The Eternal Enlightenment

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

In the remote corners of Wild Space lied the planet of Zakuul. In its most ancient history, the planet was once home to six powerful Je'daii masters. They ruled Zakuul with an iron fist, and yet were beloved by their followers, eventually becoming venerated as living gods: Izax, the God of Death, Scyva, the Goddess of Sorrow, Tyth, the God of Rage, Aivela, the Goddess of Passion, Esne, the Goddess of Jealousy, and Nahut, the God of Darkness. Centuries have passed and all across Zakuul lied wondrous cities and temples dedicated to the gods, and each of gods had a titanic palace where they ruled within their sphere of influence.

While some semblance of peace did reign on Zakuul, it would not last: from the heavens, large warships and an endless legion of droids wrought destruction on Zakuul. The once golden cities of the gods were gone, and the "living gods" were taken prisoners and brought into the great darkness, only to return not as living immortals, but as wardroids, and their souls trapped within their new cages, forever powering their new forms.

It was during this time, that a single Zakuulan by the name of Zildrog, united the survivors and crafted a warship that was capable of combating both the Old Gods and the endless armada above them. In a single battle, the warship managed to disable both of them, causing them to enter a stealthed, sleeping mode. Victorious, Zildrog was heralded as the Dragon of Zakuul and the reincarnation of Izax himself. Zildrog's reign lasted for a century, but on his deathbed, he made a prophecy: claiming that the Old Gods would return, and that a stranger would arrive to Zakuul, destroy the gods, and free the people from their shackles. This stranger would, in turn, become the immortal god of gods, the Demon Savior. And with this prophecy, Zildrog died and was buried with his legendary warship which would be renamed "the Gravestone".

Determined to rebuild their society, yet unable to unite, the Zakuulans split into many tribes and waged endless war in a desperate attempt to unify all of Zakuul. After what many modern Zakuulans call "the Age of War", a single star landed in the marshes of the Endless Swamp. The nearby Zakuulans who witnessed it traveled into the depths of the marsh, only to be greeted by a man of sharp red skin, and eyes as dark as the abyss. When he spoke, the whole world wept in terror, and in awe. Proclaiming himself Valkorion, the Demon Savior of legends, the Zakuulans knelt to him. Over the years, Valkorion would travel to each of the major tribes and through either diplomacy, or battle, he united the tribes of Zakuul under his rule. With his new legion of followers, Valkorion marched to the once golden city of Izax, where he found the god and through the Force, destroyed the droid and recovered the holocron served to both power the droid and imprison the once living Je'daii master. Valkorion released the being known as Izax and devoured him, absorbing both his power and all of his memories and wisdom. Valkorion would soon travel to each of the remaining Old Gods' domain, and one by one, he would devour them, save for one: Nahut. When Nahut heard of his parents and siblings' defeats at the hands of this stranger, Nahut fled Zakuul, leaving Valkorion unchallenged.

With no contenders to even dare to challenge him, Valkorion was proclaimed the Immortal Emperor of Zakuul, Slayer of Izax and the Demon Savior of legend. At the site of Izax's defeat, Valkorion built his new capital of Zakuul City. However, he was not satisfied with the city, thus he decided to not expand across the planet, but instead reach for the heavens instead. Over the centuries, Zakuul would soon be dotted with the Spires of Valkorion, with Zakuul City being the grandest of them all, with all roads on Zakuul leading to the capital. At the very peak of the Spire lied Valkorion's palace: the Palace of the Eternal Dragon.

During his reign, Zakuul prospered: science, technology, and art were the main focuses of his people, and under his rule, there were many great advances within each of these fields. His greatest focus, however, were his Knights of Zakuul: Force-sensitive soldiers and mystics that worshipped him and were his police and generals when necessary. However, Valkorion's goal was to claim the legendary fleet that once destroyed all of Zakuul for his own. He gathered the greatest of his followers and went on an expedition into space. When he returned, the fleet returned with him.

Pleased with his achievement, Valkorion called his new weapons the Eternal Fleet; however, the Eternal Fleet proved difficult to control and maintain, even for Valkorion. As a solution, Emperor Valkorion gathered Zakuul's greatest scientists and crafters to forge the Eternal Throne at the very peak of his palace. Over the years, where once Emperor Valkorion was a common sight amongst his people, he started to isolate himself on the Eternal Throne. It wasn't long before Emperor Valkorion fell into a great slumber. Some bold enough dared to ask if their god was dead, to which those who did ask were never heard of or from again.

In his place, the Knights anointed a High Justice to govern in Emperor Valkorion's name. The High Justice ruled fairly and well, and was soon beloved by the people. Under the High Justice's rule, Zakuul became an advanced society and soon saw their first true advances into other worlds. When the High Justice died of old age, Emperor Valkorion awoke and when told of what became of his Empire, many expected him to execute the High Justice's family.

Instead, he decided to name his daughter the new High Justice; however, as punishment for daring to speak on his behalf, he took away all records of the former High Justice's name and the current High Justice's as well. It soon became a condition as well as a symbol; to be granted such an honour by either the Immortal Emperor or the Knights, one must release their former ambitions and dedicate their lives to the good of Zakuul. The new High Justice ruled as well as her father and had a son of her own, but before she passed away, she ordered the title be granted to another, making the title non-hereditary. The son, inspired by his mother, trained to become a Knight like his ancestors before.

The boy's name was Silas Tirall. After completing his trials and becoming a Knight, he joined the Zakuulan Naval Academy and became a naval officer as a Knight-Ensign. Serving as a marine officer, he often saw first contact and combat with his fellow marines and soldiers, along with his closest friend, Korvo Vortena, a fellow graduate of both the Knight's and Naval Academy. They both rose through the ranks until Silas was made Knight-Commander, and Korvo a Knight-Captain, making him Silas' second-in-command. Returning from one of his deployments, Silas was called to Zakuul City as Emperor Valkorion called for his presence. When Silas entered the throne chamber of the palace, Emperor Valkorion declared that he wishes for the Empire to expand to other planets, and wanted Silas to lead the first exploration expedition. Given a portion of the Eternal Fleet to command, Silas gathered any men and women brave enough to explore Wild Space, and on the sixth day, he and his expedition departed Zakuul's system and entered the dark vastness of Wild Space. This is his story.