A Meeting in the Mists

[Alastair Valkyrion]

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--UNKNOWN ABANDONED VILLAGE
--DATHOMIR
--12:00 HOURS GALACTIC STANDARD TIME

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Alastair moved through the small village, his keen eyes watching every shadow in the whirling mists as Dathomir's star bathed the whole place in an eerie red light. He kept a hand on the hilt of his sword, ever present on his left hip, and his senses on high alert.

He had come here seeking knowledge, as always. Rumors of a small group of Dathomiri witches having resided here had come to his attention, however he was surprised to find the place completely abandoned.

He entered one of the larger buildings and was pleased to find a shelf full of books and scrolls, he hoped that he would find something to help him crack the secrets of the ring he had found on Nal Hutta with his friend Sythe. So far all he knew was that it emanated dark energy, and he was reluctant to part with it even for a short time.

Finding an old leatherbound book the Vahla sorcerer sat down and blew the dust off it before cracking it open and beginning to read, still keeping his senses tuned to his surroundings so as to avoid any surprises.

@EmilyHuene

 

[The Confessor]

Dathomir. A planet full of women who could harness a magick ability not unlike the Force. There wasn't much known about the tribal women at this time, so the Sith kept a curious eye on them from afar. But there was another reason a Sith would come to this planet today. Eriana Fox had been given a mission. Not by any Imperial authority. No this mission was a personal mission of faith. The Dark side of the Force had spoken to her. "Seek out your temple," it had told her. In so many words.

Eriana reflected for many hours on what that message meant. She'd been to every temple on Coruscant and in the nearing systems. If it was in the Core, she'd been there to pay homage to her deity. So what temple did she need to find? A stray thought came to her one day while meditating: maybe she should build one. Yes it all made sense. There was no Sith religion. No actual temple. Her predecessors only built those monuments as a testimony of their own worth. They didn't worship the Dark side as she did. That was the meaning of her secret prophecy bestowed upon her. She needed to build a church of the Sith.

But where to start? Her first thought was Iktotch. But that sandy dune was not filled with any sort of Force presence save for the phenomenon in which she had a fellow Sith happened upon. No she'd need somewhere more connected to the Dark side. Her best guess would be Korriban. But that was all the way on the other side of the galaxy. Where the traitors lie. If she were to build a place of refugee and prayer, she'd need to find a place where she wouldn't fear being attacked.

Thus, Dathomir. While there was still the threat of the savage tribeswomen hiding in their caves, an Imperial assault would drive them out. She was sure she could get the council to approve of taking the system for their own. But she wanted to investigate first. She'd come alone and without backup to the red planet in her lone fighter jet which was manufactured by the same people who sold Vexatious-class starfighters. Flying was a horrid experience for the girl as she had so much anxiety when in any star ship. It was all due to her blindness and the fact she couldn't see what was out in the distance of space. At any given moment her ship could collide with a meteor and she'd be done for. At least now she had some control of it and found being in the pilot's seat wasn't as frightening as when she was stuck in the passenger area.

Even still, she was ever grateful when she landed and opened the glass hood before the ship had even touched down. She'd then jump down from her seat and let her feet touch solid ground. It felt good to be secure again. Behind her, the astromech droid she'd assigned to the ship would start powering down the engines and wait for her to return. She called back to it to stay on alert for anyone other than her. Eriana didn't need to run the risk of losing her ship and being stranded this far out. She hated leaving the Core. Savages lived out here. Dirty, stinking savages.

Leaving the ship her Sith robes billowed behind her as the wind blew against them. She wasn't too tall, her boots giving her more of an edge, but she did have a slender beauty to her. Her eyes were white from the lack of color being received and her hair was as black as her clothes. She was wearing her Sith maurader armor as she always did, not fearing retaliation from anyone other than her own people. Only a fool would attack a Sith. Even though her armor was not true armor, and sported a more domineering look, she still bore the Imperial Republica insignia on her shoulders to let everyone know where her allegiances lie. And if that weren't enough her two curved lightsabers on her belt would do the trick.

