- "The only mere mortal a saber jockey gives a second thought to is an armorclad Mandalorian and his blaster. "
- ―Tavens
Tavens, born Turon Framke, is a Zabrak mercenary, adopted Mandalorian and frequent gun-for-hire of Clan Arcona. As a child Tavens lived a privileged life as the son of a powerful Corellian business owner. He walked away from his life as a budding businessman and fell into a life of crime before being adopted into Clan Urzi. Like many Mandalorians he is fiercely loyal to both his his clan but also has a soft spot for the almighty credit.
Personal History
Early Childhood
- "Do not underestimate the power of allies my son. A slice hound is dangerous, but a pack would kill a rancor."
- ―Jorn Framke
Tavens was born Turon Framke in Coronet City, Corellia in 15 ABY to Jorn Framke and Mari Posilla. His father Jorn was the thirteenth generation CEO of the family business, Framkorp. Framkorp was mid-sized supplier of starship parts and was best known for coolant pumps. The company supplied parts for the Corellian shipbuilding industry and counted companies such as Corellian Engineering Corporation as clients. As a child Turon was always around the family business because in addition to his father being CEO, his mother was his executive assistant. Although he had a nanny, he did spend two to three days a week as a pre-school child at the business either shadowing his father or sitting with his mother. It served a dual purpose for their only child, not only did they get to spend time with their son but he would begin his training at an early age on how to succeed in the cut-throat world of Corellian industry. By the time young Turon attended grade school, he could already read and write sentences.
Turon was enrolled in the prestigious Coronet Boys Academy at the age of six. The sons of the Framkorp CEOs received the highest levels of education on Corellia from the Academy for generations. Turon received excellent marks each quarter and still would visit his parents at corporate headquarters two or three days a week after school where he continued his immersion into management and leadership. The young Corellian boy was a remarkable student but as a child of privledge lived an unremakable life.
Adolescent Years
In 28 ABY, Turon finished grade school in a spectacular manner. The growing boy became the captain of both the debate team and the fencing team. He was voted as student body president as a sophomore and was re-elected in landslides both his junior and senior year. At graduation, the star pupil of the Corellian Boys Academy was valedictorian and gave what by most accounts was the best graduation speech the institution had ever seen.
Young Adulthood
File:CoronetCity.jpgCoronet CityBy the age of 21, the now adult Turon Framke had attended the Corellian Institue of Technology (CIT) and graduated summa cum laude with a masters degree in management with a minor in communications. During his time in college, Turon was captain of the Corellian champion debate team and chairmen of the young entrepreneurs club. Even with all of this success, the specter of missed opportunity began to gnaw at the young prodigy. Shortly after graduation, his father gave him a sales position within Framkorp. The intention was for the younger Framke to simply wine and dine the existing client base, get to know the prominent business men on Corellian and learn the ropes on how to run the show himself. This was not enough for the recent college graduate.
Instead, Turon focused his efforts off-world. He began to make regular sales calls to other major starship manufacturers across the galaxy. He also began to form strong bonds in the galactic business community, especially among his younger peers. In a few short years, the younger Framke had formed a network of contacts within some of the largest interplanetary conglomerates. His efforts began to bear fruit as his contacts began to secure him meetings with decision makes at companies like Kuat Drive Yards. Framkorp, through the efforts of their young salesman, started to submit bids on a few very high-end projects. Each of them by themselves would have doubled the revenue to the company overnight.
There was one problem, one after the other, each bid was always beaten out by a larger competitor. In response to this, Turon begam to call on mid-sized manufacturers across the galaxy. He approached them with a plan for form a professional society by which they could pool their resources to compete with the major players, which he called Independent Manufacturers' Alliance (IMA). The Corellian businessman successfully recruited manufacturing companies on Sullest, Fondor, Ord Mantell and dozens of other planets. The consortium pooled their buying power to gain better deals on raw materials, labor, and shipping. All business retained their own leadership, revenue and rights to bid on contracts. Already running at peak efficiency due to the efforts of his father Jorn, Framkorps bids became even more competitive with the lower operating expenses.
