Darth Andeddu

"Knowledge is power and true Sith do not share power."

- Darth Andeddu

Darth Andeddu was an ancient humanoid male who held the position of Dark Lord of the Sith, and was dubiously thought of as the forebear of the "Darth" title. In life, Andeddu was a paranoid man who believed that his fellow Sith Lords&mdash;whom he regarded as his enemies&mdash;wanted to claim his vast collection of Sith lore and ritual for themselves. Thus, he stored his wisdom within a holocron and escaped the Sith tombworld of Korriban, returning to a personal stronghold on his homeworld of Prakith. He then entombed himself in an attempt to deprive his pursuers of the power they sought to steal, but despite this, his mind lived on, retaining the ability to exert control over the flesh in which it once resided. A Sith cult founded by Lord Andeddu called the "Malevolence" maintained residence in his Keep and guarded the fortress for generations in anticipation of their Dark Lord's return.

The legend of Darth Andeddu and his unnatural talents remained at large long after his death. His holocron survived as well&mdash;first discovered by the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus in 21 BBY, and then recovered by Darth Krayt and his One Sith Order more than a century later. Krayt, who suffered from a Yuuzhan Vong slave seed infestation that threatened to leave him bereft of sentience, allowed his lieutenant Darth Wyyrlok III to access Andeddu's holocron in search of possible solutions. The device led the Chagrian Sith on a journey to Andeddu's Keep on Prakith, where he encountered and defeated the Malevolence cultists, but in doing so, he revived the ancient body of Darth Andeddu. The Dark Lord then dueled Wyyrlok on a battlefield of the mind, a contest which ultimately resulted in Andeddu's demise. His corpse was resealed within the tomb that had housed it for countless millennia, and his collection of Sith doctrines was pillaged by Wyyrlok, who hoped to obtain a viable means of ending Darth Krayt's plight.

Life
"They were searching for me&mdash;my enemies&mdash;searching through the Force to find me, end me, steal away my knowledge&mdash;my power!"

- Darth Andeddu, recounting his escape from Korriban

The humanoid male known as Darth Andeddu was a Dark Lord of the Sith who hailed from the Deep Core world of Prakith, and lived some time after the Hundred-Year Darkness. Though he maintained a private stronghold on his own homeworld, Darth Andeddu resided on Korriban, the ancestral homeworld of the Sith. Andeddu cultivated a following of dark side worshipers, whom he dubbed "The Malevolence." The Dark Lord trained his followers to use the dark side of the Force and charged them with safeguarding his Keep on Prakith in his absence.

Over time, Andeddu himself developed considerable mastery in dark side wisdom and proficiency. He studied the ways of the original Lords of the Sith, namely the arcane rituals of one known as Karness Muur, and Andeddu built the foundation of his powers upon Muur's teachings. Though Muur himself delved into the craft of dark side healing, Andeddu was interested in more than that&mdash;he sought ways to cheat death entirely. He was ultimately successful, and found the ability to preserve the consciousness of his mind, should his physical body perish. As the Dark Lord grew in strength, so too did he grow in fear; Andeddu came to believe that his fellow Sith Lords coveted that which he had achieved and the Force abilities in which he had become proficient. Because Andeddu refused to share his intelligence, his contemporaries banded together and plotted to destroy him, though not before taking his Sith secrets for themselves.

Andeddu was not blind to the machinations of his detractors and grew increasingly wary of them, believing that if he did not act soon, they would successfully overtake him. Thus, he fled Korriban before any of his rivals were able to carry out their plans, though not before creating a Sith holocron that he buried within a false tomb to deceive potential pursuers. When the Sith Lords realized that Darth Andeddu was gone, they searched relentlessly for him, through the Force and otherwise, but to no avail&mdash;Andeddu had soundly eluded them by returning to his Keep on Prakith. However, the fear of losing all he had amassed still threatened to consume him, and because of this, Andeddu recorded a great deal of his knowledge in Sith spellbooks and scrolls that he stored within the belly of his fortress. He then entombed himself, surrounded by his books and scrolls, content with the idea that he would carry his secrets into death with him. Unbeknownst to his enemies, the key to obtaining Andeddu's wealth of Sith lore lay within his holocron on Korriban. None of them ever located the device, and it remained hidden for thousands of years after his passing. Meanwhile, Andeddu's Malevolence cult continued to immerse themselves in the dark side while continuing to worship their Dark Lord. Andeddu mandated that they guard his tomb and fortress, patiently awaiting the day when he would resurrect himself to lead them once again.

