Skatherin Orvax

Skatherin Orvax is a charismatic but otherwise unremarkable young Sith. Although born in to the prestigious Orvax bloodline, his prospects for advancement in the Sith Order have been perpetually weighted down by the treachery of his father, Astaroth Orvax.

With his prospects for advancement virtually nonexistent, he eventually came to accept the position of an instructor at the Sith Academy on Korriban. Although he typically sees his charges made into fierce warriors, he is rather notorious among the Academy's students for his refusal to suffer any acolyte he labels as weak.

Childhood
The youngest of the distinguished Sith noble family of House Orvax, Skatherin was born during the last years of the Great War. The only child of Astaroth Orvax, he was championed as a prodigy from birth. As the ongoing conflict demanded his attention almost constantly, Astaroth frequently left Skatherin's care in the hands of his personal attendants. He was raised alongside his uncle's twin sons, Adracin and Vaoron, who took advantage of Astaroth's almost constant absence to mistreat their younger cousin.

Once the Treaty of Coruscant was passed, however, Astaroth made an effort to take a more active role in his son's life. He frequently tutored Skatherin in the fields of Sith history and philosophy. He also introduced his son to the art of lightsaber combat early, believing it would give him an advantage over his peers once he was of age to face the trials to become Sith.

Apprenticeship
Skatherin received his initial training at the Sith Academy on Dromund Kaas. The dueling lessons he received from his father enabled him to easily outmatch his fellow acolytes, and even hold his own against his instructors. He continued to outperform most of his class, and was eventually transferred to the Korriban Academy.

Upon arriving to the Sith holy world, Skatherin was disgusted by the presence of alien and slave acolytes in the Academy. He was assigned to the tenured Overseer Harkun, who often showed favoritism to Skatherin due to his blood purity and shared in his disdain for the low-born acolytes. Within a year, he had become something of a celebrity among the Academy's students. He exploited this status to compel lesser acolytes into doing his bidding, promising them favor with their instructors, only to dispose of them once they were no longer useful to him.

As he inched closer to completing his trials, he garnered the attention of Darth Vatran, a member of the Pyramid of Laws and Justice. It was through him that Skatherin was administered his final trial: he was to venture into a catacomb system beneath the Valley of the Dark Lords, which had not been trespassed since the Great Hyperspace War, and retrieve a holocron that once belonged to Marka Ragnos.

Skatherin enlisted a handful of slave acolytes to explore the catacombs before he entered; all but one of his them fell victim to the traps the catacombs had been laid with. Having observed his pawns' failures, he was far better prepared to navigate the ancient labyrinth. The catacombs still proved precarious, however; while taking the holocron from its resting place, Skatherin triggered a lightning-based trap, scarring his face on one side. When he finally emerged from the catacombs, the sole surviving acolyte he had sent in prior congratulated him on his success. He unwisely made a quip about the electrical scarring that Skatherin had endured, prompting him to throw the acolyte off the side of a nearby cliff.

Skatherin personally delivered the holocron to Vatran, earning the Sith Lord's respect. Vatran commended him further for his crafty resourcefulness, revealing to the surprised Skatherin that he was aware of his manipulation of the slave acolytes, before naming him Sith.

Several days later, Skatherin was once again summoned to Vatran's quarters, where the Sith Lord explained that his master on the Dark Council, Darth Mortis, had recalled him to Dromund Kaas. Vatran offered Skatherin a place by his side as his apprentice. Although he suspected Vatran simply wished to build ties to House Orvax, Skatherin nonetheless accepted.

Return to Korriban
When Astaroth was defeated in a Kaggath that his envious brother had declared, Skatherin made no attempt to move against his uncle; he had been unnerved by Nergal since he was a child, and feared the consequences of incurring his wrath. Many of the Sith, including Vatran himself, viewed Skatherin's response as an act of cowardice. From that point forward, he began falling out of favor with his master. His reputation soured further when the humiliated Astaroth was declared a rogue, having spread extremist rhetoric that spoke in favor of anarchy.

Not long after, Skatherin received word from Vatran that he was to be released from his service. Despite that, he did provide something of a severance by offering to arrange for Skatherin to receive a position on the staff of the Sith Academy on Korriban. Left with no alternative, he accepted. Skatherin was reunited with a familiar face at the Academy as he was assigned to serve as an assistant overseer under Harkun. Having heard the story of Astaroth's defeat and exile, Harkun was initially indifferent towards Skatherin. Over time, however, he came to realize the younger man shared his more traditionalist ideals. Like Harkun, Skatherin refused to abandon his beliefs, despite it crippling his chances of furthering his career. With that common ground, Harkun eventually grew somewhat sympathetic towards the younger man.

Some years later, Skatherin was elevated to become an overseer himself. Any acolytes of low origin who were unfortunate enough to find themselves placed under his tutelage were belittled and mistreated. He became known for his cruel response to that which he saw as an unsatisfactory performance in his classes; any acolyte he deemed unworthy or weak found themselves thrown as fodder to the deranged inhabitants of the planet's tombs, or killed outright. However, those who survived Skatherin's trials were often molded into ideal candidates — hardened, lethal warriors — for Sith Lords in search of worthy apprentices. Skatherin eventually became quite comfortable in position as an academy instructor, even admitting on one occasion that he was fond of his work.

New Allies
After the collapse of the Eternal Empire of Zakuul, Skatherin was approached by agents of his family's longtime rival, House Harkonnen. In exchange for information on his uncle's allies and holdings, he was promised a sponsorship to the title of lord by Kreusis, the Harkonnens' incumbent leader.

Personality and traits
Skatherin is an ambitious conniver who fancies himself worthy of a much higher station. Not unlike many of his relatives, he is a conservative who holds a great deal of reverence towards the traditions of the Sith. Something of an amateur historian, he enjoys spending much of his leisure time in the library.

The stagnant state of his career is due in part to his status as the son of a reviled traitor, as well as his own political standings. The difficulty to advance has pushed Skatherin to become embittered and somewhat unfriendly.

He has a disdain for aliens, as well as the slave caste. He makes no effort to conceal his prejudice, and is perfectly willing to act openly impolite and cruel toward them. For unknown reasons, he harbors an especially intense hatred for the Twi'lek and Togruta species. He does not reserve that indifference solely for aliens, however, and will mistreat any individual he labels as weak.

Skatherin is a stern and rather demanding teacher; he is known for his policy of zero tolerance on failure. Many an acolyte have suffered at his hands for that which he determines any show of incompetence or weakness. His methods are effective, however, as any acolytes who survive his trials have gone on to become powerful Sith.