In Quest of Power

[Negative Blessing]

Grima Volitu, Sith Master and Sith Witch, sat on the floor of her meditation chamber aboard her ship lost in the Force through her meditation trance. She was on her way to Felucia to uncover two tomes she had heard possessed two Sith spells, ones she she craved to learn and understand, through a contact of hers. The ship's vibrations seemed to rumble all around her but she managed to infuse those tremors into her trance state. Slowly she began to pull herself back to reality and open her eyes just as her pilot, Grundez, announced over the ship's communication speakers that they were now landing on the planet's surface.

After rising to her feet, she pulled her hood over her montails and closed the folds of her cloak around her body. She left the chamber, then exited the ship stepping on the surface of Felucia for the first time since she was an Acolyte. Her previous visit had been both fruitful and knowledgeable; and she hoped this time would be to.

Leaving her ship behind, she began to walk through the jungles aware that she was being watched. She knew the Felucian Shaman were paranoid of outsiders but would they remember her? It was on her visit here, along with a Sith Master and a Imperial Stormtooper, that she lent them aid in expunging some Mandos that tried to oppress their people. But....that was along time ago. Things change...people change.

She continued on her path unimpeded until she saw a figure standing on a hilltop in the distance. She could sense this figure was gifted by the Force and his power was strong. Shaman. She continued toward the figure and when she was close, the old man turned around and gave her a crooked smile; revealing several missing teeth.

"It has been some time since you were on our planet, Mistress. You have grown more powerful since the last time these eyes, younger then, fell upon you. You were what then, what did your Order refer to you as? Oh yes, an Acolyte," the old Felucian Shaman said again revealing his smile.

Grima barely recalled him but she was younger then and more arrogant. "Your memory serves you well Shaman. I must confess...I do not share a memory of you but you are right...I am more powerful indeed. No longer a mere wet-behind-the-ears Acolyte but a Sith Master," Grima replies, not smiling.

The Shaman lets out roar of what passes as laughter then says, "So what brings you here Mistress? The Sith already own my homeworld and our resources are being stripped from our planet everyday."

Grima looks into the wise eyes of the old Felucian and whispers, "Knowledge."

 

[Negative Blessing]

Grima watched the old Shaman rub his underchin as his eyes kept shifting from her and to something out on the horizon. The Sith Witch was just about to interrupt his silence when at last he said, "So you are seeking knowledge are you? Do you seek it or wish to steal it, Mistress?"

Grima smiled at his remarks then replied, "What need would I have of stealing such knowledge when someone could steal it from me...and that old man....simply has no appeal to me. No, I wish to study it...learn it...and when I'm done with it....destroy it so its secrets are lost to all save myself." Grima watched the old man again rub his underchin, testing her patience. She need not waste her time with this Shaman but something was nagging at her that this old one could help her.

Finally, the old Shaman gestured her to follow him down the hillside. "For everything you did to aid us in our troubles so many years ago, I feel obligated to aid you. I do not trust Sith or anyone for that matter but I will honour your word that you will destroy what you find." The old Shaman stopped at the base of the hill and pointed to the south.

"There, deep in the jungles lies an old temple of sorts that once played host to one of your Order. He is long dead and gone but both his belongings and presence remains. They are left undisturbed for his ghost haunts the ruins but to a powerful Sith such as yourself, should have no concerns." The old man shoots a sideways glance at Grima.

Grima looked to where the old Shaman was pointing and began to walk away saying, "I do not believe in luck...coincidences...or superstitions for that matter old man. I do not fear the restless or the undead...or the hauntings of a dead Sith."

Grima entered the brightly coloured jungle with the feeling that this was going to easy; so far.

 

[Negative Blessing]

Master Volitu walked through the jungle uninterrupted until she came at last what seemed like an ancient structure; yet was far from being called a temple. It looked as though it was once lived in but any resemblance to a temple could not be seen, to her it looked like a makeshift hut of stone. However, she could feel a strong presence surrounding the stone hut and wondered if this was the presence of the ghost. She walked up to the hut and first observed what appeared to be a door that was hanging to the left on hinges that looked broke; probably from forced entry.

