Jerik Blackthorne

From Star Wars: Exodus Visual Encyclopedia

"I am Darth Odium, Dark Lord of the Sith. I am darkness incarnate. I will not be denied."

— Darth Odium

Jerik Blackthorne was one of two sons to Cadden Blackthorne. He and Guan were birthed from cloning cylinders, just like their half-brothers Caius and Xanic. Like their half-brothers, they themselves were not clones of either Cadden, their father, or their mother, Renalla. Rather, they were test-tube birthed. Due to unknown circumstances, their aging was, as a result, accelerated until puberty, after which the process stabilized to normal levels. The reasons for this were unknown, and perhaps deliberate.

More powerful (physically) than his brother, Jerik was not as clear-minded as Guan. Yet he was still concise and adept at making tactical decisions, often leading to victory. Inhertiting his father's genes as a warrior, Jerik seldom spoke, and when he did it is when he was spoken to or if he had something important to say. He saw his lightsaber as a tool, used to enhance his combat powress, rather than as a weapon he should rely on. Jerik practiced relentlessly in melee combat technique, focusing on his lightsaber, and held a high chance of besting others in his class in a duel. His abilities to use the Force were more of enhancements for his other physical abilities, and as such would not usually use it as his weapon, but as a way to get things done. This made Jerik a deadly lightsaber duelist, and a good ally to have on one's side.

Alongside his brother, Jerik had an adventurous life since he left Ronu III. Since the day they were brought to their father, they had encountered more trouble, more adventures, than he dared to count. However, those days ended when Cadden departed from the two to Mandalore, and Jerik joined the Jedi Order's cause. He and his brother were stationed on Taylon, in the City of the Jedi, during the Cylon Imperium's attack on the world and a near-successful Xen'Chi assault not too long after.

Surviving the battle, Jerik reformed the Guardians of Life with his brother, but his arrogance got the better of him and, unlike Guan, he left for Onderon shortly after the battle that ocurred there. This triggered Jerik's decision to begin a quest to hunt down and destroy the Dark Side wherever it resided.

However, in time, Jerik's pride and ambition betrayed him, and after the Battle of Onderon, while on Ronu II, Jerik accepted the Dark Side of the Force and became known as Darth Odium. He studied under the ghost of the Sith Lord Darth Nefarious and over the course of several weeks, became qualified through his sheer determination to hold the rank of Sith Master. Jerik fought and defeated Roth Sorabac in combat, and named him his first apprentice.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early Life 1.2 Jedi Knight 1.3 Temptation 1.4 Transition to Sith 1.5 Dark Shadows 2 Training in the Force 2.1 Force Powers 2.2 Darth Odium's Lightsaber 3 Active Threads

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early Life

Born and raised on Ronu III, Jerik had no real knowledge of outside life for several years. Renalla Starrider, his mother, raised him, his brother, and two half-brothers by herself. Instructing each in the ways of the Jedi since they were of proper age, their training was accelerated due to their accelerated growth, a side-effect in their test-tube birthing process through cloning cylinders. When the four young Jedi hit puberty, the side-effect wore off. At the age of fifteen, they witnessed the traumatic experience of their mother falling ill to, and dieing from, a disease on the planet. They spent the next three years alone, until Cazzik Wyn and Xanamiar Knight found them and delivered them off-world.

[edit] Jedi Knight

The two Blackthornes traveled with the Wyns and Knight for some time, before Cazzik could track down their father, Cadden Blackthorne. When Guan and Jerik traveled with him, Jerik came to realize that Cadden had a knack for attracting trouble. In the year prior to Blackthorne Enterprises being constructed in the Udine System, they had cracked down on several criminal organizations and waged a personal war against a small-time Imperial warlord. When the time for Blackthorne Enterprises finally came, Jerik followed his father into the asteroid field to learn of their Mandalorian heritage. He also received his first taste of the Dark Side, there, when he was tempted by the heritage to turn to a life of war.

However, with the help of Guan, Jerik was able to turn away from the asteroid, laden with Dark Side energies, and not return. He helped Cadden with the planning of making Udine independent from the Wild Star Confederacy, and later helped him dismantle Blackthorne Enterprises when complications arose that compromised the entire objective. During this time, they witnessed their first, and last, taste of the Nomad Soul's power, who had corrupted Cadden and turned him into an agent of darkness. Guan, with his father's help, was able to destroy the Nomad Soul, while Jerik had dueled Cadden and beat him.

He joined Cadden upon the unofficial construction of the alleged Dark Justice team onboard the Rogue Star, and played a key part in capturing the Falleen dreadnaught Peacekeeper (later renamed to Conqueror by the Mandalorians).

Jerik was a key player in the defense of the City of the Jedi during the Battle of Taylon against Cylon Imperium forces. He slew the Dark Jedi Raven in lightsaber combat, but at the price of another nudge toward the Dark Side. When the Xen'Chi attacked the city a month later, Jerik aided in the ground defenses near Cazzik's position, until the Xen'Chi's Chosen arrived. He survived the battle, with some minor wounds, but was fortunate enough to leave the battlefield alive.