What did not change however was the outcome of the bids. Even with significantly lower quotes, Framkorp was out bid by larger companies on every project. Turon began to become frustrated, never in his life had he failed in an endeavor he put his mind to. Even with the relationships he had formed since graduating from CIT he was unable to close any of the deal. Building relationships and forming alliances had served him at every level up until this point in his live. Framkorp was out bid on each and every project it bid for, the Corellian salesman became discouraged that his abilities to build relationships had met their match.
After years away from Corellia, Turon returned home to Coronet empty handed. The day he returned, he visited his father at Framkorp headquarters. Expecting to be admonished for his failures, instead the burgeoning businessman was praised by his parents. Jorn even gave him a newly created executive position, Vice President of Emerging Markets. When the son asked his elder why he was being rewarded for failure, the response was simply that only through action come results. It was Turon's efforts, ones no one has even attempted in the history of Framkorp, that earned him his position. But he also advised his son that the deck was stacked against him. The world of business was a cold, dark place and it is far from fair. It was this day that his father told him that the goal of any person should be to make sure they are on the correct side of unfair. This lesson would stay with the new Vice President as an unexpected opportunity came his way.
The Seedy Underbelly
By 35 ABY, the newly minted executive was continuing to make a name for himself. However, he was still no closer to securing a major contract with an off-world company. Regardless, the young Corellian man grew his network of contacts and his new title did help open a few more doors. One opportunity presented the young man with an unexpected boon but with important strings attached.
Turon was on Ord Mantell giving a speech at a conference for the IMA. After the conference, he was approached by another young man that told him of an heretofore untapped market. The man introduced himself as Wug Urzi and said he was aware of a heretofore untapped market. Urzi informed the Corellian that his contact was smaller than the standard member of the IMA but they had a strong desire to speak with him about doing business The man invited Turon to meet him on a station in the Dajorra System where they could start to look into a formal business alliance.
Although he had never heard of the Djaorra system, the Framkorp VP followed the astro-navigation directions his new contact gave him, leading right to Port Ol'val. Upon arrival, Turon was concerned he had possibly been tricked, the port looked very much like a criminal hotbed. Almost as if his thoughts were being broadcast over the holonet, the man he met on Ord Mantell contacted him with landing instructions. He landed his personal ship, the Wealth of Nations and was escorted by a very friendly protocol droid to a conference room.
Wug was waiting for him in the conference room, but there was no indication that this was a business meeting. The door quickly shut behind the Corellian and the man who had originally identified himself as a CCO revealed that he was a member of an order of Dark Jedi. The Dark Jedi said he was on Ord Mantell for another mission and felt Turon's presence in the force as it slowly grew during his speech. He gave the Vice President of Framkorp an offer, he would not only grant him access to the order he belonged to, but personally take him on as his personal apprentice. Marcik told him that inn the order he called the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, he would learn abilities beyond his wildest dream.
The Corellian VP was torn, he had long ago given up hope of learning the ways of the Force and was excited to do so. He was also afraid, his whole life he had been told of the evil of Dark Jedi, stories of the Emperor and his ruthless enforcer Darth Vader. He shared his thoughts with Marick who told him that the galaxy is a cold dark place. He asked him if he thought that even in the business world that others do not use whatever powers they have to dominate their competitors. The Dark Jedi explained to Turon that with his training, he could use his powers to make Framkorp a galactic competitor. The trade off was he would have to use his powers to fight for the Brotherhood.
Turon, accepted seeing the chance to fully realize his potential, not only would he learn the mysteries of the Force but he would use his power to, as his fater said, put himself on the right side of unfair. The businessman also knew he would not be able to fight the Dark Jedi off if he said no. In late 35 ABY, Blarex was enrolled in the Shadow Academy. He took the name Blarex in honor of the Sith Lord his father told him about when he was a child. He never believed the character was anything more than a clever fiction but the lesson of building allies is what got him to his goal of learning the ways of The Force.
Into The Fray
Menat Ombo, New TythonUpon arrival at the Shadow Academy, it as immediately clear that it was not business as usual. Only one Dark Jedi was there to meet him as he entered the academy. The other human did not identify themselve and only took Blarex's name, assigned him to House Galeres. The new recruit was directed to a shuttle with no other information given. Still unsure of what was going on, he boarded the shuttle that was stocked with all forms of armaments and the two crew members, one male one female. He asked where they were going and the woman explained that the Brotherhood was at war with a group of Jedi on a planet called New Tython which was where they were headed. Blarex it seemed, would have to prove himself in combat on day one.
