Darth Arestenax

Lord Emperor Arestenax I, born Willerick Algarian Roderick, is the Lord Emperor of the Sith Imperium.

Formerly a member of the Dark Council. Before his ascension he headed the Ministry of Law and Justice from aboard his flagship the Harrower-Class Dreadnaught Judicator.

Darth Arestenax is of Alderaanian descent, born the scion of two Alderaanian Noble Houses, House Roderick and House Algarian.

As the current ruler of the Sith Imperium, Darth Arestenax is in his third reign as Lord Emperor and is credited with the creation of law and the introduction of democratic government in the Sith Imperium.

Early Life
Willerick Algarian Roderick was born to Lady Vatricia of the Alderaanian House Algarian and Grand Duke Wrolland of the Alderaanian House Roderick on 3685 BBY || 32 BTC. House Algarian was an ally of House Organa while House Roderick was an ally of House Ulgo.

Willerick was the oldest of three siblings, his twin brother Willian (deceased), and his youngest sister Vrianna.

At the age of four Willerick had demonstrated a strength with the Force that was common in his bloodline and it was expected that he would be sent to Tython to train with the Jedi order as his mother Jedi Master Vatricia Algarian expected. Grand Duke Wrolland, also a Jedi but who had dabbled in the Dark Side had other plans. While House Algarian was deeply connected to the Jedi Order and it's dogmatic views, Grand Duke Wrolland and House Roderick were not sold on the Jedi religion.

In 3681 BBY || 28 BTC Grand Duke Wrolland embarked on what he described to Vratricia and the Republic as an trade expedition on the Hydian way on behalf of the Roderick Corporation he took his brother, Wrendan and now four year old son, Willerick, with him. The truth is that they were called to the outer rim by visions from powerful Force users from the Sith Empire. Their ship came in contact with a fleet of the Sith Empire which was massing in preparation for an onslaught against the Republic. Grand Duke Wrolland and Lord Wrendan submitted to the Sith and they were taken to be trained in the dark side of the Force by the Emperor himself while his son was taken by Darth Ventus a terrifying and stern Sith Pureblood in service of the Ministry of Law and Justice.

Willerick would never see his father again, killed in the war against the Republic.

Breaking Bonds: Willerick goes to the Sith Academy on Korriban
Darth Ventus though powerful in the force was also arrogant. Willerick had quickly become attuned to his power in the force in spite of Darth Ventus's sadistic torturing. One night, in 3677 BBY || 24 BTC, Darth Ventus let his guard down and Willerick saw an opportunity. Willerick stole Darth Ventus's llight saber and struck the Dark Lord down with his own weapon.

Darth Ventus's guards entered the room and were shocked that a boy of eight years was able to strike down a Dark Lord and were preparing to kill him when a Chiss Imperial Officer, Rodeia, decided to intervene. She recognized the young boy and realized it was her husband's nephew. Her husband was a human Sith Lord, Wrendan. She took the boy to her husband who then sent him to Sith Academy on Korriban.

At the Academy Willerick excelled in his studies of the Dark Side and mastery of combat as well as the more mystical elements of the Force. At his graduation Willerick was re-introduced and apprenticed to his uncle now a Sith Lord, Wrendan Roderick.

Returning Home: The Alderaanian Affairs
Training under his uncle Wrendan was a dramatic change in Willerick's condition for the better. Orphaned and treated as a slave by Darth Ventus and the typical struggle through the academy had made the boy serious, dark and powerful in the Force. The pair's lineage received the interest of Darth Malgus who was planning the invasion of Alderaan. The two were dispatched to Alderaan to reassert their House's position and to support the Imperial allies, House Thul.

Upon returning to Alderaan, the two found their House's estate to be in disrepair. House Roderick's business interests Roderick Corp were now being led by their former vassal's House Baliss and their estate had been taken over by their former vassal House Teraan. When House Baliss was overrun by Killiks, House Roderick encouraged the House to take over House Teraan's estate which became the joint estate of House Roderick and House Baliss. To secure this alliance Willerick was betrothed to the young daughter of Duke Yun Baliss, Lord Pyara Baliss, a young Sith Lord who had returned to Alderaan as part of the Empire's strategy to infiltrate the planet's politics in preparation for Darth Malgus's invasion.

Wrendan reassumed his brother's title of Grand Duke and began to reassert his family's prominence in the Alderaanian political stage. This gave Willerick a master class in politics, manipulation and governance. Willerick was present in the Alderaanian Parliament when House Roderick and House Baliss pledged to House Thul in support of their claim to the throne.

