Daer'Gunn

From Star Wars: Exodus Visual Encyclopedia

"We are tempted many times by the darkness and for each of us, it tempts us in different ways. For some, the desire for more power will consume them, for others it might be fame or fortune and as a Jedi both of those will come into your life. What you do when those choices come, will not only define you as a Jedi, but as a man."

— Daer'Gunn talking to his Padawan Renato.

Contents 1 The Begining 14 years BBY 2 The Great Love 3 The Great Loss 4 A New Start 5 The Nexus at Nexus Station 6 After Nexus 7 Lightsaber Techniques 8 Daer'Gunns Battle Armor and Fighting Style 9 The Daer'Gunn Symbol 10 Force Powers

[edit] The Begining 14 years BBY

Originally he was just 24601, that was the number on the collar around his neck, given to him by the Imperial group that captured his village. He was then called Shaggy, as an insult due to the length of the boys hair, by the Dark Jedi that picked him out of a line of other survivors and trained him. She took him and conditioned him into becoming a killing machine for her own ends. Two days after he was found, the Dark Jedi put a vibro knife in his hands and dumped him into a pit with a kath hound. He survived and that was his first turn into a much great universe of pain and blood. The Dark Jedi's name was Costilla and she continued to push the young man into situations that would force him to kill in order to survive. If he did not kill whatever he was put up against, he was tortured by the Darkside power the woman possessed. She never once showed kindness to him but she did begin his training in the Force. For the most part the Force training was survival skills such as tracking, camouflage, and physical enhancement. Their time together lasted from the time he was four until he turned fourteen.

The Imperial Intelligence caught wind of her actions and when placed in a situation where she had to choose her life or Shaggy's, she chose her own. For the next couple of years Shaggy was tortured and experimented on at the hands of a Imperial Captain named Ishmael. His eyes were surgically removed and replaced with cybernetic optics that gave him night vision and also went in the visual spectrum that normal humans could not see into.. He was continuously trained as an enforcer of Imperial edict as he specialized in exterminations. Not only was he good at what he did, but he began to enjoy it. His Force training was brought about by scientist of the Intelligence department that had studied the Jedi training holos from the Temple after Palpatine gutted the Temple.

In this time had crafted a lightsaber that used Obsidian and, therefore, gave it a dark purple, almost black look to the blade. His code name was "Berserker." He was moved from place to place in a cage and would be dropped off in an enclave or on a ship where his target or targets were located.

His last mission for the Empire came when he was given the assignment to kill an old Caamasi Jedi. He found this Jedi on a space station and the fight raged from one end of the station to another. Shaggy lost the fight but the Caamasi Jedi did not kill him. Instead, the Jedi gave his life for Shaggy by jumping in the way of blaster fire that was meant to kill Shaggy. The Caamasi showed him something he had never experienced before, Love. Shaggy killed the Imperials that were sent to bring him back and went to the outer rim for two years.

During those two years, Shaggy had many different adventures while trying to find his place in the galaxy.  He hooked up with some smugglers who saw him as a muscle advantage in case of a fight.  The group went and even entered a contest held by a Hutt.  Once the contest was underway, the three found that they were betrayed and the Hutt was setting them up, as well as others, so that he could profit from a fixed contest.  Once this was brought to the three, they broke out of their cells and not only robbed the Hutt blind.  As they escaped on the Hutts personal luxury ship, the bombs they had placed around the Hutts Throne room exploded, killing the Hutt and putting a price on the three's head.  After the three had come to a safe planet, Shaggy purchased his ship the White Flame.  He called it the Black Flame but the name was changed later on.  All the shields, engines, and guns had been modified and upgraded by his friends with the credits they had lifted from the Hutt.  Shaggy said goodbye and thanks to his friends.  He once again returned to the outter rim planets to continue his search for who he was in the Force.

[edit] The Great Love

He was found on an outer rim planet by Master Cameo Naton. Soon after that they were on their way to find others to do battle against a space menace named GAIT. These explorations led them to the planet of Dathomir. Here the group was introduced to a young witch name Danni. In their first meeting, she tried to throw a large boulder to crush Shaggy but his own Force strength stopped it. As the group was leaving Dani stowed away on Naton’s ship and was found later by Shaggy. Danni had never been defeated in battle, and having been overpowered by Shaggy sparked a love interest in her. Shaggy returned those feelings and their relationship blossomed from there.

It continued to go well until Danni was captured by GAIT. She was brain-washed and became a new personality named Araya. At one point, a man had a clean shot at Araya with intentions of killing her. Shaggy killed the man and his bloodlust was reawakened. Shaggy sided with Araya and became her bodyguard. They traveled inside a living ship for months and shared in the killing of innocents.

