"Mors Vincit Omnia" - Death Conquers All
First and foremost, the Deathsworn are the House of Bloodfyre. A black cult of personality, they are loyal to Master Sith Bloodfyre-Tarentae - the Avatar of Death. The Dark Jedi Master utilizes the cult as a sinister power base, pursuing an agenda he feels is beneficial to the well being of Clan Tarentum. It is to such an end that he is willing to confront all harmful influences - both within the Clan and without.
The Deathsworn are called such because they are sworn to serve until their death, and as adherents to the will of Sith Bloodfyre, consider themselves Death's agents in the galaxy. The Deathsworn revere death, almost as if it were a living entity, a primordial being whose consciousness actively exerts its will. Therefore, they do not fear dying, lurching forth in secret from their dark locales to curry the favor of their Master.
Functionally, they are inherently diverse, composed of individuals who express their reverence through a myriad of horrific undertakings. What distinguishes the Deathsworn from other Tarenti is the cult-like fanaticism and fervent adherence to the dark philosophies devised by Master Bloodfyre.
The Deathsworn have various origins, including the Shadesworn of Clan Arcona and the Death Dealers of Clan Tarentum. From the depths of these dark fonts crept forth the ghastly foundations of the Deathsworn.
History
Over the course of his travels, Master Sith Bloodfyre eventually encountered the journal of Darth Mortis, a Dark Lord of the Sith from a period thousands of years before the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. Darth Mortis wrote at length about feeding the Dark Side, just as his master - called only the Lord of Hunger - practiced. By creating wounds that rippled through the force, the Dark Side would flourish. Those who called on it could tap into this power.
Instead of seeking to establish a temporal empire like his master, Darth Mortis took only a single world as his own, raising an increasingly powerful army and fleet. The fanatical forces of Darth Mortis reveled in hedonistic excess, striding forth into the galaxy and wreaking havok, ever strengthening the hegemony of the Dark Side. In his time, Darth Mortis became greater and more powerful than his former master had ever been.
Attempting to dabble in Darth Mortis’ teachings, Master Bloodfyre manipulated Anshar Kahn into slaughtering the inhabitants of the Yridian penal colony, during the height of the Yridian Revolt. This contorted Yridia II into a powerful wound in Force, potent enough to echo throughout the entire Yridian system.
Following the success of his grim experiment, Bloodfyre chose to select a few within Clan Tarentum to further explore the lessons of Darth Mortis. Years passed before Master Bloodfyre seized the opportunity to do so, finding within the Arconan Shadesworn cult a suitable apprentice.
Thus, Etah d’Tana exiled himself from Clan Arcona, his home for many years, to stand at the side of Sith Bloodfyre. He spilled blood for Tarentum in the Dark Crusades, later becoming the inaugural Aedile of House Mortis. Within this menagerie of scheming necromancers and bloodthirsty warlords, the Deathsworn were hidden.
Now, the Deathsworn will scrawl their history in the flesh of the galaxy, each word printed in the blood of their foes.
Organization
Patron
Master Sith Bloodfyre-Tarentae
Dark Jedi Master Sith Bloodfyre is the patron of the Deathsworn. He is called the Grand Chamberlain of the Tarentae, a pillar of Tarentum and the Ghost Dragon of the esoteric Long family, the embodiment of Death itself. It was he who first answered the call of Darth Mortis and had the vision to bring the Deathsworn to life.
The patron is not generally in the field with the Deathsworn but directs their actions from elsewhere and has the final say on all operations and personnel decisions.
Vicar
Knight Darknyte
Sith Battlelord Etah d’Tana was the first of Vicar of the Deathsworn. Master Bloodfyre sought Etah out from within the ranks of Arcona’s Shadesworn, handpicking Etah to help bring life to his vision.
In time Darknyte assumed the mantle of Vicar of the Deathsworn, vowing to inflict unimaginable terror upon the enemies of Deathsworn.
The Vicar acts in lieu of the Patriarch commanding the Deathsworn in the field and acting as the overall leader of the group in his absence.
Harbinger
Battlelord Zekk
Sith Battlelord Zekk, second Aedile of House Mortis was the first Harbinger.
Higher ranking Sworn or Cultists may be appointed Harbingers. They answer to the Vicar in the field but operate independently, filling reconnaissance and special operations roles.
The Sworn
The line soldiers of the Deathsworn. Each of them posses shipboard skills such as piloting, astronavigation and mechanics as well as infantry skills such as blasters or explosives.
Cultist
Non-force users can serve the Deathsworn, though they don’t reap the benefits through the force, many of them are even more fanatical. They serve in a similar role as the Sworn.
Precepts of the Deathsworn
Master Bloodfyre and Battlelord Etah devised precepts for the Deathsworn based upon the writings of Darth Mortis and their collective experience.
- There is a veil of secrecy that must be respected, so that the Deathsworns good work isn't impacted by authorities.
- The Deathsworn kill large groups of innocent people and always leave survivors to mourn the fallen in order to mass feelings of intense fear, anger, hate and suffering, which together create wounds that ripple and reverberate through the Force, empowering the Darkside.
- We should always attack the same city or planet more than once, but not too often or in any decipherable pattern. Certainty detracts from fear.
- The Deathsworn are terrorists and assassins, not soldiers or warriors. Our primary targets are the innocent and the harmless; they are mourned most bitterly.
- Whenever possible the Deathsworn should conceal their identities, masquerading as the enemies of their targets with the intention of causing reprisals from their victims against other innocent persons.
Perceptions
From Within
Clan Tarentum
Tarentum and more specifically Mortis is of course home to the Deathsworn. At the time of their founding, the Patron of the Deathsworn was also the Proconsul of the Clan, so the relationship is close. But the Deathsworn tends to view the decisions the rest of the Clan makes as wrongheaded and heretical.
Clan Arcona
Arcona is not only the perennial ally of the Clan Tarentum, but also the home of the Shadesworn. Etah, the first Vicar of the Deathsworn, who was also formally of the Shadesworn held a bittersweet view of his former home and like the Cult as a whole, viewed Arcona as an important resource.
Dark Council
The Deathsworn views the Dark Council as a necessary evil that they mostly ignore, interacting with the decisions of the Dark Council only through their own House Summit and Clan Summit.
All Other Clans
The other Clans are boring. They are too jaded to be useful as victims, but if they ever got in the way of the Deathsworn, they would likely be dispatched.
All Lighties
Jedi of the light side are the best targets. Their death reverberates through the force and their mourning also makes waves through the force. They are the choice target of the Deathsworn when it is safe and advisable to do so.
From Without
Clan Tarentum
Some within the Clan view the Deathsworn with suspicion, their rabid loyalty to Master Bloodfyre making them suspicious even to the Consul of the Clan Tarentum, Frosty Romanae
Clan Arcona
The Shadesworn are aware of the Deathsworns creation, but not of its membership or nature, the rest of the Clan doesn’t seem to be aware.
Dark Council
The Deathsworn haven’t done anything to merit attention from the Dark Council….. yet.
All Other Clans
Not much is known about the secretive Deathsworn Cult by the greater Dark Brotherhood beyond rumors of a terrorist group existing within Tarentum.
All Lighties
The Jedi don’t know about the Deathsworn….. yet.