Rouke
IntroductionFull Name: Grrur’rkrs’rouk (Rouke)
Age: 29
Species: Human
Gender: Male
AppearanceDescriptionRouke stands at a solid 6’1, with lean muscle from strenuous labor and combat on Tatooine. While not overly bulky, he does have a very thin layer of fat over his frame, though his muscles remain defined. Rouke’s leathery skin is a roadmap of blaster burns and scars. Numerous scars coat his flesh from his battle with a krayt dragon, deep slashes all over his body. A long keloid scar extends diagonally across his throat from a Tusken gaffi stick, tapering off towards his jaw. Rouke’s hands are coarse and callused, his right missing its pinkie finger from the first knuckle up.
CharacteristicsPersonalityRouke is a man of contradictions. He is confrontational and aggressive, but has difficulty looking people in the eyes. Even after three years away from his tribe, seeing others not completely concealed by robes and rags is unnerving to him, almost shameful, and he does his best to avert his gaze. Rouke’s physical presence in a room is strong and imposing, yet the Tusken speaks little, and when he does, it comes out as a harsh and gravelly whisper, his vocal cords damaged after being slashed by a rival tribe member’s gaffi stick. The Tusken believes in victory at any cost, as evident from his numerous scars, but despises using any technology more advanced than his cycler rifle to defeat his enemies. Rouke is excellent at reading body language and concealing his, yet he cannot read faces or hide the emotion on his own. He grew up in a culture where there was never any reason to lie to another, and is almost entirely incapable of doing so, but he is extremely distrustful of others.
Like most Tuskens, Rouke despises anyone outside of his tribe, but with them behind him now, he is slowly opening up to others, accepting them into his “tribe”. He trusts Bob with his life, though this trust was started when the Kushiban saved him. Rouke is deeply religious, believing in a system of gods and spirits that look over all Tuskens, so to Rouke, it was no coincidence that Bob stumbled upon him. He has a profound connection to nature and animals, and hates being indoors, or worse, in outerspace. His sense of humor is sometimes cruel and leaves much to be desired, but is slowly becoming more civilized. Despite his relatively quiet demeanor, Rouke is an excellent and engaging storyteller, one of his favorite pastimes, though he does tend to exaggerate his feats and adventures.
Fears & FlawsAquaphobia: Rouke is totally unable to swim, rarely having seen a pool of water deeper than that in his canteen, and avoids deep water whenever possible, though on Tatooine any water is a rare encounter.
Claustrophobic: Rouke always had an aversion to tight spaces, stemming from his Tusken background. Dark, enclosed spaces like caves are said to be where desert demons rest, and those who disturb their slumber are ripped to shreds. While these sleeping spirits may be myths, Rouke learned that some legends draw from reality when he sought out and killed a krayt dragon in the creature’s den. He sustained serious injuries in the confined lair, furthering reinforcing his claustrophobia.
Luddite: Tuskens are extremely averse to technology, and Rouke is no exception. He is unfamiliar with almost all forms of technology and despises them, and those who use it. Rouke will use a blaster when needed, and perhaps ride in a speeder if forced, but refuses to learn anything of technology.
Weak Voice: Rouke’s larynx was damaged when an enemy Tusken slashed his throat with the end of his gaffi stick. His vocal cords are now barely able to emit a harsh growl, only slightly louder than a whisper. With his raspy Tusken accent and sometimes tedious grasp on Basic, Rouke can be hard to hear and difficult to understand even in completely quiet conditions.
Old Wounds: Likely the only survivor of his tribe, Rouke is haunted by the destruction of those he was supposed to protect. This guilt manifests itself in vicious, reoccurring nightmares and flashbacks to the slaughter. Ironically, he now has a deep hatred of other Sand People, and will go out of his way to kill them.
Isolation: Cut off from the rest of the universe, Rouke knows almost nothing about other cultures, planets, and politics. He both fears and hates outsiders, and is very resistant to any kind of cultural change. Rouke has only met Tuskens, humans, and to a limited extent Jawas and Hutts, and is wary of any other species. He is completely illiterate, as Tuskens don't believe in a written language, preferring to document events with stories told by their shaman.
