MoM: Application
Mar. 22nd, 2018 09:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jadus〈 PLAYER INFO 〉
NAME: Spider
AGE: Over 18
JOURNAL: N/A
IM / EMAIL: Discord: CellarSpider#9984
PLURK: PaleAntiquarian
RETURNING: Yes
〈 CHARACTER INFO 〉
CHARACTER NAME: Darth Jadus
CHARACTER AGE: Speculated to be 50, might be older.
SERIES: Star Wars
CHRONOLOGY: The Old Republic game, after Knights of the Eternal Throne Chapter 9.
CLASS: Villain. Villain villain villain.
HOUSING: Yes please. If possible and the application also goes through, it would be hilarious to have him living with Darth Marr.
BACKGROUND:
tl;dr a sith takes over an empire so he can stop attending work meetings and force everyone to read his manifesto, then suddenly fucks off because he's too genre savvy to get in a fight with the end boss
okay now on with the serious explanation
Like most Sith of his era, Darth Jadus began his rise during the long war against the Republic. The Sith Empire came out of a thousand years in hiding in 3681 BBY and retook their ancient homeworld of Korriban, and quickly expanded the war into a 30-year, wide-reaching campaign based on manipulation and deceit: rather than fielding vast armies to crush opposition, the smaller Empire would bait the larger Republic into costly engagements over targets of little strategic value, leaving the Empire free to take their true targets with little resistance.
Jadus had a quick rise from apprentice to Darth, soon joining the Dark Council, assigned to the Sphere of Intelligence, a vital component of the Imperial strategy. This allowed him to amass a large power base within the Empire. However, he was never particularly popular among the Sith themselves: his odd behavior and deviant philosophies made him unnerving to fellow Dark Siders, or simply difficult to work with. The majority of his support came from Imperials without Force sensitivity, developing a reputation for engendering fanatical loyalty among his loyal followers, and fear amongst the rest.
However, the politics of his position deeply frustrated him. The Dark Council is second only to the Sith Emperor in power, but with twelve councilors in total, the balance between them was always contentious. Council members spend much of their time fighting each other or fending off challenges from other Sith, neither of which were of any interest to Jadus. Over the years, his philosophical eccentricities had grown, and he now believed that the Empire was corrupted and incomplete.
Unable to properly communicate his ideas to other Sith, he decided to have a child who he could raise to share his views. Little is known about Zhorrid, who would be his only apprentice, but it's quite evident that his attempts to mold her were unsuccessful. It's unclear when he came to this conclusion as well, but what we know of his treatment of her is bizarre and cruel. She was trained to sing as a child, and excelled at it, to wield, as Jadus put it, "A blade to cut emotion from others." After many months of preparation, she performed before a symphony hall audience. There she sang for hours, so beautifully that the audience wept, but the physical strain of such a long performance destroyed her vocal chords. She would never sing again. Zhorrid later recounts that her father smiled, and thus began her apprenticeship.
By the time of the Cold War that followed the Empire's invasion, Jadus was acknowledged as second only in Force power to the Emperor himself, but he was increasingly frustrated. Zhorrid was powerful in the Force as well, but erratic and prone to fits of rage, utterly in contrast to his outwardly emotionless state. While the Empire had made some strides in dismantling policies he found wasteful--slaves and aliens could now train to be Sith, and the Empire had made an alliance with the Chiss Ascendancy--it was still corrupted by the same problems he saw in his daughter. The Emperor had seemed to be interested in driving these policies forward, but he suddenly went into seclusion that had lasted for a decade and showed no signs of relenting. Much of Jadus' time was spent in what seemed like fruitless attempts to stabilize the Empire without the authority to enact necessary change.
And so as the Cold War began to destabilize, he announced he was taking his flagship, the Dominator, on a tour across the Empire to spread his philosophy. With him would come a large portion of his followers, to evangelize a different view of the Dark Side, and how it could extend even to those who could not wield it. However, this was a ruse. He did have plans to spread his philosophy, but by more radical means.
He had secretly become the patron of an Imperial isolationist extremist group, and organized two major attacks: One on the ancient and religiously significant Dark Temple, the other on his own flagship as it sat in orbit over the Imperial capital. He tasked a promising young agent with foiling the first plot, then boarded the Dominator to leave while Intelligence was distracted by the Dark Temple. He was on the Dominator when it was ripped apart, killing the majority of its passengers and crew. To all outside observers, it appeared as if he had died as well. Instead, he used his mastery of the Dark Side to hold together a large fragment of the ship, which was secretly retrieved from the debris field by his loyal agents.
He was then free to focus on the next part of his plan: He had been developing a kind of techno-organic orbital weapons platform, which had been secretly installed over Imperial centers of power. Undetectable by conventional sensors, the Eradicators needed only a few more weeks to grow to maturity. The terrorist group he had been funding served as an excellent distraction for the Empire in the meantime.
However, he underestimated the agent he'd ordered into the Dark Temple. They were unaffiliated with his philosophy, and slowly tracked down clues from terrorist compounds across the galaxy which pointed to some oncoming catastrophe they were going to create. They were doing so under the orders of Zhorrid, now a Darth herself and struggling to fill her father's place on the Dark Council. She wanted to bring down her father's killer, not out of revenge, but rage that she could not be the one to kill him herself. Among other tasks, she ordered the agent to track down one of Jadus' longest-serving advisors, who was found in hiding, panicked over his belief that Jadus' plans were not yet complete, and they would bring doom to everything he'd ever touched.
Finally, the Imperial agent managed to reach the terrorist leader, and discovered two things: half the initiation codes for the Eradicators, and a mysterious set of transmissions, eventually traced to a dreadnought orbiting a deserted planet. These findings were puzzling: the initiation codes were not functional without the other half. This indicated that whoever was on the ship had the rest.
