Baron Kithriss was a Human male from the planet Chandrila who served the Galactic Empire during the years following the Clone Wars. A devoted follower of Emperor Palpatine, Kithriss spent several weeks on the planet Byss at Palpatine's request at some point during or after 19 BBY. There, Palpatine secretly exposed the Baron to a number of Sith techniques, in an attempt to make Kithriss resistant to the effects of Force powers. In about 17 BBY, Kithriss was sent by the Empire to Cloud City of the planet Bespin to oversee a transfer of funds to the Hutt crime lord Darga Jiramma Mionne. However, the Baron encountered a group of Alderaanian Resistance agents who were investigating Darga's activities, and the agents engaged Kithriss in combat on a Cloud City walkway. The agents eventually defeated Kithriss and stole his datapad.

Biography[]

Kithriss was a wealthy Human male baron from the planet Chandrila. During the years following the end of the Clone Wars, when Kithriss was in his early twenties, he entered the service of the Galactic Empire. At some point, he purchased two Theelin slaves from a Hutt gangster and appointed the pair as his bodyguards. Kithriss became devoted to Emperor Palpatine, the leader of the Empire,^[1] and, at some point following the Empire's formation in 19 BBY,^[2] at Palpatine's request, Kithriss traveled to the Deep Core planet Byss and spent some time at Palpatine's newly-constructed retreat on the world. There, over a period of several weeks, Palpatine covertly exposed Kithriss to various different dark side–based Sith techniques, in an attempt to make the Baron resistant to the effects of Force powers.^[1]

In about 17 BBY,^[3] the Empire secretly made a deal with the Hutt crime lord Darga Jiramma Mionne, whereby Darga would supply the Empire with Tibanna gas for use on a clandestine Imperial project to construct a prototype Super Star Destroyer. As part of the arrangement, the Empire agreed to pay Darga a large sum of credits, which were to be surreptitiously handed over to Darga's agent Mirana Fioro during the Cloud City Sabacc Tournament, which was being held in Cloud City of the planet Bespin. To ensure that Fioro did not do anything to expose the secrecy of the transaction, the Empire planned to have Kithriss oversee the exchange, and a message was sent to the Baron's datapad that ordered him to travel to the Yarith Bespin hotel in Cloud City. The purpose of his assignment was not divulged to him, and he was told that he would receive further instructions via the hotel's computer system, and that during the assignment, he was to maintain communications silence and not tell anyone that he was an Imperial agent. Kithriss also received instructions to meet up with four clone stormtroopers prior to embarking for Bespin who had been assigned to guard him during the mission. Unknown to Kithriss, the clones were under orders to observe him and see if he demonstrated any signs of instability as a result of his exposure to Palpatine's techniques, and if so, to quietly kill him.^[1]

Accompanied by his two Theelin bodyguards and the four troopers, Kithriss traveled to the Yarith Bespin and checked in to one of the hotel's luxury suites. However, he was unsatisfied with the standard of his accommodation, so he went to the hotel's lobby and loudly berated one of the hotel employees, demanding that the hotel manager allocate him a better room. Everyone in the lobby turned to watch Kithriss' tirade, and the commotion attracted the attention of a group of undercover Alderaanian Resistance operatives, who were investigating Darga's dealings with the Empire. Due to the presence of Kithriss' clone trooper guards and the style of the Baron's garb, the operatives recognized that he was an Imperial agent and deduced that he might possess information relating to the Empire's deal with Darga. Once Kithriss had finished his outburst, the hotel staff rushed off to attend to his requests, and the Baron headed out onto the streets of Cloud City with the Theelin and the four clone troopers. The Alderaanian agents followed the party and subsequently engaged Kithriss and his entourage in combat on a Cloud City walkway. The operatives eventually defeated Kithriss and stole his datapad.^[1]

A short time afterward, the Baron's superiors on the planet Coruscant—who were unaware of the Alderaanians' attack on him—sent a set of instruction to the Kithriss' datapad, which directed him to oversee the transaction in the sabacc tournament. The message also stated that he was not to interfere with the exchange and that once it had taken place, he was to transmit a confirmation message to Coruscant and then return to Chandrila. The agents then infiltrated the sabacc tournament, in an attempt to discover the nature of the transfer of funds to Darga.^[1]

Personality and traits[]

Kithriss was arrogant, and, despite his young age, he carried himself with an air of superiority that befitted a veteran member of the Imperial Senate,^[1] the Empire's governing body.^[4] He was an ardent supporter of Palpatine and was one of the Emperor's greatest sycophants, and his conditioning on Byss resulted in him becoming even more fiercely loyal to Palpatine. Kithriss also gained a limited resistance to Force-based attacks as a result of his exposure to Palpatine's techniques, but the Baron was unaware of the ability and the effect was due to wear off after a few months. Kithriss spoke in a precise tone and had a Core Worlds accent, and, in addition to Basic, he was able to speak the languages Bocce, High Galactic, Twi'leki, and Kel Dor. He had dark black hair, which was cut in a style that was popular with agents of the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order. He wore clothing of a style that was considered the latest fashion among the Chandrilan nobility, and he was equipped with a blaster pistol, a vibroblade, a comlink, a datapad, and a sabacc deck.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

Baron Kithriss was created by Rodney Thompson, and he appeared in The Queen of Air and Darkness, a roleplaying adventure that was released on Wizards.com in 2008, as part of the Dawn of Defiance campaign. During the adventure, the players roleplay as the team of Alderaanian Resistance operatives. The player-characters' fight with Kithriss can begin in a number of ways, with Kithriss initiating the bout if he suspects that the Alderaanian agents are following him, or if the player-characters ask him questions about Darga and the Empire. During the altercation, the two Theelin bodyguards remain near to Kithriss, and the Baron tries to allow the Theelin and the clone troopers to defend him. If he gets close to the player-characters, he attacks them with his vibroblade. The manner of the defeat of Kithriss and his party is dependent on the actions of the players, and it is possible for the player characters to kill him.^[1]

Appearances[]

• "The Queen of Air and Darkness" (original article link) on Wizards.com (content now obsolete; backup link) (First appearance)

Notes and references[]