- "Instead of two there shall be only one. I have no need for apprentices. Power is its own purpose. It is strongest when contained in one vessel—to share it is to dilute it. I am the One Sith. "
- ―Darth Vexatus's twisted interpretation of the Rule of One which was influenced by the Creed of Ruin
Darth Vexatus the Betrayer, also known as the The Heretic, and later The Dreamer or The Sleeper, was a Falleen male born on Falleen who took the mantle of Lord of the Sith during the Yuuzhan Vong War. Before taking the name Vexatus, Xanos Zorrixor (sometimes called The Prophet) was a Jedi Knight in the New Jedi Order. Soon after developing his Force talents, he became plagued by nightmares of a coming darkness. Unable to convince the Jedi Masters, he turned his back on the Order, turning to the dark side and apprenticing himself to a Dark Jedi named Vykan who brought him into the Dark Brotherhood.
In the Brotherhood, Xanos fell under the sway of Trevarus Caerick, a sorcerer whose heretical teachings led him to turn his back on Vykan and the strictures of the Brotherhood. As time passed, his visions grew worse and the sorcerer came to see them for what they were: an omen of the Far Outsiders. Despite widespread dismissal by the Dark Council that Antei was secure, Caerick used his influence with the Star Chamber to convince Jac Cotelin, then Dark Lord of the Sith, to take Xanos as his Shadow Hand and grant Xanos access to the Archives that might unlock the meaning of his apocalyptic visions. But it was too late: the Yuuzhan Vong invasion had already begun. As Civil War gripped the Brotherhood, Xanos sealed himself into the Archives of the Star Chamber, experiencing total paralysis from his visions. There he studied the holocron of Darth Maestus, concluding the Brotherhood was doomed and that if he was to avert the dark crusade of his nightmares he must go it alone. Despite Xanos's realisation, when the war ended he was hailed as a prophet for having predicted it. But knowing he had not seen the Civil War, he denounced the Star Chamber as blind and disappeared into exile.
During his exile, Xanos Zorrixor was reborn as Darth Vexatus after being captured by the Yuuzhan Vong and came to embrace the Rule of One as the culmination of the teachings he had learned from Maestus--that the dark side should be contained in one vessel. Searching for an answer to his visions, he came across a text mentioning an artifact named the Heart of the Force. Vexatus returned to the Brotherhood a year later, returning to his former Master, with whom he then spent the next two years manipulating events to discover the location of the lost planet Lehon, where the mythic nexus of dark side energy was purported to be located. At last, having unlocked the Star Map in the Temple of Orian on Sepros, Vexatus revealed his betrayal and made off with the Harbinger to Lehon at the beginning of 29 ABY. In a final climactic battle between Master and apprentice, he slew Caerick, only for the sorcerer to be reborn as Shan Long, who abandoned Vexatus to the hands of the Disciples of Sadow, against whom he was finally bested by Muz Ashen, Macron Goura, and Ylith Atema. In his final breaths he brought the volcanic cavern down around them, forcing the Clan to fall back at the behest of Jedgar Paladin and leave him for dead.
It was unclear exactly what happened following the fateful final duel on Lehon. The Clan sensed Vexatus's passing through the Force and believed him destroyed. However, in his final moments, Maestus guided him to the realm beyond the veil of mortality, leaving behind his physical being to be consumed by the fires of Mount Kazinal. Having drank of the minds imprisoned in the Heart of the Force, Vexatus absorbed more than any mortal should, becoming one not with the Force but with the many tortured souls he consumed. The will behind his power had degenerated to a primal thing, an unquenchable thirst, a base hunger for the raw energy of the Force itself. With his mortal form beyond salvation, his will reached out to those he had been closest to, all those who bore the same Mark he shared. Unrecognisable, his hunger pressed upon their minds, threatening to reduce them to empty shells, mindless extensions of his will.
By the liberation of Antei of late 30 ABY, Cyrus Raze had been all but lost to Vexatus's hunger and Robert Daragon was not far from reaching the same state. Daragon sent Raze to Kalekka Tower to seek out answers, believing the cause to be Shan Long not Vexatus—who still was thought to be dead. But it was upon encountering the Dragon that Raze finally succumbed to the hunger, unable to hold back Vexatus's urge to consume the Ombian souls trapped inside the shards of the Star of Ombus. In the battle against the crusaders of Omancor Crask, Raze was slain when the Disciples of Sadow linked their minds, overpowering Vexatus's hunger and causing Raze to be consumed by the very Force storm he had unleashed upon himself.
It remains unknown where Darth Vexatus lurks now, if indeed he still has any physical presence at all for his body was recovered by his sister, Xora Zorrixor, from the jungles of Lehon and taken to places unknown. But one thing is certain after the revelation of the hunger that devoured Cyrus Raze's mind: Vexatus was not destroyed at Lehon, but instead became something much, much worse; a Mind Drinker that feeds on the lives of others. He exists only as energy, a perversion of the Force itself as he seeks to become one with it through the only path left open to him; a base hunger for that seeks to consume all, that will feed on life itself to quench his thirst to return to the Force and become one with it once again. He is no longer a man; he is the darkness that once haunted his own nightmares. Perhaps the only way now to defeat The Dreamer is to awake him from his eternal slumber so that he may finally be put to sleep forever.
Biography
Xanos Zorrixor was born during the height of the Galactic Empire on Falleen in 15 BBY. His father, Count Haxim Zorrixor, was a prominent noble in House Zorrixor and the lord of a sizable estate on Falleen. His mother, Maziel Izhiq, was a Jedi survivor of the Clone Wars who had lived in exile with her husband since the fall of the Old Republic. Xanos grew up alone on his father’s estate, forced to keep a low profile to shield his Force-sensitivity from the outside world.
In 8 BBY the Empire bombarded a city ruled by House Sizhran to contain a biohazard leak. The incident drove Xanos’s parents to hate the Empire more than they already did, but they stopped short of active protest to ensure their son’s safety. However, when the Death Star was destroyed, Xanos accompanied his parents when they attended the Conference of Uncommitted Worlds on Kabal. They became trapped when the Empire blockaded the planet and narrowly escaped the orbital bombardment of the capital city of Shoribus where the conference was taking place after its location was leaked to the Empire by one of the Rebellion’s own. After the incident on Kabal, Xanos’s parents became unwilling to trust the Rebellion and decided against offering any support.
The Aargau Incident (1 ABY)
In 1 ABY Xora, Xanos’s sister was born. The same year Xanos and his father were accosted by thieves while on a visit to Aargau. Acting out of pure instinct Xanos called on the power of the Force to defend himself. Panicked, the thieves ran away. Xanos had no idea what he had done but his father was shocked and urgently took his son back to Falleen. Weeks passed and nothing happened. Eventually Maziel and Haxim were satisfied the police had not believed the thieves, had they even reported the incident. Nevertheless, Xanos now knew his mother was a Jedi and so Maziel took it upon herself to train him.
- "How is the Force any different to a lightsaber?"
- ―Xanos Zorrixor, questioning the Jedi Code
Xanos Zorrixor at the time of his family's deathXanos was technically too old to begin the training but Maziel wanted her son to be able to protect himself even if he found it hard to embrace the Jedi Code at his age. Maziel hoped she could teach her son enough that he would not become seduced by the dark side. She gave Xanos one of her lightsabers which she had kept since the Clone Wars and trained him in Soresu.
In 3 ABY an Imperial Inquisitor named Arystul Deyal came looking for the child who had used the Force on Aargau. Maziel sacrificed herself to allow her family to escape but Xanos became separated from Haxim and Xora. Xanos was able to fight his way out and watched from a distance as the ship Haxim and Xora tried to escape on was shot down and exploded. Xanos fled Falleen never wanting to step foot on the planet again.
