Bastian

Blighted Etherea: The Champions of Hope

Hiya, is this still open? I'm very interested.

Star Wars - Jedi Exile

Will likely have my next post up sometime tomorrow, and hopefully I'll be off-planet and on my way to the action somewhere by then.

Star Wars - Jedi Exile

I just ordered a set of all 9 Rogue Squadron books; be interesting to see how the movie will compare. Other than that, I'm most excited for Bad Batch (since it looks to be a continuation of Clone Wars), Kenobi, and Acolyte. Super interested to see what a series focused on the old Sith in canon will look like, since the Old Republic is probably my favorite era of Star Wars.

Slightly off topic, but is anyone else annoyed by what they've done to lightsabers in canon? I liked how they were just a highly customizable piece of technology, rather than the whole quasi-mystical route they've been taking with the sentient Kyber crystals and the whole Sith bleeding thing.

Star Wars - Jedi Exile

@Sep dunno if you removed it intentionally or not, but your imgur link from a few posts up is dead.

Star Wars - Jedi Exile

Bemizel Balu

It was hard to say when he'd last felt so alone. Perhaps before he had first felt the warmth of the Force, all those years ago as a child on the plains.

The plains were far away now. Huge trees loomed from all sides, suffocating in their closeness as Bem stumbled his way through the jungle in the dark. The few tiny slivers of sky visible in the canopy overhead had begun to turn gray with the predawn light - another day of running. The haggard Jedi had guessed, judging by the occasional colorful flashes in the skies and the deep tremors of the ground, that the Separatists managed to put together a hasty counteroffensive after the chaos and confusion at the Republic command post, though that hadn't stopped his own soldiers from combing the jungles for any trace of him. Any time he paused for breath, he could hear the faint whirring servos and telltale thudding footsteps of AT-RT scouts behind.

Alone. Bem's mind was still struggling to put the shattered pieces of his thoughts back together after what had happened. Liris. No. Too painful to think about. He couldn't bear to. His master had taught him to surrender himself to the Force, just as he'd taught to her. But the Force was little comfort right now, either. That wave of panic, confusion, and overwhelming pain had threatened to send him sprawling. Even now, he still felt occasional little agonizing shivers run through him as some other Jedi no doubt met with a terrible fate on some far-flung world.

Perhaps the only thing threatening to steal his sanity faster than his own crimes was the question that stood at the front of his mind, the maddening need to know how this terrible thing had been done to the Order. No, the Force would not be much help any time soon. He could barely concentrate enough to extend his senses to just beyond this -

Bem flattened himself against the nearest shaggy trunk instinctively. Far behind, he heard familiar voices, now, in addition to the scout walkers.

Another loud explosion seemed to rock the very planet itself. The Jedi seized the opportunity and took off again through the undergrowth, running perhaps a little faster this time. A creeping vine whipped at his face as he crashed forward, hoping to put some distance between himself and the searching troopers. He could only hope that on the other side of this jungle there was a settlement... or some other way off-world.

Star Wars - Jedi Exile

I'll have my first post up either later tonight or tomorrow morning, probably. Got it mostly typed up, just trying to figure out if I want to get right into the juicy action or not.

Star Wars - Jedi Exile

I hoped, I'd be done with it tonight, but guess I gamed a bit too much.

@rivaan

me with literally any responsibility

Star Wars - Jedi Exile

Jedi Knight Bemizel Balu

Bemizel "Bem" Balu

Age: 29

Species: Mirialan

Physical Appearance: Bem comes up to around average height for most near-human species at 5'9". Like most Mirialans, his hair is dark in color and lustrous in appearance. His skin is a bit darker than is typical for his race, more of a deep golden yellow than a pale green or gold. Owing to the significant amount of time he has devoted to watching over his homeworld of Mirial during the Clone Wars, Bem has acquired an impressive amount of facial tattoos for one of such youth. His eyes are a deep and solid blue, and his build is broad and powerful.

Up until very recently, Bem Balu was the very picture of a dashing young Jedi Knight. His hair was immaculately brushed, his robes and armor pressed and polished, his presence calm and reassuring in its confidence.

Now, though, little of that same confident Knight remains. His blue eyes are haunted and unfocused, his gaze seemingly somewhere else the majority of the time, and rimmed by dark circles of exhaustion. A large plasma burn claimed the hair on the right side of his scalp, and now only angry, inflamed red tissue grows there. The rest of his hair was clumsily cropped closer to his head and sticks up messily. He's swapped his Jedi garb for a singed, coolant-stained GAR mechanic's coveralls recovered from AT-TE wreckage, and a bacta patch covered by an improvised cloth bandage obscures most of the right side of his face for the time being.

