Eiko Lanzer, commonly known only by his first name, is a Obelisk Templar. He served as the second Quaestor of Independent House Revan, leading from 33 ABY until the House's closure in 35 ABY. He served as part of the Dark Council's staff as Praetor to Grand Master Muz Ashen. While regarded as a capable fighter, he has gained a stronger reputation as a subtle manipulator, information broker, and even-tempered councilor.
Character History
Kabaira
11 ABY to 25 ABY
The planet Kabaira
Raised by his godfather on Kabaira, Eiko grew up with little information about his parents. No official documents exist which determine his true age, though he was born sometime between late 11 ABY and early 13 ABY.
Around 19 ABY, he began working as a courier throughout town. As the Pellaeon-Gavrisom Treaty ended most hostilities between the Alliance and the Imperial Remnant, the planet's economy suffered as medical exports were no longer in demand. By 25 ABY, union violence escalated. Eiko was grazed in the thigh by a blaster bolt while protecting another courier; the attacker suffered several broken ribs.
With minimal supplies, Eiko fled the planet alone. His godfather passed away of natural causes only a few months after his escape. Eiko received the news over a year later, on the sixth anniversary of the Pellaeon-Gavrisom Treaty.
Ione
27 ABY to 32 ABY
Aran Tonor
Eiko settled on Ione after traveling along major trade routes, earning money by getting involved in information brokering and low-end smuggling. He invested in a business opportunity with Lutrillian entrepreneurs looking to break into the grey areas of weapons trade. As one of the primary backers was brought under investigation by local authorities, the idea folded and Eiko looked to recover from the loss.
He began studying Dulon in his free time, training under an instructor by the name of Aran Tonor. From Tonor, Eiko learned the basic elements of traditional sword fighting and aesthetic arts. Along with a few other students, Eiko was highly lauded in Tonor's studio and speculation suggested that he and Jaina Dabrini would inherit Tonor's studio after the teacher's retirement.
Tonor, a Grey Jedi in hiding, eventually addressed Eiko's latent Force ability and cut off all lessons in swordwork. Once Eiko had the resources to leave world, he visited his teacher one last time. He stole several records pertaining to the Jedi as well as Tonor's steel katana. Tonor caught and chased him from the room, cutting off the terminal three fingers of Eiko's left hand with his lightsaber blade.
Eiko's departure from Ione brought him back to the same transient lifestyle that had sustained him earlier. He tracked a rogue Jedi, Tratorus, that he'd seen on Harrin until he finally reached the Dark Brotherhood.
Sigma Horizon and Salas V
32 ABY to 35 ABY
Shortly after completing his entrance tests, Eiko was placed in House Ektrosis. He spent the majority of his time studying. He quickly transfered into Independent House Revan.
The War for Salas V
House Revan
Eiko entered House Revan just as the House was beginning their campaign to claim Salas V from the killiks against the efforts of the Brotherhood's clans. In the wake of the conflict, in reflection of his service alongside Tratorus, he was promoted to Proselyte and rewarded with his first medal, the Anteian Cross.
Eiko took to the study of other martial arts, studying in Kartranin and committing himself to the philosophies of the Brotherhood.
The Way of Revan
Eiko achieved Protector and was accepted as the apprentice of Callus Bo'Amar, the Rollmaster of the House. He pressed Callus repeatedly to teach him higher level material such as the lightsaber form of Soresu, but Bo'Amar refused.
- "I feared what would happen if you were taught to use a gift as a weapon."
- ―Aran Tonor, 33 ABY
As a Guardian, Eiko fought competitively against then-Knight Luciferus Leviathan. During the match, Eiko flew into a rage and shot the Knight repeatedly. While Leviathan's injuries would later heal, the act of aggression broke Eiko to his own lack of control. His studies turned almost exclusively to understanding "The Way of Revan." He abandoned physical training for a time, studying in solitude. He continued his training in Banlath with Callus, but struggled with showing the proper amount of urgency in his technique.
With Callus's urging, he pursued the vacant position of Aedile within the House and was accepted into the post by Raken. He spent several weeks of his term on a search of Ralltiir for his former master, Aran Tonor. In a fight that erupted in Eiko's rented rooms, Eiko wounded his former master. The physical and emotional stresses would eventually kill the older Jedi.
Upon his promotion to Jedi Hunter, Eiko changed orders from Krath to Obelisk and began the construction of his first mask meant to protect himself during future journeys.
The House of Revan
Raken's departure from the public affairs of the House kicked off a transition in the leadership of the House. Eiko was installed as Quaestor by the Grand Master, supported by Ashia Kagan Keibatsu, who became the House's Aedile. The other Keibatsu in Revan began an investigation to determine the extent of Raken and Sarin's conspiracies against the Iron Throne.
- Eiko: "Revan Nian - the Way of Revan. It is not... just questions about perfection."
- Mitsuhide: "It is perfection, in a way. But not perfection as a quest - these things won't be solved by questions. Perfection as a journey. A refinement. Revan Nian is / the tempering of a blade / that slides through marrow."
