Varkain 'Corin' Athanas

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"Stay safe, Corin." "Always Master, or I shall go down fighting!"

―Corin answering his Master and older sister, Rasilvenaira Kaeth StormRaven

Corin Nal’Kethar is a Sith Warrior in House Caliburnus of Clan Scholae Palatinae. He is the younger brother of the Quaestor of House Caliburnus, Rasilvenaira Kaeth StormRaven. He was born in 2 BBY.

Character History

The Beginning of a Warrior

2 BBY: On the arid plains of Ord Mantell in a secluded Keraci villiage in the year 2 BBY, Cariul Nal'Kethar is born into a family of six (not including himself), under the parentage of his mother Rinhiad, and his father Sathel Nal’Kethar. The night he was born was dark, and the full moon shown magnificent on the cool, clear pond residing next to the ancient Keraci village. The High-priest, who’s name no one but himself knew, paced to and fro, as he witnessed the birth of Cariul Nal’kethar. The family at first was worried the birth would bring forth another baby girl, having had three girls in a row. In the Keraci culture, women were not treated as equals to men, excepting a few noble women who were in places of high standing. To the family’s delight, however, Cariul Nal’kethar, a healthy Keraci baby boy, was born. The young boy bore the features of his father, but he also bore his own, peculiar eyes: a blue eye lay in his right socket, while a green eye lay in his left. His hair, which was unusually thick for a newborn, was dark brown. His parents were delighted, and the baby boy was welcomed into their home.

3 ABY: Cariul’s sister, Nerisala, is sold by her father to passing merchants. Cariul, being only at the age of five, does not remember exactly why or how it happened. As a young boy, this troubles Cariul that his father would do such things. His father later sits him down and attempts to explain the way of Male Keraci dominance, but Cariul is not receptive and still holds to his own idea that men and women are both equal. This is the first instance where Sathel is displeased with Cariul’s behavior and thinking.

Sathel Nal'Kethar. Cariul’s father

4 ABY: At the age of six, Cariul Nal’kethar begins his training under the guidance of one of the village’s wisest men, Carisha Badil. Badil begins to teach Cariul numerous things such as history, some of Basic (enough to communicate), geography, and basic skills needed to survive outside Keraci culture.

5 ABY: After a year of studying with the young Keraci, Badil finally reveals to Cariul, without the permission of his father, the existence of other galaxies and the way of life beyond Mantell Ord Mantell; beyond Keraci way of thinking. Keraci males were never encouraged about such thoughts as equality among sexes, but Cariul was an exception. As Badil revealed more and more about the life beyond Mantell Ord Mantell to the Keraci boy, Cariul’s hope is renewed that somewhere, beyond his borders, live beings who share his thoughts, and share his opinions on matters such as equality among sexes. This was an important issue to Cariul, for he saw all life as equal.

6 ABY: When Cariul is eight years of age, his older sister, Kaishera, is nearly beaten to death by her father. Cariul attempted to stop Sathel, but he overpowered the young boy and continued to beat her. When his father saw that he had done a sufficient job, he found Cariul in his room, and punished him for interfering. Never, he told Cariul harshly, slapping the boy many times with his open hand, interfere like that again, or you’ll end up like her! Sathel was extremely disappointed in Cariul, but was reluctant to shed any male Keraci blood. This is the second time that Cariul defies his father, and Sathel begins to become less and less a part of the young boys life. Due to this separation between Cariul and his father, the boy begins to spend more and more time with his tutor, Badil.

A few days after this incident, Cariuls sister, Kaishera stoles away into the night upon the back of a Rok’shall, leaving her family behind in the forsaken Mantell Ord Mantell Village.

Around this time also, Cariul begins to show signs of abnormalities; unwarranted behavior that he had no control over. This unwarranted behavior was the force, but the narrow-minded and oblivious Keraci see this as an evil within Cariul. Having gone through basically the same behavior with Cariuls sister, Kaishera, Sathel decides to lock Cariul away, rather than expose the Nal’kethar family to such shame.

This act by Cariul’s father proved a blessing in disguise as Badil constantly visited the locked up Cariul. In fear of becoming more estranged from the village’s high-standing individuals, Sathel allows Badil to meet with Cariul, also in hopes that Badil might straighten the boy.

