Yuvar Xal

Yuvar Xal was a male Human Force-sensitive from the remote Wild Space planet of Kesh. He was a member of the Lost Tribe of Sith, descendants of a group of Sith who had been stranded on the planet in 5000 BBY when their starship, the Omen, was knocked off-course during a hyperspace jump while attempting to deliver a shipment of Lignan crystals to Sith Lord Naga Sadow during the Great Hyperspace War. Yuvar Xal trained with the Tribe in the dark side of the Force and learned the ways of the Sith. He completed his apprenticeship and eventually rose to the rank of Sith Master. In 41 ABY, Ship, a Sith Meditation Sphere, arrived on the planet to contact the Tribe and assist in the training of their apprentices. Ship informed the Tribe of the near-extinction of the Sith and urged them to conquer the weakened galaxy. With the help of the Meditation Sphere, the Tribe began to form a new armada. Sometime after Ship's arrival on Kesh, Yuvar Xal took on the Keshiri Ahri Raas as his apprentice.

The Tribe's armada numbered over two dozen ships strong by 43.5 ABY, when exiled Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker touched an Aing-Tii relic, the Codex, which magnified his presence and called his name out through the Force to members of the Tribe. In response to this occurrence, a meeting was called by the Circle of Lords, the Tribe's ruling council, in the Circle Chambers in Tahv, the capital city of Kesh. Grand Lord Darish Vol and Lady Olaris Rhea revealed that they had handpicked a strike team to hunt down Skywalker. Xal spoke out against this action, believing that one small team would not be enough to defeat the Jedi Master, whom he believed would have a large force of ships with him. Rhea, however, held that one or two vessels would better be able to gather information unnoticed than a full fleet, and Xal grudgingly accepted her reasoning. Shortly after, Ship abruptly left Kesh, and it was decided that the strike team would follow Ship and return it to Kesh before hunting down Skywalker.

Xal and was assigned to the strike force on the starship Eternal Crusader as Rhea's executive officer. When the Sith landed on the planet in the Maw to which Ship had led them, Xal was taken along with Rhea as part of the searh party, while a Sith Saber, Baad Walusari, was left in command of the Eternal Crusader. On the planet, the Sith met a powerful being named Abeloth, who was in control of the whole world. Abeloth agreed to help the Sith and keep them safe from the planet's deadly plants and animals, however, at the same time she secretly was preventing Ship from returning to them. While the Sith remained on the planet, tensions began running high, and Xal began to plan for a coup to take over leadership of the team from Rhea. Xal ordered Raas to become closer to Rhea's apprentice, Vestara Khai, in hopes of gleaning something valuable to assist in the coup.

Before their plans could be carried out, however, Abeloth discovered the presence of Skywalker and his son, Jedi Knight Ben Skywalker, at Sinkhole Station, a space station in the Maw, and allowed Ship to return to the Tribe. The Sith then left the planet to ambush the Skywalkers. When they arrived at the station, Xal was set up with Raas, Khai, and Walusari to ambush the Skywalkers with grenades, but Xal had given Raas orders to betray his friend and throw her explosives back at her. When the Jedi arrived on the scene after escaping from the first ambush set up by the Sith, Khai launched her grenades at them, and Raas quickly threw her grenades back at her while Xal turned Walusari's grenades back on him. Rhea, however, had foreseen the betrayal, and had provided Walusari and Khai with a pair of fake grenades to throw first. Meanwhile, Raas' stun grenades appeared to incapacitate one of the Skywalkers, and while Xal moved toward the Jedi, Khai threw her shikkar at him. The glass blade drove ten centimeters into Xal's body and the Sith Master cried out in surprise and pain as he died. Raas, distracted by his master's yell, was quickly killed by the supposedly stunned Skywalker.

Yuvar Xal was rather outspoken and openly expressed his views on a subject matter, even when they differed from that of the Circle of Lords. After his observation was dismissed by Rhea, Xal was upset, but he accepted her decision. Later, however, as part of the strike team, Xal became dissatisfied with Rhea's leadership, and prepared to betray her. He included his apprentice in his plans, using him to get close to Khai, Raas' best friend and Rhea's apprentice, in hopes of finding out information that could prove useful to his rebellion. He finally initiated the coup during the battle with the Skywalkers, but it had been foreseen by Rhea and was unsuccessful, resulting in Xal's death at Khai's hands.

Xal was trained in the dark side of the Force and the ways of the Sith. He completed his apprenticeship and eventually rose to the prestigious rank of Sith Master, taking on the Tyro Ahri Raas as his apprentice. He was an influential member of the Tribe, and felt free to speak out during the meeting in Tahv after Skywalker's presence was revealed to the Sith—an act which someone of lesser power would not have been allowed to do.

Yuvar Xal was created by author Christie Golden for her debut Star Wars novel, Fate of the Jedi: Omen, released June 23, 2009 as the second installment in the nine-part Fate of the Jedi series.