Vivackus Kavon is a Human Sith Warrior. Born on Coruscant to the upper class, he became a member of the New Jedi Order. Having been unable to prevent the death of his parents, he forsook the Jedi and roamed the galaxy for several years before discovering the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. Vivackus has been a member of House Satal Keto in Clan Plagueis since leaving the Shadow Academy. Now, as a Dark Jedi Knight, he serves the House as Quaestor
Character History
Early Life (3 ABY - 26 ABY)
Coruscant
Vivackus was born on Coruscant in 3 ABY to one of the lesser noble families. He had a very good relationship with both of his parents and was especially close to his younger sister, Allana. As a child, Vivackus led a life of privilege and luxury, but unlike most of the upper class, he was not blind to those less fortunate. He had grown up hearing stories of the great and noble deeds of the Jedi, and Vivackus always dreamed of becoming a Jedi so that he could make the universe a better place. He was overjoyed when a Jedi discovered him to be Force Sensitive and he was taken to the Jedi Praxeum on Yavin IV.
Jedi Training
Vivackus’ time training at the Jedi Praxeum was the happiest of his, even better than his easy on Coruscant. He was living his dream and his studies showed it. Vivackus worked tirelessly to hone his abilities with a drive and determination that surprised even him. He excelled in every challenge, flying through his training much faster than his peers.
All Dreams Must End
- "Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."
- ―Obi-wan Kenobi
Vivackus became the Padawan to a Jedi named Val Dorrin.
Vivackus' Master, Val DorrinBefore this point, Vivackus had been shielded from most of the darker parts of the galaxy. Now, however, on missions with his master, Vivackus saw injustices to which the rest of the galaxy turned a blind eye. He saw slavery on Tatooine and the corrupt business practices of Czerka Corperation.
During his very first mission with his new master, Vivackus was to accompany Dorrin to Nar Shaddaa to confront the mastermind of a slave trade operating out of the core worlds. The Smuggler’s Moon disturbed Vivackus more than anything he had seen before. On Nar Shaddaa he saw many terrible practices that were not only conducted, but completely in the open. Vivackus was bewildered when Dorrin did not even attempt to apprehend the leader of the slave ring because of insufficient evidence.
Doubts had begun to creep into Vivackus’s mind about the noble cause of the Jedi. When confronting Dorrin with his questions, his master’s answers proved unsatisfactory. Surely, what better thing for the Jedi to do than stop these horrors? He simply refused to believe that Jedi, with the power of the Force, were incapable of righting these wrongs. Nevertheless, his power in the Force continued to grow, and Vivackus tried to push these thoughts from his mind, believing that he would be able to understand in due time.
Vivackus knew that the thoughts could lead to the Dark Side, but did not truly understand the subtlety of the Dark Side’s seduction. Without knowing it, Vivackus gradually became brash, sometimes disobeying orders, but justifying his actions to himself by saying that he was doing what he believed to be “right.”
Eclipse (23 ABY)
- "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."
- ―Friedrich Nietzsche
By 23 ABY, Vivackus had grown in strength and experience, and was close to beginning his Knight Trials, almost ready to become a full-fledged Jedi Knight. Right before he was to undergo his final trials, a diplomatic conflict had arisen between Coruscant and the Hutt Empire on Nar Shaddaa. Because of Vivackus’ prior experience with the politics of his homeworld and Nar Shaddaa, and due to a shortage of available Jedi, Vivackus and Dorrin were sent on one last mission before his trials. Fate would have that this mission would be his last act as a Jedi.
While the master and apprentice were en route to Nar Shaddaa, they received word that the diplomatic relations had deteriorated and if the situation was not resolved soon, and redoubled their efforts to get to Nar Shaddaa quickly.
