Maris Fero
Riff-raff, Street Rat.
NAME: Maris Fero
ALIAS:
- The Shrike - Gang name, Efavan.
- Amrissa Tyros - Travelling Name
- Erissa Adler - Travelling Name
- Princess Aolia Torveth of Uticaro - Utter Lie
- Shrikes - Efavan Youth Gang
- (formerly) Tratten's Brats - Efavan Youth Gang
- Iron Fist Consortium
SPECIES: Humanoid
AGE: 25 - yet still looks 19
SEX: Female
HEIGHT: 5’3
WEIGHT: 115lbs
EYES: Grey-green
HAIR: Black
SKIN: Porcelain
FORCE SENSITIVE: Awakened violently on Efavan.
The raven-haired youth dresses in the fashions of the urban night-lifers she grew up around. From living in the shadowed streets below the glitzy neon broadways of the casino cities the youth's skin is pale, her eyes dark and her expression seems to rest at a self-approving smirk.
Her movements are economical and precise and she does her best to stay out of the spotlight whenever possible.
Hatching
Maris was raised on the crime-infested sublevels of Efavan, the capital city of Vorzyd V. Her mother, Turil Moz was a renowned smuggler who sold up her ship and set up a business as a fence for a Hutt investor with interests on the Gambler’s world. Turil fell pregnant and though she never spoke of the father it was widely rumoured that he was a fellow smuggler and gun runner and that Turil had arranged for the man’s death shortly after Maris’ birth.
For her first few years, Maris was living in relative luxury. The life of crime paid for her comfort and her Mother - though never a deeply caring woman - at least felt an obligation to protect her daughter.
Eventually, the life Turil led and the company she kept caught up with the crime boss and Turil was taken hostage by one of the rival criminal empires. Maris was left in the hands of hardened criminals, few of whom cared for the well being of a spoiled ten-year-old. The girl was given over to a scowling, scarred old Besalisk named ‘Tratten’; The ageing thug ruled over a gang of youths who ran petty street crime in their city territory.
Take Flight
It was a tough life, and Maris learned to fight for her place in it. She quickly learned that her mother’s name was more trouble than it was worth, and Maris Moz became Maris Fero. She was a quick study and seemed naturally inclined to the work, quick reflexes and a winning smile made her a natural at many of the cons and games the gangs would run.
Turi, Maris’ mother, eventually returned from her ordeal, though she was a changed woman. She never again rose to prominence or power and though she still sought out Maris the youth actively avoided being reunited with the woman, recognising the loss in status she might suffer at the association.
By the age of seventeen, she’s was one of a handful of strong and driven youths engaged in a power struggle to be the de facto leader of the combined youth gangs of Efavan. The gang wars for power were getting vicious, and for that moment none had achieved a decisive advantage.
Growing pains were troublesome, and as she awakened to her nascent force ability Maris is attracting unwanted attention as well as suffering from strange dreams, strange emotional outbursts and the occasional uncanny coincidence or accident that just happened to coincide with her wishes. She still had little idea that she is the source of these surprising situations.
A series of unexpected killings of both high and low profile criminals sent shockwaves through the entire strata of illegal enterprises. With no obvious ringleader or instigator, the deaths caused rapidly escalating unrest and increased the tension between all of the major factions and their proxy factions amongst the gangs.
The brawling, ambushes and raids were heating up, the tensions were rising. There was only so much longer things could go before deaths occur.
The Shrike's First
Of the many youth gangs of Efavan, five organisations stood out above the rest: The Shrike (Maris' peers and allies, who had been under Tratten); the Carriks - burly, thuggish and widespread; the Oddballs - misfits and outcasts, the alien and the edge cases; The Lower-L crew - underdogs under a charismatic leader with aspirations of greatness; the Balo's Boys - an all-male gang of grinning stim users.
Maris completed her rise to the de facto leader of the Shrike. In light of the conflicts tearing the underworld’s fragile alliances apart, the young woman had set her eyes on a greater goal. Step one would be to arrange the downfall of her rivals.
