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| '''Darth Vexatus''', born '''Xanos Zorrixor''', is a [[Sith Lord]] and one of the few [[Dark Prophet]]s of the [[Dark Brotherhood]]. For a brief time he was a [[Padawan|Jedi apprentice]] at the [[Jedi Praxeum]] on [[Yavin IV]]. He joined the [[Sith]] in [[15 ABY]] becoming a [[Dark Jedi Master|Sith Master]] in [[24 ABY]] and a [[Sith Lord]] in [[26 ABY]].
| | {{Quote|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}} |
| | '''Xanos''' is the son of [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jedi_knight Jedi Knight] [[Maziel]] and Viscount [[Haxim]] of [[House Zorrixor]] of [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Falleen_(planet) Falleen]. He was one of the first to be trained at [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_Skywalker Luke Skywalker’s] [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jedi_Praxeum Jedi Praxeum] and is a former Jedi Knight himself. |
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| Vexatus is also the [[House Overlord (Clan Naga Sadow)|Overlord]] of [[House Ludo Kressh]] and one of the first [[Son of Sadow|Sons of Sadow]]. He is a Sith Master of the [[Order Force Powers|First Echelon]] and one of only a handful of Masters of the [[Clan Force Powers|First Caste]] of the [[Inner Order (Clan Naga Sadow)|Inner Order]]. He was trained in the dark side by [[Trevarus Caerick]] and [[Jac Cotelin]].
| | During the [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Empire_Reborn Empire Reborn] movement Xanos grew disillusioned with the Jedi and unknowingly fell under the thrall of the [[Sith]], eventually leaving the Jedi order to join them. He later took up the mantle of [[Sith Lord]] and became '''Darth Vexatus''' during the [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Yuuzhan_Vong_War Yuuzhan Vong War]. |
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| ==Character History== | | ==Biography== |
| ===Childhood ([[15 BBY]] – [[7 BBY]])=== | | ===Early life ([[15 BBY]]–[[4 ABY]])=== |
| {{quote|He will strengthen himself through sacrifice.|from the [[Prophecy of the Sith]]}} | | {{Quote|I fear his abilities may be the death of him.|Maziel of House Zorrixor, shortly after the birth of her son}} |
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| [[Falleen]] always tended to distance itself from the Core, leaving the [[Galactic Republic|Republic]] to fight its own wars. That was until Zurros, its Senator, decided to play both sides during the [[Clone Wars]] before siding with the Confederacy. Be it by chance or an act of punishment the [[Galactic Empire|Empire]] had designated Falleen as the site of its biological research program.
| | Born on the planet Falleen in the [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mid_Rim Mid Rim] in 15 BBY, Xanos showed much potential and Force aptitude from a young age. Fearing for their son's future should the [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Empire Empire] learn of his heritage, Haxim and Maziel vowed to keep Xanos’s traits hidden, even from himself. |
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| Xanos experienced a troubled childhood growing up on Falleen. They were a high cultured people but little could prepare them for the Empire’s atrocities or xenophobia. Many followed the lead of Prince Xizor, turning to the underworld for answers. Xanos was not so lucky, he was too young to understand, all he could remember was the pain of losing his family in the disaster. He was eight when [[Darth Vader]] had ordered the orbital bombardment of one of Falleen’s principle cities. There had been no warning, in a matter of minutes over two hundred thousand Falleen, including the royal House Sizhran, had been massacred.
| | While Maziel spent most of her time on Falleen, Haxim, as one of the few surviving nobles of House Zorrixor, was frequently called away. Unlike the traditionally insular and isolated upbringing of most Falleen nobles, Xanos came to regard [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Corellia Corellia], [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Coruscant Coruscant] and many of the other [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Core_worlds Core Worlds] as second homes. Though he still developed a traditionally Falleen sense of superiority, he also developed an equal appreciation for other cultures and ideals. |
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| The young Falleen survived, barely. Though he survived the ‘containment’ he lost the use of one of his eyes, including the better part of half his face. His body was broken and he spent weeks in the Bacta tank before he could walk again. From the outside he looked hardly any different, other than the scarring across the right side of his face. Inside he carried scars that would haunt him for the rest of his life, his right arm was prosthetic from the elbow down, and several of his organs had to be replaced. It was far from the situation he would have wished for, but he was alive.
