Jorick

MASC #1: Throwback - Prompt and Discussion

Are we allowed to do re-tellings of real world myths should they fit the brief?

@Kassarock

Sure.

MASC #1: Throwback - Prompt and Discussion

<Snipped quote>

So just to be clear: the story does not have to be the myth in itself. It can be any prose story at all as long as the myth affects the narrative in a significant way?

@pugbutter

Yep, a myth just needs to be an important element, not the entirety of the story. An entry that is the telling of a myth in and of itself would definitely count though.

MASC #1: Throwback - Prompt and Discussion

Welcome one and all to the very first edition of the Monthly Adaptive Storytelling Contest! Check out the Rules and Info thread for a general overview of how the contest works and to see all the rules and prizes. Without further ado, let's get right to the prompt. The prompt for the inaugural run of MASC is...

WOTM Throwback

Is it weird to do a nostalgic tribute to an old contest for the very first run of a new contest? Yeah, probably, but sometimes life is strange like that. This prompt is in the exact same format as the old Writer of the Month contest that I used to help run in years past on the Guild. All you've got to do is write a story that fits the overarching theme and uses at least two of the listed components. You can take on the extra challenges listed below the components, but those are completely optional. Send your entries in via a PM to @Jorick before 2 AM Eastern Time on August 9th. See the Submission Rules below for full details, and ask questions in this thread or via PM if you have any.

Theme: Mythology

Write a story involving a myth. Myths cover a WIDE variety of things, usually explaining traditions, historical events, or natural phenomenon. Check out Greek, Norse, Egyptian, etc. myths if you aren't familiar with what sorts of topics myths cover.

Components: Use at least two of these in your story.

• The protagonist of the story is a villain.
• The story involves one character trying to trick or deceive another character.
• The myth does not involve gods.
• The myth explains a technological advancement as the result of supernatural events rather than mortal ingenuity. (Note: things like the invention of the wheel to the creation of the first spaceship both count as technological advancements.)
• The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting.

Extra Challenges: These are optional. The entry that best fulfills each extra challenge (as decided by @Jorick) will be highlighted after the voting period ends.

• Overachiever: Use all five components in your entry.
• Mic Drop: Have a character deliver a devastating insult to another character.
• Artist: Use your words to paint a mental picture of a vividly detailed setting.

---

Submission Rules:

1. Send your entry in a PM to @Jorick before the deadline: 2 AM on August 9th in the Eastern Time Zone.
2. Submissions may have no more than 5000 words.
3. One entry per person. Entries are gathered for posting after the deadline, so feel free to edit, tweak, or entirely replace your entry with something new in the PM before the deadline arrives.
4. Submissions will be posted anonymously in the voting thread.
5. No poetry entries allowed.
6. Characters and settings used for this contest must be original works. No fanfiction or non-fiction entries allowed.
7. All site and contest moderation rules are of course in effect.
8. I can and will disqualify entries that violate the above rules or fail to fulfill the prompt. The extra challenges are not required, they're just there for fun.

[Approved] Zaek Saxon, Mandalorian mercenary

OoC

How long do you usually write? Several paragraphs.
Do you enjoy writing collaborative posts for things like conversations, combat, etc.? Yep.
Is grammar and depth of writing important to you? Yes.
Are there any writing subjects you particularly enjoy exploring? Breaking people and/or rebuilding broken people.
Is there anything you really dislike and want to avoid like the plague? Slice of life and romance stuff that doesn't serve a purpose to a larger plot.
Is there something you are uncomfortable with happening to your character? Nah.
Do you have any short-term or long-term goals with this character? Glorious battles and a warrior's death.

Mandalorian Tribal Record

Name: Zaek Saxon
Species: Human
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Clan: Saxon
Specialisation: Blaster combat (rifles and pistols), tracking
Planet of origin: Mandalore
Current area of operation: Uncertain, likely Imperial space.

Mandalorian Clan Record

_{Detailed description of the warrior.}

Image

Image created by Gus Mendonca on ArtStation.

Zaek is a human of above average height, slightly over 6 feet. He is rarely ever seen without his full armor, though sometimes he will remove his helmet. His face is nothing unusual for a human, though his strong and angular jawline may merit some remarks. He has brown hair and green eyes and keeps his face clean-shaven. There are two scars on his face: one crossing his left cheek vertically just above the mouth, and another carving through his right eyebrow and down along the outer rim of his orbital socket. He has a variety of other scars across his body, usually hidden by his armor. His left leg below the knee is a prosthetic, also generally unseen due to the armor.

_{Report on all relevant skills and talents, including level of skill.}

Very highly skilled in tracking people, animals, and even objects to a degree. His tracking skills when following someone or something through any sort of environment are very highly trained and developed. Finding someone or something that is in an unknown location throughout the galaxy, however, is a little more tricky but still often doable.

Very highly skilled in slicing, which is his main method used to find targets when they manage to evade him or are in an unknown location to begin with.

Highly skilled in first aid techniques.

Moderately skilled in intimidation and inflicting pain to get information. Also moderately skilled in resisting giving information to forceful questioners.

Fluent in Mando'a, Basic, Huttese, and Twi'leki.

_{Report on known combat experience, training and weapons training.}

Very highly skilled in the use of blaster weapons, both rifles and pistols. He generally prefers rifles at intermediate to long range and switches to a pistol only at short ranges or when he only has one hand available. His combat training throughout his years on Mandalore focused primarily on these skills. These skills have been heavily used in his time as a mercenary/

Highly skilled melee combatant in the use of a knife or bare hands. Adequate skill using other weaponry. Training acquired in his time on Mandalore and skills used regularly as a mercenary.

Moderately skilled in the use of explosives. No training on Mandalore, all experience acquired as a mercenary.

Adequate starship combat skills. Limited training from early years as a mercenary, not often used.

_{Opinion on the Neo Crusader movement vs traditional Crusader?}

Zaek leans toward the traditional Crusader point of view, but he is not a zealous adherent of either side. Clan Saxon generally favors the Neo-Crusader movement, so he is an outlier among his clan. Zaek believes that in the current age Mandalorians must decide for themselves how best to live by the Resol'nare, and that the rigid order imposed by Neo-Crusaders does not allow this.

_{Detailed notes on common/favored employers and any noteworthy contacts.}

Has been employed by Darth Embrus for the past five years.

_{Detailed notes on known rivals and enemies.}

Naret Saxon, his younger brother and only blood sibling, who declared his intent to kill Zaek for defying their clan's wishes and becoming a mercenary.

_{List and description of other known associates outside the Clan.}

Darth Embrus

_{List of known belongings, including but not limited to planetary surface property, civilian and military vessels, vehicles, weapons, tools.}

A set of Mandalorian armor made of beskar, handed down through Clan Saxon for many generations. It survived destruction at the end of the Mandalorian Wars only because its wearer had been severely injured in a fight two months before Revan defeated Mandalore the Ultimate and was not present when others had their armor taken and destroyed.

One large knife made of beskar.

One blaster rifle and one blaster pistol, also of Mandalorian make but made with durasteel.

One prosthetic leg, replacing left leg below the knee. Allows almost normal mobility. Possesses no advanced functions, but does have a hidden compartment on the back of the calf area that contains a plain durasteel knife.

Dauntless, a consumer-model corvette with two sets of laser cannons (forward- and rear-mounted) and a 2.0 class hyperdrive. Able to be piloted by a single user, though difficult to utilize both sets of laser cannons without a co-pilot.

A variety of grenades and explosives stored in a special munitions compartment in the Dauntless. Generally he carries a couple sonic concussion grenades on his person and only brings out other explosives for specific jobs.