Eriana could feel the Force. It was strong here. Perhaps she'd come to the right place after all. There was a village ahead of her, she had a feeling as such. She couldn't exactly see it else she would have seen the other Sith's ship parked just on the other side of the ridge. Eriana couldn't explain the connection she was feeling only that it felt familiar. The Dark was here. And then it occurred to her. Another Force user was giving off this vibe. That's why she recognized it. A Sith was around here.

But what faction did he or she belong to? Until further notice, Eriana would bring her sabers to her hands. Just in case.

​

 

[Alastair Valkyrion]

Alastair closed the book he had been reading, not only because he was finding absolutely nothing of interest but also because he heard a ship go overhead. His Crux class fighter was nearby, but he thought he could hear whatever the craft was landing. He waited quietly, and slowly a presence began to get closer.

A dark presence.

A fellow Sith.

He placed the book down on the table he was sitting at and rose from his seat, drawing his large solid phrik sword from it's scabbard with a near silent hiss. Dathomir was in the no-man's land of the galaxy, in between Old Empire and Imperial Republica space. He did not know if this was a friend or foe, or something in between.

He strode out into the town, his long black coat flowing behind him, and stood in the middle of the street waiting for whomever approached. His armor showed no insignia amongst the ornate engravings in the plate, but the large ruby set into the chestplate glinted in the light from the red star.

Whoever was coming he could feel was strong, steeped heavily in the dark side of the force. Whatever side they were on, this would be an interesting meeting.

 

[The Confessor]

By now if the other user did not know she was there, then the person was a fool. She'd been actively searching with the Force so anyone in the immediate vicinity should have noticed the sudden shift in control. Now, she lowered her aura as much as she could to a passive level so they wouldn't be able to seek her out. She might just get the drop on the person if they hadn't sensed her.

Strolling into the town she felt the presence of the other person. So he'd come out to find her. He was either arrogant, or merely curious. Eriana reached out with the Force trying to gain whatever information she could from him. In her method of sight she recognized the body typing to be that of a male. And the way he was holding something let her formulate he was gripping a sword. He senses focused on that for a minute. Her tongue tasted metal in the air. From his sword? The taste was foreign to her. She wondered what it was.

She stopped in the middle of the road and stayed a good ten yards from him. Her sabers were already in her hands showing the other man that she as serious and that she was not to be taken lightly. Until he made an aggressive move though, they would stay unlit. She didn't like fighting if she didn't have to. Not against other Force users. They were the only ones who could give her a run for her money and that was effort that Eriana did not want to have to go with.

"You are standing in the presence of Lady Eriana Fox. What might be your name?"

She'd had a habit of adding the title of "Lady" to her name due to a good and loyal friend of hers always doing the same. She'd become so used to hearing him call her "Lady Eriana" that not saying it in front of her own name was just odd.

 

[Alastair Valkyrion]

As Alastair waited he could feel the woman approaching, the closer she got the stronger he could feel her presence in the force. Eventually he spotted her, and she stopped a reasonable distqnce from him. It wouldn't stop him from hurling a ball of flame at her, but going by the way she seemed to be analyzing him through the force he knew that she would have plenty of time to react and counter him. Though really right now he cared not for a fight. So, he would talk.

She started things off, introducing herself as Lady Eriana Fox. He noted the insignia of the Imperial Republica on her armor, they did like to brand their dogs. Though in the grand schene of things he too was sinply a dog of the other Empire. "Well met, Lady Fox. I am Alastair Valkyrion." he replied in kind.

He wondered what had drawn this Lady Fox to the same abandoned village he had come to, perhaps they were more similar than one might think. "So, what brings you to Dathomir? If i may ask."

 

[The Confessor]

Alastair Valkyrion. Well there was a name with some flair to it. Eriana wanted to make some comment about how annoying it must be trying to spell that out each time he had to write it down. Or maybe ask if his mouth ever got tired of saying such a lengthy and ridiculous name. But that was just the spite in her. He'd done nothing to insult her, so she would not do so first. Especially after even replying with her introduction with "well met." It was polite nonetheless and she appreciated such behavior.

