Template:Elder's Charinfo
- "Well, then I suggest you start masturbating yourself blind cuz everything else I suggest requires nudity."
- ―Shadow
Shadow Taldrya is an Obelisk Dark Side Adept loyal to Clan Taldryan and proudly bears the title Son of Taldryan. He currently holds the position of Gaming Tribune.
Biography
The Apprentice
Shadow joined the Dark Brotherhood at a late age, not arriving on the planet of Eos until he was fifteen standard years of age. The events leading up to his induction are the earliest memories he carries aside from vague fragments of his past that come to him in dark dreams. It was after betraying a group of Rebel pilots he had agreed to help that Shadow met two members of the Brotherhood out in search of new Apprentices. The wanton slaughter of the Rebel squadron had created dark ripples in the Force drawing those sensitive to such events. The battle was fierce and Shadow was hit in the chest by two blaster bolts. Though at the time unaware of how it happened, Shadow eventually was taught that in his anger the Force absorbed energy allowing him to withstand the stray blaster bolts that struck him. The use of such power was uncommonly draining, but before passing out the untrained Apprentice managed to agree to accompany the two Dark Jedi back to Eos.
During his Academy training, Shadow began to learn the awesome power of the Force, as well as deadly nature of the Dark Side. Through strict training he gained a limited knowledge of basic Force techniques, though he always found himself struggling behind his fellow Apprentices. Combat was another story. After a slow start, Shadow quickly grasped the simple elegance of lightsaber combat. Shadow was taught the basics of Form Shii-Cho, the starting point for most every future Form he would learn. His martial prowess grew exponentially advancing him to the fore of the combat training class. When given the choice of which Order he would like to pursue Shadow decided upon the Obelisk, the elite warriors of the Brotherhood. Shadow walked the path of a true Obelisk warrior.
Fresh out of the Academy, Shadow was transferred to House Galeres of Clan Arcona. After several weeks of dealing with the inept leadership of his Clan the Acolyte was approached in the training halls by Sharad Hett, the then leader of House Dinaari. Sharad attempted to persuade the young warrior to join Clan Taldryan. Before accepting the Obelisk Warrior's invitation, Shadow challenged him to a duel to see whether or not Dinaari would be a fitting home. Compared to what he was used to seeing, Sharad was a remarkable talent, and during their short fight managed to teach Shadow a great deal about the art of lightsaber combat. His choice made clear, Shadow immediately requested a transfer to Dinaari and left Clan Arcona for the Planet Kaiburr. Taldryan was to be his new home, and the only home he would ever have in the Brotherhood.
The Journeyman
Six months after being accepted as a member of House Dinaari, Shadow was asked to fill the vacant position of Quaestor, following Sharad's advancement to Obelisk High Commander, by Jac Cotelin, the Consul of Taldryan. It was Shadow’s first attempt at leadership in the Brotherhood. At the lowly rank of Jedi Hunter Shadow was now in command of the most powerful of the Obelisk Houses.
Symbol of House DinaariSymbol of House Dinaari
Shortly after his appointment, Lord Cotelin and Proconsul Keirdagh Cantor summoned Shadow again to the Planet Sahare. Recently the Dark Council had chosen to press new restrictions on members wanting to lead. The rank required for Quaestor was now Dark Jedi Knight, a title Shadow had not yet received. To stave off the imminent harping of the Council, Shadow was sent by the Clan summit deep into the jungles of Kaibur, Dinaari's homeplanet, to find the ancient crystals used in lightsaber construction.
After many days and nights, Shadow finally happened upon the cave of crystals that all Taldryan members had gone to for their trials. After days with no food and little sleep, as well as attacks from the various creatures inhabiting the planet, Shadow emerged from the crystal caves of Kaiburr victorious. He returned to the Dinaari citadel and began constructing his lightsaber. Upon completion he presented it to both Jac and Keirdagh who pronounced him fit for Knighthood and promoted him on the spot. After a brief ceremony his lightsaber was handed back to him and he returned to Kaiburr to fulfill his duties as Quaestor.
