STRIDER
A O D H
. N A M E | Ruaridh Aodh |
. A L I A S | N/A |
. S P E C I E S | Human |
. H O M E W O R L D | Galidraani III |
. F A C T I O N | The Empire |
. R A N K | 2nd Lieutenant, STRIDER Company |
. A G E | 23 |
. G E N D E R | Male |
. H E I G H T | 6'3" |
. W E I G H T | 240lbs |
. F O R C E . S E N S I T I V E | No |
. T H E M E | IRON |
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H I S T O R Y
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"Don't show me your attitude. If I show mine you'll forget yours."
Ruaridh's youngest years were one of relative ease, as much as life can be under the regime of a Sith vassal state as ruled over Galidraan III at the time. Of the Woad tribe, Clan Aodh of Westcape was a noble house of not insignificant power and influence. By the end of the clan wars in 864 ABY, its reach had been declining for years while each incumbent Lord and Lady grasped ever tighter onto their ever-slipping control. So much so that when Ruaridh was born, he was immediately slated for an officer's commission in the Imperial Army. He was packed off to a military preparatory school at the tender age of six in 859 ABY, moving to Westcape proper from the Aodh country estate. What he wasn't aware of at the time were the bribes given and favours promised by his sires to the Sith rulers in order to secure his future entry to the academy. At the time, he was happy as larry dreaming of his bright future in the Sith Empire's grand, glorious army, unaware of the political minefield his parents had laid out before him.
Reality smacked him full in the face with a hammer known as the Galidraani Civil War. Too young at the time to be conscripted into service, too old to feign naivety about the conflict, Ruaridh was a victim of his circumstance. He still had not outgrown the family loyalties which teens often rebelled against, but knew enough that to take a hard stance in the conflict would just endanger his and his family's lives, doubly so as he was the only Aodh child in a public enough position to be noticed. He and his fellow cadets too young for service were confined to the academy while the war raged. Eventually training resumed, but with the intent now on producing soldiers for the Free State military as sides were chosen and lines drawn by each of the clans. Sensing which way the wind was blowing, the heads of Clan Aodh did their best to both cosy up to the commanders of the Free State while at the same time bury their indiscretions with the Sith - indiscretions that were now looking more and more likely to sound their death knell when the war ended. Shortly before graduating as an officer in the Imperial military at 18, Clan Aodh's time ran out. The numerous tributes and promises made by Ruaridh's parents were uncovered by those in the Free State, leading to the entire Clan almost being arrested and executed. However, they managed to convince those making the decision that they had only done what was necessary for the promotion of their children and not only never taken up arms against the Free State but supported the reclamation as much as they could. This was enough to grant them clemency, if not forgiveness, but they would forever be relegated to the lowest rung of politics in the future.
Ruaridh fared no better. His commission was stripped, his entry as an officer into the army denied and his future in the military seemed tenuous at best. However, his talents, intelligence and single-minded, gritty determination did not go unnoticed, and he was put forward for a spot in the elite Death Trooper corps, entering the now-infamous Unit 31, Greyscale squadron. He was subject to ridicule and discrimination, ostracised for his family's failure of loyalty to the now-ruling Free State. He weathered it all, knowing he was a better soldier than them all no matter the black marks on his family name. The outward harassment soon stopped after several soldiers found out the hard way that Ruaridh would not always quietly accept what was thrown his way. He eventually earned his fellow troopers' respect, if not their friendship, for his natural talent for the brutal, harsh realities of war, caring nothing for receiving no awards, promotions or official recognition for his exploits.
