Post by Dutch on Apr 30, 2015 23:51:55 GMT -5
Name: Jho’zol’Fura
Race: Devaronian
Age: 16
Birthplace: Montellian Serat, Devaron
Allegiance: The Galactic Republic, The Jedi Order
Status: Apprentice
Rank: Padawan Learner
Height/Weight: 6’0”/ 202 lbs
Appearance:
All angular features and elbows, the devaronian is an obvious teenager in the middle of a growth spurt. With awkwardly wide shoulders and long limbs Jho’zol’Fura appears deceivingly spindly. He has the iconic red skin of his race, if perhaps a shade or two lighter than an adult’s. Jho has a mouth full incisors, normal for his people which are rarely seen due to regular scowls of boredom. To the eye he appears lean and light, but any who come into contact with the aggressive teen feel the density that comes with the devaronian physiology.
Being a teenager, Jho’s horns are only recently beginning to take on a more adult appearance. Going from budding spikes to short sweeping horns, they are a badge of pride for him. Regularly groomed openly with a brush. Jho’s traditional padawan braid is a length of black woven leather tipped by yellow and green beads, given his is a hairless race. A gift from his master the day he became her padawan, the braid hangs from where it’s tied at the base of Jho’s right horn. The only other bits of jewelry he wears are assorted metal hoops through his pointed ears.
Despite more traditional masters’ protests, Jho tends to wear nontraditional Jedi garments and already has a collection of devaronian tribal styled tattoos. He only gets away with it because he is Verity Vyshaan’s apprentice, more common to see him in devaronian apparel than anything formal unless requested by his master. Varying drab leathers and earthy colored garments, one of the few constants is a tattered cloak. A souvenir from the attack on Rhen Var.
It’s a common sight for the teen to fiddle with his lightsaber hilt. Spinning and balancing it atop fingers, he doesn’t mean it as an attempt at intimidation but with his brooding scowl it can come off that way.
Personality:
Being brash, impulsive and bull headed only means Jho is a typical devaronian youth. Raging hormones and awkward thoughts rule his mind, ever restless Jho cannot stand sitting still. Like many teens, he can be prone to mood swings and dumb decisions. More recently this has developed in the habit of doing the exact opposite of anything requested.
A librarian asked he not eat in the Temple Archives, he takes another bite of the corellian apple. The Jedi instructor tells him to watch his language in front of younglings, he makes an obscene gesture and stalks away. His Master tells him not to wander too far into the Coruscant undercity, he returns with a tattoo on his arm. Stubborn to a fault, his master possibly the only person who can get him to truly listen. Eventually.
Jho is quickly humbled anytime his master deems it, begrudgingly apologetic but doing as told usually after getting knocked onto his rear. Despite his moodiness and haughty front, Jho does care for his fellow Jedi. From fighting alongside others in the more recent Imperial incursion, the devaronian has proven to have an inner heroism only ever drawn out when things are darkest. Those who know him can see his potential underneath the cold exterior.
Though he would never admit to it, Jho deeply enjoys playing dejarik. He doesn’t realize his latent talents for strategizing quite yet, prone to surprising himself with ideas. A very intimate act for him, Jho would not be above rudely blowing someone he didn’t know off if they asked for a game. Never having succeeded much in the academic areas, only a select few subjects ever grabbed his attention. Namely galactic criminal history, Jho could rattle off the names of several great crime families and their known claims but couldn’t say what sector Mustafar was in.
Ships/Vehicles: N/A
Equipment:
A dual phased lightsaber, it is religiously weighted and re-fabricated by Jho in an obsession to balance it perfectly. Crafted to be comfortable in both traditional and reverse grip, the extra length at the hilt helps balance the bulkier phobium emitter. Casting a burning bronze blade, this recent addition is never seen separated from the devaronian.
Stats:
Strength - Above Average
Agility - Average
Intelligence - Average
Charisma - Below Average
Force Stats:
Telekinetic- Apprentice
Telepathic- Apprentice
Body- Apprentice
Sense- Novice
Protection- Novice
Healing:– Novice
Destruction– Unskilled
Lightsaber Training:
Shii-Cho- Adept
Shien/Djem So- Apprentice
>>Sub-form Backhanded- Adept
Combat Training:
Broken Gate: Apprentice
Force Training:
Force Valor: Apprentice
Battlemind: Novice
Other Training:
Dejarik: Adept
Tactics: Novice
Piloting: Novice
Acrobatics: Novice
Underworld Knowledge: Apprentice
Back Talking: Apprentice
Languages:
Galactic Basic - Fluent
Devaronese- Fluent
Huttese – Beginner
Binary – Understood
Biography:
Born under a double lunar eclipse in the ancient Devaronian capital of Montellian Surat, the then referred ‘Prince of Devaron’ was the first son to the president of their world. His father, a storied explorer for the Republic was present for the first few weeks after birth. But ancestral callings were difficult to ignore, the stars calling him too loud to ignore. Not before naming his son Jho’zol’Fura, Soul of Fury in an ancient Devaronian tongue.
