Post by Neology on Apr 20, 2018 14:18:27 GMT -5
 Lidah Faine Full Name • Lidah Faine Aliases • Darth Novus [Assumed dead.] Race • Arkanian Offshoot [Sephi-hybrid.] Birthplace • A mining camp on the edge of Adascopolis, Arkania. Age • 39 Gender • Female Sexuality • Heterosexual Faction • Fringe Concept • Former Dark Lady of the Sith [Rank 3 - Expert] turned independent criminal after faking her death seven years ago. Exchange Compeer. Arms dealer and information broker. Languages • Basic, Arkanian, Huttese, Bocce, Binary (understood only) Assets • Lightsaber x 2 (Standard size, powder blue color crystals ▇▇▇, ivory inlaid hilts), Blaster Pistol, Vibroknife, Utility belt (Contains encrypted comlink, survival rations, grappling spike launcher, rebreather, medpac, spare power pack), Datapad, Stealth Field Generator, Personal Starship, Space Armor, The Blind Eye Appearance Face Claim • Natalie Dormer Height & Weight • 5'11" 138 lbs. Overall Looks • Standing at just under six feet and fair in the extreme, Lidah cuts an impressive figure. Snow white hair falls in soft waves to just past her shoulders, framing a wide face, pointed chin, and a crooked smile. Pointed ears, a undeniable mark of Sephi heritage, poke through her hair stubbornly no matter her efforts to hide them. Icy blue eyes peer out from under arched brows and a fringe of smokey lashes, gleaming with a cunning, active intellect. Long of limb and lithely muscled, Lidah exudes a precise sort of confidence and moves with an ambush predator's grace and economy of motion. Possessing an enduring interest in Galactic fashion, Lidah nevertheless selects her clothing to match her needs – a tool or weapon for every job. Heels when she wants to intimidate, boots when she needs to run or fight, and so on from there. Her closet contains examples of everything from the latest in high fashion to vagrant attire. She rarely wears much in the way of armor - too bulky, obvious, restrictive - and has wholly sworn off wearing black and red. Personality Profile The face Lidah presents to the world is cold, collected, and viciously intelligent. It is, more or less, an honest portrayal. She enjoys puzzles and games, the sterile distance between oneself and the board. If afforded the luxury, that is how she prefers to approach problems - methodically ripping them apart, wings first. She lies prettily and well, but often finds genuine conversation cumbersome or awkward. Empathy, while not a foreign concept to Lidah, is difficult for her to put into words or actions. Unlike most Sith - or former Sith, now - she is economical with violence and cruelty, though very decisive when the situation calls for it. A scalpel's edge, rather than a swinging vibroblade. Her past involvements with the Sith Order are deeply compartmentalized and when she dwells on them she regards those years with both pride and self loathing. She believes that the Empire exists as a much needed choice in the galaxy, well apart from the lumbering waste of the Republic or lawlessness of Hutt space. And there is certainly something she still darkly admires about the Sith Order: a lust for personal freedom and honest self-interest. A third shot at life, now in the shadows of Nar Shaddaa, has suited Lidah's nature well thus far. That said, she knows very well that she's not done with the Sith. Empress Renata will surely call in her favors one day. Background Father • Azzuen Ahsan. Smuggler and general ne'erdowell. Deceased. 52 at time of death, liver failure. Last name unknown for most of Lidah's life - subtle bribes and a bit of research ferreted it out along with his ultimate fate. Mother • Corana Faine. Miner. Deceased. 23 at time of death, suicide. Siblings • None. Other Important Connections • Garen Delwhi. Jedi Master - Lidah's master. Deceased. 49 at time of death. Slain in combat by a dark jedi. Darth Paxis [Kenneth Mori]. A founding member of the reborn Sith order. Age unknown. Missing, presumed dead. Darth Everos. Ancient Sith holocron discovered on Subterrell by Darth Paxis. Darth Iniquitous. Last in a long line of teachers. Empress Renata. 34. Once a peer and sometimes rival - much more agreeable at a comfortable distance. Darth Eurachis [Ramseye Novok.] 41. A rival apprentice, once upon a time. Levin Caelum. Jedi high council member. 47? Ex-lover. Locke Nemsee. Jedi master. 35. A reoccurring fascination. Doctor Rahse Hyul. Adventuring archaeologist. 36. Friend. Vance Asano [Thelonious Arkandri]. 26. Former Sith apprentice, surrogate son. Jazen Solari [Forte?]. 