Vlad Von Drake II

Vlad Von Drake II, is a male Epicanthix currently ruling as Dark Lord of the Sith in the New Sith Empire. Von Drake is also the leader of his own personal task force the Trepas Knights.

Birth and Childhood
Vlad Von Drake, a male Epicanthix born to two seemingly normal parents on the planet of Panatha. As soon as Vlad was born, it was obvious that he wasn’t another regular child. His lips and the area eyes were unusually dark, and his eyes themselves were naturally red. Nothing the parents could come up with seemed reasonable for their child’s bizarre appearance. However, after a while Vlad’s parents dismissed their irregular child’s differences, and looked beyond them to his true heart. Even though his parents had learned to accept the child as he was, the same could not be said for everyone else. This hidden aggression got to a point where the doctors who delivered Vlad suggested that he be killed, seeing him as an evil incarnation or bad omen. However, Vlad’s parents refused to believe the doctors lies, and quickly retreated from the hospital to their home where they raised their son from then on.

Though life in the village was hard for Vlad, he did find some comfort in a local girl named Raya who lived in the same village. Unlike everyone else, the young girl treated him with kindness and seemingly looked past his physical oddities. Such a thing was strange to witness for Von Drake, fore at the time he had felt nothing but hate outside of his parents care. At first he was reluctant to let her in, but eventually he became comfortable enough to accept her as a friend. However, one young girls opinion wouldn't persuade the attitude of the entire village, and though Vlad wanted to accept it he knew it wasn't true.

As Vlad got older, things only began to get worse for the 'different' child. He was constantly teased and ridiculed by his peers and several other occupants in his village. Vlad’s parents tried to help their son the best they could, but in the end it was all in vain. The hate and ferocity for Vlad slowly grew and grew over the years, until it finally became mutual. Vlad began to hate everyone who hated him, only with a darker feel. He wanted to make everyone pay for what they had done to him and his family; but at the time he was young and inexperienced, unable to do much. However, there was something brewing in the young boy…something dark, and those who resented him only fed that darkness. They didn’t know what they were doing, but in the end would find out.

Eventually Vlad‘s father grew tired of his son constantly being beat on, and began to train him in the Jedi arts, being a former Jedi Knight himself. Vlad took what his father taught him, and advanced in it to a level that his father didn't think was possible. Although Vlad's father felt his son slowly being gripped by the dark side, it no longer mattered. The man who had once been a honorable Jedi Knight, had fallen. Seeing the people who he once trusted cause so much pain and torture to his child, proved to be too much for the former Jedi. It was from that point on that Vlad knew what he had to do. Punish those who dared to ridicule him with an iron fist, and make fear be stricken into those whose ears were unfortunate enough to hear his name. The time for fear was over, he was no longer a scared little kid, the age of anger had begun.

Finding Darkness and Death
As Vlad transitioned into his teenage years, he had become quite proficient in the art of combat; although, he let no one know that already didn’t. He waited for the exact moment, the moment that would give him reason to be sent over the edge. And considering the people he lived around, it didn’t take long. Vlad was minding his business as he always did, and a group of older boys decided to make him their combat test dummy. As first Vlad allowed it to happen, only receiving slight bumps and bruises, savoring the last beating he would ever take. Eventually the boys saw that Vlad wasn’t really reacting to their violence, so they decided to take it up a notch by grabbing weapons from the street; however, they never saw use. As soon as the first strike was attempted at Vlad, he unveiled his lightsaber and decapitated on of his attackers. For a moment the boy was stunned, as it was the first life he had ever taken a life; but the shock soon faded and the young Vlad continued his vengeance. From then Vlad went on to kill the rest of the gang, leaving their lifeless bodies in the street for plain view. It is said that he was smiling malevolently and laughing the whole time, even turning into a ghost story some years later. Vlad’s revenge had taken its first step, but at the time he didn’t realize the repercussions that would come with it.

