26900 BBY
Korriban
A single cargo transport roared through the skies of a world that was unknown to them but might become their permanent home. [1]
A human male wearing gray armor with a cape made from beast hides sat on a single chair. The man was large and clean-shaven with light brown skin and a shaved head save a long strip of red hair in the middle tied back.
"I cannot believe I am stuck with the lot of you, and worse yet we decided to land here of all places." The annoyed male's words were said to no one in particular.
Not far from where two others sat at a table playing Dejarik, both looked human. One man wore black and white armor with black hair cut into rows, while the other had pale skin and long flowing black hair and wore black armor with various ornate symbols on them.
"Oh shut up Kyrlic," The figure in the black and white said as if it were a habit to the red-haired man. "This rust bucket's hyperdrive can only go so far, and this planet is strong with the Dark Side of the Force. Stopping here makes sense, worst comes to worst Sorzus is wrong and we make another stop somewhere else if we can get supplies. Best case scenario this is our new home, in some pre-spaceflight backwater."
"That is what makes me uneasy Remulus, we may not have the advantage in strength here to claim this ball of dust, even if there is great power here. I almost wish the Jedi killed us, this seems like a fate worse than death" Kyrlic remarked grimly as Remulus gave a smirk in response.
"How did an over-glorified coward like you, ever go by the nickname Starshaker? The only thing you've ever shaken is your hindquarters like some akk dog. I have always stood my ground and never backed down from a fight." Remulus said with pride in his voice.
The figure in the armor only rolled their eyes, as Remulus braced for whatever words would come.
"Remind me, Dreypa. Who exactly thought it was the best idea to send our picket ships to draw out Master Rheman's carrier cruisers, only to have our fleet encircled and disabled because Rheman had more dangerous ships along with him in wait?"
"That is Baron Dreypa to you, Ioanash, you delusional dilettante. Who are you to judge me, you came too late in this conflict. Me and Marchioness Xo'xaan were born fighting this conflict, our parents and grandparents fought in it too. We aren't Jedi charity cases like you and some others" The Baron sharply responded. [2]
Ioanash and Remulus argument had attracted others to see the commotion.
"Dilettante? I was a son of Count Radun of Serenno of the House of Rhavanos. You are nothing more than a mere thug with delusions of grandeur, to proclaim themselves a Baron." Ioanash remarked with a sly smile on his face.
A rough but old-sounding voice laughed causing Remulus to look at the source. Karness Muur, an average-sized Losalfarian, and one of the banes of Remulus's existence. [3]
"I detest you with every fiber of my being Karness, but you seriously cannot consider this preening priss to be anywhere close to us in power?"
"He is not, but I still cannot doubt the child's spirit for disliking you." Muur said with a smile bearing his sharp teeth. "Although If this 'whelp' was as worthless as you believe he would surely be dead, no simple diplomat or errant Jedi Knight survives Corbos."
"If only his saber skills were as sharp as his tongue, maybe he would not have to be bailed out by 'Master' Retsu'en." Ioanash only smiled at this gruffly voiced woman's remark. "Do you always look down on those were not born from such 'great' royalty, like your womanizing father? Not to say that you are wrong about Remmy being scum." the voice came from a woman with white skin, a face with sharply chiseled features and yellow tufts of hair, wearing a ragged robe with visibly cracked armor beneath it.
"My Dear Sorzus." Ioanash said causing Sorzus to shoot him a look of pure murder. "I only look down upon our dearest Remmy because he pretends to something has no understanding of. He adopts nobility with no sense of manners or charm, and I have seen Hutts with better manners."
"You are nobility, yet your mother was nothing more than a disgusting bottom-feeding Anzati parasite. I can see why your father loved her, they were two of a kind." However, instead of any expected words, Ioanash simply flung Remulus into a nearby wall with The Force.
Ioanash's voice took on a more serious tone. "If you would like a test of saber skills I would be more than willing to do what Master Rheman failed to do, and kill you."
A playful smile reappeared on Ioanash's face once more as he turned toward Sorzus. "If you truly question my saber skills we could always spar later my dear." [4]
Before Sorzus could respond, another female voice chimed in.
"Don't you dare, Ioanash, if that is what you are suggesting? I had to listen to Broodica and Kyrlic, embrace their passions, and could not sleep for three nights."
Another figure stepped in, a human woman with brown skin, black hair, and three scars across her face. She wore an armored harness over top white robes.