Upon arrival, they made a shocking discovery. One of the Hutts had taken drastic measures and had taken captive several of the Couruscant noble families, including Vivackus’ own family. His master realized that emotional involvement would almost certainly prevent Vivackus from handling the situation objectively. The two had a heated argument. Vivackus’ master insisted that he return to Yavin and that the situation was far too precarious for a rescue mission, but Vivackus stubbornly refused to leave his entire family captive of the Hutts. Suddenly, all the injustices around Vivackus had become personal.
Nar Shaddaa
Rage swelled up in Vivackus at the thought that the Jedi would refuse to rescue his family. He drew his lightsaber and after a quick duel, struck down his master. He then set out to track down the Hutt and save his family. Upon finding them, he was attacked by a Dark Jedi who was working for the Hutt. This opponent was much more powerful than his master, and Vivackus soon became tired. During a brief respite in the fighting, the Dark Jedi slew Vivackus’ father in one stroke of his lightsaber. It was then that Vivackus drew upon the Dark Side of the Force to kill the Dark Jedi, the Hutt, as well as several mercenaries, though he was seriously injured in the process. Vivackus then stole a small ship to try to escape back to Couruscant with his mother and sister.
He arrived at Coruscant, but Hutt mercenaries ambushed him on arrival. Vivackus was still not fully healed from his encounter on Nar Shaddaa, and was unable to protect his mother and sister. Vivackus himself barely escaped with his life. It was then that he began his self-imposed exile. He was sure that the Jedi would not allow him back, but he had lost all desire to be a Jedi. He recognized that he could not have defeated the Dark Jedi without drawing upon the Dark Side. This only solidified in Vivackus' mind that the Jedi were in essence weak for refusing to use the powers to which they had access. After the death of his family, he discarded his lightsaber. It had become not a symbol of strength and goodness, but of inactivity and denial.
No Particular Night Or Morning (23 ABY - 26 ABY)
For several years, Vivackus wondered the Outer Rim of the galaxy, never staying too long in one place. He would find odd jobs and only earn enough money to pay for fare to another random planet. He stopped using the Force and his powers stagnated. What was he searching for? Even Vivackus himself did not know. It can be surmised is that he did not find it, else it is doubtful that he would have returned. Maybe he was not searching for anything at all, but simply running. Not many can continue on as if nothing had happened after such an ordeal.
Dark Brotherhood
- "I had the good fortune to see that brawl back there. Someone of your...abilities could go far with the correct teaching."
- ―An unnamed member of the Dark Brotherhood
In 27 ABY, Vivackus was traveling aboard a passenger freighter to Corellia. He had avoided the Core Worlds ever since his self imposed exile and he had planned to stay on Corellia only long enough to board a ship back to the frontier of the galaxy. While dining, several thugs bullied Vivackus into a fight. While outnumbered and weaponless, Vivackus’ training came through for him and he was able to hold his own until the ship crew intervened. The fight came to the attention of a member of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood who happened to be traveling on the same freighter. The Dark Jedi felt Vivackus’ latent, albeit stagnant and unused, Force potential. He approached Vivackus near the end of the trip and told him about the Dark Brotherhood. The Dark Jedi told Vivackus of a ship on Corellia going to the Shadow Academy. Vivackus was initially apprehensive, but he had failed to find any answers elsewhere, and this appeared to be his only remaining option.
The Weight of a Shadow (27 ABY)
- "To fall is a quiet thing, but far more terrible is to admit it"
- ―Darth Traya
Vivackus initially chose the Obelisk Order. The young Jedi was simply seeking ways to make himself stronger (or at least that is what he told himself), Vivackus did not accept many of the Dark Jedi's teachings. The Obelisk Order seemed the least "evil" and more in line with Vivackus' perception of the universe. Initially all appeared well. At least, until Vivackus achieved the rank of Protector and began his apprenticeship under the Sith Kal Vorrac.
Vivackus during his apprenticeship to Kal
Almost immediately, Kal began to work on his new apprentice and without even realizing it, Vivackus began to change. The young man had still not yet forgiven himself for the deaths of his family. It was easy for the older Sith to convince Vivackus that the Dark Side was the only true path toward strength. Kal gave Vivackus direction, the very thing it seemed he needed. Though he did not know it yet, the particular direction was not one which Vivackus had initially wished to go. It was not until late in his training that a mirror was thrust into Vivackus' face and he was forced to confront what he had become.
