Post by Vako on Dec 23, 2010 4:33:43 GMT -5
Name: Shull Ya’su
Race: Selkath
Age: 73
Height: 4”10
Weight: 153 lbs
Appearance:
Ya’su wears a red tabard style robe, typically with the hood covering the back portion of his head, as it is more comfortable for him. Beneath it he wears a loose, two piece, set of brown clothing. It has a pocket on the right arm, and extends just beneath the bottom of the robe. At his belt he keeps a series of utilities, necessary for life in the Jedi order, and off of his homeworld. Manaan. One such thing is a small container of “tukata”, which is a favorite treat of his. His lightsaber is also visible here. He has some scars on his body from various battles, most notably is a long and deep scar on his right forearm, which he recieved on his first mission with his former master Siatt. He wears a set of leggings which don't quite cover his feet all the way, as it is more comfortable for him. His cephalic lobes are just centimeters longer then those of the average Selkath, and he is seen stroking them quite often.
Personality: Ya'su is a very calm person. He is an extrodinarily deep thinker, choosing to meditate frequently. He is never seen aggravated or angry. He is always in a helpful state of mind. His age has taught him to not to be to quick to take any course of action, and that knowing what your doing, but taking a long time to do it, is preferable to not knowing what you are doing, and accomplishing it quickly. Ya'su has a drive for knowledge, as he spends a great deal of time in the library of the Jedi Temple. If he had chosen to, he may well have been a Jedi Archivist or Historian. But he felt a calling in other aspects of the Jedi culture, most notably in intstructing it's younglings in the basic applications of the force. Where at one point in his life Ya'su was very quite and reserved, he is now rather open and enjoys good conversation. Ya'su does not like to be by himself very often, which is contrary to some popular belief that others have pinned to him. He enjoys being around other people, whether it be in the temple or out traveling the galaxy. He's spent a great deal of his time instructing however, primarily because he feels that he has much to teach. He would like for them to know as much as possible, and hopefully they can all later become a far greater Jedi then he ever could be. But recently Ya'su has become a bit concerned by the state of the Galaxy. Reviewing the Republics actions in many of it's old wars has lead him to have a bit of a disliking of them, and he fears that their conflict with the Sith will lead many Jedi to their death, or worse towards Dark Side. For this reason he chooses to try his absolute hardest to speak to both the younger and the older generations of the order, and explain the absolute importance of balance. He is not confrontational at all. He has seen quite a number of fights in his time, and participated in them, but he is rather aware that his apptitude towards fighting is rather lacking. He's never contemplated it before, but he will likely die if he gets into a fight with a very serious opponent. But he has never held an interest in dueling, simply in bettering his understanding of the force.
Birth place: Manaan
Faction: Jedi
Rank: Master
Bio: His eyes opened in a birthing chamber on Gantak City. Like most of the new births he made no sounds when he came to consciousness. He stared out, and had no idea what to do. A mask was placed on his face, and he slipped back into unconsciousness. He was now in a stasis tank, as were many new births. He was given the treatments of immunities and all other necessary ingredients for living healthy and long. And slowly he grew, as all Selkath do, and was pulled from the tank.
When pulled he never saw his parents, instead placed immediately in the raising dorms of the city. His time in the raising chambers simple. Wake, eat, learn, eat, learn, eat, and sleep. This was very simple, learning to cooperate with others. He did just as the others in the raising dorms did, until one day he found himself staring up at an elder one of his race. He wore a strange garment, a deep blue robe. He stared down at Ya’su, no expression upon his face, nor words. Ya’su believed he was in trouble, and that he was about to receive punishment. Instead he was told to not to return to the conditioning chambers and accompany this strange elder. He was brought away from the raising dorms and outside. He’d been outside several times, but not across the city. With no idea where he was going or why, the elder placed him on a transport, and it was told to him, that he was going to a place called Coruscant. He didn’t understand it, but he was told he was going to Coruscant to be trained as a Jedi.
His beginning at the temple was somewhat difficult as he had to learn to speak the language of everyone else, while no longer speaking Selkath. Over time this became rather easy for him. He was a very studious learner, spending a great deal of time at study, and relatively little at play with the others. Part of this was because he was very different then most of the others, and his early life on Manaan was considerably foreign. Ya’su liked studying about the force as a whole, and what it was. He learned from the elders, spending a great deal of time with them, and listening to them, rather then being around his fellow younglings. He had some trouble with lightsaber training. He wasn’t as physically active as many of the others, part of that was because he wasn’t quite a muscular as other Selkath.
Apprenticeship
Ya’su spent as much time as he could in the Temple library, so much so that some were taking notice. Because of this, few were surprised when the Jedi Knight Siatt chose to take Ya’su as her Padawan learner. Siatt herself had spent much of her time in the temple library, dabbling around through holobooks for hours on end. Siatt wasn’t the sort to go out and see the galaxy. She was a believer that much of the knowledge that the galaxy had to offer was right with them, and they should take time to understand the secrets, which were on hand. Because of this, her first piece of training was nothing but strict and long hours of meditation. Hours of nothing but deep thought and contemplation of the force. Siatt had a serious view of the force, and was strong towards the difference of light and the dark. There had been many times in the not so distant past when the difference had been made very evident. Her methods weren’t anything like those of many other teachers of the light, but never was there a day in which Ya’su complained. He had a very similar thoughts in regards to the force. So she moved into other elements of the ways of the Jedi. Learning the ways of the force was something that Ya’su was rather prepared for. He’d studied a lot, but nearly all of it he had to learn for himself. One thing the holobooks couldn’t teach was how to feel the force, and Ya’su realized that was why Siatt was having him meditate so much.