_{Psychological evaluation of warrior.}

Zaek is prideful and strongly independent in his actions. He has a highly active sense of humor that tends to be very morbid. While he is capable of working with others, he prefers to split off to work by himself. He views strength as the only thing that matters in life, and he has no mercy for those who are too weak to defend themselves, no matter what cruelties might be visited upon the weaklings. However, he does not personally tend to commit unnecessarily cruel acts and prefers instead to simply kill those who cross him.

_{List and description of known and suspected flaws. To be put into restricted database.}

Zaek has never been particularly skilled at stealthy approaches to situations and tends to approach everything openly and aggressively despite the danger involved. His solitary nature makes him significantly more vulnerable in many ways than he would be if he operated with a group. He is overly fond of gambling and has been known to rack up large debts. He has displayed reluctance to kill women he finds attractive even when they are actively fighting him, and has been known to reject jobs that require him to kill a woman.

_{Known interests of the warrior.}

Zaek has a passion for slicing and is known to test his skills against highly protected devices and networks for the sheer challenge of it in his down time. He also enjoys watching gladiatorial combat and various sporting events. Gambling is a favored vice of Zaek's, and he very often pairs it with watching fights and sporting events.

_{Major achievements on record.}

Discovered a large vein of kyber crystal on Mygeeto while tracking an escaped criminal wanted by the Republic. After turning the criminal in, he sold the precise location of the crystal vein to the Jedi Order.

Participated in a gladiatorial festival on Geonosis and emerged the victor in a thirty warrior free-for-all.

Successfully tracked a rogue Sith Apprentice to Kashyyyk, subdued him, and returned him to Korriban for interrogation and execution.

Assassinated Tindo Shaar, a wealthy investor in the tech sector, known for his large stake in Czerka Corporation and other weapons manufacturers. Killed three bodyguards, destroyed four security droids, and disabled an advanced security system in order to accomplish this task.

_{Major failures on record. Confidential.}

Unwisely attacked a small pack of strill on Mandalore in his early teen years, was severely wounded and lost his left leg below the knee to a severe infection that required amputation.

Defied his clan's wishes for him to remain on Mandalore rather than taking up the life of a mercenary, refused to fight his younger brother Naret when challenged to a duel to determine whether or not he should be allowed to go.

Fled from battle with a Twi'lek bounty hunter, allowing her to claim the bounty on a wanted criminal.

Lost a fight with a Jedi on Coruscant while on a job for Darth Embrus, failed to acquire any useful information from his attempts to spy on Coruscant, fled without major injury.

Interview

_{Personal biography, as detailed by the subject for use in Mandalorian archives. Acquired shortly after last achievement of note.}

Biography transcript taken from a holodisc sent to Clan Saxon on Mandalore, five years after the signing of the Treaty of Coruscant.

This is Zaek Saxon sending in a biographic update. Not sure if anyone will bother to watch this. It's been... eight years? Yeah, eight years since the last one. The broken shards of that last disc made their way back to me, and I read the message clearly, but I felt the urge to try again. I don't know if the credits were returned or if the courier stole them, but I never hear anything back when I just send credits so I assume you're at least willing to accept my contribution to the clan's welfare. I am grateful for that, more than any of you will likely ever know.

Bah, enough of that. I was born to Clan Saxon on Mandalore. I was trained in the arts of combat and tracking, and I learned to slice as a hobby. I was not the best of my generation, but I did well enough to earn the right to wear our clan's ancestral armor. At least, I did well when I wasn't picking stupid fights. I still remember deciding it would be a good idea to test out my new blaster pistol on some strill. This metal prosthetic still reminds me every day to not be a fool, but it was a lesson learned a bit late. After I recovered, I resumed my training despite the injury. There was nothing else I could do without losing all honor

Ah, and speaking of losing honor, I abandoned my clan when I was nineteen years old. I joke, but I'm sure if anyone from Clan Saxon watches this they will not find any humor in the statement. I felt myself stagnating on Mandalore, unable to do anything but hunt beasts and scrape out a meager life. I had to leave, or else I truly would have dishonored myself and betrayed the Resol'nare. You were all so angry with me when I said I was going to seek work as a mercenary off-world. I tried to explain how I could better serve the clan by making a lucrative living out on my own, but... Well, obviously I was unable to convince any of you. Naret was livid. I can still see his face screwed up in a rage like it was yesterday. He demanded a duel, with the winner deciding whether or not I could leave. I refused. I was leaving to do the right thing for the clan, and beating my own brother bloody would be counter to that goal. As I walked away Naret said I would become dar'manda if I abandoned the clan, and that if I did so and he saw me again he would kill me on the spot. I do not agree with his interpretation of the Resol'nare, but I stay far away from Mandalore anyway to avoid that confrontation. One of us dying would only harm the clan.

After leaving Mandalore, I went looking for work in Republic space. The war was still raging, and at the time the Republic looked to be in good shape. I did a lot of work out of Coruscant, a couple for the Jedi there. About a year after I left, I finally made enough money to replace the rusted old fighter I took when I left Mandalore. I chased a Bothan all the way to Mygeeto, and he went down into a cave system to hide. I caught the little bastard, and down in the caves I found a vein of kyber crystal. On the way out I took a sample, and after dropping the fugitive off and collecting my pay I stopped by the Jedi Temple. They were very interested in the crystal, and I got them to pay handsomely for its location, and that was enough to buy a corvette of my own. It's called the Dauntless. Poor Jedi bastards probably never got to make use of the information before getting wiped out though, because the Empire took control of Mygeeto not too long afterward, but that's their fault for being weak.

Once I had the Dauntless, I went looking for work outside of the Republic. The Huttese were happy to hire a Mandalorian for all kinds of jobs, but they were honorless bastards. One of them sent me off on a bounty that they said they'd only given to me, but I found out he was feeding that line of shit to every merc and hunter who came their way. I found the mark at the same time a Twi'lek woman, a bounty hunter, found him. She was... I don't know how to describe it, but she was something else. Fought almost as well as a Mandalorian. I let her have the bounty because it would've been a shame to kill such a beauty. I even went and learn out how to speak Twi'leki later to be able to find her and speak to her, but she died a year later. I should've been the one to kill her. Ah well, no use regretting lost opportunities.

I made good money from the Huttese, and after I left them I traveled around some of the better gladiator pits around the galaxy. Coruscant got sacked while I was on one of my last jobs in Hutt space, else I would have looked for something to do on either side of the war. The gladiator pits were great fun, though I lost a lot of money there. Gambling is... addictive, I suppose. Had to work off some debts by forcing other gamblers to pay their debts, whether they liked it or not, but I made it through. I was on Geonosis when they were having some kind of festival, a whole series of battles with dozens of fighters all thrown into one pit at the same time. I joined one of them and won, and that was how I met Vihl Raszac. If you've heard of him though, it's probably been under his fancy new title: Darth Embrus. He was there for the festival, about a year after the treaty ended the war, and after he saw me fight he apparently asked around and heard I was a mercenary. He found me after I was done celebrating my victory and offered me a job, with the promise of more to come. I'd heard some stories about him, heard he fought with the best of them, so I told him I'd only work for him if he proved he was stronger than me. He did, without even drawing his weapon. Damned Force users are a pain if you don't get the drop on them.

Working for the Empire turned out to be more lucrative than anything I'd done before, except for selling that kyber crystal information to the Jedi. Never did tell my new boss about that one though, now that I think about it. Maybe after I finish this recording I'll see if he's interested in paying me for the location. If this holodisc comes with a sickening amount of credits attached, that'll be why. It's not a bribe to get you to actually listen to this message, just so we're clear, I just send a percentage of everything I make. Anyway, working for Embrus and the Empire isn't half bad. Lots of challenges, good pay, and they treat you like worthless scum when you fail. It's a true Mandalorian's paradise, heh.

