"Karana Campus: Obelisk Core"

I-Introduction

“To conquer a fighting system you must let it conquer you. You must give yourself to it totally.”
--Kir Taldrya Katarn

The Obelisk Order is the youngest of the three orders of the Brotherhood and it is frequently misunderstood as an order made up of rejects from the Sith and Krath. However, the Obelisk Order is unique in the Brotherhood, and its members serve an important role. This course will touch on the history of the order, it will explain what makes an Obelisk an Obelisk, and it will explain the important role the Obelisk play in the Dark Brotherhood.

II-History of the Order

Complete accounts of the Obelisk history may be found elsewhere, such as in the Codex. It is highly recommended that you read through the whole history, though the highlights of it will be listed and expanded upon here. Do not rely solely upon this brief synopsis for the exam, or for a complete history of the order.

The history of the Obelisk is defined by a unique combination of individual desire and small group cohesiveness, with all efforts aimed at achieving perfection in the art of war. A Force user named Alaiedon is generally credited with the start of the order, or at least the traditions of the order. Alaiedon was the second student of Darth, and his already formidable battle skills were amplified by his Master’s teachings. Alaiedon left his teacher, attempting to perfect his mastery of the art of war, believing that if this could be done, none could challenge his power. To this day, all Obelisk focus on the perfection of their chosen arts; this trait began with Alaiedon.

Alaiedon wandered for five years, learning all that he could about personal combat and attracting students in the process. No official count exists, but it is rumored that Alaiedon mastered approximately one hundred forms of personal combat. Alaiedon took no apprentices to train, perhaps fearing that they would surpass him. However, those that chose to follow him learned by watching and sparring with one another. While traveling, Alaiedon was approached by an insurgent group on a planet, seeking to topple their government. Alaiedon, more obsessed with testing his skills, especially against a superior force, took command of the insurgents and led them to victory. Alaiedon himself awed all who followed him.

Perhaps feeling that he had mastered his art, Alaiedon led his forces across the star system, forming a sort of empire under his command. However, his actions brought the attention of the Jedi, and four Jedi masters confronted Alaiedon. In a grand battle, Alaiedon slew three of the masters, but his body fell to the fourth Jedi. Alaiedon’s spirit, however, bound itself to his sword. The remaining Jedi Master picked up the sword and all but three of Alaiedon’s students fell to that unknown master. These three students escaped the Jedi and fled to an unknown world where they established a small school to teach the art of War.

Like the Sith and Krath, the Obelisk did not die out with the death of their leader. After the disappearance of Alaiedon’s students, another part of the Obelisk’s foundation came to be in the form of the Mecrosa Order. The Mecrosa Order was formed with help from House Mercetti of the Tapani Sector. Tied to the Sith by Lady Mireya, who married into the order and brought with her Sith teachings, the Mecrosa Order became an organized assassins guild. The Mecrosa blended the teachings of the Sith with their combat skills and they would be instrumental in the formation of the modern Obelisk Order. However, the establishment of the modern order still needed a strong, inspirational leader. That leader was the assassin known as Ferran.

A rogue Sith acolyte (in this case meaning student, not the Brotherhood rank), Ferran traveled to Antei, where he discovered the sleeping form of the Sith Lord Okemi, sealed in an obelisk, which is where the Order takes its name. Ferran awakened Okemi, and the two set out to rebuild the Star Chamber. Joining the Sith and the Obelisk was the Krath, led and represented by the insane sorceress Taimat. This Triumvirate, important to Brotherhood history, was nevertheless unstable, as most triumvirates are. Ferran, more often than not, disagreed with his two counterparts, and, unlike Alaiedon, Ferran began to personally train elite warriors. Further complicating matters was Okemi’s desire for eternal life and Taimat’s desire to stop him by collapsing the Anteian star. Ferran slew Taimat as her ritual in the Star Chamber went out of control, turning the Antei system into the bleak and foreboding system that it is today.

Ferran died during this catastrophe, and the Obelisk Order sank back into relative obscurity, with the Sith and the Krath taking far more prominent, and far more destructive, roles in the annals of galactic history. However, the Grandmaster known as “the Other” brought the Obelisk order back to life, creating a highly trained group of warriors. These warriors kept the Obelisk as their sigil and name. When “the Other” brought about the First Brotherhood Civil War, the newly recreated Obelisk order served as his elite shock troops and assassins. Many promising Sith and Krath lost their lives to these warriors, but due to “the Other’s” flight from the Brotherhood and through skillful political negotiations by newly appointed Grandmaster Jac Cotelin, the Obelisk agreed to serve the Brotherhood. In return, members of the Obelisk Order were granted access to the collected texts of Ferran.