But, as the months rolled by, Badil did nothing of the sort. He had heard of such things as the force, but never believed them to be true until he witnessed Kaishera’s behavior and later Cariuls. Cariul, anxious for answers to all his questions, becomes impatient, and attempts to flee in the middle of the night. Cariul is found by his mother, however, and stopped from leaving. Due to the surprising kindness of his mother, Cariuls act is not reported to his father, a debt which Cariul forever owed to his mother.

A New Life

Young Narsha

8 ABY: Now a growing young boy at the age of ten, Cariul witnesses a terrible act by the High-Priest of the village. In hopes of having Cariul “cleansed”, Sathel brings the boy to one of the many cleansing rituals that took place on full moons. As Cariul was left alone with the High-Priest and his slave – a girl by the name of Narsha who was Cariuls age – as was the custom, the priest attempts to rape the young slave girl and would have succeeded had Cariul not fought back, and managed to knock the Priest unconscious with a stone that he snatched from the earth.

Cariul makes the best of the situation and, taking Narsha by the hand, flees the village, knowing full well what the repercussions would be once the priest awoke.

The half-naked slave girl and Cariul then flee to the city of Trader’s Quarter. The citizens luckily paid no attentions to these misfits, and Cariul and Narsha manage to sneak aboard a vessel destined for somewhere around the Raioballo Sector. As the vessel leaves Mantell Ord Mantell airspace, however, it is attacked by pirates under the leadership of a Feeorin by the name of Rav captaining the vessel, the ‘’Crimson Axe’’. As was the pirate “custom”, the vessel is emptied of its passengers who are either killed or taken as slaves. The cargo is also unloaded, and, as two Zabrak pirates do their work, they discover the two stowaways. As was the order by the captain, the stowaways were brought before Rav, who immediately took the girl to his quarters, deeming Cariul worthy for enslavement.

And so, the months passed, and most the slaves who were aboard the pirated vessel had died off, but miraculously, Cariul had survived the grueling regimen he was put into as a slave. Rav, as probably one of his sole kind acts, elevates Cariul to the rank of ensign. Despite her beauty, Narsha was not taken as a slave girl by Rav, but was forced to work in the galley, a small service to pay to her master, or so said Rav. The two Keraci’s were only allowed to see each other once a week, but they managed to sneak glances at each other at certain times of the day. Cariul was not at all happy to be in Ravs service, but it was better, he kept telling himself, than being the son of Sathel Nal’kethar. On many occasions Narsha and Cariul would sleep together, both of them enjoying each others company as well as their thoughts.

9 ABY:

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Captain Rav

After a little under a year of service to Rav the Pirate Captain, Cariul had begun to enjoy pirate life. As a young boy on Mantell Ord Mantell, Cariul would never have dreamed of being a pirate, but now as he stood in a position of piracy, he liked it. The thrill of attacking vessels both unarmed and heavily armed, the thrill of fighting, and, above all, the thrill of being his own identity, not a typical Keraci male.

The time came when a great battle took place over the planet Coruscant. Captain Rav ordered all available, and that meant Cariul, fighters to the command deck for briefing. It was to be a climatic battle as rival pirate clans gathered above the City of Spires.

Rav, who had taken a liking to Cariul, put the Keraci under the leadership of his best lieutenant, Desh. Desh was a stocky Taung who, like his captain, sported a cybernetic right leg. Desh was more docile than the other unruly officers, but was fiercer than any in battle.

At first, the battle started off slowly, neither pirates nor republic forces sustaining injuries. But, as the battle wore on, many rival pirates fell to the attack as their burning yachts fell lifeless from space. The ‘’Crimson Axe’’, however, was not to be destroyed anytime soon. As republic and pirate commandos alike glided up beside Rav’s ship and began to board it, all hell broke loose.

Under Desh’ command, Cariul fought bravely and his group overpowered every enemy force they came across. Since his arrival, Cariul had not only learned the trade of piloting and navigation, but he also learned, directly from Rav, the art of the blade. The eleven year old surprised everyone as he emerged from the battle unscathed save a few bruises and scrapes. As the Crimson Axe flew from the defeated republic forces, Rav awarded Cariul the title of Junior Officer, a high honor for one so young.

