Isaac Leonhart, also known as Lord Lion or Isaac the Lionheart, was the Fifth Lionheart of the Legacy of Kings. The son of Heiseto Leonhart and Siren, Isaac was the second born of the last generation of the Leonhart clan. Trained from his birth to become the servant of the Sith in the coming ages to fulfill the aims of his forefathers, Isaac would be overlooked until his fateful bout with his father. Isaac would slay his father and assume his title, and then escape his homeworld to discover the Republic and eventually the Sith under Darth Revan.
Isaac served Lord Revan during the Jedi Civil War, manipulating events through battle meditation, until Lord Revan was betrayed by his apprentice, Darth Malak. Isaac would exile himself from the Sith Order to meditate until he was discovered by a group of fallen Jedi on Korriban in 3,044 BBY and ushered to reform the Sith Order. Isaac would assume the title of Dark Lord and lead the Sith to victory against the Republic in the Dark War until his brother, Vahn Leonhart, returned to defeat him above Corellia, in 3,039 BBY.
Isaac would resurface three thousand years later to be redeemed and become a Jedi Master during the Second Dark War, leading the Republic to victory against his resurrected father. Isaac would die and be returned to life during the war to see the war to its end, and then disappeared from the Republic to hunt for his fallen father until he was enslaved by the will of his forefather Azrael along with his brother. Together with his brother, bound to the will of the Third Lionheart, Isaac would wage war against the forces of the galaxy as Lord Lionheart, Lord Inquisitor of the Grey Alliance, until he was redeemed by Danika Clay and ultimately killed by his brother on Coruscant in 45 ABY.
History[]
The Beginning, before 20,000 BBY[]
Above all else, you have your honor. Defend it as you defend your master, and you will do well in the end. Abandon it, and fall forever.
—Heiseto Leonhart
On a planet covered in dead forests, sometime prior to the formation of the Republic, there lived the chosen generations of the mighty Force-adept warriors known as the Lionhearts - the descendants of an entity long thought to be a god of the Force itself. The father of the last generation of Lionhearts to ever grace the galaxy was the Fourth Lionheart, named Heiseto, whom was long-regarded as the greatest of the Lionhearts. With the human woman named Siren, Heiseto had three sons and a daughter. The first among Heiseto’s sons was Vahn – who would become a master of blades and the heir to his father’s throne. The second son was Isaac – a warrior of great skill and passion, but who was nonetheless ignored largely by Heiseto for most of his life. The third was Lycan – who displayed an incredible mastery of the Force throughout his life. Heiseto’s only daughter was named Mara, and he chose her to chronicle the history of the Lionhearts for the first time.
From the moment they were born, the three brothers trained without halt, all vying to win their father's favor while their sister could only laugh at their arguments, squabbles, and vendettas. They were the few left in the long line of Leonharts, meant to be superior but never to lead - the truest ultimate weapons of a Dark Lord. Only Heiseto would ever disagree to this, which was why he was there now.
For literally centuries they trained, fought, and competed, never even halting to realize that they had ceased to physically age beyond their young-adult frames, like everyone else in their family but their father. The brothers continued their endless bouts for power and prestige for decades, testing each-other with their powerful abilities in the Force. It was in this time, nearly 80 years old each, that they were taught the lightsaber techniques of Lionheart, their first forefather and a god of the Force. Though waiting until such an age would seem absurd to Jedi in the ages to come, it was a requirement set by Heiseto so the brothers would perfect all of the 'inferior' forms first, and even create lesser forms of their own.
When they were each finally one hundred years old, Heiseto decided that it was time to see who could defeat him. Vahn was the first to be called to face his father. For two days they fought non-stop, the brothers and their sister all horrified at their fathers magnificent power. Even Vahn's commendable ability with a lightsaber was no match at all for his father, who dispatched him with a well-placed slash across the mid-thighs. Vahn was spared at least his body parts, but was cast from the castle in which his family resided, landing in the sea below and never returning, causing his family to believe him dead.
Next was Lycan, the youngest. Heiseto chose to skip Isaac in favor of the younger brother, perhaps wanting to test if the youngest would succeed over the eldest, a thing unheard of. For the same length of time they fought, Heiseto applauding Lycan's tremendous mastery of the Force and his unnatural agility, even for a son of the Lionheart. Heiseto eventually severed the young hopeful's left arm in a merciless display so Lycan would be denied his ability to use the Force and a Lightsaber at the same time. Lycan realized he was doomed, yet he fought like a crippled beast, his ferocity only matched by Heiseto's own. At last, Lycan's sword arm was caught by Heiseto's left hand, and the Lionheart beheaded the young Sith while he looked towards Isaac with a bewildered and pleading stare.
Isaac, in a rage, leapt at his father, not wanting him to have any time to rest. It was then that the true test of power for Heiseto began. Isaac battered at his father continuously, giving him no rest in-between their clashes. Heiseto only managed to return an offensive by distracting Isaac with debris from the castle in which they resided. They fought all-throughout the castle for days, looking for weaknesses anywhere. For twelve days and nights they fought, until on the thirteenth morning they both began showing signs of fatigue. Heiseto, his ability with a saber matched move-for-move by Isaac's own, had no choice but to unleash a barrage of his trademark crimson lightning upon his son, who had risen so far so fast and matched Heiseto so well that it was unspeakable. Isaac returned in kind with his own crimson volley. They were locked in a stalemate for the day, trying to batter at each-other with debris all-around and lashing out with a wild jolt from the streams of crimson power. The test of power lasted for hours before Heiseto began to show signs of weakness - his complexion changing to age and age without end until he was like a standing corpse, his lightning finally falling back to its blue-hued variant. He was quickly consumed by the awesome power of his son's crimson lightning. Isaac, believing that Heiseto was gone forever, claimed victory, and assumed the title ‘Lionheart the Fifth, Lord of Hatred.’