| | ===Jedi training ([[4 ABY]]–[[11 ABY]])=== |
| | Xanos was nineteen when the Empire began its downward spiral. With the death of the [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Palpatine Emperor] and [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Anakin_Skywalker Darth Vader], Maziel and Haxim decided it was safe to inform their son of his mother’s past. Maziel then began teaching Xanos the basics of the Jedi path, though found it difficult to get him to overcome nineteen years of Falleen arrogance and superiority in exchange for Jedi humility. |
| | {{Quote|He takes after you too much. Jedi and nobility shouldn’t mix.|Maziel to Haxim}} |
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| ===Adolescence ([[8 BBY]] – [[0 BBY]])===
| | Four years after Maziel began training him, Xanos was already showing signs of promise. However, despite his strength in the Force, he lacked the attitude of a Jedi. Maziel often remarked in jest how her son took after his father too much and his high cultured aristocratic upbringing. Beneath the teasing, however, Maziel and Haxim both held reservations about what their son might become if he did not shake his pride and overconfidence. |
| {{quote|He will crawl through his cloak.|from the [[Prophecy of the Sith]]}}
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| In the years following the sterilisation of House Sizhran Falleen society experienced a rapid break down. When Prince Xizor, the only surviving member of the royal household, turned to Black Sun, many followed him searching for a chance at revenge. Those left behind were less fortunate. Falleen society had been shattered, those who had survived left with nothing. | | In [[8 ABY]] both Maziel and Haxim were killed in a pirate attack. Xanos survived, though not without scars, both physical and emotional, his right eye was permanently blinded and he suffered numerous cuts and burns. Xanos’s Jedi training was forced to be put on hold while he recovered from the attack and figured out what to do next with his life, now the sole heir and surviving viscount of House Zorrixor. He spent the next few years wandering the galaxy as thoughts of revenge slowly gnawed away at the back of his mind. |
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| Xanos was taken in by an orphanage but treated like an outcast. Few of the other children could look at him without being horrified by the brutal scarring that covered his face and upper body. He was like a ghost, wandering without a home, without purpose, afraid. | | ===Errant apprentice ([[11 ABY]]–[[14 ABY]])=== |
| | When Luke Skywalker opened his Jedi Praxeum, Xanos was quick to enrol, anxious to complete his training and find purpose in his life. Despite his popularity, many of the other students found Xanos somewhat distant and self-absorbed, even worrying in his indifference toward issues such as use of the dark side. Many accepted this as simply the Falleen way of life, but several of the senior Jedi Knights were uncomfortable about how Xanos still harboured a grudge against the pirates who had murdered his parents. In time, they feared, this would inevitably lead him down the dark side. Despite their reservations, and with Master Skywalker’s unreserved belief in the redemption of any who had drifted astray, Xanos’s training continued, though under a close eye. |
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| It was in his fear that he began to discover his talents. He had always been lucky, his very survival was testament to that, but it was not until later that he discovered just what he could do. It was small at first, little more than a sixth sense, he could not control it, but he knew he was special. There were times when he could almost feel what others were going to do and react accordingly. It gave him an edge, but it also fostered resentment among the other children. He was frequently accused of being a cheat, others labelled him some kind of freak.
| | When the [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Chistori Chistori] [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Dessan Dessan] abandoned the Jedi Praxeum and turned to the dark side, old uncertainties returned to plague Xanos’s thoughts. He had never accepted why the Jedi feared the dark side or their reluctance to use their powers fully, a question Xanos frequently took up with his instructors. |
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| Nobody, not even Xanos himself, could see the spark of the Force for what it was.
