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Vodo Biask is a Krath Archpriest, a former Sergeant of the Phoenix Phyle battleteam, twice a former Aedile, and the the current Quaestor House Ektrosis of Clan Taldryan.
Genesis of a Legend
A Prodigal Family
File:AzzameenCrest-XWA.PNGTe'Fahil family Crest
The planet Ryloth, home of the Twi'lek, was renowned for its harsh environment. While the planet did rotate on its axis, the slow speed at which it did maintained a constant daylight on the sunward side of the planet eternally. This left one half of the planet exposed to the harsh conditions of the Class III star, and one half left in darkness and frozen. A narrow band existed between the night and day sides where temperatures, while constantly shifting between the two extremes, was generally more habitable than the rest of the planet. It was here that the alien race made their homes, in the caves beneath the ground for protection from the Cold and the Heat.
Each cave was the domain of particular clan, which won the rights to lead through the ardors of combat. One of these caves was the domain of the Te’Fahil Clan, who had carved out a small kingdom from the surrounding domains. They ruled fairly, and justly, refusing to deal with the visiting trader and smugglers that had come to frequent the planet in the past 1000 years. While many clans and domains shored up spare expenses in the sale of slaves and criminals to be sold as chattel, the Te’Fahil refused to sink to such a level, and were loved by their clan mates for it.
Oral history tells of a time when the Te’Fahil territory was at peace, but off world slavers and rival clans conspired to depose the alpha family and institute a new rule. In one night, the Te’Fahil patriarch was killed, and his wife and children were sold off as slaves to the highest bidder. Taken off world, and renamed Nyack, they would eventually forget their name and heritage as the generations passed. With each new owner, the name was again changed to suit local customs, legal instances, and convenience until 500 BBY, when they received their last, and what would become their most memorable name, Biask.
A survivor of the coup, and old sage whose name has been lost to the ages, foretold of a time when the only son of the Te’Fahil line would rise out of his plight and would become a great being, of capable of great deeds, both good and evil, who would return to the Te'Fahil lands and free their people of tyranny and slavery. It would be this son, Vodo, the descendant of a line of rulers from 3000 years ago, that would escape captivity and set out to master the arts of the Dark Side.
A Lowly Man
Vodo was born to slave parents, and was separated from them at the age of two. His only memories of them are nothing more than the wishful fantasies of a lonely childhood. Raised by other slaves, and cruel masters, Vodo became cold and distant, unable to form close relationships with anyone; fearing that the moment he did they would die of the harsh working conditions, a severe punishment, of be sold off and never seen again. From a very young age, he was made to work the mines on a remote mining colony. It was here that he grew and matured, becoming the large and intimidating figure that those he would come to meet would see and recognize.
At the age of eighteen, he was transferred to a heavy munitions factory in the outer rim, providing heavy lifting assistance in the service of a company that supplied weapons and ammunition to the Galactic Empire. With each job, his hatred and strength only grew. In a freak accident, caused by a drunken Foreman, a lifting machine dropped several large casing which shattered Vodo’s left shin, an injury that was improperly set and never quite healed correctly. Seen as a burden on the company, and no more useful than a broken machine, he was sold to a private owner, who would take great pleasure in beating Vodo mercilessly.
On the date of his 23 birthday, Vodo lashed out during a particularly brutal punishment, snapping the Man’s neck with a single punch to the head. He would later reflect on this instance as his first use of the Force. He’d had all the tell tale signs of force sensitivity in his younger years with odd sensations, frighteningly accurate dreams that would come true, and the ability to intuit the thoughts of others before they became apparent. It was this instance however that marked the first time that the force would manifest itself at his behalf. Unaware of the existence of the Force, or any school of thought thereof, Vodo merely went into hiding from those who would eventually seek out the bounty on his head for killing his slave master.
