Ask A Master of None is No Master at All

[Vex]

The receiving chamber of Castle Gaol was not the most welcoming places to greet an Acolyte, but it did give the best first impressions. Vex had considered taking a student for awhile now. But now that the castle was completed and she was a Sith Master, it was time to take her commitment to the Order to the next step.

For this meeting, she had come in her armor. In future encounters, she would need no such thing. She had rifled through the applicant's files. An Annfyn noble who had just come of age. Which is why she had chosen to meet him here, at her prison, instead of on her more luscious homeworld of Serenno. Nobles tended to be squeamish. They tended to not want to dirty their own hands. She needed to know he was different. Committed. Because only someone ready to dredge the most toxic wastes of the dark side was capable of being her student.

But if he passed her tests. She would make him great. @LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

While he walked toward the receiving chamber of Castle Gaol, Caerllion reflected about what was going to happen. Some days ago he had been contacted by a Sith Master called Vex. She wanted to meet him to talk about the possibility of him becoming her Apprentice.

This was probably the most important day of his life. Caerllion knew that his time training at the Academy of Korriban would not be enough to satisfy his ambitions and desires. If he wanted to grow as a Sith, the young Annfyn would need a Master. Only this way he would be able to learn more abilities of the Dark Side.

When he arrived at the receiving chamber, Caerllion finally saw the woman. She was dressed in armor that hid her appearance from him. The young man already suspected that Vex wasn’t her name, the image of the older Sith wearing such an outfit seemed to confirm it. The Annfyn wondered if he should also have come wearing something like that. He was dressed like any other Acolyte, nothing that made him look like a noble.

“Good morning, Miss.” the young man said politely to her. “It’s a honor to be invited to this place.” Caerllion looked around. This castle was the new prison of the Sith Empire and was going to be useful. Would be terrible to end up in such a place.

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

Vex appraised the young man now that she could do so in person. His sharp ears could easily get him mistaken for a Sephi, or one of their human mixed bloods. But he was Anfynn, through and through, with all of their sharp angles and handsome features. There was... promise in him. She could sense it. But did he wield the intelligence to make much of that promise? That was the question.

"Not many would find it honorable to be brought here," Vex said, boots falling heavy on the tile as she crossed the catwalk towards her would-be student. "You will meet some of them presently, languishing beneath the very floors you stand upon." She came to a stop some feet in front of him. "But first—" She flicked her hand, conjuring a datapad seemingly out of thin air. She glanced down on its readouts, then back at him. "—I need to get the measure of you. Learn what kind of Sith you are, what kind you wish to become."

She motioned for him to follow her and then took off down a corridor to her right. At the end of it was a dojo she used to train alone, or train her personal guard. Some of them were sparring on the far end. They stopped when they saw her coming and bowed respectfully before resuming their drills. Vex pressed on until she had come to a small practice area that was divorced from where her Detention Force were sparring.

This time, when she conjured, she summoned a gleaming set of jingling bells, which she tied to her utility belt. "If you become my apprentice," she said, "this castle will be your home. I will permit you quarters here, and you can come and go freely as you embark on missions." The bells emitted a faint jingle as she shifted, preparing to get the feel of his education. "But first, a small test if you will. I want you to try and get these bells from me. You may use any powers and weapons you possess, and any training you received at the Academy."

She would not test him long. Just a round or two, to see what the Academy was teaching its students these days. What skills she would need to improve in him. What skills he already had honed exceptionally.

"Begin." @LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

Now that he was face to face with Vex, Caerllion felt that the woman was analyzing him from behind her helmet. The Annfyn was doing the same with her, he wanted to discover her identity and to understand why she was wearing the armor. He thought that she was someone important, or at least someone that was well known by the Galaxy.

Only that could explain her desire to stay with a secret identity. That or because she was someone eccentric. Anyway, the Acolyte wondered if she would reveal her face to him if he became her apprentice. Of course, he didn’t expect that she would accept to train him so easily. He wasn’t an idiot, he was nearly sure that there would be some type of test that he would need to succeed to be accepted by her.

