– – Early Life:
Quarza is an odd place perhaps, or at least so Caradin Val thought later on when he explored the wider Galaxy. The planet is undoubtably ancient, having been inhabited for who knows how long, the oldest ruins still discovered intact stretching back millions of years. Humans, Aliens, phases of different colonization seem to have passed over Quarza, each wiped out by some reason or another, for another civilization to build up the bones of the previous inhabitants. The most recent group is relatively new. Exiles from the Old Republic, the Nation/Planet of Quarza as they call it being established only a relatively scant 230 years ago.

Caradin spent most of his youth running around the “Safer” ruins around the singular, main city of Quarza, playing “Adventurer!” with some of the other kids. Avoiding most of his education outside of History, as it was of course something that allowed him to have better “Adventures!”, knowing he was crawling around some particular ruin rather than just a collection of walls and stones.

It was during his youth, in those “play” adventures that he met Serah, and they made their first “real” discovery, an ancient weapon that was mostly non-functional, some sort of stick with energy conduits around it, very odd to their sensibilities. But it was, dragging it back home, turning it in for credits and glory, that Serah and him became a team of “Real Adventurers”, with the one year older Serah taking the lead.

From then on, their Adventures took up more and more of their time, going further into the wilderness in search of more exotic locales and relics, turning from small time adventurers into well known treasure hunters. Well, at least Serah was well known, being quite a more charismatic figure than Caradin and far more hologenic for the recorders.

– – The Moment of Choice:
Three years ago Caradin found what he thought was the location of a ruin that dated back further than anything else cataloged on Quarza. It was going to be their greatest expedition to date, even if they uncovered nothing more than a few chambers that were barely distinguishable as such, and no relics in particular. For Caradin it was going to be HIS crowning moment of glory. He had pulled the data to find this place, plotted the expedition, and done all the preparations. It was a brutal trip, no good air approach, and the wilderness caused more than a few casualties among their expedition. But eventually, after a very long climb down a ravine, and navigating a cave structure, came across the ruins that Caradin sought.

Even better than he could have guessed, it was relatively intact. Meaning that it seemed not to have been looted. It was the sort of grand haul that the Captain would have found. Time had taken its toll, but there was plenty of relics. And unfortunately for them, plenty of dangers. Removing what looked like a prized piece, a set of ornate, ancient armor, triggered something within the ruins. The place started to collapse, traps left forgotten for who knows how long started to trigger, people were getting cut down, and during a harried flight from the ruin Caradin found himself having to ditch everything he couldn't easily carry, left with only a single gauntlet and the helm from the armor.

The end was almost in sight, they were near the ravine they entered from, when a yawning chasm appeared. Both Serah and Caradin made the leap, Caradin landin safely on the far side, and the less physical Serah left clutching on the side, struggling to try to pull herself up to safety.

In that moment, Caradin froze, thinking of his own glory, his own legend, and how Serah had always eclipsed him as she begged for his help. Still, he was about to drop his haul, and drag her up, when she said something that rattled around in his mind every night, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU SLACK JAWED HALF WIT?! HELP ME!”

He was always the 'grunt' in the team. Never respected, never given anything he deserved, just used. And during that moment, he walked away, leaving it to gravity to settle, climbing back out of the ravine, knowing that Serah would die in that pit.

– – Recent History:
Suffice to say with some local hero goes missing, and its reported officially “She fell down a hole”, not everyone is happy with the answers. He had some fame, but not of a sort he'd like, with people whispering behind his back, wondering what REALLY happened out there beyond the official story. Granted the official story was more or less correct, just missing a key tidbit where he could have saved her. It didn't take long for such half heard whispers, suddenly stopping conversations, and similar activity to fray on Caradin's nerves. Eventually, when a fringer freighter stumbled across the planet he bought his way off world, wanting to get away from all the accusations and cold hatred that he at least thought he felt there. Though he told himself it was more about greater challenges out in the Galaxy, new worlds, new ruins, new treasures to discover. Fast paced fist fights, loose women, and mountains of credits waiting for him. He was a big fish in a small pond, and he didn't realize that until quite a bit after he left Quarza.

– – Current Events:
Being a big fish in a small pond, he was quickly lost in the ocean that was the Galaxy. At least people on Quarza knew and respected him for his work. They might have hated him and mistrusted his survival, but he was at least still “Someone”. It wasn't until he was out there he came to really understand why The Captain would have settled on some undiscovered dirtball like Quarza. Not that he ever plans to go back, he doesn't think he can.

Instead he's been hiring himself out as a “Security Expert” to several crews, both criminal and legitimate enterprises, as cracking ruins has given him something of a good working knowledge of what does and doesn't work for site security.

– – Future Goals:
Caradin still has the stars in his eyes. He's looking to find someone to compile his “many adventures” to turn into a holo serial someday, and of course having a few more adventures worthy of inclusion in such a series. Of course along with that includes “The life” as he sees it. Mountains of credits, fast women, respect and awe everywhere he goes. But he figures that comes with after the series about his amazing adventures.

– Relationship – Mentor: Back on Quarza there was one particular figure that most children of his generation idolized during their youth. Captain Randolph Tiberus Franz. Legends about him are many, and few know anything that is demonstratively true about him. Supposedly an old Republic Commando war hero, at least such was the popular version of the story he is the focus of a loooot of tall tales on Quarza, from him knocking out a rampaging gundark with a single punch, to the discovery of the lost city of Tilea, the discoverer of the tomb of the ancient Quarzan Queen Sadeera, able to shoot out dozens of Imperial Stormtroopers in the blink of an eye, and various larger than life feats that have been the subject of a lot of local produced Holo-Drama serials.
Caradin was one of many who shaped his life after the Captain, and stuck with it. Becoming a raucous adventurer and treasure hunter amid the forgotten tombs and ancient hidden places of Quarza. He even got to meet the Captain once, at a celebration following Serah and his discovery of the Staff of the Infinite, a relic dating back several thousand years and rumored in many stories. He was amazed at just how much of the Legend came out in his presence, a very strong, confident man even as he was aged, looking like he could have punched out the whole room, made out with the hottest woman there, and jumped out of a window to land in a speeder before zooming off into the sunset at any moment.
As such it's often a question of “What would the Captain do?” when he's stuck on a situation, and trying to live up to the larger than life figure that he had modeled himself after.

– Betrayal (5): Caradin Val cut, burned, and destroyed every tie he had back home, or so he sees it. Back on the little dirtball of not even on the galactic maps world of Quarza, he left his former treasure hunting partner Serah to die, so he could make it out with the score. Serah was beloved, a famous icon on the planet, and her loss was not exactly overlooked. Even though officially it was “just an accident beyond anyone's help”, Caradin knows the truth. And more than a few guess at the truth, or just resent him for being the one that survived.
– Favor (5): Caradin Val owes a particular smuggler, Samhail Quin a particularly large favor. While delving the ruins on one planet the Smuggler went above and beyond the call of duty, not just being a shuttle to help carry the loot off world, but came in for a hot combat drop when things got harry, blasting back some rather angry locals, and helping Caradin scramble on board, even after the cargo was handed off. It's a debt that Caradin plans to repay some day, and he's sure that Samhail will come calling at one point.

Species: Human
Gender: Male
Height: 5'6”
Weight: 130 lbs
Skin: Pale with freckles.
Hair: Red.
Eyes: Green.