Post by Vako on Apr 8, 2012 22:21:37 GMT -5
Name: Taalong Vorr Pronounced – Tay –long
Race: Kaleesh
Age: 37
Height: 1.8 meters
Weight: 196 lbs
Appearance:
Taalong is taller then average for a Kaleesh. He has a fit, athletic build. His arms and legs are always exposed and reveal his muscles. His skin is an orange-brown color, which is very common for his species. He wears traditional Kaleesh war vestments, but has darkened portions to black to match his affiliation. A very recognizable feature about Taalong is that his body is covered in dark tattoos. The tattoos themselves are a mixture of traditional designs of the Kaleesh and designs from various dark side cults. The most noticeable thing about Taalong is easily his traditional Kaleesh mask. Like all Kaleesh he is never seen without the mask, which has four horns reaching from the top of the skull it is made from. Taalong is never to be seen without the mask, he had the tattoos for his face placed on the mask which is considered to be his “real face”.
Personality: Taalong is a very harsh and serious person. He comes from a warrior like culture, and takes a great deal of pride in that. He recognizes that he is much stronger then the average member of his species and acts as he views a strong warrior should act. He does not boast about his abilities, and will only state exactly what he believes he can do. If he foresees failure, he will not hesitate to state such. Taalong also has a fierce loyalty to him. He recognizes his betters and does not squabble over his place. He does not concern himself with being higher or lower then others. He seeks only to serve at his place and works towards constant improvement of his own abilities. He recognizes his own weaknesses, but does not make them known. He tries only to turn them into their own form of strength if he can. Taalong is not known for showing empathy, and can at times be very brutal. He has not had a great deal in his life to be attached to, and doesn’t hold much value towards anything except for his abilities in battle.
Birth place: Kalee
Faction: Dark Jedi
Rank: Master
Lightsaber: Single Blade Lightsaber Pike
Color: Red
Practiced Lightsaber forms:
Shii-Cho - 5
Soresu - 2
Djem So – 4
Lightsaber Pike Combat - 5
Force-Sensitive Abilities or practices:
Telekinetic: 5
Telepathic: 5
Body: 6
Sense: 6
Protection: 2
Healing: 2
Destruction: 2
Specialized Skills:
Beast Control
Attributes:
Physical Strength: 7
Intelligence: 6
Speed: 6
Leadership: 5
Unarmed: 5
Melee Weapons: 6
Ranged Weapons: 2
Bio: Taalong was born in the middle of a very hot summer. He was the second son from Dashak’s third wife, making him Dashak’s ninth child. The tribe he was a part of had been living in the dry lands for many years. The tribe itself was strong and numerous. Dashak was a strong warrior, and skilled hunter. He had four wives at the time of Taalong’s birth, and was quite experienced with raising his children. Living in the dry lands was not easy, but it made the tribe and its people strong. This set certain expectations of each individual in the tribe, which now included Taalong.
When Taalong was old enough to walk, he was old enough to start learning how to survive. His father didn’t have much time to spend with him specifically, and so his brothers and sisters did a great deal of the teaching. They had been raised by Dashak to be tough, and even though some of them were still very young themselves, they understood what he was teaching them, and took it well. Taalong was himself wasn’t large by any means as a child, and so he had no easy time learning the lessons of Kaleesh children. By the time he was 2 years old he was already being taught how to use a spear. He was taught very simple elements of hand to hand fighting, and was well on his way to becoming a warrior himself.
When he was 3 years old his father and many of the other warriors left to fight another tribe. There was no war, only a single battle in which his tribe came out victorious, and several of his brothers had been well distinguished in battle. In this time however the young Taalong was being brought along with hunting parties to start learning how to hunt. He wasn’t spearing the kill himself, but he was assisting with the other parts like skinning the kill and preparing it for food. It was on one of these hunting trips that something very important happened.
While out in the dry lands Taalong was with one of his brothers and two of his sisters. They had been tracking a herd of animals for several days and when they found it they weren’t alone. Not far from them there was a creature that Taalong had never seen before. They walked on two legs like a Kaleesh, but he did not wear a mask and he had five fingers instead of four. He had gray hair and older looking face. This was the first time Taalong had ever seen a human. He had fancy clothing on and in his hand there was a red glowing sword. He was staring down the animals they were tracking, and the largest of the beasts stared back at him. The other animals fled, but the large one remained. The beast itself remained staring at him and suddenly charged. The man in the fancy clothes remained still and when the animal was close, he ducked and brought the sword down on his neck, killing it.
Taalong and his siblings approached him with caution, as it was a very strange thing to have seen. The man noticed them as well, and began to approach them. As he did, Taalong grabbed his spear and brought it up. He would likely not be able to fight off the man, but he had been taught that if he needed to fight, then he would fight. His brother however did nothing, but Taalong kept his weapon up. The old man began to talk to his brother. He kept looking back down at Taalong, which confused him. They both began to talk to each other a bit away from Taalong, and they both kept looking at him. Taalong didn’t know why, but by now he’d brought his spear down.
After several minutes the man walked away and seemed to talk to himself. Moments later a starship came flying over and landed. Taalong was taken back, and was scared. He’d never seen a starship before. His brother ordered his siblings to get on board, and they did. Taalong was now very scared as he didn’t know what was going on. They got on board, and Taalong could feel the ground shake beneath them. Only minutes later they were suddenly landing, and they were back at with the tribe. A trip that had taken them days had been reduced to mere minutes. This amazed Taalong, and he followed his siblings back into camp.
Later that evening his father and the human came to speak to Taalong. His father explained to him that he would be going with the human to continue learning to be a great warrior. Taalong was confused, as he had never heard of such an idea. But it was his fathers wish, and he would never disobey him. He went with the man without question, and with his spear in hand he boarded the man’s ship. What Taalong was too young to know, was that the human was a dark Jedi who had hunted in the same lands as the tribe for many years. He was recognized as a great warrior and he’d sensed that Taalong himself was force-sensitive. Realizing this he looked to seize upon and opportunity, and made a deal with Dashak to take over training Taalong. Dashak gave the condition that he would be trained with the traditions of the Kaleesh, and the deal was done. With more children on the way Dashak did not see the harm of leaving one to be trained off world.
Suddenly Taalong found himself in a curious new world known as Chandrila. It was very different from Kalee, which was very arid and dry, at least the part Taalong knew. Chandrila was cool, and had a very pleasant climate. Taalong was brought to the man’s home, a very large and open estate with a big house. Once here the man finally introduced himself. His name was Forn Rallath. Forn explained to Taalong that he had a great deal of power and he would teach him to use it. Taalong was unsure of what he was talking about, but he soon found out. From that moment he was to call Forn, Master Rallath, and he was introduced to two others. An Ithorian named Biju, who was several years older then Taalong, and another human named Harb, who was older then the both of them. Biju was a very angry and violent Ithorian, which was the exact reason he had been aloud to be taken by Rallath. The other had been Rallath’s student in something called the Jedi Order.
Immediately Taalong began learning about the Force, and what it was. At first it was little hard for Taalong to understand, and the teachings of his traditional deities got in the way. Like his father and siblings, Master Rallath was very strict. Though the house was very large, Taalong and Biju slept in a small tiny building outside. They’re food was relatively little, and they were expected to keep a very strict schedule. Rallath was hard on them both. In spite of their similar treatment, Biju and Taalong were never very close. Biju was very aggressive and mean spirited. Taalong on the other hand was taught to be strong and serious. These didn’t go well together, and the two stayed rather distant. Biju would frequently attempt to start fights, and the two would scuffle. If Rallath was around he would stop them, but when he wasn’t they would just go till one gave out, which was usually Taalong because he was younger. Amidst all the fighting however, the two continued to learn about the force and how to use it.
