Orbalisk

"They are called orbalisks. Creatures that feed on the power of the dark side."

- Darth Bane

An orbalisk was a parasitic creature found on Dxun that lived in groups. They would lie inactive in caves or other dark places, until finding a suitable host creature on whose skin they would attach to in order to feed. Orbalisks, once attached to a host, will multiply and grow, eventually enveloping and suffocating their host. However, the holocron of Freedon Nadd contained the knowledge to make armament to prevent the orbalisks from covering the face, hands, and feet of the host, allowing them to keep this armor hidden.

Perhaps by nature or as a result of residing on Dxun (which was itself a great focus of dark side power), orbalisks were able to feed on the Force-sensitivity of darksiders. It is said that the orbalisk armor's durability was such that lightsabers had a hard time penetrating it, making a wearer basically immune to lightsaber attacks. The only weakness to this armor were the exposed joints at the neck and wrists, but these gaps were so small a lightsaber still could only barely slice through.

History
"They feel the power of the dark side within you."

- Darth Bane explains the orbalisks reaction to Zannah's touch.

"Orbalisk" is a Nikto word, suggesting the creatures might be originally from Kintan.

Orbalisks are poisonous to average beings, and caused extreme physical pain to their host. Darth Bane, however, was able to remain alive by allowing the orbalisks to feed off the dark side energy in his body. In turn, the orbalisks sent a constant massive surge of adrenaline and other enzymes into his bloodstream, increasing his already considerable physical strength and enabling him to draw on even more dark side energy, a cycle that could cause Bane to go into a mindless rage if he did not keep his anger under control. The orbalisks also released other chemicals that enabled Bane to heal almost instantly from virtually any wound, even those inflicted by a lightsaber. Because of their benefits to their host, the orbalisks in a sense shared a symbiotic rather than parasitic relationship to Bane.

Only electricity proved to be dangerous to the orbalisk and its host—if at a high enough voltage—although orbalisks attached to Darth Bane could harmlessly absorb over a million volts. When orbalisks die, they release toxins into the body of the host killing him/her within a days or hours (depending on the strength of the individual).

Orbalisks could be removed from the host, but the task was both challenging and could potentially kill the host. The host must be in very good health in order to even attempt it. The first crucial step to remove a living orbalisk was to send an electric jolt—powerful enough to stun the orbalisk but not harm its host—through its small underbelly, resulting in the orbalisk weakening the adhesive it uses to bind itself onto the host. For a period of 10 years, Darth Bane wore orbalisks that had attached themselves to him as living armor. Caleb managed to remove many of the orbalisks covering Darth Bane's body with such a method after he was injured by his own Force lightning in a fight versus several Jedi. Then removed the remaining orbalisks with the method required to remove them.

Appearances

 * Bane of the Sith
 * Darth Bane: Rule of Two
 * Star Wars Legacy 5: Broken, Part 4