Holocron discovered
"Through this holocron, I have access to the long dead wisdom of Darth Andeddu. The wisdom and power of the Sith."

- Darth Tyranus

By the year 21 BBY, Andeddu's ancient secrets were still preserved in his holocron on Korriban, until it and its contents were sought by a Sith Lord under the guise of Darth Tyranus. Rather than retrieve the device himself, Lord Tyranus sent two of his servants to Korriban: the Dark Jedi Tol Skorr and an undercover Kiffar Jedi Master named Quinlan Vos. The two battled each other in the Valley of the Dark Lords for possession of Andeddu's holocron, with Vos ultimately proving the victor and gaining much favor with Tyranus. Satisfied that the holocron was now in his custody, Tyranus activated the pyramidal artifact to manifest a lightsaber-wielding avatar of Andeddu's likeness, from which Tyranus hoped to obtain the might of the ancient Sith. Also, in reward for Vos's success, Tyranus revealed another of the many mysteries contained within Andeddu's holocron&mdash;a bloodshine lightsaber crystal, the same one that had powered Andeddu's own weapon during his time among the living. The crystal was gifted to Vos by Tyranus, and the Sith Lord kept the holocron for himself.

Nearly forty years later, the holocron of Jedi Master Asli Krimsan was discovered in Bast Castle, the former fortress of the Sith Lord Darth Vader on the planet Vjun. While Krimsan's holocron was primarily for the education of young Jedi, it provided some information about Andeddu, suggesting that he was the first Sith to use the Darth honorific. By 40 ABY, research into the origins of the Darth title had also been conducted by a suspected Sith sympathizer named Ingo Wavlud. He surmised that Darth may have been derived from the Rakatan word "Daritha", meaning "Emperor". He also touched upon the possibility of it stemming from a Rakatan phrase, "darr tah", which translated into "victory over death".

The Sith "pretender"
"The heretic comes for the same reason it came last time. Its body is failing. It fears that which is consuming it."

- Darth Andeddu, to Darth Krayt

By 137 ABY, a new Sith Order had claimed sovereignty over the galaxy, created by a fallen Jedi named A'Sharad Hett. During his progression down the path of the dark side of the Force, Hett had been captured and tortured by the extra-galactic Yuuzhan Vong species, who implanted their Yorik-Kul slave seeds in him. Though able to combat the effects of the seeds through his growing strength in the dark side, Hett was slowly losing his battle with them. He eventually assumed the mantle of Dark Lord under the moniker of "Darth Krayt" and created his One Sith Order; however, he feared that the Yuuzhan Vong seeds would consume him before he was able to fully impose his will over the galaxy.

Krayt's own strength and wisdom had proven insufficient in eradicating his infestation, and he sought advice from his personal collection of Sith artifacts and lore on how to do so. One of the objects in his possession was Darth Andeddu's holocron, and from it, Krayt learned that after Andeddu's death, his mind had survived to maintain control over his body. Obsessed with acquiring such skill, Krayt repeatedly attempted to glean Andeddu's expertise from the holocron, none of which its gatekeeper would yield. In his last endeavor, Krayt accessed the holocrons of the deceased Dark Lords Darth Nihilus and Darth Bane along with Andeddu's. He was repeatedly rebuked by their gatekeepers and held in contempt by the ancient Sith for diluting the potency of the dark side by dividing it between the members of his Order. Darth Andeddu and his fellow Dark Lords mocked Krayt, exposing his fear of being consumed by his Yuuzhan Vong slave seeds. Together, the gatekeepers of Andeddu's and Bane's holocrons turned their power on Krayt to bring about that which scared him most&mdash;they caused the Vonduun crab armor in which he was clad to consume him. Unwilling to succumb to what they perceived as his destiny, Krayt managed to exercise enough control through the Force to deactivate the holocrons and reverse the transformation set in motion by Lords Andeddu and Bane.

As Krayt's health continued to deteriorate, he commissioned his most trusted advisor, the Chagrian Darth Wyyrlok III, with the task of finding a solution to his problem. Among the many avenues he explored, Wyyrlok consulted the holocron of Darth Andeddu and was rejected much like his Master before him. The gatekeeper's interest peaked in the midst of his refusals, however, when Wyyrlok admitted that he knew of the stronghold on Prakith and then offered to restore the Dark Lord to life. The simulation of Andeddu entertained the idea and allowed Krayt's loremaster to prove his worth by undertaking a quest into the Deep Core, in search of Andeddu's Keep&mdash;a mission that Andeddu felt the Chagrian would not survive.

