The Erinos are a prominent family of Force Sensitive Mandalorians from various Mandalorian clans, notably the Skirata and the Kodiak clans. Each of the Founding members of the Erinos Clan have pledged their allegiance to the fraternity they’ve fostered.
Membership in the family is decided on the combat prowess of the inductee. If he or she has displayed formidable ability in a certain area of warfare or is a warrior of renown in general, then they will be indoctrinated into the Mandalorian way.
As with all Mandalorian Clans, The Erinos believe that aliit iru'shya tal'din – Family is more than bloodlines. As such, The Erinos family, while predominantly Human, would never hold species against a prospective member, as long as their skill in combat was acceptable.
History
Humble Beginnings
As they were growing up, Zandro and Xayun Erinos knew nothing of their heritage. Their father, the son of a Mandalorian by the name of Kal Skirata, had resented his father ever since he abandoned him. Their father grew up as a staunch Imperial loyalist and pressed these attributes onto his sons but not his daughters, stating that "Men will teach men and women will teach women"
This meant that their mother who was much more sympathetic towards the Rebellion raised the female Erinos sisters. However, their father never revealed their heritage to them, as the memories were too painful. He blamed the Mandalorians for his father’s ineptitude as a parent and so vowed to be a better father for his own sons, believing that this could be achieved by ignoring his own Mandalorian ties.
Some Mandalorian traits he could not shake off though, and he taught his sons that discipline was the key for any soldier. You could make the best fighter in the universe, but if he were part of a team where he and his team-mates had no discipline, he would be wasted. He taught them how to fight and that athleticism was important for any man. He was passionate about what he believed in, and was filled with pride when first Xayun and then Zandro both entered Imperial service.
However, he feared that he couldn’t hide his sons from the truth of their Mandalorian heritage forever, and knew that one day his sons would discover their ancestry and confront him. They had an uneventful childhood, safe in the knowledge that both of their parents loved them in their own ways and provided the boys with a decent education at one of Yaga Minor's primary academies and were both well prepared with the social niceties required for an Imperial Officer of the Navy when they enrolled at the Vensenor Flight Academy , a prestigious branch of the Imperial Academy.
They both excelled at piloting, whilst Zandro also showed an affinity for intelligence-related work and a tactical savvy rarely seen. Xayun however was much more comfortable with what his instructors classed as ‘fine detail’ work, in that anything that required intense concentration and focus for short periods he seemed at home with, whilst tasks that required extended exertion weren’t his forte, unless of course he was in the cockpit of a Starfighter.
Both brothers were renowned for their quick wits and sharp tongues. Eventually the brothers graduated near the top of their classes and were assigned to various branches of the Imperial Navy – Xayun to the Carrack Cruiser Vindicator II whilst Zandro was sent to serve in the Emperor’s Hammer Strike Fleet.
The Living Force
Time passed as the two men worked their way through the Imperial Navy and then onto the Dark Brotherhood as they realised their potential and Force abilities. When they rediscovered each other once more, they were overjoyed to find that they were in the same organisation and that they could keep in touch and support one another. Whereas Xayun was in Clan Naga Sadow, Zandro was situated in Clan Arcona, where he was reuinited with his former master, Sashar, an orphaned Mandalorian who had taken the younger man under his wing. The two spent so much time in each others’ company that they developed a strong bond that most people felt was merely that of a Master and a Student, but felt closer than that – even going so far as to feel each other’s pain when each other were physically hurt, and unconsciously boosting each other when using force augmentation on themselves: They were linked by a Force Chain.
All was revealed to Sashar when he joined Zandro and Xayun on their mission to track down the killers of Zandro’s fiancée. The mission spanned several weeks and as the trio worked closely together, they felt a bond between them which had previously been buried and hidden from them. The only time Zandro had felt anything like it was with Xayun, which led him to wonder as to the true origins of Sashar. With the mission’s conclusion, the group confronted Zandro and Xayun’s parents with their feelings and findings and were shocked by the truth which was revealed to them.
Their mother revealed that she had had an affair when she was younger and before either Zandro or Xayun were born to a Mandalorian, who was killed before their mother gave birth to Sashar. Following his wishes, Their mother had Sashar sent to the Kodiak Clan on Dxun once he was born, but the craft crashed due to being caught in a huge storm in Dxun’s upper atmosphere. Sashar was thought dead. She revealed that the child had been Sashar, and that he was technically an Erinos by blood, elder brother to the Zandro and Xayun and her son. The news, while not unwelcome, shocked the two brothers to the core.
The realization of their heritage also led them to confront their father, something he had been dreading since they had been born and he made the decision to cut them off from their ancestry. He explained to the men the story of his own father, and how his Mandalorian nature had been the thing which, in their father’s eyes, made his own father a poor one. He had left his family and disappeared, leaving nothing more than rumours as to his situation, whether it be dead or alive.
The brothers understood their father’s reasoning and they recovered quickly, and as they headed back to Brotherhood space the trio had a sudden idea. Sashar knew of several Mandalorians in the Brotherhood, and he believed that they could be united under a single name to form a family. With this unification, he believed that they could aid with the Brotherhood’s struggle, while also claiming power and glory for its members. He foresaw redemption of the Mandalorian name in the Erinos family, giving birth to a new generation of super-commandoes blessed with Mandalorian fighting prowess and tactical savvy mated with the Jedi’s famed preternatural abilities.
