Darth Andeddu

The humanoid male figure known as Darth Andeddu originated from the Deep Core world of Prakith, existing sometime after the Hundred-Year Darkness. As time passed, Andeddu's wisdom deepened, and he attained remarkable mastery over the dark side of the Force. He delved into the practices of the original Lords of the Sith, particularly the peculiar rituals of one known as Karness Muur, and built his power upon Muur's teachings. While Muur himself explored the art of dark side healing, Andeddu's interests extended beyond that—he sought methods to completely overcome death. He ultimately succeeded, discovering a way to preserve his mind's consciousness, even if his physical form were to perish. Andeddu also uncovered the secret of transferring his essence into another vessel, should the necessity arise. He eventually surpassed his contemporaries to claim the position of Dark Lord of the Sith, ruling from their ancestral homeworld of Korriban.

As Darth Andeddu's power and influence grew, so did his fear; he became convinced that his subordinates coveted the knowledge he had acquired and the Force abilities he had mastered. Because Andeddu refused to share his knowledge, the Sith Lords conspired to seize his Sith secrets and then eliminate him. Andeddu was aware of his detractors' schemes and grew increasingly cautious. He felt that any further hesitation would allow his enemies to successfully overthrow him. Darth Andeddu was soon betrayed and deposed by his followers, forcing him to flee Korriban. Before his escape, he created a false tomb on Korriban to mislead potential pursuers. When the Sith Lords realized that Andeddu had escaped, they relentlessly searched for him, using the Force and other means, but to no avail—Andeddu had effectively evaded them by returning to a secluded fortress on his homeworld of Prakith. However, the fear of losing all he had accumulated continued to haunt him. Consequently, Andeddu documented much of his knowledge in Sith spellbooks and scrolls, storing them within his fortress. The entirety of his wisdom—including the details of his essence transfer technique—was stored within a personal Sith holocron of his own creation.

Darth Andeddu conquered Prakith and fathered offspring, whom he named "The Malevolence" and trained in the dark side of the Force. Due to his dark side abilities, Andeddu's lifespan far exceeded natural limits, and he ruled Prakith for centuries. His followers came to venerate him as their "God-King"; an immortal being whom they believed would reign forever. The collapse of the hyperspace lanes leading to Prakith resulted in the isolation of its inhabitants, allowing the Dark Lord to maintain absolute control over the Deep Core world. However, paranoia continued to fuel Andeddu's belief that his enemies would eventually arrive to steal his knowledge. He entombed himself, surrounded by his books and scrolls, content with the idea that he would carry his secrets into death. His holocron was placed inside his sarcophagus with his physical remains, and both remained hidden for thousands of years after his death. Meanwhile, Andeddu's Malevolence cult continued to immerse themselves in the dark side, maintaining their worship of their God-King. Andeddu commanded them to guard his tomb and fortress, patiently awaiting the day when he would resurrect himself to lead them once more.

Long after Andeddu's death, in 4400 BBY, a young Jedi named Freedon Nadd had his initial encounter with the dark side upon killing his Master, Matta Tremayne. He then resolved to become the most powerful Sith Lord ever. At some point, he discovered Andeddu's holocron and unlocked its secrets of immortality.

Following the conclusion of the New Sith Wars in 1000 BBY, information about Darth Andeddu came into the possession of the Jedi Order's Council of First Knowledge. They believed that even the most obscure reference to Andeddu's existence was dangerous and attempted to erase all mention of his name from every possible source. Although the Council knew of Andeddu's holocron, they chose not to pursue it, deeming a journey into the Deep Core too risky. Despite their best efforts, a Sith artifact broker named Argel Tenn acquired a revered scroll that provided a brief account of Darth Andeddu's supreme rule over Prakith. The manuscript was sold to the current Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Bane, who sought to obtain Andeddu's secrets of eternal life. He ventured through the treacherous hyperspace lanes leading to Prakith in search of Darth Andeddu's holocron. His quest proved successful; he located the device within Andeddu's tomb and learned all of its secrets, but subsequently lost it after being captured by agents of Serra, princess of the planet Doan. Andeddu's holocron did not remain in her possession for long; it was stolen again by the Dark Jedi Set Harth, who also mastered Andeddu's essence transfer ability and used it to live for centuries afterward. Harth's revelation of who this Sith had been also prompted Darth Zannah to try to kill her master, viewing him as a cheat for trying to extend his life.