- ―Discussion of the Way of Revan
At the time of his appointment, House Revan was both powerful and fragmented as its membership pursued their goals separately and silently. Eiko continued his private studies, traveling to Kyataru to meet with Mitsuhide Akechi, a retainer to the Keibatsu family, and study Mitsuhide's collection of holocrons and refine his own beliefs. He expressed a disdain for the set doctrines of the Brotherhood and a distrust of the politics of the Brotherhood in private conversations with Mitsuhide.
His promotion to Dark Jedi Knight came on the eve of the pitched battles of Disorder, hampering his efforts to stabilize his House. Eiko fought alongside other Obelisk leaders, reclaiming Temple Boyna and forging ahead with the assistance of Shaz'air Taldrya to assist in the recovery of holocrons in the Triumvirate Library. As news finally arrived that the traitor Michael Halcyon had sparked the conflict, the battles drew to a close, leaving Eiko to pull together the members of Revan and rebuild the unity of the House.
The following year passed under the cover of silence. Leadership in the Dark Council experienced turnover and the Keibatsu members of House Revan transfered back to House Naga Sadow. Eiko brought his old master, Callus Bo'Amar, back into the leadership of the House as the Aedile. Few House members remained in contact with the Summit, though progress on the House's system of safe houses continued forward.
As the celebration of the Exodus came to bear on the events of the Fourth Independence Games, Eiko traveled without escort to Antei to participate in the events. Defeated in several rounds of gladitorial combat, Eiko spent more time gathering information from the other Houses. He began training regularly with the Grand Master's Royal Guard in The Spike.
In a bid for control and a safeguard against future setbacks, Eiko and Callus began working to claim a stake in Thyferran bacta production. Once completed, the aim was to draw emergency bacta supplies from the planet's dominant producer through Sun-Manadyne's transports. While never used, the project was ultimately succesful.
Shortly afterwars, Eiko was elevated to the rank of Templar for his leadership of the House. His training in the Spike brought him into the Second Echelon of guardsmen. He spent most of his time on Antei, working through Revan's networks to ensure that the other Houses would not turn against Revan. He also took on his first apprentice, James Roberts-Brannigan, who eventually took on the role of Aedile for the House.
- "My time here is ended. Take what I have taught you and use it well."
- ―Darth Revan's Holocron
The next exertion of Revanite power came in tracking House Scholae Palatinae to the wreckage of the Oppressor-Class Battle Cruiser 'Merciless' in the Harlot's Veil. After battling through the ship's defenses with other Revanites, Plagueians, and Palatinae, Eiko emerged scarred. The side of his face had been burned in a console explosion and cauterized by Alaris Jinn di Plagia. He worked to reconstruct files he'd drawn from the Merciless that offered the opportunity to claim some of the secrets left by Darth Revan. To preserve his life from outside threats as he worked, he began using clones, androids, and other means of duplicating his identity.
- "Someone needs to walk the Nek."
- ―Raken Protocol code phrase
The Invasion of New Tython was the first and last time that Eiko led House Revan as a whole unit into conflict. After the war, Eiko released a message to all the House, enacting the Raken Protocol and silencing the House's agents and networks until the house could be reconstructed. House Revan was shut down and its membership dispersed among the remainder of the Brotherhood.
Antei
35 ABY to 36 ABY
After the closing of his House, Eiko remained unattached to any of the Clans or Houses, but stayed alongside the Dark Council as Praetor to the Deputy Grand Master Halcyon Taldrya.
Praetor
Through the opportunities of being a Praetor, Eiko worked to rebuild his own intelligence network in the wake of Voice Vodo Biask Taldrya's growing power. The Voice was gaining reputation with Darth Ashen as both Halcyon Taldrya and Eiko suffered losses to their assets. Without reawakening Revan's networks, Eiko worked to strengthen the Shadow Hand's position and sap the Voice's control slowly.
In medical reports filed around the time of his appointment, mild hypertension and elevated heart rate are repeatedly mentioned. Despite the involvement of Vodo in the collapse of Revan, Eiko maintained an outward calm towards the Twi'lek.
The Ghost of Revan
Eiko persisted in his desire to understand more about Revan even after the dissolution of his House. From his time aboard the 'Merciless', Eiko maintained the shards of recording medium. After cleaning and organizing the data, the information revealed the possibility of reclaiming a functioning copy of Revan's final holocron and deepened Eiko's interest in Darth Jadus, a member of the Dark Council around the time of the Great Galactic War. AS of yet, the information has led nowhere except to Eiko's musings about the possibilities of hearing more on Revan's redemption or Jadus's ambitions.
Ascendancy
Towards the close of 35 ABY, Eiko reentered the main body of the Brotherhood as a Plagueian. He took a second apprentice, Kalatosh Phaa, a promising Togruta student. Much of his time was spent building and rebuilding relationships with then-Quaestor Tra'an Reith, a former Revanite, and Aedile Kal Vorrac, who had served as Plagueis's leader when Eiko had been Quaestor.
