Scourge (Sith)

"When you have lived centuries, you see that everything is a pattern that grows out of itself. Sometimes you can no longer see the trees, only the roots. It is the smallest part of the price of immortality."

- Scourge

Scourge was a pureblood Sith male who served as a Sith Lord of the reconstituted Sith Empire and later as the Emperor's Wrath, the personal enforcer of the Sith Emperor, before he allied with the Jedi Knight known as the Hero of Tython in order to prevent the Emperor from extinguishing all life in the galaxy. Born several decades before the Jedi Civil War between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire under the Sith Lord Darth Revan, Scourge excelled during his time as a student at the Sith Academy on the Imperial capital of Dromund Kaas. After two years of service in the outer reaches of the Empire, Scourge was recalled to Dromund Kaas to uncover the person responsible for the recent string of assassination attempts against Darth Nyriss of the Empire's ruling Dark Council.

Scourge battled political intrigue and rivals in his search for the truth, and after he was led to believe that Nyriss's fellow Dark Councilor Darth Xedrix was responsible, he killed Xedrix&mdash;only to learn that Nyriss had manipulated him: The assignment had been a test of his loyalties. Nyriss revealed the existence of a conspiracy against the Emperor as she showed the younger Sith how the Emperor had stripped the Force from his own homeworld of Nathema and killed millions in order to become immortal. Convinced that the Emperor needed to be stopped, Scourge allied himself with the Jedi Masters Revan and Meetra Surik while planning to confront the Emperor&mdash;but when he witnessed the future and saw that it was another Jedi who was destined to destroy the Emperor, Scourge turned on his allies to ensure his own survival.

Rendered immortal and appointed as the Emperor's Wrath, Scourge served the Emperor loyally for over three centuries, killing the Emperor's enemies and carrying out his will. Not until the Galactic War began to break out between the Empire and the Republic did Scourge encounter the Hero of Tython, the Jedi from his vision, and set in motion his plans to aid the Jedi. Scourge watched as the Hero was forced to become a servant of the Emperor when a strike team of Jedi failed to capture the Sith ruler, but when the Hero broke free from the Emperor's control, Scourge betrayed the Sith to help the Jedi escape. Pledging his loyalty to the Hero, Scourge aided the Knight and the Jedi's crew in foiling the Emperor's plans to repeat the dark-side ritual that he had used to devastate Nathema but on a galactic scale. With Scourge's aid, the Hero defeated the Emperor's servants and vanquished the Sith ruler in a final confrontation, and Scourge was awarded the Republic's Cross of Glory for his role in stopping the Emperor's plans.

Early life
"Welcome to Dromund Kaas.''" "''Welcome back. This is not my first time on this world."

- Sechel and Scourge

The Sith pureblood Scourge was born several decades before the Jedi Civil War of 3959–3956 BBY, a conflict that pitted the Galactic Republic against the Sith Empire under the control of the Sith Lord Darth Revan. However, Scourge was born in the territory of another Empire&mdash;the reconstituted Empire, which had been in hiding in the Unknown Regions for almost a thousand years since the collapse of the original Sith Empire in 5000 BBY. In his youth, Scourge was often threatened with fearsome legends of the Jedi when he was disobedient, leading him to become a strong believer in the idea that the Jedi Order would gladly exterminate the Sith if given the chance again. Found to be Force-sensitive in 3964 BBY, Scourge was sent to the Empire's capital planet of Dromund Kaas, where he was enrolled in the Sith Academy as a young acolyte. Upon arriving on Dromund Kaas, the young Scourge sensed the power of the dark side that emanated from the Imperial Citadel, the structure that housed the Imperial government and the Empire's ruling Dark Council, and he swore to himself that he would one day set foot inside the building. At some point, Scourge also fell in love with another individual.

Scourge spent eight years at the Academy, learning the ways of the Force and showing a knack for interrogation and torture early on in his time at the Academy. One of the top students, Scourge was praised for both his strength in the Force and his devotion to Sith philosophy, and he drew upon the dark-side power within the Citadel to sustain himself during training sessions. By the end of his time at the Academy, Scourge was considered to be a master in the art of interrogation, but his hopes for a posting on the Imperial capital were quashed when he was unexpectedly assigned to the fringes of the Empire to quell a series of rebellions there in 3956 BBY. Scourge suspected that one of his instructors had recommended him for the posting out of jealousy or spite, but he was unable to prove his theory. Despite his posting, Scourge was able to craft a powerful reputation by crushing the resistance groups and pursuing their leaders, earning the attention of several influential figures in the Imperial Military.

Political machinations
"I've spent too much time away from Dromund Kaas. I've forgotten the ways of the Sith.''" "''That time away is what earned you this post. It wasn't just your success at quashing the rebels and eliminating their leaders. The Emperor chose you because he knew you had been removed from the politics of Dromund Kaas and the Dark Council; you were untainted by any allegiance to a secret master who might be involved in the conspiracy against me."

- Scourge and Darth Nyriss

In 3954 BBY, Scourge was granted the title of Sith Lord, and he was ordered to return to Dromund Kaas at the personal request of Darth Nyriss, one of the Dark Council's most senior members. Given the assignment of discovering who was behind the recent string of assassination attempts against Nyriss, Scourge arrived in Kaas City and was greeted by Nyriss's primary aide, Sechel&mdash;a Sith pureblood whose paltry strength in the Force earned Scourge's immediate disgust. Brushing aside Sechel's servile attempts to placate him, Scourge ordered the aide to bring him to Nyriss's stronghold, and the two set off through the rain that was constantly falling on Dromund Kaas. However, two mercenaries refused to get out of Scourge's way, as was expected of the Subjugate caste within the Empire, and it was only Sechel's hurried attempts to get them to move aside that prevented Scourge from having the two Humans arrested. As Sechel drove Scourge to Nyriss's compound in a speeder, the Sith Lord grew confused as to why Nyriss had not sent an entire honor guard to receive him, as his presence would be a public statement that the attempts on her life were being dealt with.

Upon reaching Nyriss's stronghold, Scourge was enraged when her chief of security, a Human named Murtog, refused to allow him entry until he confirmed Scourge's identity. Furious, Scourge gripped Sechel by the throat with the Force and interrogated him as to the reasons behind Murtog's impudence, only to learn that he had been misinformed&mdash;Nyriss had not requested Scourge's presence on Dromund Kaas; instead, the Sith Emperor himself had. Nyriss and her subordinates viewed Scourge's assignment as an intrusion. The Sith Lord was considering his new situation when he became aware of an approaching speeder and sensed a threat through the Force. Drawing his lightsaber, Scourge reached out to the newcomers through the Force. His suspicions were confirmed&mdash;they were coming to kill him&mdash;but Scourge was then forced to leap aside in order to avoid blasterfire. Using the Force to augment his speed, Scourge raced across the entrance courtyard of Nyriss's compound to avoid the speeder's automated blaster cannon before disabling the weapon with a toss of his lightsaber. Avoiding a falling statue that had been damaged by his attackers, Scourge then charged the downed speeder, only to recognize the same two mercenaries from earlier. The Sith leaped to avoid the female mercenary's blasterfire and killed the second attacker by slicing him in half, though his attempt to charge the first mercenary saw him struck by several blaster bolts in the shoulder.

