Clone Wars Campaign: Marpa Zalon/Daal Mordo, Zen Techno-Master

The Duro known alternately as Marpa Zalon and Daal Mordo was one of only two PCs in the campaign to endure from the very first session to the very last. Throughout the campaign, Marpa/Daal established himself as having these particular qualities, among others:

1) An indispensable mastery of technology. The PCs would probably have been dead many times over if it wasn't for his expertise at flying starships, his ability to turn any common object into a deadly explosive, and his knack for hacking into pretty much any computer in the galaxy. Occasionally this mastery had unwelcome side-effects for the party, as demonstrated by his pack-rat tendencies and penchant for turning every droid encountered into his servant, but on the whole Marpa/Daal fulfilled a role in the party that no one else could.

2) A zen-like nonchalance towards danger. This Duros was not shaken by anything. When his long-lost father was reunited with him, Marpa/Daal played it cool; when told he had contracted an incurable terminal disease, Marpa/Daal didn't stress; when chased by a squadron of Droidekas on a lonely asteroid, Marpa/Daal didn't bother calling for help--he just kept running. His catchphrase famously became "I have a plan"--he never shared the details of those plans with others, but somehow or another, everything always seemed to work out okay.

3) A complex sense of loyalty. When dealing with perceived enemies, he would give a solemn oath and break it shamelessly (one of the reasons he never got along with Jocasta). When dealing with trusted companions, he would have their backs--but the particular form this took could be unpredictable. For example, he was Tarn Tarmarand's closest friend and even accompanied him on the near-suicidal final battle against the Accelerated; but he also tried, at times, to keep Tarn away from Arresta so both of his friends would be safe from Arresta's jealous husband Stefan.

4) A mutable sense of identity. As established in his original character background (below), this PCs real name is Balan Kootdu. At the start of the campaign, the PCs met him under the moniker of Marpa Zalan. Further into the campaign, in order to escape war crimes charges on Coruscant, he had major cosmetic surgery and adopted the alias Daal Mordo.

All in all, a memorable character who was capable of feats both spectacular and hilarious.

Balan Kootdu/Marpa Zalon/Daal Mordo

Level 16 Male Duros

Scoundrel 5/Soldier 2/Gunslinger 1/Saboteur 4/Military Engineer 4

Hit Points: 91, Damage Threshold: 30, Second Winds: 2

Strength +1, Dexterity +4, Constitution +1, Intelligence +5, Wisdom +1, Charisma +0

Force Points: 14, Speed: 6

Defenses (add 10 if not using house rules): Fortitude +20, Reflex +24, Will +21

Attacks: Blaster +17(+18), d. 3d6+9(10)

Languages: Basic, Durese, Huttese, Neimodian, Rodian, Quarranese, Gamorrean

Talents: Fool's Luck, Gimmick, Master Slicer, Tough as Nails, Device Jammer, Breach Cover, Knockdown Shot, Unexpected Results, Droid Jammer, Sabotage Device, Destructive

Feats: Point Blank Shot, Armor Proficiency (Light), Weapon Proficiency (Simple), Weapon Proficiency (Pistols), Weapon Proficiency (Heavy), Skill Focus: Mechanics, Skill Focus: Use Computer, Skill Focus: Pilot, Skill Focus: Deception, Skill Focus: Perception, Vehicular Combat, Precise Shot, Quick Draw

Skills: Acrobatics +17, Deception +18, Initiative +11, Knowledge: Tactics +18, Mechanics +24, Perception +19, Pilot +22, Stealth +17, Treat Injury +14, Use Computer +24

Equipment: 1600 Credits, 1 Medpac, Datapad, 10 Energy Cells, Comlink w/ Scrambler, Electrobinoculars, 3 Recording Units, Aquata Breather, Flight Suit, Breath Mask, Canister, Security Kit, Tool Kit, Utility Belt, Fusion Lantern, 10 Power Packs, Synthrope, Liquid Cable, Power Recharger, All Temperature Cloak, 4 Glowrods, Masterwork Heavy Blaster Pistol, Ghost Blaster, ["Luggage": Surgery Kit, Sporting Blaster, 16 Glowrods, 19 Devices, Field Kit, Fire Extinguisher, Portable Computer, Power Recharger, Medical Kit, 2 Medpacs, 1 Sensor Pack, 3 Breath Canisters]

BACKGROUND

Marpa Zalon, CIS Defector

Balan Kootdu was born to Tudlin Koot and Bai Du in Nebbes 3, an orbiting city of the planet Duro. His parents were skilled pilots who provided well for their son. His early life was typical of many young Duros. The Duros are renowned spacers, and their upbringing reflects this. Schooling involved astrogation, computer programming and mechanics, along with hundreds of hours logged in flight simulators. Fun was had racing speeder bikes and participating in forbidden zero-g exploration of the city-station exterior with his friends. He was weaned on tall tales of the galaxy told by grizzled old spacers at spaceport bars. Balan was smart and quick, and seemed destined for an exciting life touring the spacelanes.

