The scattering of tables alternates from pools of darkness to
blisters of light, intentionally or otherwise, highlighting patrons of the
shady establishment. Somewhere in between, Talon Karrde sits in twilight,
watching the room with the idle intentness of a man at ease.
The Character Application
- The Picture of Karrde out of the Character Guide
- Roleplay Test
- Karrde's Group
- Roleplay Logs - Coming Soon
- Galactic Influence
- Other Karrde Links
- Email Karrde's Player
- Power and influence are treated differently by some. Imperial officers may
posture, knowing their actions and words are monitored for the next
performance review. New Republic Council members may watch carefully, knowing
that in the restoration of balance in the galaxy, the scale is easily tipped,
and not always in a favorable way for them. Still others work through
underlings, amass wealth and display it, or amass wealth and hide it. Talon
Karrde plays all these games, for all the reasons, with skill, patience,
strategy and the quiet confidence of a grandmaster holochess player.
- But holochess games on a grand scale take time. Moves to be planned, tactics
begun and tested, to be discarded. Karrde has played the game of his life and
rise to influence no differently. From modest beginnings as a trader, he
learned the basics; hire good men, good ships, turn reliablity for a job into
a callsign. When he rose into the larger leagues of intersystem shipping, he
quickly developed a skill at watching his back. More than once in this realm,
Karrde's progress was slowed and even pushed back by the ambition of others in
the business. It was a harsh business, he found, but another piece on the
board, requiring an adjustment of strategy. He spent a few years at an even
keel, spending the time in gathering information and learning the new rules.
Then he put it to good use, though quietly, feeding in and forming his attack
carefully. Within a year's time, Karrde and his associates had become a
One of the leading sources of shipping and transport, leaving a trail of failed
competitors, humbled business ties, and a reputation that was proven easier to
work with than against.
- A pawn of Karrde's is rarely violence. There is the potential, but the man
does not believe it to be a productive means of bringing about his aims. His
methods can be termed 'navigational', the careful positioning of his pieces
and the springing of an attack with a few pieces kept in reserve. He is a
flexible businessman, treating most of his contacts with respect, and
expecting likewise in return. Along with that trade, betrayal or insurrection
earns a like response; although Talon Karrde is not a man of casual use of
force, he is very precise with his use of it. In this, it's difficult to gauge
his full capacity for it. He does not flaunt his influence, for most of the
time, Karrde does well to keep in the background, tending to his game and
meeting goals with the careful ease that defines him. Quiet, with the capacity
for a bombshell; foresightful, with the tactical insight of a commander;
difficult to second guess, with the reserve and security of a shielded blast
door; the best of the greatest, content to rule his own territory, his way.
- His territory, his board, as it were, is rather large and rambling, though
well organized. Currently, he has a small core group of those he trusts, and
they do well by being where they are. Attached to this core is a web of
contacts, mostly smugglers, as well as some occasional Imperial and New
Republic personages. Whether you're a pawn or a bishop, Karrde treats each one
with the calm planning of a player. He works through business contracts,
negotiated over pleasantries, and some enjoy a retained relationship. Through
these contracts and retainers, Karrde's roaming range increases. Sometimes
it's information, or a small shipping job. He is not a man for risk, and makes
that clear to his people. Likewise, he also rewards where due, and applies
force as well, when due. To protect the core of Karrde's enterprises it to
protect your own interests, because somewhere in the mutually beneficial
trade, strings are formed that do few people good if the core falls. It is
best described as a mutually profitable and thriving business, with Karrde as
its center, its mediator, and its advisor.
- Back to the Top
Other Talon Karrde Links
- Book Character Page
- A Jade's Fire Page
- Mara Jade @ Star Wars MUSH Page
This page visited 
times since 14 June 1997.
