Päläwaläinen

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Päläwaläinen (/ˈpæˌlæˌvɑːˈlaɪˌnɛn/; PA-la-vah-LEYE-nehn)&mdash;a nom de guerre derived from the ancient päläwa word for individual Followers of Palawa (literally "Palawan" or "Follower of Palawa")&mdash;was a Force-sensitive Human male from Bunduki active during the last decades of the Great Peace of the Republic.

The Force user known as Päläwaläinen was born in the Bunduki capital city of Äslajä a younger scion of one of Bunduki's noble houses. Surrendered as an infant to the monastic order of Force users known as the Followers of Palawa, Päläwaläinen pursued a specialization in Teräs Käsi, a martial art developed by the Followers of Palawa to combat the Jedi, and eventually ascended to mastery of the discipline as a Steel Hand of Palawa. After some time spent off Bunduki studying the martial art of Broken Gate among the Force Warriors, Päläwaläinen joined a number of noteworthy Teräs Käsi practitioners contracted by the Republic Military in the Clone Wars' early days to train its personnel.

As a Force user sharing the Followers' ancestral dislike for the Jedi, Päläwaläinen was hand-picked by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to teach Teräs Käsi to the Grand Army's clone assassins, specialized clone soldiers tasked by the Chancellor with handling contingencies related to possible Jedi insurrections. Though not particularly dark-sided, Päläwaläinen participated in the Great Jedi Purge alongside his soldiers and agreed to serve as a Jedi hunter in exchange for Palpatine's word to leave the Followers of Palawa in peace on Bunduki. Päläwaläinen used his exalted position in the Galactic Empire's hierarchy to furtively retire his aged clone assassins to Bunduki, ensuring they ended their prematurely contracted lifespans in some semblance of normalcy.

Early life
The Human male who eventually adopted the nom de guerre "Päläwaläinen" was born a younger scion of one of Bunduki's noble houses in the capital city of Äslajä sometime prior to 100 BBY. Upon discovery of his latent Force sensitivity, the infant was surrendered to the Followers of Palawa, an ancient monastic order of Force users who had resided on the planet since the earliest days of the Galactic Republic. During his protracted tenure in residence among the sect, the young Palawan was immersed in the Followers' traditional academic study of the the Force and midi-chlorians, trained in the history and literature of the cultures of the Pacanth Reach, and instructed in the varied traditions and philosophies of other Forceful sects. The young nobleman eventually elected to pursue formal induction into the order as an initiate, forsaking all his outstanding claims to inheritance and noble titles alike.

Many of the Human's Palawan teachers were particularly critical of the Jedi Order, blaming its members both for the destruction of the Followers' ancestral homeworld of Palawa in an ancient war and for the countless galactic conflicts that followed. Like many of the galaxy's denizens, the Palawans generally declined to distinguish between the Jedi and such dark-sided traditions as the Legions of Lettow and Sith, opting instead to consider such sects as little more than Jedi offshoots born of opposition to the Order's adamant refusal to permit interpretations of the Force that differed from their own. Raised to consider the Jedi little more than perpetual threats to galactic peace and security responsible for many of the galaxy's ills, the young Human eventually elected to pursue a specialization in Teräs Käsi, a martial art developed by the Followers of Palawa to combat the Jedi. He eventually ascended to full mastery of the discipline at some point upon coming of age, meriting formal investment as a Steel Hand of Palawa.

Forceful research
Despite his considerable martial prowess, the Steel Hand achieved greater renown among the Followers for several discoveries related to his independent study of the Force. In addition to Teräs Käsi, the Followers of Palawa were notable for their work in the fields of Force meditation and trance-mediated hibernation. In their quest to understand the Force's essential nature, the Followers developed the Palawa hibernation trance, an advanced technique that plunged the practitioner so deeply into the Force's embrace that the resultant meditation could last decades. The young Palawan inadvertantly discovered a way of artificially forestalling aging-mediated decay in his own meditative sessions. Similar to the dark transfer technique developed by Cade Skywalker centuries later, the Palawan's technique made use the Palawa hibernation trance in conjunction with Force healing to stimulate the regeneration of chromosome telomeres, counteracting the effects of aging and memory loss in the Human body. Though regeneration on such a level required concerted mental discipline and years of time in unbroken meditation, the power of the composite Force ability was such that it was fully capable of reversing aging in the practitioner.