Thus Shadow’s training began anew. He chose to concentrate on mastering Shii-Cho while taking his first steps into the defensive art of Soresu. This combination would serve the young Knight well in the unavoidable Obelisk Rite of Supremacy. House Dinaari emerged victorious after a violent month of constant warring and was rewarded with the title of First House of the Obelisk. The war had given Shadow a new perspective on his training. He slowed his study of Soresu and took up the more aggressive form of Djem So spending more and more of his time mastering his chosen art and less time devoted to his House.
The Equite
Unfortunately, not long after the Rite of Supremacy Shadow felt a call to step down as Quaestor of Dinaari and returned to regular membership. It was during this period that he began to delve into the higher aspects of the Brotherhood’s leadership. Much of what he learned was from his old mentor High Commander Sharad Hett, who took Shadow on as Praetor. Later Shadow was also appointed Praetor to the Commander of the Guard. Maintaining a steady flow of Clan and assistant Council member activity Shadow eventually found himself appointed to Commander of the Royal Guard, while managing to convince the Council to allow him to serve his Clan as well. His first task upon appointment was to study the dead artform of Echani - a skill most every Commander was supposed to learn. Shadow's training was conducted in hidden chambers of the Dark Hall that few ever see. He took well to the argot combat style and was deemed fit to carry his blades by his instructor Kir Katarn.
Old Custom LightsabersOld Custom Lightsabers
After this training, Shadow quickly came to realize that corruption ruled the Dark Council. Events he had not been aware of before made it all to obvious that he could not be a servant of the Council while retaining his allegiance to his Clan. During the "Forgotten War", the Fourth Great Jedi War, Shadow denounced his role as Commander and returned to help his Clan during the struggle.
The War ended with no clear victor. The Clan's returned to their own systems licking their wounds and instead turned to strengthening their positions from within. Shadow took this opportunity to begin training younger members as the leader of Dark Infantry Brigade. During his time as Sergeant, Shadow spent a great deal of time perfecting his lightsaber technique. He eventually mastered Shii-Cho and was adept at Djem So with a strong understanding of Soresu. Small skirmishes between the Clans took place for several months. House Kirleta challenged Dinaari to a feud and was utterly destroyed by the powerful Obelisks of Dinaari. Shadow lead his brigade to several decisive victories all of which added to his combat prowess. He began to study ancient battles in Ektrosis’ grand library on Planet Deva. He took quickly to learning large-scale battlefield tactics and even delved into a bit of space superiority tactics.
While Shadow continued to hone his skills unrest was sweeping through Brotherhood. Once the most powerful grouping of Dark Jedi in the universe, it was slowly becoming the tool of an Imperial Remnant group known as the Emperor’s Hammer. The Hammer’s deranged leaders mocked the traditions of the Dark Jedi and took it upon themselves to appoint members to the Dark Council. For months the Brotherhood suffered to the point of near destruction, but before all hope was lost a secret council convened and made a decision that would forever change the Brotherhood. Private messengers were dispatched to the Halls of the Seven Clans, each carrying word of an Exodus. A plan from the greatest minds of the Brotherhood to reclaim our leadership and power and distance ourselves from the Emperor's Hammer. Unfortunately, certain members betrayed their Clans and took word of the plot to the Grand Admiral. The Hammer’s navy was soon massing to launch an attack on the Dark Hall on Eos.
After hours of intense fighting the Grand Master’s gathered together before the Dark Hall and combined their powers to blanket the Hammer’s troops and the betraying Jedi with the Force, effectively blinding them to the escaping Brotherhood members. The diversion allowed the Clans to gather what resources they could and flee their planets in search of new systems. During the battle over Eos, Shadow led a strike team of loyal commandos and Taldryan Jedi and boarded one of the Hammer’s flagships. Their mission was to disable the gravity well generators to allow Brotherhood ships to enter hyperspace. The mission ended in a success, Shadow’s team just managing to fly out of the hangar in a stolen YT-2400 Shadow later named Ghost as the generators backfired and the ship began to explode. The team met up with the rest of Taldryan’s fleet and left the Karana System forever.
