Why Catkicker? The story of an RPG characters birth.

It all started in 1983 with a game called Castle Tellengard, for the commodore 64. This was my first RPG, and it had one problem, OK, 2 if you count the fact it took 15 minutes to load. The game required all save files to be named starting with SV. Now if you can come up with any name other than Sven, you're better off than I was. So, with this constraint, I came up with SVENDEGARD, as I was putting myself through college as a security guard, easy work after 5 years as a cop. In the years that followed many RPG's came and went, and I slowly came up with a story for Sven.

Sven was born at the end of the age of Vikings, at a time when all the good Viking names had been taken. Sven was a good Viking, very experienced, and good with a bow, something that set him apart from the rest of his Viking fellows. Yet, he was just Sven, nothing else, and he wanted a name to be known forever, like Eric the Red or even Haggar the Horrible. But, all were taken. So one day while he was pondering his dilemma in the Town Square, he, in a pique of anger kicked a cat. In a flash, he looked around, and all the villagers looking at him said, "Look, its Sven the Catkicker". Thus was born the Legend. In a way, Sven got what he wanted, a name that would be unforgettable, but it wasn't exactly what he'd been looking for.

Greetings,

The Story behind my character goes back to a game I was the GM of shortly after KoToR was released. It was Star Wars RCR D20 game set 15 years after KoToR. Mind you, this was before KoToR 2 was released. The main villain was a sith lady named Darth Sorde. She was a Jedi Knight turned Sith, and was one of Darth Revan's generals during the Mandalorian war and the Jedi Civil war. She was also his secret lover.

Shortly before Revan was able to enter the Mandalorian War, Darth Sorde, then known as Kira Mayne, had a secret affair with Revan and got pregnant. The Jedi Council suspected that Revan was the father, but she refused to say who the father was. As a result of her defiance, the Jedi Council took the child away from her. They thought this would help prevent her from forming attachments to the child, but it had the opposite effect. She grew bitter and angry at the Jedi Council, and followed Revan to war. When Revan returned at the start of the Jedi Civil War, she commanded the third largest fleet next to his and Malak's. When Malak betrayed Revan, she pulled her fleet back to the unknown regions and formed a powerbase. She fell into obscurity.

15 years later, which would put it shortly after the events of KoToR 2, Darth Sorde returned and held the Republic at bay. She prevented them from rebuilding, but refused to conquer the Republic. Instead, she was searching for something, or someone. This became known as the Sith Cold War as Darth Sorde gathered all remaining sith forces under her flag. The Republic Senate formed a special task force of their most experienced Soldiers and Jedi to infiltrate the Sith forces, and assassinate the Sith leaders including Darth Sorde. The idea was to strike at the head to destroy the body. Leading this team was Jedi Knight Anyka Mayne, Darth Sorde's daughter. At the climax of the campaign, Mother fought daughter, but the outcome was not as they thought. Everyone believed that Anyka emerged victorious. She secluded herself in the Jedi Temple, refusing to take on a padawan or speaking to people about her ordeal. 40 years would pass until the next phase of the story.

It was the 100 year anniversary of Exar Kun's defeat that ended the Great Sith war. A dark side cult called "The Order of Freedom", lead by a charismatic draethos force adept named "Lord Grahck", was growing in influence. It became influential enough to challenge the Jedi Order. A battle broke out between this cult and the Jedi Order that was fought in hiding. It was known as "The Shadow War". Anyka Mayne broke her seclusion and took a young girl as her first padawan. The girl's name was Tonya Hesbo. When Lord Grahck was finally defeated, the Jedi thought the war was over. However, it had only begun. Anyka revealed herself as Darth Sorde. In truth, mother defeated daughter by becoming a sith spirit and bonding with her daughter's body. She had been lying dormant for 40 years until she was strong enough to take full possession of her daughter's body. Tonya was taken as her knew apprentice, and it was revealed that Tonya was Anyka's granddaughter and Darth Sorde's great granddaughter. Anyka also had an affair, but kept the pregnancy secret, and gave the baby up for adoption.