| | The attack on the Jedi Praxeum in [[13 ABY]] by the Empire Reborn, led by Dessan and his [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Reborn Reborn] warriors, opened Xanos’s eyes. He reasoned that it was not the dark side that had turned Dessan evil, but the very circumstances of the Chistori’s life experiences and upbringing, for Dessan had been a bully at the Praxeum long before he had fallen to the dark side and started calling himself a Dark Jedi. |
| | {{Quote|How are the Jedi not hypocrites? They fear what they are just too afraid to embrace themselves. Is a lightsaber any less a weapon than the Force itself?|Viscount Xanos of House Zorrixor, Jedi apprentice}} |
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| ===Life on the fringes([[1 BBY]] – [[10 ABY]])===
| | The revelation further complicated the Falleen’s training. After taking the issue up with the Masters, only to be dismissed, Xanos grew isolated. His anger took root at being dismissed as mistaken and over the following year he made every effort to prove the truth of his words. He progressed faster than many of the other students and was already more powerful than some full Jedi Knights however, despite his abilities, the Masters still chose not to knight him, believing he did not yet have the temperament to be a Jedi. |
| {{quote|His life will be balanced between peace and conflict.|from the [[Prophecy of the Sith]]}}
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| [[Image:Xanosbanner.gif|thumb|right|Xanos's Warbanner]]After the [[Battle of Yavin]] the galaxy seemed to change. Many star systems fell into the hands of the [[Rebellion]]. For Falleen little changed, life went on, the Empire continued its experiments but its presence gradually reduced as its forces became overstretched fighting a war on multiple fronts. Eventually after a second accident the Empire pulled out of Falleen entirely. | | The resurgence of the Empire Reborn in the form of the [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Disciples_of_Ragnos Disciples of Ragnos] saw those Jedi fit for battle dispatched to [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Korriban Korriban] to deal with the threat. There, in the ruins of the ancient [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Sith_Empire Sith Empire], Xanos lost faith in the Jedi order. Having been repeatedly told the dark side was wrong, only to now bear witness to the slaughter of countless Sith cultists for no reason other than for being Sith, he decided upon the inherit hypocrisy of the Jedi doctrine. |
| | {{Quote|It is not the dark side the Jedi fear. It is power. They fear the truth: the dark side ''is'' more powerful. They are just too proud to admit that they have been wrong all these years.|Xanos}} |
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| At sixteen Xanos left Falleen. He had seen enough of the ruin it had become and went in search of answers. With his unique talents he found it easy to get what he needed, combined with his species’ natural pheromones he found it increasingly easy to influence people. The next three years he spent travelling the galaxy. He made a living doing odd jobs for whoever was offering; he didn’t care whether it was smuggling or bounty hunting so long as it paid. With the authorities occupied with the [[Galactic Civil War]] it made life on the fringes surprisingly easy.
| | When the battle was over, Xanos did not return to the Jedi Praxeum with the others, he remained behind to search for answers. [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Tavion_Axmis Tavion], Dessan and Palpatine may all have been mislead, but he was certain the Sith belief itself was not inherently evil. |
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| ===Discovering the Force ([[11 ABY]] – [[14 ABY]])=== | | ===Embracing the dark side ([[14 ABY]]–[[15 ABY]])=== |
| {{quote|He will shed his skin and choose a new skin.|from the [[Prophecy of the Sith]]}} | | {{Quote|Why are the Sith evil? Do they not want order and justice the same as the rest of us? Anakin Skywalker was once a Jedi too, does that make all the Jedi evil as well?|Vykan, Dark Jedi}} |
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| The [[Emperor]]’s defeat in [[11 ABY]] ushered in a new age and the end of the Galactic Empire. His throneworld, [[Byss]], had been destroyed and without clear leadership the remaining [[Imperial Remnant]] was crippled. It was around this time that [[Luke Skywalker]] commissioned his new [[Jedi Praxeum]] on [[Yavin IV]].
| | Xanos found his answer in an [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Umbaran Umbaran] named [[Vykan]]. The prodigal Jedi met Vykan several weeks later whilst scouring the abandoned tombs. Vykan claimed to be on Korriban assessing the damage caused by the Jedi attack and agreed to take Xanos back to Yavin 4. When he left, Vykan gave Xanos a datacard and told him that if he truly wanted answers he should follow its instructions. |
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| By then Xanos had come to suspect his talents to be more than mere circumstance. He knew enough about the Jedi to see the signs, though it was impossible to know for sure. He decided to try enrolling at the Jedi Praxeum. The Jedi confirmed his suspicions. He could indeed touch the Force, the fact it had come naturally to him since such an early age was a sign of his innate affinity.
