Shadow Taldrya

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"Well, then I suggest you start masturbating yourself blind cuz everything else I suggest requires nudity."

―Shadow Taldrya

Shadow Taldrya, real name unknown, is a Dark Jedi Master of Clan Taldryan. After spending most of his childhood apprenticed to a former Sovereign Protector, he was inducted into the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. Under the tutelage of Dark Jedi such as Jac Cotelin, Sharad Taldrya Hett, and Keirdagh Taldrya-Cantor, Shadow rose quickly through the ranks and garnered much praise and recognition for his work in both his Clan and the Brotherhood.

A steadfast and loyal member of the Clan for many years, Shadow has fought in most every major conflict that has arisen between Taldryan and the rest of the Brotherhood. A renowned swordsman, Shadow spends a great deal of time enhancing his physical skills, while forsaking his Force discipline. Though a Master by rank, much of the Elder-level abilities are beyond his power. Because of this, Shadow tends to attack quickly and decisively, before letting his Jedi-trained adversaries a chance to channel the Force.

After his capture and subsequent escape from a Yuuzhan Vong slaveship, much of Shadow’s nonchalant attitude was lost, replaced with a growing hunger to avenge himself and his Clan. Working with the Brotherhood’s warriors, Shadow used what he had learned aboard the slaveship to help teach younger Jedi how to battle the Force-invisible foes. But this only fueled his rage, and he decided to pursue his own vengeance, leaving the Brotherhood behind for many months. Having returned at last, Shadow stands poised to lead Clan Taldryan into a final battle with the Vong.

Biography

Early Life (5 BBY - 5 ABY)

Born on Coronet City, the Capital of Corellia in 5 BBY, four years before the creation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. His father, Garren, was a senior officer in the Corellian Security Force, a well-respected and powerful man. As a toddler, he followed Garren everywhere he went. He was lovingly called his father's little shadow, which eventually became a nickname that stuck. They lived a comfortable life during those early years, but that peaceful existence was not meant to last.

As it turned out, his father had been cutting deals with the local crime syndicate. In exchange for paying off his debt, he made sure that certain evidence would never make it out of CorSec headquarters and kept his men out of the Blue Sector to keep from interfering with the illegal activities going on there. In 2 BBY, when Shadow's father was drafted into military service, the protection he had traded for was gone. The debts returned, along with favors owed, so Shadow and his mother were forced to sell their home, still indebted to the Syndicate.

Abandonment Issues

With his father on the other side of the galaxy and his mother working for the Syndicate, Shadow was forced to grow up fast and learn fend for himself. Left to wander the sprawling city alone he quickly picked up basic survival instincts, managing to avoid the more violent slums and make friends in the tougher gangs, though most of his free time was spent hanging CorSec headquarters and running errands for his father's old buddies. In return, they would pass him a few credits every now and then and let him practice with their weapons and equipment. Eventually, they even took to teaching him some hand-to-hand combat skills.

Trials of Youth (5 ABY - 16 ABY)

Independence

For the first time in his life, Shadow was truly alone in the galaxy. His father was all but dead to him and he had no other kin on Corellia. With the entire galaxy before him, Shadow sought to travel to the most distant stars. With the help of one of his father's old friends, he managed to get hired aboard a smuggling vessel, the Silver Tongue. The Captain, Odis, kept him on as little more than a laborer. He was made to stay inside during negotiations and always had to load and offload cargo with an old lifting droid. The only real pleasure he got from the job was sitting at a viewport watching the stars fly by or seeing a planet from space before they touched down.

It wasn't until they returned to Corellia that things went wrong. Docked at Centerpoint Station, Odis got into an argument over payment, which led to a violent altercation. The Captain and his co-pilot were taken down in a hail of gunfire before their pistols could be drawn.

Corellia

Shadow had reacted faster than them, hurling himself behind the ramp of the ship and drawing his bryar pistol. He forced himself to remain still, though he had never felt more of an urge to run. Before he could make a move, he heard an odd hiss followed by a vibrant humming. Shouts were quickly followed by screams and bursts of blaster fire. He didn't know what was happening, but he didn't dare run now. Quite suddenly all was silent, but for the odd humming noise. Forcing himself to move, Shadow slid out from cover and fired two shots. Both blasts were ricocheted off of a glowing red blade, then his weapon was yanked from his hand by an invisible force.

