Trapp Radmal was a Jedi Knight during the final years of the Old Republic era. He was well-known for his stern, militaristic demeanor as well as his prowess with a lightsaber, particularly with a saber staff and dual wielding.
Radmal was appointed to the rank of General during the galaxy-wide Clone Wars. It is generally accepted that he was killed during Order 66 though there is no record or concrete evidence to confirm or rebuke this.
Early Life
Trapp Radmal was born to a working class family on the planet Lorrd in 51 BBY. He was discovered to be force sensitive at 2 months of age, and was subsequently sent to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.
As a youngling and into his early teens, he perferred academic studies to the more physical aspects of his Jedi training, and put particular emphasis on galactic law and linguistics. He dreamt of being a Jedi Consular, thinking that his talents would lend themselves to diplomatic work that could aid the Galactic Republic. He continued to work towards this goal well into his teens, neglecting many other aspects of his training.
After he passed his initiate graduation test, he was taken as a padawan by then-Jedi Knight Agen Kolar (who would later go on to be a member of the Jedi High Council). Kolar's pronounced skill with a lightsaber, as well as his willingness to use it, made a lasting impression on Radmal. He viewed his master's physical prowess in combat as a manifestation of the living force, highlighting all of the aspects of training that Radmal had ignored over the years.
From that point on, Radmal became a disciplined student of the living force, working more on his own physical conditioning and swordsmanship, though still retaining some of what he had learned about diplomacy and negotiations. This combination of skills served him well throughout the duration of his apprenticeship, allowing him to have the strength and vitality that his training regimen granted. However, as time went on, he let many of his academic persuits fall to the wayside in lieu of his physical training.
At the age of 15, Kolar took his padawan to the caves on Illum to construct his first lightsaber. Having gathered the necessary components and selecting a blue crystal, Trapp Radmal entered a deep state of meditation. After four days, he awoke to find that, in his meditative state, he had constructed an ornate double-bladed weapon, but that it lacked the necessary power source and second crystal to function as a saber staff. Having only ever trained with a single bladed lightsaber, Radmal was surprised, but knew that it was through the will of the Force that he had constructed his new hilt. So, after retrieving another diatium power cell and another blue crystal, Radmal completed the construction of his first lightsaber. He took to training with the saber staff with great enthusiasm, mastering its use in a few short months.
Radmal's original double-bladed lightsaber.
At the age of 23, Radmal passed the Jedi trials and became a Jedi Knight.
Radmal spent several years as a Jedi guardian. Trying to follow the example set by Kolar, he put a great deal of focus into his physical training, which culminated in a brief, unsuccessful stint as a Jedi Brute. Following this, Radmal returned to his normal duties as a Jedi Guardian. Shortly thereafter, Radmal made the decision to take on a padawan learner, and chose a young Tionese human named Suul Tyrandus. Radmal quickly formed a bond with his new padawan; Suul had spent much of his time in the Jedi temple studying swordplay, and took quickly to his master's combat instruction.
The Clone Wars
In 22BBY, the Clone Wars broke out, and had a profound effect on Radmal. After he and Suul took part in the First Battle of Geonosis, and watched many of their comrades fall at Separatist hands. Radmal's previous convictions were violently shaken; his ideals and philosophies about diplomacy and and politics were suddenly shattered by the Separatist's initial attacks on the Republic. Radmal quickly found himself doubting all of his previous training and wondered if it too could be rendered void just as easily. Given the rank of General, Radmal was placed in charge of the 14th Infantry Brigade. Radmal's philosophical doubts were soon replaced by new convictions of order and discipline that he saw in his soldiers, and it gave him a new sense of hope that somehow, through this armed conflict, peace could be restored to the galaxy.
Shortly after the Battle of Geonosis, Radmal and his padawan, along with the rest of the 14th Infantry Brigade, were sent to the Haurgab system, in the Mid Rim of the Galaxy and deep within Separatist territory. They both took part in the Battle of Huargab against local forces. The battle its self wore on for more than a month and more troops, including the famed Delta Squad, were called upon for reinforcements. The battle its self tested the limits of Radmal's physical endurance, as he refused to leave the front lines for the first two weeks, until his padawan managed to convince him to rest for a few days. During that time, Suul took full advantage of his master's fatigue and, against direct orders, joined the troopers on the front lines.
Jedi Master Trapp Radmal, who also held the rank of General during The Clone Wars.
When Radmal finally returned to the battle field and discovered that his padawan had been fighting, he was impressed both by his initiative and skill. This set a president for the relationship between Radmal and Suul. From that point on, Radmal gave much more leeway to his padawan, believing him to be competent enough to take care of himself in tough situations. This shift in their relationship would eventually have drastic consequences for both Radmal and Suul.
As the battle continued on, General Radmal often found himself at odds with Jedi Knight Etain Tur-Makan, who recommended that the Republic abandon Haurgab. Tur-Makan believed that losing the system posed no major threat to the Republic. The republic eventually did withdraw its troops from Haurgab and they system did fall into the hands of the Separatists.
As the war continued, Radmal proved himself to be more than compitant in battle, but also an intelligent and quick-thinking military leader and strategist. He prefered to lead his troops from the front lines, which made him well-loked among the clone troopers under his command.
Radmal continued to flourish during the war. His military bearing and no-nonsense attitude made him popular among the Clones, who found it easier to identify with him than other, more stoic and monk-like Jedi. Radmal devoted himself to the more militaristic aspects of his work, often at the expense of listening to the living Force. As a result, much of his precognitive abilities and visions that he had in his youth became more infrequent and clouded.
