Ask Hoth Death is just another Path

[Kaldar]

Per my OP template (and appropriate for Razelings), thread is death enabled. Open to any Razelings​

Was it weird that Kaldar almost called this returning home? It was definitely wrong of him to call this place home, but it had been as much a pillar of his life recently as any other. It was one of the only places where someone of his alignment wasn't any enemy. To say that he could let his guard down or be safe was, however, erroneous.

To be quite honest, Kaldar was staggered. Or at least he had been initially. He hadn't really believed that Raze could be killed, but then, anyone could die, right? But they'd brought Sidious back and that was in an era where there were no Sith remaining. Kriff if Kaldar was going to be shown up by a bunch of Knights of Ren, Skywalker at their head or not.

Affection was far too strong a word for what Kaldar felt for Raze, but like any good Sith, there was still things that Kaldar needed to learn from the Dark Lord. He simply refused to believe the man was dead, and that was only compounded by the whispers in his dreams.

The Jedi might have called them premonitions, but Kaldar knew what they really were. They were the whispers of his Master, and they required something of him.

And so, Kaldar was here to seek out whatever he could in the castle of the Dark Lord in order to undo what had been done. No, Kaldar didn't believe for a minute that death could defeat Darth Raze.

His face was twisted into a serious scowl as he started to search for whatever he needed and eventually he found it: a means of contacting those others with power. Those others with power and loyalty to Raze, though what form they would take, he didn't know.

With the death of the Dark Lord for all Kaldar knew, the abominations and Exalted would be insane enough to attack him on site, and so he took precautions, positioning near an exit with a route back to his ship... just in case.

In the meantime, while he waited for those who would come, he sat on the steps leading up to the Dark Lord's throne, lightsaber at his hip and mind deep in thought. Pondering what he had seen in his dreams, trying to parse them out, and most importantly... considering history. In history they would find his release.

@Mr. Teatime @Versok @Fine Dining Set @LadyRen @Zay @Sreeya @GABA

 

[Heather D'Avignon]

While Heather had been led astray by her former path, it had been the very night on Serenno in which the Wraith had given her a new life. It had changed everything for her as she was no longer helpless, so utterly powerless and frail. It was the beginning of something new, something far greater.

Heather had never been blessed with the Force, but even if the powers of Darth Raze had come with a price, she had never felt any better. Her life had finally been given a greater purpose, yet after what had happened on Ossus, everything seemed to fall into yet another downward spiral.

She wasn't sure what his death of her master meant for her, for his other abominations, for the Galaxy even, but she could feel that a part of him was still inside her. He...was still there, somewhere...but where? Perhaps not in his physical form, but this didn't mean he couldn't be back. They needed him back. The purpose, the power - it couldn't stay in the sheer nothingness.

After having received the call, she had began her journey to the icy hells of Hoth. She had never set foot on the planet before, but she soon learned that it was indeed a frozen hell. It mattered little though. She ignored the cold and dropped the coat she had formerly donned which then revealed the dark blue gown underneath.

It was an ironic fit for the occasion, but she had no doubt it was the right choice to follow the call. Her heels cracked against the cold floor as she approached the man who was already sitting at the steps of the Lord's throne. She wasn't altered, she was in her most human form and her gaze directed at the young man.

"Are you one of us?" she asked him directly, her voice lacking the faked warmth she usually wore in Imperial chambers and on Lianna. This here was different and their were all united under a special purpose, yet his face she hadn't seen before.

@Phoenix @Sreeya @GABA @Versok @Mr. Teatime @Fine Dining Set

 

[The Herald]

"NO, no, NO!" The Herald stomped and bustled around, muttering, shouting, and sobbing madly in its insectile voice. Chitinous limbs clacked along the cold stone floor. It plainly didn't feel possible that Raze, a deity of destruction and evolution, could be destroyed by something so simple as machine weapons! No, no, no.

But then- but THEN- there were whispers, yesss. Whispers, only this and nothing more, but the Herald heard them. Dead, not gone? No god could be destroyed by weapons fire. This was true, yes, very true. The White Lion, the monster of monsters, put out a call to all who obeyed. But still, woe! Woe for the mistreatment from upstart, filthy dregs foisted upon its master.

