And So It Begins

[Kathry Van Alasdaire]

A long time ago, in a Galaxy far, far away...

The First Sith


AND SO IT BEGINS​

Lost as to procession and wounded of pride, LADY KATHREVERIS stands alone among the viewports of an Imperial shuttle overlooking the ice planet of ILUM. While returning from a botched attempt at slaying her adoptive sister, ALIYAH COVEN, the chance encounter had led the SITH to question much of her purpose among the ranks of the EMPIRE. Was she merely a soldier taking orders once more, or was she to choose her own destiny...

@TheBrokenMadMan

 

[Abigail Nimbus]

Outfit
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As a member of the Sith, and as an ambitious woman whom hoped to some day command a part of this glorious army, Abigail was always on the lookout for potential followers and/or disciples. Despite the general attitude of the Sith being independence, cruelty, and callousness when it came to followers, she was not so blind as to ignore the benefits of fire-forged loyalty. A bond such as the one between true companions and cared for underlings was a bond much stronger than one of simple Commander and disposable warriors in her opinion, and from a pragmatic view, taking care of your subordinates and allies reduced the chance of betrayal. All the same, the Sith had one thing right, Strength was the one thing they respected above all else, and when it came down to it, respect had to be commanded, or else she would ultimately fall prey to betrayal on all fronts, believing her weak. The Sith was far from weak, and she would endeavor to make sure her followers knew that, lest they pay a steep price, not death, but something infinitely more painful and severe.

Ilum: Once the home of the Jedi, now it belonged to the Sith Empire, a trophy taken from an enemy that no longer desired it. It was a shadow of it's former self, but all the same, it was beautiful to look at, though most things were from Orbit, she supposed. The observation room of the shuttle was empty, save for one, the woman whom she had come to see today: Kathreveris Van Alisdaire. Along with the Sephi, the Vahla had always fascinated her, and not just because their species was extraordinarily beautiful. This one, from what little she could gather, seemed to be a cut above the rest, though she was hoping that the young lady could shed some light on her past, given enough time to get to know her. Abigail cleared her throat softly as she strolled into the room, coming to a stop right next to her.
"It's no lush paradise world or technological marvel, but even still, Ilum has a certain still beauty to it...well, from orbit anyway," She noted, smiling warmly at the Vahla as she turned her head toward her. "It's Lady Kathreveris, right?" She extended a hand, offering it to her, "Abigail Nimbus, a pleasure to meet you."

@TheMorrigan

 

[Kathry Van Alasdaire]

Why a world so uncomfortably cold was worth so much effort... it is beyond me. The Jedi choose the strangest of locations to settle.

Kathry had been watching the planet for some time now, content to see the gentle changes in snow formation patterns, imagining with a gentle shiver the chill that could be felt from the planet's surface. She was glad to be back in a lukewarm room, her armor had proved absolutely useless in protecting the girl from the elements. Kathry would have to have it refitted, or reforge it herself to her own specifications. She, like all Vahla, were experts with pyromancy, and as such she could create and forge items with a precision most others lacked. Grimmsvr was propped on the wall beside her, and her shortsword still clasped to her waist, hesitant to waltz unarmed. She was awakened from her observation by a fellow Sith, with a disctincly playful and feminine voice. She could feel her presence even before she entered the observatory, but refrained from speaking until she was directly addressed. Turning her head slighty, she regarded the woman as she approached.

"Most planets are incredibly alluring from an observation dome. I just don't understand why we are here, trying to capture this one. I'm trying to understand why it had any importance whatsoever. As the ancestral home to the Jedi... should we not be destroying it?"

She grew slightly pensive as the girl smiled and offered her a hand. She returned a weak smile herself, not forced and genuine, but only barely visible. The Sorceress was still lost in thought, and not entirely there, but she nonetheless returned the shake with a firm grip. She became more alert as the Sith introduced herself, recognizing the name from an Imperial report.