Talents Tracker: Rouke is an experienced hunter, spending years stalking both man and beast alike as a Tusken. Tracking on the shifting sands of Tatooine is very difficult, but he has largely mastered this fine art. Likewise, Rouke knows how to travel silently and leave no trace behind. However, his tracking skills remain on a more primitive level, and concepts like paper trails and interrogation escape him.
Hearty: Rouke is able to go without food and water for a significantly longer time than most without feeling the effects as severely. He can travel for days at a time without stopping as well, though this takes a toll on him.
Brawler: Rouke has trained with a gaffi stick since he was capable of wielding one, and his expertise with this weapon, among others, gives him a distinct advantage in hand-to-hand combat. Having fought both Tuskens and colonists for most of his life, Rouke’s reflexes are honed and his muscles tuned to the pace of combat. He relies on brute strength and versatile fighting style to gain the upper hand in a fight, and when these fail, Rouke’s endurance and tolerance to pain allow him to out-slug his foe blow for blow.
Raider: Despite his heavy-handed approach in combat, Rouke is quite light on his feet, capable of moving without making a sound; he developed this skill when sneaking up on moisture farmers, and later, Sand People.
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HistoryBackstoryRouke was born on Tatooine to a pair of young moisture farmers, but then, his name was Ilkea Jhoren. When he was a year old, the farm was attacked by Tusken Raiders, and his entire family was killed by the Sand People. Luckily, Ilkea was adopted by a female Tusken on the raid, Ora'jss'ask, who had just lost a young child of her own. Ora substituted her deceased babe with Ilkea, ensuring that none of their tribe knew the true identity of the human amongst their ranks, though many of the Tuskens were unknowingly humans themselves. She named the adopted child Grrur’rkrs’rouk, or Rouke, and raised him as her own with her mate.
Rouke lived as a Tusken for 26 years. He never knew he was any different from the others, since Sand People never saw another unrobed unless they were married, and none knew what other members of their sex looked like. From a young age, he trained and fought with his gaderffii, raiding and killing others. When his time for his bloodrite, a ceremony which turns a young uli-ah into a full-fledged tribe member, Rouke set off into the Jundland Wastes. He managed to kill a krayt dragon and retrieve the precious pearl from its gullet, though the creature severely mauled Rouke. He returned to his tribe a man, and was given a blood-bound mate, R'Rin Srugdogg. After Rouke healed, the two were wed, and though she, too, was a human adopted by the Tuskens, neither were aware of their unusual position.
Rouke became a prominent member of the tribe, rising to the rank of Chieftain by the time he was 26. The couple had two children, a boy and girl, and lived life as most Tuskens do. However, with the fall of the Rebel Alliance, the Tuskens felt the pressure of the Empire more than ever. Two years after Rouke was appointed Chief, their Storyteller, an important figure in the tribe, was killed during an Imperial raid on their village. The death of the Storyteller greatly weakened the tribe, and led to massive infighting. Without the Storyteller, the tribe’s history was lost, and according to Tusken tradition, a tribe with no history was not worthy of existing. Other Tusken tribes were quick to prey on Rouke’s, and they were raided during the night. Rouke managed to rally his men and ward them off, but his family were among those killed. Gravely wounded and with sickened with guilt, Rouke shed his robes and exiled himself into the desert, believing if his family’s souls wanted him to survive, he would.
After several days, Rouke was found by a group of bounty hunters scouring the desert for wandering Tusken Raiders, who were being displaced from their homes by the Empire. The local Imperial government had placed a hefty bounty on all Tuskens killed or captured, but it was dangerous work. The bounty hunters were transporting Rouke to an Imperial detention center when the Tusken told them his story. Figuring they could use a former Tusken chief with a vendetta against other tribes to their advantage, the bounty hunters took Rouke into their group, using him as a tracker. He was paid a share of the collected bounties, and killed those who destroyed his home as well. This went on for almost a year, but when the payouts for the bounties fell lower and lower, Rouke’s group betrayed him and gave him to the Imperials, quitting the Tusken-hunting business for good.
AffiliatesRouke's mate and two children are deceased, along with most of his tribe. It is unknown whether his Tusken foster parents are alive, along with his real parents.
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