Isaac, now Lord Lion, the fifth Lionheart in the Legacy of Kings, left the castle, and somehow the planet, bidding his mother and younger sister farewell - never expecting to see them again. Thousands of years after, a troupe of Sith students on Korriban observed the tomb of Tulak Horde, commenting that the spirit of the ancient Sith Lord was somehow impotent, as if it were gone altogether. They, knowing nothing of the Legacy of Kings, proposed to Lord Malak (the Dark Lord at the time of the discovery) that the spirit did not remain there. Master Uthar Wynn, however, proposed that the Fifth Lionheart may have gone into the tomb and challenged the renowned duelist and somehow won. Malak, whom had had a rather grisly showdown with the Fifth Lionheart after he 'overthrew' Revan, immediately threatened to kill Uthar if he said anything further unless he renounced what he had said. Uthar never said a word.
Revan, The First Allegiance and Exile[]
I swear my loyalty and power to you, Lord Revan. May you rule the Galaxy in the days to come, and forever beyond.
—Lord Lion
Darth Revan was once a Jedi Knight whom fell to the Dark Side to protect the Galaxy, or so Lion and a certain Jedi Chronicler later put it. When Revan fell to the Dark Side, he was rather interested in the origins of the Sith themselves, and thus when he found Lion amidst a slaughtered herd of Tuka'tas on Korriban, he couldn't help but ask the ancient being for his assistance. He was awed by the power the stranger displayed, and even more by the fact he had never heard of a ‘Lionheart’ or a ‘Lord Lion.’ Yes, Revan had studied the Sith species - with chins made of tentacles and red skin - but the man he had discovered had no such qualities. From the darkness of his hood one might have considered him a Chiss with the glowing crimson eyes, but almost all who made that claim would die, save for Revan himself, for Lion absolutely despised Chiss, simply aggravated by the misconception. Revan saw before him a pale-skinned, red-eyed, fanged-toothed, and incredibly powerful being with a knowledge of the Force that seemed to span generations.
When asked what kind of Sith he was, Revan replied that he was the Dark Lord. Lion was dumbfounded - he had finally found the Dark Lord of the Sith Order, the man his father had always said he would one day serve. When he learned of Revan's position within the Sith Order, Lion immediately swore allegiance to the Sith Lord. When Revan presented his newest ally to Malak, the younger apprentice was severely displeased, and warned Revan that Lion might kill him. Lion, however, disagreed, explaining that as long as he deemed the Dark Lord worthy, he would serve him without question, as his lineage dictated. A grudging Malak allowed Lion to be given the honorary title of Sith Lord without further argument, but in the future the two would disagree without end, and even briefly duel.
During the first two years of the Jedi Civil War, Revan asked Lion to work in the shadows, using his wisdom and powerful Battle Meditation to assist the Sith fleets and armies as they battled the Republic across far-flung worlds. The Outer Rim fell quickly with Lion's manipulation, and the Mid-Rim fleets were torn into disarray in the wake of his Meditation and tactics. A small group of three Jedi Knights were sent to investigate Korriban in disguise to discover the source of Revan's fleets, and elusive and terrible powers that were being used to spur them to victory.
The Jedi Knights indeed found the source, discovering Lion's chambers on Korriban. The Knights took it upon themselves to strike at the Sith Lord before he realized they were there, but little did they know that even as he sat in meditation he had been watching them since they departed from Coruscant to undertake their mission. When they were about to strike, their arms and sabers were suspended above them as they lost control and stood there, only able to speak and move their eyes. Without any chance to regain control, Lion manipulated their bodies to behead each-other on the spot, using the Force to toss the bodies through a nearby window, and proceeded to meditate as if nothing had happened.
When Revan was faced with Bastila Shan, with a Battle Meditation that was as powerful as Lion's own, but not on a galactic scale, Lion was aboard Malak's ship, idling slightly to the port side of Revan’s vessel. Lion watched in anger as Malak unleashed a barrage of laser fire upon the bridge of Revan's ship and almost immediately claimed his place as the Dark Lord and demanded that Lion bow to him. The Sith Lord would do no such thing, instead cursing Malak for a coward. Enraged that he could not have Lion's allegiance as Revan had, Malak challenged the ancient to a duel. Lion obliged gladly, and in a dueling chamber on Korriban the two fought.
It is rumored that this may have been the fight in which Malak lost his jaw, as since that bout Malak had indeed been seen without his lower mouth. Lion punished Malak in one form or another after their very brief bout, and then left the Sith, with Malak officially announcing his exile over the highest chain of command. Malak would later regret that he questioned Lion or Revan, before Revan overthrew him a single thought passed through his mind: How could the Dark side have Failed me? Lion responded through the Force from a point on the other side of the Galaxy – ‘’Because you betrayed its true master’’.
It was then that Malak repented, right before he died, a redeemed but amnesiac Revan pondering whose voice had contacted his former apprentice before his death.
The Dark War and Vahn's Revenge, 3044 BBY[]
If it is Revan's will, I shall see it done.
