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Shadow Taldrya is a Dark Side Adept loyal to House Dinaari of Clan Taldryan and is a Son of Taldryan and an Obelisk warrior.
Character History Overview
The Beginning
Shadow joined the Dark Brotherhood at a late age, not arriving on the planet of Eos until he was fifteen standard years of age. The events leading up to his induction are the earliest memories he carries aside from vague fragments that come to him in dreams. After awakening on an Imperial Shuttle surrounded by Royal Guardsmen. It was after betraying the Rebel pilots he had agreed to help that Shadow met two members of the Brotherhood out in search of new Apprentices. The wanton slaughter of the Rebel squadron had created dark ripples in the Force. Though at the time unaware of how it happened, Shadow eventually was taught that in his anger the Force enhanced his physical prowess allowing him to withstand the stray blaster bolts that struck him. Before passing out the untrained Apprentice managed to agree to accompany the two Dark Jedi back to Eos.
During his Academy training, Shadow began to learn the awesome power of the Force, as well as deadly nature of the Dark Side. Through strict training he gained a limited knowledge of basic Force techniques, though he always found himself struggling behind his fellow Apprentices. Combat was another story. After a slow start, Shadow quickly grasped the simple elegance of lightsaber combat. Shadow was taught the basics of Form Shii-Cho, the starting point for most every future Form he would learn. His martial prowess grew exponentially advancing him to the fore of the combat training class. When given the choice of which Order he would like to pursue Shadow decided upon the Obelisk, the elite warriors of the Brotherhood. Shadow walked the path of a true Obelisk warrior.
Fresh out of the Academy, Shadow was transferred to House Galares of Clan Arcona. After several attempts at dealing with the inept leadership he was approached in the training halls by one Sharad Hett, the current leader of House Dinaari. Before accepting the Obelisk Warrior's invitation, Shadow challenged him to a duel. Compared to what he was used to seeing, Sharad was a remarkable talent, and during their short fight managed to teach Shadow a great deal about the art of lightsaber combat. His choice made clear, Shadow immediately requested a transfer to Dinaari and left Clan Arcona for the Planet Kaiburr. Taldryan was to be his new home, and the only home he would ever have in the Brotherhood.
The Next Step
Six months after being accepted as a member of House Dinaari, Shadow was asked to fill the vacant position of Quaestor, following Sharad's advancement to Obelisk High Commander, by Jac Cotelin, the Consul of Taldryan. It was Shadow’s first attempt at leadership in the Brotherhood. At the lowly rank of Jedi Hunter Shadow was now in command of the most powerful of the Obelisk Houses.
File:Dinaariclaw.jpgLogo of House Dinaari
Shortly after his appointment, Lord Cotelin and Proconsul Keirdagh Cantor summoned Shadow again to the Planet Sahare. Recently the Dark Council had chosen to press new restrictions on members wanting to lead. The rank required for Quaestor was now Dark Jedi Knight, a title Shadow had not yet received. To stave off the imminent harping of the Council, Shadow was sent by the Clan summit deep into the jungles of Kaibur, Dinaari's homeplanet, to find the ancient crystals used in lightsaber construction.
After many days and nights, Shadow finally happened upon the cave of crystals that all Taldryan members had gone to for their trials. After days with no food and little sleep, as well as attacks from the various creatures inhabiting the planet, Shadow emerged from the crystal caves of Kaiburr victorious. He returned to the Dinaari citadel and began constructing his lightsaber. Upon completion he presented it to both Jac and Keirdagh who pronounced him fit for Knighthood and promoted him on the spot. After a brief ceremony his lightsaber was handed back to him and he returned to Kaiburr to fulfill his duties as Quaestor.
Thus Shadow’s training began anew. He chose to concentrate on mastering Shii-Cho while taking his first steps into the defensive art of Soresu. This combination would serve the young Knight well in the unavoidable Obelisk Rite of Supremacy. House Dinaari emerged victorious after a violent month of constant warring and was rewarded with the title of First House of the Obelisk. The war had given Shadow a new perspective on his training. He slowed his study of Soresu and took up the more aggressive form of Djem So spending more and more of his time mastering his chosen art and less time devoted to his House.
The Equite
Unfortunately, not long after the Rite of Supremacy Shadow felt a call to step down as Quaestor of Dinaari and returned to regular membership. It was during this period that he began to delve into the higher aspects of the Brotherhood’s leadership. Much of what he learned was from his old mentor High Commander Sharad Hett, who took Shadow on as Praetor. Later Shadow was also appointed Praetor to the Commander of the Guard. Maintaining a steady flow of Clan and assistant Council member activity Shadow eventually found himself appointed to Commander of the Royal Guard, while managing to convince the Council to allow him to serve his Clan as well. His first task upon appointment was to study the dead artform of Echani - a skill most every Commander was supposed to learn. Through various holocrons and secret training sessions, Shadow's training commenced. He took well to the argot combat style and was deemed fit to carry his blades by Kir Katarn.
