|
| Xyler
|
|
Mantessa
|
|
Castle Gothengromer
|
|
Dark Jedi Brotherhood Era
|
The Xylers are a family in the Dark Jedi Brotherhood.
The History
The First of Many
Millennia ago, it is said that a Mercenary within the ranks of the Black Brigade under the leadership of Cyris Oscura had come across an isolated planet not yet known by a name. Located deep within the far reaches of the outer rim, the planet itself was only one of four within the same star system. Distant from any hyperspace route major or minor it was in the mercenary’s eyes a perfect place to settle down and lead his own life. Known as Avarus Montacue by the Brigadiers, the mercenary along with help from the Black Brigade caught and enslaved thousands upon thousands of sentients to settle the planet of his choosing.
In memory of his deceased wife Avarus named the system and his preferred planet Mantessa. Within a year and the deaths of nearly 1000 slaves, Avarus’ citadel was created. With its back against the face of a cliff and surrounded by the Isu'pang Jungle, Avarus christened the building Gothengromer. Immediately after the castle was created, Avarus had the slave encampment razed to the ground and the slaves moved farther away from Gothengromer. An effort to create his own personal army and to start the population of Mantessa.
Once his dreams of his own personal headquarters was realized he forsaked his past and donned a new identity. Avarus Montacue Xyler, Count of Gothengromer.
The Eleventh of a Fractured History
Little else is known of the Xyler Dynasty. What is known is that the 11th Count of Gothengromer was the deranged Morkan Creon Xyler. Considered the more sadistic and brutal of all Xylers to bear the title of Count of Gothengromer. Not without loyalty to the family, Morkan was said to have an obsessive streak when it came to protecting not only the family but the family assets as well.
With the obsessive need to protect the family Morkan had a grand throne room created in which he could control every aspect security needed to protect his family, it was fitted with communications gear, an armory and equipment to create imaginative interrogations. A top notch torture chamber if you will. The only luxury that seemed to be lacking within the throne room was decoration. As it was the only apparatuses that adorned the wall were hanging chains amongst other torture devices.
The creation of this grand throne room was rumored to have cost nearly half of the Family’s credits.
A Sith Amongst the Wolves
Sith Lord Sharkelli Fangoru Xyler was a Count of Gothengromer though which one he was to be exact is unknown. Like that of the 11th Count, Sharkelli was a sadistic man and could only be recognized as unique and different from Morkan in that he had lost his mind. While a Count of cruel and cunning thought Morkan was, Sharkelli was a man of no thought at all.
Rumors abound that Sharkelli was a Count of earlier times, having placed his mark upon the family before Morkan was even a thought. If it were true, then it implies that Morkan had set out to live up to the likes of his predecessor and had succeeded while at the same time taking the cruelty up another notch.
Another rumor states that Sharkelli ruled centuries after Morkan. This rumor would imply that Sharkelli was in fact the one that had seeked to live up to the image of his predecessor. The attempt was not successful even though Sharkelli had left an incredible legacy it would not be enough to secede Morkan. Reminders of the Sith Lord’s legacy include a statue of his likeness located within the northern part of Isu’pang Jungle near Castle Gothengromer. Along with the statue, Sharkelli had placed a Dark Side Curse upon the jungle. Having already served as a natural line of defense, Isu’pang Jungle became a living nightmare, deterring all those who were not family from entering the grounds of Castle Gothengromer.
The exact time of existence of the crazed Sith Lord no longer matters in the history of the Xyler Dynasty. What little significance that can be gleaned from this information is that at one time in its history, the Xyler Dynasty was indeed ruled by that of a force adept.
A Forgotten Past
Virtually nothing else is known of the Xyler Dynasty after the 11th Count or if you may the demented Sith Lord Sharkelli. Through much research nothing can be found of the Xyler Dynasty until times recently passed. It seems as though the family itself had disappeared from existence, lingering for much of eternity in the depths of shadows thriving in secrecy.
How the family thrived is unknown and how the population of Mantessa continued to survive through the ages is an even greater mystery. Much of the information of the Xyler Dynasty can be gleaned from the two most recent Counts in the Dynasty. Both the 26th and the 27th Counts ruled the family and are followers of the Dark Side of the Force. The two Counts also have a shared history within the Brotherhood of Dark Jedi, an organization that is led by the Grand Master Jac Cotelin. Both Counts also have resided within the halls of the Clan Arcona which is now located within the Dajorra System within Brotherhood space.
The 26th of the Dynasty
Deputy Combat Emeritus Arcturus Gadeskin Xyler ruled the family as the 26th Count of Gothengromer. A Sith Battle Master within the ranks of the Dark Jedi, Arcturus was a giant of a person who had blood of both human and an alien species running through his veins.
