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What A Wonderful Smell You've Discovered... This article has become severely out of date and is currently flagged for revision by the Invictus.
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Mal'ari'carun is a Krath Priest and member of House Marka Ragnos of Clan Naga Sadow. More commonly known by his Core Name, Alaric, he has long served the Brotherhood. Though his journeys have often taken him further from the Brotherhood, and for longer periods of time, than he would have liked, he continues to remain faithful to his House and Clan. He has held several positions in the Dark Brotherhood, from Magistrate to Quaestor to Dark Councilor (as the Combat Master was considered at the time). At the moment, however, he is content simply to enjoy time spent with his House and Clan.
Character History
The following sections will contain a detailed history of Mal'ari'carun's life. Unfortunately, the primary source has been lost to the ages and, thus, it must be reconstructed bit by bit. Your patience is appreciated.
Csilla
Parentage and Birth
The Chiss are one of the few races in which using sentients as servants is still a common practice. Most servants are feudal, the familial line working for the same House over many generations. For twelve generations, Er'carun's family had served House Nuruodo. Originally they were laborers, but four generations ago An'carun changed the course of the family forever. An act of uncommon bravery earned him the prefix Ari and a spot among the bodyguards of the Head of Nuruodo. Since that day, the line of Ari'an'carun had served Nuruodo with distinction. Er'carun's father had even been a close advisor to the Head of Nuruodo. Thus was the stage set for Er'carun's life and death.
Expectations were high for Er'carun. It was expected he would follow in his father's footsteps, becoming guard and advisor to Nuruodo (as the Patriarch of the Hosue was often referred). Er'carun worked hard, his hours filled with little more than study. He was tutored alongside the nobility of the House that he might have an education worthy of the advisory position he would inherit. By his coming of age he was ready to assume his duties. He was also in love.
Odd though it may be for such a cold, calculating race, Chiss were known to be full of passion when they felt any emotion at all. Er experienced this the day he met Ia'nuruodo. The feeling was mutual. There was only one problem: If a female of the House married outside the House (with the exception of those [[[starwars:Trial-born|Trial-Born]]]), they forfeited everything, even their name. But to the young couple it was worth it, and she soon became Ia'carun. Nine months later, a child was born. He was named Ari, after the Patron of the Carun line, and high hopes were held for him. Little did the young parents know what heights and depths he would achieve.
Home Sweet Home
Formative Education
Chiss are not Human. No matter how much they might resemble that ubiquitous species on the outside, one cannot truly understand the Chiss without staying cognizant of the differences. Psychologically the differences are extreme, and most can be traced to the adolescence (or lack thereof) of the Chiss. There is nowhere this is more apparent than the education of member of a Chiss Ruling Family.
Whether due to normal evolutionary processes or environmental factors, the physical maturation process of a Chiss occurs at twice the rate of their Human “cousins”. By the age of two, Ari'carun was forming sentences and he began his schooling less than a year later. Given his father's position within House Nuruodo, and his expected position, he was tutored alongside the House nobility. Unlike the Aristocras and the Syndics, who acted as a front when dealing with other Families or Outsiders, the nobility were the true power within the House and those that decided what course it (and the Ascendancy) would take. By the age of six, Ari found himself well-schooled in the arts of politics, psychology, history and science. Educated well-beyond that of a commoner, even one affiliated with a Ruling Family or one Trial-Born, it was here that his education began to differ from his playmates. While the true rulers continued their education in the afore-mentioned subjects, Ari was given a new tutor. On the first day of his sixth year, roughly 25 BBY, he was introduced to his Brother-Made, Raw.
