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Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? This article details the history of a character who no longer actively takes part in current events.
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| Virulence Saj Bezatyne
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Barab I
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3-5 BBY
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Barabel
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Male
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7 feet 3 inches
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306 lbs
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None
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Red (luminescent)
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Dark Jedi Brotherhood Era
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5023
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Virulence Saj Bezatyne is a Sith Warrior serving the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, more specifically Clan Plagueis and House Exar Kun. Born Saj Bezatyne on the backwater planet of Barab I, he was banished after killing another Barabel in a training exercise. He then adopted the name Virulence, and started life anew as an assassin. He worked for a while, but eventually found the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, and was adopted into Imperial House Isradia. He has recently dropped the Isradia surname due to personal reasons, but still serves the interest of the Imperial House as a Bondsman.
Character History
Virulence Rising
Virulence was born Saj Bezatyne on the harsh world of Barab I, somewhere around 3-5 BBY. The Bezatyne Clan was a small one, but held cosiderable power among the Barabel Clans due to their inherent connection with the Force, an attribute rarely seen in the Barabel species. Saj’s childhood was one of strict discipline and constant training. The Bezatyne Clan were legendary hunters, and Saj proved to be no exception, showing incredible tracking skills at a very young age. Around the age of 10, Saj and his siblings were on a routine training hunt with their father when they were ambushed by a group of Bounty Hunters. The Bezatyne Elder was slain, but the three younglings, Saj, Kazic, and Kaiya, were abducted, and sold into slavery to the Hutts. While Saj and his brother Kazic were thrown into harsh combat training as gladiators for the Hutt's entertainment, their sister, Kaiya, was shipped off elsewhere; her whereabouts remain unknown to this day.
Over the next several years, Saj and Kazic quickly gained reputations as extraordinarily vicious and skilled fighters, defeating everything the Hutt’s threw at them in the arena, and eventually the cruel Hutts forced them to face each other in combat. Reluctantly, the brothers engaged in a sickening display of savage ferocity , and after almost an hour of all-out brutality, Saj prevailed. In the end however, Saj could not bring himself to end his brother’s life, and knelt before the Hutts in a plea to spare Kazic. The Hutts in turn, promptly executed Kazic on the spot, and spent the next 6 weeks torturing Saj repeatedly for his insolence, driving the young reptile to the brink of insanity.
Just as the Hutts were about to torture Saj to death, their complex was infiltrated by a small band of maverick Jedi led by the Barabel Saba Sebatyne. Saba freed Saj, along with the rest of the Hutt’s Barabel slaves, returning all but Saj to their home world of Barab I.
Upon rescuing Saj, Saba immediately sensed his innate abilities, and began his training in the use of the force, along side her son Tesar, and the Hara Sisters. It wasn't long however before Saj's dark tendencies and mental instabilities began to surface, and Saba herself began to second guess her decision to train him. Eventually, Saj snapped, losing his temper in a training exercise with another student, and killing the young Barabel in a fit of uncontrolled rage. Saba responded by using a Jedi technique intended to erase Saj's short-term memory, and therefore his Force-training, however she only succeeded in burying most of it, along with his identity, deep in his subconscious.
Banished from Barab I for his crime, with no recollection of who he was, Saj adopted the name Virulence, and made his way across the galaxy, using his training to land work as the occasional Mercenary or Assassin, all the while being guided by a force he could not explain.
Into the Void
Virulence
Virulence spent several years working exclusively for a wealthy land owner and politician in the Hapan Cluster, accumulating vast amounts of money eliminating enemies and political rivals at his whim, which the reptile used to purchase and customize his Miy’Til Starfighter, which he named The Virus. Though he was making huge sums of money, and gaining a reputation as one of the Galaxy’s most efficient killers, the Barabel was becoming restless, and he eventually accepted a contract which took him across the galaxy in pursuit of a target to the surface of Yavin IV. After eliminating the mark deep in the planet’s dense jungles, Virulence heard a sound he did not remember hearing before, yet instantly knew what it signified, the sound of dueling lightsabers. He followed the sound over a ridge where he witnessed a pair of Dark Jedi dueling on top of an ancient Massassi temple. The spectacle awakened something deep within the reptile, and he found himself compelled to follow the victor of the duel into the Acaar System, to the planet Elysian, home of House Ziost of Clan Exar Kun.
The Dark Jedi of Exar Kun detected Virulence as soon as he entered the system, and captured the reptile as soon as he set down on Elysian. Upon examination however, Quaestor Numaril Asfågeln immediately sensed the Barabel's potential, and with the blessing of his Consul, Grand Master Emeritus Chi-Long, initiated the Barabel into the Clan of Exar Kun.
Virulence began to rise quickly within the ranks of Ziost, making a name for himself among his fellow Dark Jedi in the Brotherhood’s Independence Games, and attracting the attention of his future Master, Lucien Isradia. Under Lucien’s tutelage,Virulence joined the Krath Order, submersing himself in ancient tomes of Dark Side history and regaining his memory through Krath Magic and Dark Meditation. Virulence became Virulence Saj Bezatyne, a combination of the cunning warrior he was, and the ruthless killer he had become.