Standard postnatal tests revealed the babe to be Force sensitive. Unsurprising to the parents, the Jedi Watchman of Montellian Surat came to offer their son a place among them. Seeing it as her duty to agree, she only asked for some time before giving up her child. The Watchman agreed, and promised to return once a year until time was up. Jho was not a calm babe, constantly hospitalized and ill for the first few years. She stressed nightly if her child would die, right around election time. With it cutting into her ability to lead, she began questioning if she could balance motherhood and duty. The Watchman would check in every year, make the same request as before then leave. After four years he would leave with Jho for Coruscant.
Jedi Healers were able to cure Jho of his ailments, some speculating that being born under a bad omen had damaged his tie to the Force. Once his ailment had been lifted, the devaronian quickly began to catch up in size. Placed into a youngling clan when deemed healthy enough, he never quite befriended any others. Perhaps a bit too playful, he would accidently hurt other children and become angry when they no longer wanted to play with him.
As this became more common Jho became even more bullish, pushing other younglings around and throwing a fit when something didn’t go his way. Instructors did their best to curb his outbursts, knowing this was a common trait in Devaronian boys. Yet all could agree this boy was the worst example of his species that had come through the Temple in recent memory.
His behavior changed little over the years, ever the handful for his frazzled Instructors. Jho always argued, back talked and threw tantrums that would last hours. When it became apparent that he wasn’t overly powerful with the Force, masters began to more consider the possibility of the omen’s negative energies. More and more they thought to turn him over to the Explorer Corps over pursuing the path of a Knight. Jedi Sages predicted that Jho’s performance in the Force would plateau in a decade or so, and would better serve in a way that could feed his restlessness.
Once her presidency was over, Jho’s mother campaigned to become Devaron’s newest Senator. Her campaign focused on progressive work on her world, aid in intergalactic affairs, and having a son in the Jedi Order. From early on she advocated for Jedi support, building contacts and friends throughout the Order. There was no surprise on Devaron the day Coruscant announced its newest Senators, and Jho’s mother was among them.
She began to use her covert connections in the Senate and Order to make attempts to contact her son, only for her boy to angrily reject them each time. It started with innocent notes, but as the years went on shadowy messengers and awkward appearances would begin to wear on Jho.
Infuriated that she would even dare think to talk to him after abandoning him to the Jedi, his instructors were shocked by the cease of any social contact with anyone resulting from this. He had suddenly stopped pushing others around, and had become sullen and withdrawn. Once discovered the Jedi put a stop to any of his mother’s attempts, making Jho feel that once again she had given up on him. Little did he know she still worked in the shadows to find new ways.
This frustration and pain surfaced in the form of his aggressive antics returning with a much more violent streak. Blackened eyes and scraped knees became a common sight on the devaronian, but always his knuckles were the worst. Raw and often covered in scabs, they bled terribly the day Jho got into his worse fight. Months after his eleventh birthday, Jho’s mother tried to contact again by ‘accidently’ finding him at a trip to a Coruscant museum. A weequay peer who had found out about Jho’s mother confronted him, accusing unfairness that he could see his mother but the rest of them not. Jho replied brutally. The boy had managed to break knuckles on both hands before the instructors separated them.
Detained in the Halls of Healing as they recovered, Jedi Healers and Sages alike agreed that the dark side came easily to the lad. Would he be trained in the darker arts of the Force, Jho could become a terror. The Council had to face a decision they had put off in hopes the devaronian would change: Would Jho’zol’Fura become a Jedi? A member of the Exploration Corps? Or perhaps… something darker. Something needed to happen, and soon. Some positive catalyst that would forever alter the course of the young man’s life. Luckily for Jho, Verity Vyshaan happened.
Any other Jedi Master would have been denied, but the Sephi woman was able to convince the High Council Jho shouldn’t be passed off. Despite their warning of his foreboding future, Verity pulled the right strings for them to allow her request. Jho first met her himself one balmy autumn day, sunset rays of light warming the Archives as she approached. During her delivery of the news, the teen had spent more attention on trying not to be seen checking her out. Until she dropped that instead of the Exploration Corps, he was to study under her as a padawan learner. It was then he finally met her eyes. It was then he chose to change his fate.
The first few months Jho said little to nothing. He listened to his master, he followed her directions. More out of an attempt to feel out what was expected of him than anything else, half the time the padawan was convinced he was completely screwing up. Evidence of this most often happened whenever Verity and himself fought. Both his most favorite and most hated part of his learning. Though she claimed he had a natural aptitude by his build and will, all he could think was how fast the room could really spin when Verity got him with a throw. Compared to her, Jho felt slow, awkward and dumb.
Yet the master clearly knew what she was doing, for after each match was when he was simply too tired to put up the icy front. Often sprawled out on his back, soaked through with sweat and panting she could get him to open up. For the first few weeks, nothing ground breaking. Jho revealed he liked reading, historical fiction mostly. Stories of Investigators under cover with the elusive Exchange, of Hutt familial politics and Senatorial debauchery. Stories meant for adults and not children. Much to Jho’s surprise, Verity did not tell him to cease reading them.
