Sundered Echo

The Aesteria Chronicles

When the room decided to pull their guns in unison, Adonai was one of the few who did not immediately reach for his weapon. Instead he sighed, putting down his cutlery calmly, standing and taking the vial of explosive liquid in hand. When the young child leapt forward to shoot the man pursuing him and his (presumably) sister, it drove home one thing to Adonai. These children evidently believed it worth killing over to stay out of his grasp. That was bad. Bad enough that he might’ve considered willingly getting involved, had he not already become involved by virtue of association with the Guild, which in a rare moment of unity seemed to have decided to get rid of this man. Of course, it wasn’t that easy. It was never that easy. The bullet had bounced off the stranger, and he had summoned what looked to be a spirit of ice. Of course, everyone else was going for him, while there were a trio of thugs right next to Adonai. He was surprised they didn’t go for him sooner, but then, the room was filled with people that looked considerably deadlier than him. People and things he mentally amended when the robot launched its fist at one of the thugs, dragging him to an obvious yet inevitable end. Moments later, a Kusagi swordswoman was engaging the remaining two. Her movements were like water, the shimmering steel in her hands wherever it needed to be to keep her safe. She was quite beautiful arrayed in her Kusagi silks, and for just a moment his mind wandered. The sound of battle brought it sharply back however, and he quickly began to come up with a plan of his own. He knew Helen would be setting her spirits on the enemy, and that she would likely throw herself into harms way to get those children out safely. The thugs seemed quite pre-occupied with the Kusagi girl, so he didn’t have to worry about them for the moment. What he did have to worry about, was the safety of his wife. She might fuss over him and the risks of his work all the time, but she still somehow managed to justify throwing herself into the middle of all the most dangerous situations, despite his protests. Just as he predicted, she rushed to the children and began dragging them towards the back entrance. He had to at least assist the more combative types engaging the stranger and his spirit, to give Helen time to escape. He put the explosive vial away quickly while staying on the edge of the room, doing his best not to draw attention. The situation was much too close for indiscriminate weapons, even if they were only a little explosive compared to some of his creations… No, there were plenty of real fighters here to take the brunt of battle, what he needed was to tip the odds in their favour. Then it occurred to him. They were battling a demon that seemed to rely on ice. One of the things he had to mix regularly was a de-icing mist for when the ship flew at high altitudes. He sidled towards the back door while he pulled three separate vials from his coat. Tipping half the contents of one on the floor, he uncorked another and poured some of it into the half empty one. It immediately began to fizz, an acrid smell permeating the vapor that came from the top of the vial. Then went the third vial, and a cork placed quickly, if awkwardly, onto the vial. With that, he promptly three the de-icing grenade at the spirit. When the glass shattered, it would create a mist of chemicals that would make it very difficult for anything to freeze at normal freezing temperatures, as well as melt existing ice unless the ice temperature was extremely low. It probably wouldn’t entirely stop a spirit, but it might at least make it difficult for the creature to manifest in the area. As the grenade struck, he noticed one the Guild members, notably one of the shadier ones, dragging his wife behind the counter somewhat more forcefully than he would’ve liked to have seen Helen treated. Admittedly it was also taking her out of harms way, but still, he wasn’t going let that man be her escort. He made his way across the room as fast as possible, staying close to the walls and away from the enemy. He ducked behind the bar with Helen and the kids with a dark look at Kuro. “Are you alright?” He asked urgently of his wife. People had started firing a variety of firearms at this point and he couldn’t stand the thought of a ricochet catching Helen.

The Aesteria Chronicles

I have a post mostly done, which I will complete and post tomorrow morning. Just as a note, I don't plan on including much in the way of actual science whenever Adonai whips an invention/concoction. The effects will be based in science, the methods to achieve them, less so. Largely because in reality, these things tend to involve a lot of waiting and decidedly less cool effects than movies would lead us to believe...

Star Wars: Revanchism [Knights of the Old Republic/Mandalorian Wars]

I am still here. Will likely look at a post tomorrow.