Lightsaber: Bem's lightsaber is simple and spare in design, with a slightly elongated hilt to accommodate a two-handed grip and a slight curve at the pommel. The middle of the grip is smooth and featureless by design to fit more comfortably in the hand. The blade is a light, silvery green.

Bem also carries the blade of his recently lost Padawan, Liris. While similar in appearance to her master's, this hilt is the more traditional straight design. Its blade is a deep blue. Plasma and carbon scoring have worn and scarred the metal on this saber, and an unstable emitter matrix has given the blade a wavy, almost flame-like appearance. Though Bem constantly carries this saber with him as a reminder of sorts, he seldom uses it.

Bemizel Balu's lightsaber

Liris Olthea's lightsaber

Skills:

• Lightsaber Combat: One of Bem's chief skills is lightsaber combat. He has achieved particular skill in three of the forms.
  
  
  
  • FORM IV, Ataru: The form that the Mirialan Knight is most familiar and skilled with, Ataru came naturally to him as an extension of the force-assisted fighting styles he learned growing up on Mirial. His control over the form is such that he can use it to great effect not only on duels against single opponents, but also in the pitched battlefields of the Clone Wars, where multiple opponents may be present. While using Ataru and allowing the Force to assist him, Bem seems to move almost faster than usual as he switches from opponent to opponent.
  • FORM III, Soresu: Soresu is a form that Bem trained extensively in order to protect his troops from incoming blasterfire and to switch to from Ataru when put on the defensive during combat. Though he is nowhere near the likes of Masters like Obi-Wan Kenobi, he can use Soresu to great effect in forcing his opponents to make mistakes.
  • FORM II, Makashi: Makashi is only a recent interest of Bem's, as he discovered the mostly out-of-style form during his last visit to the Coruscant temple's archives. Regardless, he has found that the slow, economical, and elegant motion of the form to be a natural and oftentimes more effective combat version of Soresu. He may fall into this form in order to gain an advantage during duels, and even added some slight modifications to his lightsaber in order to greater accommodate the motions of the form into his fighting style.
• Starship Operation & Maintenance: While he isn't anywhere near the level of some of the ace pilots of the Order, Bem is still a somewhat skillful pilot thanks to the advantages the Force provides in combat and flying. He has also picked up enough knowledge of the maintenance of small transports and snub-fighters to make small repairs and modifications.
• Medicine: Bem's upbringing on Mirial was simple and at times harsh, and he picked up a surprising amount of knowledge on practical medicine before ever coming to the Jedi temple. He can assemble a rough medical kit with access to basic provisions, and treat minor or moderate wounds.
• The Negotiator: Years traveling with one of the Order's most renowned peacemakers and then his time as a Jedi Watchman has allowed Bem to cultivate finely-honed skills in diplomacy, negotiation, and persuasion.

Force Abilities:

• Force Persuasion: Bem's greatest natural strength in the Force is his ability to affect the minds of other beings, from misdirecting their attention with sounds and images to mind tricks to utilizing a rudimentary form of battle meditation. An extension of his natural charisma, this greatly aided in diplomatic missions and will likely serve some fundamental purpose in his flight from the forces of the nascent Galactic Empire.
• Force Speed/Enhancements: Owing to his Ataru specialization, Bem is adept at using the Force to enhance his natural abilities, including Force speed, Force jumps, and Force-assisted kicks, punches, etc.
• Telekinesis: Though he is not particularly gifted or with using the Force to move objects beyond any other Jedi knights, he can use this ability adequately.

Weaknesses:

• Energy Absorption/Redirection: One of the most prominent areas of the Force that Bem is notably lacking in. He cannot use the Force to deflect, absorb, freeze, or redirect energy like some gifted Knights and Masters can. He learned this to his detriment when, as a Padawan, he was disarmed and took a blaster wound to the abdomen as he attempted to stop the incoming blaster bolt.
• Stasis: Bem can't hold more than one thing in Force stasis at any given time, and it is extremely draining for him to do so.
• Survivor's Guilt: With his Padawan's death as a direct result of his actions during Order 66, Bem has been inflicted with extreme bouts of depression. His confidence in his abilities and in his cause have been shattered and he's been left reeling, without purpose, lost in a Galaxy that rapidly seems to be spiraling out of his control.
• Headstrong: Bem is, by nature, bold and action-oriented. Though his recent trauma has stolen his pride, he still has a worrying tendency to throw himself at problems headfirst without considering consequences, prefers to cut through puzzles rather than tease out the answers, and in general tries to force things to go his way. Sometimes, he even manages to drag others into the problems this creates for him.

