the accident that left much of the planet's population dead, was frequently called away on business. As a result, instead of receiving an insular and isolated upbringing, as was the way with most of the Falleen aristocracy, Xanos came to regard Corellia, Coruscant, and much of the rest of the Core as a second home. Nonetheless, he still developed a usual Falleen sense of superiority, but manifested an equal degree of appreciation for outside cultures and attitudes.
File:Jediordericon2.gifXanos was nineteen when the Empire began its downward spiral. With the death of the Emperor and Darth Vader, Maziel decided it was safe to finally inform Xanos of the truth of his mother's heritage. In the years that followed, Maziel taught Xanos in the basics of the Jedi path, although it was an uphill struggle for Xanos found it difficult to let go of his aristocratic upbringing in exchange for a humble life of Jedi humility. Nevertheless, Maziel clung to the belief that one day her son would become a Jedi.
- "He takes after you too much... I always said Jedi and nobility shouldn't mix."
- ―Maziel joking to her husband about how Jedi humility and nobility don't work together.
Four years after Maziel began training him, Xanos already showed signs of promise. He completed the tasks set to him with ease, advancing far quicker than most Padawans Maziel could remember. However, despite his raw power in the Force, he lacked the understanding and self control of a Jedi. Maziel often joked about how her son took after his father too much with his high cultured aristocratic upbringing. However, beneath the teasing, she and Haxim both began to grow uneasy about their son's future. Maziel had already seen too many Jedi, many of them close friends, fall to the dark side.
Xanos's Jedi training was cut short in 8 ABY when Maziel and Haxim were killed in a pirate attack on their ship. Xanos survived, though he was not without scars, both physical and emotional. His right eye was permanently blinded and he suffered numerous cuts and burns across his body. His life in ruins, the sole heir of the Zorrixor family left his home for the last time.
The lone viscount spent the next few years wandering the galaxy, hoping to piece his life back together. However, all the while, the desire for revenge gnawed away at the back of Xanos's mind, as well as the question: why wasn't he strong enough to prevent it?
- "How are we not hypocrites? We fear what we are simply too afraid to embrace ourselves. Is a lightsaber not a weapon as well?"
- ―Xanos, Jedi apprentice
When Luke Skywalker opened his Jedi Praxeum Xanos was quick to enrol, eager to complete his training and find some purpose in his life. At the academy, despite his popularity, many of the other students found Xanos distant and self-absorbed. Even some of the instructors found his indifference to topics such as the dangers of the dark side disturbing. However, while most begrudgingly accepted this as simply part of the Falleen way of life, some of the senior Jedi Knights were uncomfortable that Xanos still harboured a hatred of the pirates who had killed his parents. In time, some feared this would invariably lead Xanos down the path of the dark side. However, despite the reservations, Master Skywalker maintained his belief that those who drifted from the Jedi path could be redeemed, and, on that basis, Xanos's training continued, albeit perhaps under a closer eye than some of the other students.
File:Xanosjedi.gifXanos as a Jedi KnightWhen the Chistori Jedi Dessan abandoned the Jedi Praxeum and turned to the dark side old uncertainties returned to trouble Xanos. Ever since his mother had first taught him the Jedi Code he had struggled to understand why the Jedi feared the dark side and their reluctance to use the Force to its full potential. It was a question he still raised frequently to that day with his instructors. When Dessan returned in 13 ABY leading an army of warriors from the [1] Empire Reborn, Xanos opened his eyes to what he saw as the truth. He reasoned it was not the dark side that had turned Dessan evil, but the very circumstance of the Chistori's life and upbringing. Dessan had been a bully at the academy, long before he had fallen to the dark side and started calling himself a Dark Jedi.
The revelation further complicated Xanos's training and he grew isolated after taking the issue up with the Masters only to have it dismissed. In his isolation he began to grow bitter, angry that the Masters refused to question the Jedi Code. Throughout the following year he made a calculated effort to establish the truth in his beliefs. Xanos proceeded to progress faster than most of the other students and was already more powerful than some full Jedi Knights. However, despite his abilities, the Masters remained reluctant to knight him, feeling he had not yet demonstrated the maturity and temperament of a Jedi.