He would then ask her what brought her to Dathomir. Her answer was simple, "I am here to build a church. Possibly on this land. If it suits my needs. If not, I will try another system. But first I must see the land for myself and make my judgement." Changing the subject on him, she would ask a question of her own. "That weapon there, a sword of yours? I'm curious of its potential. I've not seen someone wield such a blade when these exit."

What she was referring to would obviously be her two sabers on her hip. And as she said the word "these" she'd pull her left side of her cloak aside and place her hand on her hip, just above the saber hilt. She waited for a response to see what he'd do with his blade. She hoped it wouldn't be to challenge her to a duel. While she did want to see how his weapon might fare against her blade, she was in no mood to get into it with another Force user. Even still, she began to build up the Force within her just in case combat was about to occur.

"Unless you'd care to part ways with such a trivial thing? I'd be happy to take it off your hands." Her lips curved into a deadly smile while the hair blew around her face from a sudden gust of wind.

 

[Alastair Valkyrion]

Ahh, skepticism. Most people thought his sword a silly thing. "Oh, I have one of those as well." he chuckled, bringing his sword up in front of himself. Not in an aggressive gesture, just to give a better view. "This however is made of solid phrik. It may be a little heavier than a lightsaber, but it is effective. And....it has sentimental value." he explained. He had no real reason to explain, but he did regardless.

"Now, I am curious what a member of the Imperial Republica wants to build a church for. Especially outside of imperial space."

Alastair could feel the woman readying herself to weild the force if needed, it didn't feel like she planned to attack, but the Vahla thought it time to try and diffuse the situation a little. So, he sheathed his sword. "I realize we are enemies by definition, so you have no reason to trust me. However I have no intentions of violence." he was being honest about that. This was an interesting meeting, and all he was interested in was talking.

 

[The Confessor]

The man would explain that he did in fact carry a lightsaber, but she couldn't pin point where it was currently. It was likely behind his torso. A lot of Sith wore them behind their back just in case an aggressive opponent tried to steal it from them. The large sword though, it gave her pause. Phrik. Not an easy metal to come back. She wondered how he'd come to claim such a prized possession into his care. She figured his mention of "sentimental" meant it might have been given to him. A family heirloom perhaps? The most logical of possibilities.

He'd then her about the church, which she was more than happy to explain. But he dropped the fact that they were enemies. He was not of the Imperial Republica as she. He was part of the Old Empire who believed the strongest should be in control. A basic philosophy. Eriana however did not share that stance. Just because one was strong did not mean they were meant to rule. She herself knew there were other who bested her in combat but that didn't give them any right to hold power over her. She was a ruler by heart, to the point she wanted to oversee this new religion she had in mind. To serve the Force and to speak its Word. Being strong didn't mean anything.

She would go on to explain herself either way though. Opposing faction or not, they were still children of the same entity. "I come to teach the ways of the Dark side. I was given a vision. And I've lived my life in servitude to the Dark. Now it wants me to share in my wisdom and bring about a place where the Sith can come together, ending this futile argument between us. Only then can the Dark side truly flourish and stop this spark of Light burning a whole into everything we once held dear."

 

[Alastair Valkyrion]

Alastair listened to the woman speak about her plans, it was intriguing, the idea of a dark side church outside of either empire was...peaceful. "A noble cause." he said, a hint of whistfulness in his voice. "Though, are you not concerned that you might be labeled as a cult?"

 

[The Confessor]

To no surprise the Sith would ask her if she was worried her attempts might label her noble house a cult. Eriana tilted her head to the side in a shrug and would reply, "There are those that might have their doubts, but they are simply the unfaithful. I will see to it that my church is shared in the right light and with my disciples I will share the Word. Perhaps when my halls are built you will grace us with a visit? Just because we align with different sides does not mean we are enemies. The Force is an ally to all of us. If both sides understood that, then maybe there wouldn't be a war between us. Then, we could focus on the real enemies."

Eriana would then take a step back, "Now if you'll excuse me, I wish to do a little searching on my own. Unless you with to be an escort? Having someone who knows the land might assist my findings. Can you promise to be good if I agree to stay?"