Jadus, meanwhile, had been acting as a wholly malign influence on the crew of the dreadnought. Many of them had survived the destruction of the Dominator and were thoroughly convinced of his messianic power, but for reasons never explained, his proximity slowly drove them insane. By the time that two intelligence operatives infiltrated the ship, many had killed each other, and the rest were utterly insensible and violent.
Jadus then revealed himself to the agent, commending them on their work. He admitted he had underestimated them, and would not make the same mistake again: he wanted them to join him.
Obviously, the Agent in this case is the player character of the Imperial Agent storyline. At this point, they have a major choice to make: Join Jadus and allow the Eradicators to destroy the strongholds of his enemies, sowing fear and discord across the Empire and killing tens of thousands. If they do this, he will appoint them as his Hand, an agent of special power over the Intelligence bureau the nominally serve. For alien agents, he promises to abolish the Imperial doctrine of Blood Purity, a policy he had already flagrantly ignored by hiring non-humans across the bureau. He himself would take a seat of power above the Dark Council, which he would use to reshape the Empire without interference from the still-absent Emperor. Before the Eradicators begin their assault, he tasks the agent with one last task to wipe away his old failures: assassinate his daughter. He had so thoroughly disowned her, that when she dies, he cannot feel her passing in the Force.
I personally prefer this choice, because I'm terribly biased towards this weirdo, and it gives us the most known content for Jadus. However, for completion's sake, I'll list the other options here:
One can chose the Intelligence-approved option, which is to pretend to join Jadus, hand over your half of the Eradicator codes, and then sabotage Jadus' ship while he's distracted. He will escape, but not return to the Empire.
Another option is to fight him directly. This used to be a ferociously difficult fight, which could not conventionally be won: you could only trap Jadus rather than overpower him. He will be arrested by the Sith, but escape and again, flee the Empire.
The third option is the most difficult to trigger: you can actually convince Jadus to disable the Eradicators and go into exile.
If the Agent joins him, not only does Jadus force his rivals to acknowledge his superiority, but the populous receives a completely different explanation for the events they've experienced: The terrorist group staged the Eradicator attack, and the resultant destruction was a combination of their assault and Jadus' battle against them. He rose from the dead to defend them all.
While the changes he makes to the Empire are largely unseen (due to the limitations of the game's ability to create alternate versions of common game areas), we hear news of dark rituals being publicly performed, and zealots referred to as 'emissaries of fire' moving among the Imperial populous. The agent meets one of these later: she was a poor citizen chosen seemingly at random from a crowd by Jadus himself, and she is now utterly devoted to his service.
Jadus keeps a light touch on his agent, compared to other Sith. However, this leaves them as a vulnerable target for attacking Jadus by proxy. These events do not directly concern him, however. Over the following year, he continues to reshape the Empire, but begins to collect disturbing information that spell doom for his plans.
Finally, once he has determined the veracity of the information, he calls the Hand to him. He declares that he has seen the Emperor's plans, and they can be described in one word: Cataclysm. Despite his power, he is very much aware that the Emperor could destroy him. Therefore, he makes a surprising decision: He is going to leave the reaches of the known galaxy. He will go into seclusion, and the agent will not be able to contact him. He leaves them his blessing and his authority, but cautions them that without his power to protect them, they will be vulnerable.
And thus, Jadus leaves the plot. His changes to the Empire are mostly dismantled, and Imperial Intelligence is splintered in an act of revenge by the Council. But certain aspects of his regin continue into Imperial policy: most prominently, Blood Purity does not return, and integration of the Imperial forces accelerates after the agitation of other iconoclastic Dark Lords prove that the policy leaves the Empire vulnerable.
His last confirmed act is to send two Sith to meet his Hand, demanding an artifact the agent has just retrieved: A millennia-old database full of information secretly collected on all major players in the known galaxy. Obviously, he is still planning something, and watching his Hand.
Indirectly, the Hand's association with him still has an effect: their former status as his chief enforcer is hated by many, but respected by some. Among these, an ancient Dark Side collective referred to as the Dread Masters. They are masters of fear and have the power to twist entire planets through a combination of Dark Side technology and raw power. They speak approvingly of him, but did not seek to recruit him: They had a full compliment of Dread Masters during his tenure. However, his influence is admired greatly enough that they will demand the Agent be the replacement for a fallen Master, despite the Agent's total lack of Force sensitivity.
The most major acknowledgement of Jadus in the SWTOR expansions thus far is by his former Emperor, now a malevolent third party in the galactic conflict. The Emperor acknowledged Jadus as the best sith the Empire ever produced, but "still deeply flawed".
More recently, a sith with ties to Intelligence listed Jadus as a potential suspect in an information leak to both the Republic and Empire. That leak led to a particularly painful and unpleasant battle, in which a head of state died. It still seems unlikely that Jadus will reenter the plot, but the references the writers keep dropping leave this ambiguous. Regardless of where the plot goes, he wants to continue his work. In one of the variations on his exit, the player can ask him what he intends to do now. His response: "What I have always done."
PERSONALITY:
His Mentality
Jadus is what could be termed a "black box": We know the environment he is in, and he know how he responds to it, but how he comes to these decisions is not clear. In some aspects, he is far more alien a mind than most actual aliens in Star Wars canon. At one point he says he sees the galaxy "as only five others can", but years after that statement, we still have no idea who he was referring to.
