Ask Takodana Fjall

[Agialia Galenus]

The Forests of Takodana had been a welcome change to the cold silence of the transport ship that had dropped off Agailia the day earlier. She had decided to take up residence in the temple after her trip home to Danteel. It had been years since she had seen her family, and while they were welcoming, she could not help but sense disappointment from her loved ones. The young knight knew when she left to be trained that it could strain relations, but she had hoped that fifteen years would have fostered some understanding. Her father took her leaving as a sign of weakness, she passed her tribe's trials but did not stay to defend it, and there were many who had similar opinions on the matter. Agailia settled down in the meditation garden using its time to try and put her family struggles out of her mind, she was here to help train some of the younglings, she could not afford to pollute her purpose.

Closing her eyes Agailia felt the presence of those around her, there was a healthy mi of the young enthusiasm of new students, the determined frustration of those further in their studies, and the steady calmness of the masters and knights that worked around her. These feelings seemed mimicked by the wind around her, the reverberations of the halls, and the sounds of birds in the air. Putting all the sounds together she achieved an awareness of the force around her. Taking her breath, she pushed further, turning the melding noise around her into silence.

Her goal today was to give some personal attention to a new student, the council needed someone to get her physically ready for the rigors of young-ling training and by association prepare her to be someone's padawan. This was a crucial time for any young learner, and Agailia took training others very seriously. They would go on a small adventure into the forest today, this would be to train their bodies, but Agailia would use anything they found to test the young learners' senses as well. The young knight felt it was always better to do things such as this one on one, it removed the air of competition in something that was purely rudimentary.

She had prepared for their trip with two packs that stood leaning on the support column of the mediation platform she had taken. There was a good chance they would not be back for a few days, and there was no point in making the young students stressed by finding all these things on a new planet.

After a few hours of silent meditation, Agailia slowly stood back up into action. She placed a tarp on the ground for each pack that she prepared, and just like her brother taught her she laid each of them out to check one more time they had everything. Spare robes, bathing items, food for three days, medical supplies, collapsible staff, and a generous amount of rope could be found laid out nextly before in duplicate. Doing simple things like this helped Agailia feel better.

Agailia checked the time, and it would not be long now before her student should be due to arrive, at this point she heard the beeping on her holonet device and began to watch the proclamation of Darth Tempest, it seemed the separation of the sith and the empire was openly being proclaimed false, going even further to say that the emperor had been broken, a wave of unease mixed with duty swept across the temple, and soon the safety of this place would be threatened. The Jedi of all levels would be tested soon, Agailia would be ready. The balance of the force coming to another shifting point, and the knight would ensure T’Vani would be ready.
@Remileah

 

[T'vani]

Location: Takodana, Meditation Gardens — 21:48

Today was the day. Today was the first genuine training T'vani would experience, and although she was apprehensive, she was simultaneously excited. She had taken her time settling into an initiate's life, customs, and routines in the Jedi Order. Still, she knew it wouldn't be easy forever. The girl knew that at some point, she would have to go through the rigours of physical training to make her suitable for the role of Jedi.

T'vani had been assigned to accompany a knight named Agialia. It had been made clear she wasn't to be her master, and Agialia was only providing supplementary training to her before officially becoming a Padawan. However, the possibility that Agialia may be chosen to be her master wasn't outside the realm of possibility. Irrespective of who her master might be, T'vani had resolved herself to perform to the best of her abilities. She didn't want to only do well. She wanted to excel.

Knowing the seriousness of the situation, T'vani had ensured she woke up at a reasonable hour to begin preparing herself. She had ample time to bathe, brush her hair, fluff her tail, eat, and make it to the meditation gardens with time left to spare. The Fiani was always on time, and this situation would be no exception.

T'vani stepped into the meditation gardens, patting down and smoothing her decorative robes. They were more fanciful than most due to her mother back home on Fiana making them by hand to Jedi Order standards, then sending them to the temple. It was a pleasant reminder of home and some small measure of comfort in this place she was still adjusting to. As the young girl stepped into the gardens and looked up, she caught sight of a woman near a tarp scattered with various supplies. That could only be who she was here for.