One of the early jobs I did for him was a real pain in the ass. Some Apprentice of his had gone rogue, something about being corrupted by the light side. The little shit stole a ship and took off in the dead of night. He did a good job of hiding where he was going, and it took me about two weeks of jumping from planet to planet and slicing into security networks to find the ship's last known whereabouts: landed on Kashyyyk just inside the range of an Imperial patrol ship's sensors. A few days of tracking on foot later, and I surprised the rogue Apprentice. If not for the blessing of beskar he might have killed me, but he was so shocked by his lightsaber doing nothing to my armor that I was able to drop him with a stiff punch to the jaw. After that I kept him sedated and brought him to Korriban to be interrogated and executed. It paid well, so I went out looking for some new blasters. The ones I took with me from Mandalore were long broken, and the ones I'd picked up since then didn't feel right. Took a while to find real Mandalorian-made weapons without going home, but I managed it. They were well worth the cost, even though the Pau'an bastard charged a small fortune for them.

About a year ago, so five years after the Treaty of Coruscant was signed, I took on a job that was a little too much for me to handle. Darth Embrus, he'd actually earned the title by then, sent me to Coruscant to spy on the Galactic Senate there. He said normally he'd send one of his Apprentices, but any Jedi lurking around would be able to sense them easily. But me, not even sensitive to the Force, that was a different story. Problem is, stealth has never been my strong suit. They didn't need to be able to sense me with their Force bullshit, they just found me out the way any normal person would notice someone trying and failing to be inconspicuous. The Jedi who found me out attacked me immediately. Maybe he was one of their Guardian types. Whatever his job was, he fought well, but he didn't go for the kill. I had to pull out my beskar knife to keep him from cutting me to pieces despite the armor, but I probably would have lost anyway if I hadn't tricked him. I'd picked up some adhesive grenades before heading to Coruscant, and they were meant for exactly that kind of scenario, but the casing looked a lot like a sonic grenade. I leapt back and tossed a primed grenade right at the Jedi's face, and he sliced it in half with his lightsaber. Makes sense for a sonic grenade since it just won't do anything after that, but enough of the adhesive was left to splatter all over his face and arms. I left rather than continuing the fight, because I figured it was only a matter of time until more Jedi showed up. Embrus wasn't too happy about that one, but he didn't fire me, and good thing for him that he didn't.

I did some other work for him between then and now, but I just finished my biggest job yet. Darth Embrus has been trying to take over Czerka Corporation, but he's been having trouble with it. One of the main problems was Tindo Shaar, a human who was working behind the scenes to influence other shareholders to not sell anything to Embrus. He had a nice little estate on Burnin Konn to oversee some of the mines he owned, pretty good security system and some guards and droids for good measure. I took care of all of that, but I almost spared Tindo Shaar. The pathetic man wept and begged for mercy. He was no warrior, but as I was considering what to do he tried to lunge and hit some kind of alarm, so I shot him. He tried as best he could to cling to his soft and comfortable life instead of just cowering, and that was enough of a gesture toward a warrior's spirit for me to strike him down without dishonoring myself.

I think that covers everything important. If you want to send me any messages, or return the shards of this holodisc to me, sending it to Korriban is the best way to see it done. It's been my base of operations for a while now, and I don't think that'll be changing any time soon. If I don't hear anything back, I supposed I'll just have to send another one of these out in another decade or so, assuming I'm not dead by then. I'm just about to jump out of hyperspace near Korriban, so I guess that'll have to be the end of this message.

MASC Rules and Info

The Monthly Adaptive Storytelling Contest is a contest run by @Jorick. It runs once per month on a slightly irregular schedule: the prompt threads go up on the third or fourth Friday of each month, submissions are accepted for three weeks, and the voting periods are one week long. The prompts will change wildly from month to month: some prompts will present restrictive challenges, others will be invite participants to write damn near anything they want, and a few might be plain absurd. While fulfilling the prompt will always be required, there will also be some additional challenges listed with each one that participants can take on or ignore as they like, but those who do the best job of fulfilling them (as decided by me) will get some praise as well. The overall goal of the contest is to challenge the writers of Roleplayer Guild to adapt to whatever the requirements may be and to grow by overcoming them and learning from the critiques of the voters. After all, what's the purpose of a writing contest if not to better one's writing skills?

You'll find the rules listed below. They might change a bit over time, but any alterations will be noted clearly in the prompt or voting thread that comes up following the change. Feel free to ask questions or make suggestions for the contest here in this thread or by sending me a PM.

Also, credit to @Pahn for the lovely contest banner up at the top of this thread.

Submission Rules:

1. Send your entry in a PM to @Jorick before the deadline: before midnight on <~3 weeks after thread posted> in the Pacific Time Zone.
2. Submissions may have no more than 5000 words.
3. One entry per person. Entries are gathered for posting after the deadline, so feel free to edit, tweak, or entirely replace your entry with something new in the PM before the deadline arrives.
4. Submissions will be posted anonymously in the voting thread.
5. No poetry entries allowed.
6. Characters and settings used for this contest must be original works. No fanfiction or non-fiction entries allowed.
7. All site and contest moderation rules are of course in effect.
8. I can and will disqualify entries that violate the above rules or fail to fulfill the prompt. The extra challenges are not required, they're just there for fun.

Voting Rules:

1. Submit your vote by posting in the voting thread before the deadline: before midnight on <~1 week after thread posted> in the Pacific Time Zone.
2. Submissions are posted anonymously for a reason. Revealing which entry was yours before the voting period is over will result in disqualification.
3. Contest entrants cannot vote for their own entry but are invited to vote for a competitor's entry.
4. Comments on and critiques of the entries are highly encouraged, but do keep in mind that criticism should be constructive rather than destructive.
5. The entry with the most votes in the end will be declared the winner. @Jorick will also highlight those who did the best job tackling each extra challenge.
6. All site and contest moderation rules are of course in effect.

Prizes:

The winner of each contest will have their name and work immortalized in the MASC Hall of Fame thread in the Writing Contests subforum. They may also receive a trophy that will be displayed on their profile, details currently being hashed out with the admins!

The additional accolades awarded by @Jorick are just for fun and confer nothing but bragging rights and a sense of accomplishment.

Jorick's shitty test zone

<redacted>

New Contest Mod

I might as well co-opt this thread to put out a little introduction of sorts for those who don't know me. 8D

Some of you might be wondering "who the hell is this guy and why is he suddenly a contest mod?" It's a fair question, seeing as I'd been basically inactive on the Guild up until about a month ago. I'll throw out a resume of sorts to explain why I was chosen for this job.

After being an avid participant and multiple winner of the old Writer of the Month contest, I helped to run it for around two years back before Roleplayer Guild lost all its information and had to be rebuilt from scratch. Afterward, I helped in trying to revive the contest. That effort was unfortunately unsuccessful, due in part to the lack of a lovely writing contest subforum as we have now. That project was laid to rest after a couple months of low activity contests run in the Off-Topic Discussion subforum.

I was then a part of the planning team for the first iteration of RPGC, which was conceived of mainly as a contest to replace WOTM after it was put to rest. RPGC was quite a bit different back then, but the modern version looks great too. I ended up not taking part in the active running of RPGC because I was at that point already moving away to another roleplaying forum.

On that other forum, I became a staff member (and an admin later on) and spearheaded the creation of a writing contest. I did basically all the groundwork for it, then recruited a couple people to help me, and I remained the lead contest manager for the entirety of its run. It was a fairly popular contest that ran smoothly for over two years, until I quit that forum's staff, and since then the contest has languished in my absence. Not to throw shade or anything, but I was definitely the glue holding that project together.