The man turned the mysterious weapon off and handed Shadow's pistol back to him. The stranger was a man of about forty, with prematurely white hair and sharp features. He wore a tattered brown cloak, black combat boots, and limped heavily on his left foot, and had somehow saved Shadow's life. He introduced himself as Kotus, a former Sovereign Protector, one of the elite guardsmen that had once served the Emperor. He claimed to have a limited understanding of the Force, but was quite adept at lightsaber combat. He said he had felt Shadow's need and realized he had Jedi-potential. Kotus held out a hand and offered him a small, unadorned lightsaber hilt... and the training he would need to use it.

Apprenticeship

"Let's go, old man. We're not getting into another fight over your damned Empire."

―Shadow, calming down a drunk Kotus.

Shadow's apprenticeship spanned nearly a decade. During that time, Kotus taught him the intricacies of wielding a lightsaber and using the Force to enhance his battle prowess to overcome impossible odds. The lessons started out simple enough, learning of the various lightsaber and Force forms and meditating while traveling hyperspace. He advanced quickly with the lightsaber. They began sparring every day and discussing the Force at night, though Shadow preferred physical combat to mental.

Whenever they weren't training, they would be in the heart of a city, exploring dangerous slums, earning money playing cards or betting on the local races. With his limited knowledge of the Force, Kotus always stacked the odds in their favor, which kept them fed and bought them a bed to sleep on... usually with a moderately priced whore for company. Shadow's years spent training taught him as much about life and the galaxy as it did about the Force and the Jedi arts. Their travels took them from the stunning capital of Coruscant to the ghettos of Nar Shadaa and everywhere in between.

File:Nar shadaa streets.jpg

Streets of Nar Shadaa

Wherever they traveled, though, they drew trouble to them like a magnet. Trouble over cards and dice, over women, over the Empire. Shadow didn't buy into Imperial or Republic propaganda, but always backed his master, usually saving their necks when things got out of hand. Kotus would call it "hands-on training" once he sobered up, but Shadow didn't mind. He enjoyed the time he spent amongst the scum of the galaxy. Whether in the seedy bars and brothels or working for crime lords and bounty hunters, Shadow felt at home.

Discovery

"You abandoned us. You abandoned us and she died. I'll kill you!"

―Shadow, discovering the truth about his father

The Fallen

"He was an asshole, a drunk, and a whore-monger... the best teacher I could have ask for."

―Shadow, reflecting on his father's death

As his father's lifeless body slumped to the ground, Shadow heightened awareness revealed he was not alone. A lone man stood behind him, radiating darkness. Still filled with hatred, he turned around and lashed out with the Force, sending a crushing wave of energy at the intruder. The man waved his hand deflecting the attack and let out a low, mocking laugh. Enraged, Shadow jumped him, his lightsaber swinging for the man's head. A white blade flashed in the near-darkness and blocked the attack. Shadow spun backwards and prepared to swing again, but his lightsaber was yanked from his hand. He was defenseless. Beaten. Ripples of amusement spread through the Force, causing renewing Shadow's rage. Before he could rise and attack again, the flawless white blade was just before his neck. He stared up into the darkness of the man's cloaked face and awaited his death.

However, Shadow was once again sparred that grim fate. The cloaked man introduced himself as Keirdagh Cantor, and offered Shadow further training and more power than he could possibly imagine. Keirdagh explained that he was a member of a Dark Brotherhood, a group of fallen Jedi who had joined together after the fall of the Empire. Those with potential were brought to the planet Eos, where their training could be completed in secret. Away from the New Republic and Luke Skywalker's fledgling Jedi Academy. The choice was obvious. Turning his back on his previous life, on the lies and deceit and betrayals, Shadow accepted Keirdagh's offer and was named an Apprentice of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood.

The Dark Side (16 ABY - 18 ABY)

Shadow Academy

"Forget the karking Force. Give me back my lightsaber!"

―Acolyte Shadow, Force training

Shadow's transition to the rigid training practices of the Shadow Academy was far from smooth. Having spent so many years with free reign over his lessons, the rules imposed on him by the Brotherhood were quite constraining. The worst of it was the loss of his lightsaber. The last remnant of his old life that his father had given him so many years ago, that he had trained with and fought with, was taken away because his rank precluded the ownership of such a weapon. It was this inflexibility that turned him against the Academy and, for many years, he would only speak of it with disdain.

