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Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Empty Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread

March 13th 2020, 7:16 pm
Message reputation : 100% (8 votes)

INTRODUCTION

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread FTvWWff

Darth Wyyrlok III is sorely underrated. This collaborative effort between myself and @Azronger should rectify that. Enjoy!

This thread is divided into three main sections:


Bibliography:

  • Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Season 5 Episode 16, The Lawless (Brian Kalin O'Connell; 2013)
  • Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Darth Maul, Shadow Conspiracy (Jason Fry; 2013)
  • Star Wars: The Essential Reader’s Companion (Pablo Hidalgo; 2012)
  • Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide - Updated and Expanded (Ryder Windham, Daniel Wallace; 2012)
  • Star Wars: Book of Sith - Secrets from the Dark Side (Daniel Wallace; 2012)
  • Star Wars: Darth Plagueis (James Luceno; 2012)
  • Star Wars: Legacy - War #6 (John Ostrander; 2011)
  • Star Wars: Legacy - War #5 (John Ostrander; 2011)
  • Star Wars: Legacy - War #4 (John Ostrander; 2011)
  • Star Wars: The Old Republic - Deceived (Paul S. Kemp; 2011)
  • Star Wars: Mysteries of the Jedi (Elizabeth Dowsett; 2011)
  • Star Wars: Legacy - War #2 (John Ostrander; 2011)
  • Star Wars: Legacy - War #1 (John Ostrander; 2010)
  • cbr.com: Ostrander & Duursema Unleash “Star Wars: Legacy - War” (Jeffrey Renaud; 2010)
  • Star Wars: Legacy #50 (John Ostrander; 2010)
  • cbr.com: Ostrander and Duursema Leave Their “Legacy” on Star Wars (Kevin Mahadeo; 2010)
  • Star Wars: Legacy #48 (John Ostrander; 2010)
  • Star Wars: Legacy #47 (John Ostrander; 2010)
  • Star Wars: Legacy #46 (John Ostrander; 2010)
  • Star Wars: Legacy #45 (John Ostrander; 2010)
  • Star Wars: Darth Bane - Dynasty of Evil (Drew Karpyshyn; 2009)
  • Star Wars: Jedi Academy Training Manual (Rodney Thompson, Eric Cagle, Patrick Stutzman, Robert Wieland; 2009)
  • Star Wars: Legacy #34 (John Ostrander; 2009)
  • Star Wars: Legacy Era Campaign Guide (Rodney Thompson, Sterling Hershey, Gary Astleford; 2009)
  • Star Wars: Legacy #32 (John Ostrander; 2009)
  • Star Wars: Legacy #31 (John Ostrander; 2008)
  • The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia (Stephen J. Sansweet, Pablo Hidalgo, Bob Vitas, Daniel Wallace, Mary Franklin, Josh Kushins, Chris Cassidy; 2008)
  • Star Wars: Legacy #30 (John Ostrander; 2008)
  • Star Wars: Legacy #27 (John Ostrander; 2008)
  • Star Wars: The Force Unleashed novelization (Sean Williams; 2008)
  • Star Wars: Legacy #0.5 (John Ostrander; 2008)
  • Star Wars: Legacy #19 (John Ostrander; 2008)
  • Star Wars: Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force (Ryder Windham; 2007)
  • Star Wars: Legacy #17 (John Ostrander; 2007)
  • Star Wars: Legacy #15 (John Ostrander; 2007)
  • Star Wars: Legacy #14 (John Ostrander; 2007)
  • Star Wars: Legacy of the Force - Sacrifice (Karen Traviss; 2007)
  • Star Wars: Darth Bane - Path of Destruction (Drew Karpyshyn; 2006)
  • Star Wars: Legacy #2 (John Ostrander; 2006)
  • Star Wars Insider #88: Legacies of Future Orders (Frank Parisi; 2006)
  • Star Wars: Legacy #0 (John Ostrander; 2006)
  • Star Wars: Dark Lord - The Rise of Darth Vader (James Luceno; 2005)
  • Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide (Ryder Windham; 2005)
  • Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - Dark Lords of the Sith audio drama (HighBridge Audio; 2005)
  • Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith novelization (Matthew Stover; 2005)
  • Star Wars: The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology (W. Haden Blackman; 2004)
  • The Official Star Wars Fact File #105 (Chirs Spitale; 2003)
  • Star Wars: Darth Maul - Shadow Hunter (Michael Reaves; 2001)
  • Star Wars: Episode I Journal - Darth Maul (Jude Watson; 2000)
  • Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Scrapbook (Ryder Windham; 1999)
  • Star Wars: Dark Empire audio drama (HighBridge Audio; 1994)
  • Star Wars: Dark Empire #6 - The Fate of a Galaxy (Tom Veitch; 1992)
  • Star Wars: Lando Calrissian and the Flamewind of Oseon (L. Neil Smith; 1983)
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Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Empty OVERALL FORCE POWER AND KNOWLEDGE

March 13th 2020, 7:20 pm
Message reputation : 100% (2 votes)
The Wyyrlok title is taken by the Sith who acts as Darth Krayt’s closest confidante, lieutenant and advisor. They act as his voice, seer, second-in-command and the Loremaster of the Sith, with an unparalleled knowledge of Sith lore, rituals and history, and dark side abilities eclipsed only by the Dragon of the Sith himself. The Wyyrloks follow a tradition of submitting their child for training on Korriban so that they may one day take over the position. Darth Wyyrlok III is the third of that name, successor to his mother and grandfather, and is in the process of training his daughter, Saarai.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo10

Third of that name, Wyyrlok is Krayt’s most trusted lieutenant, master of ritual lore of the Sith and all the ways of the dark side.

Star Wars: Legacy #0

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo11

The third Sith Master to hold this name, Wyyrlok is Krayt’s second-in-command, a master of ritual lore of the Sith and of all ways of the dark side.

Star Wars: Legacy #0.5

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo12

Darth Wyyrlok. The third of that name to serve the Lord of the One Sith -- Darth Krayt. Confidant, advisor, seer, Master of Sith lore.

Star Wars: Legacy #27

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo13

Krayt’s most trusted lieutenant, Darth Wyyrlok is his second in command. He is also the third person to take on the name Darth Wyyrlok. Calm, philosophical, and skilled in diplomacy, Wyyrlok is the voice of reason within—and the public face of—the Sith order. His knowledge of the rituals and lore of the Sith is unparalleled, and his dark side abilities are surpassed only by Krayt.

Star Wars Insider #88

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Rivall10

A Chagrian Sith Lord and Darth Krayt’s second in command during the rise of Krayt’s new Sith Order. Wyyrlok's knowledge of Sith lore, rituals, and history was rivalled only by that of Krayt himself. The reserved, philosophical Chagrian was the third individual to hold the title of Darth Wyyrlok, and ensured the continuation of the pattern by submitting his own daughter for training on Korriban.

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo14

“My Lord dreams in darkness and I wait -- as did my mother before me and her father before her. I am Wyyrlok. Always the first of his servants, the one closest to him, the one nearest his thoughts. I wonder now if I shall be the last. I have no concern for myself. My line continues with a daughter in training on Korriban. She will be a fine Wyyrlok in her time.”

Darth Wyyrlok, Star Wars: Legacy #14

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Saarai11

“Saarai is my daughter and will, some day, be the next Darth Wyyrlok.”

Darth Wyyrlok, Star Wars: Legacy #34

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Saarai12

“Your power is nascent, and not fully realized. Be patient. Your time will come.”

Darth Wyyrlok, Star Wars: Legacy - War #1

Wyyrlok III is utterly dedicated to serving Lord Krayt and will go to the ends of the galaxy to increase his understanding of the Force in order to serve his Master. He is ”one of the greatest scholars of the Jedi, Sith and other Force-using traditions in the galaxy,” with ”access to books, scrolls, holocrons and computer records from across the eons,” which he has collected for that end. His studies take him to the ends of the galaxy in order to find a cure for Krayt’s illness.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo15

Known as the Loremaster of the Sith, Darth Wyyrlok is one of the greatest scholars of the Jedi, Sith, and other Force-using traditions in the galaxy. Darth Wyyrlok has access to books, scrolls, holocrons, and computer records from across the eons, which he has collected in the hopes of gaining a deeper understanding of the Force. Darth Wyyrlok is utterly dedicated to serving Darth Krayt and will go to the ends of the galaxy to find a way to restore his master’s body to its youthful form.

Star Wars: Legacy Era Campaign Guide

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo16

Darth Krayt and Darth Wyyrlok continued to delve into the ancient Sith lore, hoping to find a cure for his condition.

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo17

Wyyrlok knows how these biots threaten to take over his Master’s body and leave him a mindless shell. He probed deep into his collection of ancient books of Sith lore, seeking an answer to Krayt’s affliction in the wisdom of the past.

Star Wars: Legacy #27

To understand the resources Wyyrlok has at his disposal to do this, Darth Krayt’s Empire rules virtually the entire galaxy, save for a few areas in the Outer Rim and Bastion. It is as powerful as it was during the height of Palpatine’s tyranny, he patrols space in all parts of the galaxy, and every planet is squeezed under his control. The dark side’s influence is “stronger than ever,” and “far more visible,” and “the influence of evil can be felt everywhere.” There are “[Sith] Lords in every sector” of the galaxy, and the Sith have not ruled as convincingly and visibly as this since Revan and Malak’s day. Few, if any worlds, meaning planetary systems, are beyond the Empire’s reach.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Krayt_15

The real Roan Fel retreats into exile, taking his loyal Imperial Knights and other Imperial personnel with him. In his absence, Darth Krayt’s Empire solidifies its hold on the galaxy through fear and military might. Across the galaxy, shipyards produce Imperial warships, and within a few short years the Empire becomes as powerful as it was during the height of Emperor Palpatine’s tyranny. Stormtroopers are recruited and trained, the Imperial Navy patrols the space in all parts of the galaxy, and the Sith Lords and their Moff cronies squeeze the planets under their control.

Star Wars: Legacy Era Campaign Guide

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Sith_a11

In the Legacy era, there is no balance to the Force. Instead, the dark side of the Force holds sway, and the influence of evil can be felt everywhere. With Lords in every sector and at the heads of Imperial space fleets, the influence of the dark side is stronger than ever, and far more visible. The Sith act overtly, making it clear that they rule the Empire and, by extension, the galaxy. Not since the days of Darth Revan and Darth Malak have the Sith ruled so convincingly. The dark side clouds everything, and the galaxy’s future is harder to see than ever before.

Star Wars: Legacy Era Campaign Guide

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Sith_a12

The Galactic Empire rules the galaxy, imposing the same conditions that the Empire did under Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader.
The Empire is, in turn, ruled over by the Sith. Sith Lords can be found throughout the galaxy and are feared everywhere they go.


Star Wars: Legacy Era Campaign Guide

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Few_wo10

As in all previous eras, space travel in the Legacy era is the lifeblood of the galactic economy. Few worlds, if any, are beyond the reach of the Empire ruled by Darth Krayt, and the ramifications of the Sith-Imperial War are felt from the Unknown Regions to the Deep Core.

Star Wars: Legacy Era Campaign Guide

Furthermore, the One Sith order as a whole is “fully immersed in the dark side," and for over a hundred years, have “infused themselves with the dark knowledge in the ancient Sith temples” of Korriban. They are “Armed with ancient knowledge gained from holocrons found on the world of Korriban.” Wyyrlok’s inferiors like Darth Nihl and Darth Maladi studied holocrons belonging to the ancient Sith.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread The_on10

Ancient and deadly, Darth Krayt has created a Sith order that is fully immersed in the dark side.

For over a hundred years, Krayt’s Sith have hidden on the planet Korriban, using the miasma of the dark side that permeates the planet to conceal themselves.


Star Wars: Legacy #0

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread The_on11

Meanwhile, a new Sith Order was secretly forming on the planet Korriban, infusing themselves with the dark knowledge found in the ancient Sith temples there, honing a plan to retake the galaxy.

Star Wars: Legacy #0 & #0.5

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread The_on12

Armed with ancient knowledge gained from holocrons found on the world of Korriban, and driven by what it believes to be a higher purpose, Krayt’s Sith order has been surreptitiously planning to bring its vision of peace and stability to the galaxy for over 100 years—and it will stop at nothing to make its vision a reality.

Star Wars Insider #88

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Maladi11

“There is a holocron that speaks of creatures who caused a plague on ancient Taris… The festering wounds he suffered resembled the infectious bite of these ‘rakghoul.’”

Darth Maladi, Star Wars: Legacy #30

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Maladi16

“You speak of the old ways. You have been accessing the ancient holocrons--the ones that teach what is no longer taught. A dangerous path.”

“A path you have walked, Lady Maladi--if you recognise the old truths.”


Darth Maladi and Darth Nihl, Star Wars: Legacy #17

Maladi is a student of both science and mysticism, being “extremely skilled” and a “genius” in Sith alchemy, having innovated it further by fusing it with Vong bioengineering. Vul Isen, a Sith scientist in Krayt’s employ, learned from Wyyrlok how not only to create a Sith Leviathan, but how to adapt it into a Sea Leviathan, then imprint his consciousness on the beast, making it a slave to his will. Despite this, he complains that Maladi shares none of her knowledge with him, and Maladi (while feigning insanity) mentions in passing that she has “forgotten more toxins than Isen imagines” - as in, she has forgotten more variations of the Sith toxin that was going to life-wipe Coruscant than Vul Isen can even imagine.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Maladi12

Extremely skilled in both Sith alchemy and the manipulation of Yuuzhan Vong bioengineering, Darth Maladi is very much a student of science as well as mysticism.

Star Wars: Legacy Era Campaign Guide

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Maladi10

“Darth Maladi implanted you both with latent Yuuzhan Vong coral seeds. Maladi’s genius is responsible for the mutation and sabotage of the Ossus project. Her knowledge of Vong bio-forms is profound. She had melded it with her understanding of the dark side of the Force. Fed dark energy, the seeds grow at an accelerated rate. The pain is considerably greater than normal. Their deaths… are imminent, Cade Skywalker. Nothing in the galaxy can save them… unless the rumors about you are, in fact, true.”

Darth Krayt, Star Wars: Legacy #15

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Maladi13

“Darth Wyyrlok suggested looking to older Sith lore--to adapt a Leviathan to undersea use. Very helpful. Not at all like that witch Maladi. She shares nothing.”

Vul Isen, Star Wars: Legacy #32

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Maladi14

“I made forgot more toxins than that bloodworm Isen imagines! ...Vaults deep on Coruscant--hidden away… notes for deadly substance--Alpha Red. I improved I perfected! Omega Red. More complete--all species!”

Darth Maladi, Star Wars: Legacy - War #2

The One Sith is also more advanced than certain previous iterations of the Sith Order. Sorzus Syn, one of the founding Sith Lords and a contemporary of Karness Muur, believed that the creation of even a normal Leviathan is “nature advanced to perfection.” She also noted “Alchemy on the nonliving is far simpler because there are no living cells to resist you,” and “Alchemy on the living is suited only for Masters. The subject’s own Force energy will fight you as you twist and shape the host. By recasting the shape again and again, you will get a Leviathan.” In short, Maladi’s knowledge of Alchemy and science is vastly greater than someone who Sorzus Syn would consider to be at the level of a Master alchemist.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Leviat10

“Some beasts are built to tear down enemy fortifications as my Leviathans and the chrysalides are. These Sith beasts are nature advanced to perfection.”

Sorzus Syn, Star Wars: Book of Sith - Secrets from the Dark Side

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Leviat11

“Sith alchemy is applied to both the living and the nonliving. Each is a distinct discipline of study, with the latter being better suited for new apprentices.

Sorzus Syn, Star Wars: Book of Sith - Secrets from the Dark Side

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Leviat12

Alchemy on the nonliving is far simpler because there are no living cells to resist you. This science is used to create amulets and enhance weapons. Any object touched with alchemical science will become Force-sensitive itself, forever retaining a mirror imprint of its forger.