Having engineered a serious clash between Balo’s Boys and Lower-L, Maris used her influence and personal history with the Lower-L leader Kaperko to arrange a meeting of the minds. The situation had been engineered precisely to cause the maximum antagonism to the Lower-L leader in the hopes of escalating the situation further. During the meeting, an altercation broke out and Naetin Kaperko was observed to have pushed Balo over the edge to his death. Naetin Kaperko insisted he had not acted on his urge, but moments before Maris had been urging him to do so and even imagined herself pushing the young man in Naet’s place.
In the chaos that followed Maris summoned the remaining gang leaders to parley, relaying what she had witnessed, with evidence given by one of Kaperko’s own gang members who vouched to have seen the same chain of events as the Shrike, and had not been close enough to hear Maris telling Naet to act on his wishes.
The decision to act was made unanimously, and together with their respective lieutenants, the gangers set out to bring justice to Naet Kaperko for slaying Balo at a parley. The chase was violent and cost the lives of many of the Lower-L gangers who tried to defend Naet, eventually, he was cornered atop a high walkway that led only out to a final, fatal drop. There, silhouetted against the mega-casino skyline, Kaperko was judged and executed on Maris’ evidence.
The Maze of Thorns
In the wake of Kaperko’s death and the fall of Balo, the gang war became heated in short order, the Shrikes and the Carriks both expanded into the territory left by their rivals and even the Oddballs managed to add to their numbers with ‘refugees’ of the trouble.
At the same time mob bosses and crime lords alike had ignited their own war above the gangs and were too busy killing or backstabbing each other to care much for the qualms of teenagers and thugs. Tratten was dead, so too were many of the other mob affiliates who had once kept a semblance of respectability to the gangland diplomacy.
Troubles came to a head once more when Maris underestimated the sheer doggedness of the Carrik leader, Akro Mallit, and ended up almost losing a desperate fight with the much larger opponent. Always scrappy and tough to keep down, during that fight something else seemed to fuel Maris strength. Rage and frustration mixed with a fair degree of shame over getting herself into the situation, and in her rage the young woman overcame the monstrous Carrik’s attack and eventually had to be physically restrained to stop her killing the young man.
Whilst recovering from her attack Maris had the word spread that she had indeed killed Akro Mallit, when in fact she had abducted her critically injured rival and was busy extracting information from her captive with fairly rudimentary interrogation techniques.
The result of this information source was felt keenly by the Carriks. The Shrike had always had a remarkable reputation for intelligence gathering, but the ease with which they targeted Carrik safehouses, caches and key players convinced the rival gang that they must have a mole. A bloody and angry purge of the Carriks’ possible traitors simply sent more disgruntled gangers to their rivals open arms. From five rivals Maris had removed two forever and the time rapidly approached when she planned to remove the final obstacles to her ascendancy.
The Scattered Nests
The stage was set for Maris to finish off the fatally wounded Carrik gang. With a tentative peace in play with the Oddball leader Ku Melort, Maris had arranged a final ambush in which the Shrike and Oddballs would act in concert to crush the final resistance of the Carrik hierarchy under the control of Akro’s brother, Herk Mallit.
Unfortunately for the Shrike, in an unforeseeable change of fortune new players had come to Vorzyd looking to capitalise on the destabilized criminal underworld. Enyo Typos and her Iron First Consortium had come to an arrangement to use the activities of the Oddball gang under Ku Melort and were headed to take the reigns of the Carriks as well.
Maris, headstrong as ever, was frustrated to see her plans falling apart and moved to act, looking to turn the situation in her favour. She hoped, somewhat forlornly, that she might be able to convince the newcomers to let her finish of the Carriks and the Oddballs, then take their place as the sole leader of Efavan’s gangs.
Typhos had other plans, introducing herself to Maris with a Force Push that nearly knocked the Shrike leader out, she choked her next and offered the young woman an ultimatum. Join or Die. The choice was simple.
Amongst the Thorns
Maris made herself invaluable to the Iron Fist’s war to control the underworld of Efavan, though she did not yet understand why the mob boss had taken such a careful interest in her.
Together, Maris and Enyo planned and carried out the successful attack on the MezNez Casino, a former Hutt holding on Vorzyd. During the infiltration, Maris showed much of her talent for stealth, quick wits and ingenuity but she also discovered a perplexing ability to will people to ignore her presence - a gift she could not explain or understand. A little later into the assault Maris was ambushed by a group of Carriks who chose the confusion of the attack to attempt to assassinate her. Despite her injuries sustained in the attack, Maris survived, utilising a force push to disarm and wrongfoot her attackers. In a mirror of the ability Enyo had used on her, Maris had overcome the gangers, and with Enyo watching she execute those who had tried to kill her, taking life by her own hand for the first time.