26. Employee. Overall History • Early Childhood The diamond mines of Arkania are all consuming, supporting entire communities of workers. Lidah was born in one such place, a camp on the outskirts of the capital. Her mother (Corana) worked in the mines and her father (Azzuen), vaguely, in shipping. She never met him, though by the time she was old enough to know the lack it no longer mattered. Her early memories are brief, fragile. Headlights swimming across a dusty ceiling. Snowflakes melting in her palm. The one more story, please, and her mother, exhausted, turning the page. She remembers her babysitter, an elderly woman who looked after several children while their parents worked and who could never quite keep up with her. Sometime after her fourth birthday, the Jedi found her. She sat in her babysitter's backyard, attention wholly consumed by a brightly colored bird that she wanted so badly to touch. Gradually, it drew closer, and she held her breath. Boots crunching through snow broke the spell, and the bird flew away. Her babysitter, flanked by an middle aged man and a fidgety teen boy in robes, beckoned her inside. They introduced themselves: Master Garen Delwhi and his padawan, Rathe Odon. Master Delwhi asked her a series of questions and then left, only to visit her home that evening. A few words changed the course of Lidah's life: Your daughter has the potential to be a Jedi someday. They spoke with her mother for hours – much past Lidah's bedtime! By morning it was decided – when the Jedi left in two days time, Lidah would go with them. She cried and fussed, of course, but Corana remained certain. This talent, this force sensitivity, was her daughter's chance. There would not be any other. Youngling Impossibly huge and packed with the density of thousands of lives, the Jedi temple on Coruscant was like nothing Lidah had ever seen. She struggled to come to grips with her new home, though for their part the Jedi did their best to make the transition as easy as possible. It was, of course, largely the same story for every child. The first months were difficult. Though assigned to Clan Katarn shortly after arrival, Lidah spent most of her time in and out of the medical wing. Her species' weak immune system left her susceptible to every fever or bug that passed through the temple. Her initial training suffered for it, and, combined with some early difficulty in reading and writing, gave rise to a competitive streak that lasted for most of young life. The advent of weapons training brought on a new, even footing. Here, finally, was something that the other children her age had no head start on. (For even the Jedi Code had involved reading...) What was better, she was good at it. While not as strong as many of the others, Lidah was light on her feet and faster than most. Her natural ambidexterity, a frustration when learning to write, became a boon in saber practice, allowing her to unexpectedly switch hands on her sparring partners. Lidah's lessons in the Force came to largely mixed results. She had trouble manifesting the more physical schools, and was especially remiss in healing. The young Arkanian often attempted to elude her teachers when it was time for lessons in the Halls of Healing, adamant that she spent too much time there already. They always found her. Days and months fell away into years, neatly framed by the teachings of the Jedi Order. The knowledge that only some younglings would be selected as padawans remained a constant specter. The Jedi, of course, discouraged this fear. But children talked just the same. Interlude I It was a near thing. At a tall and lanky twelve-and-eleven-months, Lidah had yet be chosen. One afternoon, three weeks before her thirteenth birthday, she found herself watching the arrivals and departures from the temple's hanger. Her future loomed ahead of her, dense with questions. What would it be like in the Service Corps? Overall, she was most disappointed that she'd never gotten to hold a real lightsaber. A familiar face joined her at the window. Master Delwhi, a little grayer at the temples but unmistakably the same man who'd discovered her Force sensitivity. Lidah's shy greeting elicited little more than a vague nod. Beyond the window, a shuttle took off. As the engine whine receded, Master Delwhi inquired about her progress. It all came rambling out – all the disappointment and nerves, the quiet admittance that her own stubbornness might have brought her here. The Jedi master listened without comment until she ran down, watching her slump in his peripheral. When he spoke, his voice was carefully neutral. “The Council has made its wishes known. You are to be my padawan.” Two days later, equal measures excited and confused, Lidah found herself on a shuttle Alderaan. Padawan Master Garen Delwhi was not a warm man, but he was terribly competent - frankly to an intimidating degree. He observed Lidah during their travel time, pointing out all the flaws in her form as she moved through the katas. Soon, he had her practicing with two training sabers – no shoto in the other hand as the full sized blades suited her height. For the first time in several years Lidah felt clumsy, slow. Yet in awe of her situation – a real, actual padawan! - she swallowed all her complaints. Alderaan was beautiful. The snow and sunlight and fresh alpine air suited her health. For once, she began to put on the weight and muscle to match any other half-grown Jedi girl. Delwhi’s mission was incomprehensible to a thirteen year