A few days after Vlad had murdered the boys who beat him up, it was still unknown to his parents that he was the one behind it. Everyone else in the village knew however, but they kept it to themselves for the time being. They had something planned for the parents who had birthed the ‘Demon’. One fateful night, those who knew of Vlad’s murder stormed the Drake house, kidnapping his parents. Vlad, who was away at the time, returned an hour after his parents had been taken. As soon as he entered his home, it didn’t take long to figure out what had happened. Vlad wanted to run into town and kill everything in sight, but he soon remembered what his father told him about thinking before fighting, and that’s what he did.

Vlad entered the town quietly, scaling the roof tops instead of the ground for extra cover. He knew he wouldn’t last long against the entire village, no matter how well he was trained. It is thought that Vlad shouldn’t have gone into the village, fore he could’ve never been prepared for what he saw. In the middle of town, Vlad watched as his parents were beat, humiliated, then decapitated, not unlike a previous victim of his. This was beyond the breaking point for Vlad, he feeling has been shattered. Soon after, Vlad jumped from the roof tops and went into a blind rage, killing anyone he could get his hands on. Unfortunately his long time friend Raya's parents were too swept up in the dark side's rage, and Von Drake knowingly killed them right before her eyes. However, at the time he cared about nothing but revenge, though the Sith sometimes has vague memories of being able to spare her from his wrath. This went on for several minutes, but eventually Vlad was caught and subdued by the village. The plan at first was to kill him, but his people had something else in mind.

From the center of town, they took Vlad down into one of the lower corridors, chaining him up to a wall. From then on he was tortured for weeks on end, being starved, beaten, and generally disrespected. Just when it seemed like it was the end for Vlad, a dark shadow of hope made its way to him. During one of the moments when he was being deprived on social contact, a man in a dark robe snuck into where he was being kept. The man said he had been watching Vlad since his parents died, and was impressed that he was still alive. When Vlad asked why he had not saved him, the man responded by saying he wanted to test him, and that he still wouldn’t save him unless he pledged himself to Sith teachings. Vlad wasted no time in accepting the offer, he had long been pledged to the dark side, and the Sith were one in the same to him. From that point, the man took Vlad under his proverbial wing. Teaching him in the art of the Sith, immediately improving on his strong points such as combat and stealth. The dark side had boiled over, and was on the out side in plain view, the true Vlad had been released.

Gaining Prestige and Power
For a few years after his release from torture, Vlad was trained under the man who helped him escape, going by the name of Sangre. He taught Vlad many things of the Force and combat. Of the dark and surprisingly the light side, even introducing him to his signature weapon: the Curved-Hilt Lightsaber. When Vlad questioned Sangre about his use of the light side, Sangre said he would use any Force technique if it benefited him in the end. Vlad admired Sangre’s wisdom, and drew his inspiration from him, using it in his everyday life. The bond between master and apprentice was obvious, and there was much Vlad could have learned from his master. However, Sangre had been hiding the fact that he was slowly dieing from an unknown disease, and eventually it caught up with him. On his death bed, Sangre made Vlad promise that he would carry on his name by helping the Sith rise to power. Vlad promised, and his master drifted on into the Force.

Having been previously working outside of the Sith under his master, Vlad decided there was no better time to join with them. However, Vlad found that he joined soon after the last Emperor was overthrown, apparently by a man only a few years his younger. The change didn't matter much to Vlad at the time, for he had never known the old order anyways. Even so, it didn’t take long for the masters see the boy’s potential. He had an almost natural ability to kill from the shadows without a sound, but was also a fierce competitor in combat. After earning enough prestige as an acolyte, Vlad was promoted to the position of Sith Assassin, ready to take his abilities and turn them into a weapon to benefit the Sith. Those few who have seen him work, could only describe him as being stealthy as a shadow to his victims. Vlad was very successful on most of his missions, and accepted punishment when he failed. Luckily for him failure was very rare, but even so he was use to it.