From that very young age Taalong was being taught to use weapons. At first Taalong was taught to use a sword. It was heavy and he was not used to it. Kaleesh frequently used swords, but Taalong and his family used primarily spears. Soon after, Rallath told Taalong to bring his spear to combat training exercise, and from then on it was what he used. Biju however continued to use a sword as did Rallath. With these weapons they were taught their elements of combat. Taalong had an advantage over Biju however, in that he had been taught elements of armed combat already. Ithorians Taalong had learned were naturally the polar opposites of Kaleesh. They were peaceful and calm, which made Biju an unwelcome fit. Kaleesh however were a warlike species, where fighting was very common.
After a year of this sort of training everyday, Rallath presented Taalong and Biju with training lightsabers. It was like a smaller version of the weapon that he’d seen Rallath use the first time he saw him. Rallath had emphasized the dangers and power of a lightsaber frequently, and so Taalong and Biju knew to use caution. Around the same time Harb began to also to be involved in the instruction of Biju and Taalong. The light weight of the lightsaber was not difficult for Taalong to grasp, and began to develop a great skill with using it. He and Biju would frequently be pitted against each other to spar, while Harb and Rallath continued to train them in how to use the weapons and the force.
As time went on Taalong felt as though he would prefer to work with a spear. It was more comfortable for him, and he was still very familiar with it. When he asked Rallath if there was a lightsaber variant that worked like a spear Rallath told him there was. But he’d need to construct it himself. For the time being Taalong continued to learn how to use his lightsaber in the normal fashion. Not long after that day, Rallath presented him with a long staff. It was not a lightsaber, but a cortosis-weave force pike. From then on Taalong continued his training using the pike. It was very spear like, and Taalong loved it. It had its power level turned down quite a lot, and Harb taught Taalong more advanced techniques. Taalong was a natural, and took most of it very well.
As years passed Taalong and Biju continued their training. Though Chandrila was a very pleasant place, to them it was a harsh training ground. They were isolated on Rallath’s estate, and rarely saw anyone. Food was delivered, and that was about it. There were a few servant droids around, and there was a human chef. Besides that their contact was limited to each other. Taalong and Biju still were in a bitter rivalry, though Taalong had grown stronger with his age. He constantly worked to build muscle and strength, trying to better himself physically. All the while Rallath taught them further applications of the force. For them, the force was a tool to be used at will to help them better themselves. Most other people in the galaxy could not use it the way they could, and only the strongest were those that could utilize it properly.
These ideas had already taken hold in Taalong’s mind. He was quickly becoming a dark warrior. The common teachings of balance and the light side of the force had almost no meaning to him. Taalong viewed himself as a warrior, one who needed to continue getting stronger. He was becoming very adept at using his force pike, just as Biju was very good with his training saber. Typically their training would work around the idea of consistent counters. Rallath would work them very hard. He would typically just strike at them and at times not hold back. He would show them frequently good counters, and they would put it into practice. As they learned these, they would use them on each other. This part of the practice never ended, and from then on Rallath would show different counters and Taalong and Biju would work to get as good with them as they possibly could.
Rallath then had them begin construction of their own lightsabers. Taalong’s was by far the more complicated, but he worked at it everyday. Rallath supplied for them all they needed to work on them, and Taalong worked on a pike that he found to be very traditional. It would have hard metal welts all along it, and would end in a very sharp point. The blade itself would rest at the top, and was a foot and a half long. Fortunately for Taalong Rallath had supplied him with cortosis weave materials. While expensive, they were very necessary for his student’s weapon.
Biju finished his weapon first, and Rallath took him to collect his crystal, while Harb remained with Taalong to continue training him. Throughout his training Taalong had been also taught many aspects of his culture, primarily by Rallath. Rallath had spent a great deal of time on Kalee, and so knew quite a lot of their traditions. He didn’t know everything, but for their fighting techniques and beliefs he knew enough to raise and train Taalong as though he was one of them. Finally Taalong finished his own weapon, and Rallath took him to Dantooine. Here Taalong found his red lightsaber crystal, seemingly identical to that of his Masters, and finished his weapon.
Taalong was now eighteen years old. He was very strong, and a very capable fighter. Rallath took over most of the training of Taalong now. He continued to teach him applications of the force. For years Taalong had been taught to manipulate his environment and how to use the force to enhance his abilities. In the sparing matches he and Biju were just about even. They were both strong with the force. Even still however they disliked each other. Their consistent rivalry had never faded, though their fights were now kept mainly during their spars.
Rallath did not ease up on either of them though. He continued to work them very roughly. Rallath taught them greater defensive moves. He brought a training droid out at one point and it would fire light, yet somewhat painful, bolts at them. They worked with this droid all the time, and had to learn how to avoid getting hit by its volley of shots. Taalong gradually learned to grasp the pike higher so to have greater control over the blade. Rallath also taught just straight defensive moves at this time. Things that would help Biju and Taalong have greater control over their weapons, allowing them to block, without feeling the overwhelming urge to strike back. Control was very important. Over time they became rather capable with these skills.
Taalong saw Rallath as exactly what he was, the Master. He never thought of disobeying an order given nor ever contradicted something he said. Biju had always been more belligerent and harder to work with. Biju had very high thoughts about himself, and gradually he began to develop lower thoughts about their Master. At one point Biju snuck out of the estate. He was caught sneaking back in and he was thoroughly disciplined for it. This only made Biju’s attitude worse, and it only continued to decline as time went by.
Six years went by very quickly. In this time Rallath had purchased some very aggressive animals and taught his students how to control them using the force. He would have them stand in the pens with them and teach them to feel the energy and thoughts within them. Working with them to dominate the minds of the beasts and then attempting to ride them, Rallath would have them do this for days at a time. It was a talent that took Taalong a very long time to even come close to getting the hang of. After a great deal of time and practice however he did become quite proficient with the skill.
The sparing and combat training continued, and Taalong had become very good. He was a very aggressive fighter, and was quick to take an opportunity. His defensive capabilities were well developed as well, but he preferred to keep his opponent on the run while fighting. This was emphasized as Rallath had taught them elements of a very aggressive style. They were taught to let themselves go, but keep in control. To use their full potential, and their emotions to assist them. This was somewhat dangerous at first, and came close to causing serious injuries. But Rallath had taught them how to maintain control over their weapons, and to be very mindful of what they were doing and when. As always they had trouble with it, and it took a long time before they were any good at it. When they had used all of those elements of aggressive attacks, with counters, and the defense, they had very grand spars.
One day however things took an unexpected turn. Taalong awoke one night and felt something was wrong. He went to check on Biju to see if he was still there. As Taalong had suspected, Biju was gone. Taalong had long since learned that if he discovered Biju had snuck out he needed to tell Rallath immediately. Taalong ran back to the house, but all the while he felt like something was wrong. As he came into the estate, he found everything was dark, which was normal. Taalong was a Kaleesh however, and could see perfectly in the dark sensing the heat. He continued upstairs, still sensing something to be wrong. He continued his way through the house towards the Masters room when he heard a sudden crash.
He ran straight at Rallath’s door and threw it open. In the room before him he saw Biju with his red lightsaber glowing in his hand, looking down on Rallath, who was missing his right arm. Rallath seemed to be in a state of complete shock. Taalong remembered that Rallath had sent Harb on an errand off planet, and with his Master there wounded by Biju’s hand Taalong immediately ignited his own weapon. Biju turned away from Taalong, and without a word charged.