As he came to that conclusion, Siatt decided it was time to move to putting the teachings into practice. She presented him with a lightsaber of her own making, so that he may lay down the training saber that he had at the temple. Siatt was a rather gifted orator, and diplomat, so she was given the task of settling a territorial dispute between two warring tribes on Kromus. The two tribes were rather large and threatening the peace of a once harmonious region. So Siatt and Ya’su set out to bring peace back between the two tribes. Upon arrival, there wasn’t much of a welcome. Siatt immediately made the decision to go to a village right in the middle of the disputed territory as to discern what the issue was. The natives of the area were very strong willed, and proud. Neither tribe had any real control, and Siatt decided they would wait before instigating contact. Then the opposing tribe, the Rul launched a very serious attack on the village. Siatt then exposed them as Jedi by assisting in the defense of the village, along with Ya’su. Ya’su had never been in combat before, and hadn’t contemplated on it at all. He performed fairly well, but at some point one of the Rul managed to cut him across the arm. The attack was repelled, and Siatt found Ya’su clutching his arm. She told him not to use healing elements on it, but to leave the scar to remember what occurred when people refused to see the merits of diplomacy. What Siatt hadn’t told Ya’su is that she was already aware that the Rul were working towards the total destruction of the other tribe. The conflict had also been going on for a great deal of time, and that the Rul warband would likely be its last push. However the Hurk, the smaller tribe, weren’t likely to last up against this final push of the tribe. Siatt decided that they should remain and help the Hurk. For an entire month Siatt and Ya’su remained in the village, knowing that the Rul would continue to attack until it was there’s. And just as she thought, time and again, they would march a group to take control. But they couldn’t, until they finally sent the tribal chiefs son to lead the largest war party they’d ever had. With the information Siatt devised a final defense. The battle was long, and harsh, but at the end Siatt and Ya’su had crippled them. The true accomplishment they’d captured the Rul prince. And this sort of opportunity was what Siatt had been waiting for all along. Meeting with the Rul tribal chief at mountain at the edge of Rul territory to the North, Siatt negotiated a peace. On the condition that the prince remain unharmed, the Rul would keep to their own territory, and seek to expand no more.
Ya’su was fascinated by Siatt’s mind for thinking ahead, though somewhat taken back by the idea that Siatt had been keeping her plans to herself the whole time. He would never know entirely how her thought process worked, nor what she thought of as she was a very quite and reserved person. Because of this he followed her very closely. Years went on, and Ya’su didn’t see anything close to that first trip away from the temple. They went all over the galaxy, and Ya’su learned so much about the various cultures. He retained things very well, not forgetting the places they went, or the people he met. Siatt brought him to many new places, where she furthered the teaching in meditation and knowing ones inner self. Places so isolated as they wouldn’t be seen or found. As Ya’su grew to neared the time when he would be ready for the trials of knighthood, she permitted him to begin construction of his own lightsaber. He meditated before he would work on each piece, deciding what was within himself, and to put it into the weapon. Finally as it was ready, she took him to Dantooine, and the Crystal Cave. He chose a deep green crystal, as he considered that to be the best form for him. Ya’su finally came to the time when he was ready for the trials of a Jedi at 23 years of age. With the blessings of the council and Siatt he began his trials, and when he had finished, he was met by Siatt who had a smile of pride upon her face.
Consular Knighthood
Ya’su wasn’t entirely sure what do with himself at this point. He decided to continue to study and meditate in the temple. Siatt was now a master, and she took another padawan. Ya’su didn’t have a large amount of ambition towards teaching students. He felt that he had more to learn, and wasn’t in a position to do it. Two years later Ya’su was contacted by Siatt who encouraged him to take on a padawan learner. Ya’su explained to her that he didn’t think he was ready, but Siatt elaborated on a point he’d never known. She herself thought the same thing when she took on Ya’su, but what knew then was that all the studying and secrets that the temple had to offer combined couldn’t give one the teachings that one is granted by teaching another student. Ya’su wouldn’t deny his former masters wish, and so he set to find a pupil.
He one day found a Zabrak youngling studying a holobook in the temple, alone. Ya’su found a strange sense of irony over this, and he chose the Zabrak as his Padawan learner. Zaphi reminded him of Siatt and himself. Ya’su decided that the way he was taught was the best way to start. Deep meditation and teachings of focus. Ya’su wasn’t quite like Siatt. Where Siatt had been fairly silent, and kept things to herself, opting for Ya’su to learn on his own, Ya’su was rather vocal. He spoke often of the things that were on his mind, and encouraged Zaphi to do the same. Ya’su wasn’t quite in the same mind of letting the padawan get hurt making a mistake, and having to learn from the pain. Instead, Ya’su opted for teaching to avoid it all together. Part of this was because Zaphi was far more vocal then he was when he was her age. Deep periods of meditation were constant, as Ya’su still found that to be very important.
Over time he began embarking on missions of peace, and he brought Zaphi along with him. There were many different planets that they traveled to. Zaphi seemed to get along quite well with many of the natives, making a great deal of friends. Ya’su saw that as a very good an important thing, which would probably be helpful to her later. In addition he also had meditation periods in isolated places like the one that he had when he was a padawan. But this was also for him, as he took a lot out of sitting in the places deep in thought.