File:0084-saber.jpgShadow's First Custom Sabers
After this training, Shadow quickly came to realize that corruption ruled the Dark Council. Events he had not been aware of before made it all to obvious that he could not be a servant of the Council while retaining his allegiance to his Clan. During the 'Forgotten War', the Fourth Great Jedi War, Shadow denounced his role as Commander and returned to help his Clan during the struggle.
The War ended with no clear victor. The Clan's returned to their own systems licking their wounds and instead turned to strengthening their positions from within. Shadow took this opportunity to begin training younger members as the leader of Dark Infantry Brigade. During his time as Sergeant, Shadow spent a great deal of time perfecting his lightsaber technique. He eventually mastered Shii-Cho and was adept at Djem So with a strong understanding of Soresu. Small skirmishes between the Clans took place for several months. House Kirleta challenged Dinaari to a feud and was utterly destroyed by the powerful Obelisks of Dinaari. Shadow lead his brigade to several decisive victories all of which added to his combat prowess. He began to study ancient battles in Ektrosis’ grand library on Planet Deva. He took quickly to learning large-scale battlefield tactics and even delved into a bit of space superiority tactics.
While Shadow continued to hone his skills unrest was sweeping through Brotherhood. Once the most powerful grouping of Dark Jedi in the universe, it was slowly becoming the tool of an Imperial Remnant group known as the Emperor’s Hammer. The Hammer’s deranged leaders mocked the traditions of the Dark Jedi and took it upon themselves to appoint their own members as Dark Councillors. For months the Brotherhood suffered to the point of near destruction. Before all hope was lost a secret council convened and made a decision that would forever change the Brotherhood. Private messengers were dispatched to the Halls of the Seven Clans, each carrying word of an exodus. A plan from the greatest minds of the Brotherhood to reclaim our leadership and power and distance ourselves from the Emperor's Hammer. Unfortunately, certain members betrayed their Clans and took word of the plot to the Grand Admiral. The Hammer’s navy was soon massing to launch an attack on the Dark Hall on Eos.
After hours of intense fighting the Grand Master’s gathered together before the Dark Hall and combined their powers to blanket the Hammer’s troops and remaining loyal Jedi with the Force, effectively blinding them to the escaping Brotherhood members. The diversion allowed the Clans to gather what resources they could and flee their planets in search of new systems. During the battle over Eos, Shadow led a strike team of loyal commandos and Taldryan Jedi and boarded one of the Hammer’s flagships. Their mission was to disable the gravity well generators to allow Brotherhood ships to enter hyperspace. The mission ended in a success, Shadow’s team just managing to fly out of the hangar in a stolen YT-2400 Shadow later named Ghost as the generators backfired and the ship began to explode. The team met up with the rest of Taldryan’s fleet and left the Karana system forever.
The Brotherhood eventually discovered the long-forgotten system of Antei – the birthplace of the Star Chamber. It was there that the Brotherhood began anew and Clan scouts began searching the surrounding systems for new homes. It was the first time in decades that the entire Brotherhood was working together focused on a single goal – rebuilding their fragmented Clans. Fortunately, Taldryan scouts quickly discovered the Kr’Tal system inhabited by human-like sentients who accepted the invasion passively. Their technology was not a match for the invading dark Jedi and they were soon taken over and brought to task. Shadow again found himself with time to train and meditate. It was during this relatively peaceful time that he began enhancing his martial skills with effects through the Force. Instead of seeking great power he instead adapted the Force to enhance his already impressive physical traits to become a lethal warrior. His mastery of Shii-Cho gave him the opportunity to start training younger members of Dinaari in the ways of lightsaber combat. The Clans enjoyed a time of peace and renewal allowing them to flourish after the losses inflicted on them by the Emperor's Hammer. Peace, however was not meant to last.
