| Line 128: | Line 128: | ||
Shortly after his second death, stories began to spread that the Dark Underlord was, in fact, Xendor Taral. The story became well known and respected throughout the {{sw|Brotherhood of Darkness}} and, later, the {{sw|Order of the Sith Lords}}, as it annulled what many said was an injustice that the man who had been heralded as one of the forefathers of the Sith was not, in fact, a Sith during his first lifetime. However, no one knew for sure whether or not it was the truth or simply a legend, as the true identity of the Dark Underlord was never revealed to the Sith or the galaxy-at-large. |
Shortly after his second death, stories began to spread that the Dark Underlord was, in fact, Xendor Taral. The story became well known and respected throughout the {{sw|Brotherhood of Darkness}} and, later, the {{sw|Order of the Sith Lords}}, as it annulled what many said was an injustice that the man who had been heralded as one of the forefathers of the Sith was not, in fact, a Sith during his first lifetime. However, no one knew for sure whether or not it was the truth or simply a legend, as the true identity of the Dark Underlord was never revealed to the Sith or the galaxy-at-large. |
||
| + | |||
| + | ==Legacy== |
||
| + | Thousands of years after his first death and after the formation of the [[Jedi Order (ASWS)|Jedi Order]], a group of Dark Jedi were exiled from the Republic for practicing the ways of the Dark Side. These exiles found their way to Korriban where they conquered the Sith species, thus taking on the “Dark Lords of the Sith” title that Xendor himself had refused. While information on Xendor was limited, there were stories passed down from generation to generation amongst the Sith species and they shared it with the Sith Empire that was forming on their world. The Dark Lords were able to use the information to their advantage, putting many of the teachings of Xendor into practice. After hearing all of the known stories, the Dark Lords referred to Xendor as their forefather and honorary first Dark Lord of the Sith, despite never technically being a member of the Sith Empire or living with the Sith species for longer than a few months. |
||
| + | |||
| + | Xendor’s beliefs and teachings also played a fundamental role in the life of [[Carden Mannux]], a Dark Lord of the Sith during the [[Great Sovereign Crusades]]. When Mannux learned of the existence of the Kaiburr crystal, he attempted to find it, though he was unsuccessful. However, due to his great power in the Force, he felt that he did not need it. During his reign as the Dark Lord of the Sith, where he assumed the name of Darth Lettow in Xendor’s honor, Manux learned everything he could from the limited amount of historical records on Xendor and the legions of Lettow. Once he had the power, resources and information he needed, Mannux left the Sith and formed the [[Dark Guardians of Lettow]], basing his dark order off of the teachings of both Xendor and {{sw|Darth Revan}}. Though neither Xendor nor Mannux were able to live to see the effect the Dark Guardians would have on the galaxy, they did play a key role in the [[Galactic Civil War (ASWS)|Galactic Civil War]] and their descendants, the [[Prophets of Lettow]], played an integral part in the conflict with the [[Third Jedi Bendu Order]] on {{sw|Earth}}. |
||
| + | |||
| + | [[Image:JarBinks1.JPG|thumb|right|Jar Binks, the Gungan Prince that received the Kaiburr crystal after the Battle of Utapau.]] |
||
| + | The Kaiburr crystal also was, eventually, discovered on Utapau. The native people of the world, the Gungans, found it thousands of years after Arden had placed it there and believed it to be a gift from one of their deities. After the Gungan people unified and became the Gungan Empire, the artifact became a major part of their society. However, it was later discovered in the Gungan city by the Human settlers on the world who stole it and brought it to the capital of Theed. During the blockade of Utapau that began the [[Clone War (ASWS)|Clone War]], the Gungans refused to help the Utapau due to the theft. However, Queen [[Sabe Arcadia|Sabe Arcadia]] later promised that if they would help them in their struggle against the [[Trade Federation]], the artifact would be returned. True to her word, the crystal was given to Gungan Prince [[Jar Binks]] after the end of the Battle of Utapau. Nearly twenty five years later, the Gungans gave the crystal to the [[Second Jedi Bendu Order]] that had been created after the reunification of the Jedi Order and the [[Bendu Order]]. |
||
==Behind the scenes== |
==Behind the scenes== |
||
Revision as of 21:33, 6 February 2008
Zhol kash dinora. Ja’ak.