Alchemy on the living is suited only for Masters. The subject’s own Force energy will fight you as you twist and shape the host. By recasting the shape again and again, you will get a Leviathan.”


Sorzus Syn, Star Wars: Book of Sith - Secrets from the Dark Side

But perhaps most importantly, the One Sith is not ignorant of “the many other Force traditions in the galaxy.” Unlike under Darth Sidious’s Empire, they also on occasion welcome members of these orders into the fold to learn from them. As a result, many members of the One Sith come from orders such as the Jensaaarai, the Nightsisters and other Force adepts, and their overall perspective and understanding of the Force is much more diversified and richer than the one derived from the Banite tradition.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Recrui10

Darth Krayt’s Empire is neither ignorant nor tolerant of the many other Force traditions in the galaxy, particularly those that might oppose the Empire’s advance or those with strong ties to the Jedi. For example, the Jensaarai, though small in comparison to the Jedi Order, is one of the first groups targeted in the wake of the Sith-Imperial War. However, the Empire is not so indiscriminate as Emperor Palpatine and his Inquisitors. Whereas the Sith of the past were simply content to eradicate the other Force-users of the galaxy, Darth Krayt at least vies members of other Force traditions a choice: They can join him and pledge their loyalty to the Sith Lord, or they can die. (Rarely does he afford a Jedi the same choice.) These traditions have a less violent history of conflict with the Sith, and as such may be more inclined to consider Darth Krayt’s “proposal.” Not surprisingly, many of the Sith in Darth Krayt’s Empire are former members of other Force traditions, among them former Jensaarai Defenders, Nightsisters, and other Force adepts who succumbed to the temptation offered to them by the Sith Lord.

Star Wars: Legacy Era Campaign Guide

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Recrui11

Though Darth Krayt offers members of non-Jedi Force traditions the opportunity to join his side, he is less lenient with those who are found to harbor Jedi on the run.

Star Wars: Legacy Era Campaign Guide

Specifically, Tenebrous and his Master “wasted years attempting to create a targeted virus that could be employed by the Jedi, separating them from the Force.” And Plagueis as of Part 2 believed that there is no “organic difference between the practitioners of the light and dark sides.”

Plagueis took it under advisement. “Their time is coming, Sidious. The signs are in the air. Their Order might have already been decimated had it not been for the setback Darth Gravid dealt the Sith. But his apprentice carried the imperative forward, and each successive Sith Lord improved on it, Tenebrous and his Master most of all, though they wasted years attempting to create a targeted virus that could be deployed against the Jedi, separating them from the Force. As if there were some organic difference between the practitioners of the light and dark sides; as if we communicate with the dark side through a different species of cellular intermediaries! When, in fact, we are animated by the same power that drives the passion of these beings gathered below. Target midi-chlorians and we target life itself.”

Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

Now, let’s contrast this with two things:

1. Krayt was able to communicate through the dark side, selectively placing a vision in the minds of only those touched by the dark side. This is shown by the fact Antares Draco and Cade Skywalker felt Krayt’s return through the Force, along with all the Sith, but the entire Jedi Council joined in meditation on the Taivas nexus were unable to sense anything (“No Jedi, not even the Council of Meditation, sensed the event he claims to have felt.” / "We will investigate if further -- seek to sense Krayt in the Force”). Moreover, a Sith Trooper corroborates this by claiming that “We millions.. Serve Lord Krayt.. Linked through the dark side.”

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Sith_t28

”I have been through death and conquered it. I have returned with my power multiplied. The dark side of the Force lives and manifests itself through me! I reach into the dark side now and send ripples through it to all who serve it -- know that I live!”

Darth Krayt, Star Wars: Legacy #50

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Sith_t29

Throughout the dark side, the force of Darth KraytƤs will -- alive, dominant, seductive -- is felt in the minds of the Sith from Korriban… to Mustafar… to Coruscant… and all planets in between, the sense of his presence invigorates and brings a fierce joy to the Sith…

Star Wars: Legacy #50

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Sith_t30

”...No… No! He’s dead!”

“Ha! You feel it also! The mind of Lord Krayt reverberating through the dark side! Final proof, Antares! The dark side exists in you! Admit it and join us!”


Antares Draco and Darth Havok, Star Wars: Legacy #50

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Sith_t31

”Agggh! No!”

“My, my, my, you felt, did you? Glorious! You felt the power of the living Lord Krayt in your mind! He has returned -- seeking all who have touched the dark side!”


Cade Skywalker and Vul Isen, Star Wars: Legacy #50

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Only_d10

”As troubling as young Skywalker’s vision seems, no Jedi, not even the Council of Meditation, sensed the event he claims to have felt. But since you feel it important, Wolf Sazen, we will investigate it further -- seek to sense Krayt in the Force -- despite Skywalker’s reputation.”

“What’s she talking about? My ‘reputation’”?

“No Jedi sensed what you say you did, Cade. Only the Sith -- and you. What does that tell us?”


T’ra Saa, Cade Skywalker, and Wolf Sazen, Star Wars: Legacy - War #1

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Sith_t10

”Death does not… matter. We millions… serve Lord Krayt… linked through the dark side. His will is… our will. His life… our life.

Sith Trooper, Star Wars: Legacy - War #5

2. Maladi was able to create a toxin which would kill all life on Coruscant, except from the Sith - “But the toxin will not kill Sith. By design, we are immune to it.”

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Maladi15

”I promised chaos and I brought it here. A Sith toxin -- created by Darth Maladi and dispersed by the Emperor’s own hand to kill me -- was the vector. But the toxin will not kill Sith. By design, we are immune to it.”

Darth Krayt, Star Wars: Legacy - War #6

The One Sith, in a certain sense, were able to identify and exploit a bifurcation in both the Cosmic and Living Force, the metaphysical world and the physical world, between dark siders and non-dark siders: able to send ripples through the Force exclusively to those attuned to the dark side, and able to immunise dark siders from a toxin that would otherwise kill all life. Something that Tenebrous and his Master tried for years and failed at, and Part 2 Plagueis outright believed to be impossible due to an incomplete understanding of the nature of midi-chlorians and the Force. Worth noting that despite this inadequacy, Plagueis nonetheless even at this point only had “a few last secrets” left to unlock from the Force.

Seen through the Force, he was a nuclear oval of mottled light, a rotating orb of terrifying energy. If the Maladian attack had weakened him physically, it had also helped to shape his etheric body into a vessel sufficiently strong to contain the full power of the dark side. Determined never again to be caught off guard, he had trained himself to go without sleep, and had devoted two standard decades to day-and-night experimentation with midi-chlorian manipulation and attempts to wrest a few last secrets from the Force, so that he—and presumably his human apprentice—might live forever. His inward turn had enabled him to master the equally powerful energies of order and disorder, creation and entropy, life and death.

Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

The Banite Sith note that many of the most important elements of Sith training pass from Masters to apprentices in unrecorded training sessions, and also that training an apprentice can strengthen a Sith, making them a more worthy vessel for the dark side.

Sadly he could glean only so much from the texts, crystals, and holocrons stored in the library. Crucial knowledge had been lost during the brief mastery of Darth Gravid, and many of the most important elements of Sith training since had been passed from Masters to apprentices in sessions that had been left unrecorded. More to the point, Darth Tenebrous had had very little to say regarding death.

Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

Darth Plagueis gazed at him. “You are impatient. You see no value in learning about weapons or explosives, Force suggestion or the healing arts. You hunger for power of the sort you imagine is to be found on Korriban, Dromund Kaas, Zigoola. Then let me tell you what you’ll encounter in those reliquaries: Jedi, treasure hunters, and legends. Of course there are tombs in the Valley of the Dark Lords, but they have been plundered and now draw only tourists. On Dxun, Yavin Four, Ziost, the same is true. If it’s history that has caught your fancy, I can show you a hundred worlds on which esoteric Sith symbols have been woven covertly into architecture and culture, and I can bore you for years with tales of the exploits of Freedon Nadd, Belia Darzu, Darth Zannah, who is alleged to have infiltrated the Jedi Temple, and of starships imbued with Sith consciousness. Is that your wish, Sidious, to become an academic?”

“I wish only to learn, Master.”

“And so you will. But not from spurious sources. We are not some cult like the Tetsu’s Sorcerers of Tund. Descended from Darth Bane, we are the select few who refuse to be carried by the Force and who carry it instead—thirty in a millennium rather than the tens of thousands fit to be Jedi. Any Sith can feign compassion and self-righteousness and master the Jedi arts, but only one in a thousand Jedi could ever become a Sith, for the dark side is only for those who value self-determinism over all else that existence offers. Only once in these past thousand years has a Sith Lord strayed into the light, and one day I will tell you that tale. But for now, take to heart the fact that Bane’s Rule of Two was at the start our saving grace, putting an end to the internecine strife that allowed the Jedi Order to gain the upper hand. Part of our ongoing task will be to hunt down and eliminate any Sith pretenders who pose a threat to our ultimate goals.”

Sidious remained silent for a long moment. “Am I to be equally distrustful of the lessons contained in Sith Holocrons?”

“Not distrustful,” Plagueis said gravely. “But holocrons contain knowledge specific and idiosyncratic to each Sith who constructed them. Real knowledge is passed by Master to apprentice in sessions such as this, where nothing is codified or recorded—diluted—and thus it cannot be forgotten. There will come a time when you may wish to consult the holocrons of past Masters, but until then you would do better not to be influenced by them. You must discover the dark side in your own way, and perfect your power in your own fashion. All I can do in the meantime is help to keep you from losing your way while we hide in plain sight from the prying eyes of our enemies.”


Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

Maul had grown more powerful since the last time he'd been in Sidious's presence, before the Neimoidian invasion of Naboo had turned disastrous and Obi-Wan had bested him inside the Theed power core. His hermitage on Lotho Minor, his lessons on Umbara, his restoration by Mother Talzin, and his training of Savage had all strengthened him, made him a more worthy vessel for the dark side to fill with its power.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Darth Maul, Shadow Conspiracy

Like the Banites, the One Sith also follow a tradition of having the apprentice kill their Sith Master upon completion of their apprenticeship and ascent to the rank of Sith Lord, as seen with Darth Talon and noted by Wyyrlok himself.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Killin10

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Killin11

“Apprentice, has Darth Ruyn been a good teacher?”

“He is the only teacher I have known, Lord.”

“Do you respect him? Do you care about him?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Kill him.”


Darth Krayt and Darth Talon, Star Wars: Legacy #2

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Killin11

“I behaved as any Sith would. As any Sith should--killing his Master. I offer no apology.”

Darth Wyyrlok, Star Wars: Legacy - War #1

As seen in the examples of Darth Plagueis, Darth Sidious and Exar Kun there is a transference or increase of power associated with this momentous act, which is likely why it is held as a tradition by so many Sith.

Awake in the oppressive heat, he replayed the events of the previous day, still somewhat astounded by what he had done. The Force had whispered to him: Your moment has come. Claim your stake to the dark side. Act now and be done with this. But the Force had only advised; it had neither dictated his actions nor guided his hands. That had been his doing alone. He knew from his travels with and without Tenebrous that he wasn’t the galaxy’s sole practitioner of the dark side—nor Sith for that matter, since the galaxy was rife with pretenders—but he was now the only Sith Lord descended from the Bane line. A true Sith, and that realization roused the raw power coiled inside him.

Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

With 11-4D deep in processing mode, Plagueis withdrew a vial of his own blood and subjected it to analysis. Despite the recent amplification of his powers he sensed that his midi-chlorian count had not increased since the events on Bal’demnic, and the analysis of the blood sample confirmed his suspicions. Research had long ago established that blood transfusions from Force-sensitive individuals did not confer Force powers to recipients, though blood with a high midi-chlorian count could grant temporary strength and resiliency. Experiments in absolute transfusion had gone horribly awry for recipients, suggesting to some that the Force exacted a toll on those who attempted to tamper with it. An individual’s midi-chlorians seemed to know to whom they belonged and become unresponsive outside their dedicated vessel.

Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

A tremor took hold of the planet.

Sprung from death, it unleashed itself in a powerful wave, at once burrowing deep into the world’s core and radiating through its saccharine atmosphere to shake the stars themselves. At the quake’s epicenter stood Sidious, one elegant hand vised on the burnished sill of an expansive translucency, a vessel filled suddenly to bursting, the Force so strong within him that he feared he might disappear into it, never to return. But the moment didn’t constitute an ending so much as a true beginning, long overdue; it was less a transformation than an intensification—a gravitic shift.

A welter of voices, near and far, present and from eons past, drowned his thoughts. Raised in praise, the voices proclaimed his reign and cheered the inauguration of a new order. Yellow eyes lifted to the night sky, he saw the trembling stars flare, and in the depth of his being he felt the power of the dark side anoint him.


Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

The dark side had made him its property, and now he made the dark side his.
Breathless, not from exertion but from the sudden inspiration of power, he let go of the sill and allowed the monster to writhe through his body like an unbroken beast of range or prairie.

Had the Force ever been so strong in anyone?

Sidious had never learned how Plagueis’s own Master had met his end. Had he died at Plagueis’s hand? Had Plagueis, too, experienced a similar exultation on becoming a sole Sith Lord? Had the beast of the end time risen then to peek at the world it was to inhabit, knowing its release was imminent?


Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6-BXAR9UcA&t=28m50s

"I sense a disturbance in the Force. As if one great power has fallen, and another has risen in its place."

Vodo-Siosk Baas, Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - Dark Lords of the Sith audio drama
The Lost
The Lost
Level Five
Level Five

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Empty OVERALL FORCE POWER AND KNOWLEDGE (cont.)

March 13th 2020, 7:23 pm
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However, it is also clear that an important element of this process is that the apprentice is killing someone that they care for or respect. This is displayed with Darth Malgus, whose love for Eleena Daru created a link to the light side, and so in killing her Malgus’s connection to the dark side was purified, and her memory served as a source of anguish and rage from which to draw more power. Jacen Solo murdering Mara Jade Skywalker in combination his willingness to sacrifice the "bond of trust” between himself and Ben Skywalker also increased his power and pushed through a “threshold in his Sith potential.” Even the relationship based on cruelty and hatred between Darth Sidious and Darth Maul forged “a filial bond” between them, and the prospect of one day killing his Master and father figure was something Maul often pondered. For Wyyrlok, this would be even more intense as his Master wasn’t his just his aunt or merely a parental figure but literally his biological mother. Even though he was a Sith, he still retained enough empathy to care for the safety of his daughter to send her away when the reborn Darth Krayt was coming to exact his vengeance, and presumably would have been even more in touch with his sentimental side before sacrificing his mother, making the experience all the more transformative for him.

He knelt beside Eleena, cradled her head in his left arm. He studied her face, its symmetry, the line of her jaw, the deep-set eyes, the perfectly formed nose. He remembered the first time he had seen her, a cowed, beaten slave barely out of her teens. He’d killed her owner for his brutality, taken her into his house, trained her in combat. She had been his companion, his lover, his conscience ever since.

Her eyes fluttered open, focused. She smiled. “Veradun, you are my rescuer.”

“Yes,” he said.

“Where is the woman?” Eleena asked. “The Jedi?”

“She is gone. She will never hurt you again.”

She leaned her head back into his arm, closed her eyes, and sighed contentedly. “I knew you loved me.”

“I do,” he acknowledged, and her smile widened. He felt tears forming in his eyes, his weakness made manifest.

She opened her eyes, saw the tears, reached up an arm to put a hand on his cheek. “What is wrong, my love?”

“That I love you is what is wrong, Eleena.”

“Veradun—”

He steeled himself, stood, ignited his lightsaber, and drove it through her heart.

Her eyes widened, never left his face, pierced him. Her mouth opened in a surprised gasp. She seemed as if she wanted to say something, but no sound emerged from her mouth.
And then it was over and she was gone.

He deactivated his blade.

He could no longer afford a conscience, or a weakness, not if he was to do what must be done. He could serve only one master.

He stood over her body until his tears dried.