A Slave on the Run
Vodo found menial work and earned enough to gain passage off-world and hired a smuggler to take him to Ryloth. The home planet of his species had always been something of a curiosity to the young Alien. He’d met many Twi’lek slaves in his time, but few, if any, had ever been to the planet Ryloth. Those who had told stories of the communal ties of the domains, the feel of the planet, the scent of the air, and the duality of the nature of the planet’s regions. He found the planet to be little as he expected it though. Harsh, and occupied by the various aliens of the galaxy, very few Twi’lek actually remained free. It sickened him, and by the time he managed to make it back off world, he vowed to change what he’d seen.
Over the next few years, Vodo would remain on the run; keeping a few paces ahead of the lowly Bounty Hunters who wanted the credits offered for his head. He gained a reputation among those who hunted him for being a cunning prey, a being that seemed to sense danger and would make it out of a tangle in a catch. It didn’t last forever however, and Vodo found himself cornered on a world which had long since experienced its peak sometime in the age of the wars of the Sith. Left with no way out, no weapons, and no means of paying the Bounty Hunter off, Vodo would surely have been killed if not for the timely intervention of a man whose only name was Leto.
Leto wore heavy dark Robes, and hooded his head, so that his face was never more than half visible. With a flick of his wrist however, the Bounty Hunter was hurled into a nearby wall and died of a broken neck. Leto introduced Vodo to the power of the force, specifically the Dark Side, and invited him to join his Dark Brotherhood, an ancient organization dedicated to the study and practice of this mysterious power. Vodo accepted, and in a single standard month, found himself stranded on a planet devoid of life, miles from any habitation, surrounded by other, similar beings. This was his first test.
The Brotherhood
Entrance
Every new candidate wishing to enter the Brotherhood first had to pass a simple test. This test would weed out those who did not have the will to survive, those who could not undertake what was needed to get a job done, and those who were weak. Dropped off in the middle of the Adas Plains on the southern hemisphere of Antei, the candidates had to find their way to the Great Temple by any means. They were given no instructions, and carried only what they had chosen to carry with them to their new life. For Vodo, this meant only a sharpened piece of durasteel which he had used for the past few years as his only weapon.
It took the Twi’lek three days to trek across the barren wasteland, followed by two other candidates who recognized the same pull in the Force as Vodo. Together, they alone made it to the Temple to be inducted as the Brotherhood’s newest Apprentices. Vodo blasted his way through the entrance exams at the Shadow Academy, and was placed in Clan Taldryan after having chosen the Obelisk Order.
First Years
Vodo would change his order to that of the Krath after only a few months in the Brotherhood. While he enjoyed and was proficient in the arts of melee combat, his heart pulled him towards the tomes of knowledge contained within the libraries of the Brotherhood and Taldryan, as well as the vast stores of knowledge that they possessed. This change however could not contain the young Journeyman. His life experiences had taught him to distance himself from others, and in the environment of the Brotherhood, this was something that just couldn’t work. After informing his superiors, Vodo departed for the Outer Rim and spent a year trying to track down his family.
The journey was unsuccessful, and Vodo returned to the Brotherhood, and requested a spot in Clan Taldryan, having been transferred to the Rogues. He was accepted, and placed in House Ektrosis.
A Time of Learning
As a journeyman, Vodo would come to occupy the Libraries of Taldryan, Ektrosis, and Antei far more than even the librarians who worked them. His thirst for knowledge could not be quenched. In order to satisfy his needs, he’d often form friendships with those with access to the restricted areas in order to gain temporary access. At the same time, his studies in the Shadow Academy progressed at an astounding rate and only slowed when he’d passed most of the courses and received his credit for having done so. Many would ask the silent loner what drove him to learn so much. He wouldn’t answer aloud, but knew the words he would have said anyways.
Having been raised as an ignorant worker, and abused for most of his life, he treasured the ability to be able to freely access information, to learn what and where he wished. It was freedom, but it was also a means to power. To him, knowledge was power. If you knew more than someone else, then you had a leg up on them.
At the same time, Vodo was an active member of the Hex Battleteam, serving under then Tetrarch Hel-Pa Sklib. The two struck up a friendship of sorts and complimented each other well, not only on the battlefield, but in life as well.