Taalong and Biju were now thrust into the final fight of their rivalry. Neither of them had ever been fond of the other, and they had always bordered on hatred. Now they were going for the kill. Biju and Taalong had both been training against each other for years. They knew their strengths as well as weaknesses. Both were very aggressive fighters, and Taalong was having some difficulty since his weapon was best with some range. As they slashed and struck at each other, their lightsabers served as the primary source of light besides the window and the door. At a certain point in the fight Biju force pushed Taalong back. Taalong hit the door and it slammed shut behind him. He quickly recovered and they continued. Taalong needed to do something though, and suddenly he had an idea. He raised his right hand the shutters on the window slammed together. Looking forward at Biju he through his hands forward and with as much power as he could muster, used the force throw him backwards. Biju hadn’t been ready and he dropped his lightsaber. The black deactivated just beside him, but he had no idea. He deactivated his lightsaber immediately and jumped back.
On the other side of the room, Biju turned his head from side to side as he suddenly couldn’t see a thing. Taalong wasted no time however. Turning his pike around he threw it as hard and fast as he could right at Biju with the point at the end racing forward. It was less then a second and suddenly there was a cry of pain from the Ithorian. Taalong could see him on the ground trying to comprehend what happened and tapping on the weapon that was now resting in his chest. Seconds later the Ithorian stopped struggling, and Biju was dead.
Quickly turning to his Master, Taalong ran over to him, turning on the lights as he did. Rallath was alive but his arm was badly damaged. Taalong took him downstairs and to the medical droid. His wound was treated and he was fitted with a prosthetic arm several days later.
Things were different for a while. There was no training done for days. After a week Rallath came to Taalong and thanked him for what he did and in a somewhat formal meeting in the estate with Harb and Rallath, he was knighted. At age 23 Taalong was now recognized as equal to his Master. In spite of this he still considered him self entirely subservient to Rallath and Harb. At this point Rallath was now in his 70’s and Harb was in his late 40’s.
Finally feeling that he’d achieved something as a warrior, Taalong felt an urge to return home. He wanted to prove now to his people that he was a warrior. He also wanted to construct a new mask. He’d had to make new ones several times in his time as he grew older. But now he wanted to make one with materials on Kalee, and prove himself as a warrior there. After holding this mind for some time, and Rallath sensing something was troubling him, Taalong made a request, something which was very rare for him. His request was to return to Kalee for a period of a year, so that he could get back in touch with his true culture. Rallath had some difficulty with granting the request, but he aloud it, though he had Taalong travel there on his own.
At last after twenty years Taalong was returning home. He booked a freighter passage there, and landed far from the dry lands. He was unfamiliar with the terrain, and used the force to guide him as well as asking how to find his tribe. To travel, he dominated the mind of a beast and rode it. After a month of traveling, utilizing his ability to control animals so that he could right them, he made his way to his tribe. It had remained almost as though he had never left. It was strong and numerous in the dry lands. His family had dwindled, and none of them really recognized him. His father and mother were both dead from a war that happened ten years earlier, and the brothers and sisters he had that knew him hardly even recognized him as their brother. Still they brought him in, and Taalong began to get back in touch with his roots. He remembered many of the rituals, and got back to things very well. He joined hunting parties, and greatly surpassed their ability to hunt. With the ability to use the force he was much stronger then them.
He was recognized for his great ability to hunt, and surpassed even what his father had been able to do. For this, he constructed a mask using the skull of the most deadly and vicious creature he could find. The four tall horns were a sign of his prowess in the hunt. The entire time however, he did not use his lightsaber. Rallath had long since engrained into Taalong the importance of hiding who they were, and Taalong found it to be important for him to use a spear in the traditional sense anyway. So his pike was used upside down for all he did.
In the last two months of his time with the tribe, they were preparing for war with another tribe. This was both good and bad for Taalong. He had always wanted to prove his worth as a warrior, but he knew it would take time to get off the planet. He joined the war party however, and marched off to fight with his tribe. Using only a sword and spear he fought for weeks, showing that he was very capable. There were many battles with dozens of Kaleesh clashing blades together. After a month however, Taalong’s tribe began to suffer. Though he had won every battle he had been a part of, other war parties had not. Nearing the end of the conflict however, Taalong’s war parties banded together to form a large group. Their enemy did the same, but their numbers were greater. In the final battle their side was beginning to falter, and Taalong knew that he needed to utilize his full potential so that they would have a chance.
He ignited the blade on his lightsaber pike and charged at the enemy. Using the force to throw the opposing warriors back, and cutting into them with his well honed skills as a fighter, Taalong killed many of the unsuspecting enemy. They were unprepared to face someone who by their eyes was using magic and speed they couldn’t come close to. This inspired a great deal of confidence in Taalong’s tribe, and they came back into the fight. The enemy tribe had to retreat, with what seemed like an easy victory turning into a crushing defeat right before their eyes. The war ended with that battle as they were too scared to face Taalong’s tribe again.
Taalong’s tribe was in awe of his power. His siblings that had known him recalled that he had been sent away to learn under a great hunter, but they had never imagined that he would have come back at all, let alone with such abilities. With the small war over, and celebrations having come to an end, Taalong knew he needed to return to his Master. He left his tribe, not telling them if he would ever return or not. Though it had been a very common small war fought between tribes, Taalong had no doubt left his tribe with a wondrous story to tell for generations. He made his way back to where he had first arrived, and got passage back to Chandrila. He arrived back at his Master’s estate a week before it had been a year.
A short while after his return, Rallath began taking Taalong on trips to far away places, searching for old Sith artifacts. Taalong knew what the Sith were, but the ancient Order had been dead for centuries. Rallath used all of his resources to find old Sith items. Anything and everything had been touched by the Dark Side Rallath had an interest in. Though he was getting older, he had developed an even greater thirst for power. He sent Harb out on his own most of the time, but Taalong was always kept with Rallath. He acted almost as a very intimidating body guard. The aging human was still a force user none the less, but the signs of aging were apparent on him, and his robotic arm didn’t help that. Taalong however was youthful and imposing, which scared many away.
All the while Rallath still would continue to teach Taalong different elements of battle, and new things constantly be shown to him. With Biju dead, Taalong’s new sparing partner was now solely Rallath. Rallath would continue to teach him more effective uses of his aggressive attacks., but primarily would teach him things about Djem So. Ever more useful counters were shown to him, things that he had never taught them before were suddenly. Presented with these new counters and aggressive maneuvers, Taalong incorporate them into his technique and work on them constantly.
They would go to the locations of crumbled temples, old libraries, or to homes where someone suggested they had something from the period. Sometimes they would be able to find what they wanted with ease. Other times, the people were belligerent and either Rallath or Taalong would kill them in an instant. The artifacts were typically just old books or trinkets. As Rallath would discover something, he would learn all he could from it. Much of the knowledge would then be imparted onto Taalong.
After years of this process, Harb began to disappear. He would go out of contact for long periods of time, and then return unexpectedly, and leave soon after. He became more belligerent with Rallath as well. At first it was just minor arguments, but later it became large shouting matches. During one Taalong overheard how it was they’d gotten all the money to pay for everything. Taalong had wondered, but he had never asked himself as he wasn’t concerned. Rallath was the Master, and he never questioned the Master. If the Master wanted him to know, he would tell him. But it seemed that Rallath had once been a Jedi, who had grown frustrated with the teachings of the Jedi. He gave many of his ideas to his padawan at the time, Harb, and the two began to become distanced from the Jedi Order. Rallath had a brother, who had recently inherited the family fortune after their parents died. It was an immense sum of money, and Rallath began to feel jealous that he was passed over simply because he was a Jedi. As such, he left the Order with his apprentice, and together they killed Rallath’s brother. With the knowledge that he had left the Jedi Order, and his brother being dead from what appeared to be a suicide, the family fortune went to Rallath. Soon after he took it all and moved to Chandrila, and began seeking darker teachings.