—Xendor Taral
Xendor Taral was the first and one of the most infamous Dark Jedi Bendu in history. Originally, he was a Jedi Bendu Knight from Kashi, but he was expelled from the Order of the Jedi Bendu of the Ophuchi due to his unorthodox methods and his intent to study and practice the arts of the Bogan. After his exile, he made his way into the Unknown Regions and found the lost world of Had Abaddon where he acquired an artifact known as the Kaiburr crystal. After securing the relic, he returned to Galactic Republic territory and founded an order of Dark Jedi Bendu and dark warriors that he called the Legions of Lettow, the term “Lettow” being the name of the ancient Ophuchi God of the Underworld. His disciples also referred to themselves as the “minions of Xendor”. He fell in love with one of his disciples, a woman named Arden Lyn. Using the power of the Kaiburr crystal, he was able to keep Lyn young and beautiful. Years later, they unleashed a plot to destroy the Jedi Bendu on Coruscant, but the plan failed and Xendor was killed. However, his legacy lived on for thousands of years through the Dark Guardians of Lettow, the Gungan Empire and the Prophets of Lettow.
History
Early life
Xendor Taral was born four hundred and forty years after the signing of the Galactic Charter and the formation of the Galactic Republic. He was born on Kashi in the slums of the capita city as the son of an unwed Human prostitute. The woman had spent the night with a slum lord in the hopes of gaining money to take her off world, but in the end she received no money from him and was still left with virtually nothing. Two months later, however, she found out that she was pregnant with the slum lord’s child. She spoke to no one for days afterwards, as she did not know what to do.
After one month of solitude, she finally decided that she would abort the pregnancy. However, the only doctor she could afford refused to carry out the operation, deeming it too unethical and too dangerous on a woman who had barely any medical care in her life. When he refused, she attempted to steal the pills that would cause an immediate abortion, but the doctor was able to restrain her and have her arrested. Two days later, she was convinced of attempted robbery and sentenced to seven months in prison. She tried to appeal the decision, not wanting to have a child she wanted nothing to do with to begin with in a prison cell. However, her appeal failed and she was locked away.
Xendor’s mother in labor before killing herself.
She did not speak to anyone for months, but rather sat in the corner of her cell and watched as her body grew larger from the progressing pregnancy. The guards frequently tormented her about it, knowing that she had no desire to have a child and that the pregnancy was driving her insane. Finally, after nine months of torment, she was ready to deliver her child and be done with it completely. However, her approximated due date came and went, and she ended up being one week over due. One night when she was sleeping, however, her water broke and she went into labor. However, her cries of pain and pleas for help went unanswered except for the laughing and mockery of the guards and the other inmates. As the pain became more intense, she made the only choice she knew of to end the pain; she tore of part of her bed sheet and tied it around her neck. When it was tight enough, she stood up on her bed and tied the rest to the pipes on the ceiling. Finally, she stepped off of the bed and hanged herself, causing her neck to break immediately.
A nearby guard heard her neck snap and ran over to find her hanging from the ceiling. He immediately called for a doctor and, within moments, the prison medical officer arrived at the cell. The guards cut her down from the ceiling and placed her on the bed where the doctor performed an emergency cesarean section. After a few minutes, a baby boy was born. The doctor brought him into his care for a few days, though he did not bother with the boy’s mother. He knew that if the breaking of her neck did not kill her, the cesarean section would have. Either way, the boy’s mother was dead and there was nothing that the doctor could do about it. After three days of care, the doctor brought the boy to an orphanage that he believed would be able to best care for the child.
When the orphanage received the child, they did not know who he was or who his family was. Because of that, they came up with a first name and a surname for him, naming him Xendor Taral. For one month, they cared for him and catered to his needs, as a family had not yet adopted him. However, the day came when two people took an interest with him. The first was a member of the Guardians of Breath, a group of Kashi mystics who were able to control what the Order of the Jedi Bendu of the Ophuchi referred to as the Force of Others. The second person was, in fact a Jedi Bendu Master who was passing through the area and recognized the strong presence of the Force of Others within him. The Jedi Bendu Master was the one who ended up gaining custody of Xendor and brought him to the Great Jedi Bendu Pyramid on Coruscant for judgment before the Jedi Bendu Council of Masters.