The Mission to Kromus
Many years after Ya’su had been on Kromus with Siatt, there was conflict between the Rul and the Hurk had begun again, only this time it was much larger, and far worse. The Hurk, who had once been the smaller and weaker tribe, were now ravaging the Rul territory, and slaughtering them. Siatt was first to inform Ya’su of this, and she asked him to accompany her, and her new padawan, to the planet. Ya’su thought it would do Zaphi to work with his old master. They arrived late in the night to the planet. They immediately traveled to the Rul homevillage, where the former prince who they had spared, was now the chief. He was missing a finger, and had scars all over his body. The Hurk had been extremely brutal, seeing their opportunity to expand like the Rul had long before. Ya’su thought it would be best for them to hold off as they had before, but Siatt had a new plan in mind. She and her padawan would go ahead to the Hurk war camp, which was large and gathering numbers to finish off the Rul homevillage. After sneaking in she would force the Hurk leader to meet with the Rul and come to a diplomatic end to the conflict. Ya’su would stay there and assist with making sure the Rul were safe, and didn’t escalate things. And so Siatt left with her padawan.
Several days went by and there was no word from them at all. Ya’su did not tell Zaphi, but he was becoming concerned. Then six days later Siatt returned, alone, and she was wounded considerably. Needless to say things had gone far worse then anticipated. Siatt divulged that the Hurk found out about their arrival without them knowing, and had been waiting for them. They’d been captured almost immediately, and in that struggle they’d killed her padawan. She had only barely escaped, but they had been right behind her. Siatt hadn’t managed to get her lightsaber back. They quickly worked to move as many of the Rul away from the village to a safe place, while the warrior and the jedi remained. Preparations were made for the hard fight, but they didn’t anticipate a victory.
When the Hurk finally came, they outnumbered the Rul 2 to 1. But they fought hard in spite of this considerable disadvantage. Amidst the long fight Siatt lost her leg, and Zaphi lost her hand. The fight was terribly brutal, but when it ended the Hurk were fleeing and the Rul homevillage remained. The Hurk had lost far too many warrior to continue their campaign and they returned to their land. The Rul were more then grateful, but all mourned the loss of the fallen. None more then Siatt though, who had lost her student as a result of her own decision. Ya’su was able to say very little to ease her mind. As a result of the loss Siatt never took another student directly, remaining in the temple as a scribe, and teaching groups of younglings. She was particularly more strict now, as she didn’t want any of them to fall as a result of her poor teachings again. Zaphi however was given a prosthetic hand, and soon after she was ready for the jedi trials herself. She passed, with what seemed like far less difficulty then Ya’su himself. And as she passed, Ya’su was granted the rank of Master.
Master and Beyond
Ya’su once again found himself in at a strange position again. With Zaphi now a jedi knight, she would choose her own path, and no longer required his guidance. But just as he sent her off to find her own destiny, he now had to find one for himself. Siatt had been right, he had learned much from teaching a student. However he didn’t think that he could teach another like Zaphi. In a way he was afraid of making Siatt’s mistake, but he also thought that he could perhaps balance melding young minds towards a greater aptitude in the force, while expanding on his personal understanding of the force. He requested an appointment as an instructor in the Art-of-Core, which he was granted. Instructors of the Core taught younglings and padawans the most basic and important components of manipulating the force around them. He was 35 years of age at this point, but he found this to be a very fitting position. He had studied his whole life on the applications of the force around him, but everything he learned was only derived from the simplest of Jedi teachings. Because of this he found that it was important that subsequent generations learn this early, as to have a stronger grasp on what it was they would learn in the future.
Ya’su was very happy with this. At times when not instructing the future of the order he would spend a great deal of time at study. He came to know the Jedi Archivists and Librarians quite well as he would spend much of his time in the library. When not studying, he would meditate. Sometimes he would be in a meditative trance for 12 hours straight. He had a belief that perhaps one day he would have a complete balance of the force within him, and he would be able to share it with the world. But at the same time he held a contrary belief that one could never do too much to keep balance within themselves. And as he taught, he also learned. He stayed very much in practice with his skills, often demonstrating for his pupils what balance could give. As the years went on, Siatt died. This made Ya’su sad, but at the same time he was happy that she could pass on away from the tortures that her memories gave her. He attended her funeral, but did not speak during its entire proceeding, nor for about three days following. He instead just remained in deep meditation. Ya’su was fine, but he would never forget his former master.
Ya’su was an instructor until he finally reached the age of 50, and decided he wanted to “stretch his legs” as he put it. It was a surprising thing for many who knew him, as he had not shown even the slightest interest in doing anything else for the last 15 years. But he had a mind to go and do things for the order. He became a bit of a tag along for many Jedi Knights. He would learn of a mission that a Knight would be taking a padawan out on, and he would just request to come along. The Knights often found that their padawans, and indeed they themselves, could benefit from his wisdom. He would travel with different groups everywhere from Filordis to Felucia. He seemed to enjoy traveling, and assisting in the diplomatic missions. Sometimes they would get a bit violent, but Ya’su was able to hold his own. He did not like the thrill of the fight as some Jedi did, choosing to avoid them all together if possible. But he was also able to use his own talents to get an edge, and trying to limit the loss of life. He did not always not always just follow others. Over time, it became more common for some knights to request he come and assist them, or even ask that he allow them to come as well. Many of these were younglings he had instructed. He never once denied anyone who asked. There was much to do, and he liked having company.
After a decade of traveling the stars, he decided to return to the Jedi temple. He was asked to take his position once more as an instructor, which he was happy to fill. He loved teaching the younglings, and as far as he could tell, they did not dislike him. He did spend a fair amount of time in the library as he had before. Around this time, and because of some of the things that had happened in his travels, he came to a slight of a disliking of the Republic. He had an absolute devotion to the ways of the Jedi Order, and to the Order itself, but he felt at times the Republic had made mistakes, and chose the wrong path. Specifically in the war against the Mandalorians, there were times when it wasn't clear who was fighting for what, due to the carnage which was coming from both sides. For this he had a great indifference towards much of its affairs. Instead he opted entirely for the Jedi Orders ways of keeping the peace, and it’s ideology, not dabbling into the Republics business. He never openly spoke of his minor disliking of the Republic, and he was very aware that it was probably the best option for the galaxy. But he kept it to himself, and continued to teach younglings and padawans the ways of the force and balance.