However, we know some important things about him that fill in around the edges. While other Sith tend to be openly emotional and prone to wild fits of rage, Jadus is outwardly emotionless. Even the Sith Emperor isn't capable of seeing into his mind: the only thing anyone can tell is that he exudes a powerfully Dark aura, which untrained minds experience as pain, suffering, or a pervasive existential dread. The most emotion he ever shows are small flashes of anger when his plans face ruination, but they leave the instant he's actually lost, returning to unnerving serenity.
Jadus' personality seems most similar to unnaturally old Sith who have had time to become eccentric or too mentally burned out to feel strong emotions anymore, but he is believed to be only 40 when you first meet him. This implies that he may have always acted like this, though his philosophy has been refined over the years.
In fact, Jadus almost borders on discomfort in interacting with others, at least when it's not on his own terms: since his ascension to the Dark Council, his face has almost always been hidden.
Another aspect of his personality is particularly hard to understand: How he decides to be merciful or destructive to others. It is likely that he often doesn't see a difference: he did not mean to break Zhorrid, but his actions toward her were cruel. He evidently wanted her to behave like himself, something he has attempted to engender in others around him. Unlike other Dark Council members his honor guard are all cyborgs, who appear to have either been scoured of emotion or are unable to express it.
One potential way to read him is as profoundly dysphoric about his body, not in terms of gender, but simply because he has a human body at all. Destroying Zhorrid's voice may have been an attempt to induce the same feeling he has: Your body is a profoundly limiting construct, and it will betray you. Turning his guards into cyborgs may be an attempt to "fix" that problem for them.
His Philosophy
Much like his personality, his philosophy never fully described to the player, but its outlines are known: Reaching a purely Dark Side state is desirable, perhaps even necessary. This state should not be restricted to Sith, but spread to non-sensitive individuals as well. Similarly, no species should be exempt. This includes the propagation of emotions that are usually not desirable: fear chief among them. Jadus speaks of terror as a blessing, and aims for "the democratization of fear".
While much of his rhetoric is based around a bizarre form of equality, he still sets himself above others. He speaks of himself in the terms of a god or messiah: he is eternal, his will enacted can save the Empire. He deliberately engineers events to conform to these statements. What we don't know is whether he truly believes this, or whether this language acts as means to an end.
The combination of these factors likely contributes to his isolation among sith. While designs on greater power are normal, most simply hold feuds with other individuals, or simply desire more power for no other reason than "I should have this". Jadus' philosophy would upend the normal Imperial order if fully enacted, and weaken the divide between Sith and the rest of the Empire. The fact that he got away with preaching this for so long indicates one or two things: Either he is especially adept at fending off interference, or the Sith found him too incomprehensible to take seriously, or a combination of the two.
The Dark Council
His interactions with the rest of the Dark Council are particularly fraught, even by Council standards. He sees Sith politics as a wasteful excercise, and a distraction from what he should be doing. In this, he aligns most closely with Darth Marr, who also took over the Council for a year or two later. However, the two were never portrayed as allies. Jadus probably precluded any chance of this ever happening when he unleashed the Eradicators. However, this lack of Sith support does not seem to bother Jadus. He only focuses on his non-sensitive followers.
The Cult
Jadus has essentially built a cult within the Empire. In his own strange way, he is highly charismatic. His stated goals are attractive to non-sith Imperial citizens, because they are deliberately accessible to them and provide a means to defy the established social order in a rigidly controlled society. Adherents believe he can give them more than others will: Jadus states that the Sith have been hoarding the joys of the Dark Side, but speaks about his plans in worrying ways: "the democratization of fear" most especially.
The Empire continues to function as well as it ever does when he takes over, perhaps in part due to technical limitations of the game that preclude alterations to common areas accessed by all players. But we hear word of dark rituals being performed in the streets, led by "ambassadors of fire" from his cult. We don't ever see this directly.
However, we do see at least one group of believers who he had complete control over: the crew of the dreadnaught he uses as his base. He speaks of them as "worthy of elevation", but most of them tear each other apart. The survivors profess utter loyalty to him, however. It may have been an expression of his philosophy and its affects on others, or he was "hungry" after the exertion required to survive the destruction of the Dominator, or they were otherwise used to fuel other pursuits of his. The Dread Masters and the Emperor both used the dark emotions or life force of others to sustain themselves. Jadus may use his cult as a similar source of power.
Other Interactions
Parts of his message are especially well-suited to maintaining power through Imperial Intelligence, which has a uniformly non-Force sensitive command staff, and is looked down upon by Sith in more militant or mystical arms of the Empire's forces. He is not universally loved in the bureau, however. Intelligence has to split its time between infiltrating or countering outside forces, and cleaning up after problems the Sith cause.
While Jadus is nominally on their side, some see him as a part of the same establishment that regularly adds to the danger they face. However, they do not act against him until he directly threatens the Empire with the Eradicators, and if his plan succeeds, they return uneasily to serving him. Unexpectedly, he chooses to promote two of the people who directly and knowingly acted against him. This includes one administrator who is targeted with a bizarre, threatening monologue in Jadus' first in-game appearance.
His interactions with the Agent player character are particularly odd. It is evident that he first sees the agent as a means to enact his plans: Their first mission unknowingly secures some resources he needs for the destruction of the Dominator, and then they provide a convenient means for Jadus to maneuver Intelligence without giving suspicious orders.
In contrast to this, he is often strangely nice to the agent who can eventually become his Hand, at least by Sith standards. If he is defied, he gives the agent several chances to change their mind, on both important and relatively trivial matters. His gift and warning to the agent before he leaves the Empire are more than he needed to give them. And, most bizarrely, his first major decree to his Hand is... to give them a vacation for a job well done. It feels like a trap of some kind when you're playing it, but despite all the buggery the agent experiences following this point, he doesn't ever seem to undermine them.