- "If the Jedi had done something decades ago the rot would never have sunk so deep"
- ―Xanos Zorrixor, questioning why the Jedi had ever allowed the Republic to fall
Xanos spent the next two years moving from world to world rarely staying in one place for long. The threat of the Empire coming after him again forced him to change his name and he adopted his mother’s name, becoming Xanos Izhiq. Xanos discovered he could use the Force to influence others and became adept at using it to cheat at sabacc in order to get by. He became obsessed with revenge, blaming himself for what had happened, wishing he had only been strong enough.
Using his father’s old contacts, such as his associates in the Corellian Merchants’ Guild, he managed to track down the Inquisitor who had murdered his family. He eventually caught up with Arystul Deyal on Taanab, managing to defeat him in a duel by calling on the dark side out of survival instinct. The attack took the Inquisitor by surprise and Xanos crushed the life out of him.
However, before Deyal died he revealed that his arrival on Falleen had been no coincidence, and that Xanos father had in fact outed them to the Empire in exchange for leniency. Furthermore, Deyal claimed Haxim was still alive, and that only Xora had been on the doomed transport.
Galactic Civil War (5 ABY – 12 ABY)
New Republic Intelligence (5 ABY – 8 ABY)
- "I long for the day I learn how to draw on the Force at will but until then a blaster will have to do."
- ―Xanos Zorrixor, shortly after joining NRI
Xanos Zorrixor during his time in NRIXanos had hoped killing his family’s murderer would bring peace but instead he was left wanting. He realised the only two times during his life he had felt truly alive had been during the incidents on Aargau and now Taanab. Xanos desperate wished to understand his talents but with his mother dead he resigned himself to accepting there would be no one to train him. At twenty, he ended up joining New Republic Intelligence believing he could at least put his talents to use.
One of Xanos’s first missions was to the planet Milagro. Xanos was part of a New Republic force there which battled the Imperial forces for three months. In the end, despite a New Republic victory, the Empire bombarded the planet from orbit, destroying anything of value. Xanos narrowly escaped, having had a sense of foreboding right before the attack. He joined the fleet during the second Battle of Milagro, helping to take back the planet. The following year would see the first Battle of Coruscant of the Galactic Civil War. Xanos was inserted onto Coruscant shortly after Milagro, helping one of several NRI cells prepare for the main attack. He was promoted to captain after the battle.
Xanos was involved in the attack on Thyferra during 7 ABY. His cell was inserted onto Thyferra early in the Bacta War, helping rally support from among the local population to rise up against the occupying Imperial forces. Following the planet’s capture, Xanos joined the New Republic forces in orbit to help during the ensuing space battle. The following year he was involved in the attack on Kuat to capture the shipyards. Xanos’s rapid rise, no doubt due to his Force abilities, had not gone unnoticed. However, Xanos also had a reputation for playing loose with the law, often cutting corners to get results. To his surprise, he was promoted to major and offered command of Specter Squadron, a clandestine intelligence cell which would operate under the radar.
Specter Squadron saw action the following year during the Thrawn Campaign at the third Battle of Coruscant and the Battle of Bilbringi. They were also part of the NRI force involved in the Battle of Liinade III, taking part in the space battle before joining the ground forces during the two week long struggle to secure control of the planet. Later the same year, the Specters saw action at the second Battle of Ciutric IV in the final part of the campaign against Delak Krennel.
Xanos and his squadron saw further action in 10 ABY during the campaign by the reborn emperor. They were deployed to Metellos shortly before the fourth Battle of Coruscant, urgently being recalled when the Imperial forces from the Deep Core struck out at the capital. Specter Squadron were stuck on Coruscant until the occupying Imperial forces were driven off in 11 ABY. Xanos was promoted to lieutenant colonel shortly after the battle to liberate the planet.
The Specters was caught up in the campaign against Admiral Daala when the Jedi Praxeum opened its doors to Force-sensitives. Xanos remained in NRI until 12 ABY, taking part in the Battle of the Jedi Praxeum which finally saw Daala defeated. He was there to witness the explosive display of power by the young Jedi Knights which threw Daala’s fleet out of the system. The feat caused Xanos’s deep longing to unlock his power to return and he resigned his commission shortly after to join the Jedi.
Trials of a Jedi Knight (12 ABY – 13 ABY)
The Jedi Praxeum (12 ABY)
- "Why do the Jedi say the Sith are evil? Do the Sith not also seek to bring order? Anakin Skywalker was once a Jedi too... does that make all Jedi evil?"
- ―Vykan, Dark Jedi
Renko YastXanos joined the Jedi Order hoping to at long last understand the brief moments of fulfilment he had experienced on Aargau and Taanab. He was taken as an apprentice by Renko Yast. Yast believed Xanos had received enough lightsaber instruction from Maziel but desperately needed to embrace the Jedi Code before becoming a Jedi. Xanos felt Yast was holding him back and fell into the arms of a wandering Dark Jedi named Vykan while on a mission to Nar Shaddaa. Xanos believed he could learn to use the dark side without becoming corrupted and agreed to become Vykan’s apprentice. Vykan trained Xanos in secret outside his lessons with Yast at the Jedi Praxeum. Xanos realised how much the Jedi did not teach their students and believed he could become stronger than all of them.
Later that year, Xanos took part in the battle when the Jedi Praxeum was attacked by Dessan and his legion of Reborn warriors. Drawing on Vykan’s training, Xanos was able to hold his own against the Reborn, helping to rescue several of the younglings with his Master. Xanos was made a Jedi Knight following the battle, as a sign he had completed the trials. However, Yast remained troubled by how quickly his apprentice had advanced and was worried about where he had come by some of his more exotic Force abilities.
The Eriadu Incident (13 ABY)
- "The dark side ruined my life the same as it did yours. How can you have allowed it to seduce you?"
- ―Taraeis Alaviel, Jedi apprentice
Xanos was assigned a young Arkanian named Taraeis Alaviel to be his apprentice shortly after his advancement to Jedi Knight. Xanos split his time between training his apprentice, studying the transcripts of the Tedryn Holocron in the archives and his sessions away from the academy with Vykan. Tara was much like Xanos, having lost her parents at a young age too, but she had taken it as a reason to shun the dark side completely. She accompanied her Master on several missions during the year, such as to Adumar when the planet was attacked by the Imperial Remnant.
Taraeis AlavielEarly the following year Tara accompanied Xanos on a mission to Eriadu to deal with a local trade dispute. When the meeting turned sour Xanos drew on the techniques he had learned from Vykan to protect the Eriaduan ambassador. Tara was shocked, recognising what her Master had done as being of the dark side. Upon returning to the Jedi Praxeum Tara was forced to report what had happened and was reassigned to another Master. Xanos felt his apprentice had betrayed him after the Jedi demanded he relinquish his lightsaber until he learned to control his feelings. Rather than obey, Xanos resigned from the Jedi Order and left to join Vykan.
The Second Brotherhood of Darkness (14 ABY)
- "Do not become lost to your visions, my apprentice. Visions are too easily misread."
- ―Vykan
VykanXanos spent most of the subsequent year continuing his training with Vykan, venturing to such lost worlds as Jerlyn, to explore the forgotten Sith temples buried there. Vykan was not always forthcoming with information, believing it unwise to allow his apprentice to progress too quickly, but Xanos was satisfied to be learning new skills. As Xanos began to explore the dark side deeper he experienced his first glimpse of the future in the form of a nightmare of a world rendered dead to the Force itself. Vykan told his apprentice about the Prophecy of the Seven which had been perverted a decade earlier by followers loyal to Palpatine. He explained how he believed it spoke of the formation of the Prophets of the Dark Side by Darth Millennial centuries earlier and told Xanos how easy it was to misinterpret visions and that it was better to forget the dream than be lost to it.
When Vykan learned the existence of the Brotherhood in the Minos Cluster he was eager to head to Eos to join. However, Xanos had his reservations and still nursed deeply negative feelings towards the Empire, especially regarding his acceptance in Imperial circles due to being an alien. They arrived to find Astronicus Sadow recruiting followers. Vykan was intrigued by the man’s claims to be a descendant of the original Jedi Exiles and decided to join his cause in the Phare system which operated under the guise of the Dlarit Corporation.
