Tarissa Rysand

Tarissa Rysand is a Padawan of the Jedi Order. She is best known for her focus on martial arts, her consistently bright disposition, and as Xion Odanau best put it, her "wonderful garrulousness". She is determined and focused during her studies and in the sparring circle, but she can be found wondering the Redoubt during her free hours, humming absentmindedly.

Personality
On the surface, Tarissa is a quiet, shy girl that talks in mumbles, stumbles over her words, and avoids eye contact with strangers or unfamiliar people. Her words are awkward and overly long, and she talks as though she were speaking to a computer.

She's working on that, though. Among friends and comrades, Tarissa opens up more into someone significantly more talkative, if a little weird. She's always up for aimless conversations, and she tries her best to be friendly and open to people who need her or trust her. She has trouble relating to people on a deep personal level, and though she is a good person to talk to, she cannot empathize unless she has experienced the situation as well. She tries, though, even in situations far and above her understanding.

When in training or in combat, her attitude changes entirely. She hones her focus, shutting out most of the outside world so as to avoid distractions, and her demeanor shifts to one that is cold and calculating. She sees the opponent as the primary thing in her little world, and she becomes almost single-minded in her fight. She does not speak during real combat - not to taunt, or reassure her allies, or any messages at all. The only sounds leaving her lips are grunts, cries of pain or exertion, and spent air.

Her own personal struggle is best seen in her power struggle. Enhancing her body with Force energy is sometimes akin to a drug to her - the feeling of strength and power surging through her is hard to beat, and she fights constantly to not get lost in or addicted to this power. The dark side calls constantly, whispering to her and asking her to keep drawing on the Force, get stronger, faster, better, more deadly. She works carefully, trying her best to ignore these wordss of potential and power, afraid of the road she could go down if she listens.

A more practical concern to her is what happens if she does go too far, even for noble causes. Pushing her body as far as she does carries an inherent danger with it already. Pushing farther will cause her to simply fight beyond her body's breaking point, literally going until she simply dies from the effort. It nearly happened once in a training session, and she was out of commission for two full days, resting.

When the battle is finished, she treats her opponents with the respect she feels they earned from the fight. An unskilled opponent who fights as well as they can will earn more respect than a skilled opponent who doesn't try or uses dirty, underhanded tactics to win. She never kills unless the situation calls for it - which is rarely.

An odd habit she has is popping up unexpectedly. She doesn't try to sneak around, but she naturally walks lightly and quickly, so she has the habit of surprising people on occasion if they don't hear or see her coming.

She also enjoys music, a lot. Her laugh is melodious, her words are said in a harmonic tone, and she can often be heard humming as she walks or singing to herself in the gardens. She composes her own lyrics, and if a Padawan has an instrument, she quickly works at becoming friends with them for some musical accompaniment. She walks and fights to the beat of her own song, whatever song that may be, and it shows when you take a closer look at her.

Clothing
Tarissa wears the usual Padawan attire, though she strives for tighter-fitting clothing in lighter colors when she can - partially because combat is easier when the clothes aren't loose, and partially to remind her of where she came from. The desert sands and sun make an interesting colour palette, and Tarissa enjoys using them, from dark reds taken from the sky at dusk to bright shining whites and off-whites.

Face
It's tan, like the rest of her. She keeps her dark brown hair cut shorter than most girls to around the bottom of her earlobes on the sides and above her eyes in front, so as to not be grabbed during combat or get in her eyes at inopportune moments. Her bright hazel eyes are beneath thin, slightly curved eyebrows, and below that her mouth is usually turned up in a slight, sly smile.

Body
She's got tanned skin, a reminder of her home planet, and a closer look suggests familiarity with fighting. She has few scars, as most of her training resulted in bruises, but she has a distinguishing birthmark on the back of her right hand - a lighter colored point with several jagged lines coming out from it, like cracks running through glass.

Build
Her build is slim, very fit, and athletically toned. She's a very physical person, and her build shows this. Years of training have kept her in great shape, and she doesn't have bulging, obvious muscles despite her being both powerful and quick - always an advantage in throwing off her opponents. Her Force enhancement also pushes her body beyond her normal limits, leading to more energy burn and exercise. She looks far more fragile than she really is.

