Nurun the Honorable

Nurun is the Justiciar of the High Council, the Emperor's Justice. He leads the Justice sphere and controls the Sith Knight Order, Dark Blades, and Ascendent Imperial Guard. Nurun is a Zabrak, though he lacks the red skin common among those of his race within the Empire. He's rather short, and doesn't care if people say so. He likes to think of himself as the small rock that breaks the bigger rocks.

## Appearance

Nurun was born a light side Zabrak, with white skin and gray tattoos. This changed during his training as a Sith, causing his skin to darken slightly and his tattoos to darken greatly. Nurun stands 5'6" tall and is 22 years old.

## Personality

### Basics

Nurun is an odd combination. He would do anything for his friends, but often enjoys pissing those friends off. He wants to uphold the Ascendancy's laws, but hates it when the job requires him to hurt people he considers innocent or, worse, people he likes. Most of all, though, he practices use of the Light Side of the Force, yet still considers himself Sith and would throttle anyone who even suggested that he was a Jedi.

### Relationships

**Nuraz:** Nurun and his brother Nuraz maintain peaceful relations despite their clear differences in allegiance. They make sure to meet at least once a week for sparring practice, in which Nurun nearly always wins.

**Nus'ima:** Nurun's new adopted "daughter" is much more like a very odd sister to him. Nurun tries his best to guide her without taking away from her ability to make her own choices. This usually results in him sending her somewhere saying that he wants her to meet someone, but never showing up to introduce her to that person.

**Arishol Septus:** Nurun met Arishol alongside Vladonious Vong when the two of them first joined the Dark Ascendancy. Nurun has great respect for his Emperor and very nearly idolizes him. He often wishes he could be the Emperor's son.

**Dez'ara Averotich:** Nurun, like most people, felt very afraid of Dez'ara at first. Also like most people, that initial fear faded into the background the more he got to know her, but never really left. He's glad to have her as a friend, but knows that if he makes her mad he won't live through it.

**Drem'ssemn:** Nurun has an instinctive fear of Twi'leks ever since his first time drinking. Drem was the first person to break that fear, mostly because he's male and the Twi'lek Nurun met that day was female. Nurun has a lot of fun hanging out with Drem and Vlad when they're aren't all swamped with their respective jobs.

**Jagrirso:** Jag was one of Nurun's first dueling partners in the Ascendancy. He taught Nurun many things that no Academy would know. But Nurun's a quick learner, so it didn't take long for them to be on equal footing. Now, duels between them usually result in a lot of collateral damage.

**Vladonious Vong:** When Vladonious found Nurun on Korriban and offered to take him in, Nurun accepted immediately. The two struck up a close friendship and joined the Ascendancy together. Nurun looks upon the old man with respect, but he looks upon his work with slight disgust.

**Zanthiren:** Zanthiren is one of Nurun's best friends, as well as one of his most trusted colleagues. Her incredible skill makes her an invaluable member of the Dark Blades, while her hot temper makes her an invaluable source of Nurun's amusement. When her "demons" take hold of her, though, Nurun rushes to her aid without a second thought. The only thing Nurun doesn't like about Zan is her victim mentality.

**Zytto:** Zytto is the other of Nurun's best friends. Whenever Zanthiren loses herself, it's often Nurun and Zytto who help her get back together again. Nurun likes to think of himself and Zytto as the perfect pair; "with Zy's smarts and my quips, there's no challenge too tall!"

### Opinions

* **The Force:** Nurun knows very little about the Force, and frankly would rather not learn. Nurun has a rare birth defect brought about by his parent's genetic modifications to his body that prevents him from using the Force through normal means. Trying to use the Force like your average person does causes immense internal strain on Nurun's body. To Nurun, the force is a dangerous beast that should only be used as a last resort, for how could something that causes so much pain to him be good?
* **War:** Nurun sees war in a similar light to how Mandalorians do: it is a chance to compete with the other side to see who is stronger. However, Nurun recognizes that there's no such thing as a "dishonorable" method in war. War is more than just a battle of strength and fighting prowess, it's about tactics and strategy, cunning and intelligence. Not that Nurun is involved with any of that, he prefers to let his lightsaber do the thinking for him.
* **Honor:** Honor is a complicated topic for Nurun. He considers himself to be honorable, but doesn't agree with the common concept for honor. "*I believe that any battle that does not include hatred or a desire for bloodlust is honorable. When both opponents can respect one another's abilities, but still resolve to kill one another, that is honor in combat. As for honor outside of combat, that's basically just looking good.*"
* **Jedi:** Nurun used to think that all Jedi were machines, incapable of feeling emotions. Recently, however, that view has changed. Now, Nurun considers most Jedi to be respectable individuals that he usually has to kill without question, as the few involvements Nurun has with them usually involve them trying to assault his country and home.
* **The Ascendant Empire:** Nurun considers the Ascendancy to be his family and home, the one place he truly belongs. While he usually takes a "to each his own" attitude for most subjects, the laws of the Ascendant Empire are not on that list. Nurun is particularly protective of his subordinates, and will slaughter anyone who threatens them, regardless of their station or bloodline.