His initial lightsaber training was boring. He was already well-versed in the core forms, which made relearning the basic marks of contact and maneuvers very unappealing. Shadow instead decided to prove himself worthy for advancement by challenging a group of Jedi from the Intermediate class. After handily defeating his first three opponents, the other members of the class attacked him as one. The training sabers they used were non-lethal, but the wounds they inflicted were still painful. All but one joined against him. A fellow human helped him to fend off the onslaught, a young man by the named of SwipeR, who had just recently been promoted.

The two eventually managed to fight their way to a stand-off, when the senior instructors stepped in and reprimanded them both for starting fights. Their punishment, though, was an early promotion to the advanced class. The two bonded quickly after that and worked together to complete the rest of their training.

Despite his quick succession through the lightsaber classes, the study of the Force was an altogether different matter. As his teachers so often pointed out to him, he was far too impulsive to grasp the "depth and subtle nuance" of the Force. This inability on his part didn't overly concern him. Shadow preferred to rely on quick thinking and physical skill to defeat his enemies. However, it was required that he learn something of the Force to advance so, through strict training regiments and solitary meditation, he gained a limited understanding of the most practical techniques. Instead of harnessing the raw power of the Dark Side to reign destruction upon others, he opted instead to learn abilities that would further enhance his combat prowess.

Beginning of the End

"Pathetic. I could learn more from a kriffing bantha."

―Shadow, frustrated with the leaders of House Galeres

Shortly after being promoted to the rank of Acolyte and graduating from the Shadow Academy, Shadow stood at a crossroads. Because of his unfavorable attitude, the Headmaster suggested he transfer to House Galeres, the Obelisk House of Clan Arcona thinking it would be the best fit for him. The Headmaster was greatly mistaken. Incessant squabbling was the prevailing atmosphere in Galeres and general activity was lacking, but events outside of the Clan were moving at a fast pace.

At the meager rank of Acolyte, Shadow was more or less unaware of the mounting conflict in the Brotherhood. Grand Master Zoraan was abusing his power and lashing out at the Clans, which he felt were trying to usurp him. This power struggle quickly erupted into a full scale war, as forces from the Emperor's Hammer allied with certain Clans to take the Grand Master down. Though he was no where near the battle, Shadow was told tales of the Force Storm that was unleashed and tore the Dark Hall asunder. After the battle, and oblivious to the possible future repercussions, the Dark Council surrendered to the will of the Hammer's Fleet Commander and allowed him to appoint the next Grand Master.

Arcona had been indecisive during the conflict, instead falling prey to drawn out and pointless debates. This inaction during a time of crisis proved to Shadow that he did not belong with this Clan. His leaders were barely competent and he had received no further training since his time in the Academy. Days after the destruction on Eos, Shadow was at the nearest starport waiting for a transport, leaving nothing more than a datapad informing his Summit that he was transferring.

Shadow began to question his decision to join the Brotherhood. The galaxy was vast and his unique skills would be an incredible asset in nearly any occupation. As he mulled over the possibilities in his future he realized he was being watched. He looked up to see two figures waiting before an immaculate shuttle- one brash and excited, the other cold and calculating. Shadow realized the former was his Academy friend, SwipeR and he was quickly introduced to the latter. Sharad Hett was a Quaestor looking for tough, capable Dark Jedi to rebuild his House. At SwipeR's urging, Shadow agreed to accompany them back to Kaiburr, the home planet of House Dinaari.

Revelations (26 ABY - 29 ABY)

Battle of Antei

"The only things for us here now are death and pride. Both are fatal."

―Aabsdu Dupar, lamenting the loss of Antei

Rise From the Darkness (30 ABY)

"They're dead. They're all dead."
"You learn to live with it."
"How can you live with this? How can anyone live with this?"
"Because if they don't, they die from it."

―Shadow Taldrya escorting two dignitaries through the trail of corpses left in the wake of a Vong attack

Physical Appearance

Shadow stands at nearly two meters tall and weighs roughly 92 kilograms. Due to the amount of strenuous physical training, Shadow is well-muscled, but quite graceful due to years of lightsaber training. His hair is the darkest of blacks, parted to one side and slightly curling at his shoulders. Shadow's eyes are a reflective brown, though when he his overcome by anger his piercing gaze can rattle all but the bravest of Jedi. Though he ignores most of the forms of etiquette, Shadow carries himself with a quiet dignity, and walks nobly when charged with important duties. Despite this, Shadow is well known for being laid back when with his friends, and few would recognize the honorable warrior from the mocking trickster found in the common rooms of Dinaari's headquarters.