The Aesteria Chronicles

Hahahahaha, nice. It would be an amusing way to end the story indeed. xD

The Aesteria Chronicles

Adonai began to explain to his wife the nature of this particular side-project, assembling several gears into one of their possible configurations and spinning them a little. He was slightly lying about its exact purpose, but when he looked up to see his wife's reaction, he noticed the lie was unnecessary. She was not listening too closely, her attention taken by the brewing trouble at the bar. His own words trailed off as he turned to look as well, hands tidying away the meticulously laid out machinery almost unconsciously As a successful inventor (a title that could be claimed simply by still being alive with minimal disfigurement after several years of inventing) Adonai had a sixth sense for when something was about to explode. Usually that meant steam-based devices, sometimes more esoteric things, but it also often extended to environments like this. The tension in the room was building significantly, and while this kind of explosion meant a bar fight instead of a wall of fire and pressure, it was still an explosion. When Helen went wading in to help calm them down, he was ready to leap to her defence at a moments notice, despite his gut feeling that he really ought to run away from the explosive situation. He felt the (unusually) reassuring touch of one of her spirits on his leg, reaffirming once again that his wife was always prepared for anything. He breathed a sigh of relief when the Kusagi situation sorted itself out with nothing more than harsh words, and when Helen returned to him with their food. The mood in the bar was still grim though, as the resident troublemaker Eli had succeeded in provoking one of the Serpentines - a band known for being predominantly rich snobs. To Adonai that usually meant ‘well paying customer that didn’t disturb him’ so he had no real problem with them, unlike most of the people in this room. “Just another day at the adventurers guild.” He said drolly as Helen sat down with the breakfast at their table, the brief sound of a scuffle on the other side of the room. The tingling sense of an imminent explosion had died down now, tension in the pub dissipating now that everyone's differences were resolved. One thing had caught Adonai’s eye though. There was a robot at the bar - something of a rare occurrence in itself - but more than that, it was acting very oddly. Not only could it speak in a remarkably realistic voice, not something Adonai was aware the robot makers had yet accomplished, but it also seemed to asking some very strange things. He suspected it had developed a fault and gone rogue. “Dearest? What do you think of that one?” He said motioning to the robot with his cutlery in between bites.

Into the Maw: Space Command

As far as space battle games go, I currently get my fix off of Fractured Space, and when it comes out, Dreadnought.