Before the Jedi order was able to finally defeat Darth Sorde, the sith lady bound her dark spirit to her progeny. As long as she had a living female heir, her spirit was immortal. Tonya, who had taken up the name "Darth Mentia", was last seen entering a small transport with a few chosen handmaiden protectors, and she was 6 months pregnant. This was the start of the Mayne family of force users.

The Mayne family is among the most powerful families, nearly on par with the Skywalker family. However, the women of the line nearly always fall to the dark side. Men, although not as powerful in the force but still impressively strong, are not as susceptible to the dark side. The current heiress of the Mayne family line is a young sith warrior named Athlia Mayne.

now thats a backstory

of course when i did mine there were much smaller limits to profile descriptions. i thinki revised for size about 5 times.

now i hope i can use this as a link in my guild notes.

i expected more views than posts, but come on people, if you read this, you must have an idea of your own characters backstory, share it.

Greetings,

As a GM, I often come up with my own material, and for a major villain I created Darth Sorde. She was so popular among the group I played with that I continued the story line and eventually wrote four campaigns stretching across the majority of the Star Wars timeline. Each one was a continuation of the previous campaign, but focused on the descendants of the characters from the previous campaign. What I provided above is just a brief summary of the material I have written for the Mayne Family and Darth Sorde's descendants. I've been using and adding to this background for about 10 years in one form or another. When I started playing SW:TOR, I naturally chose the Mayne family as my legacy and decided to use the game to further the story of the Mayne Family of Force Users and the Daughters of Darth Sorde.

I have another toon that goes along with this backstory. Her name is Ghanys, a sith sorcerer.

A little background info first, Ghanys started as a minor dark Jedi I used as a thorn in the group's side during the second campaign called "The Shadow War". She defeated the heroes, and they wanted revenge, so I brought her back but with a backstory to go with her. Since then, they've encountered several "side kicks" with that name, and found out that "Ghanys" is actually a title and the name of a force using tradition that is passed on from one generation to the next.

Ghanys (Pronounced as "Janice")

"Ghanys" is more of a title rather than a name, which is given to the most loyal and devoted servant of the heiress of the Mayne Legacy. To be chosen for this prestigious position the servant must fill five specific criteria. 1) Must be female. 2) Must be non-human. In the past, Ghanys has been chiss, twi'lek, miralukan, togruta, zeltron, and zabrak. 3) Must be force sensitive. Due to the duties of the Ghanys Servant, she must be trained as well. 4) Must be a registered slave of the heiress. 5) There can be only one Ghanys Slave active at any given moment. In order to select a new slave to be given the title of "Ghanys", the previous one has to relinquish her title. This is done upon death.

The Ghanys Slave has specific duties. 1) Protect and Serve the Heiress. The Ghanys Slave is first and foremost the protector and bodyguard of the Heiress, especially when the Heiress is young and not fully trained to use the force. The Ghanys Slave is even willing to sacrifice her own life to make sure that the Heiress lives. 2) Train the Heiress. In times when a true mentor/teacher is absent, the Ghanys slave will act as the teacher. However, even though the Ghanys slave is trained to use the force and sith techniques, she is not a sith in and of herself. She is forbidden to claim the title of "Darth". 3) Select and Train her successor. Possibly the most disturbing duty of the Ghanys slave is to choose who will succeed you. As mentioned before, the title is passed on when the current Ghanys dies, which usually happens at the hands of the one who she has been training.

The current Ghanys Slave is a miralukan woman. Her birth name is irrelevant, as she simply goes by the name "Ghanys" now. She was able to take advantage of the newly lax requirements of the Korriban Academy and went there to be trained in the ways of the sith upon orders from the one she succeeded. When she completed the training, she returned to the previous one named Ghanys, and killed her to become the current holder of the title of Ghanys. Like countless numbers of nameless female aliens before her, she quietly and faithfully serves the current heiress: Athlai.

At first I wasn't sure if this thread was serious or not...since the OP seems to be backstory about a name they chose...not a character backstory.

Anyways, I'll post my character's back story:

Vitality - The Force Guardian

 

Her gnarled hands shook as she slipped the letter inside the envelope. The stationary was thin and cheap with no laser embossed seals of nobility or elaborate gilt edges. It was the cheap paper servants used.