Because most of his life is spent in training, Shadow tends to forgo the use of traditional robes and wears simple, black combat boots and a black tunic with blue trim cinched at the waist by a wide leather belt decorated with silver emblems. Shadow's latest crafted lightsabers are always resting on his belt accompanied by his Echani knife. When the weather makes it necessary, Shadow wears a simple black cloak over top of his regular tunic. Attached to his right leg is a self-made holster for his modified Bryar pistol and is at his side at all times outside of training. When formality is required, Shadow dons his hooded cloak and his finest robes complete with silver trim and Order-blue sash.

A man of few words, Shadow tends to present one of two personalities to those around him. One, a light-hearted joker with a somewhat flippant attitude towards authority. When in battle, however, the nonchalant, humorous demeanor is replaced with grim severity. He focuses on his opponents - their styles, their moves, their reliance on the Force, and uses that knowledge to plan his attack. His almost dual personality has served him well and he has long walked the line between Brotherhood leader and Clan warrior.

Powers and abilities

Lightsaber Forms

After his preliminary training with Form Zero, Shadow chose to advance in the simple yet elegant form of Shii-Cho, working on the theory that the most basic of the forms held the potential for the greatest strength. He favored this form due to its usefulness in taking on multiple opponents at once, which he was prone to do often in his early days. As part of his desire for renown, Shadow initiated many fights with members of superior standing in the Brotherhood, just to test his mettle against those who would call themselves his better. Shii-Cho served his purpose well, but as his skill and experience grew, he felt the desire to expand on his knowledge.

Soresu was a natural second choice because, outside of the Brotherhood and the New Jedi Order, most of the Galaxy relied on blaster technology. A strong defense was every bit as good as an offense when it came to lightsaber combat, thus Shadow began rigorously training again. However, after making use of the form during a Rite of Supremacy, Shadow felt that Soresu was lacking a certain edge – an edge he felt Djem So did have. With his skill in Shii-Cho and competency with Soresu, Shadow quickly picked up the aggressively defensive form and worked towards mastering it as he had Form I.

Upon his ascendancy to the rank of Primarch, Shadow decided to further develop his combat prowess by adopting a second lightsaber. The ability to utilize twin blades to form a cohesive defense and offense was greatly appealing, and so Shadow crafted himself a second blade of the Type-2 format, which was better suited to his offhand. Though he chose his first form for its simplicity, Shadow felt to truly master the use of dual lightsabers he would need a form of combat that was not widely used. He decided to forgo the traditional Jar'Kai Niman training and opted for the more recently re-discovered lightsaber form known as Shien. Shien was archaic, pre-dating many of the current forms in use by both Jedi and Sith, but it proved to be a deadly style once mastered. Currently, Shien is Shadow’s primary form and he currently wields two lightsabers – his regularly-styled hilt in one hand, and a smaller lightsaber in his offhand.

Fighting Styles

The Brotherhood offered many styles of unarmed combat to its young members, ranging from the most basic to elite styles that were rarely taught in the Galaxy. Shadow, however, found himself drawn to the near non-existent art of Echani, which few studied and even fewer mastered. Unfortunately, even in the Brotherhood Echani was a rare art, and it wasn’t until he was appointed Commander of the Guard that Shadow began learning this elite art.

Upon his appointment, it was deemed that he would learn this ancient form from a former leader of House Dinaari, Kir Katarn. Kir, having studied the art as part of his Storm Commando training long before he was aware of his latent force abilities. The two began training under the direction of the Grand Master, working through each technique and advancing their understanding of the style.

Before his training could be completed, though, Shadow resigned his post as Commander because he had become tired of the corruption and complacency of the Council. But, instead of ending his instruction, Kir decided to continue without the Council’s permission, as they were both members of Taldryan, and Shadow had proven to be an apt pupil. The time finally came when master and student squared off in a live match using custom-made Echani blades. Shadow completed his trial by finishing the fight without a single strike penetrating his defense. The young Obelisk earned the right to wield his Echani knives that day, and became one of the few to master the ancient art.

Lightsabers

Shadow's first lightsaber was presented to him by Grand Master Jac Cotelin, upon his ascending to the rank of Dark Jedi Knight. A simple, old-fashioned design, it served him well

Custom Lightsaber, Normal Hilt

Custom Lightsaber, Normal Hilt

as the newly appointed leader of House Dinaari.