A Hard Lesson
As the Clans of Exar Kun and Satal Keto were merged to form Clan Plagueis, House Ziost became House Exar Kun, and abandoned it’s former home on Elysian to take up residence in Castle Frost, home of the Clan Summit on the frozen world of Byfrost. Virulence spent hours on end in the Clan Archives, pouring over ancient texts and data files, soaking up everything he could about the Dark Arts. Soon after, Virulence finally reached the rank of Dark Jedi Knight, and began taking leadership roles within the Clan.
Virulence served as Envoy and Rollmaster for House Bane, increasing the House’s activity in the lower ranks substantially, until he was called on by Warhunter to serve as his Aedile in House Satal Keto. Virulence fit right in to his new position, and though serving under three different Quaestors, Warhunter, Arso Slyth, and Aerick Isradia, proved to be a capable and stable Aedile, keeping morale and activity levels high. Upon the sudden departure of Plagueis’ Consul, Grand Master Chi-Long, Virulence’s Master, Lucien Isradia, became the next Consul, and quickly wanted to bring his young apprentice into the Clan Summit as his Proconsul. Virulence was honored his Master had such faith in his abilities, however he had concerns as to his lack of experience in a Clan leadership role, and voiced these concerns to his Master. Lucien assured his Apprentice that he would be there to guide and teach the young Knight, and Virulence accepted, and poured all of his resources into rebuilding the Clan’s mainframe and heading several projects Lucien had thrown into his lap. Before the reptile could make any real progress however, Lucien disappeared to parts unknown, leaving his young and inexperienced Apprentice to run damage control on a restless Clan on the brink of revolt. Virulence quickly realized he did not have the experience to quell the uprising, and after consulting his closest advisors, stepped down from the office of Proconsul, and petitioned the Dark Council to step in and take control.
Deputy Grand Master Kir Katarn responded immediately, and after being debriefed on the situation by the reptile, took control of the Clan as acting Consul, appointing DJM Aristan “Sarin” Dantes as his Proconsul. Virulence went back to the House of Exar Kun, and assisted Quaestor Godo Nurok in the rebuilding of the House and Clan. When Plagueis was forced to evacuate the Acaar system on account of its sun going supernova, Virulence was one of the few sent to the Clan’s prospective home, the Jusadih system, to oversee the construction of Diedem Fortress, which Scorpius designed as the new home of House Exar Kun, deep in the Decarian Jungles of Aerun.
Abomination Unleashed
Imperial House Isradia
As Lucien’s Apprentice, the Barabel had accompanied his Master to the planet Vardor, in the Nox system, home of Imperial House Isradia several times. The first time he laid eyes on the magnificent city of Urd Nathen, Virulence knew his path would one day lead him back to Vardor.
Upon reaching the rank of Dark Jedi Knight, the reptile approached Clan Plagueis’ Loremaster, Dark Adept Jonaleth Isradia, Grand Duke of Vardor, and pledged his life and loyalty to the Imperial House Isradia. Believing the reptile to be “The Abomination” mentioned in an ancient Vardorin prophecy, The Grand Duke accepted the reptile’s pledge, naming him Margrave Virulence Bezatyne Isradia, and made him Panarch of the coastal city of Gar Thesalin, which had recently been thrown into a state of leaderless chaos and unrest. Virulence quickly took control of the breathtaking city, despite the populace’s natural xenophobic tendencies, and brought about a time of great prosperity to the rain soaked coastal city. The residents of Gar Thesalin in turn fully support and are fiercely loyal to Virulence and the Imperial House, and Adept Isradia rewarded the reptile by naming him Earl, and eventually Viscount of Imperial House Isradia. When his city was running smoothly, Virulence then had time to devote to his studies once more, and began to delve into the dark Vardorin Tradition known as the Ninth Order. Before he could get far however, he was once again called back into service by his House and Clan, as the Sixth Great Jedi War had begun with the emergence of two Grand Masters. Virulence fought viciously along side his dark brethren, proving himself a major factor in at least three separate battles. At the end of the Sixth Great Jedi War, Virulence suddenly left Clan Plagueis once more, and officially went rogue, but not before receiving an elevation to the rank of Krath Priest for his efforts in the war.
Virulence returned to Gar Thesalin briefly, only to make certain the local government was stable before approaching Jonaleth and asking permission for an extended leave of absence. The Grand Duke granted his request, keeping a place for him as Bondsman of Tol Rothan until which time the reptile decided to return. Virulence then disappeared into the unknown regions for several years, moving away from the mystical traditions of the Krath order, and re-embracing the teachings of the Sith, unaware of the arrival of the Vong and the widescale damage inflicted by their invasion. After returning to the Antei system only to find it devastated and deserted, the Sith tracked down the location of his comrades in House Exar Kun and is currently preparing to exact his revenge on the Vong for their atrocities against his House and Clan, fueled by his own anger over his absence during their invasion.
Positions Held
Outstanding Achievements
- Created the HEK Crest
- Created the Official Warbanner for Clan Plagueis
- Created the Planetary Map of Vardor
- Co-Author of the Aerun Planetary Description