Andeddu's demise
"I am destroying you. All trace of you. Your "holocron" I will also destroy. There will be nothing left."

- Darth Wyyrlok

Andeddu's holocron guided Wyyrlok to the Keep on Prakith, and he was immediately set upon by the Dark Lord's Malevolence servants. The cultists had grown feral in their Master's absence, however, and their dexterity in the Force was nothing compared to Wyyrlok's, who was an accomplished Sith sorcerer. The Chagrian quickly defeated and killed all of Andeddu's minions, save one named Gerlun, who pledged himself to Wyyrlok in the face of defeat. Gerlun then led Wyyrlok into the bowels of the Keep, and when they could proceed no further, the Chagrian beckoned Andeddu's image to reveal the entrance to his tomb. In the language of the ancient Sith, the gatekeeper spoke the words that accessed the hidden sepulcher, and in its center lay Andeddu's sarcophagus. The Dark Lord's image suggested that Wyyrlok should set the holocron upon the body's chest, but Wyyrlok preferred to instead help himself to Andeddu's abundance of ancient texts and scrolls. In a moment of despair, Gerlun snatched the holocron through the Force and conceded to Andeddu's request; his own life-force was then drained as it entered Andeddu's remains, bringing the Dark Lord of the Sith to life once more.

The revitalized Andeddu mocked Wyyrlok and refused to share his intellect with the Chagrian, professing that true Sith were above sharing their power. He assaulted Wyyrlok with Force lightning, but the Chagrian absorbed the attack while professing his own capabilities. Realizing that his opponent would not be so easily bested, Andeddu challenged him to a duel of Force abilities, one which Wyyrlok accepted. The Dark Lord conjured illusions of lava and flame to overwhelm his opponent, but they were turned against him when Wyyrlok discovered that Andeddu's strength was only within his mind. He was continually berated by Wyyrlok, who believed that Andeddu deserved none of his accumulated wisdom for hiding from his adversaries. Andeddu watched in horror as Wyyrlok turned the flames against his precious books and scrolls, then ultimately on him. Consumed by his own fears, Darth Andeddu was defeated by what he perceived as real, and died a second death at the hands of Darth Wyyrlok. His corpse was levitated by the Chagrian, who replaced it within the sarcophagus that had housed it for generations. The destruction of Andeddu's hoard had only been a ruse by his opponent, however; everything remained intact, and after some time studying them, Wyyrlok concluded that none of the material contained anything useful for his purposes. He collected several of the ancient texts before leaving Andeddu's fortress for good, in search of other means by which he could save Darth Krayt.

Personality and traits
"I sense fear. You are a coward, Lord Andeddu, and you hid rather than face your foes."

- Darth Wyyrlok, regarding Andeddu with contempt

Darth Andeddu was believed to possess great dark side enlightenment by the other Sith of his day, as well those of future generations. He was versed in the ancient language of the Sith, a talent displayed when his holocron's gatekeeper spoke it to unlock the door to his secret burial chamber. As a Master of the dark side of the Force, he created a clandestine organization in the form of the Malevolence, whose members were instructed by the Dark Lord in the ways of the Sith&mdash;lessons they in turn passed down through their generations. However, his refusal to bestow his Sith teachings upon his fellow Sith Lords was the seed of malcontent amongst his peers. To this end, they planned to destroy him and claim Andeddu's power as their own. His fear of losing all he had amassed caused him to choose death rather than part in any way with his knowledge; this was evidenced when he buried himself alive on Prakith to avoid capture and millennia later when he was defeated in Force combat by Darth Wyyrlok.

As a Sith Lord, Darth Andeddu respected and adhered the traditions of his predecessors. He believed that a true Sith was the master of his own destiny, and that following anything else&mdash;including the vision of another&mdash;rendered one subservient. After the revival of his flesh, Andeddu took stock of Darth Wyyrlok and surmised that he was inferior to the Sith apprentices trained by Andeddu and his peers thousands of years prior. Andeddu had no respect for Wyyrlok nor the Order to which he belonged, and refused to assist Wyyrlok because of it. Furthermore, because Darth Wyyrlok served Krayt, Andeddu considered him to be a slave to Krayt's will and beneath the respect granted to the title of Sith Lord. To Andeddu, Darth Krayt was regarded as a pretender to the Sith legacy and a heretic unworthy of any of Andeddu's assistance.