Trevarus Caerick (15 ABY)
- "The dark side offers power for power’s sake. You must covet it. Crave it. You must seek power above all else, with no reservation or hesitation."
- ―Trevarus Caerick, Krath sorcerer
Trevarus CaerickXanos came to know the sorcerer Trevarus Caerick recognizing him to be one of the rare few able to delve into the dark side itself and invoke ancient rituals and dark magics. Xanos became one of his acolytes and was intrigued by Caerick’s quest to break free of the Force's control. Vykan grew uncomfortable how much time his apprentice spent listening to the sorcerer and cautioned Xanos to avoid him. However, Xanos felt his Master wanted to hold him back the way the Jedi had and ignored him.
Vykan grew concerned Caerick was encouraging Xanos to progress faster than the other students and was fearful advancing too quickly would cause Xanos to become obsessed with his own power. Vykan also saw in Caerick a desire to take his apprentice as his own and resented it.
Antei and the Temple of Taimat (16 ABY)
- "There can be no compromise. Mercy, compassion, loyalty: all these things will prevent you from claiming what is rightfully yours. Those who follow the dark side must cast aside these conceits. Those who do not—those who try to walk the path of moderation—will fail, dragged down by their own weakness."
- ―Trevarus Caerick
Xanos’s training with Trevarus Caerick involved research into the ancient Sith. Xanos helped research a Dark Jedi Master named Tio Azurd whom Caerick believed would lead him to the lost planet Antei. Caerick was also particularly interested in the knowledge Xanos had garnered from the transcripts of the Tedryn Holocron. In exchange the sorcerer allowed Xanos unrestricted access to the holocron he had recently recovered from Antar IV. From the holocron Xanos learned about wounds in the Force, however the sorcerer did not let on their importance to his research.
In 16 ABY Caerick finally discovered the location of the lost Antei system on the outskirts of Sith Space and took Xanos with him on an expedition to penetrate the Shroud. The pair plundered what tomes and holocrons they could find, the sorcerer being particularly pleased with the information he recovered from the Temple of Taimat. When they returned to the Brotherhood, Vykan was furious at Caerick for disappearing with his apprentice for weeks and forbade Xanos from training with him further.
Second Brotherhood Civil War (16 ABY)
Trevarus Caerick after returning with the Amulet of OrianTrevarus Caerick fought off an assassination attempt during the machinations orchestrated by Archibald Zoraan. Caerick left the Brotherhood during the conflict to track down his old Master Kiln Tobasa who had sent the assassins after him. Vykan claimed it was proof the sorcerer was only interested in himself and didn’t care about the rest of the Brotherhood.
Caerick returned several weeks later bearing the Amulet of Orian on his arm. He devastated their opponents in the Coronada system with his newfound power, managing to wound Jac Cotelin in battle. In a few months Caerick had gone from being a common sorcerer to a gifted warlock and even Vykan could no longer deny his power.
The Zoraan Uprising (17 ABY)
- "How can you side with him? He will ruin the Brotherhood the way Bane did. How can you not see this?"
- ―Vykan
The civil war was barely over when Archibald Zoraan attempted to subvert the power of the Imperial Remnant. Trevarus Caerick declared open rebellion fearing Zoraan would lead them to ruin and the rebels headed to Eos to depose the Grand Master by force. Vykan was deplored fearing the Brotherhood was going the way of the ancient Sith and going to tear itself apart through infighting. Xanos rejected his Master’s apathy and joined Caerick’s rebels in the Battle of Eos during which the Dark Hall was destroyed and the Grand Master consumed in a Force storm.
Caerick’s Apprentice (17 ABY)
- "By its very nature the dark side invites rivalry and strife. This is our greatest strength: it culls the weak from our order. Yet this rivalry can also be our greatest weakness. The strong must be careful lest they be overwhelmed by the ambitions of those working beneath them in concert."
- ―Trevarus Caerick
Trevarus Caerick at the time of becoming Xanos Zorrixor's MasterNot long after the uprising Trevarus Caerick was forced to fight off a second assassination attempt by Kem-Shu Maeda. He spared the assassin’s life in exchange for training in the techniques used by Kiln Tobasa. After Caerick received the Mark on his forehead Xanos began to wonder whether he was the one spoken of in the Prophecy of the Seven. After witnessing the new talents at the sorcerer’s disposal, Xanos pledged himself to his service as his apprentice. Vykan was irate at Caerick’s willingness to manipulate the legacy of Darth Millennial to further his own goals. He concluded the Brotherhood was destined to go the same way as past ones and turned his back on it.
Free of Vykan’s influence Xanos ceased to concern himself with rules and began to see past the restrictions the Brotherhood placed on him. Caerick cared little for rules and sought to be free of all control. The sorcerer began to train Xanos in techniques Vykan and others in the Brotherhood would have deemed forbidden believing should he be driven insane it would be a sign of his unworthiness.
The Creed of Ruin (18 ABY)
- "There is no passion . . . there is solely obsession.
There is no knowledge. There is solely conviction.
There is no purpose. There is solely will.
There is nothing . . .
Only me."
- ―The Creed of Ruin
Trevarus Caerick and Shan LongTrevarus Caerick had been slipping into insanity since returning with the Amulet of Orian but the explosive release of his full potential in the form of the entity called Shan Long changed him. He became distant and left Xanos to continue his training alone. Xanos grew resentful and eventually challenged his Master in a spectacular lightsaber duel in the icy wastes of Loki. Despite a valiant effort the Falleen was defeated, losing his right eye and suffering a near fatal blow to his abdomen which left a scar that never healed.
Caerick had wanted to test his apprentice by pushing him to the very brink. By turning Xanos against him the sorcerer had demonstrated why the Brotherhood was inherently flawed. Caerick wanted his apprentice to be loyal to the dark side itself not some abstract organisation. His plan was to one day free himself from all control and saw the Brotherhood as a roadblock the same as the Jedi Order. To achieve absolute power Caerick knew there must not be any others who could challenge him which required there to be only one Dark Lord. He taught his apprentice the Creed of Ruin in the belief it would eventually guide Xanos to true enlightenment.
Caerick left his apprentice to discover the truth of his words alone but revealed his ambitions to break away from the Imperial Remnant and forge a new empire on Antei. There Caerick believed he would find the key to discovering the answers he sought. Having no more love for the Empire than for the Jedi or the Republic, Xanos was quick to turn his back on it and support his Master’s plans.
Xanos took charge of the Dlarit Corporation and began to divert funds for the construction of a new base in the Orian system. Trevarus Caerick spent most of the next year on Eos and the other worlds of the Aurora Sector as they began to position the pieces.
The Aurora Sector descended into crisis in what became a shadow war when members of the Brotherhood were assassinated and important facilities sabotaged. The Imperial Remnant was aware the Brotherhood was planning something and hiring bounty hunters to deal with any individuals it perceived as a threat. The Remnant’s attempt to silence dissention backfired when the Clans united after Mairin Astoris was forced into exile following an assassination attempt.
The Mystery of Klindarith (19 ABY)
- "I have seen the Force itself drained of life."
- ―Xanos Zorrixor
Xanos received disturbing visions of the nearby planet Klindarith in early 19 ABY in which he saw a faceless figure feeding on the Force itself. Trevarus Caerick was concerned by the news and returned from his work to help lead an expedition to Klindarith to investigate. While there the planet was blockaded by a pair of Star Destroyers and they were attacked by Imperial troops. Troubled by the unfolding events, Caerick abandoned the mission to return to the Minos Cluster fearing the worst. Xanos remained behind to discover the source of the echo to be a Force vampire named Kurien. Xanos slew Kurien and recovered the obtene crystal which had been the source of his powers.
