A/N: Welcome to the quest!
We lay our scene in the twilight of the Old Republic, thirty years before the dawn of Palpatine's Galactic Empire.
Your mission is not merely to survive, but to thrive amidst the chaos. Specifically, the big-picture goal for this quest is to successfully develop a 'third option' Force sect, one that is neither Jedi nor Sith.
Gray Paladin is designed as an 'Open World' (or 'Sandbox') quest. My hope in writing this is to immerse you in the Star Wars galaxy, to draw you in and let you roam free - to leave no stone unturned, to play in this galactic sandbox to the full.
Details and mechanics will be introduced over the course of the Prologue; let's jump right in.
Gray Paladin: A Star Wars Quest
Year 951 ARR [49 BBY]
Hedrett Medical Center, Hedrett, Cularin system
Tai's hair was caked in sweat, her face flushed and blotchy.
Constantine had never seen her so beautiful.
His arm was numb where she gripped it. His ears were practically deafened from the screams and obscenities of the last few hours.
None of that mattered.
"Oobah... Oobah!" intoned the Polis Massan midwife-droid.
"I have your kriffing - Ooh! - 'oobah' right here!" Constantine's wife spat. "Oh sithspit that stings. Get your - Aah! - frakin' faceless front-plate out of my face." Tai swiped ineffectually at the hovering droid.
Time to intervene. "You're doing great, you're almost there!" He reassured, holding the hand on his arm. "Just remember to…" Constantine winced as her grip tightened, as another contraction hit her. "Breathe!"
Tai glared at him, too exhausted to respond aloud.
"Chroon-Tan, how much longer?"
"Very nearly there, sir." The droid placidly replied. "The head has just started to crown."
"Hear that, honey? You're doing great." His words might have had more effect, if he hadn't been repeating the same mantra for the past hour.
Her eyes conveyed exactly what she thought of him.
"Miss?" The droid interjected. "Remember, right now the important thing is to not push. We need to let the baby come out in its own time."
She nodded.
"Oobah!"
She glared.
He coughed politely. "That's not really helpful." He pointed out, once he'd caught the droid's attention.
"It is protocol for a reason, sir."
Constantine sorely regretted not popping open Chroon-Tan's control panels hours ago, when there had been time to spare. What was the point in being the best slicer in the sector, if not to double-check the competence of the midwife-droid's birthing subroutines?
"There are the shoulders. Are you ready, Miss? One last contraction… oobah!"
Chroon-Tan expertly maneuvered the cradling paddles to catch the newborn, as it emerged with a rather disgusting 'shlick'-ing sound.
His wife collapsed limply on the medical table, before straining her neck to look at the droid's precious cargo.
For all the surging emotions of the moment, an idle part of him found itself impressed by the droid. Whatever its bedside manner, the droid certainly knew its business, cleaning and testing and handling the baby – his child! – in the few seconds while it moved up the table.
"Isita oida."
It was a girl. He had a daughter!
"Have you decided on a name?" The droid prompted.
Tai was still catching her breath, so he spoke for both of them. "Yes. The name is Diana - Diana Ramble."
"Very good, sir. Now, Miss: would you like to hold your child?" The midwife-droid had anticipated his wife's quick response and was already holding the baby out. "Here you are."
Their child had quickly latched on and began nursing, both parents rapt at the sight.
The droid blithely continued, "Be advised: there will be a few mild contractions as your body deals with the afterbirth. While we wait, I can fill out the final birth certificate on your behalf."
The new father was the first to respond, several seconds later, seemingly unaware of the time elapsed. "That… would be fine."
"All right, you have already filled out the relevant data, but my protocols require verbal confirmation before I may proceed. What is the father's full name?"
"My name is Constantine Ramble."
"And the mother?"
"Tai Ramble." As with her husband, it had taken several seconds for the new mother to realize there had been a question.
"Is that your name from birth?"
"From marriage. My maiden name is Mox."
"Finally, please identify your current residence."
Constantine answered. "We live at 220 Kantal Boulevard, Hedrett, Cularin, Cularin system, Thaere sector, Expansion Regions."
Results:
Main Character's Gender:
-[X] "Isita oida." It was a girl.
Main Character's Name (Write In):
-[X] Diana Ramble
Father's Name (Write In):
-[X] Constantine Ramble
Mother's Name (Write In):
-[X] Tai Ramble née Mox
Main Character's Homeworld:
[] 110 Upper Bay View, Cirran, Cirrus, Cirrus system, Dantus sector, Outer Rim Territories
[X] 220 Kantal Boulevard, Hedrett, Cularin, Cularin system, Thaere sector, Expansion Regions
[] 330 Jigani Overlook, Maslovar, Desevro, Desev system, Tion Hegemony sector, Outer Rim Territories
[] 440 Remada Row, Mos Espa, Tatooine, Tatoo system, Arkanis sector, Outer Rim Territories
[] 55 East, Ffib Forest Base, Forest Moon of Endor, Endor system, Moddell sector, Inner Zuma Region, Outer Rim Territories
A/N: Gray Paladin is a Star Wars quest I'm running over at the 'Sufficient Velocity' forum (no links, but it's the first result if you google 'Gray Paladin Sufficient Velocity'). I wanted to encourage my ff-net readers to check it out and join the fun. My primary focus will be on running and writing the quest on SV, so updates to the story on this site will be irregular at best.
The quest was inspired by a wiki-walk I did through 'Wookieepedia', the Star Wars wikia. Namely: over the course of about a year or so, I viewed every page for every sector, system, and planet in the Star Wars galaxy. Turns out it's pretty hard to get that immersed in a fictional universe without wanting to try your hand at it. Hence this quest.
In terms of quest design: I borrowed the basic action economy and mechanics from Crusader Kings II (i.e., with Martial, Diplomacy, Stewardship, Intrigue, Lore, & Research categories) with significant modifications to how advisors and allies work, how traits are developed, and how assets are gained. All that to say: the mechanics fall pretty heavily on the 'simulationist' side of the spectrum.
On the other hand, the story itself (and my manner of writing it) falls quite distinctly on the 'narrativist' side of the spectrum. As much as I want to immerse my readers in the Star Wars galaxy proper, I also want them to invest in the characters and the choices they must make. Whatever the results of each round of voting, my priority is crafting a compelling story, with relatable characters facing realistic situations. Even if one has superpowers, while the other is a...
Spoilers!