It turned out, that during the fierce fighting, Narsha had sustained severe wounds to her lower body, and was in critical condition. Rav’s medics did the best they could, but Narsha did not survive the night. Young Cariul was plunged into the abyss of sorrow as his only friend he had ever known slipped away into the chasm of death.

11 ABY: While quietly working at his navigation post, Cariul experiences a strange sensation within himself, as if some great tragedy had befallen him that very moment. It is all confusing to Cariul, and he dismisses it. This incident, as Cariul later discovers, was caused by the destruction of his native village. This is Cariuls first strong influence caused by the force.

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The Bloody Bones, Captain Ravs pirate insignia

14 ABY:

"The pain of death is hard to bear, and the emotion that stems from it, anger, is both a powerful tool, and a dangerous enemy."

―Lieutenant Desh counseling Officer Cariul after the death of Narsha.

Many years passed after the death of Narsha, and Cariul never fully recovered from the loss of his dear friend. He did, however, make it up in other areas as he became closer with one of the only females on board the Crimson Axe, a Twilek by the name of Sarai who was one year older than Cariul who was sixteen at the time.

As Cariul began to get closer to the Twilek, the Captain advised the Keraci to keep the relationship just business. Cariul, who was in need of a closer friendship than just a business one, did not listen to his captain, and often would spend time alone with Sarai whenever he could.

For the first few months of their relationship, Sarai and Cariul met with ease, planning their day around the meetings. But, as Captain Rav began to demand more of Cariul, their meetings became scarcer and scarcer.

The time came for a rotation in duty, and Cariul was set to work in the defense turrets of the ship. Here, he was secluded more than before, and his relationship with Sarai became weaker.

However, the time came when Cariul began to see the loneliness of piracy, and desired to run away with Sarai. The Twilek disagreed deeply in Cariul’s wanting to leave, insuring the Keraci that everything was alright where they were. But everything wasn’t alright with Cariul, and the boy wanted more.

The time came for his departure as the pirate yacht cruised into the space port on Nar Shaddaa, the smugglers moon. As Cariul began to unload his scant belongings, his Captain, Rav, tossed the Keraci another bag of belongings. “This will help you on your travels…” And that was the last Cariul saw of his Captain, sword trainer, and fellow pirate as the Axe ‘’Crimson Axe’’ lifted away from the port, never to be seen there again.

The Trained Assassin

15 ABY:

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Jan Eclipse, the leader of the Devil’s Hand.

"Once you get past the fear of being caught and learn enough to avoid it, Assassination becomes as easy as breathing."

―Jan Eclipse, a government Assassin, speaking to her new apprentice, Cariul.

The busy life and secrecy of the Smuggler’s Moon proved well for Cariul as it heightened his senses, and made him aware his surroundings more than ever. This was not the only influence the Moon had on him, however.

When the Keraci turned seventeen, he finally acquired a small residence in one of the suites above the many casinos on the Moon. It was a modest dwelling, and the credits Cariul earned as pirate kept him living comfortably. It turned out that, in the bag Rav gave to Cariul, there was a large sum of money in the form of a credit stick, as well as Ravs very own dagger he named Fang, and a single key-card to a ship. Where the ship was, however, Cariul did not know. The card simply read: Dock B, hanger seven. Cariul was eager to find the ship, but his instincts told him to stay put for the time being. While Cariul was lounging about in his dwelling one day, there came a knock on his door. As the boy opened it, a young woman in her thirties appeared in his suite, offering Cariul a job. Cariul, who wasn’t used to sitting on his rear the whole day, accepted it without question.

It was only until the woman, whose alias was Jan Eclipse, brought Cariul to her personal ship that the Keraci realized what he was in for. The ship was a heavily modified Theta-class T-2c shuttle with a crimson and azure insignia on its flanks depicting two snakes entwined with a staff. Cariul had seen that very same marking before on his travels with Rav, his pirate captain. It was the signature of a ring of Government assassins based on Nar Shaddaa known as the Devil’s Hand.

Corin’s tattoo.

The Devil’s Hand was not a large organization, but their crime syndicate reached out far beyond Nar Shaddaa. The reason for Jan’s choosing of Cariul was beyond the Keraci, but as the boy learned more of the assassins Guild, it became apparent why he was chosen.

