Known also as the man in the dark cloak, Rothwell was a male human. He served as Rieve's trainer at the Grand Arena located on Vespaara. His employment at the Arena started a mere two days preceding Rieve's ascension to the rank of Hunter. During the Galactic Empire's rule, Rothwell ran a flourishing trade and smuggling operation within Coronet City on Corellia, striving to dominate a large part of the city's commerce. Approximately around 4 ABY, a shipment of medical supplies, originally destined for one of his Imperial contacts, was mistakenly delivered to Feyr Jos'han, a Rebel sympathizer. Rieve, their courier, was tasked with delivering these supplies to a Pantoran rebel. Rothwell dispatched at least fourteen of his enforcers to intercept the young courier. After trapping her in an alley, she unleashed the Force, causing harm to both the bodies and minds of his men, allowing her to escape and successfully complete her delivery.
Rothwell's conclusion was that the girl who defeated his men was a member of a rival cartel or gang, attempting to make a name for herself by targeting his organization and destroying his livelihood. In a desperate attempt to exact revenge, he led a group of Stormtroopers in a search of various orphanages, seeking Jos'han's orphaned employee. Failing to locate the girl who had eluded his men, Rothwell was unable to convince his Imperial contact that the missing supplies had been stolen. Consequently, he and his associates were taken into Imperial custody for aiding Rebel activities, resulting in his imprisonment in a labor camp.
Following the Empire's downfall, he gained his freedom. He went back to Coronet City, but he had lost his connections, money, and reputation. Determined to survive and eventually avenge himself on the girl he held responsible for his downfall, he took on temporary jobs. Slowly, he began to rebuild his enterprise, while also struggling to find Rieve, who had fled Corellia the night after she overpowered his men. He searched the Core Worlds, [Colonies](/article/colonies], and [Inner Rim](/article/inner_rim_territories]. He heard stories about Rieve possibly performing in a band on Nar Shaddaa, but she was already gone from there.
Around 9 ABY, Rothwell discovered an advertisement for Balada the Hutt's Outer Rim Hunters tournament, which announced a new Hunter with a Sith Lord theme. One of his couriers remembered Rieve's face, so Rothwell was sure the girl he was looking for was on Vespaara. He chose to apply to be her trainer, and Daq Dragus hired him. He ran an underground fighting ring in the industrial areas of the boomtown near the Grand Arena, and he started to manipulate Rieve to hurt her success. He sabotaged Rieve's equipment at key times and planted seeds of doubt in her mind, hoping she would show her villainous potential to her new employers.
Rothwell began to understand that Rieve was not the woman he believed her to be, finding her less skilled and clever than he had imagined. Despite this, he lured her to his underground fighting ring, endangering her position in the Hunters of the Outer Rim. Unfortunately, when Rothwell revealed his true identity to Rieve and sent his fighters to defeat her while sabotaging Balada's arena, Rieve managed to escape. He sent many of his goons to destroy significant portions of the arena, to marginal success. He used a holographic disguise matrix to lure two Hunters away from his position while he approached an alone Rieve backstage. He tried to shoot her with a blaster, but she used her lightsaber and the Force to defend herself. Soon, she had him beaten, and Daq Dragus approached to apprehend. Rothwell, with few remaining options, produced a Class-A thermal detonator, which, if activated, could destroy a large portion of the backstage area. Rothwell armed and dropped the thermal detonator. Rieve managed to contain the explosion using the Force, and Dragus apprehended Rothwell. Rothwell was soon taken into New Republic custody and transported off-world.