Darth Ryzann

"And his knowledge remained woefully incomplete, Barin! That which Ryzann does not value, he takes no trouble to comprehend. Of Padawans and children's stories, of love, loyalty and innocence, Ryzann knows and understands nothing. Nothing. That they all have a power beyond his own, a power beyond the reach of the Force, is a truth he has never grasped."

- Jedi Master Alain Carta

Taor Gaius Fallo (126 ABY- 198 ABY), later known as Darth Ryzann, was the most powerful Sith Lord in the post-Imperial Galaxy. He was born to Taor Fallo Sr., a wealthy merchant from Alderaan who abandoned his wife and unborn child, and Merrin Harr, a Grey Jedi descended from who died shortly after childbirth.

Born and raised in a dreary Coruscanti orphanage and taught the ways of the Force at the Jedi Academy on, Taor was an exceptional pupil, excelling at all the areas he studied. Very few of the Jedi Masters could have suspected his true nature, which manifested itself in several nasty instances during his adolescence of which Taor was never proven guilty, notably the destruction of Khoonda and the murder of the Fallos.

After leaving the academy, Taor briefly worked for Slice of Korriban before disappearing for a long time. He absorbed himself completely into the Dark Side, and underwent many extreme transformations, including the creation of several Shards. He assumed the title of Darth Ryzann and gathered an army known as the Risen Acolytes, planning to take over the Galaxy and achieve immortality. This would result in two wars and a great many deaths, until Ryzann was finally defeated by Barin Mon during the Battle of the Acadmey.

Early Life
"I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me. I can make hurt them if I want to."

- Eleven year-old Taor Fallo to Alain Carta

Taor Gaius Fallo, was born in 126 ABY in an orphanage on Coruscant. His Grey-Jedi mother, Merrin Harr, a direct descendant of Darth Bane, died shortly after his birth. Before she died, she named the child after his father, Taor Fallo Sr., and Gaius Harr, her father. Taor Fallo Sr. was a wealthy Alderaanian merchant living on the planet of Ord Mantell who was tricked into a relationship with Merrin through use of the Force. After a time, it is thought that Merope discontinued her use of love potions on Tom, in the hopes that he had really fallen in love with her. To Merrin's great sorrow, he abandoned her and their unborn child.

Taor Fallo grew up in a dingy orphanage, completely unaware of his Force-sensetive heritage. He did have some grasp on his abilities beyond that of normal Force-sensetive children of his same age, however, as well as an unusually high degree of control over them. Taor could move objects with his mind and cause them to travel, floating, wherever he wished, manipulate animals and creatures as he wished, speak ancient Sith, and use his power to inflict harm on other orphans. After getting into a fight with one boy, he used his powers to hang the boy's womp rat from the ceiling. On one occasion, he took two orphans, Dario and Alma, into a cave, where he performed an act so horrifying that the two orphans were traumatised into silence. Young Taor Fallo also stole from fellow orphans and hid their possessions in his cupboard like trophies.

When Taor was eleven, Jedi Master Alain Carta, an instructor at the Dantooine Jedi Acadmey, talked to the woman who ran the orphanage first, who informed him of how unusual Taor was, sharing tales of his extraordinary influence over the other children. When Carta was at last introduced to the boy, Taor at first believed him to be a doctor or psychiatrist of some sort, come to take him to an asylum. He was convinced after Carta demonstrated his power by using the Force to create a harmless fire on Taor's cupboard, and when he revealed that the academy was a school for people with Force-sensitivity, Taor realised what his abilities were.

"His powers...were surprisingly well-developed for such a young boy and — most interestingly and ominously of all — he had already discovered that he had some measure of control over them, and begun to use them consciously...they were not the random experiments typical of young force-sensetives: He was already using magic against other people, to frighten, to punish, to control."