The resurgence of the Empire Reborn in the form of the Disciples of Ragnos saw those Jedi fit for battle dispatched to Korriban to deal with the threat. It was there Xanos lost faith in the Jedi order. Having been repeatedly told the dark side was wrong, only to bear witness to the deaths of Sith cultists for no reason other than being Sith, Xanos concluded the Jedi were nothing more than hypocrites.
- "It is not the dark side the Jedi fear; it is power. They fear the truth: the dark side is more powerful. The Jedi are merely too proud, too arrogant to admit they have been wrong all these years."
- ―Xanos
When the battle was over Xanos chose not to return to the Jedi Praxeum with the others. Instead, he remained behind, hoping that in the sands of Korriban he would find the answers he could not on Yavin IV. Tavion, Dessan and Palpatine may all have been misguided, but he was certain the Sith belief could not inherently be any more evil than that of the Jedi.
Embracing the dark side (14 ABY–15 ABY)
- "Why do the Jedi say the Sith are evil? Do the Sith not seek order and justice the same as all of us? Anakin Skywalker was once a Jedi too... does that make all Jedi evil?"
- ―Vykan, Dark Jedi
Vykan in 14 ABY.The prodigal Jedi found his answer several weeks later in a man called Vykan. Vykan claimed to be a New Republic agent sent to Korriban to assess the damage caused during the Jedi attack. Coming across the lone Jedi, the Umbaran agreed to take Xanos back to Yavin IV. After dropping him off at the Jedi Praxeum, Vykan gave Xanos a datacard and told him if he truly wanted answers he should follow the instructions on the card.
Upon his return, the Masters scolded Xanos for staying behind after the battle. However, despite his lack of judgment, recent events had cost the lives of too many Jedi, and, unlike those who had come before him such as Dessan, Xanos had at least returned to answer for what he had done. Though the Masters recognised how close he already was to falling into the grip of the dark side, they agreed to knight him, hoping it would bind his loyalty to the Jedi order. The Masters plan paid off, having been knighted Xanos changed his mind about following the instructions Vykan had given him, and instead chose to give the Jedi another chance. However, Vykan's words had a lasting effect, and, though the Jedi finally appeared willing to recognise Xanos's talents, there were still questions he wanted answers to. Most of all, he wanted to find out what had become of the Sith, to discover once and for all if the dark side was truly corrupting.
Xanos's private mysteries were put on hold when he was sent to mediate a conflict near Eriadu. It was to be a simple negotiation between the planetary authorities and a local smuggling ring. However, when Xanos arrived, things turned sour. The meeting had been a set up and the smugglers intended to assassinate the political representatives attending the meeting, some of whom were in the employ of rival gangs. Xanos successfully pacified the situation, but not before every member of the smugglers' delegation lie day.
- "How dare they lecture me about killing? They who devote their lives to the extermination of the Sith and every other Force using cult that disagrees with their teachings? Don't they always say fear leads to the dark side? Why is it okay for them to be afraid of the dark side then?"
- ―Xanos, Jedi Knight
Though the Eriaduans were satisfied, the Jedi were furious. They accused the wayward Jedi Knight of allowing his personal hatred for pirates to consume him. They condemned his actions and questioned whether Xanos had already fallen and if they had just been too blind to realise it. Despite calls for Xanos's expulsion, Master Skywalker felt no good could come from allowing a fallen Jedi to walk the streets unchecked. Nonetheless, he consigned Xanos to the Praxeum, believing it would be against the order's interests to send him on further missions until he had learned to let go of his anger.
Though he would never outwardly betray his emotions, Xanos was furious. As far as he was concerned, he had done what was necessary. Had he not, he believed the smugglers would have maintained their monopoly on the Eriadu system and innocents would have suffered. Xanos was sure the Jedi were wrong. A few days later, using the details left on the datacard Vykan had given him several weeks earlier, he decided it was time to go in search of answers, alone.
Induction into the Shadow Academy (15 ABY)
- "Those who think the Sith died at Endor are fools. Was Lumiya an illusion? Flint? Carnor Jax? The people who want to believe the Sith are gone forever are just too scared to accept the truth. We never left."
