Elysar Kahn

"The Jedi and the Sith are two sides of the same coin. They both follow a code that has flaws. They both despise the other as evil. And both have committed both acts of good, and acts of malice. It is merely our perception of their members that guides us to hate. But perhaps the peace they both seek can be found somewhere in the middle..." - Padawan Elysar, after the Excursion to Ruusan.
== Physiology ==
Elysar Kahn was a human male from the planet of Corellia. His skin was a dark tan, he sported a broad frame and stood at about 6'2". His eyes were a deep green, and often watched the world around him with a thoughtful expression. During his time as Jedi, he could most often be seen in the normal brown Jedi robes, with a simple, yet elegant, lightsaber hilt at his hip.
== Biography ==
=== Lineage ===
Elysar Kahn was a child born with Mandalorian blood, but not within their society. His parents were members of Clan Kahn, a small but dignified clan that often went under the galaxy's radar. Hailing from Corellia, Clan Kahn was one of the few clans that harbors no ill will towards the Jedi, or the Republic, though they make sure they stay neutral. But when the young Elysar was found to be sensitive in the Force, they knew time was limited for their clan's neutrality.
=== The Early Years ===
The first thing his Jedi tutors noticed about young Elysar was his willingness to learn. A bookworm craving knowledge from the earliest years, the little Mandalorian was always intrigued by the storied of the Old Republic, and the Sith against whom they fought. More than once, his curiosity led him towards a dangerous path, as he asked what made the Sith so different, but his Masters were quick enough to guide the young mind on to safer topics.
=== A Padawan's Adventures ===
As a Padawan under the Jedi Master of the Order Liam, Elysar's time as a Padawan was well spent jumping from planet to planet, solving crisis after crisis. He often found himself serving alongside the valiant - if sometimes peculiar - forces of the Valkyrie Venator.
==== A Voice of Challenge ====
During a mission to help a colony of rebels against their CIS overlords, Padawans Elysar and James came across Beast Master Thon, who was watching the battle unfold from up above. The beast master regarded both armies as abhorrent freaks of nature, and was about to unleash his own into the fray, until some wise words from Elysar persuaded him that the war would not again tough this planet if he aided their cause in routing the Separatists. The Beast Master agreed on one condition, that the Padawans could prove their worth in a trial by combat.
The duel was long, but Elysar's blade work and James's quick thinking secured their victory. Conceding and naming the Padawans as worthy, he unleashed his beasts on the unsuspecting Separatists as the Padawans escorted the Beast Master to discuss the situation of where the Republic garrison would be stationed.
During his time with the Jedi, Thon spent much of his time teaching the younger members of the Order about the Living Force, and how to make calm the beasts of the wild, turning Nature itself into one's ally. Elysar attended every lesson he could, the Padawans' insatiable appetite for knowledge only growing. So when, during his final day with the Jedi, Thon put forth an offer to Elysar and other Apprentices to join him for a two-week trip to the wilds of Dromund, he accepted, joined by a Kel Dor Padawan by the name of Cha.
The trio's time was not wasted. During the two weeks, Elysar learned to control and soothe beasts of any nature, learned things about the Force that the Archives would never be able to convey, and even constructed a lightsaber, with an cyan crystal at its core, representing a balance between the martial prowess of the Guardian, and the passion for knowledge of the Consular. But easily most important was Thon's teachings on concealing oneself from the Force. Not as Shadows did, turning invisible, but pulling away from the Force itself, to the point where none could track him, other than by conventional means. He would return with a whole new perspective, only to be swept up immediately by a new adventure.
==== The Wound in the Force ====
During the weeks Elysar was away, the Galaxy did not stand still. Master of the Order Liam had fallen into a coma after an experience with the Spirit of Darth Nihilus, victim of a vicious Wound in the Force. Master Noah was working on a plan to revive him, but he would need aid, and Elysar was ready for just that, as were several others: Knight Sure, Padawan Cha, and Liam's own Apprentice, Pon. With the aid of an old remodeled Dynamic-class freighter with an ancient starmap, they made their way to Ruusan, and what would come to be known as the Valley of the Jedi. There, after a rather rough landing, Sure and Elysar were "rescued" by a man named Davon Travis, who told the two that their friends had died in the wreck.
