Coups and Camraderie; Beasts and Believers

[Jakt Utlanning]

Iziz:
The great walled capital city of Onderon has fallen prey to a violent coup de tat.
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Some have fled and some have stayed. Most that fled were lost to the untamed beasts of the jungle. Those that stay are hungry and left wanting. There was a time when Iziz thrived; it was a time when people like Jakt's family had served as nobility. It was the time before the Steward, Grego and his puppet Beast-Lord Varelse.

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Born in Iziz to a wealthy and noble family, Jakt Utlanning was raised with an understanding that just because he was blessed with privilege did not mean he could dismiss responsibility. On the contrary, he was raised to understand that with the more privilege you were afforded, the larger your responsibility was to the people to whom you could lend a hand, or a dollar, or a sword if needed. His childhood was daunting, education and training followed him for every waking moment. He cursed his parents for refusing to allow him time to play with his friends or get into trouble; there was always just more responsibility. One morning during his late adolescence, Jakt was heading off to martial training just outside Iziz when he was beset upon by a group of miscreants. They were the type that it didn't matter what you did for other people nor how often, they hated you for what you had by birthright. They attacked him. Jakt was no match. He was outnumbered and the boys were much larger and far older. He cried out in pain as he was beaten, a blood curdling sound. The cry was met with another, much louder, and a rumble from within the jungle. The boys had stopped hitting on him, turning to witness the lumbering and fearsome beast break through the trees eyeing them with a cold, calculated stare as if it knew what they knew; they had soiled their pants.



A large drexl had lumbered to them and as they ran, stay motionless eyeing Jakt as the boy picked himself up. As the child became a man, he spent every free moment with the Drexl, coming to call her Jormun. They had developed a bond that was inseparable but as Jakt grew older he could visit less and less, his responsibilities grew larger. Rumors about him had spread but he had to focus more and more for the position he was being groomed for in the nobility. Jakt wanted nothing of it. Just before his induction into the Royal house he disobeyed his parents and ran off to find the Beast-Riders.

It seemed to Jakt that among the Beast-Riders, who had at the time operated as a mobile militia for the people of Onderon and Dxun, he might find a home. After a long and arduous process of searching, Jakt approached them atop Jormun. The riders almost lost control of their mounts when the outsider approached them atop what only they know how to mount; they knew that something in their world was about to change. The Beast-Lord approached Jakt Utlanning and immediately issued a challenge. Jakt had only approached them to learn and become one of them. He had not intended to offend, he had not understood what riding Jormun had meant. The Banished One had come at last. It had been foretold centuries before by seers and soothsayers that an outsider would come to the beast riders on a dark drexl and with them: darkness would come.

Varelse, the Beast-Lord presiding over the Riders issued a challenge assuming that the darkness foretold would be the doing of The Banished One. Jakt defeated the Beast-Lord, Varelse out of hand with the help of Jormun. The former's drexl attempted to attack but yielded in the last moment to throw him from his saddle. Their law dictated that the former Beast-Lord would have to fall in under Jakt's rule, and the Riders in kind. This made the former Beast-Lord extremely contemptuous. For many years, well into Jakt's thirties, Varelse played along but eventually betrayed Jakt to a Captain of the Onderonian Royal Guard, Grego, who had sought the Riders to aid him in a coming coup de tat. Varelse having known that Jakt would never have supported such a proposition, seized the opportunity.