The event which truly forged him into the killer he is today occurred on a supposed "pacified" Imperial world, Sycorax IV, in the far reaches of the outer rim. While in convoy many leagues from the nearest outpost, Ruaridh's entire company of near 60 men was ambushed by local insurgents led by a force user. Caught unawares by a numerically superior force, Greyscale was decimated within seconds, its officers assassinated in sequence as if the insurgents had been informed by confidential intel. Ruaridh reacted faster than those around him, rallying the nearest troopers and leading them in a breakout attempt of the cordon of enemy soldiers that surrounded the convoy. He inflicted severe loss of life on the foe, enough almost to break their morale and turn the tide of the battle, before the leader of the attackers - a zabrak force user of unknown origin who wielded a lightsaber with deadly effect - confronted Ruaridh and his comrades. The zabrak slew half a dozen troopers before Ruaridh charged him, heedless of his own safety. It was a short, terrifyingly close-run thing, but in the end Ruaridh's family managed to do right by him for once. The heirloom Phrik Fairbairn dagger his father had passed to him when Ruaridh had left for the military academy was enough of a counter to the jedi's lightsaber which, combined with the brutal form of close combat Ruaridh was so skilled in after years and years of intense, dedicated and focussed training, allowed Ruaridh to triumph. The insurgents fled, leaving the corps to pick up the pieces of their shattered company. They limped back to the nearest town, only to discover a world-wide rebellion had sprung up, wiping out the most visible forms of Imperial representation on Sycorax - which was not a great number to begin with.
Alone, lacking any kind of support, heavy armour and with no way to make contact off-world, Ruaridh led the handful of surviving troopers in sabotage, reconnaissance missions and guerrilla warfare tactics against the locals for months before Saul Vandron arrived with the 501st to reclaim Sycorax for the Empire. There he found Ruaridh, bruised, beaten but undeterred, who proved vital in providing intel to Saul's legion, highlighting areas of interest, hidden encampments or weapon caches, all information gathered meticulously in preparation for just such a time. Saul, noting the exceptional aptitude Ruaridh, and those troopers who by now referred to him as "Sir", and uncaring of Galidraani politics, recruited Ruaridh and his men to the 501st, forming a new corps of special operations storm commandos known as the Shock Tactics, Rapid Infiltration, Deep-strike and Exploratory Reconnaissance (STRIDER) squadron.
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M I S C E L L A N E O U S
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RELATIONSHIPS:- Inkara Liet - Cousin (Maternal)
- TBA:
- TBA:
- TBA:
- TBA:
- Mk. I 'Prowler' Reconnaissance Armour
- Main (varies, dependant upon mission parameters)
- Secondary
- Melee
- Additional
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A P P E A R A N C E
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Ruaridh stands tall, broad and imposing, even more so in his recon armour which he can most often be found in. Short, dark hair swept backwards in a quiff, heavy, salt-and-pepper stubble on a proud jawline, a handsome face and bright green, piercing eyes. A myriad tattoos cover his body, most notably his entire back, right pectoral and the length of his right arm.
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P E R S O N A L I T Y
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- Stoic
- Ruthless
- Disciplined
- Pragmatic
- Private
- Abrasive
- Callous
- Reckless
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P R O S . / . C O N S
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PROS:- Now you see me... : Ruaridh has a knack for stealth operations, able to adapt to any battlefield. If you see him, it's only because he wants you to.
- Crack Shot, Clean Slice: Trained from youth to be a superlative soldier, Ruaridh is as adept at putting a bolt through a target's head at 100m as he is at fighting hand-to-hand with dagger, sword or axe.
- Merciless: Ruaridh has as much pity or mercy in him as winter. A trait that makes him difficult to like for some, but to survive deep behind enemy lines, alone on a hostile planet, a soldier cannot feel empathy. Not it they wish to make it to debriefing.
CONS:- Cold: The trait which makes Ruaridh such a ruthless soldier in battle does nothing to endear him to people when off duty. He has been described as aloof at best, arrogant or hostile at worst. He does not mince words, refuses to make small talk simply to make others feel comfortable and will only speak to those he deems worth his time.
- A Tainted Past: A descendant of the Woad Clan Aodh, Ruaridh has not lived an easy life since joining the Death Trooper corps, constantly subject to prejudice both overt and subtle for his clan's part in supporting the ousted Sith vassal state of Galidraan III. This has followed him somewhat into the 501st STRIDER Company, a constant reminder of his past.
I got this template from KinkyPrawn and I got it LEGALLY
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