The Palawan likewise applied both his knowledge of the Followers' history and his grasp of hibernation trances to the development of offensive Force powers. He was familiar with the details surrounding the supposed death of Arden Lyn, an ancient Steel Hand of Palawa who had led the Legions of Lettow against the Jedi Order during the First Great Schism and fallen at the hands of Grand Master Awdrysta Pina. According to contemporary accounts, the Jedi had killed Lyn by slowing and stopping her heart, an act the young Palawan attributed to an offensive application of a meditative trance. He theorized that the Jedi's underlying technique had involved both forcefully compelling his opponent's body to enter a state of hibernation and slowing bodily functions to the point of death, though he incorrectly assumed the Jedi had intentionally gone too far and stopped Lyn's heart entirely. Through careful practice on a number of volunteers constituting the more daring members of the Followers, the young Human inadvertantly redeveloped the restricted Jedi technique of morichro that allowed him to subdue opponents without violence.

Travels abroad
After many decades spent in study with the Followers of Palawa or in protracted bouts of deep-sleep meditation, the Palawan eventually elected to depart his native Bunduki to pursue advanced instruction and undertake further academy study of the Force among varied Force traditions. It was during this time that he adopted the nom de guerre "Päläwaläinen" in reference to the ancient päläwa word for a Follower of Palawa (literally "Palawan"). Its use permitted him to conceal his true identity and furtively advertise his status as both a full member of the Followers of Palawa and a Bunduki noble to those familiar with päläwa, a functionally extinct language endemic to Palawa that was known only to fellow Followers and members of the Bunduki nobility. Though he confided his true name to certain trusted allies, he was nearly universally known by his pseudonym only off Bunduki.

Päläwaläinen's subsequent perambulations were largely spent in the company of three particular roving Force sects whose members wandered about the galaxy in search of enlightenment; namely, the Force Warriors, the Jal Shey, and the Zeison Sha. Though he disliked their inclusion of Jedi members, Päläwaläinen found many kindred spirits among the first group, whose members focused on developing emotional control and self-mastery through meditation and the practice of Forceful martial arts. Päläwaläinen freely shared his knowledge of Teräs Käsi with the Force Warriors in exchange for instruction in the traditional Jedi art of Broken Gate, eventually developing a proficiency in the martial art around the time of his formal induction into the group. He remained among the Force Warriors in their wanderings for many years, though a chance encounter with the Jal Shey on Nar Shaddaa led him to take his leave of the Warriors for a time and join himself to this latter group.

Like the Followers of Palawa, the Jal Shey were known for their academic approach to the study of the Force, eschewing the trappings of mysticism and religion in favor of an unexpurgated review of its essential nature. Despite their similarities in approach, the Jal Shey&mdash;notoriously reticent towards outsiders as they were&mdash;tolerated Päläwaläinen's presence and engaged in spirited discussion with the Follower, but ultimately did not offer him membership in their group. His subsequent tenure among a roving band of Zeison Sha proved more fruitful. Like the Followers of Palawa, the Zeison Sha were negatively predisposed towards the Jedi as a general rule, though their particular dislike for the Order was born of its recruiters' policy of separating children from their families. Päläwaläinen learned much of the Zeison Sha's signature telekinetic Force abilities during his time in their midst, and though he found himself ill-suited to the traditional discblade, he was able to apply the same general principles to slugthrower weapons, employing telekinesis to guide physical projectiles to their intended targets using the Force alone.

Republic recruitment
After a significant portion of a Human lifetime spent abroad in the greater galaxy, an aged and wizened Päläwaläinen eventually returned to Bunduki and entered into a protracted hibernation and healing trance. He emerged over a decade later rejuvenated and youthful, having earned the acclaim of the Followers for demonstrating the unparalleled potency of the meditative healing ritual he had developed in the days of his youth. Confident in the success of his technique, he shared the details of its implementation with his most seasoned fellows, and spent the next few years instructing the Followers in the varied skills and insights he had gathered from his perambulations abroad.