- ―Vykan, Sith warrior
File:Shadowacademyeos.gifThe Shadow Academy on Eos.The details provided by Vykan proved suitably cryptic. It took Xanos the better part of two months to follow the various leads and finally track down the answers the Umbaran had promised. In the end, the instructions led Xanos to the hidden training center on Eos called the Shadow Academy. There, in the secret corridors of one of the last remaining bastions of the dark side, Xanos discovered the truth that had so long eluded him. The Sith had survived. Like Lumiya before him, Kane, one of Palpatine's surviving Hands, had declared himself the Dark Lord of the Sith and founded a new Sith order, one not governed by the Rule of Two.
Welcomed into the Shadow Academy, Xanos quickly demonstrated the power he already wielded. Within a few weeks, the already experienced Jedi Knight, now Sith acolyte, caught the eye of envoys from Clan Naga Sadow. Not long after, Xanos found himself packing his bags and preparing for a new life as one of several apprentices to Sith warrior Manesh, one of the clan's leaders.
The Remnant and the dark side (15 ABY–19 ABY)
- "Perhaps it was fated the remnants of two empires should work together? But do not be fooled, my apprentice, we are the true power behind the throne, regardless of what we might tell our Imperial “masters”."
- ―Trevarus Caerick, Krath priest
File:Sadowpalacesmall.gifSadow Palace on SifHaving already been a gifted Jedi Knight when he enrolled at the Shadow Academy, Xanos climbed the ranks of the brotherhood quicker than most. He was fortunate, perhaps, that Astronicus Dlarit, officially governor of Sif, in truth a considerably gifted Sith warlord, had only formed Clan Naga Sadow a year earlier as a home for wayward souls. By all public accounts, the clan was nothing more than a branch of the Dlarit Corporation, specialising in the training of the corporation's private security forces.
Less than a year after he joined, Manesh took Xanos as his protégé and shortly after he was inducted formally into the Sith order as its newest warrior. After years of being held back, Xanos finally felt his abilities were being recognised. He even caught the eye of the clan's consul, its representative on the brotherhood's ruling body, the Dark Council, Trevarus Caerick. Trevarus, a gifted Krath priest, decided to take Xanos as his apprentice.
The following years saw the brotherhood's relationship with the Imperial Remnant brought under strain. What remained of the Empire was slowly unravelling, torn apart by internal power struggles. All the while, in the Remnant's shadow, the Sith were rebuilding. The relationship hit breaking point when Archibald Zoraan, then Dark Lord of the Sith, tried to declare war on the brotherhood's allies. The coup failed, dismissed as madness by the clans, but the damage was done.
During this time, Astronicus Dlarit, viceroy of the Dlarit Corporation and overlord of Clan Naga Sadow, received a vision from the spirit of the ancient Dark Lord who declared the overlord his true heir and renamed him Astronicus Sadow. Revealed to no longer be mere disciples of the Sith Lord but followers of a living descendant, the revelation emboldened the clan and it began to thrive. By now, Xanos had served both clan and corporation as a powerful ally and in 18 ABY he was chosen to serve as consul.
- "An alien? When did we start promoting your kind? It seems even the Empire has to make sacrifices."
- ―Unknown Imperial officer addressing Xanos
After becoming the clan's public face, or, more officially, the Dlarit Corporation's public face, Xanos began to take notice of the rot that was developing at the heart of the Empire's remains. Even now, the humanocentrism of the Remnant was still apparent and many officers dismissed the Falleen as quickly as they might a Wookiee. As with the Jedi and the Republic before it, Xanos's faith in the Empire began to falter. When he discovered he was not alone in his views, Xanos joined forces with Trevarus Caerick to begin the search for a new base. As luck would have it, Trevarus already had a place in mind: the Orian system, an isolated region of space the priest had discovered some years before. As they worked to position the clan to break away from the Empire others made similar preparations throughout the brotherhood at the behest of the Dark Lord himself, Grand Master Firefox. Pooling their resources, the former viscount and Astronicus Sadow began to secretly establish a new capital on the planet Aeotheran, the ancient home of Urias Orian, a Sith Lord during the days of the old Sith Empire.