Skill Set

 * Tarissa's body is in peak physical condition for her age. Her dexterity and stamina are high in her class - she can run 5 miles easily if need be. Her strength isn't as high, being a small girl, but she's not weak in any sense of the word. She's also trained in acrobatic skills and stunts, and would make a good gymnast if that's all she focused on.
 * Due to her years of dedicated practice and focused training, Tarissa is adept at close-quarters combat, ranking as one of the best in her class and at an intermediate level on a larger scale. She knows two martial arts styles and is in the process of learning a third, K'thri. This training has given her a combat-centered danger sense, allowing her to predict and react to deadly attacks or ambushes. In addition, she has been given extra training on how to deal with Force users and opponents wielding lightsabers. Because of her focus on martial arts, she hasn't spent as much time training with a lightsaber, so those who wield the weapon are at an advantage against her - until she gets it away from them or disables it. In a straight lightsaber duel, she'd lose against an opponent that was her match in experience and skill.
 * Tarissa has a unique Force connection: Force powers that affect her own body are supercharged, meaning she can enhance her own abilities to well above their normal limits and heal her own body quite adeptly. However, her using Force powers on other objects or people means the power is pathetically weak. She can move a box with the Force, but only with lots of concentration and effort, and using it on another living person is out of the question.
 * She specializes and excels in the use of Force Speed, Force Jump, Force Valor, and the Force Warrior technique of channeling the Force through martial arts strikes to increase damage and precision. She can also, with effort and concentration, use Force Heal on herself to moderate effect. In addition, she has been taught Force Resistance, and will activate it as a reflexive action upon entering combat. She can strengthen the ability for a short time by devoting concentration to it, but doing so cuts down on her overall fighting effectiveness. Force Resistance ceases being used when the fight is over, and if caught by surprise, Tarissa cannot bring up the power in time.
 * She is a very good singer, and music seems to permeate many aspects of her life. When fighting, she seems to be fighting to a beat only she knows the time and tempo of. She will often hum during the day, and she always walks at a steady pace, following some inaudible song. Her vocal range is in the mezzo-soprano range and is three full octaves (plus a few notes lower/higher).
 * She knows how to be stealthy in the physical sense. Her sneaking skill is highly ranked in her class, and she shows some natural talent for not wishing to be seen or heard.
 * She doesn't know how to handle any ranged weapons, nor is she comfortable at the controls of a space ship. She knows enough to make it move, but that's about it.
 * Known Lightsaber Forms: Shii-cho
 * Known Martial Arts Forms: Teräs-Käsi, K'tara

History
As told by Tarissa herself, shortly before the events of Act I, Scene I

Youngling
I guess my story begins when I was two. As I understand it, I was the daughter of two moisture farmers living on Tatooine before I was brought to the Academy.

I was put with the others around my age and training began almost immediately. I don't remember much from those early years, but I do remember flashes: boxes failing to move, emotions failing to be sensed, and numerous failures that my peers achieved. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't read someone's basic surface emotions or move even a three kilo weight. It was a constant struggle, and I know I was the subject of more than a few whispers about inadequate talent and no potential. Still, they knew I had the Force in strong qualities, so I wasn't dismissed until they could figure out this unusual Force flow.

As the years went on and more complicated tests showed, an odd trend emerged: in the physical tests and combat tests, I was exceptional. In addition, the few times we had used the Force on our own bodies, to heal or enhance, my results were most certainly beyond what they had expected for someone of my age and experience. They analyzed the lessons, examined the results, and made an ultimately accurate conclusion: The Force flowed through me in an unusual way, and while the world around me remained mostly unaffected, I became a veritable instrument of power - or as much power as a kid my age could have.

My classes began to focus more and more on personal enhancement. Eventually, I could move boxes with the Force, but people remained impossible, and still are to this day. Instead, my talents lay elsewhere, and they used those talents. I took physically-oriented and combat courses. I learned about the body and how it works. I trained in making myself stronger and faster, how to heal myself through the Force, and how to center myself and channel the Force through me as I struck. It came as naturally to me as Force Sight does to a Miraluka.

I grew in years and ability, and I also tried to grow with other students in relationships. I ended up spending a lot of time alone, buried in books and stories. Though I wasn't good at moving balls and boxes without touching them, I was always picked first for sports and other games that were physical competitions. I enjoyed being alone, though, and I remember many hours spent in the gardens, singing to the plants and whoever else was hiding in there. I'm not very easy to understand, and I find that I have trouble communicating with other beings. I struggle constantly and do my best to learn, though, and I do enjoy speaking.