Darting wildly between despair and furious hope, the insect emerged into the throne were. Others were already there. It did not recognize Heather, but it did know Kaldar. The Herald- so named by Raze for its role, having traded its name for exalted- emerged from a hallway. Its head twitched from one human to the next.

"You return, yezzz!" it exclaimed, scuttling slightly sideways. Small abdominal arms raised a datapad and made little notes. "Lion callz, you anzwer?" Herald asked in buzzing tones, head tilting, never quite still. Its insectile mouth-parts washed over themselves in the same manner as a storybook villain might rub their hands.

Of course, the Herald was also wary. Yes, wary, cautious. In truth, paranoid. How could it be sure of the true loyalties of others? Faceted eyes watched the two. Being an insectoid species, its face was borderline unreadable to humans. But there was much work to do, yes, much work, much work. What would they do? Their god was so far now! How could it serve from so far?

It gave a servile bow. "It welcomez you if zo, yezz."

@Phoenix @Sreeya @GABA @Versok @LadyRen @Fine Dining Set

 

[Gareth Gin]

Despair. Uncertainty. Fear.

These feelings resonated within the exalted, within Gareth's people, the monsters that had become part of them didn't know what would come next, for their master's darkness was their guiding light, and without it, they were lost. No matter the type of exalted they were, no matter if they gave in or fought against the curse, all of them had their inner beasts weakened, afraid and panicked, and Gareth was no exception. Only when he came to a planet filled with darkness, such as Hoth, could the beast be calmed and quelled, but even then it was less stable than before.

However, he had heard it too, he had heard the whispers, the voice telling him to not give up, and, of course, the call to action. This couldn't end like this, the White Lion couldn't allow it. He was the firstborn, remade to lead the forces of the strongest being in the galaxy, the creature that, although crueler than anyone else, had still granted him everything he ever wanted: A chance to be remembered for centuries to come, to become something bigger to himself, a sense of purpose and even people he could care about, brothers and sisters he could trust to not stab him in the back, that would follow him to the end, twisted as these wishes had become, the White Lion felt nothing but gratitude all the same.

It would be a surprise to nobody that Gareth would eventually arrive, his very presence being easily recognizable by all exalted before he even walked into the room himself, his presence calmed lower exalted and abominations alike, being the only other anchor the monsters could rely on.

"He's no exalted, but he is one of our lord's most useful followers, treat him well." Gareth would say as he entered the room, answering Kaldar's question for him, with these words alone, he had established that Kaldar was to be left alone, the word would spread soon after the meeting was finished, he was sure of it.

His focus came to the two exalted first: The Herald he already knew well enough. Not only had he taken his task as a exalted quite zealously and...loudly, but he was also the beast that helped him fight the Mandalorians back on Ossus, one of the exalted that managed to escape from their first lost battle.

While all Exalted helped the cause, those that reveled in their transformation instead of seeing it as a curse made for good underlings. Which meant that, while the other exalted was not someone he personally knew, for their numbers had expanded enough for him to lose track of all his little brothers and sisters, she was loyal enough to stick around during such hard times, Gareth would make sure to ask why Raze found use in her and help foster her potential later on.

After that, he looked at Kaldar, giving him a simple, respectful nod "Just another important piece of the puzzle to wait for before getting this started" The fallen Matukai said, crossing his arms "Although I've yet to met her personally, have you?" He asked. Gareth knew the plans Raze had for the exalted, and that she was an important part of their expansion...With him gone, even if hopefully temporalily, he hoped she had the means to finish her job. The galaxy would no doubt rally against them now that they thought the Wraith dead and gone, they had to prepare for a counter offensive, and they had to start now.

@Phoenix @Sreeya @GABA @Versok @LadyRen @Fine Dining Set @Mr. Teatime

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar didn't know what was going to come out of this, and even though he wouldn't admit it, he felt nervous. But he had made his career on lying to people and only showing them what he wanted them to see. That and he simply left no room for failure for himself or the others. It wouldn't happen.

The first person to arrive wasn't one that he expected. Dressed in a blue dress, a Senator of the Empire. Of course, he shouldn't have been surprised. Raze had people everywhere because people everywhere wanted power. It was one of the only things that unified everyone in the galaxy.

Her statement toward still almost sounded like an accusation, but others started arriving moments later.