So, in summary, I've got a ridiculously high amount of experience with creating, organizing, and running writing contests. I look forward to getting a new contest up and running in the near future (keep an eye out for new threads going up in the next couple days with information on how it'll work) and seeing what kind of great stories the people of this forum can come up with nowadays.

If you've got any questions, please feel free to ask them here or throw a PM my way.

[Approved] Darth Embrus

Alright, I've updated to address some of those concerns, but I strongly disagree with the rationale for others as I'll explain below in the summary of changes made. I'm keeping him as a Darth while making other adjustments.

Age bumped up ten years to 56 and altered places where age was specifically noted to match. I'm still having him picked up at ~12 years old since the exact time of Ruuria being taken over by a Sith puppet government was uncertain anyway and the info in the wiki implies it could have started as early as ~3700 BBY anyway.

Info in the bio and interests portions expanded and clarified to note that the training under Darth Korrus was a holistic approach to combat training, not a matter of training things one by one. Frankly the idea that time required for mastery of a set of skills ought to be counted sequentially rather than concurrently makes no sense to me, because that's not how learning works in reality. A quick look at the curriculum of any school from the elementary to post-graduate level would show students learning multiple things in the same time frame. Even so, I've knocked down the power level of a lot of things make his prowess with the Force less intense.

Force Speed and Force Lightning down to well-trained talent from talented master.
Droid Disable down to trained talent from talented master.
Force Sense down to intermediate training from well-trained talent.
Telekinesis, Force Throw, and Force Choke down to intermediate training from advanced training.
Telepathy down to basic training from intermediate training.

This leaves 2 mastered talents (Precognition and Force Rage). It also leaves 6 as well-trained talents: Force Speed, Force Sight, Force Bellow, Force Scream, Force Lightning, and Chain Lightning, though I'd argue that the bellow at least is actually just a side effect of training up the scream rather than something that was specifically focused on. There are only two at advanced training now, Telekinetic Defense and Force Stun. All of these things are directly relevant to combat, long with the lightsaber skills, so they were all being trained in tandem by the holistic practical approach rather than in a one by one fashion.

The political influence and associates section was greatly expanded, and the bio has additions to note this as well. Of major note, he now has a whole fleet of subordinates rather than me hand-waving them away as all unimportant stooges shunted off to military postings.

Expanded the flaws section a lot as well.

Added some more failures and changed up the punishments explained in the bio.

General tweaks to the bio, lots of additions, but the basic thrust of the narrative is the same.

[Approved] Darth Embrus

OoC

First and foremost, I'd like to note that I was given approval by Ruby in the Discord to try making a Darth. The gist of it was "go for it and if it's good enough we'll approve it." I can knock him down a peg or two to a Sith Lord or Apprentice if necessary, but I figured having a player Darth to give the Sith characters more options for non-NPC Darths to interact with would be nice, so I went big right out of the gate to try to fill that role.

How long do you usually write? Several paragraphs.
Do you enjoy writing collaborative posts for things like conversations, combat, etc.? Absolutely. I prefer it to doing many back and forth responses in a thread.
Is grammar and depth of writing important to you? Yes. I'm a bit of a writing snob at heart.
Are there any writing subjects you particularly enjoy exploring? Character growth of any kind over the long term is my favorite thing. More specifically, I'm quite fond of broken characters from both angles: taking well-adjusted characters and breaking them, and taking broken characters and trying to fix them. Political shenanigans are also tons of fun.
Is there anything you really dislike and want to avoid like the plague? Slice of life stuff and cheesy romance that doesn't serve any purpose to a greater plot. I doubt I'll have any issues avoiding these with this particular character.
Is there something you are uncomfortable with happening to your character? Nah, everything up to and including death is okay by me.
Do you have any short-term or long-term goals with this character? Being an absolute menace to everything the Republic and the Jedi Order stand for are kind of his whole purpose for being, so I'd be quite pleased with killing off some of their important people and decimating their planets. You know, typical Sith things. Other than that, it'd be neat to see if someone could manage to make him turn a little toward the light side for the sake of dramatic internal conflict, but that'll take a lot of IC work.

Imperial personnel files

Name: Darth Embrus, formerly known as Vihl Raszac before attaining the title and attendant name.
Species: Mirialan
Homeworld: Mirial
Age: 56
Gender: Male
Rank: Darth
Master: Darth Vengean, Councilor of Military Offense
Former master(s): Darth Korrus (deceased)
Apprentice(s): Many. See appended form AR-1 for full listing. (Player character Apprentices are Tishombra Ferro and Kutar Zema.)
Spheres of influence: Military Offense (primary)
Technology (secondary)
Defense of the Empire (tertiary)
Expansion and Diplomacy (tertiary)

Imperial Intelligence Reports

_{Detailed appearance. Imagery insufficient.}

Image

Image created by Cnids on Deviantart.

Subject refused to cooperate with efforts to create a visual analysis, details gathered via observation at a distance.

Subject appears younger than expected for his age. His many geometric tattoos on his face, neck, and hands in the Mirialan tradition indicate extensive skills and accomplishments. Green skin. Dark hair peppered with silver strands, uncertain if these are caused by age or have been present since early years. Yellow eyes. Roughly 2 meters tall. Physical condition uncertain, but covert observation of combat practice indicates high levels of stamina and strength. No defects or deformities discovered.

_{Report on natural ability with the Force, as well as all known Force Techniques and the skill level.}

Subject spoke at length on his "unparalleled prowess" with certain aspects of the Force, but was deemed an unreliable source. Further inquiries were made with Imperial personnel (particularly army officers, Overseers who trained him in the Academy, and other Sith who worked alongside him under Darth Korrus) to piece together an objective assessment.

Basic Skills

• Force Speed: Intermediate Talent
• Telekinesis: Intermediate Training
• Force Throw: Intermediate Training
• Telekinetic Defense: Expert Training
• Force Sight (basic): Expert Talent
• Force Sense: Intermediate Training
• Precognition: Grandmaster
• Mind trick: Intermediate Training
• Force Jump: Basic Talent
• Force Choke: Intermediate Training
• Tutaminis (basic): Intermediate Training

Intermediate Skills

• Force Healing: Intermediate Training
• Detoxify Poison: Intermediate Training
• Animal Friendship: Novice Training
• Force Bellow: Expert Talent
• Farsight: Intermediate Training (Rumored, unconfirmed)
• Force Empathy: Basic Training
• Droid Disable: Basic Talent
• Breath Control: Intermediate Training
• Hibernation Trance: Basic Training
• Telepathy: Novice Training
• Tapas: Intermediate Training
• Crucitorn: Intermediate Training
• Force Deflection: Basic Training
• Force Stun: Expert Training
• Force Stasis: Basic Training
• Force Lightning: Expert Talent
• Chain Lightning: Expert Talent
• Force Scream: Expert Talent
• Force Fear: Intermediate Training
• Force Slow: Basic Training
• Force Drain: Intermediate Training

Advanced Skills

• Mechu-deru: Basic Talent
• Force Rage: Mastered Talent

_{Report on skills not directly rooted in the Force, including level of skill}

List compiled primarily by examination of Imperial records. Subject declared the questions about his non-Force skills to be "not worth [his] time."

Subject displays mastery in the mechanical workings of lightsabers and droids, up to and including experimenting with the creation of new versions of both. Subject also possesses advanced skills in dealing with the mechanical workings of blasters, computers, small vehicles, small starships, and consumer grade technology of all kinds. Some skill regarding mechanics of larger vehicles and starships has been displayed, but true proficiency unlikely. These skills are likely influenced heavily by his innate talents for Mechu-deru.

