Star Wars: The Sith War - Character: Tala Delgath

[Tala]

Truth.

Honor.

Vision.

These three words, used so casually and disingenuously by the galaxy at large, form the very core of Mandalorian existence. They describe the ideals of a people who believe in far worse fates than death, a people who would prefer to live vibrant, vital, and inspiring lives than longer, softer, less satisfying ones. Upon these words, much of Mandalorian culture is founded, and by these words has much of their history been forged.

And yet, it is not honesty, respect, or foresight that spring to mind when the subject of the Mando'ade is broached. None speak of the devotion or loyalty of the sons and daughters of Mandalore to their clans. The love of parents for their children, of tradesmen to their craft, goes unmentioned. The reverence accorded fallen kin, the importance of adhering to one's word, and the firm belief that a family is linked by more than blood (especially pertinent to a culture into which war orphans are commonly adopted) are mere footnotes in the galaxy's assessment of such a proud people.

Warmongers. Glory-seekers. Vicious. Brutal. Merciless. Barbarians.

They linger in their region of space, the distant Outer Rim, wounded by the Republic and their losses in the Mandalorian Wars.

Wounded, but not dead. Scarred, but alive, and what the dead may forget, the living remember.

War is their proving-ground, battle their teacher, and glory through strife their chief purpose, but this is not what the Mandalorians have left behind. The wreckage of a body, a ship, an outpost- even a planet, in the limitless span of history- these things are insignificant, transitory. How easily are such things mended, restored, and just as quickly erased?

No, the legacy of the people of Mandalore has been indelibly burned into the consciousness of the galaxy, a spark that, even now, as whispers of the Sith echo anew and the Republic stagnates, begins to flicker with new life.

Fear.

This, then, is where Tala's tale begins.

Far from home, but not lost. Without allies, but not alone.

Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum.

I am alive, though you are gone. I remember, thus you are eternal.

[Tala]

Appearance:

Rather than the soft, womanly beauty so popular among many species of humanoids, Tala's level of attractiveness can be described in terms generally reserved for inanimate objects like a well-crafted weapon or a new racing swoop: clean lines, tight curves, and good symmetry. Her features are too proud, too angular to be "pretty," but her curiously exotic appearance prevents her from being considered merely "plain." If anything, she might be considered "striking," or "handsome," but her scarred knuckles, practical haircut, and unfashionably utilitarian clothing do not a debutante make.

The sizable and well-maintained heavy blaster kept strapped to her thigh isn't exactly an open invitation for romantic interludes, either.