Assignment to Thule
Two years into the war, Radmal and his Padawan were assigned to the Mobile training academy “Tython’s Legacy” to help with teaching the students as well as acting as Officer in Charge for a group of clones assigned for protection. The academy landed on the planet Thule in order to conduct a training exercise for the younglings under the supervision of the Historian Master Calrist Nauxten. At this point, Master Radmal was tasked with organizing the clones as security for the camp. Though disappointed by his reassignment, Radmal stayed true to his orders and followed them to the letter.
General Radmal during his first tour of duty on the planet Thule.
Upon the discovery of a Sith Holocron on Thule, as well as the presence of a Mandalorian splinter group led by Rom Theen, Radmal and his Padawan were called into action. Both of them oversaw the shady dealing of the Mandalorians and their plot to sell the Sith Holocron, and took part in several reconnaissance missions. It was not until an attack from a rouge Jensaarai which resulted in the death of his padawan, Suul, that Radmal understood the true gravity of his assignment. Radmal continued with his mission to protect the initiates from the Jensaarai, as well as the subsequently awoken ancient pureblood Sith.
Radmal was saddened by the loss of his padawan, but stayed true to the Jedi principal of non-attachment, accepting Suul's death and moving on. It did however recharge the seriousness he took with his task of keeping the initiates on Thule safe, and he rededicated himself to their safety. This often put him at odds with Jedi Master Caff K'iron, who was in charge of the training camp and its initiates, and who believed that a practical approach and real-world experience would train the initiates best. What's more, Radmal's serious, militaristic demeanor proved to be a foil to K'iron's more unorthodox methods.
Jedi Knight Trapp Radmal and his second Padawan, Joss Iroh
Radmal left Thule and took on a new padawan, Joss Iroh with whom he took part in the unsuccessful Battle of Duro. After the battle, Radmal was reassigned to "Tython's Legacy", again, acting as the Officer in Charge of the small detachment of clone troopers that made up Tython's Legacy's security forces.
The mobile Praxium was still located on Thule, as the investigation of Caff K'iron was ongoing. During a regular security sweep, Radmal became aware of an unknown presence within the forrest surrounding the training facility. Radmal tracked the unknown individual down, who unbeknownst to him was actually the rogue Sith Zaric , whom Radmal then engaged in lightsaber combat. The brief encounter ended in a stalemate and Zaric's escape, as well as the destruction of Radmal's prized saberstaff. Radmal was troubled by the Sith's presence, and was especially frustrated by his escape, which Radmal viewed as a failure on his own part.
Also, during his time on Thule, Radmal was known to have constructed a new, less-ornate lightsaber to replace the one destroyed by Zaric.
After Radmal finished his tour on Thule, he returned to the 14th Infantry Brigade, which had since been folded into the 85th Infantry Brigade. Radmal and Jos led them in battle until the end of the war. It is believed that they were killed during the Great Jedi Purge, due to their close knit relationship with their troops. However, there were no official reports of their deaths, nor were their bodies ever found. This has lead some Imperial Intelligence Officers to believe that the two of them may have escaped Order 66 and gone into hiding, though this is purely speculation.
Personality and Traits
General Radmal in full armor during the Clone Wars
In his youth, Radmal was calm and passive, and very much in accord with the Jedi teachings. He had a preference for puzzles and mental games during his childhood, which evolved into an aptitude for academic studies into his early teens. Aspiring to be a Jedi Consular, he immersed himself in political theory, linguistics, and behavorial studies, believing that these would serve him well in any diplomatic duties.
Upon beginning his apprenticeship to Agen Kolar, Radmal recieved a rude awakening in regards to his previous attidude towards physical conditioning. Having spent so much time neglecting his physical fitness as well as his more active and tactile Force abilities. Although far behind the curve, Radmal spent a great deal of time trying to better understand the living Force, as well as his own physical prowess.
As he got older, and as the Clone Wars broke out, Radmal's disposition grew more and more aggressive. He went through several months of self-doubt and depression right after the war began, believing that all of his ideals of diplomacy and pacifism to be false. As a coping mechanism, Radmal assumed a strict, militaristic demeanor, which he adopted after seeing the order and decorum that the Clone Troopers conducted themselves with. This made him very popular with the troops, who were able to identify with Radmal's attitude (as opposed to the more stoic, sage-like behavior of other Jedi commanders).
Though he would never say so aloud, Radmal was very disilusioned with the Jedi way later in life. As the Clone Wars continued, he saw the Jedi tennants of pacifism and restraint as barriers from keeping them from ending the war. However, Radmal kept this to himself and remained obedient to both the Jedi High Council and the Jedi Code.
Powers and Abilities
At a very young age, Radmal displayed above average mental and precognative abilities, and excelled at academics during his time as a Jedi initiate. As he grew older, he was well-versed in galactic political theory, diplomacy, and linguistics. However, as he grew older, he let many of these fall into neglect.
After years of intense training training during his apprenticeship, Radmal posessed considerable physical strength, speed, and stamina. Throughout the rest of his life, Radmal was very disiplined, if not occasionally obsessive, about maintaining his physical abilities through rigorous training.
Radmal was not a naturally gifted swordsman like so many of his contemporaries. But seeing the skill that his Master, Agen Kolar, posessed drove his persuits at bettering his swordplay. After years of intense, diciplined study, Radmal was a more than proficient duelist, prefering the classical form of Makashi and utilizing it to great effect.
After completing the construction of his first lightsaber, which was a double-bladed weapon, Radmal had to compleatly change his saber technique. Just as he had with a single blade, Radmal showed great disipline and care in honing his abilities with a saber staff, altering his use of Form II to better accomidate his new weapon.
Having been victim to a Sun Djem on more than one occasion, Radmal also trained using Jar'Kai, in the event that the two halves of his lightsaber were ever seperated.