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Darius, more commonly called River by those who knew him, was a Bendu Knight in the decades after the Great Sovereign Crusades.

Early life
Darius, then possessing of no name, was born to Regiel and Thiria, two descending from a small group of Anzati that had colonized a small parcel of land on Kal'Shabbol years before. He was not given a name because, traditionally, an Anzat was named by a respected member of the community when he was old enough and had earned the honor of a name. As he grew up, he worked with his parents on their small farm harvesting crops, until he was eventually given responsibility of the wheat field. As was common to all the small, sprawling Anzat community, he had never tasted of a host, and acted more like a Human than an Anzat. Despite the war that occurred during this time, the lands around the Anzati remained generally unaffected.

Because being an Anzat made him instinctively a loner, he remained detached and distant in his relationship with his parents. Though this was usual for Anzati, he was slightly more emotional in the sense that he became close to his older sister, Shiphrah. Though around three hundred or so years older than he, Shiphrah did not mind his company, and was amused slightly by her brother’s slightly more emotional state. With this in mind, she nicknamed him River, citing that she felt he was a ‘river of emotion.’ He had no other friend growing up, as all the other Anzati were as impersonal as himself. She worked with him in the fields until he was twenty-one, when she began to show interest in a male Anzat named Jaala, and started seeing him. Though jealous now that he saw very little of his sister, River did not wish to displease her by requesting more time of her.

It wasn’t long before Jaala and Shiphrah were in love. Jaala entranced Shiphrah with his description of the world outside Kal’Shabbol, as he had taken a few trips offworld with his friend, Issachar, and he finally persuaded her to come on their next trip. The three friends soon left on the next export cruiser.

Left alone without his sister, River felt crushed, though he took solace in her recurrent letters describing her exploits. However, he feared for her safety, as he had heard of the many dangers that were to be found outside Kal’Shabbol’s protection. Though already antisocial because of his race, River became even more shut off from the world, and only found some delight in his sister’s increasingly infrequent letters.

Shiphrah and Jaala’s vacation extended to well past a year, during which River left his home to live life on his own. However, he did not really settle down, and took up residence in the woods around the foot of Mount Cephas, living off of the forest and only returning home to receive his sister’s letters.

In one of her last messages, River discovered to his horror that Shiphrah had taken her first drink of another’s life, and though torn by the act, was terrifyingly enthralled with her description, something that awakened a suppressed longing to do the same. Though heartbroken at his sister’s act, he continued with life as usual, however, he began staying on the mountain for longer periods of time, constantly wandering around, deep in thought. River was disturbed at how delightful Shiphrah’s description of feeding sounded, so much so that at times he would just read that part of her letter in excitement at the forbidden thought. However, his guilt at last prompted him to burn the letter so as not to be any more tempted.

Not long after burning the letter, he sensed a trail of something in his mind. Curious, River followed this ‘sixth sense’ farther up Mount Cephas, aided by his race’s natural talent in tracking. Finally, the trail led him to a small cleft in the side of the mountain. Intrigued, River climbed inside, revealing a small network of tunnels carved with old runes. Though most were worn to where the letters were nigh unreadable, River could make out a few words, and discovered that the place had once been the habitation of a Bendu monk, who, from what River could gather, was named Azriel. This monk had lived here seeking solitude in which to meditate and grow closer to Yahweh. River, driven by a desire to see more before he left, continued to wander further within, still feeling pulled towards something deeper inside the mountain.



At last, River cam across a small circular room, in the center of which was a small pillar. On top of this pillar was a kind of decorative hook, upon which a necklace hung, dulled with age, except for the pendant, a green jewel. River soon discovered that somehow the strange jewel was what had led him here, and he put the necklace in a pouch before looking around the room to any explanation of what the necklace was. From what River could gather from the faded writing on the walls, the necklace housed some of Azriel’s power in the Force of Others in his attempt to become immortal.

Fascinated by this find and the cave, River decided to try to contact one of the local Bendu assigned to watch over the Anzat district to tell him of his discovery. However, on his way out, River accidentally caused a rockslide that shut off and destroyed the cave behind him. Though feeling guilty about the destruction of the cave, River still planned to find the Bendu and give him the artifact. However, as River began to ponder all that this plan entailed&mdash;to go into the Human two at the border to where the Bendu lived&mdash;River began to have second thoughts, as the Humans there were not at all welcoming to Anzati, sometimes throwing stones at the Anzati to keep those of the feared race away. Unfortunately, the only way to avoid their hatred was to dye his hair, as all the Anzats in the area had light hair while the surrounding Humans were dark-haired.

With all of this in mind, River began to wonder if keeping the necklace would be so bad. Upon further examining the necklace and ajoining pendant, River found that, when the pendant was near him, he felt a sensation that seemed to raise his senses to a higher level. Finally, River decided to keep the charm, wearing the necklace around his neck so he could hide the pendant under his tunic, figuring that the artifact couldn’t be anything important, or the jewel would have been found, or at least heard of.

Storms
When he returned home to pick up his sister’s letters again, he found that there were none, which was disturbing, as he had been four months absent. Anxious, River once more decided to work harvesting crops so that any letter sent would be immediately received. However, none came for months, until he received a short note from Issachar, saying that Shiphrah was returning and would be home soon.

River apprehensively waited for the three friends on the day Shiphrah was to arrive, but Shiphrah was not the same as when she had left. Instead of his sister coming home, there was a centaurish, arachnoid droid, accompanied only by Issachar. Deeply troubled, River asked what had happened, and Issachar finally relayed the account.

While she had been gone, Shiphrah and Jaala had steadily got into an increasing amount of trouble, until some thug showed up attempting to kill Jaala. Shiphrah, who still loved Jaala and had married him while she had been away, had tried to stop him, but to no avail. After a struggle, the thug killed him, but the ensuing firefight had set the apartment the couple was staying in ablaze, and Shiphrah had been trapped within. When Issachar finally managed to get in to save her, she had been badly burnt. Using the money he and Jaala had gained, Issachar managed to buy help, though he couldn’t afford a quality doctor or prostheticist. The best Issachar could buy could only heal her somewhat before encasing her body in a gutted droid modified for life support. All of what had happened stacked on top of each other had driven her insane.