On their return to the Baliss estate, Darth Wrendan and his entourage came under attack by Killiks. The entourage was outnumbered by nearly 100 to 1 but Darth Wrendan, Willerick and Lord Pyara and their few escorts defended against insurmountable odds. Darth Wrendan received a mortal wound in the fight and with his last breathes he named Willerick a Lord of the Sith and Grand Duke of House Roderick.

In 3669 BBY || 15 BTC the 16 year old Grand Duke Willerick had married 18 year old Lord Pyara. Later that year Vindictiva Baliss Roderick was born. Their marriage was short lived as a year later Pyara had been in contact with House Algarian and House Organa and began considering defection from the Sith Empire. Lord Pyara and Lord Willerick seperated.

In 3667 BBY || 14 BTC having spent years infiltrating the Alderaanian political system, Darth Malgus leads the Imperial assault on Alderaan. Lord Willerick led the Forces of House Roderick and House Baliss into combat against other Alderaanian Houses and prepared to attack House Organa. During the planning stages of this assault, Lord Pyara returns to him and they share intimate moments that lead Willerick to believe that their marriage was recovering. It turns out it was part of an Republic planned operation to steal battle plans from the Sith. Willerick uncovers the betrayal and reports to Darth Malgus, this act spared his life because while the information didn't prevent the loss on Alderaan it allowed for Darth Malgus to survive the Republic's concentrated Republic counterattack. In the retreat from Alderaan Darth Malgus and Darth Mortis direct Lord Willerick to earn his forgiveness by hunting down Pyara, his first love, and killing her.

Willerick spends the next two years tracking down clues that led to Hoth where Pyara was with Republic forces as an apprentice to Jedi Knight Satele Shan. Lord Willerick joins the Sith at the battle of Hoth on a parallel mission to kill his wife. Aboard the Judicator, Lord Willerick entered the battle assisting the Sith Fleet but a small Jedi Defender-Class light corvette catches Willerick's attention as he senses Pyara with the Force. Willerick orders the Judicator to destroy the ship. The ship is shot down over Hoth and Pyara masks her presence in the force leading Willerick to believe she died. This moment was a turning point for Willerick who executed his duty in spite of the great emotional toll. Willerick returned to Dromund Kaas vindicated in the eyes of the government but conflicted in his loyalty to the Empire.

Joining the Imperium and Rise to Power
Willerick met Emperor Keine on Dromund Kaas and became supportive of his mission and vision. He joined the Imperium and left the service of the Empire.

Willerick rose in rank quickly in the Imperium, his fierce loyalty and his strong sense of justice led him to being appointed to the Dark Council as the head of the Ministry of Law and Justice.

Emperor Keine went missing and in his absence Empress Morgaana ruled the Imperium. Her personal command of Imperium was strong but her reign proved turbulent. During a diplomatic negotiation the Empress's mother took her hostage while in council with Willerick and Dark Councilor Iax. The Empress commanded Willerick to strike in spite of his concerns for her safety and the leadership of the Imperium. Putting the law first above everything, Willerick obeyed the Empress and killed her mother on her command, but the Empress was also slain in the process as he feared. With her dying words the Empress left command of the White Nova to Willerick and gave him the duty of informing the missing Emperor of her fate.

In the chaos of Empress Morgaana's fall, Darth Iax briefly attempted to gain sole leadership of the Imperium. His attempted coup was quickly discouraged by the shear will of Willerick. Instead, Willerick as head of the Ministry of Law and Justice allied with she who must not be named, head of the Ministry of Imperium Intelligence and together they took direct personal command of the Imperium.

Willerick and she who must not be named ruled the Imperium as the "Caretaker Emperor and Empress" for a while awaiting the return of Keine.

Willerick later seized the throne and ruled as Lord Emperor.

The New Order and the Subjugation of Voss
With Emperor Keine missing and presumed dead the Imperium's Automated Emergency Transition System designated Willerick as the new Emperor of the Sith Imperium. Upon his ascension he annointed she who must not be named co-ruler of the Imperium, Keeper of the Gray Code and Voice of the Emperor.

The transition was tumultuous for the Imperium and coupled with the destruction of the homeworld, Amgarrak, Willerick and she who must not be named led the Empire to search for a new homeworld. Willerick deployed teams and the Imperium Fleet to scour the worlds throughout the galaxy when finally the force guided him to Voss. It is unknown why the Voss welcomed the Imperium to their world and now serve the Imperial Family. What is clear is that Emperor Willerick is responsible for the events which led to the Imperium settling on Voss. It is believed that the Emperor and the Imperium's rule over Voss was forseen by the Voss Mystics which have always been known to come true. There is speculation that the Emperor, whose power is unmeasured may have been able to manipulate the vision of the Voss's mystics but such a manipulation is unheard of and would require a connection to the force that is unrivalled. There were no witnesses to the meeting between the Emperor and the Voss Mystics, all that is known is that a vision was involved, and that the Mystics welcomed the Imperium to settle and rule Voss without resistance. The rest is a closely guarded mystery.