Jakt returned from a minor hunting trip to find Jormun subdued, his wings speared to to a cliff, chained and sedated. His former Riders atop the cliff, watching. All they knew from legend that the Banished One would bring darkness and they feared that Jakt himself would be the harbinger. They did not know that while Jakt was the catalyst, Varelse was the implement. His friend was dying. In a fury Jakt charged Varelse hurtling his spear with an impassioned power none of his former Riders had ever seen before penetrating Varelse's drexl's neck and dropping the beast to the ground. Varelse had underestimated Jakt. The former Beast-Lord dragging himself from under his bleeding animal, covered in viscera. Varelse realized his mistake and a clamorous battle between him and Jakt rang throughout the jungle. Jakt's vibrosword humming in contest with the betrayer's mace. The battle waged on and the two delivered unto each other blow after blow until finally Varelse realized Jakt's weakness and after a brief reprieve of the fighting removed the spear from his Drexl and plunged it into the sedated Jormun as she lie bound. Jakt reeled as if he himself had been struck and Varelse's mace finally struck true and Jakt's world went black. The usurper had him nailed into the same rock as his friend during his unconsciousness. There the two suffered for over a decade held together only by their love for each other and the meager provisions that the rider's afforded him.

Soon Iziz had once again fallen under the influence of a corrupt regime. Jakt knew everything he had ever loved would be destroyed. His noble family would be ousted, his friends subjugated and his beloved Iziz would fall to ruin. The illegitimate government would reign.

Under the cover of darkness one of the outcast nobles had heard of Jakt and Jormun mounted on the cliff deep within the jungle and set out to find them, believing in Jakt and the legend of the Banished One and that in them a new hope may lie for Iziz. They were all but dead when he found them, ragged, dehydrated and starved. It took great effort but the pair was freed. The Riders had moved on only visiting them on occasion to see that their suffering continued. Having banished Jakt from their ranks, Varelse in control, the Riders were acting as the Royal Police for Grego and his oppressors. He had finally become The Banished One but the darkness was not his.

Old and tired, the jungles having been sapped of almost all it's energy, he and his damaged and near-dead Jormun stumbled into the jungle where they would remain, licking their wounds until the time was right.

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Jakt took a swig from his Boma-hide cantine. The water was cool as it washed down his throat. Jormun shifted as she lay sleeping a few meters away. Using his spear, thrust into the ground next to him, Jakt rose violently lifting it up from the soil. He turned and hurtled it into a nearby tree. Jormun jumped up from her slumber in a fierce fighting stance, mouth agape ready to destroy any enemy. The drexl saw Jakt's chest rising and falling and slowly closed her mouth and approached him and pushed his forehead into Jakt's shoulder. This was one of the few physical signs of affection that Jormun could use as any other type of nuzzling or petting might as well result in Jakt's death. The former Beast-Lord turned and placed his hand on his friends head and stroked her lovingly.

"How're your wings old girl?"

The drexl flexed them and retracted them then shuffled her neck.

"That didn't take long, only what? Two years?"

Jormun raised and lowered her head exhaling sharply. She was anxious. She as much as he, wanted retribution.

"I scrounged up some more boma. There's some on the other side of the camp for you."

The drexl reared and pawed the ground in the direction of Iziz.

"I'm not ready, girl. Besides, you've only just retained the use of your wings. If we're going to take on all of Iziz's army and the Beast Riders themselves we had better be at our best."

Jormun lowered her neck to the ground and all of her arachnoid eyes looked in the direction of the saddle and stirrups. Jakt had waited a long time to join his friend in flight once more.

"We are anxious aren't we?"

He slowly walked around her and used the force to augment his jump just enough to where he could grab two of the spikes on her back and swing himself around into the saddle. Using the force took a lot of exertion for him and he began to take in a deep breath when Jormun leapt violently into the air and beat her wings against the sky climbing and climbing. They were back, soon they would be ready to bring that regime crumbling down, singlehandedly if necessary.

 

[GABA]

Kyrene spent a week in Iziz before heading into the jungles. She questioned and listened to the woes and pains of those under the city's current ruler, whose grandiose palace stood in nothing but slums. She knew from history books the city had recently become as it was, and it used to thrive under the ruling families before; it was an alarming call to the Knight to see such a prosperous place fall so quickly. Her trip to Iziz wasn't originally to investigate its current politics, but more of an archaeological investigation of Jedi ruins on the outskirts of the city. Never in her mind did she think the current politics would intrigue her to do something.