Feeling sick upon hearing this, River was left with nothing to do but take what was left of Shiphrah up to the mountains, away from people, as she was prone to bouts of raging insanity, during which she would go on a rampage. She was only tame to River, and would only halt these attacks when he gently prodded her to. Though now insane, she still spoke to him, sometimes recounting the old times with him, though half the time she was speaking of her escapades out in the galaxy. Though he was too naive to fully understand everything she said, he couldn’t help but feel a gut-wrenching agony whenever he read of the experiences. However, he did understand when she described what feeding was like, and though he felt the act was wrong, when she told him of the sweetness of feeding he felt a sick, twisted kind of enjoyment - one that terrified him.



River carved out a life in the forest for himself and his sister and lived there for months, until Shiphrah’s new body needed more power to continue running smoothly. Knowing he could not find what he needed anywhere in the Anzati district, and knowing he could not go alone as he needed to make sure he purchased the right size power pac, he and Shiphrah made their way to the Human settlement. Though he was yelled at and had a few things thrown at him while he was in the town, he finally managed to find a kiosk that didn’t mind selling to Anzati, when the price was right, and bought several power pacs, enough to last for around a year. However, he didn’t wish to stop in town to install the pacs, as his prosecution began to get more vigorous and he was eager to leave.

When he was some distance out of town, he began to set the power pacs in place, only to again have rocks thrown at him by one of the townsmen who had followed him out. Ignoring him, River continued to work, until the townsman began to throw rocks at the power pacs, destroying all but the one River was about to finish inserting into the correct slot. Finally acknowledging the man's presence, River turned to demand that he pay for the damage when he was struck in the face by another stone. The townsman began to hurl insults at him, continuing to throw rocks first at him, then at Shiphrah. River’s anger began to flood through him, and when the man said that Anzati were incapable of feeling, River snapped, and he finally spoke to the man. When this was met by another rock, River let his instincts go, and before he knew what he was doing, he had the man’s head in his hands, and he was feeding off him.

River had never felt anything more wonderful, delicious, or so incredibly exciting in his life, and almost despaired when he found that suddenly, all of the life within the man was drained. However, when the action was over, River realized what he had done, and he fell to the ground, backing away from the body in absolute terror. Utterly frightened by what he had done, River just ran back to the forest, Shiphrah in tow.

However, it was too late, and, having fed, his mind and his natural instincts began to take control of his mind. He began to feel the intense and unfathomable need to once more feed, which came in intense attacks at indiscriminate lengths and times. He found that when he felt these attacks coming on, that he could draw power from the charm of Azriel to fight off the need in time to find a room in which to lock himself while he grew maniacal in his craving and lust to kill&mdash;sometimes, the charm would even appease the craving and return him to sanity. However, he began to despair with this state, starting to hate himself and what he had become. However, he knew that no Anzat, once having tasted, ever broke loose of his addiction, and was chained to this craving forever. Despite this, he knew that he could not fight this and take care of Shphrah at the same time, so, at last, after half a year, he sought help.

Leaving Shiphrah, promising that he would return soon, he returned to the town in which was the Bendu Knight in charge of the district. Though normally, just being around so many life-filled beings would have made him lose control, using Azriel’s charm he was able to keep a grip on himself until he finally reached the Bendu’s house.

He planned to ask him for help for his sister, but the older Bendu was mistaken in his intent, instead thinking that River had come to see if he was sensitive to the Force of Others. The Bendu rushed through an examination, and finally concluded that River had enough talent to be trained. Though the meeting did not turn out as planned, River decided to go with the flow, as this would give him an opportunity to speak to more and better Bendu than the Knight, and agreed to make his way to Ashla Prime, willing to seek help from Yahweh for his sister.

Lillianne
Eager to learn, River began to search for a Master. However, before he was assigned a Bendu Knight to train under, the Bendu Knight that had brought him here named him, as he couldn’t record River's name as being Anonymous, and he called him Darius. Though not particularly pleased with the name, River complied.

River, now Darius, was housed in one of the Temple of Light’s many rooms carved in the side of the cliff on which the Temple stood. For a few days, he stayed there, getting out occasionally to watch some Bendu being trained in some of the larger training rooms around the Temple. Darius was pleasantly surprised that the Humans in the Temple did not treat him any worse for being an Anzat. However, he decided that the probable reason was the Bendu couldn’t tell he was one, as there was a wider selection of Humans at the Temple, including lighter-haired ones.

However, most of the time he was attempting to get an audience with one of the higher-ranking Bendu, though, because of postwar problems, all were all busy. He began to get a little worried for his sister, as he had never been away from her from very long before, but he figured she could handle being alone for a while longer, and waited patiently as his problem was queued.

Meanwhile, he was given a temporary Master as the one he had been assigned to was on his way back from policing some local township. The Knight, Arindar, focused more on discovering the extent of Darius’s natural power and what Darius was talented in, making notes for Darius’s official Master. Darius, not wanting to be harassed because of his race, did not tell Arindar that he was an Anzat, deciding to only confess and get help from a higher-ranking Bendu, one he knew he could trust.

It was only a few days before Darius’s official Master returned, and the next day Darius began training under him. To his surprise, his Master was a woman, named Lillianne Crasse, and was pleased to notice her light colored blonde hair, which automatically made him more at ease. She was not at all the serious Master he was expecting, she was in reality quite friendly, even insisting on calling him by his preferred nickname, River. However, he had grown up with a dislike for Humans, and being an Anzat he never displayed much emotion, so he just listened and obeyed her, expressionless, and always on his guard for some deceit. She seemed to be keenly aware of the life around her, and immediately knew he wasn’t Human, and asked what he was. He didn’t want to open up to her, or tell her his race, for fear she wouldn’t help him get help for his sister if she knew what he was. However, he did tell her, though, to his relief, she didn’t seem at all perturbed by the knowledge.

Unfortunately, she often during her teachings had him meditate, something he was afraid of doing, as all of those sensitive to the Force of Others so congregated around him already made him much more vulnerable to attacks, but he managed to focus enough on the charm of Azriel's powers to control himself. However, at night, he frequently had to lock himself inside his room so he could try to vent off his cravings, but the restraint was difficult to hold on to. He also became more worried the longer he stayed away from Shiphrah.

After a few lessons, she invited him to train outdoors, which he immediately agreed to, having always lived outside most of his life. There he noticed that she, too, seemed more comfortable outside, and how fond she was of being around wildlife. To him, she seemed to possess an innocence that he had traded away only months ago, and he did not wish to harm this innocence by telling her what he had done, which, he was sure, would put him down in her eyes, something he did not want, and became even more closed-mouthed. However, just being around her made him calmer, and her bubbly personality slowly began to affect him, though he was somewhat uncomfortable with the feeling.