—Lord Lion
Lion wandered the galaxy aimlessly for almost a thousand years following the fall of Nihilus and Traya, despising the pathetic Believers and convincing himself that he was a fool for not trying to protect Revan, a fool for not foreseeing Malak's deeds. Lion would stop and meditate motionlessly for years at a time, awakening quite weak and in dire need of food. One such time on Korriban he was forced to kill a Hsiss and then lightly fry the body with lightning, proceeding then to eat into the flesh, which would have been impenetrable were it not for his powerful fangs. Lion survived like this for almost nine-hundred and eleven years, his abilities becoming perhaps a hundred times more powerful than those of the greatest Jedi in history due to his long stretches of meditation.
A group of renegade Jedi calling themselves Sith again found him on Korriban, and pleaded with the ancient one to help them against the Republic, claiming that Revan had given orders for such after he returned and left for the Unknown Regions. Lion observed their fleet, at that time laughably only four ships strong with a scant crew for each. Nevertheless, he assumed the long-vacant mantle of Dark Lord and proceeded with them to Coruscant to announce that the Sith had returned. When they appeared from Hyperspace, the entire Coruscant Space Defense Force greeted them, but a great shield protected the Sith ships, and even completely immobilized the capital ships above the city-planet and their fighters, allowing Lion and his chosen vanguard to approach the surface unscathed.
They entered the senate to be greeted by a great host of guards, but the guards fell dead as Lion entered the room, using perhaps some form or another of Crush or another deadly Force power. He proceeded to the Supreme Chancellor's seat, and when asked what it was he wanted, Lion used the Force to teleport behind the Chancellor, and with a great grin ignited the ancient lightsaber Ragnarok and beheaded the leader of the Republic while a bewildered and frightened Holonet watched in shock and horror. The Fifth Lionheart, a single Sith Lord with four weak, outdated vessels, had just single-handedly entered the Senate and literally assassinated the Chancellor with little opposition whatsoever. The entire Galaxy was engulfed in turmoil, crime, and civil war, hundreds of systems immediately swearing loyalty to the Lionheart as he set his capital in an ancient orbital fortress above the dead world of Ziost, with a secondary fortress orbiting the planet of Bastion.
The Republic answered by attacking and subjugating Rakata Prime before Lion could arrive to obtain the remnants of the Star Forge, but Lion replied in kind by cutting off all power to Coruscant when he attacked Sarapin (a move that would be mimicked by Sev'rance Tann later during the Clone Wars). The city-planet was in absolute chaos, and Lion took advantage. With thousands of ships he had obtained from his subjugated systems or created through his sheer power alone, Lion swarmed the space defenses. After breaking through and landing on the planet, Lion and thousands of Sith troopers marched up the walks to the Jedi Temple to be met with hundreds of Jedi on either side, on one side led by the revered Jedi Master Duran Requiem, Head of the Council at that time. Lion briefly revealed the presence of thousands of Sith in either battle group, and then ignited his own lightsaber and led the charge against the Jedi.
Lion slew several Jedi Knights before meeting Requiem himself, and the two dueled throughout the Room of a Thousand Fountains and beyond, ending in the Council Chambers and on a balcony outside. Requiem did not know that Lion had merely been toying with him the entire time, and lost his sword-arm to the crimson blade of the Ragnarok as soon as Lion employed the tactics of Lionheart. Vahn, who had returned to aid the Republic against the resurgent Sith Order once he heard of his brother’s involvement, arrived in the chambers only to find Lion beheading Requiem as he knelt. Lion, bewildered to find that not only was his brother alive, but also a Jedi Knight, leaped from the balcony and landed in the chaos below just as the Sith fleet above began planetary bombardment. First the Jedi Temple was reduced to rubble, and then the Senate was absolutely annihilated.
The Sith fled from Coruscant with great losses, and Lion heard that his various subjects had taken Sollust, Rhen Var, Tatooine, and Manaan but had lost Kashyyykk to the Wookiees. Lion withdrew his forces to the fortress above Bastion and prepared them all to take the greatest prize left after the destruction of Coruscant - the great home of heroes, Corellia.
Lion and the Dark Order assailed Corellia to be met by Vahn's Silver Fleet, complete with a carbon-copy of Lion’s own super battleship to match the Sith Lord evenly in space. The great fleets fought non-stop as the huge flagships of the Leonhart brothers brought down each side until it was literally one-on-one. Aboard the Terror, Lion’s flagship, Vahn and Lion dueled throughout the massive capital ship, ending up in the engine room where the two dueled until Lion revealed his true form - two great black wings sprouted from his back, his horns grew, and the Third Eye revealed itself in his forehead, an ‘ascended’ form of the Lionheart that was achieved when he broke free of the confines of the Force and ‘embraced destiny.’
Look at yourself, brother, even the Believers are not so grotesque!
—Vahn Leonhart
Vahn narrowly avoided his brother's mighty Crimson Lightning, knowing that in his form the attack would utterly annihilate him. After a prolonged duel of words and Force powers, Vahn finally got close enough to sever Lion's left arm with his blade, only for Lion himself to mercilessly sever Vahn's sword-arm in a rage. Vahn was stunned and disadvantaged by the loss of his blade, but he managed to trick Lion into plunging the Ragnarok into the reactor. Lion and Vahn chased each-other towards the escape pods on the other end of the vessel, and along the way Vahn managed to trap Lion in a corridor for several seconds – just enough to reach the escape pods before his brother and narrowly escape, the ship exploding behind him.
Vahn held a silent funeral in the mountains on Corellia that night, not knowing that his brother had indeed survived, using the Force to create a barrier around him powerful enough to protect him from the vacuum of space. Lion landed on the planet like a small meteor in a mountainside, and woke to find that his form had changed, and the Force no longer flowed through him. Alarmed, Lion went into exile to rediscover his lost power. Vahn had taken his great revenge against his brother, but did not proclaim himself the Lionheart. He instead claimed that he had finally closed the last chapter of his family's endless, dark history, and disappeared for thousands of years...
