Seren
From SW:TOR-RP-Wiki
| Seren | |||
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| Biographical Information | |||
| Homeworld: | Alderaan | ||
| Date of Birth: | 18BTC | ||
| Physical Description | |||
| Species: | Human | ||
| Gender: | Female | ||
| Height: | 5'8" | ||
| Weight: | 130lbs (a bit on the thin side) | ||
| Hair Color: | Dark brown | ||
| Eye Color: | Green | ||
| Skin Color: | Fair | ||
| Combat Information | |||
| Weapon(s): | Single-bladed lightsaber | ||
| Specialization: | Manipulation | ||
| Fighting Style: | Makashi (Proficient) | ||
| Shii-Cho (Basics, as per initiate training) | |||
| Personal Information | |||
| Former Master(s): | Medeia Cai-Belamir | ||
| Lord Anaxagoras | |||
| Current Master: | Lady Feiros... of sorts | ||
| Alignment: | Somewhere between taupe and midnight charcoal | ||
| Aliases: | Ren, Ansaren, Seren | ||
| Political Information | |||
| Past Affiliation: | Jedi Order, Republic | ||
| Current Affiliation: | Sith Empire | ||
| Roleplay Information | |||
| Creator | virama | ||
“What people want is less important than what people should do." -- Seren
Character Summary:
Contents |
"It's not a complicated order, but people all too often get it wrong." -- Seren
Proud, goal-oriented, and driven, Seren is determined to set the galaxy right... by force if necessary. She believes that people in the state of nature are solitary, poor, nasty, and brutish (to quote Hobbes), and that she is better equipped than most to guide people. Her fanaticism leads her to actions that would be shunned by any reasonable Jedi, so she left the Order and joined the Empire.
Her core philosophy is as follows: People are equipped with free will. However, if given the choice to act, many will do what is wrong or harmful to others. The only proper course of action is to control others so they must do what is right. Because of that, her ideals are more aligned with the Empire than they are with the Jedi. However, though she went to the Empire seeking to enlighten them, her past as a Jedi has led to some difficulty. While Seren believed her training would give her an edge, the Sith cared little for her pride or her belief in her own rightness. Her life among the Empire has not been easy for her.
Still, Seren is committed to her purpose to the point that she is willing to stay in spite of the hardships she has encountered. She has her own agendas, and she is determined to follow them... in spite of what Jedi or Sith tell her.
Appearance:
A lean, rangy woman somewhere in her early 20s. She is tallish, though slight of build. Her fair skin and usually impractical attire do not speak of a wilderness aficionado. Her smooth oval face is framed by long dark hair hanging straight and loose down the center of her back (or tangled around her shoulders). Her pale green eyes are her most distinctive feature, though they are all too often narrowed in scorn or disdain. Her lips are often curved in a half-smirk, though it's uncertain whether Sith humor is genuinely amusing to most people.
Biography:
"You and I both know we have influence, Medeia. You were the one who taught me that. You also taught me control. So isn't it better to control this power we have? Isn't it better to use it to work toward ends that benefit everyone?" -- Seren, as "Ren"
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Originally Ansaren Areto, Seren was born on Alderaan several years before the Treaty of Coruscant. At an early age, she was collected from her parents to be raised and trained by the Jedi Order. She has no memory of her parents, nor has she ever questioned the Order to discover their names. Since birth, Seren’s life had been one of training.
A quiet, insular girl, she did not care to socialize with the other initiates, preferring instead self-directed activities. She tended to be bookish and intellectual, and felt driven to know what others did not. Though she did not do poorly at tests put in front of her, her disinterest in others brought up questions as to whether she was suited for the Order at all. Though the girl had shown no signs of maliciousness, her apathy toward others was almost as bad. It was believed she lacked the temperament of a Jedi.
Ansaren was 12, on the border of being sent away from the Order, when an idealistic consular named Medeia Cai-Belamir selected the girl as a Padawan. The somewhat whimsical Cai-Belamir had a talkative nature that made it difficult for Ansaren to stay in her shell. The young woman found she genuinely enjoyed conversations with her pastry-craving, diplomat mentor, and developed an interest in philosophical ramblings.