But Traviss was not everything he seemed. He had laid mines beyond the one entrance to their cavern, though when confronted about them, Traviss disabled them with no argument. To add to his deceit, Elysar and Sure soon came across their other companions, Cha, Pon, and Noah, none of whom knew where Liam's unconscious form had been taken. They found what what seemed to be a riddle, a puzzle to unlock two barriers to the central room, which contained the Nexus. It was a complex puzzle involving careful perception of each holocron around each of the two switches. It was a difficult puzzle, but through the combined insight of the party and their new companion, the riddle was solved.
The six made their way into the central chamber, an oasis of ancient sculptures, in the center of which lie a pool, in which Liam lay, still unconscious. A voice echoed, from everywhere yet nowhere, asking the names of those who had entered, and their purpose. All Jedi present explained they wished only to see their friend revived. Davon, however, made known his goal to become almighty by claiming the Valley's power for his own. A fight ensued, after which many of the party were wounded, but Davon, having taken in too much power, had vanished, destroyed by the Valley. The voice, revealed to be the keeper of the spirits, gave each of the present Jedi a portion of the Valley's power in the form of a single wish. Elysar thought long and hard, before coming to a conclusion: That the knowledge lost during the Dark Times would flow through him, with an understanding of how Jedi and Sith had come to exist, and come to be as they were today. And his wish was granted, as a hundred ancient voices formed a chorus in his mind, each telling their own story, and arguing with one another about morality, psychology, etc. Sometimes the voices are louder than others, and sometimes the ancient Sith overpower the Jedi, and sometimes vice versa. But Elysar maintains control at all times, though sometimes a voice of wisdom will slip through, delivering ancient proverbs no one expects from a Padawan.
As the party made their way out of the chamber, with a revived Master Liam, they realized that their ride was still buried in the bogs above them. But Liam, in his wisdom and renewed strength, located a number of parts and tools lying about the ancient caves. As Liam hunted for the tools, an ancient Force Ghost, Guardian of the Nexus, saw Elysar out of all of them as worthy, and merged with the young Padawan, bestowing on him the wisdom and expertise of a 1,000 year old Jedi Master.   
With the Integrity repaired and functional, the six made their way back to the Archives, to reunite with their comrades, to tell a story that few would ever believe, but would change Elysar forever.  
=== Consular ===
It was not long before Elysar completed his Knight trials, and was promoted to Jedi Knight. But that was not all. After his devotion and displayed aptitude with the Force during his time as Padawan, Master of the Order Liam also granted the robes of a Jedi Consular, master of the Force, wisest among the Order.
==== A Duel with Fate ====
After the events of Ruusan 7, those who witnessed were certain they'd seen the last of Davon Travis. But sadly, such was not the case. For near the tombs of Korriban he reappeared, and quickly began amassing power. It was not long before the former hermit had amassed a dark order of his own, and began to hunt the Jedi who had denied him. Elysar in particular was targeted numerous times, by a possessed Anatarian Ranger, a zealous acolyte, and even by Travis himself. Seeing this, Elysar sought to protect the order, and gave himself up. But he did not go without a fight. 
The next Acolyte who raided the temple, instead of finding archives on the Dark Side, found an even greater prize. His Master's greatest enemy, the Padawan who had seen through his deceit, now a fully-grown Knight. "Give me Elysar," he raved, "Or I shall burn this temple to the ground." Elysar stepped forth, proclaiming "Best me, and we shall see." The two were given room, and almost immediately blades began to clash. It was a long fight between two skilled duelists, but Elysar was bested. His battered, unconscious form was quickly hoisted into the invader's ship and flown away, before anyone had the chance to interfere, save Pon, who'd managed to slip a tracking device onto the ship's engines.