The Jedi Purges, Post-Clone War Years[]
You can say your Master is 'great and powerful' all you please, pathetic little Believer. He is nothing more than a coward. He has no honor, and you forsook yours to join him. In the end you mourned your decision, and lost all you treasured. If you seek only power, but do not consider the consequences of having it, or you cannot control that which you gain, you are nothing more than a puppet of the Dark side, not a Dark Lord. You are no Sith Lord, mech-man. You are what I shall deem a 'False Lord', and your Master with you.
—Lord Lion to Darth Vader
Lion walked down a lonely alleyway in Coronet, the capital of Corellia, the Force having almost fully returned to him over the course of three thousand years, and saw before him a Holonet broadcast of the Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, deformed in a wreck and in a red robe, declaring the formation of the Empire and the annihilation of the Jedi Order. Darth Sidious, whom was recorded in Lion's personal records as the 'Lord of Deceit', had won at last, without the Jedi ever even knowing. A group of clones cornered him in the alley, having tracked him for a Jedi Master known as Arthur Tul, but before they could lift their rifles they were ripped to shreds by one of Lion's personal abilities, and the Ancient escaped across the rooftops above.
After a decade and a half of hiding and investigation, Lion decided that it was time to return to Coruscant and confront Palpatine, to determine whether the new Sith Order was worth serving, but he had no transport and he highly doubted any well-knowing Corellian would allow a lightsaber-wielding, red-eyed rogue to take a trip to the center of the Empire with them. Thus Lion merely waited until Han Solo was passing through on a routine Spice-smuggling operation for one of the Hutts on Tatooine, and stowed-away aboard Solo's 'Millenium Falcon' until he reached Coruscant, the drop off point. Lion made his way through the Imperial city, only to find an abandoned Senate. The Emperor had disbanded the Senate in favor of the dictatorial rule of himself and his regional governors, the Moffs.
Lion more thoroughly wondered if this man, who had conquered the Jedi through subterfuge rather than through military might, might be worthy enough to become his master. He eventually came to the conclusion that Palpatine was not worthy of his service - he was much like the traitorous Malak, a coward who would not face his enemy directly. If his mind’s eye was right, Lion could even speculate that Sidious had not battled Plagueis the Wise, his own master; he may have outright murdered him in his sleep. Lion pledged to face Sidious, but when he reached the Emperor’s palace the Dark Lord was gone, and Lion found instead Darth Vader.
Vader was aging within his mechanical body, and Lion almost felt sorry for the young man with such immense potential - now trapped inside a coffin that would literally walk him to his grave. Lion could sense the incredible power that was forever locked inside Darth Vader’s shell. He could not use the Force on such a scale that would have been possible were it not for his prosthetic parts, instead relying on the heavy air of fear which followed his voice, his by-then terrifying breathing, and his imposing physique.
Vader sensed Lion immediately, and the two only briefly dueled before Vader's Fist, the reformed 501st Legion elite Stormtroopers, arrived. Lion bid Vader adieu and escaped as he naturally would - he flew, baffling the troopers and Vader himself. Lord Vader would not tell his master of the encounter, fearing that the news of his failure might make Sidious angry with him. Instead he secretly hunted the Fifth Lionheart, before giving up his search to concentrate his full efforts on the Rebellion once more.
Lion would make his way to Tatooine onboard a stolen Imperial shuttle just as an old Jedi and his party would be transported off the planet by the same ship he had used to reach Coruscant before. Lion saw the Millenium Falcon escape Mos Eisley, but was gone by the time the Imperials arrived to squash a Rebel resistance on the planet.
For years he observed the Galactic Civil War, never being caught in any major battles. An encounter with the bounty hunter Boba Fett would partially relieve him of years of boredom. Fett revealed during their encounter on Zonju IV that he had been following Lion for quite some time, wondering who he was and just what was beneath the cloak which had been wreathed in legend. Lion told the bounty hunter to be off, and that he had little mercy for his kind. Boba tried to catch Lion in his constricting rope, but the Ancient Sith dissipated into a black cloud as the line sped through. Boba was caught off-guard by the ensuing attack by the Lionheart, and the two briefly exchanged physical blows. Boba eventually used his jetpack to soar over the battlefield, only for Lord Lion to follow him into the air and knock him down. The brutal contest ended when Boba managed to hit Lion directly with a wrist-rocket, at which point he activated his jet pack and flew away, fatigued but with a shred of Lion’s enigmatic cloak as his prize.
Lion himself returned to Korriban, to meditate and to consult the darker powers that called the world home. The only visitor to Korriban for the next year would be the Emperor himself, attracted by the incredible dark aura which Lion could not contain. The Emperor never found Lion due to a number of ingenious tricks and traps, and in the end Palpatine would leave to oversee the construction of the second Death Star over Endor.
Lion meditated out of space and time, allowing the events of the Galaxy to occur around him. He was awakened suddenly by a terrible disturbance in the Force, and stretched out to discover the source. He could find only one nearby planet that held any power great enough to cause such a disturbance: Yavin IV. Lord Lion made his way to Yavin, and there he encountered the Jedi Master known as Jin Zar. Zar was not as powerful as the other forces Lion had encountered, and was not able to peer into Lion’s mind or sense his own power. Lion saw an opportunity to rediscover and infiltrate his ancient adversaries, and introduced himself by a name he had not heard himself for thousands of years: Isaac Leonhart. Lion pledged his service to the Jedi Order – particularly to the aging Luke Skywalker – and used his time to discover their own history and disciplines.