Character History: Mirialans are noted for having a strong spiritual connection to the Force, and Bem was no exception. He was raised as part of a group of Force initiates on Mirial, living a relatively simple life in the cold and unforgiving environment and learning basic aptitude with the Force. Eventually, word reached Coruscant that one of the disciples on Mirial was notably strong in the Force, and an Ithorian Jedi Master by the name of Uuzwal Parrikk was dispatched to investigate.

And so, for the next 14 years, the young Mirialan served as a youngling at the Jedi Temple and eventually as Padawan to the same Master that had come to find him. His tutelage under the old Ithorian was best described as rocky - Master Uuzwal believed strongly in the virtues of patience and preparation, which caused the headstrong young apprentice much angst - but over time, as Bem matured into an adult, he came to greatly respect his teacher for his wealth of knowledge and his commitment to peace. After he became a Knight of the Republic, Bem continued to travel with his former Master around the Galaxy for a time, solving disputes and restoring order as they had done for almost the entirety of his apprenticeship, before going their separate ways.

Bem's achievements and charisma as a Knight earned him attention throughout the Order, as well as from the Council, but they feared that his pride was also becoming too great. As a way to temper his ambition and his hubris, he was assigned as Jedi Watchman to the Illisurevimurasi sector, and to his homeworld of Mirial, to keep watch over the inhabited worlds in the area and maintain peace. For the next four years, the Knight did his best to live as a humble protector of his own corner of space.

With the outbreak of the Clone Wars, Bem found himself being recalled to Coruscant for assignment as a Jedi General. Mirial and the surrounding space had fallen quickly under the control of the growing Separatist movement, and as Watchman he felt compelled to lead the offensive to retake all the lost ground on that front. This time, however, he had to contend with something new - an apprentice. Just before he left to fight in his first battle of the war, Bem was assigned a Padawan. Liris Olthea was a fellow Mirialan, and though their differing personalities caused trouble in their early relationship, over time they became inseparable as they worked to liberate Separatist territory.

Order 66: At the precise moment of Order 66, Liris and Bem were planning an offensive in a Republic forward command post on the jungle planet of Praadost II. As the order arrived from the Supreme Chancellor, both Jedi turned to face the bristling blasters of their own clone troops. While Liris, a deeply sensitive and empathetic Force user, was quickly overcome by the feeling of the countless deaths through the Force, her Master was spurred into action. He stood over her kneeling form, deflecting blaster fire back at his former troops. As more clones poured into the room, he seized hold of his apprentice and moved for the back exit, only to be surrounded outside by more troopers, and his battalion's two AT-TE walkers. Liris finally came to, activating her saber and working with her master to deflect the incoming hail of fire, but it proved to be too little. Bem was overcome with righteous anger towards the clones, and advanced towards the walkers, unwittingly breaking the defensive barrier the two had created with their sabers. As he plunged his saber into the cockpit of the lead walker, Liris tried to follow, but the concentration of blasterfire on her became too much. As several shots made it through her defense and pierced her body, she noticed the undamaged AT-TE moving its primary cannon into position to shoot her Master down. Bem was only able to watch helplessly as, in a last act of sacrifice, she seized hold of the barrel of the cannon with the Force, dragging it down just far enough that it shot the ground between the two walkers, destroying itself and throwing the pilotless walker into the air. Bem was blown clear of the complex, temporarily blinded as plasma fire and jagged shrapnel seared past the right side of his face and only just managing to recover enough to avoid being smashed against the craggy ground at the edge of the jungle. As he dragged himself into the foliage, his Padawan's charred lightsaber landed a short distance away.

Star Wars - Jedi Exile

@Bastian

Review

Accepted. I like it.

@Sep

Awesome, I'll move to the character section then!

Star Wars - Jedi Exile

Okay, this is a bit of a rough draft since I feel bad about being so late. Let me know if anything isn't okay as it is; I'm probably going to edit it more anyhow.

Jedi Knight Bemizel Balu

Bemizel "Bem" Balu

Age: 29

Species: Mirialan

Physical Appearance: Bem comes up to around average height for most near-human species at 5'9". Like most Mirialans, his hair is dark in color and lustrous in appearance. His skin is a bit darker than is typical for his race, more of a deep golden yellow than a pale green or gold. Owing to the significant amount of time he has devoted to watching over his homeworld of Mirial during the Clone Wars, Bem has acquired an impressive amount of facial tattoos for one of such youth. His eyes are a deep and solid blue, and his build is broad and powerful.

