- "Crafty...and resourceful. Pragmatic. Lenient with a failed sub-ordinate, although only to an extent. He garners loyalty from his Clansmen not with magnetic personality or a commanding presence – although he certainly has those at his disposal – but by sheer strength of example. They follow him because he shows them the purest measure of success to be found in unbridled ambition, audacity, and force of will. "
- ―Strategos Thanatos Arconae
Personality
- "The Force saw to my deprivation of the formative ingredients of weakness; tenderness, compassion, mercy, respite. Many Krath cannot boast of anything less than lifestyles of privilege and comfort; my very home was an environmental hazard, and never was there a time when my surroundings were not hostile."
- ―Vorion, commenting on his homeworld of Uba IV.
Vorion is generally a quiet and reserved individual; as a rule, he speaks only when spoken to and in as brief and direct a fashion as possible. His peers have described him as ominous and deep, others as stoic and 'emotionally muted'. When he speaks his tone is eerily clinical and detached, as if the narrator of a holovid documentary.
If he speaks for more than a moment, any more than answering a simple question or making a brief statement, it tends to take the form of a narrative of some sort. Ubese, a people with little remaining by way of written history or tradition, instead have roots in oral storytelling as a way of retaining valuable information, and tend to relate to events in tales.
A byproduct of a harsh upbringing, the young man disdains many recreations and pastimes as frivolous and empty; if he can not derive some sort of practical use from an activity it tends to have little meaning to him. His mastery of card games such as Liar's Cut and Schickele is justified by the healthy gambling appetites of many manual laborers from his home world Uba IV, where he made a large portion of his income in card sharking those foolish enough to gamble with the 'kid with the sixth sense.'
Vorion circa 30 ABY, Proconsul of Arcona
Today, Vorion has a tendency towards a pensive and analytical demeanor, detached and calm. Madness has made the Archpriest deceptively lucid and temperate in demeanor.
Notable Traits
- "The Dark Lords are the Operator. I am simply the Machine."
- ―Vorion
- Vorion is unique amongst Ubese for his ability to operate unhindered in Type I atmospheres without the typical Ubese breathing apparatus.
- Vorion has survived torture and shaping at the hands of a Yuuzhan Vong shaper. He has on occasion demonstrated a rough fluency with the Yuuzhan Vong language, as well as a passing familiarity with their society and religion.
- Vorion engages in ritual cannibalism. He believes that the consumption of sentient flesh - particularly the flesh of Force-sensitive sentients - increases his connection to the Force and his power in the Dark Side.
- The Archpriest suffers from severe Delusional disorder and megalomania, no doubt exacerbated by his traumatic experience in the reclaimation of Antei. He hears voices that he interprets as the advice, warnings, and admonishments of deceased Dark Lords of the Sith who speak to him from their netherworld prison of Chaos. Many of his own precognitive and psychometric insights Vorion is convinced originate from the alleged whispers of these Sith Lords.
- Vorion's ritual and meditative practices revolve around commanding ever-greater 'insights' from these Sith spirits, which he believes is done through the metaphysical breaching of a series of seven successive Gates, leading to some supposed form of dark enlightenment.
- Vorion continues to head a minor Dark Side cult or organization of unknown composition, aims, and resources. This group exercises extremely secretive practices, known to some few individuals as True Shadesworn. The few rumors that circulate pertaining to this group's activies offer hints at heretical Sith philosophies and prophetic mysticism dating back to Darth Millenial's Dark Force practiced by dubious dabblers and revivalists of the sect.
Motivation
- "While I realize the value of the vast power of the Dark Side of the Force, I also know that all Dark Jedi, be they our predecessors or contemporaries, have sown only chaos in the galaxy because they had lost themselves in the throes of whatever power they wielded. To me our mission is self-evident; for thousands of years the Galactic Republic has been ravaged time and time again by warlords strong in the Dark Side despite their defenders, their beloved Jedi Knights. Ultimately it will take Dark Jedi, more reserved and disciplined with the deepest wisdom and farthest vision to be the most prophetic and immaculate arbiters of galactic order. Theirs is the task of eradicating all sentients organized and strong in the Light Side and in the Dark Side. Neither Sith nor Jedi, woman nor child shall be spared. These Dark Jedi are set above all others for theirs is the most noble pursuit of peace, order and tranquility. And we are they."
- ―Vorion, addressing the conclave of True Shadesworn.