She was quick to find leads and now she walked through the jungle, her senses alert as she wasn't exactly sure what to find. A chill ran down her spine as she pondered what could be hiding behind her in the shadows. She was quiet and her movements swift, avoiding to make too much of a presence to alert any curious dwellers. Though what seemed to help was knowing the name Jakt Utlanning, and many Onderon's citizens knew where to point her. They told her of the stories, the myths, and legends that was associated with him. She was told of the beast riders and their rise and fall, and as well as his family and what they believed his current situation could be.

Kyrene was unsure on what to believe and now stood under the treeline facing a clearing. The grasses and leaves blew in the warm breeze, still leaving the young Knight rather uncomfortable, but she accepted the humid temperature. Taking a break, she took a seat beneath a tree, checking to make sure it was clear of critters and sat. She listened not only to the jungle but to the rhythms of the Force that surrounded her; its pulse beat along her own until it brought a calm to the Jedi. She pulled out her canteen and took a drink of water and then checked her comm, seeing if there was any signal she could pick up from Iziz, however the dense forest allowed her only what it had to offer.

She clicked off her comm and pocketed it. There was a loud rustle and birds flew into the air, forcing Kyrene to stand too as she saw in the distance a large beast rising into the air.

 

[Jakt Utlanning]

Wings beating the air, the former Beast-Lord pushed down on the reigns and Jormun closed her wings into a tight dive. She picked up speed. Yanking back and pulling to his right, her wings unfolded, caught air, billowed and they turned hard, Jakt almost came out of his saddle. He closed his eyes and pushed himself into the saddle with the force. The seasoned rider kicked twice with his heels and she stopped all action and they dropped like a stone some fifty feet until he kicked again and she beat at gravity, vehemently defying its hold on her. Thrust after thrust they climbed once again. Jakt leaned closer, stroking her neck,

"what say we try something really tough?"

She snorted, mocking the challenge and Jakt smiled. He pushed her forward hard, her wings beating the sky as if there was a great age-old vendetta upon which she had come to collect. With the wind pummeling his face he gently suggested a dive, she obliged. Tucking her wings they fell into yet another dive, except the Beast Rider cut this one short, pulling up and to the right, leaning left and pressed into her with his right foot. Eyes narrowing, he focused on the force pressing himself into the saddle, which had no restraint system, the two had become as one as the huge beast performed a stunningly large barrel-roll. The speed of the roll was not all that fast and covered a great deal of sky, any 'normal' rider would have fallen to their doom.

Jakt however, was The Banished One. He didn't believe any of that nonsense but he did know that the force had much to offer. Jormun straightened out and Jakt felt the vibrations of her body heat and the rush of the air. If only he could learn more. Sure, he could jump relatively high, hit relatively hard, communicate with his beast friends here on Onderon and Dxun but none of that compared to the stories he heard of the Jedi and the Sith. He longed for that kind of wisdom; longed for the type of clarity of mind or the power of will that could present him an answer to the one question that plagued him most of all: How to free his people, Beast Rider and Onderonian alike, from the clutches of those betrayers.

At that moment, his ears rang and he felt something touch him in the force, something down in the jungle, he had let his mind wander; he had lost focus. Jormun was hell-bent on pushing her limits, having not flown in such a long time and the two lost touch of each other and Jakt slipped out of the saddle and began to fall. Jakt cried out and the drexl realized immediately that she had lost him and quickly thrashed out with her taloned leg, catching him in an uncomfortable position. She diverted her flight and slowly circled him down to the surface beating her wings against the ground, kicking up top soil as she steadied herself long enough to release him five feet above the earth. He hit the ground hard, were it not for his hardened constitution, the wind would have been knocked clear out of him, but he broke his fall as best he could and lay there until he heard a rustle in front of him.