Up until very recently, Bem Balu was the very picture of a dashing young Jedi Knight. His hair was immaculately brushed, his robes and armor pressed and polished, his presence calm and reassuring in its confidence.

Now, though, little of that same confident Knight remains. His blue eyes are haunted and unfocused, his gaze seemingly somewhere else the majority of the time, and rimmed by dark circles of exhaustion. A large plasma burn claimed the hair on the right side of his scalp, and now only angry, inflamed red tissue grows there. The rest of his hair was clumsily cropped closer to his head and sticks up messily. He's swapped his Jedi garb for a singed, coolant-stained GAR mechanic's coveralls recovered from AT-TE wreckage, and a bacta patch covered by an improvised cloth bandage obscures most of the right side of his face for the time being.

Lightsaber: Bem's lightsaber is simple and spare in design, with a slightly elongated hilt to accommodate a two-handed grip and a slight curve at the pommel. The middle of the grip is smooth and featureless by design to fit more comfortably in the hand. The blade is a light, silvery green.

Bem also carries the blade of his recently lost Padawan, Liris. While similar in appearance to her master's, this hilt is the more traditional straight design. Its blade is a deep blue. Plasma and carbon scoring have worn and scarred the metal on this saber, and an unstable emitter matrix has given the blade a wavy, almost flame-like appearance. Though Bem constantly carries this saber with him as a reminder of sorts, he seldom uses it.

Bemizel Balu's lightsaber

Liris Olthea's lightsaber

Skills:

• Lightsaber Combat: One of Bem's chief skills is lightsaber combat. He has achieved particular skill in three of the forms.
  
  • FORM IV, Ataru: The form that the Mirialan Knight is most familiar and skilled with, Ataru came naturally to him as an extension of the force-assisted fighting styles he learned growing up on Mirial. His control over the form is such that he can use it to great effect not only on duels against single opponents, but also in the pitched battlefields of the Clone Wars, where multiple opponents may be present. While using Ataru and allowing the Force to assist him, Bem seems to move almost faster than usual as he switches from opponent to opponent.
  • FORM III, Soresu: Soresu is a form that Bem trained extensively in order to protect his troops from incoming blasterfire and to switch to from Ataru when put on the defensive during combat. Though he is nowhere near the likes of Masters like Obi-Wan Kenobi, he can use Soresu to great effect in forcing his opponents to make mistakes.
  • FORM II, Makashi: Makashi is only a recent interest of Bem's, as he discovered the mostly out-of-style form during his last visit to the Coruscant temple's archives. Regardless, he has found that the slow, economical, and elegant motion of the form to be a natural and oftentimes more effective combat version of Soresu. He may fall into this form in order to gain an advantage during duels, and even added some slight modifications to his lightsaber in order to greater accommodate the motions of the form into his fighting style.
• Starship Operation & Maintenance: While he isn't anywhere near the level of some of the ace pilots of the Order, Bem is still a somewhat skillful pilot thanks to the advantages the Force provides in combat and flying. He has also picked up enough knowledge of the maintenance of small transports and snub-fighters to make small repairs and modifications.
• Medicine: Bem's upbringing on Mirial was simple and at times harsh, and he picked up a surprising amount of knowledge on practical medicine before ever coming to the Jedi temple. He can assemble a rough medical kit with access to basic provisions, and treat minor or moderate wounds.
• The Negotiator: Years traveling with one of the Order's most renowned peacemakers and then his time as a Jedi Watchman has allowed Bem to cultivate finely-honed skills in diplomacy, negotiation, and persuasion.

Force Abilities:

• Force Persuasion: Bem's greatest natural strength in the Force is his ability to affect the minds of other beings, from misdirecting their attention with sounds and images to mind tricks to utilizing a rudimentary form of battle meditation. An extension of his natural charisma, this greatly aided in diplomatic missions and will likely serve some fundamental purpose in his flight from the forces of the nascent Galactic Empire.
• Force Speed/Enhancements: Owing to his Ataru specialization, Bem is adept at using the Force to enhance his natural abilities, including Force speed, Force jumps, and Force-assisted kicks, punches, etc.
• Telekinesis: Though he is not particularly gifted or with using the Force to move objects beyond any other Jedi knights, he can use this ability adequately.