As time passed by, Vlad became more and more of an expert at his craft. Being able to kill his targets with almost no sign of his presence, and ruthlessly beat opponents when it came to combat. This only improved his standing in the eyes of the higher ups, one in particular, a Sith Lord named Souris. The Sith Lord saw much potential in the already great assassin, and decided to help him get along in his prestige. When Souris first introduced himself and revealed his intentions, Vlad was confused. Sith weren’t normally known for their generosity, and this made him suspicious of the offer. Souris, however, assured Vlad that he wanted nothing in return, and his reason for such would be revealed later. Vlad was still reluctant of the man, but eventually decided that he could learn from Souris, and kill him if things went sour.

Under the teachings of Souris, Vlad grew to a new state of power, even exceeding his previous level. Like Sangre before him, Souris expanded on Vlad’s techniques and made them even better then before. As Vlad’s training went on, he began to sense something. Usually in their training sessions, Souris would ease up on Vlad and make him believe he had won, however, over time this became more frequent. At first Vlad thought Souris was just taking it easy on him, and letting him win. However, knowing this wasn’t the way of the Sith, Vlad began to see that he was actually winning. It was then that he realized there was nothing else Souris could teach him, and decided the he was no longer useful. Then one day during a training session with his master, Vlad pushed his skills to the limit and fatally stabbed Souris in the abdomen. As his master slowly died on the floor, he revealed that he and Sangre were brothers, and there was a third brother…Vlad I. Vlad almost couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but Souris said there was not all he had to reveal. He went on to tell Vlad that he knew he was going to kill him, it was his reason for training him. Vlad went on to ask him why he wanted to die, and Souris responded by saying he had a son, and his dieing was the only way he could push his son past his limit. That night while Vlad was in bed, he heard a scream of utter pain and horror, he didn’t even have to ask to know…it was his cousin.

A few weeks later, Vlad was called before several of his peers and promoted to Sith Lord. After his promotion, Vlad was highly recommended to take on a certain apprentice, by the will of the deceased Souris. Upon gaining sight of his apprentice, Vlad immediately recognized him from around the temple. But also realized something else, this was Souris’s son, Pire. Vlad was initially surprised that Pire didn’t immediately attack him, but quickly assumed he was not told of his father's killer. The newly promoted Sith Lord knew why too, it was another ‘push’ from Pire’s father. Vlad knew that Pire would eventually have to find out, but was unsure when it would happen.

Partially into the training of his cousin Pire, Vlad was sent to Rattatak on a reconnaissance mission. Both Pire and Vlad were warned of the Rattatak’s savage history, but neglected to take any precautions for it. Almost as soon as the cousins arrived on Rattatak, they were attacked and taken prisoner by several Rattataki, with their leader Krus Olge. However, once Vlad and Pier were taken back to the Rattataki base camp, Vlad used witty reasoning assisted by the Force to persuade Krus to set them free. From then on Vlad helped Krus and the local Rattataki with their battle plans and strategies, resulting in several victories on their part. This went on for a few years after, and not un-noticed. Since Vlad had been such an influence to Krus and those certain Rattataki people, he was made a Warlord, and lead them to several more victories after. In a return favor, the Rattataki people that Vlad had gained influence over, assisted the Sith when help was needed. During this time, Pier watched and learned from his master, learning enough to be promoted to a Sith Warrior.

Gathering Forces
During the seven years he served as Emperor, Darth Pravus made several bad decisions that left the Empire in a state chaos and financial ruin. This lead to many Sith within the Empire to begin to form ideas of replacing the insufficient Dark Lord, Vlad himself included. After gathering his own resources, including the Trepas Knights, and a Mobile Fighting Unit, Vlad began to unite with other forces who had tired of the Pravus' unworthy reign. Unknown to Vlad, the first person that would prove of use to him was the Arkanian Bio-Engineer: Dr. Jekto Liath.

