The Black Serpents


During the early years of the human colonization of the Yaeger sector, a breakaway jedi sect known as the Jhemadan took up residence on Yaeger Prime. Originally a somewhat scholastic group, many of the Jhemadan fell to the Dark side due to one member's experimentation with a Force power known as "The Dragon". This descent was gradual, as one by one it's members were entrapped by the power's apparent benefits. As the group became more and more consumed by the Dark Side, they began to take control of a local criminal organization known as the Black Serpents.

Originally nothing more than a group of bandits and thieves, the Black Serpents gained a great deal of power under the Jhemadan. In addition, some of the mysticism of the Jhemadan wore off on them, and they began to see themselves as the ultimate extension of the Yaeger Hunter ethic, hunting men with consummate skill. When the wandering Jedi Master Ulvenn Shaid destroyed the Jhemadan, in the year Y 3,422, the Black Serpents survived. Ulvenn saw them as being no more than criminals, whose organization, without the leadership of their Jedi Masters, would disintegrate in a few years. Unknown to Ulvenn, several Jhemadan masters survived, and used the Black Serpents as the foundation of their rebirth.

As most of the new Jhemadan were former Black Serpents, the relationship between the two groups changed. No longer were the Jhemadan a separate master group. Instead, they were the leaders of the Black Serpents, and a part of that organization. They no longer called themselves the Jhemadan. Instead, they were the Shadow Dragons, with few ties to their earlier scholastic brethren. The combination of assassination and the force proved a lethal one, and the foes of the Black Serpents fell. Ulvenn Shaid was killed by a team of Shadow Dragon Initiates in his battered freighter, the Lodestar.

However, the Black Serpents pressed their power too far, and attempted to rule Yaeger Prime from their white marble temple at Jilakroth. Within three days of their claiming rule of Yaeger Prime, a well known pirate chieftain fired a pair of mid-sized nuclear missiles right through the never closing gates of Jilakroth, and the crater remains radioactive to this day. As soon as that news was heard, a vicious fire fight erupted on the Gii Yaeg floor, and the Black Serpents that had taken up residence there were killed out of hand.

Once again, the Black Serpents had to rebuild, and rebuild they did. A far more secretive organization this time, they had learned not to try to take control of the Yaeger, as the Yaeger people were too much a group of individualists, and far too heavily armed to be subdued by a small group. Instead, they turned their efforts into improving the depth of their coffers, by slowly gaining power in the underworld of the sector. By patiently building up their power base, they built one of the largest criminal organizations of the Yaeger Sector. As of now, they control around 95% of the high end assassinations, and around 25% of crime in other areas.

Moving their center of operation to the backwater agricultural world of Lothos, the Black Serpents began extending their network of operations throughout the Sector. As the power and numbers of the Black Serpents increased, the Shadow Dragons became more and more reclusive, until they reached their current state of being nothing more than a legend to most members of the Black Serpent. The Assassins that have long been the backbone of the Black Serpent, became the personal army of the Shadow Dragons. Now known as the Serpent's Teeth, these assassins are quite separate from the thugs and criminals that form the current rank and file of the Black Serpent organization. Totaling almost five thousand highly trained professional killers, The Serpent's Teeth act as liaisons between the Shadow Dragons and the rest of the organization, and are responsible for keeping discipline within the ranks. The paid murders that the Teeth perform still provide a hefty chunk of the Black Serpent's income as well.

The Black Serpents learned a great deal from their association with the Jhemadan, and then the Shadow Dragons. Firstly, one of the foundations of the Jhemadan sect was their emphasis on unarmed combat, and that dedication to the martial arts produced a remarkably effective combat form, especially when used in conjunction with Force manipulation. All Serpent's Tooth assassins have been trained extensively in the Jhemada School martial arts, a somewhat debased version of the original Jhemada School, and no Shadow Dragon Knight is less than instructor level in that form.

As a criminal organization, the Black Serpents have a number of fairly independent operatives working for it in it's various fields of endeavors. However, the Serpent Tooth operatives assigned to check up on, or deliver orders to, it's members pride themselves on getting into the offices or personal residences of the people that they want to get in touch with. Therefore, the criminals tend not to take their independence to great extremes, and when they do things that the Shadow Dragons would disapprove of, they tend to be extremely paranoid about it for a while. Then, they tend to be unpleasantly dead.