Eiko's entrance into Plagueis was closely followed by the Horizons incident.
Wreckage
36 ABY to 39 ABY
In Progress
The Ghost of Eiko
39 ABY to Present
Eiko's reappearance came in 39 ABY, after...
Descriptions
Appearance
Eiko stands at a modest 1.7 meters. His dark brown hair is kept short and often obscured by his hood and mask. He lost the terminal three fingers of his left hand to Aran Tonor's lightsaber while fleeing Ione; the fingers are replaced by cybernetics that focus on silent operation and precision over speed.
Eiko rarely removes his mask - a handmade design that he is always adapting to suit his world. Covering his entire head down to hi collar, it contains water bladders that can be hydrolized into oxygen and hydrogen, used to power air scrubers, optics, speakers, recorders, and vocal anonymizers. When required to remove his mask, he often wraps his face in fabric that will hide his distinctive scars. The right side of his face is dominated by burns he received on the Merciless, sometimes limiting his ability to speak clearly.
His clothing is usually simple, consisting of a black cloak wrapped completely around his body. Underneath the cloak, he wears his old House's unique Revanchist armor. In combat, he will drop the cloak from his shoulders to access the holster kept underneath his left arm. Outside of Brotherhood space, he will keep his lightsaber hanging from a quick-release point on the holster. Inside the Veil, he keeps his lightsaber at his belt.
During travels, he maintains a bandolier of poisons and explosives whenever possible. A canvas flight jacket, flight pants, gloves, and simple brown cloak form his prefered travel outfit; he will wear a patterned dust-scarf if his mask will draw undue attention.
Personality and Traits
The impression of Revan on Eiko's philosophies may never fade. After joining the Brotherhood, Eiko worked to undo years of distrust and nomadic tendencies that left him reclusive and secretive. In Revan, he found a place where he not only belonged, but was allowed to prove himself, both as a leader and as the head of Revan's intelligence networks.
Eiko is rarely stirred to speak, preferring to analyze and weigh his words before joining the conversation. His quiet nature is as much a product of his temperment as his situation; while surrounded by powerful members in both his House and the Dark Summit, rash decisions could fuel a loss of support or even spark a violent upheaval. Dismissive of tradition, Eiko sees innovative strategy and iconoclastic philosophy as a means to achievement. Ultimately driven by a desire to understand, Eiko is ultimately respectful of any others - especially his opponents.
The stress of leadership brought Eiko into a deeper appreciation of aesthetic pursuits such as calligraphy, poetry, metalwork, delicate electronics design, sewing, and the study of history and literature.
Despite the natural ease of his personality, the transition into his place as Praetor and the struggle against Vodo Biask Taldrya have pushed Eiko closer to violent emotions than he ever had been in his life up until that point. While he understands how anger can fog his judgment, he is quicker to unleash his emotions when provoked.
Mannerisms and Preferences
His preference for seafood, specifically fish rich in vitamin D, arose during his childhood on Kabaira and supplemented by his later need for the nutrients as he took to wearing a mask more regularly.
His writings and recordings are often phrased in minimalist styles such as haikai verse and sentence fragments. They reference his perspectives on affairs in the Brotherhood and his personal study of other writings.
Posessions
Nal-Huttese Calligraphy of "Eiko"Eiko is often seen carrying his lightsaber and a refurbished BlasTech DC-15s sidearm from the Clone Wars. The blaster was service-used piece, marked with the original owner's red paint and Mandalorian text.
Aran Tonor's katana and a wall-hanging from Jaina Dabrini featuring his name in calligraphic Nal-Huttese are the only decorations from his time on Ione. He keeps a small collection to tools for adjusting, customizing, and fixing his mask.
He retains the Revanchist armor from his former House, maintaining it on his own, as well as a small wardrobe for travel. He keeps a small collection of poisons and light explosives in a bandolier for less delicate operations.
Man of Masks
The Electrum Mask Eiko's original design for a mask featured a simple, smooth exterior with a single red stripe along the left side, offset so that it covered the shallow "eye" of the mask. He has adjusted it regularly to update its features and improve its usefulness. Multiple visual settings, voice anonymization, air scrubbing, and refiltering electrolysis make the mask ultimately unique to Eiko's needs. He never rebuilt the refiltering electrolysis system into any other masks since the system, which splits water or moisture from breath into breathable oxygen and hydrogen fuel, required more resources than Eiko could put into each mask.
On very rare occasions, Eiko wears an electrum-plated mask in the style of Revan's own mask, a gift from Kal Vorrac who served on the Dark Summit early in Eiko's time as Quaestor and worked to foster a stronger relationship between House Plageius and House Revan. The mask features many of the same features as Eiko's original mask, but the refiltering electrolysis system was not included in Kal's work. The mask served as a ceremonial piece during Eiko's time in Revan. In the wake of the House's closure, the mask was relegated to a decoration and memento.
DJB Facts
Positions Held
Trivia
- Under Fremoc's service as Fist, Eiko was the first member of the GMRG to earn a 100% on the entrance exam.