None of that mattered to Taalong. He had never been a Jedi, and was himself a Warrior of Rallath’s dark tutelage. As Rallath had found more things to increase his power with the dark side of the force, his teachings became darker, and had corrupted both Harb and Rallath. One day in Harb’s rage he explained to Taalong that his sole purpose, along with Biju’s, was so that Rallath could have some scavenger puppets that would help him get whatever he wanted. Even as Taalong heard it, it didn’t matter. Taalong hadn’t considered himself much more then that as it was. Rallath was not his friend, he was his Master. What bothered Taalong was that he believed Harb would soon turn out like Biju. Not long after that however, Harb disappeared.
As years went by, Rallath and Taalong continued to look for things. Taalong became more engrained with the dark doctrine. He himself became a darker individual, and tattooed his body with ornate designs of his own culture and from books they’d found. Overall however, Rallath and Taalong had found very little. Most of the items they’d found were worthless and had nothing important about them, and of the books they found there would be perhaps the mentioning of something related to Dark Jedi or Sith, but nothing of real value. That didn’t matter to Rallath however, who was continuing his search for greater power, while Taalong continued to serve his Master.
At the age of 33 Rallath and Taalong were on Nal Hutta, searching for a rumored idol in the swamp that had been left there by a Dark Jedi many years before. They got information as they went along, and believed it to be by an isolated mountain. They began searching but both Rallath and Taalong sensed they weren’t alone. Rallath was old but still quite capable with his power to use the force. They silently moved about and they discovered a Jedi Knight and his young apprentice. Rallath presumed they too were searching for the artifact. Rallath moved quickly towards them while Taalong moved around them. The knight ignited his blue lightsaber and began to challenge Rallath. Within moments Taalong took over the majority of the duel, but not before he pushed the apprentice away. The Jedi was clearly not prepared for what he was facing, as Taalong moved quickly and aggressively. The duel was over in a matter of seconds. Taalong had cut off the Knight’s left leg and when the Jedi hit the ground he quickly thrust his pike through his back.
Taalong was prepared to kill the apprentice, but Rallath had a better idea. The human boy was 14, well into his training. Rallath managed to disarm him and Taalong knocked him out. They took the boy back to their ship, and brought him back to the estate. Rallath wanted to do the same thing to the boy that he had to Harb. He wanted to teach him the true ways to use the Force. Taalong in his mind though that Rallath was merely trying to make up for the failure that Harb had now presented with his leaving, but he never spoke of it. Once back on Chandrila they kept him in the house. Unlike Taalong, he didn’t need to be taught from the ground up. Instead he needed to unlearn things from the Jedi Order. So Rallath instead took the exact opposite approach that he had with Taalong. The boy was treated very well. He was not kept in chains, but Taalong watched over him very carefully. Instead Rallath just spoke to him.
It was strange watching Rallath work. He spoke very calm and convincing. The young Jedi was belligerent, and didn’t let up. Finally Rallath lost his temper. He couldn’t stand that the boy wasn’t listening to reason. So he had Taalong kill him. He wanted to make the boy suffer before he did though, and the best way he found to do it was have Taalong duel him. He told Taalong however to prolong it as much as possible. For an hour they fought consistently, very close to where Taalong had been trained himself. But every time the boy would try a new tactic Taalong could anticipate it and struck him to the ground. Battered, bruised, and cut horribly, the boy finally fell down from all the pain. As he went down Rallath told him to finish the boy, and Taalong killed him.
Rallath and Taalong went back to their studying for another two years, not finding anything. Taalong however was never frustrated with a lack of progress. Rallath was his Master, and he was a warrior who would serve. They at times would have someone attempt to mug them on the street, and they would be swiftly dispatched. But aside from an occasional spar between Taalong and Rallath, there was no real challenge. At this point Rallath was being surpassed by Taalong. His skills in combat were great, and Rallath was weakening with age.
Late one night however, Taalong sensed a disturbance, and stood awake in the house. Suddenly through the front door smashed Harb. The Kaleesh sense of smell was great, and he could smell liquor all over the man. Harb ignited his lightsaber and began to rant about it was all Rallath's fault. Rallath awoke and attempted to talk the drunken dark Jedi out of it. But Harb said the only way to fix things was to kill Rallath. He lunged at the balcony that Rallath and Taalong stood on, but Taalong got between them.
Once again, Taalong stood prepared to duel inside the estate house. Harb moved quickly, but his actions were clumsy. Taalong on the other hand did not hold back. He moved quickly to bring down his opponent. The battle was short lived however, as Taalong took and opening to strike Harb in he stomach, and then came down quickly with the blade across his shoulder. Harb was dead on the floor, his lightsaber beside him.
Rallath seemed surprisingly unmoved by what had happened. Instead he just picked up the lightsaber and walked away. Rallath had been getting older and weaker however, and had recently been stooping into a sort of mad state. Taalong however did not question, but he also didn’t speak about it. He was just a loyal warrior and he had killed Harb as he was trying to kill Rallath.
A few months later, Rallath grew sick but refused to seek out treatment for it as he felt he was strong enough to overcome it. Though Taalong could see it was getting very bad, he refused to say anything to his Master to contradict him. After a few weeks Rallath was on complete bed rest. After a month he was up moving around again, but he was far too weak to do much more then walk around the house. He was very old now, and needed a cane at all times. He spent his time now just studying old material that they had uncovered. Taalong would then be taught portions of the material, but the quality of the teaching had been falling off.
Finally when Taalong was 36, he awoke one day and Rallath was not to be found. He could feel something was wrong, and he searched the grounds for him. He entered into his Masters room and found him dead sick in bed. Rallath called him over, but he was very weak. With what little he could muster, Rallath told Taalong that there was nothing more for him to teach him, and that he was a true master. Taalong was not sure of what to do, but as he had always been loyal, when his master told him to leave him to himself, he did. Taalong was in a deep state of denial about his master, seeing him as nearly immortal.
The next morning he came to his masters room to find Rallat was dead. He had likely died that night. Taalong was in a sorrowful rage, and in that he destroyed two of the servant droids. He got so out of control that he decided the course action he would take was to burn the house down. He set a fire all around on many of the curtains and stepped outside. It took quite some time for the entire place to go up in the blaze.
Taalong eventually got control of himself, and knew that he had to accept that his master had died. As he grasped this, he got on his masters speeder, and he left the estate, never to return. He decided that his duty to his master was to continue the search for answers in the dark ways. After a full year of being on his own, he is living as a drifter, and going where ever the force guides him, in an attempt to carry on his masters legacy.
RP Sample:
Taalong travelled on the sand. It was rough and harsh, and the wind blew heavy. He did not care. He was deep in his thoughts, and kept his eyes forward. He kept his mouth closed to keep the small grains of sand picked up from going in them. The wind was coming from behind him, which was fortunate for his eyes.
The beast he road on he could sense was weary. It had travelled a great distance, and away from it’s herd which Taalong had taken it from. It had been little match for his control over it’s will. It now had a creature on its back that it had never seen before, and was going towards a place it never wished to go. Slowly it continued to move, and Taalong kept his eyes forward.
Soon as the sun began to move from the sky Taalong could see what he was looking for. A small little village. There was a trail of smoke coming up from some of the small dwellings. It was still far off, but Taalong knew it was where he wanted to be. ”Ku’v a tumiro sa’o” Taalong ordered aloud, and the beast began to pick up it’s pace as it moved towards their destination.