Jormun roared an alert as she landed and Jakt pushed up hard with his hands using the force to aid him and landed a few feet back from the noise and was in a defensive stance before his feet even touched the ground. He couldn't let Iziz know that he was free, not yet. Except...it was a young girl, attractive, obviously far too young for Jakt, but attractive nonetheless, and above all, keen-eyed. His gut told him spies come in all shapes and sizes. Jormun lumbered up to the large man's side and bared her razor teeth. Jakt pulled a menacing spear from its strap on the side of his drexl and pointed it at her.

"State your business, girl and be judged."

 

[GABA]

Kyrene had watched the beast rise in the sky, her canteen still gripped in her hand as she felt mesmerized by the air acrobatics they were preforming in the sky. She felt something in the Force and some how knew at that point, she had found her beast rider. However, what she didn't feel was the unexpected fall as she watched a speck grow bigger as they fell but thankfully caught before dropping to the ground. She was in awe to how large the drexl was as it landed mere meters from her position. A pondering doubt lurked to as if she didn't find the right person, as she was certain a rider of such myth would just fall as he did.

She watched as the man approached, she could feel the Force around him, the intensity of his words and the defensiveness of one conditioned to strike if the right response was not given. Though what she didn't expect was the drexl to follow, and Kyrene was blown away to exactly how large, and how menacing the drexl stood up close. She nearly dropped her canteen as she whispered woah as the beast bared her teeth. It took her a moment to gather why she was there, but as the man pulled a spare and called for her to present herself, she quickly snapped back to her purpose.

Quickly tightening the cap to her canteen, the Jedi gave a small bow, "I am Jedi Knight Kyrene Amyantas, and my business is you, as I believe I have found Jakt Utlanning." she presented herself, standing a bit more confidently than she had moments earlier.

 

[Jakt Utlanning]

Jakt relaxed a little but was still well-reserved. He had never seen a Jedi and they were thus far ignoring the situation on Onderon. Still, he could feel in his core that she was a good sort. The Beast Lord arose from his combat-ready crouch and thrust his spear into the earth at his feet and put his hands on his belt. His thrust out his barrel chest now that the young girl was obviously not the enemy. Removing his hand from his belt to brush back his unkempt hair and subsequently returned it to his belt, Jakt spoke in his most noble of voices,

"Well my dear little lady, why didn't ye say so!? May I inquire as to how you know my name?"

Jakt was a little concerned that if this Jedi could find him this easy that his enemies could find him as well. Perhaps they didn't consider him a threat. No, there's no way that could be it. They still feared him, this he knew. Perhaps she was an amazing tracker. This could be. Still, there was one more option, destiny. She found him for a reason. Of this he had no doubt.

 

[GABA]

Kyrene was silent for a moment as she studied the man. Her senses were stretching into the Force to make sure what she felt was indeed correct.

"I've been to Iziz and I heard about you and your family." she paused.

The Knight felt hesitation from the man, she didn't expect him to trust her right away, but she wanted him to know she certainly was not there to cause him harm. "Things are bad-I mean I was supposedly in a wealthy part of town and yet, it was like the slums. Someone is being pocketed credits to turn a blind eye, not even the Order knows what is going on here." Kyrene felt her stomach turn in disgust, almost a guilt that no one could sense what was happening, but yet the threat on the out edge of the Republic seemed to be everyone's focus.

"Iziz's people are ready for change, they speak of you as more than rumors now, they speak with a passion that you will set things right." Kyrene explained, "So I wanted to help them, I want to help you make this change in Iziz so no one has to suffer any longer." The young Knight finished, folding her hands in front of her.

 

[Jakt Utlanning]

Jakt lowered his head, all the moxie he was going to try and use on the young girl to appear as the charming and witty old man left him when she mentioned the state of Iziz. He nodded as she explained the situation. Then something strange had happened. She had honored him with her words; he had been respected before as Beast Lord, as the man that tamed Jormun with no prior training, as as skilled combatant but all those honors, all that respect had come from the result of dominance. He had never felt how she made him feel, like he mattered. He listened as she finished with her offer to help turning his forlornly lowered head into a noble Onderonian bow.