The Battle of Phare (19 ABY)
Xanos Zorrixor at the time of the Battle of PhareWhile the expedition had been on Klindarith the Imperial Remnant had moved to seize control of the Brotherhood following the Bastion Accords. Trevarus Caerick had evacuated most of the archives from Sadow Palace before the Remnant could blockade the Phare system. Xanos returned and led an assault on Sadow Palace to recapture it. The Remnant called in support from the Imperial Navy and Inquisitorius to prevent their escape. Caerick contacted Xanos and instructed him to commence the evacuation of the system. Xanos headed to Ullyr to recover the archives from the fortress there but was unable to arrive in time. He activated the facility’s self-destruct sequence to prevent the Remnant from recovering its secrets.
Xanos took command of the fleet in orbit and helped hold off the Imperial forces. The battle appeared lost when the Remnant called in an interdictor but Astronicus Sadow had one final ace up his sleeve when Sadow Palace tore from its foundations revealing the body of a cruiser buried beneath. The palace joined the battle and destroyed the interdictor in a suicidal run to secure their escape. Following the Battle of Phare they rendezvoused with Council forces under Caerick’s command before making their way to the Orian system and setting up temporary headquarters in Alabrek Castle until the new headquarters were completed.
The Antei Campaign (20 ABY)
After the move to Orian, Trevarus Caerick manipulated his way onto the Council to gain access to the long lost archives on Antei. The sorcerer’s next move was to secure a position for his apprentice to allow them both to continue their plans. While Xanos oversaw the reconstruction of the Temple of Bellseph his Master worked to excavate the Krath ruins on Calabrex. Their research revealed more than just lost mysteries of the dark side and Caerick uncovered evidence Astronicus Sadow had no intention to become the next emperor. While the revelation was of little real consequence the pair saw a chance to secure their influence over the Dlarit Corporation by blackmailing Sadow.
Xanos had impressed the Star Chamber during the Battle of Phare and was put in charge of the Antei Defence Force. Having been forced to secede earlier than planned when the Bastion Accords were signed much of the Antei system remained hostile to the Brotherhood’s presence. Xanos was charged by Jac Cotelin with bringing the native populations under the Council’s control and began the systematic subjugation of the neighbouring worlds.
The Nameless Ones (21 ABY)
- "We see from beyond the stars / Through the glittering of a million eyes / In a sea of glass."
- ―From the Tenebric Conclusions
Xanos Zorrixor at the time of the Okemi CrisisAs commander of the Council’s fleet, Xanos oversaw the genocide of the entire Antaran civilization after an uprising on Antares Major threatened to alert the galaxy to the Brotherhood’s existence. Unknown to Xanos at the time their actions on Antares Major awoke Okemi on Antei. The Nameless Ones who now controlled the ancient Sith Lord quickly spread across the planet, infecting Jac Cotelin and using him to seal off the system. Trevarus Caerick became stuck on Antei after an assassination attempt, barely kept alive by the Amulet of Orian.
Xanos remained trapped on Antares Major as the Nameless Ones began to take control of the entire system. With all communications in and out of the Shroud cut off the Brotherhood remained in the dark and no help would come. Xanos eventually managed to sneak out of the system on a commercial transport and get word to the Grand Master. A fleet was assembled from the Clans who had not yet fallen to the Nameless Ones corruption and an all out assault launched on Antei. After reaching the planet, Xanos held off Kem-Shu Maeda while the Grand Master made his way to Okemi’s tomb and confronted Jac Cotelin before destroying Okemi and ending the corruption.
Xanos was mortally wounded during his duel with Kem-Shu Maeda and had to spend several days in a bacta tank to recover. As for his Master, the Amulet of Orian had kept Caerick alive but it had also preserved the last taint of the Nameless Ones. Caerick survived but was lost his mind to the rage he had tried to block out for years and was consumed by Shan Long. Xanos was troubled he had lost against Kem-Shu Maeda and without his Master’s guidance began to question the path he was on. Xanos departed Antei hoping to find answers elsewhere after the Star Chamber refused him access to their private archives.
Ziost and the Holocron of Tulak Hord (21 ABY – 22 ABY)
- "The dark side is strong here. Far stronger than it ever was on Antei."
- ―Xanos Zorrixor, after arriving on Ziost
Xanos Zorrixor during his exileLittle is known of what Xanos did during his year in exile other than that he eventually made his way to Ziost, the throne world of the ancient Sith Empire. Xanos felt a much stronger connection to the dark side on Ziost than he had on Antei which led him to believe the true Sith had surpassed Okemi and his splinter faction. Xanos discovered the Holocron of Tulak Hord inside the Sith Citadel. Xanos had grown powerful during his time in exile but was not quite yet a Master and was unable to unlock the holocron’s secrets alone.
Xanos returned to the Orian system to seek advice from the archives of Sadow Palace. With the aid of Muz Keibatsu and Macron Goura he began to transcribe the knowledge of the holocron. His work was interrupted when the Council requested aid in subjugating a pirate colony on Coratua. Xanos led the Dlarit Corporation’s forces against the planet’s droid armies to help capture the facilities intact. Once the situation on Coratua pacified Xanos returned to unlocking the holocron. After a year of toil the transcripts of the holocron were added to the Brotherhood’s compendium and Xanos was elevated to the status of Master.
Kiln Tobasa (23 ABY)
- "I am the Herald of the Final Way! The time when all shall fade into darkness draws near!"
- ―Kiln Tobasa
In early 23 ABY troops marched on Sadow Palace after several senior officers were assassinated forcing Xanos into hiding. The situation did not reach armed conflict until rogue units attacked Alabrek Castle on Tarthos and placed the Orian system on the brink of civil war. With the risk to the archives too great Xanos returned to Sadow Palace to confront the source of the disturbance. In the throne room he discovered Kiln Tobasa, apparently still alive but utterly insane, muttering about how the time of darkness was near. Xanos confronted Tobasa and defeated him to discover he had merely been a shade. With Tobasa defeated the situation throughout Orian relaxed and Xanos was able to return to his research. However, he remained troubled by whether he had destroyed Tobasa’s spirit forever or if it had been nothing but an illusion.
- "I have seen the Star Chamber in ruins, the Dark Hall smashed, and Antei itself shattered by orbital bombardment from immense ships of impossible design. I have seen Antei, the seat of the new order, become a jungle far more hostile and alien than any on Ziost. I have seen the end of civilization."
- ―Xanos Zorrixor
Xanos Zorrixor's vision of Antei being set on fireXanos was troubled by Kiln Tobasa’s warning. The visions he had experienced almost a decade earlier returned to plague him when he slept. Xanos was now able to tell the world rendered dead to the Force was Antei. He became concerned for were Antei to fall the answers he sought would be lost forever. The Council were confident Antei was in no danger and dismissed his concerns. They said the visions were probably being caused by whoever had conjured the shade of Kiln Tobasa or were the lingering specter of Kurien and told Xanos to ignore them.
Despite being dismissed by the Council Xanos remained troubled. He used his influence in the Dlarit Corporation to begin reinforcing the Orian system, ordering the construction of Marakith Skyhook. Xanos also had additional funds diverted to Kaldex Transport Inc to speed up construction of the new defence force they had ordered after first moving to Orian.
Return of Trevarus Caerick (24 ABY)
- "I have shown you the path of visions. Do you doubt the dark side, my apprentice?"
- ―Trevarus Caerick
Two years after Trevarus Caerick had lost his mind to Shan Long the Council decided they would divine nothing more of worth from his insane prattle. Caerick was delivered in chains to Sadow Palace and locked up until Xanos could decide what to do with him. Xanos would have let him die but as the Star Chamber refused to help he realised he needed his Master to learn the meaning of his visions. Xanos managed to pull Caerick back from the madness and restore his broke mind.
Caerick returned a changed man and now understood what must be done. His first action was to head out and deal with Kiln Tobasa for good. Next he deciphered the meaning of Xanos’s visions, realising them to be of the aliens he had encountered decades before. With the truth revealed, Caerick convinced the Star Chamber to train his apprentice in order to fully decipher his visions.
