Plagueis (Clan)

From Wikipedia of the Dark Brotherhood, an online Star Wars Club

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Clan Plagueis was formed from the merger of Clans Exar Kun and Satal Keto. Out of this, three houses were formed: House Exar Kun, House Satal Keto, and House Bane. The latter was soon removed due to low activity. Soon after this, the new clan's home system of Acarr went supernova, and they were forced to move to the Jusadih System. Here, they have gone through countless troubles from leadership changes to battles against forces vowed to destroy them. Yet, the real trouble still lies waiting around the bend.

For a summary of the clan, see the Clan Plagueis Prospectus.

History

Beginning

Years ago, before the Great Split of the Brotherhood, the event known as the Exodus, there was a Clan of infamy named Alvaak. The avowed ‘chosen’ of the Grand Admiral of the Emperors Hammer, these Jedi were his closest confidants and aides to Ronin, and their loyalty was without question. This period is fast becoming legend, but one Dark Jedi remains now from this fabled period; the Loremaster of Clan Plagueis, Jonaleth Isradia.

When the declaration of independence was signed, a schism like no other arose in the halls of the Dark Brotherhood. In the end, it would be those who left the yoke of the Hammer who would survive and prosper, though at the time many considered them traitors. Of the Clan loyal to Ronin, it was believe all would remain, but in the face of the Grand Admirals arrogance, a handful fled; All those who did are now mere memories, bar one.

This small group of intrepid adventurers travelled through hardship and pain to reach their new home on Antei. However, as they travelled, unseen eyes watched and appreciated their plight. On the darkest and most dismal phase of their voyage, a spectre in the Force visited them, the immortal spirit of the greatest Dark Lord of them all; Exar Kun. He pronounced that these few were worthy of him, and made them heirs to his fortune and powers of Mind Control.

When the disparate group finally arrived on Antei, they were filled once more with fire and passion from their communion, and besought the Dark Council leave to create a new Clan based on their new Masters’ teachings. Permission was granted, and from the ashes of Alvaak arose Clan Exar Kun. The rebels took Acarr as their home, and against the pessimistic view of many, succeeded in a way no-one had thought possible to make a new Clan, alive and thriving. Their rise to power became legend in its own right; they defeated the older, established Clans in Great Jedi Wars, Independence Games, and Clan Feuds alike, and were sought out as allies by many others. It was Clan Exar Kun who found the lost Grand Master Firefox when Okemi took control of the Brotherhood, and it was Exar Kun’s children who were the greatest warriors in the Battle Halls on Antei.

Their glory continued unbroken, until the one called known now only by his pseudonym came to power; the Pretender. Since its founding, Exar Kun had been ruled by those who had met the Dark Lords shade, but the Pretender had never spoken with Kun, and did not share his vision. Against the council of Heirs, he took the Clan as his personal tool, and like a hammer of glass, it shattered in his grasp.

The Heirs revolted, and war was waged between clanmates. When finally the dust settled, a single Heir and Elder remained; Jonaleth. But now the Clan was weakened and dying. Disgusted with what had happened and the necessities it had driven him too, Jonaleth swore an oath never again to sit on the seat of power, lest he be forced again to slay his brothers, and passed on the rulership of the Clan to another, the former Grand Master Chi-Long, prophesying that when next he took the seat, it would be a time of Darkness Unending.

Arriving at the scene of the devastation, Chi-Long and his forces tended to the wounded of the Clan as Isradia reported on what had happened, then disappeared. Under the Grand Masters control, the Clan was stabilised again, but would never return to the glory it had known.

Yet in another part of the Brotherhood, a second Clan was falling on Dark Times. The prodigal Sons of Satal Keto were descended from the First Krath himself, and through the ages had carried the Dark Lords knowledge of Illusion that had smitten his enemies and forged his empire. In these times however, the blood of Satal Keto was running thin, and no true blood had been seen in a generation. There was power still remaining in the Houses of the Clan, whom were known as the wisest of the Brotherhood, whom had researched and recovered more lore of the Dark Side than any other, and who were truly gifted in the Force, but external threats held these things as of little value.

Crimson Tide

In their weakened state, the Sons did not see the looming threat of the Crimson Tide. These mercenaries and their army were descended from the Jedi and soldiers whom had battled against Satal Keto in aeons past, and like a scavenger of the stars, they fell upon the great Clan in its hurt state, and began to systematically eradicate it. Those few Elders of the Clan who remained fought with skill and cunning never before seen, but their numbers were too few, even with the Force as their ally.

