Sith Bloodfyre

"Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come; and when death has come, we are not."

―Epicurus (341 BC - 270 BC)

"Think not disdainfully of death, but look on it with favor; for even death is one of the things that Nature wills."

―Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121 AD - 180 AD)

Sith Bloodfyre-Tarentae is a figure of great reputation in some circles of the Brotherhood, and of great infamy in others. Though he is respected by some and reviled by others for his past actions and positions held, Sith has been a person of great weight and importance throughout his time in the Brotherhood. Sith has served as the Aedile and Quaestor of both House Gladius and House Tridens within Clan Tarentum, as well as Proconsul and then Consul (twice) of the ancient Clan. The Sith Master has also served as the Left Hand of Justice, Praetor to the Deputy Grand Master, and then Praetor to the Grand Master. He has been a member of the Grand Master's Royal Guard, as well as a Trainer in the Antei Combat Center. He also has the distinction of having been the last in the long line serving as Sith High Warrior of the Brotherhood. Though opinions on this dark figure may vary from person to person, nearly everyone in the Brotherhood has something to say about this man.

I've had some time to add to this, but it's not complete. So for now, this is all you get, suckers. :P

Character History

Sith Bloodfyre is an enigmatic figure, in some respects. Outside of Tarentum, very few know much (if anything) about the Sith Master. He has spoken little of his life before appearing within the Brotherhood, but some things are known.

Sith Bloodfyre is a Shaevalian. Little is known about the Shaevalians as a race, but Sith has verified that they are a very proud, war-like race. Sith has hinted to an extended lifespan among his race, though it is unknown exactly how long a lifespan Shaevalians are afforded. Sith has little-to-no contact with his people these days, though the reasons for this have never been mentioned by the Sith Master.

The Brotherhood

Sith Bloodfyre first came to the attention of the Brotherhood many years ago. The Shaevalian quickly made his way through the initial training of the Shadow Academy under Headmaster Kumba, the last of the Dark Prophets of Old. After completing the intial phases of Shadow Academy training, Sith joined House Gladius of Clan Tarentum, and was numbered among the Krath Order. After several months of additional training within both the Shadow Academy and Gladius itself, Sith joined with several others of Gladius in forming the once-infamous Phyle, the Mystics of the Black Arts. In those days, the Phyle was feared and respected among the Krath Order.

Advancement within the Krath Order and Tarentum itself came fast for Sith; in relatively no time, he was elevated to the standing of Dark Jedi Knight and Aedile of Gladius under Aari Nikus, and then shortly after to the rank of Krath Priest and Quaestor of Gladius upon Aari's departure. Sith made a name for himself as a dedicated leader, and as one of the respected members of the Krath. In relatively short time, during one particular conflict involving the Krath, Sith proved himself to the Krath High Priestess at the time, and he was elevated to the rank of Archpriest. For more than a year, Sith Bloodfyre led House Gladius, and the House helped to maintain the reputation of Tarentum that it had enjoyed throughout the ages.

A Golden Age of Tarentum

Time passed. For a time, Sith stepped aside from the duties of Gladius. When the split from the Imperial Remnant transpired, Sith returned to assist Tarentum in weathering the conflict. For a time, Sith returned to lead Gladius, but was soon tapped as the Proconsul of Tarentum itself, serving under Consul Ziguarath. Though Ziguarath was a willing leader, forces transpired to end his reign; Sith Bloodfyre became Consul of Tarentum. Some refer to the first term of Sith Bloodfyre as Consul to be one of the "golden ages" of Tarentum. It was during this time that Tarentum's dominance re-emerged, and much of the new became rejoined with the old. Sith helped to bring about the return of figures such as Maxamillian von Oberst, and the revered Master (DB)Zero to the Clan. War eventually came upon the Brotherhood, and Tarentum was narrowly edged out of a victory by Taldryan by a mere 600 points; no one could deny the abilities of Tarentum and her Consul.

With the end of the War against the so-called "Consciousness," the Dark Council called upon Tarentum to fill a vacancy; the Sith High Warrior, Xanos Sadow, had resigned his post. Sith Bloodfyre was called to lead the Sith Order. During the War against the Consciousness, Sith had been raised to the level of Elder, attaining status as an Adept of the Sith; soon after his elevation to Sith High Warrior, Bloodfyre became a Master within the Order, and began to delve into the ancient tomes and holocrons of the ancient Sith. It seemed that a time of rebirth was slowly coming about. The Sith Order changed and evolved under the leadership and attention of Sith Bloodfyre, but as before, time passed. For more than a year, Bloodfyre reigned as Sith High Warrior, but was called to return to Tarentum when the Grand Master, Jac Cotelin, eradicated the Order Leaders of the Brotherhood. In recognition for his excellent service as Sith High Warrior, Bloodfyre was honored with the Silver Sash; few wear the Sash in these modern days, and it is a great honor to bear.