Vorion, embittered by the fruitless and minor vendettas waged beneath the Iron Throne, finds the Dark Jedi Brotherhood a source of growing irritation for him because he sees many talented and powerful individuals wasting their resources and abilities on petty strife and internal quibbles. In his opinion the Brotherhood has every resource needed to sweep across the galaxy in the aftermath of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion and liberate and enlighten the galaxy if they chose to do so, rather than hiding behind their veil of secrecy and warring on no force more viciously than they do on their own.
The Archpriest's faith in the Final Way has shattered to the extent that he privately considers it heresy, and he believes now that he is amongst an ordained few dedicated to vigilant eradication of unworthy users of the Force. He bides his time as a loyal servant of the Iron Throne and the Dark Brotherhood beneath the Grand Master, seeing it as a needed cogwheel in the machinations leading towards his twisted and psychotic vision of galactic order.
Musings Of A Madman
- Scholae Palatinae: “The Children of Palpatine boast very little talent and even less style; however...one must not discount the power of sheer numbers. Even if those numbers are formed of the most ignorant, oafish and unwashed masses to ever tread the Dark Path. They are counted as ever amongst my enemies, although I grant most of them a wide berth, as one would any large, angry mob. Their attentions are best directed elsewhere.”
- Naga Sadow: “A sterling example of strength in unity. They embody the principle of the sum being greater than the parts. However...on occasion, a part is generally greater than the sum, and that part will exceed its mandated function and capacity. Nonetheless, their most talented remain woefully underutilized and their leaders remain fat, complacent, and ineffectual. They repeat their meaningless, empty pledges of Clan loyalty to bind their most capable youth to servitude. I have no use for their pointless posturing and delusions of grandeur. They remain perhaps the most overrated of all the Clans of the Brotherhood, incapable of even facing their own general ineptitude.”
- Tarentum: “The Tarenti form a varied, potent and diverse lot. They are given to studies of most inscrutable esoterica, and have been the favored lot of several esteemed Dark Lords. The Yridia system holds many secrets which beckon me towards these studious acolytes. I am most anxious to glean greater insight into their arts...however perverse those arts may be. Alas, their glory days seem long past...”
- Taldryan: “Omnipotent. The might of the Clan is undeniable, and one has only to look at their history to see the relentless vigilance and vigor of the brood of Taldrya. Their Elders are diligent and exacting in the instruction of their whelps, ensuring that the threat they pose permeates the entire strata of their membership. Our Clan forms a force to be reckoned with, one which I respect, and admire. Overwhelmingly effective and pre-eminent. Even if some of us are a little inbred.”
- Plagueis: “I would hate to see them fall to their own infighting in the polarized and partisan aftermath of the Kaeth regime. Consul Jinn is a man of vision, and he and his loyalists will be needed in dark days ahead.”
- Arcona: “Know this: what I have made, I can unmake. The reckoning has merely been postponed.”
Abilties
Madu Eyes
The pinnacle of Krath alchemical mastery.
Vat-cloned from a hybridized synthesis of his own genetic material engineered with prime ocular traits from several of the most keen-sighted species in the known Galaxy, the Madu eyes are ostensibly Vorion's twisted homage to Tsainetomo and Sashar, two important mentors in his formative years as a Dark Jedi. While these organic ocular implants derive a great deal from Sashar's Ayumarka, being created in part by Mejas Doto. They were thus initially infused with unique abilities that affected the Ubese's tenebrous tether to the Abyss. When activated, the sudden concentration and agitation of midichlorians causes the pigmentation of the irises to stain a bright iridescent violet as well as a noticeable reshaping of the pupils, itself a highly unnerving effect to the unprepared onlooker. The latent Force energies suffuse the Krath's body, and he is oftentimes able to inflict certain Force powers on his opponent with his gaze alone. Rumors abound of a horrific Krath ritual endured by the Archpriest during the occular transplant.
Since his narrow escape from the wrath of the Arconan conspirators and his body's cleansing of the taint of Shadowcrafting, the Madu eyes have been further alchemically altered within the laboratories of the Shadow Academy to more broadly facilitate his amorphous and ever-increasing powers, although that boon has come at a terrible price. Several of his Sense, Manipulation, Light, and Fear are most often – and arguably effectively - catalyzed through his Madu eyes, i.e., via direct line-of-sight or in some cases direct eye contact. While he can still utilize these powers without the aid of his Madu, it is rare that he does not activate the latent power of his alchemical eyes as severe macular degeneration and eventual blindness is the consequence of neglecting to frequently activate this alchemical asset.