 

Servant. The Republic worlds thought it a more dignified title than slave. The little pay and lodging that came with it, implied a better status—with freedoms, that mere slaves would never enjoy. After a lifetime spent toiling for impatient nobles, those freedoms seemed irrelevant.

 

Her life held so much promise. She was born from solid Imperial stock. Even as a child, she was proud and honourable, but those qualities weren’t enough to save her family. The details of that night had waned over the years—she couldn’t even remember her parent’s faces anymore, let alone why they were executed.

 

She did remember a smuggler. He caught her wandering the streets and took her in. After a few terrifying months of being cooped up on his ship, helping him to hide relics and trick Hutts, he dropped her off on Alderaan to live with ‘some good friends of his.’ He promised her, they would give her a good life, and they did. They fed her, clothed her and trained her to be a nurse. In the absence of true family, these people were as close as one could get, even if they were Republic sympathizers.

 

She sighed at the memory. That was a lifetime ago, and the child she had inherited needed to be dealt with. She had cared for him for five years, but it was time to let him go. He was a good boy, as boys go. He had special gifts. A great power slept within him. She would miss him, but not for long. The pain in her chest reminded her daily, she didn’t have much time left.

 

Dragging the pen across the envelope, she finished her task.

 

“Master Jedi, I know your order discourages attachments to the past, but please, consider this my last request. Give this to the boy when he’s old enough. So that he understands.”

The Jedi nodded and took the envelope. “Did you want a moment before I take him?”

“No. Just leave me.”

 

The Jedi waited until his new charge slept, before opening the old nursemaid’s letter. His brow furrowed as he read…

 

~Vitality,

 

By the time you read this, I will be long dead. My name doesn’t matter. It isn’t out of some desperate vanity, that I’m writing to you. It’s so that you can know your beginnings.

 

I was nursemaid for one of the top noble houses on the world I came to call home. I devoted most of the years of my life to my master’s well being. I share this with you, so that you may know that I was knowledgeable and respected in my position—that these aren’t mad ramblings from some old woman.

 

When you study your Republic’s history, you will come to know of an attack on the world you were native to, Alderaan. The battle was led by a powerful Sith—Darth Malgus. I recognized him, because I was born an Imperial. He was stunning, and ruthless. So that you don’t wonder, it was not I, who betrayed our world. I do suspect there was a greater reason for the battle, than merely showing dominance. It is my hope, that you will come to take my meaning.

 

The day you were born, fire rained from the skies. The mountains heaved and crumbled and the others that live on this world burrowed deep into the soil. While I was away tending to my master’s needs, Imperial ships bombarded the planet. Carriers full of troopers descended and our home was reduced to little more than a crater. I hid in the rubble and watched.

 

A Sith Lord appeared from the dusty shambles and stalked the area. He was desperate in his search. He used his skills to upturn wreckage and fuselage but found nothing. The world was burning around us. It could have been minutes or hours. I don’t know. I waited for the Lord to leave.

 

Once he was gone, I gathered what nerves I had left, and began to search for my master’s family. They had all perished in the bombing. Lost and alone, for the second time in my life, I was at a loss. My home was everything to me.

 

I wandered aimlessly, when I heard a faint mewling. I followed the sound, and found you. Newly born, completely alone…how this was possible was beyond me. An infant, such as you were, should have succumbed to the attack, or the cold, but there you were. I took you and cared for you.

 

When the battle faded, I made inquiries about you, but none knew anyone who expected a child. So I kept you. Your gifts were unlike any I’d ever seen, even for one so young. I still struggle with the fact of your existence. It was as if you were borne of the battle, forged from fire and prayer. Look within yourself, and you will understand clearly what it is, I am trying to tell you. Your birth, was like no normal birth. You were utterly alone.

 

For all that you endured with such willful persistence, I named you Vitality, because even as death reached for you, you lived.

 

You lived.

 

~With respect,

A distant memory...~

 

The Jedi Master ran his hand over his chin and exhaled heavily. Slipping the letter back into it’s envelope, he leaned back in his chair. Truth was the domain of the Jedi, but what would this knowledge bring? This was not a decision for him alone. It was one for the council to make, when the time was right.

