Ask Consorting with the Queen of Darkness

[Veles]

.

Dathomir
1245 local time

Most other humans--Sith or not--would feel deeply uncomfortable on such a planet. The blood-red skies, the typical darkness and the jagged and unwelcoming landscape would not evoke much pleasure from them, the land aggressively inhospitable for those used to lush green landscapes or even the sprawling and sky-high towers of steel and glass reminiscient of city-planets. The dark presence in the Force made the world itself reject outsiders, not to mention the natives, who, after centuries of being the subject of genocide, simply wanted to be left alone at all costs at this point.

Darth Andruil had done the unthinkable a few years ago, uniting the shattered fragments of the nightsister clans that had been left behind by Darth Sidious, and had exercised her power to finally bring back Dathomir's self-determination. Good for her, had been Cinere's reaction, having left the world for the first time only mere months before the action. When he had last seen his homeplanet, it had been littered with decentralized covens exercising their power here and there, minding their own business and defending themselves from strangers in fear of being wiped out again. But now, the nightsisters were once again a formidable force, one to be respected. He loved his planet, and even though it had not loved him at first, he could feel its tolerance toward him as he landed in a clearing of red soil, near the Queen's palace. It had been damaged in the battle with the Eternal, but her victory had ensured it would stand to see another day, and the building was in the process of being rebuilt in areas where pillars had fallen and its ceiling had caved in. He could still see blaster marks on the trees, places where the bark had been chipped off, and many of the buildings around the palace were, too, rebuilding.

He passed them, heading straight for the palace with his head held high and posture straight, exhuding the confidence that being home made him feel. The Dark side flowed freely around him, its grasp on the planet as strong as always, and it seemed that the life around was actually at peace for once.

As he approached the steps of the palace, passing a mountain of corpses likely soon to be burned, he slowed down, taking it in and allowing his presence to be felt. The Queen--and also Empress--would feel he was here from the moment he landed, so he simply stopped in front of the palace and waited, ensuring he wasn't intruding. This was his home, yes, but he still needed to respect that he was not native here, and he needed to heed to the authority.

As the Queen would approach him, he'd bow to one knee, raising slowly once it was deemed acceptable.

"My Queen," he greeted, acknowledging her authority. "And my Empress."

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

This was an odd situation. Normally she wouldn't have taken a meeting like this and she wouldn't have entertained the idea of letting a Sith she didn't know have free rein of Dathomir. The fact that he had claimed to be from here and a Sith meant that it was a very unique situation.

She exited the temple and met him at the front wearing some simple red and black robes with a saber hanging from her belt.

He knelt in front of her and addressed her by both titles and she looked down at him. Her eyes were fiery and golden as she looked at him.

Up, she said, motioning for him to stand. Her eyes didn't break from him as he did, evaluating every move with an intensity that surpassed just her normal gaze. He was pressing in on territory that she was more protective of than anything.

You said you're from Dathomir. And you're a Sith. What brings you here? she asked. @vamp

 

[Veles]

He rose to his feet as she ordered him to, his gaze meeting hers. A part of him was awestruck, deeply stunned by the woman before him. Her demeanor, the power that lay within her, and the authority with which she stood, chin high, made emotion surge within his chest. Her golden eyes bore into him, and he could feel the gaze tearing into his very soul, judging his worthiness and his intentions. He inhaled sharply, then exhaled.

She asked him a question, and he responded instantly, the passion visible on his face as he spoke of his home.

"When I was just a child, I was rescued by a nightsister, having gotten lost in the forest and encircled by beasts. She seemed to order them to back off, and they yielded to her power without resistance. Shocked, I asked what I may do to become like her when I grow older, to ask how I can ever repay her. And she simply smiled at me and said 'Never forget where your home is, and who you are ultimately loyal to.' Now, back home and after all these years, I believe it is time that I solidify my loyalty to my home once and for all, and accept the teachings that it offers me." He exhaled through his nose, leaving a brief pause for the information to sink in. "And it is only right that I seek the help of the one that the natives of this planet have accepted as their leader. So I come seeking your aid, my Queen, in learning the ways of the nightsisters, and of this home that I have shared with them since the moment I opened my eyes."

A few of the sisters around had heard him speaking, and were curious as to what this human was doing out here, talking to their queen. They were, of course, fiercely loyal to her and also defensive of their home, so the few that heard stuck around. As he spoke, they stopped, listening, their faces impossible to read. And yet, he could feel the initial air of hostility around them slowly turning friendlier.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She watched him as he spoke, eyes always judging and discerning. He claimed to be from Dathomir, meeting a Nightsister, and being taught about their world. It was an interesting story, but she had learned long ago that Sith were far from always honest.

