Lord Verus

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Cain Farr, a male Force-sensitive Chandrilan human male, was a Jedi Knight and a general in the Galactic Alliance who fell to the dark side of the Force after the Great Collapse and eventually came to be known as Lord Verus. During the Great Intergalactic War, he along with his apprentice were believed to have been killed during a battle in the Lothal sector, however he survived by escaping once the battle was lost. As the Jedi Order and the Galactic Alliance collapsed, Farr, like many other Jedi, went into hiding and for a time led a peaceful life on the planet Auratera—a powerful nexus in the Force. He protected the locals from raiders and warlords alike for at least two years, until a fateful night when a local warlord, Grisk Ironhand, attacked his village and slaughtered almost every civilian. Being unable to protect them due to being vastly outnumbered, Cain fell to the dark side of the Force and slaughtered Grisk and his forces single-handedly. This experience made him believe that power was necessary to maintain order and defend innocents, now vowing to wield his newly found dark powers to restore peace and order to the galaxy.

Soon after, Cain began hearing whispers through the Force—a greater power calling to him. By the guidance of the Force, he found himself on planet Udunn, the hidden fortress of the Order or Bogan in the far reaches of the Unknown Regions. There he found other fallen Jedi who believed in the same cause as himself, and the enigmatic and mysterious Bogan who reached out to him through the Force so that he could find him. Finding his new calling there, Cain took on the name of Verus—now a lord of the Order of Bogan. For years, he’d carry out various dark and covert deeds in the name of his new liege, planting the seeds necessary to conquer the galaxy itself. Later, he became the right-hand man to his leader and became the figurehead of the Order itself, overtaking his own master through the trial of combat and ultimately killed her to solidify himself as the master of the order. Later he acquired his own apprentice, teaching her the philosophy he himself had learned.

## Personality and Traits

> *"To understand the root cause of all things evil in our galaxy, is to understand its history. The civilizations that came before us. We’ve seen the Republic, the Empire, the Jedi, the Sith, all die and collapse so many times before. It’s as if they’re predetermined to fall, and so they are. Flawed by design. That’s why all things must be destroyed, and rebuilt without flaw."* —**Lord Verus**
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As Jedi Knight Cain Farr, Verus was viewed as a warm, discerning, just and a fearless Jedi who was ultimately driven by his sense of justice and passion for discovery. Ever since his youth, he had profound interest and passion for the history of the galaxy and its various cultures which in turn made him an insightful and an intelligent man once he’d grown into a full-fledged Jedi Knight. He had a strict and a powerful sense of justice and saw little shades of gray in matters that concerned those less fortunate and civilians that lived in the less than modest environments of the Outer Rim—he was often found disillusioned especially with the leadership of the Galactic Alliance and even the Jedi Order itself in its inability to distribute more resources across the galaxy and the Order’s inability to dictate the matters of the government. His views became far more solidified after the Great Collapse, seeing that even after such devastation the Core Worlds retained their ways of life while the rest of the galaxy suffered in the aftermath. As such, he began to resent the weakness of the Jedi and all things that concerned them and as the Jedi withered away in the aftermath of the Tengean invasion, he believed it to be a just fate for their failures.

After the defeat of the Jedi, he became greatly traumatized by the event. He believed to have lost his apprentice and every single person that he’d ever cared for, and seeing the galaxy in the state of regression, he lost all hope for salvation and attempted to lead a simple life until his eventual fall to the dark side of the Force on Auratera. After the battle, he found that the sole and only way to bring peace and order to the galaxy was through the absolute power to destroy any existing constructs of the galaxy in order to rebuild it. Seeing that both the Jedi, and the Galactic Alliance proved to fail, he seeks to eradicate any remaining foundations of either institution in order to create a new order in their place. His goals however, in truth, lie in destruction of something far greater than either institution.