The fledgling Dark Jedi was able to connect with other members of his clan once arriving on New Tython, notably his master Marick. With the assistance of Clan Arcona , Blarex was able to prove himself worthy in the crucible of combat. Much of the combat Blarex experienced was on the streets of Menat Ombo, the main city of New Tython. Without the ability to deflect blaster bolts and lacking a ranged weapon of his own, Turon used his intelligence and wisdom to survive the battle.
Although not turning the tide of any battle on his own, Blarex was awarded with 11 Seals of Decimation and an Anteian Cross for his efforts. The ability to be dropped into the middle of an on-going war and hit the ground running granted the young journeyman to ascend quickly through the ranks of the Order.
AWOL
From the year ABY 35 to early ABY 37, Blarex went sight unseen by anyone within the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. Concerned he may have been turned by the Jedi, the Arcona clan summit did assign a few mid-level assets from the Dajorra Intelligence Agency to locate their missing Sith Journeyman. Even the much vaunted operatives within the DIA did not get a sniff of the Corellian. To this day, even after his return to the ranks of the Shadow Clan, only Blarex knows what transpired during his unapproved leave of absence.
Dark Crusade
- Main article: [[Dark Crusade|Dark Crusade]]
ISDII Eye of the Abyss IISimilar to his induction into the Brotherhood, Blarex returned from his leave with the entire organization engaged in conflict. The enemy this time was the One Sith. Upon landing the Wealth of Nations in Port Ol'Val, he learned the entirety Arconan Armed Forces were deployed to Rhelg. Looking to repeat his success from the Tenth Great Jedi War, the Sith rushed to meet up with the forces of the Shadow Clan. As soon as he arrived, he discovered that the fighting on Rhelg had finished and he had missed an Arconan victory.
Landing on the flagship of the Clan's fleet, ISDII Eye of the Abyss II, the Corellian was ushered immediately to his master's office. Marick gave his apprentice a briefing on the current state of affairs, the upcoming escalation against the One Sith forces and the state of the Clan. Suprisingly, the Hapan did not question the young Sith on his whereabouts for the past year and Blarex did not volunteer the information either.
The Proconsul did assign the Jedi Hunter to a mission at the end of there meeting, one which required an immediate departure from the Acronan fleet. Marick sent him back to Port Ol'Val to track down a suspected agent of the One Sith. The intel dossier indicated the target was not even a Force Sensitive, let alone a trained Sith. The errand seemed trivial, especially as Clan Arcona prepared for the next phase of the conflict, Blarex was concerned he had lost the confidence of his master.
The prey proved to be more than a match for the Corellian's abilities as a hunter. At times, Blarex felt as if he were chasing a breeze that could disappear and re-form at will. Each time he got close enough to see the white hood of his target, the enemy agent would seemingly vanish into thin air. It became clear that his mark not only knew he was being tracked, but who was the one doing the tracking. The Jedi Hunter paid off a spice fiend to wear his robes and follow the mission target in his place. As the two men came into an area with only one exit, Blarex set off a shock device he left inside his robes. Even as a journeyman he felt the sheer panic of poor spice fiend who was not only going through withdrawal but was unexpectedly hit with enough electricity to stun a Wookie.
The ruse worked as the suspected agent also felt the panic in The Force and smoothly exited the main thoroughfare into the alley Blarex was hiding in. As soon as the hooded man passed his hiding place, the Jedi Hunter swiftly moved upon him. Before the other man could react, the Corellian had his blaster pressed firmly against his temple. As the man's hood fell down it revealed the long, dark hair of Marick Arconae. This was his final test as a journeyman, with his sucess Blarex was officially promoted to Dark Jedi Knight.
Now a full member of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, Blarex was entrusted with leading his first mission as the Shadow Clan descended upon Bhargebba. While naval and ground forces battled with the One Sith for the fate of Bhargebba, Blarex was assigned a detachment from the Abyss II consisting of infantry, heavy troopers, scouts, medics and engineers to fortify and secure a forward command post. Although the newly Knighted Dark Jedi was disappointed he would not be on the tip of the spear, he was excited to command such a large force into battle for the first time.