Hey guys.

Here's the backstory on my Female light sided Sith Warrior, Morgan Maximoff aka Darth Taranox.

Born in the year 3658 BBY on the planet of Ziost, Morgan Maximoff was the daughter to both Hellgad Ventor and Wanda Maximoff, two very powerful Sith Lords who served the Sith Empire, one of them being a Dark Council member during Emperor Vitiates rule. Like her parents and cousin Lana Beniko, Morgan Maximoff was a descendant of the Ancient Sith Lord Marka Ragnos whom he himself was also a descendant of Xo Xaan, one of the first exiled dark Jedi who descended upon the planet of Korriban soon after its discovery. Having the blood of both Marka Ragnos and Xo Xaan running through her veins, Morgan Maximoff became strong in the force at the tender age of ten. Having discovered her powers early on in life, Hellgad Ventor who would later be known as Darth Vowrawn and Wanda Maximoff who would also later be known as Darth Acina, made the decision of keeping their daughter's powers as a force sensitive a secret. The family then decided to leave Ziost and head to the imperial home world of Dromund Kass where they would soon settle and raise their child for the time being. In order to help Morgan control her force powers and keep them under the radar, Darth Vowrawn traveled to Korriban and requested the aid of one of the Sith Overseers, a man named Tremel Gryton who would later arrive on Dromund Kass and tutor Vowrawn and Acina's daughter on how to control her growing force powers in the hopes of keeping it under wraps while in public. Overseer Tremel accepted Darth Vowrawn's request and traveled back with him to the imperial home world of Dromund Kass. Trusting her husband's better judgement, Darth Acina allowed Overseer Tremel to tutor her daughter in the ways of the force. For most of her childhood and teenage years, Morgan Maximoff spent most of her life living on the imperial home world of Dromund Kass and was constantly sheltered by both of her parents during her early years and was vigorously trained and watched over by Overseer Tremel in both vibrosword training and force sensitive techniques. For Morgan, the only people who mattered to her most in life was her Father Darth Vowrawn, her Mother Darth Acina, and her friend and mentor Overseer Tremel. As time passed, Morgan was happy just being with the three of them but always yearned to play with someone her own age since her parents and Tremel were all adults. Even as a teenager Morgan Maximoff always had a secluded life since the day she was born. She never had any friends, and longed for a companion. Overseer Tremel stated that he had a daughter named Eskella who was about the same age as Morgan and promised that he would introduce his daughter to her at the appropriate time. Tremel knew Morgan was extremely lonely and longed for a friend. Overseer Tremel believed that Morgan and his daughter Eskella would get along well. On one fateful day, Morgan and her parents took a family vacation to the tropical world of Rishi, there Morgan met a young Emeraldian boy with long black hair named Azrael Syndulla. It was love at first site. She wanted to talk with him only to be stopped by Overseer Tremel stating that Sith hybrids especially those with royal blood ties to ancient Sith Lords should never associate themselves with alien scum. Despite Tremel's warnings, Morgan left her family's beach house during the middle of the night only to find the young Emeraldian boy finishing up his surfing practices. Morgan and Azrael finally locked eyes and introduced themselves to one another. The introduction was odd at first as both Azrael Syndulla and Morgan Maximoff's enormous bare feet began to tremble against one another within the hot sands out of sheer anxiety from the apparent encounter, but then as the encounter progressed the two became strangely fond with one another and quickly became the closest of friends. The two spent some time together, and soon after they spent weeks trying to impress one another. It was at that moment of showing off that Morgan Maximoff did the one thing that would change her life and set her destiny in stone forever. Morgan Maximoff proceeded in showing off her force abilities in order to impress her supposed "boyfriend" Azrael Syndulla, even when she was specifically told not to demonstrate any of her force powers to anyone by her parents and Overseer Tremel. Amazed by Morgan's force abilities, Azrael pleaded Morgan to show him more, and Morgan agreed. She then proceeded to lift several beach umbrellas from the sands as well as lifting up a couple of heavy rocks in the process. Imperial Military Officers who were stationed on the tropical world of Rishi at the time witnessed Morgan lifting up several objects with the force off of the beach. Having witnessed her powers first hand, the Imperials quickly