The Plaque of Victory was essentially a metal bar, shaped like a triangle, that housed a being which thrived by consuming the life-force and emotions of other living creatures. Its sole purpose was to instigate the ruin and destruction of anyone it came into contact with. Although the Plaque itself couldn't directly inflict harm, as it was an inanimate object, it possessed the ability to subtly control and sway those around it. This influence manifested as amplified aggression, distrust, and paranoia among individuals, ultimately leading to escalating violence and homicidal actions.
This Plaque of Victory was initially found on the planet of Aaris III, situated within the Kathol sector of the Outer Rim Territories. Its discovery occurred several millennia prior to the Galactic Civil War; however, the Plaque was not originally from that planet. The artifact's presence triggered societal turmoil among the planet's inhabitants, the Aaris. In an attempt to neutralize its effects, a scholar named Kastays concealed the Plaque. Unfortunately, this plan failed, and the Aaris descended into a devastating civil war, leading to the collapse of their civilization. The Plaque remained hidden for thousands of years.
In 8 ABY, an Imperial scientific team, identified as MS-133, initiated excavations at the ruins on Aaris III. They stumbled upon the Plaque of Victory and subsequently fell prey to its manipulative powers. Eventually, only two members, Lancer Brunou and Solla Deremot, survived and were rescued from the planet by the New Republic CR90 corvette, the FarStar. Once aboard the ship, the Plaque tried to extend its influence to the crew. However, the FarStar's personnel identified the source of their troubles and ejected the Plaque into space, thus breaking free from its control.
By 8 ABY, the Plaque of Victory was observed to be a flat bar of metal, the composition of which was unknown to Imperial science. Its shape was generally triangular, but with rounded edges instead of sharp corners. It was heavier at its base than at its apex. The Plaque's thickness varied from about one to two inches, increasing towards the base, and it measured approximately a quarter of a meter in length. The base was marked by pitting and emitted a faint energy signature. It was light enough for one person to carry, yet large enough to require two people to hold it comfortably.
Despite its seemingly ordinary appearance, the Plaque was in reality a sentient entity. While not "alive" in the traditional scientific sense, it housed a being that sustained itself on the life-force and emotions of nearby individuals. Its objective was to destroy those it encountered by warping their perceptions, driving them to paranoia and violence against each other. Those within the Plaque's range of influence also developed an overwhelming desire to possess it, claiming it communicated with them and that they were chosen as its "guardian." This obsession consumed them, as the entity within the Plaque had become deranged after being isolated for millennia on Aaris III, a planet within the Kathol sector of the Outer Rim Territories.
Millennia before the Galactic Civil War, the Plaque of Victory, an ancient artifact, made its way to Aaris III, a planet in the Kathol sector. Originating from a faraway location, it traversed through space before randomly arriving at this world. The planet's gravitational field captured it, causing it to fall to the surface. To the native inhabitants—a bipedal reptilian species known as the Aaris—it looked like a comet streaking across the sky. A military legion from an outpost, located several days' journey from a major city, discovered the Plaque. The soldiers transported the artifact to the city, placing it in a gushaz—a sacred place within Aaris culture. They named it the "Plaque of Victory."
Once inside the city, the Plaque began to affect the population, manipulating their emotions and whispering to them. There was a noticeable increase in violent crimes, often resulting in death. The violence grew, causing companies of the city guard to turn against each other and the civilian population. The common element in these events was the Plaque; those affected claimed that the Plaque had spoken directly to them, and that they were selected to be its protector. As the unrest escalated, one of the factions took the Plaque from the gushaz and moved it to a tower within a governmental building. This tower was guarded by the renowned Aaris scholar Kastays, and the hope was that placing the artifact high above the city would counteract its effects.
Kastays secured the Plaque in his floor safe, in case his tower was breached, and then locked himself inside with it. Alone, Kastays documented the final days of the Aaris civilization as the Plaque's manipulations caused the population to descend into civil war. Ultimately, Kastays died, and the Plaque remained hidden beneath the floor of his chamber.
For thousands of years, Aaris III remained isolated, undisturbed by the wider galaxy. Nature reclaimed the ruins of the Aaris civilization, and the primitive descendants of the once-proud race lived in impoverished conditions. Throughout these millennia, the Plaque stayed hidden. In its isolation, the entity within the artifact lost its sanity.
In 8 ABY, members of an Imperial science team, MS-133, discovered the Plaque. They were conducting an archaeological dig on the planet under the orders of Moff Kentor Sarne, the Imperial warlord who controlled the sector. Upon discovering the Plaque within the hidden floor vault, the expedition leader, Doctor Lancer Brunou, examined it. Finding that it was made of a metal unknown to Imperial science and that it emitted energy, he decided to send it to Kal'Shebbol—the capital of the Kathol sector—for further investigation.
Once rediscovered, the Plaque began to influence the science team. Tensions rose within the base camp as individuals reported feeling uneasy, as if they were being watched from the jungle surrounding their dig site. Over the next few days, the primitive Aaris descendants caused the death or disappearance of several expedition members, and destroyed the shuttle that had transported the team to the planet. The base camp also came under almost nightly attack from the Aaris. Brunou, who still had the artifact, was unaware of what was happening, believing the Aaris civilization to be long extinct. He sent a distress signal to Kal'Shebbol, requesting immediate extraction from the planet.
The FarStar, a New Republic CR90 corvette, received the distress call. Captain Kaiya Adrimetrum ordered the ship to divert to the planet, rescuing Brunou and Solla Deremot, a research assistant. The pair were brought aboard the corvette, and Brunou brought the Plaque of Victory with him. Brunou had become extremely attached to the artifact, and Deremot also felt drawn to it. The two argued over who should possess the artifact, eventually resorting to violence. With the Plaque on board, it began to manipulate the crew of the FarStar. Crew members felt uneasy and paranoid, and tensions escalated throughout the ship. Eventually, they realized that there must be a common cause for their feelings and suspected the artifact that Brunou had brought on board. After separating Brunou from the Plaque, crew members managed to eject it through one of the corvette's airlocks, sending it into deep space and freeing themselves from its influence.
The RPG adventure Artifact of Aaris, part of The DarkStryder Campaign published by West End Games in 1995, introduced the Plaque of Victory. The Plaque played a key role in the adventure, and its attempts to influence both the Imperial science team MS-133 and the crew of the FarStar provide the backstory and the current challenge that the player characters must confront and resolve.
The images of the Plaque of Victory in the adventure depict it as triangular. However, an entry from Lancer Brunou's journal describes the artifact as "roughly round." This article assumes that the graphical illustration is the correct depiction of the artifact.
The adventure suggests that the members of MS-133 turned on each other under the Plaque of Victory's influence, resulting in deaths and the destruction of the shuttle. However, The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, published in 2008, confirmed that the team was attacked by the remnants of the Aaris civilization.