Corvus

Corvus, also known as CM-0190 or One-Ninety, was a Human male Stormtrooper officer who held the military rank of Commander in the First Order. After discovering his own Force-Sensitivity, Corvus became a self-taught Dark Side Adept inspired by the Sith Order. At some point during the galactic war between the First Order and the Resistance, his exceptional leadership and combat prowess earned him command of Crimson Battle Group. Corvus became a Sith Acolyte after discovering the New Sith Order on Moraband, and was trained by the cult's leader, Darth Krayt. After the end of the galactic war, Corvus founded the Crimson Imperium, a splinter faction of the First Order. A deadly warrior and a brilliant military leader, Corvus inspired many others to join him, leading them as he built a new empire. In the years following the end of the war, he subsequently became a well-recognized symbol of authority and a force to be reckoned.

Trooper of the First Order
He was born in 9 ABY and, like other troopers, was taken as a child to serve the First Order. The child received the designation CM-0190 and was made a Stormtrooper of the CM unit of the Stormtrooper Corps. A loyal adherent of the tenets of the First Order and a capable soldier, CM-0190 eventually became a Stormtrooper officer. Stationed on the Retribution, he served under the veteran officer Gideon Hask, who gave CM-0190 the name Corvus while participating in Project Resurrection. In 34 ABY, three members of the Resistance infiltrated the Retribution to steal First Order intelligence and eliminate Gideon Hask. During the skirmish, the Stormtroopers attempted to repel the enemy, however, they managed to defeat the Stormtroopers, and Corvus was injured during the firefight. Before he could succumb to his wounds, Corvus was taken by other Stormtroopers to the starship medical bay, where medical droids managed to stabilize him.

Stormtrooper Commander
The skirmish resulted in the deaths of Gideon Hask and Iden Versio, as well as the theft of First Order intelligence, and the Retribution damaged after the destruction of the ship’s hyperdrive. With the death of Hask, Corvus assumed command of the Retribution after recovering from his injuries. Following the destruction of Starkiller Base, multiple First Order starships that escaped were picked up by the nearby Retribution, and the survivors were added to the ship's crew. Under his leadership, the crew managed to repair the ship’s hyperdrive, and the Star Destroyer regrouped with the rest of the First Order fleet. After his promotion to the rank of Commander, Corvus was presented with a personalized set of crimson armor, and he was given command of the Retribution. Commander Corvus would participate in the galactic war between the First Order and the Resistance, mentoring and leading First Order troopers into battle against enemy forces.

Awakening Force-Sensitivity
Corvus possessed a dormant connection to the Force, a connection which began to manifest itself after the Battle of Starkiller Base. After realizing he was Force-Sensitive, Corvus began to study the legends of the Jedi and the Sith in the hopes that he could find a way to control his abilities. Corvus became inspired by the ancient tales of the Sith Order, viewing them as powerful warriors. Using the training methods of the Imperial Shadow Guard, Corvus self-taught himself how to utilize his abilities in combat, granting him enhanced reflexes. In his free time, Corvus acquired ancient relics of the Sith and continued researching their history and philosophy. With the death of Supreme Leader Snoke and Captain Phasma during the attack on the Resistance fleet, Corvus helped to fill the power vacuum and rose through the ranks. As Corvus tapped more and more into the Dark Side, his connection to the Force grew stronger, and his powers started to awaken.

Amassing a Battle Group
Commander Corvus' leadership role in the military grew throughout the First Order's war with the Resistance, his exceptional leadership and combat prowess earned him power, influence, and a large military force. In this capacity, Corvus flourished, securing the control of star systems and combating any and all forms of resistance in the name of the First Order. Though officially he held the rank of Commander, his authority went well beyond it, as he was considered to be one of if not the First Order's highest-ranking and deadliest solder. Originally Corvus was given command of a single Star Destroyer, the Retribution, but over the course of the war, he amassed a battle group made up of at least five Star Destroyers and an Eclipse-Class Dreadnought, the Solstice, which would serve as Corvus' flagship. The battle group under Commander Corvus' command would come to be known as Crimson Battle Group, as it was named after its commanding officer.