From that moment on, Raw'nuruodo was his teacher. Raw, too, had been born a commoner. However, he had been adopted by merit into House Nuruodo and his performance was such that he was matched into the bloodline so that his descendants would forever be a member of the Ruling House. Unknown to the outside world, Raw was also Tha'raik'nor Deit Nuruodo, or heir apparent to the ruler of House Nuruodo. In this capacity, he had been chosen to instruct Ari in the ways of combat, tactics and strategy. After all, when the day came that he assumed control of House Nuruodo, Ari would become his bodyguard and advisor. Under Mitth'raw'nuruodo's tutelage, Ari'carun grew strong of body and stronger of mind. He was made to travel with his tutor aboard his ship and watch as Raw commanded his picket force against invaders to the Chiss Ascendancy. As the days passed, his respect for Raw only grew, until he knew that he wanted to be everything Raw was. He wanted to be Tha'raik'nor Deit Nuruodo. However, given the impossibility for that, he knew he would do the best job possible at defender the Raik'nor's life. He was taught the ways of Echani by his tutor, becoming skilled in the use of his daggers, and even learned the outdated sword and jo. Most importantly, however, he learned strategy. He learned to think like his enemy and, by doing so, out-think them. He learned how to win. In the end, though, the most important thing he took away from the Frontier Worlds was the friendship of his adoptive brother, Thrawn.
Mal'ari'carun's Parents
Death and Rebirth
After five years of tutelage, news arrived that Er'carun and Ia'carun, Ari's father and mother, had died. During an attempted coup by the Chaf, Er and Ia had saved Nuruodo's life under extreme conditions and with full knowledge of his own demise as a result. Ari was asked to return home post-haste in light of this development. Shortly after his arrival on Csilla, Ari learned the reason he had been asked to return immediately (after all, his education would normally take precedence over any family matters). While no medals could be conveyed to Er or Ia, given that this would necessitate the revelation of the Nuruodo's identity to the CEDF, they were posthumously adopted into the Nuruodo House and named Trial-Born and Matched. This meant that Ari was no longer of the Carun line. There no longer was a Carun line. From that day forward, he would be Ari'nuruodo, of House Nuruodo.
Ari was no longer considered a child, having been adopted into a Family and being beyond his Coming of Age, he was expected to enlist in the CEDF and bring honor to House Nuruodo. However he still felt the same passion he had before, that to guard Tha'raik'nor Deit Nuruodo. In a rare moment of availability, he managed to gain an audience with Nuruodo and requested that he be allowed to take back his position as guard and advisor. When questioned as to his motivation, Ari explained that the entire Chiss Ascendancy rested on the power of the CEDF. The CEDF was ruled by House Nuruodo and for success should be led by the most capable member of the House. He had worked with Raw and testified, as was well known, that Raw was the most capable officer in the whole of the CEDF. As a result, the best action for the Ascendancy was that Raw live to become Nuruodo. This meant he needed a protector and that he himself was the best capable for the job. After much consideration, it was deemed to be permissible, and transportation for Ari was to be arranged back to the Frontier Worlds.
Chiss Ascendancy
Before this could happen, however, word reached Csilla of Thrawn's continual indifference toward the non-aggression policy of the Ascendancy. It was decided that he would be exiled, as was custom, to an uninhabited world. Needless to say, his title as Tha'raik'nor Deit Nuruodo was revoked. At this point, the most curious event of Ari's short life took place. Tha'raik'nor Deit Nuruodo was always conferred upon the eldest son of the Nuruodo, so long as he had the proper training, discipline and vision to due such a position justice. The honor could be challenged at a later date, should one be able to show himself more capable, but never had there been more than one heir (Chiss genetics do not allow for twin males due to mutations in the chromosomes, which also result in their odd aging process). Now, however, the eldest son was not one born, but one adopted into the House. Nuruodo's eldest child by birth was but eleven years old. This made him old enough to accept the title, and he had all the required training, but he was not the oldest son. Nuruodo had a son now by adoption as well, and one older than his own biological child. Ari'nuruodo. Thus was it determined that the right to become Heir Apparent would be determined as it had in ages past – a Trial by Fire.