The Second Dark War[]
Fight with me, soldiers! Fight for your homes! Fight for the Republic! Fight for the Galaxy! Fight with me!
—Isaac Leonhart during the Great Battle over Coruscant
Isaac spent several years in the Jedi Order as a mentor, instructing Jin Zar and his students in several older powers and techniques he himself had seen and learned. After so long, Luke Skywalker finally managed to breach Isaac’s considerable psychic barriers, delving into his recent past. Luke removed Isaac from the academy and demanded answers as to who he truly was, where he came from, and how he knew all that he did. Isaac, instead of giving Luke a straight answer, commended the Grandmaster for his ability to breach the barriers Isaac had erected to keep other beings out of his mind, and assured him that all he knew would be used to benefit the Jedi. For the first time in his long life, Isaac questioned the teachings of his father, and eventually he cast them aside permanently, and dedicated his life to the Jedi – far more noble and honorable than any Sith he had ever had the pleasure of meeting (with the exception of Revan himself).
Not long after Master Skywalker confronted Isaac, the Ancient made his way to Dantooine on an assignment to recover an artifact that had recently been found by one of the academy’s librarians. While there Isaac encountered Danika Clay – a young Jedi who immediately introduced herself and befriended him. Their meeting was interrupted by the arrival of Darth Muruader – another Ancient who had survived for thousands of years via Sith alchemy. Muruader challenged the Lionheart, and Isaac, surprised at his enemy’s strength, was forced to flee with Danika. For the first time Isaac developed a bond with a human being – Danika had befriended him and chosen to accompany him on several missions, despite his appearance and secrecy. Isaac grew to trust her, and in time his feelings would turn into love.
The galaxy, or even Lionheart himself, might have seen these events as a disruption in the ‘’balance of the Force’’. Several years after Isaac swore his allegiance to the Jedi, several members of the New Sith Order who had stumbled upon Ziost and an ancient temple there that was dedicated to the Lionheart discovered a ritual that could revive a fallen Lionheart from death. They gathered several ancient artifacts associated with the Sith, and eventually were able to revive Heiseto the Lionheart from death. Heiseto was brought before the council of the New Sith Order and the Imperial Remnant and declared his intentions to launch a new campaign against the Republic. With the resources of the Remnant, the Sith, and his own followers, Heiseto the Lionheart created a fleet large enough to combat the Republic in open warfare. Chaining the Sith Lord known as ‘’’Darth Gritus’’’ to his command, Heiseto united the various factions he had used to create his armada into the ‘’’Combined Armies’’’ and launched his initial assaults against the Republic.
The war that followed lasted for a decade, with the Jedi leading the Republic against the Sith onslaught. The first true documented battle was fought over Coruscant, with the full power of both the Combined Armies and the Republic brought to bear. Isaac confronted his father aboard the Sith flagship and engaged him in combat. Heiseto was bewildered by his son’s power, and despite his efforts, was defeated in the end. Before Heiseto could be struck, he activated his starship’s self-detonation sequence, forcing Isaac to take his party and retreat. Following the ‘’’Great Battle over Coruscant’’’, Isaac was made Jedi Grand Master alongside Jin Zar and Jaden Zin, as Master Skywalker was unable to fulfill his duties due to suffering from a severe illness.
The Second Dark War had begun. The Combined Armies pushed the Republic back in the Outer- and Mid-rim time and time again, while Isaac, Danika, and various other Jedi led the Republic to victory on several fronts. Naboo in particular became a major battleground, and there Isaac led the Republic into battle against one of Heiseto’s personal fleets. Heiseto himself arrived to decide the battle, but as he, Isaac, and his newly revived son Luo engaged each-other, they were suddenly stopped, disabled, and then consumed by the power of the dark side artifact known as the ‘’Dark Heart’’. The Dark Heart used the combined energies of the Leonharts to revive Thomas Darque – another Ancient Sith, but Heiseto was soon revived again on Ziost by the efforts of his various subjects and perhaps even the dark god Lionheart himself.
With Isaac’s disappearance and Darque’s resurrection, the Republic reeled from a series of losses. A beleaguered Jin Zar and Jaden Zin held the forces of the Sith and Thomas Darque off until Darque himself disabled Coruscant’s power – inadvertently opening the door for the Combined Armies to launch their second assault on the city planet. Heiseto led the assault on the planet, his objective being the Jedi Temple.
When Heiseto reached the temple he planted the Ragnarok into an orifice in the center of the structure, and Isaac Leonhart emerged from oblivion, in the same form he had ascended to during his duel with Vahn during the Dark War. Isaac, however, was beyond his father’s control, and cast him aside. Lord Lion had returned.
Fearing what would happen if Lord Lion was allowed to join the battle (for his own plans were staked on it), Thomas Darque challenged the revived Isaac in the skies above the Jedi Temple. Lord Lion and Thomas Darque dueled in the sky as a Force storm began to rage across the planet. Master Skywalker, still crippled by his illness, urged Danika Clay to reveal herself to Isaac in the hope that he might break free of his former self. Danika did as she was instructed, and as Lion gained the upper hand against Darque, he saw her on the steps of the temple below.
Isaac’s love for Danika, which had blossomed during the war on Naboo, was too strong for his former persona to contain. A redeemed Isaac reverted from his twisted form, and in the end cast Darque down into the depths of Coruscant. With Thomas Darque defeated and Heiseto nowhere to be found, the resurrected Isaac Leonhart contacted Admiral Johnathan Starr, commander of the Republic defense fleet, and confirmed that the Combined Armies had finally been routed in space. Isaac broadcast an announcement of victory over the Holonet, signifying the end of major conflict.