| | Upon his return, the Masters reprimanded Xanos for his actions and accused him of endangering the order. However, despite his errors, recent events had cost too many Jedi lives, and Xanos had at least returned to answer for his actions. Though they recognised how close he already was to the brink of the dark side, they agreed to knight him, hoping it would bind his loyalty more tightly to the Jedi order. The Masters plan paid off, Xanos’s knighthood stopped his imminent departure. However, Vykan’s words had a lasting effect on him and, though the Jedi order now seemed willing to recognise his talents, there were still questions he wanted answered. Central of all, what had become of the Sith? |
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| Xanos did not stay long. He had no desire to become a Jedi. He picked up a few basic skills but left to pursue his own path. He spent the next four years touring the galaxy, spending time among the various sects of Force-sensitives. His powers grew but without any formal training he could still not control his talents, yet none of the surviving traditions appealed to him, he had been an outcast almost from birth, he walked alone, his path his own.
| | Xanos’s worries were put on hold when he was sent to mediate a conflict near [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Eriadu Eriadu]. It was to be a simple arbitration between the planetary authorities and a local smuggling ring. However, when he got there, things turned sour. The meeting had been a setup and the smugglers intended to assassinate several of the 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 lay dead. |
| | {{Quote|How ''dare'' they lecture me about killing? They who devote their life to the extermination of the Sith or any other Force-based sect that disagrees with their teachings? If they think they can cage ''me'' they are fools.|Xanos, Jedi Knight}} |
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| [[Image:Xanosrobe.gif|thumb|left|Xanos's Robes]]He wanted to harness his powers, he did not want the Force to harness him like the Jedi demanded of their pupils. He hated the Empire for what it had done to him, and in that hate he found strength, in moments of passion he found power. This was not the Jedi way, he know that much. Apart from the [[Sith]] he knew not where to turn, but they had been wiped out the day that the Emperor had perished…
| | While the Eriaduans were pleased, the smuggling ring swiftly being consumed by internal power struggles, the Jedi were far from happy. Accusing the wayward Jedi Knight of allowing his hatred for pirates and other criminals to get the better of him, they condemned his actions and questioned whether Xanos had already fallen and if they had just been too blind to realise it. Though Master Skywalker conceded that it would be wrong to simply expel Xanos like some of the others suggested, he consigned Xanos to the Praxeum, accepting that it would be against the order’s interests to send him on further missions until he let go of his anger. |
| | {{Quote|Fear leads to the dark side. Isn’t that what they always say? Why is it okay for ''them'' to be afraid of the dark side then?|Xanos}} |
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| ===The Sith ([[15 ABY]] – [[18 ABY]])===
| | 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 the smugglers would have maintained their monopoly on the Eriadu system and gradually tightened their grip, and innocents would have suffered. The Jedi were wrong, he was sure of it. A few days later, using the details left on the datacard Vykan had given him several months earlier, he decided it was time to go in search of answers, alone. |
| {{quote|He will know brotherhood.|from the [[Prophecy of the Sith]]}}
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| By 15 ABY Xanos had managed to dig up several leads. The Emperor may have been no more but the dark side had not died with him. The [[Empire Reborn]] movement and the [[Disciples of Ragnos]] had confirmed the Jedi had not erased all evidence of the Sith. The answers were still out there for those willing to search them out.
| | ===Induction into the Shadow Academy ([[15 ABY]])=== |
| | {{Quote|Those who think the Sith died at Endor are fools. Was Lumiya just an illusion then? 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 acolyte}} |
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| Xanos was visiting [[Ryloth]] when he first met [[Trevarus Caerick]]. He did not know it then but he later found out the man was a member of an ancient society called the [[Krath]], a group of mystics and scholars of Sith lore. It was from Trevarus that he learned of the [[Dark Brotherhood|Brotherhood]], a remnant of the Sith order formed by several of the Emperor’s former [[Dark Side Adept]]s. | | The details provided by Vykan were suitably cryptic. It took Xanos the better part of two months to follow the various leads and clues to finally track down the “answers” the Umbaran had promised. Ultimately, they brought Xanos to the hidden training center on [[Eos]] called the [[Shadow Academy]]. |
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| Following the instructions provided to him by Trevarus Xanos made his way to the Minos Cluster, a region controlled by one of the remaining Imperial warlords, and offered himself to the Shadow Academy there for training.
