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.
The Huntru family's beginnings are one of relative normality, with the caveat the family's origins lie with the destroyed planet of Alderaan. Quinel Huntru, the then patriarch and Riordan's grandfather, never agreed with the Clone Wars. Not only that, but the implementation of the Jedi into the army was something Quinel took grave offense to. It was after the Emperor's declaration of the failed assassination attempt by the Jedi, that Quinel decided he needed to protect his family and get away from the Core.
So, the Huntru family uprooted their lives, Quinel taking his wife, daughter, and son-in-law and fled to Hetzal Prime. Riordan's grandmother, Briama did not survive the trip, catching an illness and passing away before reaching Hetzal Prime. And the initial years of life were hard on the family, having to start from zero. But, it seems Quinel made the right choice, for the dissolution of the Republic into the Empire and the authoritarian stranglehold the Emperor put on the Core Worlds happened during their long transit. Eventually tragedy would strike the family once again, when Riordan's father, Branor, ran off to join the Rebellion following the destruction of Alderaan and was killed in action.
Riordan was raised to follow the letter of the law, to keep his head down and not cause any trouble. That you were either right (the law), or wrong (breaking the law) and that's all there was. The family survived the Empire's short but damaging reign of terror, and things seemed to return to a semblance of normalcy. Until Riordan started talking about how he felt a strange connection to the world around him. He swore he could hear the plants speak to him and he felt like he could understand the thoughts and feelings of animals. Quinel of course, knew what this meant and did his utmost to keep Riordan from exploring this connection. But that didn't stop the Jedi from finding him, when a knight of the Order visited the family on their small farmstead.
His grandfather was firmly against the idea, and his mother was simply worried for her son's safety. But the choice was ultimately left up to Riordan, and he chose the Jedi. After all, he was a young man of impeccable character and honor, someone who could easily fit the Jedi mold. And so, at the age of 13, Riordan left his family behind to travel to Dantooine, and begin his Jedi journey. Fast-forward six years later and Riordan is a freshly minted Padawan, and alongside his rescue bird Biscuit, readies himself to tackle the galaxy at large and bring peace to every corner. - Why does your character want to be a jedi? Riordan wants to be a Jedi because it's clearly something he was born to do. He's heard plenty of tales of the Jedi, both good and bad and is determined to do his part. The Jedi are necessary, and if Riordan can do more for the greater galaxy than raise and herd nerfs, he will jump at that chance every time.
- Are
there aspects of your character’s background (people, events, places)
that were more formative to your character’s current personal
development? Much of Riordan's temperament, beliefs, and ideologies were formed around his grandfather's direct influence in his upbringing. If he stayed out of trouble, did as he was told, and minded his own business everything would be okay. Quinel Huntru bred a very simplistic view of morality in his grandson, where you're either right by heeding the law, or you were wrong by disobeying it.
- Describe the kinds of personal relationships you might have had in your past? While Riordan struggles to remember anyone he'd necessarily deem an 'enemy', those of the Order know Riordan as a just, honest, and hardworking young man. He shows everyone he meets the same respect and courtesy, provided the same is returned to him in kind. He's not necessarily one for frivolity, a life of working from sunrise to sunset means he'd rather be doing something productive than idling away the hours.
- What is most Jedi-like about your character? What is least Jedi-like about your character? Riordan's most Jedi-like trait is his strong sense of duty and justice. He is a man who genuinely wants to help better the Galaxy, and he prefers to do that by taking on and eliminating the corrupt threats that plague it. What's least Jedi-like about him is his current stubborn unwillingness to see the 'grey areas' in a situation. To him, you either follow the rules, or face the consequences, intention means nothing.
- 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? In six years of training, Riordan's idea of the Force is what has been imparted to him, that it is the energy that binds all things. When he calls upon the Force he feels it like a 'tingle' through his body. Like jolts of electricity are coursing through him.
- 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? Nope
- What elements of your character are you most excited to explore, whether narrative or mechanical? I'm most excited to see how my boy's mindset develops throughout his story. His rather dogmatic ideology about right and wrong is aggressively flawed and will need to be challenged. What'll be most challenging is having Riordan be obtuse, and argumentative without it being too detracting from the session when he encounters people with opposing beliefs. I'm also trying to put my 31 year old head into the shoes of a 19 year old, and teenagers are a handful.
- Does your character have a long-term plan, mechanically? Pathfinder/Shii-Cho, otherwise open to development.
- The
Dark Side tempts each Jedi differently. How does it prey upon your
character's emotional weakness and what makes them susceptible to it? The Dark Side presents itself in Riordan's sense of moral self-righteousness. His unwillingness to consider the reasonings behind one actions beyond whether it was or wasn't unlawful makes him vulnerable to dehumanizing those he's sworn to protect. In a fight, Riordan doesn't fight to disarm or disable, he fights to kill. After all, when lives are on the line, and it's him or them, Riordan will choose himself.
- Would you rather start your character as an Initiate or as a Padawan? Padawan please.