> *“I will destroy, and I will rebuild for as long as needed repeatedly until the universe will truly become pure.”*— **Lord Verus**
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Cain, re-christened as Verus, retained his discerning and justful views but was far more violent in his approach and solutions. He allowed himself to be immersed in the dark side in order to weaponize it to destroy anything and everything that could stand in between him and his goal of reconstituting the galaxy and the universe at large, seeing truth in absolute power that the Jedi were too weak to wield and the Sith too arrogant to respect it. He still has retained a soft and empathetic side to him, not willing to kill innocents unless necessary and he also has a profound warmth towards his apprentice, Anathema, whom he considers to be the closest thing to a daughter he has ever had. As such, if ever endangered, he would be willing to move mountains in order to protect her.

## Power and Abilities

> *"I have never witnessed such skill and ability wielded with unwavering focus. It is your intent that separates you from all the rest, Verus. I will die gladly knowing that my place will be filled by you."* — **Lady Ilustra**, *Master of the Order of Bogan*
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Ever since his days as a Jedi initiate, Verus was a stand out and his skill in both lightsaber combat and his use of the Force was commended even by Grand Master Greba herself. Due to his insightful and discerning nature, Verus has always had a profound understanding of how to extract the best of his abilities to match his opponents and beat them. Despite his aggressive nature in comparison to many of his Jedi colleagues, Verus never relied on his aggression in combat—his greatest virtue was always his patience and the ability to create many paths to victory without the necessity to force the result.

As a Padawan, Verus studied holocrons that both displayed instructions by both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Count Dooku, both of whom he grew to emulate in terms of lightsaber combat and eventually combined the strengths of both Jedi Masters—becoming defensively immensely difficult to bypass while his ability to counter with great precision and timing became his trademark, to a degree that he could even defeat his Jedi teacher, Master Geran Rilion, in sparring, who was the Battlemaster of the Order at the time. Under the tutelage of his master, Verus became very knowledgeable and skilled in the use of the Force, a trait that only grew greater once he embraced the dark side.

### Lightsaber Combat

> *“He’s more than adept and knowledgeable in all forms I’ve taught him, and he was even able to defeat me in sparring. He compliments his Makashi with Soresu immensely well, he never loses balance—he can nullify tens of strikes with minimal effort, appearing as if he is giving ground until he suddenly disarms you.”* — Jedi Master **Geran Rilion**
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Lord Verus is a remarkably skilled lightsaber combatant, having become a master in Form II and immensely proficient in Form III, while having acquired enough skill to apply such forms as Vapaad into his bladework. It isn’t however his skill in any of the particular forms that makes him a formidable combatant, but his refined and tactile ability to combine the traits of each into a single, immensely effective form of lightsaber combat that utilizes the traits of every form he’s adapted, highly reminding of a distinctive form of Niman. He personally calls his form of combat as Form VIII, Zajaal, the Way of Sung Poetry. It shares many of its principles with Niman in essence, however it relies on the use of the dark side of the Force to make it more effective and it is also perfectly adapted to combat Tengean infantry, who are more reliant on spear-like weapons.

Verus prefers efficiency and balance above all things when it comes to lightsaber combat, thus having never been one to prefer forms that require excessive acrobatics or strength to force an opening to break his opponents defense—he believes that if one tries to force their opponent to yield through sheer physicality, they themselves become far more prone to openings. As a Padawan, he studied various Jedi of the past and came across tales of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Count Dooku beating the likes of Darth Vader in their time which only reinforced his personal philosophy in terms of lightsaber combat, tactics and strategy altogether.

Usage of Makashi isn’t solely about balance, control, balletics or grace—Form II was created to duel another wielder of a lightsaber, and such requires understanding of one’s opponent and concealing one’s own intentions. It also requires the duel to be almost intimate, requiring the wielder of the form to maintain a demeanor and an outward attitude that become as important as the physical feints themselves. As such, Verus has always utilized psychology and taunting his opponents as much as bladework itself, and not through speech unless he decides to do so. As his form of combat requires unwavering balance both physically and mentally, unbalancing his opponents psychology gives him an upper hand in itself. Utilizing Form III Soresu in tandem with his practice in Makashi, Verus’ cold demeanor, coupled with his minute precision and effortless defense can frustrate even the greatest of combatants. He may also appear immensely calm in situations where he visibly loses ground—when in reality he gives ground to his opponents in order to learn their mannerisms, body language and state of mind while physically forcing them to exert much more energy than he ever has to. Once he turned to the dark side, Verus has also partially adapted Vapaad to apply counter-pressure once he breaks himself from his near-absolute defensive shell.