Ascendancy Ascension
While millennia had passed since the last Trial by Fire, record of it was kept in the vaults belonging to House Nuruodo. It hearkened back to a time shortly after the Chiss began colonizing other worlds within their space. In the infancy of the Ascendancy, the Chiss were still barbaric, being closer to the modern Vagaari than their current selves. As a result, it was a trial of physical combat, against enormous odds, where only one survived. Despite his love for his son-born, Nuruodo knew that this was necessary. It was, after all, tradition alone which had kept the House strong and in power for over five thousand years.
While a detailed account of the Ascension (as the Trial by Fire was known) would be far too long for this article, a full account can be found here. Suffice it to say that after all was said and done, Ari was granted the surname Mal (“The Unseen” in Cheunh) and awarded the Leorals as a sign of his new post. He had achieved his dream and was Tha'raik'nor Deit Nuruodo.
Mal'ari'nuruodo's victory was short-lived for circumstances would soon give rise to yet another Ascension, of an entirely different order.
Invictus with the Nuruodo House Phalanx
Empire of the Hand
Two years passed in relative normalcy for Mal'ari'nuruodo as he assumed the duties of Tha'raik'nor Deit Nuruodo. He joined the ranks of the CEDF and quickly rose within them, showing similar tactical brilliancy as his predecessor but more restraint and respect for policy. He became the second-youngest commander of a Picket Force in the history of the CEDF and it was generally taken for granted that in a mere handful of years he would be an Admiral within the CEDF. Then the message from Thrawn arrived.
He had established an outpost on Nirauan and built up an impressive House Phalanx to command it. However, the message said he had been contacted by a force from outside Chiss Space which requested his assistance, and he might be gone for several years. It seemed he needed a Chiss to command the House Phalanx in his absence. The one thing which held more loyalty in Ari's heart than the Ascendancy was his Brother-Made. Within a week he resigned his commission and left for Nirauan.
He firmly believed that what Raw was doing, creating an outpost nearer the Galactic Core and attempting to help Outsiders so as to gather new technology and power for the Ascendancy, was the best possible course of action for the Chiss. For Ari, there was no dichotomy between the two ideals. Helping Raw meant helping the Ascendancy. With that in mind, and fully convinced he was right, he informed Nuruodo that he would be leaving Chiss space and would not resign the title of Tha'raik'nor Deit Nuruodo. There was protest among the House leaders and Ari was exiled. However, he took the Leorals with him and carries them to this day. The one thing he left on Csilla was the name Nuruodo. He knew he was forbidden to return, and declared that until such a time as the unjust banishment was ended, he would refuse to carry the name. He became Mal'ari'carun.
He lead the Empire of the Hand in Thrawn's absence, mapping the territories of the Unknown Regions and coordinating efforts between the House Phalanx and Thrawn's Imperial Forces. Eventually, after the tragic word of Thrawn's death above Bilbringi reached them, he ceded the day-to-day operations to Admiral Voss Parck and focused instead on a plan to unite all the forces of the Unknown Regions into a cohesive unit that might repel the Far Outsiders, which had already started invading Chiss space. Though Thrawn was rumored to have died, he refused to go ahead with the plans he conceived. After all, Thrawn had told them that if rumor reached them of his death, he would return within 10 standard years. In the meantime, Mal'ari'carun planned and waited.
He Never Did Return
Search of Sorrows
Ten years passed and Mal'ari'carun, now aged 25, knew that the Hand would soon be in trouble. Thrawn had been gone for over a decade, and yet no sign of him had been seen by anyone at the Hand. They had all relied on Thrawn's seeming infallibility and that kept them strong for over a decade. It kept Alaric strong for over a decade. However now, with every day that passed, it seemed less and less likely that Raw would return to take command of the Nirauan base. In desperation, he stepped down and promoted Voss Parck to Supreme Commander of the House Phalanx. Taking a Clawcraft, a vehicle of new design based on Imperial engineering, he left Nirauan and went out into the galaxy to search for Thrawn.
While traveling through known space, Alaric encountered rumors of a shadowy paramilitary force operating out of the Aurora system. Subsequent rumors and reports of battle tactics indicated they were being led by a Chiss tactician. Believing he may have finally found Raw, he traveled there, only to discover a neo-Imperial organization known as the Emperor's Hammer, led by an exiled Chiss calling himself Ronin.