He resolved that he’d never shed another. He’d had to destroy what he loved. And he knew he would have to do it again. First the Jedi, then …

Behind him, Kerse and his soldiers were worrying at the landing bay doors, trying to cut their way in.

Malgus knelt and picked up her limp body. She felt as light as gauze in his arms. He would give her a funeral with honor, and then he would begin.

His vision on Korriban had shown him a galaxy in flames. But it was not just the Republic that required cleansing by fire.


The Old Republic: Deceived

Thinking of Eleena blew oxygen on the embers of his anger. In life, Eleena had been his weakness, a tool to be exploited by rivals. In death, she had become his strength, her memory the lens of his rage.

He resided in the calm eye of a storm of hate. Power churned around him, within him. He did not feel as if he were drawing on the Force, using it. He felt as if he were the Force, as if he had merged with it.

He had evolved. Nothing split his loyalties any longer. He served the Force and only the Force, and his understanding of it increased daily.


The Old Republic: Deceived

It certainly wasn’t that he didn’t trust Darth Sidious. But Plagueis had never observed Maul at close range, and he was curious about Sidious’s relationship with him. He knew that they had seldom met outside The Works, let alone walked together on a balcony of one of Coruscant’s most stylish monads in the dead of night, wrapped in their cowled cloaks. But it was only fitting that they should finally do so. With 11-4D close at hand, Plagueis stood observing the two of them from afar, his presence in the Force minimized.
The invasion and occupation of Naboo were proceeding on schedule, and the swamps were being searched in an effort to locate and isolate the principal underwater habitats of the planet’s indigenous Gungans, before they could pose a threat. But the two Jedi, Queen Amidala, and her retinue of body doubles and guards had succeeded in blasting their way through the blockade. With Maul’s help, counterfeit messages from the Queen’s adviser Sio Bibble had been transmitted to the missing starship, and one transmission had returned a faint connection trace to the Hutt-owned world of Tatooine. On learning as much, Plagueis had considered asking Jabba to apprehend the Queen, but not for long, out of concern for what the dark side might demand of him in return.

“Tatooine is sparsely populated,” 11-4D said, repeating what the Dathomiri Zabrak was saying to Sidious. “If the trace was correct, I will find them quickly, Master.”

“Go on,” Plagueis said quietly.

“In reply, Sidious is instructing Maul to make the Jedi his first priority. Once Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are disposed of, Maul is to return Queen Amidala to Naboo and force her to sign a treaty that cedes control of the planet and its plasma reserves to the Trade Federation.”
The droid paused, then added, “Maul says, ‘At last we reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge.’ ”

In the distance, Sidious turned to Maul.

FourDee sharpened its auditory inputs. “Sidious says: ‘You have been well trained, my young apprentice. They will be no match for you.’ ”

The words stirred deep misgiving in Plagueis and he stretched out with the Force, attuned to its swirling currents. Momentarily, the gates that obscured the future parted and he had a glimpse of events to come, or events that might come.

Either way, he was not encouraged.

Had he and Sidious misunderstood? Would it be better to abort the plan and trust that Palpatine would be elected even without having Naboo fall to the Trade Federation? Once the Jedi learned of the existence of one Sith, would they launch an intense hunt for the other?

Sidious had formed an almost filial bond with Maul. Attached to the present, he failed to grasp the truth: that this was the last time he and his apprentice might see each other in the flesh.


Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

When Maul reflected on the time he had spent on Dorvalla, his thoughts weren’t focused on the assassinations he had carried out. He had murdered many in his short life, and there was nothing about the deaths of Patch Bruit, Caba’Zan, and the others involved in the business of mining lommite ore that distinguished them from previous killings. In fact, the miners’ carelessness should have condemned them to lingering deaths rather than the quick ends Maul had dispensed. What he remembered instead was the feeling of participation the mission had afforded. Not only had he been able to draw on his talents for stealth, tracking, and combat, but he had used them in a manner that furthered the Sith Grand Plan, as hadn’t been the case during his years of training on Orsis, or during the forays Darth Sidious had allowed him to make to other worlds. On his return to Coruscant, the Dark Lord had praised him, which, Maul supposed, should have been reward enough. And might have been, had the mission led to another. But Darth Sidious had excluded him from participating in the Eriadu operation, and had been vague about future plans.

A direct outcome of what Maul had accomplished on Dorvalla, Lommite Limited and InterGalactic Ore had merged and been taken over by the Trade Federation, which in turn had resulted in Nute Gunray’s promotion to the company’s seven-member directorate. In further conversations with the viceroy, Darth Sidious had demanded that the Neimoidians willingly sacrifice one of their Lucrehulk freighters, along with a shipment of aurodium ingots, as a means of funding an Outer Rim insurgent group known as the Nebula Front. Maul had been nonplussed by his Master’s decision to reveal himself to the group’s leader, as Darth Sidious had done in his initial communication with Gunray; then dismayed to learn that the leader—a human named Havac—had betrayed Darth Sidious by attempting to assassinate Supreme Chancellor Valorum on Coruscant. The realization that his Master could be deceived, that he wasn’t infallible, had had a curious effect on Maul. It had caused him unease, a sudden concern for his Master’s safety that had intruded on his ability to still his mind and find reassurance in the dark side. It was not fear—for fear was something alien to Maul’s makeup—but a troublesome disquiet. Disquiet for the being he had once tried to kill, and was perhaps expected to kill. All these weeks later he would still sometimes spend hours wandering through the LiMerge Building like a house pet picking up on the scent of its owner …


Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

Killing didn’t get any easier. He was just getting better at it. But it still didn’t make sense. He rubbed his cheek, and the stubble rasped audibly under his fingers. Mara hadn’t been the most precious thing in his life. In recent weeks, she’d changed from being his only friend to just someone else who didn’t trust him and was getting in his way.

She was his aunt. She was family. When his role in her death became known—it had to be when, but not now, not anytime soon—the shock and hatred would tear apart what was left of the Skywalker and Solo families. Maybe even Niathal, and all the others who understood that securing peace was a dirty business, would be disgusted. I just killed my aunt. I grew up with her. She was there for me. We fought a war together. I have to face her son. I have to face Ben. What have I done?

His stomach rumbled. How could he possibly be hungry at a time like this?

He will immortalise his love.

Stupid knotted tassels, all kinds of ancient Sith prophecies that would come to pass when the new Dark Lord was ready to take up his mantle and usher in a golden age of justice, order, and peace. The key had been turned—and this was what the prophecy was supposed to mean—by Jacen killing what he most loved. He’d killed Mara, and Nelani, and Fett’s daughter, and chaotic unjust democracy, and he loved none of those. He’d tried to kill Lumiya more than once. She seemed to think that was part of the job description for Sith acolytes.

So Jacen didn’t believe it. And if Mara hadn’t been trying to kill him to begin with, he would have seen it even more as a life thrown carelessly away.

The fabric of existence didn’t seem to have changed enough. That shift should have been cataclysmic, and although he was too much of a pragmatist to think he could raise his fists to the sky and call down lightning to energise a mighty soul, he expected to be able to taste the spiritual and existential transformation.

He was afraid. However certain he’d been a few hours ago that Mara was to be the one destined to die, it didn’t make sense in the context of the prophecy. He didn’t feel different, either. Did that mean he still had to kill someone else? He’d been so certain it would all be over now. The sense of anticlimax was almost enough to make him sob.

Then he felt a presence. He leaned his head against the side of the cockpit canopy, and gazing up at him from the nightmarish planet surrounding his fighter was Lumiya. Jacen popped the seal. “I’m surprised you could be bothered to come and find me, after what happened.”

“You now need to be seen.” Lumiya had a new serenity about her. As ever, she still seemed to take no offense at him for trying to kill her again. “Your new existence has started, Dark Lord.”

“Really?” The pain in his shoulder gnawed at him like an animal tearing his flesh.“I don’t feel very lordly.”

“I assure you it’s done. I felt it.”


Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice

Jacen wandered over to the bridge holochart that showed the entire Corellian theater. They still had a lot of ships. There was a limited action going on on the Coreward side of the chart. It always struck Jacen as over-detached to show real-time life-and-death struggles as charmingly aesthetic and silent graphics.

“Is this current?”

“Yes, sir,” said the officer of the watch. “Updated once a minute.”

“I think we’re missing something, Lieutenant,” Jacen said, dipping his fingertip into the maze of light to make his point. “Look, what you have here is actually a flotilla of corvettes, and this Destroyer here will move into this position, because she’s actually operating a—”

He trailed off, aware of the raised eyebrows and puzzled looks he was getting, but bathed in the growing warmth of revelation.

I can see all this.

“Can we check that out?” the officer of the watch called to a colleague. “Colonel Solo is rarely mistaken.”

Colonel Solo, Jacen thought, had just had the epiphany of his life.

It’s true. Lumiya was right. Oh, this is exquisite. I was blind before. How did I ever think I could succeed as a commander without this?

Lumiya had promised him a battlefield awareness and judgment that made ordinary battle meditation look like a finger painting—to sense and coordinate by the power of his mind and will alone, a power that only came to fruition in the Master of the Sith.

It’s me. It really is. It was Mara’s sacrifice after all, I accept that now.

But I still don’t understand the prophecy. And I don’t like what I can’t understand.

He was a Sith Lord. Now his work could truly begin.

It had happened.

And it was beautiful.


Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Jacen_10

Jacen has reached a threshold in his Sith potential. He has sacrificed a loved one and the bond of trust between himself and Ben. Lumiya senses this shift in power and decides a further sacrifice is needed to cement Jacen’s rule. She allows herself to be found on Terephon by a vengeful Luke Skywalker, who attacks the Dark Lady. Lumiya claims credit for killing Mara, and an enraged Luke Skywalker, tipping towards the dark side, decapitates the Sith. It is a hollow victory, for Luke soon learns from Ben that it could not have been Lumiya who was responsible, as she was with Ben at the time of Mara’s death.

Jacen consoles Ben about Mara’s death, coldly feigning innocence in the murder and suggesting that it was an unseen agent of Lumiya who was responsible. Jacen feels his power in the dark side swell, unlocking new powers, including an unparalleled ability to command and coordinate fighting forces as the former Emperor once did. Fully committed to the Sith path, Jacen assumes the title of Darth Caedus.


Star Wars: The Essential Reader’s Companion

So, even at the start of Legacy, Darth Wyyrlok III would have inherited over a century of knowledge from various Force cults all over the galaxy encompassing millenia of lore and history, training and personal tutoring from his predecessors, gained a considerable power increase from killing the being who was both his parent and Master, and then benefited further from training Saarai, his own daughter and apprentice.

During the series, Wyyrlok also absorbed the knowledge of Darth Andeddu and his order, the Malevolence, who have trained in the dark side and preserved and passed down their knowledge for millennia in Andeddu’s fortress on Prakith. His battle with Andeddu also awarded him a profound increase in mental resolve, clarity, and focus, making him more assured than ever that the vision of the One Sith would be achieved. He purged doubt from his mind, believing with conviction that even should Krayt succumb to his illness, the Order would live on through him. More specifically, his belief that willpower gives the Sith their strength, and that by sheer force of will, a Sith can achieve almost anything, was strengthened.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo18

”Save your temptations. I am no fool. I’ll content myself with your scrolls and books.”

Darth Wyyrlok, Star Wars: Legacy #27

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Malevo10

A small group found on the Deep Core world of Prakith, the Malevolence are the living protectors of the tomb of Darth Andeddu, an ancient Sith Lord who once claimed Prakith as his domain. The Malevolence is a relatively isolated dark side cult that dwells within the tomb of Darth Andeddu and has for thousands of years since his death. The cult has sent out members to recruit new guardians, and as the cultists grow old and die off while waiting on their master’s resurrection, they are replaced by new blood who see it as their duty to guard the tomb and eventually be rewarded for their loyal service. The Malevolence trains in the ways of the dark side of the Force, and their cult has preserved Sith knowledge for millennia by passing it down from one generation to the next.

Star Wars: Legacy Era Campaign Guide

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo19

”You have doubts, Lord Wyyrlok, and doubts can cripple! You follow the vision of another when the only vision you should follow is your own! Your only Master should be yourself or you are a slave!”

Darth Andeddu, Star Wars: Legacy #27

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo10

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo11

What is a Sith? Over time, the beliefs have changed, but one constant has remained. The imposition of one’s will on the Force, on the environment surrounding one, on the galaxy itself. There is no substance stronger than the will of the Sith. Not durasteel, not Mandalorian beskar, not the beliefs of the Jedi. Nothing. Never question, never doubt. Those are poisons that sap your will, steal your strength, make you the prey and not the predator. It is Darth Krayt’s doubt -- that he will live to see the completion of his vision, that his Sith Order will outlive him -- that is killing him. Wyyrlok sees that now. That does not matter. Wyyrlok’s belief, his mission, his will are strong enough for himself and Krayt. Time will be made. A way will be found. A solution will be forged. It will all bend to his will.

Star Wars: Legacy #27

Wyyrlok displays this philosophy and mindset “in everything he does,” of particular note being his use of illusions, a form of Sith Sorcery, as an example of why the Sith are “masters of bending the galaxy to their will.” Conversely, Darth Tenebrous insisted that one could not master Sith Sorcery unless they had a natural affinity for the ability. Plagueis, however, discovered that this was not true: that it could be done through sheer will. He came to a similar conclusion as Wyyrlok: where the latter said a Sith can “achieve almost anything by sheer force of will,” Plagueis “understood, too, that there were no powers beyond his reach; none he couldn't master through an effort of will.” Darth Sidious likewise believed, contrary to Tenebrous and in line with Plagueis and Wyyrlok, that “Sith power resided not in the flesh but in the will,” and that “anger, combined with will, is the key to power.”

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo20

Darth Wyyrlok believes that it is willpower that gives the Sith their strength. By sheer force of will, a Sith can achieve almost anything, and Darth Wyyrlok displays this in everything he does. He is a master of illusions, capable of using the Force to trick his enemies’ minds into seeing that that are not there. In fact, so powerful are Darth Wyyrlok's mind tricks that he manages to convince nearly a dozen lightsaber-wielding dark side cultists on Prakith that they should fight and kill one another, proving once again that the Sith are masters of bending the galaxy to their will.

Star Wars: Legacy Era Campaign Guide

Still in safekeeping on Aborah were texts and holocrons that recounted the deeds and abilities of Sith Masters who, so it was said and written, had been able to summon wind or rain or fracture the skies with conjured lightning. In their own words or those of their disciples, a few Dark Lords claimed to have had the ability to fly, become invisible, or transport themselves through space and time. But Plagueis had never succeeded in duplicating any of those phenomena.

From the start Tenebrous had told him that he lacked the talent for Sith sorcery, even though the inability hadn't owed to a deficiency of midi-chlorians. It's an innate gift, the Bith would say when pressed, and one that he had lacked, as well. Sorcery paled in comparison with Bith science, regardless. But Plagueis now understood that Tenebrous had been wrong about sorcery, as he had been wrong about so many things. Yes, the gift was strongest in those who, with scant effort, could allow themselves to be subsumed by the currents of the Force and become conduits for the powers of the dark side. But there was an alternative path to those abilities, and it led from a place where the circle closed on itself and sheer will substituted for selflessness. Plagueis understood, too, that there were no powers beyond his reach; none he couldn't master through an effort of will. If a Sith of equal power had preceded him, then that one had taken his or her secrets to the grave, or had locked them away in holocrons that had been destroyed or had yet to surface.


Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

Yes, Vader was not precisely what he had bargained for. Vader's legs and arms were artificial, and he would never be able to summon lightning or leap about like the Jedi had been fond of doing. His dark side training was just beginning. But Sith power resided not in the flesh but in the will. Self-restraint was praised by the Jedi only because they didn't know the power of the dark side. Vader's real weaknesses were psychological rather than physical, and for Vader to overcome them he would need to be driven deeper into himself, to confront all his choices and his disappointments.