Genesis
With the idea firmly stuck in their heads, the three brothers set out to find worthy members to join in their new family and get it started. They knew that, to begin with, they needed to find another two members, and they also knew exactly who they would choose. Their first stop was with Sashar’s newest apprentice, another Mandalorian from the Dxun camps by the name of Juda. Seeing him as a great asset to the family and their drive for superiority and prestige, they confronted him at the Arcona barracks and told him of their plan. He was quick to join up with his Sergeant and his Master, and gladly agreed to join them in their quest, vowing to do all he could for the family in its drive for success. Their next stop was to find the last member of their new family and one of Sashar and Zandro’s closest brothers, the Mandalorian named Kieran.
Upon arrival at his room in the Soulfire barracks, the Mandalorian took some initial persuading by the duo as they tried to get him to join them in their quest. They described their vision and showed him how he would fit into it and how it would also aid him in his personal development, as well as furthering the cause of true Mandalorians everywhere. While initially weary about joining them, as he learned more of their plans he began to become more interesting and felt as though he could connect with their ideas and was finally persuaded, agreeing to join them.
Zandro, Sashar and Xayun
Whilst Juda worked with Xayun in scouting out a possible location in the Dajorra system, Sashar and Zandro set out to try and persuade one more person to join their brotherhood – another former Soulfirian and Sashar’s second apprentice Malidir. Whilst not a Mandalorian by blood or upbringing, he had demonstrated time and time again that he was a brilliant combatant with his racking up a huge number of kills during his tenure in House Galeres. He was all for the fraternity offered by the two brothers. Whilst Sashar petitioned the Clan Arcona summit for land on Arconae Primus and Juda continued to scout out possible locations on Arconae Primus, Zandro and Xayun headed back to Yaga Minor to acquire the parts and labour needed to construct a new family home.
Kieran however took it upon himself to get the nucleus necessary for starting a new Mandalorian clan – he took Malidir with him back to the Kodiak Clan on Dxun and let it be known that he was starting a new family. Malidir was enrolled in the training regime at Dxun – the Erinos family were firm believers in carrying on the heritage of the Mandalorians, and even their adopted brothers were expected to learn about the history of the Mandalorians (Malidir didn’t need the combat training however, he’d been Sashar’s apprentice and a member of Soulfire Strike Team; both of which gave him the Mandalorian combat ideal). He also started to learn Mando’a, a relatively simple language that had resisted change admirably over the millennia.
The Erinos Family reconvened nearly a month later. Zandro and Xayun had successfully been able to acquire a pre-clone wars colony prefab building as well as a droid construction team required to construct the compound and also get started on making the colony self sufficient in terms of necessities such as food, water, and tradable goods. Kieran brought with him seventy of Clan Kodiak’s Mandalorian men and women to populate the Erinos Clan (as well as a fully indoctrinated Malidir). Juda had found the ideal spot for the Colony to be set up, and Sashar had persuaded the Consul of Arcona to allow them to ‘set up shop.’
All the pieces were in place. Their final task was to build their home on the newly dubbed Venku Range. Situated in a secluded valley on a remote part of Arconae Primus, the Venku Range was heavily wooded with many small clearings – ideal to disguise the various ‘yaims’ from aerial detection. Near the bottom of the valley, the terrain changed drastically to that of a swamp, which Kieran decided to introduce several families of Strill to. There were also rumoured to be a nest of Krite Dragons nesting in the lowlands.
An abandoned quarry made a useful landing site, and several caves were hollowed out to disguise the Erinos Clan’s various ships. Lastly, Sashar and Malidir saw to it personally to construct the Erinos Homestead; a sprawling farm with many different functions. During its construction, Malidir discovered that he avidly enjoyed the farming process and spent a lot of his free time becoming something of an expert on agriculture (in addition to being arguably the most dangerous person in the Dajorra System).
Unfortunately, the domestic bliss was not meant to last. The Eighth Great Jedi War was something of a disaster for both Arcona and the Erinos. During a ceremony to commemorate the Rite of Supremacy, all of the Clans were called to Antei. The Force-devoid Aliens chose this time to attack the Dark Jedi Brotherhood. It was a disaster. The Dark Council and clans were thrown into disarray, and Arcona was hit harder than most.
Their Consul was lost in battle, presumed dead, and Kieran, Zandro and Sashar had to sit out most of the conflict after an abortive boarding attempt of the VSD Vae Victus left them fleeing the ship before its destruction, and then drifting in the mists of the Shroud in an escape pod. Eventually they were recovered by two members of Tarentum, Archean and Welshman. Both of them, for saving three of the Vode Erinos, were offered places in the Erinos family, which were accepted.
Tensions Rise
In the wake of Arcona’s disastrous defeat at Antei and their subsequent withdrawal to the Last Stand, Dark Jedi Master Mejas Doto ascended to the Consularship of the Shadow Clan and, among other appointments, made Sashar Kodiak Erinos his military advisor. With the aid of the other Erinos members in Arcona, all of whom were Soulfire commandos, Sashar took the brand new Task Force that had been assigned to the Clan and made them into a fighting force capable of combating and repelling the Alien invaders.
Concurrent with this military overhaul, the eldest Erinos also stepped down from the Quaestorship of House Galeres and returned to his alma mater, Soulfire Strike Team. This homecoming strengthened the bond that the Erinos Mandalorians shared and began to show that while Arcona was made up of many, its core were the Erinos.
However, the strengthened fraternity within the Erinos Clan would soon become strained once again as the Patriarch, Sashar, became more and more involved with the new Consul, advising him not only on military matters but political and economical as well, quickly proving himself to be a great asset as Mejas Doto began to remake Clan Arcona. Though Sashar would never openly admit it, even to his Erinos brothers, his willingness to help Doto was all part of a bigger plan to assure his Family’s safety in the coming days.