Agility training most often left Jho the most tired, and as the months went on it was after these sessions that he would begin to open up further. He vented frustrations about his mother, often becoming too emotional to delve deeper before simply passing out from exhaustion. As they neared the end of his first year as he padawan, Jho would actually begin to comment more in their travels. Short phrases, but a clear sign of attempting to be more hands on. The phase was as short as his phrases, as the news of Verity taking another padawan caused Jho to begin to relapse.
He did not speak for the entire first week after Rikkavi had joined them. Jho recognized him as the only selonian child that had been in his youngling clan. One the devaronian had bullied. It would start with simple shoulder bumping and pushing the other boy outta his way, Jho’s frustrations began to come out more during their spars. Every time Verity would have to intervene before Jho took things too far, with each being answered with the master herself taking Rikkavi’s place until he was knocked onto his ass.
It was summer the day his relationship with the selonian would change. The heat out in the gardens unbearable as waves of it rose off every bit of stone outside. Their spar that day was equally as heated, Rikki’s defenses particularly on point as Jho drilled his intensifying assault. When Verity was called away urgently, the devaronian didn’t cease despite Rikki’s plea. Without their master to curb the spar, Jho pushed things too far and began to injure the selonian. Who had finally had enough of his fellow padawan’s antics. The next few moments were a blur of claws, teeth and fur followed by blackness.
Jho woke up hours later submerged in a kolto tank, his bare body covered in slashes and bites. Verity was the sole occupant in the medbay at that time. Unable to reply due to the mask that allowed him breath within the kolto, he could only listen as she explained what happened. There was no lecture, no scolding. Only a suggestion that he meditate and heal for the next few days he was to be kept in the tank. Besides the occasional Jedi Healer to check in on his vitals, all other visitors were denied at the door. So he meditated.
By the time he was raised from the kolto, Jho had come to realize his error with Rikkavi. Verity’s suggestion had been a good one, though he would never admit that to her. Upon seeing both master and fellow apprentice, Jho gave a short apology for his behavior and a promise to do better. To teach the two boys patience with one another, she introduced them both to dejarik. Both took a rabid fascination to it for the first few months, lengthy discussions sometimes simmering to heated arguments over the better pieces and historical strategies.
Sometimes the pair would sit for hours around the temple, portable dejarik table between them as they dueled. Jho quickly learned much about Rikkavi between their times playing dejarik, sparring and training under their master. He realized the selonian wasn’t so different from himself. The abandonments, the great love and respect for Verity, the strange loyalty to the Jedi neither could deny. After years Jho’s fury dulled, in no small part thanks to Verity and Rikkavi. Though still brooding and surly, he in general became much more approachable. Even so like many of his people, Jho would never fully shake the fiery temper known to all devaronian men.
He found solace over the years in the one-on-one time Verity seemed to keep with each padawan. Sometimes it would be a private spar, sometimes a quiet lunch in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. No matter what they were doing, his master would patiently listen to Jho rant and ramble about whatever it was that bugged him lately. Jho could never explain why, but after those times he always felt better. Always slept better those nights too.
The padawan wouldn’t realize that around his fifteenth birthday he would already pass his trial of skill. The snowy Temple of Rhen Var would house it, the annoyed Jho stuck waiting there for Verity to rendezvous after a particularly foreboding mission. One he nor Rikkavi were allowed to follow. Through their bond he would catch glimpses and feel hidden anxieties quelled by steeled resolve. So distracted in his meditations, Jho didn’t feel the Sith arrive until it was too late.
By the time he had found a group of Jedi to join, the Sith had already broken into the Temple. Ransacking and raiding, the stone halls were filled with the clash of lightsabers. An aged master along with a group of Knights, Jho was the sole padawan in their group. The Knights were eager to get the elder duros off-world, and revealed to Jho he was a storied Jedi Seer. Uwanna Chennenebot, a silly name for one considered one of the greatest Sages of his time. Not knowing what else to do and not voicing the screaming fear that seized his throat, Jho followed the group dutifully eager to get to safety.
For a time they ran into no invaders, Uwanna seemingly able to lead them safely in a way only a powerful telepath could do. Yet little could be done when a Sith party had cornered them in a dead end. Terrified with only having a training saber and trapped by the Sith, he would be shocked at the sudden billowing wave of comfort that ebbed off Uwanna. Jho let the Force fill him, and trusted in the duros. It was as if he could hear the groups thoughts right beside his own, a comforting echo of companionship the devaronian simply couldn’t put into words. Something he would later learn was the Battlemind technique some Jedi were known for. One he knew Verity was skilled in. As one the group met the Sith charge. The fight was over quickly, sadly with Uwanna being one of the few Jedi killed in the skirmish.
Jho did feel remorse for the duros, shared even deeper by the bond of Battlemind. Even with that, he would not deny the small amount of pride at his first ever fight. Though burned by near missed lightsabers, an arm broken and body peppered in plenty of bruises he had been a presence in the brief battle. On the shuttle fleeing Rhen Var, the survivors of his group shared the story with others they had linked up with. They said he had howled like a man possessed, using a mad combo of classic Broken Gate maneuvers assisted by defensive lightsaber use the group of surviving Jedi now laughed at how not ready the Sith had been for the spazzing devaronian and his unorthodox approach. It was there as he laughed sheepishly to the balosaur Jedi’s story about him, that Jho began to get it. For years Verity has spoken about the binding spirit of the Jedi Order, and only now did he finally feel as if he was apart of that. He could be something besides an abandoned drop out on some backwater world, he could do it. He could become Jedi.