| | There, in the secret corridors of the last remaining bastion of the dark side, Xanos discovered the truths that had so long eluded him. The Sith had survived. Like [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lumiya Lumiya] before him, [[Kane Vader|Kane]], one of Palpatine’s surviving Hands, had declared himself [[Dark Lord of the Sith]] and founded a new Sith order, this time one not governed by the Rule of Two. |
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| ===The Exodus ([[19 ABY]])===
| | Welcomed into the Shadow Academy, Xanos quickly demonstrated the power he already wielded. Within a few weeks the already experienced acolyte caught the eye of envoys of [[Clan]] [[Clan Naga Sadow|Naga Sadow]]. Not long after, Xanos found himself packing his bags and preparing for a new life as one of the many apprentices to [[Sith Warrior|Sith warrior]] [[Manesh]], one of the Clan’s leaders. |
| {{quote|He will choose the fate of the weak.|from the [[Prophecy of the Sith]]}}
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| In 19 ABY the Imperial Remnant had grown weak and corrupt. They cared little for the [[Star Chamber]] or its vision and less still for its minions. With the Empire no longer able to provide the vessel required to restore the Sith order the Brotherhood declared its independence and scattered its members throughout the galaxy, the [[Dark Council]] relocating to the ancient world of [[Antei]].
| | ===The Remnant and the dark side ([[15 ABY]]–[[19 ABY]])=== |
| | {{Quote|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 what we might tell them.|Trevarus Caerick, Krath priest}} |
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| Now known as Xanos Sadow and [[Consul]] of [[Clan Naga Sadow]], upon advice from his Master Trevarus Caerick, Xanos led his Clan to the [[Orian system]]. There they forged a new home under the guise of the [[Dlarit Corporation|Dlarit mining corporation]]. In the ruins of the ancient Sith temples Xanos was finally able to pursue mastery of his powers.
| | Already a gifted Jedi Knight when he had enrolled at the Shadow Academy, Xanos climbed the ranks of his Clan quicker than most. He was fortunate, perhaps, that [[Astronicus Aurelius Sadow|Astronicus Dlarit]] had only formed the Clan a year earlier as a home for those without homes. |
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| ===Mastery ([[20 ABY]] – [[23 ABY]])===
| | Less than a year after he joined, Manesh took Xanos as his protégé. It was not long before Xanos himself was deemed worthy of the title of Sith warrior. After years of being held back, his abilities finally seemed to be getting put to good use. It was around this time the Clan’s current [[Consul]], the Clan’s voice and chief envoy to the [[Dark Council]], the ruling body of the brotherhood, [[Trevarus Caerick]], took Xanos as his apprentice. |
| {{quote|He will win and break his chains.|from the [[Prophecy of the Sith]]}}
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| A year after the [[Exodus]], Xanos was offered a seat on the [[Dark Council]] as [[Sith High Warrior]] and became a full [[Dark Side Adept|Sith adept]]. From there he helped lead the Brotherhood to victory over the Antarans in the conquest and the [[Antares system]].
| | The following years saw much growth among Clan Naga Sadow and the other Clans that made up the [[Dark Brotherhood]]. However, while the Sith thrived in the shadows, the [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Imperial_Remnant Remnant] was gradually falling apart, consumed by internal rivalry and power struggles. All this mattered little, however, to the line of Dark Lords, so long as what was left of the Empire still served its purpose. |
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| Toward the end of [[21 ABY]] during the [[Great Jedi War|war]] against the ancient [[Sith Lord]] [[Okemi]] Xanos was mortally wounded in a fight against the [[Dark Jedi Master]] [[Kem-Shu Maeda]], one of the thralls under the Sith Lord’s command. For the second time in his life he was forced to spend over a month in a Bacta tank. When he was healed the aspiring Sith renounced his position on the Dark Council and went into exile, determined to unlock the secrets that would ensure he never failed again.