He paid close attention to what Vex was saying. Indeed, there wasn’t much honor to be in a prison, but Caerllion felt honored for being in front of such accomplished Sith. She was the one that built this place, this made their meeting here very fitting.

The Acolyte wasn’t surprised when Vex said that she was going to measure him as a Sith. It only confirmed his suspicions about the possibility of the woman wanting him as her apprentice. Since she contacted him, Caerllion never thought that she was going to accept him only because of his good grades at the Academy.

The Acolyte turned his eyes to the bells at Vex’s belt, the gears on his mind turning while making a plan. Before the older Sith could say anything else, Caerllion would have moved against her. Using the Force, he summoned his lightsaber to his hand and amplified his agility with it.

He would move his lightsaber toward the chest of the woman, doing a motion to cut her. The Acolyte wasn’t the only one that would be tested here, he would see how good Vex was in a fight. Caerllion would not be trained by someone weak, he wanted to see how good she was.

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

Vex smirked, sensing the challenge behind his mask. He was testing her as much as she was testing him. And she had to admit: she had another reason for orchestrating this test. She wanted to test the limits of her new skills with magic. The second his lightsaber ignited, she conjured a concentrated ball of violet Force energy between her hands and launched it as a Hex Bolt at his feet.

The blast was strong enough to concuss the metal tiles that composed the floor, sending out a powerful shockwave and debris that could send him flying backwards if he did not preform quick enough footwork. Mostly she preformed the technique that way because she could see him angling high, for her chest, leaving his waist and legs exposed.

This was Vex's way of experimenting. She had heard Darth Raze only fought with the Force. Thus far, she had fought with both her magic and a lightsaber. But if she wanted to be a true Sith witch, if she wanted to be worthy of teaching another, she would have to learn not to rely on the laser weapon and fight with only her powers. @LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

Caerllion would have targeted her neck if Vex wasn’t faster than him. As soon as his lightsaber was activated, the Acolyte saw the woman throw some type of Force Energy toward him. To avoid the blast, he used his enhanced movements to jump to the right. The energy collided against the tiles on the ground, causing several debris to fly everywhere.

The explosion also caused a shockwave that could have blown Caerllion away if he didn’t have used the Force to protect himself against it. Once the attack ended, the Acolyte turned to see the mark that Vex’ energy blast had left in the floor. He was impressed. While the Annfyn had heard about Sith sorcery and alchemy, he had never seen it before. It seemed to be something so powerful and with so much potential.

At this moment, Caerllion decided that he wanted to learn how to use such an ability. Vex was proving to be a promising master. Wanting to counterattack, the Annfyn reunited the Force around his left hand and released it as a blast against her. It was only a distraction, because while the woman dealt with it, he would move once again.

Running toward the older Sith, Caerllion would move his lightsaber toward the woman’s legs. The Force blast would work as a cover for this attack. While the use of the energy blast had impressed him, the Annfyn still wanted to see what more Vex could do.

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

Good, Vex thought.

This young man was resourceful. He could think on his feet. And he wasn't a quitter, either. Already, he was back on his feet, probing her for more weaknesses. He was actually trying to fight her. That kind of tenacity would make him into a lethal Sith, and an even more deadly apprentice if she didn't take action and establish her order. As his blast came at her, she raised her left hand, coated with misty, violet magic, and caught the blast, absorbing its energy into herself.

At the same time, she took a long step back, just out of reach of his blade, and then conjured a thin chord of violet energy around the Acolyte's neck with her right hand. This was the critical moment of the test. Vex had told him to seize the bells at her waist, but what she was really intent on seeing was his ingenuity. Choking usually caused most enemies to panic, flail, use every resource to escape. It was the response of an animal desperate to escape a trap. And it usually got them killed.