Ya’su kept a close eye on many of his students, ensuring that they understood the importance of keeping the balance as much as they could. Some of them may have understood it better then he had, as younglings were capable of much more then they knew. Often students would return to Ya’su for guidance on issues, and almost as common were others whom he had never taught seeking insight. But Ya’su was very upfront about everything that was on his mind, and did not keep the things he had uncovered to himself. But times changed over the years. The long peace which the galaxy had enjoyed seemed to be slipping. Even more troubling was the shift in the force. Ya’su, as well as many others in the Jedi Order, could all feel things were becoming clouded. He was aware that many of the Jedi were falling from the Orders teachings. He himself was not aware of any whom had passed under his tutelage which had done so, but he was concerned. His concerns reached a peak when the Chancellor of the Republic declared war on the Sith. He was troubled by the idea that many of his students, even his old padawan Zaphi might be at risk. War was a great and terrible thing. Because of these troubles on his mind he meditated more frequently, until finally deciding that some of the older, and more experienced generations, may be in need of guidance more so then the younger. He stepped out of the post as an instructor in the official capacity, to allow himself to take missions of the peace as the Order saw fit. He wished to be able to instruct as he had when he was available, but in the dark times which were brewing, he felt that it may be important to put some of his teachings into practice.
Lightsaber: Ya’su has a single blade, single phase, lightsaber that's hilt is somewhat thin. It is long enough to be held with both of his hands, though it is also small enough to be wielded with one hand comfortably. It also is can ignite and operate under water due its to two crystals employed in a bifurcating cyclical-ignition pulse.
Color: Green
Practiced Lightsaber Forms:
Shii-Cho: 5
Shien: 3
Soresu: 2
Force Sensitive Abilities and Practices:
Telekinetic: 8
Telepathic: 8
Body: 3
Sense: 7
Protection: 6
Healing: 5
Destruction: N/A
Attributes:
Physical Strength: 4
Intelligence: 8
Speed: 5
Leadership: 7
Unarmed: 4
Melee Weapons: 4
Ranged Weapons: 2
Attunement: +7
RP Sample:
Ya'su's speech is in teal
Youngling group speech is in green
The room was rather dark, and a bit cold. A slight breeze seemed to push through as air came across a tiny little electrical vent above. A window was on the wall, its shades closed. The walls were fairly empty, just a gray and brown color upon them, that wrapped around in a perfect circle. But the room was not empty. Inside of it, there were many beings, small ones. They sat in 3 rows of 6 on the floor. Their legs were crossed and their eyes were closed. All of their robes were different, yet carried a similar theme of color and size. They were of many different species, but they all did exactly the same. Some of them shifted to find a slightly more comfortable position. In front of them each sat a small little silver sphere. The spheres all lay upon the floor right in front of them, and did not move.
”Breathe” Said a slightly strained voice, which was just above a whisper. ”Feel the force.”
At the center of room, facing them, was a blue creature in a red robe. It sat in the same position they all did. From his small nostrils atop its bill you could hear air slip in, and out, in a very methodic and slow pace. It’s three digit hands were loosely held together, forming a slight triangular shape at the very center of it’s body. Yet in spite of all this he lay perfectly motionless. ”Listen to it, hear it speak to you.” The tone of voice the creature gave was very calm, almost like it was coming from a statue who had a long time to think about what it would say. ”As you hear it, embrace it.” The voice came in between the intakes of air. It was clearly an older tone of voice, one of many years and much experience. ”Just, breathe.” He spoke slowly.
As he spoke, the small children seemed to be somewhat reassured. Those that had fidgeted earlier, and shifted their bodies seemed to stop. Everything in the room seemed to just stop. All that could be heard was the breathing of each individual. It became a sort of constant pace. As some breathed in, other breathed out. It was smooth, and calm. ”Feel, and breathe.” The blue creature in the red robe whispered. The room was so silent it was as though he was standing beside all of them, as no one had trouble hearing. They all just sat motionless, all in a deep trance like state.
Then the blue creature in the red robe opened its lids to reveal its flawless black eyes. A smile formed on its face. ”Now open your eyes.” The creature instructed, looking ahead at them. Slowly each of the beings opposite him opened their eyes to see the small silver orbs floating before them at eye level. Some of their jaws dropped and others had smiles of amazement. The blue creature began to chuckle a bit at their reactions. ”Embrace the force, and you will have, balance.” The blue creature said rising to his feet. ”That it is all for today younglings.” The blue creature in the red robe said, as he raised his right hand out. The shades which were closed before, opened letting in the limited light which the dusk held. The sun was going down, and the day was coming to its end.
”Thank you, Master Ya’su” The students all said in unison while bowing. The blue creature in the red robe then bowed in return. ”You’re most welcome, younglings. Now run along.” He said to them. The younglings all began to walk out, talking to each other as younglings did. The silver orbs remained floating however, as Master Ya’su concentrated on them. With a wave of his left hand they all moved towards a small box on the floor beside him, and neatly landed inside. The box then descended into the floor, and a panel automatically closed over it. The door closed as the last of the younglings had left the room. And as it did Ya’su held his hand up once more and closed the shaded. He sat down at the center of the room, placing a silver orb in front of himself. He folded his legs and hands, and closed his eyes. And as he did, the silver orb began to hover in front of him.