The Aesteria Chronicles

Adonai was woken, as usual, by the sudden lack of warmth next to him in the bed. Through half closed eyes, he watched Helen get dressed for the day, noting that she took a shirt from his drawer instead of her own. The corner of his mouth twisted in a smile as he rested his head on the pillow, watching her hurry out, still thinking him asleep. It was another half an hour, give or take a little, before he himself got up. Looking in his shirt draw, he couldn’t help but notice there were not many left. They did not often come back from Helens clinic in a particularly wearable state. Sometimes they were good enough for ‘experiment shirts’ - that is to say what he wore when he was working on something liable to explode in his face and ruin his clothes. Still, they often ended up becoming too encrusted with blood to wear again, at least whenever Helen was working her clinic. Pulling a nondescript one from the draw and putting it on, he made a mental note to stop by the tailor on the way to the pub. Before leaving his room, he buckled on his weapon belt, on which was slung his sword and steam revolver - both custom made by him, and both never absent from his side outside of this room, an unintended aspect of his fathers legacy. This was not the only thing he left the room with though. A small notebook, filled with blank paper and various technical doodles in equal measure, went in one pocket. Also attached to his belt was a pouch containing a half assembled clockwork along with extra parts - a small project to keep him occupied while he waited for his wife to finish cutting people up. A set of fine tools also went on his belt, some of them capable of being used as lockpicks, all of them invaluable to his line of work. Finally he tied his hair back and slipped a pair of glasses onto his nose - not necessary for his sight, but the lens altering assembly on the left hand rim both marking him as an inventor and providing a more socially acceptable alternative to the variable magnification goggles he sometimes wore; goggles that made him look like he was about to blow something up. Usually because when he was wearing them, something was going to blow up. Sometimes even intentionally. When he left his docked airship, Zephyr’s Machine, he was the very picture of a modern western gentleman inventor, the tails of a fine longcoat (the kind he wore when there was minimal chance of explosions nearby) swishing through the air behind him. By the time he reached the Pub, he was also carrying a small satchel containing six new shirts. He had to restock his supply every time they stayed at a city for any length of time, and it wasn’t entirely Helen’s fault either. At the pub, he found an empty table and sat down to wait for his wife, quickly filling the small table with carefully laid out cogs and glass components. When he had first begun this particular habit, some of the less intelligent thugs that frequented the Pub had thought it might be funny to mess with his components. That had stopped fairly quickly when they realised that he often carried vials of a chemical that would cause their skin to itch for hours on contact. The few stubborn ones and the occasional too tough newcomer had stopped bothering him once word got around that his wife was the person that patched them up after a barfight. When the time came for Helen to arrive at the Pub for breakfast, he got up to wait just outside the door, confident in the knowledge that no-one would dare touch his work. He was just considering going back inside out of the cold when she arrived. “You’re la-” He began before being cut off, his mouth suddenly quite occupied with a kiss, his arms wrapping gently but firmly about Helens thin waist. “Ready and waiting.” He said with a wink, replying to her question, the corner of his mouth curling into smile while his hands motioned for her to enter the building ahead of him. Helen felt the sting of her movement, her feet forced on their tiptoes and mouth closed over his. It sent sparks down her spine to feel him so close as her hands naturally resumed their roaming touch, each able to tell the firm muscle and structure she adored about him. Even after all this time, his touch still made her heart pound until it bruised her insides. Her hands sought balance as they took a hold of him, braced against his firm foundation for some lengthy moments. Slowly her feet flattened out and thumped lightly upon the cobblestone walkways, sending a vibration through her whole frame. It was likely Adonai could feel her heat influenced by Ignis. After all, it was a common way to travel for the spirit and the fact it had been happening over years didn’t faze him anymore now. His lips made hers tingle when she pulled back. Her breath shallow, stolen a bit, after the kiss ended. It was then she noted the package in his hand. She smirked, realizing the contents, shirts, and couldn’t help looking at the state of her current one. It was slightly better compared to her past borrowed ‘inspiration’, shredded when the bandages ran out and the blood still gushed until she could clamp it, and appeared with a little washing to be useable again. At least for one of her dear’s experimental shirts. Those things often were charred or singed in one way or another, often discarded into the furnace. When she pulled a bit from Adonai, relentantly, her emotions turned in that familiar way. Even after this long the man still made her heart race, her blood hum, and head more than just dizzy when he smiled. It made the sudden impulse worth it. His smile was genuine and kind, filling his face with a warmth she loved and adding to his charm. A fresh need to kiss him urged into her heart but she resisted. Her middle, distinctively needy, gurgled for food bring a sourness to the conflict between eating breakfast or having Adonai. It was a tough choice, that was sure. Even now the idea brought a great deal of heat, outside Ignis’ influence and caused the dragon to regulate it into normal levels. A slight perk she was glad with as she didn’t ask the spirit’s thoughts on this matter. Part of her felt he knew why her temperature rose. Nodding her head and stepping forward, she heard a sound begin in her mind. It was a deep, raspy rattle which started out low then began to grow. It started to fill