Shadow's WarbannerShadow's Warbanner
The Brotherhood eventually discovered the long-forgotten system of Antei – the birthplace of the Star Chamber. It was there that the Brotherhood began anew and Clan scouts began searching systems for new homes. It was the first time in decades that the entire Brotherhood was working together focused on a single goal – rebuilding their fragmented Clans. Fortunately, Taldryan scouts quickly discovered the Kr'Tal System inhabited by humanoid sentients who accepted the invasion passively. Their technology was not a match for the invading dark Jedi and they were soon taken over and brought to task. Shadow again found himself with time to train and meditate. It was during this relatively peaceful time that he began enhancing his martial skills with the Force. Instead of seeking great power he instead adapted the Force to enhance his already impressive physical traits to become a lethal warrior. His mastery of Shii-Cho gave him the opportunity to start training younger members of Dinaari in the ways of lightsaber combat. The Clans enjoyed a time of peace and renewal allowing them to flourish after the losses inflicted upon them by the Emperor's Hammer. Peace, however was not meant to last.
Just over a year after the Brotherhood had settled into it’s new home problems began to erupt through the seven Clans. Disputes over territory and new trainees led to heated debates in the newly built Dark Hall. In the end war broke out and Taldryan was joined into the Fifth Great Jedi War. Several months into the war something began to change among the members of the Brotherhood. A consciousness began to infect certain members causing them to turn against their own allies and clan mates. Shadow was also infected by the consciousness and helped lead an attack on the newly built Clan Hall on Karufr. Many such battles were evenly matched with neither side managing to press forward. Eventually Grand Master Firefox returned from his sojourn and discovered the truth about the Consciousness and battled the ancient Sith Lord Okemi, defeating him and freeing the dark Jedi from their enslavement. Finally free of Okemi’s control, the Clans returned to warring on one another. The conflict did not last long after Firefox’s return. The Clans had suffered greatly due to the internal conflicts and Taldryan again began to rebuild it’s empire.
For his efforts during the Great Jedi War, despite the fact he turned against his fellow Jedi, Shadow was elevated to the rank of Obelisk Primarch, highest of the Equite classes. Upon his promotion, Shadow made the decision to focus his training in a new direction. He began to train using dual lightsabers. He found that when combining his skills of Shii-Cho and Djem So he could maintain a fierce attack and a strong defense utilizing both sabers. For training purposes Shadow used a pair of unmodified lightsabers created by the Headmaster, Spears Tarentae.
He took a short leave from his second run as Quaestor of Dinaari and went in search of crystals he would need to create his weapons. After a long and arduous search through New Republic systems, Shadow eventually returned to Altur ready to build his new lightsabers, and began training in a new Form he had heard about during his journey. The ancient variant Form known as Shien would be the focus of all the Primarch’s abilities. Deadly in it’s technique and based heavily in Shii-Cho and Djem So, Shien would be the perfect melding of technique, agility and strength to give Shadow the extra edge over most any opponent.
Five months after Shadow returned from the Core systems, Kir Taldrya Katarn summoned him to the Consul’s private quarters on Karufr. Consul Katarn informed Shadow that he was being appointed Proconsul of Taldryan and was to hand House Dinaari over to the capable hands of Obelisk Prelate Benevolent Taldrya Whiner, Shadow’s now former Aedile. The newly formed Clan Summit received word that High Commander Primarch Korras was planning an attack on Coratua IV. Recent reports indicated that a group of pirate smugglers had discovered a cache of droid supply depots and, more importantly, intact droid storage facilities forgotten since the Clone Wars. A team of Dark Jedi from each Clan was requested to aid in defeating the pirates and capturing combat droids. Consul Katarn gave the task of leading Taldryan's team to Shadow and sent them to acquire as much as they could from the depots and storage facilities.
Shadow's Informal RobesShadow's Informal Robes
The assault was a complete success. The pirates were quickly defeated and the Clan teams began expanding their bases to conquer more of the planet and capture more supplies. Clans that encountered one another fought fiercely to maintain control over their territories. In an impressive display of skill, Taldryan’s battle-hardened warriors won numerous smaller battles before finally taking control of the largest droid factory on the moon. Capturing the factory added a great deal of ground assault vehicles and combat droids to Taldryan’s military. Finally, the High Commander announced the war was ended and split the goods amongst the six Clans and took a percentage back to the Dark Council.