Nevertheless, Scourge fed off the pain and used it to strike the female mercenary with the Force, sending her flying into one of the courtyard statues. The woman recovered quickly enough to draw an electrorod before Scourge could reach her, and the two began to circle each other as the Sith offered to hire her if she told him who had arranged for the attack. However, the mercenary was suddenly killed by Murtog and several security guards, who had just arrived in the courtyard. Murtog then informed Scourge that Nyriss would now receive him, and the Human led the Sith Lord through Nyriss's stronghold as Scourge ignored the pain from his recent wounds. Disregarding Sechel's running commentary on the artwork present in the building, Scourge began to contemplate the reasoning behind the attempt on his life, and he came to realize any number of parties might be responsible&mdash;a jealous rival, Sechel, Murtog, or any combination of the three. Scourge's musings ended when the group arrived at Nyriss's chambers, and the Sith was surprised to discover how much of a toll the dark side had taken on the Dark Councilor's physical form&mdash;her face was particularly sickly and aged, and her form frail after years of immersion in the dark side.

Nyriss informed Scourge that she was impressed with how he had handled the mercenaries, and the elder Sith dismissed both Murtog and Sechel after Scourge made it clear that Murtog's killing of the female mercenary had been a mistake&mdash;they could have interrogated her for information. Once they were alone, he explained his suspicions as to who had hired the assassins, but Nyriss surprised him by revealing that she had arranged the attack as a test for him. The Dark Councilor then informed her new vassal of a lead that he could follow up on in the investigation of who was trying to kill her&mdash;the droid used in the latest attempt had been traced to the Uxiol Droid Manufacturing plant on the planet Hallion. Nyriss wanted Scourge to accompany Sechel to the plant so that Sechel could hack into the facility's computer systems, but the two would not depart for several days. Dismissed from Nyriss's presence, Scourge followed Sechel to his own room in the compound, where he received treatment from a medical droid for his shoulder.

Searching for answers
"It's a manufacturing plant, not a fortress. Most of their security is electronic. You know, stuff I can slice. The worst you'll have to deal with is a couple of roving security droids.''" "Patrol drones or assault droids?" "Patrol drones. UDM doesn't manufacture assault droids. Too expensive for a small company like this. Are you always this skittish on a job?" "''Only fools charge ahead without knowing what lies in wait."

- Sechel and Scourge

By the time they arrived at Hallion, Scourge had learned that Sechel's previous persona of a servile aide had been nothing more than a ruse; the man was actually an accomplished former operative of Imperial Intelligence. However, Sechel's mission planning failed to account for the three-meter-high security fence that surrounded the Uxiol plant, and the error only served to exacerbate Scourge's growing sense of uneasiness. Scourge proceeded with the mission nevertheless and leaped the fence in a single bound, relying on the Force to lift him the extra centimeters necessary to avoid the electrified metal. After ensuring he was not being watched, Scourge headed for the nearby gate to let Sechel in. Dispatching the single patrol drone guarding the gate, the Sith Lord let Sechel into the compound, and the two broke into the plant itself.

However, Sechel was unable to open the door to the records room, and a frustrated Scourge destroyed the security panel with his lightsaber&mdash;only to trigger a facility-wide alarm that drew the attention of more patrol drones. Scourge charged at the first two drones to appear and quickly destroyed them, then dispatched another drone with a toss of his lightsaber before repeatedly smashing a fourth into the floor with the Force. However, Scourge was then confronted with a three-meter-tall UDM assault droid equipped with two heavy blaster cannons, and the Sith Lord was forced to find cover as it opened fire and charged. Making use of the manufacturing plant's catwalks, Scourge ascended the room and was spared further attacks from the assault drone on account of the droid's limited range of mobility.

Scourge took advantage of that reprieve to dispatch two of the five patrol drones following him by using the Force to make them collide, sending both crashing down into one of the nearby vats of molten metal. The Sith then raced along the catwalk until he was above the assault droid and leaped down on top of it, chopping into its armor plating with his lightsaber. Tossed off the droid, Scourge attacked his opponent on its blind side, cutting deep into the droid with two strikes before it lashed out with one of its legs&mdash;a blow that cracked several of Scourge's ribs and sent him crashing to the ground. However, he recovered quickly enough to get underneath the droid before it resumed firing, and he dealt his opponent two more strikes to its underside that sent the droid toppling to the ground.

Scourge's satisfaction was cut short as a swarm of patrol drones entered the room alongside two more assault droids. The Sith was prepared to go down fighting when the room suddenly went dark. Using his night goggles, Scourge realized that the entire factory had been shut down, and he contacted Sechel to find out what had happened. The other man reported that he had copied the files they were looking for before shutting down the facility's power grid. However, Sechel warned him that the trivium generators that powered the vats had been destabilized, and the pair raced out of the building just in time to avoid the massive explosion that destroyed the factory just as they passed through the perimeter fence. Injured but able to walk, Scourge and Sechel limped back to their shuttle and departed from Hallion, returning to Nyriss's compound on Dromund Kaas.

Over the next week, Scourge's wounds were healed by daily doses of kolto, but the Sith Lord was angry with himself at how the mission to Hallion had gone awry. Scourge was practicing lightsaber combat in the courtyard when Nyriss's Twi'lek slave came to bring him to Nyriss, and as they walked to Nyriss's chambers, he contemplated whether or not Sechel had tried to kill him in the factory on Hallion&mdash;Sechel had not called Scourge to warn him about the trivium generators, and he had assured Scourge that UDM did not possess assault droids. During his meeting with Nyriss, Scourge was irritated when the elder Sith had him recite the Sith Code and then reprimanded him on his lack of understanding of the basic Sith tenets. Nyriss continued her lecture by explaining that Scourge had what she described as a "special gift"&mdash;the ability to draw strength from living opponents by gorging himself on their emotions, amplifying his powers beyond the normal levels of a Sith. However, as Nyriss explained, Scourge's ability came with a drawback, as he weakened himself by trying to feed off the emotions of droids in combat.

Thanking Nyriss for her counsel, Scourge listened as the Dark Councilor discussed Sechel's findings on Hallion. Her aide had traced the payment for the custom assassin droid used against her to a Human separatist movement on the planet Bosthirda, which was a longstanding member world of the Empire. The two discussed the possible reasoning behind the attacks on her life and why the separatists would target her instead of the Human Darth Xedrix, who had served on the Council longer than she had. Nyriss then announced that she would be sending Scourge, Sechel, Murtog, and her soldiers to Bosthirda that night to wipe out the separatists and uncover more information. Despite his reservations about Sechel, Scourge bowed to Nyriss and departed the room to prepare, and the group headed to Bosthirda within a few hours.

Testing limits
"Your words are hollow, Xedrix. Just like your power.''" "Please, Lord Scourge, I'll give you anything you want. Slaves. Wealth. Power." "''Power? You can't give what isn't yours."

- Scourge and Darth Xedrix

On Bosthirda, Scourge and Nyriss's men located the separatists' base in a two-story building in Jerunga, the planetary capital. The group delayed its assault until Bosthirda's sun began to set, and Scourge surveyed the building from a nearby alleyway while waiting. When night finally fell, Murtog contacted Scourge via his comlink, informing the Sith that his team was in position. Scourge ordered the soldier to wait until his signal so that he could disable the cameras, and he brushed off Sechel's attempts to taunt him before ordering Murtog to keep Sechel out of the fighting. The Sith Lord then crept around a nearby building and climbed the utility ladder to the roof, where he leaped the ten meters across the street onto the roof of the separatists' building. Rolling to his feet, Scourge drew his lightsaber and dispatched the four security cameras with telekinesis, then ordered Murtog's soldiers to make their move. Waiting until they had begun to launch their flash-bangs and stun grenades into the building, Scourge crossed the rooftop to the hatch down into the building&mdash;just before a pair of separatists climbed out of the hatch.