Returning Home

Since returning to Tarentum, Sith has reverted to his old ways and has focused almost exclusively upon the needs of Tarentum. Where before, Sith had been a true brother of Gladius, now, Tridens would call upon the Sith Master for his experience and leadership. Sith became the Aedile of Tridens, serving with Quaestor and Sith Warrior JKast, before succeeding JKast as head of that House some time later. The honored Elder, Doni Tzu, then became Sith's Aedile, and the pair has helped to usher in a new age for Tridens under their leadership.

There is much in store for Tridens within the near future; with the recent end of the so-called "War of the Jacs," Tarentum's respected Warlord, Welshman Corsair Tarentae, has decided to end his reign as Consul. Welshman quickly chose his successor in the person of Sith Bloodfyre-Tarentae. The Clan is in a state of transformation as the Summits of both Houses evolve along with the Clan Summit, and Sith considers it to be a good time to be in Tarentum. As Tarentum adapts to a new Consul, it also prepares to recognize and thank its former Consul, Welshman, though none in the ancient Clan will speak of what Welshman's reward will be.

Physical Appearance

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Standing at six feet in height and weighing in at 230 pounds, Sith is not the largest member of Clan Tarentum, but he is certainly one of the more imposing members of the Clan. The Shaevalian has long, flowing black hair and cold, light blue eyes. His skin has a mild tan to it, and it nearly unmarked, with the exception of a great many scars just above is left elbow. The scarring stops just above the elbow, and is a very visible sign of where his arm was hacked off in combat some time ago, and replaced by a cybernetic implant. Both forearms bear banded tattoos, three rings that circle both forearms in one of the older Sith dialects; it is unknown to any but Sith as to what the bands say. Several other tattoos adorn the body of the Sith Master, though only close friends have likely seen him disrobed to the point of viewing them.

Very little of Sith's physical appearance is actually viewed by the general public, however. Sith is almost always fully-clothed in his regular clothes and black robes, the hood pulled up over his head, pulled down low over his eyes. The most that the average person with see of Sith is his nose, mouth, chin and neck, and his hands. His mouth is almost always void of any sign of emotion, except for infrequent grins that have nothing but contempt and disdain for those who view it. His hands are soft and strong, in some ways almost strangely inviting, as if begging to be touched. Sith's body, though not as large as others in Tarentum (such as Oberst), still conveys a feeling of strength.

Where Sith walks, most hear his foot steps; they are most often slow and even, almost like the measured footsteps of a horror movie killer. His presence is always felt before it is seen; those who know him, and are accustomed to his presence will nearly always known when he is approaching, when he is near, and (consequently) when he is not near. Those who can feel his presence often notice it as a warming sensation; perhaps it is their own mind that convinces them that his name has "mystical" properties and effects to it.

Sith's voice is rather cold and unfeeling. He has a strong, audible voice that can be heard for several meters even at a whisper. His voice is mildly deep, but has a sense of strength to it, as well. Though there is rarely emotion in his words, Tarentum's members often find comfort and courage whenever he speaks. When he does speak, he often carries his words as though he sees and understands the future, and disbelieves that failure is an option for the Clan of both Life and Death. The Shaevalian is generally straight forward in his words, and rarely does he wax cryptic or poetic, though it has happened once or twice.

Physical Items of Note

• Eyes: Sith's eyes are extremely light-sensitive; any level of light above "candle light" conditions tend to cause him discomfort, with the level of discomfort increasing with the intensity of the light conditions. Bright, noon-day light can actually cause him extreme pain, to the point of being blinded and overcome by the pain. To this end, Sith almost always wears his hood pulled up and low over his eyes, even at night. Sith has not, and does not reveal this to anyone with the exception of his closest allies. (Read: this is not general knowledge available to the Dark Brotherhood as a whole.) Whether this light sensitivity is caused due to the hue of his eyes, or some other physical attribute or ailment is unknown.
• Cybernetic (left arm) implant: Sith's left arm was hacked off, just above the elbow, at an early age. The specific details of the incident are unknown to any but the Shaevalian. It is known, though, that his arm was replaced by a cybernetic implant, whose covering mimics the appearance of his own flesh. The implant itself does not necessarily bring any great advantages to Sith. Though he had the option to have "advanced" additions to his implant, he chose to go with a very basic replacement. The implant does provide a stronger grip than the remaining "real" limb, and is resistant to pain and injury. The implant does have a noticeably mechanical scent, though, to those with developed senses of smell.