It was during Ansaren's 18th year of age that the Sith attacked Coruscant. Though neither Ansaren or her master were warriors, they felt the repercussions all the same. The event heralded a change in the way Jedi were regarded throughout the Republic. The Jedi, once seen as noble defenders of peace and justice, found themselves on the receiving end of a current of discontent. Many citizens of the Republic criticized the way the Treaty had been handled, and resented the Jedi's role in the affair.
Ansaren herself was among those critical of the Order.
A Difference in Perspective:
The Treaty shook both Ansaren's and Medeia's beliefs to the core. However, the two women took conflicting positions on the matter.
From Medeia's perspective, spurning the offer to continue the conflict would have gone against what the Jedi stood for. It had not been an easy decision, and many had suspected it was a trick. But the gesture had been made, and no one could have known the extent to which the Sith would go. No matter how strong or wise a Jedi might be, they could not possess all knowledge. They had to place some trust in others. Whether or not the gesture had been a trick, the potential for peace was worth the risk. There had been terrible, dire consequences, but it had not been through the decisions of the Jedi. Rather, the Treaty proved the Jedi Order's commitment to its own tenets in spite of difficulty.
From Ansaren's perspective, the Council had placed blind faith in the Sith and signed a treaty that no reasonable individual could believe would ever be followed. Even the negotiation had been a sham. Some people simply could not be trusted. Rather than pretending there was a hope for peaceful resolution, the Jedi should have taken harder action. They had known what the Sith were like. It was foolish to pretend that the Sith's offer had been anything but a trick. The Treaty proved that the Jedi Order's philosophy was innately flawed.
Though the two women argued a long time over the issue, the crux of the disagreement was ultimately unresolvable: Medeia's beliefs in free will required her to place trust in the rationality of others. In contrast, Ansaren disbelieved that people were ultimately rational. The differences inevitably created a rift between the women.
In spite of the dissonance between the two women, it still came as a surprise to the Padawan when Medeia sent her to Alderaan. Ansaren would be met by others of the Order who would guide her progress. Perhaps they could teach Ansaren where Medeia herself could not. Conflict was just beginning to seethe on the once-peaceful world, and if Ansaren truly wanted to make a difference, Alderaan was a start.
Leaving the Order:
While on Alderaan, Ansaren found herself face-to-face with those who blamed the Order. The crown prince had just made the decision for Alderaan to secede from the Republic, and the planet was ripe for civil war. Though Ansaren was from Alderaan, had been trained in diplomacy, and had developed a knack for influencing others, her beliefs brought her personal conflict. The conflict was only enhanced by the master she was placed with, who had a more strict interpretation of what a Jedi should be. While Medeia had been extremely tolerant of Ansaren's beliefs, the Padawan felt herself unable to measure up under the watchful eye of a new master. Though she believed that what a person wanted was less important than what they should do, Ansaren chafed under the lesson when it was forced onto her.
But rather than feeling understanding, compassion, or a desire to guide others, Ansaren found herself becoming disdainful. The philosophy itself wasn't flawed. It was the fact that the Jedi did not understand true order. Spurred on by such feelings, the unyielding beliefs of the Jedi she had met, and the words of... a mysterious woman, Ansaren came to the conclusion that the only way the galaxy could be made right was through ordering people what to do. And if such was the case, then Jedi teachings were wrong.
If the Sith were right, Ansaren vowed to go and meet them. She said nothing to her master, nor did she leave any trace of her departure. Though she regretted leaving Medeia, she knew it was for the best. Being right was more important than being happy. Besides, if the Force intended for them to meet again, they would.
Using the small single-person craft she had been given by the Order, Ansaren made plans to leave Republic space. She knew it would be folly to simply fly into Imperial territory in a Jedi transport, so the ex-Padawan made several stops in order to make it harder for others to find her trail. By masking her ship, altering codes, and changing the signal the ship broadcast, she hoped to make it deep enough into Imperial territory before she was intercepted or destroyed. During this time, she began the practice of taking on several aliases, sometimes posing as a smuggler or bounty hunter. Free of the restrictions that kept her from using her powers to manipulate others, Ansaren moved through the galaxy, taking what she needed and using the Force where words failed.
