Varkain 'Corin' Athanas is a Sith Warrior in House Scholae Palatinae. He is the younger brother of the Battlelord, Rasilvenaira Kaeth StormRaven. He was born in 2 BBY.
Character History
Humble Beginnings
Varkain ‘Corin’ Athanas was born in the year 2 BBY in the Keraci village on Ord Mantell. The Keraci people were immigrants from an unknown planet that landed upon Ord Mantell and settled on the planets arid plains. Because of their seclusion, they developed a genetic standard over time and by roughly 50 BBY, it was virtually unheard of to see a Keraci born that differed from the normal look of blond hair and blue or green eyes. The Keraci were also a very superstitious and fearful race, believing not in the force and instead relying upon odd and strange traditions.
Varkain would change all of that.
But the boy was not the only disturbance to be made on Ord Mantell. Eight years prior to his birth, a dark-eyed baby girl named Kaishera was born to the Shalphera (highest-ranking female) of the village. This event would spark the upheaval of customs and traditions, and become the beginning of the end of the Keraci people. The girl’s appearance was seen as an omen to the people, and they degraded her to slave form. Another omen came to that village in 2 BBY when a dark-haired, blue-eyed baby boy was born to the same family. His name was Cariul Nal'kethar, and he was the youngest of seven under the parentage of Rinhiad (the Shalphera) and Sathel Nal'kethar. The mother nearly died from the birth, but her condition mysteriously improved once the boy sat comfortably in her arms.
The birth of another “abomination” greatly troubled the High Priest of the village and even the boy’s father was livid that fate would bestow upon them yet another abnormality. Like his sister before him, Cariul was nearly degraded to the state of a slave, but his mother left room for him in his heart and would one day become a key instrument in his life.
Carisha Badil
At the age of five, in the year 3 ABY, young Cariul witnessed the sale of his younger sister, Nerisala, to a band of passing merchants. At that young age, Cariul only remembered going to bed without his older sister in the bed beside his, leaving a scar in Cariul’s heart. His father tried to explain the order of things and way of life for the Keraci, but Cariul was not receptive and did not understand the “inequality” of men and women.
That next year, due to the urgings of his mother, Cariul was put under the guidance of one of the village's wisest men, Carisha Badil. Badil began to teach Cariul countless things such as basic history, geography, arithmetic and Basic. The family was satisfied with Badil, and Sathel agreed for him to continue the training. They said it was good for the young boy, and they hoped it would set his mind “aright.” But Badil would soon open up a whole new world for Cariul, one of power and control.
The Keraci people were so secluded that not many of them actually knew the existence of other planets and galaxies beyond Ord Mantell. But Badil was not an original Keraci, and he possessed vast amounts of knowledge. At the age of 7, while continuing his training with Badil, Cariul was taught the diversity of lifeforms throughout the galaxy and beyond, as well as the various ways of life beyond Ord Mantell. Many of this information was beyond the young boy’s mind, but one thing that stuck with Cariul was the equality shared among most races and among the sexes. It made sense, for within his pure heart, Cariul saw all life as equal.
His world again was torn asunder when a year later in 6 BBY, his older sister Kaishera was nearly beaten to death by her father. The boy attempted to stop him, but was overpowered by the man and the beating continued. After it was finished, Sathel confronted Cariul and severely warned him to remain out of his business and to learn his place in society. Never, he scolded Cariul as he struck him with blows to his head, interfere like that again, or you'll end up like her!
Young Cariul Nal'kethar
Even at that young age, Cariul began to formulate thoughts of hatred for his father, and their relationship became non-existent. Due to this separation, Cariul began to grow closer to his mother and father-figure Badil. Days after the beating, Kaishera finally managed to steal away into the night upon the back of a Rok’shall, leaving her family forever behind in the forsaken village on Ord Mantell.
Around this time also, Cariul began to show signs of abnormalities; unwarranted behavior and conduct he seemed to have no control over. The narrow-minded Keraci people perceived this as an evil within Cariul, a blight sent to Ord Mantell from the gods to punish them. Having dealt with the same behavior from his sister Kaishera, Sathel decided to lock Cariul away, rather than expose the Nal'kethar family to more shame.