"That did not stop you from watching me paint to it, Rahiya." Sorzus said gleefully at the woman's discomfort.
"Only because I wished to know what inspiration you possibly could have gained from that?" Rahiya responded wondering how anyone could imagine the sights she had enough trouble hearing.
"To wonder what monstrosities can I create that horrify me worse than those sounds and mental images?" Sorzus's remarks drew some laughter.
"We all have our ways to cope with being cramped in this prison of a ship." Out stepped a Falleen female with pale green skin, and yellow eyes. "Would you rather it have been Retsu'en's awful homemade still swill?"
Sorzus tried to block out the images that she was perhaps a little too friendly with the Falleen who never bothered to modify her pets, just kept an impressive collection of beasts that could have been made into something more. 'Why did no one see the value in altering the natural world?' Sorzus only just caught herself mentally rambling. "No Broodica you have a point, that vile stuff should not even be given to people dying of thirst."
"Hmph, what else did you expect me to do with that stuff the Jedi gave us, plan out crops so we can farm in penance?" The sarcastic remark belonged to an older Echani.
Before anyone could continue, the door to the captain's quarters had opened, and no one dared to say anything more.
"That is enough." One figure said with a stern tone that no one dared to question as the rest of the crew entered.
The figure wore long orange and white robes, with a cloth mask over his lower jaw. looking no older than a human man in his thirties. [5]
"Hearing you bicker and gossip makes me wish I either stayed an orphan or that I died at Fluwhaka. If you wish to act like immature children, I shall have our new subjects build a playground in your honor." The figure remarked to the room in general before pressing the intercom. "Vak, are you nearly finished making sure the opening hatch can close and we can take off and land promptly?"
"Yes, High General." The voice got closer, as another figure soon strolled into the main quarters. It was a Iridonian woman with pinkish skin, and brown hair and wore an an engineer's harness.
"Good, No longer shall The Heirs of Xendor be stuck on this insipid ship, we march towards our own destiny. Even if must be as petty lords we shall have our revenge against the Jedi. Vak take the ship in and keep it running. Vak only nodded. "The rest of you are to come with me."
The hatch doors opened and out in the distance they saw a group of red-skinned sentients. The brightly robed figure took the lead with the other ten walking in step behind him, across the flat dry lands of this unfamiliar world.
"Hmph, at least they are vaguely humanoid." Broodica remarked as they got closer, seeing that some of these aliens had looked much larger than the others.
"Why afraid they might be Verpine?" Muur asked.
"I do not know about you, but if I must contend with settling down here and 'leaving a legacy', I'd at least hope they look decent enough." Remulus had a look of disgust on his face.
"Assuming these savages are worth ruling." Rahiya chimed in.
"Quiet, I shall approach them first."Any debate was stifled by the figure's words.
Ajunta quickened his pace, as he got closer he saw the small village that seemed to be made of salvaged materials. The aliens before him seemed to have bone ridges, and tendrils on their faces, but curiously enough hair on their heads. The larger ones had yellow eyes with no sclera. They appeared to be brandishing all manner of weapons even crude gunpowder weapons. [6]
"Hurshat!" An alien had shouted.
The lead figure outstretched his hand and forced his way inside the creature's mind to gather what he could of their language. Apparently, they were the Sith, Sorzus spoke of, and they recently united under a king.
Nu Hurshatatul Ajuntah Pall. Jenari Horusjontu [7]
The remaining aliens reacted in shock muttering words Ajunta could vaguely make out as something told by a Sith priest that they were prophesized to appear and that great power would come to their people. Ajunta quickly moved back and motioned the rest of the group over.
"It seems our arrival may have been foretold, or we have interfered with some prophecy?" Ajunta's tone had some worry.
"Couldn't we say this is some of this is a fanciful story by a primitive people?" Retsu'en remarked with some skepticism.
"Most of us who were Jedi, know that prophecies are hard to understand." Ajunta stated.
"The Jedi and those who believe that can speak for yourselves, I've always seen prophecy as foolish. Words with vague meanings are pointless. Actions always show true intent." Retsu'en's remark drew skeptical looks from the rest of his compatriots.
"How did someone like you remain a Jedi never the less become one?" Karness asked of the unusual ex-Jedi.