The Combined Armies did not recover after the Second Battle for Coruscant, and with Heiseto gone and the Sith Lords killed either on Coruscant or on various other fronts, the dark forces chose to retreat to their various establishments. The Second Dark War was over.
Isaac would disappear after the war, affirming his love with Danika and sharing with her his first kiss, and then leaving Republic space to discover where his father had gone.
The Brothers' Feud and the Crusade[]
I will not help your Republic again, I have my own worries. Leave, Admiral, your words are wasted here.
—Isaac
A decade later, Isaac Leonhart arrived on Faera during the aftermath of the planet's infamous 'Dark Star Rebellion', and displaying his awesome power, the entire planet pledged itself to his service. Isaac thus used his power and his connections to prepare the Faeli system for the darkness he had sensed beyond his father's own. The god Lionheart was moving, and he was moving to bring Vahn Leonhart back to the galaxy at-large. Isaac feared that his brother would return to finish what he had begun, oblivious to the good Isaac had done during their father's war.
Because of the war Isaac had become a hero in the Republic. When he disappeared, the galaxy thought him dead - again. But when he reappeared, the Republic was eager to make contact, and they sent their brightest: Admiral Miho Armitage. Leonhart and Armitage spoke briefly, but Isaac seemed different. He was stern, he was cold, and his dark energies seemed to oppress the visitors. He did not intentionally discriminate the Republic's prized admiral, but she did not need to be involved in what was about to transpire. Armitage would leave Faera empty-handed, and Isaac would make haste to the jungle moon Feringa - his brother had arrived.
What happened then is lost. No one was there to see it, for the same forces under Isaac were converted into the Grey Alliance. Vahn and Isaac Leonhart simply ceased to exist. In their place with the mighty war machine known as the Grey Alliance were the mighty Force Lords known as Lord Vicious and Lord Lionheart. What none knew was that Lord Vicious and Lord Lionheart were really Vahn and Isaac Leonhart, under the control of their ancestor, the Second Lionheart and Lord of Destruction, Azrael. Azrael used Isaac to kill Heiseto, who had exiled himself after the Second Dark War. He then used the enslaved brothers to launch a crusade against the Galaxy, with the intent of purging all the Jedi and Sith, and taking the Galaxy for himself.
Vicious and Lionheart led the Grey Alliance, comprised of Isaac’s former fleet and the purely Force Crafted warship ‘’Lohengrin’’, to victory on Faera, using the Lohengrin’s Hyperion Beam to annihilate the world. Despite the destruction of a vital Outer Rim trade world, the Republic was caught in a series of skirmishes with the deteriorated Combined Armies throughout the galaxy. The Alliance thus moved to take Kamino, and once taken Vicious and Lionheart used their power to speed up the cloning process and augment the troopers they created, eventually birthing a new Order of Grey Knights – a force prophesied by the Lionhearts that would dominate, and eventually destroy, the Orders of the Jedi and the Sith.
Following Kamino the Grey Alliance attacked and destroyed Rhen Var and Ilum, scattering the Jedi and the Sith (who had been reformed under the Mandalorian ‘’Cassus Fett’’ into the Jen’Jidai). With both of these worlds destroyed, Vicious took Fondor while Lionheart found Heiseto’s fallen fortress on Lehon. Lionheart reactivated the fortress, which ripped Rakata Prime in two as it ascended back into space. With the fortress, Lionheart discovered the location of Heiseto’s secret weapon: a massive ‘’’super battlecarrier’’’ called the ‘’’Ultima’’’.
Upon retrieving the Ultima and assembling a fleet of advanced warships with the shipyards of Fondor, Lionheart and Vicious led the Grey Alliance to Coruscant, with the intent of destroying the planet and severing the Republic’s main hub for communication and economy. When they arrived, all of the major factions in the galaxy had assembled their fleets there to meet them.
In the battle that ensued the Grey Alliance’s massive fleet surrounded the United forces. While the space battle erupted above the planet, Alliance transports brought the Grey Knights under Commander Alexander Mikelus and Commander Silas to the surface. Their objective was to destroy the Senate and the Jedi Temple – the latter of which, according to Lord Vicious, seemed to emit a natural barrier around the planet that would protect it from the Ultima’s Force-powered superlaser.
Despite severe losses, the United forces managed to hold the Alliance forces off in front of the temple. Jedi Grand Master Kalen Amass engaged Commander Mikelus in combat and succeeded in mortally wounding the aged warrior. The Knights’ frenzy following their commander’s fall would not see fruition, as events transpired above that would eventually kill them all.
Lord Vicious, onboard the Ultima, managed to unlock the power of a great Force artifact he had found on Faera - the Force Crystal. With the crystal’s power he could use the Force to generate a beam powerful enough to destroy Coruscant, with or without the spiritual shield surrounding it. The Lohengrin, which had been made Lord Lionheart’s flagship, was in the way, and Lord Vicious threatened to destroy his brother if he did not cede the firing line. Lionheart, however, could not respond. The Lohengrin had been boarded by a team of Jedi and Jen’jidai led by Danika Clay, who Lord Lionheart was unable to kill – the ancient lightsaber Ragnarok would not allow him to strike her, having been bound to the oaths of its former master.
