Klepa Laeel

Klepa Laeel
Biographical information
Homeworld	Tatooine
Descriptive information
Species	Bothan
Gender	Male
Hair color	Brown
Eye color	Blue

"I do still life paintings. Usually, just of plants in the wild, because… well… those don't cost anything. I guess that could be considered a landscape painting, but I don't paint much more than just the plant."

―Klepa Laeel, to a spacer

Klepa Laeel was a male Bothan artist who lived during the time of the Galactic Civil War. In 1 ABY, Laeel resided in the city of Mos Espa on the Outer Rim world of Tatooine where he created two works of art, titled Rainbow Berry Bush and Raventhorn Plant. Both of these paintings were subsequently featured in the Museum of Tatooine by curator Lilas Dinhint.

Biography

"Greetings. I'm afraid I have little to offer you as I am but an impoverished artist."
"Not even a credit or two?"
"Not even that. I'm scraping together every bit I can just to purchase my painting supplies. At this rate I'll be stuck in this sand ball forever."

―Klepa Laeel and a passerby

A male Bothan artist by the name of Klepa Laeel lived during the time of the Galactic Civil War, a major conflict between the Galactic Empire and the Alliance to Restore the Republic. In 1 ABY, Laeel could usually be found behind the starport in Mos Espa, a city on the Outer Rim Territories planet of Tatooine. While there, he created two paintings, one titled Rainbow Berry Bush, which depicted a rainbow berry bush, and another titled Raventhorn Plant, which depicted a raventhorn plant. Laeel preferred to do still life paintings of plants such as these, because as a starving artist with nary a credit to his name, wild plants did not cost him anything. However, he was forced to scrape together every bit he could just to purchase his painting supplies. At the rate he was going, Laeel worried that he would be stuck on Tatooine forever.

Meanwhile, in Tatooine's Imperial capital of Bestine, curator Lilas Dinhint oversaw the Museum of Tatooine, which served as the planet's only museum. Dinhint sought to enhance the museum's collection by offering visitors something new. To that end, the museum selected a small number of artists who would be approached for an opportunity to have their art featured in Bestine. Klepa Laeel was one of the artists to be considered, along with Vanvi Hotne, Giaal Itotr, Kahfr Oladi, Boulo Siesi, and Kolka Zteht. In order to have his paintings featured in Bestine, however, Laeel required enough votes to win over his fellow artists. Lilas Dinhint held a Bestine Museum art competition every thirty days, allowing for a period of fifteen days in between in which individuals could vote for their favorite artist.

During the course of his artistry career, Laeel was approached by a number of spacers, many of whom voted for him as their artist of choice. Laeel won the art competitions at various times, allowing him the opportunity to display his paintings in Bestine's museum for a period of thirty days. During the time his paintings were displayed, the corrupt curator Dinhint offered schematics of the artworks in exchange for a "modest donation" of 48,000 credits. This allowed the opportunity for architecturally-inclined furniture makers and traders to mass-produce copies of Laeel's paintings so that they could be purchased, collected, or displayed for personal use. With his paintings now on display, Laeel hoped that he would finally be able to earn enough money to travel again, and see more of the galaxy.

Personality and traits

Rainbow Berry Bush

Klepa Laeel had brown hair, and blue-colored eyes. Laeel was a humble individual who desired to see more of the galaxy, but his lack of income prevented such notions. However, his skill as an artist with an eye for still life paintings earned him an opportunity to feature his art in Bestine. With his fortunes reversing for the better, Laeel hoped to resume his travels.

Equipment

Raventhorn Plant

During his time as an artist in Mos Espa, Laeel wore a black, hooded cloak, beneath which he wore a white sidebutton shirt. He also wore a pair of tan-colored dress slacks with a pair of black uniform boots.

Behind the scenes

Klepa Laeel was a non-player character in the 2003 video game Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts, prior to its closure on December 15, 2011. He was added to the game on February 11, 2004 as part of Publish 6 The Imperial Crackdown. The update featured a new Bestine Museum event, in which players could vote for a number of NPC artists in order to have one of their paintings put up for display in the museum. Klepa Laeel was one of these artists, and players who chose to vote for him were required to first converse with him in Mos Espa. If Laeel got the most votes, one of his paintings, either Rainbow Berry Bush or Raventhorn Plant, would be displayed for about a one month period, and players could purchase schematics of the paintings during a two week period for a fee of 48,000 credits. The winning artist depended on the player's input, however as the competitions were held monthly, this article assumes 100% game completion, and that Klepa Laeel won the right to display both of her paintings on at least several occasions.

Appearances

• Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided (First appearance)