LEGACY
Many of those who live under the Creed can claim the famed lineage of dozens of names. Vizsla, Skirata, Kryze, Kelborn. Yet a name does not make one Mandalorian; honor does. If only all who claimed the mantle of the
Mando’ade felt the same...
Kamon was the only child of a warrior within a small, independent band of Mandalorians who held ties to that of Clan Kelborn. Only a few within the band could claim the name of Kelborn, while far more came from nothing and nowhere - sons of first generation Mandalorians, or bastard sons of ill-loved sires who were thus cast off to live in exile. While far larger confederations of Mandalorians gained notoriety or infamy, the patchwork clan that Kamon grew up within survived by never staying in one place for long, and lending their aid to those with the credits to pay for it. His formative years were as you may expect; filled with memories of his father teaching him how to fire a blaster, strike with a dagger, and hunt throughout a variety of biomes as they traveled the galaxy.
All of that changed as Kamon grew into a man. The
Alor of his clan was challenged to an honor duel by an upstart, belligerent member of their number known as Beshaig Hourn - Kamon’s father. Beshaig had a checkered reputation amongst those of their clan. Honorable, but with an edge even by Mandalorian standards; outspoken, and borderline irreverent, yet with a voice that rang loudly within the ears of those who would listen. Over the years, a considerable number of their clan had begun to shift how they viewed Beshaig and their
Alor. Their chieftain, who had many times led their people through harsh times and into periods of prosperity, was eventually seen as an old man whose fortunes were beginning to whither and dry up as if it were the very skin upon his brow.
Beshaig, on the other hand, had endured the trials and undertaken the creed as an orphan raised to manhood by the community of exiles and spurned scions at the clan’s infancy. He came from nothing, and owed what he had only by the sweat of his brow and the blood of both himself and his enemies. While not born to the Creed, he had taken to it with a zeal rare among even the great houses of the
Mando’ade. As was often said of him, “The man had a soul of
beskar.” He had earned his place among the respected, and was seen as a force for glory borne through change. He was also known as a deadly man with a blade, regardless of the name behind the man he fought against.
The battle was fierce and dearly fought, with both warriors nearly gaining mastery over the other multiple times throughout the duel. Although the
Alor was an aging man, it was clear that he had not yet exceeded his prime. While the clang of steel rang unending throughout the dueling ring aboard their ship, it eventually gave way to the wet sounds of skin being opened and blood spilling. The breath of the room was sucked out as if by an airlock breach, as the only sound that could be heard was the haggard breathing of aging warchief. Beshaig’s blade found purchase through the belly of the former leader, punctuated by the wet sound of the old man being thrown off of the blade with one last shove from the challenger. It was in that moment that Beshaig was known as their new leader, and it was also in that moment that Kamon’s life would take its turn down a very difficult road.
OATHBOUND
The promise of better fortunes had appeared to be fulfilled, for a time. Clan Hoarn, as it had come to be known, had made a name for itself playing significant roles within civil wars and petty conflicts on the fringes of the known galaxy. Kamon’s first deployment was a contract raid against a band of pirates who had set up shop on one of the moons of Veroleem. Kamon’s initial years of young adulthood were, in retrospect, among the best years of his life as he fought alongside his father. Their fortunes would drastically shift however, as Beshaig made the decision to answer the call to war alongside elements that became the Dark Empire, as the scion of the ancient house drew many of the disparate clans throughout the outer rim to his cause. At first, many believed this was some bid for Khamul to name himself Mand’alor, which galvanized many to fight alongside the Brotherhood of the Maw. It felt as though Kamon was fighting for something important - that his efforts had
meaning. Yet that feeling would be short lived.
Initially, much of the combat Kamon and his clan saw was very similar to what they had already experienced - power consolidation operations and disruption of rival warlords. But it did not take long for the young warrior to be exposed to the atrocities branded upon the legacy of the Brotherhood of the Maw. At first, Kamon turned a blind eye to them, rationalizing that taking slaves from among the people they encountered was for the pursuit of a greater good, or that he was ‘just following orders’, and his father would guide them through the worst of it. But Beshaig also changed during this time. His charismatic allure had slowly peeled away into a domineering and harsh presence. His tactics became far more brutal, even amongst the clan. Whole villages would be massacred under his orders, with the shame becoming too much for Kamon to dispel by mere justification and wilful ignorance.
It would all come to a climax one fateful day, on Empress Teta. His father had ordered the execution of men and women within their own clan, under the pretence that they had betrayed their allegiance. Kamon saw the look on his father’s face; the glint in his eye as it seemed he was... anticipating the ‘justice’ he was about exact upon his people. This was not the man Kamon had grown to respect as only a son could to a father. A darkness had gripped Beshaig, and the majority of his followers. As the ‘traitors’ were being gathered together, Kamon drew his blade and stood in front of his father.
The two men stared at each other behind visors for several long moments. No words had to be spoken, as the father could see himself in his son who stood before him, sword in hand. But when Beshaig removed his helmet, there was no look of paternity, or even realization over what led Kamon to stand in defiance.
There was... nothing.
THE PRICE OF HONOR
As if harkening back to the fateful duel between Beshaig and his predecessor, Kamon and his father were locked in a fierce battle of strength and will. There was no concession from the father for his son, as Kamon received several grievous wounds as he desperately held his own against the very man who taught him how to wield a sword. Beshaig was still in his prime when this challenge was fought, and he plied every ounce of strength and agility to throw his son off balance. Kamon’s mind was reeling as he tried to overcome the natural aversion rising within to do harm to his father.
The battle went from a duel of swords, to a grapple as they fought to gain mastery over the other in a chokehold. Beshaig pulled a knife and tried to plunge it into the neck of his son, with Kamon holding it narrowly away from the mesh lining his skin. Their muscles shook under the strain of their exertion, the tip inching closer with each passing moment, until Kamon saw his opening with the slightest shift of his father’s weight. He pulled in and allowed the knife to slide past, slashing across his cheek. But he elbowed his father in the face, wrested the knife from his father’s grip with his other hand, and in one fluid motion brought the blade up and through the chin of his father with a vicious backward thrust. Blood welled up between his father’s lips, and the two men clutched each other as though a fight never happened. Kamon could see the madness, which had only moments prior gripped his father in the throes of bloodlust, bleed away from his father’s eyes. Instead, he saw a shift - as though the man he knew his father to be had returned. Tears welled up in both men’s eyes, until those of his father’s stopped moving altogether.
Kamon had no time to mourn, as his father’s warriors shot and charged after him. He had mere moments to escape, as he stumbled onto a speeder bike and launched forth to make good his departure. He eventually did evade his father’s men, and even made it off-world. But he could never escape the memory of his deeds, nor those of his father. Over the years that followed, Kamon lived a life of solitude and constant wandering, always peering over his shoulder given his status as a kinslayer and traitor to his people. His life had almost been claimed by such vengeful hunters from his clan on several occasions, and he today carries the scars to prove it. But he remains alive, though bereft of home, and in his own eyes; absent honor...