By the year 21 BBY, Andeddu's ancient secrets were still preserved in his holocron on Korriban, until it and its contents were sought by a Sith Lord under the guise of Darth Tyranus. Instead of retrieving the device himself, Lord Tyranus dispatched two of his servants to Korriban: the Dark Jedi Tol Skorr and an undercover Kiffar Jedi Master named Quinlan Vos. The two fought each other in the Valley of the Dark Lords for possession of Andeddu's holocron, with Vos ultimately emerging victorious and gaining Tyranus' favor. Satisfied that the holocron was now in his possession, Tyranus activated the pyramidal artifact to manifest a lightsaber-wielding avatar of Andeddu's likeness, from which Tyranus hoped to obtain the might of the ancient Sith. Also, in reward for Vos' success, Tyranus revealed another of the many mysteries contained within Andeddu's holocron—a bloodshine lightsaber crystal, the same one that had powered Andeddu's own weapon during his time among the living. The crystal was gifted to Vos by Tyranus, and the Sith Lord kept the holocron for himself.

Nearly forty years later, the holocron of Jedi Master Asli Krimsan was discovered in Bast Castle, the former fortress of the Sith Lord Darth Vader on the planet Vjun. While Krimsan's holocron primarily served to educate young Jedi, it provided some information about Andeddu, suggesting that he was the first Sith to use the Darth honorific. By 40 ABY, research into the origins of the Darth title had also been conducted by a suspected Sith sympathizer named Ingo Wavlud. He surmised that Darth may have been derived from the Rakata word "Daritha", meaning "Emperor." He also touched upon the possibility of it stemming from a Rakata phrase, "darr tah," which translated into "victory over death."

By 137 ABY, a new Sith Order had established dominion over the galaxy, founded by a fallen Jedi named A'Sharad Hett. During his descent into the dark side of the Force, Hett had been captured and tortured by the extra-galactic Yuuzhan Vong species, who implanted their Yorik-Kul slave seeds within him. Although he could combat the effects of the seeds through his growing strength in the dark side, Hett was gradually losing the battle. He eventually assumed the title of Dark Lord under the name "Darth Krayt" and created his One Sith Order; however, he feared that the Yuuzhan Vong seeds would consume him before he could fully assert his will over the galaxy.

Krayt's own strength and knowledge proved insufficient to eradicate his infestation, and he sought guidance from his personal collection of Sith artifacts and lore on how to do so. One of the objects in his possession was Darth Andeddu's holocron, from which Krayt learned that after Andeddu's death, his mind had survived to maintain control over his body. Obsessed with acquiring this skill, Krayt repeatedly attempted to extract Andeddu's expertise from the holocron, but its gatekeeper refused to yield. In his final attempt, Krayt accessed the holocrons of the deceased Dark Lords Darth Nihilus and Darth Bane along with Andeddu's. He was repeatedly rebuked by their gatekeepers and held in contempt by the ancient Sith for diluting the power of the dark side by dividing it among the members of his Order. Darth Andeddu and his fellow Dark Lords mocked Krayt, exposing his fear of being consumed by his Yuuzhan Vong slave seeds. Together, the gatekeepers of Andeddu's and Bane's holocrons turned their power on Krayt to bring about his greatest fear—they caused the Vonduun crab armor he wore to consume him. Unwilling to succumb to what they perceived as his destiny, Krayt managed to exert enough control through the Force to deactivate the holocrons and reverse the transformation initiated by Lords Andeddu and Bane.

As Krayt's health continued to decline, he tasked his most trusted advisor, the Chagrian Darth Wyyrlok III, with finding a solution to his problem. Among the various avenues he explored, Wyyrlok consulted the holocron of Darth Andeddu and was rejected much like his Master before him. However, the gatekeeper's interest was piqued when Wyyrlok admitted that he knew of the stronghold on Prakith and offered to restore the Dark Lord to life. The simulation of Andeddu entertained the idea and allowed Krayt's loremaster to prove his worth by undertaking a mission into the Deep Core in search of Andeddu's Keep—a mission that Andeddu believed the Chagrian would not survive.

