Kaiya Meryll

Kaiya Meryll is a Human Jedi Initiate training at the Jedi Temple in Coruscant.

## Background

Supervision was minimal while Kaiya lived with her birth family - this often led to mishaps or injuries. One such injurious mishap occurred on the cusp of Kaiya’s fourth birthday when her elder brother, a boy of eleven years, was left in charge of a gaggle of his siblings. The elder brother in question had begun to make seedy connections - not an unusual event for those who did not have proper supervision or the same opportunities that others their age were afforded. As it were, he deemed it only fitting that while he ran deliveries as a favor to his connections, that he should bring his siblings along. The last delivery of the day did not go as planned, however, when the recipient deemed that the package was light and came to the conclusion that Kaiya’s elder brother was skimming from the top of the supply.

This accusation proved to be life changing for the siblings. The final client reached out to the gaggle of children and scooped up Kaiya by the front of her blouse in a rage. He pressed a blade to her neck and made demands of her elder brother - demands that her brother could not meet. Kaiya was to be held captive until her brother could return what he had “stolen”. The events that followed were scarcely remembered by the girl and only recounted to her when she was old enough to properly process the information.

Her brother could not deliver the goods, but instead returned with backup to free his sister and shake down the final customer for more funds. The resulting scuffle ended with a deep cut to the young human girl’s chin and her first use of the force. The moment that the blade that had been held under her chin touched her face, she had been overcome with the sense of some power within her. She had channeled the Force in an act of self-preservation and had thrust her attacker from her small frame with it. Violence followed this act and when her elder brother returned home with her, quite stunned at what he had seen, it was determined that the Meryll clan was not equipped to handle such a special child.

With the help of their son’s connections, her parents contacted a local Jedi who brought Kaiya to Coruscant to train at the Jedi Temple. At the temple Kaiya grew into a very intelligent and courteous child, although she was plagued by a shyness and naivety that her masters hoped she would grow out of.

## Light or Dark

Kaiya was sorted into the Clawmouse Clan where she quickly found herself acclimating to her new life as a Jedi Initiate. The young girl proved to be a rather peaceful and patient child among her peers.

Along with her clanmates, Kaiya took part in the Gathering on Illum, one of their many Jedi trials. Kaiya sought out her Kyber crystal by way of the meditating and reaching out to it through the Force. Her meditation proved to be successful as she was guided into a room in the cavern that emanated Light Force energy. It was in this room that she encountered the Force Ghost of Master Jaric Kaedan who saw fit to test her convictions and reactions as he brandished an ice staff at her. Kaiya correctly challenged his words and actions, knowing that he did not seek to harm her, but rather to get the measure of who she was. Kaiya listened carefully to his words as he rightly chided her reluctance to violence, proposing instead that her lightsaber would be a tool of defense and that it was important that she learn to utilize it properly. With his guidance, Kaiya requested the ice staff he wielded to aid her in the next room - her request was granted as it was Master Kaedan's last act before leaving the girl to move onto the next part of her trial.

In the next room Kaiya encountered a carved square room cut through the middle with a wall of ice - the energy of the Lightside too occupied this room. In the middle of the ice wall was a single circular hole, through the hole Kaiya could see a pillar on which rested a cage like structure that contained a single pale crystal. Kaiya utilized her skills as a agile, gentle, and patient human to try to retrieve the cage. She was then surprised as the motions she took to try to bring her crystal to her instead triggered the ice wall to part before her. Kaiya collected her crystal and escaped the caverns of Illum without adversity.

When Kaiya constructed and ignited her lightsaber she was met with a dazzling orange blade.