- "It doesn’t matter if you believe; what matters is that others believe, others who hold influence...and they will act accordingly."
- ―Tsainetomo Keibatsu Sadow
Tsainetomo Keibatsu Sadow is an Apostate of Sadow and former Consul of Clan Naga Sadow.
Appearance/Personality
File:Tsainetomo.jpgTsainetomo Keibatsu Sadow is the physical epitome of an accomplished warrior whose skill with the blade borders on the superlative. His is a strength uncommon to most in the Brotherhood, and his years of martial training lends him a fluidity that belies his power. Sai is happiest when in battle; Sadowans who have fought alongside him have reported him acting as if he's having the time of his life. His usual approach is to wade headlong into a fight, especially with those who appear to be more powerful or skilled than he; considered reckless by many, Sai’s actions are a direct result of choosing to revel in any given moment, giving little to no thought for the long-term future.
In reality, Sai is a shrewd fighter, and only seeks to test and improve his skills with fighters who are his equal or better. He will often look upon lower-ranked Journeymen with a measure of detachment, as they would prove no challenge to him.
His skin is a sun-darkened bronze, a product of both genetics and environment, being of Korunnai and Kyataran stock and growing up on a harsh, desert world. His hair is probably his most distinguishing feature, growing impossibly long and flowing seemingly with a life of its own. Tsainetomo has worn it out and untamed, but will more likely than not pull his hair back and tied with a scrap of cloth, leaving most of its mass in a queue at the back of his head. Running a close second with his hair would be his eyes; the irises are blue-black, with his pupils having split into three distinct apertures. Sai has reported no strange effects or altered vision stemming from his eyes’ make-up; however, many have speculated that Sai is keeping their full capabilities to himself until such time as he deems it necessary to share.
DJB Facts
History
Tsainetomo’s career in the Dark Jedi Brotherhood before the year 35 ABY can be compared to most any leaders’, punctuated by an atypical rise through the ranking structure and leadership castes, serving as BTL, Aedile, Quaestor, and Proconsul before his tenure as Quaestor of the then House Naga Sadow saw him entering his most formative years to date.
Sai has always been known by his service: to his family, to his Clan as leader and Son, and to the DB in general. It was with that same attitude that had Sai act as Quaestor to unify the Sadowans’ effort and might to convince, through their collective actions, the Dark Council to issue a Charter of Clanship. The Summit at the time eagerly accepted, and Sai was elevated to the position of 1st Consul of the newly-reformed Clan Naga Sadow.
The Son of Sadow was singularly proud of, and for, the Clan’s achievement. He had saw a need in leadership and direction, sought to fill it, and had been rewarded for his efforts with rank and power. However, Sai was not one to actively seek position; he simply wanted to serve as he had been taught. So, with the Clan on an unprecedented upswing, Sai quietly abdicated the seat of Consul, feeling at the time that the Clan would be self-sustaining and that he was no longer needed to lead. Some would later speculate that the Grand Master’s very public admonition for Sai to do nothing in the wake of the assassination of their fellow Son and current Fist of the Brotherhood Fremoc's son Thomas contributed to his exodus, as well.
The Overlord, despite Sai’s leaving means to communicate with two of the Clan’s most prestigious members and Sons themselves (Macron and Manji Sadow), was furious at Sai’s disobedience. He had given no such order, nor had sanctioned Sai’s initiative. His subsequent order to capture and detain Sai would reflect stark differences in philosophy between the two men, chief among them the distinction of obedience and loyalty. However, Tron’s retribution would have to wait, as GJW X would be upon them all.
Macron, acting on the Overlord’s order, utilized Sai’s communication methods to track him down to Aeotheran and the Greasy Hydrospanner, where he would find a very different man than the one who’d left the Clan earlier.
Drunk, slovenly, and irreverent, the once-regal warrior had experienced a clear devolution, in both manner and in mind. Sai had chosen to hide out in the city’s Refugee District, where he would be the local voice of the dregs that the Dlarit Corporation had ignored...and who the less-than-savory would gladly prey upon. Quickly, Sai became the unnamed force of justice in the “Tent City”, eschewing the traditional, militaristic tactics and training he’d had while under the Sadowan umbrella and adopting guerrilla-styled fighting methods.