Caerick did not reveal his true intention to use his apprentice to learn the secrets locked away in the Star Chamber’s archives. But nor did the Star Chamber reveal their plan was not to ward off the impending disaster but work out how best they could use it to their advantage.
Third Brotherhood Civil War (25 ABY)
- "Any master who instructs more than one apprentice in the ways of the dark side is a fool. In time, the apprentices will unite their strengths and overthrow the master. It is inevitable; axiomatic. That is why each master must have only one student. This is also the reason there can only be one Dark Lord."
- ―Darth Maestus
The truth of Xanos Zorrixor's visions revealedJac Cotelin took Xanos as his apprentice and Shadow Hand to train, having a clone grown to find more time to manage his affairs. In addition to his formal training Xanos began to study the holocrons stored in the once forbidden archives of the Star Chamber. A few months into the next year, while Jac Cotelin was out of the system his clone declared itself the true Grand Master and sealed the Shroud off. Tensions between the Clans had been rising as the Selen and Aranna incidents earlier that year had shown, but the public emergence of Jaac Cotelin sent the Brotherhood into civil war.
Xanos sealed himself away in the archives as the clone took control of Antei. While the Brotherhood was distracted with its own problems the Yuuzhan Vong began their invasion of the galaxy in the Outer Rim. Xanos began to experience visions of his own death in the arms of the Yuuzhan Vong. He also began to be driven mad by the great tremors he felt in the Force. Within the archives, the Holocron of Darth Maestus began to poison Xanos’s mind against the Star Chamber and convinced him they were to blame should his death come to pass for their failure to heed his warnings and take action.
Maestus taught Xanos the Rule of Two and the history of the Darth title. She explained to achieve true mastery of the dark side one must be prepared to sacrifice everything. By the time Jac Cotelin broke through the blockade around Antei and slew his clone, Xanos had been utterly corrupted by Maestus’s teachings. Cotelin recognised his apprentice had become a Sith Lord in his absence, but did not realise he had been poisoned against the Star Chamber. No sooner than Jaac Cotelin had been slain, the Clans rallied together and blockaded the Shroud to call the Star Chamber to account for what had happened. The siege lasted two months before the Star Chamber relented and granted each Clan an emissary to the Council. As soon as the blockade was over, Xanos openly denounced the Star Chamber, claiming their lack of leadership had caused the civil war and turned his back on the Iron Throne.
Return to Phare (26 ABY)
Trevarus Caerick was exuberant when his apprentice denounced the Star Chamber. The sorcerer proceeded to convince Xanos the Brotherhood, like the Jedi Order, must be destroyed if they were to free themselves from all restrictions. Caerick believed the Holocron of Antar IV which had been lost during the Battle of Phare held the key and they returned to the Orian system to enlist the aid of the Dlarit Corporation in retrieving it. The mission back to the Phare system took them across the Outer Rim. They were forced to evade the Imperial forces now occupying the planet to sneak into the ruins of Sadow Palace and recover the holocron in addition to the other lost artefacts.
- "Pain is itself a god: the taskmaster of life. Pain cracks the whip, and all that lives will move. To live is to be a slave to pain. To be beyond pain is to be dead."
- ―Phaa Shul, Yuuzhan Vong priest
Xanos Zorrixor shortly before being captured by the Yuuzhan Vong on FalleenFollowing the mission Xanos made his way to Yavin 4 after hearing the Jedi Praxeum had fallen to the Yuuzhan Vong. Xanos’s ship was shot down and he was forced to team up with a group of Jedi survivors to steal a Peace Brigade shuttle and escape. To Xanos’s amazement among the survivors was his sister, Xora. Xora had survived the explosion on Falleen and grown up to join the Jedi after hearing rumours Xanos had become a Jedi Knight.
Believing her brother would help them, Xora convinced the other Jedi to take them to Falleen to rescue her adoptive parents. On Falleen, Xora realised her brother had fallen to the dark side when he attacked her after she tried to prevent him from stealing their ship. A squad of Yuuzhan Vong warriors interrupted their fight and took them both captive. Taking aboard a worldship, the pair were placed in the Embrace of Pain and tortured by the Yuuzhan Vong priest Phaa Shul.
Xanos endured months of torture. The Yuuzhan Vong inserted a tizowyrm into his ear to converse with him. He was forced to surrender himself completely to the dark side to survive, causing his remaining organic eye to become tainted with a sulfuric yellow ring. The Yuuzhan Vong tattooed over the scar where he had lost his right eye and removed his prosthetic eye, replacing it with an mqaaq’it implant which matched his surviving eye. His hair was also plucked out during his time strung up on the Embrace. Xanos eventually encountered Vykan after his old Master was captured and the three devised a plan to escape. However, believing Xora would never keep their encounter secret; Xanos left her behind to die. Vykan led his former apprentice to Korriban to weather the storm.
Darth Vexatus is Born (26 ABY)
- "The Force will change you. It will transform you. Some fear this change. The teachings of the Jedi are focused on fighting and controlling this transformation. That is why those who serve the light are limited in what they accomplish. True power can come only to those who embrace the transformation."
- ―Darth Maestus
Darth Vexatus at the time of killing VykanVykan led Xanos to the Valley of the Dark Lords where he explained the miasma of dark energy would keep them hidden. Vykan sought to make Xanos his apprentice again, and convince him to embrace the Rule of One and join the One Sith. On Korriban Vykan introduced Xanos to several others, including a former Jedi General of the Clone Wars, Omancor Crask, who had now taken the name Darth Carnus as a member of the One Sith. But Carnus was not as dedicated to the Sith cause as Vykan claimed, and Xanos sensed conflict in the Epicanthix, learning of the man's fears that a great darkness was coming that would consume the galaxy. Xanos found the premonition troubling for its echoes of his own portents, and those he had heard years earlier from Kiln Tobasa.
However, by the time Xanos arrived on Korriban he had realised the vision of his own death had already come to pass. Darth Maestus had told him he must surrender all attachment, but it was not until he was strung up on the Embrace of Pain he had truly understood what she had meant. Realising the last traces of Xanos Zorrixor had died on the Embrace he declared himself Darth Vexatus. Vykan recognised his old apprentice had surrendered himself to the teachings of Darth Bane, and Darth Revan before him, and concluded was as much a threat to the One Sith as to the Brotherhood itself. Vykan took up his lightsaber against the newly proclaimed Darth Vexatus to destroy the new Sith Lord. However, despite Vykan's experience, he was viciously struck down by his former student.
- "The Brotherhood is weak, failing, you brought this upon yourselves."
- ―Darth Vexatus
Darth Vexatus at the time of the Fall of AnteiDarth Vexatus remained on Korriban until he felt the Star Chamber issue a summons through the Force. He returned to Antei to learn the new Grand Master was assembling his forces in response to the Yuuzhan Vong threat. Vexatus met with the Star Chamber only to learn they still did not believe Antei was in danger.
When the Yuuzhan Vong attack on Antei began the Brotherhood fleets took refuge inside the Shroud believing it to be safe but discovered it had already been mined with dovin basals. Vexatus refused to lend his aid, content to watch the Brotherhood fall for its refusal to heed his warnings. When Trevarus Caerick was struck down by a Yuuzhan Vong warrior Vexatus realised should Kalekka fall all their work would be lost. Vexatus pulled Caerick back from the brink of death, the strain of the act forever scarring his face. The pair manipulated Astronicus Sadow into leading his forces to Antei instead of withdrawing directly to Orian. Upon arriving at Antei, Sadow realised their betrayal and opened fire on their ship. After recovering the holocrons of Antar IV and Darth Maestus from Kalekka, the pair used their power to guide the Covenant safely out of the system, convincing the rank and file they had been on their side the entire time.
Following the Battle of Antei Caerick learned Sadow had been party to the Star Chamber’s plan to use the Yuuzhan Vong attack to cull the Brotherhood. The pair used the information to blackmail Sadow, rendering him unable to move against them without his own duplicity being revealed.
