Azalyn Kass`l was a Force-sensitive half-Human, half-Nagai who became a Novice of the Order of Keltrayu. Even as a child she was widely considered by her comrades to be the most gifted and powerful seer in the Order's history apart from Rin Sakaros.
Biography[]
Special bonds[]
When Azalyn was conceived, her mother, Odala Kass`l, had been cut off from the Force. While this did not affect Azalyn's own Force sensitivity, Odala was anguished over the inability to know her daughter while she was developing, along with the loss of her own powers. Rin Sakaros arrived on Nar Shaddaa to visit her family, and, sensing Odala's situation, offered to help.
For three torturous, excruciating days, Rin worked to amend the issue, entering a trance to focus entirely on the mental. She first introduced herself to Azalyn in the Force; having never experienced a mind wrapped so totally around hers, Azalyn almost panicked several times, although Rin slowly reassured her and Azalyn came to accept her presence, even feel comforted by it. After Rin restored Odala's connection to the Force, she had to keep the two minds separated; having never sensed her mother before, a sudden onslaught of Odala's presence would likely have killed Azalyn instantly.
As Rin very carefully introduced Azalyn's mind to Odala's, Azalyn balked. She had accepted the idea of someone loving and nurturing and accepting her, but she was perfectly content to have Rin be that person. Over two days, Rin gradually got Azalyn accustomed to her mother's presence, accepting Odala as that nurturing caregiver. But there would always be a special place in her heart and mind for Rin, whose mere presence could comfort her.
Early life[]
Azalyn learns the Force from her mother
Rin's labors nearly killed her, and the excitement to know each other she had fostered between Azalyn and Odala resulted in Azalyn's birth only hours after Rin collapsed. She was born nearly a month premature, but the medical droids in Ara Merquise's Fortress kept both mother and daughter healthy.
As she grew, Azalyn had constant playmates in Nagarian Sakaros and Octavia Solios. She was quieter and more intuitive than either of them, but shared their adventurous spirit. Her closest bond was with her mother, but she cherished Rin Sakaros's occasional visits as well, feeling a familiar and kindred spirit in the Sith witch even before she understood why.
New family[]
Odala had expected since Azalyn's birth that the girl would eventually become a Centurion, sensing the powerful bond between Azalyn and Rin. After Odala and her extended family moved to Belsavis, Odala eventually persuaded her husband Veli to make the decisions. Azalyn journeyed to the Golden Empire in 147 ABY and was accepted as a Novice.
Azalyn quickly acquired a number of friends and admirers in the Order. The Fyaar Centurion Vem had been fond of Azalyn even on Nar Shaddaa, and continued to be protective of her, though her habit of calling him "Kitty" confused some of her new siblings. Prefect Eskol Kaartinen took a vested interest in Azalyn's development, knowing Rin's interest in and affection for the child. Azalyn began to mimic Rin's habit of completing others' sentences, as she could often intuit what people were going to say and when they wanted her. Numerous Centurions compared Azalyn favorably to Terran Saul, who had been the Order's most prominent seer prior to his death.
In 148 ABY, agents of the One Sith captured Odala and Alluria Solios on Dantooine. Rin personally led a strike force of Centurions to rescue them, but while Alluria was saved, Odala perished before they could reach her. Azalyn sensed her mother's death from across the galaxy and collapsed into sobs, though when she was flown out to Belsavis for the funeral, she accepted the apologies of a tearful Rin, knowing her friend and protector had done her best.
Savior of the Citadel[]
Thank you. Thank you for my daughter's life. I can never—never—repay you enough, but anything I can ever do for you, you have only to ask. We're already sisters, but you will always have a friend in me.
—Jira Zaffrod to Azalyn Kass`l
Azalyn returned to the Citadel, and though she continued to miss her mother and feel sad about losing her, the support of her new family and Rin's encouragement helped her focus. During the Nightmare War, she got to know Delliak and Nike Sakaros and Terra Zaffrod, who were being kept safe with the Order while their parents conducted the war.
When the Sith Star was boarded during the Battle of Dolomir, the Novices took refuge in the Citadel, but Azalyn received a vision of Voara Culee and Charg leading a squad of Vyrak clones to them and massacring everyone inside. Desperate, she managed to get the attention of the Chiss Centurion Vos'elk'eetash, who witnessed Azalyn's vision and believed it. Selkee, Kaartinen, and Te`net Organi set up an emergency defense, managing to hold off the Anzati until reinforcements arrived.
Azalyn was hailed as a hero for her role in protecting her family. Jira Zaffrod sought her out after the battle to tearfully thank her for saving Terra's life. Jira became the newest addition to Azalyn's group of admirers and protectors that day, and helped Azalyn make cookies for her fellow Novices in the aftermath of the battle.
Specialists[]
I want you to be trained well—you have an incredible gift, and you deserve to have the best tutors. The Seers can help you control your visions, so you can understand what you see, and see things when you want to.