Additional preparations were made by the Exarch in the event his primary plan failed and Mejas Doto rejected his help, such as contacting the two Erinos Tarenti, Welshman and Archean, and creating a safe haven for the rest of the Erinos in Clan Tarentum. And though the lead Erinos felt nothing but foster-love and gratitude to the two Tarenti who had saved him and his brothers’ lives some years back, Sashar secretly hoped that there would be no cause for the Erinos to abandon Arcona, as he felt that the Clan would be considerably weakened and the entire Erinos family, especially Zandro, Kieran, Malidir, and himself, would have huge targets painted on their backs by the Zabrak Consul.
Fortunately, Mejas Doto bore no ill will to any of the Erinos, as their Mandalorian ethos and training allowed them to make Soulfire Strike Team the premier Battleteam in the Brotherhood, which stymied the machinations of those who sought to harm Arcona. In 28 ABY, Consul Doto, with Sashar Erinos’ help, launched Project: Resurrection, a massive competition which showed the Consul who in Arcona was willingly – and deserving – to lead.
The Erinos in Soulfire, which the exception of Zandro (who was competing himself), were called upon to act as the Consul’s personal “hunter-seeker” squad, tracking and eliminating Arconans who were too weak or foolish enough to elude them – which was not an easy feat. Towards the end of the competition, Sashar was pulled from Soulfire’s ranks and placed at the exit of the Shadowcrafted Arena, as a final obstacle to any who made it past Soulfire and the various other dangers that Mejas had conjured within the Shadow-realm.
When the dust settled, it was revealed that Zandro Erinos had emerged as one of the victors and was to take up the leadership of House Galeres while his older half-brother and Patriarch, Sashar, was officially installed as the Proconsul of Clan Arcona. These two appointments significantly boosted the Erinos Clan’s reputation both in and out of Arcona and signalled the beginning to a new dynasty within Arcona.
di Tenebrous Arconae
For the Erinos, things looked on the up and up as Zandro settled into the Quaestorship of House Galeres, a post which his half-brother Sashar had held, while the Erinos Patriarch himself assumed the mantle of Proconsul, officially recognized as Consul Mejas Doto’s second-in-command.
Both brothers took to their new positions with aplomb, introducing a new kind of leadership, one that brought structure and fairness to the Clan. For Sashar, his rise to the Proconsulship almost brought a more “even” temperament to the Summit, counterbalancing Mejas’ sadistic nature while still working in tandem with the Zabrak Master.
Arcona was definitely rising from the ashes of her defeat at the hands of the Aliens with all aspects of the Shadow Clan improving from what they once were; from the Summit, to the ruling of the Dajorra System, military effectiveness, other-Clan relations, and of course, the Battleteams.
While Soulfire Strike Team was still in a league of their own, it could not be said that she was the only Battleteam of note. And even though all of the Arconan Erinos (save Sashar and Zandro) were Soulfire commandos, a large part of the reason behind the other Battleteams increased effectiveness was because of the Mandalorian Clan, whether it was due to the Erinos assisting in Team training, or because of Sashar and Zandro appointing and mentoring new leaders.
Behind the scenes, the eldest Erinos, Sashar, was also striving to further his own abilities; he had taken to learning the ancient way of the Shadesworn from Consul Mejas Doto, so that he could one day be considered a Shadow Lord himself and have mastery over the art.
Mejas Doto, pleased with his Proconsul’s performance, granted this request, and also gifted the Erinos a new set of eyes that would not only restore his vision to what it had been before (Sashar had lost his eyesight during a Soulfire Strike Team operation and had been using a normal set of cybernetics since) but also aide the Mandalorian in Shadowcrafting.
In addition to being one of the dominant forces behind Clan Arcona’s rapid rise to supremacy, the Erinos could also be linked to the formation of the Treaty of Kessel, the official beginning to Clan Arcona and Clan Tarentum’s alliance. While only Sashar and Mejas Doto actually met with and signed the Treaty, it was the Erinos that spearheaded the ensuing “Great Hunt”, a quest that tasked Arconans to capture a live Teretentatek for study and observation by both Arcona and Tarentum.
Before long, Clan Arcona ran wild with whispers of Sashar and Zandro Erinos being rewarded for their loyalty and dedication to the Shadows. These whispers proved to be true as Quaestor Zandro Savric Erinos was promoted to Sith Battlemaster while his half-brother, Sashar Kodiak Erinos, was given the highest honour an Arconan could strive for – the name of di Tenebrous Arconae – the Clan Title.
Dar Manda
Alas, as all good things do, they must come to an end and the Erinos Family is no different. Shortly after Sashar was named an Arconae and Zandro was promoted to Battlemaster, things began to go downhill for the Mandalorians.
Perhaps the pinnacle of the Erinos’ dark time was Sashar Kodiak Erinos, the founder and Patriarch of the Family, renouncing the name “Erinos” and choosing to swear loyalty to Mejas Doto and Clan Arcona above all else. To Zandro, Malidir, Juda, and Kieran, this was seen as the ultimate betrayal, as it shattered the very core of the Erinos’ doctrine: aliit iru'shya tal'din, Family Is More Than Bloodlines.
Secretly however, Sashar had no intention of fully leaving his beloved Family but felt that he could not confide in any of the other Erinos, else he would put them at risk of being targeted by Consul Doto and subjected to having their minds invaded by the crazed Dark Jedi Master. And so, the Patriarch of the Erinos Clan of Mandalorians, Sashar Kodiak Erinos became Sashar Arconae and for the first time in his life, had to face the world without the love and support of his brethren.