At the time, Vlad had just come out of his healing phase, and because of such his Force powers were just returning to him. Meanwhile, after exploring the local ruins, Jekto decided to take his interest to the next step by invading Vlad's personal estate. After getting past Vlad's Trepas Knights with relative ease, then helping himself to the Sith Lord's preserves inside, Jekto made his way past the recovering Vlad and happened upon the hidden lab in the basement. Once he awoke, Vlad immediately sensed something wrong within his estate and quickly traced it down to his lab. Once inside, Von Drake was surprise to find the Arkanian shifting through his papers and correcting his work, all while sipping a glass of tea. At first Vlad met this intrusion with anger, as he could figure out how the fool had broke into his home, not to mention his calm demeanor was of no help to his 'host'. After calming himself down and having a civilized talk with Jekto, they came to a mutual agreement. In exchange for a few documents that Vlad had found at the ruins earlier, and the joint viewing of a Sith holocron from the same place, Jekto would help Vlad further his biotic research which had proved unsuccessful until then.

After reworking his biotic work according to Jekto's advice, Vlad sought out a fellow Sith Lord by the name of Olgo, who was a known out-crier against the Emperor's ways. Overtime, Olgo had amassed a following of several Sith who saw truth in his words, and followed him in his beliefs of doubt in Pravus. Seeing as how the Sith Lord had been a long time contact of Vlad, the latter saw no better time to call upon him to lend a helping hand. Olgo arrived at the Von Drake estate not long after Jekto had left, immediately being shown to Vlad's underground laboratory to meet with his crusading ally. At first Olgo was amazed by Lord Von Drake's work, but the latter was quick to direct then conversation elsewhere. At the mention of a 'deal' that the two had previously made, Lord Olgo's interest was immediately peaked. Apparently Olgo had made an offer to join forces sometime in the past, and Vlad was just now taking him up on his deal. Lord Olgo was very pleased to know that Vlad had finally join him in his cause, and offered him a hand shake to finalize their coming together. After a silent running through of his achievements up to that point, Vlad accepted, and the downfall of Pravus had begun.

Also during this time, Vlad learned that even the Autumn Guard had become fed up with Pravus' mishandling of the Empire. After a short meeting and exchange of information with Osias Makat, the Autumn Guard had officially aligned themselves with the Sith rebellion.

Battle of Roon
On the day of his invasion, Vlad Von Drake II held a meeting at his own estate on Rattatak. All of the forces he had gathered, (sparse the Autumn Guard for obvious reasons) were in attendance. After a short period of waiting, Vlad made his way in from another room and began his rallying speech. At first this was met with well praise, but when the Sith Lord began to discuss the lengths he would go to overthow Pravus, the rooms demeanor quickly changed. However, all the present company was already aware of this, which was no surprise seeing as they were Sith. Not long after, Vlad left the room, and Lord Olgo waved everyone to their appropriate stations to leave. Once they had set out to leave and were on their way to Roon, Vlad began to think over what he had done up to that point. In one instance he thought is was all going a little too fast, but insisted such circumstances brought out the True Sith in people, himself included. These thoughts were soon interrupted, and would bring on the first true interaction between him and the newly appointed 1st Hand: Uri Nyzo. Vlad noted the skill that Nyzo showed during his trials, though thought of him as a bit of a suck up.

Once on the planets surface, using only single battle ship to avoid suspicion, Vlad and his men immediately began to prepare for their invasion of the temple. At the same time Pravus had begun to into a mental high alert, even reaching out to his once unknown apprentice. Though this was all unknown to Vlad at the time, a slight sense in the Force caused him to hold back and wait to make his move. Meanwhile, Pravus ran a muck through his temple trying to find the reason for his sense of something bad in the air, eventually killing his Admiral in a fit of anger fueled by his own paranoia. On the outskirts of the temple, Vlad received an urgent message from his fleet's Captain Paras. At first it seemed like the Emperor's forces we moving in to take down Vlad own, but that would soon prove not to be the case. The potent combination of Pravus' paranoia and rage proved to be lethal, and in a miscalculated move ordered his own fleet to be fired upon. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Vlad immediately re-organized his battle plan and set out towards the temple, seeking to capitalize on the confusion. Soon after, Lord Olgo lead his team towards the temple in a frontal assault with the intention of providing a distraction while Vlad, Uri, and a group of Elite Trepas Knights snuck in through the back. Once in viewing sight of the temple, Olgo noticed the increase in Pravus' guards, but even so he still held strong with a sense of bloody anticipation. Once the fight began, Vlad and his squad swiftly made their way to the back of the temple and made their way in with out any fuss.