But this didn’t stop his training. In fear of becoming more estranged from the village’s high-standing individuals, Sathel allowed Badil to meet with Cariul in his room, in hopes that Badil might have “straightened” the boy. As the months rolled by, however, Badil did nothing of the sort.On an unsuspecting meeting with his pupil one day, Badil revealed to Cariul that he once was part of an order known as the Jedi Order and that the behavior Cariul was exhibiting was in fact the Force.
Cariul’s world opened up, and all became clear to the young boy as Badil revealed to him the ways of the force and began to secretly tutor him to control his fledgling powers. Excited about the possibility of more beyond the rock Ord Mantell, Cariul attempted to flee from the village but was stopped by his mother. Rinhiad demonstrated great love as she took Cariul back into her home and hid the incident from Sathel. Instead, she promised Cariul she would one day help him escape.
A New Life
Young Narsha
8 ABY:
At the age of ten Cariul witnessed a terrible act by the High-Priest of the village. Trying everything to save the boy from the fate of his sisters, Sathel brought the boy to one of the many cleansing rituals that took place in the village in the event of a full moon. As Cariul was left alone with the High-Priest and his slave – a girl by the name of Narsha who was Cariul’s age – the priest attempted to rape the young slave girl. The man would have succeeded had Cariul not fought back, and managed to knock the Priest unconscious with a stone that he snatched from the earth.
Making the best of the situation, the half-naked slave girl and Cariul fled to the city of Trader’s Quarter and managed to sneak aboard a vessel destined for somewhere around the Raioballo Sector. Not long after the ship left Ord Mantell airspace, however, it was attacked by pirates under the leadership of a Feeorin by the name of Rav, captaining the vessel, the ‘’Crimson Axe’’.
When the pirates found Cariul and Narsha, they took them as prisoners, taking the girl to be of “use” in the captain’s chambers and Cariul to be a slave worker. He never saw Narsha again.
The months passed, and most of the slaves who were aboard the pirated vessel had died off, but miraculously, Cariul survived the grueling regimen he was put into as a slave. Then Rav, as probably one of his sole kind acts, elevates Cariul to the rank of ensign.
11 ABY:
One day, while quietly working at his navigation post, Cariul experienced a strange sensation within himself, as if some great tragedy had befallen him that very moment. It was all confusing to Cariul at the time, and he dismissed it without question. However, as Cariul later discovered, the incident was caused by the destruction of his native village. This was Cariuls first strong influence caused by the force.
File:BloodyBones.jpgThe 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."
- ―Captain Rav counseling Officer Cariul after the death of Narsha.
Cariul was beginning to feel the effects of death. At only the age of sixteen, he had been involved in countless battles, during many of which he witnessed his friends and comrades die. It affected him not only in his mood, but he felt a deep sense of hatred for those who had taken the lives of his friends. This was Cariul’s first step toward the dark side. The boy soon decided to quit the life of piracy.
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 ‘’Crimson Axe’’ lifted away from the port, never to be seen there again.
The Devil’s Hand
15 ABY:
File:Assassin1.jpgJan 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 more aware of his surroundings 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, but the credits Cariul had earned as a pirate kept him living comfortably. In the bag that Rav had given to him, there was a large sum of money and a key-card to a ship. Where the ship was, Cariul didn’t know, but 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.
One day, a young woman in her thirties appeared at door and offered 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 named 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. It was the signature of a ring of assassins employed by the government 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 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 instead.
To join the Devil’s Hand Cariul had to complete a set of trials, all of which involved murder. At first Cariul declined, but listening to a dream he had one night, he eventually accepted the tasks without question, and quickly started his journey to initiation.
Two years passed and Cariul was inducted into the assassin’s guild. No longer did death and murder affect him, but as he grew older it became a way of life, a source of adrenaline, like a drug. As he was inducted in The Hand, he took on a new name: Corin Relicor. Along with the name, Corin was given the tattoo of The Devil’s Hand insignia on his spine.
File:Sting.jpgCorin’s ship, Sting.
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 an airspeeder. The ship was completely stock, and really wasn’t that impressive. However, Corin made several modifications to it until it was a formidable fighter. He named it “Sting.”
The Brotherhood
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. The Hand frowned upon his overzealous work, so he was told to leave for a while. 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.
File:Salem.gifThe Sith spirit Salem, a chemically-altered Sith Human.
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 forever.