Star Wars: Dark Lord - The Rise of Darth Vader

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Will_t10

“Through the principles of anger, I will structure and maintain my Empire. The writings of Darth Malgus confirm that anger, combined with will, is the key to power. When anger intensifies to rage, it is unstoppable. Malgus submitted utterly to the dark side, and in doing so made him an exemplary warrior. His battlefield feats have never been duplicated.”

Darth Sidious, Star Wars: Book of Sith - Secrets from the Dark Side

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Will_t11

When the Force is sensed and moved by emotion, from the very center of the body, and meditated from the lower vital centers of the being, it acts with the destructive power of a storm … and the savagery of a beast.

Anger is the most potent catalyst to this kind of power. And anger that becomes rage, when channeled through the “vital gate” in the center of the body, can unleash absolutely unstoppable potency through the body.

Add the exquisite control of a fine intelligence standing watch over anger, and one has aggression that can kill with precision, crush cartilage from afar … or murder opponents from a great distance.

I have learned that Anger and Will joined together are the greatest power.
I have learned to meditate Anger and Will with clarity and precision, and I have learned to open the hidden reservoirs of dark side Power.

Anger concentrated by Will in the vital center of the body creates a portal through which vast energies are released—the energies of the dark side of the Force.

Standing watch with the mind, in my meditation of Anger, I have slain my enemies from great distances through the dark side Power that permeates the galaxy. I have created lightning, and unleashed its destructive fire.

Using this knowledge, I can unleash the dark side energies that are all around us, even to shatter the fabric of space itself. In this way, I have created storms.

Through a simple act of Will, I can generate Force Storms, energy storms that are vastly destructive and virtually unstoppable. Although triggering such storms requires mere thought and inclination, I admit I am not yet able to completely control the phenomenon. Among my goals is to perfect this control.


Darth Sidious, Star Wars: Jedi vs. Sith - The Essential Guide to the Force

One’s knowledge and understanding of the Force is directly and intrinsically tied to one’s ability to command and manipulate it, in battle and otherwise, seeing as one’s use of the Force in the most fundamental sense derives from the mind. Darth Bane gained power from Hetton’s knowledge; the Banite Sith’s increasing knowledge of the Force making each successive generation more powerful than the last;Yoda’s knowledge of the Force was what made him Sidious’s equal; A’Sharad Hett increased in power from the lore on Korriban; Galen Marek’s epiphany about the nature of the Force increased his strength; Emperor Palpatine’s edification on the dark side following his rebirth made him stronger than ever; and so on. When you combine Maladi’s ability to differentiate Jedi and Sith on an organic level with Wyyrlok’s ability to overcome the usual necessity of a natural talent in Sith sorcery to use it, substituting this for sheer willpower, it would suggest that Wyyrlok’s understanding of the Force was comparable and in some ways superior to that of the very latest members of the Banite Sith, most notably Tenebrous. Moreover, this specific understanding was the idea that Force power comes from willpower, which would go hand-in-hand with a Force-user’s ability to manipulate the Force deriving from their mental state, and by that principle, fuel their command of the Force far more than possibly any other kind of epiphany, as exemplified by Wyyrlok displaying it “in everything he does,” most notably the aforementioned feat of sorcery. The respective beliefs of one of the most powerful Sith ever and the most powerful Sith ever in this same core truth also formed the basis for their most potent and advanced abilities: midi-chlorian manipulation manipulation and the Force Storm.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Force_knowledge_power_4

Zannah agreed to take on hetton as her apprentice. They journeyed to Ambria, ostensibly to defeat Darth Bane, but the Sith Lord proved to be much stronger than Hetton had anticipated. With two slashes of his lightsaber, Bane severed Hetton’s arm before running him through, killing Hetton instantly. Hetton died without knowing that he had been betrayed by Zannah, who only sought to obtain his knowledge to help her Master grow in power.

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Banite19

For a millennium, the Sith maintained their order in secrecy, passing down their evil heritage. As they gained knowledge of the dark side of the Force, their powers increased with each generation. Nearly forgotten by the Republic, the Sith patiently waited for the day they would find a weakness in the Jedi.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Scrapbook

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Force_knowledge_power_6.png

Yoda’s knowledge of the Force makes him just as powerful as Darth Sidious. He can absorb Sidious’s Force lightning - and deflect it back! Concentration, focus, and a deep connection with the Force are all Yoda needs in a fight.

Star Wars: Mysteries of the Jedi

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread XoXaan_training_5.jpg

It was presumed that Hett had died during the execution of Order 66. In reality, he had taken the destruction of the Jedi Order as a chance to give in to and explore his emotions. Over time, he gained a great deal of strength in the Force, much of which came from his collections of Sith lore he discovered in his travels to Korriban. Following the guidance found in an ancient Sith Holocron, he eventually gave himself over to the power of the dark side, and became the Dark Lord known as Darth Krayt, a name honoring one of Tatooine’s most formidable predators.

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

For the first time, he understood that the one didn't come in two shades only: dark and light, distinct and combative, never meeting in the middle to form gray. Those were ideals, and ideals existed solely for philosophers and theoreticians to argue over. In the real world, dark and light coexisted in varying proportions; nothing was ever static. Thus this former Jedi Padawan could turn to the dark side after a lifetime serving the light - and she could just as easily turn back to the light afterward, if she survived.

Light, dark, Shaak Ti had tried to tell him, they are just directions.

We're always moving, he thought, toward the dark or toward the light. It's impossible to stand still. Some, like Darth Vader and the Emperor, had been descending through the dark side for so long that the light must have become a faint and distant memory. Some hovered eternally in the gray, never entirely choosing a side. There were, in fact, no actual sides, just the direction in which one happened to be moving. It was all relative.

Coming to that understanding gave him a new kind of strength.


Star Wars: The Force Unleashed novelization

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Force_knowledge_power_7

Resurrected in a youthful clone body, Palpatine does not reveal himself immediately. Studying the dark side of the Force to become more powerful, his education results in three manifestos: The Book of Anger, The Weakness of Inferiors, and The Creation of Monsters.

Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide

Finally, as noted earlier, Darth Wyyrlok III, like any Sith, would have received a power increase from killing and supplanting his Master, Wyyrlok II. It is just as likely that this process repeated itself when Wyyrlok killed his true Master, Krayt, but likely to a greater extent; for Krayt was not only his Master, but one to whom he was supremely loyal and devoted to and in turn trusted by completely, and so Wyyrlok severing that “bond of trust” like Jacen did with Ben would have helped him reach yet another “threshold in his Sith potential.” Furthermore, Krayt was the Dark Lord of the Sith, and individually embodied the One Sith - the dark side anoints the new Dark Lord of the Sith when the current one is deposed and in this moment a greater power is roused within the usurper. Wyyrlok supplanting Krayt, then, would have the threefold effect of killing his Master, severing a bond of trust, and achieving the rank of Dark Lord of the One Sith.

Awake in the oppressive heat, he replayed the events of the previous day, still somewhat astounded by what he had done. The Force had whispered to him: Your moment has come. Claim your stake to the dark side. Act now and be done with this. But the Force had only advised; it had neither dictated his actions nor guided his hands. That had been his doing alone. He knew from his travels with and without Tenebrous that he wasn’t the galaxy’s sole practitioner of the dark side—nor Sith for that matter, since the galaxy was rife with pretenders—but he was now the only Sith Lord descended from the Bane line. A true Sith, and that realization roused the raw power coiled inside him.

Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

With 11-4D deep in processing mode, Plagueis withdrew a vial of his own blood and subjected it to analysis. Despite the recent amplification of his powers he sensed that his midi-chlorian count had not increased since the events on Bal’demnic, and the analysis of the blood sample confirmed his suspicions. Research had long ago established that blood transfusions from Force-sensitive individuals did not confer Force powers to recipients, though blood with a high midi-chlorian count could grant temporary strength and resiliency. Experiments in absolute transfusion had gone horribly awry for recipients, suggesting to some that the Force exacted a toll on those who attempted to tamper with it. An individual’s midi-chlorians seemed to know to whom they belonged and become unresponsive outside their dedicated vessel.

Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

A welter of voices, near and far, present and from eons past, drowned his thoughts. Raised in praise, the voices proclaimed his reign and cheered the inauguration of a new order. Yellow eyes lifted to the night sky, he saw the trembling stars flare, and in the depth of his being he felt the power of the dark side anoint him.

Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

Sidious had never learned how Plagueis’s own Master had met his end. Had he died at Plagueis’s hand? Had Plagueis, too, experienced a similar exultation on becoming a sole Sith Lord? Had the beast of the end time risen then to peek at the world it was to inhabit, knowing its release was imminent?

Star Wars: Darth Plagueis

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo12

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo13

“Lord Krayt! You live?!”

“Used Force… to break fall. Get me… to bacta tank…! Made Muur… begin healing… in the Force… saw how to heal myself… I can survive! My vision… my dream… for One Sith… will live…!”

“It is a magnificent vision, my Lord. Sometimes for the dream to live… the dreamer must die.”


Darth Wyyrlok and Darth Krayt, Star Wars: Legacy #31

Darth Wyyrlok III would have been at the height of his power ever since, his mind crystalline and sharpened in adherence to one of the most profound truths of the dark side, his connection to the dark side purer and more powerful than ever.
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Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Empty DEMONSTRATED FORCE ABILITIES

March 13th 2020, 7:24 pm
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FORCE SENSE

I. Darth Wyyrlok III senses Darth Andeddu’s fear.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Sensin10

”I sense fear. You are a coward, Lord Andeddu, and you hid rather than face your foes. You do not deserve your knowledge or your power.”

Darth Wyyrlok, Star Wars: Legacy #27

II. Darth Wyyrlok senses Darth Krayt will have need of him soon.

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”Yes, I sense Lord Krayt will have need of me soon.”

Darth Wyyrlok, Star Wars: Legacy #31

III. Wyyrlok senses Reborn Krayt approaching as a firestorm of raw emotion and cold rage.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Sensin12

On the steps to the throne room of the Sith Temple, guards wait. They sense a dark presence approaching in the Force. Within the throne room, Darth Wyyrlok senses it too, a firestorm of raw emotion and cold rage.

Star Wars: Legacy - War #1

TELEKINESIS

I. Darth Wyyrlok ragdolls Gerlun with only an iota of his power.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Ragdol12

”You have seen only an iota of the power I possess.”

Darth Wyyrlok, Star Wars: Legacy #27

Note: Gerlun was capable of levitating to the other side of Darth Andeddu’s sarcophagus and pulling Andeddu’s Holocron to his hand.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Gerlun10

”Ha! I, too, can use the Force!”

Gerlun, Star Wars: Legacy #27

II. Wyyrlok pulls Andeddu’s Holocron to his hand and shoves Gerlun down a pit.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Levita10

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”In.”

“Gyaaaah!”


Darth Wyyrlok and Gerlun, Star Wars: Legacy #27

III. Wyyrlok opens Andeddu’s sarcophagus.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Openin10

”Is this your tomb, image of Andeddu?”

“Open it and see.”


Darth Wyyrlok and Darth Andeddu, Star Wars: Legacy #27

IV. Wyyrlok places Andeddu’s corpse within his sarcophagus and closes it.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Closin10

Star Wars: Legacy #27

V. Wyyrlok levitates Darth Krayt’s corpse to his shuttle.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Levita10

Star Wars: Legacy #31

VI. Wyyrlok chokes Morlish Veed.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Chokin10

”You decide to exterminate all life on Dac, and you don’t even bother telling me?! I am the Regent! I have Quarren ministers in my office, howling-- Akk!”

Morlish Veed, Star Wars: Legacy #47

VII. Wyyrlok tosses rocks at Krayt.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Tossin10

Star Wars: Legacy - War #1

FORCE LIGHTNING

I. Darth Wyyrlok kills a group of Force-sensitive Malevolence cultists with Force lightning, displaying only an “iota” of his true power.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Killin12

”You have seen only an iota of the power I possess.”

Darth Wyyrlok, Star Wars: Legacy #27

II. Wyyrlok kills Darth Krayt with lightning.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo12

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“Lord Krayt! You live?!”

“Used Force… to break fall. Get me… to bacta tank…! Made Muur… begin healing… in the Force… saw how to heal myself… I can survive! My vision… my dream… for One Sith… will live…!”

“It is a magnificent vision, my Lord. Sometimes for the dream to live… the dreamer must die.”


Darth Wyyrlok and Darth Krayt, Star Wars: Legacy #31

III. Wyyrlok breaks apart and seemingly destroys Krayt’s Vong armor, which is partially lightsaber-resistant, although this was accomplished on Korriban, a dark side nexus.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Destro10

”I killed you… So where are you?!”


Darth Wyyrlok, Star Wars: Legacy #48

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Vonduu10

Star Wars: Legacy #19

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A vonduun crab’s shell is capable of repelling blasterfire, resisting most conventional melee weapons, and even deflecting lightsaber blades.

Star Wars: The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology

IV. Wyyrlok’s deflected lightning smashes two marble pillars into small rubble.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Deflec10

Star Wars: Legacy - War #1

FORCE DEFENSE

I. Wyyrlok casually deflected Darth Andeddu’s lightning with Force deflection. Immediately after this Andeddu shifts the battle from the physical plane to the mental - his comfort zone.

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”Your knowledge is power and true Sith do not share power. I will give you nothing but your own death.”

“I know about power.”

“Very well, whelp, we shall duel -- but on a field of my choosing!”


Darth Andeddu and Darth Wyyrlok, Star Wars: Legacy #27

II. Wyyrlok creates a Force barrier that deflects physical objects such as the rocks thrown by Darth Krayt, as well as telekinetic attacks from Krayt as well.

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Star Wars: Legacy - War #1

SITH SORCERY

I. Wyyrlok, using an iota of his power, forces nearly a dozen Malevolent Sith Cultists into fighting each other by having them believe they are fighting Wyyrlok - he then states to the last survivor that he could have him claw out his own eyes, and that it is nothing to enter his mind.

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Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Killin12

”This keep belongs to the Malevolence, intruder! It is death for strangers to walk here! For over a century, generation after generation, we have kept ourselves isolated here, imbuing ourselves with the energy of the dark side! We are its children!”

“Are you indeed? I see only feral rats, untrained and untutored, little more than adepts. I am a Sith. I am what you pretend to be. Let me show you the difference.”

“G… Gerlun…?!”

“Demtri! Brother! No! Demtri! No… No… This is impossible…! M-M-Master…!

“So… ‘Gerlun.’ You learn some manners -- and even some wisdom at the last hour. You have seen only an iota of the power I possess. It is nothing to enter your mind and feed you illusions. If I wished, I could make you see things that would cause you to claw out your eyes.”


Gerlun, Darth Wyyrlok, and Demtri, Star Wars: Legacy #27

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo20

Darth Wyyrlok believes that it is willpower that gives the Sith their strength. By sheer force of will, a Sith can achieve almost anything, and Darth Wyyrlok displays this in everything he does. He is a master of illusions, capable of using the Force to trick his enemies’ minds into seeing that that are not there. In fact, so powerful are Darth Wyyrlok's mind tricks that he manages to convince nearly a dozen lightsaber-wielding dark side cultists on Prakith that they should fight and kill one another, proving once again that the Sith are masters of bending the galaxy to their will.

Star Wars: Legacy Era Campaign Guide

II. Wyyrlok stomps Darth Andeddu in a telepathic struggle of wills, destroying his essence.

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Star Wars: Legacy #27

Note: This feat can be compared to that of Darth Bane. Bane also pit the strength of his mind against what was either Andeddu’s holocron gatekeeper or Andeddu’s spirit itself (as we knew his spirit was stored inside the holocron). He “could feel the burning inferno of power trapped within threatening to consume his identity”; “Then, bit by bit, he began to impose order on the chaos, bending it to his will.”

However, it was possible to circumvent the gatekeeper - but only by one strong enough to survive the attempt. If Bane's will faltered, or if the power of Andeddu's Holocron was more than he could handle, then his mind would be destroyed. His identity would be devoured by the talisman, leaving his body a mindless husk. It was a desperate gamble, but there was no other way to get what he needed. Not in time to help him against Zannah.