The Great Exodus (19 ABY)
- "We had the Galaxy in our grasp and still we let it slip through our fingers. To run away like cowards is no victory. We were not strong enough."
- ―Xanos, Sith warlord
File:Newsadowpalace.gifThe New Sadow Palace on Sepros.Following the declaration of the Pellaeon-Gavrisom Treaty between the New Republic and Imperial Remnant the Star Chamber, the secret council of Sith Lords, announced the brotherhood's independence. After months of preparations, all that was left was to load up the remaining transports with whatever supplies and personnel were left and vacate the Minos Cluster before the Imperial forces could organise a defence. The Sith had secured their freedom but at the back of his mind Xanos felt something was missing. He had led his clan to salvation, sparing them from whatever fate would befall them as the Empire was assimilated into the New Republic, a fate he was all too familiar with from his experience on Korriban years before. Yet, despite all this, he felt they had failed, that it should never have come to being forced to crawl away and hide in the dark corners of the galaxy.
Xanos's concerns reaffirmed his view that the Sith needed to become stronger. He felt the Jedi had failed to maintain order and now the Sith were equally to blame. During the following year, the new governor-general of Orian oversaw the construction of the new city of Seng Karash on Aeotheran. The city was to serve as the capital of the Dlarit Corporation and a source of personnel for the Dlarit Security Force. Yet, despite the work to reinforce the system, Xanos knew the Empire had had more military might than any government in history and still failed to maintain order. Armies and warships were not important, the dark side had been spread too thin and Xanos knew it was time to consolidate it.
Heirs to the Sith Empire (20 ABY)
- "You of the future hear me well. You have chosen, now you are the chosen. You shall be my sons."
- ―Naga Sadow, Dark Lord of the Sith
File:Nagasadowspirit.gifThe spirit of Naga Sadow in 20 ABYAs the clan continued to rebuild after its relocation from Phare, the Dlarit Corporation began to increase its hold on the Orian system. The ruins of Sepros were excavated, revealing a network of ancient tunnels connecting the temples. The clan leadership established a new Sadow Palace on the ruins of one of the destroyed Temples of Orian to serve as home to the overlord, his consul and the clan's ruling household. At the same time the city of Seng Karash expanded with new mines being opened almost every day, while on the shadowy world of Tarthos a new army of soldiers began their training.
In the midst of all this, the clan overlord, Astronicus Sadow, received another vision. The spirit of Naga Sadow beckoned his heir to bring his strongest disciples to Korriban. There, among the ruins of the Sith Empire, the ancient Dark Lord bequeathed his legacy to three others, Raistlin Majerus, Trevarus Caerick and Xanos. Casting aside his ties to a former life, Xanos became an heir to the Sadow name, a Son of Sadow instilled with the power of the ancient Sith Lord.
The Invasion of Antares (20 ABY–21 ABY)
The Falleen's devotion to the Sith cause had not gone unnoticed. In 20 ABY Lord Firefox called on the warlord to serve as high warrior of the Sith order and commander of the Anteian Navy. It was a difficult decision to leave his Sadow brothers behind, but Xanos knew his quest for mastery would not be complete without journeying to Antei. Furthermore, he knew all too well the dangers of choosing to only learn from one source, his experience first hand with the arrogance of the Jedi order had taught him that.
The next year saw Xanos directing the ongoing campaign to bring Antei's neighbours under the brotherhood's unified control. The action culminated in the Invasion of Antares and the attack on the Antaran shipyards. The Antaran pirates mounted a formidable resistance but it was no match for the combined might of the clans. After almost two years of fighting, all resistance throughout the Antei system had been quelled and the brotherhood's control was absolute. For his part in securing the fleet's victory, Xanos was elevated to the status of full Sith adept.
- "We will have revenge on the Lords of the Sith. We will have revenge on the universe."
- ―Jac Cotelin, while under the control of Okemi, Sith King of Antei
Okemi, Sith King of Antei, in 21 ABYThe brotherhood’s brief spout of order and stability was to be short lived. Unbeknownst to the council at the time, the war throughout the Shroud had awoken Okemi, an ancient Sith Lord who had been exiled from the Sith Empire millennia before. It was Okemi who had first formed the Star Chamber and founded the Sith civilisation on Antei. However in the closing days of the original Star Chamber Okemi had been driven mad by an ancient force leading Taimat to seal the Antei system off to prevent the corruption spreading. Under the cover of the recent war what remained of Okemi had secretly corrupted several members of the brotherhood leadership including Jac Cotelin who was filling in for the Grand Master while he was away on business in the Imperial Remnant.