Her new-found freedom might have been enough for another individual, but Ansaren needed purpose. And though she had some training in the Force, there was a limit to what she could accomplish on her own. She needed to find the Sith. The easiest way to find them would have been to go to Korriban. However, in her pride, Ansaren believed she had enough training. She had been on the cusp of becoming a Jedi herself. She did not see a need to become an apprentice yet again, or fight duel upon duel until she achieved something meaningful. She resolved to simply find a lord with proper vision, and pledge her allegiance.
Not long after entering Sith territory, her small transport was intercepted. Unbeknownst to Ansaren, the Sith who governed this particular sector watched his borders very carefully, guarding against any intruders. Lord Anaxagoras was a lifelong warrior who spent most of his life in the pursuit and maintaining of power, though he had ambitions to be more. Though he possessed little interest in destroying the Republic, he had a tendency to "appropriate" his "colleagues'" territory while they were otherwise preoccupied. He governed his territory with an armored fist, and his will was unquestionably the ordering force of his sector. He did not take kindly to any breaches of his territory. For a Jedi to enter his domain... the consequences were severe.
The ex-Padawan learned the consequences of her pride quickly, though not lightly. However, she survived her initial trials, and was allowed to live. It was, however, a life of constant conflict. As a former Jedi, she had to work harder to prove to she did not carry her Order's weaknesses with her... or at least showed she was strong enough to work through her disadvantage. Until then, she was a servant, nothing more. Seren, as she now called herself, found it difficult to assume any real position of authority among her new lord's ranks. Perhaps it was merely negligence on the lord's part, or perhaps he intended it as a crutch to keep his pet in line, but she remained untrained in the ways of the Sith, though she was sent on missions to prove her loyalty.
Becoming a Sith:
The lord she served was a cruel, arrogant man who was trying to remake himself into what he believed an appropriate ruler should be. He affected an ostentatious title, and gifted Seren with her own name. Lycourgos, a wolf that would winnow the weak... for his own purposes, of course. Naive and idealistic, Seren was easily fooled by the dramatic trappings... as well as tricked into performing tasks that did not benefit the Empire as a whole, only her lord. She was being used because it was easier to fool someone unfamiliar with the Empire's ways.
Her lord's antics had not gone unnoticed, however, and a trap was set for him. Word was sent of an artifact on Circarpous V, also known as Mimban. Anaxagoras sent his minion Seren to collect it... of course assuring her that he would gift it to the Emperor, and certainly not use it for his own nefarious purposes (a lie). While attacking other Sith was tolerated, treason against the Emperor was not. It was a crime that would come back to haunt him.
The mission itself posed the girl some challenges. While interacting with other Sith, she had to struggle to maintain leadership, question the reliability of loyalty, and confront her own doubts about whether being with the Sith actually helped her to attain her goals. Along the way, she also found herself attracted to a young Sith warrior by the name of Decan Ilmora, who offered her the chance to leave her lord and receive training under his own master. Rhyan, a Zeltron Seren had befriended, was also cured of his insanity, and vied for her attentions.
The party did manage to acquire the artifact, but before returning to her lord, the ship was intercepted by Lord Vash, a representative of the Council who had been investigating the matter. The Sith Inquisitor both had a personal grudge against Seren's lord and hated traitors to the Empire with a disturbing zeal, even for a Sith. He "encouraged" Seren to turn on her lord, while Decan's efforts also aided in freeing the would-be Sith and assisting the Inquisitor with vengeance.
Seren's place among the Empire was assured, and the fledgling Sith was free to pursue her own ends. And in the end, she chose to take up Decan's offer and go to his master for training.
Other Adventures:
(Under construction, since I'm still figuring out what I want to do with this section)
- Ord Mantell (Sinuous Red Nebula/Across the Galaxy)
Seren had several adventures on Ord Mantell. Notable events include assisting a battle, and eventually meeting her former master once more.
- Onderon (Insurrection)
Sowing discord in a land permeated by civil war.
- Mimban/Circarpous IV (Tomb Raiding)
Retrieved an artifact, healed some companions, and returned to betray her lord. All in a day's work for a Sith.
