Riven Kassle is an original character I created in the Star Wars universe. He is a bounty hunter/mercenary with an affinity of the force and no love for the Jedi. I've decided to write up this journal entry to build up his story as my ideas for him progress.
Race: Human
Age: 30
Height: 72 inches
Weight: 210 lbs
Affiliation: The highest bidder. Exceptions are made sometimes when matters pertain to the Jedi as Riven deeply hates the order and their ways.
Some back story:
Riven began training as a Jedi at an early age and showed much potential. While not the strongest in the force, he was very determined and gained a lot from his lessons. With a lightsaber, he was far from the best yet he was usually able to hold his own in one-on-one combat. He was, however, much stronger in the force when dealing with seeing the connection of the universe around him. Riven was so attuned to this aspect that he would sometimes spend weeks blindfolded and using nothing but his connection to the force to navigate through life.
Riven was never considered a star pupil. He was too headstrong and opinionated for the Jedi and he found himself chastised often for it. By the time young Riven had aged 20, he'd come to put much value into possessions and his own life, something the Jedi did not favor. He was filled with inner turmoil over his desire of a life full of greatness. At age 21, a new padawan had come to train at the academy with whom he quickly became friends. This new padawan, A'Luna Farsee, had began training late in life. She was the same age as Riven and had only been given the opportunity to train in order to help her understand her affinity for the force. As it was, her connection to the force was rather faint and it had been decided that she would receive training to set her on the path of light and then she would go on about her life having no chance of becoming a Jedi Knight.
For the next 4 years, the two often trained together and spent much of their time in company with one another. Against the code of the Jedi, their feelings for each other grew and they found themselves a couple. Their feelings were so strong, they could not escape the notice of the Jedi for long. The counsel decided to end A'Luna's training with the Jedi and send her away. They felt she had been taught what they intended to give her and that her absence may allow Riven to let go of the emotions that their order believed could lead to the dark side.
This pivotal moment in Riven's life had not been foreseen by the Jedi. A'Luna refused to leave his side and the Jedi were forced to restrain her in order to escort her from the academy. Warring his emotions, Riven demanded the restraining bonds be removed from his beloved A'Luna. When the Jedi only lectured him against his emotions and chided him against the ways of the dark side, it fueled his anger and he found himself taking the first step into that other side of the force he'd been avoiding all his life. Riven used the force to blast the guards away from A'Luna, smashing their bodies against the walls of the hangar. Then, the air was alive with the hiss of lightsabers. He yelled telling A'Luna to flee to the starfighter that was intended for her escorted departure and then ignited his own lightsaber. In the hangar, with his back to A'Luna, he faced his Jedi Master and five padawan, his life in the balance.
"The dark side clouds your mind young Kassle" said the Master.
"And the light blinds you!" Riven retorted.
"You have taken two lives in your anger Riven. Lay aside your hatred. Put away your lightsaber and come before the Counsel for justice. You must find peace!"
"There is no peace Master. It's just another lie atop a great mountain of them. How can you claim to know the value of life if you feel no emotion. You're incapable of weighing the measure of her worth when all you do, all the Jedi do, is preach an existence devoid of the richest currency in the galaxy. Love" Livid, Riven started for the starfighter where waited his love, A'Luna.
"I cannot let you leave Riven" said the Master as he glanced with silent command to the five padawan attending him. They began to advance on Riven then, eyes full of intent.
Riven turned to run and became weightless after a few sprinting strides, the Jedi Master holding him aloft with the force. Reaching out with the force into the scene behind him, as if his eyes were seeing it all, he forced pushed from both flanks of the padawan. They careened against each other and smashed into a pile of screaming hissing pain as their lightsabers severed limbs and punctured the life from one another. The Jedi Master released him in shock and he fell to the hangar floor. Riven gathered himself up and sprinted with all his speed to the star fighter calling out for A'Luna to prepare for departure. Just as he reached the ship, through his force awareness, he felt the Jedi Master descending upon him. He turned to meet a barrage of blows from the lightsaber and felt himself being pummeled down and down beneath the assault. He'd never been the best wielding these blades of energy and it was only through calculated retreat and defense that he managed to cling to his life. He could here the ship, see it leave the hangar floor in his mind. In a risky, calculated move, Riven leap upwards in a backflip motion towards the ship and opened himself to attack for a split second. The Jedi Master swept his lightsaber through the defense and drug a searing path across Riven's face, taking both of his eyes in the attack. Through agonizing pain, Riven clung to reality and his grip of the force, yet able to see the world around him. He landed atop the starfighter and found good purchase before A'Luna fired up the engines and sped off leaving the nightmarish scene behind.
The two of them would regroup and seek out medical attention for Riven before starting a new life of their own. A life forever tainted by the Jedi Order.
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THROUGH THE 5 YEARS FOLLOWING THEIR ESCAPE FROM THE JEDI ACADEMY...
Riven and A'Luna amassed quiet a personal fortune working as hired guns and bounty hunters. With a reputation of being well worth their exorbitant price, they are never without work. Aside from the piles of credits earned from their usual work, A'Luna also owns an underground network of custom firearms and technology manufacturers which sell illegally to more discreet customers. She has a brilliant mind for such things and some of her most lethal inventions are reserved for their own personal use. Most of their arsenal consists of unique inventions that give them an edge over their competition including some inventions that require their wielders to be force sensitive.
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Points of Interest:
Riven has taken to collecting padawan braids as a symbol of his abhorrence of the Jedi Order.
Riven wears a bandage wrapped around his head which covers the lightsabre wound which took his eyes.
Riven took the helmet of a Clone commando and adapted it for his own use. The Clone commando was part of a capture or assassinate attempt which he and A'Luna foiled.
Riven still maintains a lightsaber as part of his personal arsenal. Although he was never the most skilled with one, he doesn't deny its uses. He will also collect the lightsabers of his fallen enemies and sometimes replaces his current lightsaber of choice with a better one if found.
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TO BE CONTINUED..........