Physical appearance
Though a relatively unspectacular specimen of the Human species in most respects, Päläwaläinen possessed the unique iris pigmentations endemic to the Bunduki Human ethno-linguistic group, manifesting a distinct gold coloration like the ancient Steel Hand of Palawa Arden Lyn. Päläwaläinen bore a heavily stylized sun-dragon tattoo that coiled around his right forearm and employed several shades of red, green, and gold ink. A form of concrete poetry, the sun-dragon's body was composed of the text from the päläwa language translation of the Ithorian poem Life's Memories by Soshu Londahl.

Combat skills
Unlike the initiates of other Force sects, the young Päläwaläinen received no formal training in lightsaber combat from the Followers of Palawa due to its members' preference for Forceful martial arts. Though he achieved a degree of proficiency in the traditional Jedi discipline of Broken Gate during his time among the Force Warriors, his particular focus was Teräs Käsi, a martial art specifically developed by the Followers of Palawa for exclusive use against Forceful opponents. He eventually ascended to mastery of the art as a Steel Hand of Palawa prior to the outbreak of the Clone Wars. Along with title belt Teräs Käsi champion Phow Ji, Päläwaläinen was one of a number of Teräs Käsi experts contracted by the Republic Military to provide martial arts instruction to Republic personnel. Päläwaläinen was responsible for training the Grand Army's clone assassins in the martial art, ultimately enabling them to more readily disarm and subdue their Jedi adversaries during the Great Jedi Purge.

Linguistic skills
Like most residents of Bunduki, Päläwaläinen was a native speaker of the language of the same name. However, as a nobleman and Follower of Palawa, he was likewise fluent in päläwa, the ancient language of the Core World of Palawa. This language, though functionally extinct, saw continued usage by both the Followers as a ceremonial language for the keeping of formal records and the Bunduki nobility as a lingua franca indicating refinement and gentility. He took his nom de guerre "Päläwaläinen" from the ancient päläwa word for a Follower of Palawa (literally, "Palawan"), and likewise applied various päläwa words like "Käärme" to his clone assassins as nicknames to replace their unit designations. In addition to languages used on his homeworld, Päläwaläinen was fluent in Galactic Basic Standard and conversational in Epicant due to Bunduki's proximity to Panatha.

Armor
As a Follower of Palawa trained as a Steel Hand, Päläwaläinen wore the traditional black Palawa tunic of his order. This close-fitting tunic, similar in style and form to the tunic favored by members of the Jedi Order, was closely tailored to his form so as to not hamper his ability to engage in Teräs Käsi, the Palawa martial art requiring agility and a full range of motion. Following his perambulations across the galaxy, Päläwaläinen eventually commissioned a set of Palawa robes woven from Verpine fiber threads, steel cloth, and ArachSilk to offer increased protection against conventional energy discharge weapons of both the ranged and melee varieties. This robe was notable for its vine-silk accents around the cuffs and collar, the cost of which equaled the listing price of a small starship. Though he avoided the use of full body armor due to both its weight and the restrictions it imposed upon range of motion, Päläwaläinen favored the use of a pair of cortosis gauntlets that both enhanced the weight of his strikes and disabled the lightsabers of his Force-using opponents, forcing them to engage him in unarmed combat on his terms.

Weapons
Though he shared most Teräs Käsi practitioners' professional distaste for weaponry, Päläwaläinen was not above the use of conventional ranged and melee weapons when required. Inspired by his tenure in residence among the Zeison Sha, Päläwaläinen embraced the use of slugthrower weapons in conjunction with Force telekinesis to guide physical projectiles to their intended targets using the Force alone. The tactile nature of the ammunition used by such weapons enabled Päläwaläinen to control the bullets' trajectories through the Force in much the same way as he had seen the Zeison Sha do with their traditional discblade weapons. He was particularly fond of the Tof Soren Hunting Rifle and the Czerka Adjudicator pistol, among others of a similar design.