Anshar Kahn Tarentae

"It has been said that if you are not remembered, you never existed. I can live with that."

―Anshar Kahn Tarentae

Anshar Kahn Tarentae is a Krath Dark Jedi Master and the current Headmaster of the Shadow Academy. Anshar has held numerous positions in his time in the Brotherhood, serving on every level. Despite this, virtually nothing is known about Anshar's past as he keeps it to himself.

Character History

Pre-Brotherhood Years

Anshar comes from the planet Jaguada, though he has never been back since leaving. Growing up in the harsh environment, Anshar was trained in combat and survial, and to this day he keeps his crystalline knife with him, tucked in his robes. During this time, Anshar was praised by his fellow people for being exceptionally skillful in hunting and fighting. None knew or realized it was his Force affinity that gave him these abilities. Anshar desired to learn more, however, and he left his homeworld when he was about fifteen. Making his way to Dantooine, Anshar began to immerse himself in both study and work. Anshar has revealed little to anyone about his life in these days, though many have picked up that something bad happened. It is known that Anshar did inherit a considerable sum of money from someone, though what he did with the money is anyone’s guess.

After leaving Dantooine permanently, Anshar spent the next few years wandering the galaxy, occasionally taking on odd jobs. A fairly decent pilot in his own right, Anshar did some cargo shipping, but never really liked the job. During his early travels, Anshar met many people, but befriended only a few. These included Admiral Vren Cadran, commanding officer of the Kelna-Kasan combined military. Through Cadran, Anshar met Ayane Askani, a skilled martial artist who trained Anshar. Another friend of Anshar’s is the mysterious, apparent jack of all trades, Kurenai Allister. Later, well after joining the Brotherhood, Anshar assisted Admiral Cadran with a special mission and in the process, befriended Mira Odrasi, daughter of a high ranking Kelna-Kasan military officer.

During his travels, Anshar acquired a YT-2000 for his personal ship, naming the ship the Volfied. The Volfied served Anshar well for many years before it was destroyed.

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Volfied

The Brotherhood

Anshar was discovered by a Dark Jedi named Hearn, who recognized Anshar’s potential and brought him to the Brotherhood. Anshar changed his name to Kahn and set about training in the ways of the Krath.

Clan Arcona and the Exodus

Anshar joined the Brotherhood and followed his friend Hearn to Clan Arcona. Going by the name Kahn at the time, Anshar made decent progress through the early ranks. He served as Tetrarch of the Dark Orb phyle, Aedile and then Quaestor to House Qel-Droma. During his time in leadership, Anshar helped make several important changes to the way the clan ran. While Quaestor of House Qel-Droma, Anshar helped lead Arcona to a victory over Tarentum and Naga Sadow in a three way clan feud; little did he know that he would one day join Tarentum. When Project: Dark Fury restructured the Envoys, Anshar was not only involved in the planning, but served as Clan Arcona’s first envoy. Eventually, Anshar added his first name back and since then has been known as Anshar to all members of the Brotherhood.

When the seven announced their intention to separate from the Emperor’s Hammer, Anshar was surprised, but he supported the action. He had never been terribly comfortable with how the Emperor’s Hammer interfered with the Brotherhood, and the evidence provided by the seven in their declaration confirmed Anshar’s distrust. Anshar also had another reason to remain with the Brotherhood: he had never been involved with the Emperor’s Hammer in any meaningful way. Following the split, Anshar served as interim tetrarch to the Dark Orb phyle during Mav Cantor’s tenure as Consul.

Clan Tarentum and the Dark Council

For some time after the split, Anshar remained in Clan Arcona, serving as an ad-hoc advisor. He took on an apprentice, who called himself Xizor, and Anshar trained Xizor up through his knighthood. However, Anshar began to see himself more and more on the outside of his clan. His close friend Satana was ostracized from the clan after a public dispute with Qel-Droma’s aedile. Not pleased with the result, Anshar also saw himself more and more in the background of the clan, despite being one of the eldest and most experienced members of the clan. The Brotherhood had, quite frankly, begun to wear on him, and he contemplated going Rogue.

Sometime later, Anshar, during one of his many travels, came across a Shi'ido named Dranik. Recognizing many of the same qualities in Dranik that Anshar had once had himself, Anshar recruited the young warrior, training him in the ways of the Force. As fate would have it, Dranik was assigned to Clan Tarentum upon joining the Brotherhood. Seeking to expand his horizons, and to give old wounds time to heal, Anshar transferred from Arcona to Tarentum. Since joining Tarentum, Anshar found a wealth of opportunity open to him, and his enthusiasm was renewed.