Padawan
When I was around age 11, I was taken on as a Padawan by a Mirialan Jedi Knight named Drennan Zilar. He was a kind and jovial man, an expert in martial combat, and one of the greatest men I've ever known. He was nothing but encouraging and helpful to me, even with my special case, and he helped arrange special tests and exams to test my abilities and further my progress. More than just my Master, though, he helped me a lot as friend. It's not easy growing up, doubly so when you're a Jedi with unusual Force flow, and he was there for counsel as well as training.

I recall one such time when I was having a usual down moment about my inability to move something heavier than a 10 kilogram weight with the Force, despite my efforts. He took me out to the gardens and we sat down by the pools in silence, listening to the water. Finally, he asked me what was bothering me, and my several years worth of frustrations poured out in a babble of incoherence. Terribly embarrassed, I finally slowed down and explained properly, and he smiled gently before speaking:

"Tarissa, I can understand your frustration, more than you know. We all have our setbacks and failures, we all contend with losses and pitfalls. I myself struggled as an Initiate to learn even the first Form of lightsaber combat, never quite getting the motions down. I grew so frustrated that I almost gave up entirely, despite what the Masters told me about letting go and acting on instinct. I came to this very spot and looked out over the waters before deciding right then and there to give it one more shot - but this time, I would act as this pool does, and accept that I did not know what to do. I would be a guide, a channel for the Force, letting it flow as a river does through a forest. That day was the day I finally understood exactly what the Masters had been telling me all this time. They were saying to act as a channel, but they never mentioned that we must remove the blocks and dams that we have placed there. We must accept our faults, work around them, and never be afraid to press on despite them. Until we learn that we will fail, we will never know what it means to succeed."

It was just what I needed to hear at the time. I pressed on, accepting my weaknesses and learning to compensate with my strengths. If I could not learn how to push an opponent with the Force, I would push them physically. If I could not learn to sense surface thoughts, I would read their body language and see what they didn't say. If I could not heal with the Force, I learn proper first aid and heal them the normal way. I would not allow my unique abilities to hinder me from anything I wanted to achieve.

So, my training continued, as did my continuing adoration and respect for Master Zilar.

Expertise
I suppose this idea of being a martial artist as opposed to a lightsaber fighter came from a data file I read while browsing the Archives one spare afternoon when I was around 13. It was a book on a group of Jedi called Force Warriors - those who elected to use their fists and feet over lightsabers, a mixture of meditative techniques and martial arts. Fascinated, I read the book with a single-minded passion, watching the included videos of Masters long dead performing martial arts moves and maneuvers, even disarming and defeating traditional Jedi armed with lightsabers.

It was at that moment I knew what I wanted to become. I'd never felt comfortable with a lightsaber - they were cool and flashy, but it just seemed like a misplaced weapon for me. I know it was the traditional Jedi weapon and that I had to use it, but I felt a lot more comfortable in the basic self-defense classes, attacking with just my hands and feet. These Jedi knew true skill - relying on nothing more than your wits and your own body to win a fight. Why bother with a weapon that can be destroyed or taken?

Excited, I ran to Master Zilar with this book and my ideas. As it turns out, he had some interest in this subject as well, having to rely to hand-to-hand on the rare occasions when he'd lost his lightsaber. He said that he could help me if that is what I decided to learn, and I nodded my head eagerly. After all, my abilities could be used best as a hand-to-hand fighter, as a part of that Force Warrior tradition. I was a natural at close-quarters combat, and no Force User would be expecting someone who could disarm them of their lightsaber without the Force, much less disable them with a few hits after that. It would be the element of surprise that counted, and I could have that in spades.

From there, my new training began. I began to take more martial courses, reducing my lightsaber and general Force classes to ones focusing solely on self-enhancement and self-altering abilities. I studied and learned two martial arts styles - the art of Teräs Käsi, specifically designed to defeat Force- and lightsaber-wielding foes, and the art of K'thri, designed for quick disarms and fast takedowns. I was also taught the basics and trademarks of all known lightsaber forms - how to recognize them and, more importantly, how to best them.

