STAR WARS: RETROSPECTION- Heroes of Old

Epireus

The Epireus base has a common room that is full of comfortable chairs. The Dark Jedi have not been in the mountain lair for very long, and already some of the furniture has been butchered and used as target practice as Rand has declared that the Epireans are no longer to be used for that purpose.

Gallador sits moodily in one of them, his eyes closed in deep thought. In the last few days, he has come here to rest and regain his strength after the ordeal with Doon. Before him sits a few old tomes that he has kept with him over the years. They contain stories of the past, tales of Jedi Knights and Sith Lords, embroiled in conflict for control of or salvation for the Galaxy, wielding the Force as a terrible weapon or calling on it for guidance to peace.

He was studying the old Sith tablet that his new associates snatched from a vault deep within the Ghost Citadel of the Golden Serpent.

But Gallador has dozed off, and now dreams of the past. Of days when he dreamed to match the greatness of the Heroes of Old...

-

Welcome to "Heroes of Old," a game from the Retrospection series. These games are meant to provide a fun plot based upon the backgrounds of player characters, while giving players themselves a chance to gain experience- both in points and in practice with the system. This time, Retrospection takes a look at Gallador Enkidu, an associate of Nume Rand with ambitions to become a powerful Master of the Dark Side.

But he was not always that way. Gallador began as a studious Padawan, dedicated to the Jedi Order and bringing justice to a Galaxy that is rife with violence and corruption. Under the tutelage of Jedi Master Harrar-Urr, Gallador is quickly becoming a powerful follower of the Cosmic Force and developing a frightfully advanced intelligence for someone so young.

We find Gallador in the Jedi Temple, doing what he does best...

Coruscant

You are frustrated, Gallador. The Temple offers classes to its Knights and their students for those that wish to further their knowledge of the Galaxy they live in and the Republic they are protecting. Education is obviously free and taught by some of the brightest minds in the Jedi Order.

What has you frustrated is that one of your teachers made an obscure reference to a battle during the New Sith Years, over a thousand years ago. The Battle of Thond V, where a Jedi General led a meager band of guerrilla fighters to victory against an overwhelming Sith force.

Extra credit is being offered to the first student in the class who can come up with the exact dates and the names of the heroes and factions involved, as well as a special treat.

But so far, you haven't found anything about that battle! You've found information about Thond V easily enough, a Republic colony that used to have thriving mines but has now become an agricultural powerhouse. But nothing on its history as a battleground.

Strange indeed! Gallador is the best history student in his class and this lack of data is frustrating. Perhaps Jedi Archives will have an answer?

The answer certainly isn't in your text books! Which you suspect your teacher knew. It wouldn't be extra credit if extra effort wasn't made.

The Archives are possibly your most frequented place in the entirety of the Jedi Temple, possibly even more than your own quarters! Normally, a Padawan your age does not have access to the hallowed shelves of datatapes and a librarian must assist you, but they know you well here because your Master has connections to the Archives.

While Gallador is en route to the Archives to find his answers, let's flesh out some things about Gallador.

How old is Gallador by the time he helps strike at Emperor Rivas?

Hmm, Gallador`s race (which is roughly based on fantasy elves) has life span greater than average humanoid, but for convenience let's say they do not mature much slower. Gallador is several years older than Rianna, since he was a bit on his own before he joined Rand and joined him before Rianna.

Let's say he is 35 at the time they moved against Rivas, but I don`t mind if you have other ideas.

That is fine! Gallador is currently a teenager of 17, then, as he makes his trek to the Archives. This sets the story in 45 BBY, roughly thirteen years before The Phantom Menace. The Sith are long dead and the Republic is relatively stable.

You have been under the tutelage of Master Harrar-Urr for five years by this point. He has supported your decision to develop your talents for touching the Force and focus on your studies, though he himself is a jack-of-all-trades and dabbles in everything. He thinks you should as well.

Originally posted by REXXXX
That is fine! Gallador is currently a teenager of 17, then, as he makes his trek to the Archives. This sets the story in 45 BBY, roughly thirteen years before The Phantom Menace. The Sith are long dead and the Republic is relatively stable.

You have been under the tutelage of Master Harrar-Urr for five years by this point. He has supported your decision to develop your talents for touching the Force and focus on your studies, though he himself is a jack-of-all-trades and dabbles in everything. He thinks you should as well.

Gallador agrees in principle, but he spends so much time studying history and Jedi lore, as well as Living and Cosmic Force, that he does not have much time for much else, especially combat skills. He was always sensitive and had great affinity to Living Force, but also tried to understand the Cosmic Force to gain more control over his emotions, which he was taught are dangerous for the Jedi.

What are young Gallador's stats by the way?

Overall, your stats and skills will remain the same, but your Lightsaber rating is a measly 6 at this point in your training.

Originally posted by REXXXX
Overall, your stats and skills will remain the same, but your Lightsaber rating is a measly 6 at this point in your training.

What about Force Powers?

Might be unrealistic, but keep them as they are. They are Gallador's crowning glory and I'd rather not have to go through and trim things down to less-than-starter status.

Gallador has a Force Rating of 6 during this story.

And, of course, no Dark Side powers.

Originally posted by REXXXX
Might be unrealistic, but keep them as they are. They are Gallador's crowning glory and I'd rather not have to go through and trim things down to less-than-starter status.

Gallador has a Force Rating of 6 during this story.

And, of course, no Dark Side powers.

Very unrealistic for Padawan to have all the powers from Living Force tree, but with lesser Force Rating I won`t be able to use them as effectively anyway.

The Archives then!

Onward!

The Archives are unchanged from how they appear in the films- an enormous space with rows and rows and rows of shelves, packed with lightly glowing datatapes containing all the information that the Jedi Order has accumulated over the millennia.

An attendant notices you and just gives you a subtle nod, which is all you need to start looking for your answer.

Okay, since the research about Thand V did not come with much, let's find something about the battle in history books, which Gallador is familiar with.

Battles in history is a rather broad area to be searching! Especially in this Galaxy.

Originally posted by REXXXX
Battles in history is a rather broad area to be searching! Especially in this Galaxy.

Well, I am sure narrowing the history to the New Sith Wars will help a bit.

The conflicts of the New Sith Wars spanned over a thousand years, beginning with the rise of Darth Ruin and ending with the Battle of Ruusan. You are not sure where Thond V falls in the timeline.

Well, I am sure that Archive database has an index with search function, right?

It does have things separated into categories, but this Thond V thing appears to be a vague reference. It was probably part of a major campaign.

Can I get what campaign it was from the context in which the history teacher put the reference in?

A Savoir-Faire check for Gallador is a pass. You know the general area of space that Thond V is in, so you could rule out some of the campaigns that took place in different parts of the Galaxy, away from the Thond system.