Although he is not the strongest or the fastest of duelists, both Makashi and Soresu are more or less tailor-made for his needs which he combines seamlessly into Zajaal. His discerning nature and mental swiftness make up for the physical requirements of forms such as Djem So or Ataru, and his skill with positioning and acute footwork makes up for the need for speed and strength as he relies far more on timing and precision. As per his former master Greba, Cain was well capable of deflecting over a dozen strikes per second with just a single parry without being overwhelmed at all. Due to his skill in Soresu, he makes up for Makashi’s lack of defense against multiple opponents or larger barrages of blaster fire. However if he finds himself in a situation where he is physically incapable of responding to fire or a lightsaber, Verus is also well-versed in using the Force to accompany his use of a lightsaber. He may employ simple techniques such as Telekinesis or Stasis to thwart his opponents or hold off blasterfire while in combat, utilize Tutaminis to absorb lightsaber strikes or even erect potent Force barriers to halt a strike midway through. After his fall to the Dark Side, he has employed Cryokinesis to sap his opponents of the heat their bodies generate which in turn directly affects their ability to move altogether. Verus is also immensely well-versed in hand-to-hand combat, and even prefers to utilize strikes and even grappling to supplement his use of a lightsaber.

### Force Abilities

> *“The dark side of the Force is powerful within you, young Cain. Embrace it and you’ll truly become far more powerful than you could otherwise ever be, as you’ll only embrace your true self. I foresee that you’ll bring about the doom of the Jedi Order as it stands. Henceforth, you shall be known as Lord Verus and you will command our order to victory. You and I will accomplish many things. We will bind the Force itself to our will and all things shall become ours.”* — **Bogan**, *1035 AB*Y
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Lord Verus is remarkably powerful in the ways of the Force, and after his eventual fall to the dark side and him embracing the ways of the Bogan only bolstered his connection. When the Jedi Order took him in by the virtue of Master Geran Rilion, Cain was already found gifted in the force and he was located by the means of his high midi-chlorian count. As a Jedi, Cain grew skilled and even powerful in many abilities with years of training. He was very profound in all areas of Telekinesis and due to his discerning nature altogether, he became immensely skilled in Force sight—to a degree that he learned to counter forms of persuasion and mind tricks with an ease, and whether someone was lying or not. He also uses this ability to peer through walls, being capable of discerning things hidden from plain sight. He could also use the Force to enhance his physical attributes to a great degree, making him far faster and stronger than he would normally be while enabling him enough dexterity to leap and jump over considerable distances and heights as well as being able to sprint over short distances at speeds blind to a naked eye.

Cain was also skilled in tutaminis, having shown enough proficiency to deflect and absorb blaster fire with the palm of his hand and even temporarily stopping a lightsaber strike, however such required his full attention and concentration at the time. He’s also skilled in Force stasis, being well capable of suspending blaster fire mid-air and slowing down if not altogether halting the movements of others, although Force users of similar strength could block such attempts by using valid protection. As such, he himself was capable of erecting powerful enough barriers to block blaster fire, even lightsabers and Force powers of others—proved when on his first arrival to Udunn, he was capable of temporarily halting even Bogans’ Force lightning, albeit only for a short period of time. Cain was also prominent in using the Force to form bonds with beasts and animals alike, something that’d carry into his time as Verus who would use the ability to command his army of beasts created through dark side alchemy.

However, after his descent to the dark side of the Force and embracing his connection to it and himself, his abilities and powers ascended to heights that surpass even that of most prominent Jedi Masters of his time. Under the tutelage of Bogan and Lady Ilustra, Cain embraced his newfound powers and persona as Verus—and as such he delved into the depths and details of the Force previously unknown to him. His all previous abilities became highly bolstered, and wielding the Force became as if an extension of his being, requiring little focus, effort and energy to execute many of his techniques, having the ability to execute his techniques and abilities without fatigue for prolonged periods of time. As the Master of the Order of Bogan, he learned how to use Battle Meditation to greatly bolster the focus and combat ability of his troops. He also learned how to fool others by immersing himself in an aura of supposedly light side energy. He delved into many abilities provided by ancient Sith sorcery, however he became the most proficient at the skills of Summon fear and Force Blast.