The next six months saw Okemi’s influence spread throughout the brotherhood. Like a parasite, Okemi exerted his Force-presence over anybody his mind came into contact with, dominating them like puppets to further spread his influence. Jac Cotelin and the Dark Jedi Master, Kem-Shu Maeda, served as his primary hosts, corrupting whole swathes of the brotherhood.
Eventually, Xanos managed to get off Antei, having been stuck there since Jac Cotelin ordered the system’s closure, and managed to get word to Lord Firefox. Upon his return to brotherhood space, the Dark Lord assembled a force from the remaining loyalists, those who had not yet lost their minds to Okemi’s control, and launched an assault on Antei. Firefox squared off with Jac Cotelin, chasing him off before finally making his way to Okemi’s hidden chamber and putting an end to the ancient Sith Lord once and for all.
As the Grand Master battled inside the ruins of the ancient Star Chamber, Xanos took up arms against Kem-Shu Maeda. However, despite all his power, the high warrior was bested and left for dead, leaving Maeda free to escape. The war was over, Okemi, the great King of Antei had fallen, but to Xanos it had all been for nothing. He had failed himself.
Near death and exile (22 ABY)
- "How could I not be strong enough? Has the dark side abandoned me?"
- ―Xanos, Sith adept
The fight with Maeda had left Xanos near death. The injuries he had sustained had kept Xanos confined to a bacta tank for several weeks and forced him to renounce his position to allow more time to heal. However, while bacta could heal the physical scars, nothing could erase the memories of failure.
The adept chose not to return to Orian, instead venturing to Korriban in hope that the spirits there would shed some light on his dilemma. However, the halls of the ancient tombs stayed silent and Xanos beheld no visions of Sith Lords or their kin. He feared the dark side had abandoned him, deserting him for his failure to defeat Maeda.
The following months saw Xanos touring the worlds of the old Sith Empire. Vjun, Dromund Kaas, Khar Shian; none yielded any answers. However, upon arriving at the planet Ziost, Xanos sensed something different. Unlike the other worlds, Ziost felt alive. The Sith may have long since died out, but still the planet pulsed with the dark side, the forest that spanned its surface alive with dark energies. The planet called to him, as if welcoming him home, one Sith to another.
File:Holocrontulakhord.gifThe Holocron of Tulak HordDespite all the trials he had faced, Xanos finally had made his way to Ziost, the Sith throneworld. There, in the ancient Sith citadel, seat of power of the Sith Empire for millennia, Xanos discovered the holocron of Tulak Hord. At long last, the Sith adept had found what he was searching for. The holocron, an ancient recording device used to store the maker’s thoughts and memories, contained a vast repository of knowledge detailing the lost lightsaber arts, techniques unused for centuries, and a wealth of other information. With the contents of the holocron of Tulak Hord his to master, Xanos was convinced he would never again suffer like he had at the hands of Kem-Shu Maeda.
The discovery marked a turning point for the Sith adept. Having come but an inch front death, Xanos vowed he would never again allow an opponent to come so close. His mission was to bring order, to achieve what the Jedi and the Republic could not, to fight the injustice that persecuted the galaxy. For that he had to survive, at any cost.
Xanos’s fall to the dark side was complete. Mastery was within his grasp, however, he recognised he could not unlock the secrets of the holocron alone. He would need help from the vast archives on Antei and for that he required the blessing of the Dark Lord of the Sith.
Favor of the Dark Lords (22 ABY–23 ABY)
- "I have seen the worlds of the Sith Empire; set foot in the halls of the citadel on Ziost. Who among you have done the same? Who among you has the right to challenge me?"