Weaknesses:

• Energy Absorption/Redirection: One of the most prominent areas of the Force that Bem is notably lacking in. He cannot use the Force to deflect, absorb, freeze, or redirect energy like some gifted Knights and Masters can. He learned this to his detriment when, as a Padawan, he was disarmed and took a blaster wound to the abdomen as he attempted to stop the incoming blaster bolt.
• Stasis: Bem can't hold more than one thing in Force stasis at any given time, and it is extremely draining for him to do so.
• Survivor's Guilt: With his Padawan's death as a direct result of his actions during Order 66, Bem has been inflicted with extreme bouts of depression. His confidence in his abilities and in his cause have been shattered and he's been left reeling, without purpose, lost in a Galaxy that rapidly seems to be spiraling out of his control.
• Headstrong: Bem is, by nature, bold and action-oriented. Though his recent trauma has stolen his pride, he still has a worrying tendency to throw himself at problems headfirst without considering consequences, prefers to cut through puzzles rather than tease out the answers, and in general tries to force things to go his way. Sometimes, he even manages to drag others into the problems this creates for him.

Character History: Mirialans are noted for having a strong spiritual connection to the Force, and Bem was no exception. He was raised as part of a group of Force initiates on Mirial, living a relatively simple life in the cold and unforgiving environment and learning basic aptitude with the Force. Eventually, word reached Coruscant that one of the disciples on Mirial was notably strong in the Force, and an Ithorian Jedi Master by the name of Uuzwal Parrikk was dispatched to investigate.

And so, for the next 14 years, the young Mirialan served as a youngling at the Jedi Temple and eventually as Padawan to the same Master that had come to find him. His tutelage under the old Ithorian was best described as rocky - Master Uuzwal believed strongly in the virtues of patience and preparation, which caused the headstrong young apprentice much angst - but over time, as Bem matured into an adult, he came to greatly respect his teacher for his wealth of knowledge and his commitment to peace. After he became a Knight of the Republic, Bem continued to travel with his former Master around the Galaxy for a time, solving disputes and restoring order as they had done for almost the entirety of his apprenticeship, before going their separate ways.

Bem's achievements and charisma as a Knight earned him attention throughout the Order, as well as from the Council, but they feared that his pride was also becoming too great. As a way to temper his ambition and his hubris, he was assigned as Jedi Watchman to the Illisurevimurasi sector, and to his homeworld of Mirial, to keep watch over the inhabited worlds in the area and maintain peace. For the next four years, the Knight did his best to live as a humble protector of his own corner of space.

With the outbreak of the Clone Wars, Bem found himself being recalled to Coruscant for assignment as a Jedi General. Mirial and the surrounding space had fallen quickly under the control of the growing Separatist movement, and as Watchman he felt compelled to lead the offensive to retake all the lost ground on that front. This time, however, he had to contend with something new - an apprentice. Just before he left to fight in his first battle of the war, Bem was assigned a Padawan. Liris Olthea was a fellow Mirialan, and though their differing personalities caused trouble in their early relationship, over time they became inseparable as they worked to liberate Separatist territory.

Order 66: At the precise moment of Order 66, Liris and Bem were planning an offensive in a Republic forward command post on the jungle planet of Praadost II. As the order arrived from the Supreme Chancellor, both Jedi turned to face the bristling blasters of their own clone troops. While Liris, a deeply sensitive and empathetic Force user, was quickly overcome by the feeling of the countless deaths through the Force, her Master was spurred into action. He stood over her kneeling form, deflecting blaster fire back at his former troops. As more clones poured into the room, he seized hold of his apprentice and moved for the back exit, only to be surrounded outside by more troopers, and his battalion's two AT-TE walkers. Liris finally came to, activating her saber and working with her master to deflect the incoming hail of fire, but it proved to be too little. Bem was overcome with righteous anger towards the clones, and advanced towards the walkers, unwittingly breaking the defensive barrier the two had created with their sabers. As he plunged his saber into the cockpit of the lead walker, Liris tried to follow, but the concentration of blasterfire on her became too much. As several shots made it through her defense and pierced her body, she noticed the undamaged AT-TE moving its primary cannon into position to shoot her Master down. Bem was only able to watch helplessly as, in a last act of sacrifice, she seized hold of the barrel of the cannon with the Force, dragging it down just far enough that it shot the ground between the two walkers, destroying itself and throwing the pilotless walker into the air. Bem was blown clear of the complex, temporarily blinded as plasma fire and jagged shrapnel seared past the right side of his face and only just managing to recover enough to avoid being smashed against the craggy ground at the edge of the jungle. As he dragged himself into the foliage, his Padawan's charred lightsaber landed a short distance away.