The way of the Jedi is a way of weakness. The Order never let us aspire to anything that even resembled greatness. We had to devote ourselves to a crumbling organization ruled by weary, out of touch old men. The dark side offers many other possibilities. It's a shame you could never have experienced it. But if your desire is to live in the dirt - then so be it.
—Arlus Mora to Obi-Wan Kenobi
Arlus Mora was a member of the Imperial Inquisitorius and one of the Emperor's distinguished High Inquisitors in direct service to the Sith Lord Darth Vader.
Born on the planet Hapes, Mora was a member of the Jedi Order during the Clone Wars. Apprenticed by the Jedi Master Caloff Bole, Mora and his master were one of the few survivors of Order 66. They moved from place to place until they were confronted by Darth Vader, who killed Mora's master and severely injured Arlus. Instead of executing him, Vader converted Mora to the dark side and offered him a place in the Inquisitorius.
Considered one of the most effective hunters in the Inquisitorius, Mora styled himself as one of the best Jedi hunters in the galaxy. He often came into conflict with Ferus Olin, whom he knew through their friendship with Siri Tachi. He was determined to hunt and execute Olin, and this inadvertently brought him to confront Obi-Wan Kenobi. Mora defected from Vader's orders and took it upon himself to try and kill Kenobi as well. He was defeated in a duel with Obi-Wan and was later buried by Kenobi and Olin - paying their last respects to a former mutual friend of deceased Jedi Master Siri Tachi.
Arlus Mora was distinguishable by the mask that he wore, which continuously pumped analgesic gases into his airways after his near-fatal confrontation with Darth Vader, which brought his otherwise intolerable chronic pains to a bearable level. A former Jedi Sentinel, Mora wielded two lightsabers, which he called "Sunder" and "Hubris". He was also considered a violent sociopath as an Inquisitor, which gave him the nickname "Vader's Mad Dog."
Biography[]
Jedi career[]
Arlus Mora during his time as a Jedi Padawan.
Arlus was discovered as a child by the Jedi Order on his home planet Hapan. He claims his family came from a line of nobility holding ties to the Hapes Consortium. As a Youngling, Mora was trained by Yoda - like the other children of his age. Despite the fact that Mora was a determined and focused young man, his small frame caused him to under perform in comparison with the rest of the children. At Jocasta Nu's suggestion, Mora was allowed to train with older Jedi Siri Tachi - who contributed to Mora completing his initiation and attaining the rank of Jedi Padawan. Mora quickly befriended Siri and considered her an early influence in his fighting abilities.
Mora was eventually apprenticed by Jedi Master Caloff Bole. Together, they fought in the Clone Wars and became acquainted with such Jedi as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. During the course of the war, Mora chose to follow the path of the Jedi Sentinel. With Bole, he operated in the Jedi Order's lower echelons - participating in covert operations. During this period, Mora also came to forge his own lightsabers.
When Order 66 erupted, Mora and Caloff managed to survive the onslaught. They rendezvoused with Master Yoda - who informed them that the Jedi were betrayed by Chancellor Palpatine - who was the Sith Lord Darth Sidious all along. Mora and Caloff went into hiding, travelling to several places across the galaxy and claiming that they were humble merchants from Chandrila - with Bole claiming Mora was his son.
Eventually, the two Jedi were discovered by the Empire on Dressel, the Emperor sending his enforcer Darth Vader to find and kill Caloff. What would happen to the padawan, he left to the Sith Lord's discretion. When Caloff discovered that Vader would be coming, he ordered his padawan to hide. Vader confronted Caloff, engaging in a relatively short-lived duel which ended in Bole's death. Wanting to avenge his master's death - Mora impulsively combated Vader, but he was eventually defeated as Vader Force-pushed him into a concrete wall. The impact broke Mora's back and severely damaged his nerves, causing unbearable chronic pains. Vader kept Mora alive, offering him a place in the Empire's Dark Side Adept program. Mora turned to the dark side, yet Vader refused to repair his damaged nervous system for his flippancy in choosing to fight him. Instead, Mora was given a mask that continuously pumped an analgesic gas - numbing his pains, and a special armor which kept his broken bones in place.
As Inquisitor Mora[]
Mora became a member of the Inquisitorius, a feared association of Jedi hunters. In the years that followed he rose through the ranks and eventually became a High Inquisitor - ranking only below the leader of the Inquisitorius, the Grand Inquisitor. Vader informally continued his training, helping with his immersion into the dark side. As High Inquisitor, Mora took command of a cadre of Stormtroopers, who assisted him in hunting several Jedi throughout the galaxy.
Mora hunted several Jedi during his time as Inquisitor, though he remained determined in vanquishing Ferus Olin - who was an old friend of his through their mutual friendship with Siri Tachi. At Vader's orders, he was instructed to round up old acquaintances of Olin or people who may have seen him. Through methods of physical and psychological torture and was bent on finding Olin and bringing him to justice.