In the wake of this startling and unexpected betrayal, Malidir Trepidus Erinos assumed the mantle of Patriarch, causing minor dissension as he was the only non-Mandalorian in the Family. However, his skills as a leader and his mastery over multiple forms of combat quickly removed any doubts the Erinos may have had.
However, a glimmer of light in the “Erinos Dark Age” soon emerged; that of the finding and training of a future Erinos – a young Kiffar named Celahir. Encountered on Fondor by Sashar Arconae and Kieran Kodiak Erinos, who were on a recruitment mission for Clan Arcona, Celahir quickly impressed the Mandalorians by his fiery determination to give the bird to any sort of authority figure that tried to get in his life.
Through the use of persuasion, Sashar was able to secure the Kiffar’s future by enticing him with the idea of being a fearsome warrior. For lack of a better term, Celahir melted in the former Erinos Patriarch’s hands and readily agreed to the Mandalorian’s only stipulation – that he go with Kieran to the moon of Dxun to be trained as a Mandalorian himself.
Kieran and Sashar parted ways on Fondor, with Kieran and his new charge setting course for the home of the Kodiak Mandalorians while Sashar returned to his master, Mejas Doto. Before he reported in however, the former Erinos made a silent vow to keep the knowledge of Celahir the Kiffar’s existence – and current location – to himself. In a way, Sashar was driving yet another wedge between him and the rest of his Family, but he had no choice.
His choice would prove to be the right one in the coming years, when Celahir would arrive in Clan Arcona and leave his mark as a holder of numerous positions, including Soulfire Sergeant and Lord Consul. But for the present, Celahir was in training on Dxun and the Erinos continued to hold a grudge against Sashar, seeing him as nothing more than a powerful and highly-positioned pawn of Mejas Doto.
Fratricide
The misfortune of the Erinos soon spread to Clan Arcona. After a cease-fire between Clan Arcona and Clan Scholae Palatinae, House Qel-Droma Quaestor Quejo Drakai Xyler went into a fit of rage and led his House to the Eclipse System, where the Jedi Order had set up a hidden base.
However, the Erinos were not going to stand for this heinous attack and so Zandro Savric Erinos mobilised his own House, Galeres, and took off in hot pursuit of the Qel-Dromans. Catching up with the rogue Arconans, Zandro deployed Kieran, Juda, Malidir and the rest of Soulfire Strike Team to capture Quejo Xyler.
The Erinos-led commando unit nearly accomplished their goal except for the timely intervention of the Consul and Proconsul who immediately quelled the resistance and reunited Clan Arcona. There was no peace for the Shadow Clan or the Erinos, as Nas Choka, an Alien warmaster had seen fit to conquer the Dajorra System.
Consul Doto bid Sashar to rally the Dajorra Defence Force but they fell under fire from a vanguard of Choka’s destroyer analogs. Putting Zandro Erinos in charge of Shade Squadron, a formation of bombers, Sashar ordered Zandro and his squadron to do a close bombing run on the lead destroyer. Armed with Radiation Bombs, Zandro and his men inflicted heavy damage but failed to completely destroy the Miid Ro’ik.
And so the battle continued, with the Consul ordering the Arconan fleet to fly into the Maw in an attempt to draw the Alien invaders away from Dajorra. For the most part, the plan worked...however, the destroyer analog that Zandro and Shade Squadron had attacked malfunctioned and fell into the gravity well of the Arconan Capital, Selen. The Miid Ro’ik crashed landed fairly close to Estle City, allowing the dying Force-devoid Alien warriors one last conquest – the siege of Estle.
Clan Naga Sadow as called to aid the besieged Shadow Clan but the arrival of more Alien destroyers and their support analogs put both Clans on the losing side of a full-scale invasion. Ever Arconan, Zandro and Sashar met up and descended to the surface of Selen with the goal of relaying orders to the Selenian Caste Leaders and then making for the Citadel.
Tensions finally snapped between Zandro Savric Erinos and Sashar Arconae when the pair felt their brother Juda send a plea for help through the Force. Sashar mortified Zandro by choosing Mejas over Juda and ignored their brother. This caused tempers to flare and a short, but brutal, duel broke out between the brothers, the result of which left Sashar without a lightsaber and Zandro unconscious.
Before Sashar could so much as catch his breath, he was overrun by legions of irradiated Aliens and was prepared to go out the Mandalorian way – by fighting. But neither Sashar nor Zandro’s ticket had been called that day and Juda Kodiak Erinos arrived just in time, Zandro’s lightsaber in hand. The Mandalorian medic had put aside his anger at Sashar and together the two held off the Alien onslaught until Major Malay was able to reach them with an LAAT/i and extract the Erinos trio.
On the way to the Citadel, Sashar revived his half-brother and explained to him why he had done what he had; leaving the Erinos, becoming Mejas’ apprentice, and abandoning not only him but Juda as well. This revelation gave Zandro some measure of understanding, but not his forgiveness.
Sashar, Zandro, and Juda reached the Consul just in time for another threat to emerge – Ylith Atema, some dickwad Sadowan, had gone mad and usurped control of a Naga Sadow Star Destroyer and demanded that the Arconans surrender to him or he would fire upon the Citadel. Ignoring the idiot, the Erinos trio joined the last two members of the Arconan Erinos, Kieran and Malidir, as well as Sashar’s former apprentice Illian Syn, and displayed the awesome and deadly power of a Dark Side-trained Mandalorian as they made their way to the Citadel’s roof.