| | [[18 ABY]], barely four years since he had first joined them as a fellow brother, Xanos was chosen to serve as Consul. Though it was a post he occasionally found difficult to fulfil, often seen as unwelcome by some of the still humanocentric Imperial officers, Xanos considered the Imperials should be grateful his role was a secret one, for they would be the ones who felt unwelcome otherwise. |
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| [[Image:Xanossaber.gif|thumb|right|Xanos's Lightsaber]]Xanos does not speak much of his time in exile. He visited the worlds of the Sith Empire, including others such as Lehon, Ruusan and Malachor, but few, if any, know more than that. What is known is that when he returned a year later his powers had grown exponentially. He was no longer a mere adept, he had become worthy of mastery. In the months that followed he quickly reclaimed his status as Consul and was soon recognised by the Dark Council as worthy of becoming a full [[Dark Jedi Master|Sith Master]]. | | ===The Great Exodus ([[19 ABY]])=== |
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| ===Becoming a Sith Lord ([[24 ABY]] – [[26 ABY]]+)===
| | To be completed. |
| {{quote|He will rename himself.|from the [[Prophecy of the Sith]]}}
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| In [[24 ABY]] Xanos became [[Jac Cotelin]]’s [[Shadow Hand]]. During his time as [[Deputy Grand Master]] the Brotherhood descended into civil war after the emergence of a clone of the [[Grand Master]]. The war threatened to tear the Brotherhood in two, with even Clan Naga Sadow ending on opposite sides to Xanos himself. In the end, the rightful Grand Master slew his doppelganger, and the Brotherhood was reunited, though not without loss.
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| The war opened Xanos’s eyes to the threat of having more than one contender for the mantle of the Sith. In time he grew disillusioned with the Star Chamber, the Council of Dark Lords, believing it an affront to the Rule of Two. Casting aside his position, he declared himself Darth Vexatus, adherent to the true ways of the Sith, and left, departing to the darkest corners of the galaxy in search of the final mysteries…
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| ==Titles and Possessions== | | ==Titles and Possessions== |
Template:Sith charinfo
- "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
Xanos is the son of Jedi Knight Maziel and Viscount Haxim of House Zorrixor of Falleen. He was one of the first to be trained at Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Praxeum and is a former Jedi Knight himself.
During the Empire Reborn movement Xanos grew disillusioned with the Jedi and unknowingly fell under the thrall of the Sith, eventually leaving the Jedi order to join them. He later took up the mantle of Sith Lord and became Darth Vexatus during the Yuuzhan Vong War.
Biography
- "I fear his abilities may be the death of him."
- ―Maziel of House Zorrixor, shortly after the birth of her son
Born on the planet Falleen in the Mid Rim in 15 BBY, Xanos showed much potential and Force aptitude from a young age. Fearing for their son's future should the Empire learn of his heritage, Haxim and Maziel vowed to keep Xanos’s traits hidden, even from himself.
While Maziel spent most of her time on Falleen, Haxim, as one of the few surviving nobles of House Zorrixor, was frequently called away. Unlike the traditionally insular and isolated upbringing of most Falleen nobles, Xanos came to regard Corellia, Coruscant and many of the other Core Worlds as second homes. Though he still developed a traditionally Falleen sense of superiority, he also developed an equal appreciation for other cultures and ideals.
Xanos was nineteen when the Empire began its downward spiral. With the death of the Emperor and Darth Vader, Maziel and Haxim decided it was safe to inform their son of his mother’s past. Maziel then began teaching Xanos the basics of the Jedi path, though found it difficult to get him to overcome nineteen years of Falleen arrogance and superiority in exchange for Jedi humility.
- "He takes after you too much. Jedi and nobility shouldn’t mix."
- ―Maziel to Haxim
Four years after Maziel began training him, Xanos was already showing signs of promise. However, despite his strength in the Force, he lacked the attitude of a Jedi. Maziel often remarked in jest how her son took after his father too much and his high cultured aristocratic upbringing. Beneath the teasing, however, Maziel and Haxim both held reservations about what their son might become if he did not shake his pride and overconfidence.
In 8 ABY both Maziel and Haxim were killed in a pirate attack. Xanos survived, though not without scars, both physical and emotional, his right eye was permanently blinded and he suffered numerous cuts and burns. Xanos’s Jedi training was forced to be put on hold while he recovered from the attack and figured out what to do next with his life, now the sole heir and surviving viscount of House Zorrixor. He spent the next few years wandering the galaxy as thoughts of revenge slowly gnawed away at the back of his mind.
