Arkanian Trickster Spirit

Arkanian Trickster Spirit
Biographical Information
Race	Unknown
Homeworld	Arkania
Physical Description
Gender	Ambivalent
Height	Variant
Political Information
Affiliation	Pliant

The The Arkanian Trickster Spirit is said to appear on Arkania during times of need to grant its people's wishes. Neither good nor evil, the spirit’s inherently mischievous nature makes each wish a risky gamble. Impish, willful, enigmatic; the Trickster gleefully crosses lines and breaks boundaries in order to fulfill the wishes it is compelled to complete, usually through unexpected means and often with undesirable outcomes. Arkanian folklore warns those who seek to wish for the aid of the Trickster to do so with care.

Description

Some believe the Trickster spirit was brought into being to answer the pleas of the Arkanian people in their time of hardship. Others believe the Force is responsible for manifesting the entity as a contrarian to balance out the Arkanians' scientific, reasonable, and measured nature.

Others postulate it is more likely the Arkanians genetically birthed the Trickster through a mixture of science and alchemy. The Trickster may even be the first experimentation upon themselves and the early precursor to the first Arkanian off-shoots by nearly three thousand years.

Regardless of origin, the Trickster has taken many guises and earned itself many names across the galaxy. To the Mandalorians, it is known as Racin Solus. To the Sith, the Ashen Conqueror. From prince to pauper, hero to fool; for as many aliases, there are just as many interpretations of the Trickster's form. Most portray it as a being of Arkanian likeness with fair skin and long white hair. Scholars generally reference the classical artist Armino Naderra as capturing the best portraiture of the spirit in her widely acclaimed series "Portraits of Old Arkania."

First Sighting

The earliest record of the Trickster's influence can be found in the histories detailing the arrival of the Sith on Arkania. While the curious and experimentally minded Arkanians revered the gifted secrets of the Sith—especially those housed in the Veeshas Tuwan, the vast library of dark side knowledge—they abhorred the subjugation forced upon them in exchange. Wishing for the Sith occupation's end and their planetary governance's return, the Arkanian leaders summoned the first historical manifestation of the Trickster spirit.

“The Fall” by Armino Naderra

At the end of the Great Hyperspace War, with the retreat of Naga Sadow, the Trickster spirit fulfilled the people’s wish by taking the guise of Veeshas Tuwan’s caretaker. The spirit called upon the remaining Arkanian and Red Sith of the planet to convene within the library so they could discuss how best to move against the Republic in support of the failed invasion. Unbeknownst to those gathered, the masquerading Trickster had drawn out Arkania's Dark Side leaders from their fortresses and separated them from their armies. A Jedi strike force arrived soon after that ultimately destroyed the occupying Sith Lords.

During the confrontation, the caretaker disappeared and Veeshas Tuwan soon after erupted in a fiery blaze, destroying the secret temple and thus fulfilling the wish of removing the Sith entirely from Arkania by ensuring their teachings would not survive on the planet.

While power was returned to the Arkanian people, it came at a cost. They had lost the vast secrets of the library, including the valued alchemical knowledge they had used to advance their scientific endeavors. Even the wishmakers themselves did not survive. Sith Lords all who perished in the fire, having failed to fully elucidate their desire.

Manifestations

Since the Trickster spirit's origins, records of its reappearances are sporadic. Meddlings from the Trickster range from innocuous devilry during minor disputes to more extreme and unexpected mischief during harsher times of subjugation or oppression. Taking on many roles and forms, the Trickster has been known to beguile revolutionary leaders, keep uprisings at bay through lulls of sweet nothings, or raise armies from a single well-positioned lie.

Defeated Arkanian Renegade

Interestingly enough, correlations exist between the Trickster's visitations and the needs of the Arkanian people. Most sustained manifestations are documented during times of upheaval, hardship, or distress, such as the Arkanian Revolution. However, the spirit has been known to appear for smaller issues. One popular myth details how the Trickster disguised itself as a delegate to quell the lesser-known Yaka uprising attempt. The Trickster spoke so slowly during the meeting that the Yaka delegate’s accelerated minds grew unbearably bored and they abandoned their negotiations outright, along with any thoughts of retaliation against their species’ meddlers.

Other Characteristics

Though devious by nature, the Trickster spirit is also a curious being with an inherent love of learning, much like the Arkanian people. Some believe this innate curiosity spurs the spirit to test the limits and explore unconventional means when fulfilling wishes.

The Trickster’s weakness for a well-thrown party has been well documented in lore. Drawn to competition, the Trickster has been spotted at festivals and galas, deploying elaborate schemes to win at carnival games. It has also been reported that if the spirit loses, the buffet quickly empties as the Trickster disappears from the scene to sulk.

While the true origins and motives of the Trickster may never be uncovered, one certainty is its undeniable fondness for little furry things, which it seems to regard as "befuddlingly cute." This sentiment is undeniably apparent in the spirit’s favorable treatment of such cuddly sentients, which seem to incur only the good the Trickster is capable of without the inevitable side of roguish evil.

When not summoned to complete a task, the Trickster's dealings and whereabouts remain a mystery. Whether the spirit slumbers in its spare time, takes up a domestic hobby such as knitting, or simply folds out of existence, is unknown.

Arkanian youth festival of experimental science in which the Trickster clenched first place from Ardasea Jaro.