Captain Rav was once a devout member of the Devil’s Hand, but had deserted the group to join a life of piracy. When The Hand, as they often called themselves, saw the Crimson Axe, Rav’s ship, pull into the docking bay on the Smugglers Moon, they feared there would be a confrontation with their former member. When none came, and Cariul was left on the Moon, the guild decided to recruit the youth.

Another reason for Cariul being chosen was because of his youth. While many of the Hand’s members were seasoned assassins, they were growing old and needed fresh, youth blood on their side.

Joining the Devil’s Hand was not as simple as shaking a few hands or signing a few papers. Rather, a list of trials was set for Cariul to accomplish, all of which involved murder. Cariul accepted the tasks without question, and was quickly on his way to initiation. The time came when he had completely finished the trials, and was already becoming an expert at stealth and cunning. Jan Eclipse, seeing that Cariul was fit to join the organization, deemed Cariul worthy and inducted him into the order.

As he joined the Devil’s Hand, he was instructed to forsake his name, and take on an alias as was the custom. On the eve of his eighteenth birthday, Cariul was inducted into the Devil’s Hand, and was given the alias Corin Vondrack.

Upon that, Corin was given a large tattoo upon his back of a single snake entwined with a staff. The tattoo stays on him to this day.

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Corin’s ship, the Skyhawk.

Several years passed, and Corin became nothing more than a seasoned Assassin programmed for stealth and cold-blooded killing. It was stunning how far he had fallen from the innocent Keraci boy he was who dreamed of a peaceful life away from hardship, and far away from murder.

It turned out that the keycard Rav had given Corin had belonged to a Cutlass-9 Patrol Fighter. As was Rav’s custom, the Fighter was completely modified to carry double the amount of missiles, bombs, and cargo. The shields were enhanced as was the speed. The craft could now reach a speed of over 8,000 G. It was enhanced for all-environment usage (I.E., could go under water as well as in space). Corin named the ship the Skyhawk, and it served him well for many years.

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Switchblades Corin used as an Assassin, utilizing the style of Teräs Käsi, but included the weapons instead of open-hand fighting.

Corin was also taught the art of the switch-blade, a dagger which is mounted to the wrists, concealed by vambraces. The mechanism worked quickly, and aided Corin in his assassinating. The blades shape and size worked perfectly, and left the victim immobilized if struck in the correct place.

The Spirit of a Sith

19 ABY: Eventually, Corin was dismissed from the Devil’s Hand for a short leave of absence. He was told to get away from Nar Shaddaa, and explore the galaxy. It was clear that he was too attached to his work. Since his initiation into the Hand, Corin had become more skillful than its own leader, Jan. His job was no longer for just credits, but it was a lifestyle. He actually enjoyed it and found it to be exciting.

But, he was told to leave for now. Obeying his leader, he left Nar Shaddaa, inadvertently allowing the force to guide his craft to a planet known as Korriban in the Sith Space of the Outer Rim Territories.

As Corin’s craft landed on the baron world, the Force, although he did not realize it at the time, guided him to a large valley he later learned was named the Valley of the Dark Lords.

Corin returned to his ship and fell asleep. In his dreams, he saw a vision of a tall man holding a large scepter. He wore long flowing robes, and he had a terrible menacing air about him. He commanded Corin to search Korriban for his tomb. He didn’t tell him where, but simply instructed the Keraci to follow the wind.

When Corin awoke, a little shocked by the dream, he decided to obey the man. Packing only a few belongings, Corin set out on what would become a journey that would change his life.

As he departed from his aircraft, he immediately followed the man’s instructions, allowing himself to be led by the wind in the direction it blew. Several hours passed, and it seemed as if Corin had followed nothing more than a dream. He was about to give up and return to his ship when he fell unconscious to the desert floor.

Corin is unsure how longed he remained there, but when he awoke it was night, and his senses were beyond normal. It wasn’t until he successfully returned to his ship that he realized what had happened.

As he settled in his plane and took off from the baron world, he began to hear voices inside of his head. They were not faint, but clear as day. Corin hoped he was imagining it, but he was not.