Race: Selkath
Age: 73
Height: 4”10
Weight: 153 lbs
Appearance:
Ya’su wears a red tabard style robe, typically with the hood covering the back portion of his head, as it is more comfortable for him. Beneath it he wears a loose, two piece, set of brown clothing. It has a pocket on the right arm, and extends just beneath the bottom of the robe. At his belt he keeps a series of utilities, necessary for life in the Jedi order, and off of his homeworld. Manaan. One such thing is a small container of “tukata”, which is a favorite treat of his. His lightsaber is also visible here. He has some scars on his body from various battles, most notably is a long and deep scar on his right forearm, which he recieved on his first mission with his former master Siatt. He wears a set of leggings which don't quite cover his feet all the way, as it is more comfortable for him. His cephalic lobes are just centimeters longer then those of the average Selkath, and he is seen stroking them quite often.
Personality: Ya'su is a very calm person. He is an extrodinarily deep thinker, choosing to meditate frequently. He is never seen aggravated or angry. He is always in a helpful state of mind. His age has taught him to not to be to quick to take any course of action, and that knowing what your doing, but taking a long time to do it, is preferable to not knowing what you are doing, and accomplishing it quickly. Ya'su has a drive for knowledge, as he spends a great deal of time in the library of the Jedi Temple. If he had chosen to, he may well have been a Jedi Archivist or Historian. But he felt a calling in other aspects of the Jedi culture, most notably in intstructing it's younglings in the basic applications of the force. Where at one point in his life Ya'su was very quite and reserved, he is now rather open and enjoys good conversation. Ya'su does not like to be by himself very often, which is contrary to some popular belief that others have pinned to him. He enjoys being around other people, whether it be in the temple or out traveling the galaxy. He's spent a great deal of his time instructing however, primarily because he feels that he has much to teach. He would like for them to know as much as possible, and hopefully they can all later become a far greater Jedi then he ever could be. But recently Ya'su has become a bit concerned by the state of the Galaxy. Reviewing the Republics actions in many of it's old wars has lead him to have a bit of a disliking of them, and he fears that their conflict with the Sith will lead many Jedi to their death, or worse towards Dark Side. For this reason he chooses to try his absolute hardest to speak to both the younger and the older generations of the order, and explain the absolute importance of balance. He is not confrontational at all. He has seen quite a number of fights in his time, and participated in them, but he is rather aware that his apptitude towards fighting is rather lacking. He's never contemplated it before, but he will likely die if he gets into a fight with a very serious opponent. But he has never held an interest in dueling, simply in bettering his understanding of the force.
Birth place: Manaan
Faction: Jedi
Rank: Master
Bio: His eyes opened in a birthing chamber on Gantak City. Like most of the new births he made no sounds when he came to consciousness. He stared out, and had no idea what to do. A mask was placed on his face, and he slipped back into unconsciousness. He was now in a stasis tank, as were many new births. He was given the treatments of immunities and all other necessary ingredients for living healthy and long. And slowly he grew, as all Selkath do, and was pulled from the tank.
When pulled he never saw his parents, instead placed immediately in the raising dorms of the city. His time in the raising chambers simple. Wake, eat, learn, eat, learn, eat, and sleep. This was very simple, learning to cooperate with others. He did just as the others in the raising dorms did, until one day he found himself staring up at an elder one of his race. He wore a strange garment, a deep blue robe. He stared down at Ya’su, no expression upon his face, nor words. Ya’su believed he was in trouble, and that he was about to receive punishment. Instead he was told to not to return to the conditioning chambers and accompany this strange elder. He was brought away from the raising dorms and outside. He’d been outside several times, but not across the city. With no idea where he was going or why, the elder placed him on a transport, and it was told to him, that he was going to a place called Coruscant. He didn’t understand it, but he was told he was going to Coruscant to be trained as a Jedi.
His beginning at the temple was somewhat difficult as he had to learn to speak the language of everyone else, while no longer speaking Selkath. Over time this became rather easy for him. He was a very studious learner, spending a great deal of time at study, and relatively little at play with the others. Part of this was because he was very different then most of the others, and his early life on Manaan was considerably foreign. Ya’su liked studying about the force as a whole, and what it was. He learned from the elders, spending a great deal of time with them, and listening to them, rather then being around his fellow younglings. He had some trouble with lightsaber training. He wasn’t as physically active as many of the others, part of that was because he wasn’t quite a muscular as other Selkath.
Apprenticeship
Ya’su spent as much time as he could in the Temple library, so much so that some were taking notice. Because of this, few were surprised when the Jedi Knight Siatt chose to take Ya’su as her Padawan learner. Siatt herself had spent much of her time in the temple library, dabbling around through holobooks for hours on end. Siatt wasn’t the sort to go out and see the galaxy. She was a believer that much of the knowledge that the galaxy had to offer was right with them, and they should take time to understand the secrets, which were on hand. Because of this, her first piece of training was nothing but strict and long hours of meditation. Hours of nothing but deep thought and contemplation of the force. Siatt had a serious view of the force, and was strong towards the difference of light and the dark. There had been many times in the not so distant past when the difference had been made very evident. Her methods weren’t anything like those of many other teachers of the light, but never was there a day in which Ya’su complained. He had a very similar thoughts in regards to the force. So she moved into other elements of the ways of the Jedi. Learning the ways of the force was something that Ya’su was rather prepared for. He’d studied a lot, but nearly all of it he had to learn for himself. One thing the holobooks couldn’t teach was how to feel the force, and Ya’su realized that was why Siatt was having him meditate so much.