Once inside, Vlad and the Knights were fast to make their way towards the throne room, using Pravus' exposed Force aura as a trail to lead them. On the way, they ran into a small group of Autumn Guards, who just barely escaped the encounter with their lives. Once the adrenaline had worn down between the two groups, Vlad learned that they were loyal to his cause, and offered him safe passage to the throne room. Initially the Sith Lord was reluctant, claiming he could get to the throne room on his own, but eventually accepted the Autumn Guards offer and followed them on a safer path which lead them directly to Pravus himself. Upon catching first sight of Vlad and his group, the Emperor immediately lashed out and killed all of his guards, once again falling victim to his paranoia. Shortly after, Pravus swirled all of his guards' dead bodies into a single pile with the Force, and attempted to throw them at the crusader. However, this attack was quickly diverted by effort of the Trepas Knights, who stepped in and blew back the mangled projectile with a single combined push through the Force. Immediately after, Vlad engaged Praves, and the two began to fight for the right to rule the Empire. The battle waged on for several minutes, and even saw the unveiling of Pravus' apprentice Seijuro Naruun, who quickly fled once Uri challenged him to a fight of their own. Eventually Vlad got the upper hand on the Emperor, and after crushing his hand through the Force, dealt a fatal blow through the clavicle with his saber. Though Pravus didn't immediately die, there was no helping the fact that he would soon, as Vlad attack proved to be too much for his body to handle. In his last few minutes of life, the defeated Emperor tried to kill his opponent with one last ditch effort, though it would later prove to be futile.

Personality and Traits
Vlad is a very calm, cool, and seemingly uncaring man at first meeting. He has a very serious attitude, and rarely laughs or smiles if at all. Some people think his cold attitude is due to his past troubles, but all remains speculation. Vlad has also been known to be callous, and having an indifferent attitude to others pain. He doesn’t have mercy for the weak, and believes that only the strongest survive. Because of this, Vlad isn’t scared of very many things, but even in their presence he retains his calm and serious attitude. Opponents often try and find ways to un-nerve him, but it has yet to work.

In battle Vlad is ruthless, as the love of fighting brings out his more savage side. Even so, Vlad still takes the time to think things out as they go, preferring not to attack blindly. He has seen many men he has worked with die this way, not thinking while attacking, he believes it gives the opponent a chance to get through your attack or defense. Therefore Vlad believes that he has a near perfect guard, fore he is always thinking about the next step. So far this has proven to be of great success to the Sith, claiming that he has a no loss record.

Powers and Abilities
Vlad has been know to be proficient in his Force powers, using techniques from all aspects of the Force; including Core, Universal, Light, and Dark powers. Vlad's telekinetic limit would be somewhere near a capital ship, although this would be very strenuous and tiring to him afterwards. Branching from the core powers, Vlad has been known to use Force Affliction on his opponents, and will not hesitate to use his opponents weakened state to his advantage. Although Vlad sees this as a 'dirty' move, he is not above using it for his own gain. Another Force technique Vlad has been known to use is Force Crush and its variants. Vlad constantly uses these techniques to assert his dominance over his lessers, showing them that he is no one to be fooled around with. Vlad believes that if the galaxy will not bow before him, he will make it so they have to. However, Vlad’s favorite technique, and the one people have recognized as his signature; was Force Burst. Vlad uses this technique by forming a powerful sphere of red and black energy to utterly devastate his opponents in and out of combat. Vlad has favored this technique for it's sheer power, speed, and size varying ability.