Despite all his bizarre aspects and megalomania, he seems to have competently led Imperial Intelligence, and has an unexpectedly practical outlook on some parts of his plans. He acknowledges his failings and at least some of his limitations, to the point of abandoning his grand project for the Empire when he realizes he's been outmaneuvered by savvy player choices, or it can't be completed in the face of the Emperor's return.
His Plans
In MoM, he's going to be limited in his reach, at least initially. He might not have have much interest in other Force wielders, unless they actively seek him out. As mentioned in the housing section, I am aware of a potential Darth Marr in this round of apps, who may be the only exception: Marr is a known quantity, which makes him both less interesting and also more of a threat. An all-out fight between these two would damage both of them in the public eye, no matter who wins. Given their personalities, they are likely to avoid open conflict unless one feels pressured to act, or secure enough in their position to attack the other (Marr is probably more likely to do the former, Jadus the latter).
His philosophy is unchanged by the events that he has been through, and will likely attempt over time to introduce more people to its effects. He will especially be targeting non-imPorts, and focusing on those with current or former ties to Earth militaries and governments. One angle he is likely to focus on is the inequality between imPorts and others, particularly with regards to the permanence of death. His previous rhetoric included a twisted idea of equality between Imperial citizens and Sith, and he can adapt this to the present situation.
In the Empire, he had both official power as the head of Intelligence and a Dark Council member, and unofficial power as a cult leader. Here he will only have the latter, unless he takes on tasks the government gives imPorts. To that end, he may potentially register. As part of his messianic persona, he will also be responding to destructive events in unexpected ways for a Sith: actually helping people.
POWER:
The Force- While Marr may be the most skilled warrior in the Empire, Jadus' powers of Sith sorcery are second to none. Explicit powers include:
Telekinesis- demonstrated on a massive scale in his survival of the Dominator's destruction by holding together a large chunk of the ship.
Force Choke- The good ol' standard sith handshake: choking the bejeezus out of someone.
Force Lightning- Strong enough to shock the player into unconsciousness in under three seconds.
Teleportation??- Either by illusion or enhanced speed, Jadus seems able to teleport over short distances. He uses this to dodge blaster bolts and just to make things more dramatic.
Invisibility- Jadus can turn invisible, and seems to be able to at least use Force Choke while doing so without breaking stealth. Both this and his teleportation power are accompanied by a cloud of quickly-dissipating purple and dark red smoke.
Sith Aura- Jadus projects a strong field of Dark Side energy. Untrained minds experience his proximity as pain, suffering, and/or existential dread. Force-sensitive people will be able to sense his presence from just about anywhere, if they wnat to look for him. However, this aura contains none of his emotions. Not even the Sith Emperor could read Jadus' mental state. Jadus is also capable of concealing his aura: after he fakes his death, the Sith are not able to sense him anymore. Jadus can also weaponize this aura to actively hurt and weaken people in combat.
Maddening Presence- Not just because you can't understand a bloody thing he's talking about. If people without strong mental defenses are stuck in close proximity to Jadus for upwards of a month, he can drive them insane. This is likely an offshoot of his aura power.
Force Empathy- While Jadus is technically capable of reading the emotional state of others and does so on multiple occasions, he draws some really weird conclusions from what he sees.
Unnatural Strength- This is a middle-aged man who probably doesn't work out every day, but is built like a goddamn house. Even though he's not a combat specialist, he seems to have benefited physically from the Dark Side.
Force Healing- Yeah, I was surprised too. But according to the wiki this is canonical. I'm not sure who would want a laying on of hands from Jadus, but he can do it.
Dark Lord's armor and weapons (Non-canonical)- Jadus can summon or banish his armor and lightsaber. If destroyed, they will be unavailable for one day. The armor is relatively light by Sith standards, but it seems to be sealable and provides some protection in combat or while blowing up your own flagship.
Creation and Eradication (Non-canonical)- Jadus can slowly grow technoorganic creatures to act as servants. However, they will slowly begin to go wild without his active attention. If he does not exert control over them once a week, they will stop responding to him, act randomly, and degenerate to non-functionality over the course of one day.
〈 CHARACTER SAMPLES 〉
COMMUNITY POST (VOICE) SAMPLE:
[A hologram of Jadus appears. His voice is oddly mild, but flat and filtered by his mask, the only life in him coming from the occasional gesture or tilt of his head.]
This Earth brings you closer to an understanding of true power. It bestows gifts that will unmake you, your loved ones, all memories.
You are split in two: Insubstantial despair and revelry, arrayed against desperate striving for meaning.
Both hold an ember of truth. You must nurture both, or you will decay.
LOGS POST (PROSE) SAMPLE:
When the Emperor had consumed Ziost, he had felt it. The wave of terror that crashed over the planet as life's fire was extinguished. A wild moment of unparalleled majesty. But it had left sterility. The wave gave way to brittle desiccation. Nothing left to kindle there. He had anticipated more to follow.
But none did. The Empire had evidently clamped down on rumors of the old capital's destruction. For months, he waited. Nothing. Not a restful nothing. Deprived senses groped for anything they could ascribe meaning. It was a time full of uneasy hallucination and wild thoughts, but he did not stop them. Reaching out, seeking answers, that would only draw the Emperor's attention. If the feast of all life continued, he had few options, and he could waste none of them.
Fear did spread, eventually. And yet, it felt too familiar. Disappointingly so.
Another war. What a waste. It took all the satisfaction out of the Emperor's death, five years later.
Perhaps, he thinks, he will return. Take the hardiest things that survived his isolation. Begin in the wild, broken places, feed the embers burning in downtrodden minds. Break them open.
He reaches out.
And suddenly, he is surrounded by human minds. Guttering, ash-smothered, untended minds.