To make up for my weakness of not being able to counter or attack back against abilities such as Force Push or Force Grip, I was also taught how to resist the attacks of my fellow Force users. I learned how to harness my own Force flow to counter their pushes and grabs, to shield my mind and Force signature from detection and being altered, and how to weaken any manner of Force attack thrown my way. Any effect that my efforts had in reducing an attack, no matter how small, were useful in keeping me alive until I could close the gap to melee combat. I learned to recognize common Force powers and evade them, and with help of the Masters and several years of work, I developed a form of Force Resistance that no longer needs my active concentration. Concentration certainly helps, though.

Several years passed. My personal abilities grew. I got taller, filled out some, and got a little bit wiser along the way. I had moved up through my class, becoming one of the top fighters among my peers, and for good reason. On my 18th birthday, my Master presented me with a gift in recognition of my abilities - a pair of fighting gauntlets, the armor plates interwoven with a cortosis ore. As he demonstrated shortly after he presented them to me, they were resistant to lightsabers, able to block and deflect the glowing blades. I was ecstatic. So many Jedi are so dependent on their lightsabers that without them, they aren't even half as effective at fighting. They were dangerous tools in the wrong hands, but considering my purpose and my reason for the training, they were more than appropriate weapons for someone like me. No other weapon or accessory would help as much in my fights, and I'm eternally thankful that Master Zilar saw this.

Zilar's Death
…and that brings me to today. Master Zilar is dead. He perished at the Assault on Korriban. I knew when he died - I felt him drift into the Force, his spirit released. I knew not how, nor why, nor who killed him, but I do know that if I see him and discover who he is, I will be more than eager to show him who survived in the wake of Master Zilar's death.

They brought back his body, cut and scorched with lightsaber wounds. He still had his items, including his lightsaber with the sky-blue blade. I don't use it, I feel that it is not my weapon to use, but I remember the many times he let me hold and use it during our trials together. Memories of old wash up occasionally, and I don't want to lose them in fear of losing who he was to me.

I continued my training, despite my sorrow - I could not let this become a dam in my own river. I was sad, deeply pained to lose an amazing man like him, and I wish I could have been there to help him fight. I know such thoughts are suicidal and foolish, but I believe that everyone who has lost someone that way has thought so. I noticed that I began to feel different during fights - more focused, but also some new sensation that I hadn't felt before - a feeling of power when I thought of those Cultists, a feeling of something I feared - anger. I wanted revenge, and I had the power to do it. I could enhance myself, I could resist the Force, I could disable their lightsabers. I could take on the galaxy myself.

Or so I thought. I began to use this dark power, this focused drive, and one day I went too far. I pushed myself too hard, and while running through a fight against training droids, I found myself moving faster and striking harder than ever before. I was invincible, running on an emotion-fueled high, the Force turning me from a normal girl into a mindless tool of destructive power - and in the middle of it, I blacked out, my body simply out of energy to burn. I awoke in the medical wing, where I discovered that in my loss of control, I had powered up my body so much that I had completely surpassed my natural energy limitations and almost pushed my body past exhaustion straight on into real injury or death. I was so driven, so soaked up in my wants and needs for revenge, I had nearly killed myself in my arrogance and desire for power. That was quite a wake-up call, and for the two days I was resting, I had plenty of time to think about who I was becoming in the wake of this loss.

Reassignment
After a few months, I was reassigned to Master Lysander Odakota, a man I've seen a few times. They have seen and noticed the darkness that has been welling up recently, despite my efforts to prevent it, and they feel that he will be good for me.

I hope he will be good for me, too.

Major Plot Events
Tarissa and Lysander traveled to Ilum to get lightsaber crystals. Since then, Tarissa has assembled her lightsaber in the nonstandard design of a guard shoto.

After a relatively innocent conversation that ended with a surprise kiss, Tarissa discovered she has strong romantic feelings for fellow Jedi Callan Lash. As attachments are discouraged, if not outright forbidden, Master Lysander has not permitted the two to enter into a serious relationship for various reasons. Tarissa bears no ill will towards her Master for this and is doing her best to maintain a strictly-friends relationship with Callan.

Tarissa was attacked and severely injured by the Cult of Sadow assassin Hush while on a routine mission on Nar Shadda. She was saved from death by the timely arrival of Lysander, who drove Hush away.

Played By
Tarissa is portrayed by Rachael Leigh Cook.

Threads

 * Act I, Scene I


 * I've Just Seen A Face


 * Try To Fix You


 * Details In The Fabric


 * Tactical Espionage Action


 * Your New Aesthetic


 * Guiding Light