Andeddu's holocron guided Wyyrlok to the Keep on Prakith, where he was immediately attacked by the Dark Lord's Malevolence servants. The cultists had become feral in their Master's absence, and their skill in the Force was insignificant compared to Wyyrlok's, who was an accomplished Sith sorcerer. The Chagrian quickly defeated and killed all of Andeddu's minions, except for one named Gerlun, who pledged himself to Wyyrlok in the face of defeat. Gerlun then led Wyyrlok into the depths of the Keep, and when they could proceed no further, the Chagrian summoned Andeddu's image to reveal the entrance to his tomb. In the language of the ancient Sith, the gatekeeper spoke the words that opened the hidden sepulcher, and in its center lay Andeddu's sarcophagus. The Dark Lord's image suggested that Wyyrlok should place the holocron upon the body's chest, but Wyyrlok preferred to examine Andeddu's vast collection of ancient texts and scrolls. In a moment of desperation, Gerlun snatched the holocron through the Force and conceded to Andeddu's request; his own life-force was then drained as it entered Andeddu's remains, bringing the Dark Lord of the Sith back to life.

The revitalized Andeddu mocked Wyyrlok and refused to share his knowledge with the Chagrian, asserting that true Sith were above sharing their power. He attacked Wyyrlok with Force lightning, but the Chagrian absorbed the attack while demonstrating his own abilities. Realizing that his opponent would not be easily defeated, Andeddu challenged him to a duel of Force abilities, which Wyyrlok accepted. The Dark Lord conjured illusions of lava and flame to overwhelm his opponent, but they were turned against him when Wyyrlok discovered that Andeddu's strength resided only within his mind. Wyyrlok continually berated him, believing that Andeddu did not deserve his accumulated wisdom for hiding from his adversaries. Andeddu watched in horror as Wyyrlok turned the flames against his precious books and scrolls, and then ultimately against him. Consumed by his own fears, Darth Andeddu was defeated by what he perceived as real and died a second death at the hands of Darth Wyyrlok. His corpse was levitated by the Chagrian, who placed it back within the sarcophagus that had housed it for generations. The destruction of Andeddu's hoard had only been a ruse by his opponent; everything remained intact, and after studying them for some time, Wyyrlok concluded that none of the material contained anything useful for his purposes. He collected several of the ancient texts before leaving Andeddu's fortress for good, in search of other means by which he could save Darth Krayt.

Darth Andeddu was regarded as possessing profound dark side knowledge by the Sith of his era, as well as those of future generations. The Jedi Order feared Darth Andeddu to such an extent that the Council of First Knowledge, led by Ithorian Jedi Master Obba, attempted to eliminate all traces of his existence from all possible sources. Nevertheless, both Jedi defectors and Sith were aware of Andeddu and his legendary ability to transcend death. The intrigue surrounding Andeddu's power led both the Sith Lord Darth Bane and later the Dark Jedi Set Harth on separate quests to retrieve Andeddu's holocron. He was fluent in the ancient language of the Sith, a skill demonstrated when his holocron's gatekeeper—who appeared as a heavily armored man crowned with gold and gems—spoke it to unlock the door to his secret burial chamber. As a Master of the dark side of the Force, he established a clandestine organization in the form of the Malevolence, whose members were instructed by the Dark Lord in the ways of the Sith—lessons they passed down through their generations. However, his refusal to share his teachings with his fellow Sith Lords sowed discontent among his peers. Consequently, they plotted to destroy him and seize Andeddu's power. His fear of losing all he had accumulated caused him to choose death rather than share his knowledge in any way; this was evident when he buried himself alive on Prakith to avoid capture and millennia later when he was defeated in Force combat by Darth Wyyrlok.

As a Sith Lord, Darth Andeddu respected and adhered to the traditions of his predecessors. He believed that a true Sith was the master of his own destiny and that following anything else—including the vision of another—rendered one subservient. After his resurrection, Andeddu assessed Darth Wyyrlok and concluded that he was inferior to the Sith apprentices trained by Andeddu and his contemporaries thousands of years prior. Andeddu had no respect for Wyyrlok or the Order to which he belonged and refused to assist Wyyrlok because of it. Furthermore, because Darth Wyyrlok served Krayt, Andeddu considered him a slave to Krayt's will and unworthy of the respect granted to the title of Sith Lord. To Andeddu, Darth Krayt was considered a pretender to the Sith legacy and a heretic undeserving of any of Andeddu's assistance.