"It's nice to meet you, though I'm unsure how to address you. That's me, though you can call me Kathry. The shortened name is easier on everyone. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

This one seemed different. Not nearly as unhinged or emotionally invested as the last few Sith she had encountered thus far. Of course, they'd only just met. It was much too soon to jump to conclusions, and the Black Dame of the Sith found herself increasingly defensive on all sides. Enemies within and without, in every corner, with daggers poised to strike at the slightest sign of weakness - she knew this was the reality of her life, as it always had been. Becoming Sith had not changed that, and she would be guarded, but not hostile. A Vahla's trust was a hard earned commodity, their species was naturally distrusted and disregarded throughout the Galaxy, and as such they had developed an extremely cold outlook on any who were not of their kin. Though, Kathry remained more open to her Sith brethren, as without the Embers she needed purpose. A purpose the Empire provided her, as a tool and weapon with which to enact it's every whim.

@TheBrokenMadMan ​

 

[Abigail Nimbus]

Abigail regarded the Vahla Priestess with curiosity, if not warmth and trust. She looked to be somewhat lost in thought, something that annoyed her, but something she could also understand. While the lack of full attention could anger some, Abigail herself had a tendency to slip into an introspective mood whenever she was talking to people, it was just part of her thought process. The important thing was always to retain an awareness of your surroundings and the situation despite it, as Abigail did, and as Kathreveris seemed to do judging by her somewhat distant response. She ccked her head a little, looking down impassively at another shuttle off to their left, heading down toward the surface to resupply their operations. Her view on things seemed a little...non-pragmatic, let's say, she seemed a little more interested in crushing the assets of the enemy rather than simply taking them for themselves. She might have been a little dubious about her chances of forming a bond with the Vahla if it weren't for her stating that she simply didn't understand why they were here, as opposed to understanding and disregarding the reason.
"In war, it is often taught that if you can use the enemy's strengths against them, as well as their weaknesses, your chances of victory are all the stronger," She explained, remembering some of the books her Mom had kept in their apartment. "Ilum was once a world all Jedi would visit to claim their Kyber Crystals, which would power their lightsabers. If we take the planet for ourselves, we gain a virtually limitless source of power sources for our own weapons, and deprive the Jedi of not only a valuable asset, but a spiritually significant world, hurting them both in spirit and presence." She hoped the explanation would suffice, her hopes would be greatly diminished if she had to explain further. It wasn't that she was looking down on the Vahla, on the contrary, she saw a lot of potential in her, she just didn't find the idea of teaching her the entire art of Sith warfare very appealing.

Abigail's own smile widened a little as her hand felt Kathry's grip, firm but not vice-like, polite, good. Her own greeting, along with a small, but honest smile, spoke to a certain level of affability and truthfulness to her that Abigail could appreciate. She liked people who could sit back and just enjoy themselves, or at least, not feel the need to poison a room with utter seriousness and borderline fanaticism, she had learned that lesson long ago. Of course, she was no fool, she was curious to know what brought the Shi'ido to the shuttle to see her, and the answer to that was fairly simple, if a little bare. "I'm not a Master, or a Lord, but nonetheless, I've been with the Sith a while now, and I make it a point to keep a lookout for people I think have potential in the Sith Empire. If I see them, I make it a point to meet them and see for myself what has been reported to be, and if it's true? Then I like to get to know them, help them become stronger. The Dark Side may foster control and independence and ambition, but the way I see it, if we can't help each other, than we're doomed to failure, like the Jedi and Exiles of old." She turned her head back to Kathry, looking her in the eye with a fiery passion. "I've heard things about you Kathry, your recent battles against the Jedi Venatus Phoenix and Aliyah Coven have caught a few eyes, the Sith Knight with a spirit of fire and eyes of crimson, that interested me, so I decided to seek you out for myself."

@TheMorrigan

 

[Kathry Van Alasdaire]

So THAT is the secret behind your weapons of light. And the redblades. I suppose I should take to calling them Lightsabers now.

"It's not like the Jedi put up much of a fight. Either way..."

As her hand went back to her side, she turned away from the observation chamber and looked at Abigail directly. They seemed to be locked in a state of judging each other's character in tandem, each woman trying to get the make of the other through normal conversation. Kathry understood war better than most, it was what she was raised to do and how she'd lived the majority of her life. What caused her to question the tactics of this was the simple fact that it wasn't at all about the resources. Perhaps that's what they were led to believe, but she saw firsthand how unhinged the Lord in command had become at the mere idea of losing even a portion of the planet. This place had sentimental value to more than just the Jedi, and in her mind for that reason alone it should be wiped from existence. It was a weakness to be exploited by their enemies, but one that was not hers to deal with, therefor it wasn't her issue. Though the kyber caves would undoubtedly prove useful, the position of the world was so recluse that it didn't hold strategic value beyond baiting the Jedi.