Subject is noted in other records as being capable of piloting any vehicle he gets his hands on. Piloting skills for various terrestrial vehicles and small starships confirmed, skills with larger starships uncertain but probable.

Subject has displayed advanced skill in the arts of manipulation, particularly when engaging in lying, deception, and intimidation.

Subject possesses advanced skills in first aid techniques and knowledge of humanoid biology. When questioned directly, he noted it as part of his training for the use of Force Healing.

Subject displays proficiency in slicing. Exact extent of skills uncertain, but rarity of use of slicing in lieu of more destructive methods suggests limited abilities.

Subject displays satisfactory proficiency in areas of mandatory training in the Sith Academy: tactics, strategy, statecraft, wilderness survival, enemy territory survival, Sith history, and Sith philosophy.

Subject is fluent in Basic, Mirialan, and Huttese.

_{Report on known combat experience, training and lightsaber training.}

Subject provided a wealth of information on his combat experience and training. Corroboration with records and personnel confirmed most of it.

Subject's training under Darth Korrus was focused primarily on combat. When sent abroad as an Apprentice and Lord, the subject was almost exclusively sent out to fight, including to many of the pitched battles with the Republic in recent years. Training between missions was comprised largely of frequent duels between the Apprentices and Lords who followed Darth Korrus. Subject has proven highly skilled in both solo combat operations and when leading small groups. His skills are less developed in commanding groups numbering in the thousands, but still adequate for wartime implementation. He has displayed intermediate skill in small starship combat, though this is rarely implemented unless absolutely necessary due to his effectiveness on the ground.

Subject's lightsaber training is extensive. He is considered a talented master of the Makashi form, and his talent and training with Djem So are at or near the level of mastery. He has had advanced training in the Ataru and Juyo forms. His training with the Shii-Cho, Soresu, Shien, and Niman forms are at or near the intermediate level. This comprehensive lightsaber training has been augmented with intermediate training in unarmed combat and advanced training in the use of certain Force techniques alongside a lightsaber.

Comments from other Sith indicate that the subject is widely considered a master of lightsaber combat in general. While not a master of all forms, his familiarity with all of them and his unpredictability make him a fearsome opponent. He is known for using purely verbal forms of Dun Möch to destabilize his opponents, fluidly moving between one-handed and two-handed grips, going back and forth between the use of one or two lightsabers at any given time in a fight, and for employing Jar'Kai mixed with Tràkata techniques to quickly dispatch lesser foes who are unprepared to counter such deceptive methods.

_{Detailed notes on political influence and associates.}

Despite continued lack of cooperation in the creation of this report, the broad picture of the subject's influence is easily traced via records of travel and payments made. The primary sources of influence come from strong ties with the Imperial Military and partial or complete ownership of a variety of corporations dealing in various forms of tech and mining operations. His known military associates include most generals of the army, a few admirals of the navy, and a wide assortment of lesser officers. While the army influence has enabled the subject to call on entire regiments at need, his lacking naval influence means it is rare for him to acquire anything more than shuttles or small crafts for personal use without dire need.

The most notable of his corporate interests is a heavy stake in Czerka Corporation, but he is also tied to the majority of all droid and weapon manufacturers in the Empire. The subject owns a wide array of property across Imperial space that has been put to a variety of uses. The subject's monetary wealth is considerable, and his direct connections made to the local governments of dozens of worlds in pursuit of acquisition of corporations and properties are impressive.

The subject is owed favor by many individuals and groups, of which there are a few noteworthy specific inclusions: officials at the Ministry of War and Imperial Diplomatic Service, plus a small handful of Inquisitors working for the Ministry of Intelligence.

His network of Apprentices and subordinate Sith Lords is also noteworthy in regard to influence. Many have flocked to the subject in order to learn from one of the most accomplished warriors of the Empire. Those who have been deemed worthy of such teaching, six Apprentices and two Lords as of the time of writing, have been subjected to intensive training regimens and have developed an almost fanatical loyalty to their master. Others numbering in the dozens have been accepted as Apprentices but not deemed good enough for that same treatment. They have instead been sent out to pursue their own areas of talent with regular reports back to their master, with rewards granted for notable progress made. It is impossible to calculate just how useful these Apprentices are to maintaining the subject's influence, but with thirty-two confirmed Apprentices and four Sith Lords in the field it seems plausible that they can be used to considerable effect as needed.

_{Detailed notes on known rivals and enemies, outside and within the Empire.}

Due in large part to his abrasive temperament, the subject has many rivals and enemies. Countless citizens of the Republic would be pleased to see him dead for his brutal efficiency in waging war against them before the Treaty of Coruscant was signed. The Jedi Order in particular is known to have labeled him a high priority target during the war, and they almost managed to kill him on two occasions. A variety of Sith Lords and Darths who envy his sway with the army and his holdings in the technology sector could be counted as rivals, or perhaps direct enemies if their tensions were to grow more heated. Apprentices and Sith Lords who have been turned away when seeking to make the subject their master, of which there are dozens, likely harbor resentment that may turn into plots for revenge. He also possesses many business rivals, especially other major stakeholders of Czerka Corporation against whom the subject is currently fighting for majority control of the company.

_{List and description of other known associates, including underlings.}

The subject has many underlings, but among them he favors a select few. While these eight are subjected to rigorous training and more harrowing tasks, the rest seem to be left largely to do as they please. It is impossible to ascertain just how much these far-flung underlings view the subject as their true master, or if they see their arrangement simply as a convenience that allows them more latitude than another master might offer, but they are of little consequence either way. The favored eight, however, are noteworthy.

Sith Lord Zisna Alesh: A female Sith Pureblood of roughly 90% purity. She has respectable influence in the spheres of Defense of the Empire and Laws and Justice, and lesser pull within the realm of Imperial Intelligence. She is noted by her peers as being vicious to the point of being considered a danger even to her allies, but her admirable combat skills brought her under the subject's protection when other Sith Lords were apparently plotting an unfortunate accident for her.

Sith Lord Neyo Sypher: A Mirialan male, one of the few survivors from the first group of force-sensitives the subject brought to Korriban after bringing his homeworld under the auspices of the Empire. His influence is concentrated largely in the areas of Military Strategy and Military Offense, with some minor interests in the areas of Expansion and Diplomacy. He appears to be a fanatical follower of the subject. Such loyalty is unusual and worrisome, but thus far it has not conflicted with the needs of the Empire.

Apprentice Tishombra Ferro: A Sith Pureblood woman with about 75% purity of blood. While she is the most recent addition to the subject's group of favored underlings, she appears to have already fallen into line with the gruelling training regimen. During the writing of this report, subject was overheard regaling another Darth with the story of Tishombra Ferro slaying a fellow Apprentice during a training exercise performed with true lightsabers rather than practice blades, and it did seem to be told in a tone of glowing positivity. Her interests and limited influences seem to lie in the realms of Defense of the Empire, the Mysteries, and Sith Philosophy.

Apprentice Shiyqo Seknos: A male Sith Pureblood with an almost immaculately pure lineage. He has some influence in the sphere of Production and Logistics thanks to his family's deep ties to that sector, and more minor sway in the realms of Military Offense and Defense of the Empire. He is a hedonistic creature that has been forcibly made to fit the mold of a ruthless warrior, and it shows in his tendencies for laziness and getting distracted from his studies by simple pleasures.