Shadow and his team arrived back on Karfur to cheers and congratulations. They had undoubtedly accomplished the most out of any other Clan. After a lengthy celebration, Kir at last made an appearance. He stood on the central dais in the Great Hall of Taldryan’s headquarters and brought the celebrating Clan to silence. After two exemplary years of leading Taldryan as Consul, Kir was going to step down. He motioned the stunned Shadow to come up to the dais and again bid the Clan for silence. In the silence following Kir's announcement, Shadow was promoted to the Elder rank of Dark Side Adept and appointed as the new Consul of Taldryan.
The Elder
Shadow's reign as Consul, though short-lived, brought on several changes that laid the groundwork for the Clan's future. Before doing anything else, Shadow spent his time creating a new Taldryan award, "Kir's Prosperity" - a ring to be rewarded to those whose relentless self-sacrifice helped the clan to greatness. It was a final honor to the former Consul for his years of work making Taldryan the greatest it could be.
Though the Obelisk High Commander had recalled all Brotherhood forces back to their home systems, fighting still broke out amongst many of the Clans. Taldryan again managed to retain it's honorary place as First Clan and returned to the Kr'Tal system with the makings of an entire army. The spoils of war were many and were soon dispersed amongst both the Houses as well as the Clan to further enhance the Taldryan war efforts. A sense of peace was established across the Brotherhood and the Clan again focused on strengthening itself for the next Great War.
Mere weeks after obtaining his position, Shadow was forced to deal with the loss of another influential clan member, Dark Sabre Taldrya. The loss of the Ektrosis Quaestor marked a significant change in the leadership of the Clan. Benevolent, Quaestor of Dinaari, was chosen as Proconsul in part due to the great working relationship he had with Shadow during their time as Quaestor and Aedile. Chaosrain was chosen to take charge of Ektrosis while Duga was chosen to replace Benevolent in Dinaari. This new summit would be the basis for the next generation of Taldryan.
Less than three months after the end of the Rite of Supremacy and Shadow's rise to Consul, he Adept decided it was time to remove himself from active leadership. After lengthy discussions with various elder clan members, Shadow appointed Duga Taldrya Arkarso his successor and passed onto him the legacy and responsibility of Taldryan leadership. As a final token for his past leadership, Duga ordered the making of a cloak, made of the finest silk and dyed in the colors of the Obelisk Order. It was dubbed the Cloak of Shadow, a testament to the old Adept's courageous leadership. The Cloak was added to the Taldryan awards, a tribute Shadow was both honored and moved to receive.
After resigning from Consul, Shadow decided it was once again time to remove himself from the never-ending politics and warfare of the Brotherhood. During his successors coronation ceremony, the Adept slipped out of the crowded Grand Hall and made his way towards the hangar bay. Before anyone noticed his absence, Shadow had slipped into the dark embrace of space.
After passing through the Shroud, Shadow made his way to the Core Systems to visit his homeworld of Corellia. Weeks passed as the Dark Jedi mingled in the large city of Coronet. Though he made several discreet inquiries, Shadow was unable to discover anything more about his past prior to the Dark Brotherhood. Several times during his wanderings of the beautiful city, Shadow encountered students of the Jedi Academy. Instead of drawing these Jedi disciples into battle, Shadow used what skills he possessed to remain undetected and decided it was best if he left the Core before the fledgling Jedi Order discovered him.
Ancient HolocronAncient Holocron
Traveling across the galaxy in search of places where he could unleash his power led Shadow to many worlds he had only ever heard about in his Shadow Academy lessons. He visited the wastelands of Korriban, digging through the Valley of the Dark Lords in search of ancient Sith artifacts. His efforts were mostly in vain, but he did manage to stumble upon an old, half-destroyed Holocron describing several archaic lightsaber forms. It was apparently used as diary for some unnamed Dark Jedi. Apparently the creator of this Holocron was a Sith Marauder, a master of the lightsaber arts. He went into great details about the lightsaber forms offering his contempt for certain styles while elaborating on techniques and training regiments for others. Shadow kept the Holocron and used it to add to his already well-practiced style. A part of the Holocron also spoke of another Sith homeworld, Ziost, and gave directions on how to find it.