old: his was a largely diplomatic post, monitoring the feuding houses of the nobility, and when it had to be done, gently steering to maintain a peaceful status quo. Lidah found the entire planet charming. There were real princes and princesses – castles! and, of course, the majestic giant thranta. Often in those first few years, Lidah found herself left with the noble children as her master met with their parents. Sometimes as something of a spy, sometimes as an extra protector - but never, ever did she truly feel like one of them. The culture shock was too much. She’d never seen their holovids or played with any of their high-tech toys. And they’d never held a weapon before. The rest of Lidah’s time was spent practicing or else meditating in the forests and in the hills. Delwhi’s teaching style was distant, hands off. Often there was no need to speak and she learned to be comfortable with silence. Of course, her master did eventually find the time to expound on the perils of undue attachment … And more importantly, how to protect herself if she chose to explore the concept – perhaps with a certain nobleman’s handsome son, for example. (Lidah recalls turning red all the way up to her pointed ears in embarrassment.) A year later, at the age of seventeen, Lidah slew a vorn tiger in defense of that same young man, Daro of House Baliss. Both sustained injuries that could not be safely ignored – so the story came out. They had been meeting for some time, but of course never after. Master Delwhi saved the tiger’s bones and teeth along with a lecture for his padawan. The tiger was, he said, just being a tiger. That it had hurt anyone was surely Lidah’s fault, and that she’d had to kill it, for simply acting on its instincts … That was surely a shameful waste of the animal. He knew that with a clear mind she could beguile creatures more terrible, more vicious. Finally, he pronounced that she would carry a reminder of this lesson with her when it came time to make her lightsabers. It stung her pride, but as soon as she was recovered Lidah pestered her master relentlessly: what had he meant? His only response was to send set of coordinates sent to her datapad: she would have to go there and see. Lidah traveled deep into the mountains. At those coordinates she found a crystal cave. Camping there for days, meditating, a twinned formation of icy blue crystals called to her. By the time she returned to her master, the inlaid pieces were back from the machine shop and ready to be assembled. Yet having all the pieces was not enough. The twinned crystals had to be set into simultaneous alignment and her telekinetic manipulation had always been a bit sloppy. It would take her months to get right. Tragedy struck first. A political summit at Elysium went terribly wrong. Lidah and master Delwhi arrived by speeder to find no one else there, save for an eerie masked woman in dark robes. She attacked without warning, igniting a red lightsaber like none Lidah had ever seen. Before she thought to act, a massive wave of force threw Lidah – and the bulky speeder as well – backward and off the arch. Lidah hit the black river below, pulled down after the sinking speeder. She nearly drowned, lungs burning as she struggled against the current. At last, she surfaced and dragged herself to the bank, jamming the emergency signal uselessly on her shorted comlink. Beyond that, the climb back up took all of her strength, all of her breath. Lidah could sense her master only dimly and with building dread she realized she would be too late. It was much too quiet for a lightsaber duel. Yet the old man held on. The dark jedi, and Lidah would later know to call her, was dead. Garen was injured, terribly, and made one final request of his padawan. Lie. Say she had killed the dark jedi. It was a feat worthy of knighthood in that time, before the rebirth of the Sith Order. Otherwise, she was two years too young for promotion. So many ‘orphaned’ padawans ultimately went in the ServiceCore. Lidah Faine was knighted some months after her master’s pyre burned. Interlude II The Jedi Council were, of course, neither reckless nor fools. Lidah Faine’s earliest missions for the Order were thoughtfully assigned, generally never taking her off Coruscant. She enjoyed working alongside the CSF or in the temple’s analysis rooms, tabulating information for other Jedi. Her involvement grew as one year since her master’s death steadily became two. A subtle accompaniment to busy officers, Lidah meditated at crime scenes and calmly interviewed bystanders. It was a fulfilling job if not a joyful one. The Force lead her to make leaps of logic that most others never would. A hunch led her to Kenneth Mori – a sickly man tagged in the Jedi archives as both force sensitive and denied training. He was never directly implicated but she would see him everywhere. Flat, dark eyes staring back at her in just a few frames of security footage or in glimpsed briefly reflected in a speeder’s darken window. And one day, Lidah Faine