The following is an excerpt from the memoirs of Arch-Duke Breton Sayre concerning the noble houses of the Imperial Core.
The House of Tagge
In the course of these turbulent days, surely there is no more storied family than the House of Tagge. The Tagge family fortune was built out of its mining and spice concerns, but it was not until Orman Tagge came into his inheritance that the Tagge family truly bloomed and ultimately wilted.
Orman Tagge became Baron of the House of Tagge at a young age under circumstances that might generously be described as suspicious. Under his canny leadership, Tagge commercial interests flourished. Orman diversified the family holdings into a wide variety of ventures. TaggeCompany subsidiaries include munitions companies, holo-media conglomerates, high-technology firms and even fast food chains. While I am loath to eat as the common folk do, I must confess a guilty pleasure for the Bantha Breakfast Biscuit of those ubiquitous Biscuit Baron restaurants. The Baron's visage, which looks out beneficently as the restaurant's mascot, is an ironic reminder of his once formidable reach. In any case, it is one of my few regrets that I was never able to extract from any of the Tagge brothers the secret ingredient of the Biscuit Baron's surprisingly sumptuous blue sauce.
As the House of Tagge grew in influence, Baron Tagge maintained a hand in every aspect of his companies' affairs and loathed to be left out of the loop. You could not describe Orman better than to say he loved to be involved. Even early on, his plots and stratagems were legendary among the Imperial court, and his failures were rare. At least rare at first.
Having conquered galactic commerce, Orman set his sights higher. Make no mistake, Baron Tagge was a patriot. It was his ambition to be the Emperor's most trusted servant. In the Age of Palpatine, however, politics was a deadly game, and the man who was the Emperor's most trusted servant had little patience for palace intrigue. With a single stroke of his lightsaber, Lord Vader robbed the Baron of his sight and extracted a harsh penalty for Tagge's arrogant meddling.
Orman had at his disposal the latest in cyber-technology to rebuild his ruined eyes, but rather than butcher himself with prosthetic replacements, he began wearing cyber-vision goggles to supplement his vision. His defeat at Vader's hands was the genesis of the Baron's single-minded pursuit of vengeance. Orman even managed to construct a lightsaber that he hoped to one day use against the Dark Lord. Let me assure you, it was quite scandalous when he began openly wearing the weapon of the accursed Jedi. It is testament to the influence of the House of Tagge or perhaps Vader's dismissal of the threat, that the Baron was not challenged on this matter. The Baron returned to his scheming, but henceforth he was focused on earning Emperor Palpatine's highest favor.
Of the other Tagge brothers, little need be said. They had their own limited ambitions and played smaller roles in the affairs of the Imperial Court. Silas Tagge devoted his life to science, and I saw him only rarely. Neither summons to official proceedings nor invitations to holiday balls could pull him away from the sanctum of his laboratories. I believe thermodynamics was his field, but I know little of such things. Orman would often speak of the latest bit of technology or cutting edge firm he'd acquired to aid in Silas' research.
The youngest brother, General Ulric Tagge had a distinguished career in the Imperial Starfleet that kept him out of sight of the Imperial Court. He eventually became an Imperial Fleet Commander and was assigned to advise Governor Tarkin on the Death Star project. We all know how that turned out. Apparently some so-called historian of the Rebel Alliance declared that Ulric died at Yavin, but, in truth, he was hale and hearty for quite some time, using his position in the navy to aid and clean up after Orman's schemes.
In my opinion, Baron Tagge's greatest failure was not his own eventual and perhaps inevitable downfall, but the ruin of the youngest of the Tagge family, Orman's beloved sister Domina. Orman would've done anything to protect his sister. Rather than see her corrupted by the intrigue of the Imperial Court, Orman sent Domina away to join the Order of the Sacred Circle on the ringed world of Monastery. There, Sister Domina learned the order's tenets regarding peaceful worship of the circle of life and quickly rose through the order's ranks. Sadly, even so far removed from the turmoil of the galaxy, Domina eventually was drawn into the House of Tagge's conflicts with Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.
After Orman and Silas' disastrous attempt to destroy a Rebel fleet evacuating from the infamous Yavin base, the two brothers were presumed killed in action. Although near death, they, in fact, survived, secretly rescued by none other than Lord Darth Vader. Orman and Silas were placed into stasis and would become pawns in his gambit both to gain control over the House of Tagge and test the abilities of Luke Skywalker. Vader convinced Domina that Skywalker was responsible for Orman's death. Promising vengeance against Skywalker, Domina agreed to help Vader lure the young Jedi to Monastery. Domina, however, was very much the Tagge and planned to betray Vader by forcing a duel between Vader and Skywalker deep within Monastery's deadly Crystal Valley.
Meanwhile, by sheer force of will, Orman had escaped the stasis field and fled Vader's Star Destroyer to the surface of Monastery to confront Vader and protect Domina. It was not to be. Employing his dark mastery over the Force, Vader compelled Orman to fight Skywalker whose senses were clouded by Vader so that Orman appeared to be Vader.