Battle of Tarthos (27 ABY)
They returned to find Orian had been besieged by a rogue cult of darksiders. Darth Vexatus sensed an echo in the Force and recognised it from his encounter with Kiln Tobasa to be the mark of a flow-walker. Vexatus and Trevarus Caerick infiltrated Marakith Skyhook slaying several cultists but Anaxela, their leader escaped. Caerick headed to Tarthos to secure Alabrek Castle while Vexatus went after Anaxela in Seng Karash. Vexatus chased the witch to Tarthos where he rendezvoused with Caerick before pursuing her to the Dark Fusion. The pair dealt with the remaining cultists, saving Astronicus Sadow’s life from Jingi Moksuna, but Anaxela managed to escape to Kangaras.
- "Lehon. The Heart of the Force is located on Lehon."
- ―Darth Vexatus
Darth Vexatus following the Battle of AnteiAfter Caerick’s actions at Antei the Star Chamber had tired of their treachery. With the Yuuzhan Vong tightening their hold on the galaxy the pair was unable to seek refuge elsewhere and forced to remain in the Orian system to avoid the Star Chamber’s assassins. When Vexatus had been held captive by the Yuuzhan Vong his Master had begun to corrupt Macron Goura. Together they now proceeded to seduce him with the offer of training and used him to restore their influence over the Dlarit Corporation in spite of Astronicus Sadow’s objections. Through Goura, Caerick convinced the Grand Master he could be of service against his rivals on the Star Chamber.
While Caerick continued his political machinations, Vexatus completed his study of the Holocron of Darth Maestus, learning of the lost planet Lehon in the Unknown Regions. They were able to connect Lehon with the planet spoken of in the Holocron of Antar IV which was said to contain a source of great power known as the Heart of the Force. To reach Lehon they recognised they would need to break through the Yuuzhan Vong stranglehold on the Hydian Way. To that end, Caerick worked to use his influence with Goura and Sarin to take control of the Dlarit Navy.
Furthermore, Caerick had found reason to believe the secret of Lehon's resting place was hidden somewhere in the records of Urias Orian, who was known to have once visited the lost world. Caerick renewed his search for the missing fragments of the Star of Ombus, hoping to piece together the puzzle that might lead him and Vexatus to the answers they sought. While Caerick delved into the archives, Vexatus scoured the surrounding systems, voyaging to Thule in pursuit of rumours of the lost Sword of Orian.
Mission to Kangaras (28 ABY)
At the end of the year, Goura’s training started taking its toll on his mind and he began to lapse back into insanity. Caerick used the development to his advantage, intending to replace Goura should his mind become lost. In early 28 ABY the freighter Anaxela had used to escape the Battle of Tarthos was located on Kangaras. During the expedition to uncover what had happened, Goura’s mind finally broke. Their quarry escaped but after learning of Goura’s fate, Sarin relieved him of his command and granted Caerick his place on the Council.
More importantly, however, in the wilds of Kangaras, Caerick came across the hidden tomb of Hafa Chun, once a servant of Urias Orian. Inside, Caerick and Vexatus discovered the Scepter of Orian, an artifact long believed lost–and the answer they had been looking for. Among Caerick's first acts as governor was to order the reconstruction of the ruined Temple of the Void which had stood empty since its destruction during his duel with Kiln Tobasa twelve years earlier. From their research the pair had discovered the temple held the secret of an ancient Star Map which, together with the Scepter now in their possession, would at last unlock the way to Lehon.
Retaliation (28 ABY)
- "How fares your search for Lehon, apprentice?
The first stage of our plans nears completion. The fool disciples of Sadow will soon ensure my Master and I safe passage to the Unknown Regions."
- ―Darth Maestus and Darth Vexatus
The Yuuzhan Vong armada encountered at TelosWith control of the Dlarit Navy, Trevarus Caerick moved to break free of the cage they had been confined to since the Battle of Antei. With reports of a Yuuzhan Vong fleet amassing at Telos an operation was launched to break their hold on the Hydian Way. The Dlarit Navy was sent in to divert the fleet at Telos while the Final Way deployed a team to the worldship stationed there.
Darth Vexatus was shot down and he and Caerick were forced to join the infiltration team. They encountered a Shamed One named Eshin Shul who led them to the yammosk. On the way they were attacked by Drathul Amnan, the worldship’s commander. Caerick and Vexatus opted to hold the commander and his retinue off while the rest of the team went on to the yammosk chamber. They killed Amnan but Caerick was captured when Eshin Shul betrayed them and taken to the Embrace of Pain.
While Vexatus attempted to rescue him the others slew the yammosk and returned to their ship. On orders from Astronicus Sadow, Muz Keibatsu issued a retreat, leaving Caerick and Vexatus to die, but they were rescued following the unlikely arrival of Jedgar Paladin. It seemed the Star Chamber was split on whether or not to destroy them. Following the battle the pair took advantage of Paladin's apparent certainty they would destroy themselves should they make it to Lehon. They convinced him to help them draw the dark side back into the temple being reconstructed on Sepros, seeking to reactivate the ancient Star Map buried there.
The year ended with Clan Arcona requesting aid after the Yuuzhan Vong launched an invasion of the Dajorra system. Darth Vexatus saw little reason to assist until Darth Maestus scolded him for focusing too much on Lehon and losing sight of his true goal. Vexatus convinced his old pawn Macron Goura and the visiting envoy Vallen'dere to join him in sabotaging the planet Selen's defences. During the battle, the party suceeded in secretly blowing up the anti-air defences of Estle City, forcing the rest of the Clan to abandon the world to the Yuuzhan Vong.
"The Third Sun has risen."
- "Who is the Sword and who the Shield? Which the hero, and which the villain?"
- ―Darth Vexatus
Finally, on the anniversary of the Exodus, Darth Vexatus and Trevarus Caerick conducted a ritual to draw the dark side back into the Temple of the Void and, using the Scepter of Orian, reactivated the ancient Star Map matrix they had kept secret. After Caerick took control of the crew’s minds, they stole the Harbinger and headed to Telos to rendezvous with the Sanguinus and forces from the Obsidian Cohort led by Kem-Shu Maeda. Resisting the Caerick’s mind control, Maeda stood against them only to be slain by Vexatus. With Maeda dead and no need to hide his true allegiance from the Brotherhood any longer, Vexatus at last accepted the Mark from his Master. Looking upon the three eyes of his apprentice for the first time, Trevarus Caerick experienced a vision of the prophecy of his ancestor and when the line of Alain Caer would end, realising the "third sun" spoke of the third burning red eye of Darth Vexatus.
At last believing her apprentice had become worthy of succeeding her, Darth Maestus instructed Vexatus to destroy her holocron. The Falleen crushed the device, absorbing the fragments into his flesh and becoming permanently bound with the shade of the ancient Sith Lord. Upon meeting Trevarus Caerick for the first time, Maestus unlocked the shade of Urias Orian which had been hidden inside the Amulet of Orian.
Mount KazinalThe Harbinger headed to Lehon but the Disciples of Sadow were able to follow thanks to Macron Goura’s shared connection with the deserters. At Lehon, Caerick activated a number of illusion generators that had been brought onboard the Harbinger from the Sanguinus, creating a fleet of ghost ships to hold the Clan off. The pair took the Sanguinus and landed at the ruined Temple of the Ancients before making their way through the jungle to the Temple of Lost Souls, located within the dormant volcano named Mount Kazinal on the outskirts of the jungle. Inside, Vexatus was confronted with a vision of his sister, Renko Yast, Taraeis Alaviel and a man he did not yet know. While exploring the temple Darth Vexatus was attacked by a swarm of parasites, some of which managed to latch onto his right arm. Separately, he and Caerick made their way to two ancient hypergates which transported them inside a chamber at the core of the dormant volcano.
Duel on Lehon (29 ABY)
The Heart of the Force
- "I am the Sword and the Darkness. I am the Destroyer. I am Death."