disappeared. She was recorded getting into an unregistered speeder with a gaunt, hunched man. The Order searched to no avail. The First Apprentice Mori was persuasive, at first. He praised Lidah’s initiative in seeking him out, and he talked a good game. The Jedi weren’t doing enough for people like him. So many were sent away with no training, no understanding of the power in their blood. Others failed late in their training and slipped through the cracks into the Service Corps, an honorable profession, of course … But a waste of a real Jedi’s talents. She could help teach. And in a way, he wasn’t lying. Lidah went with him. But the story changed a bit once they broke orbit. Kenneth Mori would bring back the Sith. She would do as he commanded or she would die. It was the simplest recruitment scheme in history, after that. Mori let her spin her wheels for days, locked into her cabin. He did not prod, even after the ship set down in Subterrel’s acid fog. He left, even, for a few hours every day, allowing some illusion of distance. Just enough freedom to remind Lidah of how it was, acutely, never enough. Two weeks later she sought him out to know his demands. The was an old Sith holocron deep in the tunnels, miles and miles from any of the active mining shafts. He knew of it only from a scant line in a dead force adept’s journal, one of the enclaves he had studied with in his travels. She would go down and retrieve it for him. His medical needs precluded him from making the trip himself. He didn’t warn her about the tuk’ata, but Lidah was always quiet on her feet and she’d always had a talent manipulating the simple minds of beasts. Still, the sith hounds were not so easy to control. Over several days, she worked at charming the largest of the feral pack. It wasn’t working and her supplies were running out. Only when she, beginning to starve, chased a pair of hounds off thier kill with her lightsabers did the beasts really seem to see her. The next night, filthy and blood streaked, Lidah followed the tuk’ata to the Everos holocron. Order Reborn Mori meant what he had said. He named himself Darth Paxis and they traveled to Korriban, where dark jedi had begun to gather. Construction began, restoring the old Sith compound and temple piece by piece. Paxis taught Lidah bits and pieces of what he knew, punishing her terribly when she failed to meet his expectations. Breaking her fingers when she tried to steal on to a ship. Slowly, Lidah began to accept the new truth of her existence. No matter where she went, she could not escape Kenneth Mori. Dark Lady Yet all monsters die in the end. Another Sith Overlord rose to power, and Lidah’s fortunes rose with him. Renamed Darth Novus, Lidah oversaw many of the Order’s covert operations and, in her idle time, built up an encyclopedic collection of rare flora and fauna from across the galaxy. As Dark Lady, Novus retained mobility and minimal oversight from Overlord Inquitious or her peers of the Inner Sanctum. She engaged in corporate espionage, found an apprentice or two and, if rumors are to be believed, seduced a Jedi master. [Imperial Records] Things changed after the Sith attack on Taris. It was Czerka’s devices that woke the rakghouls, but Novus’ hand that put them there. The ravenous creatures boiled up from the undercity like a pale tide, leaving many soldiers on both sides dead and the planet largely useless to either side of the conflict that followed. The Imperial aristocracy wanted to see someone go down. Novus went to Darth Renata with a simple plan: oblige them. As far as Imperial record is concerned, Darth Novus was executed on Drommund Kass several months after the attack on Taris. Much of her staff fell to unfortunate ends in the days that followed – the rest scattered to the four winds or were quickly absorbed into the personal retinues of other Sith Lords. The Blind Eye Lidah Faine resurfaced on the Smuggler’s Moon some time later with a hefty payout from Empress Renata. She bought up a few pieces of property and a modest sky barge and set about ingratiating herself with the power structures inherent to that place. It was slow business at first. The Hutt Cartels, especially, were reluctant to trust the sudden appearance of a strange alien that knew far too much. To complicate matters, a Jedi that she had met as Darth Novus with was sniffing around: Locke Nemsee. He didn’t blow her cover immediately and later she helped him escape the literal clutches of a Cartel henchmen, the trandoshan Tekt. That changed things with Nemsee and set the tone for her business: having crossed the Cartel, it was better to throw in with their biggest rival, The Exchange. Selling arms during the war made Lidah Faine quite wealthy, and a decade with the Sith had taught her the proper ruthless mindset to advance her position. In the present day, Lidah collects stray Jedi and various other useful people, building up her resources and that of her organization. She plans to be well poised to capitalize on the next galactic upset. |