Clan name, she said. There were many Clans on the planet and though her familiarity with them varied from group to group, she knew the names of those that were problems and she knew the names of those who were not.

Just come to connect to your roots again, then? she asked, quirking her eyebrow as she often did. It was clear she was suspicious of his claim and she noted the crowd of Nightsisters drawing nearer around them.

Niecht ent in bach! she shouted and the woman began to disperse once again before her gaze settled on the Sith again.

Why should I trust you? she asked. There were plenty of Sith who would lie and make up a story in order to learn the secrets of this world. She'd gut them as quickly as she'd gutted the Jedi who came here. It all came out the same to her in the end.

@vamp

 

[Veles]

The uniqueness of his case clearly made the Empress doubtful of his intentions, and he could tell she wasn't quite buying it completely. That was no issue, however, because Cinere's conscience was perfectly clear and he had nothing to hide. There would be no aura around him that implied he was telling lies; he was an open book.

"The Prowling Forest clan I would guess," he replied, referencing the sect that had been closest to his childhood home. "Worshippers of the Fanged God. If my information is correct, I believe they merged with the Forgotten Valley right around the start of your rule. The village had dwindled in numbers by then, many of the nightsisters growing disillusioned and moving off-world to serve as assassins and warriors to shady clients. The ones that stayed chose to pledge feyalty to the clan of their new Queen." So was the reality of life on Dathomir for the past century following Mother Talzin's death. Many villages were either wiped out by off-worlders or simply moved on, losing patience with the old ways and feeling like they would never rise back up

He remained silent as she told the nightsisters around to go away, not looking at them but staring right at Andruil instead, maintaining unfaltering eye contact. His blinking was slow, casual, his body relaxed but chin held high and jaw set. His heart beat a bit faster, but that was mostly due to the tinge of nervousness he felt as he saw the situation's possible outcomes--there was certainly a chance he would just get cut down and his body discarded. But the thing he came to seek here was well worth risking his life.

"Why would a Marauder dare approach the Empress if his intentions were not pure? I know my vulnerabilities, my Lady, and I know that standing here before you spouting lies would not only be unwise, but plain idiotic. I know that I risk my life seeking your aid, and how outstanding it is for me to expect being granted any of your time."

There was a brief silence once again, as he gathered his thoughts and considered an unlikely option--one that may possibly be very stupid of him to do. And yet he would suggest it, because if he had come this far to be shut down, that would spell the end of this journey and the failure of his attempt to reconnect with his past. It would mean leaving Dathomir empty-handed and empty-minded, and renouncing any hope of ever growing closer to the planet. He pursed his lips.

"If you don't believe me, then look for yourself."

And then he would open his mind to her, letting his defenses down. She would be free to search for his intentions, to analyze his emotions at the moment and look through his memories.

She would see a circle of beasts in a clearing on Dathomir, and feel the fear he felt that day. She would see a shape emerge from within the trees, clad in a light black garment, a pale body covered in tattoos. She would see the two golden eyes of the woman who rescued him, the markings of a nightsister on her face. The Empress would even hear the nightsister speak.

She would also see the life he'd had here, days spent training among the trees, wielding a rod of wood as one would a lightsaber. She'd see how Cinere was kicked down so many times while training with his father until he could stand his ground, and the hours he'd spent meditating with his mother, learning how to channel the Force. She would see his rite of passage, the time he spent in that cave, the rancor he slew and the kyber crystal he corrupted there, the one that still lay inside the hilt on his belt.

But if she refused, and chose not to, then she would not. The choice was hers--trust the Marauder's word, or peer through his mind.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

The Queen's eyes remained hard and firm. He was seeking the thing she cared for most, and that was not something that one asked for lightly. When the Sith indicated for her to look through his mind, she did so. She was already considering demanding it, but this was far simpler.

She wasn't particularly gentle as she rifled through his mind. She'd long ago grown used to taking, breaking, and reshaping people's minds. Humans were easier because they thought very similarly, but aliens were always another matter.

She saw those things he wanted her to see, but he would be able to feel her pushing further. Looking for information about what happened to his mother and father that she had seen in the visions. Why he had left and why he had come back. She would search until she found this before finally pulling back into her own mind.

And what is it that you actually want from me and my people? And what are you willing to give for it? she asked directly.

These things do not come without a cost.