A Time of Leadership
In ABY 25, two years after he first joined the Brotherhood, Vodo put his first foot into the door, so to speak. He saw and recognized what it was that the Brotherhood needed to achieve its goals. Since he was so well acquainted with the Shadow Academy and its staff already, he jumped at the chance to begin teaching a course there. After a few months, he felt confident enough to apply for the position of Battleteam Leader with the Phoenix Phyle Battleteam. It was here, that Vodo would really earn his stripes.
As Battleteam Leader, Vodo had transferred from Hex, the House’s predominant Battleteam, and the only one he’d ever been a member of, to a team whose reputation for the past fear years had been taking a nose dive. In a few short months, the Dark Jedi Knight would rejuvenate the Battleteam, restoring it to its prime, and hosted a series of competitions between Hex and Phoenix to determine the House’s Premier team. He was well pleased when his Phyle came out on time and was granted the title of the House’s First Battleteam.
A crisis in the House Summit would shake things up however. The Aedile of the previous year had gone missing unexpectedly and the Quaestor, Chaosrain Taldrya, had been selected as the Clan’s new Proconsul. Longtime friend Hel-Pa Sklib, who’d transferred to House Dinaari to jump at the chance of holding an Aedile position, had been recently promoted to Quaestor of that house and transferred back to take the Job of Quaestor of Ektrosis. He then selected Vodo as his Aedile.
Together, the two of them would revitalize the house, turning it into a powerhouse of activity and success. In his time as Aedile, Vodo helped rediscover some of the lost history of the Planet Taruma, House Ektrosis’s home, and those of the Battleteams as well. His crowning achievement however stemmed from his love of the Libraries possessed by the brotherhood. With help from those with the ability, Vodo completely designed and saw through to completion the construction of the Library of Lears. This project, born of a love of knowledge, was designed as a center of learning not only for his own pleasure, but that of Brotherhood as well. Hanging from the wall of a cliff overlooking a bay on the southern sea, it was the largest Library in the Brotherhood’s territory since the days of the Triumvirate.
Great Jedi War 8: Incursion
While the brotherhood occasionally saw a period in fighting, the clans never seemed to be too fazed by the conflict, and business returned to normal within weeks. This was not the case however during what came to be known as the Eighth Great Jedi War. With a Rite of Supremacy having just concluded, the Brotherhood and the assembled ships of the clans were caught unprepared by a vicious attack by the extra-galactic race, the Yuuzhan Vong.
With each clan left to its own devices, many ran back to Antei with plans to retake the planet and claim the Iron Throne as their own, all except Taldryan. Taldryan had provided a heavy line of cruisers against the forces of the Vong during the initial engagement, allowing the others to escape from the combat zone, and then proceeded to Antei in order to defend it against those who would seek to take it for themselves.
Vodo proved to be an invaluable asset during the war. While initially aboard the VEN Katarn, providing combat coordination and tactics, he was ordered by Proconsul Chaosrain Taldrya to the flight deck to tend to the wounded. During the process of healing, he was summoned by former Grand Master Jac Cotelin. The enemy had crashed one of their fighters into the hull of the Dark Seraphim, and it had been transferred to the Katarn for inspection and investigation.
Vodo not only helped open the craft, but donned the cognition hood, a living being that allowed the pilot to control the craft, and managed to take the craft into battle. He did not score any kills however, and found the alien being too difficult to coordinate with. With a renewed enemy attack, this time around the Planet Antei, the Vong managed to land a boarding party upon the Modified Dreadnought Dark Seraphim. Vodo landed his craft and leapt into battle beside long time friend and former mentor Bubbles Taldrya.
The war had caught him off guard, and he was still exhausted from his efforts in the Right of Supremacy all during the week before, and was unable to continue the fight to the end. He was placed on medical reserve and sent back to Taruma for rest and recuperation. His assistance in battle saved many lives, and brought Taldryan to the forefront of the war.