Some time before the fall of Antei to the Vong, a single Obelisk found a sword pulsing with Dark energy within a temple dedicated to Ferran. This Sword, Son’Jiaat, meaning Fury of the Gods, is at the heart of Obelisk study as it is possible that it is the sword of Alaiedon himself. This sword is covered in greater detail below.

III-Heart of the Obelisk

Having looked briefly at the history of the order, one can turn to the characteristics of the order and its individual members. Above all, it should be noted that Obelisk study the art of the warrior, of combat, above all else. They are, on the whole, the best lightsaber instructors in the Brotherhood, for their study of the Force is almost entirely focused on enhancing their own skills in combat. The lightsaber is merely the primary weapon of individuals, though Obelisk do not limit themselves to solely using lightsabers.

The Obelisk are an interesting group when compared to the Sith and the Krath. Though they possess the same basic desire as the other two orders, to become more powerful, an Obelisk’s defining characteristic is his or her pursuit of individual perfection. In essence, there is an end for Obelisk. Sith crave political power and Krath crave mystical knowledge, but these are not subjects in which lend themselves to having a defined end. For Sith, there will always be an opponent to place under their thumb, even if that opponent must be imagined. For Krath, there is always another theory worth investigating, even if that theory exists only in their mind.

Now, because the Obelisk can obtain an “end” does not mean that they are limited. Instead, because followers of the Obelisk path seek perfection in their art, they will push themselves and train until they have mastered, for example, a particular fighting style. They may combine it with other forms or seek to add to the form, but in the end, the Obelisk will be forced to stop when the form can no longer be expanded. In this regard, the Obelisk can be limited, but it is on the individual level. An Obelisk who never advances beyond the rank of Templar, even if they master a particular form of combat, will never be able to perfect it to the same level as an Obelisk elder.

The Obelisk compensate for these “ends” by learning new skills and new forms of combat. Therefore, the Obelisk are not just monotonously confined, but rather, they have a virtually endless array of options open to them. But, as mentioned, once they set out to explore one of these options, there is the distinct possibility that they will reach an end and start over again with a new skill. Whatever it is, an Obelisk will throw himself or herself into it totally and with 100% commitment.

What has just been covered is the defining characteristic of the Obelisk order as a whole, even though it is largely carried out on the individual level. But, this is no different from the other orders, as their defining characteristics are ultimately carried out on individual levels. Sith ultimately are concerned with their own power, and Krath their own knowledge. Individuals of the Obelisk Order will strive for perfection in their chosen skills and forms, but they all possess certain personality traits. Obelisk invariably prefer hand to hand combat above all else, with some even equating it as a high surpassing any drug.

Though they are sometimes characterized as unthinking brutes, this is far from the truth. Higher ranked Obelisk make excellent field commanders, for not only are they often knowledgeable of tactics, they may often be seen leading their troops at the front, rather than from behind. Seeing one’s commanding officer diving headlong into a battle is often quite inspirational, and it can turn the tide of a battle. Lower ranked Obelisk may perform the same role for smaller units, and even the youngest Obelisk may be a better choice for a special operations mission. Whereas Sith may grow to great lengths to display their power and Krath may be well acquainted with theory of special operations, Obelisk are concerned precisely with the mission at hand, and are not so easily distracted. An Obelisk may yet leave an enemy fortress standing if their mission was merely to take down its defenses; a Sith may, if things get out of hand, level the whole fortress in a fit of rage. While preferring melee combat, an Obelisk will not find a blaster as uncouth as a Sith or Krath might.

This is not to say the Obelisk do not experience emotion, or that they are more capable of controlling their emotion. However, this brings up an interesting new topic: the Obelisk and the Force.

IV-The Obelisk and the Force

It hardly needs saying that the Force is the mechanism that drives the Obelisk to perfection. Without it, perfection would be impossible. But how do the Obelisk see and use the Force? This is perhaps the most important question that can be asked in a course such as this.

In short, the Force has a dual role to the Obelisk. Perfection, or Mastery, of the Force itself is a goal of all Force users, but an Obelisk may choose to see the Force as another method of combat to master. On the other hand, and more commonly, the Force is used to augment already existing skills. The Force permits the user to move faster, to be stronger, and to last longer in combat.