Cutting down the first separatist with his saber, Scourge grabbed the second Human by his collar and hurled him off the rooftop, feeding off the young man's fear. Scourge then leaped down through the hatch into the second floor's wide-open room and in the midst of twenty unprepared separatists. The Sith Lord proceeded to butcher the Humans, slashing with his lightsaber and using the Force to send bodies flying into the walls. Savoring the terror and confusion of his opponents, Scourge cut down the only two women who attempted to fight back, and both Scourge's and the soldiers' respective battles were over in a matter of minutes. However, when the Sith Lord ordered Murtog to bring in Sechel, he was furious to learn that the two were already in the building despite his orders. Finding the two in the building's command center, Scourge expressed his fury at Sechel and Murtog, though an amused Sechel explained that he had entered the building to ensure that he could retrieve information from the separatists' computers before they deleted anything. Scourge let the matter drop for the time so that they could examine Sechel's findings, and the three were surprised to discover a partial recording of a communication between the separatists and the Dark Councilor Darth Xedrix. Scourge then ordered Murtog and his soldiers to load up all of the computer terminals so that Sechel could get better results back on Dromund Kaas, and the team departed for the Imperial capital not long afterward.

Upon their return to the palace, Scourge, Sechel, and Murtog were greeted by Nyriss's Twi'lek slave, who countermanded Scourge's attempt to have Sechel work on the datafiles, instead informing the Sith Lord that Nyriss wished to speak with all three of them. However, when the trio began to discuss Xedrix's treachery with the Dark Councilor, Scourge felt confident enough in his analysis to voice his opinion that Xedrix's betrayal did not seem legitimate. Nyriss assured him that Xedrix had more than enough reason to betray the Emperor and the Dark Council, but Scourge was uncomfortable to learn that she had no intention to report Xedrix's treachery to the Emperor. Nyriss then proposed that Scourge himself assassinate Xedrix, and when the Sith Lord sensed Scourge's reluctance, she dismissed Sechel and Murtog in order to speak with him privately. The Dark Councilor then explained how Xedrix's age and infirmity were weaknesses that Scourge could take advantage of, and the younger Sith gradually came to the decision to accept Nyriss's proposal in order to test himself and gain prestige.

Sechel arranged a meeting with Xedrix by posing as the separatist leaders, and Scourge headed to the cave where the meeting was to take place. Scourge had been waiting almost an hour when Xedrix finally arrived with two Sith acolytes. When Xedrix passed Scourge's hiding place, the Sith pureblood struck at the elder Human, and Scourge found that he was unable to draw on Xedrix's emotions because the Dark Councilor kept them too controlled. Drawing on his own emotions to fuel his strength, Scourge prepared to fight Xedrix and his acolytes, but was surprised when Xedrix backed away and let his subordinates fight alone. Scourge drew further strength from his opponents as he attacked the two Sith. Early in the fight, Scourge realized that the female acolyte cared for the male acolyte. He changed from the defensive Soresu lightsaber form to the acrobatic and offensive Ataru form, then proceeded to play off the woman's protectiveness. His strategy quickly resulted in the woman's death, and Scourge then dispatched his second opponent with a toss of his lightsaber.

Scourge turned to face Xedrix next, trading banter with the elder Sith before realizing that Xedrix was charging up a massive storm of Force lightning. Scourge was unable to block the entire attack, which severely injured him and threw him to the floor. Xedrix gloated about how Nyriss was manipulating Scourge as the younger Sith struggled to rise to his feet. Scourge soon came to realize that the Dark Councilor had used all of his power in that one attack. Marching forward, Scourge snorted in contempt when Xedrix began to beg for his life, and he sliced the Dark Lord from shoulder to hip with a single strike before decapitating Xedrix to keep his head as proof for Nyriss. However, Scourge sensed the truth in Xedrix's words about Nyriss, and he decided to corner Sechel to gain answers.

Conspiracy revealed
"Are you loyal to the Empire?''" "I thought I would get to ask the questions." "Remember your place. Listen to what I have to say. When I am finished, you will have your chance to speak." "I am loyal to the Emperor." "Loyal to the Emperor, or to the Empire? They are two different things." "What do you mean?" "''The Emperor is mad. Unchecked, he will destroy us all."

- Darth Nyriss and Scourge

Returning to Nyriss's estate, Scourge proceeded to sneak into Sechel's room and placed his hand over the aide's mouth. He began interrogating Sechel, cutting off the man's facial tendrils when he did not answer Scourge's questions. Sechel revealed that Xedrix had not been behind the assassination attempts and that Nyriss herself had hired the assassins&mdash;but further questioning was forestalled when Nyriss herself entered the room. Taking Scourge to her chambers, Nyriss promised to answer his questions but asked him whether he was loyal to the Empire&mdash;and informed him that the Emperor himself was not loyal to the Empire. According to Nyriss, the Emperor intended to start another war with the Republic, and she revealed that she and Xedrix had been part of a conspiracy to unseat the Emperor. The assassination attempts against herself had been to draw suspicion away from the conspiracy, and Xedrix had been sacrificed in order to distance the group from the separatist movement and keep the alliance secret. The Dark Councilor then explained that she was telling all of this to Scourge so that he could join their cause&mdash;though if he refused, he would be implicated in the conspiracy itself and thus would be unable to reveal its existence. To ensure that Scourge truly believed in their cause, Nyriss announced that she would take him to Nathema, the Emperor's homeworld, so that he could see the Emperor's crimes for himself.

A week later, Scourge and Nyriss boarded a private shuttle and departed Dromund Kaas for the remote planet of Nathema. During their journey, Nyriss relayed the story of the Emperor to Scourge: how the Emperor had been born in 5113 BBY as Tenebrae, the illegitimate child of Lord Dramath of the planet Medriaas, and how he had murdered his mother and adoptive father at the age of six. Tenebrae conquered Medriaas's northern continent over the next four years before he killed Dramath, and shortly afterward, he was summoned before the reigning Dark Lord of the Sith, Marka Ragnos. Ragnos anointed Tenebrae as Lord Vitiate, ruler of Medriaas, and Vitiate promptly renamed his world Nathema. A century later, as the first Empire collapsed in the aftermath of the Great Hyperspace War, Vitiate convinced thousands of Sith Lords to join him in a ritual of Sith magic on Nathema. However, the ritual had stripped the Force itself from Nathema, killing every living thing on the planet and rendering Vitiate immortal.

Scourge was skeptical of the truth of Nyriss's story, but the Dark Councilor told him that he would see for himself when they arrived on Nathema. When they finally arrived in the Nathema system, Scourge realized that the star system lacked the Force&mdash;and the alien sensation grew only stronger as they approached the planet. On the surface, Scourge was horrified by the overwhelming sensation of death that surrounded them, and he came to truly understand why Nyriss and her fellow Councilors had decided to oppose the Emperor&mdash;if the Sith ruler had his way, all life would be snuffed out, and the galaxy itself would be wiped from existence. Scourge fought the urge to vomit as they lifted off from Nathema, but as his ability to sense the Force returned, both he and Nyriss became aware of a strong presence in the Force. Locating a newly arrived ship, Nyriss fired the shuttle's ion cannon at the light freighter and sent it crashing into Nathema's surface.

Returning to Nathema's surface, the two Sith scanned the crashed freighter, and Nyriss dispatched Scourge to search the interior of the ship after she detected a life-form. Scourge discovered an unconscious man of about forty in brown robes in the cockpit and was astonished to see that he carried a lightsaber. Taking the weapon, Scourge carried the man out of the wrecked ship and to Nyriss, who recognized him as Revan&mdash;a Jedi Master. Revan and his friend Malak had discovered Dromund Kaas five years before, but they had been captured and supposedly executed by the Emperor. Scourge and Nyriss realized that the Emperor must have let them go for some reason, most likely under his mental control, and the Dark Councilor decided that they would take Revan back to her stronghold for interrogation.