"If you will not give me what I want," he shouted at the gatekeeper, "then I will take it!"

Reaching out with the Force, he plunged his awareness into the depths of the pyramid's inner workings as the gatekeeper let loose a howl of impotent rage. Thrusting his consciousness directly into the capstone, Bane let his will invade the small four-sided talisman just as he himself had invaded the stronghold of Andeddu's cult back on Prakith.

For a brief instant he could feel the burning inferno of power trapped within threatening to consume his identity. Bane welcomed the pain, feeding on it and transforming it along with all the frustration and anger he had built up over the past four days into a raging, swirling storm of dark side energy. Then, bit by bit, he began to impose order on the chaos, bending it to his will.

Using the Force, Bane began to make subtle adjustments to the Holocron's crystal matrix. He began to manipulate the arrangement of the filaments, twisting, turning, and shifting them with subtle, immeasurable adjustments as he worked his way deeper and deeper into the data in pursuit of what he sought. In many ways it was like slicing a secure computer network, only a million times more complex.

With each adjustment, the gatekeeper's image flickered and cried out, but Bane was oblivious to the simulation's artificial suffering. For several hours he continued his work, his body perspiring heavily, until he finally found what he sought: the ritual of essence transference; Andeddu's secret of eternal life.

With one final push of the Force, he reached out with his mind and seized what he had been searching for. With the aid of the gatekeeper the information would have taken weeks to absorb and learn. Bane, however, had gone right to the source. The knowledge streamed directly from the Holocron into his mind, raw and unfiltered. Thousands of images flooded his consciousness, an explosion of sights, sounds, and thoughts that caused him to drop the Holocron to the floor, breaking the connection.


Star Wars: Darth Bane - Dynasty of Evil

What is key to understanding the comparison is that we are not focusing on Bane’s manipulation of the Holocron’s crystal matrix: we are interested in Bane’s ability to defend himself from and subdue the gatekeeper/Andeddu. This portion of the feat is a pure telepathic struggle of willpower, and it is necessary for Bane to win this before he can manipulate the Holocron itself. In this case, victory is bending the Holocron’s guardian to his will. Bane does this, but despite the mental preparations he made first, he felt the guardian “threatening to consume his identity,” and only after “feeding on” and “transforming” the pain into a “swirling storm of dark side energy” was he able to, “bit by bit,” begin to “impose order on the chaos, bending it to his will.” It’s clear that this was a struggle for him, and something he thought might well be beyond his capabilities, putting him in mortal danger.

To break it down further, you could say there is a defensive portion of the feat, where he resists the mental attack of Andeddu, and an offensive, where he bends Andeddu to his will. Wyyrlok, similarly, engaged in a telepathic battle of willpower with Andeddu. It starts with Andeddu’s lightning being easily absorbed. Andeddu then states he will duel Wyyrlok “on a field of my choosing,” the meaning of which is clarified with this exchange:

“A field of your choosing, you said. Your power is in the mind! Your mind forces your body to obey even though dead: this -- all this -- is nothing more than a Force Illusion like the one I crafted for the fools above!”

“No less powerful, for all that! What you believe to be real is what is real. Even your own death. Your mind is no match for mine.”


Darth Wyyrlok and Darth Andeddu, Star Wars: Legacy #27

Going by the above dialogue, Wyyrlok's use of Force Illusion would appear to fall under the umbrella of abilities governed by Alter Mind or Affect Mind. It is stated by Bodo Baas that "The power known as Alter Mind bridges all these skill areas. Through it a Jedi can project her perception of reality into the mind of another, or an illusion or conclusion that she needs the other to hold as true. [...] Bending the will of another for a benign purpose can be noble and good. The dark side lurks nearby in this power, so it should be used with caution." As stated above "all this - is nothing more than a Force Illusion. . . [...] "No less powerful, for all that! What you believe to be real is what is real. Even your own death. Your mind is no match for mine."

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Alterm10

"The power known as Alter Mind bridges all these skill areas. Through it a Jedi can project her perception of reality into the mind of another, or an illusion or conclusion that she needs the other to hold as true. This is a most magnificent and useful power, but it is also one fraught with danger. Bending the will of another for a benign purpose can be noble and good. The dark side lurks nearby in this power, so it should be used with caution."

Bodo Baas, Star Wars: Jedi vs. Sith - The Essential Guide To The Force

It’s clear, then, from what Andeddu has said that this is a battle of pure willpower. Despite catching Wyyrlok off-guard at first, Wyyrlok easily sees through the illusion and takes control back. He then stomps Andeddu thoroughly and destroys his mind. If the comic art is meant to accurately represent their mental struggle, then this is what happens: Andeddu throws some debris at Wyyrlok, catching him off-guard. Wyyrlok responds by summoning lava from the earth itself, engulfing not only Andeddu but every trace of him - all of his books and scrolls - completely annihilating him in short order. Andeddu’s will is broken immediately, and believing the entire situation to be real and literal - that Wyyrlok has summoned lava from the earth to annihilate him and every last trace of him -, he promptly dies.

Wyyrlok, at no point, was in any real danger of losing or dying, whereas, in stark contrast, it’s made clear repeatedly that Bane matching his mind against the Holocron gatekeeper is a potentially fatal undertaking: “If Bane's will faltered, or if the power of Andeddu's Holocron was more than he could handle, then his mind would be destroyed.” The gatekeeper “threatened to consume his identity” and it was only “bit by bit” that he began to impose his will on the Holocron. Not to mention, but if Bane did indeed fight Andeddu’s Holocron gatekeeper rather than the spirit of Andeddu himself, that’s even better for Wyyrlok, because while the gatekeeper is a sentient vestige of Andeddu’s spirit that has been etched into the Holocron… Andeddu’s spirit is the real thing, meaning Bane struggled to subdue a fraction of the entity which Wyyrlok stomped easily.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Holocr10

“Scholars know that a holocron is a box of crystalline lattices, which are capable of housing near-infinite amounts of priceless data. These matrices can be aligned only through precise and exhausting application of the Force. A completed holocron can be accessed only by another Force user. To navigate a holocron’s secrets, one must speak to its gatekeeper - a holographic echo of the device’s builder that retains a measure of the builder’s spirit. Constructing a holocron can take months, and a single misstep will collapse the device into dust.”

Sorzus Syn, Star Wars: Book of Sith - Secrets from the Dark Side

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Holocr11

“The central crystal is the color of smoke, and is both a power source and a repository for the gatekeeper’s data ghost. This capstone must be etched with the builder’s spirit in a Force ritual called the Rite of Commencement. Destruction of a capstone will release its gatekeeper, and one would be wise to flee rather than face down a vengeful specter.”

Sorzus Syn, Star Wars: Book of Sith - Secrets from the Dark Side

III. Wyyrlok’s other spell of note is Memory Walk. It is described as an ability that compels the enemy to relive their most horrible memories and experiences - tragedy, humiliation, shame, fear.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Memory11

MEMORY WALK (DARK SIDE, MIND-AFFECTING)
You torment an enemy by causing him to relive his most horrible memories.


Star Wars: Jedi Academy Training Manual

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Memory10

“Memory walk: A link that can open your enemy’s mind and make it possible for you to compel them to relive tragic or humiliating recollections and bring forth layers of shame. Used for sustained periods, memory walk can be a sophisticated method of interrogation. The technique was stolen from the Guild of Vindicators, whose denizens are zealous about uncovering the sins of others.”

Darth Bane, Star Wars: Book of Sith - Secrets from the Dark Side

Moreover, it is possible to amplify the worst fears and insecurities of an enemy through the use of Force illusions. We saw this already with Wyyrlok making Andeddu believe that his books and scrolls were being drowned in lava, even though the room they were in remained unaffected. This ability to amplify the effects of Memory Walk is described in gruesome detail below when a Sorcerer of Tund named Rokur Gepta tortures members of his crew and Lando Calrissian.

The sorcerer made a gesture with his gloved fist. The officer groaned, sweat sprang out on his forehead, and he sank to his knees.

"You see how much more effective it is than mere pain, don't you? Everyone has memories, little items from their past best left buried: humiliations, embarrassments, mistakes... sometimes fatal ones. All the ways we have failed those we have loved, the ways they have failed us!"

Gepta made another gesture.

"No, you can think of nothing else! The ignobility races round and round your mind, amplified, feeding on itself!"

The officer's face went gray, he swayed on his knees, his back bowed, his clenched fists began dripping blood where the fingernails cut into the palms. A little froth appeared at one corner of his mouth, followed by more blood as he gnashed at his lips and tongue. Finally, he lost all control, collapsed in a heap and lay there, twitching, moaning.

Gepta released him.


Star Wars: Lando Calrissian and the Flamewind of Oseon

As shown, suffering Memory Walk forces the enemy to experience an endless loop of their worst experiences which becomes amplified as it feeds on itself. This is described as a greater method of torture than even physical pain.

But it gets worse. Through the use of Memory Walk, one can actually amplify the memories themselves to be far worse than when they were experienced: you make seconds feel like hours and you can exaggerate the fear the enemy experienced at the time.

The fire hose caught him unprepared. It dashed him against the wall, the icy water sluicing over him, blinding him, forcing itself into his mouth and nose. He fell to his knees, his head battered against the wall. He ducked it, trying to breathe, trying to stay alive against the killing force of-

"But, you protest, it wasn't like that at all?"

Gepta paced back and forth in front of Lando, relishing the gambler's agony. Despite the sweat on every centimeter of his skin, Lando was freezing, simply from the memory.

But Gepta was right: it hadn't been like that at all.

"It-it only lasted a few moments," Lando stuttered. Perhaps it was a surrender of some kind; he hated to give the madman any satisfaction at all. But he had to understand what was happening here.

"I wasn't nearly that frightened. I'd already worked out a way to escape. And it only lasted a few seconds-not the hours I just..." He tapered off, unable to continue because of his shaking. Shaking merely at the remembrance of something that hadn't bothered him all that much when it was actually happening.


Star Wars: Lando Calrissian and the Flamewind of Oseon

But it gets even worse. It’s possible to make the enemy experience fear which they were able to avoid at the time through their own psychological defences. The ability to be brave, press on and ignore our fears is taken away during Memory Walk - all that is left is the fear itself with no way to avoid it. Even worse, the knowledge that the enemy survived their traumatic experience, that they somehow succeeded in the end, is taken from them. The only thing they are left with is the fear itself, with no hope left to cling to.

"You're a brave man, Captain Calrissian. You don't like to think of it that way. What do you call it, 'creative cowardice'? You regard yourself a pragmatist, one not given to heroics."

The sorcerer had paused, stood now nearly motionless before the gambler. In the background, the Flamewind whorled around the demented sky, casting many-colored shadows. Lando shook his head to get the sweat out of his eyes, tried his bonds. As he'd expected, they were there to stay.

"And yet," Gepta continued, "what is bravery but the capacity to reject our fears, ignore and suppress them, then go on to do whatever it is we are afraid to do. What you are experiencing now, dear Captain, is the fear you refused to experience the first time. Now you have no choice!"

Surprise attack!

Wrestling the Falcon with one hand, Lando desperately tried to fire the cockpit guns with the other as the weird ragtaggle fighter-squadron bore down on him. It was a nightmare: they were too well shielded for his inconsequential guns to trouble, yet he couldn't operate the quad-guns without leaving the bridge.

Vuffi Raa, insane and helpless, couldn't assist him.

He fired again. He might as well have been shooting strewns of pink lemonade as the pale, ineffectual fire that was all he could manage. The enemy fleet bore down on him, bore down, bore down…

Lando finished throwing up, coughed, choked, cleared his throat.

"Obviously," Gepta hissed cheerfully, "you survived the peril that you just reexperienced. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here now-it's only logical. It is a logic which enables us to live with our unpleasant memories, is it not? An integrative, healing contextualization which we all require to survive."

"Sure," the gambler gasped. "Sure, you rotten-anything you say!"

“Ah! Resistance at last! As I was saying, however, the art of torture-by-chagrin lies in denying the mind that integration, that perspective. As you relive the horrors of your life, you don't recall that you survived, eventually triumphed. You see, even at moments of extreme peril, there are defenses, distractions, digressions which dilute the passions..What is more, my method does not allow its subject to experience anything but the fear. You can think of nothing else. The experience goes on and on, in circles, until the ego and the will are utterly crushed.


Star Wars: Lando Calrissian and the Flamewind of Oseon

Wyyrlok successfully uses Memory Walk against Darth Krayt, bringing all of his worst experiences to the forefront of his mind in quick succession. Krayt resisted without much trouble, and took the chance to lure Wyyrlok into a false sense of security (“This is not your trap -- it is mine.”) but Wyyrlok was still able to execute the spell in the midst of Krayt’s lightsaber assault without being cut down. It can be argued Wyyrlok wasn’t pressing as hard as he could have, since Darth Zannah, another famous user of the ability, had to stand still in intense concentration when trying to break the mind of her Master, Bane. Wyyrlok, on the other hand, deliberately chose to monologue and finish the deed with his lightsaber.

Bane sensed the attack, bracing himself.

He had encouraged Zannah's training in Sith sorcery, knowing she might very well use it against him one day. If it turned out he wasn't strong enough to survive, then he wasn't worthy of being the Dark Lord of the Sith.

That didn't mean he was unprepared, however. Dark side sorcery was complex; it attacked the psyche in ways that were difficult to explain and even more difficult to defend against. Bane had no talent for it, yet he had done his best to study the techniques. What he learned was that the only real counter was the victim's strength of will.

Zannah's assault began as a sharp pain in his skull, like a hot knife stabbing directly into his brain before carving down to slice the two hemispheres in half. Then the knife exploded, sending a million burning shards in every direction. Each one burrowed into his subconscious, seeking out buried fears and nightmares only to rip them free and haul them to the surface.

Bane let out a scream and dropped to his knees. When he stood up the sky was thick with a swarm of flying horrors. Their wings were torn and ragged, leather flaps of skin hanging from exposed bone. Their bodies were small and malformed, their twisted legs ending in long, sharp talons. Their flesh was a sickly yellow: the same color as the faces of the miners who had died on Apatros after being trapped in a gas-filled chamber.

Their features were inhuman, but their burning eyes were unmistakable: each creature was staring at him with the hate-filled gaze of his abusive father. As one, they swooped down on him, their mouths screeching out a cry that sounded like his father's name: hurst, hurst, hurst!

Swinging his lightsaber wildly at the demon flock, Bane crouched low to the ground, his free hand coming up to cover his face and ward off the talons clawing at his eyes. As the swarm enveloped him, he caught a glimpse of Zannah standing a few meters away, her face frozen in a mask of intense concentration.

Bane knew it was a trick; the beasts weren't real. They were just figments of his imagination born from the repressed memories of his childhood, his greatest fears manifested in physical form. But he had conquered these fears long ago. He had turned his fear of his abusive father into anger and hate-the tools that had given him the strength to endure and eventually escape his life on Apatros.

He knew how to defeat these demons, and he struck back. Unleashing a primal scream, he channeled his terror into pure rage and lashed out with the dark side. It tore through the swarm in a burst of searing violet light, utterly obliterating them.


Star Wars: Darth Bane - Dynasty of Evil

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”You are strong, Lord Krayt -- but I know who you are, who you were, and where your weaknesses lie! I know your story, I know how you remember your past -- your illustrious father’s death, the loss of the one you loved, the death of the Jedi Order, your torture at the hends of the Yuuzhan Vong, your death by my hand! How you cling to your past! How you cling to your pain! It defines you! It reveals you! For generations, the Wyyrloks served you, kept you alive, served as your voice when your physical frailties forced you into stasis! We hid your weakness! What do you know of me? Of my own desires and plans? Nothing! I kept my own counsel and I waited! I am greater than you ever suspected, and you are so much less than you believe yourself to be.”

“I have become so much more than you can know, traitor. This is not your trap -- it is mine, and it is time you died.”