Days later he once again found himself in a kolto tank facing Verity through glass. She gave him the answers she knew he’d need, a full reveal of everything that had transpired on Rhen Var. The Sith Order had truly revealed itself in the invasion of Rhen Var, seizing an ancient Jedi library as well as many Jedi prisoners. Verity quickly subdued the devaronian as he fumed, their bond a balm to the wounded padawan. He appreciated that she stayed for hours, merely perched at the foot of his kolto tank as they watched the stars go by through the bay window. Jho was happy to see Rikkavi when the selonian came to relieve their master of keeping him company. They were even able to play a couple casual games of dejarik, the two padawan’s both using the Force to thumb the controls to make it ‘fair’.
It was weeks after he had fully recovered that Verity shared news that the High Council had deemed that Rhen Var would stand for part of his Jedi Trials. Unable to say which, the dream of someday being a true Jedi sank in even further. Rikkavi shared a thought that it was the Trial of Skill, given days after that announcement Verity and Jho took a trip to Adegan.
After discovering an ancient cave by falling through the floor into a giant geode, Jho had opened his eyes to see a brazen bronze crystal just before his eyes. Verity told him to take the hint, and after harvesting it through meditation they two left the world with Jho’s future lightsaber crystal. For months Jho worked alongside Rikkavi as they planned his saber hilt. He would meditate with the crystal twice daily, and kept the tiny gem on him in a pouch at all times. With Verity supervising Jho began to fabricate his hilt, at first a seemingly odd collection of parts. That night Jho meditated with all the components, and the next morning he proudly displayed his bronze bladed lightsaber to Verity and Rikkavi. The hilt elegant in a way, the rubber-ribbed lightsaber had an extended grip common with a Djem-So user and swooping plates to further reinforce it. Since it was crafted, Jho now devotes a fair amount of his time to the Artisanal Halls forging and reforging the pieces in an attempt to have it perfectly balanced.
At sixteen, Jho admitted to his master a thought he had carried since Rhen Var. He asked her if she would let him join the Blades, professing his desire to back up the other Jedi and do whatever he could to stem the Sith. Verity did not entertain the thought, instead denying him outright. Though eventually Jho did understand, he is still sullen as the war only continues to get worse. Once more relapsing into impatience, the devaronian hasn’t nearly reverted back to his old ways. Instead of violent outbursts Jho has picked up the habit of ‘ditching’ Verity when out in the galaxy. He was eventually aware that she would let him storm off, the lack of surprise anytime he showed up with a new tattoo or piercing a quick indicator. They both knew he’d always return, and they both knew she would quickly crumple the pack of cigarillos he had probably mind tricked some vendor for.
Roleplay Sample: Co-written with DreadPirateMike
Jho sat opposite of Rikkavi, lounged back against the stone chair that sat in the hall of the Jedi Temple. It was pouring rain, and Verity was tied up in a High Council meeting. Thus her students did what they could to stay occupied while they waited. His black eyes stared the selonian down, his fellow padwan perched in the same position for minutes now staring at the dejarik board on the small table between them. With one leg crossed over the other knee, the devaronian jiggled his foot impatiently as he stared Rikki down.
Even blacker eyes didn’t initially give away much, but soon enough, Rikkavi couldn’t suppress his grin anymore, and it was accompanied by what only those who’d spent a lot of time with him would recognize as a slightly sheepish twitching of his nose. He never rushed a move at this game unless they were playing with a timer, never moved until he’d considered all the options and variables at his leisure. But for the past minute or so, he’d just been drawing things out, and he suspected he was caught. He’d discovered very quickly and with no particular surprise after Verity had first tasked them with discovering the finer points of this game together that he dealt far better with simply sitting there for an extended period. Technically, a table kicked over in frustration was a forfeit, and therefore a win for him, but after their Master had gently but firmly asked a few times that he not be a wretch, he’d agreed not to exploit the gulf in patience.
Much.
“Sixth...no, seventh Ilthar Gambit. You’re really charging in full tilt, huh? I thought you’d learned to be careful about that.”
“Just make your move.” Jho quipped shortly, followed by a haughty huff.
“Sure, why not?” Rikkavi retorted with uncharacteristic enthusiasm that almost universally indicated he thought he was on to something good. After taking a moment to triple check that his defensive line was solid enough to withstand the immediate threat for a few moves, he shuffled his kath hound over on the left flank to unleash his Kintan Strider. “Not too often I manage to outduel you.”
Jho shifted to plant both bare feet on the floor, elbows at his knees as he considered a way to get around facing the Strider full on. Rikki had already taken Jho’s Savrip and K’lor’slug, which left him with nothing that could face that piece. For a moment Jho stared at the dejarik board. The next moment the devaronian lad scowled with squinted eyes at Rikkavi before both hands upturned the stone table.
“The horn head maneuver! Haven’t seen that one in awhile.” Flashing a quick thumbs up, Rikki stood up and began to stretch, only to abruptly stiffen and sniff the air attentively. “Do you smell nerf jerky?”