Just over a year after the Brotherhood had settled into it’s new home problems began to erupt through the seven Clans. Disputes over territory and new trainees led to heated debates in the newly built Dark Hall. In the end war broke out and Taldryan was thrown into the fifth Great Jedi War. Several months into the war something began to change among the members of the Brotherhood. A consciousness began to infect certain members causing them to turn against their own allies and clan mates. Shadow was also infected by the consciousness and helped lead an attack on the newly built Clan hall on Karufr. Many such battles were evenly matched with neither side managing to press forward. Eventually Grand Master Firefox returned from his leave and discovered the truth about the Consciousness and battled the ancient Lord Okemi, defeating him and freeing the dark Jedi from their enslavement. Finally free of Okemi’s control, the Clans returned to warring on one another. The conflict did not last long after Firefox’s return. The Clans had suffered greatly due to the internal conflicts and Taldryan again began to rebuild it’s empire.
For his efforts during the Great Jedi War, despite the fact he turned against his fellow Jedi, Shadow was elevated to the rank of Obelisk Primarch, highest of the Equite classes. Upon his promotion, Shadow made the decision to focus his training in a new direction. He began to train using dual lightsabers. He found that when combining his skills of Shii-Cho and Djem So he could maintain a fierce attack and a strong defense utilizing both sabers. For training purposes Shadow used a pair of unmodified lightsabers created by the Headmaster, Spears Tarentae.
He took a short leave from his second run as Quaestor of Dinaari and went in search of crystals he would need. After a long and arduous search through New Republic systems, Shadow eventually returned to Altur ready to build his new lightsabers, and began training in a new Form he had heard about during his journey. The ancient variant Form known as Shien would be the focus of all the Primarch’s abilities. Deadly in it’s technique and based heavily in Shii-Cho and Djem So, Shien would be the perfect melding of technique, agility and strength to give Shadow the extra edge over most any opponent.
Five months after Shadow returned from the Core systems, Kir Taldrya Katarn summoned him to the Consul’s private quarters on Karufr. Consul Katarn informed Shadow that he was being appointed Proconsul of Taldryan and was to hand House Dinaari over to the capable hands of Prelate Benevolent, Shadow’s now former Aedile. The newly formed Clan summit received word that High Commander Adept Korras was planning an attack on Coratua IV. Recent reports indicated that a group of pirate smugglers had discovered a cache of droid supply depots and, more importantly, intact droid storage facilities forgotten since the Clone Wars. A team of Dark Jedi from each Clan was requested to aid in defeating the pirates and capturing combat droids. Consul Katarn gave the task of leading Taldryan's powerful team to Shadow and sent them to acquire as much as they could from the depots and storage facilities.
The assault was a complete success. The pirates were quickly defeated and the Clan teams began expanding their bases to conquer more of the planet and capture more supplies. Clans that encountered one another fought fiercely to maintain control over their territories. In an impressive display of skill, Taldryan’s battle-hardened warriors won numerous smaller battles before finally taking control of the largest droid factory on the moon. Capturing the factory added a great deal of ground assault vehicles and combat droids to Taldryan’s military. Finally, the High Commander announced the war was ended and split the goods amongst the six Clans and took a percentage back to the Dark Council.
Shadow and his team arrived back on Karfur to cheers and congratulations. They had undoubtedly accomplished the most out of any other Clan. After a lengthy celebration, Kir Katarn at last made an appearance. He stood on the central dais in the great hall of Taldryan’s headquarters and brought the celebrating Clan to silence. After two exemplary years of leading Taldryan as Consul, Kir was going to step down. He motioned the stunned Shadow to come up to the dais and again bid the Clan for silence. In the silence following Kir's announcement, Shadow was promoted to the elder rank of Dark Side Adept and appointed as the new Consul of Taldryan.
The Elder
Shadow's reign as Consul, though short-lived, brought on several changes that laid the groundwork for the Clan's future. Before doing anything else, Shadow spent his time creating a new Taldryan award, "Kir's Prosperity" - a ring to be rewarded to those whose relentless self-sacrifice helped the clan to greatness. It was a final honor to the former Consul for his years of work making Taldryan the greatest it could be.
File:Shadow robe.jpgShadow's Informal Robes
Though the Obelisk High Commander had recalled all Brotherhood forces back to their home systems, fighting still broke out amongst many of the Clans. Taldryan again managed to retain it's honorary place as First Clan and returned to the Kr'Tal system with the makings of an entire army. The spoils of war were many and were soon dispersed amongst both the Houses as well as the Clan to further enhance the Taldryan war efforts. A sense of peace was established across the Brotherhood and the Clan again focused on strengthening itself for the next Great War.
Mere weeks after obtaining his position, Shadow was forced to deal with the loss of another influential clan member, Dark Sabre Taldrya. The loss of the Ektrosis Quaestor marked a significant change in the leadership of the Clan. Benevolent, Quaestor of Dinaari, was chosen as Proconsul in part due to the great working relationship he had with Shadow during their time as Quaestor and Aedile. Chaosrain was chosen to take charge of Ektrosis while Duga was chosen to replace Benevolent in Dinaari. This new summit would be the basis for the next generation of Taldryan.