Combat

Sith Bloodfyre is a warrior first, and a sorcerer second. In combat situations, he prefers to mount both an offense and defense primarily with his lightsaber, other melee weapons, and then the Force. The Shaevalian does not often speak when involved in combat, preferring to focus on the task at hand. There are times, however, when Sith will raise his voice, whether it be to shout orders or hail the triumphs of his Clanmates, but in general, he is an almost eerily silent opponent. Those who have faced him have remarked that it was somewhat unnerving to fight someone "as quiet as the grave."

Weapons

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Sith's weapon of choice is the lightsaber. The exact variant of lightsaber, though, varies with time, as he studies additional lightsaber combat forms, and finds another form more suited to his tastes. At present, the Sith Master tends to utilize either a single-bladed, custom lightsaber, or a custom double-bladed weapon. Sith has a rather large collection of weapons, all combat ready, and may utilize anything from blaster pistols, to force pikes, to barbaric-looking axes and Sith Swords. Sith has also been known to use cryoban grenades, though he has long-since refrained from carrying them on a day-to-day basis.

Lightsaber Combat

As much as Sith prefers to limit his use of the Force, he also prefers to limit his use of an active lightsaber. His lightsaber is most-often dormant, bursting into activity mere moments before an attack or defensive block. While an opponent is within striking distance, Sith will keep his weapon active; but should the distance stretch out, or a lull in combat activity occur, Sith will most often deactivate his weapon, even if maintaining a combat-ready stance and grip.

Sith has studied several lightsaber combat forms. His first preference is to utilize the "basic" art of Shii-Cho for its simple strikes which still maintain impressive accuracy and efficiency. Sith is a master of the art of Shii-Cho, and as such, can use it to its greatest results. He has also studied the art of Soresu, and while he has not mastered this combat form to the level of his understanding in Shii-Cho, he has still gained an impressive grip on the defensive techniques offered by Soresu. Sith has mastered Djem So, and tends to be utilize the more "aggressive" defense of Djem So, seeing it as being of far more use than the more "meek" defense of Soresu. His knowledge of Shii-Cho has turned his Djem So defensive velocities more often into aggressive velocities, manipulating the circular motions into forceful attacks. He has also taken a keen interest to the art of Shien, due to its historical ties to Djem So (both forms being variants of the original Form V). Sith has also mastered the deadly, and sometimes Force-heavy form of Dun Moch. It may seem somewhat strange, for someone as a "minimalist" in their viewpoint of the Force to utilize and master Dun Moch, but Sith has found its capabilities and devastating techniques too tempting to refuse.

Miscellaneous Combat

Sith has studied the art of Hapan Boxing, as well as various grappling forms, including the Paonga art of the wretched Gungans. Though he prefers to remain on his feet where he can make the greatest use of his lightsaber skill, and even Force powers, he is quite competent should the fight go to the ground. He prefers choke holds in ground situations, generally those that make use of either his own clothing, or the clothing of his opponent. As such, the sleeves on his clothes are reinforced to withstand the strain from being used in choking situations. The edges of his robes have also been reinforced to withstand the strain of chokes and other techniques that would tear most fabrics.

As one of the Longs, the family of Dragons, Sith has studied the fighting form known as Long Shan Zhi. Though the form offers much in the way of offense, the chaotic nature of the form that is its defining characteristic has limited Sith from mastering the form. The Shaevalian is not touched with the same insanity that marks his brethren, and cannot use it to mask his own patterns and trends in the fighting form as much as some of the other Longs can, such as Shan Long, or the Grand Master and father of the form, Chi Long.

Necromancy

As a minimalist in the use of Force powers, Sith believes that the benefits offered through such powers are simply one tool of many within his repertoire. He prefers not to rely too much on his knowledge and abilities within the Force, even though his skill is vast, as befits a Sith Master. Instead, Sith has the viewpoint that an opponent's imagination is the best weapon he has against them. Show an opponent what you can do, and they will see that you have limitations. Allow an opponent to imagine what you are capable of, and the power of their mind and creativity will work against them. This opinion is just as applicable to Sith's use of Necromantic powers, as well. Though the powers available to the Shaevalian Necromancer are great, relatively little of his gifts are ever displayed at any one place or time.

Raising Corpses

Perhaps the most often-used power available to Sith is the ability to raise corpses to do his bidding, be it to do general labor, or to aid his as combat-ready allies. Sith is capable of raising all manner of Necromantic servants, but prefers to make use of the deadly Euthanatos most often. These undead are gifted with great martial prowess and physical abilities that enhance such combat skills; the Euthanatos are unnaturally strong and swift, and are blessed with an unnaturally strong hide, as well, that offers a far amount of resistance to damage. The Euthanatos are immune to pain, and only their complete destruction can stop these unholy creations from attempting to do their master's bidding.