Attempting to infiltrate this group to gain access to their intelligence database, hoping for a mention in it of Thrawn's last known location, he discovered a subgroup of Dark Jedi serving the Emperor's Hammer. Known as the [Dark Jedi Brotherhood], they were individuals of incredible power and, more startling, incredible cohesiveness. It was soon made aware to him that he was Force-Sensitive and, while he was not busy commanding various forces (including a fleet of twelve Modified Frigates) or flying with the Elite squadron Praetorian, the then-Major studied the Force. Eventually, he would dedicate himself full-time to the Dark Brotherhood.
Mark of the Wanderer
A Home to Call His Own
Over the next few years, Mal'ari'carun found himself becoming more and more dedicated to the Dark Brotherhood. Originally having joined to hone his Force abilities in the hopes of finding Raw, he now found himself enjoying it for its own sake. He rose in ranks until he was a Krath Priest, a fairly swift journey in his case. He found himself in Clan Taldryan and discovered a new home, a new family within its House Ektrosis. Eventually becoming Quaestor of Ektrosis, he also soon found himself an active staff member of the Antei Combat Centre and apprenticed to the Oracle himself. He continued to rise, becoming Combat Master in a time when it was still a position given a seat on the Dark Council. His crowning moment was being awarded the Mark of the Wanderer by the Oracle, Trevarus Caerick. Unfortunately, this was not to last. Mal'ari'carun soon disappeared entirely from the Brotherhood. It was years before he was seen again.
Myth is much more important and true than history.
A Journey in Vain
Mere months after being elevated to Combat Master, and days after being Marked, a rumor rushed through most of the galaxy. The Antei system was no exception. The mythic Grand Admiral who had almost defeated the New Republic had returned. Thrawn was back and leading the Imperial Remnant! Without a second thought, without even stopping to request a Leave of Absence, Mal'ari'carun left the Antei system and headed back to Known Space.
He soon reached the Imperial Remnant and boarded an Imperial convoy, using his obvious Chiss heritage to impress the commanding officer into allowing him passage. Careful inquiries revealed that Thrawn had set up operations on the Imperial Capitol of Bastion, which is where the convoy was headed. Two days out, however, Mal'ari'carun had a vision. He saw a Jedi Master infiltrating the facility at Nirauan and somehow killing Thrawn. The vision made no sense, since Raw was obviously on Bastion, but Alaric knew better than to question the Force and, once more entering his Clawcraft, he left the convoy for the Unknown Regions.
He arrived, only to find that the Jedi had already left, destroying half the facility first. Inspection of the destruction eventually led Mal'ari'carun to discover a secret cloning facility hidden under the Empire of the Hand, one designed to mature a clone of Mitth'raw'nuruodo himself. It, however, had been destroyed beyond repair. Knowing now that Raw would never return, he left the Empire of the Hand once more. Disillusioned and filled with rage, he knew he could not yet return to the Brotherhood. Instead, he sunk himself into the Dark Side and began a journey which he would barely survive.
The Wanderings
In the years of The Wanderings, most of which were spent in a small cockpit in the dead of space, Mal'ari'carun faced the truth. Where once there had been a proud, noble member of the most power House in the Chiss Ascendancy, now there was but an empty shell and a wasted life. A hard truth for any being to accept, in one as proud as Alaric is broke him. Always he had followed his own path, for his own reasons.
Though a member of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, he had never considered himself a Dark Jedi. He used his anger, yes, but towards a noble goal – peace, order, security. Now, in the void left by Thrawn's lies and betrayal, he found that anger could bring comfort to a troubled soul. Letting the hatred and fury encapsulate him, he could breathe easy once more. And so it came to pass that Mal'ari'carun was finally, and wholly seduced by the Dark Side.