@vamp

 

[Veles]

She probed into his mind, likely having been intending to either way, but Cinere did not close himself off. He knew that it was better to get this out of the way now, and that resisting a mind breach through the Force would only make it more painful.

She would search for his parents and find memories of them, both participating in his training. She would see and hear the stories his father told him of his ancestors, of brave men and women who had stood alongside the rest of the Sith for long before, even during the initial rise to power. They had evaded eradication for millennia, always hiding and then seeking out the darkness when it began congregating. And she would say that this is why he left home, to seek out the darkness just as his ancestors had, to take on the mantle of the Sith and help bring prosperity to the budding Empire. She would come to understand, then, that he was so enamored with Dathomir for the own private reason that was quite simple: it had been his childhood home. It had molded him into the person he was, and its darkness reminded him of the darkness that ran in his family.

"I want to learn the dark arts that nightsisters practice," he declared, face set, his voice determined and unfaltering. "I want to learn magick, my Lady."

He thought for a moment as the question came--what was he willing to give up? What did he even have to give up? His lack of things to lose did not mean he was eager to do anything because he could--it meant he was willing to give what he had left.

"Myself. I am willing to give myself. To swear that I will spend my life defending Dathomir and its people, regardless of political alignment, regardless of anything else. That I will dedicate myself and never work against the interests of my people and eradicate those who do."

He knew he was signing a pact with the devil. But the stipulations were worth it, because this was what he had been intending to do either way.

"I am well aware of the cost."

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

He was interesting, and had captured her attention for the right reasons. Not to say that this would be a simple task for him, but he was on the right track. This assuming that he followed through on what he said.

Fine, she said. Though she was agreeing to his proposal, it was not done lightly. But if you're going to give yourself, I expect you to follow through on your end, she said.

She reached down to her belt and pulled the hunting knife free, handing it to him hilt-first.

A tuft of hair, she said, not explaining anything else about what she wanted it for.

There are rules, she warned, waiting for him to hand back both the tuft of hair and hunting knife before heading off in the direction of the palace, presumably with him in tow.

Rule one is that you are loyal to Dathomir and to me above all, she said. She had many times established that she saw the two as one and the same. Though he had offered lip service to this, he would be held to it.

Second: what you learn here you do not share. Not with your lover, not with your parents, not with other Sith, she said. Even as she spoke about it, she was wondering if this was the right decision. Had he not been from Dathomir and sought to protect it, she never would have agreed to this. But if what he claimed was true, then he would be valuable.

And third: if you break either of the first two rules, I will kill you. No warnings or questions, she said, turning to look at him directly in the eye. The golden fire in her eyes spoke of the violence she had many times unleashed beneath.

Clear?

@vamp

 

[Veles]

"You don't have to worry about that, my Lady."

Oh, he would follow through, no doubt about that. That was why he was here. Cinere was no stranger to commitment.

He watched her take out the knife and took it, slicing a tuft of hair and handing both back to her wordlessly. He knew exactly what this was. He knew that he was giving her immense power over him, but she was already Empress. Not like there was anything more she could do to him now. Besides torment him magically.

He listened to the rules, and he was glad to see they were simple. There would be no getting tangled up in terminology, no contracts to seal with blood. He liked Anduil. She was brief and to the point. Despite the air of authority and graveness of her speech, he found he wouldn't mind spending the next few days--weeks?--in her presence. So long as she didn't take off a limb or two from him. He had boundaries.

And he did not mind not sharing the teachings. In fact, he didn't plan on sharing them anyway. He found no reason to impart power on others, fully aware that they could just turn around and stab him in the back if he did.

They began walking but stopped at the entrance of the palace and she turned to face him. He met her gaze with a solemn face.

"Understood," he declared.

Time to get to work.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

The contract was made and that meant work would begin. Perhaps not quite the way that he expected, however.

Fine, she said, turning back to head inside the temple. Get ready to travel. We're leaving in ten minutes, she said.

How are your diplomatic skills? she asked, heading deeper into the temple and twisting and turning down the paths before reaching one of the rooms. She motioned for him to wait where he was before heading inside and grabbing a small pack and emerging once again.

She continued out of the temple once again and headed to a small shuttle, pausing in case he needed to gather things for the trip before boarding. It took off and carried them up to a ship waiting in orbit, docking so that they could board.

She offered no explanation of what they were doing or where they were going just yet, and she also understood that he would have a harder time learning magick off-world. She also knew that it wasn't her priority, and the travel time to their destination would mean she was not wasting time while doing it. Every second was precious these days.

@vamp

 

[Veles]

"Like you could never tell I grew up in a remote forest."