Apprentice Amogeva Garr: A Miralian female, from a later batch of force-sensitives sent years after the subject finished his work on his homeworld. She has such an abysmal lack of influence in the Empire that it is doubtful she will ever rise above the rank of Apprentice, but her relentless dedication to learning the nuances of lightsaber combat seems to have been plenty to catch the subject's eye. She had been assigned as an Apprentice to a Sith Lord, but reports indicate he gladly gave her up in exchange for a small sum of credits.

Apprentice Hanna Durunen: An Arkanian woman, and by all accounts an absolutely insufferable person to be around. During the creation of this report she insisted on being interviewed so that her information was recorded accurately. The holotape managed to get lost in transit. Her obsessive pursuit of self-improvement by way of genetic modifications and cybernetic enhancements naturally led her to develop ties with elements of the spheres of Biotic Science and Technology.

Apprentice Coriss Scelax: A Sluissi male. His limited political influence lies entirely in the spheres of Technology and Military Offense, both predominantly in areas related to starship manufacture and repear, but that comes as no surprise from a Sluissi. Even a layman observer would understand why the subject pursued this particular Apprentice: his technical skill with a lightsaber is beyond impressive. While he has a habit of falling into rote patterns of the forms, he has the potential to become a master with time, experience, and a teacher willing to break him out of those predictable behaviors.

Apprentice Raevys Lanell: A Vahla woman whose presence among this core group of warrior underlings is somewhat unusual. Where the rest are all greatly skilled in the use of a lightsaber, her talents appear to lie largely in the use of the Force, including the use of her telekinetic abilities to wield up to three lightsabers at once. She has made connections within the realms of Ancient Knowledge and Sith Philosophy, but reports indicate she has declined multiple offers from Sith more deeply ensconced in those spheres to leave the subject and become their underling instead.

Sith Warrior Kutar Zema: A human Sith Warrior who is absolutely massive in stature. Recently all of the Subject's mentions of his favored group of underlings have gone from noting nine members to eight, and it appears Kutar Zema is the odd one out at the moment. The reason for this disfavored status is unclear, especially given the Warrior's accomplishments and the fact that he has been the Subject's Apprentice for much longer than any of the others. The requisite level of investigation to uncover the truth was deemed unnecessary for the completion of this report.

_{List of known all ownerships, including vessels, non-standard equipment, slaves and locations.}

• One IL-5 Ocula Starfighter, named Mazdar's Fury. Taken from the eponymous Mazdar, a mercenary hired by the Republic, after he was ambushed and killed on Taris. Heavily modified over the years, equipment loadout uncertain.
• One HK series assassin droid, believed to be a recovered and refurbished HK-50. While technically capable of combat, the subject has heavily modified it and has allowed it to go without a factory reset for long enough to become unstable and erratic. It performs tasks better suited to a third-degree droid, and the subject has refused multiple offers of free replacement with top of the line third-degree droid models. Will not respond to any model number designation, but does respond to the name 'Rustbucket' per command of its owner.
• Uncertain number of lightsabers, all built entirely by the subject. He is known to carry three at a time: one on either hip and another secreted inside his clothing. Most commonly this includes one curved hilt saber and two standard sabers.
• Exact number of slaves uncertain, but likely in the tens of thousands. They are invariably set to work in his owned factories and mines or on land he possesses.
• Uncertain number of partially or fully owned corporations, predominantly manufacturers of war tech (especially blasters, droids, and starship weaponry) and the mines that supply them.
• Owns many gladiatorial arenas, particularly some large ones on Geonosis, and is known to visit them when time permits.
• Owns a variety of property across the galaxy seemingly purchased as potential locations for new factories to be built. Those deemed unsuitable for such use have been left to be run by locals to extract whatever profit may be found. As such, the subject inadvertently became the owner of a wide assortment of farmland and small businesses over the last decade.

_{Psychological evaluation of candidate.}

The subject is combative and unruly, as noted in other portions of this report. He did not sit down for the mandatory psychological evaluation until directly ordered to do so by a member of the Dark Council. His rebellious nature was successfully suppressed during his training in the Academy and under the watchful eye of Darth Korrus, but since attaining his own Darth status he has become difficult to work with. He is prone to bouts of volatile anger, though they appear to be willful outbursts rather than the subject being ruled by his emotions. Though impossible to confirm within the confines of the psychological evaluation session, the subject is reputed to be more or less pleasant to interact with so long as he does not have reason to see one as a nuisance or obstacle. He has a strongly charismatic presence even while ranting about this evaluator's deficiencies, which makes this hearsay easy to believe.

The subject's adherence to the Sith Code is immaculate and his loyalty to the Empire and its interests is without question. No recommendations made for further evaluation or observation.

_{List and description of known and suspected flaws. To be put into restricted database.}

Pride and arrogance are the subject's primary flaws. He has a history of being easily goaded into fights, and he has a bad habit of underestimating opponents. This often leads to reckless behavior that risks serious injury or death.

The subject's narrow focus on offensive combat uses of the Force may be considered a flaw. While his combat defenses are noteworthy, his defenses regarding mental attacks are likely not strong enough to stand for long against a highly skilled opponent. This likely played a part in the subject's near death in the attack on the Jedi Temple of Coruscant.

A preference for physical force over other means of resolving conflicts causes a variety of troubles for the subject. Many former Apprentices have fled and sought other masters due to being unwilling to submit to the domineering ways of the subject, and there have been instances of needless conflict with other Darths due to this mentality.

The subject displays hedonistic tendencies that may present exploitable weaknesses to his enemies.

_{Known interests of the candidate.}

The subject is relentless in pursuit of practical, technical, and theoretical knowledge regarding lightsaber combat and his areas of specialization in the use of the Force. Most of his waking hours are spent in practice, whether alone or against sparring opponents or by taking part in battles on various planets the Empire is still working to pacify in the wake of the Treaty of Coruscant being signed.

Though not as extensive, his interest in the mechanical workings of various forms of technology is well known. This interest is most often directed toward building or modifying lightsabers and droids. He is known to have workshops dedicated to these pursuits secreted within the grounds of some of his many owned properties, as well as others meant for tinkering with his personal fighter, blasters of all sizes, and other various pieces of tech.

Various hedonistic pursuits, primarily sex and watching blood sports. Occasional use of mind altering substances.

_{Major achievements on record.}

• Successfully led a platoon of soldiers in the initial ground invasion of Balmorra and captured an important executive of Traken Industries.
• Successfully led a platoon of soldiers through a month-long campaign of guerrilla destruction on Dathomir.
• Successfully led a company of soldiers in the ground efforts against Ahto City on Manaan, and later flew a fighter in defense of the bombardment of the city.
• Took an important supporting role in the diplomatic efforts to take control of his home planet of Mirial, helping to negotiate a mutually beneficial agreement. While there, oversaw the acquisition of dozens of force-sensitives for the Sith Academy.
• Attained battle-ready usage of the Force Rage technique at merely 35 years of age, thanks to natural talent and intensive training.
• Spearheaded the capture of the Alderaanian royal family during the Battle of Alderaan.
• Elevated to the rank of Sith Lord at the age of 40.
• Mastered the use of Precognition.
• Participated in the attack on the Jedi Temple of Coruscant, with confirmed kills of four Jedi.
• In the years after the Treaty of Coruscant, he developed a variety of small improvements to current laser technology, increasing overall efficiency of Imperial blasters and laser cannons by about 5%.
• Mastered the use of the Force Rage technique.
• Became recognized as a Grandmaster of Precognition by clearly surpassing a handful of talented masters of the technique.
• Inherited Darth Korrus' network of influence when he died and soon after was granted the title and name of Darth Embrus.

