Reign
New Member
NAME: William 'Kal' Reign
RANK: Dark Jedi Master
FACTION: None
FORMER FACTIONS: Dark Jedi Order (on another site)
TITLES: Jen'jidai Sage
FORMER TITLES: Head of the Dark Jedi Order, VSE Big Wheel, Lord Sovereign (on another site)
SPECIES: Near-Human (Epicanthix-Unknown Cross)
AGE: 40 (71)
SEX: Male
RELATIONSHIP: Single
HEIGHT: 1.93m
WEIGHT: 99kg
EYES: Bright blue
HAIR: Black
SKIN: Tanned
FORCE SENSITIVE: Yes
Reign is highly intelligent; an apt student of politics, business and philosophy, as well as an avid student of history. He is slow to anger except when certain triggers are activated, and even when angry he maintains impressive self-control. Only in a fury does he fully unleash.
Reign also thrives on challenges and on pushing himself to his physical and mental limits, in a never-ending effort to attain self-perfection and enlightenment. To this end, he devotes one part of each day to martial training, and another to his studies of the Force.
Although considered by some an exceptional duelist, Reign's true passion lies in study of the Force itself, seeking to both understand its nature better, and apply it in ways it has never been used before. He is as much a philosopher as a warrior, and it is for this reason he was gifted with the title of 'Sage' by the former head of the Dark Jedi Order, the great C'thulu Plaga.
Reign's core beliefs are philosophies brought together over the course of a lifetime, and are most easily summed up by a combination of Jen'jidai ideology and the tenets of the Zeison Sha. Self-enlightenment, strength, honour, independence, brotherhood & galactic progress are all elements of his comprehensive philosophy.
Strengths:
- [+] Force of Will: Reign's will power earnt him the nickname Yun'chilat (God of Will) from one of his peers. His indomitable ability to push himself to the limits of physical and mental endurance are exemplary, and the force of his will and personality - his sheer charisma - when focused upon others is hard to resist.
- [+] Epicanthix Cross: Although not possessed of a complete mental immunity, Reign nevertheless maintains a strong natural resistance to mental intrusion. He also benefits from the increased natural musculature and longevity of the race, though he does sometimes wonder how much of that comes from his father's bloodline, and what exactly came from his mother's unknown roots.
- [+] Strategist: From politics to war, Reign's dedication to and aptitude with the arts of strategy are masterful; easily adaptable across all facets of his interactions with others. It makes him a dangerous adversary both over the business table and on the battlefield.
- [+] Philosopher: Reign's research and meditation into the field of philosophy are extensive, particularly where it relates to the Force and its use. Most particular among these are his studies of Telekinesis, Force Barriers and Deflection. These are by far his best Force abilities, followed by Sense, Speed and the Art of Movement.
- [+] Warrior: From a young age, Reign was taught not only the strategic art of war, but the fine art of individual combat. He learnt Tëras Käsi at the feet of Palawan masters and lightsaber combat from his mother, a powerful Jedi Knight. What he learnt in training, he honed in war. As time went on he added to his martial skills, from Jiu Jitsu to bar room brawling, and combining the Art of Movement with it all. Testament to his skill was his victory in the second Galactic Battle Arena Tournament. When it comes to lightsaber combat specifically, he claims mastery of Djem So foremost, followed by Makashi, and is an advanced practitioner of Soresu and Niman.
- [-] Haunted: Reign is a thrice-haunted man. The first of these is guilt; guilt for the death of his mother, his daughter Ashya, and for his failures as a father and as a leader. His second is failure itself. For all his power, intelligence and insight, he failed to preserve either the Xendorian Guard or the Dark Jedi Order, essentially overseeing the implosion of both. And though he has learnt from his failures and his time Beyond, their legacy weighs upon him still. The third is death itself; though he has returned to a clone body; the mark of the Beyond stays with him still, and spectres of the past can reach him in dreams.
- [-] Honour: A strict code of honour might seem like a virtue to a Jedi, but Reign is no Jedi. Nor is he a Sith, though he once was. But his unyielding adherence to bonds of honour brought great contention among his allies; even claims of weakness (though rarely to his face, and never more than once). This honour allows him to be manipulated in ways most other darksiders could not.
- [-] Allergies: Due to the nature of the process surrounding the preserving of his clone body, Reign has discovered to his dismay that, since his return, he is allergic to bacta. The stronger the bacta, the greater the reaction.
- [-] Inabilities: For all his study of the Force, he has still been unable to overcome an inability to harness Tutaminis. Whereas Barriers and Deflection come with ease, Absorption remains mysteriously beyond him.
