Please provide a brief (at least one short paragraph) backstory for your character.
Kaelen Rieve was born before the fall of the Empire, was a child when it began to a crumble, and was raised a citizen of the Bastion. The Empire she knew was a shadow of it's glory days. And yet it was still her home. From a young age she was taught to hate the Rebellion, to despise it. As a teenager that vitriol faded, but the scars of childhood rarely leave forever. And like many in the Bastion, as she reached adulthood the military looked more and more the most viable path for her future.
So she enlisted, willingly. Unfit to be an officer, she still managed to both survive long enough and perform admirably enough to become a sergeant. It helped that her skill was uncanny. Everything came easy, and now and then glimpses of what might be graced her. That career ultimately come to an end on one ill fated operation. A newer, petty person and privileged person found a place as their units most senior officer. And unfortunately for Kaelen, her squad's newest member happened to be someone that that officer despised, very, very much. It was no small stroke of luck then, that when her squad was decimated in the field. She had managed to survive. More oddly yet, when next she was found. It was at the merciful hand of a jedi, whom she couldn't bring herself to fight.
Perhaps it was simply fate that had found her at last.Why does your character want to be a jedi?
Kaelen has been given a new lease on life. A second chance at making something of herself beyond the confines of the society she was born into. And most importantly, a lens into a people that she had been taught her whole life were her greatest enemies. Now she wants to try and put the past behind her. To hone and develop that talent- the force as she now knows it, that had been with her the whole time. And to use that power to do good for the galaxy as a whole. Especially those stuck in the dark.Are there aspects of your character’s background (people, events, places) that were more formative to your character’s current personal development?
I would say what is most formative to her, is her entire upbringing as an Imperial, and now her uprooting and culture shock into an entirely different way of life. She has a strong affinity for the people she left behind generally. Her family is still alive. The officer that damned her and her squad is certainly still kicking, and hell- maybe members of her unit who might recognize her lived too. Being an Imperial, and being a solider was everything to her.Describe the kinds of personal relationships you might have had in your past? Be as general or as specific as you’d like. What do the kinds of friends and enemies you have made say about your character?
Kaelen is quick to befriend those she struggles alongside. Or at the very least, quick to become attached to their continued survival and well being. She was never one with strong, distinct enemies. Just targets. And that is an issue in and among itself. A habit and quirk of training that will have to be grown out of. Lest she start seeing those in the way of the Order of the obstacles and not people.What is most Jedi-like about your character? What is least Jedi-like about your character?
Kaelen isn't afraid to act and put herself in danger for others. Especially those under her care. More importantly, her own experience with the order has led to her valuing life generally. If she can be spared, and given a second chance. Surely others are worthy of that too. On the other hand, she can be dispassionate and cold. She can view people as statistics at times, and has trouble forming actual relationships with others beyond a surface level.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?
She has a developing concept of the force. But until now it has been a mystery, and entirely intuitive. She knows the Jedi existed. And she knows they currently exist. But until her own brush with their order, they may as well have been a legend or rumor.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?
No. Unless you want one to form for her. (Such as a family member becoming far more relevant than they were, and putting her in a precarious spot.)What elements of your character are you most excited to explore, whether narrative or mechanical? What aspect of your character do you think will be most challenging to play? We also encourage you to think about how your character does/will interact with the Force and how you may also want that to change mechanically/narratively as your character grows.
I want to engage with the drama and struggle of being an Imperial turned Jedi. I would like to explore the pains of standing against a culture and society you grew up in, and valued for the majority of your life. To work through the difficult choices adventures involving them will at times, inevitably entail for someone who was once sympathetic. I do think at times it will be hard to play someone cold and aloof, as it is not my forte. But I would like her to grow out of that in time as well, especially as she becomes more connected to the living force. And maybe one day having her weakness become fear. Especially of losing the friends and attachments she has made by then, and all that she has fought to create and protect.Does your character have a long-term plan, mechanically?
Warden>Knight or General>Colossus. I want Kaelen to lean into the physical aspect of being a Jedi, and to be able to boldly confront darkness, protect her peers, and stand toe to toe with Dark Siders. Even if she dies or gets seriously hurt doing so. While the force will matter to her, I wish for her to pursue becoming a proper saber master of the order. A warrior of the light.The Dark Side tempts each Jedi differently. How does it prey upon your character's emotional weakness and what makes them susceptible to it?
While Kaelen is brave, and values life. She could certainly be put into a dispassionate situation, of valuing the many over the few. Additionally her cold mistrust, can lead to her doubting those in need or even treating them poorly while helping them. This distancing could easily make her susceptible to isolation and paranoia if exploited or exacerbated and who knows what else beyond?Would you rather start your character as an Initiate or as a Padawan? Initiate.