Starting off as Tarentum’s Clan Envoy, Anshar became Quaestor of House Gladius. Gladius saw a great deal of change under his leadership, including the events of "In the Shadows" as well as when the Brotherhood went to multi-order houses. Eventually, he moved up to Proconsul. During this time, Anshar also commanded the Envoys as Knight Commander, and was the Praetor to the Headmaster, being one of the few in Brotherhood history to hold three Dark Summit level positions simultaneously.

After Consul Rekio stepped down, Anshar, as Proconsul, was asked by Grandmaster Jac Cotelin and Tarentum’s Grand Chamberlain, Sith Bloodfyre, to take over as Consul. Already in discussions with then Headmaster Spears about taking over as Headmaster, Anshar nevertheless agreed to take up the mantle of Consul. Spears delayed stepping down from Headmaster in order to give Anshar more time as Consul. This was done so that a rapid changing of leaders would not upset the clan. However, whereas Tarentum, and indeed the Brotherhood, was fairly peaceful on the outside, Tarentum found itself dealing with internal problems.

It was during Anshar’s tenure as Consul that the Yridian Revolt occurred. Non-Tarenti of the Yridia system rose up and tried to overthrow Clan Tarentum and the feudal establishment. The rebellion was surprisingly well armed and funded. The rebels attacked the Sword’s Sheath and initially made some headway, but they were eventually driven off. Following that battle, the Yridian rebels launched a massive attack on Castle Tarentum itself. However, the assault failed miserably and the rebellion collapsed. In a rather uncharacteristic move, Anshar ordered the execution of many of the rebels, rather than letting them return home with defeat hanging over their heads. The crisis over, it was time for Anshar to take over as Headmaster. Anshar turned over control of the clan to Spears.

Anshar is the current Headmaster. Under his leadership, the Shadow Academy has seen, and will continue to see, an expansion of course offerings, as well as adding to the Shadow Academy’s defenses as the Academy has been prone to destruction in recent years. The Dark Vault was finally opened to general membership during Anshar’s tenure. However, at the same time, Anshar ordered that back up copies of all documents in the Dark Vault be made. Along with the truly rare items, these copies were hidden away. Only a few people know where they are.

7th Great Jedi War and Aftermath

Anshar took the Mnemosyne to the gathering of the clans at the end of the Rite of Supremacy known as Second Darkness. Anshar attended the awards ceremony, but immediately returned to the Mnemosyne, preferring to avoid the large social event full of inter-clan politics. It proved to be a fateful decision.

Anshar was on board the Mnemosyne when the Yuuzhan Vong attacked. The older ship fell quickly to the sudden onslaught, though she managed to launch her two squadrons of TIE Interceptors before being destroyed. Anshar was shoved into an escape pod by Captain Elsad, the Mnemosyne's commanding officer, but not before suffering serious personal injuries. He inhaled a great deal of smoke and a durasteel rod was driven through his left knee. By chance, or perhaps guided by the Force, Anshar's escape pod was picked up by the Shadow Academy shuttle Lyceum Three, piloted by Dac Pola. Pola had taken a small group of promising apprentices to view the entire fleet, but had fled when the Yuuzhan Vong attacked.

Anshar managed to guide the shuttle back to the Shadow Academy, where Dranik had already begun preparations to defend and evacuate the facility. After healing as best he could in the hospital, Anshar resumed his duties, though he was forced to use a cane an the injury will remain with him for the rest of his life. Waiting until the last minute, Anshar finally ordered the evacuation of the Shadow Academy, though he had to turn to the clans to assist in getting the most important items out. Sending Dranik off with the Shadow Academy fleet, Anshar almost chose to destroy the Shadow Academy, but changed his mind. Completely shutting the building down, Anshar was the last to leave. As he prepared to rendevous with Dranik, he received a message from Grand Master Sarin.

Upon meeting up with Sarin, Anshar was presented with a Khyron-class dreadnaught that would serve as a mobile Shadow Academy. Naming it the Arcanum, Anshar met up with Dranik and the fleet, reestablishing the Shadow Academy aboard the vessel.

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Midnight Aria

Anshar also acquired a CRF-156T Fast Courier for his personal vessel, replacing the Volfied which had been on board the Mnemosyne when that ship was destroyed. Anshar named the new vessel the Midnight Aria.