Unfortunately, his parents’ past caught up with them. Tudlin and Bai had fallen in love while smuggling for the minor Hutt Lord Kordo Deshilich. They became involved after working together on several deliveries. These often required weeks of space travel in order to skirt Rebublic customs and law enforcement. The missions usually involved the transport of dangerous animal or plant life to Kordo’s exotic private zoo on Nal Hutta, or so they thought.

On one ill-fated mission, an improperly drugged wampa escaped from its stasis pod and began running amok in their freighter, slaughtering the small force of thugs, loyal to Kordo. Thinking quickly, the couple barely managed to down the wampa by leading it back to the cargo bay and then opening the bay doors. Scratched and bruised the lovers then proceeded to check on the condition of the rest of the cargo, as there were no more guards there to stop them. They were shocked to find the bodies of 20 living sentient beings in long-term stasis. Kordo was a slaver! Disgusted, they abandoned the slaves in the Corellian system and then scuttled the ship, leaving Kordo to believe the two were killed in a pirate raid.

The two left for Duro, where they took on new identities and performed low profile jobs piloting for various shipping concerns. Years later, Grigg Pquar, a Gand bounty hunter and associate of Kordo, recognized them while she was in Nebbes 3 searching for a reliable pilot. Kordo, infuriated at their betrayal, ordered they be brought to him. Grigg happily complied, kidnapping the two by stowing away on and then commandeering their transport ship.

Balan, then 10 years old, was sent to live with his uncle Zwalin Du, a stern security officer for the Trade Federation in the Neimodian star system. His uncle was a stern guardian, who attempted to instill within Balan the concepts of honour and duty. It worked, but only to a point. The loss of his parents had made Balan angry. He craved justice, but would settle for vengeance. Knowing he wasn’t strong enough yet to tackle Kordo head on, Balan instead opted to first track down Grigg. At the age of 17 he hitched a ride on a transport heading towards Hutt Space, paying his way by performing simple repairs and droid maintenance.

Traveling from port to port in Hutt Space was enlightening, to say the least. The galaxy was a harsh place, and taught tough lessons. Though his techie and piloting abilities provided him reliable income and passage, assimilating into the criminal culture of the sector was still fraught with peril. His first mugging taught him to never let his hand idle long from his blaster, nor his eyes from his surroundings. Ever wary of treachery, Balan made few friends but fewer enemies. Keeping a low profile helped him tail Grigg from world to world, but with her own ship she always remained out of reach. Three years of fruitless chasing prompted him to change his strategy. He needed a ship. He needed resources.

Balan swore to return to the hunt for Grigg once he was well established. His uncle informed him of an ambitious new recruiting program put in place by the Techno Union. The Union was in need of field techs capable of coordinating units of their battle droids. The droids, though physically potent, showed an obvious lack of creativity and flexibility when compared with organic troops. Balan’s natural talents impressed the recruiters, and he was accepted for further training.

Balan was in his element. He studied tactics and droid technology, and refined his piloting and technical skills. His superiors were consistently pleased with his progress. So pleased that they decided Balan was to be groomed for a very special project, his rebirth as a cybernetic commando. Members of the Techno Union had long accepted cybernetic technology into the mainstream, and Balan was to become one of the lucky few to bridge the gap between the organic and the artificial.

Young and healthy enough to survive the extensive surgeries required, his mind and body would be improved with numerous cybernetic upgrades and attachments. He would then be perfectly suited to lead droid units in special ops. Balan was ecstatic, for this was exactly the sort of power he needed to take on Grigg and Kordo. But a few days before he was scheduled to undergo the surgery, the Clone Wars broke out, and the top brass thought it fitting that Balan Kootdu’s worthiness be tested in the field before they invested so much in him.

He was sent to Tatooine with a droid contingent under the command of the Cerean cyborg commando, Atemnu Lakiss. Atemnu was an earlier success of the Techno Union, being both a brilliant leader and a powerful warrior. He led a lightning fast assault against a Republic outpost, decimating its defenses and capturing virtually all of its colonists alive. When the order came down form above to execute every last one, Atemnu vehemently refused. Though hardened as he was from his time in Hutt Space, what Balan witnessed next horrified him.

The officers from the Techno Union neglected to mention the absolute control they had over their cyborg creations. They remotely overrode Atemnu’s central nervous system with latent droid programming stored in his implants. Atemnu, now a puppet, proceeded to slaughter the helpless Republic citizens. Balan was furious. He retreated to the droid carrier and managed to use its ion guns to temporarily stun Atemnu and his droids, allowing many of the colonists to escape with their lives. He the proceeded to steal the ship and head towards Republic controlled space.

Balan eventually sold the carrier to unscrupulous merchants in order to bribe his way onto Coruscant. There he disappeared into the planet’s sizable Duros population, forging a new identity and a new life for himself. He became the cynical Marpa Zalon, mercenary and bodyguard. Taking on a mission to guard a Republic interpreter, his adventures begin…

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