Bhargebba Intel DossierThe site of the command post was to be in a small underground vault less than 10 kilometers from the One Sith main dig site. Consul Wuntila Arconae was set to launch a full assault on the dig site only a few standard hours after Blarex's detachment was tasked with establishing the forward operating base. The strategic value of the location was not lost on the One Sith forces as they were heavily fortified before the Arconan forces arrived. The entrenched One Sith forces easily pinned down their attackers outside of the complex, behind the tree line.
Blarex knew if his forces could break through the forces defending the entrance of the vault, that he would be able to then utilize his significant numerical advantage. Options were seriously limited to the rookie commander on how to accomplish this task. An air strike was out of the question, the complex had to be kept intact. The Clan Summit only sent one squad of heavy troopers along with the detachment and no other trained Dark Jedi. Charging the entrance, would result in a bloodbath. Although he would win the war of attrition, he would not throw the lives of his forces away needlessly. He knew many of these soldiers from New Tython and they had a part to play in his survival of that conflict.
As he thought of these men, he began to focus on the emotions surrounding the battle. The fear of losing good soldiers in combat, the anger when one fell. The emotions fueled the Dark Side within him and he emerged from behind the cover of the forest. With his lightsaber tracing lines in the air, he carefully pushed toward the entrance to the vault complex. Each blaster bolt he deflected made him angrier, the thought that each one could have killed one of his men or him, sent him in to a furious rage. After crossing half of the 100 meter length of open field he noticed that grenades joined the blaster fire. The Dark Jedi Knight had to retreat, his stamina was starting to fail him and if he fell the mission was lost.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that his commanders had seized the initiative. While the attention of the defenders was focused intently on Blarex, two full squads had advanced unnoticed on either side of the windowless complex. When both arrived at their location, they simply threw two Thermal Detonators into the open doorway. The forces inside didn't have time to react. As Blarex and his two squads entered the antechamber they saw that no one survived, all organic beings had been completely atomized. The remainder of the complex was easily secure by the overwhelming forces of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. The Shadow Clan had their forward operations base, which Blarex and his forces successfully defended against multiple counterattacks during the remainder of the battle on Bhargebba.
Personality
Blarex is a rare breed of Dark Jedi, on an average day he is even tempered and even affable. Both the men he leads in combat, and in business, follow him willingly. His leadership style is not one that rules by fear of failure but of the rewards of success. As Turon Framke, he instituted a very generous profit sharing program to all levels of employees at Framkorp. From the janitor to the CFO, every employee has an equal share of the company profits. This is not to say that each employee receives the same compensation for their level of employment, but Blarex believes that any profit the company reaps is the product of the sum total of the staffs work.
This style has served Blarex well in his pursuits as a Dark Jedi as well. Although he is a member of the Sith Order, fear, violence and deception are not his chosen means of leadership. The young Sith is known to take a vested interest in the thoughts of his subordinates, knowing that the fresh eyes of a newly minted apprentice or a green private could see things more expirienced eyes could miss. When it comes to mistakes made by those under his command, the Sith is more apt to sit with the individual in question and help them learn from their error than to slice their head off with his lightsaber. Both in business and in combat, Blarex is known to genuinely care for those who follow him.
It is the emotions generated by his relationships that fuel his power. While many Dark Jedi focus inwardly to fuell their dark power, it is these external emotions that power the Dark Side within him. The fear he feels when a subordinate is in trouble, the anger when he loses a soldier under his command, these powerful emotions push Blarex to perform at the highest levels possible.
Enemies would be foolish to mistake his caring for a weakness. Although Blarex greets friends with an open hand, he meets his enemies with a closed fist. The power afforded to him by his emotional attachments is commonly wielded against those that stand in his way.
Physical Appearance
Blarex's armored robes.As and adult human, Blarex stands at 1.79 meters and weighs about 79.38 kilograms. Even though he is of average height and weight, he maintains a very tone frame. The Corellian's skin is a very even dark brown tone. His smooth complexion, as well as his azure eyes, help maintain his double life as the a VP at Framkorp. His natural hair color is black, although he keeps his head shaved smooth on a daily basis. The executive does keep a very well trimmed goatee, which other than his eyebrows and eyelashes are the only other hair on his face.