Training
The Jedi Bendu Master brought Xendor before the Jedi Bendu Council of Masters for them to judge whether or not he was worthy of becoming a member of the order. The council attempted to gain foresight on how his powers would progress and they found that he would be able to impressively command and wield the powers of the Force of Others. The council gave their approval for him to be brought before the two Jedi Bendu High Masters who determined that he would be acceptable for training. They were able to sense somewhat of a clouded future, but they did not believe that it would be anything threatening or dangerous. Therefore, they handed him over to the Jedi Bendu Instructors who would care for him and bring about his potential until he was old enough to be taken as a Padawan.
As Xendor grew into a young boy, he continued to train under the Jedi Bendu Instructors. A great deal of his early training revolved around allowing him to discover who he was. He was able to learn the powers he would be able to wield and that they came from the Force of Others, otherwise known as the powers of the God Yahweh. He was intrigued by the myths and legends about The Skywalker and the exodus from Had Abaddon, though at first he did not know if they were true. Eventually, however, he came to believe that they were, both through searching his soul and by having enough people telling him that the legends were, in fact, a correct representation of the past.
When Xendor was thirteen years old, he began training under one master, a Human female named only Jiaasjen. They trained for many years together and Jiaasjen recognized that the Force of Others was very strong with him and that he had great potential. She shared her belief with the Council of Masters and they agreed, though they also recognized an inherent darkness within him that they believed manifested itself during his very short upbringing on his homeworld. Despite their reservations, Jiaasjen had the utmost confidence in him and vowed to craft him into a powerful and respected Jedi Bendu Knight.
Xendor trains with the powers of the Force of Others.
When Xendor was sixteen standard years old, he began his training with a sword. Though most students learned more basic sword techniques, Jiaasjen began teaching him how to master the form of Jar'Kai, a form that allowed the user to wield and fight with two blades simultaneously. Xendor recognized the offensive capabilities of the form, though he believed he would be able to make up for the defensive disadvantages. Regardless, he continued to train under Jiaasjen with the form, feeling he was closer to mastering it with each sunset.
During a routine training session, Xendor began to develop feelings for Jiaasjen. He had recognized her beauty for many years, though he was always able to cast his thoughts aside and concentrate on what needed to be done in his training. During the routine session, though, he was unable to cast them aside and felt that he was falling in love with her. The idea of falling in love worried him, as many within the order frowned upon it, though the teachings of the Jedi Bendu did permit two Jedi Bendu to fall in love and have a relationship if need be. However, Xendor felt as if the Jedi Bendu of his time were not fully allowing people to fall in love and were being too restrictive, so he did his best to ignore his strong feelings for his master.
When Xendor was eighteen years old, Jiaasjen deemed Xendor ready to become a Jedi Bendu Knight. The Council of Masters prepared his two trials for him, and shortly thereafter he passed both the Trial of Wills, where he was forced to remain in solitude for one week without food, water or outside contact, and the Trial of Fear where the council determined that his greatest fear was the fear of failure and the fear of letting down those he cared for. The council was satisfied with the results and promoted him to the level of Jedi Bendu Knight. It was one of the proudest moments of his life and he believed that as a Knight he would be able to form a relationship with Jiaasjen.
Exile
As a Jedi Bendu Knight, Xendor was granted permission to view a great deal of classified materials and literature stored within the Jedi Bendu Libraries. He began to read numerous articles about the history and powers of the Force of Others, including some on the nature of the Bogan which he felt would reinforce his Jar’Kai teachings and give him a clearer picture on how the Jedi Bendu had started to restrict relationships between the members of the order. He read constantly and began to neglect some of his duties, though he returned to performing them when the Council of Masters spoke to him about it. Even so, he did not perform them to the best of his abilities and he did not go to great lengths to hide that fact.