There, the Erinos, Doto, and Syn were besieged yet again by the Force-devoid Aliens and fought tooth-and-nail in a desperate holding action until, out of nowhere, Cyris Oscura appeared and saved the life of the Arconan Consul. The AGV Valour's Fall arrived soon after and extracted the Consul and his Erinos guardsmen, dropping them off on the ISDII Eye of the Abyss II where Mejas Doto ordered a full retreat from the Dajorra System.
Life of the Nomad
Even though Arcona was homeless, the Erinos Clan was anything but; together Sashar and Kieran returned to Dxun and the Kodiak Encampment where they had been raised. There they were given a warm welcome but when the two brought up the subject of relocating the Kodiak Clan, they were immediately shot down. Needing a break from the Brotherhood itself, Sashar and Kieran stayed with them for quite some time but only as Mandalorians...not Mandalorian Force-adepts.
It was during this Brotherhood respite that Sashar took a fateful fundraising trip to Mandalore, during which he found no game but instead found six natives beating on a young man. Not even needing to call on the Force, Sashar disposed of the attackers and headed with the boy back to the Dxun Encampment where he personally oversaw his return to health. During the recovering of the youth, Sashar realized two things; 1) the boy was Force-Sensitive and 2) his current life as a cabana boy to some wealthy trader from Dantooine would get him nowhere.
So Sashar intervened and put the boy on a new course, that of the Mandalorian. Renaming the young man “Voden”, the Arconae gave him to the Training Instructors at the Kodiak Encampment to make Voden into a full Mandalorian.
As Voden was just beginning his Mandalorian indoctrination, the Kiffar Celahir had finished his and was a full-fledged member of the Kodiak Clan. He tracked down Sashar and demanded that he fulfil the other half of his promise, to which the Obelisk Exarch did. While he was to return to the Arconan Flotilla, Celahir was to go to Clan Tarentum with Xayun Erinos and began his Dark Jedi training under him and another Erinos, Archean Erinos Tarentae.
It was at the end of this leave that Sashar and Kieran fully made-up and said goodbye for a long while as Kieran was billed to take over the Kodiak Clan as their adoptive father, Bralor, had died during the Alien attack on Mandalore.
No sooner had Sashar returned to the Arconan Flotilla than did another Erinos break away; Juda had had enough of Brotherhood politics and insane machinations of the Zabrak Consul, Mejas Doto, and was returning to Dxun for an extended leave.
Eyes in the Dark
Arcona descended into chaos again as morale plummeted and Mejas Doto slid further and further into madness. Sashar distanced himself from the mad Consul and eventually, Zandro, Malidir, and Sashar made up at which time Malidir and Zandro were brought into the fold concerning the former Patriarch’s plans...he was going to overthrow Mejas Doto and become Consul himself. The two Erinos immediately agreed to help and set out gathering allies, namely Timeros Caesus Entar and Strategos Thanatos Entar Arconae, who were easily convinced once they witnessed Mejas’ clearly insane actions during the Arcona v. Scholae Palatinae v. Plagueis feud.
But before anything could get off the ground, the Erinos received a surprise...a stowaway from Alpheridies who had been wandering the cargo hold of the ISDII and stumbled upon the Erinos and Entars meeting to plan the overthrow of Mejas Doto. Together, as a Family, Sashar, Zandro, and Malidir chased the stowaway down and were hardly surprised that he was Force-Sensitive...though they were surprised at him being a Miraluka, a blind race of organics with a past woven throughout the Dark Side.
The three Erinos listened to the Miraluka’s pleas for mercy and explanation about how he wanted to see more of the galaxy. What happened next surprised neither Zandro Savric nor Malidir Trepidus...the Miraluka, whose name was Maaks, was sent off to Dxun for Mandalorian indoctrination by Sashar.
Maaks the Miraluka would return to Arcona in the future, proving to be both valuable and troublesome as a Mandalorian/Soulfirian who still held onto pacifist tendencies. But first, a matter of greater importance had to be taken care of...the coup against Consul Mejas Doto.
Retribution
The Erinos and Entars, led by Sashar Arconae, quickly moved to take the Serpentine Throne from Mejas Doto. Preparing for the showdown by emptying the Flagship of Dark Jedi and non-Sensitives alike, the Erinos/Entar alliance confronted the Krath Consul.
The ensuing battle was intense but short; Mejas Doto was a formidable opponent but, in recent years, had put faith in his Shadowcrafting. But due to demoralization Flotilla-wide, Clan Arcona had lost the ability to communicate with and manipulate the shadows, including the Consul. And without his trademark weapon, Mejas fell underneath the combined effort of the Erinos brothers and Timeros Entar, who were the most powerful Equites in Arcona as well as Strategos Entar, himself an Elder.
Once Mejas had been dealt with and incapacitated with a beskar collar made by Oberst Tarentae, Sashar made a report to the Dark Council on what had happened in Arcona and asked to be made Consul in Doto’s stead. The Council approved Sashar’s new position and so the Mandalorian began to usher in a new age for Arcona, beginning by the Obelisk retaking the Erinos name and assuming the duties of the Erinos Patriarch once more.
Shadesworn Emergence
By 30 ABY, Clan Arcona, and their Erinos protectors, had been homeless for nearly two years, the Dajorra System taken by the Alien invaders. And despite Sashar Erinos Arconae’s defeating the insane Mejas Doto and the former taking the mantle of Lord Consul, despair was becoming rife throughout the Arconan Flotilla.
And so it was then that the Erinos Clan of Mandalorian Dark Jedi did something unthinkable...they turned traitor. Or at least appeared to do so.