Skywalker defeated and killed Orman, and Domina could only watch helplessly as Vader and Skywalker took their separate leaves of Monastery. Domina swore vengeance on both the Jedi and the Dark Lord and left Monastery to assume the mantle as the head of the House of Tagge.
Domina surfaced again briefly soon after the Battle of Hoth but has not been seen since. She is on the run now from both the Empire and Rebel Alliance, but the House of Tagge's formidable resources mean she is still a force to be reckoned with. I have no doubt that we have not heard the last of Domina. She is a Tagge; intrigue and vengeance are in her blood. Among the Order of the Sacred Circle, Domina learned the patience which Orman lacked, and when she strikes again, be sure that she will avenge her loss and destroy her family's enemies, the House of Skywalker.
• Baron Orman Tagge
Type: Imperial Noble
Height: 1.8 meters
Species: Human
Sex: Male
| DEX 3D+1 | PER 3D+1 |
|---|---|
| Blaster 4D+1 | Bargain 5D+2 |
| Brawling Parry 5D+1 | Command 8D+1 |
| Dodge 5D+1 | Con 5D+1 |
| Lightsaber 9D+1 | Persuasion 6D |
| Melee Combat 7D+1 | Search 5D |
| Melee Parry 7D | Sneak 6D |
| KNO 4D | STR 3D |
| Alien Species 5D | Brawling 5D |
| Bureaucracy 9D | Stamina 5D |
| Business 11D+2 | |
| Cultures 6D | |
| Intimidation 6D | |
| Languages 5D | |
| Planetary Systems 7D | |
| Streetwise: Imperial Court 9D | |
| Survival 7D | |
| Value 6D | |
| Willpower 8D | |
| Tactics 6D | |
| MEC 2D | TEC 2D+1 |
| Repulsorlift Operation 4D+2 | Computer Programming/Repair 5D+1 |
| Cybernetics Repair 5D+2 | |
| First Aid 5D+1 | |
| Lightsaber Construction 6D | |
| Security 5D+1 |
Force Points: 2
Dark Side Points: 6
Move: 10
Equipment: Robes, lightsaber, Cyber-vision goggles (supplement the Baron's lost vision and include infrared enhancements [+1D Search in the dark.])
Description: Baron Orman Tagge is an impressive Imperial noble who dresses in fine crimson and azure robes. His hair and Vandyke are jet black and impeccably groomed. Baron Tagge wears cyber-vision goggles to restore his lost eyesight.
A Quote: "Pick up your lightsaber, Skywalker. I'll end this swiftly. Even for vengeance... there's no sport in tormenting a novice."
• Silas Tagge
Type: Mad Scientist
Height: 1.7 meters
Species: Human
Sex: Male
| DEX 2D+2 | PER 2D+1 |
|---|---|
| Dodge 4D+2 | Command 4D |
| Con 4D | |
| Persuasion 4D+1 | |
| Search 4D+2 | |
| KNO 4D | STR 2D |
| Bureaucracy 6D | |
| Business 5D | |
| Planetary Systems 5D | |
| Scholar: Thermodynamics 10D | |
| Survival 5D | |
| MEC 3D | TEC 4D |
| Astrogation 4D | Blaster Repair 5D |
| Communications 5D | Capital Starship Repair 5D |
| Computer Programming/Repair 9D | |
| Engineering 9D | |
| Droid Programming 7D | |
| Security 6D |
Force Points: 1
Move: 10
Equipment: Data pad, lab smock.
Description: Silas Tagge is virtually the opposite of his older brother Orman. His skin is pale and his balding hair unkempt. He typically wears a rumpled lab smock.
A Quote: "I am a scientist. I have invented something... It's logical I should wish to see it used."
• Sister Domina Tagge
Type: High Priestess
Height: 1.6 meters
Species: Human
Sex: Female
| DEX 3D | PER 4D |
|---|---|
| Brawling Parry 4D | Bargain 6D |
| Dodge 5D | Command 8D |
| Con 6D+1 | |
| Persuasion 7D+1 | |
| Search 5D | |
| KNO 3D+2 | STR 3D |
| Alien Species 5D+2 | Stamina 5D |
| Bureaucracy 5D+2 | |
| Cultures 6D+2 | |
| Intimidation 6D+2 | |
| Languages 5D | |
| Survival 5D+2 | |
| Tactics 4D+2 | |
| Willpower 6D+2 | |
| MEC 2D+2 | TEC 2D |
| First Aid 4D |
Force Points: 2
Move: 10
Equipment: Robes.
Description: Sister Domina Tagge is a tall and striking young woman with brilliant red hair and cold, arrogant eyes. Although no longer a member, she still wears the yellow robes of the Order of the Sacred Circle.
A Quote: "Instead of settling for vengeance on one enemy of my brother, I'll see them both destroyed!"
Orman, Silas and Domina Tagge were created by Archie Goodwin and Carmine Infantino.