her ears and caused her to lessen her smile a bit, twisting into a frown. She knew that noise rather well after all. Mainly as it belonged to Sira, the cat spirit and made from pure light. It seemed he was enjoying Adonai’s addition to her own reservoir of memories, taking it onto himself to ensure he could sample the wares before their due time. She let out a small sigh, then scolded the cat. Sira, naughty cat. Git out of there! The low rumble of Sira’s increased pleasure was all she received for an answer. “Silly beast,” Helen muttered under her breath, moved toward the door with her hand reaching out to take her husband and gently rested her arms around his. She always made a point to ensure all those within the pub knew exactly who she loved. Including those rancid, lowlives who forgot she treated their festering wounds after a local bar fight. She looked at Adonai, her eyes steady when her voice spoke, “No trouble today, luv?” “Just another day dearest.” he replied, still slightly tingly from her touch. He had married her a year ago, and their relationship went further back even than that, but the pleasure of her company had still not dimmed. Something he would be happy to have continue until the day he died. He was sure there was something going on in the pub, but then there always was. It was none of his business, and he didn’t care, so long as no-one got thrown into his table. His association with the Guild was distant at best and entirely through Helen, herself bandless. Which meant no-one told him anything about Guild politics. Just the way he liked it. He had enough politics in his family without the altogether far too well armed Guild bands also expecting him to be involved in their politics. He was just that expensive Airship captain people hired when they needed to get somewhere fast. He was glad of Helen’s arm around his as they entered the Pub, to show the whole world that she was his (though in practice he was hers). As they entered he guided them towards the table on which his latest project was set up - a project he had yet to inform Helen of the intent of. “Breakfast is already ordered, as usual. Should be here in no time.” They had long ago come to the agreement that he didn’t need to ask how her work had been until after they’d eaten. After all, some of the descriptions Helen could give were quite graphic, and thoroughly appetite destroying for all but the most jaded of individuals. Helen’s eyes glanced over the scene. Her eyes noted the key figures she had either treated or heard about. Though the information gained varied between individual as she had treated several on numerous occasions, their conditions being serious or mild, had earned her most the bands’ respect and the gratitude of individuals. However some stuck to the stigma of those outside their own bands, bandless in particular, were untrustworthy. Even when she treated many of their less fortunate victims. The notion of such old traditions and crippling ideas disgusted her in more ways than one,. It was namely because they seemed so similar to the Varisie’s views on women’s roles, irritating her to no end. Instinctively, she started to skim the scene. Her eyes set on the first table that held people she knew, her line of sight settling on Alan ‘Kite’ Ryner’s. She had to take a second glance when she noted a dark haired woman and wearing some strange clothing, something that made Helen think of the silk night robes she slipped in during the night. It wasn’t hard to spot the elegant embroidery on the clothes but she had trouble placing the location, geography and different cultures being a slight weakness. The main reason her Adonai did the piloting across longer distances. It seemed they were engaged in some conversation, drawing her curious interest. When the mask appeared, she tightened her grip, watching its face spinning around in place before it settled on a far table. Naturally her eyes snapped into that direction to see Eli, the man she dubbed the walking miracle, sitting with what was clearly a spirit of his. A woman, a spirit clearly, dressed in feathery decorations themed red and gold, sat beside him. What made the husky, miracle want to pull out his spirit now? She thought and shifted her attention to look him in the eye, hopefully the man was wise and avoided them, then regretted it. The man was a bloody mess, she grimaced at spotting the wounds. Deciding to deal with the man later, she let out a sharp intake of breath and let Adonai finish leading her to their table. Her head avoided the earlier sight until she ready to deal with it. He wouldn’t like it, that was for certain. Her mind lingered on those harsh thoughts a bit longer until they reached their seats. She had just detached herself when she noticed them, stopping dead in her tracks. Helen’s sharp eyes twisted about to her husband, ignoring the chair and glass samples of the chemicals for a moment, her voice deceitfully kind and overly sweet. “Adonai? I don’t recall you mentioning you were working on another project...dearest.” Adonai knew that tone - that was the tone Helen used to inform him that he had better tell her exactly what was going on or else. He couldn’t tell her what this was though. Partly because he didn’t really know yet himself, and partly because it would ruin the surprise. He gently squeezed her hand and spoke reassuringly. “Its just a clockwork my love… Absolutely no chance of exploding whatsoever. If it were dangerous I wouldn’t leave it were just anyone could poke it.” With that he bent down a little to kiss her cheek, before stepping forward and pulling out a chair for her. “I’ll show you how it works so far if you like.” Helen suspiciously eyed him, studying his eyes and steady chin for a awkward spell. She ignored the outheld chair, her hand clasped within his, wandering through the reasons he could have to keep this project from her. However what he said made sense and in the end, having seen the results, the woman gave into reason. Adonai after all knew how dangerous his projects were which only added to her desire to not start a fight. She hated bickering though the end results were often worth the heated discussion, her lips pulled into a fresh smile. Accepting his answer, she took her seat and leaned over his work. “I’d like that Adonai, very much.”