Shaggy was turned back to the light by finding the bodies of two Jedi buried deep within GAIT. The ghosts of the Jedi spoke to him and reminded him of whom he was. The two Jedi passed their mantels of destroying GAIT onto the shoulders of Shaggy and Shaggy accepted it. They also gave him one of their lightsabers which Shaggy would thereafter use. He left his personal black one there and picked up the lightsaber which had a silver hue to its blade. He still uses this lightsaber to this day because of the Jedi tradition of Concordance of Fealty.

Soon after Shaggy's revelation he rescued Araya with the help of many others that were lead by Cameo Naton. Even though some friends were lost in the battle, GAIT was silenced for the time and the friends went their separate ways.

Master Naton married Shaggy and Danni on Cecil's Moon in front of just their friends. They spent the next two years hopping around from planet to planet never really being able to find a safe place to stay. They were being pursued once again by the ex-Imperial Captain Ishmael. Since his departure for the Imperial Intelligence, for reasons of insanity, he had become obsessed with finding Shaggy and bring him back under the madman's crazed will. During this time Dani was found to be with child and soon gave birth to a son named Alexander.

[edit] The Great Loss

While trying to escape, they were captured by those still loyal to Ishmael. Even in his madness the man was a genius and his underlings were fiercely loyal. Shaggy subjected himself to more torture in order to insure his family’s safety. They were taken to a small space station and in the weeks that followed, Shaggy and Dani planned an escape. The Force bond between them almost allowed them to have full conversation through the Force telepathy. Once the date came, the escape was going as planned until the two were ambushed. In the small battle Ishmael captured baby Alexander. Shaggy and Danni fought off all guards until they finally came face to face with Ishmael on the deck of the station. In the fight that ensued, Ishmael killed the baby and as an act of revenge, Danni used her Force powers and ripped the spinal column out of Ishmael out of his back. Because of her usage of the darkside in this revenge, she received a Darksister mark but instead of it being on her face, this on appeared over her heart.

They buried their son on Dathomir and Dani has now gone back to being called Araya. For the next five months the relationship between the two has become extremely close. They had decided to live as farmers on an outer rim planet for the rest of their days. During this time both continued to train in the Force but did not get involved with any planetary disputes. Shaggy had continued to perfect his lightsaber techniques and had almost mastered the form that was originally taught to him by his dark Jedi capture. Also during this time, he had the eyes that were forced in him by the Empire removed and had some more normal looking cybernetic ones implanted. They are a metallic blue in color and look relatively normal until one gets close enough to see the difference.

[edit] A New Start

That lasted until they received a call from a old friend. Master Naton had asked Shaggy to take over as Headmaster of the Jedi praxeum after the fall of Coruscant. Shaggy agreed and the two traveled back out of seclusion and into the main flow of the galaxy again and he received the official title of Master upon coming to the academy. Shaggy and Araya flew to the praxeum in his ship, The White Flame.

Shaggy made a point to bring together all the Jedi that could be found to Midpoint Station for a uniting of the order. During this time he was added to the Jedi Council under Master Naton's appointment. Shaggy took to honor and for the next several months, helped in the fight against a new enemy that was approaching the out rim territories. Unfortunately, this time did not last long. During a conflict the Force called Master Naton and others in the council to a special mission and Shaggy was appointed at the new Grand Master of the Jedi Order.

This was not something that Shaggy was prepared to do. His mind was filled with doubt and uncertainty. Above all this, the Force gave him a vision of an epic battle that happened almost 800 years earlier on Dathomir. Visions were not a common thing to Shaggy, so he and Araya immediately left for Dathomir to investigate. During his time on the planet, Shaggy was told that the Force had chosen him to be the successor of a great warrior and leader, Daer'Gunn. Daer'Gunn was the last male leader to reign on the planet of Dathomir and he was also called the beast rider. Shaggy had to undergo trails in order to full receive the heritage of the beast rider.

During these trials, Shaggy had to survive on his own without a lightsaber, food, or water. He made a long journey to a dormant volcano. Upon his arrive to the volcano he was lead down into the heart of the mountain and there faced an old nightsister, sworn to kill whomever entered her lair. The Nightsister turned out to be the one that was sent to make sure that no one ever awoke the beast that lived in that cavern. The only one who would be able to awaken the beast was to true heir to the legacy the Daer'Gunn left.

Shaggy was beaten and bloodied from his fight with the nightsister. She called upon large insects that cut into his flesh and injected poison into him. He was on his last bit of strength when he saw another vision of Daer'Gunn that told him to roar. Shaggy gathered all the breath in him and left out a Force amplified primal scream that was answered by a massive beast. The beast saved Shaggy's life and killed the nightsister. The two of them flew back to Araya's clan and there Shaggy went through a ceremony of the Change. When he emerged he had his wounds bandaged, a tattoo on his upper right arm, and a new name. He would now and forever be called Daer'Gunn.

Since he left that experience, he has reestablished his calling as Grandmaster of the Jedi. He has fully accepted his place in the Force and he is no longer afraid of what the future might hold.