New Sith Order
Corvus' search for knowledge of the Dark Side led him to the Sith planet Moraband, the ancient birthplace of the Sith, where he found a cult of Force-Sensitives calling themselves the New Sith Order. The leader of the cult, Darth Krayt, recognized Corvus' Force-Sensitivity and offered to take him as an apprentice. As a Sith Acolyte, Corvus was taught the ways of the Dark Side of the Force, the tenets of the Sith Order, and how to wield and forge a Lightsaber. Corvus split his time between serving the First Order and his Sith training, keeping the existence of the New Sith Order a secret. After his training was complete Corvus was offered a permanent place among the Sith as a Lord, however, he chose to remain with the First Order and use his position in their ranks to benefit the Sith. He maintained contact with Moraband, updating them on his status and events within the First Order. Corvus shared Krayt’s vision for the galaxy and wanted to make it a reality.

Seeds of the Imperium
Corvus served the First Order faithfully his entire life with honor and distinction, becoming one of their most treasured instruments. He became one of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren's most valued servants, following his every command and serving his will. However, although he respected the Supreme Leader and thought highly of him, Corvus secretly felt that Kylo Ren's unstable and obsessive nature made him unfit to lead the First Order and that it would ultimately lead to his downfall. As the scales of the war began to tip in favor of the Resistance, he began planning a contingency in the event the First Order lost the conflict. He began meeting secretly with other high-ranking First Order members who shared his concerns, sharing with them his contingency plan if the war was lost and his vision for the galaxy. Corvus managed to gain the support of numerous high-ranking officials and officers and persuaded them to join his secret movement.

Descendant of Valorum
Having gained a leading position within the First Order’s Stormtrooper training program, Corvus used his clearance level to access his own background to see where he came from. He discovered that he was born on Coruscant as a member of House Valorum, an ancient and prestigious family that had a long and distinguished political pedigree spanning thousands of years. His ancestors led the Old Republic as the Supreme Chancellor during the time of its formation and the time of when it began to fall, before Sheev Palpatine replaced Finis Valorum as the Supreme Chancellor. Corvus was acquired by the First Order before he was given a name of his own, and his family believed him to be long dead. After discovering his ancestry and the history of his family, Corvus used this knowledge to further his position as the leader of his secret movement. He reached out to his relatives, reestablished relations with them, and gained their support, becoming a Valorum.

Personality and Traits
Corvus was a quiet but merciless warrior, earning the favor of his superiors. He doesn't remember much of his old life before being indoctrinated into the First Order, and so was loyal to the Order and grateful for the purpose they had given him. Corvus was often described as intelligent, methodical, calculating, ruthless and heartless. When he was a young cadet, CM-0190 heard stories about the legendary Darth Vader and his powers, stories that would inspire and motivate him throughout his formative years. Even as an adult, Darth Vader was the idol of Corvus. He believed that the seeds of the future were buried in the past, and so spent much of his spare time researching modern and ancient history. When he fought in battle, Corvus displayed no fear when confronting his enemies, standing his ground even as others fled in fear. Corvus despised the New Republic and the Resistance as much as anyone else within the First Order, if not more.

Equipment
Corvus wore a crimson set of personalized armor and a black pauldron, utilized a customized crimson F-11D blaster rifle, and carried a customized crimson SE-44C pistol. After being taught by Darth Krayt how to forge lightsabers, Corvus acquired a kyber crystal, corrupted it to his will, and used it to create his own lightsaber with components that he acquired from Batuu. Corvus gathered a number of ancient Sith relics to understand the mysteries of the Force and store them in his own private collection including such items as Sith masks, scrolls, spellbooks, swords, a talisman, and a holocron. Corvus owned a collection of Sith historical writings assembled into a single book, the Book of Sith, which contained stories written by dark siders throughout galactic history. The Sith holocron in his possession was first discovered during the Galactic Civil War near Fortress Vader, a castle of Sith design which was built on the site of a Sith temple and a Sith cave.

Behind the Scenes
Corvus was partially inspired by the Marcus Valerius Corvus, a military commander and politician of the Roman Republic with a distinguished career who was elected Roman consul at a young age. Marcus was elected consul six times, was appointed dictator twice, led Roman armies into battle against enemies of the Republic, and lived a long life. Corvus was partially inspired by the character Valorum, a prince and a Knight of Sith who was a character in the rough draft of what would eventually become Star Wars.