Lav Ovres
(inspired by this art, credit: @fiaoradd
https://twitter.com/fiaoradd/status/1198493379861999617)
"Have you heard? An offworlder Mak traded with yesterday heard that Skywalker is founding another Order. Said we ought to expect visitors from them in the coming years."
"Oh? That's a shame."
"A shame? I thought you liked most outsiders! How are you going to convince people to help with your dream of having a spaceport with an attitude like that?"
"I'll be the first to welcome visitors. You know that. It's the business of another Order I find shameful."
"You don't think it's necessary, do you?"
"No. I don't. There are already too many here on Dathomir who are trapped by the past. The galaxy would be a better place if more people recognized that things should sometimes end."
―Belsu Vune and Lav Ovres discuss the latter's opinion of Rey Skywalker's new Jedi Order
Biography
Early life
"If the elders are right, your son is a tyrant-in-waiting."
"If the elders are wrong, they will have killed him for nothing!"
―Za Caldess and Mursa Ovres argue about the fate of Mursa's child
Born on their home world of Dathomir in 20 ABY,
Lav Ovres was a Dathomirian Zabrak who grew up among the remnants of three Nightbrother clans which consolidated into a single settlement following both the destruction of many of their former rulers, the Nightsisters, in 19 BBY, and the eventual death of their surviving successor, Nightsister Jerserra, at the hands of bounty hunters in service to the Empire in 4 ABY. These events, among others (such as the departure of Nightsister Merrin in 14 BBY after the killing of Taron Malicos), left some numerically reduced clans with both newfound freedoms and struggles to sustain themselves. By 6 ABY, clans Freff, Viscus, and Mak Eak had united their remaining members at Iuunithia, the village of Lav's birth. Iuunithia would carry on many of the martial traditions of the Nightbrothers, though aimed now not towards the benefit of the Nightsisters, but towards self-defense and empowerment, and it is in that tradition Lav was initially raised.
Controversy came early to Lav's life when they began to exhibit traits associated with force sensitivity at a young age. The former Nightbrother clans had been forbidden from the practice of Nightsister magicks, which relied upon the force, during their subjugation, and it had been the Nightsisters who had trained and forged the few force sensitives among them into adept warriors to serve their machinations. Without reliable access to these sources of knowledge, Iuunithia's population had been left with only what elders in the new community gleaned from contact with their former masters. Some proposed killing Lav and others like them for fear of the reassertion of tyranny at the hands of a force capable being's abilities. After much debate, they were allowed to live, but some aspects of traditional martial training were barred to them as they aged. The Dathomirian sidestepped some of these restrictions as a teenager by collaborating in secret with their friend Belsu Vune out of a desire to use an antiquated electrostaff salvaged from the remnants of a Separatist droid. During these formative years, the pair became close, eventually claiming one another as lovers. Belsu, a year younger than Lav, had a fascination with storytelling, especially those tales of the force adept warriors of precisely the type that his friend-turned-partner was forbidden from aspiring towards. It was from Belsu that Lav would hear many of these stories, some more true than others, which were otherwise kept from him, but they were always more interested in the parts of the stories about the feats of the Nightsisters' magicks than the victory of one Nightbrother over another.
It was in the latter half of their teens that Lav would begin actively dabbling in experimenting with how they could use the Force in a more focused way, taking detours on hunts when accompanied by those they trusted to pursue leads on sources of Nightsister magicks. Although somewhat disappointed in Lav's desire to investigate abilities he thought less practical than those of great feats of strength and athleticism, Belsu was nonetheless excited by Lav's emerging ambitions, and on the day of a breakthrough among the ruins of an old Nightsister coven near the legendary Mother Talzin's former lair the two swore a pact to one another and formed the
Greensiblings (so named due to the characteristic green coloration of many ichor-based magicks). The purpose of their new group, when it grew, would be to enrich life for everyone in Iuunithia by harnessing Lav's growing knowledge of, and connection to, the planet's curious Force traditions. Three days later, however, the couple's nascent plans would be unceremoniously put on hold when Iuunithia's elders took action and called the seventeen year old before a meeting of the settlement's families.
Exile
"I am here because you fear the old instruments cannot be put to new uses!"