Darth Wyyrlok and Darth Krayt, Star Wars: Legacy - War #1

If Wyyrlok can completely disrupt the fighting rhythm of an opponent conventionally far stronger than himself while under such pressure, this makes him one of the deadliest combatants in the entire mythos. Even a momentary lapse in a lightsaber duel can be lethal; Wyyrlok does not need to strain himself and completely obliterate his opponent’s mind to prevail. While Krayt was feigning weakness, if we look at that along with Bane’s genuine lapse in the above instance, we have an accurate portrayal of how a weaker mind would react to Wyyrlok’s Memory Walk.

But now that we’re on the topic of the Reborn Krayt fight, it's a good opportunity to segue into the next section where we’ll dissect that battle in its entirety…
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Last edited by ILS on March 31st 2020, 5:08 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Empty SUPERIORITY TO CADE SKYWALKER

March 13th 2020, 7:26 pm
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REBORN KRAYT AS A REFERENCE POINT

Krayt’s Dispositions and Intentions For Each Fight

Firstly, let's compare Krayt’s respective dispositions towards Cade and Wyyrlok, and his intentions for both of them.

With Wyyrlok, he was furious and intent on seeking revenge. Which only makes sense, seeing as Wyyrlok was his closest confidante, yet betrayed him at his moment of greatest need, usurped his throne, and lied about his ignominious death and betrayal to the public. He also had to prove to the entire Sith Order not only that he was stronger than Wyyrlok, but that he himself had come back more powerful and capable of ruling with an iron fist, unopposed - he was looking to make an impression. So, simply put, Krayt wasn’t fucking around. Which you can tell quite easily from his demeanour during the fight.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread QxaR8R4

”I remember betrayal by one who should have been loyal above reproach. I dimly remember driving my consciousness, my life force, deep within myself, seeking safe haven, while my body served as a prop to another’s ambition. I remember healing myself with the Force, gradually becoming stronger, my body protected and trapped by the stasis field. I remember the faithful one, Talon, near enough to hear the thoughts I projected into her mind… to sense my life force and release me. Now I am back. My betrayer will know my revenge. Then, I will bend the galaxy to my will.”

Darth Krayt, Star Wars: Legacy - War #1

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Krayt_16

”And Krayt’s none too pleased with Darth Wyyrlok, to be sure. The Chagrian Sith lord was his closest and most trusted adviser until, believing he understood Krayt’s vision better than the dark lord himself, Wyyrlok decided Krayt should be removed from power. ‘Legacy—War’ will fill readers in on what really happened to Krayt at the end of ‘Vector.’ I’d say that Krayt understands his power better than he ever has before and he is intent on exacting revenge for Wyyrlok’s transgressions.”


However, it’s also made clear that however angry Krayt is, he’s holding that anger in check: his Force presence is described as a “firestorm of raw emotion and cold rage” - so, he’s seething with raw emotion and anger, but he’s able to keep it under perfect control, which is essentially the optimal state to use Force Rage in.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Sensin12

On the steps to the throne room of the Sith Temple, guards wait. They sense a dark presence approaching in the Force. Within the throne room, Darth Wyyrlok senses it too, a firestorm of raw emotion and cold rage.

Star Wars: Legacy - War #1

Another clear indication of Krayt’s intent are two things: his silence, and his facial expressions. He is wasting no time speaking - he is just here for revenge.

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With Cade, it’s quite different. Krayt states that he wants to lure Cade to him. He then states that he will make Cade bend, break and serve him - but that before he can become his apprentice, he has to die first. What is critical to note is what he says before this: “Death is not an ending, boy - but it is a passageway to something greater. It is something you, too, must experience, Cade Skywalker.”

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Krayt_17

”Krayt. I’m coming for you. I’m going to kill you, Krayt. Whatever you do to the galaxy doesn’t matter. You’re going to die. Once and for all. Guaranteed.”

“Death is not an ending, boy -- but a passageway to something greater. It is something you, too, must experience, Cade Skywalker. For I have had a vision. You will bend, you will break, and you will serve at my side. But first -- you must die.”


Cade Skywalker and Darth Krayt, Star Wars: Legacy - War #2

He isn’t seeking revenge, he isn’t even angry. He needs Cade not only to die, but undergo a specific kind of death, which he makes two references to: the “red lines of fire -- the shatterpoints of your own tenuous existence” and “out of this forge of fire and death.” While Cade is dying/dead, he presents him the vision he has for Coruscant and Cade himself, and challenges him to heal himself from death the same way Krayt himself did. Krayt now expects that Cade will be this dark side creature described below because of this, ready to be moulded into a Sith Apprentice, and is so confident that he completely lowers his guard.

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Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Krayt_27

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”Krayt.”

“Skywalker. Surrender. You fled our last fight -- and I am so much more now than I was then.”

“You and Darth Schutta taught me a couple of tricks while I was here. I’m a fast learner. And I make things up as I go.”

“It doesn’t matter. As with your allies, your battle here was lost before you arrived. Surrender.”

“Not gonna happen! I am going to kill you, monster!”

“I doubt that. You are the reason that I live.” [Dark Transfers Cade into submission]

“No!”

“Oh yes. You see them, don’t you, Skywalker -- red lines of fire -- the shatterpoints of your own tenuous existence. I needed to experience death to understand how you did it, but you showed me how to use this Dark Transfer of energy -- how to heal… and how to kill. We are alike, you and I -- abandoned by the galaxy, harshly shaped by the Force -- and hammered in that forge until our anger can no longer be contained. You are dying, boy, but that is good. Death is the only way you can understand my vision. You see it now, don’t you? [Shows Cade Force Vision] It is out of this forge of fire and death -- of chaos and anger -- that you will be reborn. No longer on the edge of light and dark, but a creature of dark energy, wrapped in the shadows of the dark side. Only then will you understand your place in the galaxy.”

“What has happened to Coruscant?”

“I promised chaos and I brought it here. A Sith toxin -- created by Darth Maladi and dispersed by the Emperor’s own hand to kill me -- was the vector. But the toxin will not kill Sith. By design, we are immune to it. Nothing of flesh and blood lasts, but power is eternal. I will teach you the ways of darkness until I become dust… until I become you. Tell me, my apprentice, can you defeat death as I did? Can you heal yourself? Apprentice, did you see? Do you understand what you are meant to be?”


Darth Krayt and Cade Skywalker, Star Wars: Legacy - War #6

This is the “Death is [...] a passageway to something greater” and “seeing the galaxy a new way” Krayt talked about before, along with his plans to make the galaxy itself experience “the pain of death and rapture of rebirth.” He seeks to transform Cade, not merely defeat him.

All of this is to say that… this is a level of holding back beyond even just not wanting to kill Cade. He wants to subdue him in the most peculiar manner and have him undergo a very specific kind of transformation. He isn’t seething with anger and seeking revenge - he’s practically thankful for the fact Cade showed him Dark Transfer, implores him twice to surrender before even drawing his lightsaber, and then later expounds at length about all of the plans he has for Cade as his apprentice.

And again, all of this is clear enough just by observing his facial expressions and dialogue - he’s practically civil and placid.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread DJ3oAuL

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The only times we have seen Krayt talking during fights are:

  1. In the first fight with Cade, when he was trying to seduce him to the dark side so that he would heal him - even Cade recognised that Krayt would never strike a lethal blow because he needed Cade alive.
  2. When he was trying to do the same thing to Celeste Morne - to convince her to join him as an acolyte.
  3. The final fight with Cade, where again, he explicitly has a need and purpose for him outside of just killing him.

Of the other fights we have, Krayt has different intentions and thus behaves differently:

  1. At the start of the series, he butchers four Imperial Knights and lops off the Roan Fel double’s head - he doesn’t talk to them, try to convince them to surrender, or anything else, he just kills them.
  2. Against Wyyrlok, where his intentions are explicitly revenge, to regain control of the Sith, and to kill him. Again, aside from right before the duel and right before Krayt plunged lightsabers through Wyyrlok’s chest, he did not speak - he was visibly seething with rage and fighting intensely.

Finally, consider and juxtapose the following pieces of dialogue.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Krayt_36

“You betrayed me, Lord Wyyrlok. Of all who followed me, you were the closest.”

“I behaved as any Sith would. As a Sith should -- killing his master. I offer no apology.”

“I would accept none. Begin.”


Darth Krayt and Darth Wyyrlok, Star Wars: Legacy - War #1

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Krayt_27

“Surrender. You fled our last fight -- and I am so much more now than I was then.”

“You and Darth Schutta taught me a couple of tricks while I was here. I’m a fast learner. And I make things up as I do.”

“As with your allies, your battle here was lost before you arrived. Surrender.”


Darth Krayt and Cade Skywalker, Star Wars: Legacy - War #6

He would accept no apology or surrender from Wyyrlok - but he implores Cade to surrender twice. The framing for these two encounters are diametrically opposed and completely in favour of Wyyrlok.

Wyyrlok and Cade’s Respective Performances

With Wyyrlok, they have a Force exchange that is reminiscent of Dooku and Yoda - Wyyrlok throws debris and lightning at Krayt, Krayt throws it back.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Krayt_37

Krayt then immediately pounces on him with two sabers drawn, visibly in a Force Rage, and spends the next three very kinetic panels pushing Wyyrlok up the steps to the Throne, trying to pierce his guard. Wyyrlok hangs on, and uses Memory Walk as a last resort - however, because it’s ineffective, Krayt takes the opportunity to skewer Wyyrlok. “This is not your trap -- it is mine.”

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Against Cade, however, he opens the fight by smashing Cade into a pillar with telekinesis, imploring him to surrender. Cade refuses. Krayt fires some lightning at him, asking him again to surrender. Cade refuses.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Krayt_27

The scene cuts, Krayt has drawn only one lightsaber. He parries a strike from Cade, then reaches across and Dark Transfers him into submission.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Krayt_14

As we know, Krayt is a Jar’kai specialist. Has been since he was a Jedi in the Clone Wars. We have never known him not to use dual blades. He used them in every fight as a Jedi and before going to Korriban, including against Obi-Wan, against the Imperial Knights in Legacy #1, against Cade in Legacy #19, against Celeste Morne in Vector, and against Wyyrlok. Given this, and the fact that he parried Cade’s saber with the arm that is directly opposing Cade’s own saber-arm, it’s clear that if he had chosen to, Krayt could have easily killed Cade with his second lightsaber here - especially given that a lightsaber has the reach of about one meter. But as shown above, Krayt intended to put Cade through “the forge of fire and death” with Dark Transfer. Not to mention, Krayt is wielding his saber in a reverse grip, which means that if he wanted to stab Cade with it, he would have to use it in a downward stabbing motion as if it were a dagger, which is completely impractical - it’s clear he is only using it for defensive purposes.

To tie this up, there are two stark differences between the fights:

  1. Krayt does not at any point directly affect Wyyrlok with telekinesis. This is despite the fact he is visibly pissed off and does try to throw debris at him. There is no indication that he is restraining his telekinesis and would not use it directly on Wyyrlok if he could. In contrast, he not only throws Cade with telekinesis, but drags him through the air while exchanging dialogue - Cade is suspended in the air in every panel for an entire comic page.
  2. Krayt uses two sabers instead of one, and instead of easily parrying Wyyrlok and piercing his guard in the space of two comic panels, as he did with Cade, he spends a full page trying and failing to break his guard. Wyyrlok defends himself well enough to use Memory Walk, and when it runs its course, Krayt does not waste the opportunity he has been given to gut Wyyrlok.

It is plainly evident who performed better here, and that is Wyyrlok.

WYYRLOK AND CADE’S RELATIVE POWERS

This will be an overview of Darth Wyyrlok’s raw or general power level compared to Cade Skywalker. As we know, Cade is a dedicated warrior who, almost always, opts to use his lightsaber as the first solution to any fight. Other than that he’s proficient in telekinesis, and occasionally lightning, but typically doesn’t stray from the basics. In contrast, Wyyrlok is a dedicated scholar, master of the Force and diplomat, but explicitly, not a warrior.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo22

Chagrian Darth Wyyrlok is Krayt’s most trusted aide. Wyyrlok is a diplomat rather than a warrior, and smoothly manages the intricacies of Krayt's galactic reign.

Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide - Updated and Expanded

While he carries two lightsabers, it’s apparent that this area of combat is not his strength. Additionally, based on what we’ve seen of both Wyyrlok and Saarai, they will opt to use virtually any other defence before a lightsaber - Saarai doesn’t appear to carry a saber despite her training as a Sith Lord being well under way. Wyyrlok doesn’t use a lightsaber when he attacks the Sith cultists on Prakith, but rather Force illusions and lightning, and he doesn’t brandish a lightsaber against Andeddu - the only time he does is when Krayt attacks him with a lightsaber first.

If we look to various sources, such as the Darth Bane trilogy, Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, Revenge of the Sith, and Dark Empire, there are several important factors to be considered:

  • It is possible to defeat a better trained lightsaber combatant by having a superior Force connection. It is also possible for a more skilled fighter to undermine their more powerful opponent by exploiting superior technique.
  • At a certain level of combat, however, lightsaber technique and forms become much less important - one’s connection to the Force becomes the most important factor in who will win.
  • It is possible to be more powerful and effective with some abilities than others, whether that be because one has a particular talent for a power, or because that power is more useful for the objective - for example, telekinesis or lightning being stronger than lightsaber combat.

Let’s start with Path of Destruction. The quotes are quite widely known and self-explanatory, but in summation: Bane reached a level “far beyond sequences and forms,” with his command of the dark side fueling his blade. However, Kas’im informs him that an exotic weapon or unfamiliar style can still be used to subvert an opponent who is at this level. When they fight for real later, despite the fact Bane is a relative novice who only has a solid grasp on Form V, and Kas’im is a master of every form and numerous exotic weapon types over numerous decades, Bane’s command of the Force alone allows him to overwhelm Kas’im in short order. Kas’im is only able to undermine Bane by using Jar’kai, which is completely foreign to Bane at the time.

"Do you have anything you want me to work on for tomorrow?" Bane asked eagerly. "A new sequence? A new form? Anything?"

"You've moved far beyond sequences and forms," the Master told him. "In that last pass you broke off your attack in the middle of one sequence and came at me from a completely different and unexpected angle."

"I did?" Bane was surprised. "I ... I didn't really mean to."

"That's what made it such a potentially devastating move," Kas'im explained. "You're letting the Force guide your blade now. You act without thought or reason. You're driven by passion: fury, anger . . . even hate. Your saber has become an extension of the dark side."

Bane couldn't help smiling, but then his brow furrowed in consternation. "I still couldn't get past your defenses," he said, trying to re-create the battle in his mind. No matter what he had tried to do, it seemed one side of the Twi'lek's twin-bladed weapon was always there to parry his attack. A seed of doubt crept into his mind as he recalled that Sirak used a similar style of weapon. "Does the double-bladed lightsaber give you an advantage?" he asked.

"It does, but not in the way you believe," Kas'im replied.

Bane was silent, waiting patiently for further explanation. After a few seconds his Master obliged him.

"As you already know, the Force is the real key to victory in any confrontation. However, the equation is not so simple. Someone well trained in lightsaber combat can defeat an opponent who is stronger in the Force. The Force allows you to anticipate your opponent's moves and counter them with your own. But the more options your foe has available, the more difficult it is to predict which will be chosen."

Bane thought he understood. "So the double-bladed weapon gives you more options?"

"No," Kas'im replied. "But you think it does, so the effect is the same."

For several seconds Bane thought about the Blademaster's strange words, trying to decipher them. In the end he had to admit defeat. "I still don't understand, Master."

"You know the single-bladed lightsaber well; you use it yourself and you've seen most of the other apprentices use it, as well. My double-bladed weapon seems strange to you. Unfamiliar. You don't fully understand what it can and cannot do." From the lack of impatience or exasperation in the Twilek's tone, Bane could tell this was something he hadn't been expected to grasp on his own.

