Liam Torun is an aging Jedi of the Old Order, a survivor of the Clone Wars and the secretive Quaestor of House Odan-Urr. Growing steadily older, he now wishes to avoid the politicking of the old Order and focus on instilling wisdom in young minds - and in diminishing the hold of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood and their One Sith rivals.
History
Padawan
Born on Dantooine, to a farmer on a stead near Khoonda, Liam was inducted to the Order at infancy and began training under such Masters as Yoda and Cin Drallig. Torun proved to be a quiet, independent student, though he was also very kind-hearted and quite adept. Placed within the Soaring Hawkbat Clan, he proved himself to quickly gain a grasp for the Jedi Arts, though his real interests were in the arts of diplomacy, language, and agriculture. He was a noted student of both Niman and Soresu, a fact that both balanced out his weaknesses and made him nigh-untouchable by his peers; these facts combined to make Torun, who showed little interest in becoming a Jedi Knight, a target of his fellow younglings. Though he faced an increase in competitiveness and even some hostility from fellow initiates, Liam was always noted to be both respectful and humble, even in victory.
Liam was ten years old when he completed his Initiate Trials. Though there had been reports of harassment at the hands of his peers, Torun did not seek to win; indeed, he had made up his mind to apply for the Service Corps after the Trials. Even so, his opponents relentlessly attacked him, forcing him into defensive postures again and again until Liam, not willing to attack, finally became tired and risked injury. With no further choice, Liam was forced to switch to the offensive and defeat his opponents, lest they cause him or themselves any harm; before he could go through with his plan, he was taken as a Padawan by a Gotal Jedi Knight named Kemmin. In time, the two would come to serve in the Clone Wars.
A quick study, Liam showed great skill in the Force and great technique with the lightsaber, though his studies would be cut short as the specter of Order 66 loomed over the Jedi Order. His Master was killed in the ensuing covert strikes by Imperial Stormtroopers, but Liam would resist at first, striking down a few using his Master's lightsaber before fleeing into the mists of the planet Felucia.
Having lived alongside the native Felucians, even as they darkened under the influence of Maris Brood, Liam's powers and abilities had grown and strengthened. At first chance, he made his way throughout the galaxy and then back to Dantooine, studying the ancient Jedi sites there even as the Emperor's cronies combed the wreckage for any remaining relics of the Jedi Order. Over the years, Torun's skills became stronger and stronger, up to the point where he would be on Dantooine during the Vong War. Facing the Force-immune beasts there, he sustained wounds but would ultimately rescue a number of farming families from the marauding invaders.
New Tython
Liam does battle on Dromund Kaas
Eventually, the will of the Force drew him to New Tython. There, he met the Jedi Ji, alongside several others, and was present for the founding of what would become the Ooroo Abbey. However, while Liam was quick to befriend many of the Harakoan locals and Tythonian colonists that would congregate near the Abbey, he chose seclusion in the wilds over being a direct disciple of their path. Having lived on Felucia for so long, he was eager to resume the hermetic lifestyle he had become accustomed to. Even so, when there was need on New Tython, he would move quickly to help them.
It was during times of strife that Liam sensed a disturbance within the Force; the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, known to the aging Jedi because of Ji and his compatriots, was preparing for war with the One Sith, a secret cult of Sith neophytes. As the Jedi of Odan-Urr readied for action, following Quaestor Drodik, they were surprised to see the elderly Liam step up to join them. Though never one to seek command, he would later be appointed to the post of Quaestor by Drodik himself, who respected the older Jedi's experience and understanding of the Force. It was then that the Jedi learned of the Fall of New Tython; though they rushed to the planet, Liam and his people could not save the world from the conquerors, and had to content themselves with evacuating a few thousand refugees.
Liam, exploring the jungles of Haven.