She closed her hand into a fist, and the thin chord of energy squeezed. She would not kill him, even if he failed to find a way to stop her. Killing an Acolyte would be wasteful, and failure was often the greatest teacher. But she was getting ahead of herself. Maybe he wouldn't fail. Maybe he would think of something. @LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

Caerllion watched with surprise the Champion use some type of Force energy on her left hand to collect the blast that he had sent toward her. The Acolyte wanted to learn such ability. You could use it not only as an offensive technique, but also as a defensive one. He wondered what else he could do with it.

Before he could think more about it, the Annfyn felt something form around his neck and started to choke him. Vex had used her Force energy to create what seemed to be some type of strings that were slowly constricting his neck. Caerllion started to enter in panic and dropped his lightsaber on the floor.

He didn’t know what he should do to escape from this grip. If it was a common Force choke, the Acolyte knew how to fight it. Caerllion wondered if it could work here too. Focusing on his neck, the young man fought against the constriction on his neck and slowly was able to free himself.

While he used the Force to fight against her grip on his neck, Caerllion noticed that Vex had left the guard down. He could see and hear the bells on his belt and it made him remember that the test was for him to pick one of them, not to defeat the other Sith. With that in mind, the Acolyte stopped fighting against her hold on his neck and used the Force to pull one of the bells toward his right hand.

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

There were defenses for the trick Caerllion just pulled, but Vex allowed it because it satisfied her true goals for this test. With a wave of her fingers, she released the Acolyte from from her spell, letting him breathe again. "That was a dangerous move you just pulled," she said. "All it would have taken was for me to constrict the spell further, and you would have died of asphyxiation." Her gaze shifted to the bell he had grabbed through the Force. "Still, a willingness to succeed even in the face of death... These qualities are absolutely essential for any Sith. So, I will reward your tenacity with a lesson."

Vex stepped back and gestured around them to the training equipment lining the wall, as well as some of the large obstacles her Detention Force used to assist in their drills. "Pushing back against my chokehold might have worked if I were an opponent with a lightsaber," she explained. "Traditional Sith who fight with those weapons can't spare the additional focus it requires to maintain a choke and fight with their sabers. But I am a Sith witch." She had recently discarded her lightsaber to learn how to fight without it. The measure of control over her magic it allowed her in combat was... intoxicating. "To fight one gifted in the Force, you have to interrupt their focus. Use their surroundings against them. Keep their hands busy. Simply pushing against their chokeholds aren't enough. You'll wear yourself out long before you exhaust them."

Not that there were many Jedi who used Force magic. The Jedi shunned such practices as pagan and dark. But there were many forms of Sith magic — her own Korriban magic, the type of magic used by generic Sith warlocks, Sith alchemy, and even the magick of the Nightsisters — and Sith were known to turn on their own from time-to-time. It would be good for him to get practice in countering such arcane warriors.

She folded her hands in front of her. "Since you passed my test," Vex continued. "I will give you the option to train under me, if that is what you desire. But first: what kind of Sith is that you wish to become? Where do you see yourself at the end of your training?" A mundane but important question. A Sith needed ambition, else the dark side would reject them as stagnant. @LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

Immediately after the bell was on his right hand, Caerllion felt the grip around his neck disappear. He fell to the floor, his left hand moving toward his neck while he gasped for air. The Annfyn had thought for a moment that Vex would have continued to suffocate him, even when he snatched the bell.

When she started to talk, the Annfyn turned to look at her. He felt ashamed for not being able to free himself from the grip, but he had no idea of how he could do it. Vex’s abilities impressed him. Caerllion never saw it before, not even learned about it during his time at the Academy.

To be honest, he always thought that the they only thaught the basics to its students, what was stupid on his opinion. How did they want to make good Sith if they only taught the basics? It was so counter-productive.