He followed inside, gaze set on the architecture around them. He was a bit in awe, truth be told, entering the palace that he'd heard about so much. Cinere was eager to begin leaening, especially so in such a powerful building.

His hypothesis was deflated like a balloon when she motioned for him to wait outside a room and then began heading back toward the exit. They stepped outside and then went past his ship, so he knew what was happening by now. He grabbed his stuff--not that there was much stuff to grab--and then they headed for one of the Empress' shuttles, which took them to orbit.

He was a bit surprised to see them heading up on an Imperial corvette, a ship that was so big that Cinere couldn't help but stare. He'd never really seen capital craft before.

He didn't even ask where they were going because he knew she wouldn't tell him, so he just followed behind patiently.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

They made it to the ship, and she started to glance around, still relatively unfamiliar with its design and function. Things would take getting used to around here, wouldn't they?

She couldn't quite tell if his comment about being a diplomat was a serious or sarcastic one. She headed down one of the halls and motioned to a side door. You can stay here, she said, before heading on to her own room another door down. Being Empress seemed to have its perks. She set her things down and headed back out to the hallway.

There's a training room this way, she said, heading that direction as the ship began to lurch and launch itself into hyperspace.

We're heading to Taris. Recruitment drive, she said simply. In the meantime... she said, opening the door to the training room.

...let's begin. You're trained in the Force, yes? So using the Shadow is only a little different, she began. She didn't particularly care for teaching, but maybe she could throw him into the deep end sooner rather than later.

@vamp

 

[Veles]

He followed her to the living quarters, and headed into his room as she headed toward hers. Cinere set his bag down by the door and stopped to inspect the room. It wasn't really what he'd expected.

A bed set on a frame of durasteel molded into the floor, its red sheets shining in the light. He walked over and felt them. Is that... satin?? He chuckled. Yep, he was by the Empress' room alright. There was also a desk, heavy evergreen wood so dark it was black and shining, with a chair in the likes of those on expensive race speeders. A bookshelf held a vast number of heavy, thick tomes waxed until the leather was nearly reflective. Titles such as "History of the Sith: An Anthology" and "Inspecting the Galaxy's Dark Arts," along with a few other dusty-looking ones, probably taken from some ancient Sith tomb. He was encaptured, but he moved past them toward the door of the bathroom. Inside was a large black bath-tub and a shower with more settings than most starfighter cockpits. He shook his head and stepped back to the obsidian room, dim lighthing a clash of orange and reds.

He stepped into the hallway of the ship and waited for the Empress to come back, then followed her to the training room. States of the art, stocked with just about any weapon you could imagine and possessing a huge, colisseum-like hole reserved for simulations. They moved into one of the areas on the side.

"Yes, I am trained in the Force," he nodded. "How does one channel it?"

He didn't mention they were now off Dathomir, which was kinda the Galaxy's sort for nightsister magic, or how that may have a negative impact on training, because he already knew the Empress had calculated every aspect of this matter and decided this was favorable. Cinere was willing to learn, however hard that may prove to be.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

At least he was trained in the Force, that was a start. She tried to decide where to begin. She wasn't going to hand over her grimoire for him to use as she had done with Emryc, but there was one prevailing thing that stood out to her.

You will probably need to learn to speak Dathomirian, she said. That alone would be a process, but just as learning ancient Sith for alchemy was important, many of the rituals and incantations were in their mother tongue. While he might be able to learn to simply repeat them like a parrot, this would be less advisable in the long run.

Rituals are usually created through a combination of specific incantations and runes, she explained. This meant that a great deal of it was done through memorization of the words and symbols required.

Other powers are manifested by pulling the energy from Dathomir that flows through the galaxy, she said. This was the part that would be the most difficult when not on Dathomir, but he was familiar with the way the world felt.

You spent years on Dathomir. What do you feel when you sense it? she asked.

@vamp

 

[Veles]

He did not divulge that he did speak a smidge of Dathomirian, a leftover from a few months ago when he had tried to learn the language. He would not be able to hold a conversation using his rudimentary knowledge, so he decided it was better kept as a mild but nevertheless pleasant surprise for when the Empress would test him.

"I sense freedom." He closed his eyes and sought out the signature in the Force of the world below them. The presence was still strong here, but not like on-world. "I sense an entity--the Fanged God--watching over. I feel the energy exuded in his worship." The feelings flowed through, bits and pieces of events on Dathomir mingling in with emotions. The planet felt like such a pure manifestation of darkness.