As he came to that conclusion, Siatt decided it was time to move to putting the teachings into practice. She presented him with a lightsaber of her own making, so that he may lay down the training saber that he had at the temple. Siatt was a rather gifted orator, and diplomat, so she was given the task of settling a territorial dispute between two warring tribes on Kromus. The two tribes were rather large and threatening the peace of a once harmonious region. So Siatt and Ya’su set out to bring peace back between the two tribes. Upon arrival, there wasn’t much of a welcome. Siatt immediately made the decision to go to a village right in the middle of the disputed territory as to discern what the issue was. The natives of the area were very strong willed, and proud. Neither tribe had any real control, and Siatt decided they would wait before instigating contact. Then the opposing tribe, the Rul launched a very serious attack on the village. Siatt then exposed them as Jedi by assisting in the defense of the village, along with Ya’su. Ya’su had never been in combat before, and hadn’t contemplated on it at all. He performed fairly well, but at some point one of the Rul managed to cut him across the arm. The attack was repelled, and Siatt found Ya’su clutching his arm. She told him not to use healing elements on it, but to leave the scar to remember what occurred when people refused to see the merits of diplomacy. What Siatt hadn’t told Ya’su is that she was already aware that the Rul were working towards the total destruction of the other tribe. The conflict had also been going on for a great deal of time, and that the Rul warband would likely be its last push. However the Hurk, the smaller tribe, weren’t likely to last up against this final push of the tribe. Siatt decided that they should remain and help the Hurk. For an entire month Siatt and Ya’su remained in the village, knowing that the Rul would continue to attack until it was there’s. And just as she thought, time and again, they would march a group to take control. But they couldn’t, until they finally sent the tribal chiefs son to lead the largest war party they’d ever had. With the information Siatt devised a final defense. The battle was long, and harsh, but at the end Siatt and Ya’su had crippled them. The true accomplishment they’d captured the Rul prince. And this sort of opportunity was what Siatt had been waiting for all along. Meeting with the Rul tribal chief at mountain at the edge of Rul territory to the North, Siatt negotiated a peace. On the condition that the prince remain unharmed, the Rul would keep to their own territory, and seek to expand no more.
Ya’su was fascinated by Siatt’s mind for thinking ahead, though somewhat taken back by the idea that Siatt had been keeping her plans to herself the whole time. He would never know entirely how her thought process worked, nor what she thought of as she was a very quite and reserved person. Because of this he followed her very closely. Years went on, and Ya’su didn’t see anything close to that first trip away from the temple. They went all over the galaxy, and Ya’su learned so much about the various cultures. He retained things very well, not forgetting the places they went, or the people he met. Siatt brought him to many new places, where she furthered the teaching in meditation and knowing ones inner self. Places so isolated as they wouldn’t be seen or found. As Ya’su grew to neared the time when he would be ready for the trials of knighthood, she permitted him to begin construction of his own lightsaber. He meditated before he would work on each piece, deciding what was within himself, and to put it into the weapon. Finally as it was ready, she took him to Dantooine, and the Crystal Cave. He chose a deep green crystal, as he considered that to be the best form for him. Ya’su finally came to the time when he was ready for the trials of a Jedi at 23 years of age. With the blessings of the council and Siatt he began his trials, and when he had finished, he was met by Siatt who had a smile of pride upon her face.
Consular Knighthood
Ya’su wasn’t entirely sure what do with himself at this point. He decided to continue to study and meditate in the temple. Siatt was now a master, and she took another padawan. Ya’su didn’t have a large amount of ambition towards teaching students. He felt that he had more to learn, and wasn’t in a position to do it. Two years later Ya’su was contacted by Siatt who encouraged him to take on a padawan learner. Ya’su explained to her that he didn’t think he was ready, but Siatt elaborated on a point he’d never known. She herself thought the same thing when she took on Ya’su, but what knew then was that all the studying and secrets that the temple had to offer combined couldn’t give one the teachings that one is granted by teaching another student. Ya’su wouldn’t deny his former masters wish, and so he set to find a pupil.
He one day found a Zabrak youngling studying a holobook in the temple, alone. Ya’su found a strange sense of irony over this, and he chose the Zabrak as his Padawan learner. Zaphi reminded him of Siatt and himself. Ya’su decided that the way he was taught was the best way to start. Deep meditation and teachings of focus. Ya’su wasn’t quite like Siatt. Where Siatt had been fairly silent, and kept things to herself, opting for Ya’su to learn on his own, Ya’su was rather vocal. He spoke often of the things that were on his mind, and encouraged Zaphi to do the same. Ya’su wasn’t quite in the same mind of letting the padawan get hurt making a mistake, and having to learn from the pain. Instead, Ya’su opted for teaching to avoid it all together. Part of this was because Zaphi was far more vocal then he was when he was her age. Deep periods of meditation were constant, as Ya’su still found that to be very important.
Over time he began embarking on missions of peace, and he brought Zaphi along with him. There were many different planets that they traveled to. Zaphi seemed to get along quite well with many of the natives, making a great deal of friends. Ya’su saw that as a very good an important thing, which would probably be helpful to her later. In addition he also had meditation periods in isolated places like the one that he had when he was a padawan. But this was also for him, as he took a lot out of sitting in the places deep in thought.