One of the more interesting stories that Xendor found was a myth about a lost city on Kal'Shabbol, the original homeworld of the Jedi Bendu. The city was called Eden and it was established by Dark Jedi Bendu that had fled from the capital city and the main Jedi Bendu monastery. Over time, the village grew and the majority of those that lived within it embraced the Bogan and took on radical views on the beliefs of the Jedi Bendu, going so far as to begin planning the overthrowing of the Jedi Bendu. In order to make an example out of the Dark Jedi Bendu and their dark practices, it was said that Yahweh leveled the city and destroyed the Dark Jedi Bendu in order to firmly establish that the Jedi Bendu were his chosen people. Such an occurrence worried Xendor at first, knowing that if he too continued learning about the Bogan he could be struck down. However, as he continued reading, he found that there was little evidence that the story was anything more than a myth, so he continued his studies.
After months of slaving over the ancient texts about the Bogan, he was able to supplement his knowledge of the Force of Others with the teachings of the ancient Dark Jedi Bendu. At the same time, he planned to introduce the knowledge he gained to Jiaasjen and confess his feelings to her, hoping that she would feel the same way. After nearly two days of contemplative meditation, he asked Jiaasjen what she knew about the ways of the Bogan. She became suspicious as to why he was asking, so instead of lying to the woman he had fallen in love with he confessed that he had been studying the dark arts. Before she could respond, he confessed his feelings for her and asked her if she felt the same. She told him that she did not and that she planned to report him to the Council of Masters. Feeling betrayed, Xendor grabbed her by the throat and stabbed her in the chest, killing her almost instantly.
Before Xendor could realize what he had done, the door to Jiaasjen’s chambers was broken down by armed Jedi Bendu guards who took him into custody. Because he was so distraught, he did not resist his apprehension. Hours later, he was brought before the Council of Masters who had agreed on a decision regarding his fate. They told him that, first and foremost, he would be expelled from the order and that he would remain in their custody, pending a fair trial. Xendor, however, refused to be placed under arrest and fled the council chambers. He was chased by armed guards, though he was able to channel the Bogan into his superior Jar’Kai skills and hold them back until he reached the docking bay. Once he did, he boarded a ship and immediately fled Coruscant. Wanting to know more about what he perceived to be the true ways of the Jedi Bendu, those ways be the ways of the Dark Jedi Bendu, he set a course for the Unknown Regions where he hoped to locate the ancient world of Had Abaddon.
After nearly a year of searching the Unknown Regions, Xendor arrived in the Ashlan Expanse and found the lost planet of Had Abaddon. Once there, he made his way to the capital city and told them that he was a Jedi Bendu, simply to see their reaction. While some were not happy by the fact that a Jedi Bendu had arrived in their city, or their planet for that matter, he was met with pomp and circumstance from the majority of the citizens, as they were pleased to see that the Jedi Bendu had not forgotten about their small corner of the galaxy. Xendor allowed his deception to continue, knowing that he would eventually need followers if he wished to become powerful and, perhaps someday, overthrow the Jedi Bendu on Coruscant and create his own order that was allowed to practice the darker arts.
The crystal cave where Xendor located the Kaiburr crystal.
After two weeks of staying with the citizens of the capital city, Xendor traveled out on a hermitage across the deserts and across the plains until he reached Mount Sky, the mountain that The Skywalker claimed before speaking to Yahweh at the beginning of the exodus off of the planet that formed the Jedi Bendu. He hiked through the mountains for days before finding a cave simply for rest. However, the cave was a crystal cave, one that Xendor realized was filled with great power. After searching the cave, he uncovered an artifact: a glowing blue and purple orb that he believed was filed with great power.
Xendor returned to the capital city with the artifact and spoke with a local sage to learn more about it. The sage told him that it was known in legend as the Kaiburr Crystal and that a deity called Pomojema used the crystal to heal the wounded. After hearing all of the legends, Xendor recognized that it was the Force of Others that was responsible for the immense power and that it could be used as a weapon of unlimited power and potential. After speaking with the sage and studying the artifact for weeks, Xendor found a way to use the crystal to enhance his powers in the Force of Others a thousand-fold.