Not all his time within the Brotherhood was spent in the halls of Clan Arcona. At one time he resided within the halls of Clan Scholae Palatinae. It was here that he had met his adopted son Ktulu Mizheray. Both had spent their journeymen years within the halls of Clan Scholae Palatinae in the house of Acclivis Draco.
Arcturus’ reign as the Count of Gothengromer was hard path that nearly ended with his death as a result of an assassination attempt.
A Rift between Loyalties
The Brotherhood had erupted into Civil War and had split into two clear groups. A large part of the Brotherhood had grown irritated by the ministrations of the Executive Officer and the Fleet Commander of the Emperor’s Hammer Directorate and had requested sovereignty from the Directorate.
Feeling threatened by the sudden loss of power, Executive Officer Ronin had declared the discordant members of the Brotherhood enemies of the state. By doing so Ronin had declared a self-fulfilling prophecy. Enraged by his actions the larger half of the Brotherhood, tired of the power games the Fleet Commander continued to play declared war on those loyal to the Directorate as well as the Directorate itself.
A lone nerf amidst a herd of stampeding nerfs, Arcturus was at a loss of which loyalty he held closest to him. In one direction he could have followed his house and stayed with the rest of Clan Scholae Palatinae as a follower of the Directorate. In the other direction, his friends and those he held as close to him as possible as a Dark Jedi could. It was his selfishness that chose his path for him in the end. Choosing to follow the path of his friends, Arcturus picked up the banner of ‘The Seven” a small group of Dark Jedi who had wanted sovereignty for the Brotherhood. In his wake, a lowly Jedi Hunter followed. An orphan by the name of Ktulu Mizheray followed Arcturus. Together they made their way to Clan Arconan space and had met with an old time friend and former Quaestor Mejas Doto.
It was during the Exodus that Arcturus had adopted Ktulu and taught him the ways of the Dynasty. Along with the teachings of the family history, Arcturus taught Ktulu how to hold his own on the battlefield that was known as the Universe. Together as father and son, the two engrossed themselves in the growth of the family and their ability to control the force.
The Coup
After a year of celebrating the Sovereignty from the EH Directorate, Arcturus and Ktulu found themselves in another battle, one that meant their very survival, as individuals and as a family. Within the Halls of Clan Arcona, after taking a leadership position within a house of Arcona, Arcturus found himself at ends with the Consul of Clan Arcona, Vassan Rokir. What should have been a simple disagreement between comrades had erupted into a civil war within the Clan. Arcturus, together with the Quaestor of Oriens Obscurum, Demosthenes, moved to usurp Vassan's rule and subvert what they called "the Rokir dictatorship".
Through double-agents that Vassan had placed within Galeres' headquarters, the Consul learned of the uprising and moved to crush it immediately. By the end of the week, Vassan had moved both the Rokir family's personal fleet and those ships within the Clan still loyal to him into Galeres space. The battle was particularly violent, and within three days, Demosthenes' fleet was routed. Arcturus, together with Ktulu Xyler and other followers, fled towards the outskirts of the Dajorra System and conducted a guerilla war against Vassan. Initially attempting a bloodless coup, Arcturus' plan to take hold of Arcona had degenerated into anarchy and civil war. News of the feud reached Mejas Doto. One standard month from the initial battle, the Dark Jedi Master offered safe ground for both parties and initiated ceasefire talks. The outcome of the talks resulted in Vassan keeping his position as Consul and Arcturus voluntarily relinquishing control of House Galeres. However, Rokir's double-agents in Galeres had not yet learned of the ceasefire. Several thermal detonators were rigged to Arcturus' personal craft and exploded as he was leaving Antei. The Quaestor was heavily injured and barely recovered from his wounds. The feud had left both families totaling less then half a dozen members.
A Foiled Attempt
The bomb, attached to the starter motor of his modified A-9 Interceptor "Black Shuck", also injured his apprentice Ktulu Xyler, however the Priest recovered within a matter of days. Arcturus lost his left leg, his index and middle finger on his right hand and pieces of shrapnel lodged permanently in his back and hip. The incident made perfectly clear the lengths to which Vassan Rokir would go in order to maintain control over Arcona. It did, however, galvanise support for the Xylers against Vassan. The Consul was subject to no less than five failed assassination attempts. It was rumoured, however unproven, that Ktulu had hired the services of the Tana Consortium, who had recently began selling arms to both families. The Priest also personally attempted an incursion into Vassan's inner sanctum on Selen. This did not come to fruition as Ktulu was defeated and outnumbered by the Consul's private guard.