Grima, using the toes of her left boot, pushed the door open and stepped inside. There wasn't much light inside except for what was seeping through from the broken windows. Grima looked around and saw broken furniture and debris of all sorts littering the floor of the hut. She didn't know what she was looking for really, so she began to sift through the debris.

Picking up what appeared to be some sort of handwritten journal, she opened it and began to scan through the pages and realized at once that the language written was from her native tongue, Togruti. So the Sith that lived her was once a member of her race.

As she was scanning through the pages, some torn and ripped, she stumbled upon the last entry:

.....I can feel my powers growing weaker with every passing day. No, the Force is not leaving me but it seems the corruption of the Dark Side has finally taken its toll on my body, thus making it more difficult for me to call upon my Dark Side powers. If that was not worse, it seems two young and ambitious Sith Acolytes have been sniffing around these parts. I spoke to them briefly but I think it was a ruse on their part to gauge my strength and power.

I know they are here to steal the two tomes I have with me. But I'm no fool! Once they departed after our initial conversation, I hid them deep in the Krogi Mountains in a cave that looks like a gaping maw of a Krayt Dragon. With my mind slowly deteriorating, I'm forced more and more to jot down in my journal so my own secrets are not lost to me. I believe the next time I see....

Grima rips the last page out and drops the journal on the floor. Just as she turns to exit the hut, she feels first the presence again, closer and colder, then before her eyes manifests a Togruta male Force ghost. The expression on its face is that of anger and pure hatred. Grima begins to walk past it when it bellows, "Thief! You dare to steal from me witch! Do you know who I am? My name is one that use to install fear into the galaxy. The mere mention of my my name would make my foes tremble in the knees. My name is...

Grima raises her hand in mock gesture to silence the ghost. "I have many goals and ambitions apparition....neither of which deals with knowing your name....nor do I crave or desire to know your name," the Sith Master says just as she steps out of the hut. Looking to her right, she can see the peaks of the Krogi Mountains.

 

[Negative Blessing]

Coming into a clearing, situated between the jungles and the Krogi mountains, Grima saw a juvenile Rancor feasting on the flesh of a kill or it was simply scavenging the meat from another predator's kill. Grima knew she was getting close to the tomes, she could feel their presence in the Dark Side. So this Rancor was a minor inconvenience but it would not die today; at least not by her hands.

Using the Force to aid her, she first invaded the mind of the Rancor feeling its primitive and primal nature. Once inside, she used her ability, Force Illusion, and began to implant images of a much larger Rancor coming to challenge the young Rancor for its feast. The young Rancor shook its head at the image of the much larger of its kind, howled once, and decided to flee; abandoning its meal. Grima watched the beast disappear into the jungle and when she felt it was no longer a threat, she dropped the image from inside the Rancor's mind.

Grima moved through the clearing and saw what looked to be some sort of stone steps carved into the mountain side. After climbing the stones for a couple of hours, she found the entrance to the cave, the one that resembled a gaping maw of a Krayt Dragon, and entered. She pulled from her utility belt a light stick, activated it, and used it like a torch as she moved through the dark cave.

She came across a set of bones, covered in torn and ripped black robes, lying on the cave floor; its lightsaber next to the pile of bones cut in half. Grima briefly glanced at it then continued toward her goal. She entered a great chamber and saw a pile of stones that looked both unnaturally formed and out of place.

She moved the stones away and found buried underneath the rubble was a black and red attache case. Gripping the case and freeing it from its rocky grave, she set it down and opened it up and was rewarded for her efforts when her eyes fell on the two ancient tomes. She grabbed the tomes and left the case behind; returning to her ship.

As her ship was in flight to Dantooine, she examined and studied the two tomes; both revealing to her two new Sith Sorcery spells; Waves of Darkness and Aura of Uneasiness. She began to learn their secrets and over time, she began to master these two spells.