- ―Xanos, Sith adept, upon his re-ascension to consul
Upon his return to the Orian system, members of the clan noticed a distinct change in Xanos. The Sith adept had returned more powerful than ever. Those who still tried to hold his failure to defeat Maeda against him quickly learned the foolishness of doing so. Within a matter of months Xanos had reclaimed the favor of the overlord, becoming his chief advocate again. His goal was simple: to use the resources at his disposal as consul to achieve mastery.
The following year, with the aide of his proconsul, Muz Keibatsu, the two of them worked on unlocking the secrets of Tulak Hord’s holocron. With help from the documents stored in the clan’s extensive library, the academy on Lyspair, Kalekka Tower and the Dark Hall itself, the pair slowly reconstructed the teachings of the lost lightsaber arts. Mononoke Keibatsu assisted with his knowledge of crystals and alchemy. As each day passed, Xanos came closer and closer to achieving total mastery. His power grew with each new page that was written. Little by little, piece by piece, the knowledge of the ancient Dark Lord Tulak Hord became his.
After nearly a year of toil, Muz and Xanos had documented every passage of the holocron, providing a wealth of new information to be added to the brotherhood’s extensive compendium. For their efforts, they earned the attention of the Star Chamber itself, and after endless years of training and research, Xanos was named a Sith Master.
- "I have witnessed the end. I have seen the Dark Hall in ruins and the skies of Antei in flames."
- ―Xanos, Sith Master
File:Xanosdream.gifAn image from Xanos's nightmares.23 ABY was a tumultuous year for Xanos with the Sith Master plagued with visions of destruction of Antei. The council dismissed is visions outright, either as misinterpreted or as outright lies. Yet the visions did not go away and Xanos was left sleepless night after night. Motivated by what he had foreseen, throughout the coming year Xanos used the funds he had remaining from House Zorrixor to fund the completion of the development efforts in the Orian system. The preceding years had seen the establishment of the mining city of Seng Karash but Xanos realised if what he had seen in his visions were true they would need much more than this. The Sith Master commissioned the construction of a hidden baradium mine on Sepros, secret even from the council itself, to begin stockpiling arms and fund the fortification of Seng Karash.
- "I have shown you the path of visions. Do you doubt the Final Way, my apprentice?"
- ―Trevarus Caerick, Krath Master
Many of the brotherhood’s senior elders began doubting the Sith Master’s sanity. He had returned from Ziost changed, that much was certain, but now he was obsessing over things most could not even begin to comprehend. What had he seen? What was he afraid of? These were things few could answer. Trevarus Caerick encouraged his obsessions, causing further alienation between Xanos and the rest of the council.
Despite widespread public denunciation and whispered rumours of the Sith Master’s madness, the Star Chamber turned its eye on the Falleen. Something had roused the hidden council’s interest and they were not prepared to ignore Xanos’s visions of disaster. Toward the end of 24 ABY he was summoned by Jac Cotelin, the reigning Grand Master, to serve as the Dark Lord’s Shadow Hand.
Revelations (25 ABY)
After becoming Deputy Grand Master, Xanos set about using the knowledge at the Star Chamber’s disposal to unlock the meaning behind his visions and find a way to prevent them from coming to pass. He had seen the Dark Hall destroyed and, though they would never admit it, the Star Chamber was worried.
The brotherhood soon received preliminary reports intercepted from the New Republic HoloNet that Helska had fallen to an unknown alien force. Usually the brotherhood would have dispatched agents to investigate such a report but it was too preoccupied with border conflicts breaking out between several of the clans. By the middle of the year internal relations within the brotherhood broke down entirely. Many of the clans accused others of sabotage and unsanctioned infiltration. Within weeks the situation escalated with several clans openly declaring war on the others. Into the chaos stepped Jaac Cotelin, a clone of the Grand Master, declaring himself to be the rightful Dark Lord of the Sith. Having been on the brink of conflict for several months, the brotherhood descended into all out civil war.
Jac Cotelin gathered his forces to Antei as the clone assembled an army and prepared to launch a direct assault. Unable to distinguish one from the other, the clans ended up taking sides. After several months of preparation, Jaac Cotelin launched his assault on Antei, his fleet descending on the ships amassed to defend the brotherhood’s homeworld. After breaking through to the surface, the impostor’s army descended on the Dark Hall, taking the battle right to the steps of the Star Chamber itself. Jac Cotelin eventually slew the usurper, restoring order to the brotherhood, but the damage was done regardless. Much of the Dark Hall stood in ruins.