After this, Liam's focus intensified, and for the first time in years he saw a chance to do the Force's bidding. Working with the Jedi throughout the Dark Crusade, he soon found new purpose, taking hold of the House's reigns in secret and leading them in a shadow campaign against the Brotherhood. While the Houses and Clans went to war against the One Sith, Liam and his Jedi compatriots would lead a series of covert strikes against Brotherhood infrastructure, supply lines, and defenses. These attacks would lead to heavy Sith losses during the engagement, and would ultimately cause the loss of many One Sith planets. Meanwhile, Brotherhood power balances would shift heavily across the Galaxy.
Haven
Following the Fall of New Tython, Liam's meditations would be plagued by visions of a small world, untouched by sapient life. Its coordinates were impossible to follow, shifting between anomalies and objects that would destroy ships who attempted it unaided. And yet, the perfect segment of coordinates - alongside all shifting possibilities - had bloomed into his head. Unsure of the meaning of this, but knowing he had refugees to guide, the Consular programmed these possibilities into the Arthos navicomputer behind keywords only he could access. Using these, he took the refugees of New Tython to the new planet, and aided them in establishing a camp. In time, it became known by the codename of Haven.
Setting up camp on the planet alongside the KUDF, Torun would continue the shadow war he'd been waging against the Sith during the Dark Crusade. During the Crusade's many battles, the forces of the Jedi would sabotage and ambush Brotherhood and One Sith forces, stealing away valuable resources, weapons, and equipment while inflicting as few deaths - and as many crippling casualties - as possible to their war machine. Meanwhile, they would escape with their gains to Haven, hoarding them there and using them to outfit their growing forces. Over time, and with further field experience in the Crusade, Torun's guidance began to produce an eclectic and well-trained mixture of escaped Tythonians and Harakoans, rebels and renegades picked up during the campaigns, Brotherhood and Sith defectors all too happy to work for less-cruel masters, and even a few mercenary and pirate groups that signed on to escape a life of constant grit. Over time the Jedi would also stage small operations on New Tython and other oppressed worlds in secret, liberating whoever they could and folding them into the KUDF forces.
It was during such raids that the Quaestor of the Jedi would discover the existence and scope of King Thuron's most savage example of cruelty, the concentration camp known as Purity Rock. The principle piece of Cy's plan for eliminating what he saw as the planet's Harakoan taint, it was a grueling prison that would force together millions of Harakoans in squalid conditions, where they would be forced into slave labor and brutal subjugation before being killed off, often in waves as large as thirty to fifty thousand individuals at a time. Also into this chief prison went political dissidents and rebels, eventually expanding in scope to include those who had offended Cy and anyone he perceived as a potential threat. The prison led to further camps throughout the Hunonum Desert, all answering to Cy; Liam's heart was initially set on freeing them immediately, but both his own experiences in war and the Force told him that if he did so before the KUDF was ready, it would lead only to anarchy and death for the Harakoan people. The Jedi General was forced to watch from afar, as people died in droves in the worst holocaust the planet had ever seen.
Eventually, while on a mission against the pirate group Alpha's Omega - a component of the Monarchy Fleet, paid for by Cy's mysterious assets and influence - the Knights of Allusis were captured, tortured, and imprisoned in the hellish facility alongside the Harakoans. Forced to wear stun collars that would specifically prohibit their Force usage, they were starved and emaciated alongside the natives of the world, but would manage to do some good against Thuron's will by spreading discontent amongst the prisoners. Eventually, they were able to unite them secretly beneath the banner of the Harakoan Chieftan Whenua and the former Human Prime Minister of the planet, Gideon Varos. All the while, they prepared for their moment, waiting for their chance to attack a weakness in Purity Rock. It was at this point that Torun decided he could wait no longer; trusting in his Jedi, he sent Strike Team Ooroo, his covert unit, to infiltrate the prison and recover the Knights.