The Empire in His Name: Willerick Re-Organizes the Imperium and becomes Darth Arestenax
On Voss, Lord Emperor Willerick worked to strengthen and disassociate the New Order with the Old but found that it would be more complicated than he anticipated. Morgaana returned and he named her Dowager Empress and Imperial Advisor and he made appointments to the council loyal to his reign.

As sole ruler and titled Lord Emperor, Willerick decided to strengthen the Imperium's laws and issued the nine commandments and established Imperium Public Law which together with the Sith Code provide the legal framework for his Empire.

Among his many reforms was the title of the sovereign and the creations of a customs, courtesies and tradition unique to the Imperium. He claimed for himself the following title which specified his role as sovereign:

His Supreme Majesty, Darth Arestenax of the Imperial House Roderick, first of his name, Lord Emperor of the Sith Imperium,  Dark Overlord of the Sith, Supreme Mystic of Voss and Protector of the Six Sectors.

-Lord Emperor became the new title for the sovereign of the Sith Imperium and refers to the Lord Emperor's sovereignty. Emperor Salvatus later designated that the title "Lord Emperor" would be for Darth Arestenax alone, as an honor for his life's work.

-Dark Overlord of the Sith indicates that he is the one ruler above all Dark Lords of the Sith in the Imperium in keeping with the Arestenax / One Sith Doctrine. This was later changed to the title "Supreme Lord of the One Sith."

-Supreme Mystic of Voss refers to the Lord Emperor's dominion of Voss.

-Protector of the Realm refers to the military role of the Lord Emperor as Commander-in-Chief of the Imperium Military Forces.

The Umbra Affair
Darth Arestenax's connection to Voss became known to an enemy of the Imperium, Darth Umbra, who attempted to ambush the Lord Emperor while he was communing with the force. Arestenax used the engagement to seperate both from their bodies and trapped his enemy in the nethers of the force a place between universes. While Arestenax succeeded in taking his enemy with him and engaged him in an epic battle in the nethers of the force, he became trapped ourside of the known realm.

In his absence Vindictiva became Imperial Regent and with the help of Darth Makhzor investigated the disappearance of the Lord Emperor and plotted a way to save him. When they were ready to carry out their plan, the Jedi-Republic Special Task Force: Crimson Paladins attacked. Vindictiva commanded the Imperial Fleet while Makhzor led some of the Imperium's most powerful Sith into the nethers of the Force to save their sovereign.

Darth Makhzor led the ritual that gave the Lord Emperor the power to end the fight between him and Darth Umbra, allowing Arestenax to absorb Umbra's force essence and leaving Umbra's body a husk and shadow of his former self. When Arestenax returned he was more powerful then ever using battle meditation he helped Vindictiva end the battle with the Republic fleet and he returned with visions of the future and a bold plan.

Darth Arestenax's Vision - A New Galactic Power
On Voss, Darth Arestenax mastered the Force ability known as "flow-walking" allowing him to view the past and the future from time to time. His visions of the future proved both troubling and advantageous. He forsaw the fall of the Sith Empire in the far future and a bleak outlook for the Sith as a people but he also saw a potential future in which the Sith Imperium expanded it's power and became a force to be reckoned with. After purging the poison of she who must not be named Arestenax set his sight on expanding his Empire.

On the bridge of the Zoist Shadow, Arestenax divulged his plan to his military leaders who were suprised at it's scale and skeptical about it's implementation but he would not be dissuaded. Arestenax forsaw that the Makeb Crisis and the Dread Master's rebellion lead the Sith, Republic and Hutt fleets scattered and much of the contested space between Voss and Quesh was left undefended. Willerick saw this as an opportunity, Quesh with it's production value and strategic position, if conquered would give the Imperium unchallenged control of six large sectors of space. Darth Lykaas, head of the Ministry of War suggested it could not be done, but he obeyed his Lord Emperor's command and led the military in the Battle of Quesh. Darth Lykaas's leadership delivered Quesh, and a sizable chunk of territory into the hands of Lord Emperor Arestenax exactly as he had forseen.

While Darth Lykaas prepared the plan for the Battle of Quesh, Arestenax also advanced a diplomatic strategy with the Sith Empire. Arestenax claimed the five sectors short of Quesh and as ruler of these territories returned to the Empire as a foreign dignitary they had to recognize. The Empire could not afford another enemy and thus the Dark Council agreed to recognize Arestenax's Sith Imperium and allowed the Imperium to establish an embassy on Dromund Kaas to continue diplomatic relations. All the while Arestenax's plan was more insidious than the Empire could possibly know, aware of the Empire's weakness he instructed Darth S'rahnia the Head of the Ministry of Diplomacy and Expansion to monitor Imperial movements so that when they lost control of a sector either to the Republic or as a byproduct of the Empire's deteriorating government the Imperium would be in a position to move in and take the system. This became the Lord Emperors "victory through peace" strategy.