―Lav Ovres, to their accusers on the day of their punishment
Wary of the force user's escapades, which had not gone unnoticed for long, Iuunithia's leading residents demanded Lav refrain from any further use of their force powers and discontinue their ventures into former Nightsister strongholds. Lav retorted that they could not do the former even if they desired to and that the community had nothing to fear from their interest in the latter. The old magicks, Lav said, could benefit Iuunithia if rediscovered in full. Their open interest in practices associated with the regime of the Nightsisters inflamed the passions of the elders, who reiterated demands they threatened to enforce on pain of death. Following a heated discussion, an enraged Lav agreed to a "compromise": in exchange for renouncing their rights to participate in any decision-making in the village, giving up any future leadership positions during hunts, and agreeing to live alone on the outskirts of the settlement, near where only outsiders were rarely received, they'd be permitted to continue their research. Embittered and resentful at even their own family for standing by the accord meted out to them, Lav moved their things to barren accommodations relatively far from the life they had so far enjoyed, only rendezvousing with Belsu later in the day to tearfully take leave of one another for the immediate future. Even this did not go smoothly for the young person, however, as their partner was himself angry at them for effectively surrendering the majority of their daily contact with one another for their own ambitions. Still, as the years dragged on afterwards, Belsu would wage a campaign of petty revenge from within the rest of the village, never sparing his peers when an opportunity presented itself to point out how Lav's presence would have been helpful tracking prey during a hunt or when aiding heal a sickened villager.
Lav, meanwhile, resigned themselves to the nearly lost arts they had bargained so much away for. Driven to a deeper connection with the darker aspects of Dathomir's traditions by passions brought on by their punishment, they began learning of the more combative elements of Nightsister magicks from the Force spirits they began having frequent contact with. These ghosts, it seemed to them, were resonant with their emotions when they presented themselves befit of companions, as their new position drove them to do more regularly than they had before. Faced with social isolation and only begrudging toleration during times of need from their own people, Lav turned towards both inner contemplation and began going out of their way to be the first to greet outsiders to Iuunithia. The exposure to these foreigners, who were rare, especially at first, was meant to serve as part of the Dathomirian's punishment, but Lav slowly came to see it as an opportunity.
Return and reform
"Not every decision can be mine to make. I'm making mistakes and always will. We need more siblings."
―Lav Ovres, in a letter to Belsu Vine
Although the Greensibling's relationship and Lav's friendships suffered tremendously during the first five years of exile, things eventually changed. Lav's self-discipline allowed their skills to grow enough to make some of their capabilities unique among the village's inhabitants. Increasingly, their efforts to befriend travelers and traders paid off in the form of increased influence and recognition. "Dathomir's last witch" became something of a defining feature for Iuunithia outside of its domestic community, even as the latter attempted to keep itself distant from both the former and the galaxy at large. Attitudes towards Lav began to shift more rapidly following a generational shift among the elders in the latter half of the 40s, whose new members found themselves in closer proximity with Lav's own generation; it was from among these younger people, communicated to via word of mouth spread by outsiders who had befriended Lav (a method first pioneered by Belsu), that they had gathered a small collection of advocates and adherents who claimed membership in the Greensiblings.
Finally, in 47 ABY, ten years after being dispatched to the village outskirts, a meeting of the community partially reinstated Lav's freedoms by once again permitting them to reside within the village proper and participate in some community decision making. To the surprise of many, the Dathomirian took up a new residence not far from their place of exile and did not protest the persistent ban on their leadership of hunting groups. In the first three years that have followed their return the Greensiblings grew exponentially from prolonged contact with the charismatic leader and the revival of their standing. The name of the group has become synonymous with Iuunithia itself in the eyes of many foreigners, a development not warmly received by all. Some critics of the group have claimed that their good deeds, many of them enabled by Lav's increasingly bold usage of the Force, are a ploy to open up the community to their foreign contacts.
As of 50 ABY, Lav Ovres found themselves, and the Greensiblings, in an unprecedented position. Still, they expressed discontent with the pace at which Iuunithia was able to improve the lives of its own people, even with the aid of the old magicks, and Belsu occasionally suggested that only the spread of their message into other isolated clans could equip them with the resources to truly accomplish many of his lover's goals. So far, Lav has resisted these suggestions, but at only 30 years old, their mind, and the minds of their followers, remained liable to be changed as the galaxy, and Dathomir, looked to an uncertain future.
Appearance
"One day your good looks are going to be marred by a scar you can't magick away."
"You don't have to sound so optimistic about it, you know."
―Belsu Vune and Lav Ovres, playfully mocking one another
Standing at a slightly taller-than-average height of 1.83 meters for a Dathomirian of their generation, Lav Ovres sported many of the distinctive features of a traditional Nightbrother. They had dark green skin altered by the presence of black tattoos, six mostly symmetrical horns protruding from their skull, and light green eyes. The coloration of their eyes often changed to a more prominent, glowing shade of bright green when utilizing Dathomirian magicks. Long and curly dark brown hair flowed from their head down to just below their shoulders.