The Herald was next. Honestly, the Herlad left Kaldar with a vague sense of unease, and he knew that was entirely intentional. It wasn't supposed to be warm and cuddly. Also the fact that Kaldar wasn't sure what it was trying to say didn't help. He thought he agreed with the bug man, but it was hard to tell.

Gareth's arrival moments later set to rest the tension that might have been boiling up. Apart from Raze himself, Gareth was probably the closest thing to the face of their... movement.

He gave a nod of appreciation toward Gareth.

No, I haven't, he said, though he knew about her by reputation. When she would arrive was in question, but Kaldar also wasn't the type to sit around with his fingers up his backside. He pondered a moment whether to pause or press on and decided that nothing they'd said so far was something that others couldn't figure out. They weren't idiots, after all, and if they were then they were unneeded.

Raze may be gone, but we've seen before that that isn't always permanent, he said. Whether it was on Exegol, Ossus, here in this castle or somewhere else entirely, there were answers out there on how to bring him back. It was just a matter of finding it. And from what he understood, yes, there was one woman who knew more about that than anyone.

@Mr. Teatime @Versok @Fine Dining Set @LadyRen @Zay @Sreeya @GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

That feeling returned, an emptiness, an eternal loneliness as she ached to have his presence back. The shadows felt weaker...brighter and she despised this feeling. Certainly annoying as to the extra work it will bring, but she also felt excitement to the idea of poisoning the hope the galaxy was now drinking. The dark woman would have once taken the flail to control these feelings to better focus, the unease was there, but she felt freer now, no longer limited to the values or morals of others she tried to emulate, to have the peace and wholeness they claimed to enjoy. Here, was her peace, she was herself, no masks, no alias, no roles she had tried to mold herself to fit everywhere else.

She was curious to the invitation from Kaldar; she had heard of him, but like many others, she was busy with her own tasks to see the wishes of Raze were granted. To which wasn't burdensome at all, she rather preferred to be shut up in her lab and working than having to join a committee and talk about things.

By the time she arrived, several have already gathered. Easily noted, Gareth Gin (@Versok), an exalted with no doubt held in high regard by the woman by pure reputation, nothing else was needed. Then the over-sized cricket (@Mr. Teatime) who looked jumpy, literally and figuratively, and a woman in a blue dress, who...didn't she see her on the holo? Heather Avant Garde (@LadyRen)?

And lastly Kaldar (@Phoenix) , who spoke of what some things aren't always as they seem as history has proved in this galaxy.

"Far from permanent. Certainly it will be difficult, but not impossible to bring him back to this realm." Tiamat stated.

 

[The Herald]

"Well, yezz, weeelll," the Herald strangely lengthened the last word, clawed fingers fidgeting against one another. It bowed even lower and more fancifully than before in Gareth's direction. "It greets you, great lion." Its wings fluttered behind as it righted itself and turned to the red-headed human. This one was often busy in the dungeons and laboratories, hard at work. Another bow, from which it shot right up stock-straight at the woman's words.

Its wings fluttered behind it again, limbs a-skitter. "The Master will return, yezz???" it asked with an unsettling amount of zeal, mouth-parts frantically washing over themselves from excitement. "Praizzze be," it muttered, and then several times afterwards, hands clasped in prayer and multifaceted eyes staring nowhere in particular. Joy pumped through its body, twisted and mad.

Herald's head snapped over to Gareth, then Kaldar. The crinkle-crack of shifting chitin was audible. "What bloodz spill to pleaze the Wraith Lord? What rituallzzzzz??" it asked, accentuated by the eager buzz of its wasp-like wings. Clawed main fingers popped as they tensed with manic energy.

"Ask what iz needed, yez. It will fetch." This last statement was directed at Gareth who was, as far as the Herald knew or was concerned, in charge.

@Phoenix @Versok @Fine Dining Set @LadyRen @Zay @Sreeya @GABA

 

[Gareth Gin]

The Miralukan looked at Tiamat, another nod of respect given at the woman just after she arrived, after all, she had said exactly what Gareth wanted to hear, a confirmation that their lord could be brought back. "You sound quite confident, I take this is not a first occurence?" The White Lion said...He wouldn't put it past her, she was the one helping Darth Raze with their latest, important project to massively increase the Exalted numbers, or so he was told "I am not what one would call a sorcerer, my mastery on the force much more...direct, so I yield to your expertise." His head then turned towards Kaldar "The both of you's expertise, of course." While it was clear that Tiamat was the one with an idea, Kaldar was certainly more knowledgeable about such matters, it would be the Exalted's role to support this one time.