"I had rationalized my upbringing as an Echani could offer a valuable insight into why others fight and perhaps prevent those conflicts. Over time I grew disillusioned with seemingly endless crises. The Nemodian Purse World Riots, Correlian Constitutional Crisis, the Soldiers of the Slums Insurrection, you name it I served to keep the peace. It was the Black Rose Society being allowed to leave that finally did it for me."
"You faced that bastard Harlo Raxx?" Remulus remarked with a hint of admiration.
"No some Devaronian woman who would not give her name, but called herself the Pale Rose in honor of her aunt."
"Aunt? Raxx had no sister." Rahiya stated slightly confused.
"Strange. Now that I think about it, why did she dress like you Xo'xaan?" Retsu'en glared at a woman with pale skin, black hair with a face adorned with tattoos, and dressed in clothing that appeared to be made of cloth wrappings whose eyes widened.
"Talhay? She lived?" Xo'xaan's tone was soft for only but a moment.
"She still lives. I take it this Harlo Raxx was her father?" Retsu'en grunted
"Yes, treacherous bastard planted the seeds of doubt in our ranks. 'Why not just stop this war and prosper in an area the Republic or their lapdogs cannot reach?' Remulus said not bothering to imitate the alien's voice. We could have easily hidden ourselves, but it would not have rid the galaxy of the Jedi, or the rotten Republic. Damn your sentimentality Xo, how could you let that bastard get away because you were his daughter's mentor." Remulus tone had a mix of anger and disappointment.
"Yes, what will the Jedi do if the Republic goes astray again? The Pius Dea was not some one-thousand-year fever dream, The galaxy should be trusted to more than some state that has to have its hand held when things go wrong, by its precious defenders. Harlo was a coward, and it is unfair that his kind thrives, while we must make do with this. Karness gesturing around towards the planet. [8]
"My sentiments did nothing, Harlo and the Black Roses made their choice." Xo'xaan remained defiant.
"Perhaps Harlo was right." Ajunta remarked to the stunned silence of his comrades. "Look at us with all of our power, reduced to just barely surviving in exile beyond the fringes of the known galaxy. Our future is in the hands of ruling some primitives like this were Into the Heart of Madness. What are we continuing for if not for mere spite."
"Revenge. High General. Even if we only have our lives, we can still make something of them." Ioanash remarked with some optimism.
"The High General has a point." The speaker was a green-skinned Twi'lek covered in scars, and wearing cobbled together armor pieces. I fought for the belief true justice only comes from strength, do we abandon what principles led us down this path in the first place? I did not struggle against some of the lowest of scum as a Jedi, face the corrupt Republic when they let the worst of criminals escape justice. Only as an Heir of Xendor just to become some parasitic overlord. "
"Vanis, your best friend is a lecherous parasite as well and a noble to boot." Sorzus gestured to Ioanash, unmoved by the Twi'lek's speech.
"I am only half-Anzat you know, and the full-blooded ones drink soup, not blood so how can I be a parasite? Although I suspect if I were full-blooded, your skills in the force aside, your brain might be a light meal." Sorzus began to reach for her proto-saber at her waist.[9]
"Enough." Ajunta commanded, resisting the urge to rub his temples afterward. "Sorzus it was your knowledge of the rumors of these 'Sith' that brought us here, your were not wrong that this place is powerful in the Dark Side. Yet we must plan accordingly, for now, we pass ourselves as gods of some sort or something close to it, but restrain yourselves at least until we have control for what may pass as a government on this world.
The Eleven figures soon resumed their trek toward the village, intent on carving out a new home, by whatever means.
Alright, this was an attempt to try and introduce but also fleshing out the Exiles. I wanted to emphasize that they had goals, and distinct personalities, and weren't total asshats despite being Dark Side users. I didn't want to write them as Sith-lite, so I was torn between trying to keep them as recognizably 'dark side' but not just utterly selfish. Especially because most darksiders are just a universe removed from Warhammer Chaos followers take your pick of which universe Fantasy or 40K.
These are people who had their own reasons for doing what they did, even if they have lost nearly everything sometimes more figuratively than literally, trying to cling on what hopes dark or otherwise remain. Update wise I will try to do better, even if this is an undertaking of unclear madness where I have to worldbuild quite a bit.
[1] To get this out of the way a lot of information, on the Dark Jedi's exile is strange, contradictory, and just plain underdeveloped as a whole, which can probably accurately describe a lot of the former EU as well, especially in this period since the Dark Exiles arriving on Korriban is perhaps the only noticeable part of it. Some sources say they were loaded on ships yet only twelve survivors had made it out alive from Corbos, some of whom went off to Kesh despite the fact, unlike relatively nearby Sith Space, Kesh was located on the southern edge of the galaxy beyond Utapau and very remote. Here I've kept it down to one ship for twelve people.