During their outside sessions one day, she just began to stare at him and examine him, as if searching his mind for something wrong. Already feeing uncomfortable, Darius was taken aback when she asked why he was afraid of her, and why he was trapping himself. Though reluctant to say, he suddenly just told her that he was evil, and he didn't want to hurt her.

Lillianne refused to believe this, however, and gently asked why he thought so. Almost afraid of the effect she had on him, he finally told her that she didn’t know much about Anzati, and left her, walking back to his room. However, not much time passed before she came to his room, asking why he had left so suddenly. Loathe to tell her to whole truth, he just told her that Anzati instinctively lust to kill. He could tell that she did not fully believe him, but she told him to trust her, and that she would help him overcome his craving. Darius became angered at hearing her say that she could help him overcome something those of more power and character than himself couldn’t overcome, as if this yearning was such a light matter. He finally told her that there was no hope for him, that he was only here for his sister, and that she had a lot of nerve to think that the whole thing was something so trivial as to be solved when all other instances had failed.

To his horror, he found that, in his anger, he had grasped her head and was holding her in the right position to feed off of her, and he immediately let go before he did anything he would regret. He could tell that there was some fear in her when he had done this, but mostly he could feel, using his newfound powers, that she had known that he would not hurt her, and she told him so. Disturbed by how open he felt when around her, he yelled back that he wasn't the one who could fight this desire, and before he knew what he was doing, he yanked the necklace out of his tunic, revealing the charm to her.

Curious, she asked what the pendant was, but, upon realizing what he had done, he hid the pendant again and said it was nothing. However, she only got nearer and gently pleaded with him to tell her. Moved by her concern, little by little he told her how the pendant gave him more concentration to fight off his baser instincts. Intrigued, she asked to see the necklace once more, and he slowly pulled the charm out for her. After holding the pendant a moment, not taking the loop from around his neck, she replaced the charm under his tunic.

Darius noticed how concerned she was with the pendant, almost worried, about his dependance on the necklace. Noticing this, he asked her if she would not tell anyone, as he did not want the pendant taken from him. She nodded before moving on from that and asked if he wanted to take a break from his lesson. He affirmed this and she left, but not before he thanked her with a slight, flickering smile.

After this incident, Lillianne began to teach Darius ways to center himself and to hopefully not be so dependent upon the charm of Azriel, but the task was difficult and discouraging, so she would often break it up by nurturing one of his race’s natural talents&mdash;touching minds. First she taught him about feeling the life around him, then at last prompted to try to feel, read, and touch her mind, for practice. Inwardly, he had been wanting to do so, to learn more about her, but had been afraid to try. Apparently she was surprised at how adept he was at this power, as she had to stop him before he reached a point that was dangerous for one so untrained. He, however, had enjoyed the gentle feel of her mind, and was not prepared for how naturally the ability came to him. As well, though he did not try, he discovered how he inherently knew how to subtly influence a mind. However, it became obvious that his dependence on the necklace, and the power the necklace seemed to possess, deeply concerned Lillianne.

Finally, though, months later, his request to speak to a Bendu powerful enough to help his sister came through, and with better results than he had hoped&mdash;he was to see Josiah Rendar, the High Priest himself. Darius was excited that he would at last be able to help his sister, especially since he was still worried for her welfare after being away for so long.

When he was escorted into the High Priest’s chambers, Darius was nervous, but, as usual, did not let emotion show. However, Darius soon learned that he had not gained an audience with Rendar because he had requested to, but because the High Priest had asked him to come, as immediately Rendar asked him about Azriel’s charm. Feeling a gut-wrenching sense of betrayal, and desperately hoping that Lillianne wasn't the one who had told Rendar, Darius briefly recited where he had found the necklace. However, Rendar wanted to know more than that, and because he was afraid the High Priest might want to take the pendant from him to study, Darius denied knowing any more than that, and only told Rendar that he needed the jewel. Any hope that Lillianne hadn’t been the one to tell him died when the High Priest replied. Rendar had begun to get impatient with him as he continued to interrogate Darius, and, feeling guilty about lying so, and hoping for some help from the High Priest, Darius told him all about what he knew of the pendant, and now he needed the charm ever since he had drained the life from a person.

All hope of understanding from Rendar proved futile when, upon hearing that Darius had killed a man, the High Priest immediately ordered two guards to escort him, forcibly if need be, to his room, where he would be kept under house arrest, with a guard at the door at all times. Outraged at this sudden turn of events, without a chance to plead on his behalf, Darius turned back to shout that he had come to him looking for help, not to be treated like an animal.

However, it was no use, and he was thrown into his room and locked inside. Though he felt like voicing his anger, he decided that there was no point in shouting and banging at the door, and Darius just sat on his bed and thought. As he thought, he realized how appropriate this all was. He realized he was a public menace, a rabid animal, only fit behind bars because of what he had done. As he despaired, in one last hope, he reached out in his mind for Lillianne, to ask her if all of these thoughts all was true. He received no reply.

Demons
Hours later, Lillianne finally did show up, but Darius paid her no acknowledgement until she sat down next to him. Finally he asked her if the Bendu were going to execute or exile him. She apparently felt sorry for him, as she did her best to comfort him, telling him that the High Priest wouldn't have something like that done. When she asked why he would think the Bendu might order such a thing, he resignedly told her everything about how he had fed before. Though he could tell she was shocked by the revelation, she wasn't afraid of him, something Darius was grateful for. After taking in all that had happened, she decided that what had been done to Darius was not the way to go about helping him, as Darius had come for help and was doing everything in his power to keep from committing murder again.

However, Darius felt in his heart that he knew why he was locked in his room, and why he was being treated this way, and he at last took the necklace of Azriel from around his neck, giving the pendant to Lillianne. Having been dependent on the charm for so long, Darius felt weak without the pendant's power, and was unprepared for the wave of hunger that came over him. Telling Lillianne that the charm was all Rendar really wanted, Darius told her to give the necklace to the High Priest, feeling that once Rendar had the pendant, that he would no longer be consequential, and perhaps would be let free to live in peace. Lillianne seemed confused about the gift, but Darius commanded her to take the jewel to Rendar, before telling her to leave and not return, as it was becoming very difficult to control himself, especially with one so rich in life force as she sitting next to him.