After enhancing his power and becoming what he believed to be more powerful than any other user of the Force of Others of his time, Xendor rallied many citizens of Had Abaddon to his dark cause, telling them that he had discovered the true way of the Force of Others and that he would reform the Jedi Bendu into a perfect order of strong and worthy warriors. He was able to convince only eighty seven men and women to join him, though he knew it was an impressive start for his first attempt at rallying support. One of the supporters was a woman named Arden Lyn, a woman with fiery red hair who Xendor was immediately taken with. However, he had more pressing matters to attend to, and he did not wish to try to form a romantic relationship with someone he worked after how poorly his attempt at courting Jiaasjen went.
Legions of Lettow
Xendor and his followers soon returned to the known galaxy and were able to rally some support from the members of the Jedi Bendu that believed as Xendor did that practitioners should have been able to learn all aspects of the great mystery, as well as others who Xendor felt were powerful enough. With nearly one hundred and twenty members, Xendor brought his people to Dathomir where he officially founded and named his organization the Legions of Lettow. The group would practice the ways of the Jedi Bendu and the dark arts, with Xendor as their self-appointed Supreme General. His underlings referred to themselves as the “minions of Xendor”, ready to die at his command and on his behalf as they recognized the power he could offer them.
Many within the Legions of Lettow wished to attack the Jedi Bendu swiftly and decisively, though Xendor knew better. He told his minions that they would spend many years training in order to be adequately prepared for the task of assaulting the Jedi Bendu. There was some resistance to such an idea, with many stating that Xendor was not truly powerful enough to take on the task of assaulting and destroying the Jedi Bendu once and for all. However, Xendor made an example out of them by showing just how little mercy he had. The acts of torture cast aside any ideas of Xendor having mercy and he was able to enjoy peace amongst his members once again.
For years, Xendor continued to train his minions and watched as their power grew stronger. During those years, Xendor and Arden constantly courted one another and frequently had skirmishes in what Xendor believed were Arden’s futile attempts to show some form of superiority over him. Eventually, the rivalry became so passionate that they became occasional lovers. After some time, they became truly romantically involved with one another. Xendor knew that his success with Arden was because he had waited and slowly introduced her to his dark ways, rather than how he rushed his courtship of Jiaasjen.
Two years later, Xendor and Arden went on a mission together to Dxun, the moon of Onderon, in an attempt to locate an ancient Jedi Bendu relic that a traveler told them might have contained information about the restricted darker arts of the Force of Others. When they arrived, they found that there were Jedi Bendu on the moon as well, undoubtedly looking for the same ancient relic. When the Jedi Bendu sensed their presence, they attacked Xendor and Arden who were outnumbered two to one. However, they were able to channel their aggressive fighting styles and hold off the Jedi Bendu attackers. Even so, Arden was stabbed in the stomach, causing significant damage. Frantic, Xendor threw her over his shoulder and raced her back to his ship.
Xendor and Arden after her resurrection.
Onboard the vessel, Xendor used his powers within the Force of Others to slow what he believed was Arden’s impending death. Nearly one day later, they arrived on Dathomir once again where Xendor rushed Arden towards the Lettow medical facility. However, before they were able to arrive, Arden passed away in his arms on the bank of a river. Devastated, Xendor would not allow her to have died at the hands of the Jedi Bendu. Therefore, he rushed to his chambers and brought the Kaiburr crystal back to the river where he put it on a chain and placed it around Arden’s neck. Seconds later, the healing powers of the crystal revived Arden, though Xendor knew that she would always have to wear it around her neck in order to live. Despite that, he could think of no greater gift than her resurrection.
For many years, Xendor continued to train his people. For those years, they yearned for action and some passed away before being able to see it, though Xendor knew the time spent on training was important. As he told his people, the Jedi Bendu were incredibly powerful. Because the legions were only around one hundred strong, they would need all of the years of training and commitment to the Bogan. If they did not have it, he knew that they would simply be slaughtered by the Jedi Bendu and all of their years training and all of his preparation would have been for nothing. Because of all of the time he had put into his plans, he refused to allow that to happen.
During all of those years, Xendor also realized that the healing power of the crystal keeping Arden alive was also an elixir of life; she never aged a day. While Xendor continued to grow older, Arden stayed the same. It was disappointing to him that he would not be able to use the Kaiburr crystal to extend his own life, but he loved Arden and had sworn an oath to keep her alive when she was nearly killed. He was not about to abandon that hope simply because he discovered a way to selfishly make himself immortal.