All of this can be summed up in one word: physical. A member of the Obelisk order invariably finds physical uses for the Force above all else. Imagine the following scenario: a Jedi Knight and a Dark Jedi Knight are dueling with lightsabers. Both are evenly matched. The Dark Jedi swings at the Jedi, who blocks the strike with ease. Now imagine that same attack, but the Dark Jedi uses the Force to augment his physical strength to twenty times its normal level. The Jedi may still be able to block to attack, but he won’t be able to withstand the physical blow.

Now, any trained Force user could, theoretically, perform this feat of augmenting one’s strength. Regardless of Light or Dark affiliation, or order affiliation, it can be done. But, the main difference comes in the thought behind it. The Obelisk warrior will be thinking about using the Force in this manner from the start of the fight and, with enough training, it becomes second nature to him or her. They still harness the power of the Dark Side in the same basic way that Krath and Sith do; it is how they use it that differentiates the Obelisk from the other orders.

One of the great examples of the Obelisk use of the Force is the Sword of Son’Jiaat. This was almost certainly the sword of Alaeidon, to which his spirit bound itself. The sword rests in the Black Pyramid, an Obelisk site of great importance. In a technique similar to Battle Meditation, the sword’s power can be activated through a ritual. It serves to lift the fighting spirit of all those who are affected by it. Though the full range of this effect is not known, it nevertheless serves as an important augmentation tool. Another fact of the sword is that only the strongest of Obelisk warriors, those at Primarch or higher, may wield the sword. However, it is forbidden that the sword be removed from its foundation, except in the most dire of circumstances.

V-The Obelisk in the Brotherhood

Now that the Order’s history, its characteristics, and its views on the Force have been explained, there remains one final subject to cover: the Obelisk in the Brotherhood. Much has already been alluded to, so some of this section may be repetitive, but it is still important.

In the past, the Order was led by an Obelisk High Commander, the last of which was Korras. However, the position was dissolved (for fictional purposes, the Order leader still exists, and an unnamed fictional character fills the role). Interestingly enough, over the existence of the Brotherhood and the three Orders, three Obelisk have held the position of High Commander twice. In comparison, only one Sith is known to have held the Sith High Warrior (the equivalent to the High Commander) position more than once, and no Krath is on record as having served as High Priest (Priestess) more than once.

The Obelisk form the elite core of Brotherhood ground forces, and they more often than not are the generals and squad commanders on the ground. Sometimes mockingly referred to as “ground pounders,” or “dust eaters,” Obelisk are warriors at heart. Just as Sith are at home amongst the stars, and Krath at home in the library, Obelisk prefer the battlefield. Time and time again, the Obelisk have led the charge against the Brotherhood’s enemies, knowing that some enemies must be met face to face in order to ensure their destruction as starships and diplomacy can only do so much. The Obelisk also make excellent assassins.

The Obelisk make excellent trainers for the Brotherhood, especially when it comes to lightsaber instruction. For Obelisk, training others in the ways of combat, especially with difficult weapons such as lightsabers, is not giving away their power or secrets (things both the Sith and the Krath attempt to horde, respectively), but rather, it is an outward sign of their perfection of a form (or forms) of combat. However, it should be noted that simply being an Obelisk does not automatically make one a great lightsaber duelist. Sith and Krath are not pushovers, as they too seek proficiency in lightsaber combat. A newly promoted Obelisk Knight would most likely fall to a Sith or Krath a few ranks higher.

Members of the Obelisk order have held, or do hold, important positions in the Brotherhood. They serve as house and clan leaders, and many Obelisk have sat on the Dark Council. Obelisk also make excellent security chiefs and officers, protecting clan and Brotherhood facilities.

IV-Conclusion

Though the smallest of the orders, the Obelisk are important to the Brotherhood. Occasionally narrow minded in their pursuit of perfection, Obelisk nonetheless provide invaluable service as teachers, army commanders, and special forces for the clans and the Brotherhood as a whole. Preferring melee combat above all else, Obelisk will not limit themselves in their weapon selection, seeking to add new mastery to their skills. Their use of the Force is invariably physical in nature, and aimed at improving their combat skills. Though overshadowed by the Sith and Krath in the annals of history, the impact of the Obelisk on the Brotherhood cannot be underestimated, nor can their contributions today be discounted.

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