He took everything that she said as a lesson, from her instruction about how he should fight another Force sensitive to how a traditional Sith fought. Caerllion became even more interested when Vex mentioned that she was a Sith witch. So her ability with this energy was some type of sorcery. It was interesting. The Annfyn wondered if she would teach him how he could become a Dark Side warlock.

Only after Vex had finished talking, Caerllion dared to give her an answer. “I want to be a powerful Sith and to learn how to fight like you did today.” regarding what he saw himself at the end of his training, the Annfyn already knew the answer very well. “I see myself closer to becoming the King of my homeworld.”

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

Well, there was ambitious and a bit too ambitious; but they would have time to work on that. Vex sensed his desire to learn her arts. It mirrored the desire she had once shown before the Empress, and she wondered briefly if she should adopt the same tactic. Should Caerllion be made to learn on his own before she took him on?

No.

The Empress had said every Sith would find their own way. She would find hers too. And her way was not to turn away a hungry mind, though there was still the matter of how best to teach him. In the end, she decided honesty was the best approach. And the best warning.

"It will be some time before you are able to fight as I am," Vex explained. "The dark side is a pathway to many strange and arcane abilities. And to use them properly takes a lot of work, and much foundation laying." She folded her hands behind her and stared in the distance, deep in thought for a long moment. "I will teach you the foundations. There is an experiment I have been waiting to conduct. You will help me. How you perform will determine whether or not we continue your education in Sith magic or pursue a more orthodox path."

And there was only one place to do that. "Take the turbolift upstairs," she instructed him. "You will find living quarters there with a fresh change of clothes and some other belongings you might find useful. Pack for a few days." She strolled past him now, needing to make a few preparations of her own before they left. "We're going to Korriban." @LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

Caerllion paid close attention to what Vex was saying. He was willing to take all the time that would be necessary to learn these abilities and to have such powers. When you are an Annfyn that can live for hundreds of years, you can have patience and play the longer game.

The Acolyte felt curious when Vex mentioned an experiment that she wanted to do, wondering what it could be. He didn’t know what were the limits of this Sith magic, so the idea of experimenting was tempting. “I’ll not disappoint you, Master. I’ll be a good apprentice, whatever the path that you decide to use to teach me.”

“Understood, Master. I can’t wait to start my training.” Caerllion said, after Vex finished giving him structions. He would walk toward the turbolift and then find the living quarters. While the Acolyte looked around the room and prepared what he would need for the trip, he would think about what they were going to do in Korriban.

—---------------------------------​

Their trip would occur without any problem. They have taken a ship arranged by Vex, with her being the one piloting it. During the entire trip, Caerllion maintained the composure that a noble of his position should maintain. However, inside he felt excited with the idea that he was going to start his training soon. He had controlled himself to not make several questions to his Master. The Annfyn knew that he could be annoying when excited with something.

When the ship left hyperspace and Korriban appeared in front of it, a smile appeared on the young man’s lips. Now they only needed to land and Caerllion would know what this experiment would be. He was in the verge of looking like a child that was going to an amusement park.

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

Theme​

Vex purposely chose to land their ship on the dark side of the funerary world of Korriban, setting it down in the dunes in front of a large limestone temple jutting out of the sand. Centuries had covered up most of what had once been a place of worship for the ancient red-skinned Sith. The first Sith Lords had done nothing to revitalize the temple since it did not exalt them. So, it was a miracle the structure remained standing after all this time. It was here that Vex would begin her student's training in earnest.

"Before we begin the experiment," she said, striding alongside him up the winding dunes towards the towering structure, "there are things you must know. There are many types of Force magic in our galaxy. The Shadow Magick of the Nightsisters; the Korriban Magick that I wield and was once wielded by the ancient Sith; and the diluted Sith alchemy created by the first Sith Lords from that Korriban magick are the most famous and well-known." As they walked, she let a hand trail behind her, releasing a violet mistlike energy into the sands beneath them. It caused the sand to leap up around her hands, swirling up her arms, before dispersing into the wind. "Regardless of which branch you eventually study, the fundamentals are the same. Magic is the Force and the Force is in all things. As long as you have the Force, you will be able to conjure and use magic."