Learning the language would likely be difficult, but Cinere didn't mind. He would cram all of the information and spend however hours was necessary to learn. He was a dedicated person when determined.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

It was interesting to hear the descriptions of an outsider. Even someone who had spent a great deal of time there simply felt the world in a way that was different from her. She silently wondered if it would prove a hindrance to his learning.

Reach out and touch that thread. Follow it all the way back to Dathomir, she said. Envision it in your hand. Its energy in pure form in your palm. Focus on it as you would any other power in the Shadow, she said.

She watched and waited for him, wondering if he had ever used pyrokinesis or lightning before. The energy wasn't so different, but would eventually manifest like green flame over his hand. If he could follow the thread. If he could find Dathomir. Indeed, this would have been easier on the homeworld, but begin with the challenging, and the easy would come without difficulty.

@vamp

 

[Veles]

He did as she said, reaching out for the thread and following it through empty space until finally coming upon Dathomir. He concentrated it in the palm of his hand, drawing it all, then channeled it with a sudden gusts of flames rising from his palm several feet into the air. They glowed green, bathing their faces in the light.

He felt the power leave his palm in the form of the manifestation, slowly seeping out until there was only a tiny bit left. That tiny bit seemed to not be leaving, instead tugging at his brain as if saying "Dathomir."

He opened his eyes. "I--"

He closed his eyes. Another wave, this time more controlled, of green flame rose from his palm. He opened his eyes again. "Interesting." Cinere hadn't realized that the display would wind him, but it only took a few seconds to recover. These were powers that he will be rounding up on these days.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

She watched him, sensing that he was more fatigued than was likely normal for such a simple power. It was the nature of working out a "new muscle." It would grow with time and practice.

This will be your first step. Practice it and you will find the ability to summon, shape, and manifest the energy into clouds of fog, fire, lightning, orbs of energy, and more, she said. It was the fundamental "combat" set of powers. The easiest to learn, the least secretive, and the one that was least "academic." It would serve as his entry point into the world of magick.

She sat back for a while as she let him practice, scrolling through reports and reading up on the man they were going to visit.

While you practice that, we're traveling to Taris where we're going to recruit one General Traivess, she said, holding up a picture for him to see of a man in his early 60s. He's a member of the Taris Defense Force and is going to be the first officer we recruit into a proper Imperial Military, she said. While it was something that Cinere was doing in exchange for her, if he were intelligent, he would note that meeting the man might be of benefit to him someday.

It occurred to her that she was becoming more and more like Emryc each day, and had failed to actually ask the man his name yet.

What is your name? she asked. @vamp

 

[Veles]

If she was impressed, she certainly didn't show it. The Empress continued on with educational fun facts that Cinere nevertheless absorbed like a sponge, entranced by all this new information. He loved learning.

He kept practicing, summoning the core of Dathomir into his Force uses, and found that for the most part, he got it down. Cinere summoned a strike of green Force lightning into a ragdoll, which exploded. Yes, the attacks certainly felt more powerful.

"I love Taris," he commented, thinking back to the one time he had been on the swamp junkyard was hunting for a Sith artifact. He did not, in fact, love Taris.

He was pretty impressed with the fact that she was taking him along for diplomatic missions, and the opportunistic part of his brain rose up with inspiration. He was well aware of how he could use the meetings to his benefit, and he was certainly going to call in the favors later if he needed. Just being around the Empress' powerbase seemed to help.

"CInere Autem," he replied, giving his name no authority but instead offering it casually.

"And do you prefer 'my Lady' or 'my Queen'?" If she got his weak attempt at humor, he would grin slightly. He doubted it though.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Her eyes narrowed slightly as he said that he loved Taris, evaluating whether he was being serious or not. She decided after a moment that it was not a true statement.

She spent a moment just looking at him after he said his name. Cinere. She wondered for a moment about what it was that he really wanted. Each Sith she'd met had his or her own goals and aspirations. The Sith seemed to be a means to an end for most.

His comment about what to call her reminded her of Artorigas. She, herself, was never one to be overly hung up on titles, but she was beginning to appreciate that others saw them as more important, and that might mean she should find them more important as well.

The fact that it was actually a joke was mostly lost on her as the ship dropped out of hyperspace.

Queen, Empress, Lord, she said with a shrug. They were all titles she held and each one encompassed a different portion of who she was. She wondered at what point she had become such a complicated and multifaceted person.

She stood and let out a loud sigh and a stretch before heading to the shuttle once again.

So, Cinere, she said. Tell me about your wonderful prior experience on Taris, she said, smirking slightly as she wondered what kind of a story she was going to get from this.

@vamp