Heart Rend was a male Esh-kha who lived during the height of his species reign thousands of years ago. During this time, his race had acquired the wrath of the Infinite Empire due to their marauding of the Rakatan slave worlds. This led to the Rakata imprisoning the Esh-kha along with Heart Rend on the prison world of Belsavis where they were kept conscious but immobile in stasis for millennia. He was accidentally freed from the Belsavis vaults during an attack by the Sith Empire on the Galactic Republic prison facility. Upon being freed, Heart Rend led his warriors where they discovered the captive Dread Masters whereupon he decided to use these Sith's incredible fear related Force powers to break through their imprisonment.