Arden Shan was born on Onderon to a simple family of merchants. When she was young, during an attack by the Empire, various parts of the city were left in ruin. In an attempt to get her family to safety, Arden's mother fled with her and her younger brother to Jedha, the only three survivors of the family.

Life was difficult, and with an inherent sense of protectiveness for her mother, Arden and her brother would grow up getting into all sorts of mischief in an attempt to help make ends meet. Arden particularly had a knack for flying and the gift of the gab. In her free time she would wander, and it was there she first met a Guardian of the Whills, a monk who worshipped the force. This caught her interest, more because she thought he was a funny, crazy old man, but she ended up following him around a lot after that, listening to his little nuggets of wisdom.

She would end up being introduced to the rest of the order at one point, and ended up befriending the lot of them. And it was there she began to realize there was more to the universe... and to her. The force, an ever-living thing, fascinated her. There was something about it that was... familiar, in a way. The way they described it, like an old friend she knew. Sometimes, she thought she could feel echoes of things around her in an odd way, and the monks began to suspect the force was more present in her than in some. She could draw on it in ways the others could not, and she could sense the universe around her when she focused. The other monks did their best to help her in using this ability more, and though difficult, she would slowly improve.

Her life was a strange mix of working crime to make ends meet and... the peaceful serenity of the monks. It almost seemed like the Shans were going to get back on their feet. Alas, it was not so. Just as things were beginning to improve, tragedy struck.

Arden had always had a knack for getting into trouble. She had a fiery temper which had brought her grief before, but nothing like this. She angered a hutt, having lost her temper in a job gone wrong, and ended up upsetting him. He immediately had her apprehended and shipped off to the gladiator pits to fight; if she would lash out so much, it might as well be for his entertainment.

Perhaps the biggest achievement in the force aiding her was there. How she survived the many fights she was thrown into, against things far bigger and stronger things than herself, she didn't know. It seemed purely by luck, but she never was quite sure. Perhaps she was more attuned to the force than she thought. It was a dark time for her, however, and it seemed she would die fighting in the pits. And yet, she didn't.

The fact she didn't die impressed even the Hutt, and one day he came to her with an offer, willing to let her back out if she continued to work for him. She was not free to go, however; she was simply getting a longer leash rather than the walls of a cell and the limits of an arena. And she didn't really have a choice in the matter and so agreed.

He sent her galaxy hopping in search of artifacts that interested him. The first stop was Ossus, and things went south nearly immediately. Her ship was knocked out of the sky by one of the storms, stranding her on the planet. She spent a few days there, mostly just trying to survive while she worked on ship repairs and waited for a break in the storm to fly into orbit. During one of those nights, she began to be plagued with visions. She saw visions of a building--a temple?--on Coruscant being fully ransacked by soldiers. She saw many other things, as well; ancient wars, an untamed planet. At the center of it all, she saw a mask, ancient and crumbling, buried in a tomb on a dark, stormy planet. Quiet whispers called her there. And she woke up with a start. She tried not to think too much on it, though the mask was ever on her mind.

As she waited for it to be safe enough to fly off the planet again, Arden decided to explore the various ruined dotting the landscape, and she would find herself in one of the ancient temples. Most things were destroyed; there were some hints of history, but not enough to truly express much. Until she found a most unusual thing... a small, glowing box. Being the only intact artifact she could find, she took it, quietly slipping it in her bag before deciding to leave.

With the box nearby, the dreams grew more intense but she ignored them as much as she could. Soon, she would be able to return. She had been intending to give the hutt the box... but as she drew closer to his throne room, she realized she could not. Something about it... it called to her.

It must be the force.

Mysteries: The Force


Morality: 50
Strength: Assertiveness
Weakness: Obstinancy
Strength: Compassion
Weakness: Hatred

Family (10): Arden's family has gone missing, and she hasn't seen them since she was imprisoned. She wonders what happened to them.

Servitude (10): The Shans' family debt has not been repaid yet, and Arden is unfortunately the one chosen by Oggo to fulfill it. Most likely, she will be serving him for the rest of her life.