_{Major failures on record. Confidential.}

• Nearly died trying to demonstrate his abilities with Force Lightning as an Acolyte.
• Destroyed an ancient relic on Cadomai Prime and failed first mission assigned by Darth Korrus as an Apprentice.
• Participated in the second Battle of Bothawui, failed to produce significant advantage for Imperial forces. Battle ended in a draw with depleted Imperial forces withdrawing.
• Destroyed a workshop provided by Darth Korrus while experimenting with explosives.
• Failed to maintain the captivity of the Alderaanian royal family during the retreat from Alderaan. Nearly died while battling against two Jedi, narrowly managed to disengage from battle and rush to a shuttle for evacuation.
• Nearly died in the attack on the Jedi Temple of Coruscant after underestimating a young Jedi woman.
• Lost two Apprentices after sending them on a covert mission to spy on Republic naval production facilities; one confirmed dead, the other missing and suspected dead.
• After years of effort, has failed to advance his stake in the ownership of Czerka Corporation.

Interview

_{Personal biography, as detailed by the candidate for use in imperial archives. Acquired shortly after last achievement of note.}

Below is a heavily modified transcript of the audio recording of the interview performed one month after the subject was granted the title of Darth Embrus, almost exactly four years after the Treaty of Coruscant was signed. Questions have been omitted and major editing has been done to remove irrelevant comments and insults, correct confirmed falsehoods, and create a coherent biographical narrative. The end product bears little surface resemblance to the interview it was taken from, but this drastic measure was necessary to fulfill the aims of this report and to distill nine hours of combative dialogue into a readable document. Full audio can be acquired only from the Ministry of Intelligence with confirmation of appropriate security clearance due to the various sensitive information contained therein, of which all details were kept out of this written report. Some references to sensitive information remain with direct approval of the Minister of Intelligence for the sake of coherence.

I was taken in early on in the resurgence of the Sith Empire, one of the first force-sensitive children acquired on Ruuria by the diplomatic contingent that was sent to establish control there before the war started. I was eleven or twelve at the time, and I went there with my family for some work related matter. My father had something to do with their manufacturing sector. I don't recall the details. They died in an accident, and after two weeks orphaned on the planet one of the Sith recognized my potential. I never learned her name. I went willingly after she told me that I would be given a place to sleep and warm food. They kept me aboard one of their ships for a while, but after Korriban was retaken I was sent to the Sith Academy there.

There's not much to say about most of my time there. It was harsh, but I overcame the challenges posed by the Overseers and my fellow Neophytes and Acolytes. I was called a prodigy in precognition, lightsaber combat, and channeling my rage to fuel my uses of the Force. I got ahead of myself sometimes because of that praise. When I was an Acolyte, I tried to show off my abilities with Force Lightning. I went too far with it and it got out of control enough to turn on me directly. It almost killed me. My Overseer at the time showed me the proper use of the technique by using it on me repeatedly after I recovered.

Darth Korrus, about two years before he attained the title of Darth, chose me as an Apprentice when I was nineteen years old. His training and tasks were significantly more challenging than what I experienced in the Academy. I spent most of my early days under his mentorship battling his other Apprentices in order to hone my combat skills. His method of teaching was very different from what I experienced in the Academy. Rather than practicing with just one technique or with just the lightsaber at any given time, he demanded that I and his other Apprentices use it all together. He said that we would never win a real fight if we couldn't weave all of our skills together to ensare our enemies in a net of superiority. It was an enlightening method of training, and I thrived under his instruction. When he decided I was skilled enough in channeling my rage to be worthy of extra attention, Darth Korrus allowed me to use some of his holocrons in order to learn the fundamentals of the Force Rage technique. My talents served me well in quickly learning what was offered, and from then onward he would have me make use of Force Rage alongside all of my other skills in training in order to drill its use into my brain and my muscle memory.

My early years as an Apprentice were not all good. The very first mission I was sent on was a failure. I was sent to retrieve an artifact from Cadomai Prime. We never learned exactly what it was, but as soon as I got near it I could feel it had something to do with the Force. My master was not the only one who had heard rumors of this strange object in the caves of Cadomai, and soon after I found it I was attacked by a group of four people with blasters. Treasure hunters, perhaps, or hired hands of some Jedi. I killed them, but in doing so I swung wide with my lightsaber and destroyed the artifact. Darth Korrus was deeply displeased. He took away my lightsaber and forced me to sit in absolute silence all day for three days to contemplate the merits of patience and control. I hated it, and every time I so much as made a noise he added a day. I ended up meditating on patience and control for almost two weeks before I got to return to my training.

After four years as his Apprentice, Darth Korrus sent me off to my first major task in the war against the Republic. I was sent to aid the attack on Balmorra, and I was surprised when the General informed me that I was to lead a platoon. We were meant to simply provide backup to other groups, but I grew bored of this and instead launched an attack on a known property of a Traken Industries executive. We captured him and his family, and they've been useful in our continued efforts on Balmorra even after I was recalled to Korriban. I led another platoon on Dathomir, this time as a harrying force to distract and demoralize the local military presence. After that I was sent to Manaan. That time I was placed in charge of a company, and it was an almost pitifully easy conquest. There were still some enemy fighters airborne by the time the ground forces were pulled out for the bombardment, and I commandeered one of our fighters to help take them down. I took part in some other battlefronts around the same time, but none of them were particularly memorable. In between the battles, I started delving deeper into the technology industry and began making connections with important individuals on planets that had favorable resources for mining and production facilities. These relationships were vital to my later buildup of influence over the industry.

Bothawui was a very strange battle, compared to all that came before it. It was my first true failure on the battlefield, though I did not recognize it as a failure until I returned to Darth Korrus. I didn't lose any major fights, but I failed to do my job. What I had not realized before that point was that in such a large battle, a skilled Sith should act as a force amplifier for the regular soldiers rather than trying to become a solitary weapon and use the soldiers as distractions and backup. He sent me to help with the subjugation of my homeworld as punishment, declaring a failed warrior was good for nothing but peace talks, but I quickly realized the challenge hidden within. After the Imperial ambassadors failed to make much headway with technocratic talk about the benefits of submitting to the Empire, I presented myself as the bright future of Mirial under the benevolent rule of the Empire. I took the diplomatic words and empowered them with the truth of my power, the power that the young men and women of Mirial might wield in time, and that was enough to make the message sink in. When I returned to Korriban with a copy of the agreement I helped to implement and a gaggle of children sent off to the Academy, Darth Korrus was pleased that I had understood the nature of the punishment as a lesson and that I had learned it well this time around. He rewarded me with additional personal training and access to another set holocrons, and my skill with Force Rage grew to the point that he gave me permission to use it in battle. Only a month later I blew up a building that my master had granted me for technological experiments, and I thought that would have angered him enough to withdraw that permission, but he found it amusing and decided my punishment would be only to suffer through the natural healing process for all the burns I'd suffered.

I would have died on Alderaan without that power at my disposal. Darth Korrus sent me there to aid in the planned attack, and I was charged with assaulting Castle Panteer. The attack went smoothly, and we captured the royal family with few losses. The tide turned on our forces, and Jedi came to reclaim the royals. I killed two of them before two others engaged me at once, and my skill with Force Rage only barely kept me alive. In the end, I had to abandon the captives and flee to a shuttle. It was a humiliating defeat, but Darth Korrus was pleased enough with my performance to decide not to punish me. I recovered from my wounds and was shipped off to a variety of battlefronts, including a month back on Balmorra, and I did well enough in that time.