How strange.
FINAL NOTES:
NAME: Spider
AGE: Over 18
JOURNAL: N/A
IM / EMAIL: Discord: CellarSpider#9984
PLURK: PaleAntiquarian
RETURNING: Yes
〈 CHARACTER INFO 〉
CHARACTER NAME: Darth Jadus
CHARACTER AGE: Speculated to be 50, might be older.
SERIES: Star Wars
CHRONOLOGY: The Old Republic game, after Knights of the Eternal Throne Chapter 9.
CLASS: Villain. Villain villain villain.
HOUSING: Yes please. If possible and the application also goes through, it would be hilarious to have him living with Darth Marr.
BACKGROUND:
tl;dr a sith takes over an empire so he can stop attending work meetings and force everyone to read his manifesto, then suddenly fucks off because he's too genre savvy to get in a fight with the end boss
okay now on with the serious explanation
Like most Sith of his era, Darth Jadus began his rise during the long war against the Republic. The Sith Empire came out of a thousand years in hiding in 3681 BBY and retook their ancient homeworld of Korriban, and quickly expanded the war into a 30-year, wide-reaching campaign based on manipulation and deceit: rather than fielding vast armies to crush opposition, the smaller Empire would bait the larger Republic into costly engagements over targets of little strategic value, leaving the Empire free to take their true targets with little resistance.
Jadus had a quick rise from apprentice to Darth, soon joining the Dark Council, assigned to the Sphere of Intelligence, a vital component of the Imperial strategy. This allowed him to amass a large power base within the Empire. However, he was never particularly popular among the Sith themselves: his odd behavior and deviant philosophies made him unnerving to fellow Dark Siders, or simply difficult to work with. The majority of his support came from Imperials without Force sensitivity, developing a reputation for engendering fanatical loyalty among his loyal followers, and fear amongst the rest.
However, the politics of his position deeply frustrated him. The Dark Council is second only to the Sith Emperor in power, but with twelve councilors in total, the balance between them was always contentious. Council members spend much of their time fighting each other or fending off challenges from other Sith, neither of which were of any interest to Jadus. Over the years, his philosophical eccentricities had grown, and he now believed that the Empire was corrupted and incomplete.
Unable to properly communicate his ideas to other Sith, he decided to have a child who he could raise to share his views. Little is known about Zhorrid, who would be his only apprentice, but it's quite evident that his attempts to mold her were unsuccessful. It's unclear when he came to this conclusion as well, but what we know of his treatment of her is bizarre and cruel. She was trained to sing as a child, and excelled at it, to wield, as Jadus put it, "A blade to cut emotion from others." After many months of preparation, she performed before a symphony hall audience. There she sang for hours, so beautifully that the audience wept, but the physical strain of such a long performance destroyed her vocal chords. She would never sing again. Zhorrid later recounts that her father smiled, and thus began her apprenticeship.
By the time of the Cold War that followed the Empire's invasion, Jadus was acknowledged as second only in Force power to the Emperor himself, but he was increasingly frustrated. Zhorrid was powerful in the Force as well, but erratic and prone to fits of rage, utterly in contrast to his outwardly emotionless state. While the Empire had made some strides in dismantling policies he found wasteful--slaves and aliens could now train to be Sith, and the Empire had made an alliance with the Chiss Ascendancy--it was still corrupted by the same problems he saw in his daughter. The Emperor had seemed to be interested in driving these policies forward, but he suddenly went into seclusion that had lasted for a decade and showed no signs of relenting. Much of Jadus' time was spent in what seemed like fruitless attempts to stabilize the Empire without the authority to enact necessary change.
And so as the Cold War began to destabilize, he announced he was taking his flagship, the Dominator, on a tour across the Empire to spread his philosophy. With him would come a large portion of his followers, to evangelize a different view of the Dark Side, and how it could extend even to those who could not wield it. However, this was a ruse. He did have plans to spread his philosophy, but by more radical means.
He had secretly become the patron of an Imperial isolationist extremist group, and organized two major attacks: One on the ancient and religiously significant Dark Temple, the other on his own flagship as it sat in orbit over the Imperial capital. He tasked a promising young agent with foiling the first plot, then boarded the Dominator to leave while Intelligence was distracted by the Dark Temple. He was on the Dominator when it was ripped apart, killing the majority of its passengers and crew. To all outside observers, it appeared as if he had died as well. Instead, he used his mastery of the Dark Side to hold together a large fragment of the ship, which was secretly retrieved from the debris field by his loyal agents.
He was then free to focus on the next part of his plan: He had been developing a kind of techno-organic orbital weapons platform, which had been secretly installed over Imperial centers of power. Undetectable by conventional sensors, the Eradicators needed only a few more weeks to grow to maturity. The terrorist group he had been funding served as an excellent distraction for the Empire in the meantime.
However, he underestimated the agent he'd ordered into the Dark Temple. They were unaffiliated with his philosophy, and slowly tracked down clues from terrorist compounds across the galaxy which pointed to some oncoming catastrophe they were going to create. They were doing so under the orders of Zhorrid, now a Darth herself and struggling to fill her father's place on the Dark Council. She wanted to bring down her father's killer, not out of revenge, but rage that she could not be the one to kill him herself. Among other tasks, she ordered the agent to track down one of Jadus' longest-serving advisors, who was found in hiding, panicked over his belief that Jadus' plans were not yet complete, and they would bring doom to everything he'd ever touched.
Finally, the Imperial agent managed to reach the terrorist leader, and discovered two things: half the initiation codes for the Eradicators, and a mysterious set of transmissions, eventually traced to a dreadnought orbiting a deserted planet. These findings were puzzling: the initiation codes were not functional without the other half. This indicated that whoever was on the ship had the rest.