War of Ascension (28 ABY)
Vivackus was a Jedi Hunter at the time of the War of Ascension, a conflict between Clan Plagueis and the local rulers of the Jusadih System, the Jusadih Independence Coalition. The Plagueis leadership, notably Consul Braecen Kaeth and then-Aedile of House Satal Keto Alaris Jinn, meticulously planned the offensive to take back the star system and began by giving the order to assassinate the feudal lords of Morroth. The initial battle for the planet was to be as swift and decisive as possible, so members of the Clan were positioned strategically to strike in unison, leaving Morroth's military without leadership. Vivackus was tasked with the assassination of Earl Stephen Daniels. The day before the invasion, Vivackus intentionally crashed a ship outside of the Earl's villa so as to easily infiltrate the compound. Vivackus had initially intended to feign injury and wait in the medical bay until given the order to strike, but an unforeseen change of plans came in the form of the Earl's daugther, Elizabeth Daniels.
The bored daughter of royalty could not help but be intrigued by the newcomer who, quite literally, crashed in her home. Vivackus played the part of mysterious stranger and easily seduced her. The assassination order officially came mere minutes after the Earl had caught Vivackus in his daughter's room the next morning. Vivackus swiftly killed the Earl and his two bodyguards in front of Elizabeth before leaving the compound; a stark contrast from the broken individual Vivackus had been after the death of his own family.
The Clan leaders were pleased with Vivackus' success in the Invasion of Morroth, and Vivackus was given another assassination mission during the First Battle of Kapsina. He was to kill Count Decula Viron. Viron was always a paranoid individual and ever since Clan Plagueis deposed the leaders of Morroth, he had retreated to his underground military base. While significantly more difficult to infiltrate than Daniels' home on Morroth, Vivackus made use of his skills as member of the Satal Victus battle team and managed to make it deep into the compount without being detected. Unbeknownst to him, the location of the compound prevented outside communication and Vivackus did not receive the final order to kill the Count. Vivackus was apprehended and thrown into a cell with someone he had never expected to see again: Elizabeth Daniels.
Elizabeth Daniels
Elizabeth had fled Morroth soon after Vivackus had killed her father, expecting to find sanctuary with the leaders on Kapsina. Unfortunately, with Clan Plagueis securely in control of Morroth, the late-Earl's daughter no longer had any status as far as the leaders of Kapsina were concerned. Viron apprehended her as soon as possible, intending to get as much information from her as possible.
Vivackus had little time to decide what to do about Elizabeth as he was promptly taken to a torture chamber by Viron. The attempt was destined to be futile. Even had the Journyman caved, Vivackus knew very little that would have been helpful to the Count. Using the Force, Vivackus unlocked his bonds and killed Viron with his own torture instruments. On his way out of the compound, Vivackus had intended to kill Elizabeth, but once he got back to the cell, she pleaded for him to take her with him.
It confused Vivackus greatly that Elizabeth would want to stay with one who had been responsible for the destruction of much she had held dear. For the first time since joining the Dark Brotherhood, Vivackus began to question how he had gotten to where he was, albeit subconsciously. He had never been explicitly ordered to kill Elizabeth, so he allowed her to accompany him to his next assignment, another assassination on the planet Aerun. While they were together, Elizabeth began to pry at the cold exterior Vivackus had developed during his time in the Dark Brotherhood. Vivackus came dangerously close to killing Elizabeth multiple times though without admitting it, he had begun to have feelings for her. Vivackus was notified as a member of Clan Plagueis mere hours before the fighting began and he and Elizabeth barely managed to get off the planet in a fighter, though the ship's engines were damaged in the process. While stranded in a starfighter with Elizabeth, waiting to be picked up by the Clan, Vivackus learned that Elizabeth knew a great deal about the Jusadih leadership and military that could help Clan Plagueis in the war. Though initially displeased that Vivackus had been unable to finish his mission, the Clan Leadership was thrilled with the intelligence Vivackus had been able provide.