After the Great Jedi War
Vodo was able to recover in the time after the Clan's departed for their home worlds, and as he recovered, he was delighted to hear that his exploits had won him the rank of Priest, and a place in the Equites. The blessings of both his Quaestor and his Consul had elevated him to this rank, and with their leave, requested his new robes a new model light saber, replacing the one he constructed himself, and had seen so much combat with.
With the [[Dark Council] seeking a new home, and the Clan of Taldryan consolidating its winnings, Vodo was left to administer to a House that had suffered losses in the fighting. Though activity was low, his ability to keep morale high, and consistent leadership, Vodo was elevated to the rank of Krath Archpriest. With his new rank, Vodo was granted the right to request a custom saber from the Herald. After a week of meditation and verbal communication with the Herald, the Aedile received word that the Office of the Herald would begin work on his saber very soon. His design was very uncommon, something many considered rather strange, and the work took the crafter nearly a month to complete before it was presented to its new owner, and bestowed with the same crystal Vodo had been given upon being knighted.
Vodo began to work closely with his battleteam leaders, attempting to groom what would become his replacement. For many in the brotherhood, the job of Aedile is a lowly one, considered little more than a lackey who rarely gets to make decisions. In the system established by Hel-Pa Sklib and with the help of Vodo, the Quaestor and the Aedile had become partners. It was the job of the Aedile to keep the Quaestor focused, to maintain a level vigilance with an eye towards the members. It was this working partnership that made training whoever would replace him an important affair.
A suitable replacement was found and Vodo took a leave of absence in order to search the Galaxy for more sources of knowledge in an attempt to quench his insatiable thirst. Vodo visited the ancient worlds of the Sith Empire and found nothing but ruins and dead worlds. He visited places of great power in the Force, but found nothing but pain and anger, a result of the ongoing Yuuzhan Vong War.
After his sojourn had been completed, the Archpriest returned to Taruma to find the House in chaos. Members had left, found new homes among the lesser clans, because the Quaestor and his Aedile were nearly at each other's throats. With a conflict within the summit threatening, Vodo offered to take back his old position. With great relief Hel-Pa Sklib fired his apprentice, replacing him with his long time friend. Releations quickly returned to normal, and it was not long before Sklib was promoted to Proconsul of Taldryan. There was no other candidate for the job of Quaestor as qualified as Vodo, and his appointment was swiftly confirmed by the Grand Master.
Great Jedi War IX: Unification
After two years of exile, Grand Master Sarin ordered the Clans of the Dark brotherhood to assemble. Taldryan, though loath to sate the Sith Lord's need for vengeance and his foolish pride, was at his side. Vodo had organized his Dark Jedi into an effective fighting force in the time sense he'd take over as Quaestor.
As a Clan, the Taldryan landed and held off a major offensive by the occupying Jedi's Droid Army at the site of the Planetary Beachhead. The three day battle took a heavy toll on the 1st Clan's Jedi, but they emerged victorious allowing the forces of the Iron Throne to break out and pursue the enemy. Taldryan's first objective was to take out an artillery emplacement upon a rise that was preventing the advance of the Iron Throne's 2/44th Infantry.
From there, they moved North on foot to reinforce Forward Operating Base: Speer and the Dark Jedi of Naga Sadow. Vodo fought with his Aedile, Sidarace Rathden, at his side and pushed into the thick of combat. It was decided during the defense of FOB: Speer that in order to quell the tide of the battle, the Droid Factory behind enemy lines needed to be destroyed. With no air cover Taldryan Jedi pushed through the droid army towards the factory.
The Dark Jedi of Naga Sadow however sought to take the prestige for themselves. Having been tasked with defending and holding their rear, the Sadowans treachery left the Taldryan force surrounded and under heavy fire. They fought their way to the factory and used it to anchor their rear. Here, Vodo found one of his Dark Jedi, Lokasena Corvinus, surrounded and too far out from his nearest ally. Vodo moved to defend the Krath Priest with aid of Phoenix Phyle Tetrarch Bubbles Taldrya.