While trying to find Olin, he was sent by Vader and the Emperor to enforce the rule of the Empire to the fringes of space who still openly rejected them or refused to abide by Imperial laws. Mora forced these planets' hands in accepting Imperial rule, either by intimidation or force. Torture was not excluded in the Inquisitor's activities. During this time he was also brought into conflict with fellow Inquisitor Jerec, whom he considered to be an overly-ambitious madman who was never loyal to the Emperor.
Massacre of Dathomir[]
One of the planets who refused to bow to the Empire was Dathomir. Several clans of Nightsisters would not abide by Imperial rule, refused to pay taxes, or even attacked Stormtroopers sent to keep the peace. While no blood had been shed yet, the Emperor decided to sent Mora to Dathomir anyway - to strong-arm the Nightsisters in keeping their loyalty to the Empire. The Emperor was aware, however, of Mora's cruel and violent nature - and in fact he had sent him there to reduce the Dathomiri population - whom he considered could eventually form a real and serious opposition to the Empire.
Mora parleyed with several Dathomiri clan mothers, warning them of the potential consequences of rebelling against the Empire. The clan mothers called him out on his bluff, claiming he was in Vader's control and had no will of his own. Mora claimed that Vader had trained him well and offered him many opportunities, suggesting to the clan mothers that they could offer their own Force-sensitives to the Inquisitorius, where their abilities could be honed. The clan mothers refused and even went as far as to proclaim their independence from the Empire.
Angered by their impudence, Mora initiated a complete massacre of the clans, ordering his Stormtroopers to burn out huts and shoot any Dathomirian on sight. The Forceful Nightsisters fought Mora's massacre, but they were eventually defeated by the Inquisitor. In one night, Mora and his Stormtroopers massacred hundreds if not thousands of Dathomiri - until the remaining clans eventually pledged their loyalty.
On Olin's path[]
Mission to Tatooine[]
Confrontation with Kenobi[]
The Well of Sorrows[]
Death and burial[]
Personality and traits[]
As a Jedi, Mora was headstrong and determined - focused on developing his abilities. Yet he was also impulsive, ambitious and quick to anger. Caloff noticed that a "fire burned within [Mora]", which could threaten to erupt at any given moment. Caloff was wary of Mora's aggression and feared that if he was not guided towards the light he could easily fall to the dark side.
For all his faults, however, Mora was a inherently goodhearted man who valued honesty and bravery. He was great friends with characters such as Siri Tachi, Ferus Olin and even Obi-Wan Kenobi. His contemporaries reflected on his impulsive nature which also contributed to his decisive decision-making. Mora was also credited with being a tactics-oriented person with a keen mind in strategy. He was an excellent general and commander at times - though he was often in favor of rash actions that could eventually end up in attrition.
It was only in his conversion to the dark side that his darker impulses were unleashed. As an Inquisitor, Mora was ruthless, cruel, vindictive, arrogant, vain and sadistic. He carried a bloodlust which only worsened by Vader's enabling. Emperor Palpatine claimed he was a "mad dog", loyal to his master but violent if he was to be released. Despite this, he did value loyalty and rarely betrayed Vader's orders. Whenever combat was not needed - Mora was a silent character and used as little words as possible, preferring action over diplomacy.
It could be argued that him witnessing his master's death and propensity for jealous behavior due to underperforming as a Jedi Initiate may have contributed to his violent impulses. Unlike most Dark Jedi who survived Order 66, Mora never spoke ill of his old master; Caloff, in fact he even respected him but felt they were divided only on their "opinions on the Force." He even carried a semblance of respect for Obi-Wan, despite often thinking condescendingly of him.
Unlike Vader, Mora seemed to have obliterated everything that was once good inside him. Considered irredeemable, Yoda theorized that Mora could be considered a version of Vader who succumbed completely to the dark side. Master Zhii-To even advised Obi-Wan that "Vader and Mora were alike - but they differed in only one aspect; their ability to feel love. Mora was a heartless man as a Jedi, and a heartless man as an Inquisitor."
Powers and abilities[]
Though not as strong in his Force abilities as others of his time, Mora was an excellent duelist and an agile acrobat. His favourite form was Form IV, and he preferred an aggressive and quick style of lightsaber combat - reflecting his hotheaded personality. Trained as a Jedi Sentinel, Mora carried two lightsabers, using them to quickly tire out opponents before resorting to a more slower Form II in which he pinpointed precise and efficient blows on his weary opponent to finish them off.
Mora was also agile and athletic. He could effortlessly vault over objects and climb vertical surfaces. Despite his skill, he was impulsive and could be countered with unexpected counterattacks and ripostes. The suit and mask that he wore could also work against him. His armor was built to keep his many broken bones in place - after his near-fatal fight with Vader, while his mask pumped analgesic gases into his airways that numbed his pain to a bearable level. A particularly well-placed blow could knock off his mask and immobilize him - as Obi-Wan did in their final fight.