- Please provide a brief (at least one short paragraph) backstory for your character.
Rax and Chara Drevan didn’t plan to have a child. The pair had stuck together for years out of necessity. Lifelong friends who, due to circumstances both beyond them and because of them, simply leaned on one another to survive till the next day. What started as a pairing of friends looking out for one another, eventually developed into something more passionate. Neither called it “love” yet the measures they went to for the other clearly showed it as so. It was supposed to be just the two of them against the world. To try and get out of their squalor which they deemed to have been unfairly bestowed upon them. Even with the elegant structures of Lunalis, there was no hiding the districts with those much less fortunate.
Chara’s pregnancy almost broke the couple. Their relatively solitary existence now undone by this coming “miracle of life.” Yet, as they had learned, every situation could be turned to their favor. Both of them were savvy in duping those with deeper pockets and had grown increasingly more skilled in the art of petty fraud. The Pantoran child who would come to be known as Talia, was kept, as many things in Rax’s and Chara’s life, as a necessity. The pair used the pregnancy and subsequent birth as simple ways to build themselves up. Few would turn away a woman with child, let alone an aspiring family who just wanted the best for their child.
Talia’s birth forced Rax and Chara to reevaluate their path. Yet not in the way most people would expect. No, instead of trying to turn a new page, start a path of honesty, the couple decided to use their child as a tool. They began presenting themselves as a religious couple, using the various deities of the Pantorans as selling points, appealing to the generosity of their people. It started slowly. First simply going on the streets and spreading “the good word” of the gods. The operation evolved as Talia grew, becoming eventually more about promising blessings in exchange for noble donations.
A lie here, a well-placed rumor there and the Drevan family became known in certain circles as those who could truly influence other people’s lives with fitting prayers and words of wisdom. Many of which were from actual texts, equally as many being seemingly fictional. The couple even paid a few people to spread these stories of their connection to the divine. After all, who wouldn’t believe the story of friends turned lovers, lifting each other up from poverty due to spreading the good word? Particularly when a toddler-aged Talia was taught and sent on similar tasks – her youth, silver tongue, and simple cutesy nature winning over even the most cold of hearts. (READ MORE) - Why does your character want to be a jedi? Talia’s desire to become a Jedi was influenced by partly a desire for purpose after her previous life was uprooted. Another part of her simply sensed that the Jedi were people who could offer her companionship, as much as she wanted to strike out on her own. When they spoke to her, it was as if she could sense that it would be good for her to go with them. At the time, she didn’t quite realize it was perhaps the Force making itself known within. Talia trusted that instinct and went with them, finding that people are better than no people. Especially when it could offer her an opportunity to help those in unfortunate circumstances as she had herself been in.
- Are
there aspects of your character’s background (people, events, places)
that were more formative to your character’s current personal
development? Talia hasn’t been anywhere outside of the Pantoran capital before her Jedi chapter. It’s the one place she knows inside and out and where most of her connections lie. Her parents, now imprisoned somewhere, remain perhaps the most important figures for her. But there was an unmentioned specific group of children she hung out with often. A small group of friends she could hold onto for a while, who helped her form aspects of herself - namely her enjoyment of a community, confidence and overall scrappy nature.
As for formative events, perhaps the first example would be Talia’s decision to stay with her parents. Now, mind you, this was her at a young age, but she still heavily considered running away. Instead, because she was afraid of the unknown and being alone, she decided to remain by their side.
The other formative event was pretty much the Jedi arriving and taking her with them. It marked the biggest turning point in her life, shaping her much more than she initially thought. - Describe the kinds of personal relationships you might have had in your past? She never really had a classic relationship with her parents as so many did. A lot of it was transactional, but there was “love” lingering beneath all that, which they showed in their own way. Otherwise, her small little collective was her other “family” if she could call it that. Then, she had connections all over the city - some which have remained favourable, others not as much. There are a few shop owners and small-time criminals she still looks back on fondly, making mental notes to visit them should she set foot in her home city again.
- What is most Jedi-like about your character? What is least Jedi-like about your character? Talia has always trusted her instincts. If she has a gut feeling about something, she’ll likely act on it. Particularly in this new, larger world, she has to rely on her instinct and it’s something that will never waver. Talia is also a staunch defender of those caught between the wheels of life. She grew up as someone like that, despite her family’s relative success later in life, but she still mostly was relegated to the poorer districts of the capital. Most of her closest friends from that time were in the same situation as her, so she will always be someone who will try to help those that may not be able to help themselves.
With that being said, Talia has a difficult time letting go of her past. Particularly when it involves her parents and her general upbringing. She has still very few answers to a plethora of questions and often finds herself thinking about what could have been. While not a byproduct of this, Talia’s confidence and trusting her gut can lead her to being reckless, sometimes not taking the time to properly think through a given plan as she starts formulating one. - 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?Her initial connection to the Force manifested at a fairly young age, though since her knowledge of the Force was practically non-existent, she simply chalked it up to being good with people. As if she was often in tune with whoever she talked to and could say exactly the right things. Since joining the Jedi, she has gotten a much stronger grasp on the Force and has since made clear connections in how she interprets people and environments around her.
- 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? Talia is intent on finding the location of her parents. It is something she has asked about before, but after being turned down, she has said nothing on the matter aside from just the fact that her parents are out of the picture now. She still aims to find them herself, somehow. What she will do if she succeeds or what she will ask them, Talia doesn’t know yet. It’s something she doesn’t share with anyone, only giving the most general facts to those who ask
- What elements of your character are you most excited to explore, whether narrative or mechanical?
I think a challenge will be to play her instincts and mild doubt in the Jedi well enough to have her come across as not falling to the Dark Side. She is passionate, instinctual, and has her own opinions on matters, as much as she is aligned with the Jedi. Additionally, her personal aspiration can be very easy to be turned into something dark, which I’d rather not do, but I do want her to be someone who isn’t a die-hard Jedi fangirl. Despite what they’ve done for her and the gratitude she’s shown, Talia is her own person still.
Mechanically, I think mastering her sense abilities and particularly becoming an expert with the lightsaber are something I’m very interested in developing. She’ll be a sort of defensive character, which I think could also be interesting in certain situations, taking into account her personality. - Does your character have a long-term plan, mechanically? I think the previous question sheds some light on this already, but I think I’d want Talia to be very well-versed with the lightsaber, as well as becoming more in tune with the Force and her particular brand of abilities. She’d also likely look into ways that can help her gain information for her personal goal, which could affect her mechanically, though I’m not fully sure how yet.
- The
Dark Side tempts each Jedi differently. How does it prey upon your
character's emotional weakness and what makes them susceptible to it?
Talia presents herself as a confident, scrappy individual who has an almost effortless charm. She likes people, gets along with them easily and can likely get what she wants out of them with a well-formulated conversation. And while this is all true, she is ultimately a woman who has fearful thoughts of ending up entirely alone. When that seeps in, her confidence wavers. She doesn’t need a dozen close friends, but she likes to know people in general. So that if she needs anything, there is always someone to turn to. If she needs to vent, she’ll have an ear. If she’s alone, there is nothing for her and while she could manage, the potential fear of that and what could happen because of it is something she avoids thinking about.
She’s also susceptible to anger, stemming from her occasional recklessness. It’s best seen when those she cares about are threatened or if those less fortunate (people she’s vowed to protect) are harmed in some way. - Would you rather start your character as an Initiate or as a Padawan? I believe Talia would start as a Padawan. While I didn’t specifically mention her age when she went with the Jedi, she likely would’ve been in her early-ish teens, maybe a bit younger.
