This section will cover any major updates to the character's story as the campaign unfolds.
- Please provide a brief (at least one short paragraph) backstory for your character.
Fresh break of the day
An early, little sun sleeps
Warming all of us
Born on the jungle world of Kidron, Aryn was born into a large family that had grown into a Kage clan, an extended and larger family unit that meant he was raised with a father, mother, a dad and various other parents. While his father was physically large, powerful and a man with a feared reputation for being dangerous across the sector, he took more after his Zeltron mother in many ways; unfortunately, he didn’t inherit either his father’s talents for violence or his mother’s talents for stealth and accuracy with a blaster. Instead, from a young age he had a natural curiosity, sticking his nose in everyone’s business, asking constant questions unless his mother gave him a challenge to try and find out something without asking anything directly.
Aryn was the eighth child in the clan, and was quick to notice that he was smaller than his brothers and sisters, less physically able and compared to some, far less intelligent, too. While he was curious, he didn’t have the inherent intellect or knowledge some of them already did. He had a bit more physical ability than average though, and he began working hard, even from a young age, to try and increase that ability, to do better. All the while, he kept indulging his curiosity, trying to figure out what was behind anything going on. Growing up, while he was friendly and caring, and clearly loved all of his family, there was some tension in the dojo on Kidron. Particularly between Aryn and his older brother Vykan, who seemed intent to always pick on him, minimise what he achieved and sneer at him when he failed. Vykan was almost the opposite of himself - he had every physical talent of their father, being large, naturally powerful, fast and with a talent for violence. Whenever there was a chance for full contact sparring, Vykan relished the chance to let his little brother know his place.
Training for so long, and putting so much effort in, Aryn qualified to be named a full Kage adult and warrior by his father’s traditions by the time he came of age. Yet, he had only barely made it, and his father, who had always been somewhat distant in his style of parenting, only seemed to grow colder and harsher from Aryn’s perspective. Despite how hard he trained, and how much he tried to be a Kage Warrior, it felt like his father did everything he could to force him out of it, as though he considered him unworthy.
One day, a Jedi visiting Kidron in order to investigate goings-on in the City of Refuge found themself drawn to the compound where Aryn and his clan lived. Being received warmly, the moment the Jedi laid eyes on Aryn, they seemed to notice something off about him. Only a couple of days later did the Jedi inform Aryn and his family that he was sensitive to the flow of the force, that even if he didn’t know how to harness it or hadn’t picked it up as fast as others, he still had that same potential. They offered for Aryn to learn with the Jedi Order and explore his gifts, and after leaving a method to contact them, left almost as quickly as they had arrived.
At first, Aryn rejected the idea out of hand. He’d always wanted to be a Kage Warrior and be worthy of the feats of his parents, but one day, his father summoned him, and told him he was going to the Jedi. That it wasn’t a request, but an order. Feeling rejected yet again, Aryn raised his voice to and defied his father for the first time in his life, saying that he was going to stay on Kidron, that this was where he belonged. Seeming to harden his heart, Aryn’s father made a deal with him - they would fight, and if Aryn could land a single hit on him, which not one of his many talented children had been able to do, he could stay. If he lost, he was going to be a Jedi. The fight could barely be called that. Aryn used every bit of training he’d gotten, all the instruction his father had given him in martial arts and combat, and it was obvious to him by the second or third swing that he stood no chance. Despite being so much bigger, his father easily avoided his attacks, not even having to deflect or block him. Only after he had completely tired himself out did his father slap him; just once, but with his full strength. It was the hardest he’d ever been hit, and he could barely even recognise what room he was in, nevermind pull himself off the floor of it.
Walking away and declaring the fight over, Aryn’s father told him that he would go to the Jedi, and once he had spent enough time there, he would be summoned back for another test, to try again. Though he was made to pack his bags and get on a ship headed to Dantooine, Aryn was determined. He was gonna learn everything the Jedi had to teach him, gratefully take their lessons, and he was going to use whatever they could give him to be worthy. To finally be worthy. - Why does your character want to be a jedi? Aryn, at least to begin with, wants to learn from the Jedi in order to become worthy of his father and being a Kage Warrior, to be better in body, mind and soul.
- Are
there aspects of your character’s background (people, events, places)
that were more formative to your character’s current personal
development? Aryn's relationship with his father, who was once a highly dangerous killer in the Elrood Sector and now closer to a benevolent warlord on the planet Kidron, is the most formative in his journey to become a Jedi. It is his father, Keshon, who initially pushed him to join the Order, and is the person Aryn wants to prove himself to.
- Describe the kinds of personal relationships you might have had in your past? Aryn, being a friendly and inquisitive type, tends towards making friends and developing positive relationships. However, his tendency to not stand up for himself also makes him a target, especially for personalities like that of one of his older brothers, Vykan.
- What is most Jedi-like about your character? What is least Jedi-like about your character? Most Jedi-like about Aryn is his genuine compassion and empathy for those around him, seeking goodness and justice wherever it may be. Least Jedi-like is Aryn's non-confrontational nature and habit of letting things go that he shouldn't.
- Does your character have a strong idea of the Force? Do they experience it in a certain way or is it a mystery to them? Aryn has learned much about the force in theory, and has only recently come to understand what he experiences. For Aryn, the force tends to be voices in his head, reminding him of information, giving insight or advising him on what to do, if not giving cryptic hints. The voices he experiences are of those who are close to him or he associates with the subject he's currently confronting - right now, those are mostly his various parents and siblings.
- Some
characters have dark (or great) secrets that they keep locked away from
even their dearest friends. Does your character harbor a great regret
or a secret aspiration that is central to their character? While not a secret of his own, Aryn thinks his father, while involved in crime, was a genuine hero who fought for the Rebel Alliance, rather than someone who took what seemed most opportune at the time. Other than that, Aryn is an open and caring person, and doesn't tend to keep secrets.
- What elements of your character are you most excited to explore, whether narrative or mechanical?
I'm really excited to explore the various aspects of Investigator and also how Aryn experiences those more mystical, force focused elements, essentially getting ‘hints’ from familiar voices he has to figure out.
- Does your character have a long-term plan, mechanically? Right now, I know I want to fill out both Investigator and Steel Hand Adept, though I haven't considered too much of his specific force powers or where I'm taking him beyond that.
- The
Dark Side tempts each Jedi differently. How does it prey upon your
character's emotional weakness and what makes them susceptible to it? Aryn has a strong sense of compassion and care for others - the Dark Side can quickly twist that into fear for them, or anger and even hatred towards those who would hurt those undeserving and innocent across the galaxy.
- Would you rather start your character as an Initiate or as a Padawan? I had initially wanted to start as a Padawan to represent that Aryn has spent a few months at the order and has started to really understand how he experiences the Force and why it is that way.