Under the strict instruction of Consul Sashar and his newly appointed Proconsul, Vorion, the Erinos, as well as a few other trusted members of Arcona, formed the “Shadesworn Terrorist Cell”. The Shadesworn Terrorists’ plan was to act as a “Red Cell group”, the military designation for small units that are assigned to betray their own larger units to test for weaknesses.
Ultimately, the Shadesworn’s plan worked; through subterfuge, apparent betrayal, and complete access to the breadth of the Flotilla (due to Sashar being Lord Consul), many of Arcona’s weaker Journeymen were killed, dissident naval officers were executed, and tactically weak points, both ground and naval strategy, were patched up.
However, when the Shadesworn finally revealed themselves, for anyone who had seen beneath any of the Shadesworn’s hoods had been killed, they were immediately met with revulsion and loathing. The Clan seemed to split in two, between Arcona Loyalists and the Shadesworn.
Alas, seeing as the leader of the Shadesworn was also the leader of Arcona, the Loyalist movement was quickly squashed, but its members were not executed, for as the Sworn soon revealed, they needed every Dark Jedi for the second part of their plan...the time had come to retake the Dajorra System.
And so, mere weeks before the Grandmaster’s call to Antei went out, a coalition of Shadesworn and Loyalists re-entered the Dajorra System, through the dangerous Maw, and through sheer power and force of will, retook their home system.
Arcona (Insert Word) On Everyone Else
Three weeks after the Arconans had retaken the Dajorra System, Consul Sashar Erinos Arconae received a communiqué from the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sarin, instructing him to marshal his entire Clan and meet up just outside the Shroud. Though the Grandmaster did not explicitly state it, the Erinos Patriarch knew that the Great Clans were rallying to take back Antei, the seat of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood’s power.
Arcona, seen as one of the weaker Clans, was sent into the heart of the fray and ordered to secure a beachhead on Antei and hold off the Alien hordes, however when the combined forces of the Dark Brotherhood reached their throne world, they discovered nothing of the Force-devoid Aliens but lifeless hulls and detritus in the wake of an epic battle. The Insane Jedi, Omancor Crask had obliterated the Alien Forces and taken up residence in himself, hoping to wipe out the Brotherhood and bolster his own ranks in the process. The Clans objected violently to this and fought back doggedly.
They would not be denied their home again. Arcona’s forces fought brilliantly, and despite losing both Quaestors and the Proconsul during the conflict, Sashar, with the aid of several Entars who were ready to take over for the now-vacant positions, were able to marshal their forces and secure both the Hall of Immortals and the Dark Hall itself. For their bravery and despite heavy losses, Arcona was rewarded generously for their contributions to the conflict and gained Muz Ashen's, the new Grand Master, favour.
Dajorra Shore
Without exception, the Erinos expected the days, weeks, and months following Arcona’s victory on Antei to be filled with peace, a time for relaxation and the mending of wounds. They were wrong.
Within a few months of Arcona’s triumphant return to the Dajorra System, a figure from the Clan’s past returned...Dark Jedi Master Mejas Doto, twice former Consul of Arcona and former master of Sashar Erinos Arconae...with the help of a mysterious individual who identified himself only as “Mr. Lorden.” The crazed Zabrak staged a devastating coup that resulted in the usurping of the Serpentine Throne from Sashar Erinos Arconae, as well as the rest of the Erinos members being sent on a suicide mission with their beloved Soulfire Strike Team. Other causalities included Sashar’s friend and attaché, Krath Archpriest Xuthen, as well as the Commodore Amik Sulaco of the Dajorra Defence Force.
However, the Erinos were never down and out, least of all their Patriarch, Sashar. The rightful Consul of Arcona fought back against Mejas and after calling on every single ally and favour he had, freed his brethren from their beskar collars Mejas had put on them in punishment for their part in the coup and recalled them back to Selen(as they had been sent on a suicide mission by the Zabrak), where together the Erinos led the counteroffensive against Doto and the enigmatic Mr. Lorden.
They were successful and mere days after Sashar once again sat on the Serpentine Throne, the Erinos assembled at the Venku Range on Arconae Primus, to witness the marriage of their Patriarch Sashar and his on-again-off-again partner, Voden Arijin, who had completed his Mandalorian training on Dxun.
The wedding was in the traditional Mandalorian style; not much decoration or fancy apparel, all gathered, including the officiant and the couple were clad in their beskar’gam. In the language of Mando’a, Sashar and Voden affirmed their feelings for the other and promised to always be at the other’s side, in times of peace and war. At the conclusion of the ceremony, gifts were exchanged between the now-married Mandalorians; Sashar gave a new suit of Mandalorian Armour to Voden, while the younger Mandalorian presented his husband with a T-6 Thunderer Heavy Blaster Pistol.
The post-wedding celebration that followed lasted well into the night and it was a few days before the Erinos had sufficiently recovered from their hangovers to return to active duty within Clan Arcona.
Dash
Maaks, the Miraluka who had stowed away on the ISDII Eye of the Abyss II, had recently completed his Mandalorian training on Dxun. And so Sashar Erinos Arconae organized a congratulatory celebration in the classic Mandalorian fashion...a hunt.
The target was the mysterious Dash Kuatir, a figure whose past was entwined with Sashar’s, and to hunt down this man, the Erinos Patriarch organized a small hunting party, consisting of Maaks, Kieran, Juda, and two non-Force adepts, A’den and his young son, Venku. The Mandalorian strike force, who were really acting on the behalf of the Hutt Grand Council, tracked Kuatir to the world of Abregado-Rae.