I earned the rank of Sith Lord in the years after Alderaan, largely because I'd tripled my efforts in expanding my influence in the army and the technology industries whenever I was not busy with war or combat practice. Not long after I became a Sith Lord, Darth Korrus acknowledged me as a master in the use of Precognition, but that was apparently not enough to satisfy him, so the training continued. I acquired a starfighter on Taris, an IL-5 Ocula, after Darth Korrus sent me to kill a Republic-aligned mercenary named Mazdar. The mercenary had no business being there as far as I was aware, but he was very inebriated when I found him and proved trivial to dispatch by ambushing him in an alleyway. He had a rusted old droid in the cargo hold that was no longer functioning, but I made use of that as well. Rustbucket isn't a very good droid, but he suits my purposes. I acquired my first Apprentice soon afterward, but she was pathetic, barely worthy of the rank. She was very interested in archaeological work though, and I've been sending her out to scrape at the dirt of various planets ever since. She'll never attain the rank of Lord, but she has her uses.

I almost died again on Coruscant. It was a glorious battle, and seeing so many Jedi fall as we invaded their temple is a vision that still graces my dreams. The official records say I killed four of them, but it was actually seven. It would have been eight if I hadn't gotten cocky. I'd fought my way through seven Jedi, some of them working as pairs and unable to take me down, so when I saw a young woman barring my passage I ordered my comrades to stay back and let me have some fun. She fought me at first with the true form of Shii-Cho, and I toyed with her rather than killing her immediately. Before I got bored enough to finish her off, she surprised me by quickly switching to a Makashi stance and attacking me ferociously. She disarmed me by slicing my lightsaber handle in two, and she almost took my head and an arm with her next two swings, then her third cut through my torso and hit a lung. I charged her with Force Speed and managed to daze her by slamming her into a wall, and one of my Apprentices at the time hurried in and finished her off. I later learned that despite her apparent age, she'd been the Coruscant temple's Makashi instructor. She'd read me perfectly and baited me into a trap that almost killed me. My Apprentices and the other Sith I'd been leading left me to take care of myself, as ordered before we went in, and I kept myself alive with Force Healing and more rudimentary first aid skills.

Darth Korrus was less pleased by that failure than he had been about Alderaan, despite the many Jedi fallen by my hand. He rarely ever picked up a lightsaber himself to train his subordinates, relying instead on having them fight each other while he watched and instructed, but after I recovered from my wounds he faced me in the first and only serious duel we ever had. I was not as quick to learn the lesson of my failure this time around, and I underestimated the old man. I thought that since I never saw him use his weapon it must mean he was too weak and frail to fight properly. He humiliated me with his skill while all of his other subordinates present on Korriban watched us. I had underestimated him, and he made me look like a foolish novice for making that mistake. He was not content to simply disarm me. I was dragged away from that fight in far more serious condition than I was after Coruscant, and after recovering from those wounds I was forced to fight five of Darth Korrus' other skilled subordinates at once with only a training saber while they had real lightsabers. I did not win that fight either, but my master was sufficiently pleased that I had learned not to underestimate opponents by then so my punishment was concluded.

Afterward, with the Treaty of Coruscant signed there were fewer battlefields for me to be sent to. Pacifying the planets ceded to the Empire required less power than fighting the Republic head on, and Darth Korrus left me to my own devices for the most part. I spent a lot of that time relentlessly training for the day we resume the destruction of the Republic and the Jedi, but I also devoted time to preparing for my master's death. I sought challenges beyond the group of Sith my master favored, and it proved to be vital to the development of my skills. I became much more familiar with my preferred lightsaber forms by testing them against new opponents, and I mastered the use of Force Rage. My most noteworthy accomplishment of that period, however, was becoming recognized as a Grandmaster in the use of Precognition. I challenged every master of the technique I could find, mainly by insulting their supposed prowess and urging them to prove me wrong if they wished to keep calling themselves masters. The intense ordeals they concocted to test our skills head to head were exceedingly dangerous, but I walked out of every one of them unscathed while many of them were left bloody and bruised. In their arrogance they'd expected me to be the one left slashed and battered by their devious trials, so of course they hadn't bothered to hold back on the danger for their own benefit. After embarrassing six masters of the technique, they begrudgingly recognized me as their superior and acknowledged me as a Grandmaster. The status almost isn't worth the tedious bother of all the unskilled fools who come begging me to teach them, but it does have its perks.

While I achieved mastery over my favored Force techniques and lightsaber forms, I also worked to take over Darth Korrus' network of influence. Though he was still capable of fighting, it was clear to me that he would die in the near future. He worked against my efforts of course, but at the same time he seemed pleased by the challenge. He gave me access to his full collection of holocrons after he saw that I was directly working to succeed him, far more than I'd ever seen in one place before, and I think that was his way of telling me I was in fact worthy as an heir. Before long, many of his favored officers of the Imperial Army began coming to me to ask favors rather than asking Darth Korrus. This was largely because they knew of my vast reach in the war manufacturing industry, gained by selling knowledge of my own innovations to laser technology to certain interested parties for ownership stakes in their companies rather than credits, and wished to leverage that for their own benefit. I'd gained many Apprentices by this time as well, and I started to send all of those lacking a true gift for combat out to expand my influence further. Some joined my first Apprentice in archaeological projects, others were stationed in the military, some took posts in the Imperial Diplomatic Service and the Ministry of War, one became an Inquisitor, and others were sent to look after my business interests across the galaxy. It wasn't all successful, of course: I lost a couple Apprentices who were sent to infiltrate a Republic shipyard and the other stakeholders of Czerka Corporation continue to be a thorn in my side, but after recognizing me as a worthy successor it seems my master stopped viewing it as his duty to punish my failings.

By the time Darth Korrus died, four years after the treaty was signed, I was the only person ready to take his place. He'd been very influential in the Empire during the war, but as his reach waned in its wake mine only grew more powerful. Though he did not tell me his intention in advance, my master spent some of his final days sending messages to his allies, subordinates, and the Dark Council to let it be known that he wanted me to take his position and inherit his belongings unless another Sith Lord could best me in single combat. Many tried, but none succeeded. In the few months after his death, most of his contacts across the Empire had contacted me to continue my master's work and most of his subordinates acknowledged me as the uncontested masterpiece of Darth Korrus' years of attempting to shape us all into living weapons for the Empire. Darth Vengean visited me and informed me that the Dark Council had decided to heed Darth Korrus' request, and though he never said it I am certain they waited until after I was clearly in control of the newly elevated position of power before they made it official. He bestowed the name and title of Darth Embrus upon me, and he made my succession of Darth Korrus complete by formally becoming my new master, just as he had been for Darth Korrus.

It has been a month since I became Darth Embrus. The eternal work of consolidating and expanding my influence continues unabated, but I'm already on the way to reclaiming or replacing what was lost by others poaching his resources before I could bring them to heel. I presume you'll come to bother me for another of these interviews soon enough, so that should suffice for the time being.

[ASOIAF]: Before the Dragons Danced

<Snipped quote by Ezekiel>

Okay. Not sure how'd I'd work recovering Brightroar into the Dance of Dragons. Considering most of the action would be happening on Westeros and Brightroar was lost in Valyria.

Hence my desire to use it in likely battle. Granted perhaps there might be some debate over which family Branch should have it?

That and perhaps Joanna is learning to still use it. Otherwise, with war coming - I doubt Joanna would have a desire to suddenly slip off to Valyria.

@NecroKnight

I'm not a GM or anything, but you're getting well ahead of yourself there. This roleplay is set in 111 AC to begin with. The Dance of the Dragons doesn't kick off until 129 AC. The puzzle pieces that lead to a civil war over the succession are only just starting to fall into place at this point in the timeline, so there's not really any likely battle to be had unless you have something to do with the war for the Stepstones.

There's plenty of time for expeditions to Valyria before it's civil war time.