Rise of the Rebellion
- Main article: [[Tides of Freedom|Tides of Freedom]]
It was in 38 ABY, nearly two years into Thuron's reign and into the Dark Crusade, that Ooroo's mission was launched. Simultaneously, as the Strike Team assailed the prison, Knight Commander V'yr Vorsa - a close friend and confidante of Torun's - made her move to unite the prisoners and force an escape. As the heavily armed and organized guard corps of Purity Rock set up defenses to hold off the covert assault by Ooroo, Vorsa and her Knights revealed their trump card by removing the stun collars they wore; in the night time of the previous weeks, they had been slowly sabotaging them with the help of the prisoners, to the point where they were essentially useless. The two-pronged assault, combined with the literal millions of prisoners facing off against a few tens of thousands of guards, made the fight one-sided from the start; Ooroo was able to disable and cripple many of the defenses the guardsmen relied upon, while Vorsa overwhelmed them in short order afterward. Once the heavily-stocked armory was overrun, the fight essentially devolved into a massacre of Thuronian forces. As a final trump card, the Jedi used the opportunity to cripple the guardsmen and liberate all of the surviving prisoners, who fled north to the mountains on the desert's edge at Vorsa's instruction.
Meanwhile, the Jedi were able to capture a few shuttles and, over-stuffing them with prisoners to aid them, they quickly made their way into orbit and captured two of Alpha's Omega's ships - corvettes that would come to be called the Pride of Owyhyee and the Proxia Mustirion. The crew of these ships, largely mercenaries and clearly overwhelmed and unprepared, gave up with little resistance and defected to the Jedi in exchange for deals of lenience and amnesty. Unlike their former masters, they knew the Odanites would actually keep their word. Once they had escaped, Vorsa and the Director of Ooroo, Revak Kur, made a full report to Torun. The Quaestor quickly ordered the ships inspected, properly crewed, and folded into the KUDF as the first stepping stones toward a true Defense Fleet.
It was during this time that the Bothans of the Nebula-class Star Destroyer Fey'lya's Last Stand, tired of the infighting of the Galaxy and hearing news of New Tython and its protectors via their extensive spy networks, and learning of its recent fall, arrived in hyperspace to treat with Torun and the Jedi. Liam met with their Admiral cordially, and after negotiating deals for the Bothans to be granted asylum by New Tython and land for a proper settlement, he was able to procure the Stand not only as a loyal member of the KUDF's fleet, but as the flagship of said fleet and Torun's main point of command. Liam pointed out to the Bothans the value such a ship could have for Galactic defenders, while the crew themselves saw the massive advantage, politically and militarily, that such a position in the fleet and command structure would grant them in future maneuverings and negotiations.
Its new fleet assembled and ready, the forces of the Jedi travelled to Haven along its treacherous route before loading up the forces of the KUDF and the massive amount of supplies they had gathered during the Dark Crusade. Their continued operations had yielded thousands of tons of stolen equipment, much of which they would retrofit to their purposes and use while other pieces were sold on the black market, the proceeds used to further fuel their war machine. Afterward, Torun would see the Jedi and KUDF arrive quietly on the night side of the planet, deploying KUDF forces and tons of equipment and supplies to the newly-forged Harakoan resistance in the mountains of Owyhyee. With Jedi guidance, KUDF training, and the huge bounty of the Crusade, the millions of Harakoans became healthy, hearty, and were happily trained and reformed into a force that could truly retake their world - the Harakoan Tribal Army.
It was at this time that Liam and the Summit of Odan-Urr met with the leaders of this army, representatives of various tribes both extant and shattered, rallied behind their chosen spokesman - Whenua. There, in their hidden mountain fortress, the Jedi and Harakoans would work together to pen and negotiate the first drafts of a vital document - the Treaty of Menat Ombo. Once the Harakoan delegates had discussed the ideas and laws, and had debated and negotiated to their satisfaction, they became the first signatories of the Treaty and the first true Nation of New Tython; in exchange for their help and agreement to the Treaty, the KUDF would continue to aid, train, and support them as they fought to retake their homeworld. Soon, the resistance was ready to strike, and awaited only Torun's command.
Liberation of New Tython
- Main article: [[Return of the Light|Return of the Light]]
It was during the year 38 ABY that the forces of the KUDF, together with the Harakoan Tribal Army, would begin their assault on the Thuron Monarchy. Beginning in space, the newly-assembled fleet of Odan-Urr struck with all-out ferocity against the space station Sanctuary, with its two Strike Teams - the Knights of Allusis and Ooroo - attacking the station from within and without. This initial strike would be called Operation: Daybreak.