The voice was the same as in his dreams. It belonged to a man by the name of Salem Creed, an old chemically-altered Sith human who died in the year 1000 BBY. But, he was no more than a spirit now, and he was somehow fused inside Corin so that the Keraci, although he sensed Salem’s presence, had full power over his own body. On the other hand, Salem was able to control Corin’s body like a puppet, lending Salem’s keen awareness, force-sensitivity, and prowess to Corin’s finite body.

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Salem as seen in his memory. He was a chemically-altered Sith human.

20 ABY: After several months of dealing with Salem’s spirit, Corin and the Sith finally come to an agreement; Corin will allow Salem to stay inside his body if he one, teaches Corin the ways of the Force, two, possesses Corin’s body only when asked to, and three, minimizes the talking inside Corin’s head.

These rules seemed simple enough, but Salem struggled for many months with it and eventually got the hang of it.

Corin was now back on Nar Shaddaa but what he found startled him. The organization, the Devil’s Hand, had been discovered and eradicated. Fleeing that world for what would be his last time, Corin allowed Salem to guide his craft to the world of his choosing.

21 ABY: As Corin peered out his aircraft window as the ship jumped out of hyperspace, he found himself outside the planet moon known as Dxun.

It turned out that Salem had come here for two reasons; to visit the tomb of Freedon Nadd, a being that Salem, during his life as a Sith, idolized and sought to imitate, and to follow in the footsteps of Darth Bane, Salem’s Sith leader who crash landed on Dxun. There on the moon Salem and Corin spent two full years, living off the land in the jungles of Dxun, training in the arts of the Sith and meditating day and night outside Nadd’s tomb.

Corin was learning more and more of the Force, and was beginning to seek out a lightsaber for himself, as a Jedi would do. But Salem convinced Corin that he was not ready, and the two stayed in Dxun for a while longer.

Their arrival there, at first, did not stir anything, save a few beasts of the wild. But, something was wrong. One day, a red X-wing landed on Dxun, bringing along with it it’s pilot, a man who identified himself as Eragon.

Salem was wary about the man, and refused to speak with him. In an attempt to guard himself from the man who claimed to be a Dark Jedi, Corin and Salem fled Dxun, escaping from Eragon. But, it would not be the last time they would see the Dark Jedi.

23 ABY: Now at the age of twenty-five, Corin arrives on the planet known as Ruusan. There, he experiences a great conflict with his soul and his heart.

His soul, which is inherently good and pure, finally faces off with his heart which is filled with malice and hate. Salem only spurs the hate on, and forces Corin’s soul back into it’s depths to be silences forever.

The great force energy of the planet helps Corin to decide his fate. Salem, eager to relive another life, spurs Corin toward the dark side. Before Corin leaves the planet, however, he is touched by the force and will forever have a merciful side to him.

Discovery

"In the brotherhood, we are Masters of death and darkness. No pain can touch us; and we are freed by the power of the Dark Side!"

―Guardian Eragon Shadow speaking of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood.

25 ABY: After several years of wandering, Corin ultimately returns to his place of birth only to find the village he once knew as a child a wreck.

Although he hated his home, it still was his home, and Corin couldn’t stand the thought of anyone else having revenge. It was his duty and his alone to serve revenge to his ancestors. Cursing the village in the dust, Corin turns away from the village but is confronted by Eragon, the Dark Jedi who followed him to Dxun.

Having nowhere to run, Corin decided to listen to the man. He spoke of life and death, and how pain and suffering can be turned into a weapon. How power and darkness can fuel ones rage to new heights. He told Corin of a large group of like-minded force-users named the Dark Jedi Brotherhood.

Eragon spoke of the grand accomplishments the Brotherhood has been through, and how he, a force-sensitive being, could flourish. His talents would be used, promised Eragon.

Corin was in a state in life where he needed brotherhood, and this Dark Jedi Brotherhood was just the thing he sought. Cursing once more the arid plains of the ancient Keraci village, Corin agreed to join the Brotherhood, following Eragon to the Antei System.

It wasn’t long until the Fang entered Brotherhood airspace and was led by Eragon to the planet known as Sepros. It was the home planet of Eragon’s clan, Naga Sadow (CNS).