Thoja Desann (Jedi Renaissance)

"The darkness surges beneath the current of the light, but neither ever gains dominance. The strength of either is undeniable, and through that strength I can achieve that which the Council demands."

- Thoja Desann describes how the two aspects of the Force affect his performance as a Jedi.

Thoja Desann was a Chistori male Jedi Knight who served the Jedi Order during the Golden Age of the Jedi. Reserved and contemplative, Desann struggled constantly with the darkness within him, forcing him to seek solace in meditation on Bogan for many long years in order to keep his emotions in check. On the rare chance the Council of First Knowledge assigned him a mission it was to track down a Force Adept or sect preaching the use of the dark side or to recover a missing Sith artifact.

Biography
Born on the planet Erk'rin'Chi'st, Thoja Desann was a subject of shame to his parents, as their society thought of the Force as a strange, unfamiliar thing. Stowing their infant son away on a passing cargo hauler, Desann was discovered by Arconan food shippers who had a contract with the Jedi Order. Captain Arz Manon, a glory hunter of minor renown, had often wanted to gain the kindness of the Jedi through more then shipping food to some of their outposts and so decided to turn over the child after testing his blood for Force-sensitivity. Rushing to the Order's academy on Almas, Desann was turned over to the Jedi there who bestowed Manon with a Friend of the Order medal and several hundred credits for his troubles. Transporting Desann to Ossus, the Jedi placed him under the care of the Docents of the Acquisitions Division and opened his mind to the Force. When reaching the appropriate age, Desann entered the Grand Academy where he began his training in the Force as part of a clan of fellow Initiates.

A quiet and shy youth, Desann preferred to study alone within the Academy library or to meditate in silence atop the academy's broad, flat rooftop. Despite his aloofness, Desann's instructor's took note of his natural flow in the Force and his tendency to stray into darkness without provocation. Urging him to remember to remain in Balance with the Force, Desann would struggle much of his life to keep the Balance and dedicated much of his training to meditation on the Jedi Code. Selected by Academy staff to introduce Battlemaster Cin Drallig at the Academy Apprentice Tournament of 4 BBY, Desann credited the storied swordsmaster with training a new generation of Knights capable of leading the Order into a future where the failings of the Clone Wars, Exar Kun, Freedon Nadd, Revan and Malak and all the other failed Jedi no longer plagued the Order and its standing within the galaxy. During the competition, Desann was able to overpower many of his peers with his sheer size, and his ability with a lightsaber was not put to the test until his defeat at the hands of fellow Initiate Mara Jade. Bowing to Jade's superior form, Desann's humility was noted by Master Ranik Solusar who approached the Chistori Initiate and offered to help him retool his lightsaber skills and keep his Balance in the Force.

Powers and abilities
"Thanks to you, we ensure that the Jedi of the future will surpass those which came before us in martial skill and command of the Force. We shall eradicate the memory or our failings, and they shall be replaced by a new race of warriors; strong warriors, warriors who know that the Force is our guiding light in the darkness, and that its beacon is always true and holds the promise of liberation from our mortal failings!"

- Thoja Desann presents Academy Battlemaster Cin Drallig to those Jedi assembled at the beginning of the Academy Apprentice Tournament of 4 BBY.

Trained at the Grand Academy on Ossus, Thoja Desann had mastered the basics of Jedi training by the age of 14 standard years. When wielding a lightsaber, Desann typically fought with a variation of the Djem So fighting style, taking advantage of the naturally superior strength and reach conferred by his formidable Chistori size. In addition to his abilities as a saber duelist, he was tremendously skilled in telekinesis and persuading individuals through the use of illusions and mind tricks. A trained Shadow, Desann utilized many esoteric Force abilities while on missions, allowing him to seemingly vanish from sight or to create doppelgangers.