Personal Info

Public vs. Private

Anshar is not antagonistic by nature, which makes him a rare “dark jedi.” Anshar prefers diplomacy and compromise within his own groups, though he will not hesitate to unleash his anger and fury upon his enemies. Anshar does not mind holding leadership positions; in fact he sees such things as his duty. However, Anshar is quick to give credit where credit is due, refusing to claim credit for things he did not do, and he also prefers simplicity and solitude above all else.

Though often seen in public positions, Anshar also prefers his solitude. His office at the Shadow Academy is almost perpetually locked and access to his fief, Messina, on Yridia III (afforded to him as a former consul and a Tarentae) is extremely limited. Over the years, Anshar has developed a propensity to storm watch for hours on end.

Physical Description

Anshar is human and stands at 1.82 meters (6 feet). He has brown hair which he usually keeps short. Anshar typically wears the lightly tanned clothing that resembles Jedi robes, but is in fact nothing more than the type of clothing he wore on his homeworld.

Anshar's most recognizeable feature is his eyes. Due to a genetic condition, Anshar's eyes are completely blue. This condition has both its benefits and drawbacks. Already hailing from a bright desert world, the solid color eyes help protect his eyes against bright light; in this regard, his eyesight is superior to many humans. However, Anshar is also partially colorblind and he has a form of night blindness (it takes a long time for his eyes to adjust to the dark). As he has grown stronger in the Force, Anshar has been able to use his other senses to aid him in the darkness.

Views on the Force

Anshar has a fairly unique view on the universe and the Force. He believes that the universe (existence) sprang forth from a sea of chaos. Since then, the chaos has sought to reclaim the part of it that became existence. Within the physical realm exist both forces fighting to destroy the universe, and thus return it to chaos, and forces fighting to preserve the universe. The Force is merely a product of this conflict. It should be noted that, under this philosophy, "dark jedi," notably the Sith, would fight against the return of the universe to the sea of chaos. After all, the return of the world to the sea of chaos would mean the end of the universe. The Sith would no longer have anything to conquer then.

Anshar might be considered “gray” in many respects, but the fact is that he has, in his own mind, mostly harnessed his emotions to make the best use of the Force. However, even Anshar himself does not know exactly what would happen if he were to let everything go, unleashing a full fledged storm of fury.

Necromancy

Despite being a Tarentae, Anshar cares little for the chosen path of Clan Tarentum, that of Necromancy; at least, with regards to the raising of the dead. Believing such actions to be nothing more than utter abominations, Anshar has pursued a somewhat different, though related, track: spirit maniuplation. As an elder Krath and as Headmaster, Anshar has pulled together information on what could best be described as shamanism. He has yet to reveal any of what he has learned.

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Anshar's Lightsabers

Weapons

Anshar is rarely ever heavily armed, especially as his mastery of the Force has grown. Anshar has kept his crystalline knife which, though it is not powered like a vibroblade, is nonetheless highly durable and permanently razor sharp. Anshar also has two lightsabers, though he rarely uses both at the same time. Anshar's preferred form of lightsaber combat is Soresu, which he has mastered, though he also quite adept at Jar'Kai Niman.

His primary lightsaber is the one he constructed himself, possessing a black and gold hilt with a royal blue blade. The other lightsaber is silver with three purple bands in the middle. It has a purple blade. It is also a Force activated lightsaber, with the switch on the inside. No one knows where this lightsaber came from, and Anshar has said nothing to the few who have asked.

DJB Facts

Positions Held

Anshar has held numerous positions in the Brotherhood, from battleteam leader up to Headmaster. His career stretches over seven years, most of which has involved his being in some sort of leadership position. He has served as a tetrarch, aedile, quaestor (twice),

Old Knight Commander Emblem

Proconsul, Consul, Clan Envoy, Eclectic Pedagogue, Praetor to the Headmaster, Knight Commander of the Brotherhood, and now Headmaster.

Trivia

• Was once told he was “overqualified” for the position of Praetor to the Headmaster: a few years before he actually got the job.
• Has the longest running active service record at the Shadow Academy, having held some sort of SA staff position for the past 5 years.
• Once held three Dark Summit level positions simultaneously: Knight Commander, Praetor to the Headmaster, and Consul of Clan Tarentum.
• 18th Headmaster of the Brotherhood
• All NPCs and non-canon locations mentioned in the article are creations of Anshar in his various fictions written since becoming a DB member. He admits to shamelessly ripping parts of names from various sources, both fictional and real life.
• Designed the competition that led to the run-on "In the Shadows" which became a cornerstone of Clan Tarentum's lore regarding its clan powers.
• Yes, Anshar's character is based off of the Fremen in the Dune series.