"Aye, lass I've been there. I know. And I thank you for your kind words but you me and Jormun, here can't take on a militia of Beast Riders and the entire Onderonian army!"

Jormun had approached him and carefully rubbed her spikes on his neck, he wrapped his arm under her jaw and stroked her chin. He snapped out of it abruptly. She wasn't here to pity him. She was a Jedi. He stood up erect and tall and proud, his chest back full of what his mother used to call "hot-air." Jormun followed suit puffing a little and Jakt thought she looked genuinely cute. He smiled.

"No my dear, we can do it. Just not in the traditional sense. Forgive my lack of faith." He afforded her another quick bow then closed his eyes and rested his thoughts, clearing his mind. "I think that this situation will need a much softer hand, a gentle nudging of a few places urging them into revolution rather than another forceful takeover. If we are to establish a lasting peace then it must be the people that create it for themselves and not another heavy hand, like the way mine is now. I would just as soon charge Jormun into battle, soaring over the walls of the city slaying the enemies in my path, tearing down the palace doors and challenging Grego and Varelse for their throne. But alas, that would only end in my death and my people, my family, would be worse for it. I am so old yet I have so much to learn. I thank you master Jedi for showing me my foolhardiness. However, I could never ask you to help us, this is an internal matter and were you to get hurt or killed for our mistakes, I could never forgive myself."

 

[GABA]

((Sorry for the delay! Its shorter than I wanted, but I hope it keeps things rolling!))

"If you were meant to follow tradition, then I would not be here and Iziz would be yours again. Tradition is what they will expect, what they don't expect or cannot prepare for is the unknown. So that is how you must fight." Kyrene spoke, feeling the hot breath of the beast, making her slightly uneasy. She took a step back and shifted he weight to her left and crossed her arms; she needed him to come back, she couldn't return empty handed.

"That means, you may not necessarily charge into battle with Jormun, your age does not mean you're old, your age proves there is so much more for you to learn." Kyrene fell silent for a moment, studying man, recalling the feeling she had when she had spotted him in the sky.

"Have you ever felt it? A feeling as if you could touch more than what your senses could detect?" Kyrene asked him, her eyes narrowed as she focused on the beast man.

 

[Jakt Utlanning]

"I have felt that, yes. Often my instincts take over when I'm flying. The connection I have with Jormun feels almost unnatural."

Jakt begins to relax. She seems genuinely interested in him and he feels a deep connection to her. She is almost awe inspiring in her calm. He feels like a pot ready to boil over. Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Jakt begins to recall stories of ancient Jedi and their ability to perform magics. The studies from his university taught that they were able to influence and manipulate the objects and people that they surrounded themselves with. He began to ponder if that is what she meant when she mentioned touching more than what his senses could detect. Making a sideways glance at Jormun he nodded and nodded.

"It's the force isn't it. It doesn't seem to want to leave me to my devices. I assume it is the reason I was chained to a rock as well."

 

[GABA]

"Perhaps, it definitely leads us to different paths to accomplish destinies...could be why I felt a need to find you." Kyrene gave a shrug, "Though whats nice, is we can still make our own choices, you could have pushed me off, never wanting to continue on, but here you are speaking with me." Kyrene explained, thinking about her own words for a moment, she felt suddenly uneasy given the fact he hasn't dismissed her ideas. Frequently due to her young age, there was naivity that seemed accompany opinions, though she would admit, she had her own moments, but no one has really given her the chance outside the Jedi to prove, or to show what it meant to be a Jedi Knight.

"I bet you could do more than just your bond with Jornun, if you didn't turn your back on this path and you come back to Iziz, you could accomplish more than what you have thought would be possible." Kyrene continued, feeling a passion to show him what he could do not only for himself but for the people who were counting on him back in Iziz.