Agialia seemed preoccupied, though. T'vani could see the holonet device in her teacher's hand and hear the dull drone of voices speaking. It was news that T'vani had never heard of, nor did she properly understand. The only life she had ever known was the life on her home planet, and Fiana was less interconnected and informed than most planets. The Sith and the Empire were things mainly unknown to T'vani. However, uninformed though she might be, she could sense the unease from Agialia.

"Miss Galenus?" T'vani spoke up, hoping to pull her teacher from her discomfort.

 

[Agialia Galenus]

Agailia rolled her eyes as more holonets began to ring after the last transmission, the Dark lord got exactly what she wanted. Alarm bells and emergency senate sessions were surely on the horizon if they were not already. Agailia’s attention was broken by a young voice entering the open space of the mediation area. Agailia smiled and closed some of the distance between them. "Good morning T’vani.” Agailia gave a polite bow as she took in who was in front of her. She was young, only slightly shorter than herself, and her robes were not typical in the sense of what is worn by the average Jedi. She had a part of home with her, which would be an important anchor in the coming years of her training. “It is a pleasure to meet you, and yes I am Agailia Galenus, Jedi Knight and your teacher for the next few days." Agailia motioned for the young girl to walk with her as they made their way back to the packs.

“I understand this will be your first stretch of formal training, I hope you're excited, but I know the life of an initiate can be a stressful time.” Agailia contimed as she wrapped her hands in front of her as she stopped in front of their gear. “My task over the next few days is to start your physical training to get you fit to continue in your studies. While the force is all around us, you must first trust in your own faculties, so you can then let go of them, and allow the force to flow through you.” Agailia looked down at T’vani, “This will take time, and a good deal of repetition, but you will begin to understand what I mean as time goes on.” Agailia knelt in front of her pack, “And a bit of advice, and Jedi above your station should be addressed as Master not Miss, an ancient tradition but one that persists.” Agailia laughed, she could not come down on someone who had been with the order for such a brief time. “One bit of wisdom I can pass on to you is always prepare your own things for a journey, I have taken the time to lay our things out, but I would like you to visually inspect each item, so you have the surety that it is here. Here is the list.” The Knight passed T,vani a datapad, and then began to pack her own things, silently mouthing each item as she put it in her pack.

“So, tell me of your upbringing, your planet, Are you accustomed to moving cross country? Or did you grow up in a larger settlement?” Agailia looked over, hoping to make her relax a bit by speaking of home. @Remileah

 

[T'vani]

"It's nice to meet you, too," T'vani answered, following her statement with a respectful bow to her new teacher. Her ears bobbed and flagged as Agailia elaborated upon what was expected of T'vani during this time, listening intently to every word the woman said. As Agialia corrected her on the proper honorifics for her superiors, a faint blush filled T'vani's cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Mis— uh, Master Galenus," the girl corrected herself, tripping over her words. As Agialia spoke about preparing supplies and equipment for a journey, T'vani looked at the tarps. She took the list from the woman as it was offered to her and made her way to the assorted items, looking over the items on the list before looking at the collection of supplies. A thin smile tugged up the corners of T'vani's lips.

"I've done this before," she stated. "Back on my homeworld, it's really cold. If you wanted to go hunting or go to another village, you had to prepare packs like this a lot," she continued, looking between the list and the tarps as she spoke. As Agialia inquired about T'vani's planet and other details, she nodded, still dutifully working at ensuring everything was present and accounted for.

"I grew up on Fiana. It's cold and has a lot of mountains and hills, and villages are usually pretty far away from each other, so I've done a lot of travelling," she elaborated. "I did live in one of the bigger settlements, but we still did plenty of travelling. Living in a settlement of any size was still hard because of how cold it would get."

T'vani stopped speaking to look over at Agialia.

"Have you heard of Fiana, Master?"

@Darius

 

[Agialia Galenus]

“Don’t think on it a moment more, you are new to our ways, I just didn't want you singled out during your classes or chastised by your future master...like it was.” Agailia laughed clearly speaking from the experiences of her own training

“Good cold can be an unwelcome complication for those who have not dealt with it before, you should be well suited for today.” Agailia nodded as she finished packing and threw her pack over her back, she was happy to hear the young initiate had experience in packing for herself and traveling through the wilds.