"In combat, your mind tries to keep track of each blade separately, effectively doubling the number of possibilities. But the two blades are connected: by knowing the location of one, you are automatically aware of the location of the other. In actual practice, the double-bladed lightsaber is more limited than the traditional lightsaber. It can do more damage, but it is less precise. It requires longer, sweeping movements that don't transition well into a quick stab or thrust. Because the weapon is difficult to master, however, few among the Jedi-or even the Sith-understand it. They don't know how to attack or defend effectively against it. That gives those of us who use it an advantage over most of our opponents."

"Like Githany's whip!" Bane exclaimed. Githany eschewed traditional weaponry in favor of the very rare energy whip: just one of the many traits that made her stand out from the other apprentices. It operated on the same basic principles as a lightsaber, but instead of a steady beam, the energy of the crystals was projected in a flexible ribbon that would twist, turn, and snap in response to both Githany's physical motions and her use of the Force.

"Exactly. The energy whip is far less efficient than any of the lightsaber blades. However, nobody ever practices against the whip. Githany knows that her enemies' confusion at being confronted with the whip gives her an edge."

"By telling me this secret, you've given up your advantage," Bane noted, smiling as he pointed to Kas'im's double saber.


Star Wars: Darth Bane - Path of Destruction

Kas'im lunged in again, and the room was filled with the hiss and hum of lightsabers striking each other half a dozen times in the space of two heartbeats. Bane would have been carved to ribbons had he tried to react to each move individually. Instead he simply called upon the Force, letting it flow through him and guide his hand. He gave himself over to the dark side completely, without reservation. His weapon became an extension of the Force, and he responded to the Twilek's unstoppable attack with an impenetrable defense.

Then he went on the attack. In the past he had always been afraid to surrender his will to the raw emotions that fueled the dark side. Now he had no such limitations; for the first time he was calling on his full potential.

He drove Kas'im back with furious slashes, forcing his old mentor into a backpedaling retreat across the floor of the chamber. Kas'im flipped back and out through the door into the hall beyond, but Bane was relentless in his pursuit, leaping forward and coming within a centimeter of landing a crippling blow to the Twilek's leg.

His strike was turned aside at the last second, but he quickly followed it up with another series of powerful thrusts and stabs. The Blademaster continued to give ground, pushed inexorably back by the raging storm of Bane's onslaught. Each time he tried to change tactics or switch forms, Bane anticipated, reacted, and seized the advantage.

The outcome was inevitable. Bane was simply too strong in the Force. Only some unexpected maneuver could save Kas'im, but they had fought too many times in the past for him to surprise Bane now. Over the course of his training Bane had seen every possible sequence, series, move, and trick with the double-bladed lightsaber, and he knew how to counter and nullify them all.


Star Wars: Darth Bane - Path of Destruction

"You should have finished me when you had the chance," he said. There was less than five meters between them, but it was just enough space for Kas'im to give the hilt of his lightsaber a quick twist. The long handle separated in the middle, and suddenly he was armed not with one double-bladed lightsaber, but with a pair of single blades, one in each hand.

Bane hesitated. Few of the students at the Academy had even attempted to use two sabers at once. The Blademaster had always discouraged them from this variation of the fourth form, saying it was inherently flawed. Now, as he saw the cruel and cunning expression on his enemy's face, Bane understood the real truth.

The battle was rejoined, but now it was Bane who was in full retreat. Without proper training, even his enormous command of the Force was unable to anticipate the unfamiliar sequences of the two-handed fighting style. His mind was flooded with a million options of what his opponent might attempt, and he had no experience to draw on to eliminate any of them. Overwhelmed, he staggered back, floundering with the desperation of a drowning man.


Star Wars: Darth Bane - Path of Destruction

Anoon Bondara emphasised the importance of becoming one with the Force to Darsha Assant, and Yoda, during a lecture, made the claim that the Force is better than training, and gives more than experience or speed. Specifically, “knowledge of the Force is infinitely better than technique.”

Despite the desperate straits she found herself in, however, Darsha had never felt so deeply in the Force. So much at peace, so ... calm. The logical, rational side of her mind kept reminding her that she was trapped in a tightening vise, but for some reason that just didn't bother her. All that mattered was reacting to the monster's attack, letting the Force guide her movements, letting it fill the vessel that she had become. A constant current of challenge and opposition, attack and defense. As insane as it sounded, given the situation, she felt good. Better than good, in fact; she felt great.

Master Bondara had told her it would be like this. "When you are one with the Force," he had once said, "you are as nothing. A calm in the storm, a pivot to the lever. Chaos may rage around you, yet you are still. You will experience it someday, Darsha, and you will understand."


Star Wars: Darth Maul - Shadow Hunter

She had attended a lecture on battle techniques given by Master Yoda earlier this year, and the memory of it came back to her now.

Yoda had faced the assembled students and spoken, his thin reedy voice somehow carrying to the far corners of the lecture hall without benefit of amplifiers.

"Better than training, the Force is. More than experience or speed it gives."

And he had given a demonstration. Three members of the council-Plo Koon, Saesee Tiin, and Depa Bil-laba, excellent fighters all-had come forward and attacked him. Master Yoda had not been armed, and had not seemed to move more than a meter or so, his tread slow and measured. Nevertheless, none of the three had been able to lay a finger on him. The lesson had struck powerfully home: Knowledge of the Force was infinitely better than technique.

Now Darsha let herself sink into the Force, not trying to maintain any control over it, letting it take over as she had when facing the taozin and the Raptors. How many times had Master Bondara told her to simply relax, to let go? She did so now, feeling herself reach a deeper place in the Force than she had ever been before. How she knew this she could not say-it simply was. She felt her senses heighten to diamond sharpness, and every feature of the abandoned power station came into focus, both the visible and the invisible. She knew every wall, door, and piece of machinery, each particle of dust.

And she knew what she had to do.

All this, in less than a second's time.


Star Wars: Darth Maul - Shadow Hunter

Now we get to Revenge of the Sith: here, we see an example of a time where one ability is more powerful than another, in this case, Sidious’ lightning is more powerful than his lightsaber prowess. Where him and Mace were stalemating in a duel that could have gone on forever before, Sidious’ lightning was “beyond Vaapad.”

Vaapad made him an open channel, half of a superconducting loop completed by the shadow; they became a standing wave of battle that expanded into every cubic centimeter of the Chancellor's office. There was no scrap of carpet nor shred of chair that might not at any second disintegrate in flares of red or purple; lampstands became brief shields, sliced into segments that whirled through the air; couches became terrain to be climbed for advantage or overleapt in retreat. But there was still only the cycle of power, the endless loop, no wound taken on either side, not even the possibility of fatigue.

Impasse.

Which might have gone on forever, if Vaapad were Mace's only gift.


Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith novelization

Now Anakin was at Mace's shoulder. Palpatine still made no move to defend himself from Skywalker; instead he ramped up the lightning bursting from his hands, bending the fountain of Mace's blade back toward the Korun Master's face.

Palpatine's eyes glowed with power, casting a yellow glare that burned back the rain from around them. "He is a traitor, Anakin. Destroy him."

"You're the chosen one, Anakin," Mace said, his voice going thin with strain. This was beyond Vaapad; he had no strength left to fight against his own blade. "Take him. It's your destiny.'"

Skywalker echoed him faintly. "Destiny ..."

"Help me! I can't hold on any longer!" The yellow glare from Palpatine's eyes spread outward through his flesh. His skin flowed like oil, as though the muscle beneath was burning away, as though even the bones of his skull were softening, were bending and bulging, deforming from the heat and pressure of his electric hatred. "He is killing me, Anakin-! Please, Anaaahhh-"

Mace's blade bent so close to his face that he was choking on ozone. "Anakin, he's too strong for me-"


Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith novelization

The same pattern is present in Dark Empire. Luke is “too strong” for Sidious in lightsaber combat, and cuts off his arm. However, it is still stated by numerous sources that Sidious is too powerful for Luke alone to defeat. This is despite the fact Sidious is commanding a fleet-eating Force Storm at the same time as threatening Luke and Leia with lightning in his one remaining arm. It is also stated that Sidious is unleashing his “full potency” in the form of the Force Storm, again, proving that certain abilities can be more potent than others.

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The Emperor attacked Luke, intent on destroying him. Luke was too strong for him this time and struck off his hand. Now the Emperor focused his great rage and fear into an immense Force storm that began to engulf the New Republic fleet. However, the Emperor had critically misjudged his foes.”

The Official Star Wars Fact File #105

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”Yess! Did I not warn you? I’ve played along with your Jedi dueling games long enough! Now you will experience my full potency… I live as energy… I am the dark side!”

Palpatine, Star Wars: Dark Empire #6 - The Fate of a Galaxy

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread OyHxeUN

”One Jedi cannot conquer the dark side alone… I guess we proved that.”

Luke Skywalker, Star Wars: Dark Empire #6 - The Fate of a Galaxy

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Luke_a10

A Jedi’s lightsaber is a wonderful weapon, and in the hands of a fully-trained Jedi Knight, it is even a match for the technology of modern warfare. Using only a lightsaber, Luke Skywalker was able to deflect the cannonfire of an AT-AT Imperial Walker back on itself, disabling the Walker.

But as they grew older, and wiser, the greatest Jedi - beings like Master Yoda - seldom, if ever, were known to use the lightsaber. Many a young Jedi has asked his Master about this. And the old Masters were quick to respond: Because a Jedi’s strength - all his strength - flows from the Force. And the more a Jedi learns to use the Force, the more he joins himself to that luminosity that is the very nature and substance of the Force.

Gently, persistently, Master Yoda tried to move Luke through the rigors of physical combat to the higher levels of Jedi training. But Luke, impetuous, willful, full of youthful hunger for action, seemed to never hear what Yoda tried to tell him.

He has paid a great price for his heedlessness. But from the consequences of experience, he has also learned a great lesson.

Here at last, at the terrible moment when he and leia confront the untrammeled power of the most sinister agent of the Dark Side, Luke is compelled to find and take hold of those resources that were known by Master Yoda… and by the greatest Jedi of old.

The key to Luke’s turning is the moment when he and Leia realize the Emperor is no longer defined by his physical form, but has become a chaotic nexus of dark energies that swell and burst open the fabric of space, tearing apart everything in the vicinity, human and machine.

Nothing can match such dark power… nothing except these twin Jedi joined in birth and now joined to the greatest strength of the Jedi - the power of luminous beings.

For one long extended moment, Luke and Leia are united to the Force in all its intensity, and the Force flows through them like a tidal wave of light.

This is the unquenchable light of the Jedi, the ultimate reality on which their way is founded. This is the principle from which the Jedi derived their very existence and went on to become the maintainers of peace and justice during the time of the Old Republic.

Before such clarity and power, the cataclysmic rage of the Emperor cannot stand.


Star Wars: Dark Empire #6 - The Fate of a Galaxy endnotes

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Luke_c10

”Leia Organa discovered the existence of Jedi Holocrons during the events of Palpatine’s resurrection, six years after the Battle of Endor. After being captured by Palpatine and detained at his citadel on the planet Byss, Leia escaped with a Jedi Holocron - by all appearances a milky jade crystal block - that Palpatine claimed had been given to him by an aged Jedi Master. Subsequent research eventually determined that the Jedi Master was Ashka Boda, who was slain by Palpatine during the Jedi Purge at the end of the Clone Wars.

“This Holocron’s primary hologrammic gatekeeper was the Jedi Bodo Baas, who’d served in the Adega system six hundred years earlier. Via the Holocron, Bodo Baas revealed many details of the history of the Jedi, including the saga of Exar Kun and his contemporary, the Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma, who also turned to the dark side. Shortly after Leia first activated the Holocron, Bodo Baas recited a prophecy that had been written by his own Master a thousand years earlier:

‘A brother and sister born to walk the sky,
‘But reckless brother falls into Dark Side’s eye!
‘Jedi sister carries hope for future in her
‘womb.
‘Only she can save the Skywalkers from certain
‘doom!
‘A Jedi-killer wants to tame her.
‘Now the Dark Side Lord comes to claim her.
‘She must battle join against this thief,
‘Or the dynasty of all the Jedi will come to
‘Grief!’

“Leia had no reason to doubt the veracity of the prophecy, for it described her then current circumstances: Palpatine, the “Jedi-killer,” wanted to convert Leia and her expected child to the dark side, while Luke Skywalker had embraced the power of the dark side in an effort to conquer Palpatine. Fortunately, Luke eventually realized that he could not defeat Palpatine alone, and the Dark Lord ultimately failed to seduce Leia or any of her children. Because the Holocron contained other prophecies as well as seemingly infinite data about the Jedi, its value was incalculable.”


Tionne Solusar, Star Wars: Jedi vs. Sith - The Essential Guide to the Force

And finally, in Dynasty of Evil, Zannah muses that she would always be Bane’s inferior in lightsaber dueling despite their equal strength in the Force (it’s arguable Zannah was even slightly stronger), and that her “true talents lay elsewhere” in Sith sorcery. As a fellow sorcerer who likewise eschews lightsaber combat, this is perhaps the most pertinent passage for Wyyrlok.

She would never be Bane's equal in physical strength. He would always be superior to her in martial skill. So why had she tried to defeat him in lightsaber combat, when her true talents lay elsewhere?

She had fallen into his trap. He had pretended to have a weapon, knowing she would see through his bluff. Bane had wanted her to focus on his missing lightsaber above all else. He was goading her into battle.

Using her lightsaber to defeat an unarmed opponent was the simplest, most obvious path to victory - one Bane had expertly led her down. But the most obvious path was rarely the best one.

Bane didn't fear her blades. There was only one thing she possessed that he was wary of: Sith sorcery. Zannah could do things with the Force that Bane couldn't even attempt. She could attack the minds of her opponents, turning their own thoughts and dreams against them.


Star Wars: Darth Bane - Dynasty of Evil

So, with all of that in mind, what can we say about Cade and Wyyrlok? Well, seeing as Wyyrlok is not a dedicated warrior, and clearly excels far more in and prefers other areas such as telekinesis, lightning and sorcery, it seems clear that if anyone would have the edge in lightsaber training and experience, it would be Cade - he has fought in dozens of battles and killed dozens-hundreds of Sith and other enemies over the course of a year. So, with that being the case, there is only one possible explanation for the fact that Cade was defeated far more easily by a much more lax Krayt than the one who was seething with rage and fully intent on killing Wyyrlok: his command of the Force must be far greater than Cade’s own.

The only ability Cade excels in more than lightsaber combat or telekinesis is Dark Transfer, but that is a truly savant talent that he mastered on instinct alone. Therefore, what we can conclude is this: Wyyrlok is far superior to Cade Skywalker in an aspect of the Force that is likely Wyyrlok’s weakest area, and one of Cade’s strongest - the lightsaber. Therefore, in terms of abilities like telekinesis and lightning, Wyyrlok’s superiority to Cade would be even more extreme. Essentially:

Wyyrlok’s TK/Lightning/Sorcery/etc. >>> Wyyrlok’s lightsaber skill >>> Cade’s lightsaber skill/TK/Lightning/etc.

The gap between Wyyrlok’s lightning and his lightsaber skill is likely even greater than Sidious’ own, because Sidious is a master of every lightsaber form and is easily one of the greatest and most dedicated duelists in history. Wyyrlok, comparatively, has one statement that would detract from the idea that he is a dedicated duelist, and has a whole host of accolades that talk about his skills and dedication in areas completely unrelated to and antithetical to lightsaber combat: philosophy, scholarship, diplomacy, and above all, increasing his understanding of the Force.

So for Wyyrlok to be so overtly superior to Cade in lightsaber combat despite it being his poorest area, he must be ridiculously superior to him in those areas he actually excels in, and all of the evidence available to us points towards that conclusion: therefore, we can safely say that Wyyrlok’s applicable Force power far eclipses Cade Skywalker’s in any of the Force powers common to them both: telekinesis, lightning, telepathy, barrier, augmentation, etc.
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Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Empty SUPERIORITY TO CADE SKYWALKER (cont.)