When Luke Skywalker opened his Jedi Praxeum, Xanos was quick to enrol, anxious to complete his training and find purpose in his life. Despite his popularity, many of the other students found Xanos somewhat distant and self-absorbed, even worrying in his indifference toward issues such as use of the dark side. Many accepted this as simply the Falleen way of life, but several of the senior Jedi Knights were uncomfortable about how Xanos still harboured a grudge against the pirates who had murdered his parents. In time, they feared, this would inevitably lead him down the dark side. Despite their reservations, and with Master Skywalker’s unreserved belief in the redemption of any who had drifted astray, Xanos’s training continued, though under a close eye.
When the Chistori Dessan abandoned the Jedi Praxeum and turned to the dark side, old uncertainties returned to plague Xanos’s thoughts. He had never accepted why the Jedi feared the dark side or their reluctance to use their powers fully, a question Xanos frequently took up with his instructors.
The attack on the Jedi Praxeum in 13 ABY by the Empire Reborn, led by Dessan and his Reborn warriors, opened Xanos’s eyes. He reasoned that it was not the dark side that had turned Dessan evil, but the very circumstances of the Chistori’s life experiences and upbringing, for Dessan had been a bully at the Praxeum long before he had fallen to the dark side and started calling himself a Dark Jedi.
- "How are the Jedi not hypocrites? They fear what they are just too afraid to embrace themselves. Is a lightsaber any less a weapon than the Force itself?"
- ―Viscount Xanos of House Zorrixor, Jedi apprentice
The revelation further complicated the Falleen’s training. After taking the issue up with the Masters, only to be dismissed, Xanos grew isolated. His anger took root at being dismissed as mistaken and over the following year he made every effort to prove the truth of his words. He progressed faster than many of the other students and was already more powerful than some full Jedi Knights however, despite his abilities, the Masters still chose not to knight him, believing he did not yet have the temperament to be 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. There, in the ruins of the ancient Sith Empire, Xanos lost faith in the Jedi order. Having been repeatedly told the dark side was wrong, only to now bear witness to the slaughter of countless Sith cultists for no reason other than for being Sith, he decided upon the inherit hypocrisy of the Jedi doctrine.
- "It is not the dark side the Jedi fear. It is power. They fear the truth: the dark side is more powerful. They are just too proud to admit that they have been wrong all these years."
- ―Xanos
When the battle was over, Xanos did not return to the Jedi Praxeum with the others, he remained behind to search for answers. Tavion, Dessan and Palpatine may all have been mislead, but he was certain the Sith belief itself was not inherently evil.
Embracing the dark side (14 ABY–15 ABY)
- "Why are the Sith evil? Do they not want order and justice the same as the rest of us? Anakin Skywalker was once a Jedi too, does that make all the Jedi evil as well?"
- ―Vykan, Dark Jedi
Xanos found his answer in an Umbaran named Vykan. The prodigal Jedi met Vykan several weeks later whilst scouring the abandoned tombs. Vykan claimed to be on Korriban assessing the damage caused by the Jedi attack and agreed to take Xanos back to Yavin 4. When he left, Vykan gave Xanos a datacard and told him that if he truly wanted answers he should follow its instructions.
Upon his return, the Masters reprimanded Xanos for his actions and accused him of endangering the order. However, despite his errors, recent events had cost too many Jedi lives, and Xanos had at least returned to answer for his actions. Though they recognised how close he already was to the brink of the dark side, they agreed to knight him, hoping it would bind his loyalty more tightly to the Jedi order. The Masters plan paid off, Xanos’s knighthood stopped his imminent departure. However, Vykan’s words had a lasting effect on him and, though the Jedi order now seemed willing to recognise his talents, there were still questions he wanted answered. Central of all, what had become of the Sith?
Xanos’s worries were put on hold when he was sent to mediate a conflict near Eriadu. It was to be a simple arbitration between the planetary authorities and a local smuggling ring. However, when he got there, things turned sour. The meeting had been a setup and the smugglers intended to assassinate several of the 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 lay dead.