Xanos’s visions appeared to have come to pass.
- "The Dark Hall sits in ruins and yet the nightmares do not go away. I fear it was not the clone I foresaw but these... outsiders."
- ―Xanos, Deputy Grand Master, speaking before the Star Chamber
The brotherhood had survived the civil war but Xanos’s visions did not stop. Even the Star Chamber was no longer certain what to believe. The Dark Hall had been nearly destroyed and yet it still stood—they had changed history, or so they wanted to believe. The Sith Master began to believe he was going crazy himself. He had walked the dark path for so many years; he feared insanity had taken him as it had his master. While few now doubted his visions, none knew what to make of the fact they continued. In the months following the civil war the brotherhood began paying much closer attention to the events unravelling throughout the rest of the galaxy. Reports of the alien Yuuzhan Vong had now been flooding in for months, but few had paid them much notice while Antei was under siege. With time now to reflect, though the council recognised the potential threat, they conceded they were in no danger within the safety of the Shroud. In the end the Star Chamber decreed Xanos's visions were wrong.
File:Shimrra.gifThe Yuuzhan Vong: the truth behind Xanos's nightmares.In 26 ABY the Vong issued a ceasefire with the New Republic in exchange for the heads of the Jedi Knights. The council rejoiced at the announcement, the Yuuzhan Vong would withdraw to the Outer Rim and the Jedi would be dealt with. Xanos, however, found his nightmares only getting worse the closer the Vong pushed to the heart of the galaxy. When news of the invasion of Falleen reached him, Xanos cursed himself for not having foreseen it. His failures had taken his parents from him, now it had taken his homeworld. He could ignore his visions no longer. Feeling betrayed, Xanos turned his back on the Star Chamber and departed for Korriban, determined to find the answers he sought.
Xanos had come a long way since he had last stepped foot on Korriban, lost and alone, fearful the dark side had abandoned him. While the fall of Falleen may have destroyed what little remained of his former life, his resolve now couldn't be stronger. Within the Valley of the Dark Lords he was visited again by the spirit of Naga Sadow who granted Xanos a vision of the Sith reborn. The spirit conferred on him him the title of Sith Lord and tasked him with safeguarding his legacy until the time came that the Sith would rise again.
- "Vexatus. My name is Darth Vexatus."
- ―Darth Vexatus, Lord of the Sith
With new found confidence in the future of the Sith and a mission that superseded any mortal goals, Xanos dropped his name in favour of a Sith one. Xanos had died along with the rest of the Falleen. His name was now Darth Vexatus.
- "I may not have been strong enough before but I am not a child now. I will purge your filth from the galaxy. The Sith Empire will be reborn."
- ―Darth Vexatus, speaking to a Yuuzhan Vong shortly before decapitating him
Shortly after the invasion of Falleen the ceasefire between the Yuuzhan Vong and the New Republic ended. The Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4 was invaded and the Vong moved ever closer to the heart of Sith space and discovery of the Antei and Orian systems.
Personality
File:Xanosimage.gifXanos in 14 ABY.Growing up on Falleen, Xanos was raised to think of himself as better than other people. Like most Falleen he became inward looking and cared only about his own feelings, not that he would ever betray them openly. Even when his mother, Maziel, first began to train Xanos to use the Force she was uncertain where his attitude would lead him.
Trouble began when Xanos's parents were tragically killed. Despite being good at maintaining his composure inside he became a seething pit of anger. His time as a Jedi was a difficult one with many of the Jedi Masters seeing through the mask he held up to the rest of the world and sensing the rage within him. In the end it was the Jedi attack on Korriban during the Disciples of Ragnos incident which led him to quit the Jedi order in protest at what he saw as hypocrisy.
When he first joined Clan Naga Sadow Xanos was grateful to finally find people who understood him. He was quickly taken in by the teachings of the Shadow Academy and his dislike for the Jedi grew. Unlike many of his contemporaries, however, he never grew to outright hate the Jedi and their Republic, if anything he pitied them for their inability to gasp what he saw as enlightenment.