Following the successful capture of the Casino Maris was taken on as Enyo’s student and started to learn more of her capabilities. At this time she came into contact with Enyo’s sister Amara Zarides and other members of the Iron Fist consortium. She was a talented student, and her natural ability and experience of Efavan made her a natural choice to act as a local enforcer for Enyo, who had businesses and other dealings often far from Efavan.
With Enyo's guidance, she was trained in the use of a lightsaber, though she seemed more at ease with a shot blade her master insisted on a broad education with blades of all lengths. Beyond her training, Maris discovered a private passion of her own - her upbringing in the slum layers of Efavan had never afforded the woman any time for the arts, but living the relatively high life at Enyo's side exposed Maris to higher society. The grace, agility and poise of ballet enthralled her, and in secret, she found herself a tutor to begin her training in dance. Time around so many cyborgs and droids also gave Maris a fairly urgent reason to educate herself in some of the science of robotics, undoubtedly foreseeing a time when disabling angry droids might be a useful skill.
Night Flight
Though she had been eager and had learned for some time at her Master's side, there grew a gnawing unease in the Shrike's heart. Enyo Typhos ruled with an almost literal iron fist and beyond a very few of her 'family' Maris recognised that the majority of her master's subordinates were more machine than a person, and none of them appeared truly free to walk their own path. Anxiety grew in the shadow's heart, a concern that perhaps her whole existence would be subsumed in the service of 'the Boss' and her plans.
The youths concerns - imagined or not - distanced Maris from her master until the young woman decided to take flight, she gave no warning before she disappeared amongst the stars.
Far away on the wing
Maris travelled far and wide, and although there was no shortage of options for places to hide it was amidst an asteroid belt of a backwater system in a forsaken edge of the galaxy that Maris chose to base her growing workspace. It had been a busy few years since she had last been noted on the galactic scene.
At first, she had shifted from place to place picking up credits and assets where she could, saving little by little. New names she prized most highly of all, identities she could use and discard as the notion took her. She had learned much since absconding from her master's side.
Her initial interests had been driven purely by necessity; She needed to free herself from others' travel plans - so she had learned how to pilot a hyperdrive capable ship. Maris had needed to work out how to bypass electronic security measures as easily as she could physical and biological ones, and so she had slowly started to delve into the murky world of slicing.
After that, her learning path had twisted to subjects more personal to her changing goals. She needed to know more about droids so she started to take apart droids, simple droids at first but soon enough she was buying up ruined fragments and discarded units of all sorts of varieties. It wasn't long until she started absconding with the more advanced droid varieties.
It was around her twenty-third birthday that Maris began to suspect that something was wrong with her, physically at the least. Comparing holos and bio scans of herself from age nineteen onward she had come to realise that there were very few notable changes in her physical attributes. In keeping with those concerns, Maris started to study the phenomenon, seeking advice from several medical experts
Eventually, unsettling paranoia and several nightmares centred around her previous master compelled Maris to undergo several exploratory surgeries under the care of reprogrammed medical droids, the procedures were meant to prove to herself that she was not, in fact, an HRD who believed herself to be Maris Fero.
To Unknown Shores
Still seeking answers Maris ventured further still following a trail of occurrence rumoured to have happened somewhere in the unknown regions, without a clear path before her the Shrike has had dreams leading her further and further from civilised space, and deeper into danger as she passes into the chaos of the Maw.
+ Street smarts - Growing up and living in the rough part of an already terrible neighbourhood, Maris knows how to act around thugs and crooks, and how to survive on the mean streets.
+ Quick as a cat - Always fast already, her force awakening has brought Maris’s dexterity to new levels of excellence. Initially, she used most of that talent to better steal or escape from trouble. Now that she has some training behind her Maris uses these talents for infiltration and also in her newly found passion for dance.
+ Roll with the Punches - Despite her slight stature as a youth Fero was quite the scrappy fighter. Though not the strongest, or possessing any great technique, she can take a hit like a champ.