Race: Kaleesh
Age: 37
Height: 1.8 meters
Weight: 196 lbs
Appearance:
Taalong is taller then average for a Kaleesh. He has a fit, athletic build. His arms and legs are always exposed and reveal his muscles. His skin is an orange-brown color, which is very common for his species. He wears traditional Kaleesh war vestments, but has darkened portions to black to match his affiliation. A very recognizable feature about Taalong is that his body is covered in dark tattoos. The tattoos themselves are a mixture of traditional designs of the Kaleesh and designs from various dark side cults. The most noticeable thing about Taalong is easily his traditional Kaleesh mask. Like all Kaleesh he is never seen without the mask, which has four horns reaching from the top of the skull it is made from. Taalong is never to be seen without the mask, he had the tattoos for his face placed on the mask which is considered to be his “real face”.
Personality: Taalong is a very harsh and serious person. He comes from a warrior like culture, and takes a great deal of pride in that. He recognizes that he is much stronger then the average member of his species and acts as he views a strong warrior should act. He does not boast about his abilities, and will only state exactly what he believes he can do. If he foresees failure, he will not hesitate to state such. Taalong also has a fierce loyalty to him. He recognizes his betters and does not squabble over his place. He does not concern himself with being higher or lower then others. He seeks only to serve at his place and works towards constant improvement of his own abilities. He recognizes his own weaknesses, but does not make them known. He tries only to turn them into their own form of strength if he can. Taalong is not known for showing empathy, and can at times be very brutal. He has not had a great deal in his life to be attached to, and doesn’t hold much value towards anything except for his abilities in battle.
Birth place: Kalee
Faction: Dark Jedi
Rank: Master
Lightsaber: Single Blade Lightsaber Pike
Color: Red
Practiced Lightsaber forms:
Shii-Cho - 5
Soresu - 2
Djem So – 4
Lightsaber Pike Combat - 5
Force-Sensitive Abilities or practices:
Telekinetic: 5
Telepathic: 5
Body: 6
Sense: 6
Protection: 2
Healing: 2
Destruction: 2
Specialized Skills:
Beast Control
Attributes:
Physical Strength: 7
Intelligence: 6
Speed: 6
Leadership: 5
Unarmed: 5
Melee Weapons: 6
Ranged Weapons: 2
Bio: Taalong was born in the middle of a very hot summer. He was the second son from Dashak’s third wife, making him Dashak’s ninth child. The tribe he was a part of had been living in the dry lands for many years. The tribe itself was strong and numerous. Dashak was a strong warrior, and skilled hunter. He had four wives at the time of Taalong’s birth, and was quite experienced with raising his children. Living in the dry lands was not easy, but it made the tribe and its people strong. This set certain expectations of each individual in the tribe, which now included Taalong.
When Taalong was old enough to walk, he was old enough to start learning how to survive. His father didn’t have much time to spend with him specifically, and so his brothers and sisters did a great deal of the teaching. They had been raised by Dashak to be tough, and even though some of them were still very young themselves, they understood what he was teaching them, and took it well. Taalong was himself wasn’t large by any means as a child, and so he had no easy time learning the lessons of Kaleesh children. By the time he was 2 years old he was already being taught how to use a spear. He was taught very simple elements of hand to hand fighting, and was well on his way to becoming a warrior himself.
When he was 3 years old his father and many of the other warriors left to fight another tribe. There was no war, only a single battle in which his tribe came out victorious, and several of his brothers had been well distinguished in battle. In this time however the young Taalong was being brought along with hunting parties to start learning how to hunt. He wasn’t spearing the kill himself, but he was assisting with the other parts like skinning the kill and preparing it for food. It was on one of these hunting trips that something very important happened.
While out in the dry lands Taalong was with one of his brothers and two of his sisters. They had been tracking a herd of animals for several days and when they found it they weren’t alone. Not far from them there was a creature that Taalong had never seen before. They walked on two legs like a Kaleesh, but he did not wear a mask and he had five fingers instead of four. He had gray hair and older looking face. This was the first time Taalong had ever seen a human. He had fancy clothing on and in his hand there was a red glowing sword. He was staring down the animals they were tracking, and the largest of the beasts stared back at him. The other animals fled, but the large one remained. The beast itself remained staring at him and suddenly charged. The man in the fancy clothes remained still and when the animal was close, he ducked and brought the sword down on his neck, killing it.
Taalong and his siblings approached him with caution, as it was a very strange thing to have seen. The man noticed them as well, and began to approach them. As he did, Taalong grabbed his spear and brought it up. He would likely not be able to fight off the man, but he had been taught that if he needed to fight, then he would fight. His brother however did nothing, but Taalong kept his weapon up. The old man began to talk to his brother. He kept looking back down at Taalong, which confused him. They both began to talk to each other a bit away from Taalong, and they both kept looking at him. Taalong didn’t know why, but by now he’d brought his spear down.
After several minutes the man walked away and seemed to talk to himself. Moments later a starship came flying over and landed. Taalong was taken back, and was scared. He’d never seen a starship before. His brother ordered his siblings to get on board, and they did. Taalong was now very scared as he didn’t know what was going on. They got on board, and Taalong could feel the ground shake beneath them. Only minutes later they were suddenly landing, and they were back at with the tribe. A trip that had taken them days had been reduced to mere minutes. This amazed Taalong, and he followed his siblings back into camp.
Later that evening his father and the human came to speak to Taalong. His father explained to him that he would be going with the human to continue learning to be a great warrior. Taalong was confused, as he had never heard of such an idea. But it was his fathers wish, and he would never disobey him. He went with the man without question, and with his spear in hand he boarded the man’s ship. What Taalong was too young to know, was that the human was a dark Jedi who had hunted in the same lands as the tribe for many years. He was recognized as a great warrior and he’d sensed that Taalong himself was force-sensitive. Realizing this he looked to seize upon and opportunity, and made a deal with Dashak to take over training Taalong. Dashak gave the condition that he would be trained with the traditions of the Kaleesh, and the deal was done. With more children on the way Dashak did not see the harm of leaving one to be trained off world.
Suddenly Taalong found himself in a curious new world known as Chandrila. It was very different from Kalee, which was very arid and dry, at least the part Taalong knew. Chandrila was cool, and had a very pleasant climate. Taalong was brought to the man’s home, a very large and open estate with a big house. Once here the man finally introduced himself. His name was Forn Rallath. Forn explained to Taalong that he had a great deal of power and he would teach him to use it. Taalong was unsure of what he was talking about, but he soon found out. From that moment he was to call Forn, Master Rallath, and he was introduced to two others. An Ithorian named Biju, who was several years older then Taalong, and another human named Harb, who was older then the both of them. Biju was a very angry and violent Ithorian, which was the exact reason he had been aloud to be taken by Rallath. The other had been Rallath’s student in something called the Jedi Order.
Immediately Taalong began learning about the Force, and what it was. At first it was little hard for Taalong to understand, and the teachings of his traditional deities got in the way. Like his father and siblings, Master Rallath was very strict. Though the house was very large, Taalong and Biju slept in a small tiny building outside. They’re food was relatively little, and they were expected to keep a very strict schedule. Rallath was hard on them both. In spite of their similar treatment, Biju and Taalong were never very close. Biju was very aggressive and mean spirited. Taalong on the other hand was taught to be strong and serious. These didn’t go well together, and the two stayed rather distant. Biju would frequently attempt to start fights, and the two would scuffle. If Rallath was around he would stop them, but when he wasn’t they would just go till one gave out, which was usually Taalong because he was younger. Amidst all the fighting however, the two continued to learn about the force and how to use it.