Scourge and Nyriss imprisoned Revan in one of the cells beneath Nyriss's fortress, and Scourge was placed in charge of his interrogation when the man finally awoke. Nyriss was surprised to realize that Revan's memory had been wiped since he had last been on Dromund Kaas, and Scourge utilized an interrogation droid to aid him over the next four hours before Nyriss ordered him to take a break. When questioned as to how much longer it would take to break Revan, Scourge admitted that there would be no purpose in doing so&mdash;Revan lacked the information they sought. Nevertheless, Nyriss ordered Scourge to continue his interrogation of Revan, as she sought to learn how the Jedi had broken free from the Emperor's mental control so that she could break the Emperor's control over his servants, such as the Emperor's Hand and the Imperial Guard.

Over the next three years, Scourge continued to question Revan, learning that the Jedi High Council had wiped Revan's mind and that he had come to Nathema to recover his lost memories. Nyriss had lost interest in Revan after six months, but Scourge had gradually become obsessed with the Jedi prisoner&mdash;Revan's incredible strength in the Force was palpable even though he was constantly drugged, and his unique perspective on the Force, having utilized both the light and the dark sides, made Scourge eager to learn from the Jedi. Over the years, Scourge used his expertise at interrogation to take advantage of Revan's isolation, gradually building a relationship with his prisoner and learning bits and pieces of Revan's knowledge of the Force. Revan manipulated Scourge in return, and upon learning that Scourge and Nyriss wanted to overthrow the Emperor, the Jedi had gradually worked to build trust with his captor. Scourge was also sent on missions for Nyriss, and the Dark Councilor had quickly realized not to send Scourge and Sechel on assignments together, as they would likely kill each other.

Allying with the Jedi
"You're a Jedi. What he said was true. He saw you. He knew.''" "What are you talking about?" "You're here because of Revan. You've come to rescue him." "I'm impressed you figured it out so quickly." "''I didn't figure it out. Revan told me."

- Scourge and Meetra Surik

In 3950 BBY, Scourge was making yet another visit to Revan, for whom he had developed a great deal of respect, when he admitted to the Jedi that he was frustrated with Nyriss's refusal to take action against the Emperor. During their conversation, Revan implied that he might be an ally against the Emperor, but his clumsy attempt was too obvious to Scourge, and the Sith Lord laughed openly at the suggestion. However, Scourge was interested when Revan claimed to have witnessed a vision that he would be freed soon, and Scourge's curiosity was only heightened by Revan's cryptic warnings. Curious but irritated, Scourge departed from the prison cell.

Revan's words continued to haunt Scourge almost a week later, and he was contemplating Revan's proposal of an alliance in his quarters when Sechel knocked on the door. Barring the other Sith pureblood entry to his quarters, Scourge listened as Sechel informed him that he had met with a Human woman earlier in the Nexus Room cantina. The woman had a hologram of Scourge and was searching for the Sith Lord, but when Sechel refused to come into Scourge's quarters to further discuss the matter, Scourge briefly grasped Sechel's throat with the Force to give him incentive to finish his story. The woman wished to meet Scourge in person, but Sechel suggested that Scourge take Murtog and his soldiers along to the meeting. Realizing that Sechel had backed him into a corner&mdash;he could not refuse the meeting, as he had to deal with the woman in case she was a threat&mdash;Scourge accepted Sechel's proposal and told him to set up the meeting.

At the cave that was the arranged meeting place, Murtog and three soldiers attempted to capture the woman and her utility droid as Scourge waited in the back of the cave, but the woman&mdash;actually a Jedi named Meetra Surik&mdash;quickly killed the four soldiers while Scourge watched in silence. When Surik began to cautiously approach him, Scourge realized that Revan had been telling the truth about his freedom, and he explained that Revan had told him of her coming. Surik demanded that Scourge tell her where Revan was being held captive, but Scourge countered by offering to take her and her droid to see Revan. However, the woman refused, believing the offer to be a trap, forcing Scourge to explain that he wanted to work with Revan and the Jedi against the Emperor. When he learned that the Jedi woman had been to Nathema, Scourge informed her of the planet's history, and he promised to return with proof of his story the next day.

Taking his speeder back to Kaas City, Scourge immediately began calculating what he had to do to ensure Sechel's silence. Locating the aide at the Nexus Room, Scourge sent a young slave to tell Sechel that Murtog wanted to meet with him, and he then hid himself in a nearby alleyway until Sechel left the cantina. Scourge followed Sechel for several blocks until they arrived at a small apartment building, and the Sith Lord cut his way into the building to pursue Sechel further. Upon finding Sechel in one of the upper suites, Scourge struck Sechel in his windpipe before he could make a sound and warned the man to remain quiet. After confirming that Nyriss remained unaware of the meeting between Scourge and the Jedi, and that Scourge had approximately three days before the Dark Councilor realized Murtog was dead, Scourge demanded Sechel's files on the conspirators. Once Sechel had retrieved a set of data disks from a wall-mounted safe, Scourge broke Sechel's neck with his bare hands.

Returning to the cave where Surik was waiting, Scourge gave the files to her droid, T3-M4, in order to prove his sincerity, then promised to return in another three hours. When he finally returned, Surik informed Scourge that she believed him, but the Sith Lord announced that he would be unable to free Revan with only Surik's help. However, Scourge had a plan: He was going to enlist the aid of the Emperor himself by revealing the conspiracy. Traveling to the Imperial Citadel, Scourge demanded an audience with the Emperor from the two members of the Imperial Guard who stood at the Citadel's entrance, claiming that he possessed information on a threat to the Emperor himself. Captain Yarri of the Guard escorted Scourge into the depths of the Citadel, though he almost started a brawl with some of the Guard when Yarri denied his request for an audience with the Emperor. The Sith Lord finally convinced Yarri to take him to the Emperor, and though she warned him that he would pay with his life if the information was not worth the disturbance, she brought him to the Sith ruler's throne room.

The Guardsmen's apparent lack of concern over allowing an armed Sith Lord to speak with the Emperor alone unnerved Scourge, as their evident trust in the Emperor's immense power sparked doubt in his mind as to whether they could truly defeat the Sith ruler. Steeling himself, Scourge entered the throne room and approached the Emperor's throne. As the Emperor rose to his feet, the doors swung shut behind Scourge, and the Sith Lord dropped to one knee upon reaching the foot of the throne's dais. Finding his voice, Scourge gave the Emperor a brief summary of his service to Darth Nyriss over the last few years. The Emperor's voice gave Scourge further pause, as it seemed to be composed of a great number of voices speaking in harmony, but Scourge continued and delivered an altered version of recent events: that Scourge had killed Sechel because he had been allied with the separatists.

However, the Emperor made it clear to Scourge that such a story was beneath his concern, forcing Scourge to come to the point quickly. Handing over Sechel's data disks&mdash;which had been altered to remove evidence of his involvement&mdash;he informed the Emperor of Nyriss's conspiracy. Though the Emperor did not visibly react, the air around him seemed to grow cold, and the Emperor briefly questioned Scourge further before telepathically summoning Yarri and a Sith to take the disks from Scourge. When the Emperor ordered Yarri to take Scourge into custody, Scourge quickly told the Sith ruler that Nyriss was expecting his return. Though the Emperor allowed him to leave, he briefly touched Scourge's mind with his own consciousness, and Scourge collapsed in agony at the mental contact. Scourge recovered only moments later, and Yarri escorted him out of the Citadel, informing him that the Imperial Guard would purge the traitors on the Dark Council if Scourge's information was correct. Yarri promised that the Guard would be ordered not to harm Scourge but warned the Sith Lord to stay out of the way just to be safe.