At first, Vivackus had seen Elizabeth as a means to an end, but during their time together she had begun to grow on him. Unwittingly, Elizabeth had rekindled in Vivackus the fire that Kal had almost extinguished. Vivackus finally realized how the Dark Brotherhood had twisted him. She had reminded Vivackus of who he had used to be. Considering the residual guerilla resistance on Morroth, Vivackus knew that it was only a matter of time before he would be ordered to kill Elizabeth or else someone else would do it. Vivackus feared that if Elizabeth died, he would be unable to stop continuing down the path toward the Dark Side. He also knew that Clan Plagueis would hunt them should they escape together. Vivackus hatched a plan to fake Elizabeth's death and have her sneak out of the Jusadih System to Corellia. He believed that the knowledge that Elizabeth was alive would be enough to keep him from truly falling to the Dark Side.
Tipping Point (29 ABY)
- "You seek strength, power. You cannot gain strength without first absolving yourself of that which is weak. Stop fighting yourself. Kill her and destroy any hold for anyone to use to control you."
- ―Vivackus' Master, Kal
The next campaign in the War of Ascension was the Invasion of Nintura. By this time, Plagueis leaders had learned of Elizabeth and consented with her accompanying Vivakcus during the battle. It was then, when Vivackus' superiors would have been occupied elsewhere, that he engineered the crash of the ship Elizabeth was to have been on. Having secretly boarded another ship instead, Elizabeth stowed away on a shuttle back to Kaspina until the war was over and she could leave the Jusadih System safely.
Vivackus then reported to Alaris that Elizabeth had been killed in the fighting, his story corroborated by the downed ship. By this time, the Independence Coalition was all but defeated and had reached out to the Crimson Tide for aid. What remained of the Jusadih military forces combined with the fleet of the Crimson tide above the capital planet and faced Plagueis forces in the Second Battle of Kapsina. While piloting was not Vivackus' best skill, he flew a fighter during the Battle, which the Plagueis forces won decisively due to impeccable battle planing and the power of the Clan Leaders' Battle Meditation.
Vivackus and Elizabeth's last goodbye
Vivackus then returned to Kapsina's surface to say one last goodbye to Elizabeth before he was to accompany Braecen Kaeth and his master, Kal Vorrac, among others, to Shintera and kill Calliban Crimson. Believing that her safety was now assured, Vivackus believed he could now finish his training and become a Dark Jedi Knight without truly falling to the Dark Side.
Vivackus was told, just before landing, that his exploits during the war had brought him close to Knighthood, and was given the honor of personally killing Calliban Crimson. After infiltrating the tower Crimson was using as a base, Vivackus accompanied the Consul to scale the side of the tower and enter the Throne Room. After a brief exchange of words, Crimson took flight and Vivackus chased him and eventually killed the leader of the Crimson Tide at the base of a great staircase.
This accomplishment, though, was bittersweet. Even with the knowledge that Elizabeth remained safe, Vivackus still felt himself drawing on the Dark Side while he killed Calliban Crimson. Any respite Vivackus had was destined to be short. Unbeknownst to him, his Clan leaders had either seen through or later uncovered his attempt to hide Elizabeth from them. Just as he was about to leave the tower, Vivackus was confronted by his Master and Quaestor who had apprehended Elizabeth and brought her with them. Kal then presented Vivackus with an ultimatum. If he did not immediately kill Elizabeth, thereby proving his loyalty to Clan Plagueis, Kal would kill both of them.