Andeddu was a cunning individual and pretended to entertain the idea of sharing his secrets with Wyyrlok if he successfully located his tomb on Prakith. In truth, Andeddu wanted to steal Wyyrlok's life force via his holocron and hoped that the Chagrian would be foolish enough to fall into his trap. Wyyrlok was wiser than Andeddu expected, however, and ignored the temptations of the Dark Lord. For all his insight into the dark side and unnatural application of its power, Andeddu was still looked upon with disdain by Wyyrlok when the latter realized that the Dark Lord had gone into hiding instead of facing his foes. Wyyrlok mocked Andeddu into revealing his purported cowardice before overwhelming him with his own illusory constructs.

Powers and abilities
"Your power is in the mind! Your mind forces your body to obey even though dead!"

- Darth Wyyrlok, realizing the extent of Andeddu's abilities.

Darth Andeddu was a master of the Sith arts and of many dark side Force abilities. He displayed proficiency with telekinesis, Force lightning, and the creation of magical illusions, evidenced during his duel with Darth Wyyrlok. The core of Darth Andeddu's doctrines were based on those of Karness Muur, one of the exiled Dark Jedi who became one of the original Lords of the Sith following the Hundred-Year Darkness. Andeddu furthered Muur's studies in dark side healing in an attempt to circumvent death, and developed a technique which allowed his mind to live past his physical demise. Through this skill, Andeddu was able to exert control over his dead body, though his mind remained separated from it. He preserved the secrets of his abilities within a holocron of his own creation; when the device came into contact with his corpse, the life energy of the individual who placed it there was then sapped, and the Dark Lord was resurrected.

According to Darth Wyyrlok, Andeddu's true power lay not in his corporeal form, but within his mind. Andeddu believed that such power was equally effective, and that what one believed to be real would indeed manifest as real to the beholder. The Dark Lord did wield a lightsaber in life, but he stored its crystal within his holocron upon his death. When his remains were discovered by Darth Wyyrlok, Andeddu was not found with his lightsaber, but instead with a weapon that resembled a scepter of sorts, adorned with a large red crystal at its summit. The crystal glowed with a crimson resonance when Gerlun placed the holocron on the cadaver's chest, and it assisted in the reconstitution process of Andeddu's flesh. The crystal subsequently shattered following Andeddu's defeat in his duel with Darth Wyyrlok, where the Dark Lord perished a second and final time.

Behind the scenes
Darth Andeddu was first mentioned, and appeared only as the gatekeeper of his own holocron, in Star Wars Republic 63: Striking from the Shadows, written by John Ostrander and penciled by Jan Duursema. Andeddu next appeared, also as his holocron's gatekeeper, in the fourth part of the Star Wars Legacy: Broken story arc by Ostrander and Duursema. He was featured by Ostrander as the main antagonist in the twenty-seventh issue of Legacy, titled Into the Core, and drawn by Omar Francia. Though he died in Into the Core, he was later mentioned in Legacy ' s thirtieth issue, where Ostrander revealed through a conversation between Darths Krayt and Wyyrlok that Andeddu's knowledge was based on teachings developed by Karness Muur, the primary antagonist of the Star Wars: Vector storyline. Darth Andeddu was also mentioned in Lucasfilm official Leland Chee's blog, which associates various Darths, their names, and the real words they are based on. Andeddu's name is without a real world correlation. Aside from his comic appearances and mentions, information regarding Andeddu is collected in various pieces of source material: Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force, The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, and 2009's Legacy Era Campaign Guide.

Though it was suggested in The Essential Guide to the Force that Darth Andeddu may have, in fact, been the first Sith Lord to use the "Darth" title, the title itself is in a constant state of retcon; first with Darth Bane, then with Darth Revan, and now with the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic comics establishing that the "Darth" title existed before Revan and Malak ever became Dark Lords of the Sith.

There is also a discrepancy within The Essential Guide to the Force ' s own timeline, which states that Quinlan Vos recovered Andeddu's holocron in 23 BBY, three years before Vos actually recovered it. However, the guide's section on Andeddu's holocron gives the correct date of Vos' recovery of Andeddu's holocron.

According to author Drew Karpyshyn, Darth Andeddu will be featured in the last installment in the Darth Bane novel trilogy, Dynasty of Evil.

Appearances

 * Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil
 * Star Wars Republic 63: Striking from the Shadows
 * Star Wars Legacy 5: Broken, Part 4
 * Star Wars Legacy 27: Into the Core
 * Star Wars Legacy 30: Vector, Part 11
 * Star Wars Legacy 30: Vector, Part 11