"I fear we have begun to underestimate their abilities. We know ourselves, but we do not know our enemies nearly as well as we should. They will not come for this place, we besiege a frozen rock."

She didn't allow her face to give it away, but she was surprised at how openly this one admitted she was of no higher rank that herself. It seemed the Empire was divided between the Sith that would do anything to achieve power, and those who understood that destroying each other from within would make the Empire a far easier target. The next part was a surprise, that anyone had heard of her at all was comforting in some ways, but in others it meant that her actions were becoming known. It would not be that she was betrayed, it would be that she was the daughter of a Jedi, though one that was no longer drawing breath. Her fist gently begin to clench as Abigail used her father's newest name, Venatus Phoenix. What a charade. The title of Phoenix was sacred to their people, the fact that he had taken to claiming it while destroying the Embers had been a prime and intended insult, but now the Galaxy would forever remember him by that name. The mention of Aliyah had a similar effect, she viewed the Twi'lek as her replacement, and had grown increasingly wrathful after defeat at her hand. Their father had taught her well, the girl had skills most Jedi lacked.

"I would never refuse knowledge, the more I have the powerful I will become. Yes, my quarrels with Venatus have continued for some time, and I'm quite annoyed that he died by somebody else's hand. Aliyah, however easily manipulated, is far more than I had anticipated. With her master's death, she will only become more powerful. If I am to stand any chance of wiping the Phoenix bloodline from existence, I will need to become more than I am now."

The truth she had yet to speak was that she truly regretted not having the chance to turn her father back to the Darkness. He had been quite something in his time, a warrior and commander without equal on the battlefield, and had worn his share of glory for her mother. His betrayal had come as a shock to all Embers, and the fact that he had only continued to fight against Vahl's influence caused many to question her deific status. Eiric had done far more than anyone realized, he'd singlehandedly dismantled an entire religion. While she had the right to claim the title of High Priestess and take the Embers as her own, she wasn't nearly strong enough to stand toe to toe with the Chosen that still lived, that would most certainly refute her claims. She needed to become as powerful as her mother had been if she was to complete her goals, and this seemed like an ideal opportunity.

@TheBrokenMadMan ​

 

[Abigail Nimbus]

Abigail couldn't resist a soft chuckle at her admonishment about the Jedi being so lethargic and weak, nodding her head with a slight shrug. She wasn't exactly wrong, the Sith had defeated the Jedi in every major encounter since Andraste had first joined them, the had rended three temples asunder and they had killed most of their original council. Not to mention the fact that the Dark Council was primarily made up of former Jedi, and the fact that even after Andraste had become an Exile, the Jedi continued to lose more to the enemy ranks. All the same, while it was true that they were a shadow of their former selves currently, or at least, much weaker than the Sith, they old dogs still had life in them. There would be no excuse for complacency, all the Jedi need a is a brief period to get their act together before they recover and rebuild, and the Sith would need to be ready when war came - doubly so if the Republic joined them.
"The Jedi aren't doing too well nowadays, tis true, but every fighter gets it's second wind sooner or later, it's only a matter of time - complacency is our true enemy," She said, turning toward Kathry as she turned toward Abigail.

That she believed this siege was something of a waste of time didn't surprise Abigail, she was right. She had only described the positives of taking the planet, but while they were there, many negatives circles overhead too, like birds waiting for their prey to drop dead and present their corpse for dinner. The Council, Leviticus especially, were wasting their time here, because even if they only adhered to the pragmatic and tactical reasoning, and not the personal reasoning, this place was far from their own territory - closer than the Jedi, but still far from them. Perhaps it would bear fruit in the end, no one would now for sure, but if there was one thing they could agree on, it's that the Jedi wouldn't come for this place, not until they had to, they had other sites to use. "I would say that this was the first step in entrapping the Jedi's territory, seeing as our planets are on the other side of the Galaxy, but the Jedi have no real territory and what they do have is far too spread out...Leviticus isn't doing this for tactical reasons, if he were then it would be for the reasons I described, but him...he's not that kind of Sith, he's more impulsive than most, especially when his emotions are heightened."