From that very young age Taalong was being taught to use weapons. At first Taalong was taught to use a sword. It was heavy and he was not used to it. Kaleesh frequently used swords, but Taalong and his family used primarily spears. Soon after, Rallath told Taalong to bring his spear to combat training exercise, and from then on it was what he used. Biju however continued to use a sword as did Rallath. With these weapons they were taught their elements of combat. Taalong had an advantage over Biju however, in that he had been taught elements of armed combat already. Ithorians Taalong had learned were naturally the polar opposites of Kaleesh. They were peaceful and calm, which made Biju an unwelcome fit. Kaleesh however were a warlike species, where fighting was very common.
After a year of this sort of training everyday, Rallath presented Taalong and Biju with training lightsabers. It was like a smaller version of the weapon that he’d seen Rallath use the first time he saw him. Rallath had emphasized the dangers and power of a lightsaber frequently, and so Taalong and Biju knew to use caution. Around the same time Harb began to also to be involved in the instruction of Biju and Taalong. The light weight of the lightsaber was not difficult for Taalong to grasp, and began to develop a great skill with using it. He and Biju would frequently be pitted against each other to spar, while Harb and Rallath continued to train them in how to use the weapons and the force.
As time went on Taalong felt as though he would prefer to work with a spear. It was more comfortable for him, and he was still very familiar with it. When he asked Rallath if there was a lightsaber variant that worked like a spear Rallath told him there was. But he’d need to construct it himself. For the time being Taalong continued to learn how to use his lightsaber in the normal fashion. Not long after that day, Rallath presented him with a long staff. It was not a lightsaber, but a cortosis-weave force pike. From then on Taalong continued his training using the pike. It was very spear like, and Taalong loved it. It had its power level turned down quite a lot, and Harb taught Taalong more advanced techniques. Taalong was a natural, and took most of it very well.
As years passed Taalong and Biju continued their training. Though Chandrila was a very pleasant place, to them it was a harsh training ground. They were isolated on Rallath’s estate, and rarely saw anyone. Food was delivered, and that was about it. There were a few servant droids around, and there was a human chef. Besides that their contact was limited to each other. Taalong and Biju still were in a bitter rivalry, though Taalong had grown stronger with his age. He constantly worked to build muscle and strength, trying to better himself physically. All the while Rallath taught them further applications of the force. For them, the force was a tool to be used at will to help them better themselves. Most other people in the galaxy could not use it the way they could, and only the strongest were those that could utilize it properly.
These ideas had already taken hold in Taalong’s mind. He was quickly becoming a dark warrior. The common teachings of balance and the light side of the force had almost no meaning to him. Taalong viewed himself as a warrior, one who needed to continue getting stronger. He was becoming very adept at using his force pike, just as Biju was very good with his training saber. Typically their training would work around the idea of consistent counters. Rallath would work them very hard. He would typically just strike at them and at times not hold back. He would show them frequently good counters, and they would put it into practice. As they learned these, they would use them on each other. This part of the practice never ended, and from then on Rallath would show different counters and Taalong and Biju would work to get as good with them as they possibly could.
Rallath then had them begin construction of their own lightsabers. Taalong’s was by far the more complicated, but he worked at it everyday. Rallath supplied for them all they needed to work on them, and Taalong worked on a pike that he found to be very traditional. It would have hard metal welts all along it, and would end in a very sharp point. The blade itself would rest at the top, and was a foot and a half long. Fortunately for Taalong Rallath had supplied him with cortosis weave materials. While expensive, they were very necessary for his student’s weapon.
Biju finished his weapon first, and Rallath took him to collect his crystal, while Harb remained with Taalong to continue training him. Throughout his training Taalong had been also taught many aspects of his culture, primarily by Rallath. Rallath had spent a great deal of time on Kalee, and so knew quite a lot of their traditions. He didn’t know everything, but for their fighting techniques and beliefs he knew enough to raise and train Taalong as though he was one of them. Finally Taalong finished his own weapon, and Rallath took him to Dantooine. Here Taalong found his red lightsaber crystal, seemingly identical to that of his Masters, and finished his weapon.
Taalong was now eighteen years old. He was very strong, and a very capable fighter. Rallath took over most of the training of Taalong now. He continued to teach him applications of the force. For years Taalong had been taught to manipulate his environment and how to use the force to enhance his abilities. In the sparing matches he and Biju were just about even. They were both strong with the force. Even still however they disliked each other. Their consistent rivalry had never faded, though their fights were now kept mainly during their spars.
Rallath did not ease up on either of them though. He continued to work them very roughly. Rallath taught them greater defensive moves. He brought a training droid out at one point and it would fire light, yet somewhat painful, bolts at them. They worked with this droid all the time, and had to learn how to avoid getting hit by its volley of shots. Taalong gradually learned to grasp the pike higher so to have greater control over the blade. Rallath also taught just straight defensive moves at this time. Things that would help Biju and Taalong have greater control over their weapons, allowing them to block, without feeling the overwhelming urge to strike back. Control was very important. Over time they became rather capable with these skills.
Taalong saw Rallath as exactly what he was, the Master. He never thought of disobeying an order given nor ever contradicted something he said. Biju had always been more belligerent and harder to work with. Biju had very high thoughts about himself, and gradually he began to develop lower thoughts about their Master. At one point Biju snuck out of the estate. He was caught sneaking back in and he was thoroughly disciplined for it. This only made Biju’s attitude worse, and it only continued to decline as time went by.
Six years went by very quickly. In this time Rallath had purchased some very aggressive animals and taught his students how to control them using the force. He would have them stand in the pens with them and teach them to feel the energy and thoughts within them. Working with them to dominate the minds of the beasts and then attempting to ride them, Rallath would have them do this for days at a time. It was a talent that took Taalong a very long time to even come close to getting the hang of. After a great deal of time and practice however he did become quite proficient with the skill.
The sparing and combat training continued, and Taalong had become very good. He was a very aggressive fighter, and was quick to take an opportunity. His defensive capabilities were well developed as well, but he preferred to keep his opponent on the run while fighting. This was emphasized as Rallath had taught them elements of a very aggressive style. They were taught to let themselves go, but keep in control. To use their full potential, and their emotions to assist them. This was somewhat dangerous at first, and came close to causing serious injuries. But Rallath had taught them how to maintain control over their weapons, and to be very mindful of what they were doing and when. As always they had trouble with it, and it took a long time before they were any good at it. When they had used all of those elements of aggressive attacks, with counters, and the defense, they had very grand spars.
One day however things took an unexpected turn. Taalong awoke one night and felt something was wrong. He went to check on Biju to see if he was still there. As Taalong had suspected, Biju was gone. Taalong had long since learned that if he discovered Biju had snuck out he needed to tell Rallath immediately. Taalong ran back to the house, but all the while he felt like something was wrong. As he came into the estate, he found everything was dark, which was normal. Taalong was a Kaleesh however, and could see perfectly in the dark sensing the heat. He continued upstairs, still sensing something to be wrong. He continued his way through the house towards the Masters room when he heard a sudden crash.
He ran straight at Rallath’s door and threw it open. In the room before him he saw Biju with his red lightsaber glowing in his hand, looking down on Rallath, who was missing his right arm. Rallath seemed to be in a state of complete shock. Taalong remembered that Rallath had sent Harb on an errand off planet, and with his Master there wounded by Biju’s hand Taalong immediately ignited his own weapon. Biju turned away from Taalong, and without a word charged.