It became quickly apparent however, that taking down the metamorph was going to be anything but easy, even for the Erinos Mandalorians, as Dash quickly floored both Sashar and Kieran in a cantina, before slipping out the back. Kuatir was enraged at the botched take down attempt and he turned the tables on the Mandalorians, firstly by paying a visit to the sniper team of Venku and Maaks, and executing Venku right before the Miraluka’s eyes...or lack thereof.
But before Dash Kuatir could impart a similar fate onto Maaks, Sashar and A’den (the older Kodiak Mandalorian) arrived and a short battle ensued, mostly between Sashar and Dash, while A’den evacuated both Maaks and the body of his son Venku to a safe area. As for Sashar and his nemesis, the combat seemed to be tipping in the Force adept’s favour...until Maaks escaped from A’den and rushed back to his master’s side. But then, contrary to his months of Mando’ade training, Maaks’ inner-pacificism got the better of him and he stopped Sashar from killing the hedonist Kuatir, inadvertently allowing Dash to escape.
The Erinos Patriarch was furious with his charge and he vehemently explained to the Miraluka that not only were they Mandalorians but also Force adepts, which meant that their lives were filled with double the loss and double the violence of normal Mandalorians and/or Jedi...but because of that, their lives were filled with an intimate family bond not only between Erinos and Arcona, but also the Kodiak Mandalorian clan. He drove this point home by forcing Maaks to stare at the lifeless corpse of Venku before departing for the Dajorra System to recruit some more Force-adepts for an unknown reason.
This left only the young Maaks as a true Arconan representative amongst the mourning Kodiak Clan, a position that would endanger his life...even among brethren.
Diamonds Forged Under Pressure
After the botched contract on Dash Kuatir, which resulted in the death of Venku Kodiak, tensions ran high within the Kodiak/Erinos Clan, though none as high as that of Kieran Kodiak Erinos’. Kieran had been the primary instructor in Maaks’ Mandalorian training and when he heard of his former student interrupting Sashar’s near-kill of Kuatir, he was enraged. Failure was something foreign to the Kodiak-Erinos and he was determined to cleanse his charge of whatever had made him not let the Erinos Patriarch kill Dash Kuatir.
And so the former Soulfire Sergeant planned to take Maaks out on a hunting trip, to amplify the ‘X’ factor required for a sentient being to kill another sentient. The two Mandalorians foraged deep into the jungles of Dxun, and came to a clearing where a pack of bomas had taken to nesting. Under orders to eliminate the mother boma, Maaks began to close on the native animal...and that’s when Kieran snapped.
Still torn up by the loss of Venku Kodiak, who was only 14 years of age, Kieran attempted to attack Maaks in a fury. However, the blind Miraluka, more attuned to the Force due to his species actually “seeing” through it, was able to dodge the older Mandalorian and get the jump on him, which only served to enrage Kieran further. The Obelisk Templar, still in a blind fury, chased Maaks through the jungle of Dxun and finally cornered the young Journeyman.
But that was when a gray figure dropped from the trees between the two Mandalorians; it was Sashar Erinos Arconae, the Erinos Patriarch, and perhaps the Mandalorian with the best sense of timing ever known to the galaxy.
To his credit, Sashar first tried to reason with his hot-headed younger brother but when Keiran’s rage proved too much to douse with words, the Obelisk Primarch had no choice but to tap into his near-mastery of the Force and bring his brother to heel with an impressive display that floored the Miraluka and made him swore that in addition to embracing the Mandalorian way of life, he would also reach the level of mastery that Sashar Erinos Arconae displayed that day in the saving of his life...one day.
Erinos...Juda Erinos
Not long after the botched attempt on Dash Kuatir’s life, the Erinos Family decided to try again...but this time there was no contract, only a matter of pride. Through the impressive network of contacts that the Erinos had amassed throughout the galaxy, as well as doing their own recon, it was discovered that the infamous hedonist had gone to ground on Toola, in his Winter Palace.
Plans for battle were quickly drawn up and a rally call went out to the Mandalorians of the Erinos Clan as well as the Mando’ade of the Kodiak Clan (who were all too eager to pay Dash back in kind for his murder of Venku Kodiak). However, the first phase of the attack was not in classic Mandalorian fashion, that being an all-out invasion, but instead the Family inserted a lone agent into Kuatir’s social circle...the witty Juda Kodiak Erinos, who was to pose as a love interest.
Alas, Juda’s cover was somehow blown, though the red headed Mando didn’t know it, and so when the joint-Erinos/Kodiak strike force attacked the Winter Palace, Dash Kuatir was waiting for them and due to his experience as a Bounty Hunter, placed a series of deadly traps around his Palace. These traps considerably thinned the Mandalorian force, the most prominent casualty being A’den Kodiak, who went to join his son Venku in the Manda.
Matters only worsened after A’den’s death; Kuatir graced the battlefield and quickly located the diode of Voden and Maaks, who engaged the metamorph in a brutal fight that left Voden severely injured and Maaks as a captive of Dash Kuatir. To his credit, Sashar attempted to rescue Maaks from Kuatir’s clutches, slaying many of the bounty hunter’s men, but to no avail...the Mandalorian warriors were forced to extract without their youngest member.
Breaking Point
The ongoing war between the Erinos Mandalorian Clan and Dash Kuatir continued, with the Erinos attempting to locate and rescue Maaks but failing to do so. Eventually, they had to put Maaks’ rescue on a back burner when the Grandmaster, Darth Ashen, sent out the call for the Clans to rally on the planet of Salas V. The Dark Lord decreed that he desired the planet to be put under Brotherhood control and that, in the form of a Vendetta, the Clans would fight each other for the planetary rights to the temperate world.
