Illian Syn represents the small fraction of force users who fall victim to their own power, and are either killed or driven mad. Syn falls under the latter category, after a disastrous mission for the Dark Brotherhood in which Illian was completely submerged in the dark side of the force for a lengthy period of time. The outcome was complete, incurable insanity and a heightened force sensitivity, creating a highly unstable balance of power and madness in the young Jedi.
He is unpredictable at best, completely psychotic at worst, and is distrusted by all in the Dark Brotherhood. This doesn't bother him however, in fact it is unlikely that he is even aware of his peers feelings towards him. He is constantly delving into mysterious missions with no discernible purpose, often resulting in personal injury or mass murder. Syn's old friend and occasional partner Rosh 'Sorrow' Prototype appears to be the only one capable of understanding the deranged Jedi's psyche though even he admits to being bewildered at times.
Despite all this, Illian can appear as an attractive young Human male, with sparkling green eyes, and long, lightly curled silver-white hair. His smile is disarming and his demeanor charming when he so wishes, and many have died staring deeply into deep pools of emerald innocence, surprise etched into their features. His build is slight, hiding a reasonable strength, and he rises to a little under an average Human height. He chooses aristocratic garb, always favoring dark crimson or black satin frills and embroidery over the standard cloth robes of his Dark Jedi brothers.
Though fairly unique in appearance, Illian can blend in when he wishes. His most telling features are his eyes, which will glow in response to emotion-driven force activation, and the two black gauntlets that are Illian's prison. Due to his drastically heightened susceptibility to the dark energies of the force, he must always wear the twisted, spiked gloves as a barrier. No one knows what they are made of, only that they will stem the flow of force power into Illian and that their appearance reflects the cruel soul of their owner.
Character History
Illian's past begins in mystery, being found as an infant by the Imperial Dreadnought Cruel Edict toward the end of the tyrannical rule of Emperor Palpatine. Crew logs indicate finding a derelict cargo vessel near the fourth moon of Endor shortly after the rebel attack on the death star. The ship was empty aside from the baby Syn, wrapped in a simple cloth and bearing two strange amulets around his neck. The executive order had come down through Imperial ranks that any non-naval personnel found within a ten parsec radius of the Death Star were to be treated as rebels and killed. So it was that Illian was placed in a detention cell to await disintegration.
Fate had other plans however, and the battle frigate Valiant jumped in after a successful ambush on Imperial supply lines on its way to rejoin the main battle. Having been taken by surprise, the Dreadnought fell quickly, and was soon unable to move or fire its main weapons. Boarding parties swept through the imperial ship, arriving just as a storm-trooper held Syn ready to take him to the execution chamber. The baby was taken back to the Valiant where he would spend the better part of his teenage years, missing the rise and fall of Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Life aboard the Valiant was simple enough. Illian was integrated into the deck hands, and became apt if not especially gifted at maintenance and repair duties. He would work hard and get along well with his adopted family, but secretly he longed for more. Finally the day came when he was instructed to deliver a shipment of X-Wing parts down to Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. Upon arriving he was detected as a force sensitive, and in no time was taken from his station on the Valiant and enrolled in the academy to begin Jedi training.
It was here that Illian learned the ways of the force under the patient tutelage of Jedi Knight Maros Tirth. This was also the time in which he met his first love, a Twileki female named Nareid. Illian was truly happy for the first time in his life, finding at last a place he felt he truly belonged.
After a time however, Illian began to be troubled by his past. The crew of the Valiant had always been honest with him, telling him how he had been found, but until now he had never been bothered by it. He could feel that something was not right with himself, and worried that it would inhibit his training, he sought his Master's counsel. He was told that the amulets found on him at birth and never removed since were of similar resonance as the Massasi ruins occupying several locations around Yavin IV. He and Nareid set of to investigate on what would become the turning point of Illian's life.
An accident occurred during the mission, setting off a resonance of dark force energies through Syn's amulets and into his mind, twisting and distorting his psyche. When he came to his sensed, Nareid lay dead, horrifically mangled, and Illian was covered in blood. He fled in panic, fear driving him deep into neutral space.