The Aesteria Chronicles

I am in progress with a collab with Fallen now that will bring Adonai and Helen to the pub.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

UserName: Sundered Echo

Character name: Auriel Lavai

Age: 20

Mageblood type: Lux

Favoured Magic Class: Pyromancy

Previous Magic training: None

Race: Wood Elf

Appearance:
Standing at 6'2, Auriel towers over human woman and even many men, even though she is average height for a woman of her race. Her skin is pale, her hair crimson and her eyes green. She has a small tattoo on her forehead in a simple elven pattern, and three barely visible scars from the wounds inflicted by Siala's arrows, marking otherwise largely unblemished skin. There is a fierce and somewhat feral look about her, as if she is only a word away from tearing you apart with her hands - a fact that isn't particularly far from the truth. Her attire is usually practical, but with a slight tendency towards showing off her body. Many men have called her beautiful, and she makes sure not to give them reason to doubt.

Weapons

Short Bio: Born into the tight knit community of the forest elves, from the age she could walk Auriel Lavai could be best described as a hothead. She was climbing trees not long after she could walk, and always very physical. In her early years she proved a fairly quick learner, but also very physical, reaching for violence first and thinking second when confronted with trouble. She didn't take long to form both good friends that shared some of her temperament and bitter enemies that couldn't stand her careless attitude. Among these people, one stood out, the antithesis of Auriel, a girl by the name of Siala.

She went on to become a minor trouble-maker, sabotaging hunts and picking fights, in particular those of Siala, yet often proving fleet of foot enough to escape any real retribution. This started early in her life, but as she grew older her actions became more audacious. Her elders did not pay these traits too much heed, calling her young and inexperienced, and she never managed to cause enough trouble at once to draw any more attention, despite quickly getting to know all the forest wardens on a first name basis.