However, there would be a few problems "Your loyalty to the cause is to be commended, but things must betalked in detail first, don't forget the struggle of trying to remain composed before we arrived to Hoth" Gareth told the bug. He did like the Herald, not only did he find funny its approach to Exalted society, deciding to entertain it akin to how someone would play along with a jester or a pet, but its approach did also manage to raise morale along their brethen before battle. However, the bug was being a bit too eager, given their current problems.

"Whatever it takes from us to see this through, we'll sacrifice, but you need to be warned about something" The Miralukan said, turning his attention back to Kaldar and Tia "We are directly linked to our master, a part of our dark essence, of our blessing, depending on him. As a result, after what happened on Ossus, we've been greatly weakened" His tone of voice was quite bitter, it was not a problem he ever anticipated, and it had took him by surprise. After all, who could've expected Raze's death, permanent or not?

"Thankfully, planets overwhelmed by the dark side, such as this one, allow us to stabilize, we can fight, and we're still formidable. But, on planets without corrupted nexus?" The White Lion let out a sigh "While in their human form, most of my brothers and sisters are weaker than ever before, and, should their beasts be let out, the only way they wouldn't turn on each other would be with me being really close by." The Miralukan wished he could find a way to offset these effects even without his master around, but he knew he shouldn't ask the sorcerers to split their efforts with it until they saw it necessary "In fact, I shall get them out of Byblos and Onderon unless you find an alternative. If they are not fit to defend those planets, their numbers will be shared among the rest."

@Phoenix @Mr. Teatime @Fine Dining Set @LadyRen @Zay @Sreeya @GABA

 

[Kaldar]

If there was any good news in all of this, it was the confirmation from Tiamat that the theories that Kaldar had were not just theories. Things could be inflated down through the years, and who knew if the records that the Sith Eternal had kept were all accurate. After all, Sidious hadn't returned to rule the galaxy and cheating death was something Sith Lords had been attempting and claiming for generations.

Kaldar nodded as if to further emphasize that they all seemed to be on the same page.

Unfortunately, the good news was somewhat undermined by the bad. The news about the Exalted not only being weaker but having to give up the planets already taken was... not good. Devastating might have been too strong of a word as they didn't exactly need to hold territory in the conventional sense they could certainly use the resources. Particularly resources being provided following their alliance with the new Queen of Onderon.

Does this apply to all of the Dark Lord's creations or just the Exalted? he asked. The Forgemasters had made many other creatures, and while he knew the Jedi had turned back the dark nexus on Byblos, he hoped that without that negative at least the other abominations might be able to assist in holding ground.

Will they all attack allies? If I get the Nagai to help in holding them do we think we can hold one or both worlds? he asked. Gareth knew more about the Exalted and abominations that Raze had created than anyone save perhaps Tiamat, but she would be required elsewhere still.

Which brought him back to the real question.

I was going to look for anything leading to Exegol or any information we might be able to find there unless you already know some technique for bringing him back? he asked. Whether intuition or premonition, something told Kaldar that the red haired Sith knew far more than any of them were aware of. After all, Kaldar knew of her well. She had been around for nearly as long as Raze had. She had been his apprentice for years, and a bond like that ran deep. She was a legend in her own way within the Sith.

@Mr. Teatime @Versok @LadyRen @GABA

 

[Heather D'Avignon]

To say that Heather felt somewhat out of place would be an understatement. It was ironic that despite their massive differences, they were all united after one purpose, but while the force users amongst them possessed abilities that were simply hard to grasp for her, she knew she could be of use as well.

She intently listened to the conversation, her thoughts spinning. With the defeat on Ossus, they were indeed weakened and it was still incredibly bitter that the Wraith had perished under Imperial bombardment. She hadn't been on Ossus, not even anywhere close and she knew that as a senator, she didn't wield the powers to interfere on such a broad scale, but for as long as no Imperial would ever find out about her deadly secret, she could strive for reaching positions with much more leverage...