Andeddu was arrogant, quick to scorn, and reluctant to impart his teachings to those he deemed unworthy. Titles held no importance for him, a point he made to Darth Bane, who felt entitled to Andeddu's secrets due to his position as the current Dark Lord of the Sith. Andeddu was a cunning individual and pretended to consider sharing his secrets with Wyyrlok if he successfully located his tomb on Prakith. In reality, Andeddu intended to steal Wyyrlok's life force through his holocron and hoped that the Chagrian would be foolish enough to fall into his trap. Wyyrlok was wiser than Andeddu anticipated, however, and ignored the Dark Lord's temptations. Despite his deep understanding of the dark side and its unnatural application, Andeddu was still viewed with disdain by Wyyrlok when the latter realized that the Dark Lord had hidden himself instead of confronting his enemies. Wyyrlok mocked Andeddu into revealing his supposed cowardice before overwhelming him with his own illusory constructs.

Darth Andeddu was a Sith master, highly skilled in numerous dark side Force powers. He demonstrated great skill with telekinesis, Force lightning, and the creation of illusions, as seen during his battle with Darth Wyyrlok. Andeddu's core beliefs heavily relied upon the teachings of Karness Muur, one of the exiled Dark Jedi who became a founding member of the Sith Lords after the Hundred-Year Darkness. Andeddu expanded upon Muur's research into dark side healing, seeking to avoid death, and developed a method that allowed his consciousness to persist beyond his physical death. This ability enabled Andeddu to control his deceased body, though his mind remained separate. His most desired skill was essence transfer, potentially offering a path to immortality. He kept the secrets of his powers in a holocron he created; when the holocron touched his corpse, the life force of the person who placed it there was drained, resurrecting the Dark Lord.

Darth Wyyrlok stated that Andeddu's true strength resided not in his physical body, but in his mind. Andeddu believed this power was equally effective, asserting that perceived reality would manifest as actual reality for the observer. The Dark Lord used a lightsaber during his lifetime, but he stored its crystal inside his holocron after his death. When Darth Wyyrlok discovered his remains, Andeddu was found not with his lightsaber, but with a weapon resembling a scepter, topped with a large red crystal. This crystal emitted a crimson glow when Gerlun placed the holocron on the corpse's chest, aiding in the restoration of Andeddu's flesh. The crystal then shattered after Andeddu's defeat in his duel against Darth Wyyrlok, where the Dark Lord met his final end.

Darth Andeddu was initially mentioned and appeared only as the guardian of his own holocron in Republic 63, authored by John Ostrander with artwork by Jan Duursema. Andeddu reappeared, again as the gatekeeper of his holocron, in the fourth segment of the Star Wars: Legacy: Broken story arc by Ostrander and Duursema. Ostrander featured him as the primary villain in the twenty-seventh issue of Legacy, entitled Into the Core, with art by Omar Francia. Although he perished in Into the Core, he was later referenced in Legacy's thirtieth issue, where Ostrander revealed through a conversation between Darths Krayt and Wyyrlok that Andeddu's knowledge stemmed from teachings developed by Karness Muur, the main antagonist of the Star Wars: Vector storyline. Andeddu was once more portrayed as an ancient Sith Lord and guardian of his holocron in Drew Karpyshyn's third Darth Bane novel, titled Dynasty of Evil. Darth Andeddu was also mentioned on Lucasfilm official Leland Chee's blog, which connects various Darths, their names, and the real-world words that inspired them. Andeddu's name lacks a real-world counterpart. Beyond his comic appearances and mentions, details about Andeddu are compiled in various source materials: Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force, The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, and 2009's Legacy Era Campaign Guide. While The Essential Guide to the Force suggested that Darth Andeddu might have been the first Sith Lord to adopt the "Darth" title, the title's origin is subject to ongoing retcons; initially with Darth Bane, then with Darth Revan, and later with the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic comics, which establish the "Darth" title's existence prior to Revan and Malak becoming Dark Lords of the Sith. A discrepancy also exists within The Essential Guide to the Force's timeline, stating that Quinlan Vos recovered Andeddu's holocron in 23 BBY, three years before he actually did. However, the guide's section specifically on Andeddu's holocron provides the accurate date for Vos's recovery.