Self Imposed Exile and the Rise of a New Count
After the attempt on his life and the horrific injuries he received from it, Arcturus left Brotherhood Space. Embarking on a self imposed exile, the 26th Count of Gothengromer cut all ties with the Brotherhood and shed his identity. After the dust had settled surrounding the assassination attempt, Arcturus contacted his son Ktulu and gave him a chilling message. Via transmission, Arcturus informed Ktulu that he was to be Patriarch and 27th Count of Gothengromer. The exact message to Ktulu reads:
They hate us. They hate what we're capable of. They hate our money, our powers, our way of doing things. Vassan thinks he's safe, but he'll never be safe. I swear on the stones of Gothengromer, he'll pay for what he's done to me, to us. You must lead the family, ensure it's safety and take vengeance. Kill Vassan Rokir. Make sure he knows what it is to cross a Xyler. I go now to meditate on what's happened. When the time is right, I will return. And nobody will be able to save Vassan Rokir or his family. I have failed you, my son. Do not fail me. Kill Vasssan Rokir.
Ktulu would become the latest in a line of counts that ruled over the Dynasty ensuring its survival through the ages. As Vassan had solidified his position as Consul of Arcona, Ktulu reluctantly abandoned the standing order of the 26th Count.
Reigning in the Dogs of War
Ktulu Mizheray Xyler, 27th Count of Gothengromer found himself in a predicament. The latest to rule over the Dynasty and the last of the family. Although both families were ravaged in the feud, the Rokirs had the upper hand. The lone member of a dying Dynasty, Ktulu faced only three members of the Rokir family. The three were incidentally the most powerful of the Rokirs. All adept in the ways of the force, the lowest ranked member still outranked the Xyler Patriarch who was a lowly Priest.
Considering the options available to him, Ktulu arranged a meeting with the Rokir family. Running the risk of losing his life as he faced the Rokirs in the same room, Ktulu called for a truce. He stated that the feud had started with and was between Vassan and Arcturus, not the families as a whole. It was a ploy that had most likely saved the young Priests life.
After conducting the meeting, Ktulu followed in his fathers’ footsteps and went into seclusion. Only he had stayed within the halls of Clan Arcona and maintained an out of sight status. Faced with being the lone member of his family, Ktulu bade his time and watched as his foes dwindled in numbers so that only the Elder Halcyon remained before resurfacing in the halls of Arcona.
Rebirth of a Dying Dynasty
With a renewed sense or purpose, Ktulu once more began his mission of reviving the Xyler Dynasty. With no clear idea of how to fulfill his plans, Ktulu made his way to Mantessa taking stock of what was available to him in terms of resources. With a grim outlook Ktulu looked back to the Brotherhood and adopted the then Galerian Quaestor Quejo Bandon and gave to him the status of brother.
Once he had secured relations with the Sith, Ktulu looked upon the descendants of the slave encampment that had built Castle Gothengromer and the surrounding settlements. Low on hardware and funds, Ktulu had decided on the course of action that he would take to revive the once great Dynasty, piracy.
When plans were laid out to carry out raids on unsuspecting merchant ships and other hapless spacefarers Ktulu was contacted by his brother Quejo. The Sith had found another Sith that he found to be good enough to join the ranks of the family. It was the seductress known as Devani Maharet. Soon after inducting the young seductress into the ranks of the Xyler Dynasty, Ktulu informed the new members of his plans and gave them the rank of captain so that they could personally over see a particular set of operations.
Not long after Devani had joined did Quejo take it upon himself to scout out more talent to join the family. Warhunter Arawn another Sith joined the ranks of captaincy and Xyler Dynasty alike.
Discordant Feelings
On the Brotherhood Front, Quejo had risen through the ranks to become the Pro Consul of Clan Arcona. During his short reign as Pro Consul Quejo encountered many irate members of the clan who found faults with his position as Pro Consul. Ignoring the stabbing jibes and insults thrown his way, Quejo continued on serving the clan as best he could. Once word reached his ears that influential members of the clan were pressing for his removal from office Quejo stepped down as Pro Consul.
Almost immediately his old position was filled by the Koskian d’Tana Arconae. Long time member of the clan and patriarch of the d’Tana Family. Just as fast as the position of Pro Consul was filled did Quejo find himself at ends with the new Pro Consul. As tensions mounted between the two Quejo turned his back on his clan and left. In his wake Devani and Warhunter followed him to Clan Plagieus.
Surprised at the actions taken by his brother, Ktulu opted to stay within the halls of Clan Arcona. However soon after the departure of his family members Ktulu found himself to be at odds with the d’Tana at every opportunity. Unfortunately nothing ever became of Ktulu's rage.