Relationships:
- Whether motivated by compassion, loneliness, or a desire to control, Seren befriended the Zeltron, Rhyan. Her action, however, did not win Seren any renown. In fact, showing compassion was seen as a weakness by most of her peers. Still, even after his mind was healed and he abandoned the Empire, Rhyan remained a lasting friend.
- During a mission, Seren encountered a Sith warrior in training named Decan Ilmora. Through him, Seren learned of his master's involvement on Alderaan, and in Seren's own life. Decan also acted somewhat as a mentor to the young woman... though altruism was not quite his intent. Decan presented the idea to Seren of possibly leaving her lord and training under a new master. The opportunity was of great interest to Seren... and the warrior's presence made it more so. However, emotional scars are common among the servants of the Empire, and Seren inadvertently created a psychological rift between them...
- Dominic Cousland, a new convert to the Sith Empire, was a willing listener for Seren's ideas... and reminded Seren of what it had been like when she had first joined the Empire. Though not exactly Sithish behavior, they saved each others' lives. Seren does trust him a bit, even if she wouldn't admit to such things if asked. Trust, after all, is a rarity among the Empire.
- James Creno, a Jedi knight, attempted to turn Seren back to the Republic. A somewhat unconventional Knight, he managed to earn Seren's respect... not that she would ever tell a Jedi that, of course.
- Medeia Cai-Belamir, Seren's original mentor. Though conflicting ideas drove them apart, Seren credits Medeia's training as the reason she can see the flaws of the Jedi and the Republic... even if Medeia wouldn't exactly approve of such attributions. Though they have already met once, it feels inevitable that the two will come into conflict one day. Only the Force knows how such a confrontation will end.
Skills and Equipment:
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| Primary Powers | |
| Telekinesis | Moves physical objects. As Seren begins to harness the Dark Side, effectiveness is directly related to emotion. |
| Force persuade | Seren does not shun the use of mind trick. However, she believes lasting change is better enacted through genuine persuasion. |
| Minor Abilities | |
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| Lightning | Typical Inquisitor fare. Seren is mostly self-taught and unable to reliably use the power. |
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"Clothing can be a symbol. Just as a soldier would be unprepared in a battlefield without the appropriate armor, so too must one be prepared if they seek to influence perceptions." - Medeia Cai-Belamir, Jedi consular
Seren's equipment and attire generally reflect a desire for order, control, and authority. She prefers lightweight clothing in a simple but elegant style. In Consular and Inquisitor fashion, she wears long robes/dresses with subtle patterns in the fabric. Though she occasionally disguises herself depending on what mission she's on, her standard attire is usually semi-formal and meant to set her apart from a crowd. For utility purposes, she wears a wide leather belt with fasteners for her lightsaber and a pouch for small items.
As a former consular-in-training, Seren is more accustomed to wielding the weapons of diplomacy and influence rather than combat. She has not mastered any forms, though she has reached proficiency in the Makashi form of lightsaber use, as per Knighthood requirements. Seren's chosen form reflects her preference for elegance, precision, fluid motion, and anticipation of attack, though it leaves her susceptible to multiple opponents and/or blasterfire. In an attempt to counter this, she sometimes falls back on Shii-cho, the first form an initiate is exposed to.
The lightsaber she originally crafted as a Padawan has been given away. Seren attempted to taunt a Kel Dor Jedi captive into fighting his way out of his prison, so she slipped him her lightsaber. The prisoner was reluctant to use the "gift", believing Seren's action to be some sort of trick. He hid the lightsaber in a refuse bucket. The Kel Dor eventually escaped, and met with Seren again. However, the would-be Sith did not accept her waste-covered saber. Not only did that mean she did not have to touch it, but she used it evidence of proving her "altruism" to the Jedi... useful for her attempts to convert him to the Dark Side. Seren's current lightsaber is of Sith construction, and contains a standard red synthetic crystal.
Seren did not leave the Jedi until she was 18 standard years of age, and her training was almost complete. Barring trials of Knighthood, it can be assumed that her skills are those of a "standard" Jedi Padawan who was training to be a consular. On top of that is whatever training she received among the Sith.
She is well-read and educated, but she is not automatically privy to secrets of either the Jedi or the Sith. She also knows how to pilot small craft, though is inexperienced in space combat.
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