Crimson Dawn

Crimson Dawn's History

Crimson Dawn was a criminal organization led by the former Sith Lord Maul, who employed the gangster Dryden Vos as the public face of the syndicate during the reign of the Galactic Empire. Crimson Dawn was based aboard Vos' yacht First Light. During its existence, Crimson Dawn quickly cemented a reputation for being ruthless. Qi'ra publicly served as Vos' top lieutenant, but later directly worked with Maul after killing Vos.

Mercenary roots

Before reorganizing into a larger criminal enterprise, the forerunners of Crimson Dawn were a band of ruthless mercenaries who traveled from planet to planet, seizing the resources they coveted or needed while brutalizing the natives into complying. One such world was the desert planet Savareen, which possessed a resource that they desired. After several raids on their world, the Savarians rose up against them, refusing to comply anymore. As punishment for their defiance, the mercenaries cut out the tongues of every single man, woman, and child they could find.

Member of the Collective and Imperial Era

Maul eventually took a more direct role in Crimson Dawn's activities. Much like his previous rule over Mandalore, Maul elected to rule from the shadows rather than establish himself as the visible leader of his syndicate. However, unlike the Shadow Collective, most of the rank-and-file of the organization did not report to him directly and few even knew his identity. Instead, Maul relied on a figurehead to serve as the executor of his will to his men. By 10 BBY, Dryden Vos still served as the public leader of the organization until his death. From there, Qi'ra, Vos' second-in-command, would take up the position formerly filled by Vos after she was promoted by Maul. The Galactic Empire often clashed with Crimson Dawn in security enforcement missions.

Legacy

Even after Maul's death during the mission to Tatooine, the mark left by Crimson Dawn on the galaxy could still be felt. In the years following the formation of the Galactic Senate of the New Republic in 4 ABY criminal organizations that evolved from Crimson Dawn held substantial power. Although the New Republic Senate formed the Sector Rangers to combat such criminal groups, it was a mere fraction of the size of the Galactic Empire, under which Crimson Dawn thrived as one of the deadliest and most powerful syndicates around. Though still active in the decades following the fall of the Empire, Crimson Dawn itself no longer held the influence it once did and was viewed as a relic of the past by contemporary underworld denizens such as Kanjiklubber Razoo Qin-Fee and the Master Codebreaker.