As Jedi and KUDF forces boarded and laid waste to the station itself, crippling it with little trouble, Liam's orders saw the Jedi utilize the mobility of the Proxia Mustirion and the Pride of Owyhyee alongside the overwhelming firepower of the Fey'lya's Last Stand to systematically target different groups and alliances within the Thuronian Fleet. Itself little more than a band of pirate and mercenary fleets and squadrons, all operating on their own command and relying on Sanctuary for coordination, the Thuronian Fleet quickly split apart into disparate groups and was decimated in short order. Before the coalition's forces could suffer irreparable damage, several pirate groups deserted or surrendered to the Jedi, leading to a decisive rout in orbit over the planet.
As soon as the Thuronian Fleet and station were crippled, Torun's forces had the ability to move about in orbit over the planet - but not yet the advantage of high mobility, nor the ability to limit Thuron's strikes and reinforcements. Thus it was that the aging Jedi Consular would assemble the Summit, the leaders of the KUDF, and Whenua to discuss their next target of interest. As the main staging point for anti-Harakoan operations, alongside being the nexus of all air and water travel for the Monarchy, the Dac Compound was chosen and was swept into disarray with a decidedly full-power assault in the late hours of the night. Leading Harakoan and KUDF forces against the city, Odanite Jedi assailed the Compound's outer walls and spread into the streets. Meanwhile, Ooroo and the Disciples of Baas moved into position to cripple city defenses and rescue civilians, while the Gungan Jedi Kah Manet saw the liberation of the city's leaders and soldiers. Mercenary forces put up a solid fight, but gave up in short order once the freed Mon Cals had a chance to organize.
Once the city had fallen, Liam - alongside Whenua, the Wookiees of The Chosen, and the Bothan settlers from the Last Stand - would work with Muughim Viik, former General and de facto leader of the Compound following his predecessor's death against Thuronian soldiers. Together they would negotiate a provision for a second Treaty Nation, that of the Independent Colonies of New Tython; Liam and Whenua would press the rights of Harakoan tribesmen to their lands and laws, while Viik would negotiate alongside his peer Independents for the permission of the Harakoans to keep their own lands, borders, laws, and standing forces. Once Viik signed the Treaty, the Dac Compound would see a temporary Harakoan garrison to help defend it, and would give Torun the advantage that Thuron had once enjoyed; the Jedi could now move between the colonies of the planet with impunity.
This mobility would soon see KUDF forces put to the ultimate test. As KUDF forces organized twin assaults on the colonies of Tanduran and Vard Mislu, the former's authoritarian governor would activate an energy shield that would protect the colony from aerial assault. Meanwhile, heavy anti-air weaponry and a massive fleet of tanks and infantry would be deployed in the fields around the city, making direct assault impossible and forcing the Jedi to fight their way across the surrounding fields, at least until Ooroo's forces could infiltrate the town and disable the shields. Meanwhile, the subjugated civilians of Vard Mislu - always a militantly independent, ferociously stubborn people - heard of the Odanite assault and gains, and would use the opportunity of a KUDF attack to host their own uprising. Unfortunately for Mislu, eighty percent of the colony would be utterly destroyed during the fighting, leading to mass casualties and leaving the town with crippled infrastructure and huge damages. However, a silver lining would appear for Mislu, as Liam, Whenua, and Gideon Varos would work to ensure that the rebel opposition worked alongside the Harakoans in reconstruction efforts. Traditionally opposed to Harakoans, the people of Mislu would change their tune during the fighting against Thuron, creating sentiments that would stay with the residents for years to come.