Under Arestenax rule the Sith Imperium left the remains of their holy world Amgarrak and settled on Voss but after the victory at Quesh, Arestenax became the uncontested ruler of six large sectors of galactic space. The Sith Imperium now controlled almost everything galactic South of Vaiken Station and galactic north of Nar Shadaa. These new territories granted the Lord Emperor and his government significant resources and prestige but his hold remains tenuous as the now very visible Sith Imperium is being noticed by the Sith Empire, the Galactic Republic and the Hutt Cartel. Taking the territory they claim was one thing, but holding the territory proved to be a different challenge entirely.

Civil War - The Return of Pyara and the first Death of Arestenax
Lord Pyara returned to the Sith Imperium, twisted and bent on revenge. She assumed the name Bhula and she set into motion a series of events that would rock the Imperium to their core. Using an ancient method she severed Arestenax's connection to the Force and stranded him on an uninhabited island on Rishi with his son, who he had not met before. Meanwhile Bhula infiltrated the Imperium as an apprentice to Lord Empress S'rahnia. There she planted the seeds of discontent as she instigated a conflict between Lord Empress S'rahnia and the Imperial Regent Princess Vindictiva that brought the Imperium to civil war.

Sidelined by his severance from the Force Lord Emperor Arestenax struggled, trained and fought to regain his connection. Eventually his sheer will and mental strength led him to overcoming Bhula's block and he was able to regain his connection. Salvatus trained alongside Arestenax during this time, the two became close in spite of Bhula's betrayal and the training allowed for Salvatus to complete his own training along side his father. Once recovered they found their way back to civilization and returned to the Imperium together. Darth Arestenax named his son a Darth.

Upon their return the Sith Imperium was engaged in a battle between forces under the command of Princess Vindictiva as Imperial Regent and forces under the command of Lord Empress S'rahnia. Darth Arestenax's return ended the fighting and he summoned both sides to his flagship to end the war and dispatch justice. In an address from the throne Darth Arestenax pardoned his ex wife and sanctioned Darth Vindictiva and Darth S'rahnia for their failure in leadership leading his government to civil war. In those moments a single shot rang from the muzzle of a sniper rifle. Vindictiva leaped in front of Darth Arestenax in an attempt to save his life but the caliber of the round was two great and both Vindictiva and Arestenax died leading to the reign of Darth Salvatus.

The Second Reign of Arestenax, the Wall and the Transference
14 years later, while the Sith Imperium collapsed before the onslaught of the Eternal Empire, Darth Kharia executed the Star Bird Protocol. A protocol which included the revival of Darth Arestenax, a hero of the Imperium, with the intent of allowing him to lead the Imperium into hiding and to rebuild the Imperium as only he, the man who conquered the Six Sectors, could. This plan was enacted simply too late and Darth Arestenax led the Imperium into the Indrexu Spiral and erected "The Wall" an immense demonstration of power that hid and shielded the Imperium from the Eternal fleet but led to the severe decay of Darth Arestenax and his inability to govern the day to day affairs of the Sith Imperium.

Unable to indefinitely maintain the wall, the Lord Emperor eventually became frail and unable to sustain the effort leading to a second collapse of the Imperium as the Eternal fleet bared down on their final bastions in the indrexu spiral. In a final and desperate bid to save his people he gathered what strength he could from the Force energy generated from the passions of the conflict and performed a magnificent ritual that placed the Sith Imperium's people in a different universe where they would start anew.

He established the Imperium in the Unknown Regions on a distant world called Solaria but his feat, the transference, led to a mortal wound in the Force that would have destablized their new universe had he not repaired the damage he did. He and Darth Vindictiva led a team to Voss where he conducted the ritual and where he would repair the damage at the cost of his own life. To save his people, Darth Arestenax let go of his mortal form, repaired the damage and became one with the Force. He designated Darth Veldarius as his heir and passed with strength and purpose.

The Divine Arestenax, His Watch and His Return
From the Nethers of the Force, Darth Arestenax returned from time to time in order to guide his chosen people in the Sith Imperium. Offering counsel and wisdom to Darth Veldarius, his successor. Inspiring their exodus to Amgarrak and shepherding his people from beyond but when his people became divided on Amgarrak he decided that it was time for his return.

Darth Arestenax centered his energy and returned as a force entity with the ability to assume a corporeal form. Though he would from time to time appear physically and visibly human, he true form is a radiant purplish, bioluminescent, and translucent being of pure Force energy both dark and light.