He finally managed to shove her out the door before he did anything rash, and with a last strand of sanity he told the guard to lock the door, and to not come in or deliver him meals, before he was left to himself.

Darius didn't remember much of what happened in those long hours, except that the intense craving to feed was very painful, and the loss of control over himself was maddening. The terrible ordeal lasted hours before the incredible desire began to subside at sunrise the next morning. He traumatic experience left him drained and weak, throat sore from screaming and hands bloodied from trying to tear his way out of the small room. Not long after regaining command of himself, Darius heard Lillianne enter the room once more. Angered that she would disobey him and put herself at such a risk, but body too weak to do anything and mind too numb to think, he only moaned in acknowledgement.

From her response, she was obviously horrified at the scene of Darius lying on the floor. She obviously didn't think he was conscious, either, as Darius heard her curse under her breath about what the High Priest had chosen to do. Lillianne knelt over him and began to use her powers in the Force of Others to revitalize and relax him. Though grateful for her help and healing presence, Darius was still displeased with her intentionally putting herself in harm's way by coming back. He forcefully tried to scold her despite his weakness, but she just brushed his words off as she continued to calm him.

Thus released from tension, he once more told her to go away, telling her that he should be locked up and not allowed to be near anybody, especially her. She still ignored him, easing his tension all the while. However, another surge of the craving coursed through him, and he tried to yell at her to get out, but he was too weak. Before he knew what was happening, he had her head grasped between his hands, ready to feed.

However, in self-defense, Lillianne suddenly released a wave of energy meant to stop him, and harm whatever evil it was that had taken control of him. Darius was thrown back by the power of the blast, painfully feeling a part of himself being ripped away before he lost consciousness. When he awoke, he was in the Temple of Light's infirmary, with Lillianne watching him. As she began asking him how he felt, he could sense a hint of worry in her voice, but for some reason he also sensed fear in her mind. After a few minutes, he finally asked if he had done anything terrible while he had been out of control, to which she replied in the negative. However, Darus still sensed her anxiety. After considering this, he felt cold upon thinking that he might have ruined his relationship with Lillianne because of what he had almost done, and he asked if she was going to transfer him to another Master. When she seemed hurt by the question, something that gave him hope, he clarified. She claimed that she still felt the same about him, and would never give up on him, to which he finally asked why she seemed afraid of him now that the craving had subsided temporarily.

Though she seemed ashamed to tell him, she finally related that, to while away the time and so she would be better equipped to help Darius, she had begun reading up a little on Anzati, but the doing so had the opposite effect. She told him honestly that she was now slightly frightened of his kind. Saddened, Darius did not reply, remembering only the Humans in the Human settlement, and praying that Lillianne would not begin to treat him so.

As he remained silent, Darius suddenly saw a mental image of his sister on a rampage, causing him to sit up in alarm. He told Lillianne that he had to leave, that he had to get to his sister now that the High Priest wouldn't think of helping him. However, Lillianne replied quietly that she could not do that, and that Darius was still confined to quarters or, for the moment, his room in the infirmary. Unfazed, Darius called the medic in charge of him and told the Bendu that he needed to see the High Priest right away. However, the medic could not do this, and could only relay the message to Rendar, telling Darius to wait.

Because the High Priest was so busy, he could not see Darius right away, and Darius could not ask for anyone else as it had been Rendar who had ordered the Anzat to be locked up. As a result, Darius was forced to wait for almost two days before he could gain an audience with the High Priest. Wearing binders and flanked by two guards, Darius appeared before Rendar, this time with a better knowledge of what the High Priest was like. Immediately, Darius told Rendar that he needed to leave, and very soon. Not surprisingly, Rendar did not agree to this unless Darius consented to having guards accompany him. Not wanting the guards to be endangered by his sister, or have his sister panic upon sensing the strangers, Darius told the High Priest that he could not agree to that. Suspicious, Rendar then told him that Darius would have to take Lillianne along, but Darius again refused, saying that he did not want Lillianne hurt. Upon hearing this, Rendar turned him down, saying that, unless Darius had a very good reason, the Anzat was too dangerous to be released from house arrest.

Desperate, Darius finally told the High Priest that he needed to se his sister, who was insane, to calm her, as he could sense that she was greatly disturbed. However, Rendar still would not allow Darius to leave unless he had a guard, a Knight, or himself as protection. Frustrated, Darius continued to try to convince the High Priest to free him when a guard entered Rendar's chambers to report that a malfunctioning droid was attacking the front gate. Angered that an issue so important to him was being ignored for a droid, and yet still too desperate to abandon courtesy, Darius pleaded with Rendar.

However, Rendar was concerned about the attack, feeling that Darius could wait, as this might be serious. Asking for a quick brief, the High Priest listened as the guard recounted that the droid was slashing at the gate guards and trying to break down the door. Feeling that this could be serious or some prelude to an attack by a disgruntled group, Rendar continued to press for information on the droid's appearance and whether the droid posed a major threat. Darius, vexed at these new developments, began to get impatient, but still he waited, not wanting the High Priest to dismiss him. However, when Darius heard the guard's description of the droid as a human torso stuck onto a spider, he immediately and anxiously spoke up, saying that the droid was his sister, and that he needed to get to her.

Surprised at this new development, Rendar continued to press about the cyborg's threat level, to which the guard replied that he was not sure, only that she was causing the guards a lot of trouble. Rendar then ordered a group of Bendu Knights to disable and subdue the droid, but not to kill her so that she could be healed. Though Darius continued to beg to go along, Rendar told him that it would be too dangerous, and that she would be taken care of. Despite this, Darius was not convinced, and became more worked up as the minutes passed. Still weak from his experience a couple days before, Darius finally had to sit down from weariness, suddenly feeling his old craving slowly returning to him.

Abruptly, Darius suddenly felt the sickening feeling of his sister being hurt, and he began to struggle against the guards to be allowed to go see her, but his wardens held him firm. However, Rendar, upon seeing how important this was to Darius, finally released his binders and let him go to the gate, as long as he accompanied the Anzat. Afraid for his sister, Darius immediately ran towards the gate, Rendar following.