Korriban
Decades later, Xendor began to became interested in exploring the galaxy for places strong with the Bogan. He encountered worlds such as Thule and Ziost, but the world that he found that interested him the most was Korriban. On Korriban, he encountered a race of people known as the Sith. They were a species of red-skinned humanoids with tentacle “beards” that evolved on Korriban. They did have technology to move from planet to planet, but aside from that they were a somewhat primitive people, at least to Xendor’s standards.
The primitive practices of the Sith interested Xendor. They welcomed him to watch their ceremonies and he was able to witness sentient sacrifice and the drinking of blood, two large parts of their culture. They were clearly a dark and mysterious people, and Xendor felt that he or his descendants would one day have use for them. However, he did not immediately reveal his powers with the Force of Others to them, feeling that he needed more time to get to know them and to truly understand the type of people that they were.
Xendor stayed on Korriban for nearly two standard months to study their culture and he also learned their language. They had a strong caste system and constantly feuded and battled amongst each other, a trait that Xendor felt was common among those that gave themselves to the darkness. Even so, it was a sophisticated civilization, and they did not see their acts as barbaric but rather as basic aspects of their existence. Xendor became particularly interested in the priest caste called Kissai and began to study them in greater detail.
Xendor uses his powers in front of the Sith for the first time.
After spending some time with the Kissai, they brought Xendor out into the desert wastes of Korriban to show him one of their most sacred sites. They led him into the only part of the planet that was tropical and they named it after their caste, calling it the Oasis of the Kissai. In the center of the oasis, the engineering class was building a structure called the Temple of the Jensaari. According to the Sith, they were preparing it as the final resting place the Medallion of the Saarai-kaar, an artifact that was passed down to them after being forged in the fires of a world in the Unknown Regions that was unknown to them as well. According to their legends, the medallion would grant eternal life to whoever wore it around their neck. Despite being intrigued by the stories, Xendor did not ask to see it, as he already had the Kaiburr crystal.
Despite not asking to see the medallion, Xendor felt that they were worthy of knowing his powers, so he shared with them the powers of the Force of Others. The Sith were impressed by his powers and offered to allow him to stay with them for the rest of his life, going so far as to refer to him as the “Dark Lord of the Sith”. However, Xendor refused such a title, stating that he was already the Supreme General of his own group of practitioners of the Bogan. The Sith were disappointed to say the least, but they understood and respected his decision not to become involved with the affairs of others when he had affairs of his own to attend to.
Despite declining to become the Dark Lord of the Sith, Xendor agreed to spend a few more weeks on Korriban to teach the Sith about his people and the heritage of the Jedi Bendu. He explained the stories of The Skywalker and the exodus from Had Abaddon, and they were as intrigued as he was when he first heard the story of Eden. However, after some time, Xendor knew that it was time for him to leave. He bid the Sith farewell and returned to Dathomir where he shared the story of the Sith with only those in his inner circle. They were as impressed with the society as he was, though he made them swear that they would not tell anyone about Korriban or the inhabitants of it.
Final Battle
After Xendor decided that the years of training were completed, he announced that the legions would be attacking the Jedi Bendu through a series of campaigns designed around guerilla warfare, something that the Jedi Bendu did not train its members to defend against. The legions implied hit-and-run tactics against holy sites and other sites important to the Republic, including the Galactic Senate, and the attacked went on for years. For a time, they seemed to have an effect as the Senate continued to become increasingly alarmed and was preparing to entertain Xendor before them to hear his demands. However, the tactics began to fail. Neither Xendor nor Arden could understand why at first, though they were able to determine it was because the legions were becoming bored with the same type of fighting and longed for a true battle and a true war against their enemy.
While Xendor was preparing plans to attack the heart of the Jedi Bendu, a group of Jedi Bendu found themselves on Dathomir and located the legions. Knowing that they could not let the Jedi Bendu escape without exposing their location, Xendor ordered the legions to attack and apprehend the Jedi Bendu. However, the Jedi Bendu did not take kindly to the attacks and fought back. In the end, only one survived and she was brought before Xendor. He recognized her from his time in the order, though she did not remember him. The Jedi Bendu Knight was subjected to a few brief sessions of torture, but in the end Xendor executed her by beheading her.