Sai had denied Macron’s initial request to rejoin the Clan in this time of war, as evidenced by them starting a fight that had blown out the entire front of the bar. It was only by Macron’s knocking Sai unconscious that Sai would find himself on the front lines once more, fighting alongside other Sadowans against the Jedi of New Tython.
It would be revealed that Naga Sadow, so used to shaping the direction of the Brotherhood during tumultuous times, would be relegated to a step above ‘cannon-fodder’ during the War...a distinction that further angered the Overlord. Conveniently, the man against whom he’d already planned retribution for desertion would provide a handy scapegoat for this latest affront. The Overlord, scant hours after the cease-fire had been ordered, had Macron take Tsainetomo into immediate custody. The Sith would subsequently remand the Obelisk to the Cenota Facility on Gamuslag.
Sai would spend an unknown number of months in incarceration, enduring mistreatment and lashings from the sadistic staff, until he escaped, unwittingly aided earlier by Macron. The Alchemist, in an effort to countermand the Overlord’s orders with as little suspicion as possible, literally walked Sai through the route he was to take upon his decision to escape.
It should be noted that Sai spent the better part of his early career searching in vain for a warrior who would grant him the most sacred of honors: a beautiful death. In failing that, he has accepted that mayhap his greatest adversary is one of his own creation: his ambition to become the greatest warrior since Alaeidon.
Recent reports place Tsainetomo in contradictory locations after his jailbreak, making his current whereabouts difficult to determine. It is unknown if Sai is to be counted as one of the Clan’s greatest heroes, or one of her deadlier enemies. It should be noted that Sai recognizes no sovereignty save that of his own and, to an extent, his family...adherence to this code has seen him leave his long-time home in the Brotherhood, and it has run him afoul of many a Brotherhood House officiant and lower-tier Dark Council member alike.
As Sai believes that Titles and Ranks are given by and to Men who are content to be defined by others, he does not recognize them, excepting for Grand Masters; he is irreverent, but no one’s fool. When addressing others, he’ll typically use their last names.
Philosophy
Tsainetomo has always been one to Serve, for Service’s Sake until recent events have left him feeling as if the years fighting for Sadowan glory have been largely ignored. In the wake of the Clan’s actions against him and the subsequent and conspicuous absence of any aid from his Family, he feels largely justified in his change in mindset. Sai has learned now that the greatest service is the service to himself in his quest for martial and physical perfection. However, inside him still burns the need to see his Clan succeed, and he has taken a rather radical approach in fostering that success: he has made it his personal mission to have the Clan view him as an enemy, bent on his destruction, as he recalls the Clan being most successful when it is singularly focused on a unifying goal. His sacrifice, of name, station and honor, some have said is one of the highest order.
During his time in self-imposed exile, he has outwardly devolved from a staunch ‘Clan-first’ stance to one of self-improvement, as prescribed by the Doctrines of Ferran, and of Alaiedon before him. Sai has had little time for anything else excepting perfecting his martial skills, and it is that drive to be the best that has somehow healed his fragmented mind.
Sai had heretofore been known as a tactical-genius, with a cold and business-like affectation, displaying little to no emotion. However, Sai’s meditations have revealed that mindset for what it was: a set of controls designed to fragment his mind and keep him from realizing his true potential. Now, he only reverts to the earlier mindset when training; his current disposition would be what some would call the polar opposite of what they remember.
The Son of Sadow now only lives for fighting, reveling in the immediacy of the moment and relishing the sensations that come with it; the more personal the duel, and the stronger the opponent, the better. Sai believes that the most truthful, purest moments of his life have come when his blade crosses another; freed from the machinations of politics and grovelling that comes with currying favor, Sai’s fulfillment is at that most vulnerable, naked of moments when all of one's preparation comes to bear in a life-or-death circumstance.
