Description

History

A rather untraditional Corellian, Paul was rather small and bookish throughout his youth. His mother died when he was six and his father, a well established history professor and dean at the Corellian University, became even more distant from his son after her death. He was a bright child who discovered quickly that he didn't fit in with his peers, accelerated advancement in school only exacerbating the cirumstances. In an attempt to win his father's affections, Paul became avidly interested in history and archeology. He found he had a natural apptitude for languages and cultures. He had an unprecedented growth spurt at 16, but by then thedamage was already done, and he considered himself to be something of a clumsy, uninteresting nerd. As he reached physical maturity, he had a passionate desire to excel in the physical arena as well. Mixing his intellectual pursuits with his physical ones he went to many archeological dig sites in remote locations. There he gained outdoor endurance and survival skills as well as honing his scientific abilities.

At the age of 18 he finally broke with his father when receiving his accelerated Masters degree did not win him his father's approval. After a huge fight, Paul gave up the delusion that he could -ever- win his father's approval and decided to try to hurt the man as much as he could. He denounced his degree and education, informing his father that he was going to find himself a ship and become a smuggler, using the knowledge that he had to benefit his pocket rather than the field of Xenoarchaeology. He purchased a small used Ilyrian Gnat called the Quasar Bolt, setting himself to fixing it up and getting started.

Several jobs and two years later, Paul was approached by an older woman named Serent, an assistant museum curator, who said she needed Paul's help in finding and obtaining a certain rare and controversial artifact that was merely rumored to exist in the first place. The reward was sizeable and the temptation proved to be too much for the Corellian to resist. Paul saw this unconciously as a way to finally prove his worth to his father, as well as make his mark on the Xenoarcheaology field. The two of them worked closely together, and as time progressed, Paul found that he had fallen hopelessly in love with the woman. Upon the final discovery of the long sought artifact, Paul decided to propose to Serent, deleriously happy with his success and what he perceived to be the love of his life. However, Serent was a coniving woman who was only manipulating Paul in order to obtain this rare artifact for her husband, a distant crime lord in the midst of a territorial war. Paul, being naive, didn't realize her true feelings until she abandoned him and left Corellia, taking the artifact with her. Heart broken and shamed, Paul allowed himself to fall into a pit of despair. He delved more intensely into taking on dangerous jobs.

However, his natural inclination toward study and research led him into working on a dissertation, as traveling from distant planet to distant planet would give him time to do so. He redoubled his efforts and finished his schooling and received his doctorate in Xenoarchaeology and Alien Cultures at 23.

The Scholar Smuggler

MUSH History

Invited to travel with them to Calamari, after aiding the _Black Dragon's_ crew escape the clutches of Sabbath, Paul found he had little else to do. He became a rather close confident to Jessalyn, and Shenner developed what Paul perceived to be a crush on him. However, in turning her away, it became clear that he had devastated the young girl, and the Corellian foolishly allowed his emotions to rule the day, inviting the girl to come with him on an "adventure". Hired by Luke Skywalker to look into some mysterious Mandalorian artifacts, Paul found himself drawn along on a series of adventures and travels, Shenner his temporary "assistant". They made journeys across the galaxy, from his home world of Corellia to Tatooine. They met old friends, made new ones, smuggled goods and V'ez T'cha passengers, worried over captured friends and each other, and slowly but surely Paul grew to love her. Preparing for Mandalore, and their experiences there, however, only served to remind Paul how unequal their relationship was, as well as how dangerous his life could be. Shen was clearly not equipped to handle it, no matter how determined she was to show a brave face. In the disasterous end, he determined that the relationship was unhealthy and dangerous for Shenner, and in an attempt to do the "right" thing, after making sure she was safe and well cared for, he left her.

After spending more time cataloging and working to help rebuild the library on Mandalore, Paul finally remembered that he had promised Jessalyn that he would come to see her after his expedition had ended. In honoring that commitment, their relationship, which had walked a delicate line between close friends and something more intimate on Calamari, shifted. But Paul was, as always, wary of relationships, and while he felt strongly toward Jessalyn, he could not deny his the remanants of feelings toward Shenner. It also seemed that their paths, his of science and smuggling, Jessalyn's of command in the New Republic and her new-found Jedi abilities, would pull them in different directions. After helping her locate part of her lost family on Corellia, the call to recover lost artifacts did indeed draw Paul away from her.

Approached by Nerik and new found Jedi friend Sinjon Teague, Paul's expertise in ancient Corellian and expeditions was desperately needed. The quest was for the fabled treasure of Old Republic Corellian pirate, Darius Nul. The long sought after prize of this legendary thief and smuggler had never been found, and indeed and often been thought to just be an old spacers tale. However, the map presented to him convinced Paul otherwise. He pulled together equipment and found them a new partner on Bespin, one Ylsa Estrallas, to work on their cover and security issues. However, due to Luke Skywalker's recent rescue from Athaniss, their mutual destination, plans have been put on hold to wait for the Imperial security to drop back down to a reasonable level of activity before attempting to pass through customs unscathed to follow the elusive clues of Nerik's map. With his relationship with Ylsa turning personal, and her current line of employment disagreeing with her, leaving Bespin seemed prudent.

Heading to O'paal to pick up some "merchandise" to sell to Jase Millikin, Ylsa and Paul had the scare of their lives when Imperial security arrested her under mysterious circumstances. Fearing that they had discovered her past, she was in fact only questioned in regards to her previous employer, Ullo the Hutt. After relenting under the onslaught and giving up testimony, both she and Paul were released, shaken and battered, but free.

Given a statue that had great significance to one of Paul's personal archeological pursuits, he and Ylsa began searching for the rest of this series of artifacts, in some cases going through great peril and adventures in order to regain them. Some were stolen, some were purchased, and some were found through complicated adventures. After a grueling search upon the planet Hijarna, Paul and Ylsa took a break from their pursuits and were married in a small private ceremony. Always on the run from her previous employer, Ullo the Hutt, their lives were often tense and fraught with uncertainty.

It was therefore bitterly ironic that Paul lost her in the pursuit of one of the Tamis statues. A simple transaction gone horribly wrong resulted in Ylsa's death. Paul simply vanished, unseen for years upon years. He returned only briefly to Corellia, touching bases with a few friends, before vanishing yet again.

Current History

NPC's From Paul's Life

At this point, Paul has met up ICly with several people from his past that have been NPC'd and one very crucial character who has not yet reappeared in his life. Anyone interested in playing any of these characters ICly is more than welcome to drop me a line to discuss it.

Dr. Molari Canto - Mon Calamari and associate of Dr. Xavier Nighman as well as a mentor and later an associate to Paul Nighman.

Jace Raven - Childhood friend. Head mechanic of the spaceport at Coronet, Corellia and newly realized brother of Jessalyn Valios.

Serent - Paul's ex-lover/fiance'.

A Smuggler's Black Book

But wait ... there's more!

Logs Featuring Paul Nighman on Star Wars MUSH

Chewbacca - What a Wookieeee! Home Page