Jadus, meanwhile, had been acting as a wholly malign influence on the crew of the dreadnought. Many of them had survived the destruction of the Dominator and were thoroughly convinced of his messianic power, but for reasons never explained, his proximity slowly drove them insane. By the time that two intelligence operatives infiltrated the ship, many had killed each other, and the rest were utterly insensible and violent.
Jadus then revealed himself to the agent, commending them on their work. He admitted he had underestimated them, and would not make the same mistake again: he wanted them to join him.
Obviously, the Agent in this case is the player character of the Imperial Agent storyline. At this point, they have a major choice to make: Join Jadus and allow the Eradicators to destroy the strongholds of his enemies, sowing fear and discord across the Empire and killing tens of thousands. If they do this, he will appoint them as his Hand, an agent of special power over the Intelligence bureau the nominally serve. For alien agents, he promises to abolish the Imperial doctrine of Blood Purity, a policy he had already flagrantly ignored by hiring non-humans across the bureau. He himself would take a seat of power above the Dark Council, which he would use to reshape the Empire without interference from the still-absent Emperor. Before the Eradicators begin their assault, he tasks the agent with one last task to wipe away his old failures: assassinate his daughter. He had so thoroughly disowned her, that when she dies, he cannot feel her passing in the Force.
I personally prefer this choice, because I'm terribly biased towards this weirdo, and it gives us the most known content for Jadus. However, for completion's sake, I'll list the other options here:
One can chose the Intelligence-approved option, which is to pretend to join Jadus, hand over your half of the Eradicator codes, and then sabotage Jadus' ship while he's distracted. He will escape, but not return to the Empire.
Another option is to fight him directly. This used to be a ferociously difficult fight, which could not conventionally be won: you could only trap Jadus rather than overpower him. He will be arrested by the Sith, but escape and again, flee the Empire.
The third option is the most difficult to trigger: you can actually convince Jadus to disable the Eradicators and go into exile.
If the Agent joins him, not only does Jadus force his rivals to acknowledge his superiority, but the populous receives a completely different explanation for the events they've experienced: The terrorist group staged the Eradicator attack, and the resultant destruction was a combination of their assault and Jadus' battle against them. He rose from the dead to defend them all.
While the changes he makes to the Empire are largely unseen (due to the limitations of the game's ability to create alternate versions of common game areas), we hear news of dark rituals being publicly performed, and zealots referred to as 'emissaries of fire' moving among the Imperial populous. The agent meets one of these later: she was a poor citizen chosen seemingly at random from a crowd by Jadus himself, and she is now utterly devoted to his service.
Jadus keeps a light touch on his agent, compared to other Sith. However, this leaves them as a vulnerable target for attacking Jadus by proxy. These events do not directly concern him, however. Over the following year, he continues to reshape the Empire, but begins to collect disturbing information that spell doom for his plans.
Finally, once he has determined the veracity of the information, he calls the Hand to him. He declares that he has seen the Emperor's plans, and they can be described in one word: Cataclysm. Despite his power, he is very much aware that the Emperor could destroy him. Therefore, he makes a surprising decision: He is going to leave the reaches of the known galaxy. He will go into seclusion, and the agent will not be able to contact him. He leaves them his blessing and his authority, but cautions them that without his power to protect them, they will be vulnerable.
And thus, Jadus leaves the plot. His changes to the Empire are mostly dismantled, and Imperial Intelligence is splintered in an act of revenge by the Council. But certain aspects of his regin continue into Imperial policy: most prominently, Blood Purity does not return, and integration of the Imperial forces accelerates after the agitation of other iconoclastic Dark Lords prove that the policy leaves the Empire vulnerable.
His last confirmed act is to send two Sith to meet his Hand, demanding an artifact the agent has just retrieved: A millennia-old database full of information secretly collected on all major players in the known galaxy. Obviously, he is still planning something, and watching his Hand.
Indirectly, the Hand's association with him still has an effect: their former status as his chief enforcer is hated by many, but respected by some. Among these, an ancient Dark Side collective referred to as the Dread Masters. They are masters of fear and have the power to twist entire planets through a combination of Dark Side technology and raw power. They speak approvingly of him, but did not seek to recruit him: They had a full compliment of Dread Masters during his tenure. However, his influence is admired greatly enough that they will demand the Agent be the replacement for a fallen Master, despite the Agent's total lack of Force sensitivity.
The most major acknowledgement of Jadus in the SWTOR expansions thus far is by his former Emperor, now a malevolent third party in the galactic conflict. The Emperor acknowledged Jadus as the best sith the Empire ever produced, but "still deeply flawed".
More recently, a sith with ties to Intelligence listed Jadus as a potential suspect in an information leak to both the Republic and Empire. That leak led to a particularly painful and unpleasant battle, in which a head of state died. It still seems unlikely that Jadus will reenter the plot, but the references the writers keep dropping leave this ambiguous. Regardless of where the plot goes, he wants to continue his work. In one of the variations on his exit, the player can ask him what he intends to do now. His response: "What I have always done."
PERSONALITY:
His Mentality
Jadus is what could be termed a "black box": We know the environment he is in, and he know how he responds to it, but how he comes to these decisions is not clear. In some aspects, he is far more alien a mind than most actual aliens in Star Wars canon. At one point he says he sees the galaxy "as only five others can", but years after that statement, we still have no idea who he was referring to.
However, we know some important things about him that fill in around the edges. While other Sith tend to be openly emotional and prone to wild fits of rage, Jadus is outwardly emotionless. Even the Sith Emperor isn't capable of seeing into his mind: the only thing anyone can tell is that he exudes a powerfully Dark aura, which untrained minds experience as pain, suffering, or a pervasive existential dread. The most emotion he ever shows are small flashes of anger when his plans face ruination, but they leave the instant he's actually lost, returning to unnerving serenity.