Less than three months after the end of the Rite of Supremacy and Shadow's rise to Consul, he Adept decided it was time to remove himself from active leadership. After lengthy discussions with various elder clan members, Shadow appointed Duga his successor and passed onto him the legacy and responsibility of Taldryan leadership.
File:ShadowsCourage.jpgShadow's Clan Award As a final token for his past leadership, Duga ordered the making of a cloak, made of the finest silk and dyed in the colors of the Obelisk Order. It was dubbed the Cloak of Shadow, a testament to the old Adept's courageous leadership. The Cloak was added to the Taldryan awards, a tribute Shadow was both honored and moved to receive. Shortly after the ceremony, Shadow slipped out of the Clans headquarters and boarded his shuttle.
Though he mourned the fact that he had not accomplished a great many of his plans for Taldryan, Shadow quickly forced himself to carry on. He again returned to a life of solitude, keeping contact with the Brotherhood to a minimum. During his time of reflection Shadow began to train again, mastering an archaic form of lightsaber combat known as Shien. Ignoring the call of the Force, Shadow instead chose to focus on mastering himself physically. His powers waned with each passing season, but his fighting ability remained peerless. However, not all his training was lost to him in the intervening years. A trickle of power edged back into him. With it came the unmistakable thought of war. War was quickly approaching the Brotherhood once more, the powers of the Clans had grown too swiftly. The inevitable battle for supremacy would soon befall his former brethren. From his self-imposed exile, Shadow began to contact his Clan again. Learning what he could from old friends and preparing himself. Still, no one was sure if Shadow would return to battle as he once had. Now, only time will tell.
Physical Appearance
Shadow stands at nearly two meters tall and weighs roughly 92 kilograms. Due to the amount of strenuous physical training, Shadow is well-muscled with the lithe grace brought on from years of lightsaber training. His hair is the darkest of blacks, parted to one side and slightly curling at his shoulders. Shadow's eyes are a reflective brown, though when he his overcome by anger his piercing gaze can rattle all but the bravest of Jedi. Though he ignores most of the forms of etiquette, Shadow carries himself with a quiet dignity, and walks nobily when charged with important duties. Despite this, Shadow is well known for being laid back when with his friends, and few would recognize the honorable warrior from the mocking trickster found in the common rooms of Dinaari's headquarters.
Because most of his life is spent in training, Shadow tends to forgo the use of traditional robes and wears simple, black combat boots and a black tunic with blue trim sinched at the waist by a wide leather belt decorated with silver emblems. Shadow's latest crafted lightsabers are always resting on his belt accompanied by his Echani knife. When the weather makes it necessary, Shadow wears a simple black robe over top of his regular tunic. Attached to his right leg is a self-made holster for his modified bryar pistol and is at his side at all times outside of training. When formality is required, Shadow dons his hooded cloak and his finest robes complete with silver trim, Order blue sash and eight-sided medallion.
=== Weapons ===
File:Shadow sabers.gifShadow's Current Lightsabers
- Modified Lightsaber (Type I)
Emits a silver blade, used as Shadow’s main or right-handed weapon. It has a black and chrome covered hilt, which is 12 inches length and 1.5 inches in diameter.
- Modified Lightsaber (Type II)
Emits a silver blade, specially crafted to compliment Shadow’s desire to master the Shien lightsaber Form and its dual saber attacks. It has a black and chrome covered hilt, which is 12 inches length and 1.5 inches in diameter.
File:Echaniblade.jpgShadow's Echani Knife
Used by warriors practicing the near-extinct martial form of Echani, the Echani knife had a small blade, roughly about five centimeters, it's hilt could be modified to suit the user. The blade, in order to be effective, had to be razor sharp. Even the slightest knick could tear even the toughest skin. In most cases, Echani warriors used two knives instead of one, although it was not uncommon for just one. The Echani knife was not made for throwing, but can be done so rather effectively. The tip of the blade, due to constant sharpening, is exceptionally sharp.
Shadow received his pair of ceremonial knives having completed his training with Kir Taldrya Katarn. As a part of his final test, Kir challenged Shadow to a duel with the blades. Shadow earned his Echani training that day by coming out of the battle unscathed.
Though he owns two of the blades, Shadow only wields one in battle the other remains framed on a mantle in the Dinaari Headquarters of Altur.