Ironically enough, some of the wardens had begun to teach her their martial skills, as well as the laws of the land, partially in hopes that it might temper her and partially to give her something to do. She took to the martial training swiftly, but found the laws somewhat harder to focus on, largely because she still spent most nights breaking them. Had things continued as they were, she might have eventually become more tempered and made an excellent warden.

However, this was not to be so. At age 17 her life was turned on its head. Having sabotaged the hunt of one of the most skilled of her peers, her lifelong enemy Siala, she was running from retribution as usual, several angry hunters on her heels. Long time rivals, Siala had finally had enough of Auriels pranks, and had begun firing live arrows at her. A day that had begun as a fun escapade changed rather drastically when the first arrow nicked her upper arm, drawing blood from a long but shallow cut. Two arrows later had earned her a cut in her upper leg and one on her ankle, at which point she took shelter behind an Ironbark tree, unable to continue running due to her injuries.

In those long, painful moments of terror as the hunted, everything stopped being fun and light-hearted, and for the first time she feared for her life. Wishing for a distraction, any distraction, she suddenly began to smell smoke. Looking around, she found it coming from under her fingers on the trunk of the tree she was using as shelter. A moment longer and fire was liking at the dry autumn wood, and as it did, Auriel began to run again. What began as a small distraction, hardly a smoke signal, soon grew into a full fledged fire, engulfing the tree and spreading to those around it.

Rather than return to face her people and atone for the destruction being wrought around her, Auriel ran. She knew enough of the forest and its trees to treat her superficial wounds and survive for a time as she moved ever towards the mountains. In rare forethought, she harvested some offcuts of Ironbark to take with her on her exodus, as she had no currency of any type with which to buy her way in the strange lands beyond the forest.

In what would be remembered as one of her most harrowing experiences, Auriel scaled the mountainous passes that lead between Ghannos and Ironstead. She was driven to this immense act by a feeling of wanderlust, a desire to see the world beyond the seemingly endless forest of Ghannos. After the perilous journey, she was only reminded of the violence that sent her away by the thin scars Siala's arrows had left. That was far from her mind as she traded away slivers of Ironbark for food and shelter, followed by exploring the surface portions of the Dwarven city.

Ironstead, however, proved far to staid and orderly for Auriels wild heart, and she quickly decided to trade away the last of her Ironbark for passage to the Eanian capital.

From there, she took up odd jobs to eke out a living, favoring those that made best use of her combative skills and minimized emotional heights. This approach only partially worked. Auriel is and has ever been a creature of passion, and on several occasions her temper has flared. She once almost burnt down a tavern fending off over-interested drunkards. Once, on the cusp of being caught by Eanian guards for trespassing, she set one of their cloaks on fire rather than get caught. She only narrowly avoided discovery and conscription into the Eanian military each time.

In this time, she did not purposefully practice any magic, largely trying to keep her talent a secret - both from the world and from herself. Life in the human city was quite different to the Elven community from whence she'd come. The city was far more detached and uncaring for its people, and everywhere she went she was surrounded by strangers. Partially because of this, she never settled in one place, flitting between Taverns and Inns while in the city, and favoring jobs protecting caravans that would let her get away from it all.

One travels a remarkable amount as a Caravan guard, and picks up a fair amount of combat experience even in a fairly safe country like Eania. Her skills with all manner of small melee weapons were honed against a myriad of opponents in the years in human lands, and her pockets were kept full of enough gold to get by. In these travels, she also heard of the College for magebloods in Aerta. Several times she considered traveling there to learn to control her ability, but every time she choose not to, still unhappy with the very idea of being a Mageblood.

It was only when one of her Caravan guarding jobs went wrong that fate forced her hand. A particularly long trip to the hold of Oerm, it was ambushed by a predominantly elven group of rogues and bandits just past the forest. Auriel had faced down competent raiders before and turned them aside, but when the first arrow struck, nicking her arm in almost the same way as the one that had first driven her away, she began to feel she'd met her match. The raiders refused to engage up close where she could best fight them, and the other guards were quickly cut down in a flurry of both arrows and magic - the raiders having brought a mageblood with them. Seeing defeat, Auriel ran once more. Before she went, however, she knocked over one of the oil lamps in the caravan and with a brief flare of pyromancy fanned the flame to a size large enough that it would consume the Caravan before the raiders could stop it. This marked the first time she had intentionally used magic in her life.