Jadus' personality seems most similar to unnaturally old Sith who have had time to become eccentric or too mentally burned out to feel strong emotions anymore, but he is believed to be only 40 when you first meet him. This implies that he may have always acted like this, though his philosophy has been refined over the years.
In fact, Jadus almost borders on discomfort in interacting with others, at least when it's not on his own terms: since his ascension to the Dark Council, his face has almost always been hidden.
Another aspect of his personality is particularly hard to understand: How he decides to be merciful or destructive to others. It is likely that he often doesn't see a difference: he did not mean to break Zhorrid, but his actions toward her were cruel. He evidently wanted her to behave like himself, something he has attempted to engender in others around him. Unlike other Dark Council members his honor guard are all cyborgs, who appear to have either been scoured of emotion or are unable to express it.
One potential way to read him is as profoundly dysphoric about his body, not in terms of gender, but simply because he has a human body at all. Destroying Zhorrid's voice may have been an attempt to induce the same feeling he has: Your body is a profoundly limiting construct, and it will betray you. Turning his guards into cyborgs may be an attempt to "fix" that problem for them.
His Philosophy
Much like his personality, his philosophy never fully described to the player, but its outlines are known: Reaching a purely Dark Side state is desirable, perhaps even necessary. This state should not be restricted to Sith, but spread to non-sensitive individuals as well. Similarly, no species should be exempt. This includes the propagation of emotions that are usually not desirable: fear chief among them. Jadus speaks of terror as a blessing, and aims for "the democratization of fear".
While much of his rhetoric is based around a bizarre form of equality, he still sets himself above others. He speaks of himself in the terms of a god or messiah: he is eternal, his will enacted can save the Empire. He deliberately engineers events to conform to these statements. What we don't know is whether he truly believes this, or whether this language acts as means to an end.
The combination of these factors likely contributes to his isolation among sith. While designs on greater power are normal, most simply hold feuds with other individuals, or simply desire more power for no other reason than "I should have this". Jadus' philosophy would upend the normal Imperial order if fully enacted, and weaken the divide between Sith and the rest of the Empire. The fact that he got away with preaching this for so long indicates one or two things: Either he is especially adept at fending off interference, or the Sith found him too incomprehensible to take seriously, or a combination of the two.
The Dark Council
His interactions with the rest of the Dark Council are particularly fraught, even by Council standards. He sees Sith politics as a wasteful excercise, and a distraction from what he should be doing. In this, he aligns most closely with Darth Marr, who also took over the Council for a year or two later. However, the two were never portrayed as allies. Jadus probably precluded any chance of this ever happening when he unleashed the Eradicators. However, this lack of Sith support does not seem to bother Jadus. He only focuses on his non-sensitive followers.
The Cult
Jadus has essentially built a cult within the Empire. In his own strange way, he is highly charismatic. His stated goals are attractive to non-sith Imperial citizens, because they are deliberately accessible to them and provide a means to defy the established social order in a rigidly controlled society. Adherents believe he can give them more than others will: Jadus states that the Sith have been hoarding the joys of the Dark Side, but speaks about his plans in worrying ways: "the democratization of fear" most especially.
The Empire continues to function as well as it ever does when he takes over, perhaps in part due to technical limitations of the game that preclude alterations to common areas accessed by all players. But we hear word of dark rituals being performed in the streets, led by "ambassadors of fire" from his cult. We don't ever see this directly.
However, we do see at least one group of believers who he had complete control over: the crew of the dreadnaught he uses as his base. He speaks of them as "worthy of elevation", but most of them tear each other apart. The survivors profess utter loyalty to him, however. It may have been an expression of his philosophy and its affects on others, or he was "hungry" after the exertion required to survive the destruction of the Dominator, or they were otherwise used to fuel other pursuits of his. The Dread Masters and the Emperor both used the dark emotions or life force of others to sustain themselves. Jadus may use his cult as a similar source of power.
Other Interactions
Parts of his message are especially well-suited to maintaining power through Imperial Intelligence, which has a uniformly non-Force sensitive command staff, and is looked down upon by Sith in more militant or mystical arms of the Empire's forces. He is not universally loved in the bureau, however. Intelligence has to split its time between infiltrating or countering outside forces, and cleaning up after problems the Sith cause.
While Jadus is nominally on their side, some see him as a part of the same establishment that regularly adds to the danger they face. However, they do not act against him until he directly threatens the Empire with the Eradicators, and if his plan succeeds, they return uneasily to serving him. Unexpectedly, he chooses to promote two of the people who directly and knowingly acted against him. This includes one administrator who is targeted with a bizarre, threatening monologue in Jadus' first in-game appearance.
His interactions with the Agent player character are particularly odd. It is evident that he first sees the agent as a means to enact his plans: Their first mission unknowingly secures some resources he needs for the destruction of the Dominator, and then they provide a convenient means for Jadus to maneuver Intelligence without giving suspicious orders.
In contrast to this, he is often strangely nice to the agent who can eventually become his Hand, at least by Sith standards. If he is defied, he gives the agent several chances to change their mind, on both important and relatively trivial matters. His gift and warning to the agent before he leaves the Empire are more than he needed to give them. And, most bizarrely, his first major decree to his Hand is... to give them a vacation for a job well done. It feels like a trap of some kind when you're playing it, but despite all the buggery the agent experiences following this point, he doesn't ever seem to undermine them.