The Mission to Kromus
Many years after Ya’su had been on Kromus with Siatt, there was conflict between the Rul and the Hurk had begun again, only this time it was much larger, and far worse. The Hurk, who had once been the smaller and weaker tribe, were now ravaging the Rul territory, and slaughtering them. Siatt was first to inform Ya’su of this, and she asked him to accompany her, and her new padawan, to the planet. Ya’su thought it would do Zaphi to work with his old master. They arrived late in the night to the planet. They immediately traveled to the Rul homevillage, where the former prince who they had spared, was now the chief. He was missing a finger, and had scars all over his body. The Hurk had been extremely brutal, seeing their opportunity to expand like the Rul had long before. Ya’su thought it would be best for them to hold off as they had before, but Siatt had a new plan in mind. She and her padawan would go ahead to the Hurk war camp, which was large and gathering numbers to finish off the Rul homevillage. After sneaking in she would force the Hurk leader to meet with the Rul and come to a diplomatic end to the conflict. Ya’su would stay there and assist with making sure the Rul were safe, and didn’t escalate things. And so Siatt left with her padawan.
Several days went by and there was no word from them at all. Ya’su did not tell Zaphi, but he was becoming concerned. Then six days later Siatt returned, alone, and she was wounded considerably. Needless to say things had gone far worse then anticipated. Siatt divulged that the Hurk found out about their arrival without them knowing, and had been waiting for them. They’d been captured almost immediately, and in that struggle they’d killed her padawan. She had only barely escaped, but they had been right behind her. Siatt hadn’t managed to get her lightsaber back. They quickly worked to move as many of the Rul away from the village to a safe place, while the warrior and the jedi remained. Preparations were made for the hard fight, but they didn’t anticipate a victory.
When the Hurk finally came, they outnumbered the Rul 2 to 1. But they fought hard in spite of this considerable disadvantage. Amidst the long fight Siatt lost her leg, and Zaphi lost her hand. The fight was terribly brutal, but when it ended the Hurk were fleeing and the Rul homevillage remained. The Hurk had lost far too many warrior to continue their campaign and they returned to their land. The Rul were more then grateful, but all mourned the loss of the fallen. None more then Siatt though, who had lost her student as a result of her own decision. Ya’su was able to say very little to ease her mind. As a result of the loss Siatt never took another student directly, remaining in the temple as a scribe, and teaching groups of younglings. She was particularly more strict now, as she didn’t want any of them to fall as a result of her poor teachings again. Zaphi however was given a prosthetic hand, and soon after she was ready for the jedi trials herself. She passed, with what seemed like far less difficulty then Ya’su himself. And as she passed, Ya’su was granted the rank of Master.
Master and Beyond
Ya’su once again found himself in at a strange position again. With Zaphi now a jedi knight, she would choose her own path, and no longer required his guidance. But just as he sent her off to find her own destiny, he now had to find one for himself. Siatt had been right, he had learned much from teaching a student. However he didn’t think that he could teach another like Zaphi. In a way he was afraid of making Siatt’s mistake, but he also thought that he could perhaps balance melding young minds towards a greater aptitude in the force, while expanding on his personal understanding of the force. He requested an appointment as an instructor in the Art-of-Core, which he was granted. Instructors of the Core taught younglings and padawans the most basic and important components of manipulating the force around them. He was 35 years of age at this point, but he found this to be a very fitting position. He had studied his whole life on the applications of the force around him, but everything he learned was only derived from the simplest of Jedi teachings. Because of this he found that it was important that subsequent generations learn this early, as to have a stronger grasp on what it was they would learn in the future.
Ya’su was very happy with this. At times when not instructing the future of the order he would spend a great deal of time at study. He came to know the Jedi Archivists and Librarians quite well as he would spend much of his time in the library. When not studying, he would meditate. Sometimes he would be in a meditative trance for 12 hours straight. He had a belief that perhaps one day he would have a complete balance of the force within him, and he would be able to share it with the world. But at the same time he held a contrary belief that one could never do too much to keep balance within themselves. And as he taught, he also learned. He stayed very much in practice with his skills, often demonstrating for his pupils what balance could give. As the years went on, Siatt died. This made Ya’su sad, but at the same time he was happy that she could pass on away from the tortures that her memories gave her. He attended her funeral, but did not speak during its entire proceeding, nor for about three days following. He instead just remained in deep meditation. Ya’su was fine, but he would never forget his former master.
Ya’su was an instructor until he finally reached the age of 50, and decided he wanted to “stretch his legs” as he put it. It was a surprising thing for many who knew him, as he had not shown even the slightest interest in doing anything else for the last 15 years. But he had a mind to go and do things for the order. He became a bit of a tag along for many Jedi Knights. He would learn of a mission that a Knight would be taking a padawan out on, and he would just request to come along. The Knights often found that their padawans, and indeed they themselves, could benefit from his wisdom. He would travel with different groups everywhere from Filordis to Felucia. He seemed to enjoy traveling, and assisting in the diplomatic missions. Sometimes they would get a bit violent, but Ya’su was able to hold his own. He did not like the thrill of the fight as some Jedi did, choosing to avoid them all together if possible. But he was also able to use his own talents to get an edge, and trying to limit the loss of life. He did not always not always just follow others. Over time, it became more common for some knights to request he come and assist them, or even ask that he allow them to come as well. Many of these were younglings he had instructed. He never once denied anyone who asked. There was much to do, and he liked having company.
After a decade of traveling the stars, he decided to return to the Jedi temple. He was asked to take his position once more as an instructor, which he was happy to fill. He loved teaching the younglings, and as far as he could tell, they did not dislike him. He did spend a fair amount of time in the library as he had before. Around this time, and because of some of the things that had happened in his travels, he came to a slight of a disliking of the Republic. He had an absolute devotion to the ways of the Jedi Order, and to the Order itself, but he felt at times the Republic had made mistakes, and chose the wrong path. Specifically in the war against the Mandalorians, there were times when it wasn't clear who was fighting for what, due to the carnage which was coming from both sides. For this he had a great indifference towards much of its affairs. Instead he opted entirely for the Jedi Orders ways of keeping the peace, and it’s ideology, not dabbling into the Republics business. He never openly spoke of his minor disliking of the Republic, and he was very aware that it was probably the best option for the galaxy. But he kept it to himself, and continued to teach younglings and padawans the ways of the force and balance.