Like most of their kin, the circumstances of their existence promoted physical fitness as part of their lifestyle, and Lav in particular was an avid runner with moderately high muscle tone. On most days, their physique was concealed by a modest, loose-fitting outfit of dark grey composed of a simple sleeveless tunic, pants, and a sash at the waist. They were rarely seen in public without their Clone Wars-vintage electrostaff strapped across their back, where it often accompanied a traditional bow and quiver for hunting expeditions.
Personality and traits
"Talzin. Jerserra. Ventress. Even Malicos. Even Merrin, who forsook us. All of them are dead. Your kind are no more."
"Yet you still seek us out. Nightbrother! Trespasser! Fool!"
"Yes. I am all you have. Neither Nightsister nor Nightbrother, but a lonely child of Dathomir. Still yours, if you would have me."
"It is forbidden!"
"To what end? Your voices going forever unheard? Your sacrifices being for naught? Your living descendants perishing in poverty? Either teach me or seal our fates by your own powers and kill me!"
". . . You will learn, child of Dathomir. The fire will not go unattended."
―Lav Ovres confronts the spirits of dead Nightsisters in 36 ABY
Lav grew up an inquisitive child, and bold curiosity, sometimes bordering on recklessness, had been a characteristic trait of the Dathomirian from an early age. They expressed an ongoing willingness to sacrifice even their closest personal relationships in pursuit of satisfying their love of knowledge, even to the extent of endangering their longest and only romantic entanglement. Of the few items they considered precious, almost all were rarities they thought had enriched their skills in some way. Lav's interests were tempered by their relative disinterest in the affairs of offworlders, as they were focused far more on Dathomir's history and future.
To many, Lav was a charismatic presence driven by oft-articulated passions. They had demonstrated their priorities among their kin on a number of occasions; demonstrations sometimes unintentionally paired with use of the Force. Lav had described their strongest belief as one in a uniquely Dathomirian prosperity, less muddled by divisions among the traditional clans. As they grew older, the force sensitive had been influenced by their contact with sources of Nightsister lore and magicks, and their opinions were more zealously expressed then they were in years prior. Fear of their magicks weakening due to apathy, or worse, laziness, haunted them, in large part because they had proven such assets in growing Iuunithia's prosperity.
The Greensiblings's leader had, on occasion, seemed to desire suffering, and had described their punishment by their fellow Dathomirians as an opportunity for growth despite how bitter the isolation obviously made them. This desire had provoked concern from some of their friends, as Lav was often considered among the most outgoing when healthy, causing them to find such statements unnerving.
Powers and abilities
"They can conjure arrows out of the air to fill a hunter's empty quiver and heal the sick more quickly than any medicine, but no strange power seems likely to bring them back to me."
―Mursa Ovres comments on her third child's abilities and their distant relationship circa 48 ABY
Trained from a young age with many of the traditional priorities of the Nightbrother clans in mind, Lav grew accustomed to the typical pursuits of a hunter, forager, and warrior in Iuunithia, and continued to pursue what they could in those fields even after the community began to restrict their martial training. Lav's keen interest in rarities allowed them to supplement missing elements of that combative skill set with a proficiency in wielding an electrostaff picked up via sparring with their friend Belsu as a teenager. A natural sensitivity to the Force further enhanced many of these skills. Tracking, the applications of medicinal concoctions, and navigation became especially strong focuses of the Dathomirian.
As a budding practitioner of Dathomirian magicks, Laz had command of an increasingly large arsenal of abilities powered by the planet's, and their own, connection to the dark side of the Force. In combat, they were observed conjuring weapons of spirit ichor to defend themselves when otherwise disarmed and on one occasion created a shield temporarily capable of protecting themselves and others from blaster bolts. Nonetheless, their partner Belsu criticized their lack of attention to expanding these applications of their magicks.
Many of Laz's most powerful uses of the force had been more mundane and utilitarian, ranging from regular use of telekinesis for extended periods of time to assist in physical labor to aiding the precision of a healer's hand when wielding a scalpel. Especially talented in the twisting of the spirit ichor into a salve, they proved themselves a capable enough healer to bring a dozen people wounded during a disastrous encounter with Dathomir's most dangerous wildlife back from the brink of death en masse over the course of mere minutes. These abilities extended into the mending of "wounds" to non-living things, allowing Laz to rapidly mend and repair physical objects in various forms of disarray or disrepair, though not always permanently, and limited by the scale of damage wrought.
Star Wars lore is vast and highly detailed! There’s so many opportunities to squeeze unique and new characters into the lore. In honour of May the Fourth, we’re designating the month of May as Star Wars Month!