[2] The One Hundred Year Darkness actually lasted one hundred years, and again information is sparse that I've kept some of the exiles as force users whose parents or grandparents had served in that time, along with recently fallen Jedi who fit the label better of Dark Jedi, to just simple picked up Dark Side Users. In this case, Remulus Dreypa and Xo'xaan's titles actually have some meaning to them.
[3] Karness Murr's species isn't given but I felt that just having Dark Jedi be a bunch of humans, was lazy, and it really wouldn't make sense when at least of the confirmed Dark Jedi, Xo'xaan and Murr don't look human. Murr in particular seems to have pointed ears, and sharp teeth. The name isn't the most inventive, considering it's based of Ljosalfar or Light Elves in Norse.
With the Exiles proper of the twelve, six are given names, Ajunta Pall, Karness Murr, Xo'xaan, Remulus Dreypa, Sorzus Syn, and Broodica. Of those two only Ajunta and Remulus are confirmed as humans, Sorzus could be, while Karness and Xo'Xaan look like they could be aliens. Broodica only has her name, so making her Falleen was an invention of mine. So to have more diversity because I've never really liked how most protagonists and antagonists in Star Wars seem to be human, with maybe an alien here and there thrown in for good measure, I've generally kept the rest of the exiles as being species close to human, although I might have to make a special exception regarding Pall, see bellow.
[4] Lightsabers proper don't yet exist at this point, but you do have proto-sabers with power packs. Apparently Karness Murr did have a working lightsaber.
[5] Ajunta Pall started the One Hundred Year Darkness and lived to make it to Ziost. Yet this runs into an issue of most humans living to one hundred give or take circumstances such as life and profession but still age, and Ajunta is not described as looking too aged or even old at that, I might have him be some kind of half-human, especially if he was a Jedi Master.
[6] If you thought the Dark Jedi Exiles were bad continuity-wise, the Sith species until SWTOR is probably worse, as you get a lot of bizarre physiology. As mentioned earlier the Sith were divided into several what could be considered sub-species. The Massassi are the most well-known, but the Massassi of this are era not the hulking monstrosities seen elsewhere which are pretty much mutants. Zurguruk are also a sub-species but are not really touched on, the same with Kissai. Grotthu also count as a subspecies but looks radically different from the mainline Sith.
Where the problems come in is, that some Sith are presented as hairless, others having natural hair, the number of digits of their fingers also varies from three to five and might be normal fingers or clawed, both before and after supposedly becoming Sith 'Purebloods' come SWTOR. Yet as later works would have contradictions where many Sith would have just five digits and primary just show red-skinned Sith 'purebloods' as being the baseline, with no other attempts at sub-races save references or the Massassi such as in Dawn of the Jedi. So for the sake of sanity, baring Massassi, other Sith are going to be Purebloods, but having the face tendrils vary in some cases.
[7] There is a working Sith language made by Dan Grossblat, but like a lot of things it runs into some issues, there are no e,p and f sounds, which causes issues with some canon terms such as Jen which means shadow, hidden, or darkness. Hurshat is to identify oneself, but I made that word, because the Sith vocabulary is practically non-existent, because there are very few terms to use.
Atul is the alethic mood marker for verbs. Nu means I, Nu Hurshatatul means 'I identify myself'. Jenari is a canon term that means Dark Lord. Horush is another made-up word that is supposed to mean stars, it is supposed to be related to Horuset, the star system Korriban is located in. Jontu is a noun marker for the instrumental case, in this case through or from the stars. Technically Grossblat's Sith language is in the new canon. One episode of The Clone Wars has Darth Sidious spout an incantation that while the words do exist, translate into gibberish.
[8] The Pius Dea Republic was a period where the Republic fell to a cult that promoted a Goddess, and more importantly human supremacy over aliens to the point of going to war against Hutts. Think something close to the period of the Third Reich, or perhaps more aptly Jim Crow U.S or apartheid South Africa, if it lasted for 1288 years.
[9] Anzati is basically the closest thing Star Wars has to both Vampires, and if we take their hunger to be necessary, and maybe the closest thing to an out-and-out evil species. They are a sentient race of humanoids that feed off drinking the brains or soup or others.