Ielut Xiharr

Art by Tygodym

*"You and your master could not defeat me in the halls of Exar Kun, for you cannot comprehend the bond we share. It is one that extends beyond our world, between lord and devotee! He has promised me a place by his side, you know... I will join you soon... I will... I will join you."*

- An elderly Ielut Xiharr to Ardaius

A Miralukan Knight of the Jedi Order before his fall to the dark side, **Ielut Xiharr** was a militaristic warmonger who grew jaded with the Council's lack of what he perceived as 'gumption', or, in other words, a craving for conflict. Eventually defecting to the Sith Order, he was assigned to join the 50 Warriors who would accompany Darth Malgus and Lord Adraas during the Sacking of Coruscant in the year 3653 BBY. Xiharr was included in this elite force not only because of his prowess in lightsaber combat, which was something he took great pride in, but also because Malgus deemed his knowledge of the Jedi Temple's inner-workings to be a benefit to their mission. Unbeknownst to his Sith commanders, having previously been the custodian of various Jedi artifacts, Xiharr's true mission was to rob the lightsaber of Exar Kun from the Temple, as he had always greatly admired Kun and related deeply with his departure from the Order. After disembarking a hijacked Republic Dropship alongside the rest of Adraas' company, Xiharr split off from the group and circumvented the massive battle that would ensue, instead, heading into the lower levels of the Temple to attain his prize.

Having given strict orders to each of his handpicked warriors directly to support Malgus' siege, Adraas was infuriated by Xiharr's reported absence from the battle. When the time came to set the temple aflame, Adraas checked the Temple's Hall of Artifacts and found Exar Kun's lightsaber to be the only missing treasure on record from Shae Vizla's infiltration of Corscant's databanks. Ielut would travel across the galaxy with the legendary weapon, constantly pursued by members of the Sith and, eventually, Jedi alike, until reaching the secluded world of Yavin 4. Led there by an unknown power, he would meditate in the decrepit halls of Exar Kun's Tomb, left undisturbed by the native Massassi who he pacified through the force and controlled with the domineering influence exuded from Exar Kun's blade. For more than a decade, Xiharr lived in utter seclusion from all intelligent life, with only the echoes of Kun's dormant spirit as company, creeping from the catacombs beneath and ensnaring his mind, slowly turning the hermit insane.

In time, however, the old Sith's past would catch up to him. In the year 3641 BBY, two parties would clash in the courtyard of Kun's Temple. Qwenn Gallia and her apprentice, Ardaius, both of whom had long been in search of Exar Kun's lightsaber, met the Jedi historian Vota Ruln and his Padawan Tahrai Evan, who sought to return the stolen weapon to the halls of the Jedi Temple. Gallia and Ardaius would prove victorious, entering Kun's old sanctum and cutting down the Massassi warriors that stood between them and Ielut. Much to their surprise, and Gallia's disappointment, the blade was absent from the makeshift pedestal Xiharr had constructed for it. Cackling maniacally, and fueled by some terrible combination of madness and unfettered dark side power, the hermit ignited both his emerald Jedi saber and a crimson one he had used during his time as a Marauder to swiftly disarm his opponents. Gallia and Ardaius were utterly unprepared for an assault of such force from a man who appeared so unhinged, and were lucky he had no interest in taking their lives. Xiharr fled the Temple and the planet, but enough evidence was left behind for Gallia and Ardaius to continue their search for the weapon.

Three years later, in an effort to bury his old master's research, Ardaius would come across the true resting place of the weapon, and, unsurprisingly, found Xiharr by its side. He joined the now elderly man in conversation concerning Exar Kun and then a final bout of meditation before the Miraluka supposedly passed into Chaos, the Dark Netherworld of the Force.