Despite all his bizarre aspects and megalomania, he seems to have competently led Imperial Intelligence, and has an unexpectedly practical outlook on some parts of his plans. He acknowledges his failings and at least some of his limitations, to the point of abandoning his grand project for the Empire when he realizes he's been outmaneuvered by savvy player choices, or it can't be completed in the face of the Emperor's return.
His Plans
In MoM, he's going to be limited in his reach, at least initially. He might not have have much interest in other Force wielders, unless they actively seek him out. As mentioned in the housing section, I am aware of a potential Darth Marr in this round of apps, who may be the only exception: Marr is a known quantity, which makes him both less interesting and also more of a threat. An all-out fight between these two would damage both of them in the public eye, no matter who wins. Given their personalities, they are likely to avoid open conflict unless one feels pressured to act, or secure enough in their position to attack the other (Marr is probably more likely to do the former, Jadus the latter).
His philosophy is unchanged by the events that he has been through, and will likely attempt over time to introduce more people to its effects. He will especially be targeting non-imPorts, and focusing on those with current or former ties to Earth militaries and governments. One angle he is likely to focus on is the inequality between imPorts and others, particularly with regards to the permanence of death. His previous rhetoric included a twisted idea of equality between Imperial citizens and Sith, and he can adapt this to the present situation.
In the Empire, he had both official power as the head of Intelligence and a Dark Council member, and unofficial power as a cult leader. Here he will only have the latter, unless he takes on tasks the government gives imPorts. To that end, he may potentially register. As part of his messianic persona, he will also be responding to destructive events in unexpected ways for a Sith: actually helping people.
POWER:
The Force- While Marr may be the most skilled warrior in the Empire, Jadus' powers of Sith sorcery are second to none. Explicit powers include:
Telekinesis- demonstrated on a massive scale in his survival of the Dominator's destruction by holding together a large chunk of the ship.
Force Choke- The good ol' standard sith handshake: choking the bejeezus out of someone.
Force Lightning- Strong enough to shock the player into unconsciousness in under three seconds.
Teleportation??- Either by illusion or enhanced speed, Jadus seems able to teleport over short distances. He uses this to dodge blaster bolts and just to make things more dramatic.
Invisibility- Jadus can turn invisible, and seems to be able to at least use Force Choke while doing so without breaking stealth. Both this and his teleportation power are accompanied by a cloud of quickly-dissipating purple and dark red smoke.
Sith Aura- Jadus projects a strong field of Dark Side energy. Untrained minds experience his proximity as pain, suffering, and/or existential dread. Force-sensitive people will be able to sense his presence from just about anywhere, if they wnat to look for him. However, this aura contains none of his emotions. Not even the Sith Emperor could read Jadus' mental state. Jadus is also capable of concealing his aura: after he fakes his death, the Sith are not able to sense him anymore. Jadus can also weaponize this aura to actively hurt and weaken people in combat.
Maddening Presence- Not just because you can't understand a bloody thing he's talking about. If people without strong mental defenses are stuck in close proximity to Jadus for upwards of a month, he can drive them insane. This is likely an offshoot of his aura power.
Force Empathy- While Jadus is technically capable of reading the emotional state of others and does so on multiple occasions, he draws some really weird conclusions from what he sees.
Unnatural Strength- This is a middle-aged man who probably doesn't work out every day, but is built like a goddamn house. Even though he's not a combat specialist, he seems to have benefited physically from the Dark Side.
Force Healing- Yeah, I was surprised too. But according to the wiki this is canonical. I'm not sure who would want a laying on of hands from Jadus, but he can do it.
Dark Lord's armor and weapons (Non-canonical)- Jadus can summon or banish his armor and lightsaber. If destroyed, they will be unavailable for one day. The armor is relatively light by Sith standards, but it seems to be sealable and provides some protection in combat or while blowing up your own flagship.
Creation and Eradication (Non-canonical)- Jadus can slowly grow technoorganic creatures to act as servants. However, they will slowly begin to go wild without his active attention. If he does not exert control over them once a week, they will stop responding to him, act randomly, and degenerate to non-functionality over the course of one day.
〈 CHARACTER SAMPLES 〉
COMMUNITY POST (VOICE) SAMPLE:
[A hologram of Jadus appears. His voice is oddly mild, but flat and filtered by his mask, the only life in him coming from the occasional gesture or tilt of his head.]
This Earth brings you closer to an understanding of true power. It bestows gifts that will unmake you, your loved ones, all memories.
You are split in two: Insubstantial despair and revelry, arrayed against desperate striving for meaning.
Both hold an ember of truth. You must nurture both, or you will decay.
LOGS POST (PROSE) SAMPLE:
When the Emperor had consumed Ziost, he had felt it. The wave of terror that crashed over the planet as life's fire was extinguished. A wild moment of unparalleled majesty. But it had left sterility. The wave gave way to brittle desiccation. Nothing left to kindle there. He had anticipated more to follow.
But none did. The Empire had evidently clamped down on rumors of the old capital's destruction. For months, he waited. Nothing. Not a restful nothing. Deprived senses groped for anything they could ascribe meaning. It was a time full of uneasy hallucination and wild thoughts, but he did not stop them. Reaching out, seeking answers, that would only draw the Emperor's attention. If the feast of all life continued, he had few options, and he could waste none of them.
Fear did spread, eventually. And yet, it felt too familiar. Disappointingly so.
Another war. What a waste. It took all the satisfaction out of the Emperor's death, five years later.
Perhaps, he thinks, he will return. Take the hardiest things that survived his isolation. Begin in the wild, broken places, feed the embers burning in downtrodden minds. Break them open.
He reaches out.
And suddenly, he is surrounded by human minds. Guttering, ash-smothered, untended minds.
How strange.
FINAL NOTES:
