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Edwon ([personal profile] tagential) wrote2020-05-24 06:12 pm

[community profile] maskormenace

〈 PLAYER INFO 〉
NAME: Robin
AGE: over 18
JOURNAL: n/a
IM / EMAIL: discord - robin#5467
PLURK: [plurk.com profile] vikinged
RETURNING:

〈 CHARACTER INFO 〉
CHARACTER NAME: Cipher Nine aka Edwon
CHARACTER AGE: early 20s
CANON ORIGIN: Star Wars: The Old Republic
CHRONOLOGY: Early Chapter 2 of the Imperial Agent Storyline, after Taris but before Dromund Kaas
CLASS: Villain
HOUSING: No preference!

Background:

Edwon is from the Imperial Agent storyline in Star Wars: The Old Republic. He's a player character, but he's following a set story, with dialogue options to base his personality off of. Anything before he became an Imperial Agent is mostly headcanon, but even that has some in game lines to support it.

As a so called Cipher Agent, it's his job to retrieve secrets and assets, or to take out targets, or solve whichever other problem Imperial Intelligence gives him, something he typically does through subterfuge and general cleverness. He's been given the designation Cipher Nine, and has technically given up his real name entirely, going by either that or just "Agent".

Edwon is also a Miraluka, which is a humanoid species that doesn't have eyes, just empty eyesockets. They "see" using the Force instead. It's a very rare species in the Empire, which made him perfect for the job, because everyone knows the Empire doesn't hire "aliens". Technically he's also Force sensitive (though not strong), but he has never received any training.

There is a summary of the Imperial Agent storyline here. There are a few different options for how this can go, so I'll summarize the events from Edwon's perspective, as well as add in some pre-game stuff:

Edwan was an orphan, and grew up as one of very few Miraluka in imperial space. He never knew anyone else of his species as a child. He was also always a small boy, and that combined with the racism rampant in the Empire, made him a target. He was picked on, bullied, and beat up. He struggled to find a place to belong.

But as Edwon grew older, he also got smarter. There were two major gangs in the city where he grew up, and in the beginning Edwon sought them out for protection. But he didn't like the way they worked, their attempts at solving their disputes with violence... So he talked to members of both gangs, learning about their inner workings, their weaknesses. And he managed to play both gangs against each other in order to secure his own position instead. And for a while, both gangs relied on his ability to go unnoticed, trusting him to get them information that they needed, while he made sure neither side ever gained too much of an advantage. No one knew he was playing both sides. It kept him safe, as he now had protection, and these people thought he was one of them.

But his schemes did not go entirely unnoticed. An Imperial Agent was investigating a separate matter when he needed help from one of the gangs. He noticed Edwon, and what he was doing, and he was impressed. He mentioned it in his report, and this led to Edwon being recruited by Imperial Intelligence as well. He jumped on the chance. It sounded like fun to him!

This led to the events in the game. He was trained, sent to Hutta, then to Dromun Kaas, where he met Darth Jadus. Darth Jadus was (seemingly) assassinated soon after when his ship was blown up, and Edwon was given the task of investigating his death.

Upon coming face to face with Darth Jadus yet again and realizing that he was in fact alive - and the mastermind behind the entire plot - Edwon was given three choices. He could stall for time, which would result in mass murder across several planets, but would allow Imperial Intelligence to come up with a plan to take Darth Jadus down. He could side with Darth Jadus instead, the safer option, and gain himself a powerful ally. Or he could fight Darth Jadus, a Sith Lord whose power was said to be second only to that of the Emperor himself. So of course Edwon chose to fight him.

And he succeeded, somehow, though he left that fight not entirely sure how he was still alive. It was a rush unlike any he had ever experienced before.

But the problem was this: The Sith do not like threats, and by taking down Darth Jadus Edwon had proven that he was a theoretical danger to them all. They wanted to ensure they could control him, just in case he turned on them. And their answer was to brainwash him, planting a codeword in his head that would force him to obey anyone who used it.

Edwon had no knowledge of this, so he was completely unsuspecting when he was given his next assignment: Infiltrate the Republic SIS. He was to go to them and present himself as a defector, and learn the plans of a Jedi Spymaster. But somehow the SIS knew of his brainwashing, and decided to use it against him, just in case he was still working for the Empire. So Edwon was forced to do work for the SIS, unable to tell anyone about the plans he discovered, unable to tell anyone about his brainwashing. He still thinks it was done to him by the SIS, and has no idea that he was betrayed by his own Empire.


Personality:

me: "eh he's a piece of shit"
me: that's enough of a summary
friend: ye
friend: it captures his essence well



the personal
How Edwon treats people depends entirely on their attitude, as well as their position within the galaxy. He can, when he wants to, come across as friendly, even charming if he puts some effort into it. He can be a shameless flirt at times. His job is easier if people cooperate with him, and the same is true off duty, which is why most people are left with a positive impression after he leaves. They might even say he's someone they'd like to work with again, and mention his professionalism and efficiency.

But if you're arrogant, if you think your power means you can dismiss other people outright, that's something different. He's been that person who was dismissed - he was small, he wasn't human, he was considered worthless - and he's worked hard to make sure people regret that attitude. He's gained power through being smart, and now that's the only type of power he really respects.

Edwon is extremely judgmental. When people in positions of power annoy him, he rarely feels like wasting effort hiding his disdain. Sure, it makes things go more smoothly, but by now it's not worth it. If the only way you have of winning an argument is killing your opponent, he's going to be metaphorically rolling his eyes and calling you out. It's not the healthiest attitude to have when you're working directly for the Sith, but he never learns. As an example, at one point Darth Jadus orders him to kneel, and Edwon refuses, and keeps refusing even when threatened. Darth Jadus responds by pretty much killing him (you get the defeat message and have to be revived), and it was probably well deserved for that attitude, but it didn't change a thing. Trying to teach him a lesson really only proves his point, in his opinion.

Edwon is not one to form deep relationships, or at least not easily. He has few people he honestly likes, and even fewer he actually trusts. He might act like he trusts them, but he expects people to be loyal to their own survival first and foremost. Hoping for anything more would just be naive. He does bring a few people onto his ship, and he enjoys working closely with them, but while he does count on them more than most, it has his limits.

But his cynicism means that Edwon is not one to hold grudges, up until a point. If he doesn't trust someone, there's no point in being upset if he's proven right. If they don't trust him, he can't blame them for that, either. It's nothing personal. It's just how the galaxy works.

When one of his companions - Kaliyo Djannis - reveals that she has been sharing Imperial secrets with a group she used to run with, he is neither disappointed or surprised by her betrayal. He also very quickly shrugs it off. He enjoys Kaliyo's company - they're similar in a lot of ways - and she only did what made sense to her. Besides, it's not like it was Edwon's secrets. And now she was coming clean, in her own way. Edwon didn't care about the Empire's secrets, he only cared that she was now choosing him over her old gang. He chose to let it go, and to let her stay. She is still one of the few people he'd almost consider a friend, even if the concept is a difficult one for him.

She is not the only person Edwon travels with, and his relationship with most of them is similar. He knows they have his back in a fight, and he trusts them to fight at his side, but he's not expecting that support to last forever. But there's a part of him that's... softer. And these people get to see it, when they ask him for help. He doesn't even hesitate to go against the Empire's wishes to help his companions. If they need it, he's there for them. If there's a problem he can solve, he will solve it. Even Edwon needs people in his life that he's close to.

To these people, Edwon is reliable, appears to be loyal, and they might actually call him a friend, even if he wouldn't use that word himself. But Edwon would be confused if they said any of that where he can hear. He recognizes it as positive, but doesn't think it's compatible with the life he has, or who he is as a person.


the morals
Edwon's life has turned him into a cynical person. He is used to violence, he is used to being hated, used to space racism, and he is used to having to fight for his position. He's had to be clever to get to where he is, and he's constantly running into people who doubt him, simply because of his species. He's a proud person because of everything he's achieved, but he's also still looking to learn and to improve, because he knows that if he slips up he can lose everything. Weakness is not forgiven in the Empire.

This is the reality Edwon lives with every day, and it is a reality he thrives in. He enjoys the challenges it brings, because it forces him to push himself to his limits. The threat of dying - which is every present when you are consistently given the most dangerous missions - makes him feel alive.

On the flipside, though, dealing with a terrible reality has turned him into a terrible person. He doesn't actually have any moral objections to killing, even if he does judge people who jump to that as a solution too quickly. He's killed countless people himself, and he'll also resort to blackmail, kidnapping, and whatever other methods are necessary to complete the task in front of him. At least he doesn't like to torture people himself, but... He's fully aware that the people he turn into the Empire do get tortured, and it in no way weighs on his conscience.

It's about taking care of yourself first and foremost. It's not wrong if it's how the galaxy works. He's seen horrors from the Republic as well - and they're more than happy to take advantage of his brainwashing - and so he'd laugh at anyone who claimed it's any better there. It might not be necessary to resort to those methods if you're a more fortunate person, but he's not, and he did what he had to do. Is he supposed to feel bad about that?

That being said, those methods are not necessarily his first course of action. If faced with an enemy, he likes to offer them a chance to back down, and if they do he'll treat them with respect. He prefers negotiation as a tactic, and he's not a half bad diplomat. If negotiations are not possible, blackmail can be a good way to avoid bloodshed.

There's some cynicism behind those actions, too, though. He considers killing someone a bit of a waste. Alive, they're potentially useful. Sometimes the Empire can get information out of them, or find a different way to use them. Other times, he might let them go, just so that someone out there owes him a favor. It's an insurance policy, and one he expects will pay off well in the future.

But when faced with a situation where there's no potential for payoff, he might actually choose to do something decent. If an enemy soldier is injured - someone unimportant, unlikely to be a threat - he might just throw them a medpack. He doesn't enjoy other people's suffering, and if there's no reason to kill them, then there's no reason to just leave them, either. He gives them a chance to survive, as a small act of kindness, because he's not someone without sympathy. It's just that he's more used to other people taking advantage of it as a weakness.


the driving forces
What originally motivated Edwon was desperation. He was in a shitty situation, and he had to find a way to survive, so he got smart. But he hadn't actually expected it to work as well as it did. That was a rush, and one that got him hooked. He needed more.

Edwon lives for the rush of a good thrill. He loves dangerous situations, difficult odds, and being scared out of his mind. That's when he comes alive. And every time he succeeds, his sense of pride gets a little bit stronger. He loves how good he is. He loves it even more when other people have to admit that to his face. It's why his job as a Cipher Agent is perfect for him, because it allows him to do that, every single day. There's always another mission.

But behind all that is the fear that he felt when he was younger. That wasn't a good kind of fear - it was a hopelessness. He doesn't ever want to go back to that. What Edwon fears more than anything, is failure, being irrelevant, being outplayed. Because that means he's out of options. If he's not useful, he can't be an agent, and it's back to who he was as a kid. So because of that, he's always thinking about how to improve.

Besides that, he's also strongly motivated by spite, and a very judgmental attitude. He counters space racism by winning, and it's always satisfying. And that's why it's also a bit of a flex when, upon receiving orders to take someone down, he instead chooses to leave the target alive. He's saying: Look, there's a different way of doing it, and it's better. I solved your problem, and I got you an asset on top. Weak? No. You just lack creativity. They live, and you can use them, let me show you how.

(That only works if he can justify it, so he always makes sure he has a justification, even if he comes up with it after the fact.)

Edwon doesn't think much about the future. He knows he can't be an agent forever, that eventually someone better will come along to replace him. Skills like his don't necessarily age well. But he prefers not to worry about it. Most likely he'll end up dead before that's a concern. Until then, he intends to have fun, and to keep himself too busy to stop and think.


tl;dr he's a hot mess and a little shit. But hey, at least he's good at his job!


Powers:

The Force
As a Miraluka, Edwon is naturally Force sensitive. Miraluka are humanoid, but are born with no eyes, and use the Force to navigate instead. So by default, Force Sight is one of his skills. It comes with bonuses such as 360 degree vision, knowing what's behind door #2 before it opens; and downsides such as being unable to read unless it's space braille.

He has never been trained in the use of the Force, but in this game, he's going to develop those abilities a bit further! He's going to gain a more general Force Sense, which allows him to sense ripples in the force, people's emotions (sometimes, with permission), and, if he's lucky, impending danger a second or two before it happens.

Edwon has always been able to use stealth tech to turn himself (and maybe 1-2 people close to him) invisible, but I want to replace that with the exact same skill, except now he's using the Force to do it. While invisible, he'll be difficult to detect, even by people who can normally sense other people's presences - but more powerful people will still be able to tell that he's there.

He's also going to learn Force Shock, which is just a brief stun, a small inconvenience at best.

Cheating
Edwon doesn't play fair. He's not physically strong or intimidating, so he wins by fighting dirty, and by using every trick in the book and then some. He's always carrying something or other that might give him an advantage.

As part of his skill set, Edwon carries little droid friends, no more than simple drones. He releases these, and they zoom around his head, providing him with a protective shield, injecting him with adrenals to help him fight better, and they even carry medpacks to help with injuries.

For weakening his opponents, he prefers darts, or a mist released around him, or poisoned daggers. None of the toxins he carries are especially strong - they wouldn't kill someone, but they would slow them down. His sleep darts specifically only works if the person he uses them on is unaware of his presence, so basically it's possible to fight off the effect if you realize. But it's convenient if he wants to avoid a fight!

He has a high tolerance for toxins and drugs himself.

Hallucinations
After his brainwashing, Edwon starts to experience hallucinations. Most of these are of someone called Watcher X, who is helping him figure out how to rid himself of his brainwashing, but there are also more... disturbing ones. Like his boss with his mouth opening impossibly wide and bugs pouring out. Or just seeing Darth Jadus, which is bad enough.

In MoM, these hallucinations will start to become real. Edwon gets stressed, a rakghoul seemingly appears in the room, or something else. These hallucinations will then rage wildly in the area around Edwon.

The more freaked out Edwon is, the stronger these are, although since they are completely mindless, they won't be very difficult to defeat. They won't even specifically target people, and might get distracted stomping on a fire hydrant for five minutes, depending on player and mod permission re actual destruction.

These hallucinations disappear either when defeated or when Edwon calms down again.

Eventually Edwon might be able to gain some semblance of control over them. He'll be able to make them appear at will, and maybe, if he really focuses, send them off in a specific direction, but after that they just start destroying, and they still won't stray far. He will also get better at making them disappear, though.

A secondary hallucination will affect Edwon himself more directly. For a brief period he had a holographic disguise, turning him into the doofiest droid. This will come back as a hallucination whenever Edwon gets the urge to hide or disappear. Suddenly he looks like a droid again! He will not be happy about this.

The better he gets at controlling his force stealth, the better he gets at controlling that particular hallucination, too.

〈 CHARACTER SAMPLES 〉
COMMUNITY POST (VOICE) SAMPLE:

[Being sort-of-but-not-really blind means it's taken Edwon a bit longer to figure out this device he's been given, but he did it (he thinks, fingers crossed), and he figures it's time to introduce himself, learn a thing or two about the other imPorts.

When he speaks, it's with an imperial British accent.]


I've recently arrived, and I have a question. Are there really no stars?

Normally I'd be able to sense them - I'm Miraluka, so I don't have eyes - but here there's nothing. And I can feel the heat from a local sun, but as far as I can tell, it's not actually in the sky.

[And it's unsettling to think there's a void up there.]

And are there really only Humans here?

LOGS POST (PROSE) SAMPLE:

TDM post

FINAL NOTES:

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