In the end, they could hold but a single world against the onslaught of the Tide, and reaching out with their powers, beseeched the help of allied Clans. Only one was close enough to respond in time; the still frail Exar Kun. Heading their allies call, the Kunians sent what remaining forces they had after their own war to re-enforce their allies.

The battle was long and hard as Elders, Equites, Journeymen and followers of both Clans fought side by side against the marauding Tide, but in the end, the superior power and skill of the Jedi won the day, and the Crimson forces were thrown back into the darkness of space to lick their wounds and plot their revenge. The battle was over, the Dark Side had won, but at a terrible cost. What little that remained of both Clans before was now decimated further – the Consuls of Satal Keto and Exar Kun had fallen in battle, and as many took stock of the situation, they fell into desperation, and lay down to die. On the field of battle in both Clans, yet again a single Elder still stood.

Unification

Weakened and hurt, both great Clans still clung to the shreds of their glory and honour, and seeing that the weight of corruption in both could not be allowed to remain, the Dark Council intervened. In its entirety, the legendary Star Chamber visited the remnants of Exar Kun and Satal Keto, and pronounced the Dictum of Two Skies. There could no longer be two fates for these Jedi; two Clans would unite now as one, and lend the strengths of both to a new order for them. The composure of this Clan would be decided in ritual combat; the weak would perish that the strong might survive.

And thus the Dictum of Two Skies was carried out. New members came to the field, and for a month, Jedi fought Jedi in battle for supremacy, and when the dust finally fell, a new band stood together, united by victory and strength, their weaknesses purged and cleansed in a trial by fire. From the ashes of two Clans arose a new one: Plagueis, a new life born of death. Then the Dictum was released, and as their final act, the Elders of the Star Chamber worked a great feat of Force magic - grasping the skeins of reality itself, they wove together the twin fates of Exar Kun and Satal Keto, and merged their powers into one. At last the Star Chamber departed for Antei once again, and the new Consul of Plagueis, Kir Katarn, Deputy Grand Master, set forth to forge a destiny for the Clan.

The shockwaves of the Star Chambers actions, however, continued to ripple out through the Force, and unknown to all, a forgotten Sith Lord stirred in the embrace of the Dark Side. On the distant tomb planet of Korriban, Darth Plagueis arose from death in the shape of a grim wraith of Shadow and Dust, and called out to those whom had taken on his name.

In Plagueis, there were now but four Elders of the Dark Side with the strength to hear the cosmic summons, and the wraiths call touched their minds like caress, filling them with the subtle urge to seek him out. Kir Katarn, Sarin, Corran Force and Jonaleth Isradia answered the undying Dark Lords call, and visited his resting place on the necropolis world. Deep beneath the surface, the Krath enacted the rituals to re-animate the Sith Lord, and the wraith of Plagueis was brought for the first time into the material realm. For a day and a night, Plagueis spoke to these four, and listened to their story in turn. At the last, he blessed this new Clan with his providence, and dubbed these four his Eldritch Cabal, his protégés to be invested with his power, and to once again carry out his will in the galaxy.

The wisdom of Plagueis is renowned and legendary, so vast and encompassing that no mere mortal could hope to contain it all. And so, the Dark Lord invested in each of the Cabal a part of the Mystery that, when reunited, would lead to ascendance such Plagueis himself had achieved. In Jonaleth was invested the Mystery of the Wise, the secret knowledge and lore of the ancient Sith Lords. In Sarin was invested the Mystery of Ether, penetrating and steely knowledge of the supremacy of the Force. To Kir came the Mystery of One, the knowledge of control, unity and singularity that quantified the cosmos, and to Corran was set the Mystery of the Firmament, understanding of the nature of reality.

When they returned to their Clan, the Eldritch were as messiahs. Each bearing a fragment of the Dark Lord within them, their plans were laid out to lend new strength to their brothers and sisters. It was during this time that Jonaleth penned the Wisdom of Plagueis and became the Loremaster of Clan Plagueis, wisest of the Children. Sarin delved into the powers granted by the Star Chambers magic, and discovered new facets the Clan powers. Kir formed the Council of the Wise, so that the knowledge, heritage and wisdom of Plagueis would never be lost again, and Corran ventured into the galaxy and returned with arcane artefacts to empower the Clan.

End of Acarr

It was a month later that the disturbance began to manifest. Once again, it was the four Elders of the Cabal that sensed the change in the galaxy around them, and the felt a sudden cosmic rage was over them. In the Acarr system, home of the new Clan Plagueis, the sun was shuddering with anger, for the great feat of the Star Chamber had somehow distorted reality further than intended by merging the powers of Exar Kun and Satal Keto, an the heart of the great star of Sigil now faltered.

