- Please provide a brief (at least one short paragraph) backstory for your character.
Avril never knew her mother. Her father, an Imperial pilot, died during the Battle of Endor. She was raised by her uncle, Titus, a staunch believer in the power of the Imperial Throne, even after the Emperor's death.
When she came of age, she immediately registered in an Imperial Academy, and her high grades earned her a naval position as an Imperial starfighter pilot. She was assigned to Helmsplitter Squadron, stationed over Mandalore. Under Moff Gideon's rule, it was impressed upon Avril that the Mandalorians were savage barbarians, and that all actions taken against them were in service of maintaining lasting peace. Many of her early assignments were uneventful; Routine patrols both planetside and in Mandalore’s orbit. Occasionally, she found herself beating back pirate excursions into Mandalorian space.
Some months into her service, Helmsplitter Squadron was given a mission to Intercept a shuttle convoy discovered by an informant planetside. The passengers onboard were believed to be a contingent of Mandalorian terrorists, intent on rallying the disparate tribes under a banner of rebellion. Helmsplitter promptly intercepted the convoy, and opened fire on the defenseless shuttles. Helmsplitter 5, Avril, rounded the debris for her return, and from the dusky cockpit of her TIE L/N fighter, she witnessed the bodies of women and children floating in the cold void.
Horrified, Avril nearly lost control of her fighter, and protested over comms. Helmsplitter’s squadron leader, Dane, ordered her to fall in line- And insisted that this is the nature of keeping the peace. The other squadron members fell silent- If they harbored any traitorous thoughts, they would keep them close. When they returned to the ISD Terrasque, her distress roused suspicion among the aerial forces, and her nights became sleepless, tormented with the image of the innocent dead suspended in the void.
When the weight of her actions became too much, she took her belongings and staged a dangerous escape from the Tarrasque. Avril fled Mandalorian space in a stolen Lambda shuttle, and jumped as far as the ship's Hyperspace engine could manage.
Three years on, Avril worked as a freighter pilot out of a New Republic-aligned asteroid colony in the ‘southern’ reaches of the Outer Rim. She’s tried to keep her head down, living on forged citizenship documents. Her off-time was spent drinking, picking fights and betting on swoop races in cantinas. To repay a favor with the man who helped her settle in, she took on his friend's son, Denis, as an apprentice co-pilot.
On a cargo trip to Bothawui, the ship suffered a catastrophic system failure, and Denis was stood unfortunately close to a baydoor when it burst open into space. He held on to Avril's arm for dear life as their cargo was sucked into the void, and in a moment of desperation, she reached across the bay for the emergency override- It was too far. With a roar, she grasped the air, and a force beyond her reach tugged the lever. It snapped down, and the airlocks slammed shut.
Unable to explain what happened, Denis excitedly regaled the legends of the Jedi, and insisted that Avril might be one herself. She could hardly accept herself as a person of any real value after her time in the Imperial Navy- How could she possibly be a Jedi? All the same, after many sleepless nights, she left a letter of resignation to her employers, requesting that her remaining pay be directed to her old apprentice.
Without another word, Avril made her way to Dantooine. - Why does your character want to be a jedi? The murder of Mandalorian refugees has haunted Avril for years, and when her co-pilot was nearly taken by the void, it felt as if the nightmares were ready to begin anew. She wants to understand the manifestation of the Force that allowed her to save him, and deep down, she wants to believe that becoming a Jedi might help her atone for what happened on Mandalore.
- Are
there aspects of your character’s background (people, events, places)
that were more formative to your character’s current personal
development? Avril found companionship in her time aboard the Tarrasque with Helmsplitter Squadron. Revealing that her father died fighting the Rebellion at Endor earned her respect among her squadmates. They were all her friends, and before the shuttle incident, Helmsplitter 1, Dane, was like an older brother to her. While the thought of her squadron accepting such such crimes was horrifying to her, the idea of betraying them weighed heavily on her - It’s uncertain how quickly she’d be able to turn her blaster on a fellow Imperial as a result.
- Describe the kinds of personal relationships you might have had in your past? Titus Waver: Avril’s uncle, and an imperious figure in her younger years. He was her guardian figure, and put her on the path of following in her father’s footsteps as an Imperial pilot. He was a stern man, who rarely humored any free-spirited sentiments she had, projecting grief for his brother into a desire to see Avril reach his heights.
Helmsplitter 1, Dane Oslo: Squadron leader in charge of a distinguished TIE wing over Mandalore, stationed on the ISD Terrasque. A mentor figure for Avril who possessed a great deal of respect for her as a result of her families service to the Empire. However, when she expressed misgivings for how the Empire handle the unruly locals, he quickly considered her weak-willed and dangerous.
Denis Servel: A bright-eyed teenager apprenticed under Avril when she worked as a freighter pilot. Unaware of her past, he sees her as a distant yet fair mentor who he’s grown to respect greatly. Feels indebted to her when she saved his life near Bothawui, and misses her greatly. - What is most Jedi-like about your character? What is least Jedi-like about your character? Within Avril is a strong desire to help others - While she has trouble expressing this, she is quick to do someone a favor and despite a life’s worth of Imperial propaganda, she has found the Imperial Council’s methods to be abhorrent.
On the other hand, her regret has turned to rage. She is quick to anger and pick a fight with people she finds objectionable. It’s a struggle for her to let go of hard feelings, and this will usually manifest as her picking fights with people. She has many vices, leaning on alcohol and gambling. - 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? Avril views the force as a trait of the Jedi - She’s heard the stories, but struggles to visualize what the Force really is, and the idea that it really exists.
- 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? Avril is traumatized and ridden with guilt from her final mission on Mandalore. Years of conditioning did not prepare her for what happened, and she felt alone after. When she fled, the following years were difficult as she learned of the Empire’s crimes over the years- Such as the destruction of Alderaan.
She hasn’t opened up to a single soul since that day, and something deep within her hopes that pursuing the Jedi will help heal her scars. - What elements of your character are you most excited to explore, whether narrative or mechanical?
I’m most excited to play out Avril’s struggle coming to terms with the evil that her family served in the Empire, and playing that alongside her journey in becoming a Jedi - Meeting all sorts of new people she may have never even viewed as equals, had she carried down her original path. Better yet, I’d love to see her be faced with a fight against Imperials, and see how she struggles there.
I think that will also be the most challenging part of her; Playing out the potential moments where her past comes back to haunt her, confrontations with other students and republicans who were negatively impacted by the Empire’s reign. (Particularly if she has to face off against Mandalorians.) - Does your character have a long-term plan, mechanically? I’m hoping to build Avril as an unconventional Jedi who’s aggressive and isn’t afraid to implement conventional, ‘uncivilized’ weapons into her arsenal- Blasters and grenades alongside her saber. I’m also hoping to see her shine as a pilot and see her go through some dogfights. I’m new to the system, though! Hoping this is all achievable.
- The
Dark Side tempts each Jedi differently. How does it prey upon your
character's emotional weakness and what makes them susceptible to it? Guilt weighs heavily on Avril. The fear of hurting innocents, or failing to protect them, drives her to be impulsive. The idea of absolute power, offered by the Dark Side, is a tempting thing.
- Would you rather start your character as an Initiate or as a Padawan? Initiate!