Shadow spent a great deal of time on Ziost completely cut off from the rest of the Galaxy. Ziost was a frozen paradise and the verdant forests made an excellent training ground. For months Shadow stayed isolated using the information gathered from the Holocron to teach himself techniques for the archaic lightsaber form of Shien and managing to survive in the rough terrain with only his physical skills. With little need for meditation or use of significant force feats, Shadow, without realizing it, allowed his connection to the Force to dwindle until all he could do was enhance his skills while he trained. His powers as an Adept slowly grew obsolete without him knowing.
Finally, one day while going through his daily training ritual, Shadow was struck by a vision. The strength of the vision dropped the Adept to his knees as he saw flashes of war and violence. Events that would soon transpire. The images flickered through his mind with such force that he was rendered unconscious. Coming to, Shadow realized that what he saw was a prelude to a great attack on the Brotherhood. After almost a year of isolation he would have to return to the Brotherhood and rejoin the active ranks of Taldryan.
The Second Darkness
Upon his return to Taldryan, Shadow discovered his weakened Force connection. Though his combat skills were nearly unparalleled, his affinity for Force-based combat was weakened to the point that even training with the Equite class was exhausting to him. More than once overexertion and dangerous sparring almost cost him his life.
Shadow's Clan AwardShadow's Clan Award Forcing his power to return was obviously not working so Shadow decided to continue to focus on his combat skills hoping that under the influence of the powerful Dark Jedi he was surrounded with his powers would eventually begin to return.
Shadow spent much of his first weeks back familiarizing himself with the new faces and new leaders of Taldryan. Much had changed in the short year he had been gone and not all of it was to his liking. Add PCON stuff?
Not long after his appointment to Grand Master, Lord Sarin called forth the Clan Summits to arrange a special Rite of Supremacy he referred to as the Second Darkness. It was to be a test of Clan might through simulated battle exercises to see which Clan deserved to lead the Brotherhood's forces in a future battle. Vague though the Rite was, the Clans took up the vendetta with enthusiasm. Duga called forth the newly returned Jac Cotelin to aid the Clan Summit in completing the tasks set forth by the Dark Council. With their knowledge combined, Taldryan managed to annihilate all competition emerging as the victors of yet another Rite of Supremacy. Taldryan was rewarded with the title of First Clan and given a new system, Rybanloth that would be a secret retreat, hidden from the rest of the Clans.
During the Vendetta, Shadow had not received another vision. Whether or not that meant the cataclysm had been avoided or not was unknown to the Adept, but deep within himself he knew that the Grand Master was preparing the Clans for that war. It would only be a matter of time before events unfolded and the Brotherhood was thrown into the battle to end it all. Though he kept his fears to himself, Shadow vowed to do all he could to hold the darkness back and keep his Clan alive.
More soon...
Personal Information
Physical Appearance
Shadow stands at nearly two meters tall and weighs roughly 92 kilograms. Due to the amount of strenuous physical training, Shadow is well-muscled with the lithe grace brought on from years of lightsaber training. His hair is the darkest of blacks, parted to one side and slightly curling at his shoulders. Shadow's eyes are a reflective brown, though when he his overcome by anger his piercing gaze can rattle all but the bravest of Jedi. Though he ignores most of the forms of etiquette, Shadow carries himself with a quiet dignity, and walks nobily when charged with important duties. Despite this, Shadow is well known for being laid back when with his friends, and few would recognize the honorable warrior from the mocking trickster found in the common rooms of Dinaari's headquarters.
Because most of his life is spent in training, Shadow tends to forgo the use of traditional robes and wears simple, black combat boots and a black tunic with blue trim sinched at the waist by a wide leather belt decorated with silver emblems. Shadow's latest crafted lightsabers are always resting on his belt accompanied by his Echani knife. When the weather makes it necessary, Shadow wears a simple black robe over top of his regular tunic. Attached to his right leg is a self-made holster for his modified bryar pistol and is at his side at all times outside of training. When formality is required, Shadow dons his hooded cloak and his finest robes complete with silver trim, Order blue sash and eight-sided medallion.
Weapons
Custom Dual LightsabersCustom Dual Lightsabers
Both weapons were designed with black and chrome covered hilt, measuring 12 inches in length and 1.5 inches in diameter. They emit iridescent, silver blades that can light up a darkened room. The only difference between the two lightsabers were that one was modified into a Type II handle. Shadow's lightsabers were created by the Herald, Muz Ashen Keibatsu, though the crystals were recovered by the Taldryan Adept back when he was an Obelisk Primarch.