It wasn't long before he came across his sister, surrounded by Bendu Knights, two corpses lying on the ground, pierced through by her knife-like legs. It appeared that the Bendu could not calm her, as her insanity kept any of their powers from working on her mind. Sickened by the sight, Darius shouted Shiphrah's name, immediately gaining her attention as she became still and stared at him. Using the opportunity, one of the Knights shouted at the other one to kill her, that trying to take her alive was too dangerous. Though Darius yelled at the Bendu to stop, it was too late, and his sister, still enthralled with him, was pierced through the torso with one of the guard's pikes.

Darius immediately ran to his sister's side, though she slashed him in his side in panic with her clawed droid hands. When he caught her mechanical torso in his arms, he tried to talk to her, and tried to get help, but these attempts were all in vain&mdash;she was dead. Saddened, Darius just stood up, staring over at Rendar with a hauntingly calm gaze. As he stood there, guards came to once more watch Darius, as at this point the wardens could tell his emotional condition was becoming unstable and, because of his race, possibly dangerous. They put him in binders once more and escorted him back to his room, but his gaze never left Rendar until Darius passed him on the way back into the Temple of Light.

Rivers
Saddened at the loss of his sister, Darius began to feel a hatred of the Bendu well up within him, justifying the feeling with the knowledge that he had come here for help, and the Order had ended up ruining his life by killing his sister and taking away the only thing that kept him still sane. Not knowing, and yet dreading, what lay in store for him as the Bendu's new prisoner, he began to plan an escape, albeit a crude one. The idea was not complicated, he couldn't really think straight as the hunger was beginning to dawn on him again, but he just knew he had to get out before the High Priest did something with him, most likely putting him in solitary confinement forever. His plan was to try and gently influence one of the guard's minds&mdash;though he was sure the attempt wouldn't work, the result would be the same: the guard would most likely open the door to tell him to stop trying to do anything foolish. Once that happened, Darius intended to use the full force of his race's talent in mind control and everything he had been taught to keep the guard still for just a moment as he struck him over the head with something, he had yet to find a sufficient object, and using whatever weapon the guard had to dispatch of the other, before making his escape. While he wasn't at all proud of the plan, he was in no mental condition to think of another.

However, just before he was going to execute this plan, someone knocked on his door. Angered at being disrupted, yet hoping the visitor was a guard so he could knock him out early, Darius waited to see who was calling. Upon seeing that the caller was Lillianne, he became angered once more, ignoring and shunning her as she tried to speak to him. She seemed hurt by this, and asked why he was doing this to her. Suddenly, he turned on her and told her that because she was afraid of him now, she was going to treat him like everyone else did, maybe even start throwing rocks at him. Lillianne began to plead with him, saying that she wasn't going to do those things, and that she wanted to help him. Outraged at her gall, he grasped her upper arms, shoving her and holding her against a wall, telling her how the Bendu had 'helped' him so far, and that he wanted no more of it.

This done, he dropped her to the floor and told her to get out before he accidentally killed her. He began to stalk around trying to control his temper when he heard her quietly sobbing. Turning to her in disgust, when he saw her, not crying in fear but in genuine regret, Darius began to soften, and he walked over to her and knelt by her, telling her impatiently to stop crying. However, when she began to tell him sincerely how she felt, that she was sorry for all of this and wish she had never told Rendar, Darius began to feel badly about what he had done, and muttered an apology before helping her up and telling her to get out.

Though he could tell she wanted to stay, she left anyway, not wanting to upset him. Despite the fact that he was fighting the urge to feed, he began to feel terrible for what he had done to her, beginning to see that she was different, special, but it was too late, and he didn't know how to say it. As he sat in his room, almost overcome with his race's instincts, he finally reached out and gently touched her mind in a kind of apology, one which he felt her return before he succumbed.

After a few hours under his instinct's influence, he fell unconscious from sheer weariness. When he awoke, he found that he had been placed on his bed, with the wounds he had inflicted upon himself in his ravings bandaged, and Lillianne sitting next to him. Though not angered, he told her that she should not come in here, that he might have killed her. To his surprise, she said that she was going to take care of him now, whatever happened. Though he could not form the words to tell her how sorry he felt for how he had treated her earlier, he felt that she understood. When he finally asked what was to become of him, she again told him that she was going to take care of him, and that was all she knew or cared about. Satisfied and relieved at this, he relaxed and once more fell asleep.

Rendar kept Darius under house arrest, much to Darius's frustration, and showed no sign that he would be allowed to go free anytime soon. It was maddening, especially since the High Priest didn't seem to know what to do with him. Feeling as if he was just some dirty secret to be locked away and forgotten, Darius's bitterness towards the Bendu order festered and grew. Being born a farmer and naturally drawn to the outside, Darius felt suffocated in his little room, in which he suffered from his craving at irregular intervals. The only light in those long weeks was Lillianne's daily visits. She, being the only person he was allowed to speak to and the only thing to break up his solitary confinement, was always someone he looked forward to seeing. She began to steadily teach him methods of clearing his mind and focusing on resisting the temptations of feeding, trying to build up his inner strength. She also helped him hone his natural talents in mind reading, telepathy, and also in gentle mind tricks. However, in the case of the latter, he studied this manipulation deeper than the subtle uses she taught him, though not on real test subjects lest he be caught.

Despite these mental achievements, locked cooped in a tiny room, he, physically, was wilting. Seeing this, Lillianne began to request to let him out, under her close supervision. Eventually, Rendar allowed it, and she began to frequently take him outside to teach, though he had to be chained to her via binders, and had to be brought back to his room whenever he felt an attack coming on. In addition to this, there was a curfew on how long he could be out, and he could not interact with anyone except Lillianne. Though greatly infuriated by these injustices, he was grateful to be allowed outside, and his strength returned.

He enjoyed being around Lillianne, though being bound to her was at times cumbersome. He always felt energized by her company, but he suspected that the feeling might be some power that she was working on him to help his mind heal. However, try as he might, his attacks came and went with frightening irregularity, and though he could stave off the hunger for slightly longer periods of time, he could not stop the attacks, nor could he shorten them.

This went on for two years until, one day, Lillianne had to drop Darius off at the Temple gate slightly early, leaving him to be escorted by the guards to his room. Though he was not bothered by this, it happened every once in a while, when he looked back at her, he saw her meeting a Human male, and the two seemed to be engaged in some activity or conversation. For some reason, this deeply bothered him, but he could not do anything about it. Though he wasn't sure why, he began to be angry at whoever the man was, and at Lillianne for dropping him to see this man. Despite the fact he didn't know what the couple was doing, Darius, now well trained in touching minds, knew that the two were relatively close. Thoughts of what the two might be doing tortured him all day, until this brooding awoke the seething hunger within him and he lapsed into one of his ravings.