The Dynasty
Rebuilding the Dynasty
In an effort to rebuild the Dynasty, the 27th Count of Gothengromer made the choice to resort to piracy as a means to rebuild the arsenal and wealth of the family. In fact, with the monies generated from these operations, Ktulu secured the contract for the assassination of Vassan Rokir. Unchallenged by the rest of his family in the direction he wanted to take the family, Ktulu granted his family members leave to oversee certain operations of this nature. Along with piracy, Ktulu allowed his family to run weapons, spice and other services that were needed in the seedier ends of the galaxy. This action was not new; throughout the Galactic Civil War, the Xylers were involved in arming milita groups aligned to both the Alliance and Empire. In some cases, the family directly funded terrorist organisations that suited their needs. However, in more recent times, stirrings and rumours abounded of the return to the Dark Brotherhood of a new Xyler. Throughout the Rokir / Xyler feud, Arcturus made genetic clones of himself and had them hidden on various remote outposts throughout the galaxy. The plan was simple - when the time was right, a new Xyler would arise from the ashes to lead the dynasty to glory and secure it's destiny in the annals of legend. Sadly, nothing ever came to pass, the Family continuing to spiral into seperation and chaos.
The Resignation
The reign of Ktulu had been short. Frustrated that the Family would remain a Legend, Ktulu would go in to exile, leaving the Dynasty in the very capable hands of Quejo Drakai Xyler, naming him the 28th Count of Gothengromer. The vision of the Warlord was much different than that of Ktulu. He had disagreed with the family's fall to piracy and knew that it was because of their Rebellious actions that the Family had failed, instead bringing forth a new era, an era in which the Xyler Dynasty would be restored to it's status as Warriors. Combatants whom would strike fear in to the hearts of those within the Brotherhood, yet, clinging to a Code of Honor that had long been forgotten.
28th Count of Gothengromer
Soon after being dubbed the Patriarch of the Xyler Dynasty, Quejo would abandon the idea of Piracy. Unlike past Leaders of the Family, Quejo would remain an un-aggressive, yet methodical Tactician and Strategist. He would strengthen the Family through Training and understanding, hoping to establish trust, loyalty, and respect, something the Family had been lacking. He would rebuild the Dynasty himself, giving it a Code of Honor and Discipline he had personally lived by. While the Family would remain ruthless, it would work much like a Clan. Nothing would happen without the approval of the Patriarch. No one would break the Chain of Command, else punishment would ensue. Dishonor and disgrace to the Dynasty would lead to banishment.
Soon after instilling these qualities, Quejo would recruit members to fill the empty slots of the Dynasty. Upon scouring the Brotherhood, the 28th Count of Gothengromer would recruit Anubis Annedu Wrath, his Apprentice in to the Family, in hopes that the Valheru would bring something substantial to the Guild of Warriors. The restructuring would take place over the years and the Hapan Primarch, along with his Apprentice, would work to strengthen the Foundation of this Old, Forgotten Family. Soon after instating his Apprentice in to the family, Anubis left Dajorra, marked a traitor, abandoning the teachings of his Master for the sake of power.
Quejo, furious, became a Monster, not just because his Apprentice left the Xylers but because the Brotherhood had been thrown in to a war with the Yuuzhan Vong. The Count honed his skills with the blade for the war, his new found dark rage feeding him, fueling him as he cut down many Vong warriors. Coming to an end, the war had lasting affects on the Primarch. His left arm had been lost as well as his sanity. Seeking to further the Xyler Dynasty, Quejo initiated a training program which would further enhance it's members skills with a Lightsaber. Viewing his brothers and sisters as Apprentices, Quejo would teach them how to use their Lightsabers as violent extentions of their very being.
Seeking to better themselves, to learn masterful techniques with the blade, Fajhal and Aticus would seek out the counsel of the Primarch. Quejo, after studying their methods and practices recruited them in to the family. There was still much to be done and much to be learned, the three would work together in order to cripple those who opposed the way of the Xyler.
Location
Mantessa
Castle Gothengromer.
An imposing, archaic castle literally built into a cliff, Castle Gothengromer is the original home of the Xyler dynasty. The castle was first built by Avarus Monatcue Xyler, a mercenary with Cyris Oscura's Black Brigade eons ago, long before the rise and fall of the Empire and the New Republic. With it's grey stone towers that overlook the jungle world like gods, the castle's inner sanctum is a maze of stone corridors and dimly-lit stairways. Huge throne rooms and banquet halls were built inside the castle to house the self-styled "Count Of Gothengromer" - this title was passed on to each descendant of the family line, now resting on the 28th heir to the castle, Quejo Drakai Xyler.
Members of the Dynasty
Current Members
Missing Members
Ex Members