The time between leaving the academy and finding the brotherhood is still clouded in mystery, even for Illian. It is known that a deep psychological trauma was inflicted at the hands of a Rodian crime lord, but the details are sketchy at best. Finally after a couple of years adrift, Syn was picked up by a Taldryan Deep-space patrol and taken back to Karufur for interrogation and study. His Jedi powers were soon discovered and he was placed in the care of House Dinaari to be trained as a Dark Jedi.
Initially arrogant, Syn's first months in the Brotherhood were a steep learning curve, but soon he settled into a routine of service that shone with potential to his Summit. Once again he found he was happy, even finding new affection in the arms of another trainee of the Shadow Academy.
As with the time before, this period of happiness was short lived. During a failed mission with another Journeyman of the Brotherhood, Illian was forced to remove his gauntlets (the new incarnation of his amulets after a Dark Jedi Master transmuted them into a more practical form) unleashing a devastating torrent of dark energy into Illian's body, shattering his mind and his sanity forever. He was taken back to the House Dinaari Home-world of Altur for treatment during which time over twenty-five medical personnel lost their lives. After months of restraints and sedatives the young Jedi's mind finally settled into a balanced state of insanity and clarity and after extensive tests and observation, was released back to the Brotherhood for active service.
Illian returned to duty changed. Where once the charming, albeit hot-headed, Journeyman was welcomed, he was now met with mistrust and occasionally fear. His young love and student disappeared without a trace, leaving only the bleakest of speculation as clues to her fate. Despite this, the now-Hunter of the Brotherhood seemed more focussed on his tasks, earning him a place on the summit as Envoy to House Dinaari.
It was during his trials to become a knight that Illian went AWOL, leaving his house and the Brotherhood for nearly a year. He returned shortly after the Eighth Great Jedi War, more shrouded in mystery than ever before. Though his whereabouts had been a mystery one thing was for sure: Whenever the deranged Jedi showed up, dark days swiftly followed...
A New Era in the Brotherhood
Finding little in common with his old clan-mates, Illian decided it was time for him to move on. With the Yuuzhan Vong sending the Clans into chaos, the mad Hunter seized the opportunity to run, finding refuge in Arcona. He soon made a name for himself, but despite numerous attempts at control, his insanity soon earned him the distrust (and occasional dislike) of his new brothers and sisters.
Salvation came in a strange form, with Sashar Kodiak Erinos taking the volatile student under his wing. The future seemed interesting once again for the tortured soul, and only time would tell if he could become a truly celebrated and trusted son of Arcona.
Illian Syn was knighted shortly after joining Arcona, and with his appointment as a trooper in Blue Mist battle team under Sergeant Talos Shadowblood d'Tana, adopted the cleft-respirator configuration of the 212th Utapau Airborne Corps armor, from the clone-wars era as his regular battle attire, painted blue during missions with the team.
The Will of the Proconsul
The relationship between Illian and his former master was never comfortable, but for the first time the deranged Jedi was understood; Sashar knew how to manipulate and use Illian's madness, and give it some form of purpose. Soon, despite a passable performance in Blue Mist, the young madman was taken away to serve his clan and Proconsul in a new capacity.
The unstable knight vanished for months, convincing many that he had defected, until during the early stages of Arcona's mission to recapture Selen, a mysterious team of commandos appeared wearing white armor and bearing the clan insignia. They called themselves the Ghosts, and none other than Illian lead them. Syn and Sashar had been working on a new project in mind re-conditioning, attempting to create a squad of mundanes of almost force-user equivalent.
Once again Illian had a sinister purpose, and gladly threw himself into any situation his noble Proconsul demanded, eager to spill blood for his clan.
DJB Facts
Positions Held
Envoy of House Dinaari of Talryan.
Trooper of Blue Mist
Knight of the Brotherhood
Outstanding Achievements
- Earning his lightsaber.
- Earning a Steel Cross after the 7th Great Jedi War.
Trivia
- Illian Syn is exceptionally fond of eyes, collecting them in re-configured bacta canisters.
- Illian once won a game of Sabacc against a Hutt crime-lord on Nar Shadaa, gaining control of a space-station located in the outer rim. Unfortunately Illian has no recollection of the game, and so his station remains unclaimed.
- Illian and Rosh have the DB record for most narcotics consumed in the space of 24 hours.