When the Empire moved into the sector, the Shadow Dragons saw a threat and an opportunity. The threat was obvious, personified by the brilliant and aggressive Moff Doran, and they soon infiltrated his intelligence services, and manipulated him into the disastrous battle of Oth'Lenar. However, they also see an opportunity in the Empire. After all, if they could somehow gain control of the massive leaderless force that the Empire has become, they could rule the galaxy. Many of the Shadow Dragons see the urbane Moff Rulduk as the diplomat that they can use to achieve that goal, but some see him as being just as dangerous as Moff Doran, if not more so.

The Shadow Dragons have been trying to maneuver the Yaeger away from the New Republic, and toward an alliance with the Empire. However, the mixed feelings at the top of the Shadow Dragon organization have made this a much more tentative operation than the Black Serpents usually embark on. One of their priorities is to get agents into the command structures of all the forces of the sector. They have been successful in that endeavor, with agents in the highest circles of all the major players, and most of the minor forces, though their attempts at making contact with the Brenaii have always met with violent failure.

Serpent Tooth Assassins:

These highly trained assassins are known for their total devotion to the Black Serpent organization, and for their consummate skill at their jobs. They usually work in groups of three, called Triads, but for particularly different assignments they will operate in groups of six, nine or fifteen men. These groups are lead by the highest ranking Triad of their members. They have been very well trained in coordinating their efforts, and there are few targets that can resist the attack of a Serpent Tooth Triad, let alone a full fifteen man elimination squad.
Dexterity: 4D
Blaster 7D, Brawling Parry 5D, (s) Brawling Parry; Jhemada School 9D, Bows 5D, (s) Bows; FRX-40 Powerbow 7D, Dodge 7D+1, Grenade 7D, Melee Combat 6D,(s) Melee Combat; Shara 8D,(s) Melee Combat; Kumji 8D, Running 6D, Thrown Weapons 6D
Knowledge: 3D
Alien species 4D, Cultures 5D+2, Intimidation 7D, Languages 5D+1, Law Enforcement 5D, Streetwise 6D, Survival 6D, Willpower 7D
Mechanical: 2D
Beast Riding 5D, Repulsorlift Operations 5D, Communications 5D
Perception: 3D
Command 6D, Con 7D, Hide 7D, Persuasion 5D, Search 8D, Sneak 8D+1
Strength: 4D
Brawling 5D, (s)Brawling; Jhemada School 9D, Climbing/Jumping 6D, Stamina 6D, Swimming 6D
Technical: 2D
Demolition 7D+2, First Aid 6D+1, Security 8D

Force Points: Varies, never more than 5
Character Points: Varies, typically 5-20
Dark Side Points: Variable, never more than 5
Move: 10

Equipment:
Chameleon Suit (grants a 1D+1 bonus to sneak and 2D+1 bonus to hide), power grappling hook, macrobinoculars, comlink, Air Mask (breathing apparatus, also capable of breaking H2O down to components, allowing underwater breathing), haversack containing: three miniature listening devices and monitoring device, light micropulse "stone cutter" cutting saw, 2 kg Ritonite and six fuses (.5kg + fuse equals thermal detonator, can be used in smaller or larger amounts), 3 weeks ration bars, simple disguise, 3 vials of assorted poisons.

Weapons:
2 Blaster Pistols, 1 Fragmentation Grenade, 2 Smoke Grenades, Kumji, Shara, FRX-40 Powerbow.

In addition to the above, the Serpent's teeth will carry equipment to match the needs of their mission. They can chose equipment from the Black Serpent's incredibly well stocked armory, or from the resources of any of the lesser members of their organization.

Typical actions: There are a number of different contracts that the Serpents give for assassinations. The price varies with the difficulty of the target. In ascending order of price, here are the contracts given: One Triad making a single attempt, contract fulfilled after the attempt, regardless of it's success. One Triad making an all out attempt, contract fulfilled with the death of the target or the death of all members of the Triad. One Triad making an all out extreme hit, contract fulfilled with the death of the target, his family, and all his business associates, and the destruction of his home and place of business, contract completed with success or the death of the Triad. If more men are needed, a second contract for a second Triad must be made, with no discount for the second group, and so on. It is possible to take out a much more comprehensive contract, that is not filled with the death of the operatives, just the target.

In addition, the Black Serpents can be hired for other purposes, such as espionage, theft, or other reasons. Usually, lesser members of the organization (known as Snakes, or Serplings) will fill these contracts, but for particularly difficult assignments, a Triad will be put on the job.
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