Taalong and Biju were now thrust into the final fight of their rivalry. Neither of them had ever been fond of the other, and they had always bordered on hatred. Now they were going for the kill. Biju and Taalong had both been training against each other for years. They knew their strengths as well as weaknesses. Both were very aggressive fighters, and Taalong was having some difficulty since his weapon was best with some range. As they slashed and struck at each other, their lightsabers served as the primary source of light besides the window and the door. At a certain point in the fight Biju force pushed Taalong back. Taalong hit the door and it slammed shut behind him. He quickly recovered and they continued. Taalong needed to do something though, and suddenly he had an idea. He raised his right hand the shutters on the window slammed together. Looking forward at Biju he through his hands forward and with as much power as he could muster, used the force throw him backwards. Biju hadn’t been ready and he dropped his lightsaber. The black deactivated just beside him, but he had no idea. He deactivated his lightsaber immediately and jumped back.
On the other side of the room, Biju turned his head from side to side as he suddenly couldn’t see a thing. Taalong wasted no time however. Turning his pike around he threw it as hard and fast as he could right at Biju with the point at the end racing forward. It was less then a second and suddenly there was a cry of pain from the Ithorian. Taalong could see him on the ground trying to comprehend what happened and tapping on the weapon that was now resting in his chest. Seconds later the Ithorian stopped struggling, and Biju was dead.
Quickly turning to his Master, Taalong ran over to him, turning on the lights as he did. Rallath was alive but his arm was badly damaged. Taalong took him downstairs and to the medical droid. His wound was treated and he was fitted with a prosthetic arm several days later.
Things were different for a while. There was no training done for days. After a week Rallath came to Taalong and thanked him for what he did and in a somewhat formal meeting in the estate with Harb and Rallath, he was knighted. At age 23 Taalong was now recognized as equal to his Master. In spite of this he still considered him self entirely subservient to Rallath and Harb. At this point Rallath was now in his 70’s and Harb was in his late 40’s.
Finally feeling that he’d achieved something as a warrior, Taalong felt an urge to return home. He wanted to prove now to his people that he was a warrior. He also wanted to construct a new mask. He’d had to make new ones several times in his time as he grew older. But now he wanted to make one with materials on Kalee, and prove himself as a warrior there. After holding this mind for some time, and Rallath sensing something was troubling him, Taalong made a request, something which was very rare for him. His request was to return to Kalee for a period of a year, so that he could get back in touch with his true culture. Rallath had some difficulty with granting the request, but he aloud it, though he had Taalong travel there on his own.
At last after twenty years Taalong was returning home. He booked a freighter passage there, and landed far from the dry lands. He was unfamiliar with the terrain, and used the force to guide him as well as asking how to find his tribe. To travel, he dominated the mind of a beast and rode it. After a month of traveling, utilizing his ability to control animals so that he could right them, he made his way to his tribe. It had remained almost as though he had never left. It was strong and numerous in the dry lands. His family had dwindled, and none of them really recognized him. His father and mother were both dead from a war that happened ten years earlier, and the brothers and sisters he had that knew him hardly even recognized him as their brother. Still they brought him in, and Taalong began to get back in touch with his roots. He remembered many of the rituals, and got back to things very well. He joined hunting parties, and greatly surpassed their ability to hunt. With the ability to use the force he was much stronger then them.
He was recognized for his great ability to hunt, and surpassed even what his father had been able to do. For this, he constructed a mask using the skull of the most deadly and vicious creature he could find. The four tall horns were a sign of his prowess in the hunt. The entire time however, he did not use his lightsaber. Rallath had long since engrained into Taalong the importance of hiding who they were, and Taalong found it to be important for him to use a spear in the traditional sense anyway. So his pike was used upside down for all he did.
In the last two months of his time with the tribe, they were preparing for war with another tribe. This was both good and bad for Taalong. He had always wanted to prove his worth as a warrior, but he knew it would take time to get off the planet. He joined the war party however, and marched off to fight with his tribe. Using only a sword and spear he fought for weeks, showing that he was very capable. There were many battles with dozens of Kaleesh clashing blades together. After a month however, Taalong’s tribe began to suffer. Though he had won every battle he had been a part of, other war parties had not. Nearing the end of the conflict however, Taalong’s war parties banded together to form a large group. Their enemy did the same, but their numbers were greater. In the final battle their side was beginning to falter, and Taalong knew that he needed to utilize his full potential so that they would have a chance.
He ignited the blade on his lightsaber pike and charged at the enemy. Using the force to throw the opposing warriors back, and cutting into them with his well honed skills as a fighter, Taalong killed many of the unsuspecting enemy. They were unprepared to face someone who by their eyes was using magic and speed they couldn’t come close to. This inspired a great deal of confidence in Taalong’s tribe, and they came back into the fight. The enemy tribe had to retreat, with what seemed like an easy victory turning into a crushing defeat right before their eyes. The war ended with that battle as they were too scared to face Taalong’s tribe again.
Taalong’s tribe was in awe of his power. His siblings that had known him recalled that he had been sent away to learn under a great hunter, but they had never imagined that he would have come back at all, let alone with such abilities. With the small war over, and celebrations having come to an end, Taalong knew he needed to return to his Master. He left his tribe, not telling them if he would ever return or not. Though it had been a very common small war fought between tribes, Taalong had no doubt left his tribe with a wondrous story to tell for generations. He made his way back to where he had first arrived, and got passage back to Chandrila. He arrived back at his Master’s estate a week before it had been a year.
A short while after his return, Rallath began taking Taalong on trips to far away places, searching for old Sith artifacts. Taalong knew what the Sith were, but the ancient Order had been dead for centuries. Rallath used all of his resources to find old Sith items. Anything and everything had been touched by the Dark Side Rallath had an interest in. Though he was getting older, he had developed an even greater thirst for power. He sent Harb out on his own most of the time, but Taalong was always kept with Rallath. He acted almost as a very intimidating body guard. The aging human was still a force user none the less, but the signs of aging were apparent on him, and his robotic arm didn’t help that. Taalong however was youthful and imposing, which scared many away.
All the while Rallath still would continue to teach Taalong different elements of battle, and new things constantly be shown to him. With Biju dead, Taalong’s new sparing partner was now solely Rallath. Rallath would continue to teach him more effective uses of his aggressive attacks., but primarily would teach him things about Djem So. Ever more useful counters were shown to him, things that he had never taught them before were suddenly. Presented with these new counters and aggressive maneuvers, Taalong incorporate them into his technique and work on them constantly.
They would go to the locations of crumbled temples, old libraries, or to homes where someone suggested they had something from the period. Sometimes they would be able to find what they wanted with ease. Other times, the people were belligerent and either Rallath or Taalong would kill them in an instant. The artifacts were typically just old books or trinkets. As Rallath would discover something, he would learn all he could from it. Much of the knowledge would then be imparted onto Taalong.
After years of this process, Harb began to disappear. He would go out of contact for long periods of time, and then return unexpectedly, and leave soon after. He became more belligerent with Rallath as well. At first it was just minor arguments, but later it became large shouting matches. During one Taalong overheard how it was they’d gotten all the money to pay for everything. Taalong had wondered, but he had never asked himself as he wasn’t concerned. Rallath was the Master, and he never questioned the Master. If the Master wanted him to know, he would tell him. But it seemed that Rallath had once been a Jedi, who had grown frustrated with the teachings of the Jedi. He gave many of his ideas to his padawan at the time, Harb, and the two began to become distanced from the Jedi Order. Rallath had a brother, who had recently inherited the family fortune after their parents died. It was an immense sum of money, and Rallath began to feel jealous that he was passed over simply because he was a Jedi. As such, he left the Order with his apprentice, and together they killed Rallath’s brother. With the knowledge that he had left the Jedi Order, and his brother being dead from what appeared to be a suicide, the family fortune went to Rallath. Soon after he took it all and moved to Chandrila, and began seeking darker teachings.