Meanwhile, the Erinos were fulfilling their mandates as Dark Jedi, sinister dealings were afoot with the long-time enemy, Dash Kuatir. Somehow, through methods not even known to this day, Kuatir managed to extract the location of the Kodiak Clan camp from his prisoner, Maaks, and sent one of his ships to Dxun, where he proceeded to orbitally bombard the camp until nothing but ruins remained.
On Salas V, in the thick of battle, the Erinos felt the pain and death of Kuatir’s attack and this clouded their attunement to the Force. Arcona’s ultimate rival, Clan Taldryan, noticed this uncharacteristic change in Arcona’s Consul, Sashar, and took immediate advantage of it, allowing the former First Clan to narrowly defeat the Shadow Clan on the temperate world.
Disgruntled and with their egos deflated, most of the Arconans returned to the Dajorra System to lick their wounds. Most but not all; the Erinos, via the AGV Valour’s Fall, travelled to Dxun, preparing for the worst. But even what they prepared for did not come close to covering the sheer destruction of the Kodiak Mandalorian Camp.
Led by Sashar, an expeditionary squad landed in the smouldering ruins of the birthplace for many of the Erinos. and a quick recon led Sashar and Voden to find a young Mandalorian boy, crouched over the bodies of his dead parents.
His name was Teroch.
His Ambition Realised
As one could probably guess, Sashar and Voden, in traditional Mandalorian fashion, adopted the young orphan and brought him to the dominion of Clan Arcona, where he assisted with the Erinos’ next big project; the construction of a new home.
Choosing the planet of Arconae Primus, for its dense forest environment, Sashar commissioned each and every one of the Erinos Mandalorians, and even the few survivors of the Kodiak Razing, to help build a homestead that would hold both Mando Clans. Construction began and within three months, it was finished. The area, while known to outsiders as the “Erinos Family Homestead”, bears another name to its Mandalorian inhabitants...the Venku Range.
After the completion of the Range, the Mandalorians returned to active service in Arcona, albeit with some rather shocking changes for their beloved Clan. The first of these was that, effective immediately, Sashar would be stepping down as Lord Consul. Citing political reasons to all but his family and closest friends, he announced that the Proconsul at the time, none other than Celahir Erinos, would be taking his place on the Serpentine Throne.
The real reason behind Sashar’s stepping down was not entirely political, however; the gruff warrior longed for time to be with his family, specifically his husband Voden and their new son, Teroch. The Erinos Patriarch also wanted to at long last ascend to the only position he had not yet held in the Clan Arcona.
Surprisingly, it was the lowest ranked position in the Brotherhood hierarchy...that of Battleteam Leader. But seeing as the position was the Battleteam Leader of Soulfire Strike Team, it was anything but lowly.
The matter of who would be the new Sergeant of Soulfire was taken care of in, again, the traditional Mandalorian fashion. A three-way combat between Zandro Savric Erinos, the current Sergeant, Juda Kodiak Erinos, the squad medic, and Sashar Erinos Arconae, the Sergeant-apparent. The Mandalorian trio enlisted the aid of their friend, Marick Del’Abbot, who proctored the match and after a long and bloody combat, which made both Marick and Teroch cringe (Teroch was there supporting his father), the winner was...Sashar Erinos Arconae.
Operational Prudence
Celahir was not the Lord Consul of Arcona for very long. It wasn’t because he was disliked by the Arconans, he was rather well-liked and respected and instituted many new Clan policies that only strengthened Arcona’s intelligence front. But then...the Grandmaster and his Dark Council blindsided not only Celahir, but every other Consul and every other person who counted themselves amongst the Dark Brethren.
The Great Clans were being downsized into Houses. The Consuls were to become Quaestors. The Proconsuls remade into Aediles. And as for the leadership of the Houses within the Clans...they were honourably discharged. Rebellion and dissent flared up in the following weeks, though it was put down by the combined might of the Grandmaster’s military, the Armed Forces of the Iron Throne.
On Arconae Primus however, within the safety and love of the Venku Range and his family, Celahir Erinos conferred in depth with his Patriarch and predecessor, Sashar, as well as another Clan great and recent addition to the di Tenebrous Arconae, Zandro. The Kiffar Quaestor confessed that he did not think he could properly lead House Arcona through this unstable time, unsure of his feelings towards the Dark Council and the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Ashen. It was counselled that Celahir should step down from the position of Quaestor, which he did.
His successor though, was the aforementioned Clan great. Zandro Savric Erinos Arconae would become the second Lord Quaestor of House Arcona as well as the man who would continue the dynasty that the Erinos had inadvertently set up within Arcona.
Arcona would prevail, as it always had, and come out on top. And, as always, the Erinos Mandalorian Clan would be in the front rank, holding the line as the ever-present stalwarts of Arcona.
Portents of the Future
That remains the case to this very day, nearly two years after the Clans were turned into Houses, and with the Patriarch’s recent promotion to Dark Adept, the skill, power, and fame of the Erinos Family can only grow. In late 34 ABY, the Erinos Clan of Mandalorians was finally approved as an official Family of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, under the tenure of the Master-At-Arms, Korras.
Current Members
Sashar Kodiak Erinos - DECEASED
Zandro Savric Erinos - DECEASED
Juda Kodiak Erinos
Celahir Erinos
Maaks Erinos
Nadrin Erinos Arconae
Teroch Erinos
Talos Erinos