Race: Devaronian
Age: 16
Birthplace: Montellian Serat, Devaron
Allegiance: The Galactic Republic, The Jedi Order
Status: Apprentice
Rank: Padawan Learner
Height/Weight: 6’0”/ 202 lbs
Appearance:
All angular features and elbows, the devaronian is an obvious teenager in the middle of a growth spurt. With awkwardly wide shoulders and long limbs Jho’zol’Fura appears deceivingly spindly. He has the iconic red skin of his race, if perhaps a shade or two lighter than an adult’s. Jho has a mouth full incisors, normal for his people which are rarely seen due to regular scowls of boredom. To the eye he appears lean and light, but any who come into contact with the aggressive teen feel the density that comes with the devaronian physiology.
Being a teenager, Jho’s horns are only recently beginning to take on a more adult appearance. Going from budding spikes to short sweeping horns, they are a badge of pride for him. Regularly groomed openly with a brush. Jho’s traditional padawan braid is a length of black woven leather tipped by yellow and green beads, given his is a hairless race. A gift from his master the day he became her padawan, the braid hangs from where it’s tied at the base of Jho’s right horn. The only other bits of jewelry he wears are assorted metal hoops through his pointed ears.
Despite more traditional masters’ protests, Jho tends to wear nontraditional Jedi garments and already has a collection of devaronian tribal styled tattoos. He only gets away with it because he is Verity Vyshaan’s apprentice, more common to see him in devaronian apparel than anything formal unless requested by his master. Varying drab leathers and earthy colored garments, one of the few constants is a tattered cloak. A souvenir from the attack on Rhen Var.
It’s a common sight for the teen to fiddle with his lightsaber hilt. Spinning and balancing it atop fingers, he doesn’t mean it as an attempt at intimidation but with his brooding scowl it can come off that way.
Personality:
Being brash, impulsive and bull headed only means Jho is a typical devaronian youth. Raging hormones and awkward thoughts rule his mind, ever restless Jho cannot stand sitting still. Like many teens, he can be prone to mood swings and dumb decisions. More recently this has developed in the habit of doing the exact opposite of anything requested.
A librarian asked he not eat in the Temple Archives, he takes another bite of the corellian apple. The Jedi instructor tells him to watch his language in front of younglings, he makes an obscene gesture and stalks away. His Master tells him not to wander too far into the Coruscant undercity, he returns with a tattoo on his arm. Stubborn to a fault, his master possibly the only person who can get him to truly listen. Eventually.
Jho is quickly humbled anytime his master deems it, begrudgingly apologetic but doing as told usually after getting knocked onto his rear. Despite his moodiness and haughty front, Jho does care for his fellow Jedi. From fighting alongside others in the more recent Imperial incursion, the devaronian has proven to have an inner heroism only ever drawn out when things are darkest. Those who know him can see his potential underneath the cold exterior.
Though he would never admit to it, Jho deeply enjoys playing dejarik. He doesn’t realize his latent talents for strategizing quite yet, prone to surprising himself with ideas. A very intimate act for him, Jho would not be above rudely blowing someone he didn’t know off if they asked for a game. Never having succeeded much in the academic areas, only a select few subjects ever grabbed his attention. Namely galactic criminal history, Jho could rattle off the names of several great crime families and their known claims but couldn’t say what sector Mustafar was in.
Ships/Vehicles: N/A
Equipment:
A dual phased lightsaber, it is religiously weighted and re-fabricated by Jho in an obsession to balance it perfectly. Crafted to be comfortable in both traditional and reverse grip, the extra length at the hilt helps balance the bulkier phobium emitter. Casting a burning bronze blade, this recent addition is never seen separated from the devaronian.
Stats:
Strength - Above Average
Agility - Average
Intelligence - Average
Charisma - Below Average
Force Stats:
Telekinetic- Apprentice
Telepathic- Apprentice
Body- Apprentice
Sense- Novice
Protection- Novice
Healing:– Novice
Destruction– Unskilled
Lightsaber Training:
Shii-Cho- Adept
Shien/Djem So- Apprentice
>>Sub-form Backhanded- Adept
Combat Training:
Broken Gate: Apprentice
Force Training:
Force Valor: Apprentice
Battlemind: Novice
Other Training:
Dejarik: Adept
Tactics: Novice
Piloting: Novice
Acrobatics: Novice
Underworld Knowledge: Apprentice
Back Talking: Apprentice
Languages:
Galactic Basic - Fluent
Devaronese- Fluent
Huttese – Beginner
Binary – Understood
Biography:
Igniculus
Born under a double lunar eclipse in the ancient Devaronian capital of Montellian Surat, the then referred ‘Prince of Devaron’ was the first son to the president of their world. His father, a storied explorer for the Republic was present for the first few weeks after birth. But ancestral callings were difficult to ignore, the stars calling him too loud to ignore. Not before naming his son Jho’zol’Fura, Soul of Fury in an ancient Devaronian tongue.