She ran for her life, but also away from the life she'd taken up and all the fearful possibilities she'd come close to over the years, abandoning the helpless merchants under her charge to their fate to save herself. She kept running long after the raiders had stopped giving chase, even with a number of light wounds caused by arrow near misses and a close call with a lightning bolt. Eventually, she could run no more, and collapsed in the grassy fields - almost within sight of the College.

Good Attributes: Physically fit and quick, she is not well muscled or strong, but still capable of running a great distance under duress. Martially skilled - specializing in the weapons she habitually carries, a dagger and a hooked axe.

Bad Attributes: Highly emotional and aggressive, Auriel reaches for her blade at the slightest insult and cannot always maintain perfect control of her magic when particularly aggravated.

Secret Word: Rebirth

Rewards:
Ring of Stealth

Star Wars: Revanchism [Knights of the Old Republic/Mandalorian Wars]

Ayessa Shayal

Name: Ayessa Shayal Species: Miraluka Age: 21 standard years Rank/Title: Jedi Knight Planet of Origin/Birth: Alpheridies Force Sensitive Y/N: Yes Appearance: Ayessa tends to wear robes suited for diplomacy and other consular work, having not truly experienced the rigours of heavy combat. Her mask is simple and practical, her hair cut fairly short so as not to get in the way of her Lightsaber in combat. Since her hair doesn’t affect her sight, she rarely bothers pushing it to the side, only doing so when she remembers others find it strange. Skills/Abilities/Talents/Training: - Force Sense - As a Miraluka, Ayessa relies entirely on the force to replace sight. Not only is she capable of sensing her surroundings as well as if she could see, she has developed these natural talents to include a more developed sense of precognition than most Jedi. She can, in effect, 'see' in 360 degrees, though her focus is usually ahead of her, a habit she learned partially because other races have only forward vision and appreciate being looked at while in a conversation. Another part of Miraluka Force sense is the ability to see feelings and intent in others, as well the capacity to instantly detect Force users, unless that user is hiding their Force sensitivity - willfully or not. Feelings and intent can also be veiled, particularly so with force users, but a skilled con-man could still rely on his skills against Miraluka Force Sight, albeit to a somewhat lesser extent. - Farsight - Ayessa is a practitioner of Farsight as an extension of her Force sense, though she can only control sight of events happening in the present. She is occasionally afflicted with visions of the Future, and has no control over the occurrence of such. - Form III: Soresu - Ayessa Has focused her Lightsaber training exclusively on Soresu, the defensive art. She has by no means mastered it, but in combination with her heightened Force Sense she has proved in many a duel that victory comes to the patient. Her original intent when practicing this form was, however, to counter her own comparative lack of physical strength compared to most other duelists, a flaw which made the practice of most other forms untenable. - Piloting Skills - She has received little formal training concerning the piloting of Starships and ground vehicles alike, but she does possess quite a degree of raw skill when piloting a fast moving vehicle, a trait that is seen quite often in Miraluka Jedi. However, due to the lack of formal training she is prone to taking dangerous risks while flying or driving, a tendency that often sees her assigned to missions that do not involve piloting of any kind, at least prior to the war. - Basic Force Manipulation - Including Force speed, bodily augmentation, jump, push, pull and telekinesis in general. Ayessa can make use of these staples of Jedi Force training, but is in no way unique in her application of them, merely representing a Jedi Knight baseline level of skill. - Basic mechanical aptitude - specifically with smaller spacecraft. Ayessa is capable of maintaining and conducting limited repairs on anything from an Aurek Strike Fighter to a small freighter, though this aptitude is more due to the Force guiding her than direct knowledge or training. Equipment: - Blue Lightsaber - Of basic construction, its decoration is largely tactile in nature so that ayessa can appreciate it more easily. Though a green blade would be more traditional for her role in the order, the blue crystal was retained because she located it through foresight. - Jedi Utility belt - Even diplomats are issued with the standard spread of survival equipment. - Clothing - Including the mask that covers the blank space where other species would have eyes. Psych profile: Ayessa is an atypical Miraluka, she believes quite firmly in her views of right and wrong as well as good and evil, where most Miraluka have a very grey outlook on the world. She believes wholeheartedly in the Jedi Code, and that the code dictates that the Jedi should help those in need. She believes that everyone has the capacity to be good, and will only fight when there is absolutely no alternative. She has begun to believe that many a wrongdoer deserves to be given the chance to atone, and she dislikes killing. She has a very naive outlook on war, and tends only to see the leaders and the ideals behind the war rather than the atrocity committed on the front lines. While many others may consider her to be a moral pillar, her morals often blind her to the true nature of those around her. She is an extreme idealist, refusing even to use the mind trick to avoid battle in the hopes that people will come to the right conclusion on their own, which ironically has lead to a number of avoidable deaths. Ayessa still believes in happy endings and that light always prevails over dark. She is often momentarily shocked into inaction when witnessing extreme brutality, particularly that committed by people she believed to be 'good', a flaw that has already been the cause of injury in battle. History: Born on Alpheridies not long after it had recovered from the Mandalorian invasion in the Great Sith War Ayessa grew up hearing tales of the greatness of the Miraluka Jedi who had fought in the war. She was, like all Miraluka, born Force sensitive, but even in her early years it was clear that her perceptions where a cut above those of the Miraluka around her. Ayessa was always able to find out things about people and places, and she often had an inkling of the answers to question before they were answered. Her parents were overjoyed, and their daughter was soon brought to the attention of the Luka Sene as a prospective initiate. At around the same time, the Culu Memorial Jedi Praxeum was coming to prominence on Alpheridies, and with it, the stories of the Jedi. The Jedi had played an integral part in the liberation of Alpheridies, and at that time were highly regarded in Miraluka society, a view that rubbed of on Ayessa as soon as she was old enough to comprehend what it all meant. A young Ayessa was enchanted by these stories of heroism against all odds, and compared to the Luka Sene, these mythic protectors of the galaxy were a far more appealing choice for a Force Sensitive to join. At the age of nine, Ayessa had her heart firmly set on joining the Jedi, not the Luka Sene as would have been more traditional. She wanted to become one of the 'great heroes and saviours of the galaxy' and already she was beginning to develop a strong moral code that adhered heavily with the code of Jedi as seen by an outsider. Though her parents did not like the idea of her becoming a Jedi, as they knew that such a choice would mean that they never saw their daughter again, they nonetheless gave her their blessing and took her to the Culu Memorial praxium. The Jedi were happy to take her, especially once they found out the extent of her natural Force Sight, already trained somewhat by early intervention from the Luka Sene. In her they saw the potential to mold a Jedi Seer, a rare type of Jedi Consular able to see the future. After the sudden and brutal Great Sith War, the Jedi masters felt the need for seers to better predict any future wars of the like. Ayessa was quickly selected as a padawan to the human master Artemes