They deserved it, and it was coming. Sooner or later. But for now it was one step at a time. "While I'm afraid I can do little to aid with any of those...ritualistic measures you're referring to, I will do anything I can to allocate resources we might need". It was a simple statement, yet the implications would linger in those frozen halls.

Whether they'd have to sacrifice lives, gather specific materials or a whole fleet to transfer more of the Exalted, there'd be a way to make it possible. She had her own assets, Liana's, the opportunity to interfere with Imperial politics if it served their purpose...

@Phoenix @GABA @Versok @Mr. Teatime

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Tiamat nodded, emphasizing this has been done before, however, like Kaldar, Tiamat was not happy to hear about the losses they may sustain with Raze not present. Gareth was correct that they would be destabilized without Raze present in their physical realm, even to the possibility of turning on each other without direction from their master. However, their strength was preserved while in the presence of worlds saturated in the darkside, and it could be just enough of what they needed right now to keep afloat.

"We need more nexuses." Tiamat stated, there was no questioning it, "If we have any chance of returning Raze here to our realm, then we need to weaken the veil between here and where he may be residing." the dark woman explained knowing the process will be more complicated and a single force anomaly wasn't going to be sufficient.

"Its how we were able to gain the Eternal here, and even the Entity; the stronger the dark side becomes here we should be able to transfer his spirit, or essence. However, the dark nexuses must be present to strengthen our bridge to him and him to us." Her own curiosity bit at her as to how strong her bond remained with Raze even if he was not physically present. If she could still feel the distant pull of the Eternal, surely she could at some point feel Raze.

Her gaze shifted to Gareth, "Having more nexuses should also help you and your brothers and sisters, and shifting the balance within the Force should leave the jedi hard pressed to know where to focus."

@Phoenix @Versok @Lady Ren

 

[Gareth Gin]

"Only the Exalted, it's the drawback of preserving a human mind while getting them closer to the dark side." Gareth replied in response to Kaldar as he asked his questions, the man would really need a good understanding of the Exalted in order to help, so Gareth didn't mind explaining in detail "The abominations, however, will be a different problem, for they serve Raze and no one else" A good quality to have most of the time, but a problem at the moment "The ones that are intelligent can be convinced, as long as they understand that this will be done for their master."

"The beasts, however, will only only follow their instincts and the dark side itself without Raze" The Miralukan would look up for a moment, pondering about a solution before realizing that they were back to square "Usually that's not a problem with an organized Exalted warband, but as of right now...Well, we face the same problem." And finally, he simply shook his head in response to his last question "Without Raze or me around, most of them won't distinguish between friend and foe unless approached by other monsters once turned, I am certain of this."

Gareth listened carefully as both Heather and Tiamat said their pieces, it was clear what had to be done next "Then the best move is starting by createing those nexus on Byblos and Onderon, it'll take care of one of our problems and help towards our final goal" He started, tilting his head towards Heather "We'll provide all the resources we can muster, be it funneled from other places or spoils from our planets, credits or people, the exalted shall deliver." Gareth stated, now looking at Tiamat "It will fall upon you two to lead the procedures, or impart the knowledge needed to do so to our brethren."

@Phoenix @Mr. Teatime @LadyRen @Zay @Sreeya @GABA

 

[Kaldar]

Kaldar listened to Gareths explanation, and while it wasn't good, it wasn't all terrible news. The abominations themselves wouldn't lose all of their potency, and while losing the Exalted was a hard blow, it meant they could still simply occupy worlds. There may be no new offensives, but overtaking the abominations that were there was not an easy task.

I can't control entire planets of them, but I can exert some control over the abominations, he said. He had noticed his own connection to Raze had given him a certain amount of control over the creatures. At least in a small environment.

The Forgemasters can do the same, he said, which meant they might be able to keep things status quo for a brief period of time. In other words, enough time for them to find a way to bring Raze back... he hoped.

The goal is to hold what territory we've taken while we... he said, looking to Tiamat ...find a way to set things right? he said, recapping the conversation as he saw it.

I have a lead to chase down, he added, thinking of Azar's knowledge and - although it was a risk - the potential payoff from getting his expertise. Life was all risks.

Anything else? he asked. He was good at "talking" but he also knew that time was not on their side, and every second could be critical. If there was nothing else, he would head for the door. There was work to do.

@Mr. Teatime @Versok @LadyRen @GABA