Used by warriors practicing the near-extinct martial form of Echani, the Echani knife had a small blade, roughly about five centimeters, it's hilt could be modified to suit the user. The blade, in order to be effective, had to be razor sharp. Even the slightest knick could tear even the toughest skin. In most cases, Echani warriors used two knives instead of one, although it was not uncommon for just one. The Echani knife was not made for throwing, but can be done so rather effectively. The tip of the blade, due to constant sharpening, is exceptionally sharp.
Shadow received his pair of ceremonial knives having completed his training with Kir Taldrya Katarn. As a part of his final test, Kir challenged Shadow to a duel with the blades. Shadow completed his Echani training that day by coming out of the battle unscathed.
Though he owns two of the blades, Shadow only wields one in battle the other remains framed on a mantle in his room in the Dinaari Headquarters of Altur.
Many years ago the members of House Dinaari began a new tradition to test the skills of it's members. Not through application of the Force or even sparring with a lightsaber, this tradition was set on the more unusual skill of bryar pistol accuracy. The bryar pistol is a weapon of deadly accuracy, it began as a contest to see who could score more hits against his friends during training sessions using a weakened verion of the pistol. What started out as a mere fun competition became a serious standard in the training of Dinaari troops and was sometimes emulated by other members of the Clan.
Being one of the founders of the tradition, Shadow opted to create his own personal version of the weapon. This modified version began as a Bryar Rifle with it's barrel completely removed. Taking two barrels and sawing them roughly in half, Shadow attached them together and added a new firing mechanism. Thus, Shadow's bryar pistol became more of a double-barreled shotgun capable of great accuracy and such force that it could throw an armored trooper back over five feet. After his appointment to Consul, Shadow decided to have his weapon nickel-plated to further change it's appearance from the standard pistol.
Lightsaber Forms
- Primary Form: Modified Archaic Form Shien - (Mastery)
- Secondary Form: Form I Shii-Cho - (Mastery)
- Tertiary Form: Form V Djem So - (Mastery)
- Quaternary Form: Form III Soresu - (Competant)
Utilizing the Holocron he discovered, Shadow taught himself ancient techniques for the lightsaber form Shien. He decided to put his extensive Djem So training to use and evolved his combat style. He began training to effortlessly flow between the aggressive stances of Shien and Djem So so as to meet any situation and remain in complete control. This extra effort paid off and with his superior strength and dexterity, Shadow's swordmanship became nearly unparalleled amongst his clanmates.
Fighting Styles
- Primary: Echani - Shadow learned Echani on his appointment to Commander of the Guard early in his career allowing him to spend many years mastering the deadly art
- Secondary: Knifist - Shortly after the Exodus, Shadow began broadening his combat knowledge and worked on mastering the Alderaanian style of Knifist
Trivia
- First member of the Brotherhood awarded with the title Grand Whore of the Brotherhood
- Served as Dinaari Quaestor twice
Shadow's SHAFT Warbanner
- Has won 3 consecutive "Tally's" People's Choice award
- Trademark IRC moves are thrusting and bending people over tables
- Created the first working draft of the Brotherhood's Rites of Combat for then High Commander Korras
- Shadow's table was a gift from Benevolent Whiner
- Created the first draft of the Proconsul Handbook
- One of the pioneers of the deadly art of bryar ownage, but cooler than Kir
- Longest serving Quaestor of House Dinaari at 1 year, 1 month and 19 days
- Shadow once served as both Acting Obelisk High Commander and Acting Commander of the Guard at the same time
- Shadow shares a similar style of Form Shien with Adept Korras of Tarentum
- Received his Echani training from Kir Taldrya Katarn
- First member to receive the newly created Pendant of Blood medal
- Created the uber awesome CTF Primer for DB members to master the sexy art of CTF
- Plays the Flag Runner position in CTF and "bunnies" when he can
- December 15, 2002 - Shadow starts thrusting
- November 10, 2003 - Shadow starts bending people over chairs
- March 01, 2004 - Benevolent destroys Shadow's chair in a jealous rage
- March 03, 2004 - Benevolent replaces the chair with Shadow's stain-proof, indestructable table
- Shadow won the first SHAFT CTF Edition competition in March