## History

Nurun was born to Jedi parents, both Zabrak of the Republic. Both were slaughtered by Lord Mamar, who took their child under his wing and trained him as a Sith. Nurun was exactly the opposite of what Mamar wanted him to be. He had little to no connection to the Force until he reached the age of 15, so Mamar focused on lightsaber training. Mamar tried to make Nurun hate him, hoping that Nurun would seek vengeance for the parents he'd lost, and that such a goal would make him stronger. However, because they were taken from him so early, Nurun had no memories of his parents. He could not feel a desire for vengeance over the deaths of people he didn't know. He instead sought only Lord Mamar's approval, and strove toward that.

When Mamar found out that Nurun saw him as a father figure, he lost all hope. Mamar killed himself, saying that Nurun was a disgrace that he could no longer bare. It was all a last-ditch effort to enrage Nurun. It didn't work. Nurun sat next to his master's body and wept until an Overseer (called by Lord Mamar before his death) came and brought him to Korriban. There, he passed every trial that was set for him, determined to show Lord Mamar how great a Sith he could be.

Nurun came to the Ascendancy alongside Vladonious Vong, who found him on Korriban shortly before. From the moment that Nurun visited the temple on Yavin 4, he knew that the planet meant something to him. He felt an odd connection that he couldn't place. It was weeks after joining the Ascendency that he discovered the reason as he explored the temple. He discovered a hidden message by the saber forge that led him to the location of a small hut near the temple. It was there that Nurun learned the truth.

The hut had belonged to his parents, and it was where Lord Mamar had taken him from. The building itself was still intact, but the signs of battle still remained, including the corpses of his parents. Nurun felt nothing as he saw them. They were like strangers to him; he could not love or hate them. He stepped over the bodies of his parents and began to search the hut. That was when his emotions stirred. Nurun found many research notes that spoke of an experiment - the "Nu" project - meant to birth a child with an extraordinary connection to the Force that could wipe away the Empire forever.

The notes were completely analytical. There was not a shred of emotion in a single word written. The closest thing to it was a sense of disappointment. Nurun's parents found that his connection to the Force was nearly severed completely at the time of his birth. They had calculated a 2.7% chance of this happening with the conditions they'd set, and remarked that it must have been a test that their first result was a failure. They had planned to ship the "subject" off to Tatooine and have "it" grow up as a farmer.

For the first time in Nurun's life, he knew true hatred. Nurun grabbed a few scrolls listing rituals of the Light, then proceeded to mutilate what remained of his parents' corpses and set their home ablaze. He sat and watched the building burn, having finally learned everything. But every new discovery brings with it a mystery. The "Nu" Project had succeeded. There was a Jedi out there with an unparalleled connection to the Force. Nurun left Yavin 4 with a new understanding of himself, and a new purpose burning in his heart.

### The Day the Brothers Met

Nurun had been searching many months when he had finally managed to make contact with his brother. Nuraz had joined the Grey Order after being thrown out of the Republic during his days as a padawan. It took an elaborate set of contacts for the two to communicate with one another and set up a meeting. Nurun expected the event would come to bloodshed, but sincerely hoped that it wouldn't.

The first time that the brothers saw one another, it was as if two moons orbiting the same planet had finally been set into an eclipse. Both had been running in circles to find each other, and now that they had, they both felt like the world had emptied. There was nothing but the dark, empty void and the two of them. For a while, they just stood, staring at the person that was supposed to be their brother. Finally, Nurun spoke.

". . . well now, you're certainly something else." He said. "Even with my pitiful excuse for a force connection, I can tell that you're unlike anything else in the galaxy. They really did succeed with you." Nuraz remained silent, but showed a look of complete bewilderment to his brother. Nurun explained everything, about their parents and what they were like, what had happened to them, and what they had done. By the end, all the brothers could do was stare at each other once more.

"I only have one question:" said Nuraz, his voice shaking. "If you supposedly have no connection to the Force, then why are you Sith? *How* are you Sith?" Nurun wondered why it mattered, and what emotion drove the tremor in Nuraz's voice. "I can use the Force, but only briefly. I mostly rely on my skill with a lightsaber to keep me alive." said Nurun calmly. "Are you confident in that skill?" Nuraz's voice had stopped shaking, but was filled with malice and contempt. Nurun now understood that its' original shakes had come from anger. "Let's see if you can back that confidence up." Nuraz lunged.

The battle that followed was epic, destructive, - and brief. Nurun had his brother pinned to the floor within seconds. He was honestly surprised. He had expected Nuraz to be a war machine capable of eliminating the entire council at once. Clearly, his brother had been restraining himself. *So, he has control after all.* Nurun was inwardly pleased with his brother's progress. He sheathed his lightsaber and offered his hand. "We don't have to be enemies," said Nurun. "At least not yet. For now, the Grey Order and my Ascendancy are leaving one another alone, so there is no reason we can't do the same."

Nuraz looked his brother in the eyes, and slowly his anger faded. Soon, he began to laugh. Pushing his brother off of him, he shouted "That's my line, Sith!" leapt to his feet and drew his lightsabers once more. Only this time, there was a smile across his face. This wasn't a fight to the death, it was an invitation to spar. Nurun took it gladly, and proceeded to pound his brother into the dirt numerous times while giving him tactical advice about combat. The two couldn't have picked a better bonding exercise.