He could cast immensely powerful illusions to inflict immense fearful hysteria in others, forcing their minds to delve into their worst fears in forms of the most horrific torture and pictures imaginable—he’d use it as a substitute for death in terms of punishment towards his subjects, leaving many of them traumatized shells of their former selves for the rest of their lives. His use of Force Blast is notably powerful and takes a unique shape compared to his peers. He could summon and focus immense amounts of dark side energy into the palm of his hand, appearing as a small, concentrated sphere of visibly red energy as often his surroundings would begin to crack and immersed in small bolts of red lightning and upon releasing the blast, it’d appear as a powerful crimson blast of energy that could traverse considerable distances and cause immense destruction—to a degree that he couldn’t use the ability within his personal Starhawk -class dreadnought without significantly damaging the ship itself. He is capable of easily killing multiple targets, destroying large buildings or even space ships using the ability, however its use demands even much of his strength and stamina altogether if used at full force. When used in lesser power or volume, the ability is still deadly to even Jedi Masters should their defenses not make up for its strength.

However, his most fearsome abilities lie in Sever Force and Cryokinesis. He has learned how to sever one’s connection to the Force by encasing the minds of his targets with a wall of dark side energy, preventing them from tapping into the Force. In tandem with his Cryokinesis ability, Verus could harm one’s connection permanently by inflicting necrosis to the target through manipulating the temperature around the target to lethal distances instead of the target itself, permanently killing cells as well as midi-chlorians of a target. By using Cryokinesis, Verus could affect the temperature within a space of his choice to a point of freezing the targets within the selected space, sapping the heat out of the area—enabling him to kill entire populations with the technique. Similarly, he is capable of directly sapping the heat and vitality of his targets to directly affect their physical condition, and even kill them.

As the last but not least, Verus’ ability in the use of Force lightning is nothing short of lethal and he is capable of utilizing it in many shapes and forms. As a technique that requires a physical conduit, he often uses the basic variant of shooting it from his fingertips to inflict damage or harm on a single target at a time with great power. He can however also conjure it as a chain, using the lightning to damage multiple targets at a time. He can also conjure it up from the ground in order to damage anything in his way if need be. In situations where he fights multiple opponents at a time, Verus is capable of utilizing his entire body to conjure lightning as if in a whirlwind around his body, capable of conjuring it in considerably vast areas. He is also capable of conjuring it as if a storm by raising his palms into the air, summoning lightning from thin air to strike at his enemies from above. He is also capable of using a spherical variant of the technique, capable of blasting spheres of concentrated lightning from his hands that’d explode upon reaching the target. Uniquely, his lightning appears crimson in color. His power in the ability is lethal and powerful, well capable of overpowering even Jedi Masters with the sheer ferocity of his lightning and even killing them should their defenses fail them. He is capable of incapacitating even large dreadnoughts with his blasts, however at a great cost to his stamina if he uses the power to such an extent..

### Physical Attributes & Other traits

Through rigorous training as both a Jedi and as a member of the Order of Bogan, Verus is in peak physical condition per human male biological limits which he is well capable of transcending when using the Force. His baseline abilities even without the augmentation of the Force are well comparable to that of a high-level gymnast with the stamina of a high-performance athlete, however with the power of the Force he is capable of greatly enhancing these attributes. Although his form of combat doesn’t rely on acrobatics or strength as much as some of the other forms, Verus is capable of leaping across considerable distances and sprinting at blinding speeds for short periods of time. His strength is also considerable, having shown the capability to kick another combatant which would send them flying across over a dozen meters and rupturing Huttese battledrods with bare fists. Also per his former Jedi Master Geran, his center of gravity and ability to maintain balance and positioning despite any odds is very commendable. He is also capable of using the Force to withstand in battle and immensely harsh conditions for as long as days at a time, capable of thriving with little provisions by using the Force alone.