The next morning, after waking up and refreshing himself as best he could after the attack, Darius couldn't help but notice that Lillianne was late coming up to him, though she had been late before. As soon as she walked in the room and the door shut, he somewhat forcibly asked who the man was. She seemed confused at his excess of emotion, and yet seemed somewhat embarrassed to tell him. Dreading what she might say, and yet fiercely determined to discover the same, he pressed the question further. At last, she revealed to him that the man was Tanar Rashadan, her new apprentice. Terrified of what such a thing might signify, he asked if that meant that he was no longer her apprentice, which she immediately denied, saying that she just now had two apprentices. She clarified that it was fairly normal to have more than one apprentice at once in an attempt to console him. He ignored this and instead asked if she had requested another apprentice. She said that she had not, but instead had been assigned another apprentice. Darius did not bother asking who had assigned her the Human male, he was fairly sure he already knew.

His and Lillianne's studies that day were clouded by suspicion. Lillianne seemed uncomfortable throughout the lesson, and finally she ended the session early, not wanting to bother him anymore. However, Darius just took the action as another enforcement that, now that she had a newer, Human apprentice, she didn't want to bother herself with him. Depressed and angered, Darius stalked about his room, seething in hatred at his replacement. Several weeks of this went by, until Lillianne finally confronted him about his emotional entanglements, saying that it was not healthy. Darius shouted that now that she had Tanar, she was just going to toss him aside. Lillianne did her best to comfort Darius, but he just knew that the day she would give him up for lost was coming soon, and he shunned her. Finally, she left the room for him to brood.

As he began to think of the day when she would abandon him for Tanar, terror filled him. He thought of all the days spent alone in this solitary confinement, and the fear of being alone swept over him. In resignation, he began looking around his room for some kind of weapon, for should she ever leave him, he felt he would rather die than live the rest of his life alone. However, he could find nothing in the room that would kill him fast enough for the guards not to catch him in time to save his life. Frustrated, he finally just sat on the bed, staring at the wall in in apprehension of the future.

Later that same day, Lillianne returned to try to comfort him even more, and this time, he was much less forceful. He finally asked her why she would even remain his master as he was so high maintenance, in competition with a Human. She told him quietly that she stayed with him, and that she was going to keep with him, because she saw him as a close friend. However, Darius told her that she took care of him because it was her duty, and she'd rather spend her time around a Human than an Anzati mental case. Again, she denied the accusation, saying that she had enough time for both of her apprentices. Finally, in an almost hopeless tone, he asked if she was going to abandon him and leave him to Rendar. Once more, she said that she would not, pleading with him to believe her. Upon touching her mind, he knew her sincerity to be true, and guilt swept over him, until he stuttered a tiny apology and stood silent. After quietly saying her thanks, Lillianne left the room.

Conflict
Months went by, but still Darius could not shake his animosity towards Tanar, and though he mistrusted Lillianne somewhat less, he hated how much time of Lillianne's Tanar stole. She was the only one who visited Darius in his solitary state, and she now spent less time in her social visits, making him only more lonely and angry. Seeing this, Lillianne requested that Darius be allowed to meet Tanar, and once that was granted, though only under her strict supervision, Lillianne began training both apprentices at the same time. Though the arrangement gave her more free time to make social visits to Darius, he had now lost the privacy he once had with his Master, and his bitterness grew. He refused to speak to Tanar, and when coaxed by Lillianne to do so, he merely cited that Anzati were loners. For her sake, though, as she often asked him to at least be civil around Tanar, he was not cruel to the Human, merely antisocial, but at times it proved difficult to keep his emotions at such a low level. It was especially difficult to control his temper when Tanar asked about why he had to be bound to Lillianne, prompting her to ask if, during the training sessions, the binders could be removed. Because of his good behavior so far, the request was granted.

For the months that followed, in addition to teaching her apprentices how to sharpen their natural abilities within the Force of Others, she collectively taught Darius and Tanar healing and swordplay. Darius quickly began to pick up on healing, while Tanar's swordsmanship skills surpassed Darius's own. Months later, when she thought the two ready, Lillianne took a risk and set the two up for a spar, hoping that the experience might help their relationship. The mock fight started out well, with Tanar's skill showcased throughout the spar, however, when she awarded Tanar some small praise, things began to whirl out of control very quickly. Instead of using just swordplay, Darius began to use some of what he knew of mind control and subtly confused Tanar throughout the fight as Darius's maneuvers became more and more aggressive. Noticing this, Lillianne gently suggested that he not be so confrontational. However, Darius felt humiliated at being scolded in front of Tanar and in a burst of anger, struck the sword from Tanar's hand, dropping his own sword and grasping Tanar's head in preparation to feed. Before he could, however, Lillianne shouted his name in terror in an attempt to get him to stop, and, paralyzed by her voice, Darius released Tanar, backing away from the Human.

Darius turned and walked a ways towards the Temple of Light before he stopped, knowing Lillianne would have wanted him to stop. He waited there as Lillianne checked on Tanar, whom Darius had not harmed, before he heard Lillianne walk up behind him. She turned him to face her as she asked him, frustrated and disappointed, why he kept doing these things to her. Confused, Darius asked what she meant, to which she replied, beginning to weep, that she was trying as hard as she could to balance the needs of both her apprentices, and that he was being so difficult. Saddened at how much this had hurt her, and yet determined to try to make her understand why this was so important to him, grasped her upper arms firmly but gently to get her attention. He told her that he wasn't about to lose her, that he needed her, and that the thought of Tanar being with her made him sick. In response, Lillianne asked why he had to be so jealous, once more beginning to cry. Brokenhearted at how he had hurt her, he gently told her to stop crying. When she would not, he began begging with her to stop, as the longer she did so the more pain he felt.

Finally, she told him that, if he kept acting up like this, Darius might be removed as her apprentice, to which he said that if that ever happened he'd kill himself. She finally calmed herself and lovingly told him that she didn't want to lose him either, but that he had to try to be more understanding. He told her that he did not want to be, not of Tanar, but she just pleaded with him to try. She then told Tanar to return to his quarters as the lesson was done for the day, before taking out the binders once more and binding Darius to her an walking him back to the Temple. As the two walked, Darius begged with her not to leave him, that he needed her. However, she seemed numb to anything he said, and said nothing until the he arrived at his room, where she dropped him off. However, Darius would not let her go, grasping her hand and softly pulling her back into the room.