Once Tanduran and Mislu had signed the Treaty, operating under Gideon as part of a future Tythonian nation, the final assault would be waged on Menat Ombo. However, as Harakoan forces drew the bulk of the Thuronian army into the nearby fields for a massive and bloody engagement and KUDF forces would use the distraction therein to attack the city from behind, Liam's task was neither on the field of battle nor in the command tent. Using skills he'd developed on Felucia and in New Tython's jungles, he would deftly evade patrols and cross rooftop and barricade before infiltrating the Palace of Thuron - built atop the ashes of Ooroo Abbey. Quickly disabling Thuron's bodyguards with the power of the Force, Liam engaged in a lengthy and dangerous duel with the maddened Sith King, forcing him into a life-or-death battle. While Cy relished the chance for direct battle, in reality Liam's plan was simple - while his Aedile went after Cy's General, Alek Mirr, Torun would keep the King too busy to lead his forces. The resulting chaos, both within and outside of the city, would eventually lead to the Thuronian Royal Forces largely surrendering, deserting, disbanding, or being utterly destroyed.
Liam's battle with Cy was long and deadly, the two straining their bodies in a contest of lightsaber combat while their Force abilities demolished Thuron's ornate throne room. In time, the combat would escalate to the point where portions of Thuron's tower were blasted away, even as aerial battles between snubfighters and bomber craft outside did further damage to the structure. All the while, Liam moved to efficiently end the fight while trying to psychologically wear Cy down. As his hopes for the King's surrender and a quick end to the battle came to an end, Thuron would be offered one last chance to atone, to which he replied with a roaring charge. Torun, a combat pragmatist above all, would use the opportunity to trip Thuron and throw him off-balance, leading to a fall from the tower's precipice. Liam's report on the incident would offer no certain closure, though many who witnessed the battle's end would note that Cy seemed to come to his senses during the fall. In the end, he would up crippled at the base of his own Palace, while Liam turned away to deal with the battle at hand - leaving Cy to be finished by Mirus Hi'ija, as revenge for the murder of Jonuss Rai in Vard Mislu.
Following the conclusion of the battle, all remaining forces of Thuron either fled the planet, deserted into the wilds in tiny bands, or otherwise surrendered by the thousands. Gideon Varos finalized the Treaty of Menat Ombo by signing on behalf of the Tythonian Colonial Alliance, while Liam signed on behalf of the Jedi to create a fourth Nation, this one with special provisions to protect the peace and bearing possession of the Arca Praxeum and the immediate surrounding lands. With peace secured and the world once again in the hands of its rightful people, Liam would turn his vision back toward the stars - to a Dark Crusade that still raged, and the murky purposes of Houses, Clans, and a Dark Lord of the Sith.
Physical Description
Liam has, at first glance, the appearance of a kindly old man or even a drifter. He wears simple robes in Jedi hues, covered by a thick but weather-stained and well-worn cloak. His belt is a plain sash, his boots thick leather that have seen the wear and tear of decades. He is a tall man of strong stature and burly build, a bit more wiry and worn in his old age but still very solid, and wears a thick beard and a mane of unkempt gray hair. His eyes have surprising youth to them, but his face is weathered and his hands are calloused, signs of a man who has had to survive on the fringes of society. He only wears one item of value, and one indicator of status, at any time - his lightsaber. He will typically wear Kemmin's saber on his belt, choosing to keep his secondary weapon hidden in a sleeve or boot, or simply on the back of his belt.
Personality
Liam Torun is a simple man, having lived among the highest of society as part of the Jedi in his youth, and then among primitive beings and society's fringes for many years afterward. His life experiences have given him many insights, from the true nature of how Jedi should operate to the fact that all beings are capable of redemption. This, combined with the hard circumstances he has faced, have produced a deep and profound wisdom within the man. He also bears a sense of honor, and a desire for peace; he will gladly treat with an enemy rather than fight, and is known to cordially sit down to share food and drink with wounded foes after treating their injuries.
That said, Torun is no fool; if push comes to shove and there is no other way, he will strike quickly and decisively. He is always trying to convert those in darkness, but will not stand by while the innocent suffer; if faced with dictators and warlords, he will do what he can to free those underneath them. While in the old Order some called him a Gray Jedi, now he simply professes that a Jedi serves the will of the Force, not the will of the mighty. If he must take a life, then so be it, for the Jedi Code tells him that there is no death - only the Force.
Weapons and Equipment
Liam Torun's original lightsaber, crafted during his trials.