Upon reaching the man however, they were subdued by Magna Guards armed with stun weapons. At the same time, Sidarace Rathden found himself captured by a Jedi general. The three of them were taken to the Dark Hall, the Jedi's command center, and imprisoned. Omancor Crask, the Jedi Master who had defeated the resident Yuuzhan Vong occupiers, was talented in converting and mind washing enemies. Sidarace fell victim to this power and was let loose to kill his Master.
In a cathartic battle, Vodo fought and struck down his brainwashed Aedile. Rescued by a strike team of Iron Throne soldiers and battleteam Phoenix Phyle, Bubbles and Vodo escaped Jedi custody and found themselves shot down en route to their rendezvous with the Clan. Though he survived the crash with little injury, an explosion caused by a fly over cost him the use of his legs. A further rescue from Battlemaster Vardar Fen'Amar Ordo picked up the survivors and carried them back to the Dark Hall for the culminating battle of the war.
DJB Facts
Vodo joined the Brotherhood four years ago, and has since been an integral part of the Taldryan and Ektrosian memberships. While not an active online gamer, Vodo chooses to flourish in Run-On and fiction contests. Vodo prides himself on his accomplishments, such as close to thirty Shadow Academy courses completed and passed, over twenty awards, and relationships with some of the older members of the organization.
Activities
Vodo spends his time on Khar Shan for the most part when he is not engaged in Clan, House, or Battle Team excersizes. Here, he delves into the Shadow Academy records and shelves of knowledge, as well as teaching a communication course for which he earned the title of Eclectic Pedagogue. Vodo is very proud of his knowledge, and is often approached for advice on historical matters, technical skills, and arcane spells that can only be used after great preparation. Though sometimes viewed as an encyclopedia, Vodo is actually a very well rounded individual who excels in saber combat, split second thought processes, and social activities. He has also recently taken up an amateur hobby in Architecture, as evidenced by the design of the completed Library of Lears on Taruma.
Vodo spends his time occupied with the business of running House Ektrosis, ensuring its continued prominence.
Light saber
File:Vodo.jpeg
Vodo uses his newly crafted Custom Saber. The hilt is a particular design, of his own invention, designed to take advantage of the two forms that he's learned, Form III Soresu, and the more aggressive Form II Makashi. The hilt is nearly 25cm long, a full hand larger than most two handed hilt designs. The saber was crafted to appear more regal than a standard weapon, while retaining a deadly agenda, as witnessed by the brutal looking spike at the pommel. With a longer hilt, Vodo can achieve a wider grip, which in a saber lock would mean more leverage, and therefore more power. The added weight to the rear of the bad also serves to increase rotational momentum, making the hilt finely suited to his primary form of Soresu, which depends upon a fluid balance of rotation and directional changes.
While an adept scholar, Vodo is also an accomplished swordsmen. In his spare time, he divides his attention between toning his mastery of Form III, while perfecting his near mastery of Form II. The balance between the heavily Defensive technique and the dueling technique gives the Archpriest a unique presence in combat, able to swiftly switch from defense to offense. In the past, his mastery of Soresu served to augment long time friend, and leader, Hel-Pa Sklib's aggressive mastery of Shii-Cho.
Positions Held
Outstanding Achievements
Awards:
Clan Awards
- Mark of Honor
- Scroll of the Arts
House Ektrosis Awards
Shadow Academy
Misc.
- Placed 33rd in the Second Darkness RoS of nearly 200 participants
- Contributed to the Taldryan GJW 8 RO, winning a Silver Novae
- Named Taldryan's Most Active in the 2008 Taldryan Tallys
- Named Best of Ektrosis in the 2008 Taldryan Tallys
Trivia
- Vodo Biask is a perversion of the name of the Jedi Master, Vodo-Siosk Baas. The idea was stolen from a 'Christian Star Wars Fan Club' member.
- Vodo was originally an Obelisk, but discovered it was not to his liking, and upon acting on advice from Kir Katarn, changed to the Krath.
- Serves at the leisure of Mistress Ashia Kagan Keibatsu.