[edit] Temptation

"He possesses a great deal of potential."
"That may be, but he still has much to learn, Master Wyn. He has become arrogant, of late."

— Cazzik Wyn and Rayatryn Jeib

Through his extensive training in the Force, Jerik shifted over to a new focus of mastery in lightsaber combat, honing his skills in the areas of powerful strikes and swift blows. Under the instruction of Jedi Master Rayatryn Jeib, he began to grow arrogant of his increasing skills with the blade, and further command over the Force. Soon, it would lead to his inevitable downfall.

Jerik learned of the Battle of Onderon not long after its conclusion, and his hot-headed nature drove him to traveling there himself. Unlike his brother, who opted to stay, he wished to help. Guan insisted that he be accompanied by a Jedi Knight and Taylon soldiers, to prevent him from doing anything brash. With that assistance, Jerik took the Inferno to Onderon. There, he met with Daer'Gunn, Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, who gave Jerik the Sith dagger that slew his grandfather with instructions to deliver it to Cadden.

This brought about a wave of emotions, which drove Jerik to start a crusade against the Dark Side itself. He justified this crusade by rebuking claims that he was acting out of vengeance, as Jerik saw his hunt against the Dark Side as a quest for justice. This quest led Jerik to the Ronu System, where he was to travel to Ronu III and meditate on his next move there.

However, Jerik's plans were interrupted when he sensed, and remembered, the Dark Side energies on the neighboring world of Ronu II. Instead, he went planetside, where he, Lobair Cean, and four Taylon soldiers began Jerik's quest to destroy the taint of the Dark Side on the planet.

Darth Nefarious, a Sith spirit entombed underneath Ronu II's surface, had other plans, and lured Jerik to his resting place. There, he corrupted young Blackthorne, and turned him to the Dark Side. Jerik accepted the teachings of the Sith in order to grow stronger, and bring justice to those who attacked Onderon. Given the name Darth Odium, Jerik left the tomb and slew the two troops who accompanied him. He returned to his ship and repeated the process with two more troops stationed, and then dueled and killed Lobair Cean. His journey to the Dark Side had just begun.

[edit] Transition to Sith

"You, Jedi, will henceforth be known as Darth Odium. For your hatred will carry on the name of the Order of the Sith Lords."

— Darth Nefarious

Darth Odium traveled to Nefarious's palace on the jungle world, where he studied at the foot of the Dark Lord himself. He learned of the ways of the Sith through the various manuscripts that Nefarious had collected, and some even written, and embraced each teaching. With a passion in his heart to destroy the Cult of Shadow, he was driven to becoming a Sith Master in as little time as possible. Odium was taught on advanced lightsaber combat techniques, harnessing the Dark Side of the Force to achieve otherwise-impossible feats, and even of patience.

His skills were put to the test several weeks later when a man named Roth Sorabac arrived on Ronu II. Jerik utilized his training to fight and defeat Roth, nearly killing him twice. The first time was intervened by Nefarious, whom congratulated Odium on a job well done. The defeat of Roth Sorabac was his final test, and Odium was ready for the title of Sith Master.

Odium offered the role of apprentice to Roth, whom initially refused. As he was about to be slain, Roth abruptly changed his mind, and accepted his role as apprentice to the Sith Lord, knowing it would save his life. As such, Odium gave Roth Sorabac the Sith name of Darth Dolosus.

Darth Odium was ready to begin his plans to strike back at the Cult of Shadow.

[edit] Dark Shadows

"The Order of the Sith Lords shall be reborn, and we shall have our vengeance."

— Darth Odium

The first step in Odium's plans involved the transformation of the Scorpion People into Sithspawn. The process made the Scorpion People completely loyal to Darth Odium, and obedient (to an extent) to Darth Dolosus. When the entire populace was either transformed or (those few that were not) eradicated, Odium launched his grand campaign in building up his forces. The Scorpion People were merely the beginning, and a means to acquire his true power.

[edit] Training in the Force

Having mastered essential forms of combat, Jerik crafted himself into a deadly duelist. Though he held strong powers in the Force, they typically supplemented his ability to wield and duel with a lightsaber.

[edit] Force Powers

In addition to basic Force powers, Jerik also used the following:

• Battlemind
• Battle Precognition
• Force Deflection
• Force Healing
• Force Valor

[edit] Darth Odium's Lightsaber

Darth Odium's lightsaber was one he made especially for his unique method of fighting. Rather that utilizing a standard single-bladed lightsaber, Odium extended the hilt of his lightsaber to include a segment in the rear that, once released, extended a fibercord interlaced with cortosis weave, allowing him a greater reach and a quicker victory upon an unsuspecting foe.

[edit] Active Threads

Dark Shadows