- [-] Vanity: Some people are good-looking and know it. But when confidence overflows into vanity, it's gone too far. Reign has improved much in this regard as he's aged, but he still has a way to go.
- [-] Vices: Simply put, women and rum. Reign finds it hard to resist either.
Reign is tall and well-muscled, but athletic in build rather than muscle-bound. He has thick, silky black hair and intense blue eyes. His aesthetic features are marred by a thin scar that runs straight down the right side of his face from just beside his eye to his jaw. His attire nearly always seems to match classic elegance with combat efficiency, and always tailored to him personally. His most common outfit is a set of black shell spider silk robes, belted at the waist by a sash of the same. On his forearms are silver-coloured vambraces of an intricate design with Sith runes inscribed upon them, and enclosing his fists are slim black beskar crushgaunts that were a gift, custom made for him after he brokered the Treaty of Gamorr for the Mandalorian Empire. Beneath his robes he wears a slim armour-weave vest, black combat pants and black combat boots with insulated soles. Sometimes he will trade the robes for a black leather jacket lined with the same spider silk and a silk shirt; his 'casual' look. There is a tribal style tattoo on Reign's back that looks somewhat like a rampant sand panther with displayed wings.
Perhaps a year later, an old transport freighter on which Reign was serving, ‘Valiant Dawn’ was attacked by pirates, and though they fought the pirates off, the ship could barely limp to the closest system, Yanibar, before essentially crash landing. It was here that Reign would spend the next five years of his life, and that his prowess in Telekinesis and Force Barrier would develop into true mastery. The harshness of surviving on Yanibar challenged him and honed not only his impressive survival skills but also his will to survive. The Zeison Sha tenets of independence, self-reliance and honour struck a core deep inside Reign, as did their belief in the value of family. But that was also a bitter pill for Reign, for he had none. His had been slain. And all the while, that old darkness inside Reign just kept growing – festering - and the Zeison Sha masters could sense it. By this time Reign was himself an instructor at the Sha Kalan, but the masters feared that the darkness would not only consume Reign himself, but his students as well. Those who had once embraced him now exiled him. He was given an old starfighter, and told not to return. It was not long after that, on Roon, that Reign would finally find at outlet for that darkness, and learn not merely to release it, but to embrace it... the path of the Sith.
Already powerful, but yet still uneducated in the ways of the Sith, Reign studied their ways voraciously, embracing the dark side of the Force until it blotted out almost any sign of his conscience. He turned his pain and anger into power, and developed a thirst for dominion. By the age of 35, he declared himself a Dark Lord of the Sith, and began to gather an army for conquest. But other forces worked against him. A coalition of Jedi known as the Emerald Order received word of him, and led an army against him, decimating his forces. The setback only fueled his ambitions. It was at around this juncture that Reign would meet a man who would change his life forever. Lord Azrael was the leader of a newly formed yet powerful faction of Sith. He and Reign saw in each other more than just a means to an end, but kindred spirits – allies. Maybe even friends... if Sith could have such things. Reign quickly rose to become a leader of this faction himself, one of a triumvirate that led it to many glories and victories. Their names became feared across half the galaxy. And with these many wars, Reign found that his thirst for conquest became sated. What he discovered in battle was that it was not truly war and conquest that he craved, but the bonds of brotherhood forged from it. And nowhere were such bonds of brotherhood better forged and tempered than on the battlefield. But the path of the Sith was a lonely one; even when allied with one another their allegiance to power was absolute, and betrayal was all too common. The darkness in Reign’s heart was now firmly entrenched, but he had also begun to tame it; harnessing it with self-control rather than unleashing it with abandon, as so many Sith were want to do. And it was at this time that Reign began to engage with a man who had previously only been a business associate; Jeddak Lahash de Fortia.
The Jeddak had business enterprises that closely aligned with Reign’s, but in getting to know the man, Reign discovered so much more. Lahash was a high-ranking member of the Dark Jedi Order, and the more Reign learnt of these Jen’jidai and their philosophies, the more he was convinced that he had found his spiritual home. Only as a Jen'jidai could he bring the fractured parts of his soul into alignment and re-forge them whole once more; only as a Jen'jidai could he reach his full potential. Reign joined the Dark Jedi Order, devoting himself to the study of the Force and Jen'jidai philosophy, and the pursuit of self-perfection. Within record time he had earnt the coveted title of Jen’jidai, making a name for himself both within the Order and without.