They came to an abrupt halt at the base of the stone steps leading up to the temple. Vex gestured behind her towards it. "This is the Temple of Anddedu. Our historians are not sure if he was a Sith Lord or some ancient deity the Red Sith worshiped. All we know," she explained, "is that he was obsessed with the manipulation of life. There are plants inside well-attuned to the dark side that we will use for our experiments. But before we step inside this sacred ground, I am going to teach you the first rule to using dark side magic: Willpower."

She demonstrated this by sweeping her hands outward and to her side as if she were gathering up the trailings of a large dress. In response, sand flooded to her like water sucked into a vacuum, gathering around her feet. "In the Academy," she lectured, "you may have been taught to let the Force flow through you when using it. But magic requires you to command the Force. To bend it to your will and force it to do as you command. But the Force is sentient and naturally attuned to the Light. It will resist you." She let the sand go from her grip and motioned for her apprentice to mimic her. "Now you. Call upon the Force and summon the sand to your feet. But make the Force do the work for you. This is not your ordinary telekinesis." @LouJoVi

Challenge: Use a dice roll to see how well (or how poorly) Caerllion suceeds at this task.

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

The first thing that Caerllion noticed after they left the ship was the ancient temple. It had an eerie atmosphere, which seemed to be intensified by it being at the dark side of Korriban. By the state that it was, the Acolyte suspected that this place was built centuries ago, perhaps even before the time of the wars between the first Sith Empire and the Ancient Jedi Order.

While they walked through the dunes toward the Temple, Caerllion paid close attention to the explanation that Vex was giving to him. He wasn’t a stranger to the concept of Force magic, having read about the one used by the Nightsisters and the Sith Alchemy. However, he never heard about this Korriban magick. If the alchemy used by the Sith was only a diluted version of it, then it would be a powerful ability for him to have.

Once they arrived in front of the Temple, Vex would stop before they could climb the stairs to enter it. The more she talked about the history behind this place, more the Annfyn became interested to start with his training and the experiment immediately.

However, Vex wanted him to practice with his willpower before they entered the Temple. He watched her demonstration with summoning the sand, needing to agree that it was impressive. After she finished it, his Master said that he should also try doing that. “Of course, Master.” Caerllion said, before turning to the sand that was surrounding him.

Focusing in the sand, Caerllion did what Vex had said. He commanded the sand to gather around him. Aty first he felt as if it was resisting him, but slowly the sand would start to move toward him and form a small pile at his feet. The feeling was different from the times that he used the Force before, the knowledge that he was controlling it, making it bend to his will was wonderful.

In the end, Caerllion formed a pile of sand around his legs. It was smaller than the one that Vex made, but still showed that the Acolyte was capable of doing it. “Was it good?” he asked the woman. “I felt some resistance from the sand in the beginning, as if it didn’t want to obey me.”

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

Vex paced back and forth, nodding as her apprentice did exactly as she had instructed. She too felt the resistance from the Force, but he had managed her task well enough. "Your attempt was passable," she affirmed. "Sand grains are small and easily manipulated. Commanding the Force to do larger tasks will generate more resistance." She turned back to the temple at her back. There were two large stone slabs that acted as doors. "Which is why these will be your next task. I need to know that your power will be useful to me when we enter and go attend the experiment, so we will see if you have enough to open the Temple of Andeddu."

From her readings in the grimoires on Mustafar, Vex had discerned that the Temple had been used to train Acolytes interested in Sith alchemy, so she felt comfortable using it for testing purposes. "This time," she continued, "we're going to build upon your willpower lesson with another. Incantation. Those who master Sith magic do not require incantation for basic actions; but at your level, they can help sharpen your intent and focus your willpower by instruct the Force directly in what you want it to do." Vex looked back at her young student over her shoulder. "Anga is the Sith word for 'open.' Remember what I've taught you about willpower. Focus on the doors, think clearly about what you want them to do, and then speak the incantation."