Recent Events
- "He's not dead. I sense him in there. His mind is warped almost beyond recognition, but we shall retrieve him. He may yet be of use to us."
- ―Headmaster Aabsdu di Plagia Dupar to Praetor Taigikori Aybara Dupar, on approach to the barricaded Triumvirate Library at the conclusion of the reclamation of Antei
.
Disaster struck on a command assignment to fortify the Triumvirate Library on Antei, and Vorion's sanity abruptly shattered under the strain of the constant whispers of malevolent wraiths skulking in a void within the deepest recesses of the Abyssal plane. His ceaseless hunger for Abyssal mastery eventually immolated him wholly in pitch and vitriol, the festering corruption tangibly engulfing and erupting from his body in blistering seizures and wracking fits that left the Dark Jedi near death. His body thus purged of the taint of the Shadow Clan, the scarred Krath's paranoia convinced him that his master Sashar or other Arconan rivals had attempted to annihilate him and believed him now dead.
As the Ninth Great Jedi War raged around the world of Antei, he lay half-conscious on the brink of oblivion, trapped under tons of barricaded rubble surrounding the Triumvirate Library as rations dwindled to nothing inside the fortified position.
When at last the Iron Throne had prevailed, the siege fortifications of the Triumvirate Library had stood for nearly two weeks before two Sith descended upon the war-scorched grounds of the Library. Once the ruined rubble and hazardous ordnance had been cleared, Aabsdu and Taigikori descended into the cavernous chamber below. They found the badly-burnt and blood-spattered Vorion calmly studying the scorched remnants of ancient Sith texts, with the shredded, bloody remains of the soldiers he had slain and cannibalized strewn about him.
- "You have been a librarian before, have you not? The Krath...finer scholars I have never found. Serve me. Serve the Shadow Academy and I will teach you many forgotten things. Things no Dark Jedi can rip from you."
- ―Headmaster Aabsdu di Plagia Dupar addressing Vorion in the Triumvirate Library at the conclusion of the reclamation of Antei
Vorion spent several days in bacta immersion aboard the VSDII Paladin to completely heal his scarring and burns before briefly assuming the mantle and duties of Magistrate. In the weeks following he established encrypted HoloNet contact with each of the surviving True Shadesworn from several of the great Clans, and with his loyalist organization discovered that someone within the Shadow Clan had betrayed him, and that indeed someone had sabotaged the Arconan war effort in an effort to kill the Krath and any of his loyalists, in which several prominent Arconans allied to their young commander fled for fear of their lives.
The loyalists agreed with their leader's resolution to occupy the Jusadih system, and in exchange for aid in overthrowing the Kaeth regime of Clan Plagueis, Vorion would briefly serve and aid Alaris Jinn in his bid for Consul, doing so as to secretly and patiently orchestrate his vendettas and organize his crusade from the behind the veil of the Clan Plagueis insurgency.
When the dust had settled and the new Consul of Plagueis assumed control of the Jusadih system, Vorion requested leave from Plagueis military and was granted honorable discharge by the victorious Jinn and his administration. His black vendetta and warped "insights" have led him and his Shadesworn cultists to pledge unwavering fealty to Halcyon Taldrya and the mighty Clan Taldryan.
- "We serve him because a Sith Lord unfettered by the hidden strings of the ceaseless warmongers of the Star Chamber and their servile peons is rare indeed. All others are ignorant pawns that willingly feed themselves to the hungry rancors that reign from the shadowed thrones of the Overclan. They are an inversion of the natural order, seeking not order through conquest, but conquest and warfare for it's own sake and their own gain. The revered Sith Lords of centuries past whisper these truths to those who listen. Until the Star Chamber - and others like their kind - are ash and bones, war will be perpetual. Let us end this cycle that has spanned millennia."
- ―Vorion addressing the true Shadesworn via HoloNet from Taruma.
DJB Facts
Positions Held
Outstanding Achievements
- Certified PIMP
- Co-creator of the Disciples of Ragnos
- Appointed Proconsul at the rank of Dark Jedi Knight.
- First Eclectic Pedagogue of the Arcona History Shadow Academy Course.
- Creator of the Shadesworn.
- Creator of the Black Tempest Clan Feud and it's two massive Run-Ons which are largely responsible for Clan Arcona's victory in the Ninth Great Jedi War.
- Was promoted to Krath Archpriest by Darth Ashen personally for his enduring service to Clan Arcona and continual contributions to the Dark Brotherhood.
Trivia
Vorion Before the DB