Rescuing Revan
"It's okay. Scourge is here to help us.''" [laughs] "So I finally get to learn your name. Scourge. No wonder you didn't want to tell me." "''Make jokes once we're safely away from here."

- Surik, a drugged Revan, and Scourge

A day later, Scourge, Surik, and T3-M4 made their move to free Revan. With Surik posing as Scourge's newly purchased slave and T3-M4 as his droid, the trio entered Nyriss's stronghold without incident&mdash;though a guard informed Scourge that Nyriss was searching for Murtog and Sechel. Concerned, Scourge informed Surik that he would likely have to meet with Nyriss to allay her suspicions, but the Jedi refused to let him out of her sight. The two had begun to argue about Surik's suggestion that they free Revan immediately when the entire fortress was rocked by an explosion. Realizing the Imperial Guard had begun its attack, the trio raced to the dungeons amidst the battle, though Scourge pulled Surik out of the way when they encountered a group of attacking Guardsmen. True to Yarri's word, the Guard ignored Scourge and his companions, and the two soon reached the dungeons.

However, Scourge's passcode did not work, as the system was in emergency lockdown, and he ordered T3-M4 to slice into the door as quickly as possible because he believed that Revan's guards had been ordered to execute him. Yet the Jedi had convinced his guards to surrender, and Scourge and Surik encountered no opposition upon entering the dungeons. Scourge was astonished to learn that Revan had promised to protect his guards, but when the Jedi nearly collapsed on account of the drugs in his system, Scourge set aside his disbelief and retrieved the antidote for Revan. Revan collapsed into unconsciousness when Surik returned Revan's mask to him, as it caused his memories to return and overwhelm him.

Scourge and Surik had little time to worry, however, when T3-M4 detected someone approaching. At Scourge's orders, Revan's guards retrieved their weapons and scouted the stairway, but the two were killed by a blast of Force lightning when Nyriss herself descended into the dungeons. The furious Dark Councilor laughed when Surik emerged from Revan's cell with her lightsaber drawn to stand with Scourge, and Nyriss unleashed another blast of lightning that Surik and Scourge dodged before she drew her own lightsaber and leaped into battle with them. Nyriss proved more than a match for her opponents, and after their bout ended with her throwing the two across the room with the power of the Force, Nyriss approached her fallen enemies and prepared to unleash a storm of lightning that would kill them.

At that moment, Revan emerged from his cell, intercepting Nyriss's lightning with his bare hands before he redirected it against her and incinerated the Sith. Astonished by Revan's immense power, Scourge became confident in his choice to ally with the Jedi against the Emperor, and he handed Revan his lightsaber before the four of them raced out of Nyriss's crumbling fortress to Scourge's waiting landspeeder. The group fled back to the same cave where Scourge and Surik had first met, and Scourge dropped off the two Jedi and T3-M4 before he returned to Kaas City to learn more about the Emperor's attack against the conspirators.

In Kaas City, Scourge was surprised to learn that not only Nyriss, but all twelve members of the Council&mdash;including the seven Councilors who had not been part of the conspiracy&mdash;had been killed. The Emperor had summoned nine of the Councilors to the Citadel, excluding Nyriss and the two traitors whom he had believed would not respond to his summons, and killed them mere hours before he sent the Imperial Guard to assault the estates of the other three Councilors. Riots had broken out across the city, causing the Emperor to declare martial law and a curfew that was enforced by the Imperial Guard. The Emperor had also effectively quarantined the planet, forbidding any ships to land on or depart from Dromund Kaas and also shutting down all off-world communications.

When he returned to the cave a few hours later, Scourge found Revan and Surik watching a hologram of a Human woman and her child, but T3-M4 quickly shut off the recording when Scourge approached. Curious, Scourge questioned Revan as to their identity and was surprised to learn that it had been Revan's wife and son. However, Scourge quickly realized that though they were allies, he and Revan were not friends, and he let the matter drop before explaining his findings. Revan then explained his own findings, as he had been examining his newly returned memories, and he told both Surik and Scourge about how a member of the Imperial Guard tricked him and Malak into a trap in which the Emperor crushed their wills and turned them into puppets. The two had been sent back as Sith Lords in order to form the vanguard of the Emperor's invasion of the Republic, and they had been ordered to report back once they had achieved victory&mdash;but Revan and Malak had broken free of the Emperor's control and pursued power for themselves.

Realizing that Surik believed that he would betray them, Scourge assured his allies that his contact with the Emperor's mind and the devastation of Nathema had convinced him that the Emperor needed to be stopped. When Surik adopted a horrified look later in their discussion, Scourge misread her expression as disbelief, leading Surik to explain what she was really thinking: With the planetary quarantine, the Emperor might be planning to repeat the Nathema ritual on Dromund Kaas. However, Revan dissented, believing that Dromund Kaas was too vital to the Emperor's plans for him to repeat the ritual there. Scourge then proposed that they strike at the Emperor at dawn, as the Imperial Guard was stretched thin enforcing the curfew, and the three settled down to try and sleep.

Scourge was unable to meditate as his Jedi companions did, though he attempted to center himself and open his mind to the Force, just as Revan had spoken of earlier. His attempts brought on a vision of their upcoming battle, in which the three of them lay defeated at the Emperor's feet, and the vision ended with the Emperor placing his hand upon Scourge's forehead and causing him to scream in terror and pain. Snapping back to reality, Scourge considered the vision's implications and ultimately decided to speak with Revan to gain answers as to its meaning. Approaching the Jedi Master, who was once again watching the hologram of his family, Scourge began to question him about the nature of Force visions, and he was surprised to learn that Revan's earlier "vision" of Surik had been a bluff. Revan admitted that he did have a vision of Surik almost right afterward, and Scourge continued to question Revan about the future and the Force while also working to keep his own vision secret from the Jedi.

The pair's discussion soon turned to the light and dark sides of the Force, and Scourge was outraged to learn that Revan had accepted the possibility that they would fail&mdash;but the Jedi believed that even if they failed, their efforts would still halt the Emperor's efforts. Revan then spoke of his belief that the Force would bring forth another champion to stop the Emperor if they failed, and a confused Scourge spent the next several hours struggling to make sense of his vision as he waited for dawn.

Confronting the Emperor
"I expected better from you, Lord Scourge.''" "He has seen the depths of your evil. He stands with us now." "Then he will die with you, as well." "You can't defeat all three of us. United, we are stronger than even you." "''That remains to be seen."

- The Emperor and Revan

At sunrise, Scourge, the two Jedi, and T3-M4 departed from their cave. The four rode Scourge's speeder through the drizzling rain to Kaas City in silence, as Surik had gone into what she called a warrior's trance, and Revan was thinking of his past. Scourge parked the speeder on the edges of the city, and the four of them evaded the Imperial Guardsmen patrolling the streets as they made their way to the Imperial Citadel. Warning his companions to let him do the talking, Scourge led the others up the steps to the entrance to the Emperor's wing of the building, but they were suddenly confronted by a number of Guardsmen, who ordered them to surrender for breaking the curfew. Scourge demanded a meeting with the Emperor, and one of the Guardsmen grudgingly allowed the four to enter the Citadel but called for Captain Yarri to meet them at the throne room.