Standard postnatal tests revealed the babe to be Force sensitive. Unsurprising to the parents, the Jedi Watchman of Montellian Surat came to offer their son a place among them. Seeing it as her duty to agree, she only asked for some time before giving up her child. The Watchman agreed, and promised to return once a year until time was up. Jho was not a calm babe, constantly hospitalized and ill for the first few years. She stressed nightly if her child would die, right around election time. With it cutting into her ability to lead, she began questioning if she could balance motherhood and duty. The Watchman would check in every year, make the same request as before then leave. After four years he would leave with Jho for Coruscant.
Jedi Healers were able to cure Jho of his ailments, some speculating that being born under a bad omen had damaged his tie to the Force. Once his ailment had been lifted, the devaronian quickly began to catch up in size. Placed into a youngling clan when deemed healthy enough, he never quite befriended any others. Perhaps a bit too playful, he would accidently hurt other children and become angry when they no longer wanted to play with him.
As this became more common Jho became even more bullish, pushing other younglings around and throwing a fit when something didn’t go his way. Instructors did their best to curb his outbursts, knowing this was a common trait in Devaronian boys. Yet all could agree this boy was the worst example of his species that had come through the Temple in recent memory.
Accendo
His behavior changed little over the years, ever the handful for his frazzled Instructors. Jho always argued, back talked and threw tantrums that would last hours. When it became apparent that he wasn’t overly powerful with the Force, masters began to more consider the possibility of the omen’s negative energies. More and more they thought to turn him over to the Explorer Corps over pursuing the path of a Knight. Jedi Sages predicted that Jho’s performance in the Force would plateau in a decade or so, and would better serve in a way that could feed his restlessness.
Once her presidency was over, Jho’s mother campaigned to become Devaron’s newest Senator. Her campaign focused on progressive work on her world, aid in intergalactic affairs, and having a son in the Jedi Order. From early on she advocated for Jedi support, building contacts and friends throughout the Order. There was no surprise on Devaron the day Coruscant announced its newest Senators, and Jho’s mother was among them.
She began to use her covert connections in the Senate and Order to make attempts to contact her son, only for her boy to angrily reject them each time. It started with innocent notes, but as the years went on shadowy messengers and awkward appearances would begin to wear on Jho.
Infuriated that she would even dare think to talk to him after abandoning him to the Jedi, his instructors were shocked by the cease of any social contact with anyone resulting from this. He had suddenly stopped pushing others around, and had become sullen and withdrawn. Once discovered the Jedi put a stop to any of his mother’s attempts, making Jho feel that once again she had given up on him. Little did he know she still worked in the shadows to find new ways.
This frustration and pain surfaced in the form of his aggressive antics returning with a much more violent streak. Blackened eyes and scraped knees became a common sight on the devaronian, but always his knuckles were the worst. Raw and often covered in scabs, they bled terribly the day Jho got into his worse fight. Months after his eleventh birthday, Jho’s mother tried to contact again by ‘accidently’ finding him at a trip to a Coruscant museum. A weequay peer who had found out about Jho’s mother confronted him, accusing unfairness that he could see his mother but the rest of them not. Jho replied brutally. The boy had managed to break knuckles on both hands before the instructors separated them.
Detained in the Halls of Healing as they recovered, Jedi Healers and Sages alike agreed that the dark side came easily to the lad. Would he be trained in the darker arts of the Force, Jho could become a terror. The Council had to face a decision they had put off in hopes the devaronian would change: Would Jho’zol’Fura become a Jedi? A member of the Exploration Corps? Or perhaps… something darker. Something needed to happen, and soon. Some positive catalyst that would forever alter the course of the young man’s life. Luckily for Jho, Verity Vyshaan happened.
Induresco
Any other Jedi Master would have been denied, but the Sephi woman was able to convince the High Council Jho shouldn’t be passed off. Despite their warning of his foreboding future, Verity pulled the right strings for them to allow her request. Jho first met her himself one balmy autumn day, sunset rays of light warming the Archives as she approached. During her delivery of the news, the teen had spent more attention on trying not to be seen checking her out. Until she dropped that instead of the Exploration Corps, he was to study under her as a padawan learner. It was then he finally met her eyes. It was then he chose to change his fate.
The first few months Jho said little to nothing. He listened to his master, he followed her directions. More out of an attempt to feel out what was expected of him than anything else, half the time the padawan was convinced he was completely screwing up. Evidence of this most often happened whenever Verity and himself fought. Both his most favorite and most hated part of his learning. Though she claimed he had a natural aptitude by his build and will, all he could think was how fast the room could really spin when Verity got him with a throw. Compared to her, Jho felt slow, awkward and dumb.
Yet the master clearly knew what she was doing, for after each match was when he was simply too tired to put up the icy front. Often sprawled out on his back, soaked through with sweat and panting she could get him to open up. For the first few weeks, nothing ground breaking. Jho revealed he liked reading, historical fiction mostly. Stories of Investigators under cover with the elusive Exchange, of Hutt familial politics and Senatorial debauchery. Stories meant for adults and not children. Much to Jho’s surprise, Verity did not tell him to cease reading them.
Agility training most often left Jho the most tired, and as the months went on it was after these sessions that he would begin to open up further. He vented frustrations about his mother, often becoming too emotional to delve deeper before simply passing out from exhaustion. As they neared the end of his first year as he padawan, Jho would actually begin to comment more in their travels. Short phrases, but a clear sign of attempting to be more hands on. The phase was as short as his phrases, as the news of Verity taking another padawan caused Jho to begin to relapse.