Xanos understood the need to see the Force from more than one perspective. He had many masters during his time, including Manesh, Astronicus Sadow, Trevarus Caerick, Lord Firefox and Lord Cotelin. His training under Trevarus Caerick was probably the most substantial, however while Xanos saw the Force as a means to an end, Trevarus saw it as a tool and nothing more. Trevarus also trained Xanos in the art of the seer.
Time gradually moulded Xanos into Vexatus. His near death at the hands of Kem-Shu Maeda sealed his fate and there has been little hope of redemption for him since. He has no more love for the Imperial Remnant than the New Republic, believing the galaxy needs leadership, leadership only a Sith can bring so long as the Jedi are too afraid to take action.
The Yuuzhan Vong invasion shattered what remained of Xanos. He had struggled with the loss of his parents his whole life but the loss of Falleen itself was too much for him to overcome. When the spirit of Naga Sadow granted Xanos a vision of the Sith Empire reborn he pledged his life in service to the Sith, taking a new name of Darth Vexatus.
- "Xanos died on Korriban. I am Darth Vexatus."
- ―Lord Vexatus, after returning to the New Sadow Palace
While Vexatus considered Xanos to have died along with Falleen he recognised the need for the Sith to remain hidden and generally chose to remain known by his former name. Whatever reservations he may have one had regarding the dark side were shed along with his name. He became almost zealous in his views toward the future of the Sith Empire. Despite wanting to think him insane few could doubt what Vexatus had foreseen after he had rightly predicted the coming the Yuuzhan Vong.
Vexatus retained the arrogance of his youth but with renewed resolve. He became something of a mystic and a seer and his power as a full Sith Lord made him virtually unchallengeable to all but the Dark Lords of the Sith. Despite all this he became something of an exile. Having pledged his life in service to the Sith he became distant to most worldly concerns, instead spending his time pursuing something he believed was greater and acting as an agent to safeguard the Sadow lineage.
Abilities and traits
- "I have not seen one with his raw potential in some time. He is destined for something far greater."
- ―Trevarus Caerick, shortly before taking Xanos as his apprentice.
File:Xanosface.gifDarth VexatusVexatus earned the title of Sith Lord and should be regarded as such. He was no mere acolyte nor even an ordinary master. His abilities came to rival the Dark Lords themselves and few outside the most powerful Jedi Masters could face him alone.
His parentage and upbringing had given him the gift of the silver tongue. He was an exceptionally powerful Sith but he was equally as good at avoiding a fight altogether. Vexatus understood the need to keep the existence of the Sith a secret and perfected the art of politics alongside his knowledge of the Force.
Vexatus should be considered one of the great lightsaber masters of the new Sith order. Together with Muz Keibatsu he unlocked the secrets of the Holocron of Tulak Hord. He became a master of the Trakata form of lightsaber combat, one of the riskiest and deadliest to perfect.
It should be said that despite all this Vexatus was no martial artist to rival the likes of Lord Chi-Long. Vexatus was a Sith and like many of his order he chose to perfect the arts that were deadly, not those which were necessarily the most physically demanding. His knowledge of Dun Moch complimented his mastery of the Force and his martial training in styles such as Verdanaian reflected his belief in mind and Force over muscle.
By virtue of his apprenticeship Vexatus was also a gifted seer. He could not control it the same way as Trevarus Caerick but his visions were no less intense. He interpreted this ability as a sign the Force had chosen him for a higher purpose, others saw it as the dark side slowly driving the Sith Lord insane.
Styles of address
- His Eminence Viscount Xanos of House Zorrixor
- Darth Vexatus, Lord of the Sith or Lord Vexatus
Ships
File:JewelofFalleen.gifJewel of Falleen
DJB Facts
Trivia
- The name Xanos was a corruption of the name Xanatos.
- The name Zorrixor was derived from the name Xizor.
- The name Vexatus is derived from the word vexation meaning to annoy or a state of irritation.
- Xanos spent a collective total of 791 days as Consul.
- Xanos joined the Dark Brotherhood on 12th August 1999.
- Xanos originally used the name "Goatham", his surname from real life, but eventually changed it in favour of something more appropriate.