If Caerllion succeeded, it would mean he had some natural talent for Sith magic and she could begin teaching him some of the more advanced skills he would need. If he failed, she would make him try again, later, deeper into the temple. Vex strove to be a patient master, unlike the man who had trained her. She would not suffer fools or insubordination; but as long as she could see Caerllion was trying, she was willing to continue his instruction. "Go on," she prompted. "Give it a try." @LouJoVi

Challenge: Use dice to test Caerllion's attempt at using incantation for the first time. At +2 to the end of whatever your roll is since he had some success with the willpower test.

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

Caerllion wasn’t satisfied with Vex’s comment about his attempt to summon the sand. If the Sith woman considered it as passable, he needed to practice more of it. He was a member of the House of Cyfnos, they didn’t make passable things. Anything that they made was perfect, nothing less than that.

The Acolyte paid close attention to his Master’s explanation. When she mentioned the doors, the Annfyn turned to look at them. They were large, like those of the oldest palaces of Annwfyn. However, rather than being made of wood like those of his homeworld, the ones that he would need to open were made of stone.

“I’ll do it, Master. This time I’ll do it better.” he said, before walking up the stairs. The Acolyte stopped in front of the doors. Being close to them, the Annfyn could see how they were also ancient. This architecture wasn’t used anymore, perhaps the last time that it was used Andraste wasn’t even born.

Taking a deep breath, Caerllion focused the Force on the doors. However, he could feel how it was still resisting him. Then, he remembered what Vex had told him about the incantations. “Anga.” the Acolyte said and some red sparks left his hands. He could feel how his will over them had strengthened after saying it. His Master was right, the words were really useful.

After some time focusing on the door and murmuring the word, the doors finally opened. Once they were open, the Acolyte turned to Vex. “The incantation was really useful. As soon as I said it, the resistance decreased.” he wondered what else he could do with such incantations.

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

"Better," Vex said with a sharp nod. The boy had some talent after all. He might be her most promising apprentice candidate yet. She turned and beckoned for him to follow her inside the temple. "Come," she said. "We have work to do, and you have much to learn."

She lit the iron sconces lining the walls of the temple with a flick of her hand as they entered. Pyrokinesis was easy with Korriban magick, and she wanted him to see the possibilities that lay before him after he was well-trained. When they came to the back of the antechamber, Vex found that it was a dead end. All they had for a clue was a pattern etched into the floor in an almost perfect circle. She recognized the mechanism right away.

"You have passable willpower," Vex began, "and some skill with basic incantation. Now, we're going to add a third element. The first true lesson in Sith alchemy." The Sith warden gestured at the pattern beneath their boots. "In order to protect their secrets, the ancient Sith cast power seals upon their tombs and temples. These seals were tests as much as they were obstacles. And the seal in this temple teaches a powerful lesson: everything has a cost."

On each side of the circular pattern was a dip, shaped like a bowl. Vex pointed at one of the dips and gestured for Caerllion to stand by it, while she stood by the other. "Magic," she continued, "is no different. When the dark side sees someone willing to suffer for its power, it pays attention and obeys their commands. At the same time, powerful magic also requires a powerful binding agent. Something to tie its effects to our world. Blood accomplishes both. By harming yourself to cast a spell, the dark side notices your willingness to suffer for its power, and blood can also act as the catalyst by which your spell is cast." She demonstrated this by removing one of her gloves and conjuring a ritual dagger in a flicker of violet flames. Then, she cut into her hand and let her blood dribble into the dip on her side of the circle. "I have contributed my blood," she said, tossing him her bloodied knife. "Now you. Once your blood is in the saucer, do as you did before. The same intentions. The same incantation. Once we're below, our experiment will begin." @LouJoVi

Challenge: Roll your dice to see how well Caerllion does with this test. Add +3 to your result for successfully demonstrating willpower and incantations. This will be our last such test for a few rounds.