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 fallen victim to an over-vivid imagination. He was about to give up and return to his ship when he fell unconscious to the desert floor.
When he awoke, he wasn’t sure how long he had been out, and his senses were oddly heightened beond 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.
20 ABY:
After several months of dealing with Salem’s spirit, Corin and the Sith finally come to an agreement; Corin would allow Salem to stay inside his body on three conditions: he teach Corin the ways of the Force, two, possess Corin’s body only when asked to, and three, minimize the talking inside Corin’s head as to not drive him crazy.
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 by the people and revolt against the government there eradicated The Hand. 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 up anything, save a few beasts of the wild. But, something was wrong. One day, a red X-wing landed on Dxun, bringing with it 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.
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 - 27ABY:
After several years of wandering, Corin ultimately returned to his place of birth only to find the Keraci village nothing more than rubble.
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 turned away from the village but was confronted again 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 had been through, and how he, a force-sensitive being, could flourish. His talents would be used, promised Eragon. Without much thought, Corin agreed to join the Brotherhood, following Eragon to the Antei System.
A Second Chance
File:Rasilvenaira.jpgCorin's sister and master, Rasilvenaira
Corin's reception into the Brotherhood came with mixed reviews. Many of those he met saw him as a valuable asset, while others simply did not get along with him. He was placed into Clan Naga Sadow, the same Clan as his recruiter Eragon.
There he gained most of his ranks, under the tutelage of a Rasilvenaira Kaeth StormRaven who was a member of a rival Clan, Scholae Palatinae. Their Master/Apprentice relationship would end up being one of the last inter-clan pairings.
When he reached the rank of Guardian, Corin fought in the Sixth Great Jedi War where he won many medals and was promoted to Protector and then Jedi Hunter. When he reached the rank of Dark Jedi Knight, his relationship with his master began to change. At that time, the Yuuzhan Vong invaded the Antei System in what would become known as the Vong Incursion. During a massive battle to fight off the Vong, the Sith Spirit inside of Corin, Salem, revealed to him that Rasilvinaira was not only his master but his biological sister, Kaishera.
Surprisingly enough, Corin took it well and with much rejoicing. This was his second chance to rebuild his family, and to pick up the pieces that were scattered so long ago. After the Incursion was over, Corin became torn between admiration for his Master and older sister Kaishera, and loyalty to his Clan. Corin meditated for days until finally coming to a decision: he would transfer from Clan Naga Sadow into Scholae Palatinae. There he was placed into then House Caliburnus where he earned his first equite rank of Sith Warrior.
Exile
30 ABY:
Shortly after the end of the war, Corin grew weary of the toll Salem was taking on his body. His back pained him; migraines were a daily occurrence, and his focus was disturbed by severe pain throughout his body: Salem was taking over, and he wasn't sneaky about it either. Corin tried his best to resist the spirit, and he noticed that on the days he had neglected sleep and rest, Salem would flourish and even gain full control at times. They had cut all communication off from each other, which made it extremely difficult to anticipate the spirit's intentions.
One day Corin woke up in his ship, Sting; apparently he had fallen asleep before he could remove himself from the cockpit. Suddenly, worming his way into the Warrior's mind, Salem took control of the Corin's body and stepped out of the aircraft, only to reenter another ship, an ARC-170 adjacent to Sting, with the I.D. of Alpha-45-Delta painted on the fuselage. Corin tried to fight the will of the spirit Salem, but either by his own weakness or one induced by exhaustion or even drugs, Corin could not budge the will of the Sith spirit. With mental exhaustion filling him, Corin gave in to his might and in moments the ship lifted off from the planet Antei, exiting the Antei System, not to be seen there again for another six years.
Those years of his life were and still are a blur to Corin, most of the time being spent as Salem's puppet, the body through which the Sith spirit could move and act. The spirit's aim was never clear, and of the time Corin spent awake and not ruled by Salem, he could only glean memories and vague intentions of where they had gone and why they were there. And where “there” was, he didn't even know.
Being trapped in his own body was like being confined to an ever-shrinking prison cell. With each day that he fought against Salem, he spent weeks in desolate solitude where even his thoughts were controlled by those of Salem's. At any moment Corin could have ended his own life, but something inside of him, something even Salem couldn't touch, kept firm and unwavering: his will.