+ One with the Shadows - A life running, hiding and listening has further enhanced the girl's natural talent with stealth and subterfuge. Far more comfortable in the cool dark, her recently awoken abilities to utilise the force to bolster this talent for stealth is a considerable advantage.
+ Natural Mimic - Though she possesses no shapeshifting capabilities Maris has harboured a fascination with mimicry and deception from a young age. Her practice of this skill has almost become a problematic compulsion to mirror those around her.
+ Prodigious Intelligence - For as long as she can remember Maris has always known she was the smartest person in the room, then again for most of her life she’s been surrounded by thugs, bullies, and other street criminals. Still given the chance to learn she adapts quickly and has a surprising appetite for new knowledge that will help give her an advantage.
= Timeless - Though Maris is get to find a reason for the phenomenon, she apparently stopped ageing around the age she awakened to the Force.
= Lost - Maris has been without a true path or master for years now.
- Hubris - For as long as she can remember Maris has always known she was the smartest person in the room - and she has a hard time accepting that she might not be the smartest person in the room.
- Habitual Liar - If there is something she wants or something that will make her life easier, Maris has no problem lying to achieve her goals, her own priorities are always first in line.
- Gutter Child- She has never been officially educated, though she can read and count she has no formal schooling and only a vague impression of what that even entails for “normal” people. She was raised in what could be called an urban undercity hell.
- Smartass - She has a mouth, and though she can be charming to get what she wants, the woman is just as likely to offer abrasive insults and backtalk.
- Looking for Trouble - Growing pains were trouble when it came to the force, as she awakened to her force ability Maris attracted unwanted attention as well as suffering from odd dreams, strange impulses and the occasional uncanny coincidence or accident that just happened to coincide with her wishes. She had only recently come to recognise the nature of these incidents and is still growing into the extent of her power.
- Lightweight - Maris build could not be described as powerful or brawny. She's a slender creature with delicate features and though she has trained her muscles the lack of personal mass limits the brute force she can put behind her strikes and she is very capable of being knocked or thrown around by bigger opponents if and when they land a blow. Additionally, her relative size gives her a lower tolerance to alcohol and toxins.
○ Infiltration Expert.
○ Parkour Prodigy.
○ Talented Student.
○ Modest Slicer.
○ Trained Ballerina.
She wishes.
KILLS:
No PC Kills.
BOUNTIES COLLECTED:
None.
MASTERS:
- Enyo Typos - First Master, Boss, Leader of the Iron Fist Consortium and Robobadass Terminatrix.
- Bang Bang (soloish, some back story, might go somewhere)
- Aggressive Takeover (Darth Vitium, Arms Deal, First Meeting)
- Two is Company... (Solo, further backstory in the wake of Bang Band and Aggressive takeover)
- Nails in a coffin. (Enyo Typhos, First Encounter, [member="Enyo Typhos"] interferes in the best laid plans, Maris is recruited.)
- The Mighty MezNez (Enyo Typhos, Raid, [member="Enyo Typhos"] and Maris go say hello to Bogo.)
- Life on the other side (Maris, following the MezNez attack and her Awakening.)
- Temple of Greed and Gluttony (Maris, following the MezNez attack and her Awakening, [member="Gerard Lussk"])
- CAS-4-12b (Maris, Arms Deal Heist? With [member="Darth Abyss"])
- Iron and Velvet (Maris meets Amara)
- Arabesque (Maris dances, get interrupted by the kool-aid [member="Amara Zarides"] then gets sent to Hoth on a secret mission with Darth Libertas and Thuella. Meets her first proper Sith. With Amara and Enyo.)
- As a Serpent Might (Maris strikes out alone taking identities as she goes.)
- A Job for Life (Solo, A geneticist is kidnapped.)
- Placeholder (Master Name, Skill, Theme)
- Haunt X-1 Climbing Gear
- Shadowsuit
- Refurbished Shoto Lightsaber
- extendable shock prod
- Transparent ceramic blade
- Garotte
- Utility Belt
- Climbing
- Sleight of Hand
- Misdirection
- Mimicry
- Acting
- Contortion
- Larceny
- Cybernetics
- Slicing
Maris Fero speaking to Enyo Typos said:
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