Ya’su kept a close eye on many of his students, ensuring that they understood the importance of keeping the balance as much as they could. Some of them may have understood it better then he had, as younglings were capable of much more then they knew. Often students would return to Ya’su for guidance on issues, and almost as common were others whom he had never taught seeking insight. But Ya’su was very upfront about everything that was on his mind, and did not keep the things he had uncovered to himself. But times changed over the years. The long peace which the galaxy had enjoyed seemed to be slipping. Even more troubling was the shift in the force. Ya’su, as well as many others in the Jedi Order, could all feel things were becoming clouded. He was aware that many of the Jedi were falling from the Orders teachings. He himself was not aware of any whom had passed under his tutelage which had done so, but he was concerned. His concerns reached a peak when the Chancellor of the Republic declared war on the Sith. He was troubled by the idea that many of his students, even his old padawan Zaphi might be at risk. War was a great and terrible thing. Because of these troubles on his mind he meditated more frequently, until finally deciding that some of the older, and more experienced generations, may be in need of guidance more so then the younger. He stepped out of the post as an instructor in the official capacity, to allow himself to take missions of the peace as the Order saw fit. He wished to be able to instruct as he had when he was available, but in the dark times which were brewing, he felt that it may be important to put some of his teachings into practice.
Lightsaber: Ya’su has a single blade, single phase, lightsaber that's hilt is somewhat thin. It is long enough to be held with both of his hands, though it is also small enough to be wielded with one hand comfortably. It also is can ignite and operate under water due its to two crystals employed in a bifurcating cyclical-ignition pulse.
Color: Green
Practiced Lightsaber Forms:
Shii-Cho: 5
Shien: 3
Soresu: 2
Force Sensitive Abilities and Practices:
Telekinetic: 8
Telepathic: 8
Body: 3
Sense: 7
Protection: 6
Healing: 5
Destruction: N/A
Attributes:
Physical Strength: 4
Intelligence: 8
Speed: 5
Leadership: 7
Unarmed: 4
Melee Weapons: 4
Ranged Weapons: 2
Attunement: +7
RP Sample:
Ya'su's speech is in teal
Youngling group speech is in green
The room was rather dark, and a bit cold. A slight breeze seemed to push through as air came across a tiny little electrical vent above. A window was on the wall, its shades closed. The walls were fairly empty, just a gray and brown color upon them, that wrapped around in a perfect circle. But the room was not empty. Inside of it, there were many beings, small ones. They sat in 3 rows of 6 on the floor. Their legs were crossed and their eyes were closed. All of their robes were different, yet carried a similar theme of color and size. They were of many different species, but they all did exactly the same. Some of them shifted to find a slightly more comfortable position. In front of them each sat a small little silver sphere. The spheres all lay upon the floor right in front of them, and did not move.
”Breathe” Said a slightly strained voice, which was just above a whisper. ”Feel the force.”
At the center of room, facing them, was a blue creature in a red robe. It sat in the same position they all did. From his small nostrils atop its bill you could hear air slip in, and out, in a very methodic and slow pace. It’s three digit hands were loosely held together, forming a slight triangular shape at the very center of it’s body. Yet in spite of all this he lay perfectly motionless. ”Listen to it, hear it speak to you.” The tone of voice the creature gave was very calm, almost like it was coming from a statue who had a long time to think about what it would say. ”As you hear it, embrace it.” The voice came in between the intakes of air. It was clearly an older tone of voice, one of many years and much experience. ”Just, breathe.” He spoke slowly.
As he spoke, the small children seemed to be somewhat reassured. Those that had fidgeted earlier, and shifted their bodies seemed to stop. Everything in the room seemed to just stop. All that could be heard was the breathing of each individual. It became a sort of constant pace. As some breathed in, other breathed out. It was smooth, and calm. ”Feel, and breathe.” The blue creature in the red robe whispered. The room was so silent it was as though he was standing beside all of them, as no one had trouble hearing. They all just sat motionless, all in a deep trance like state.
Then the blue creature in the red robe opened its lids to reveal its flawless black eyes. A smile formed on its face. ”Now open your eyes.” The creature instructed, looking ahead at them. Slowly each of the beings opposite him opened their eyes to see the small silver orbs floating before them at eye level. Some of their jaws dropped and others had smiles of amazement. The blue creature began to chuckle a bit at their reactions. ”Embrace the force, and you will have, balance.” The blue creature said rising to his feet. ”That it is all for today younglings.” The blue creature in the red robe said, as he raised his right hand out. The shades which were closed before, opened letting in the limited light which the dusk held. The sun was going down, and the day was coming to its end.
”Thank you, Master Ya’su” The students all said in unison while bowing. The blue creature in the red robe then bowed in return. ”You’re most welcome, younglings. Now run along.” He said to them. The younglings all began to walk out, talking to each other as younglings did. The silver orbs remained floating however, as Master Ya’su concentrated on them. With a wave of his left hand they all moved towards a small box on the floor beside him, and neatly landed inside. The box then descended into the floor, and a panel automatically closed over it. The door closed as the last of the younglings had left the room. And as it did Ya’su held his hand up once more and closed the shaded. He sat down at the center of the room, placing a silver orb in front of himself. He folded his legs and hands, and closed his eyes. And as he did, the silver orb began to hover in front of him.