However, the captain was nowhere to be found when they reached the throne room, and Scourge demanded that the Guardsmen allow him entry. Before they could do so, Yarri arrived and ordered Scourge's companions to step away from the entrance. When Revan turned around to face Yarri, she recognized him, for she was the same Guard who had lured him and Malak into a trap years earlier, and the hallway erupted into battle. While Revan, Surik, and T3-M4 began to fight the Guardsmen, Scourge drew his lightsaber and engaged Yarri in combat. The woman quickly realized she was at a disadvantage and adopted a defensive style to ward off Scourge until another Guard joined her in the fighting, forcing Scourge to defend himself from two attackers as he backed into the throne room after Revan broke open the doors.

Scourge was briefly distracted by thoughts of his vision when he realized that Revan had not come to his and Surik's aid, allowing Yarri to score a blow on his right shoulder with her electrostaff and forcing him to switch his blade to his left hand. Once all four allies were in the throne room itself, T3-M4 began sealing the doors with an adhesive used to repair starships as Scourge and Surik battled Yarri and the three remaining Guardsmen. Calling on the dark side, Scourge quickly overwhelmed and dispatched his opponent before answering Surik's cry for them to aid Revan&mdash;their ally was losing his battle against the Emperor. The Emperor's storm of lightning had overwhelmed the Jedi, and T3-M4 had been destroyed by the Sith. Surik threw her lightsaber, knocking Revan's own weapon from the Emperor's hands and preventing him from killing Revan&mdash;but Scourge realized that had she aimed for the Emperor, she would have killed the Sith at the expense of her friend's life.

As the Sith Lord joined Surik next to a recovered Revan, the Emperor expressed his disappointment with Scourge, but Scourge's mind became filled with thousands of possible futures as Revan spoke to their opponent. Overwhelmed and unable to decide what course of action to take, Scourge suddenly experienced a moment of clarity in which he foresaw a powerful young Jedi standing victorious above a fallen Emperor&mdash;but it was neither Revan nor Surik. Realizing what he needed to do, Scourge stepped behind Surik and stabbed her between her shoulders. A shocked Revan quickly fell to the Emperor's lightning, and Scourge fell to his knee before the Emperor. When questioned, Scourge lied that he had lured the two Jedi into a confrontation with the Emperor, as he had been unable to defeat them alone, and he had killed Surik to prove his loyalty. At the Emperor's command, Scourge ripped off Revan's helmet and prepared to kill the unconscious Jedi, though the Emperor stopped Scourge's blade before he could perform the act and informed the Sith Lord that the Jedi could still be of use. Bowing low, Scourge reminded the Emperor of his loyalty before departing.

Wrath of the Emperor
"He's sending his personal executioner for me. His wrath incarnate. I'll be punished for my crimes.''" "Who is the Emperor's Wrath? A Sith Lord?" "''A ghost. Older than anyone except the Emperor himself. Even the Dark Council fears him."

- Sajar and the Hero of Tython

Days later, the Emperor rewarded Scourge by giving him the newly created post of the Emperor's Wrath, the Emperor's personal enforcer and executioner. Additionally, the Emperor performed a scientific and alchemical version of the immortality ritual upon Scourge, rendering him immortal as well&mdash;but the gift of immortality came with a cost. Scourge would suffer intense and unending pain for the rest of his life, and he would eventually become immune to the pain, sacrificing his emotions, senses, and humanity for power and eternal life.

Over the next three centuries, Scourge served the Emperor faithfully, bringing the Emperor's fury to bear upon his enemies as the Wrath. Scourge eliminated hundreds of ambitious Sith in his career, and in the decades before the Empire returned to the larger galaxy in 3681 BBY, the Wrath was dispatched to kill those Jedi whom the Emperor believed were growing too powerful. Even the members of the Dark Council had many theories on how Scourge managed to endure well beyond his natural lifespan, and some lesser Sith believed that "Scourge" was actually a title&mdash;that the role of the Emperor's Wrath had been filled over the centuries by dozens of individuals who had been surgically altered to resemble the original Scourge. However, the members of the Dark Council were well aware that he was the same individual, and even their most powerful members avoided offending him for fear of losing their lives.

During the Great Galactic War between the Empire and the Republic of 3681–3653 BBY, the number of Jedi and Sith whom the Emperor's Wrath had slain continued to rise, and Scourge was amused when the Dark Councilor Darth Vowrawn began to study him to learn how to neutralize the Wrath if the need ever arose. Scourge took a vindictive pleasure in feeding Vowrawn cryptic hints over the years that only clouded Vowrawn's understanding of his motives. By the time the Galactic War with the Republic had broken out in 3642 BBY, Scourge had encountered the pureblood Sith Praven, the apprentice of the Sith Lord Darth Angral. Scourge also had contact with the eminent Sith sorcerer Lord Fulminiss and the non–Force-sensitive pureblood Sith Krannus, who headed a death cult within the Imperial Military that worshiped the Emperor and included officers such as Colonel Hareth and Rayfel.

In 3642 BBY, the Empire invaded the resource-rich planet Quesh as part of its plan to draw the Republic fully into open war. However, an Imperial officer identified a Jedi Padawan who was assigned to a Republic research facility as Darth Sajar, a former Dark Councilor who had been converted to the light side of the Force during the Great Galactic War by his Jedi Master, Tol Braga. Upon learning of this, the Emperor dispatched his Wrath to eliminate the traitor Sajar, whose personal battle with the dark side prevented him from defending the facility alongside the Republic's 86th Infantry Division. However, when Scourge arrived, he found that the facility's defenders had pushed back the Imperial forces thanks to the aid of a young Jedi Knight known as the Hero of Tython. Scourge approached the facility's entrance just as the Hero and Lieutenant Gundo of the 86th Infantry activated ray shields, and he was surprised to recognize the young Jedi as the Knight from his vision three centuries earlier. Musing over the strange mysteries of the Force, Scourge realized that the fulfillment of his vision was approaching, and he told the Hero that the Jedi could keep Sajar before departing.

When he returned to the Emperor, Scourge informed his master that he had encountered the same Knight whom the Emperor had learned of months earlier during the recent conflict between Darth Angral and the Republic. The Hero had helped Kira Carsen, a former Child of the Emperor&mdash;an extension of the Emperor's will&mdash;break free from the Emperor's control, and the Emperor feared what the Hero's future meant for his plans. Days later, the Hero and the rest of a strike team led by Tol Braga boarded the Emperor's space station above Dromund Kaas. Scourge was aboard the space station at the time, and he guarded the Emperor in his throne room as five Jedi&mdash;Braga, Warren Sedoru, Leeha Narezz, the Hero of Tython, and the latter's former apprentice, Carsen&mdash;fought their way to the chamber. The Hero and Carsen arrived in the throne room first, and the Wrath drew his lightsaber and barred their path. Lying to the two Jedi and claiming that their companions had died, Scourge engaged the pair in a duel.

Battling back and forth across the chamber as the Emperor watched dispassionately from his throne, Scourge was eventually driven to defeat by the powerful young Jedi and fell to his knees just as Braga, Sedoru, and Narezz reached the throne room. Braga's arrival led the Emperor to leap down from his throne and mock the Jedi Master for his pride, and as the Emperor unleashed a storm of Force lightning at the five Jedi, Scourge walked away from the Jedi while the Emperor bent his attacks so that they passed around his Wrath. The Sith Lord watched as the Emperor sent his opponents crashing to the floor with a final blast of lightning and then, proclaiming the Jedi to be his servants and slaves, dominated their minds and twisted them to the dark side of the Force.

Shifting loyalties
"Though the Emperor seeks to conceal his true plans, I have seen them. That vision has driven me to this&hellip; I pledge my loyalty to you. Take me to your Jedi Council on Tython, and I'll reveal why."

