Shas Dovos originated from the Inner Rim planet of Onderon and was a male Human who possessed sensitivity to the Force. Dovos, who had high hopes as a student of metalworking, found an old book in the wilderness of his homeworld. This discovery derailed his initial ambitions. Inside the tome was a malevolent Sith spirit that manipulated the young man. It led him to create a suit of armor imbued with sinister Sith magic. Once Dovos put on this combat attire, the spirit transformed him into an unwitting pawn of the dark side, turning him into the Dark Jedi known as Warb Null.
As a Sith agent, Warb Null became the protector of the long-dead Dark Lord of the Sith, Freedon Nadd. He commanded Nadd's legions of darksiders as their commander. He spearheaded the Naddist cult in a planetwide rebellion against the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order. During this conflict, he recovered the sarcophagi of both Queen Amanoa of Onderon and Freedon Nadd. However, Jedi Knight Ulic Qel-Droma soon confronted him, and Null quickly perished in lightsaber combat. In the end, Null's demise held little significance to Nadd's spirit, which believed the armor-clad soldier had accomplished his intended purpose.
Born on the Inner Rim world of Onderon, Shas Dovos was a Human who devoted his early life to studying metallurgy. His homeworld had a long history of loyalty to the ancient Sith. The walled-city of Iziz served as the seat of power for a royal line descended from Freedon Nadd, a Dark Lord. Before the Great Sith War, Dovos's studies led him to a remote region of the planet, where he stumbled upon a hidden repository of dark side artifacts. Being Force-sensitive, he became particularly interested in an ancient Sith magic book crafted by a member of the old Sith Empire. Dovos stole the tome and took it home, eager to unlock its secrets.
Initially captivated by the book, Dovos's fascination soon spiraled into obsession. He spent years trying to decipher its secrets, abandoning his metalworking studies and other interests. Eventually, he managed to decode the Sith lore and began constructing a specialized suit of armor intended to grant its wearer immense power. Deep beneath Onderon's surface, in his forge, Dovos combined his extensive knowledge of alloys and metals with rudimentary Sith magic to create the blackened helmet, breastplate, and gauntlets of a massive suit of armor. After numerous failed attempts and continuous days of work, Shas Dovos finally completed his suit of armor. However, he questioned his worthiness to wear it, unsure if he possessed sufficient mastery of the Sith magic required to create such a weapon.
Dovos soon suppressed his doubts, reasoning that he deserved to wear the armor since he had uncovered the knowledge required to create it. Unbeknownst to him, he had been manipulated for a decade, and he was shocked when the manipulator suddenly revealed itself. The humanoid apparition, identifying itself as the spirit protector and guardian of the spellbook, explained its clandestine influence and claimed that it had saved the tome from the ravages of time. Overcome with fear, Dovos finally understood the dangers of possessing a Sith spellbook. He realized that the Sith protector's subtle influence, along with its interference in his dreams and thoughts, had led to his obsession with the tome and the creation of the tainted armor. Dovos then became the spirit protector's unwilling disciple, serving as an extension of its will in its plan to restore the glory of the Sith Empire. Despite his fear, Dovos was unable to defeat the powerful spirit. The Sith spirit renamed him "Warb Null" and used its power to fuse him to his newly-crafted armor. Warb Null transformed into a mindless Sith warrior, with little memory of his former life. The Sith spirit had tricked the former metallurgist into creating the armor, and he was now merely a pawn of the long-dead darksider. Null later built a large lightsaber with a green blade and a hilt much larger than typical lightsaber hilts, which he wielded with fierce skill. The Sith spirit taught him many powers necessary for his upcoming mission: serving as the primary protector of the spirit of Freedon Nadd, the ancient king of Onderon and Dark Lord of the Sith.
Following the end of the Beast Wars, Onderon entered a period of transition for two years as power shifted from Nadd's late disciple, Queen Amanoa, to her daughter, Galia. Representatives of the Galactic Republic and Jedi Knights arranged for the sarcophagi of Nadd and Amanoa to be moved to a fortress on Dxun, a nearby moon, after a funeral through Iziz. Null was tasked with leading the secret army of Nadd and Amanoa's husband, former King Ommin of Onderon, to recover the sarcophagi. To prepare, several wealthy Naddists purchased colossal Akin-Dower Groundborers and equipped them with medium blasters, transforming the mining vehicles into weapons. These machines could transport hundreds of soldiers and store both sarcophagi, making them ideal for the darksiders' mission.
