Born into the Priest caste on Pantora, Em Takanaka found himself caught between two clashing identities. On one hand, he found himself to not only excel in the disciplines required of the priest class (ceremonial battle sparring, limited but healthy diet, rigorous physical training, public speaking, and the emphasis on peace so that the priest caste could hold the pantoran military accountable), but felt constantly by the caste's isolated and almost xenophobic mentality. Em constantly dreamed of actually seeing the moon his goddess was said to be, along with the stars that shown all around her. Jedi came to Pantora regularly and every year they asked if he could be tested to see if he had what it takes to be initiated. And every year the priests let him be test, he would pass the tests, and they would refuse to let him join. They claimed it was to continue to test his personal discipline and skill against an outside body, but he always felt like they were just using him to prove...something to these Jedi. Yet every year, he always dreamed of joining, of being free of this monastic life and seeing the galaxy that he was taught to love and to want to protect from violence.

When he came of age (21), the Jedi came again, and this time the priests offered him a choice. To leave their caste forever and join the Jedi, or to never have this chance again. While it broke his heart to leave his friends, family, and young love(s)(?), he knew that there was more to life than this. He felt called to leave, but now was unsure if that calling came from the moon goddess, or from this "force" the Jedi claimed he was strong with. Packing up what little personal he had, he used his final day on pantora to receive another golden tattoo on his left forearm to mark not only where he had come from, but where he was going (circle at wrist, two parallel lines going up to the inner elbow).

However, joining the order was not exactly what he had imagined. While the Jedi were relatively clear about the length of the initial trainings, he excelled far more than they expected him to. His skill with a lightsaber came naturally, as did his connection to many of the esoteric sides of the force the Jedi attempted to cultivate in all of their adherents. However, the length of that initial training was still over a year, year where he never was allowed to leave the academy on Telos. Because of his age and skill, he was often allowed to train separately from the younglings he would have been grouped with if he was the traditional age, and often studied and sparred with apprentices closer to his age that were much closer to becoming Padawans. However, over the course of the following year, most of said apprentices were selected by masters and their training truly began. But again, due to Em's unique circumstances, unique connection to the force, and consequential arrogance, no master seemed willing to give him a chance. He was the top of his class, but never allowed to graduate. And that lust for adventure creeped back in...

Now, at 23 years old, one of the masters at the temple has selected him specifically to join Master Mezeh's expansionist tutelage. Her unique appreciation of the force and the teachings of the Jedi, alongside her mission to head the expansion into the outer rim are exactly what the young man has been dreaming of!

67 morality


Strength: Discipline
Weakness: Arrogance