- ―Darth Vexatus
Upon locating the Heart of the Force, Caerick and Vexatus were attacked by a massive dark side wyrm and the Iron Fist brigade who had found them. The pair united to defeat their adversaries before turning on each other and duelling for the right to wield the power of the object they had so long sought. During the fight both were horrifically burned in addition to each losing an arm. Caerick suffered a broken rib while Vexatus lost the lower half of his left leg and one of his kidneys as well as being stabbed through the gut. After losing both his lightsabers, Vexatus flew out of control and launched a ray of energy at his Master, the two becoming linked in a battle of pure will. The fight ended when Vexatus caused the Heart to explode, impaling them both with thousands of shards.
The Clan arrived in time to witness what they believed to be the death of the two traitors. However, a second battle had been going on inside the sorcerer’s head and he emerged from the dead, reborn as Shan Long. The Dragon proceeded to battle the entire Clan. During the fight what remained of Vexatus came to, bursting into flames and losing all control as, rather than heal himself as Shan Long had, he sought to use the power of the Heart still pulsing through him to destroy them all. Muz Keibatsu battled the Dark Lord in vain until Macron Goura managed to stab him with a syringe filled with a potent neurotoxin. Defying death itself, Vexatus threatened to consume them all in his rage until Ylith Atema, with the Dark Lord utterly oblivious to his presence, the Valheru being cut off from the Force, was able to get close enough to stab the Falleen through the heart.
In the depths of Kazinal Core.Vexatus went into meltdown, drawing the volcano itself back to life in one last ditch attempt. Realising the battle was over, the threat of annihilation having subsided, Jedgar Paladin sounded the retreat, ordering the Clan to fall back. Shan Long made one final attempt to summon the Sith Lord back from the brink of the abyss but Vexatus was lost, his mind and spirit shattered. The Dragon fled alone, leaving the Falleen to be consumed by the fires he had unleashed, having doomed himself. Shan Long sensed Darth Vexatus blink out of existence, his essence falling silent. The Clan left Lehon content, Shan Long having escaped but his influence and dark schemes thwarted and the monster Darth Vexatus presumed dead. Following the events on Lehon, Shan Long had a vision of a jawless skull mocking him.
Broken (29 ABY – Present)
====The Final Chain (29 ABY)====
- "Let go . . . you are more than crude matter . . . embrace your destiny . . . break the final chain . . . let the Force free you!"
- ―Darth Maestus
Vexatus in a coma after his defeat at Lehon.With his body unable to contain the destructive energies unleashed by the Heart's sundering, Vexatus unconsciously severed the connection between his mind and his physical being, following Maestus's voice beyond shadows into the currents of the Force itself. To those fleeing Urati Kazinal, it was as if the Betrayer had been slain and his spirit sent to the netherworld; in reality, his mind was plunged into a madness beyond death, forced to fight the long tormented spirits he had consumed for control.
Some days, perhaps even weeks, it is impossible to say how long exactly, after Vexatus's mind vanished beyond shadows, his sister, Xora, arrived on Lehon, having finally hunted him down after he left the dark side miasma that had shrouded him at Orian. But instead of the revenge she hoped for, Xora found an empty burnt out shell. Despite not even sure if her brother was still alive, Xora could not bring herself to leave him the way he had left her; she recovered his body and returned to the Galactic Alliance Star Destroyer Silent Chariot, flagship of Jedi Master Renko Yast, who was battling the remaining Vong and Ssi-Ruuk still holding out in the Shiritoku Spur on the borders of the Outer Rim Territories and Wild Space. Xora vowed that if and when Xanos recovered, she would see to it that he stood trial for his crimes.
On the surface, Xanos's body still seemed alive, however his mind was catatonic—brain dead. Xora, Renko, Taraeis Alaviel and Tradis Caelen debated what to do since there was no longer any Jedi Temple to return Xanos to, and Renko had no wish to jeopardise the safety of Eclipse Station. The situation became more complicated when Xora's health began to fail. Renko sensed the hand of the dark side and concluded Xanos had placed a curse on her. Back beneath Mount Kazinal, Xanos had unknowingly reached out to his sister and forged a Force bond that now leached away her life to rejuvenate his own. Renko may not have been aware of the full nature of the bond, but he certainly recognised that it would also kill Xora if Xanos were to be killed. So Renko did all he felt he could: he placed Xanos's body in a bacta tank and pledged to find a way to make Xanos undo the curse. As the weeks came and went, Coruscant was liberated, and the war neared its close; but Xanos remained sleeping, while Xora's health continued to deteriorate.
- "Our name is Kazinal, for we are many."
- ―The Lost
The tormented spirits freed from the Heart of the Force, known in Rakatan as Kazinal, the Lost Souls.
Trapped beyond the veil, Vexatus's mind continued to battle the lost souls set free when the Heart of the Force exploded. During this time, his influence on the physical realm was limited to a base urge to survive, a hunger, as seen by his latching onto Xora's life energy. Beyond shadows, time and space did not seem to have any meaning, and his reach stretched to others he had been closest too, in particular those who bore the same Mark of the Wanderer he now carried. Across the galaxy in Orian, the freshly knighted Cyrus Raze, Robert Daragon, and Jaspen Kraitus, a Jedi refugee trapped on San Korinar who for reasons unknown also carried the Mark, all came under psychic assault by the waves of darkness emanating from within the void. Throughout the system, there were miscellaneous reports of people going missing and unexplained bombings. Events peaked when Cyrus unknowingly took part in an unsuccessful assassination attempt on the senior clan elders at the Dystopia nightclub. However Vexatus was too lost among the souls he had devoured for even Daragon to discern the signs for what they truly were; instead, Daragon was certain the source of the attacks was none other than the Dragon, Shan Long. Daragon covered the attack up and offered Cyrus a reprieve if he journeyed to the still Vong occupied Antei, to Kalekka Tower, former home of the now deceased Trevarus Caerick, where he was convinced Cyrus would find the answers they both sought.
The sword at the heart of the visions plaguing many who had once been linked to Darth Vexatus.Back on the Chariot, Xora's health was critical and she had been placed in a tank alongside her brother. Renko had rigged Xanos's body up to a host of life support apparatus to avoid him dragging Xora into the netherworld with him were he to pass away. As the months wore on, members of the Chariot's crew began to experience unexplained black outs similar to those that had affected the residents of Orian. The madness spread while Renko and the other two Jedi continued their operation to mop up the last few Vong who had refused to lay down arms and surrender even after the fall of their empire and their social order's total collapse following the death of the Supreme Overlord. Crewmen spoke of warnings about the voices written on the walls in blood, or seeing ghosts in their reflections in the refresher; it was a short step before some were jettisoning themselves in escape pods to escape the horrors trapped on-board. Renko did what he could in search of answers, meditating to drive back the darkness, but with the HoloNet down and the Jedi still scattered across the galaxy until their new academy on Ossus was completed, there was no help to go to and nowhere safe to take Xanos's body. Each time something happened, Renko considered jettisoning both Xora and Xanos into the nearest sun; but each time, he felt something hold him back, be it his Jedi compassion or something else. So all Renko could do was wait, and hope the evil devoured itself before it devoured them all.
At Orian, steps were under way for the reclamation of Antei from the Yuuzhan Vong, and Cyrus was assembling a team who would head into the Shroud ahead of the main force as an advanced reconnaissance unit, but in truth charged with a mission of the utmost importance to him and his consul. However, both men were fast losing their grip on reality, plagued with visions of a blinding, white hot sword, silhouetted against the rise of a third sun on the horizon, shortly before all three stars fell into themselves to become black holes. The two were not alone; inmates at the Cenota Facility once linked to Vexatus such as Vallen'dere also began experiencing the same recurring nightmare, many scratching at the durasteel walls of their cells with their bare fingernails, some rubbing their digits down to bloody stubs until they were bare bone. The madness seemed contagious, echoing out from all who spent too long around those who had been struck down first. An expedition to the frozen tombs on Inos 42 saw the team led by Vexatus's former apprentice, Macron Goura, encounter a mad dark side adept named Curwen Sunei, who proclaimed the end of days was nearing and that they would all bow down before "The Sword" before it was over. But for now, Daragon still remained blind to the truth, convinced that everything happening bore the telltale signs of the hand of Trevarus Caerick. Putting two and two together, Daragon came to the most logical assessment based on the facts available to him, concluding that Shan Long had not consumed Caerick as they had first believed—and getting it completely wrong.