This doom was close, but the Plagueians had time to act – moving like lightning, the Clan mobilised itself, and began evacuation, fleeing to the Jusidah system. It was then that the Crimson Tide returned to seek vengeance on their defeaters, and launched an attack on the moving Plagueis forces. The Clan fought valiantly, and despite overwhelming odds against them, held back the Tide forces until the evacuation could be completed. Then, in a final act of malign vengeance, Kir Katarn and Sarin blockaded the system, trapping the majority of the mercenary forces within as Sigil finally went supernova.

Jusidah

Kapsina, or Sigil 1, is the Clan HQ in the Jusadih System

With the Crimson Tide severely crippled, the Dark Jedi of Clan Plagueis settled onto the worlds designated by the Consul. House Exar Kun settled on the planet Aerun, while House Satal Keto settled on the planet Morroth. The Clan Summit and the Council of the Wise settled within the newly constructed Dark Tower on the planet Kapsina, and the various arms of the Clan established their dominance over the populations of the Jusidah System.

With the new abundant wealth and resources of the Jusidah System now at their disposal, the Houses and the Clan Summit of Clan Plagueis set about creating various enterprises and identities to help mask its existence from outsiders and possible enemies. The first step was for Clan Plagueis to create a false identity for itself, and to achieve this Dark Jedi Master Aristan Dantes decided to create a company named Sistros Acquisitions & Holdings. The company instantly became a powerful enterprise, and in turn began to show a real profit as it eventually evolved into the primary provider for trading and other ventures within the sector. With the creation of the first system wide stock market, Sistros Acquisitions & Holdings became the premier power broker for the entire Jusidah System.

The Selen Incident

With its financial security in place, and its identity hidden from any potential enemies, Clan Plagueis was now faced with a new problem, a power struggle within the upper ranks of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood was beginning to develop. It began slowly; under the pretext that a few of the Clans were becoming restless and believed that the Dark Brotherhood itself was becoming complacent in its place in the galaxy. Clans made small allegations against their so called brothers, the largest of which was Clan Arcona and Taldryan turning into active battle over accusations that the other clan was holding brotherhood members. This series of events between Clan’s Arcona and Taldryan would come to be known in the chronicles of the Dark Brotherhood as the “Selen Incident”.

As these events were unfolding, the other Clans of the Dark Brotherhood were commencing a wargame exercise in the Aranna region of Brotherhood space. Warnings were sent out all through the brotherhood, and Clans Naga Sadow, Tarentum, Plagueis, and Scholae Palatinae started to slowly and silently attack each other. They started by sending Envoys to the other clans to inspect them for any weapons that might be deemed hazardous. Naga Sadow's Envoy to Clan Plagueis met a frightening doom with Consul Sarin, and the clan announced they were no longer allies to Naga Sadow. The same occured in various other places between all four clans, and the wargames turned into something much more serious.

While the four Clans involved in the wargames began to war amongst themselves, alliances were forged between the warring parties, resulting in a split of forces. Clan Naga Sadow aligned itself with Clan Tarentum, while Clan Plagueis forged an alliance with Clan Scholae Palatinae. As the fighting progressed the Deputy Grand Master sent out an urgent communiqué through the Dark Brotherhood’s holonet that Clans Arcona and Taldryan had reached a resolution to the “Selen” crisis. The entire affair was deemed classified, but had been publicly stated to be a mistake in communication, and that the Taldryan fleet was returning to their home system without further delay. However, the wargames between the other four clans continued to go on, ending with a massive battle between all four fleets. The attack plans were fierce, but in the end Plagueis and its ally were forced to retreat, ending the conflict after two straight weeks and fighting.

Not more then a single day passed before a strange transmission from Clan Tarentum was intercepted by the brotherhood. Despite the Dark Council's best decoders working on it, they were unable to figure out what any of it said save for four words : Grand Master Jac Cotelin. Clan Plagueis tried getting some information about the message out of their allies, but the summit denied it ever being sent, and refused to talk.

The Great Jedi War – “The Enemy Within”

Over the next month, the brotherhood would continue to slip closer and closer towards disater. The Jusicar's Office saw more complaints within a week then it usually dealt with in a month, all of which were accusations being made against one clan by another. Many were small and false, but the time it consumes was disatorous. One large complaint made by Clan Taldyran against Clan Scholae Palatinae ended with the two clans nearly declaring war on each other. To make it worse, while all of this was going on, the Grand Master started to not be himself, and acted much more tired then usual. He left Antei for an important meeting, leaving Deputy Grand Master Xanos in charge. During that time, the DGM released a proclamation in the Dark Voice that despite being meant to end things, was received by the clans as a "stop now or else" warning. The six clans decided it was then best to stop searching amongst themselves for the problem in the brotherhood, and start looking in the Dark Council.

