Parkanas Tark, a male Human Jedi, existed during both the Great Galactic War and the Cold War era between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. Abandoned on Malachor III during an exploratory mission, he fell under the influence of the ancient Sith Lord Terrak Morrhage's spirit, succumbing to the dark side and renaming himself Lord Vivicar. Years later, he returned to Republic territory seeking vengeance on the Jedi Order. However, his schemes were thwarted by the intervention of a Jedi Consular dispatched to stop him.
Tark, as a Jedi Padawan, was the youngest member of an expedition dispatched to Malachor III. The expedition team included Yuon Par, Duras Fain, Eriz Vossan, Sidonie Garen, and Cin Tykan. While exploring the planet, these Jedi inadvertently awakened the ancient spirit of Terrak Morrhage, who had been entombed there for centuries. Despite his youth, Tark resisted the spirit's influence, unlike the other members who yielded to Morrhage's power, indulging in their desires and becoming paranoid. Recognizing the danger, Sidonie Garen devised an escape plan, but Tark became trapped while rescuing Eriz Vossan. Now stranded on the planet, Parkanas Tark became vulnerable to Morrhage's power.
The events that transpired between the Malachor Three mission and Tark's reappearance remain shrouded in mystery. Upon his return, little of his former self remained. While his former comrades had risen to the rank of Jedi Masters, Tark achieved his own mastery in the dark arts. Adopting the identity of Vivicar, he had uncovered the secrets of Morrhage's Force plague. This sinister technique drove those known to Lord Vivicar into madness, transforming them into puppets of the Sith Lord, including Laranna, Duras Fain's daughter. As his influence spread among his former team, a young Jedi Consular emerged to challenge Lord Vivicar. This Consular, a Padawan of Yuon Par, learned an ancient shielding technique capable of freeing those under Lord Vivicar's control. It was subsequently used to liberate the Jedi Masters from Lord Vivicar's grasp and render the Consular immune to the plague.
The Consular journeyed across the galaxy, seeking out and freeing the affected Jedi Masters from Lord Vivicar's control. After shielding Laranna, the Consular received a holo-call from Vivicar, who mockingly declared that more Masters would succumb to his plague, and that the Consular would perish like the previous Jedi who wielded the shielding technique, exhausted from shielding so many. The conflict with Lord Vivicar reached its climax when the Jedi tracked him to his ship in Hutt Space. There, Yuon's former apprentice made a shocking discovery: Lord Vivicar was Parkanas Tark, possessed by Morrhage's spirit. Left with no alternative, the Consular and Morrhage engaged in a fierce duel. The Consular gained the upper hand and wounded Morrhage. However, Vivicar's death would mean the death of all the Jedi he had infected. The Jedi Consular immediately redeems Lord Vivicar as Parkanas Tark, banishing Morrhage's spirit from his body. Now free from Morrhage's corruption and returned to the light side, Parkanas promised to return to Tython, but he would not rejoin the Jedi Order due to his past actions. He chose to live in exile, seeking secluded places on Tython where he could find peace. Before parting ways, Parkanas ominously predicted that the Jedi and Republic would abandon the Consular. Following the rescue of Parkanas Tark, the Consular returned to the Jedi High Council and was elevated to the rank of Jedi Master, receiving the title of Barsen'thor for their actions against Lord Vivicar.
Once a promising Jedi Padawan, Tark evolved into a formidable Sith Lord, wielding Terrak Morrhage's Force-plague with remarkable skill. He employed it to corrupt Jedi Masters throughout the galaxy, even seizing control of them at times. However, Vivicar's abilities extended beyond mind control. He was skilled in lightsaber combat and possessed the Force-leap ability. During combat, he could also unleash an incredibly powerful Force-crush capable of inflicting instant death. Unusually for a Sith Lord, Vivicar was also adept at Force Healing, having saved Laranna Fain's life before turning her to the dark side.
Vivicar serves as the final antagonist in Chapter 1 of the Jedi Consular storyline within the Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO. The fate of Vivicar and the Jedi Masters he corrupted hinges on player choice. Choosing the light side path allows the Consular to spare Parkanas and free him from Terrak's possession. Conversely, selecting the dark side path leads to the Consular killing him, which results in the deaths of all the affected Jedi Masters as well (if the Consular had not already chosen the dark side option with each Master and killed them beforehand).