Upon achieving the rank of Battle Master, Shadow decided it was time to upgrade his lightsaber. To this end, he sought out the current Head Master, Spears Tarentae, and commissioned him to create two, almost identical hilts. The two weapons were designed to resemble the fallen Sith Lord, Darth Vader's, though one was colored blood red and the other Obelisk-blue. However, it wasn't long after this that the Primarch wanted to expand his training in the archaic form of Shien, which was better suited to a curved hilt. For this he approached the Herald, Muz Keibatsu, and requested the creation of two new hilts - one normal and the other in the type two variant. Both emitted silver blades and were etched with an unknown symbol.

During the events of the Eighth Great Jedi War, Shadow lost his lightsabers when captured by the Yuuzhan Vong. After his escape, Shadow went about creating a new set to use, which would compliment his preferred combat Form of Shien. Opting for simplicity over style, the Adept chose a basic hilt design using blued steel for the base with onyx and graphite forming the grips of the normal and just onyx for the curved hilt. A small sapphire lay embedded near the emitters, which shines brightly when the blades are active. Though his original crystals were lost, Shadow decided to manufacture his own silver-hued focusing crystals as a tribute to the trials he faced during his capture. Both blades emit a lustrous silver glow that tapers at just under a meter and a half in length. Once completed, Shadow handed the weapons to the Herald Shikyo Keibatsu who used his alchemical skills to bind the weapons to the Adept.

After a brief sojourn across the galaxy, searching out the knowledge in how to defeat the Vong in combat, Shadow returned to the Brotherhood with a desire to modify his weapons once again. Opting to lose the curved hilt, he instead used the template of his other lightsaber and created a shoto - a lightsaber with a smaller hilt that emitted a shorter blade. This combination would serve to give himself more room for attacks, while increasing his ability to quickly parry attacks.

Trivia

• First member of the Brotherhood awarded with the title Grand Whore of the Brotherhood
• Served as Dinaari Quaestor twice
• Four time winner of the "Tally's" People's Choice award
• Trademark IRC moves are thrusting and bending people over tables
• Created the first working draft of the Brotherhood's Rites of Combat for then High Commander Korras
• Shadow's table was a gift from Benevolent Whiner
• Created the first draft of the Proconsul Handbook
• One of the pioneers of the deadly art of bryar ownage, but cooler than Kir
• SECOND longest serving Quaestor of House Dinaari at 1 year, 1 month and 19 days (damn you, Vlad!)
• Shadow once served as both Acting Obelisk High Commander and Acting Commander of the Guard at the same time
• Shadow shares a similar style of Form Shien with Adept Korras of Tarentum
• Received his Echani training from Kir Taldrya Katarn
• First member to receive the newly created Pendant of Blood medal
• Created the uber awesome CTF Primer for DB members to master the sexy art of CTF
• Plays the Flag Runner position in CTF and "bunnies" when he can
• December 15, 2002 - Shadow starts thrusting
• November 10, 2003 - Shadow starts bending people over chairs
• March 01, 2004 - Benevolent destroys Shadow's chair in a jealous rage
• March 03, 2004 - Benevolent replaces the chair with Shadow's stain-proof, indestructable table
• Shadow won the first SHAFT CTF Edition competition in March
• On October 31, 2007 Shadow regretfully became a Bryar Bitch
• Though not officially accredited with its demise, Shadow believes that he himself had much to do with the awesome destruction of the entity known as the Club of Shame aka the DBPA

Sharad Hett	Quaestor of House Dinaari 20 ABY - 21 ABY	Pimp SwipeR
Shaithis Var'rek	Quaestor of House Dinaari 23 ABY - 24 ABY	Benevolent Taldrya Whiner
Sharad Taldrya Hett	Proconsul of Clan Taldryan 24 ABY - (Held for six months)	Benevolent Taldrya Whiner
Kir Taldrya Katarn	Consul of Clan Taldryan 24 ABY - 25 ABY	Duga Taldrya Arkarso
Benevolent Taldrya Whiner	Proconsul of Clan Taldryan 26 ABY - 27 ABY	Chaosrain Taldrya
Korras	Gaming Tribune 27 ABY - 29 ABY	Angelo Dante
Juda Kodiak Erinos	Deputy Combat Master 28 ABY - 29 ABY	Zandro Savric Erinos
Chaosrain Taldrya	Consul of Clan Taldryan 29 ABY	N/A