The Ragnarok itself awakened and cleaved into Lord Lionheart’s memories, and the spirits of the ancient Sith who had died to feed its power reached out to the soul of the fallen Isaac Leonhart – entombed in the armor of Lord Lionheart. Isaac, at Danika’s beckoning, broke free of his forefather’s control and turned the Lohengrin around to attack the Ultima head-on. Despite being ripped apart on the way, the Lohengrin collided with the Ultima’s bridge deck, and a redeemed Isaac, Danika, and her party of Force-users made their way to the bridge to confront Vicious and end the conflict. When they arrived, Isaac was not able to make Vicious see reason or compel Vahn to break free, since Azrael the Lionheart’s power was now focused in his brother, and so he had no choice but to engage him, ordering Danika and the Jedi to escape.
Vicious and Isaac faced off throughout the Ultima, disrupting the reactor during their duel and igniting the power of the Faera crystal. The crystal exploded, annihilating the Ultima and the fleets surrounding it (thus ending the space battle), and forcing the brothers to create barriers strong enough to protect them from space and atmospheric reentry. Their duel continued on the war-ravaged surface of Coruscant.
The End of the Fifth Lionheart, 45 ABY[]
All is clear to me now. I see no blood... ...no bodies... ...no light, or dark. All I see is you. All I feel are your arms around me, your heart beating, your breath against my cheek... ...and your tears upon this damned cuirasse.
—Isaac Leonhart
In the end, Vicious overthrew Isaac, and the ancient lightsabers Requiem and Ragnarok – the weapons of Vahn and Isaac, respectively - broke, their purpose fulfilled. Vahn finally broke free of Azrael’s grip and returned to his normal self, ripping off his helmet and horns and looking down upon his brother with shocked and tear-stricken eyes. Isaac made his peace with his brother, and was reunited with Danika Clay for the last time - he told her all she needed to hear, and she told him all that could put his heart at peace. His final action was his gift to Danika - the ability to see into people's souls.
Isaac Leonhart passed away and became one with the Force, the greatest Lionheart, most powerful Sith, and most loved hero of the Republic. His deeds would go down in history for good at last, exposed from the Jedi Archives due to his actions in the recent years. He would achieve immortality even in death.
With his death and Vahn’s redemption the mental link between Azrael the Lionheart and the Grey Knights was severed – and all clones and troopers who had served the Lord of Destruction through his enslaved heirs fell, lifeless shells without the dark power that had spawned them.
With his passing, Vahn Leonhart became the Sixth and Last Lionheart, and was worthy of the title 'Lord of the Force.'
Appearance[]
Throughout his life until the Second Dark War, Isaac wore a set of ancient, heavy black cloaks that bore sigils along their design that were difficult to read, but glowed bright red in areas strong in the Dark Side of the Force. He was distinguished by his fangs and glowing crimson eyes, as well as his pale skin and white hair. However, he could change appearance at will, perhaps through his power to manipulate midichlorians. He sometimes appeared as an old man, hooded and cloaked. Most times he simply did minor changes in coloration of his hair and eyes, but no matter what color he changed his irises to, they still bore a red undertone that could be used to distinguish him if one was close enough.
Abilities[]
At last, one worthy to compare!
—Isaac entering battle against Thomas Darque
Isaac lived up to his reputation as a demi-god of the Force throughout his life. He was a master of several Force powers, and even developed his own through midichlorian manipulation and sheer Force power. He could summon entire ghost armies to distract and terrorize enemies, boost the morale of his men through Battle Meditation, or as aforementioned, build and rebuild entire fleets in combat.
As a duelist his only comparable rival was his brother. The ancient techniques and secrets of the style of combat known as Lionheart allowed him an edge over any opponent. Its many branches and tiers of disciplines gave him an arsenal of abilities to use in single combat, or when fighting multiple foes. Another major contributor to his skills as a single saber fighter was the Ragnarok, his ancient lightsaber (also called 'godsaber'), itself. Hallowed by the blood of hundreds of fallen ancient Sith warriors, the lightsaber was a powerful tool of dark influence and slaughter. It collected every soul to add power and knowledge to its user. The Ragnarok also chose its master, and so only served those it found worthy. When he was worthy it chose him over a galaxy full of prospective Sith Lords - a testament to his power, for he only became more and more awesome in might as he grew older.
One trademark of the Lionhearts was their mighty Crimson Lightning. Its difference in color from the blue hued Force Lightning only ever barely mastered by a handful of Sith, Crimson Lightning not only shocked its target - it disintegrated, burned, and tortured them as the user pleased. It could annihilate entire squads within seconds, and was the most feared out of their arsenal in the days of the Old Republic. Isaac used it to defeat Heiseto in single combat, and would reserve it for his most 'worthy' opponents in his later life.
Another trademark of the Leonharts was their ability to read the souls of their victims by glaring into their eyes. Like books, their enemies’ souls could be read and were deprived of secrecy, and the Lionhearts knew of their every strength, weakness, doubt and fear. It was used by Isaac for a number of dark purposes throughout his career as a Sith Lord, but it found new meaning when he became a champion of the Light Side like his brother.
Isaac possessed extraordinary physical strength, like all in his family. He was faster, stronger, more agile and flexible than any human being, and when challenging a Wookiee during the Dark War he managed to overpower the beast. Many argued their tremendous physical attributes are fueled by their unique connection to the Force. This was subject to debate, as there was no mention of whether his disconnection to the Force hindered his physical abilities at all.
One of his favorite and most remarkable abilities was his power to change his own appearance. Perhaps another facet of his midichlorian manipulation, he had the power to change any part of his physical persona as he saw fit. This led to frustrations during Darth Vader's hunt for him after their short bout, and also allowed him to blend in to any crowd and elude any enemy if ever he chose subterfuge over brute power.