However, she just turned to once more leave, saying that she was doubting whether anything could improve upon his case and whether he was beyond hope. Terrified, Darius told her not to say such things, that there had to be hope, that she had brought him so far already. However, she despaired, saying that he acted today as he had acted when he had first come and showed no sign of improvement. Hearing this, Darius desperately began asking her forgiveness, pleading for her not to give up on him. At last, he seemed to be getting through, as she seemed touched by the scene.

She sat him on the bed before sitting next to him, telling him that she would keep trying, that there had to be some hope. He muttered his thanks before she asked, curiously, why he had not fed upon Tanar when neither she nor Tanar had used some power on him to stop him, that he had demonstrated that he was not capable of such restraint before. Darius just shrugged, ashamed of what he had done, but Lillianne prodded him to tell her, that this could be a turning point in his life if she just knew what had stopped him. Finally, he just answered that what had stopped him was her, that her voice, her presence, the knowledge of how much committing such an act would hurt her, had flashed before him, and he had known that he just could not feed upon Tanar. He affirmed this once more when she asked for confirmation, and she suggested that, maybe he had drawn power from her to rein himself in. Deeply interested, she stood up to leave Darius, telling him that she would return, that somehow she would work this out.

Though saddened by all that had happened, he still could not force himself to let go of his bitterness towards Tanar, but he did his best to hide his emotions however he could so as to please Lillianne. She did not mention the incident or whatever idea had occurred to her that day until a few days later, when he was about to suffer from an attack and was shut inside his room. To his horror, when the craving was about to take over, Lillianne entered the room. He shouted repeatedly for her to get out, not wanting anything to happen to her. However, she only came closer and spoke to him quickly but gently, telling him to try to use her power to resist. Desperate to save her, he just kept yelling at her to get out, but she continued to instruct him. When she continued to get closer, he shouted her name to try to get her to pay attention, though he accidentally called her "Lilly" instead of "Lillianne." Ignoring this, she asked him once more to do as she said. Frantic, Darius at last obeyed, using her power in an attempt to halt his craving. Darius, almost overcome, continued draining her power in a last-ditch attempt to save his Master, as, slowly, the hunger began to subside, though the concentration required to keep up the action was intense. When it was over and the desire was gone, Darius collapsed in sheer exhaustion, falling next to Lillianne, who had passed out from having so much power drained from her.

He did not lose consciousness, but it took a few minutes for him to regain the strength to stand. However, he worried for Lillianne the entire time, and as soon as he possibly could, he picked up Lillianne and set her on his bed, making sure to the best of his limited medical ability that she was not hurt. To make sure, when he was finished with that he began using what he had been taught in healing to help her recover quicker. When she came to, right after she was affirmed that she was okay, he told her that her idea had worked. She was overjoyed at the news, and though she wanted to get up, Darius kept her lying down, saying that his using her power had taken a lot out of her and that she shouldn't have strained herself like that.

She brushed his scolding off, saying that she now had a way to cure him, she just had to work on it a bit. Though Darius was overjoyed that, for the first time, an attack had been averted, he didn't want Lillianne to harm herself doing so, though she assured him that she would be fine. When Darius finally let her stand, she bid him a quick goodbye before leaving.

In the months and years following this, Lillianne, whom Darius began to informally call Lilly, slowly perfected this new technique, until, as long as Darius was near Lillianne, he did not suffer from attacks, though this prevention did drain her somewhat. She also sharpened Darius skills with his mind, beginning to teach him how to create illusions, how to hide his presence in the Force of Others, as well as further study into swordplay. In all these years, however, Darius still held his ever smoldering bitterness towards Rendar for what he had done to him.

Several years into his training, Tanar had progressed to such a level of proficiency in swordplay that he was handed over to a more skilled Master, taking a lot of weight from Lillianne's shoulders and doubts from Darius's heart. As a result, the training became more intense, and though Darius mastered only mind control, he was fairly adept at the rest she taught him, save telekinesis, which he suffered continual problems with.

Trials
After years of teaching him all she could, Lillianne came to Darius's room one day to tell him that, several weeks ago, she requested he be tried for Knighthood. Surprised that she believed he could attain such a rank, Darius paused a moment before asking why she hadn't told him sooner. Lillianne replied that the High Priest had requested a length of time to pray on the subject, as Rendar seemed very surprised at the request. Only today Rendar had contacted her, seeming intrigued about whether Darius could achieve the honor, and that he was allowed a try. Lilliane began to explain what Darius would have to go through to become a Bendu Knight. She told him of the Trial of Will, where he would be put through three tests to gain three stones that would become his own personal symbol, and of the Trial of Fear, where Darius would have to face his worst fear. Darius agreed to try, and asked what the three tasks were to complete the Trial of Will. Lillianne had replied by saying that this subject was what had taken up most of Rendar's prayers on the subject, and that he had at last been deigned with the answer not long before. Darius was to retrieve a stone from a cave at the base of the Ashlan Mountains, and a horn from a male gemere. The last stone Darius was to claim he was to discover for himself. Upon hearing the last one, Darius could not help but feel as if Rendar had thrown that test in there just to keep him from attaining Knighthood.

Darius planned to leave for the first part of the Trial of Wills soon, but first he asked Lillianne to loan him a few crescents. He explained to her that, not having her there, he might lapse into an attack and might kill someone. To prevent that, Darius planned to buy several vials of a fast-acting sedative that he could jab himself with if he ever felt his craving come on. Though worried for him, she loaned him the money.

Having been quarantined to his room and the large Bendu Temple courtyard and from contact with others besides Lillianne for years, Darius was surprised when the High Priest let him free to do the three parts of his Trial alone. Naturally hating being caged, Darius was overjoyed at his freedom and cracked a real smile for the first time in years. Darius took the opportunity to enjoy himself a bit before heading into town to buy the sedatives. That errand done, he set out on foot for the Ashlan Mountains. It was several days journey eastward, and as he didn't have the money for food, he lived off whatever he came across during his journey. Having done this for years over a decade ago, Darius still remembered much about survival, especially around the Ashlan Mountains, as he once lived at their base. If he made a direct route towards the mountains, he would have had to pass through the Human settlement of the Anzat district, so he took several days making a wide loop around the settlement to avoid unfriendly contact.