During a meeting with the Lord Hegemon, the Herald, the Headmaster, the Combat Master and the Dark Voice editor, a lone figure arrived with a message for the Headmaster. The figure was dressed in the robes of a Guardian, but the robes were tattered and resembled those of the past generation of the Brotherhood, and included the crest of the former Clan Satal Keto on the chest of the outer robes. As he approached the Dark Council members he withdrew a small package and slowly set it down. The Lord Hegemon’s sense of danger suddenly went to high alert, and he started to yell out for the other members to get down, but it was too late, the small package exploded, bathing the office in a searing light, followed by a deafening explosion.

None were severely injured, but the attack did prompt Grand Master Jac to send a holographic message to all brotherhood members telling them to stop now. The matter only became worse as the clans continued to not only fight amongst themselves, but now against the Dark Council. The cherry on top, however, was that shortly after Jac sent his warning, he was to give another speech to the citizens of a planet he hoped to gain for mining deposits. The Grand Master was just exiting his shuttle when he was suddenly shot by a stun bolt fired by a sniper from a nearby tower. Six hooded figures burst forward and picked up the now unconscious Grand Master and just as quickly disappeared with their target. From this point events become confusing, as there are varying accountings of what came next. But before anyone knew what had happened, the Dark Brotherhood suddenly found itself faced with two Grand Masters, both appearing to be Jac Cotelin, but with purely different agendas. One would become the “Red” Jac, the other the “Blue” Jac. Clans and members alike would split the Dark Brotherhood apart, even in some cases sides being taken within Clans themselves. Over a short period of time the Consuls of each Clan would force their belief in the “true” Jac to their members, and thus aligning their entire Clan with one or the other of the two Grand Masters. The ensuing chaos created another Great Jedi War, this one aptly dubbed “The Enemy Within”, where Clan fought Clan over who believed they were following the real Grand Master.

Eventually Dark Jedi Master Sarin felt it was prudent for Clan Plagueis to initiate a pre-emptive attack on an opposing Clan, to help shift the balance in favor of the “Red” Jac that Clan Plagueis had chosen to defend and bring back to power. The Consul consulted with his closest allies: Proconsul, Sith Battlelord Salth Khan, a trusted friend and confidant; the Loremaster of Plagueis, Dark Adept Jonaleth Isradia, an ancient Dark Jedi with incredible power and loyal to Clan Plagueis; DJM Corran Force, Swordmaster of Plagueis who had fought alongside the Consul in many a battle; and Sith Warlord Vessicant, Watchmaster of Plagueis, who’s collective wisdom and rage in combat had proven to be a deciding factor on many an occasion. Together the group comprised the elder and most senior of the Dark Jedi in Clan Plagueis, each having proven their loyalty and ferocity in combat to protect Clan Plagueis. With his war council in place, Sarin laid out his plans for attacking Clan Arcona. His plan involved attacking the heart of Arcona, and while not attempting to bring about the downfall of Arcona, the attacks would bring a great deal of damage to a Clan believed to be one of the most powerful in the Dark Brotherhood. With the plans made, the Dark Jedi of Clan Plagueis were assembled and told of their impending task. The House Summits were given their orders, and the fleets of Clan Plagueis prepared to depart for the battle ahead.

The Proconsul led the fleets of House Exar Kun and Satal Keto into the Dajjora System, home to Clan Arcona. There the Satal Keto fleet began its assault on the orbital defenses of the planet Selen, the home planet of Arcona. The Proconsul however ordered his ship, the Modified Cruiser Atrum Pars, to attack the nearby moon Boral, where the Proconsul of Clan Arcona had a “pet project” that involved a moon base being used to terra-form the entire moon surface for agriculture prospects. If successful, then Clan Arcona would be able to produce enough agricultural products to sustain it indefinitely. Battlelord Salth Khan wanted to put this project to a quick end, and in doing so knew that this would divert the Arcona Proconsul’s attention from the main part of the attack, thereby dividing the Arcona leaderships attention. The plan worked, the Atrum Pars annihilated the entire facility and its underground components. Likewise, House Satal Keto succeeded in eliminating the orbital and ground-based weapon systems in a major onslaught, and then were joined on the planet by the ground forces of House Exar Kun, who quickly and defiantly nullified the remaining weapon systems and ground forces protecting the Arcona Citadel.