Abigail's eyes flicked down and up again, noting the clenched fist but making no mention of it for now. The mention of Phoenix's name seemed to hit a sore spot for her, curious how a single Jedi could always incite such strong feelings. This seemed to be something of a recurring thing for a lot of Sith, it was interesting in it's own way, made Abigail curious. The fact that she spoke not only of Phoenix and Venatus in simple terms, but also stated that she was pledged to wipe out the bloodline, only inflated her curiosity. She wondered what the late Venatus and his apprentice had done to earn such ire from her, but that was a question for another time. "I can aid you in becoming more, much more," She muttered softly, a smirk crossing her face. "If you wish to purge the blood of the Phoenix, you must become a creature to match it, and I can show you the way Kathry, if you'll have me, though I should say this comes with a price..." She pulled down her hood, her blonde hair flowing from it's loose braid into flowing locks. "You are Vahla, the history and culture of your species have been lost to the Galaxy since Desare vanished. Knowledge for Knowledge, you teach me of Vahla and I teach you of The Force." Her voice was soft, but firm, it was clear that this offer, while still an offer, was non-negotiable in it's terms. "I don't expect you to answer straight away, I imagine this is something you'll want to think about, so for now, I'd like to do something for you, if you'll follow me?"

@TheMorrigan

 

[Kathry Van Alasdaire]

So you too understand. Good, I hoped I was not the only one to see it for what it was.

"He has the right to do as he pleases, as is his title. If he wishes to burn his own reputation to the ground chasing relics of the past, let him. I have not seen many logical or tactical decisions from that one. Not yet, at least. You're right, the Jedi are far more than anyone yet realizes, they are keeping their tactics hidden for now. We've been killing the young and the weak, it's the old that we need to be concerned about."

She unclenched her fists, her knuckles returning to their normal shade from the whites they had become under pressure. Recognizing that their enemy had strength was also an unusual quality for Sith. She could admit to herself that there were times she was overcome with zealous overconfidence, but that seemed to be a common occurrence among the Empire's ranks. These victories have indeed made them overconfident, and as she witnessed herself quite recently the Jedi have become pushed to the brink. It is under the harshest of pressure diamonds are formed, likewise would the survivors be just as powerful if not more so than many of the existing Sith, herself included. They would not see the counterattack coming, and it would come soon, no doubt spurred by the loss of one of their most outspoken warriors, made a martyr by design. Those who followed the Jedi dogma would rally to avenge their fallen, and that kind of moral and determination was not easily broken. Her eyes flitted upwards as the girl began to smile as her offer began. A creature to match it indeed.

"There is no price too high. For my people to bring about their destiny, she must be die."

Upon mention of her culture and homeworld, her eyes began to crackle again. They became thinner, like a feline's, as she turned to face the blonde who'd withdrawn her hood fully. Curiosity is what drove her, curiosity and the belief that she could be a potential ally in Abigail's mission for future success. This was obvious enough to her, a bargain price to pay for all that she sought. It was true that the history of her species had been forgotten, but it was far from lost. The stored knowledge rested in her possession, a complete and total history of the Embers to ensure she could rebuild her society should her mother have failed, and followers abandon her. Of course, many remained loyal to Vahl even until their dying days. But without her, the Chosen now had a massive power vacuum in their ranks. Some chose to await Vahl's return, others chose to take the mantle of leadership for themselves, and so infighting had begun. The remaining members of her species lived a nomadic lifestyle now, never belonging to a single home, and always searching for the one stolen from them.

"Do you know why my planet has come to be known as Desare? Say the letters in reverse, and you will understand why we are so hesitant of others. It's a fair offer, and I will make my considerations..."

She trailed off as the woman continued by offering something to her. Now this, again, was odd behavior for a Sith. Though she was tempted to remain as guarded and vigilant as she was under most circumstances, Kathry let herself relax. Nodding calmly to Abigail, she began walking towards the door the Sith motioned to, calling Grimm to her hand and placing the halberd on her back. She couldn't just leave such an artifact laying around, it was a family heirloom after all. One could almost say she was an heirloom to, but it would hardly be in a positive sense. Now, she was intrigued, her interest peaked. What could she offer her that she would desire? Or perhaps, this was something that needed to be seen?

@TheBrokenMadMan ​