March 13th 2020, 7:38 pm
Message reputation : 100% (1 vote)

WYYRLOK AND CADE’S RESPECTIVE RELATIONSHIPS TO THE FORCE

Darth Wyyrlok doesn’t just have an enormous edge in the magnitude of his connection to the Force, but his specific relationship to it as a Sith Lord is one that works especially well against someone like Cade Skywalker in combat.

To preface, lightsaber duels are fought more as metaphysical chess matches in the Force than as physical skirmishes. The air between the combatants often ripples with their collective energies as the currents of the Force flow around them. Examples include Maul, Sidious, and Luke, although I’m sure many more could be found.

I am going to kill him. Every beat of my blood exults in my power. Every blow I deliver is meant to be the killing blow. I use reserves of strength I did not know I had. My blows are sure and precise, my footwork flawless. I gather in the power of the dark side. I feel my power clash with his. The air is thick, charged with our dark, titanic powers.

Star Wars: Episode I Journal - Darth Maul

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v5wwQAVR6k&t=145m30s

“Through the strength of the Force, your shroud of evil has been lifted from my mind!”

“So be it. Through the power of the Force, you will die!”

“Be careful, Luke! The Force is so strong… They’re both moving so fast, I can hardly see them. I feel waves of power… The dark side and the light. But… I feel… the light is winning!”


Luke, Palpatine, and Leia, Star Wars: Dark Empire audio drama

The contrast between the Jedi and Sith philosophies is also reflected in combat: the Jedi give themselves to the Force and let its currents guide them, whereas Sith attempt to bend the Force to their will. While earlier it was established that simply having a greater Force connection can bring victory over a more technically skilled duelist, it’s also possible for the one with “more conscious control of the power at his command” to gain an edge on one deeply submerged in the Force. Probably the best example of this is Count Dooku’s musings while fighting Anakin and Obi-Wan: he was able to direct and twist the very currents of the Force that the Jedi were letting guide their movements, in effect giving him direct control of their bodies and fighting moves. In theory, if Anakin and Obi-Wan weren’t holding back and if Dooku weren’t toying with them in that instance, he would have been able to command the Force to throw them directly into his lightsaber and win instantly.

And the Sith dived forward, striking left-right-left in a series of attacks that left her winded, even assisted as she was by the Force. She deflected, forcing her mind to disengage from following his technique, to relax and maintain her deep connection to the Force. Thoughts were a hazard.

He did not share that weakness; she could feel the truth of that. He had more conscious control of the power at his command, and that gave him the edge. If she tried to increase her control of the Force, she would reduce her ability to simply react—but if she did not, she could only defend.


Star Wars: Darth Maul - Shadow Hunter

They didn't even comprehend how utterly he dominated the combat. Because they fought as they had been trained, by releasing all desire and allowing the Force to flow through them, they had no hope of countering Dooku's mastery of Sith techniques. They had learned nothing since he had bested them on Geonosis.

They allowed the Force to direct them; Dooku directed the Force.

He drew their strikes to his parries, and drove his own ripostes with thrusts of dark power that subtly altered the Jedi's balance and disrupted their timing. He could have slaughtered both of them as casually as that creature Maul had destroyed the vigos of the Black Sun.


Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith novelization

As a reminder, Wyyrlok displays the Sith tenet of bending the Force to his will “in everything he does,” and Dooku’s ability to direct the currents of the Force was specifically a “Sith technique,” with Wyyrlok being a master of “Sith lore” and “all the ways of the dark side.” It can therefore be presumed that Wyyrlok’s modus operandi in a lightsaber duel is similar to that of Dooku’s: imposing his will on the Force to bend its flow to his desire. Cade, on the other hand, was noted by Krayt to be relying exclusively on his raw Skywalker potential to keep up with him. Given that he only received Padawan level combat training before a seven-year break during which he tried his damndest to forget everything about the Jedi and the Force, and after that a few weeks at best to suddenly refamiliarize himself with lightsaber dueling under the tutelage of Wolf Sazen and Darth Talon, it’s entirely understandable why Cade wouldn’t be the most technically sophisticated swordsman around and would have to rely on his innate Force connection to get by; he wasn’t taught the Sith way to bend the Force to his will either. And while he went through great emotional, mental and spiritual growth over the course of the series, he didn’t at any point stop by to practise his lightsaber technique, nor would he really need to, since most opponents wouldn’t be a match for his raw connection to the Force to begin with. It can therefore be assumed Cade’s relationship to the Force in combat didn’t change over the course of the series.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Cade_s10

”The only thing that saves you thus far is the blood of Vader that runs through your veins.”

Darth Krayt, Star Wars: Legacy #19

Cade doesn’t attempt to bend the currents of the Force to his will in combat like Wyyrlok, and he coasts on his innate Skywalker potential to get through tough situations. Wyyrloks’s specific relationship to the Force as its commander rather than its servant is tailor-made to counter and exploit Cade’s style, if his generally greater magnitude wasn’t already enough to prove a vast disparity between the two. Beyond that, this aspect of Wyyrlok’s powers should, to a point, compensate for his lack of practice and interest in pure blade-to-blade fencing, and be of great use against others who operate similarly to Cade.

SAARAI SCALING

To put the nail in the coffin here, it is highly likely that Cade is less powerful by virtue of accolades and scaling alone. We know that Wyyrlok’s dark side abilities are “surpassed only by Krayt,” and that his daughter, Saarai, is in the process of training to become the fourth Wyyrlok. She has not yet been given the rank of Sith Lord, has not been branded with Sith tattoos, and Wyyrlok states that her power is nascent, which is defined as “just coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential.”

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Saarai12

“Your power is nascent, and not fully realized. Be patient. Your time will come.”

Darth Wyyrlok, Star Wars: Legacy - War #1

Except… Saarai, despite her power being in its infancy relative to her father’s, is clearly not helpless. As we see, she easily subdues Darth Stryfe. She dodges his blasts, kicks him down the stairs, then takes Stryfe’s heart in her telekinetic grip while contorting his body. Stryfe briefly fights back, making her nose bleed from telekinetic pressure and Force pushing her. She easily takes control again, holding Stryfe aloft as she ragdolls and contorts his body - she only stops when her father, Wyyrlok, commands her to drop him.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Saarai12

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Saarai10

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Saarai11

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Wyyrlo14

”Yahhhrr!”

“I have your heart in my hand. Just a little more pressure… and…”

“You are not the only one… with… power…”

“Bend.”

“Yaaaarhhhgg!!!”

“Saarai. Enough.”


Darth Stryfe, Saarai, and Darth Wyyrlok, Star Wars: Legacy #34

This being the same Darth Stryfe who held his own against Cade in a duel not long prior to this. He stonewalled Cade’s telekinesis, and Cade opted to cooperate with his friend to kick Stryfe into the path of three thermal detonators in order to defeat him.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread W7yiRfj

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread QF9v8ip

”Syn! I could use some boom about now!”

Cade Skywalker, Star Wars: Legacy #30

Saarai, then, is clearly more powerful and more masterful in the Force than Cade at this time, by a degree great enough to utterly dominate and ragdoll… yet, she is “nascent” compared to her father. And while Cade does improve substantially between Vector and War, the idea that he improved so much that he not only surpassed Saarai, but additionally crossed the vast gulf between Saarai and Wyyrlok, and then went further to surpass Wyyrlok himself… is supported absolutely nowhere.

In fact, looking at Cade’s final fight with Darth Talon, that notion seems outright contradicted. To begin with, Cade dodges Talon’s telekinetic blast like Saarai did with Stryfe, after which he in turn blasts her to the floor hard enough to crack stone and to stun her for long enough for him to witness and comment on Wolf Sazen’s duel and death. While Cade is distracted, Talon makes it her objective to flee to Krayt to warn him of Cade’s newfound magnitude and mastery. The beginning of the text issue shows Talon crawling on the floor, covered in lightsaber wounds, calling to her Master before being picked up and smashed against the ceiling and pillar by Cade’s telekinesis.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Cade_vs_Talon_1

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Cade_vs_Talon_2

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Cade_vs_Talon_3

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Cade_vs_Talon_4

The last page is what people often turn to when they argue Cade dominated Talon. Yet that is ignoring what happened in the previous issue: Talon’s explicit goal was to escape Cade and reach the room Krayt was in. And… she succeeded. Yes, she was covered in lightsaber wounds, but this does not indicate she was gripped telekinetically the same way Saarai had Stryfe completely immobilized and at her mercy. The fact that Talon could evade Cade for long enough to reach Krayt and the fact that Cade was unable to stop her in itself disproves this idea: if Cade could have torn through her Force barrier and seized her in an unbreakable telekinetic grip to the point where he literally held her heart in his hands, he would have - he has made a point of killing every Sith he meets coldly, directly, and efficiently, having no compunctions about abusing the Force to do so as seen with Darth Maladi and a Sith Trooper, and nothing suggests Talon would be an exception to this. We also have the example of Sidious hitting Maul even harder with a telekinetic push than what Cade did to Talon at the start of their fight (she was merely dazed while Maul was outright knocked out momentarily) yet being incapable of directly ripping through Maul’s active Force barrier without engineering and/or exploiting a lapse in Maul’s concentration first, due to the disproportionate strength of Force barriers. The same would be true between Cade and Talon.

But strong as he had become, Maul found himself in awe of Sidious. The Sith Lord was astonishingly fast and efficient, and the Force flowed through him effortlessly. His sabers stabbed and slashed through the smallest hole in an opponent’s guard, his movements never carried him a millimeter out of position, and he could sense every attack Maul and Savage made before it developed.

Maul tried to slash past Sidious’s guard, only to find his Master had given ground, causing Maul to extend his arms too far and leave himself slightly unbalanced. It was the smallest stumble, easily corrected, but Sidious saw it—and pounced before Maul could draw himself back. Snarling, he reached out with the Force and slammed Maul against the wall, leaving him lying stunned in a heap.


Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Darth Maul, Shadow Conspiracy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7hBZNsPnyg&t=2m40s

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Season 5 Episode 16, The Lawless

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Disproportionate_Force_barriers

Force barrier: The ability of a Force-sensitive individual to create a nearly impenetrable wall of Force energy to protect them from Force attacks. Originally developed and practiced by Umbaran Shadow Assassins, a Force barrier wasn’t perfect; the combined efforts of several powerful Force users eventually could break through.

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Cade_wants_to_kill_every_Sith_3

“Did as you said, master -- tapped into the light side. Hate to say it -- but you were right.”

“Then come back to the Jedi, Cade. Become who you should be.”

“Can’t. I know now what I am. Not Jedi. Not Sith. I am what the Force has made me… the Sith’s worst nightmare. Time to make war.”


Cade Skywalker and Wolf Sazen, Star Wars: Legacy #46

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Cade_wants_to_kill_every_Sith

“Cade’s been on a tear ever since he learned this Isen was the one who poisoned Dac. Got something else gnawing at him too, but he ain’t told me what. It’s like he wants to kill every Sith in the galaxy all by himself.”

Jariah Syn, Star Wars: Legacy #48

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Cade_wants_to_kill_every_Sith_2

“What can you say about what readers can expect to see in these final issues? Can you tease some of what we’ll be seeing both in terms of character interactions and the battles?”

“The Sith are poisoning planets they don’t like or to teach people a lesson. Cade’s been hunting down all the Sith that he can find. Darth Krayt’s not dead, and that promises to be trouble. We got a Princess in peril and a desperate rescue-and not everyone may walk away. Everything and the kitchen sink. You know, the usual.”



Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Cade_threatens_Maladi

”Unhappy, Skywalker?”

“Maladi! Shoulda guessed. Shoulda smelled you! Let Blue go, or I swear I’ll strangle you with the Force right through this Force field!


Darth Maladi and Cade Skywalker, Star Wars: Legacy #45

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Cade_shoots_lightning_at_a_Sith_Trooper

”Enough.”

“Don’t. We need one alive, see what makes it tick, because I promise you -- however many have been killed -- Krayt has lots more.”

“Fine.”


Cade Skywalker and Morrigan Corde, Star Wars: Legacy - War #4

So, now that we’ve proven Saarai dominated Stryfe to a greater extent than Cade could dominate Talon, let’s compare Stryfe and Talon to each other. We already know that Stryfe was an equal of Vector Cade in Force power and Cade called for Jariah Syn’s assistance to deal with him. Curiously enough, this fight happens immediately after Cade’s duel with Talon where he was able to seemingly incapacitate and take her out of the fight for good. We later see her in a bacta tank recovering from her injuries. As far as accolades go, Talon is one of two Emperor’s Hands and Stryfe is merely the next in line and gets the position after Krayt demotes Nihl for seeming incompetence. However, their respective fights against Cade portray Stryfe as indeed a superior opponent for him than Talon, so it’s possible the position of Hand is based on other qualities than combat prowess such as stealth and espionage, which a raging bull like Stryfe wouldn't be suited for as well as someone like Talon or Nihl.

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Vector_Cade_vs_Talon_1

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Vector_Cade_vs_Talon_2

Even if Talon is superior to Stryfe on most days and the skirmish with Cade was simply a fluke, it should be evident the gap isn’t large. Therefore, Saarai’s greater domination of Stryfe compared to War Cade’s lesser domination of Talon should land the two on roughly equal levels of power, although it’s still very much possible Saarai is still the more powerful of the two if Stryfe is Talon’s better.

---

To summarize, what you would be suggesting with the notion of Cade being Wyyrlok’s superior is that Cade’s power went from being less than nascent compared to Wyyrlok’s, to being outright and noticeably superior, and not only that, but this power also bridges the vast gulf between Wyyrlok and Cade in Force knowledge and their respective relationships to the Force. Wyyrlok has “unparalleled” knowledge of the Sith and is a “master of all the ways of the dark side,” displaying the tenet of bending the Force to his will “in everything he does,” including lightsaber combat. Cade has under his belt a Padawan’s training, a Sith crash course and time spent in the Embrace of Pain, a profound experience that let him reconcile his tumultuous emotions and embrace the light side, heightened focus (compared to being a death stick addict, that is) and a “new mastery of the Force.” While all of that is impressive in its own right, again, it strains credulity greatly to suggest that it makes up for the extreme degree of mastery Wyyrlok possesses over him.
The Lost
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Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Empty CONCLUSION

March 13th 2020, 9:29 pm
Message reputation : 100% (1 vote)

THANK YOU FOR READING!

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread 20200313

Darth Wyyrlok III checks every box. With an almost unparalelled knowledge, understanding of and connection to the Force, coupled with indomitable willpower, ironclad and precisely quantifiable scaling that puts him head and shoulders above every other Force User in Legacy barring Darth Krayt, extremely favourable comparisons to both the most ancient and the most modern Sith Lords, and an extremely impressive final stand against the Dragon of the Sith, it is without doubt that Darth Wyyrlok III is within the highest echelons of Sith power in all of galactic history.
Master Azronger
Master Azronger
Moderator
Moderator

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Empty Re: Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread

March 13th 2020, 9:39 pm
Well done, @ILS and @Azronger. I wish I was as good as you guys.
BreakofDawn
BreakofDawn
Level Seven
Level Seven

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Empty Re: Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread

March 13th 2020, 9:46 pm
Azronger wrote:Well done, @ILS and @Azronger. I wish I was as good as you guys.
Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread 1668617588

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Imagee11

OT: Nice work.
KingofBlades
KingofBlades
Level Three
Level Three

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Empty Re: Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread

March 15th 2020, 5:01 am
Excellent RT ILS Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread 1289255181
Shioz
Shioz

Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Empty Re: Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread

March 15th 2020, 6:57 am
Awesome RT.
Blade_of_Dorin
Blade_of_Dorin
Level One
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Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread Empty Re: Darth Wyyrlok III Respect Thread

March 15th 2020, 12:48 pm
Looks great, will give it a full read sometime
The lord of hunger
The lord of hunger
Level Two
Level Two

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March 15th 2020, 1:18 pm
add this character to the list of ones that can shit on kunĀ 


marvelous stuff
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