He did not speak for the entire first week after Rikkavi had joined them. Jho recognized him as the only selonian child that had been in his youngling clan. One the devaronian had bullied. It would start with simple shoulder bumping and pushing the other boy outta his way, Jho’s frustrations began to come out more during their spars. Every time Verity would have to intervene before Jho took things too far, with each being answered with the master herself taking Rikkavi’s place until he was knocked onto his ass.
It was summer the day his relationship with the selonian would change. The heat out in the gardens unbearable as waves of it rose off every bit of stone outside. Their spar that day was equally as heated, Rikki’s defenses particularly on point as Jho drilled his intensifying assault. When Verity was called away urgently, the devaronian didn’t cease despite Rikki’s plea. Without their master to curb the spar, Jho pushed things too far and began to injure the selonian. Who had finally had enough of his fellow padawan’s antics. The next few moments were a blur of claws, teeth and fur followed by blackness.
Jho woke up hours later submerged in a kolto tank, his bare body covered in slashes and bites. Verity was the sole occupant in the medbay at that time. Unable to reply due to the mask that allowed him breath within the kolto, he could only listen as she explained what happened. There was no lecture, no scolding. Only a suggestion that he meditate and heal for the next few days he was to be kept in the tank. Besides the occasional Jedi Healer to check in on his vitals, all other visitors were denied at the door. So he meditated.
By the time he was raised from the kolto, Jho had come to realize his error with Rikkavi. Verity’s suggestion had been a good one, though he would never admit that to her. Upon seeing both master and fellow apprentice, Jho gave a short apology for his behavior and a promise to do better. To teach the two boys patience with one another, she introduced them both to dejarik. Both took a rabid fascination to it for the first few months, lengthy discussions sometimes simmering to heated arguments over the better pieces and historical strategies.
Sometimes the pair would sit for hours around the temple, portable dejarik table between them as they dueled. Jho quickly learned much about Rikkavi between their times playing dejarik, sparring and training under their master. He realized the selonian wasn’t so different from himself. The abandonments, the great love and respect for Verity, the strange loyalty to the Jedi neither could deny. After years Jho’s fury dulled, in no small part thanks to Verity and Rikkavi. Though still brooding and surly, he in general became much more approachable. Even so like many of his people, Jho would never fully shake the fiery temper known to all devaronian men.
He found solace over the years in the one-on-one time Verity seemed to keep with each padawan. Sometimes it would be a private spar, sometimes a quiet lunch in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. No matter what they were doing, his master would patiently listen to Jho rant and ramble about whatever it was that bugged him lately. Jho could never explain why, but after those times he always felt better. Always slept better those nights too.
The padawan wouldn’t realize that around his fifteenth birthday he would already pass his trial of skill. The snowy Temple of Rhen Var would house it, the annoyed Jho stuck waiting there for Verity to rendezvous after a particularly foreboding mission. One he nor Rikkavi were allowed to follow. Through their bond he would catch glimpses and feel hidden anxieties quelled by steeled resolve. So distracted in his meditations, Jho didn’t feel the Sith arrive until it was too late.
Limatus
By the time he had found a group of Jedi to join, the Sith had already broken into the Temple. Ransacking and raiding, the stone halls were filled with the clash of lightsabers. An aged master along with a group of Knights, Jho was the sole padawan in their group. The Knights were eager to get the elder duros off-world, and revealed to Jho he was a storied Jedi Seer. Uwanna Chennenebot, a silly name for one considered one of the greatest Sages of his time. Not knowing what else to do and not voicing the screaming fear that seized his throat, Jho followed the group dutifully eager to get to safety.
For a time they ran into no invaders, Uwanna seemingly able to lead them safely in a way only a powerful telepath could do. Yet little could be done when a Sith party had cornered them in a dead end. Terrified with only having a training saber and trapped by the Sith, he would be shocked at the sudden billowing wave of comfort that ebbed off Uwanna. Jho let the Force fill him, and trusted in the duros. It was as if he could hear the groups thoughts right beside his own, a comforting echo of companionship the devaronian simply couldn’t put into words. Something he would later learn was the Battlemind technique some Jedi were known for. One he knew Verity was skilled in. As one the group met the Sith charge. The fight was over quickly, sadly with Uwanna being one of the few Jedi killed in the skirmish.
Jho did feel remorse for the duros, shared even deeper by the bond of Battlemind. Even with that, he would not deny the small amount of pride at his first ever fight. Though burned by near missed lightsabers, an arm broken and body peppered in plenty of bruises he had been a presence in the brief battle. On the shuttle fleeing Rhen Var, the survivors of his group shared the story with others they had linked up with. They said he had howled like a man possessed, using a mad combo of classic Broken Gate maneuvers assisted by defensive lightsaber use the group of surviving Jedi now laughed at how not ready the Sith had been for the spazzing devaronian and his unorthodox approach. It was there as he laughed sheepishly to the balosaur Jedi’s story about him, that Jho began to get it. For years Verity has spoken about the binding spirit of the Jedi Order, and only now did he finally feel as if he was apart of that. He could be something besides an abandoned drop out on some backwater world, he could do it. He could become Jedi.