Myndraav. Artemes was an aging and kindly master who had taught a number of Miraluka padawans in the past, his teaching style a subtle and gentle one. They stayed on Alpheridies for several years while Ayessa was taught all the basics, where she also began to learn the art of fighting with a Lightsaber, though still with a practice saber. Here she also learned the Jedi code and immediately began to interpret it through the lense of the Jedi being heroes of the people. Because of this unshakeable belief that Jedi were heroes and beacons of light, Ayessa always interpreted the code as a responsibility to help those who could not help themselves. She proved an enthusiastic student, though always a little over eager to 'save the galaxy,' Master Myndraav always reacting with joviality to his 'young future heroine'. The years passed quickly for her, and soon enough Master Myndraav took her offworld for the first time. Her first task away from Alpheridies was to forge a Lightsaber, however in a test of her sight, she was given no information at all as to how this was to be done, or where. It was a task she initially thought impossible, and for weeks she begged her master to tell her something, anything. But Myndraav refused, and for all those weeks he also refused to teach her anything of the Jedi ways at all, merely content to meditate aboard their small ship while the young Ayessa cast about for the tiniest clue. This was the first time Ayessa had been forced to rely entirely on her farsight for anything, and it proved difficult for her. After a solid week of meditation, a vision eventually came to her, from which she was able to determine the location of the Crystal Caverns on Dantooine. Only once she had told her master of this did he finally relent and teach her the techniques necessary to build a Lightsaber, revealing that he had had all the components except the crystal on their ship and waiting the whole time. As much as a test of her sight, the test had been one to teach patience as well. Ayessa took this lesson to heart, taking her time to build the Lightsaber, receiving another vision in the process. This vision directed her building of the hilt of the Lightsaber to fit her future use of it in the Soresu form - as a result the initial saber proved quite large for her hands at the time, but as she grew older began to fit more perfectly into her hands. Once this had been done, Master Myndraav and Ayessa spent the remainder of her time as a padawan accepting missions from the council across the galaxy. In the field, Myndraav was a skilled diplomat, and always sought to solve problems with reason and words, only resorting to the Lightsaber if it became clear that violence was the only path yet open to him. Ayessa followed his example, an example which served to strengthen her own interpretation of the Jedi code - that everyone should be given a chance to do what is right. Myndraav always encouraged her to make use of the peculiarities of Miraluka sight, and to trust in her visions. Her sight became one of her greatest skills as a Jedi under Myndraav's gentle guidance, quickly coming to rival his own Force sense. On one occasion during a mission, the pair found themselves betrayed and cast into a sudden ambush by a republic officer. He had been the one to call for the assistance of the Jedi, and had for weeks been providing them with leads to take down the criminal organisation he had been running, but once he had pruned out the elements of his organisation that posed a threat to him with the use of the Jedi, he attempted to kill them to cover his tracks. This sudden betrayal from a man who Ayessa trusted and had come to view as righteous saw her injured in battle when she failed to draw her Lightsaber to deflect the initial blaster shots. Master Myndraav was able to fight off the assailants, standing guard over Ayessa's fallen body until help arrived. Fortunately her assailant had been a poor shot, the blaster bolt having only grazed across the side of her torso, but it had still been enough between the unfamiliar pain and the shock of betrayal to fell her. After this incident Artemes realised that he had been too eager to push Ayessa into the path of the seer, and in his insistence that she trust her visions and intuition he had failed to prepare her for the unexpected. Because of this he delayed her Knighting for a full year, he began to take on missions that would have unexpected turns, and slowly managed to minimize the amount she would suffer from surprise and betrayal, but after a year of focusing largely on this aspect, it became clear to him that nothing short of complete betrayal would cure her of this inherent trust which had now become a flaw. It was something he could not orchestrate on his own, and indeed could not, fearing something of that magnitude brought about by his hand, the master whom she trusted with her life, would send her to the Dark Side. Not only this, but the Mandalorians were becoming an ever greater threat as they conquered unaligned fringe worlds, and Ayessa could not help but see the Mandalorians as evil, having conquered her homeworld in the last war. This distraction made Artemes's lessons less effective, and with each new report of a world conquered at the hands of the Mandalorians Ayessa grew more distracted and more determined that the Jedi should not be so idle. And so seeing that he could teach her no more, in her twentieth year Ayessa was sent by Myndraav to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to undergo the Trials of Knighthood. Ayessa's Trial of Skill was one of the lengthiest on record, her focus on Soresu and the defensive technique pitting her endurance against that of apparitions who could fight indefinitely. Eventually she was able to exploit the flaws in the techniques of the apparitions, but only after learning their techniques through a constant and unrelenting battle. Nonetheless, she defeated them and passed the Trial of Skill. Her Trials of Courage and of Spirit where one and the same: A vision in which her own brutal death was portrayed vividly was presented to her. Whether through the efforts of the Council or a happenstance of the Force, she does not know, but for days it appeared as though the vision had destroyed her faith in the Jedi. She has told no-one, not even the council or Master Myndraav of what she saw other than that it was her death and refuses to speak of it, though some have whispered that she saw far more atrocity than simply her own death. Just as the council began to lose hope that Ayessa would be able to surmount this twin trial, she presented herself for the remaining two. Ayessa passed the final trials without flair, but adequately for the observing masters. Following this Ayessa was Knighted at the age of twenty standard years, and studied at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant for a short time. She was here when the Mandalorian war broke out in earnest and she here where she heard of the Revanchist movement. Though barely a Knight herself, she immediately began to support Revan's ideas, citing that the war cost the lives of countless innocents every day, and that even if the Jedi avoided battle they should at least help the civilian populaces. When the Jedi Masters eventually allowed a number of Jedi to leave to support the Republic and Revan, Ayessa was one of the first to take up the cause. She believed it would be like the great stories of how the Jedi liberated Alpheridies, all heroes and villains battling and turning the war with the deaths of a few leaders. She had no conception of the reality of the frontline, and departed eagerly, finally fulfilling her dream to beat back a great evil from devouring the Republic. And not just any evil, but the Mandalorians, who had always been the foes of her childhood fantasies. Relationships and Acquaintances: Ayessa has met the fellow Jedi Knight Elara Rahn several times in her travels, always in the capacity of a healer, often for Ayessa’s own injuries. Because of this, she views Elara as, if not a friend, at least a person of great moral integrity. She is prone to overlook Elara’s methods, even though they clash with Ayessa’s own view of how things ought to be done, due to this opinion. Ayessa Shayal has also, out of necessity, taken on the Kaleesh Padawan Valek as her own.