informed their commanding officer who then reported directly to a Sith Lord by the name of Darth Thanaton who then ordered that the child be shipped off to Korriban and trained as a Sith. Learning that Morgan's parents Darth Vowrawn and Darth Acina were also on the planet for a family vacation, Thanaton confronted Vowrawn and Acina stating that it is imperative that their daughter be sent to Korriban immediately or risk execution. Darth Thanaton also stated that he had no intention of keeping this discovery a secret, he was planning on telling every high level Sith Lord within the empire. He planned to do so in the hopes of taking Vowrawn's seat within the dark council should Vowrawn and Acina refuse Thanaton's suggestion of sending their daughter to the Sith Academy on Korriban. With their hands tide ever so tightly, Vowrawn and Acina ended their little family vacation on Rishi and retreated back with their daughter to the imperial home world of Dromund Kass. Contemplating on making the hardest decision of their lives, Vowrawn and Acina decided that it would be in their families best interest to erase their daughter's memories entirely and allowing Overseer Tremel to become her newly adopted Father. Tremel and Acina reluctantly agreed with Vowrawn and so the three Sith began to use the dark side of the force in order to initiate a memory wiping ritual on Morgan Maximoff. When Morgan awakened, her former parents Darth Vowrawn and Darth Acina were no where to be seen and Overseer Tremel stood before her. Instead of introducing himself as her new Father as he was told to do so, Overseer Tremel introduced himself as a friend and mentor. Despite being honest to Morgan Maximoff by telling her who he actually was, Overseer Tremel kept the identities of Morgan's parents a secret. For eleven years Morgan Maximoff and Overseer Tremel traveled across the Sohndaan galaxy within Sith controlled space, learning the ways of the force and understanding what it means to be Sith. Eventually on her twenty first birthday, Overseer Tremel decided that it was time to send Morgan Maximoff off to the Sith Academy on Korriban ahead of schedule, It was around this time that Morgan Maximoff lost her memories once more as a result of an after effect of the memory wiping ritual that was cast upon her as a teenager. As a result of Morgan Maximoff losing her memory, Overseer Tremel had no choice but to re-introduce himself to Morgan Maximoff once she had successfully landed on Korriban. Overseer Tremel would be the one to oversee Morgan Maximoff's training, only to be interrupted by the curiosity of one of the most cleverly calculating, tactical minded, and by far one of the most feared Sith Lords within the empire's military and Intelligence division, Darth Baras. Through her new master Darth Baras, Morgan Maximoff was given the Sith name of "Taranox" which is a pun on the word terror and through her continued service and loyalty to Darth Baras, Taranox gained the title of "Lord". This relationship between master and apprentice was not to last forever, at some point in time Darth Baras would betray his former apprentice and state his supposed false claim as "voice of the emperor". Taranox would soon challenge her former master with the support of her adopted guardian, friend, and mentor Overseer Tremel, the ambitious Sith Lord and council representative Lord Rathari whom Taranox had spared on Nar Shaddaa, and her biological father and Dark Council member Darth Vowrawn who at the time had no idea that Taranox was actually his daughter whom he and Acina were forced to abandon for eleven years. Taranox also gained the support of another Dark Council member by the name of Darth Decimus, whom Taranox had aided during the assault on Corellia. With the light side of the force guiding Taranox's purple cross guarded lightsaber towards the dark council chambers, Taranox recognized that she had also gained the support and dark blessing of Emperor Vitiate through the vessel of his true voice that she had encountered with on the planet of Voss. Having the support of so many allies along with Emperor Vitiate and his dark hand of servants and followers, Lord Taranox preached her newly acquired title as the Emperor's wrath to all of the Dark council members who were present within their chambers, and after a long exchange of harsh words which resulted in a very heated lightsaber duel between former master and apprentice, Taranox succeeded in killing her former master Darth Baras in the eyes of the Dark Council. Having killed her former master, Taranox was then given the title of "Darth" recognizing not just the defeat and execution of her former master but also in reassuring her official title as the Emperor's wrath and so history was made. The official backstory of Darth Taranox within the Legends continuity ends here...