Perhaps because of his joy at being free, Darius did not suffer an attack throughout the entire journey to the mountain range. At any rate, when he arrived, he began making his way around the base of the mountains, searching for a cave in which to retrieve the stone he needed for the first third of his Trial of Will. Having at last found it, Darius made his way inside. He did not need an outside light as the walls of the cave glowed somewhat with some kind of mineral strain. This was fortunate, as Darius had not been able to purchase any kind of lamp for the excursion. Darius decided that the mineral strain was probably of the same kind of material as the stone he was supposed to retrieve, but he could not dig out any rock of it from the walls, only dust. As Darius ventured deeper into the claustrophobic, maze-like caverns. As he went, the strains grew larger. However, he suddenly discovered that the cave was the den of a pack of channe, and was surrounded by them before he had the opportunity to turn back. Before they could decide to attack him, Darius used his powers in mind control to calm the flightless birds and to keep them away from himself. As by now he was fairly adept at this facet of his powers, the channe obeyed him, some even moving out of the way as he followed the spiderwebbing mineral to its source. Unfortunately, the small "room" of the cave in which the mineral grew in abundance was the channe's egg chamber. As he grew closer to the room, and as he made his way inside, the effort it took to keep the many channe back grew intensely. As he finally reached one of the mineral's stones, upon grasping it he accidentally brushed an egg with the side of his boot, and the apparent mother standing next to the nest suddenly bit his arm. Concentration lost, the channe began to attack him for entering the chamber. As he has no weapons besides his power and the rock, Darius desperately tried to regain control over the channe, first loosing himself of the female. However, being in pain and still having not mastered the ability yet, he could not stop them. However, he managed to delay them slightly as he bolted in the direction of the entrance, using his powers to detect the location of the exit.

Though his arms and legs and back were being bitten at by the channe giving chase, Darius managed to make it outside the cave, where he was tackled by what appeared to be the alpha male. Upon throwing him off, Darius got up to continue running, as his race's speed was faster than a Human's. Unfortunately, by now another had reached him, and as soon as he regained his footing, the channe kicked him in the abdomen with its claw, slicing diagonally across his torso. Though being an Anzat he did not bleed, Darius suffered pain from the wound, and in agony he fell to his knees. As the channe began to bite at him, in desperation Darius drew out one of the vials of sedative and jabbed the alpha male, causing it to almost immediately fall limp. Using this as a shield, Darius willed himself to rise and to continue running as the channe milled about in confusion at the leader's death. However, it was not long before they gave chase once more and brought Darius down, where he lay on the edge of consciousness. However, here again his race proved useful, as, having no body heat, no blood, and no breath, after the channe sniffed his form for a few moments, the channe concluded he was long dead and walked away.

After lying there for several hours to heal, he finally rose and walked towards a nearby river, where, upon drinking, he fell unconscious and slept through until the next morning.

Creation
During the early days of 2007, Brandon Rhea removed the Bendu Order as a faction during the second timeline of TheStarWarsRP.Com as he felt there was nothing further that he could do with the organization. When the Bendu Order returned in late September, 2007, Solus created the character of what was then called River and used him until the end of that timeline.

The concept for Darius came about because Solus had always enjoyed the idea of, and had been wanting to roleplay one, but did not want him to be a standard Anzat. When Brandon re-opened the possibility of creating a Bendu, Solus saw an opportunity to create an atypical Anzati and took it. The resulting character was very well received by the Star Wars Role-Play community.

The original Darius was changed quite a bit for his ASWS version. Originally, he was not so fleshed out and was actually somewhat childish - running away into the forest when he read the letter from his sister in which she told of her first feeding off another being, and Darius first feeding off another sentient just because he didn't like that sentient's race. As well, Darius was originally arachnophobic, causing some friction with his sister's new form, as well as spurring some racial reason for feeding for the first time, as his first victim was an. These things were changed to better characterize Darius. Additionally, as Solus was writing Darius Dracskul's article, she decided to dump Darius's last name and leave him with only a first name, as it had been another member who named Darius and Solus was not pleased with the last name. Darius's original name was just River, as Solus decided that, per Anzati tradition, Darius would be given a name by whoever trained him. The name was chosen because Solus thought of River as a 'River of hate, fear, and love.' River was given the name Darius Dracskul by Ember, another member of TheStarWarsRP, who had created Darius's first master, though Ember had to leave due to real life issues and Darius was given to SWRP member Kelly, who had earlier created the Bendu character Lillianne Crasse.

At first, Solus just wanted to see where Darius's character took her, not planning too much for him, when a "plot twist" was created when Darius appeared before Brandon Rhea's Josiah Rendar, who put Darius under house arrest for feeding of the Arachnoid. This changed a lot for Solus, who saw this as an opportunity to unleash Darius's more Anzati tendencies, though that timeline in the Star Wars Role-Play was ended before any of these plans could come to fruition. Despite this, in the two roleplays Darius was in he was with Lillianne, and though Solus did not intend it, Darius and Lillianne's characters naturally began to feel an attraction to each other, though because the timeline was cut off, little could be done with the development. Thus, it was a mere coincidence that their nicknames together make "Riverlilly."

In April of 2008, Rhea spoke with Solus and the result of that conversation was Darius becoming a larger part of the Alternative Star Wars Saga mythology rather than a random Bendu Knight. This marked the third collaboration between Rhea and Solus. However, once little more than a few paragraphs were written in his article, he was ignored and left alone, though he was given a cameo in Brandon's Ussej Padric Bac III article as one of the Bendu, along with Josiah Rendar and Kalel Esunkit, who begin the search for Damien Starkiller. In July, however, Solus was given free reign with all of the Alternate Star Wars Saga articles, and she decided to work on Darius first, as she had wanted greatly to flesh him out. As a result, Darius was given a complete rewrite. In order to capture the essence of the characters owned by others, such as Brandon Rhea's Josiah Rendar and Damien Starkiller, and Kurt Fox's Kalel Esunkit, Solus contacted them and received their help in the writing of Darius's article.

Characteristics

 * Vampiric extrapolation
 * The Arwen problem
 * Gaslight
 * Well-intentioned extremist
 * Not all good, not all bad

Appearances

 * Shadows of the Jedi: The Legend of Ussej Padric Bac III