It is not known whether or not Vivackus could have continued to resist the pull of the Dark Side had Elizabeth been able to escape the Jusadih System. But it is known that Vivackus' superiors were unwilling to find out. Faced with an impossible decision, Vivackus finally caved. He had come to the Brotherhood seeking strength and Kal was finally able to convince him that such strength could be obtained only by destroying the part of himself that was good. Vivackus stabbed Elizabeth in the chest, and, his loyalty proven, was promoted to Dark Jedi Knight.
Stretching the Wings (30 ABY)
- "Take Palpatine; He was able to almost single-handedly cause the collapse of the Republic, wipe out the Jedi, and rule the Galaxy. And he did it all without definitively winning a single lightsaber dual. That is true power."
- ―Vivackus musing during a conversation with his former master, Kal
After his promotion to Dark Jedi Knight, Vivackus promptly switched to the Sith Order, much to the pleasure of Kal. Having resolved any internal issues with using the Dark Side, Vivackus began to hunger for the more abstract forms of power than purely his own physical strength. Around this same time, House Satal Keto Quaestor Alaris Jinn wished to see if Vivackus had the makings of a leader. Alaris appointed Vivackus as the Battle Team Leader of Keto's Vengeance.
His time as Battle Team Leader was short, and afterwards he did not feel as if he was able to accomplish anything substantial during his tenure. However, it was apparently long enough to confirm Alaris' suspicion about Vivackus potential. Shortly later, Consul Braecen began a reorganization of Clan leadership in preparation for the Ninth Great Jedi War. Proconsul Yzarc Kaeth took the lead of then Quaestor-less House Exar Kun and Alaris took his place. House Satal Keto's new Quaestor, Warhunter asked Vivackus to fill the position of Aedile.
Vivackus time as Aedile was likewise destined to end far sooner than he could have foreseen. After having barely settled into his new position, the Warhunter disappeared from his post under mysterious circumstance. Vivackus was in the perfect place to fill this power vacuum, which, upon receiving orders from the Consul, he did without hesitation. Some might say that his rise was merely coincidental, or that Vivackus was simply adept at being in the right place at the right time. Vivackus however, does not believe in luck, only his own abilities and the Force.
Personality and Physical Description
Personality
From the time he joined the Dark Brotherhood until his promotion to Dark Jedi Knight, Vivackus was a solitary individual. He kept to himself and refrained from forming any real relationship with his peers. This introverted personality could probably have been traced to equal parts continued grieving for his family, self-loathing for his inability to save them, and the fear that his colleagues' darkness might "rub off on him", for lack of a better term. This knowledge starkly contrasts with the persona Vivackus displays now. He is very extroverted and friendly and gives the appearance of being laid-back and carefree. In his time in a leadership position, he has rarely- if ever- been seen doing actual work, though no one can doubt that the work is somehow getting done.
The fact that most of higher rank probably see through this facade is immaterial to Vivackus. Kal was a manipulator, and as a natural result, his student became a deceiver. The truth is that it is all a carefully cultivated act intended to obscure his true intentions. Though ineffectual around some of his superiors, Vivackus simply sees it as practice. This air is only ever dropped to aid in intimidation, or in times of great distress. Underneath it all, Vivackus has become more like Kal than either of them would admit.
Appearance and Attire
Vivackus stands right around six feet tall, about average among his companions in the halls of Plagueis. Vivackus was never overly muscular, but his body is well toned. His black hair, which is usually kept around shoulder-length and his blue eyes give him the stereotypical "tall, dark and handsome" look, though he takes great pain to keep from appearing malevolent in any way. Vivackus' only scar of significance was carved into his right palm in the shape of an hourglass by Kal, identical to one on Kal's own palm, early in his training.
While he still wears traditional Dark Jedi robes for formal occasions, he much rather prefers to wear light colors to complement his "light" personality. If one were astute enough, one might notice that his lightsaber hilt betrays this appearance. (His lightsaber blade is red as well, but should Vivackus ignite it, it will have been too late to be of consequence anyway.) This too, is intentional, as it serves as an easy barometer for Vivackus to determine the skills of others.
DJB Facts
Positions Held