- Scourge kneels before the Hero of Tython

Corrupted by the dark side and now considered Dark Jedi, the captives were placed in kolto tanks to heal their wounds, and Scourge visited the Hero at least once to observe the young Jedi. When the Hero recovered, Scourge took the Dark Jedi to Overseer Chaskar, who served as the Hero's teacher in the ways of the dark side for several months. The Emperor soon moved the other strike team members to different locations but left the Hero aboard his personal fortress for training. Scourge frequently observed the Hero's training sessions, but it was only once the Hero broke free of the Emperor's mental control that the Wrath became confident that the Hero was the Jedi whom he had foreseen&mdash;the one who would be able to defeat the Emperor. The Hero's freedom came just in time, as Scourge had recently learned that the Emperor's agents were preparing to commit genocide on the recently discovered Republic prison world of Belsavis in order to start the Emperor's ritual. Seeking to ingratiate himself with his future ally, Scourge sought out the Hero's non-Jedi companions, who had been held in the station's hangars ever since being taken captive following the failed mission to eliminate the Emperor.

Scourge easily dispatched the guards in the hangar before freeing the Jedi's companions: the astromech droid T7-O1, the Chagrian soldier Fideltin Rusk, and the medic Doc. Scourge had just released the three when the Hero and the recently freed Carsen arrived in the hangar, and the Hero immediately ordered the Sith Lord to back away. Ignoring the threats, Scourge calmly informed the Hero that they should depart on the Jedi's ship before they were discovered, and he revealed that he had been waiting centuries for the arrival of the young Jedi. To prove himself, Scourge knelt before the Knight and pledged his loyalty, proclaiming that the Hero and Carsen were special and that only a few had ever broken free of the Emperor's hold before. At Scourge's urging, the Hero agreed to take the former Emperor's Wrath to the Jedi homeworld of Tython to speak with the Jedi Council, and the six boarded the ship and departed from the station.

On Tython, Scourge was immediately brought before the few members of the Jedi Council who were on-planet: Masters Bela Kiwiiks and Jaric Kaedan and Grand Master Satele Shan. As promised, Scourge recounted both his vision and the Emperor's plans to destroy the galaxy, explaining how the Emperor intended to repeat the same ritual he performed on Nathema but on a galactic scale in order to become a god. Informing the Jedi that the ritual required a sacrifice of billions of lives to begin, Scourge relayed his findings as to the Emperor's plans for Belsavis&mdash;but his inclusion of himself in the Jedi's plans drew the ire of Kaedan, who drew his lightsaber and was ready to kill the Sith before the Hero intervened. Despite her reservations, Shan agreed with Scourge and the Hero that the Sith Lord's help was necessary, and she instructed the two to travel with the rest of their companions to Belsavis.

With Scourge as an uneasy ally, the Hero and crew traveled to Belsavis, and the Sith Lord met with the Hero in the ship's main conference room upon arrival to speak with Shan. The Grand Master informed the two that the Empire had just launched an attack upon the prison world and that her agent on the surface&mdash;a Jedi named Enna Tabord&mdash;had determined that Executor Krannus had recently arrived on Belsavis. Scourge immediately determined that the fanatically loyal Krannus was acting on the Emperor's orders, and the Hero and crew landed on the surface. The Hero and a companion were able to foil Krannus's forces and prevent him from detonating the planet's hyperspace power core, ensuring that Belsavis would not begin the Emperor's ritual.

Scourge, the Hero, and the rest of their group were then sent to the Korriban's Flame space station, where a Jedi Knight named Jomar Chul had gone missing while investigating rumors of a meeting between Sith Lords on the Emperor's orders. Scourge bluffed the station's personnel into believing that their ship was carrying Grand Moff Resh, allowing the group to land on the station without incident. On the station, the Jedi discovered the entire affair to be a trap set by a corrupted Leeha Narezz, though the Hero defeated Narezz and broke the Emperor's hold over her.

From Narezz and Chul, the Jedi learned that Lord Fulminiss had been sent to the planet Voss, and the group immediately set course to follow. In conference with Shan and the Hero, Scourge explained that Fulminiss was a powerful Sith sorcerer who had years of experience at twisting life with the power of the dark side. The Hero pursued Fulminiss across Voss's surface and defeated him, preventing him from releasing the malevolent entity known as Sel-Makor and spreading a plague of madness across the planet. Shan next sent Scourge and crew to defeat the fallen Jedi Master Warren Sedoru after he captured the Republic cruiser Valiant. Sedoru revealed to the group that Braga, now under the Emperor's control, had been sent to the embattled planet Corellia to ensure that the Emperor's genocidal plans were completed.

March to doomsday
"Every one of us is expendable. If the galaxy is to survive, the Emperor must fall. You are all on your own. Succeed or fail, no one is coming to save you."

- Scourge, to the Hero and company

In light of the revelation about Braga's involvement on Corellia, the Hero was appointed Supreme Commander of all Jedi forces in the Battle of Corellia. Scourge and the rest of the Jedi's crew accompanied the Hero as the group joined forces with General Var Suthra of the Republic Military to combat the Sith and Imperials under Braga's command across Corellia's capital of Coronet City. In a final battle with Braga above the city's government district, the Hero defeated and redeemed the Jedi Master and also learned of the Emperor's location on Dromund Kaas. When the group contacted Shan, she decided to launch an all-out assault on Dromund Kaas with the Republic Navy so that the Hero could engage the Emperor in a final confrontation.

Once the Republic Navy began its attack, Scourge used his knowledge of Dromund Kaas' defense network to aid the Hero and Carsen in flying their ship to the surface, where they landed on the outskirts of Kaas City and met in the ship's secondary conference room. Having examined Braga's supplied coordinates, Scourge determined that the Emperor was deep in the jungle at the ancient structure known as the Dark Temple, and he recommended that they acquire one of the Emperor's private shuttles to access the highly restricted location. On Sergeant Rusk's advice, the six companions split into groups of two, and while the Hero and T7-O1 made their way through the city to the shuttle, Scourge, Rusk, Doc, and Carsen broke into pairs and traveled through the city separately. As the city was under military lockdown, Scourge and his companion fought their way to the shuttlepad and arrived just as the other four reached it.

Scourge informed the Hero that none of them could accompany the Knight into battle with the Emepror for fear of falling under the Emperor's influence, though T7-O1 volunteered to go on account of the Emperor's inability to influence droids. The Sith Lord then proceeded to fly the six of them to the Dark Temple, and he, Rusk, Carsen, and Doc departed from the shuttle before the Hero and T7-O1 to engage the Temple's defenders. As the four battled the Imperial Guard, Sith acolytes, and guard droids, the Hero and T7-O1 fought through the Temple's defenders and engaged the Emperor in combat in the depths of the Dark Temple. The Jedi emerged victorious in the battle and contacted Scourge to report that the Emperor had been defeated. However, as he had not sensed the Emperor's death, Scourge correctly surmised that the Sith ruler was not truly defeated and urged the Hero to strike the final blow&mdash;but before the Knight could do anything, the Emperor proclaimed that the Hero would die with him, and his dying energies began to collapse the Dark Temple.