As the funeral began, a pair of Beast Riders exploring the wild lands of Onderon stumbled upon Null and King Ommin's army in the tunnels beneath the royal palace of Iziz, forcing the Naddists into action. The groundborer emerged during the procession, and Null's Sith army poured out to engage the Jedi and Beast Riders in the resulting battle. Null projected an intense aura of uneasiness to unsettle his opponents while simultaneously dueling four Jedi: Tott Doneeta, Oss Wilum, and brothers Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma. Meanwhile, Ommin attacked their Master, Arca Jeth, through the Force. Ommin's soldiers retrieved the sarcophagi and loaded them onto the groundborer. With their mission complete, Null retreated with the Naddists.
Null's forces returned to the tunnels beneath the palace with their prize, but Queen Galia, leading the Jedi, pursued them in search of her father. The spirit of Nadd revealed itself as Ommin incapacitated Jeth, taking him captive. With their prisoner and the sarcophagi, Ommin and Nadd ordered Null to eliminate Ulic Qel-Droma while they fled to the King's life-support facility deeper beneath the palace. Enraged by the apparent loss of his Master, Qel-Droma attacked Null. Ommin realized that Null was outmatched and likely to die. Nadd agreed, seeing Null as a pawn and a test of the young Jedi's dark side potential. Qel-Droma severed Null's weapon arm, forcing the Dark Jedi to beg for mercy. Ignoring his pleas, Qel-Droma decapitated Null with a swift blow, ending the Dark Jedi's brief career as a Sith.
Centuries later, Null's armor and lightsaber were enshrined in a hexagonal structure in the mountains of Nicht Ka. In 19 BBY, the Jedi Ekim Ryelli, Staguu Itincoovar, and Telloti Cillmam'n discovered them there. After donning the armor, Cillmam'n was overwhelmed by visions that turned him to the dark side. Consumed by his newfound power, he killed Ryelli and Itincoovar, becoming Malleus, the Hammer of the Dark Side.
Shas Dovos was a dedicated and inquisitive metalworking student in his youth. He valued his studies and was driven by curiosity. He was not initially drawn to the dark side but was eager to unlock the secrets of the Sith tome. However, as the dark side influenced him, Dovos became obsessed and lost interest in everything else. He believed it was his destiny to uncover the book's secrets and wield its power. His weak will allowed the Sith spirit to easily control him, and after years, he acted exactly as the spirit desired.
After his transformation, Warb Null was an extremely loyal warrior who unquestioningly obeyed his superiors. However, Ommin and Freedon Nadd simply used Null for their own gain, and his loyalty meant little to them. His death was not mourned, as his former life was long gone, and his dark side superiors believed he had served his purpose. Ultimately, Null was expendable to those he served. During the Battle of Onderon in the Freedon Nadd Uprising, Null bravely led the Naddist troops into combat and single-handedly fought four Jedi. He also bravely fought numerous foes alone in the rehabilitation facility in Iziz. He was self-confident and underestimated Ulic Qel-Droma's powers. However, after losing his hand, he became terrified and begged the Jedi to spare his life.
Warb Null possessed Force-sensitivity and a natural talent for Sith magic, a skill not shared by all dark side users. His transformation into a creature of the dark side without discernible thoughts or emotions significantly increased his power. He gained skills such as energy manipulation, hibernation trances, combat and danger sense, and the ability to intimidate opponents with his malevolent aura, all from the Spirit protector.
Lightsaber combat was one of Null's greatest strengths. He wielded a powerful weapon with a long hilt. He was physically strong and used his strength to deliver powerful blows. His skill allowed him to hold off multiple opponents, even keeping four Jedi Knights at bay during the ambush of Amanoa's funeral. However, Null's primary advantage in combat was his Sith armor. The black armor, covered in spikes, concealed his true appearance. Forged from alchemically-treated black metal, the armor was imbued with Sith magic and offered partial lightsaber resistance. It enhanced his malevolent aura and instilled despair in his opponents. Despite its benefits, the armor's bulkiness slowed him down, and his hand and neck were not sufficiently protected, leading to his demise.
Tom Veitch created Warb Null for the first issue of The Freedon Nadd Uprising, a sub-series of the Tales of the Jedi comic series. Tony Akins, Denis Rodier, and Suzanne Bourdages illustrated him in his only appearance. His backstory was later expanded in the Tales of the Jedi Companion, a roleplaying game supplement. He also appeared in the Tales of the Jedi audio rendition, written by John Whitman, where he loses his arm to Ulic Qel-Droma before being killed, a detail different from the comic version. Null also received his own entry in 2008's The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.