His most commendable trait is however his tactical and strategic mind and his ability to discern and evaluate the best routes to victory in nearly any situation, a trait he’d picked up since his early years as a Jedi Initiate and he became only more knowledgeable in the area as years passed. His talent in matters of the mind was first noted by Greba in his early youth when she observed his actions in the Jedi Apprentice Tournament which at the time were held on Ashla, a moon of Tython. The tournament in particular held a specific objective which was to obtain a specific holocron containing knowledge left behind by Luke Skywalker himself, and the holocron was located in a cave system beneath the surface of the moon which in itself contained many natural challenges. Cain lacked compared to many in terms of the Force and even lightsaber combat at the time, however he managed to outmaneuver his fellow initiates at all stages and bided his time in moments when he needed to and efficiently won the entire tournament through the path of least resistance.

Under Geran’s tutelage his tactical and strategic skills grew further as he followed him in many missions across the galaxy and more importantly he grew immensely knowledgeable in the affairs of the Galactic Alliance and the Jedi Order itself while learning about the various cultures and species native to it. He also took his time to study myths and history of the Galaxy, more specifically the intricate few legends of Mortis gods. Cain always admired the likes of Grand Admiral Thrawn despite his affiliation with the Galactic Empire, and in his best way tried to emulate how he evaluated tendencies and weaknesses; studying mannerisms, way of combat, history and culture, understanding that culture affects one’s actions vastly. Especially in one-on-one combat, he exploits the opportunity to study his opponents and probes their psychology while in combat, prompting his opponents to act upon his taunts. He uses the same mentality in military tactics, and due to his knowledge on the protocol of the Jedi Order and the Galactic Alliance itself he is fully aware of how to exploit their weaknesses and strengths. Verus is also knowledgeable in dark side alchemy and even cloning technology due to his time on Udunn, having witnessed and taken part in combining and reviving already extinct species and further enhancing or combining various creatures. He is also knowledgeable in mechanics of space ships, and was one of the most talented pilots of the Jedi Order at the time—often flying his Eta-5 interceptor in battles.

## Equipment

Helmet of Darth Antecce: Upon becoming a member of the Order of Bogan, to hide his identity from the Jedi and the members of the Galactic Alliance, Verus was given the helmet of Darth Antecce by Bogan himself. It was made entirely of Sarrassian iron, a metal that contains particles that greatly resonate with the dark side of the Force. He further modified it with a voice module that shifts the pitch of his voice significantly lower than his own, not unlike that of Darth Vader’s or Kylo Ren’s masks from the past. He also imbued it with cortosis to make the helmet more resistant to blaster fire and lightsaber strikes.

**Verus’ Lightsaber**: Verus’ utilizes a modified version of his old crossguard lightsaber from his times as a Jedi, having refurbished it with various materials. The hilt, the emitter and the quillon emitters were all made of phrik that was infused with Sarrassian iron. The hilt in itself is twenty-five centimeters long, including the emitters. It utilizes a standard diatium power cell of crimson color. Cain opted to use quillon emitters due to the power of his kyber crystal and retained its use even after he embraced the dark side. His kyber crystal, after bleeding, appears crimson in color.

**Verus’ TIE/wi modified interceptor**: Verus flies a similar TIE whisperer as those employed by the First Order, utilizing modernized and more durable components. It is equipped with a fully functional hyperdrive system that is accustomed to both navigating the Unknown Regions and the galaxy at large, while it uses twin ion engines as its primary source of power. For armament, the fighter carries wing bracket-mounted laser cannons (five per wing) and a heavy weapons turret. It also utilizes sensor-confusing technology, especially at close range.

## Trivia

* Lord Verus has been inspired by multiple characters from both the Star Wars continuity and various other media, such as: Obito Uchiha from Naruto, Darth Vader, Baylan Skoll, Alucard from Castlevania and Count Dooku.
* Name “Verus” means real or actual in Latin, which in turn represents his turn in personality when he was christened as a member of the Order of Bogan. Creator of the character wasn’t aware of this until after he had already written Verus’ personality and chosen his name.
* Name Cain on the other hand takes its inspiration from the biblical Cain, the firstborn of Adam and Eve.