Personality and traits[]
Isaac was very proud of what he was. His sense of pride never left him throughout his thousands of years of study, meditation, and battle. He belittled those who called themselves 'Sith' after Revan's time, and until the New Republic he despised the Jedi as foolish pawns in the political games of the corrupted Republic Senate, or as hard-headed dogmatic zealots who refused to see the bigger picture of a situation, either acting with too little, or refusing to act when they had more than enough.
He was cold, even anti-social, in public, even in his later years as a hero of the New Republic. There were rare occasions where he would smile or seem comfortable conversing with others, such as Danika Clay or ARC-Beta 107. He had no problem issuing orders when they were needed, and was a confident leader. Despite his chilling demeanor, he possessed a natural charisma when he needed it, and his readings and writings lent him a wonderful way with words. It could be his charisma and influence on others was a result of his Force power.
Behind the scenes[]
The name 'Isaac Leonhart' was inspired by the character Isaac from the game Golden Sun for the Gameboy Advance, and Squall Leonhart from the Playstation videogame 'Final Fantasy VIII'. The concept of Blood Sith was originally meant to apply to the entire Sith species, but evolved into the Leonhart clan as the author's cooperative fan-fiction career continued. The concept of the 'dark god' Lionheart began during the storyline of another role-playing website called 'Role Play Central'. There, Lord Lion played the role of the Sith Order's premier single combatant and servant to the Dark Lord, but was later disillusioned with his role and joined Uchiha Saskei and Darth Raven in forming the 'Sith Triumvirate'. When first writing the Crusade, Lord Vicious and Lord Lionheart were intended to be Isaac and Vahn willingly disguised, and their actions willingly committed, believing it to be for the good of the galaxy that the Jedi and Sith be eradicated and one supreme faction in control. The author unofficially retired on two or three occasions throughout his career writing Isaac's story. Prior to his dissolution from A Galaxy Divided, he decided that all that could be told of Isaac had been told, but Vahn's story was much more capable of introducing a fresh character to further expand upon the role of the Lionhearts and their clan, and just how powerful the Leonharts really were. That story, unfortunately, would never be told, and the true origin, beliefs, and nature of the Lionhearts may never be elaborated upon by the author in a cooperative realm. Before the split occurred that brought about the creation of A Galaxy Divided, one topic was made concerning the truth of Isaac's origins on Star Wars Galaxy. The topic introduced a mad scientist who claimed that the same artifact Heiseto had used to revive Isaac could also be used to control him; the scientist went on to suggest that the artifact was, in fact, the source of the Leonhart clan - claiming that they were not 'born,' but that they were 'created' to serve the Dark Lords of the Sith. This side event would not develop in time to survive the move to AGD, and the author left it behind in favor of a more 'natural' take on the origins of the Leonharts.
The last event of both Isaac's and Vahn's lives on AGD was a topic called 'Fate', which happened sometime after a falling out occurred between the site's creator, Bloodfury, and the writer behind Galaxy and AGD's original backstory. The topic was an unofficial conclusion to Isaac and Vahn's lives, explaining that Isaac had actually 'survived' the deathblow on Coruscant due to his lack of a working heart and his ability to sustain himself through the Force. In the topic (which, for the first time, featured the unknown homeworld of the brothers), Vahn had come to the conclusion that without his brother to hunt, his life was without meaning, and in order to end the destruction his family had wrought he would have to both forsake the opportunity to create a family of his own, and end his own life before he could be turned against the Galaxy again. He was interrupted during his attempt at suicide by Isaac, who congratulated his brother on remembering and finding their homeworld again, and who dismissed the recent 'Insurrection' on Val Rotha as a Force Dream which he had propagated among those sensitive to the Force. Isaac revealed that he had, in fact, put up the facade of being a hero of the Republic in order to play the Jedi and the Sith under his father against each-other, eventually with the goal of launching the Grey Crusade to wipe out both orders when they were at their weakest. Isaac further explained that Azrael had never controlled either of the brothers, and that he had been controlling Vahn all along, and thus he had been the originator and controlling force behind the Grey Alliance itself. Isaac admitted that a number of factors, including the emergence of Thomas Darque and Viro Sar'ki, had not gone as he had planned. In the clash that ensued, the brothers revealed their power in the Force, ripping apart their old home and each-other by using the Force on a much grander scale than was before thought possible, even using the elements of the planet against one-another. Contrary to the author's original intentions, Isaac won the fight, and dispelled Vahn's body and spirit from the galaxy forever. At the conclusion of the topic, Isaac reclaimed his title as Lionheart and the Lord of Hatred, crushing the throne his fathers had built within their fortress. He went on to claim that he would launch another war against the galaxy himself, and used the last surviving remnant of the Genesis Fleet of the Republic, the VSD-II 'Lionheart', the same ship he had used to come to the system, to leave and strike out into the galaxy again. The author never intended the topic to be canonical in Isaac or Vahn's histories.
Appearances[]
- Knights of the Old Republic: Betrayal (first appearance)
- Star Wars, The Dark Saga: Ascension
- Star Wars, The Dark Saga: Resistance
- Star Wars, The Dark Saga: Hellfire
- Star Wars, The Dark Saga: Warlords
- Star Wars, The Dark Saga: Maelstrom
- Star Wars Galaxy: Conspiracy
- Star Wars Galaxy: The Dark War
- A Galaxy Divided: Revolution (mentioned only)
- A Galaxy Divided: The Grey Crusade
- A Galaxy Divided: Insurrection (mentioned only)