In addition to a mastery over the current powers of raising corpses available to Tarentum, Sith is one of the few Watchers who is also experimenting with the practice of creating far greater and more powerful corpse servants. Though his own work surely cannot rival the advances made by the Mad One and Dr. Steiner, it is rumored that Sith has still been able to create some rather impressive creatures to serve him.

The Breath of Life

The powers of Tarentum do not simply delve into the darkness of death and oblivion. Indeed, any Necromancer who purely studied death would place himself at a great disadvantage and have a large void where knowledge of creation and existence ought to be. As a true seeker of knowledge, and one who would understand all of existence, Sith extends his powers into the realms of life and existence as much as his does death, destruction and unlife. The healing and life-giving powers of Tarentum do seem to have a cost associated with them, however. Nearly all of the Necromantic powers available to Tarentum require a sacrifice of one life to restore another. The most common method of handling this necessary "sacrifice" is to simply "siphon" health and longevity away from others. Most of Tarentum's Necromancers make it a practice to utilize their powers within a certain range of others, mostly the unknowing or unwilling. It is possible for the Keepers of Tarentum to sacrifice part of their own existence to power these "healing" arts, but most would prefer to allow others to pay the price of their gift.

The Cold Hand of Death

Every Necromancer seeks to understand death, and the oblivion beyond, and bend it to their will, and make the powers of destruction serve their every whim. In this respect, Sith is a Master. The Shaevalian is able to direct some of the most devastating attacks known to Tarentum at his enemies. These attacks may obliterate the very souls of their victim, or simply shred a part of their life force asunder, and cause terrible results to befall the victim. It is nearly impossible to define what a Necromancer can do, with the proper knowledge and the will to direct the energies of existence. It is possible to say, though, that it is best not to trifle with these dark and dreadful Keepers of Tarentum.

Rumored Powers

In addition to what can be verified (raising corpses), Sith is said to be able to control vast waves of death and destruction; he is said to be able to draw life from vibrant, surrounding areas and transfer it to either himself, his allies, or both; he is said to be able to direct rays of death energies at foes that not only harm them, but begin to unravel their very existence; he is said to be able to stare into the souls of those he meets, and command their eternal essence to die on the spot. It is also rumored that Sith has the ability to shrug off his mortal form and exist as a Force spirit when he chooses, for as long as he chooses.

It is unknown which, if any, of these rumored abilities are actually possessed by the Shaevalian, but some would prefer to believe all of the rumors, and combat him accordingly. Others scoff at his so-called "dark gifts," and see him as nothing more than a man who plays in graveyards and should be fought as a minor irritant.

Sith himself says very little on the subject, and simply smirks at the idea of anyone hailing him as a "minor irritant."

"Let them believe as they wish," he has said, "for their belief in me, or disbelief as it may be, matters not. Life and Death are; and so am I."

DJB Facts

• Sith has led several projects that have altered and benefitted the Brotherhood in many ways. Chief among these projects are:
  • (Brotherhood-wide)
    
    • Sith History
      
    • Clan Powers creation
      
    • Order Schools creation
      
    • Gaming Nights evolution (including Sunday Invitational Tournament)
      
  • (Tarentum-specific)
    
    • Clan Powers (Necromantics)
      
    • The Keepers (history and use within Tarentum)
      
    • Land Grants
      
    • Clan-specific Titles (reborn from past Clan practices)
      

• Sith is the last person to have held the position of Sith High Warrior, since GM Jac Cotelin felt threatened by the awesome powers and sex appeal of the former SHW, and had the position disbanded.
  

• Sith is considered by some to be the "Prince of Darkness" and the "Harbinger of DOOOOOOM!" of the Brotherhood. Before the selection of Xanos Sadow as Deputy Grand Master, some believed Sith to be working towards gaining that Council position, and began gossiping about the "end of the Brotherhood" that would come should he be appointed as DGM. Sith believes Jac Cotelin to have been the original source of these rumors, and has thus labelled Jac as "dumb."

Trivia

• Sith is the Grand Chamberlain of Clan Tarentum, and a member of the Tarentae.

• Sith has been a member of all three Orders throughout his tenure within the Brotherhood, and has gained fictional benefits from his time spent within each Order.

• Sith is currently the first and only person to have served Tarentum as Consul twice.
  

• Sith is currently the only person to have served in each position of the Clan Summit, and within the two active Houses of Gladius and Tridens. Welshman is close on his heels in that regard.

• At one point, certain members of the Brotherhood were "competing" to see who could hold more positions at one time than Sith (who, at that time, held the positions of: Consul of Tarentum, Sith High Warrior, Praetor to the DGM, Left Hand of Justice, Trainer in the ACC and member of the GMRG before resigning from most of them to serve exclusively as Sith High Warrior).
  

• Sith was the last in the line of Sith High Warriors, which began as a position known as the "Sith Advisor."