—Rin Sakaros gives Azalyn her first mission
Though adored by her siblings, Azalyn continued to suffer visions, which she could neither control nor understand. In 151 ABY, Rin called her to the command room to give Azalyn her first mission. The Seers of Ufalio had agreed to take Azalyn on as a pupil, helping her to refine and control her power to see the future. In addition, Rin sent Vem with her to oversee Azalyn's continued Centurion training. Giving Azalyn a pair of zenji needles as a birthday gift, Rin sent the two on their way, and they parted for a year.
Azalyn thrived on Ufalio. The Seers had rarely seen a pupil of her skill, particularly one so young, and everyone from the youngest adepts to the most learned sages enjoyed working with her, though they pushed her hard and taxed her powers in ways she had never expected; she worked most often with Menuyu Tribluka. Vem, too, was a hard teacher, constantly pushing Azalyn to excel rather than merely meeting the standards. However, he remained Azalyn's best friend and confidante on the world, and it was he who most often praised her successes and encouraged her when she encountered difficulties.
Vem often took Azalyn on outings into the jungle, teaching her to feel the life around herself and register danger; he was concerned that the Seers' constant emphasis on the Unifying Force might deprive her of her sensitivity to the Living Force. On one outing, however, Azalyn was stung by a venomous insect, and rapidly developed fever and delirium. Recognizing that the effects could be potentially fatal, he raced her back to the Seers' Enclave, running day and night without rest despite his own injuries from a scuffle with a native predator. When Azalyn was finally returned to the Enclave, the Seers treated her infection, but Vem himself had to rest and receive treatment for days before he recovered. The experience brought the two even closer together.
Continuing Novitiate[]
Azalyn returned to the Sith Star in 152 ABY, her control over her prophetic powers much improved, and resumed full-time training with her siblings. In 153 ABY, she attended Jira's concert at the Samayus Palace of Opera, reconnecting with Nagarian, Octavia, and her brother, father, and uncle.
Azalyn had been fascinated by Tamlok's double-bladed lightsaber for some time, but in 154 ABY she finally worked up the courage to ask him about it. Deeply intrigued by his description of the weapon and his fighting style, she asked to be trained in it. Though insisting that Azalyn continue normal lightsaber practice as well, Aria Nikina, now the Prefect of the Order, allowed Tamlok and Ghess to begin instructing Azalyn in saberstaff combat.
A gift and a curse[]
In the first half of 156 ABY, Azalyn was beset by dual visions of a young woman named Kavasi. In one possible future, Azalyn and Kavasi fought back-to-back, close friends and fellow Centurions; in the other, Kavasi was brutally eviscerated by winged predators. Sensing the danger was imminent, Azalyn begged Rin to allow her to intercede. Rin was uneasy with letting Azalyn put herself in the danger she had seen in Azalyn's vision, but, fearing the damage she would do to Azalyn if the girl did not learn to trust her visions, ultimately conceded and had Royal Intelligence locate Korratoa. Azalyn led a mission there and rescued Kavasi with help from Selkee, Aria, and Luna Raquelsei. As Kavasi slowly integrated into the Order, she and Azalyn became friends and Kavasi took on the role of yet another of Azalyn's protectors, although Azalyn's fighting skills were nearing the point at which she did not need much protection Kavasi could provide.
Midyear, Azalyn had to withstand the opposite extreme. When Tenebrous Tynblade came aboard and was introduced to the Citadel, Azalyn immediately foresaw the destiny that awaited him: a life-and-death duel with his twin brother Draze, with thousands dying around the conflict. Selkee and Rin had previously foreseen the same future, and Selkee was present to control the situation, using the Force to paralyze Azalyn's voluntary nervous system and buffer her Force signature so no one else could see what was wrong. She comforted Azalyn in private, but a tearful Azalyn was forced to concede what Selkee told her—what they had all seen was a vision of what would be, not what might be, and trying to interfere would make things infinitely worse. Kavasi and others sensed her occasional disquiet as she tried to deal with knowing what was coming, but she kept the secret.
Broken connection[]
When Reiko Kaytana was assassinated by Imperial Knights, the resulting psychic trauma incapacitated Rin for several days. Azalyn was greatly affected by the secondary effects, and was scared and frustrated when no one would allow her to see Rin before Tariun finally broke the stalemate. Rin was in a catatonic stupor from which no one could wake her, and Tariun thought Azalyn could help. Though she tried diligently, however, Rin's mental presence faded over the next few days until Rin finally awoke, her mind completely walled off.
Losing the telepathic connection to Rin which she had possessed since before her birth was frightening, depressing, and distracting for Azalyn, whose training and concentration suffered as a result. Around the end of the year, she began sensing she needed a lightsaber. The death and funeral of Eskol Kaartinen provided her the cover she needed to carry out her illicit project in secret. When Rin announced she was leaving the Empire to recover her telepathy, Azalyn sensed she was supposed to go, and badgered Rin about it repeatedly; when Rin equivocated that Azalyn had no weapon of her own, Azalyn produced her new lightsaber, which bore a silver blade like Rin's. Many Centurions found the gesture disrespectful and Rin was mildly annoyed that Azalyn had gone behind everyone's backs, but she finally conceded and took Azalyn along with Tarzg.