Sai has also decided to get away from the complexities inherent in the more ‘advanced’ styles; his months of exile forced him to strip all aspects of his life to their simplest components. As such, he finds the most direct courses of action to be the most effective. Sai will utilize his strength, speed and ferocity to end a fight as quickly as possible; if a fight is prolonged by circumstances beyond his control, or by the rare skilled opponent, then more’s the better.
Sai’s own skill is such that he will purposefully handicap himself, often dueling with his lightsaber one-handed in an effort to prolong the fight and his subsequent enjoyment. Very rarely will he place two-hands on his hilt, saving that power and skill curve for the most learned of enemies and dire of situations.
Because Tsainetomo has had little to no luck with apprentices (they either died during their training or were exposed as traitors), he has come to refuse the formal taking-on of an apprentice, believing that every man should advance according to their own will, merits and abilities.
In a fight, Sai will not ask for any quarter, nor will any be given. Every encounter is an ultimate test; begging for both mercy and death will only earn his opponents contempt, as he himself feels that if he ‘loses’ a fight and his left alive, it was simply a matter of luck.
Dramatis Personae
Tsainetomo has ties with one of the most influential families within the Dark Brotherhood - the Keibatsu. This revered unit includes both the current Grandmaster and the Herald, and other notable members of the Brotherhood, whose bloodline gives them rights of succession to the Kyataran Throne, right after Muz Ashen. However, Sai’s link could be described as tenuous, as he hails from a divergent line rather than the body-proper. As such, he has learned to rely on his self-sufficiency to carve out his destiny, rather than attempting to curry favor by association.
As with any family, there are core similarities as well as differences between them all that define this particular relationship.
Tsainetomo has been named a Son of Sadow, the highest honorific that can be bestowed upon any Naga Sadowan, used to signify their unwavering loyalty to the Overlord, their fellow Sons and Daughters, and the Clan itself. Sai was arguably considered their Paragon by many within and without the assemblage. However, in light of recent events, Sai’s dedication to the august body can be called ‘questionable’, at best. The Overlord has had to name him Apostate, as Trevarus Caerick and his apprentice, Xanos Zorrixor, before him. At Sai’s request, the pair, aided by Xia Long, completed a Rite designed to strip the enchanted blood of the Overlord from his system, as Sai believes the best way that he can help the Clan is if he is removed, after a fashion, from the ties that defined him for so long.
The ritual was a success, with the added side-effect of healing his splintered mind and allowing him more effective usage of his Force powers.
Tsainetomo also helped to broker the alliance between this ascendant House of the Brotherhood and the Clan, but abdicated the Consularship of Naga Sadow before it could be brought to fruition. As he still maintains contacts within the House, developments between them and Naga Sadow are sure to arise in the near future.
At the time of this writing, Arcona is the only other unit that boasts the strength and logistical aptitude to be called a Clan within the Brotherhood. Naturally, Sai has acquaintances within Arcona as well, most notably the deceased Sashar Erinos, his cloned son Teroch Erinos and the current Proconsul of Arcona, Marick Arconae. Recently, he has left Clan Naga Sadow to add his considerable skill to the Arconan Rolls.
Force Abilities
As a follower of the Sadowan way for many years, Tsainetomo has a natural affinity for the telekinetic spectrum of the Dark Side, including a preclusion to use Force Blast.
Sai’s Force-usage is largely rooted in the realm of what will aid him during a fight, making the spectrum of powers he’ll call upon typically relegated to those that boost his physical prowess and inflict the most direct harm to his opponent. However, his years of formalized training and distinguished service under Kyataran instructors and for Naga Sadow still allows him to retain some creativity with his entire Force Power repertoire.
Fighting Disciplines
Tsainetomo is the product of fierce study under celebrated swordsman on his adoptive homeworld of Kyataru and within the Brotherhood, including but not limited to Manji Sadow. Further, his association with the Brotherhood has afforded him the opportunity to study forms, such as Kartranin and Shyarn-ado, that he normally might not have been exposed to. The result is a truly gifted savant of bladework.