By the age of 50, Reign was one of the highest ranking members of the Dark Jedi Order, and was given the title of Jen’jidai Sage, both for his wisdom and for his unrelenting pursuit of knowledge. Over time, a faction within the Order developed called the Xendorian Guard, which was led by five great warriors, one of whom was Reign. The Guard made their home on Togoria and set themselves apart from the galaxy for a time, ever focusing on mastery not of others, but of themselves. But they sallied forth as required, ever careful to keep the flame of the Order alive throughout the galaxy, and thwart the plots of Jedi and Sith alike. But time mars all things. Two of the Xendorian Guard disappeared, one of those later showing up in the Jedi Order. Those who remained slowly saw the Guard drift from the Order itself, and realised that if the strength of the Jen’jidai Order were to be maintained, all factions must be disbanded. A conclave was held, and the third iteration of a fully unified Dark Jedi Order was born, headquartered on the planet of Muunilinst, and led by none other than the Jen’jidai Sage himself. And so began what seemed like the golden age of the Order. Headquartered on the galaxy’s wealthiest planet, with commercial and military interests spanning the galaxy, and no enemies capable of proving a viable threat. For almost ten years this lasted, and it was during these years that Reign took an apprentice, Bedrovelse Hevn, a man that would go on to become not only a great Jen’jidai himself, but winner of the Galactic Battle Arena’s fourth tournament, maintaining the unbroken lineage of Jen’jidai champions from the first tournament (won by Lahash) to the present. But ten years later, when the threat came, it was not an external enemy that brought it. Civil war had come to Muunilinst and the Je’jidai Order.
Of all the Jen’jidai over the years, no man had shown more unending devotion to the Dark Jedi Order than Lahash de Fortia. So when Reign discovered that the Jeddak had sided with the rebels, it made him question not merely himself, but everything the Order stood for. How could such a united brotherhood have come to such a divided end? Was it his leadership, or was it something more systemic? If it was his leadership, then the Jeddak would have challenged Reign directly – killed him if necessary – and Reign would have respected that. So this had to be something more. Some flaw in the nature of the Order itself. But even as Reign contemplated this, his instincts took precedence. He commanded no quarter, and no quarter was given. Reign’s former apprentice Hevn led the assault on the enemy, and was instrumental in routing them. But the army was not the true threat. And so Reign went forth to find his brother, the Jeddak, for one final duel. It was the most Pyrrhic victory Reign had ever experienced, and though it seemed in the wake of it that the future of the Order had been secured, Reign knew better. The flaw had become apparent and would only grow larger over time. If even a single piece of the Order could be saved Reign needed to act now.
“Mark my words. The Dark Jedi Order is fallen. Though we stand here secure within walls of steel and stone, having vanquished the enemy at our gates, it is the enemy within that has destroyed us. It is WE who have destroyed us. Destroyed by our arrogance and our blindness. Destroyed by adherence to the very things that were supposed to make us stronger. Yet we somehow let our greatest strength slip away. I call you all now to look upon the ledgers of great Jen’jidai. Where are they now? Pyros? Banished by the Order. C’thulu? Killed by another Jen’jidai. Lahash? Killed by another Jen’jidai. Eversio? Killed by another Jen’jidai. Yes, it is true. But lament not their passing, for with it has come a greater death. The heart of this Order is no more. Seraph, Pyros, C’thulu, Helgrind, Eversio, Lahash, Atrum, Nocturnus, Bes’tial…..the list goes on. And tonight, I add one more name to the list. My own.
I shall never regret the day I swore an oath to the Dark Jedi Order; but I shall forever see myself a failure for being the leader who helmed this great brotherhood into oblivion, instead of heralding it into grandeur unparalleled. And so for my last act I, Jen’jidai William Reign, Head of this Order, do hereby abolish the Jen’jidai Code. Let none recite it, record it or remember it. Let the bonds of brotherhood drive your common purpose instead of incantations you barely understand. If you do that, this Order may yet rise again, yet my time with it is done.”
It may be that there were other options Reign could have taken. But the loss of half the Order, including most of its senior members, meant Reign had no counsel but his own to fall back on. And Reign saw himself as systemic of that flaw. It wouldn’t be enough to simply abolish the broken Code; he would also have to destroy the embodiment of it – Reign himself. And so, before a full conclave of the Jen’jidai remnants, Reign, now 70, appeared to pass into the Force at the hilt of his own blade.
But not all is as it seems. And so the tale of William Reign continues once more, transferred to a younger clone body by the Sith triumvirate that he had once served with, decades before. An old debt finally repaid. Not because Reign was afraid to die... no, he in many ways he yearned for it... but because he still had too much to do, and to protect. Like his estranged daughter...
NOTE: This is a transfer character from jedivsith.com, extensively roleplayed there other many years. Others here should be able to vouch for this; please let me know if there are any issues.