Believing the Emperor to be dead, Scourge, the Hero, and their companions raced out of the collapsing structure and back to the Emperor's shuttle, which they used to return to Kaas City and their waiting vessel. Upon contacting the Grand Master and reporting the success of the mission, the group was ordered to rendezvous with the Valiant in the Core Worlds. There, Scourge, Carsen, and the Hero followed their other companions into the Valiant main hangar. Dozens of people had gathered to celebrate the Hero's victory, and Scourge reluctantly followed his Jedi companions to the far end of the hangar, where Admiral Dabrin, Grand Master Shan, and the Hero's other companions were waiting. In the ceremony that followed, Shan conferred on the Hero the rank of Jedi Master, and Dabrin awarded all six of them&mdash;including Scourge&mdash;the Cross of Glory, the Republic's highest honor. Unable to return to the Sith but unwilling to join the Jedi, Scourge remained a wary ally of the Hero as the Jedi Master traveled the galaxy amid the war between the Republic and the Empire.

Personality and traits
"I still remember the feel of sunlight on my skin. The scent of favorite foods. The color of my first love's eyes. To experience those simple pleasures again would be worth anything.''" "This is why Jedi don't form attachments. Desire unbalances you." "''You misunderstand everything. My equilibrium never deviates. I feel&hellip; nothing."

- Scourge and the Hero of Tython

A pureblood Sith with crimson skin and facial tendrils, Scourge had bright red eyes and a thick-chested torso. Scourge was ambitious and power-hungry in the years before he became immortal, and his arrogance and pride were among the few emotions that remained after the Emperor's immortality ritual stripped him of his senses and humanity. The ritual warped Scourge's ability to process his environment in the fashion that others did; he was physically incapable of feeling simple pleasures, such as the scent of his favorite foods or the warmth of sunlight, though not to the point that his physical abilities were compromised. As a result, he grew to treasure the memories of the things that he could no longer sense or feel. Scourge was sardonic and grimly fatalistic, and he developed a uniquely cynical viewpoint during his centuries of service, as he observed how his fellow Sith seemed unable to change their self-destructive ways.

Unlike many of his fellow Sith, Scourge was willing to devote himself to a cause other than his own personal gain, though his Sith mentality made him more than willing to sacrifice his allies in order to advance his cause, as he did to Revan and Meetra Surik. Scourge was intelligent and cunning, and he enjoyed using power and also manipulating others to his own ends. He disliked greed and selfishness but was also disgusted by mercy and other Jedi sentiments that he viewed as weak. However, the Sith Lord acknowledged that the strengths of the Jedi were not necessarily lesser than those of the Sith. While Scourge respected strength and power, the Emperor's desire to sacrifice all other life just to gain power horrified Scourge, and he devoted himself to stopping the Emperor through any means necessary. His duties as the Emperor's Wrath prevented him from ever taking an apprentice, and because of the effects of the immortality ritual, the Sith was unable and unwilling to enter romantic relationships or begin a family.

Powers and abilities
"You have a special gift. You do not just feed on the raw emotions of your foe; you gorge yourself on them. You feast on their primal fear. It amplifies your hate and anger. It fuels the power of the Force. It transforms you into an instrument of death and destruction."

- Darth Nyriss, to Scourge

An expert swordsman, Scourge was exceptionally powerful in the Force, and the Jedi Master Revan believed that he had incredible potential. As a Sith Lord, he wielded a blood-red lightsaber with a spiked crossguard and fang-like hilt, and he was proficient in at least three forms of lightsaber combat: the defensive Soresu form, the overwhelmingly offensive Juyo form, and the acrobatic Ataru form. In battle, Scourge made use of both powerful, two-handed strikes and strong, sweeping blows with his lightsaber, and he also utilized unarmed combat in conjunction with his lightsaber. Scourge often enveloped his fist with lightning during combat and delivered punches to his opponents. His skill with the blade, regardless of whether he wielded it with his dominant right hand or his left hand, was such that even his instructors at the Sith Academy had been reluctant to battle him while he was still an apprentice. Scourge's primary gift was the ability to draw strength from the emotions of his opponents, gorging himself on their fear and anger to bolster the strength of the dark side within himself. While his ability initially put him at a disadvantage when facing non-living opponents, as he weakened himself by trying to draw on nonexistent emotions, he learned to overcome his weakness and became just as proficient in fighting droids as any other Sith.

Scourge was skilled in using the Force to sense enemies in his surroundings, and he made frequent use of telekinesis in combat and as a tool of intimidation. He bolstered his physical abilities with the Force in order to increase his speed and agility, and he could guide a thrown lightsaber with the Force to strike his intended target in the heat of battle. Another of his skills was the ability to wrap the dark side around himself, concealing his presence from others and also keeping him warm.

Early in his time at the Sith Academy, Scourge showed a natural affinity for interrogation and torture. He had an innate skill at discerning the truth and instinctively knew which questions to ask in order to get the answers he wanted. A master in the art of interrogation, Scourge could also bolster his skills with the power of the dark side, enabling him to dominate the minds of the weak-willed and undermine strong-willed individuals. His centuries of service to the Emperor gave him a unique perspective on his fellow Sith; Scourge's skill in interrogation eventually developed to the point that he was able to analyze a person's flaws and personality after only a short period of observation.

Equipment
After becoming the Emperor's Wrath, Scourge received extensive biochemical enhancements throughout his body, which further increased his strength and worked to sustain the effects of the immortality ritual that Scourge underwent at the Emperor's hands. He was classified as a heavily armored, close-combat assassin, wearing a suit of heavy, black, spiked armor and utilizing a personal energy shield generator to protect himself from blasterfire and most attacks.

Behind the scenes
"Dr. Hannibal Lecter &#43; Ogami Itto &#43; The Lord High Papal from Jim Starlin's 'Dreadstar' comics &#61; Lord Scourge, The Emperor's Wrath."

- A Tweet from Hall Hood, writer for the Star Wars: The Old Republic Jedi Knight class

Scourge first appeared in the 2011 novel The Old Republic: Revan by Drew Karpyshyn, a tie-in book to the BioWare–LucasArts video game Star Wars: The Old Republic, which was released later that year. The novel introduced Scourge and much of the Sith Empire and Emperor's backstory, while also continuing the storylines of Revan and Meetra Surik, who were the player-characters in the 2003 video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and its 2004 sequel, The Sith Lords, respectively. The novel also established the backstory for the Jedi Knight class in The Old Republic, in which Scourge is a companion character for the Jedi Knight who is acquired at the beginning of Act III in the class storyline.

Scourge is voiced by Joseph Gatt in The Old Republic, and as with all companion characters in the game, the player can gain or lose affection with Scourge depending on chosen actions and choices in cutscenes. Scourge gains affection when the player uses power against the weak or expresses anger, revenge, or spite and loses affection whenever the player makes decisions that are greedy or merciful and when the player submits to Jedi or Republic authorities. The character was excluded as a romance option for the Jedi Knight for a variety of reasons, which included budget limitations, practicality, and creative direction.

As a companion character, Scourge is one of six characters who can be utilized by player-characters. Unlike companions like Kira Carsen and T7-O1, he is not required to accompany the player-character on any class missions. Therefore, this article assumes only that one of the companions accompanies the Knight on the class missions but does not specify which one. Also, as a Republic character, the Jedi Knight is assumed to be a light-side character; therefore, the Hero of Tython&mdash;the in-game title for the character&mdash;is assumed to choose only options that result in the maximum light-side points. Scourge also receives a number of optional customizations that can alter his skin color, hair color, and hairstyle.

Scourge has received mentions in The Old Republic official site and the 2012 reference guide The Essential Reader's Companion, and the Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia gave further information on the character's history and motivations in its summary of the Knight's companions. Scourge also appears as a companion character for the Jedi Knight in The Old Republic paid expansion, Rise of the Hutt Cartel, but as the expansion can be played by any of the four Republic classes, it is uncertain as to who canonically performed the events of the expansion. As such, this article excludes information from the expansion.

Appearances

 * The Old Republic: Revan
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic: Galactic Starfighter