Many years ago the members of House Dinaari began a new tradition to test the skills of it's members. Not through application of the Force or even sparring with a lightsaber, this tradition was set on the more unusual skill of bryar pistol accuracy. The bryar pistol is a weapon of deadly accuracy, it began as a contest to see who could score more hits against his friends during training sessions using a weakened verion of the pistol. What started out as a mere fun competition became a serious standard in the training of Dinaari troops and was sometimes emulated by other members of the Clan.
Being one of the founders of the tradition, Shadow opted to create his own personal version of the weapon. This modified version began as a Bryar Rifle with it's barrel completed removed. Taking two barrels and sawing them roughly in half, Shadow attached them together and added a new firing mechanism. Thusly, Shadow's bryar pistol became more of a double-barreled shotgun capable of great accuracy and such force that it could throw an armored trooper back over five feet. After his appointed to Consul, Shadow decided to have his weapon nickel-plated to further change it's appearance from the standard pistol.
Lightsaber Forms
Fighting Styles
- Primary: Echani - Shadow learned Echani on his appointment to Commander of the Guard early in his career allowing him to spend many years mastering the deadly art
- Secondary: Knifist - Shortly after the Exodus, Shadow began broadening his combat knowledge and worked on mastering the Alderaanian style of Knifist
Timeline of Personal Events
File:0084-warbanner.gifShadow's Warbanner
- 06/08/01 - Joined the Dark Brotherhood
- 06/08/01 - Promoted to Apprentice
- 06/09/01 - Promoted to Novice
- 06/10/01 - Promoted to Acolyte
- 06/10/01 - Transferred to House Dinaari
- 06/25/01 - Promoted to Protector
- 11/12/01 - Promoted to Guardian
- 11/20/01 - Promoted to Jedi Hunter
- 11/30/01 - Appointed Magistrate to the Obelisk High Commander
- 12/06/01 - Appointed Dinaari Quaestor
- 12/22/01 - Promoted to Dark Jedi Knight
- 01/10/01 - Resigned from Magistrate to the Obelisk High Commander
- 01/10/01 - Appointed Praetor to the Obelisk High Commander
- 01/18/02 - Promoted to Obelisk Warrior
- 04/03/02 - Resigned from Dinaari Quaestor
- 06/01/02 - Appointed Praetor to the Commander of the Guard
- 08/27/02 - Promoted to Obelisk Battlemaster
- 12/07/02 - Resigned from Praetor to Commander of the Guard
- 12/21/02 - Appointed Commander of the Guard
- 02/12/02 - Resigned from Commander of the Guard
- 03/20/02 - Appointed Dark Infantry Elite Sergeant
- 08/20/02 - Awarded Seal of Loyalty
- 04/25/03 - Awarded Sapphire Blade
- 07/07/03 - Resigned from Praetor to the Obelisk High Commander
- 10/01/03 - Promoted to Exarch
File:Yt2400 ghost.jpgShadow's Personal Ship Ghost
- 02/03/04 - Appointed Quaestor of House Dinaari
- 02/03/04 - Appointed Magistrate to the Obelisk High Commander
- 10/20/04 - Promoted to Primarch
- 01/26/05 - Resigned from Magistrate to the Obelisk High Commander
- 03/03/05 - Appointed Magistrate to the Commander of the Guard
- 03/06/05 - Appointed Magistrate to the Sith High Warrior
- 03/21/05 - Resigned from Quaestor of House Dinaari
- 03/21/05 - Appointed Proconsul of Clan Taldryan
- 03/26/05 - Appointed Magistrate to the Obelisk High Commander
- 04/15/05 - Awarded Seal of Loyalty
- 05/23/05 - Awarded Amethyst Kukri
- 10/12/05 - Resigned from Proconsul of Clan Taldryan
- 10/12/05 - Appointed Consul of Clan Taldryan
- 10/12/05 - Promoted to Dark Side Adept
Past Positions
Current Positions
No positions currently held
Special Titles
- Best Obelisk 2002, 2004
- People's Choice 2002, 2004, 2005
- Cohors Praetoria Taldryae
- Grand Whore of the Brotherhood
- Son of Taldryan
- Consul Emeritus
Special Awards
- 08/20/02 - Seal of Loyalty
- 04/15/05 - Seal of Loyalty
- 05/22/06 - Claw of Dinaari
- 05/24/06 - The Scepter of Sharad
Trivia
- First member of the Brotherhood awarded with the title Grand Whore of the Brotherhood
- Has won 3 consecutive "Tally's" People's Choice award
- Trademark IRC moves are thrusting and bending people over tables
- Shadow's table was a gift from Benevolent Whiner
- One of the pioneers of the deadly art of bryar ownage