[edit] The Nexus at Nexus Station

Daer'Gunn was persuaded to come to Nexus station by Kalja Sairu Leidias in order to finally set up a peace treaty between the Jedi and the Empire. During the time on the station, Daer'Gunn had some of his past revealed to him by Empress Croft. During the meetings with her, his own calling came into question and with a probing of the Force, he began to see things in a different light. He returned to the negotiation tables with the Empire, eventually finding a common ground and the peace treaty was established.

[edit] After Nexus

After the treaty was signed, Daer'Gunn made one last visit to Empress Croft. He asked for any and all records that she had on his past. She gave them to Daer'Gunn as a small gesture of an uneasy friendship. Accepting this gift with all the gratitude that he could, Daer'Gunn set out to the planet Dathomir on a personal sabbatical. While he was planetside, he came under the teachings of Dan'Ae, the leader of Araya's Grey Mountain clan. She brought into his life a more basic understanding of the way that they manipulated the Force which helped Daer'Gunn gain a greater control on the telekinesis weakness that he had. He can now move heavier and more objects around with ease. He still has far to go but he is gaining ground.

While he was within the grounds of the clan, he was to assume to role of any male in the village. He would awaken early and begin his allotted chores. Many times not finishing till after sunset, he would work until the job was finish. He found a simple satisfaction at the manual labor, it allowed him to clear his head and to concentrate on his teachings and finding what the Force had in store for him when he returned to his position. During one of his flights on Jiao, the Force revealed that his time as Grande Master was coming to a completion. He accepted this new role and he felt as though many of the weights that had been plaguing him was now lifted.

He said good bye to his hosts and returned to Onderon. Once there he reunited with his great love and made the formal announcement about his stepping down as the lead of the council on all Jedi and ally channels.

[edit] Lightsaber Techniques

Form I: Shii-Cho (Mastered)

Form V: Shien / Djem So (Mastered) Daer'Gunn was only taught one part of it from his former master and came into the knowledge of the second part. Thanks in large part to Danolie Notorious.

Form VII: Juyo / Vaapad (Adept) While he was on Dathomir, he gathered all the teaching he could on Form VII from the archives and has begun to put them into practice in his own styles. He prefers to stay quiet and keeps himself focused on the target a head. This discipline has brought about the art of Forum VII to his attention.

Daer'Gunn's style is very aggressive and his natural power and intensity is translated into his strikes. Even though he no longer follows the dark Jedi training for the lightsaber, many of its influences can still be seen in his style. He does not seek to just survive any duel, he always seeks to win. With the Sith gaining more power in the galaxy, just to survive is the wrong stance to take during a duel that could decide the fate of hundreds or thousands.

[edit] Daer'Gunns Battle Armor and Fighting Style

This armor was originally given to him by his Imperial wardens. His gauntlets are made with a special mineral called Cortosis ore. This Cortosis ore was turned into cortosis weave and placed in layers on his gauntlets that cover Daer'Gunn's arms from the back of his fist to his elbow. Also they cover his legs from his knees to his feet. The red body armor is based off of an old Echani armor. This was to give Daer'Gunn plenty of movement but would also be good body armor. It is red because it is also the same type of armor the Royal Guardsmen used when gaurding Palatine.

Also he has studied the art of the Echani unarmed combat. While his armor is based off of their, he was given the proper training to be able to move in the armor and to fight in the most effective way while being unarmed.

More recently, since his trip to Dathomir, he has begun to introduce more of the Force powers into his arsenal. Besides the obvious physical boosts the Force gives him, he has started to incorporate his newly found telekinesis and more of the Dathomir Witch fighting styles into his fighting.

Even though the Force is the primary weapon of a Jedi, the lightsaber has become the extension of that weapon. Daer'Guun is not the best lightsaber master like Tulsar Leidias but Daer'Gunn's personal philosophy is to only stay with a couple of forms and master those. He is hoping to teach this style of incorporating hand to hand combat plus lightsaber with Force powers to his student, Renato Farani.

[edit] The Daer'Gunn Symbol

This was used by the last beast rider Daer'Gunn and now that Shaggy has taken on, not only his name but his legacy as leader, it has become his symbol as well.

[edit] Force Powers

Force Leap/Jump - Uses the Force to augment the user's natural leaping ability. Force users adept in this can perform incredible vertical/horizontal leaps with impunity

Burst of Speed - Makes the user able to maintain sprinting speeds

Force Camouflage - Allows the user to blend in with his/her surroundings. not as affective as Force Cloak

Enhance Ability - The Force boosts the user's abilities, empowering his or her strength, dexterity, and endurance

Breath Control - Skilled users of this power are said to be able to hold their breath for hours, even days.

Force Aura - This power temporarily strengthens a Jedi's defense and ability to resist most forms of attack, be they physical, energy, or Force related, lessening the damage if any.

Protection - A power generally only achieved by high-ranking Jedi masters, Force protection will make the bearer invulnerable to a wide range of physical weapons, energy weapons, and Force powers. Daer'Gunn can do this to a very limited extent and it drains him considerably.