Xendor and his minions confront the captured Jedi Bendu Knight.
Due to the fact that the Jedi Bendu had found them and Xendor knew that another group of members of the order would arrive to attempt to locate their missing people, Xendor knew that they had forced his hands. Therefore, he announced his plans to his minions and, after decades of existence, the Legions of Lettow traveled to Coruscant to launch an all-out war against an unsuspecting Republic and an unsuspecting Order of the Jedi Bendu. Xendor was uncomfortable with bringing Arden along, as he felt that she would be put into too grave of danger, but he held his tongue and she accompanied him on his personal vessel.
Two days later, the legions arrived on Coruscant. They split into groups of ten and made their way to different parts of the city around the Great Jedi Bendu Pyramid and began to plant explosives in numerous buildings, their plan being to surround the Jedi Bendu with the flames of the explosions. After four hours, the explosives were set and Xendor gave the order to detonate them. In an instant, dozens of buildings erupted into flames and debris was sent through their air in all directions. Air traffic around the pyramid ceased and many Jedi Bendu made their way out of the building to see what was happening. Xendor and his legions boarded their vessels once again and flew under the flames, landing before the Jedi Bendu were able to realize what was happening in order to shoot them down.
While the majority of the legions attacked the Jedi Bendu in the streets and in the lower areas of the temple, Xendor and Arden made their way to the Council of Masters chambers to take on the council alone. They were outnumbered six to two, but Xendor felt that their superior strength with the Bogan would allow them to defeat the council. During the duel, Xendor could feel the deaths of dozens of his warriors and quickly realized that the battle had not only been a failure, but a complete mistake. Despite the loss of so many of his minions, Xendor pressed on.
Xendor and Arden were able to defeat some of the council members, including one of the Jedi Bendu High Masters. However, they knew that their people were continuing to fall victim to the superior numbers of the Jedi Bendu, though they refused to run away from a fight so they continued their assault on the council. Despite his prowess with his duel blades, Xendor was struck down. Moments later, parts of the council chamber began to collapse, so Arden was able to pull him away from the council during the confusion. As he laid dying, Xendor told Arden to find a safe place for the crystal, as he knew that the Jedi Bendu would not let her live for long, and to ensure that his legacy somehow continued. His final words were in the language of the Sith people and they translated to “It is done. I am free.” After uttering the words, Xendor passed away in Arden’s arms.
Aftermath
Following the Battle of Coruscant, Arden and the dozen or so remaining members of the Legions of Lettow brought Xendor’s body back to Dathomir. Two days later, they gave him proper funeral rites and placed his body with folded arms onto a raft. When they final ceremonies were completed, the raft was placed into the river nearest to their encampment and Xendor’s body floated downstream where it eventually ended up in one of the planet’s oceans. Some of the remaining Lettow questioned whether or not Xendor would have approved of such a burial, but Arden believed that he would have as he always desired an inner-peace.
Unfortunately for the remaining minions, the ceremonies were short lived. A group of Jedi Bendu found them on Dathomir and assaulted them, leaving only Arden alive at the end. Fulfilling the final request of her master and her lover, Arden brought the Kaiburr crystal to the swamps of Utapau to keep it safe. Shortly after removing the crystal from her neck, she died of the injuries she sustained decades earlier at the hands of the Jedi Bendu.
Xendor as the Dark Underlord during the early part of the New Sith Wars.
Nearly twenty-four thousand years following his death, Xendor’s spirit was summoned from the Realm of Chaos to help led the New Sith Empire to victory. Xendor hid his features from the Sith, who he had taken some time to learn about as he wanted to know how they related to the Sith species he had encountered on Korriban. After a short period of time, Xendor took on the persona of a being called the Dark Underlord, not telling anyone who he was truly was. Therefore, he was forced to slay the one that had freed him from the Realm of Chaos, though it did not bother him in the least.
During the first quarter of the New Sith Wars, Xendor was known as a bloody marauder throughout the Republic. As one of the leaders of the Sith forces, he was able to consolidate a large group of elite Sith warriors called the Black Knights, which he based off of the Legions of Lettow, and led them into battle. During the war, he and his knights set up a base on the Malrev IV, a planet that held a powerful Sith Temple which magnified the powers of the Bogan, known to the Sith as the Dark Side of the Force.