The next thing Elysar knew was a piercing emptiness. As he regained consciousness, he found himself secured within an odd field, with Travis standing before him. It was revealed that he was cut off from the Force, and would remain as such unless he cooperated. Seeing no other option, he agreed to the terms that were arrayed before him; He took a spot as Travis's apprentice, learning the long-lost secrets of the Dark Side, always mindful of his surroundings, always plotting an escape. The secrets he learned were vast. Ancient, powerful abilities that could bring untold destruction... or powerful healing. More than once he did attempt to escape, though he was thwarted by the appearance of Count Dooku's Jedi Hunter droids.
Eventually, he was rescued, but only through a very odd combination of circumstances that Elysar still can only explain as the Will of the Force. During one of his escape attempts, a Jedi rescue party consisting of Sage Sure, Knight Pon, and others finally had tracked down his location, deep in one of the tombs of Korriban. They reconvened, facing off against Travis, who was quick with the mind games as usual. He revealed the corpse of Beastmaster Thon, still relatively fresh, taunting the Jedi, saying if he could beat this aging master of the Force, he could beat bumbling Jedi. But then a voice rang through the caves, one of equal parts relief and horror to the wounded Jedi. Count Dooku himself rounded the corner, escorted by Magna Guards, and told the Jedi to be gone before he was finished here. Not ones to say no to a chance to escape, Elysar bid his old Master a quick farewell, grabbed the Beastmaster's Lightsaber Pike, as well as a couple other hilts that lay without owners, and they left, taking their savior's own ship since, for some reason or another that Elysar was never quite made aware of (though he had his theories), the Jedi party's ship was nowhere to be found.
Elysar still hasn't told anyone of what he endured under the watchful eye of Davon Travis. But that knowledge of the Dark Arts lurks within him still, waiting for a time to burst forth.
After his lengthy run-in with Travis, Elysar took time to turn inwards, taking whole months away from his duties at the Archives to center himself, find his path, and maintain control over the darkness that still lurked within him. But after months, maybe even years, of spending more time away then maintaining the temple, he reallocated himself to servicing the Archives he'd protected for so long. He took it upon himself to maintain the records, updating them with the stories of many, many years ago. He was unanimously nominated for the Council of First Knowledge, comprised of Consulars who, as the name implied, were the first in the know of every new bit of knowledge to enter the Archives. From Holocrons recovered on missions, to ancient relics and prophecies, he was among the first to lay eyes on, categorize, and archive all the knowledge that came to the Archives. In his spare time, limited though it was, he practiced the art of flying, growing accustomed to his personal Delta-7 Aethersprite, and even coming to grow to prosperity among the Archive's Aces. The other thing he worked on was learning to wield the Lightsaber Pike, so he might honor his Master and wield his saber.
=== Jedi Master ===
In recognition of all he accomplished in the wake of the tragedy that was Travis, growing power and affinity with the Force, and his service to the Archives, he was raised to the rank of Master in 17 BBY by the residing High Council, that oversaw the Archives, as well as Grandmaster Yoda.
== Order 66 and Beyond ==
Through a powerful combination of coincidence, skill, and patience, Elysar managed to survive the initial Purge of the Jedi Order when Order 66 was called. Instead of leading an army of Clones into battle against the Separatists, he was on a much more personal assignment. He was hunting for the relics of an ancient Mandalorian clan, one whose bloodline was once strong in the force. So powerful were the cries of those he once called friend, ally, comrade, Master, that he wound up unconscious in the depths of a foreign forest. When he regained consciousness, he found himself in a crude hut. The cries of his comrades echoed loudly in his mind as he sat up, taking in his surroundings. A woman entered the hut, dressed in Mandalorian armor.
"You have returned to us. I welcome you back to the waking world, and to your new home, should you choose. Welcome to Clan Kahn." In the face of the end of all he'd ever known, Elysar was found and taken in by the very people he'd sought, who he now knew were his own blood. From there he forsook his role as protector of the Galaxy, of Justice and Peace, and took up the mantle of a Warrior of Balance. He learned the ways of his clan, a cross between the honor-bound warriors of Mandalore, and the wise teachings of ancient Grey Jedi. He, in turn, taught his kin the secrets he'd learned, about the movement and the ways of the Force, and how to stay under the newly-proclaimed Empire's radar.Category:Jedi