Apotheosis (30 ABY)
- "I am voice to a thousand voices; the one of many; all and nothing; space and time; the stars and the heavens; celestial; I am Vexatus."
- ―Vexatus after finally becoming one with the spirits he had absorbed on Lehon nearly two years prior
Darth Vexatus after his reconstruction.More than a year and a half after Lehon, Xora finally passed away. With her life energy, the entity that had once been her brother wrested control from the maelstrom of spirits trapped within its bodily vessel. However, as much as the entity now calling itself Vexatus had once been Xanos Zorrixor, it was the summation of the souls caged within; in place of an individual consciousness was an unholy union, of which Xanos himself was as much a prisoner as the others, for that much knowledge was too much for a mortal mind. All too late, he recognised Vexatus as the darkness he foresaw decades earlier but had mistaken for the Yuuzhan Vong, and in his quest to save the galaxy had now unleashed an evil that fed upon the Force itself. Instead of becoming one, Xanos was condemned to eternal purgatory—the gates to the netherworld closed forever—what remained of him trapped with the spirits from Lehon, powerless to escape the hole that hungered still in its drive to become one with the Force.
To be completed. (Xora passes away. Vexatus joins with Kazinal. Crew go crazy. Renko decides to end it. Taraeis says no. Tradis gets possessed. Stabs Taraeis. Renko flips out. They duel. In her last breaths, Tara snaps sense into Tradis. Both wounded, Renko and Tradis head to the medlab. Tradis loses it again. Renko pleads with him. Tradis blasts Renko. Ambiguous if Tradis lives or dies; he maims himself either way. Silent Chariot left drifting lifeless. "Vexatus-Kazinal" left floating forever in a tank.)
(Silent Chariot encountered by Ylith. "Vexatus"'s survival revealed. Simultaneous with events of GJW9. Cyrus possessed. CNS vs Cyrus battle. Cyrus-Vexatus's death. Xanos seeks way to destroy Vexatus forever.)
Personality and traits
Darth Vexatus is self-reliant, manipulative and constantly wary of the intentions of others. Vexatus is the product of a life that has been dominated by loss and betrayal. He first fell to the dark side out of revenge but later became obsessed with obtaining more power to free himself from the oppression of the Force.
Unlike most Sith throughout history, Vexatus does not care about ruling an empire or conquering the galaxy. He aims to master the ritual once attempted by Exar Kun to escape his mortal body and ascend to the status of a god by becoming one with the dark side. Vexatus considers the half-existence most spirits settle with a failure and resents the idea of becoming one with the Force only to become a slave to its will.
Darth Vexatus remains loyal to Trevarus Caerick out of mutual interest. Caerick is the only person he trusts and despite his power Vexatus begrudgingly still feels compelled to kneel before his Master as apprentice. Caerick may not possess the same level of raw power but his knowledge of the Force is almost unparalleled and Vexatus remains fearful of the secrets he still keeps hidden and continues to believe there is much more to his Master than he lets on. Vexatus knows without Caerick he cannot fulfill his ambitions but that one day he will be forced to battle his Master to decide who will rule in the Force’s place.
Vexatus is a firm believer in the Rule of Two though this was not always the case. Vexatus was driven into the thrall of Trevarus Caerick because he offered him power the Star Chamber would have said forbidden for an apprentice. Caerick’s willingness to disregard the rules drove a wedge between Vexatus and the rest of the Brotherhood. However, Caerick never outright told Vexatus what to believe, having always left it up to his apprentice to discover the truth on his own. When Vexatus was betrayed by the Star Chamber over the coming of the Yuuzhan Vong he turned his back on the Brotherhood, at long last embracing his Master’s beliefs. When he obtained the Holocron of Darth Maestus and learned the history of the Rule of Two it sealed his views. Vexatus now believes the Brotherhood must be destroyed along with the Jedi Order for there to be any hope of bringing order. To some extent he is no more loyal to the Sith than he is to the Jedi, considering his only true allegiance to be to his vision of a galaxy without light and dark.
Having been betrayed by those closest to him, including his sister and his former apprentice, he expects the worst from people and gives no better in return. Vexatus sees all those around him as tools that can be used for his own ends. As a gifted seer, his mind is constantly on the future and he manipulates people like Dejarik pieces as part of plans that may not come to pass for years. Vexatus is quick to betray others, having no true allegiance other than himself and after deciding the Brotherhood was doomed was quick to leave Antei to rot. He believes in the survival of the fittest and will rarely intervene where lives are threatened unless to further his own ends, believing helping people only makes them weaker.
Due to his experiences Vexatus is not one for relationships of any kind. In one sense he is very much a Falleen because he considers himself above impulsive behavior and is coldly logical and methodical in his actions. However, he believes compassion is a weakness and uses his species’ pheromonal talents only as a means to influence the weak minded. Unless Vexatus is actively seeking something from someone he normally comes across as detached and aloof, almost as if his mind is only partially in the present.
Powers and abilities
Darth Vexatus has always been strong in the Force, having drawn on it instinctively several times during his youth. His lust for greater power has defined his adulthood and Vexatus has become increasingly lost to his own hunger. Vexatus has spent most of his time as Trevarus Caerick’s apprentice searching for the means to become one with the dark side and believes he has finally found the answers in the Holocron of Darth Maestus. It is Vexatus’s ultimate goal to ascend to the status of a god and dominate all life.
It was perhaps inevitable with one of the most gifted seers in the Brotherhood as his Master that Darth Vexatus would develop the ability to look into the future. Vexatus was always gifted in sensing the immediate future but first began experiencing visions after he fully embraced the dark side as a Master. Unlike Caerick, Vexatus lacks control over his visions and they generally come to him as intense and vivid dreams. Although Vexatus often sees further into the future than his Master his dreams are usually unclear and it is not uncommon for there to be more than one interpretation.
As one of the three people in the Brotherhood who worked to unlock the secrets of the Holocron of Tulak Hord, Darth Vexatus is a gifted duelist. Darth Vexatus utilizes the Force and agility more than brute strength and has not mastered as many Forms as some others but his knowledge of the Jedi Arts is almost unrivaled. There are few opponents who can surprise him in battle and Vexatus does not considered his own lack of training in the use of more exotic weapons such as double bladed lightsabers to be a weakness.
Vexatus experienced untold horrors at the hands of the Yuuzhan Vong while in captivity. His bionic eye was replaced with an mqaaq’it implant, allowing him to see naturally again for the first time in years. The implant sees things differently to a normal eye, though Vexatus claims he can no more explain it than he could explain color to a creature without eyes. The Yuuzhan Vong also inserted a tizowyrm into his ear to converse with him which remains imbedded inside his ear. Vexatus has begun to develop some form of symbiotic relationship with the creatures although he has yet to understand it.
Darth Vexatus does not consider himself the true Sith Master for no reason. He has spent his life forever in search of answers. His quest for knowledge has seen him delve into the darkest mysteries of lost Holocrons and teachings. Having strived to take the Force further than all but a handful throughout history, Vexatus has an understanding of the Force that surpasses mere shades of light and dark. Vexatus believes he will find the answers he has long sought on the planet Lehon where he believes his visions have shown him finally transcending life to become a god.
However, his visions have been known to be wrong before…
DJB Facts
Trivia
- The name Xanos was a corruption of the name Xanatos.
- The name Zorrixor was derived from the name Xizor.
- 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 fictionally appropriate.