These styles make perfect use of Sai’s increased strength, durability and agility. As he has transitioned from a ‘showy’ fighter to one who prefers the most brutally direct and efficient way to put down an opponent, these styles lend themselves perfectly to Sai’s newfound philosophy.
Weaponry
Tsainetomo's Lightsaber, 'Nenshogeru’
- "...the crystal began to spin faster now, Sai having accepted the Dark Side’s providence in selecting such a gem to power his weapon. The components, swirling about his seated form in twin oblate opposing orbits, flung themselves from their places and fitted themselves together in front of him, guided by an unseen hand. Finally, the casing slid shut around the adgean, and Tsainetomo’s weapon was completed. He stood, snatching the hilt as it floated in midair and felt within for the activation stud with his ethereal senses. The coppery blade sprung from his fist for the first time within the cave, the screech and growl of it sounding once again like the utterances born of a dragon’s throat. The plasmic energies, though contained in their self-sustaining loop, fluctuated wildly, making the blade appear as if it were afire..."
- ―from the accounting of the construction of Tsainetomo’s lightsaber
Taken from the Kyataran, “Nenshogeru” loosely translates to “Searing Wind".
Sai returned his earlier set of custom-batons to the Herald and he set about crafting a new hilt, mirroring the traditions of Cerean and Kyataran swordsmiths.
A Jedi is taught to lose all attachments to material possessions, including their lightsabers, but for Dark Jedi, the personalization evident across all strata of the Brotherhood of these personal weapons goes against that tenant. Taking that personalization to the next level, Tsainetomo’s dedication to his bladework has led him to view the blade as an extension of himself, and its completion signifies a metaphysical union between warrior and instrument.
The lightsaber utilizes four crystals; a shard of a Corusca gem and a Phond novae are set inside a Kasha focusing bezel, producing a fiercely burning blade with an orange hue. The bezel itself, used much in the manner of Cerean blademasters, gives Sai greater focus in battle, aiding in clearing distractions from his mind. The Adgean, mined from the vein on Inos 42, was chosen despite the tiniest of imperfections at its center; a jagged splinter within causes the blade to fluctuate wildly, giving it the appearance of having been set on fire.
Lightsaber Forms
Tsainetomo's strength and durability is advantageous in his application of this Form; he will use it to literally beat his opponents into submission, destroying both their ‘saber work and morale equally. His knowledge of the form is rivaled only by those in the Elder-class, and he can utilize it for defense as well as, if not better than any dedicated student of Soresu. He will rely on Shii-Cho for his primary offensive form, albeit one-handed. It takes a dire situation or a truly gifted opponent for Sai to utilize the two-handed techniques this form affords.
This style, with its concentration on impenetrable defense, grants Tsainetomo time to see openings in his opponents attacks that he will exploit with surety.
Tsainetomo has demonstrated proficiency in Makashi; the Duelist’s Form gives Sai a solid background in ‘saber to ‘saber combat.
When in the midst of a truly challenging fight, Sai will delve into Vapaad’s depths, fueled not by rage, but the utter enjoyment that he would find in facing a truly gifted opponent. In conjunction with his two-handed application of Shii-Cho, any opponent facing Sai excepting the most skilled in both the Way of the Blade and in the Force can be assured of a swift and inglorious end.
Sai holds a view shared by others in the Brotherhood, where everything made available to a warrior should be used as a tool to get the job done. As such, he has taken to carrying the auto-repeater, and it has proven to be a valued addition to his arsenal.
Notable Achievements
- Was named Tetrarch and ACC Judge at the rank of Jedi Hunter.
- He has held every leadership position at the Unit(Clan) level.
- He spearheaded the successful efforts to have Naga Sadow return to Clan status.
Positions Held
Trivia
- The name "Tsainetomo" is a bastardization of Yamamoto Tsunetomo's name, who is the author of the Hagakure. Those that are familiar with him know him as "Sai" for short.