Lashowe

"What do you say? Amuse us. Make us laugh, and we just might consider allowing you to live."

- Lashowe

Lashowe was a young Force adept who sided with the Sith Empire during the Jedi Civil War. Desiring power, influence and greater knowledge of the dark side, she aspired to become a full-fledged Sith student at the prestigious Korriban Academy. Eventually, she became one of a small group of hopefuls selected to compete for the opportunity to undertake the “final test” that stood between prospective and true Sith students. Unbeknownst to her, however, one of her fellow competitors was actually Revan. Unlike Lashowe and the others, the redeemed Dark Lord had no desire to join the Sith, having infiltrated the Academy only to gain access to the Rakatan Star Map secreted in tomb of Naga Sadow. Outclassed by the man who had once ruled the Sith she so fervently hoped to join, Lashowe was to eventually die by his hand.

Early Life
Lashowe’s planet of birth and early years are undocumented. Though sensitive to the Force and presumably born after the Great Sith War, her later choice in friends suggested that she was not trained by the Jedi Order during the Restoration. Even so, by 3,956 BBY, her talents as a Force adept had been recognised by the Sith Empire and she dwelt on Korriban, eager to prove herself worthy of full acceptance at the Sith Academy.

Meet and Greet
"Well, stranger... I don't know whether you're aware of this or not, but here on Korriban the Sith do as they please. And we are Sith."

- Lashowe to Revan

While loitering nearby the kiosk of the Rodian weapons merchant B'ree alongside a pair of fellows, Lashowe spotted a newcomer to Dreshdae. Determined to both intimidate and humiliate the stranger, who was in fact the reformed Sith Lord Revan, Lashowe &mdash;still but a promising hopeful, in truth &mdash; aggrandized, identifying herself as one of the innumerable and powerful Sith of Korriban. Asserting that the former Dark Lord’s life was in her hands, Lashowe demanded that he amuse her if he wanted to live. Ultimately, the confrontation ended without violence, and Lashowe and her companions returned to the Sith Academy.

Prestige and Death
"What say you, Lashowe? Are you ready to learn the secrets of the dark side? Dare you?"

- Uthar Wynn

Not long after, Lashowe was brought before the head Sith Master of the Academy, Uthar Wynn, as one of several candidates to become a fully initiated Sith student. And there, standing alongside the more familiar faces of Mekel and Shaardan, was a “late entry”: the man she had accosted in Dreshdae. Revan had been nominated by Yuthura Ban, Wynn’s apprentice and second-in-command. Yet, confident in her abilities and undaunted neither by the new arrival nor by Wynn’s line of questioning, Lashowe proclaimed herself ready to take her next great step down the dark path.

Wynn explained to the candidates that they would each be competing to accumulate “prestige”, earning favor in his eyes by performing acts he deemed to be worthy of a Sith. Whoever impressed him the most would then undergo the “final test” in the tomb of Naga Sadow. Those left in the victor’s wake, assuming they even survived, would be forced to wait until the following year.

Though Lashowe, like the other candidates, was assigned Ban as her teacher, she soon learned of an age-old artifact of tremendous value: a “Jedi” Holocron within the tomb of Tulak Hord. Utterly determined to be the one to win Master Wynn’s approval, Lashowe turned all her attention to its acquisition. Unfortunately, she soon discovered that the holocron lay within the gullet of a Tuk'ata mother and, as such, was effectively guarded by a pack of the vicious beasts. Undeterred, she began planning a strategy to deal with them.

While Lashowe busied away at her dormitory’s en suite computer terminal she was approached by Revan. Though initially dismissive of the man, he proved persistent and, eventually, Lashowe told him of her designs upon an "artifact". To her surprise, he offered to help her recover it and, with some persuasion, Lashowe agreed to an alliance, finally revealing that the artifact was an ancient holocron. Plotting treachery, but trusting the intentions of her newfound partner, Lashowe did her best to assure Revan that Wynn would split prestige for the act between them. She then left for the Valley of the Dark Lords to begin preparations and await his arrival.

Once she reached the entrance of Tulak Hord's tomb, Lashowe knelt before the resting place of the ancient Sith Lord. Using the Force, she began to call out to the Tuk'ata in their own "language", knowing that it would lure them out into a vulnerable position in the open. Yet, as time drew on, Lashowe still saw no sign of the aid she had been promised and, fearing what would happen were the Tuk'ata to attack her alone, she begrudgingly prepared to abandon her plan.

She was therefore immensely relieved when the help &mdash; Revan &mdash; finally did arrive, albeit mere moments before the Tuk'ata emerged from the tomb. Yet Lashowe and Revan together, fighting side by side, proved more than a match for the dark side creatures. Delighted by the victory and surprised by the ease by which they accomplished the task, Lashowe triumphantly plucked the Holocron from the dead Tuk'ata mother, fully intending to betray the man who had made it possible and claim all the credit for herself.