Sometime later, a Jedi General named Murrtaggh prepared to eliminate Xendor and the Black Knights when they were stationed on Malrev IV. What Xendor did not know was that the Jedi had paid a large group of Mandalorian mercenaries to stage a diversionary attack on the Black Knights while Murrtaggh prepared to sneak behind enemy lines to assassinate him. As the battle raged on, Xendor sent his foremost general to lead his forces against the Mandalorians. During the fray, Murrtaggh carried out his plans and infiltrated Xendor’s fortress. The two engaged in a fierce duel that resulted in Murrtaggh falling prey to the Dark Side, though he struck down Xendor once and for all in the process.
Shortly after his second death, stories began to spread that the Dark Underlord was, in fact, Xendor Taral. The story became well known and respected throughout the Brotherhood of Darkness and, later, the Order of the Sith Lords, as it annulled what many said was an injustice that the man who had been heralded as one of the forefathers of the Sith was not, in fact, a Sith during his first lifetime. However, no one knew for sure whether or not it was the truth or simply a legend, as the true identity of the Dark Underlord was never revealed to the Sith or the galaxy-at-large.
Legacy
Thousands of years after his first death and after the formation of the Jedi Order, a group of Dark Jedi were exiled from the Republic for practicing the ways of the Dark Side. These exiles found their way to Korriban where they conquered the Sith species, thus taking on the “Dark Lords of the Sith” title that Xendor himself had refused. While information on Xendor was limited, there were stories passed down from generation to generation amongst the Sith species and they shared it with the Sith Empire that was forming on their world. The Dark Lords were able to use the information to their advantage, putting many of the teachings of Xendor into practice. After hearing all of the known stories, the Dark Lords referred to Xendor as their forefather and honorary first Dark Lord of the Sith, despite never technically being a member of the Sith Empire or living with the Sith species for longer than a few months.
Xendor’s beliefs and teachings also played a fundamental role in the life of Carden Mannux, a Dark Lord of the Sith during the Great Sovereign Crusades. When Mannux learned of the existence of the Kaiburr crystal, he attempted to find it, though he was unsuccessful. However, due to his great power in the Force, he felt that he did not need it. During his reign as the Dark Lord of the Sith, where he assumed the name of Darth Lettow in Xendor’s honor, Manux learned everything he could from the limited amount of historical records on Xendor and the legions of Lettow. Once he had the power, resources and information he needed, Mannux left the Sith and formed the Dark Guardians of Lettow, basing his dark order off of the teachings of both Xendor and Darth Revan. Though neither Xendor nor Mannux were able to live to see the effect the Dark Guardians would have on the galaxy, they did play a key role in the Galactic Civil War and their descendants, the Prophets of Lettow, played an integral part in the conflict with the Third Jedi Bendu Order on Earth.
Jar Binks, the Gungan Prince that received the Kaiburr crystal after the Battle of Utapau.
The Kaiburr crystal also was, eventually, discovered on Utapau. The native people of the world, the Gungans, found it thousands of years after Arden had placed it there and believed it to be a gift from one of their deities. After the Gungan people unified and became the Gungan Empire, the artifact became a major part of their society. However, it was later discovered in the Gungan city by the Human settlers on the world who stole it and brought it to the capital of Theed. During the blockade of Utapau that began the Clone War, the Gungans refused to help the Utapau due to the theft. However, Queen Sabe Arcadia later promised that if they would help them in their struggle against the Trade Federation, the artifact would be returned. True to her word, the crystal was given to Gungan Prince Jar Binks after the end of the Battle of Utapau. Nearly twenty five years later, the Gungans gave the crystal to the Second Jedi Bendu Order that had been created after the reunification of the Jedi Order and the Bendu Order.
Behind the scenes
- Xendor's final words ("Zhol kash dinora. Ja’ak.") mean "It is done. I am free." in the ancient Sith language.
- Taral means "he who protects" in the ancient Sith language, symbolic of his decades protecting the Kaiburr crystal from his enemies.
Appearances
- Star Wars: Episode I - The Chosen One (First mentioned)
Template:Sa