Days later he once again found himself in a kolto tank facing Verity through glass. She gave him the answers she knew he’d need, a full reveal of everything that had transpired on Rhen Var. The Sith Order had truly revealed itself in the invasion of Rhen Var, seizing an ancient Jedi library as well as many Jedi prisoners. Verity quickly subdued the devaronian as he fumed, their bond a balm to the wounded padawan. He appreciated that she stayed for hours, merely perched at the foot of his kolto tank as they watched the stars go by through the bay window. Jho was happy to see Rikkavi when the selonian came to relieve their master of keeping him company. They were even able to play a couple casual games of dejarik, the two padawan’s both using the Force to thumb the controls to make it ‘fair’.
It was weeks after he had fully recovered that Verity shared news that the High Council had deemed that Rhen Var would stand for part of his Jedi Trials. Unable to say which, the dream of someday being a true Jedi sank in even further. Rikkavi shared a thought that it was the Trial of Skill, given days after that announcement Verity and Jho took a trip to Adegan.
After discovering an ancient cave by falling through the floor into a giant geode, Jho had opened his eyes to see a brazen bronze crystal just before his eyes. Verity told him to take the hint, and after harvesting it through meditation they two left the world with Jho’s future lightsaber crystal. For months Jho worked alongside Rikkavi as they planned his saber hilt. He would meditate with the crystal twice daily, and kept the tiny gem on him in a pouch at all times. With Verity supervising Jho began to fabricate his hilt, at first a seemingly odd collection of parts. That night Jho meditated with all the components, and the next morning he proudly displayed his bronze bladed lightsaber to Verity and Rikkavi. The hilt elegant in a way, the rubber-ribbed lightsaber had an extended grip common with a Djem-So user and swooping plates to further reinforce it. Since it was crafted, Jho now devotes a fair amount of his time to the Artisanal Halls forging and reforging the pieces in an attempt to have it perfectly balanced.
At sixteen, Jho admitted to his master a thought he had carried since Rhen Var. He asked her if she would let him join the Blades, professing his desire to back up the other Jedi and do whatever he could to stem the Sith. Verity did not entertain the thought, instead denying him outright. Though eventually Jho did understand, he is still sullen as the war only continues to get worse. Once more relapsing into impatience, the devaronian hasn’t nearly reverted back to his old ways. Instead of violent outbursts Jho has picked up the habit of ‘ditching’ Verity when out in the galaxy. He was eventually aware that she would let him storm off, the lack of surprise anytime he showed up with a new tattoo or piercing a quick indicator. They both knew he’d always return, and they both knew she would quickly crumple the pack of cigarillos he had probably mind tricked some vendor for.
Roleplay Sample: Co-written with DreadPirateMike
Jho sat opposite of Rikkavi, lounged back against the stone chair that sat in the hall of the Jedi Temple. It was pouring rain, and Verity was tied up in a High Council meeting. Thus her students did what they could to stay occupied while they waited. His black eyes stared the selonian down, his fellow padwan perched in the same position for minutes now staring at the dejarik board on the small table between them. With one leg crossed over the other knee, the devaronian jiggled his foot impatiently as he stared Rikki down.
Even blacker eyes didn’t initially give away much, but soon enough, Rikkavi couldn’t suppress his grin anymore, and it was accompanied by what only those who’d spent a lot of time with him would recognize as a slightly sheepish twitching of his nose. He never rushed a move at this game unless they were playing with a timer, never moved until he’d considered all the options and variables at his leisure. But for the past minute or so, he’d just been drawing things out, and he suspected he was caught. He’d discovered very quickly and with no particular surprise after Verity had first tasked them with discovering the finer points of this game together that he dealt far better with simply sitting there for an extended period. Technically, a table kicked over in frustration was a forfeit, and therefore a win for him, but after their Master had gently but firmly asked a few times that he not be a wretch, he’d agreed not to exploit the gulf in patience.
Much.
“Sixth...no, seventh Ilthar Gambit. You’re really charging in full tilt, huh? I thought you’d learned to be careful about that.”
“Just make your move.” Jho quipped shortly, followed by a haughty huff.
“Sure, why not?” Rikkavi retorted with uncharacteristic enthusiasm that almost universally indicated he thought he was on to something good. After taking a moment to triple check that his defensive line was solid enough to withstand the immediate threat for a few moves, he shuffled his kath hound over on the left flank to unleash his Kintan Strider. “Not too often I manage to outduel you.”
Jho shifted to plant both bare feet on the floor, elbows at his knees as he considered a way to get around facing the Strider full on. Rikki had already taken Jho’s Savrip and K’lor’slug, which left him with nothing that could face that piece. For a moment Jho stared at the dejarik board. The next moment the devaronian lad scowled with squinted eyes at Rikkavi before both hands upturned the stone table.
“The horn head maneuver! Haven’t seen that one in awhile.” Flashing a quick thumbs up, Rikki stood up and began to stretch, only to abruptly stiffen and sniff the air attentively. “Do you smell nerf jerky?”
I had actually gone over these with 