In the end, however, all Lashowe's planning and preparation was for naught. It was Revan who Wynn would declare the victor of their contest and, sometime before or during the Skirmish on Korriban, she would force Revan to end her life in self-defence.

Personality and Traits
"Brash and fiery, as expected. Turn that passion to your advantage, child."

- Uthar Wynn

A stridently passionate young woman, Lashowe liked to feel powerful, authoritive and feared &mdash; as she demonstrated on meeting Revan for the first time &mdash; and appeared to be the nominal head of an informal hierarchy that included at least two bloodthirsty friends. Though she was a cruel young woman, who took delight in making "fresh" newcomers to Dreshdae feel small, even killing them on occasion, she nevertheless appreciated a certain sense of humor &mdash; providing it wasn't at her expense &mdash; and would spare at least some of those who enabled her power fantasies. Though insults or direct challenges to her feigned authority both infuriated and surprised her, they potentially amused her companions. For all her efforts to project confidence, however, that Force persuasion techniques and even flattery could sway her decisions suggested that she was not of a particularly strong will. Her Sith Master, Yuthura Ban, also singled her out for criticism, stating that she was far too trusting for a Sith.

Powers and Abilities
"I dare, Master Uthar. I am ready!"

- Lashowe

Though merely a prospective student at the Sith Academy, one among many hopefuls who had yet to be truly initiated into the Sith, Lashowe was an able Force adept and skilled enough to effectively wield a lightsaber in combat. Impressively, she was also capable of using the Force to commune with the Tuk'ata beasts that inhabited the Valley of the Dark Lords in their own "language", though whether her ability extended to other animals is unknown.

Behind the scenes
Lashowe, created by David Falkner, Steve Gilmour, Casey Hudson, Drew Karpyshyn, James Ohlen, Preston Watamaniuk, and Derek Watts, made her first, and to date only, appearance in the interactive entertainment product Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. She takes part in a scripted encounter early on the world of Korriban, within the Dreshdae settlement, and thus always meets Revan. Additionally, Lashowe is an instigator of one of Revan's optional side quests at the Sith Academy and, depending on his choices, may be slain during its completion. If she is not, she will automatically turn hostile following Revan's triumph over Uthar Wynn and his turning Yuthura Ban from the dark side. She can only remain "friendly" if either Uthar or Yuthura return to lead the Academy, events that, as an adherent of the light side, Revan did not allow to occur.

In Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, the "Jedi holocron" of her side quest is implied to have been the Sith holocron of Tulak Hord, in whose tomb the Tuk'ata dwelt.

Dreshdae Resolutions
"I'm more interested in being amused at the moment, I think."

- Lashowe

Though the scripted encounter at the Dreshdae colony will always end without violence &mdash; with Lashowe and her compatriots walking away &mdash; there are a small number of different paths towards that end. As Revan, the player can choose to stand-up to Lashowe and refuse to play her games, threaten her, act terrified in the face of her threats, or tell her a joke.

The joke is a variant of the "World's Funniest Joke", itself based on a Goon Show sketch by Spike Milligan. It goes as follows:

If Revan's persuade skill is high enough, his delivery of the joke will successfully amuse Lashowe and her companions. If not, the joke falls flat and he has to resort to one of the other options.

Academy Resolutions
There are a myriad of ways in which Lashowe’s optional side quest at the Sith Academy can unfold. Revan can convince her to work with him through flattery &mdash; claiming he has always wanted to work with “a beautiful woman &mdash; or straight persuasion, arguing that together the pair of them would be unbeatable. He is also capable of affecting her mind through the Force to reinforce his suggestion. If Revan’s persuade skills are limited, however, he can offer to trade information and give Lashowe a genuine prestige related lead. For example, he can tell her of the doubts of Kel Algwin, allowing Lashowe to inform Master Wynn and earn prestige.

Once Lashowe and Revan agree to work together, they successfully slay the Tuk'ata in the Valley of the Dark Lords and Lashowe takes the holocron, telling Revan she will be returning to Master Wynn alone to inform him of “their” success. At this point, Revan has a number of choices. He can demand the holocron from Lashowe, forcing a confrontation that ends in her death. He can choose to believe her, or at least not press the issue, allowing her to return to Wynn and claim all the credit for himself, or he can ask that they take the holocron back together as they originally agreed. If he presses this last issue, Lashowe will eventually attack him and Revan will be forced to kill her in self defence.

Should Revan allow Lashowe to walk away, when he returns to Academy and inquires after the holocron, he will learn that she has claimed credit in full. Though Wynn knows of her betrayal, he respects it. Revan is then left to confront Lashowe back at her dormitory. Lashowe mocks him for having been so gullible and Revan can choose to either walk away or challenge her to a duel. If Revan kills her in combat, Master Wynn will award him with prestige for the act, informing him that he appreciates such drama.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic