Technical data
Name: Fa-Val-Kuul
Species: Tiss’shar
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Faction: Jedi Strike Team
Rank: Jedi Master
Master: N/A
Former master(s): Thanan Halis
Concerning you
You are on a mission. How did you dress for it? What else can you say about your looks?
I dress practically. I do not tend to wear Jedi robes on missions into enemy territory, Instead, I follow the customs of my own species and wear only tool belts or other harnesses to carry my equipment. In colder climates, I will wear a heated suit or vest. I am of of the Tiss’shar subspecies orl-ar:
, and have solid black eyes with a notably muscular build.
In order to confront the Sith, you need to be strong. Name one weakness or flaw you have identified but not neutralized.
Emotion and passion are my constant struggles. My nature is to be a predator. The instincts of a Tiss’shar are cold, calculating, and vicious, something that has shaped their entire society. It is not a unique position among Jedi, as there are many other species with similar instincts, but I did not settle to approach it in the same way. While others would seek to deny and suppress their more problematic instincts, I have accepted that they are a part of who I am. I chose to learn how to use my nature in the service of the light: a choice that has shaped my path as a Jedi. I am bold, direct, and, in combat, use controlled passion to deadly effect. However, to live in such a way requires me to maintain a constant balance between the peace afforded to me by my conscious mind, and the fury of my inner self. I am a loyal Jedi, but I know I cannot afford to err in controlling my passions. It is a constant struggle for balance within myself, which I do not believe I will ever neutralize.
Fighting Sith is not easy. How do you plan to use the Force for this?
Combat-wise, my force abilities are focused around augmenting my lightsaber combat and physical prowess. Telekinesis is a powerful and versatile tool in the arsenal of any Jedi, and I have trained to use it creatively and effectively. However, the most unique, and powerful, ability I possess is that of force body. I can use the force to essentially bypass the limitations my body places on itself to augment my physical abilities far beyond what is natural. I become faster, stronger, quicker thinking, and all around more effective. Unfortunately, those natural limitations are in place for a reason, and depending on how far I push myself, using this ability can cause harm to my body. Internal bleeding, snapped tendons, and broken bones are only a few of the injuries I can potentially give myself. As a consequence of this, I have also trained in the healing aspects of the force to rejuvenate my body as I destroy it. My use of the force requires that I maintain a balance between augmenting my abilities and mending my injuries. It is certainly possible for me to push myself beyond what my healing can handle.
Sure, you can use the Force… but what else can you do?
I am a Jedi Guardian, specialized as a Jedi Battlemaster. I have years of experience leading both soldiers and Jedi alike. As a predator, I have natural talents for tracking targets, which is further enhanced by training and experience. I have a particular attention for detail when observing a situation that has served me well for forming strategies.
Something got you to join this mission. What was it? What events shaped your life?
I was hatched on a remote agrarian colony in the outer rim, though I was not there long before my force sensitivity was discovered. It was something my parents were familiar with, as my brother before me had also had the same kind of sensitivity. As such, I was given to the Jedi Order before I could form permanent memories. Growing up, I was aware of my brother’s existence, but I never met him in person until I was an adult. Even now, we are not terribly close, as we both agree that such an attachment could be more dangerous than helpful.
At first, I did not stand out among my fellow initiates, and in some ways, I even lagged behind. I was somewhat impatient, and prone to outbursts of passion and anger. The peaceful, placid mindset which Jedi strove to achieve was simply not part of my nature, but that was hardly a unique problem among initiates. Some were of predator species like myself, while other younglings simply had fiery spirits. In any case, my instructors taught me techniques to keep myself calm. Or at least, calm enough to pass my initiate trials.
I eventually became a Padawan to a Human Jedi named Thanan Halis. He was a rather practical Jedi, and the one who set me on my current path to inner balance. For the first year or two, my abilities progressed decently, but I was still hindered by my natural passions and other inner conflicts. However, my master taught me not to wholly reject my nature, as it was a part of who I was. It was a part of my identity. Instead, I sought to bring my instincts into balance with my conscious mind, while preventing them from drawing me to the dark side. And over time, I learned how to use them to serve the light. It was no easy path, and I came close to falling more times than I would have liked, but in the end, I grew to have an understanding of the passions and emotions that had corrupted so many Jedi. And with that understanding, I could control them.
Being raised in the midst of a war, it was almost unavoidable that I would see combat during my training. Through the entire time that I was a Padawan, my missions brought me into battle, sometimes unintentionally. I of course had missions of a more peacekeeping nature, solving some of the more mundane problems afflicting the average Republic citizen, but those often just became interludes between the “real” missions, fighting the real threat. My master disliked war just as much as any other Jedi, but he knew that a Sith Empire was not a fate to which the galaxy could afford to be subjected. For my own part, I could not disagree. I had seen, through the course of my apprenticeship, what life was like in enemy territory. As a non-human myself, what I had witnessed struck me as horrible on a more personal level.
In terms of my combat skills, the war had shaped me into a warrior-Jedi, and with my master’s guidance, I attained enough inner balance to pass my Trials of Knighthood without any more difficulty as the average Jedi. But, the war was nowhere close to over, and it would continue to dominate my life. It was not a week after becoming a knight that I was back on the battlefield. I took on a Padawan myself after a while, but I never fully left the war.
As the years marched forward, I became a more effective Jedi Guardian, even as the Republic drew no closer to victory. Every struggle and defeat we faced pulled us farther back than our successes pushed us forward. I have saved many lives and killed or captured many of the Republic’s enemies over the course of my career. My skills with a lightsaber have been honed to a fine point, and my connection to the force has grown to the point to raise me to the upper ranks of the Jedi. After being captured, surviving Sith torture and interrogation, and eventually escaping, I was named to be a Master of the Jedi order. Later, during a battle that most would consider hopeless, I turned the tide into an unquestionable victory. Through clever strategy and martial prowess, I saved a battalion of exhausted, undersupplied, and beleaguered Republic soldiers from certain destruction, and nearly killed a Sith Lord in the process. For that, I was considered worthy to be named a Jedi Battlemaster. Despite all of those successes, the war still rages on, with the Republic seemingly in constant retreat. I know that much more will have to be done to protect the Republic so that is why I have chosen to lead this mission. I must never give up on the hope that the Republic can once again exist in peace.
What are you like, and what keeps you motivated?
The war which has shaped my life has elevated me to the heights of the Jedi Order, but all of those successes seem hollow when I can see that the threat of the Sith is still very present to every Republic citizen. When I recognize that all of my efforts have not been enough to stop an enslaving army of the Dark Side from pushing the Republic to the edge of collapse, I know that I have to push myself ever farther to finally bring peace to the galaxy. Like any Jedi, I want to protect the innocent, and I see the Sith as the primary enemy to that goal. I particularly want to ensure that the Republic’s non-humans never have to experience a life under the rule of the Sith. As for myself, I am not am not a common Jedi. I am more…practical, bold, and often blunt. I can respect those who can adhere strictly to all of the Order’s traditions, exactly as they are written, but I have seen too much of the galaxy to believe that is a realistic goal, or even a wise one. My own, internal struggle with my basic nature were not solved by traditional means, so I have experience with the flaws of those traditions. As such, I sometimes take more liberal interpretations of the Jedi code. In general, I maintain a calm exterior. I have been on the battlefield more than long enough to be comfortable being close to my soldiers, though I do not form long-term attachments. I can be friendly, kind, and even joking when the situation calls for it. However, when combat is upon me, I am like almost no other Jedi. I fight with controlled passion, so while my expression may be calm, my movements tend to be nothing short of ferocious.
How do you fight with lightsabers?
I have a great deal of training in lightsaber combat and am proficient in all officially recognized lightsaber forms, but I do have my own specialties. I wield a standard lightsaber, along with a lightsaber shoto. I may use one or both, depending on the situation. I am an aggressive fighter, and tend to focus on the form Juyo. It is, in several ways, a reflection of my own personality, as it requires the use of controlled passion. It channels the ferocity that it innate within me, but with focus, I can still maintain a calm conscious mind while using it. However, I, like any other master, do not restrict myself to the use of a single style. I am able to incorporate controlled passion into styles which do not traditionally make use of it. As one who frequently sees combat, I use Soresu for defense against blasters, Ataru and Jar’kai to take advantage of my agility with dual blades, and elements of telekinetic combat from Niman. In difficult situations, I have even found methods of incorporating surprisingly aggressive counterattacks into the traditionally very defensive form of Makashi. I have become accustomed to tying elements of different styles together in combat, and switching between them rapidly to remain unpredictable in combat.
One of the more unique aspects of my combat style is how I integrate thrown lightsabers into my personal style. I can of course throw them in the traditional way, but I have also practiced fine control of how I can manipulate them in the air. My shoto is a particularly agile weapon, so I can make quick, telekinetic swings that can surprise my foes.
How do you relate to the other characters?
Republic Special Forces lieutenant Vebra Mirthios has served alongside the battalion I commanded on many occasions for years. I know him personally, and am confident enough in his and his squad’s abilities that I recommended him for this mission.
Out of Character
How powerful is (s)he in the Force?
Fa-Val-Kuul is a Jedi master, so all of her core force abilities are appropriately powerful.
Fa is capable of particularly potent and creative applications of telekinesis. She is talented in its standard applications, such as push, pull, jump, and telekinetic movement, but she can also telekinetically manipulate her lightsaber precisely and gracefully in combat. More than standard lightsaber throws, she has integrated the telekinetic movement of her lightsabers into her personal combat style. In addition, Fa is capable of using force wave to create a telekinetic blast of energy.
Force body is Fa’s most effective ability for enhancing her abilities with a lightsaber. She is able to bypass the natural limitations of her body to greatly increase her strength, speed, and reactions. It can allow her to perform great physical feats, but the farther she pushes herself, the more of a risk there is that this ability can cause her to physically injure herself.
As a consequence of Fa’s use of force body, she has trained herself in force healing to counteract her self-inflicted injuries. She can heal many common bodily injuries in a short time, but her healing does have its limits, and she can certainly push herself farther than her healing can handle with force body.
Force speed is another option Fa has to enhance her physical combat abilities, which she often uses before force body, since its physical side effects are not as severe. In some situations, she will use force speed in conjunction with force body to reach truly exceptional speeds.
Force valor allows Fa to enhance the resolve, accuracy, and speed of herself and her allies. The effect is noticeable if she is actively engaged in the fight, but can become more pronounced if she is truly focused on it.
To deal with more powerful Sith, Fa is practiced in Tutaminis, and is capable of absorbing a strong lightning attack.
Because of her style of fighting, Fa has intimate knowledge of many aspects of pain. Force body tears at her physical form, while her healing mends it back together. The process is, understandably, rather painful, so she has practiced in the technique of Crucitorn. Due to her deep understanding of pain, she can diminish the feeling of pain within herself or others, or amplify it in the body of a foe.
Tapas has been a crucial force technique to allow Fa to operate with the same effectiveness as her fellow Jedi and soldiers. As a Tiss’shar, she is naturally a cold-blooded being, unable to regulate her own body temperature. As such, she uses the force to keep herself warm in cold environments.
List of powers:
All core force abilities at a level fitting of a master
Telekinesis
Force Body
Force Healing
Force Speed
Throw Lightsaber
Force Wave
Force Valor
Tutaminis
Crucitorn
Tapas
Has your character encountered members of the other factions before?
Fa has encountered the Sith Lord Sish. During the battle which caused her to be elevated to the rank of Battlemaster, she dueled the Trandoshan, and wounded him severely. Unfortunately, she was not able to kill him during the battle, so he survived to continue serving the Sith’s Empire.
Your character can’t know his/her every weakness or flaw. Which ones were missing above?
Fa is dedicated fully to her mission to eliminate Nyiss. Capture is not her intent, but neither is rescue. She does not currently know of the Jedi prisoners that Nyiss’ forces will be holding, but they will not change her mission. She is certainly willing to rescue them if possible, but her willingness to make sacrifices in order to eliminate Nyiss could bring her into conflict with other Jedi with different priorities.
Fa’s own failures, or rather, the inadequacy of her successes, have begun to weigh on her mind. She is well-trained enough to control her passions, but she has felt some frustration at the fact that, no matter what she does, the Republic is still no closer to winning the war. She is prone to feeling a sense of futility, particularly after personal successes that have no real meaning. In can increase her resolve to accomplish her goal, but also make her more prone to take unnecessary risks.
The Dark Side. How well does your character resist it?
Fa is a Jedi Master, and not one who would easily fall prey to dark temptations. She has gained resistance to the dark side through familiarity with passion and emotions which can lead to it. She can easily recognize the warning signs that her emotions are going too far and prevent herself from being overwhelmed by them. Though, she is not without weakness. The dark side is unlikely to consume her by surprise, but she does regularly open herself up to temptation.
Do you have any limits as to what is “ok” to happen to your character?
There is something about dismemberment, particularly of the tail, that does not sit well with me. I don’t even understand why.
Do the ends justify the means?
For Fa, the ends justify the means to an extent. She is wholly dedicated to her goal, but there are some actions she still will not take. She is a Jedi and will not execute unarmed opponents, nor will she do anything that will bring direct harm to an innocent. However, she would be willing to sacrifice lives through inaction by focusing her efforts on Nyiss, instead of rescuing prisoners.
Captivity. Do you want him/her to potentially be captured?
It could be a way of mixing things up at some point in the story, but I do not think I would particularly enjoy being captive for an extended duration.
What do you think your character is doing in a few IC months?
For as long as Nyiss is alive, Fa will be leading the strike team against her.
Does your character have any secrets useful for the GMs’ plots?
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