None of that mattered to Taalong. He had never been a Jedi, and was himself a Warrior of Rallath’s dark tutelage. As Rallath had found more things to increase his power with the dark side of the force, his teachings became darker, and had corrupted both Harb and Rallath. One day in Harb’s rage he explained to Taalong that his sole purpose, along with Biju’s, was so that Rallath could have some scavenger puppets that would help him get whatever he wanted. Even as Taalong heard it, it didn’t matter. Taalong hadn’t considered himself much more then that as it was. Rallath was not his friend, he was his Master. What bothered Taalong was that he believed Harb would soon turn out like Biju. Not long after that however, Harb disappeared.
As years went by, Rallath and Taalong continued to look for things. Taalong became more engrained with the dark doctrine. He himself became a darker individual, and tattooed his body with ornate designs of his own culture and from books they’d found. Overall however, Rallath and Taalong had found very little. Most of the items they’d found were worthless and had nothing important about them, and of the books they found there would be perhaps the mentioning of something related to Dark Jedi or Sith, but nothing of real value. That didn’t matter to Rallath however, who was continuing his search for greater power, while Taalong continued to serve his Master.
At the age of 33 Rallath and Taalong were on Nal Hutta, searching for a rumored idol in the swamp that had been left there by a Dark Jedi many years before. They got information as they went along, and believed it to be by an isolated mountain. They began searching but both Rallath and Taalong sensed they weren’t alone. Rallath was old but still quite capable with his power to use the force. They silently moved about and they discovered a Jedi Knight and his young apprentice. Rallath presumed they too were searching for the artifact. Rallath moved quickly towards them while Taalong moved around them. The knight ignited his blue lightsaber and began to challenge Rallath. Within moments Taalong took over the majority of the duel, but not before he pushed the apprentice away. The Jedi was clearly not prepared for what he was facing, as Taalong moved quickly and aggressively. The duel was over in a matter of seconds. Taalong had cut off the Knight’s left leg and when the Jedi hit the ground he quickly thrust his pike through his back.
Taalong was prepared to kill the apprentice, but Rallath had a better idea. The human boy was 14, well into his training. Rallath managed to disarm him and Taalong knocked him out. They took the boy back to their ship, and brought him back to the estate. Rallath wanted to do the same thing to the boy that he had to Harb. He wanted to teach him the true ways to use the Force. Taalong in his mind though that Rallath was merely trying to make up for the failure that Harb had now presented with his leaving, but he never spoke of it. Once back on Chandrila they kept him in the house. Unlike Taalong, he didn’t need to be taught from the ground up. Instead he needed to unlearn things from the Jedi Order. So Rallath instead took the exact opposite approach that he had with Taalong. The boy was treated very well. He was not kept in chains, but Taalong watched over him very carefully. Instead Rallath just spoke to him.
It was strange watching Rallath work. He spoke very calm and convincing. The young Jedi was belligerent, and didn’t let up. Finally Rallath lost his temper. He couldn’t stand that the boy wasn’t listening to reason. So he had Taalong kill him. He wanted to make the boy suffer before he did though, and the best way he found to do it was have Taalong duel him. He told Taalong however to prolong it as much as possible. For an hour they fought consistently, very close to where Taalong had been trained himself. But every time the boy would try a new tactic Taalong could anticipate it and struck him to the ground. Battered, bruised, and cut horribly, the boy finally fell down from all the pain. As he went down Rallath told him to finish the boy, and Taalong killed him.
Rallath and Taalong went back to their studying for another two years, not finding anything. Taalong however was never frustrated with a lack of progress. Rallath was his Master, and he was a warrior who would serve. They at times would have someone attempt to mug them on the street, and they would be swiftly dispatched. But aside from an occasional spar between Taalong and Rallath, there was no real challenge. At this point Rallath was being surpassed by Taalong. His skills in combat were great, and Rallath was weakening with age.
Late one night however, Taalong sensed a disturbance, and stood awake in the house. Suddenly through the front door smashed Harb. The Kaleesh sense of smell was great, and he could smell liquor all over the man. Harb ignited his lightsaber and began to rant about it was all Rallath's fault. Rallath awoke and attempted to talk the drunken dark Jedi out of it. But Harb said the only way to fix things was to kill Rallath. He lunged at the balcony that Rallath and Taalong stood on, but Taalong got between them.
Once again, Taalong stood prepared to duel inside the estate house. Harb moved quickly, but his actions were clumsy. Taalong on the other hand did not hold back. He moved quickly to bring down his opponent. The battle was short lived however, as Taalong took and opening to strike Harb in he stomach, and then came down quickly with the blade across his shoulder. Harb was dead on the floor, his lightsaber beside him.
Rallath seemed surprisingly unmoved by what had happened. Instead he just picked up the lightsaber and walked away. Rallath had been getting older and weaker however, and had recently been stooping into a sort of mad state. Taalong however did not question, but he also didn’t speak about it. He was just a loyal warrior and he had killed Harb as he was trying to kill Rallath.
A few months later, Rallath grew sick but refused to seek out treatment for it as he felt he was strong enough to overcome it. Though Taalong could see it was getting very bad, he refused to say anything to his Master to contradict him. After a few weeks Rallath was on complete bed rest. After a month he was up moving around again, but he was far too weak to do much more then walk around the house. He was very old now, and needed a cane at all times. He spent his time now just studying old material that they had uncovered. Taalong would then be taught portions of the material, but the quality of the teaching had been falling off.
Finally when Taalong was 36, he awoke one day and Rallath was not to be found. He could feel something was wrong, and he searched the grounds for him. He entered into his Masters room and found him dead sick in bed. Rallath called him over, but he was very weak. With what little he could muster, Rallath told Taalong that there was nothing more for him to teach him, and that he was a true master. Taalong was not sure of what to do, but as he had always been loyal, when his master told him to leave him to himself, he did. Taalong was in a deep state of denial about his master, seeing him as nearly immortal.
The next morning he came to his masters room to find Rallat was dead. He had likely died that night. Taalong was in a sorrowful rage, and in that he destroyed two of the servant droids. He got so out of control that he decided the course action he would take was to burn the house down. He set a fire all around on many of the curtains and stepped outside. It took quite some time for the entire place to go up in the blaze.
Taalong eventually got control of himself, and knew that he had to accept that his master had died. As he grasped this, he got on his masters speeder, and he left the estate, never to return. He decided that his duty to his master was to continue the search for answers in the dark ways. After a full year of being on his own, he is living as a drifter, and going where ever the force guides him, in an attempt to carry on his masters legacy.
RP Sample:
Taalong travelled on the sand. It was rough and harsh, and the wind blew heavy. He did not care. He was deep in his thoughts, and kept his eyes forward. He kept his mouth closed to keep the small grains of sand picked up from going in them. The wind was coming from behind him, which was fortunate for his eyes.
The beast he road on he could sense was weary. It had travelled a great distance, and away from it’s herd which Taalong had taken it from. It had been little match for his control over it’s will. It now had a creature on its back that it had never seen before, and was going towards a place it never wished to go. Slowly it continued to move, and Taalong kept his eyes forward.
Soon as the sun began to move from the sky Taalong could see what he was looking for. A small little village. There was a trail of smoke coming up from some of the small dwellings. It was still far off, but Taalong knew it was where he wanted to be. ”Ku’v a tumiro sa’o” Taalong ordered aloud, and the beast began to pick up it’s pace as it moved towards their destination.
Let's get this character approved.