Having trained with the Jedi Order since infancy, Liam Torun first crafted a lightsaber at the age of seven, after extensive and strenuous testing; though he would use a training saber until his tenure as Kemmin's Padawan, he would use this blade in combat for four years, using it throughout the Clone Wars. Throughout that time, he was known to have taken good care of the blade, despite occasionally losing it in the haze of combat and having to resort to more conventional weaponry. Being stationed far from the main theaters of battle aided him in always finding and maintaining the weapon, which would serve him well until the declaration of Contingency Order 66; on patrol with a platoon of Clone Troopers on Felucia, he would use it to kill two of the attackers after they had gunned down his Master, Kemmin, before having it knocked from his grasp. The weapon was of an austere, unadorned design, with a nineteen-inch hilt and a deep blue blade.
Wounded and fleeing, Liam desperately took up Kemmin's own blade to defend himself as he retreated into the winding fungal forests of the planet. Using it initially to battle back and lose the Troopers, he was forced to then use it to cauterize a bleeding shoulder before going into hiding on the planet. During his time there, both training with and fighting off the local Felucians and other wildlife, he used it to great effect; though his avoidance of other Jedi and Imperials alike saved his life, having nothing else to do greatly focused his lightsaber training regimen, especially once the world's fauna began to darken and change. Though he did his best, both his garb and his weapon became rotten and worn throughout his time there, and he was forced more than once to steal Imperial tech and use natural resources to patch the weapon together. After his escape from Felucia and arrival on New Tython, he accepted the aid in a grateful Harakoan craftsman and the donations of a Tythonian family, and was able to restore the blade to its original look. The restored weapon bears an ornate, grooved design, with bits of brasswork for decoration and a polished wood grip. Its blade is green, and burns steadily and coolly thanks to a rare Pontite focusing gem installed by his Master prior to his death.
Kemmin's lightsaber, restored by Liam following his escape from Felucia.
Skills and Abilities
Liam is a talented saberist, proficient with the defensive Soresu form as well as the dual-handed form of Jar'Kai Niman - an extension of his original Niman training. This allows him to defend himself amazingly against nearly all foes, probing for weaknesses and striking at openings in a foe's technique. Furthermore, should he face multiple enemies or a foe he needs to outmaneuver or throw off-balance, he can reveal his second weapon to press his enemies and attack with surprising ferocity for a Jedi. Even so, he never gives into emotion or rage during a fight, and will instead rely on determination and focus to draw upon the Force and his impressive skills.
In terms of the Force, Liam's Jedi training and additional experience against the Brotherhood have made him a Cleric of the Consular Order. He will never utilize abilities to choke, sicken, harm, or forcibly control a foe - every power he has is primarily defensive in use, or meant to strengthen his allies. He is not afraid to kill, and will strike decisively in any battle or tactical engagement; however, as both a tactician and a Jedi to the core, he considers peace treaties, negotiated solutions, and ceasefires to be just as decisive. He will often use a show of force or political and tactical maneuvering to steal his enemy's will to fight or force a settlement. However, should the enemy choose battle, he is just as quick to use the best military solution for a swift and adequate solution to any conflict. Many of the House's more pacifist Jedi have seen this willingness to fight as maverick and dangerous, while conversely many of those who opt for more combative solutions may consider his ambassadorial approaches to be weak or ineffective. It is through strength of will, clarity of vision, and results that Torun unites the two into an effective rebel House within the Brotherhood's heirarchy.
In terms of physicality, he has always been strong and tough, but bears a knack for survival few others truly practice. Thus, he is more comfortable on the ground or in the trees than inside of a building, and it shows in his mannerisms. He can be quite stealthy, a byproduct of Felucia, but can also be very powerful and dominant in combat or other physical activities. Finally, he is old, but is still a Jedi; though it may pain him afterward, he is perfectly capable of Force-based movements and acrobatics when they are needed. While still quite impressive, his strength and speed have lost some small degree of their luster from his youthful years; he has made up for it in cleverness, skill, and power in the arts of the Force.