The persona of Turon Framke is generally found in high end but standard business attire. Keeping up the persona of a fiercely loyal Corellian all of his clothes, but his particularly his business attire, are of Corellian design and manufacture. The businessman's attire is of a very small color pallet, kept to the profession tones of blue, grey, black and brown. It is very rare to find Turon in casual attire whether inside or outside of the business environments.
As the Sith Blarex, the attire is quite different. To facilitate his front-line fighting style, he wears a caped robe with armoring on the torso, feet, lower legs, wrists and forearm. The armor is accented in blue, which is the Corellian's favorite color regardless of persona. The robe is also emblazoned with the symbol of Clan Arcona to pay homage to the group that gave him the opportunity the Jedi withheld from him Similar to his civilian life, Blarex can always be found in his armored robes. It is important to him to show solidarity with the rank and file troops because if they have to live the military lifestyle, he will as well.
Fighting Styles
Blarex's lightsaber.
Blarex is a front line fighter and a master of defensive abilities. As a leader of men, the Corellian Dark Jedi knows the value of protecting his allies. Although not a master duelist and not one to take down an entrenched enemy position solo, his ability to stand tall under intense enemy assault allows time for fellow Dark Jedi to join the fray or for non-Force Sensitive troops to get into position. It is not uncommon to see Blarex holding a choke point so even a single squad of troopers can safely ex-filtrate a position. The Sith Imperator's selfless fighting style has ingratiated him to the rank and file of the the combined Arconan armed forces.
Hand To Hand
As an amateur fencer since his early teenage years, Blarex does possess above average hand to hand combat skills. At the Corellian Boys Academy, he was taught Kartranin by the coach of the fencing team. As a common sword based style with many non-lethal techniques, Kartranin is still very popular among many of the aristocratic private school among the Core Worlds. As an advanced student, the fencing coach also trained his young pupil in the alternate form of Tu'rek.
Upon his joining the fencing team at the Corellian Institute of Technology, the coach introduced elements of Shyarn-ado and a little Dulon into the future Dark Jedi's technique. By the end of his college career, the Corellian was a master of Kartranin, as well as Tu'rek. He was also very proficient in Shyarn-ado and an average talent of Dulon.
Lightsaber
Upon elevation to Knighthood, Blarex chose a relatively plain hilt design for his personal lightsaber. What is unique however is the orange color crystal that is embedded within. The newly minted Dark Jedi Knight told his fellow Arconans that he chose orange to stand out in the fray. He said it was his intention that the flashing blade of his orange lightsaber was a beacon to both friend and foe alike.
Stylistically, Blarex spent his training time as a journeyman focused on Form III, Soresu. With his inclination to be the first to the front line of a firefight, or jump headlong into a chokepoint, the Corellian recognized that defense would be his greatest contribution to the battlefield. As a master of Soresu, the young Sith can withstand a continued onslaught for an extended period of time. Generally speaking, his body will give out long before his technique fails him. He spars tirelessly with his fellow Arconans while under fire from multiple Seeker droids.
DJB History
Conflicts
Tenth Great Jedi War - 35 ABY
Dark Crusade - 36 to 37 ABY
Positions Held
Member of House Qel-Droma/Clan Arcona
Former Apprentice to Marick Arconae
Outstanding Achievements
Joined the DJB during Great Jedi War X earning 11 Seals of Decimation.
Earned 13 Seals of Remembrance in the Independence Games celebrating the tenth anniversary of The Exodus.
Behind The Scenes
Blarex is a character created by Ryan. The name "Blarex" first came about during the early days of the [World of Warcraft]. At the time, Ryan's younger brother was playing a Human Paladin. This same younger brother just lost Ryan's original character to a scammer. After purchasing a new game key, he decided to create a new character. Also a paladin, he modeled all of the character features except one after his younger brother's paladin, Tharex. His changed the skin tone to an African-American tone and called him Blarex for black Tharex. To this day, Ryan will play an African-American in most games if given the option.