- Alain Carta on Fallo's abilities as a child

At a very early age, it was clear that Taor displayed a desire to be different and set apart from others (as is hinted when he mentions his dislike of his own name, because it was such a common name at that point in Galactic history). He was not surprised at all upon being informed by Carta that he was Force-sensetive. He was, in fact, eager to believe that he had special gifts that no one else had. Taor also showed an eminent fear of death, considering it a weakness. He claimed that his mother couldn't have been a Jedi, because if she was Force-sensetive then she would have been able to avoid dying.

Taor's abuse of his wizarding powers alarmed Alain. He resolved to keep a close eye on him. Carta also warned Taor that at the Acadamey he would be introduced to the laws that controlled the usage of the Force in the Galaxy, and that law-breakers were punished with severity. Fallo's demeanour changed after Carta reprimanded him; he became more guarded and shielded his reactions. Carta provided Fallo with enough information to find the Acadmey.

Years at the Academy
Taor was taught the ways of the Jedi at the Dantooine Academdy from 138 ABY to 145 ABY, and was named as a Jedi Vanguard. These Jedi oten learned some Dark-Side techniques, a nod to his ancestor, Darth Bane.

Taor described the way he was seen as "poor, but brilliant, parentless, but so brave, a model Padawan." This opinion was also shared by the Masters, including Halo Kahn, who was taken in by Taor's charisma and who taught him about Shards. The sole exception to this was Alain Carta, who was, at that time, instructor of lightsaber comabt. Carta remained suspicious about Taor's true nature; Taor, in turn, despised and feared Carta.

Taor became obsessed with his heritage and began researching it with an insatiable hunger. He learned of his Sith ancestry, discovered the existence of the fabled Lair that lay beneath the Acadmey, and tamed the terentatek which dwelt within. As the Heir of Bane through his mother's family, Taor was able to open the Lair that Bane had left behind in order to "purge the acadmey of all those who are unworthy to study the Force" - in Taor and Bane's eyes, those who came from non-Force-sensetive backgrounds.

The terentatek injured many at the academy in 143 ABY. The last victim was a Padawan named Marius. The Acadmey was to be closed, but Taor did not want to return to the orphanage. To keep the academy from shutting down, he framed fellow student Bosmer Orsim and his pet nexu cub. Carta, distrusting Fallo, kept a close watch on him after that. Because it was no longer safe to open the Lair, Taor created a datapad to preserve a part of his soul, the very first of many Shards, hoping it would one day lead someone to finish Darth Bane's "noble work."

While researching his heritage, Taor focused solely on who his father was, thinking him to be the Force-sensetive parent, as he felt his mother couldn't have been a Jedi if she had died. He searched for his father's name in the Acadmy's trophy room, in the records of those who had taken the Jedi Trials and in records of the Order's history, but found nothing to suggest his father had even attended the academy. It was around this time that Taor gave himself the alias "Lord Ryzann," to spare himself of the reminder of his "filthy Muggle father."

Ord Mantell
In 143 ABY, Taor went to Ord Mantell to learn about his mother's family. While there, he met his Mortus Harr, who thought that this stranger looked "mighty like that fool", Merrin's husband, Taor Fallo Sr. Mortus Harr told Taor the story of his father, which infuriated Taor to the point of seeking revenge. Taor went to the Fallo home and murdered his father, grandfather, and grandmother. He covered up his crimes by altering Mortus's memory, causing him to believe that he was the killer. When the Jedi Council investigated the crime, Mortus - who had previously served three years in prison for using the Force against non-Force-sensetives - freely admitted to it and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Taor took the family signet ring from Mortus and wore it like a trophy at the Acadmey.

During Taor's last year at the acadmey, he received a medal for merit. He was one of the most brilliant students ever to attend the acadmey. Shortly before graduating, Taor charmed the Force ghost of Jaina Narr, into revealing the location of Darth Sion's lightsaber. Taor sought to transform the lightsaber into another Shard.

After Hogwarts
After graduating, Taor asked Kenth Hanmer for a chance to instruct lightsaber combat, but was deemed too young. Taor then presumably travelled to the far-flung remains of Malachor V about which Jaina Narr had told him, and retrieved the lightsaber.