The trio journeyed through the known galaxy for seven months; while Rin made repeated efforts to restore her telepathy, she and Tarzg both took time to continue Azalyn's training, and Azalyn grew closer to them both as a result, picking up some of Tarzg's street smarts and toughness and Rin's unusual skills. Tarzg, in turn, came to trust Azalyn's perceptions of a situation, and, unable to sense situations for herself, Rin often balanced Tarzg's finely honed danger sense with Azalyn's long view.
In the end, it was Azalyn herself who helped Rin recover her telepathy. Journeying through the jungles of a planet in Wild Space, the trio came across a dark side cult sacrificing sentients to its Sithspawn charge, "the Sucker". In the battle which ensued, Azalyn made her first kill, dueling a Force-sensitive with her lightsaber before impaling him in the head with one of her tehk'las. However, she was injured by an arrow, and nearly fed upon by the Sucker. Desperate to save her, Rin was able to shatter the telepathic barrier she had unconsciously erected around her own mind, ravaging the Sucker's mind before killing it.
Daddy's Girl[]
In 158 ABY, Veli and Broll were embroiled in the Brothers' War. Azalyn had not tried to monitor her family, though she thought of them often. Toward the end of the year, though, she sensed an important moment—her father was in danger of making a terrible mistake, one which would destroy him personally. Despite her burgeoning powers, she was not strong enough to reach across the galaxy to Veli's mind, but she knew someone who was. Banking on her special status, she gained access to Rin's bedchamber and awakened the queen, pleading for help. Rin allowed Azalyn into her mind to amplify her powers.
The experience was surreal and frightening; despite the intimate connection between their minds, Azalyn had never before appreciated how much power Rin had at her command, and Rin had surrendered enough of her control that Azalyn could have used that power to almost any end. Azalyn was able to focus enough to reach into Firefist with Rin's mind and warn Veli away from his course.
Fieldwork[]
In 159 ABY, Selkee began investigating a series of crimes throughout the Empire, sensing a connection among them. She asked leave from her teaching duties to investigate. Aria Nikina granted the request, on the condition that Selkee take Azalyn with her; she was favorably impressed with Azalyn's formidable skills, enough so that she felt Azalyn was prepared to complete the year of field training required before promotion to Centurion.
Octavia Solios joined the Order in 160 ABY, and she and Azalyn trained together often, Azalyn helping her friend get up to speed with the Order's quick pace and martial training.
Powers and abilities[]
I never thought I'd see another Centurion with that kind of innate gift for visions, let alone someone besides the Queen who surpassed it. Then I met Azalyn Kass`l.
—Te`net Organi compares Terran Saul and Azalyn
Even as a child Azalyn demonstrated prophetic gifts beyond the ability of most fully trained Centurions. Alluria and Jarek Solios both theorized that Azalyn's early and continuing connection to Rin Sakaros had awakened and amplified her natural talents. Though she initially could not control her visions or call them up voluntarily, Azalyn could see the future as clearly as she saw the present. After her years of training with the Seers of Ufalio, Azalyn developed much greater control over her visions, which she continued to develop and refine in adolescence and young adulthood.
Azalyn enjoyed all forms of martial combat, due as much to influence from her parents as from her siblings. She trained with thrown weapons, including tehk'la blades and zenji needles, and studied both single- and double-bladed lightsaber combat. Her deep connection to the future gave her a slight edge in lightsaber combat, as her battle precognition was sharper than the average.
Appearance and personality[]
The daughter of pale Odala Kass`l and her Nagai husband Veli, Azalyn's skin was darker than Nagai white, but only barely. It contrasted sharply with her jet black hair, and her icy blue eyes stood out prominently on her face. Though fit, she had a slightly willowy build in her early teen years and was tall for her age, having the constant appearance of one going through a growth spurt. Beginning in 158 ABY, Azalyn carried a lightsaber with a silver blade in homage to Rin's own weapon.
Quieter than many children her age, Azalyn was often uncomfortable with her visions and the attention they brought her. However, she was capable of great affection to others, and the kindness which was the norm both among her family on Belsavis and her family in the Order made her a generally positive and enthusiastic child. She loved her father and her younger brother Tae, and was a good friend to both Nagarian Sakaros and Octavia Solios. However, the closest relationships in her life were always her mother and Rin Sakaros. She carried the memory of her mother's love with her for her entire life, and her loyalty to Rin was absolute and beyond question.
Apart from Rin and Odala, Azalyn was closest with Vem, whom she affectionately called "Kitty" even into adolescence. Vem was one of many Centurions who developed a protective attitude toward Azalyn; the list grew to include Jira Zaffrod, Tarzg Sav'lir, and Vos'elk'eetash, among many others. Kavasi was protective of Azalyn as well, but the two enjoyed a more mutually protective relationship.
Behind the scenes[]
Azalyn Kass`l was created by Ahrrie, who granted permission to Sakaros to write this article on her behalf.