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

Caerllion felt more satisfied with Vex’s new comment about his last attempt. However, it wasn’t enough for him. The Annfyn wanted to become perfect with these incantations and he would not give up until it happened. If he wanted to be close for his ambitions to be fulfilled, the Acolyte would need to be successful with this training.

“Yes, Master.” Caerllion said, before following Vex inside the Temple. He watched her flick her hand and use the Korriban magick to lit the iron torches of the place. Then dominion over Pyrokinesis was another of the benefits of this ability. If someone could use several Force abilities with the help of this one, then learning it would be indeed useful.

He followed his Master toward the back of some type of antechamber. The Annfyn saw that the place had the same ancient architecture of the entrance, showing that it was never modified. Images and words in what the Acolyte thought that must be in the old Sith language were covering the walls.

When Vex started to explain what they were going to do, Caerllion paid close attention to what she was saying. In the mention of the seals, the Acolyte turned to look at the symbols beneath them. As a noble, the Annfyn had learned that they would need to make sacrifices, but he expected that what he would need to do for this power would be nothing compared to the price of being born as nobility.

Would he be prepared for it?

During the entire time that Vex moved to one of the patterns and cut her hand to let some of her blood to fall on it, Caerllion contemplated if he should continue with what they were going to do. He grabbed the knife that the woman threw to him. It was full of her blood and moved to his finger. The Annfyn gaze moved from it to his left hand, as if he was uncertain about what he should do next.

Then, he finally decided what he should do. The Acolyte walked toward the bowl-like pattern that was opposite to the one that Vex used. Raising his hands over it, Caerllion moved the knife and made a cut on his left hand. Soon, blood started to drip on the saucer.

“Anga.” he said, focusing the Force on the pattern. This time he felt more resistance than with the doors, but in the end he would be able to make it follow his will. Now he would wait for what was going to happen next.

@Mockingjay

 

[Vex]

Vex waited for the saucer to lower them into the depths of the temple before she offered the Acolyte a sharp nod of affirmation. He had succeeded in all three tests. As far as she was concerned, he was already apprentice material. But she still wanted to run through the experiment with him first. To see him put all of his skills to use and succeed there too.

There at the bottom, they exited into a corridor overgrown with thorned vines. The ancient plant had been growing down here without sunlight for centuries. Maybe longer. This would be the subject of their experiment. But first, Vex needed to see what the Acolyte knew about the basis for her travails. So she ran her hands along the plants thick vines, each the diameter of her arm, and spoke as she walked. "This vined planet will be the subject of our experiment," she explained to him. "As I said above, its attunement to the dark side will make it more pliable, though I cannot guarantee our success." She stoped thin the thick of the brush and turned to face him. "Before we begin, tell me. Have you heard of the Jedi power 'Plant Surge'? If so, tell me what you know." @LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

With the incantation being successful, Caerllion felt the floor tremble and then start to move, revealing it to be some type of platform activated through magic. The Acolyte was impressed, he had never seen something like that before. The Annfyn wondered what was used to create this place.

Once they reached the bottom, the two Sith found themselves in a corridor full of thorned vines. Beyond being curious about which species this plant was, Caerllion was also intrigued by its presence. They were deep down underground and there were very few species of plants that could survive without daylight.

While Vex talked about the experiment, the Annfyn continued studying the plant. He could feel how the Dark Side was strong with it. This only made him more curious to know what the species of this plant was. Perhaps it could even be the product of Sith Alchemy.

“I hear that Plant Surge is an ability where the Jedi use the Light Side of the force to make plants grow. They even use it during combat.” Caerllion answered his Master’s question. The power to control plants could be very useful. Unfortunately, it was blocked to the Sith and only those strong with the Light Side could use it.

@Mockingjay