- "How dare they lecture me about killing? They who devote their life to the extermination of the Sith or any other Force-based sect that disagrees with their teachings? If they think they can cage me they are fools."
- ―Xanos, Jedi Knight
While the Eriaduans were pleased, the smuggling ring swiftly being consumed by internal power struggles, the Jedi were far from happy. Accusing the wayward Jedi Knight of allowing his hatred for pirates and other criminals to get the better of him, they condemned his actions and questioned whether Xanos had already fallen and if they had just been too blind to realise it. Though Master Skywalker conceded that it would be wrong to simply expel Xanos like some of the others suggested, he consigned Xanos to the Praxeum, accepting that it would be against the order’s interests to send him on further missions until he let go of his anger.
- "Fear leads to the dark side. Isn’t that what they always say? Why is it okay for them to be afraid of the dark side then?"
- ―Xanos
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 the smugglers would have maintained their monopoly on the Eriadu system and gradually tightened their grip, and innocents would have suffered. The Jedi were wrong, he was sure of it. A few days later, using the details left on the datacard Vykan had given him several months 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 just an illusion then? 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 acolyte
The details provided by Vykan were suitably cryptic. It took Xanos the better part of two months to follow the various leads and clues to finally track down the “answers” the Umbaran had promised. Ultimately, they brought Xanos to the hidden training center on Eos called the Shadow Academy.
There, in the secret corridors of the last remaining bastion of the dark side, Xanos discovered the truths that had so long eluded him. The Sith had survived. Like Lumiya before him, Kane, one of Palpatine’s surviving Hands, had declared himself Dark Lord of the Sith and founded a new Sith order, this time 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 acolyte caught the eye of envoys of Clan Naga Sadow. Not long after, Xanos found himself packing his bags and preparing for a new life as one of the many 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 what we might tell them."
- ―Trevarus Caerick, Krath priest
Already a gifted Jedi Knight when he had enrolled at the Shadow Academy, Xanos climbed the ranks of his Clan quicker than most. He was fortunate, perhaps, that Astronicus Dlarit had only formed the Clan a year earlier as a home for those without homes.
Less than a year after he joined, Manesh took Xanos as his protégé. It was not long before Xanos himself was deemed worthy of the title of Sith warrior. After years of being held back, his abilities finally seemed to be getting put to good use. It was around this time the Clan’s current Consul, the Clan’s voice and chief envoy to the Dark Council, the ruling body of the brotherhood, Trevarus Caerick, took Xanos as his apprentice.
The following years saw much growth among Clan Naga Sadow and the other Clans that made up the Dark Brotherhood. However, while the Sith thrived in the shadows, the Remnant was gradually falling apart, consumed by internal rivalry and power struggles. All this mattered little, however, to the line of Dark Lords, so long as what was left of the Empire still served its purpose.
18 ABY, barely four years since he had first joined them as a fellow brother, Xanos was chosen to serve as Consul. Though it was a post he occasionally found difficult to fulfil, often seen as unwelcome by some of the still humanocentric Imperial officers, Xanos considered the Imperials should be grateful his role was a secret one, for they would be the ones who felt unwelcome otherwise.
The Great Exodus (19 ABY)
To be completed.
Titles and Possessions
- The modified Helix-class light interceptor Crimson Star is Xanos's personal craft. File:Helix.gifXanos's modified Helix-class light interceptor Crimson Star
- Xanos is one of the two Masters of the Inner Order of Clan Naga Sadow, along with his Master, Trevarus Caerick.
- As a fully trained Sith Master, Xanos is recognised as a member of the First Echelon.
- Xanos retains a personal retreat on Aeotheran, though he rarely uses it, prefering to travel.
- One of the few Sith Lords outside the Grand Masters, Xanos has taken the title Darth Vexatus as his own.
- Admiral ret, Galactic Empire
- Admiral ret, Dlarit Security Force
- High Admiral ret, Anteian Navy
DJB Facts
Trivia
- The name Xanos was originally a corruption of the name Xanatos, a unit from MechWarrior 4.
- The name Zorrixor is an anagram of Xizor with a few additional letters inserted.
- 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.
- Malik Sadow suggested that Xanos should take Darth Goatzard as his Sith name.