In the years that followed, Alaric exemplified the Dark Jedi Code. He knew no fear, only power over his many victims. He felt no worry of death, only the promise that his name would live forever. He had no weakness, only strength in the Dark Side. Ransacking villages and laying whole cities to waste through his anger, he was consumed by his ability to end any life he chose, for any reason. He massacred armies and innocents alike, and he hunted Jedi with impunity. But in the darkest recesses of his mind, he found that the first tenant was the truest of the Dark Jedi Code. There was no peace. Not for the galaxy, and not for himself.
Invictus Using Whirlwind on a Foe
Return from Rage
After four years of murder, it finally hit home. Literally. Seldom using the navicomputer, most of his jumps were guided solely by the Force. He came out of hyperspace and felt the Dark Side's command stronger than ever before. Whatever planet he was over, he had been guided there as the instrument of its destruction. As he flew in to raze the first town he could find, a hail came in over his comm system. That was when he realized where he was and what the Force wanted.
He was above Nirauan, brought there to destroy the Empire of the Hand and the only family he had left. It was to be the culmination of his dark journey. By giving himself over to this act of destruction, he would achieve full master of the Dark Side. The vestigial remnants of his conscience would die along with every man, woman and child on the planet. Hanging there in the dead, black, lifeless of space, Mal'ari'carun reached out with the full force of his world-destroying rage. He would end it. He would kill them all. He would rip the very planet to shreds. Stretching out with his terrible might, he...
...paused, and for the first time in four years asked himself a very important question.
Is this right?
He was no longer sure. And so he laid in a course for the black, where he could ponder the answer to that question. The answer was Tyrith.
Unwelcome Home
Even in the deep of the Black, word reached Mal'ari'carun about the incursion of the Far Outsiders into the Antei system. He had long-since completed his conception of Tyrith, but could not yet bring himself to rejoin the Brotherhood or the Empire of the Hand. He did not yet feel he could stand the presence of others. The news of the Vong invading Brotherhood space changed that.
Mal'ari'carun arrived in the Antei system, only to find it filled with Vongese warships and coralskippers. He managed a single flyby of Antei, finding it completely Vongformed, before abandoning the system as a goner. The Brotherhood had long-since fled. He also knew that any Brotherhood systems nearby would be likewise decimated. He did, however, hold out hope of one Clan which might have managed to maintain its foothold as yet. And so he set his course for Sepros and Clan Naga Sadow. With luck, they would take him in and give him a chance to pay back the Vong for what they'd done to his friends, his brothers, his home. And pay them back he would...
Character Information
Invictus's Robes
Physical Appearance
Standing two meters tall, his ninety kilogram frame seems slight at first, until one glimpses the hard cords of muscle straining beneath his loose robes. Blue-black hair cascades down his back, ending just below his shoulder blades and framing a face that is all hard planes and angles. Deep-set red eyes, glowing ever so slightly, drink in the world around him. While his face remains impassive, even in the most brutal combat or horrendous actions, the crimson glow of his eyes flare to novas at the slightest agitation, revealing inner demons he must constantly fight to suppress.
Standard robes in a deep blue, covered by a plain black cloak, adorn his lithe frame. They make no concession to fashion, despite their appearance to the contrary. The raised collar ridge to the right of his neck is actually heavily armored to stop any melee weapon and houses a voice-activated comlink. Likewise, the black boots encasing his feet are covered with arcane cobalt symbols. appearing aesthetic in nature, they actually serve to disguise the tritanium plates embedded in the toes, ball and heel of each boot. A faint metallic glint comes from both sleeves, but the origin thereof remains unknown. Completing the outfit, a gun belt rests low on his hips, supporting sheaths for his Leorals and a clip at his back for his lightsaber.
Weapons
Invictus's Lightsaber
- Lightsaber
- A normal lightsaber, the handle is straight and bears a three-tone color scheme that appears less than threatening, given that it is wielded by a Dark Jedi. The end tapers to a wickedly curved spike, though truth be told he uses it to clean muck from the treads of his boots more than anything else.