While these events unfolded, the Clan Summit and Council of the Wise concocted a secret project that involved using Sith Warrior Gaidal Dupar al’Tor as a rogue Dark Jedi that had turned against his clan. His mission would be to root out the cause of some past problems, believed to be the act of one single former Equite that had been banished from Clan Plagueis some time before. Under the watchful eye of Dark Adept Jonaleth Isradia, the lone Warrior was sent on a mission to find his former Master, Archpriest Braecen Kunar, who had betrayed Clan Plagueis while serving as Quaestor of House Exar Kun. His betrayal was so deep that Braecen had invoked the wrath of Dark Jedi Master Sarin, who subsequently banned Braecen from ever returning to Clan Plagueis, and had declared that the traitor was wanted “dead on sight” by any member of Clan Plagueis that had the opportunity to end his life.

Unfortunately the mission wasn’t entirely perfect. While Gaidal was able to eventually reach his former Master, and was able to convince him that he was no longer trusted in Plagueis, Braecen wasn’t about to fully trust him. He sent Gaidal on a suicide mission to attack his former Clan as a test to prove his loyalty to his former Master. But happenstance would see that his ship was brought down by the Proconsul’s flagship while on a vector to attack the ships of House Exar Kun. After crash landing on the planet Selen, Dark Adept Jonaleth Isradia and Battlelord Salth Khan retrieved the broken, but not yet dead, form of Gaidal al’Tor. Isradia led the clans ground forces into the heart of the Arcona Citadel, while Khan personally transported the nearly dead Sith Warrior back to his flagship. With Gaidal now safe and being treated, Adept Isradia and the combined forces from Houses Exar Kun and Satal Keto dismantled the inner defenses and forces of Clan Arcona. Numerous artifacts and intelligence documents were retrieved before Isradia commanded the forces to withdraw and depart the planet. As soon as all of the ships were recovered, the fleet departed back to the Jusidah System, reaping the rewards of their victory, and what it meant for the future of the Dark Brotherhood.

The true reason for the rapid assault on the Arcona Citadel was to draw away some of the Arconan forces that were to be sent to support the “Blue” Jac’s attempts to wrest control of the Dark Brotherhood. With fewer forces to send in support of the cloned leader, the forces of the “Red” Jac would now have a major advantage. The fact that the assault on the Dajjora System also provided the opportunity to do some serious internal damage to Clan Arcona was a bonus, but one that the Clan Plagueis Summits were more than willing to accept in return for the minimal losses they had sustained during the engagement. Plus, the evidence and intelligence collected by Warrior Gaidal al’Tor also proved invaluable, as it helped to further prove that a once honorable member and leader within Clan Plagueis still posed a danger, and would eventually have to be dealt with, in true Plagueis fashion. After returning home onboard the Proconsul’s flagship, Gaidal was rushed to the state-of-the-art medical facilities within the Plagueis Dark Tower, where he was treated and eventually returned to duty as both a hero and seasoned intelligence operative.

Within days the Great Jedi War came to a conclusion as the forces of the “Red” Jac overwhelmed those of the “Blue” Jac and the true Jac returned to power. However, the fallout from those that had supported the “Blue” Jac’s tyrannical assaults and conflict within the Dark Brotherhood would be closely watched by the Justicar for some time to come, despite their pleas that they believed that they were supporting the true “Jac”. But Clan Plagueis, along with Clans Tarentum and Naga Sadow, reaped the rewards of loyalty and trust from the Grand Master. With chaos restored within the Dark Brotherhood, Clan Plagueis set forth to further their dominance and standing within the Brotherhood.

Clan Summit

Roll of Consuls

  1. Chi-Long: 6/9/2005 to 7/26/2005
  2. Lucien: 7/26/2005 to 11/28/2005
  3. Kir Katarn: 11/28/2005 to 1/23/2006
  4. Aristan "Sarin" Dantes: 1/23/2006 to 11/11/2006
  5. Aabsdu: 11/11/2006 to Present

Roll of Proconsuls

  • Braecen: 6/9/2005 to 6/28/2005
  • Lucien: 6/28/2005 to 7/26/2005
  • Warhunter: 7/26/2005 to 8/15/2005
  • Ethran: 8/20/2005 to 9/22/2005
  • Virulence: 9/29/2005 to 11/28/2005
  • Sarin: 11/30/2005 to 1/23/2006
  • Salth: 1/29/2006 to 8/18/2006
  • Aabsdu: 8/24/2006 to 11/11/2006
  • Valerian Orzon: 11/13/2006 to Present

Additional Information

For more information see also the following articles:

External Links

Clan Plagueis' homepage