“I have in fact, I am a Jedi a Seer...well more of an archeologist really, I travel following leads on temples and artifacts to catalogue and keep them safe from people who are ignorant of them or who use them to assist the dark side. Your home planet is one I hope to visit in the future, There are writings that imply there may have been a Jedi presence on the planet in the far past.” Agailia was clearly excited at the prospect of discovering a lost temple, but they were here to train. “But that will not happen today, what we are here to do is find an old temple relay station on a mountain.” Agailia pointed over her shoulder to their destination, a large mountain peaking over the canopy. “We will be keeping a jogging pace through the forest until we reach the base of the mountain, we will then take our time as we use trail and Cliff to get to where we need to be. I need you to push yourself today.” Agailia looked calmly at her young student, the purpose of these days was not to break her but for her to recognize her own strengths, and to give clarity on her weaknesses so she could strive to work on them.

“As we go along, I want you to try and sense what is around you, if you sense an easier or more practical path point it out, until then we will take járnleið as my people call it, or the iron path.” Agailia took off her outer robes, they would be warm with the pace they were about to achieve, and she did not want to deal with a robe drenched in sweat in the colds of the mountain's elevation. “If you have any questions, please ask them now or while we are on the move." Agailia strapped her pack so that the weight would be on her shoulders to start, she double-checked the knot on the lightsaber as she did not want it to swing off into the bushes. “When you are ready, we will begin, the hope is to make it to the summit before nightfall, if we keep a good pace, we should just make it in time to not make camp in the dark.” ​

@Remileah

 

[T'vani]

​

T'vani nodded in understanding as Agialia reassured her she wasn't in trouble for incorrectly addressing her. She appreciated it and was grateful to be spared potential future embarrassment by doing it in front of others. The last thing the young girl wanted was to be the proverbial laughing stock of others or be reminded of her constant mistake, even if it was in jest.

"Really? I never heard anything about a Jedi temple or artefacts back home," T'vani said as she began packing her tools and materials. The thought was quickly dismissed as Agialia informed her of the intent of their trip. While T'vani filled her bag, she glanced in the direction her Master pointed. She was no stranger to mountains, and the ones here looked far more tolerable than the ones she had traversed back on Fiana.

"I'll push myself, Master, and I'll make sure to keep an eye on everything," T'vani stated confidently as she packed away the last articles and set the bag down. As new as she was to this planet, she knew Takodana was nothing like Fiana. It was warmer and more humid here, and doing strenuous exercise like jogging or hiking would only cause her to overheat, sweat, and lose energy faster than necessary.

She hadn't even looked at Agialia before she began disrobing herself. T'vani removed her robes, leaving her dressed in her sleeveless tunic and leggings she wore underneath. Once her robes were off, she dexterously folded them into a neat lump and stowed them with the rest of her belongings. After they were safely packed away, the Fiani shouldered her back and ensured the weight was distributed evenly and comfortably on her body.

"I'm ready when you are, Master," T'vani said with a smile, turning to face Agialia. "I know we can make it there before nightfall! It doesn't look as far away as some of the villages back home, so I'm sure we can make it with plenty of time to spare," she stated with confidence not often seen in someone her age when faced with such a seemingly daunting task. "I only have one question, Master. Why are we going to the relay station? Is there a reason?"

@Darius

 

[Agialia Galenus]

“Several actually,” Agailia said excitedly as she began to lead the way to the outer gate. “The relay station was first built as a transmitter to get ground communication over the mountains, naturally as technology evolved it became redundant, and the station fell into disuse.” Agailia began a light jog as they began to cross the fields. “Once the Jedi temple was originally built here the station was repurposed as a sort of beacon. It served to guide Jedi here during times from one temple to another, the hope is the beacon may shed some light on other temples we have not found." Agalia was excited thinking about what she might find at their destination, she had made finding the lessons of the past part of her life's work. “But most importantly it is a place of reflection of the light side of the force, where we will get you more acquainted with the force that is always around you.”

Agailia made sure to control her breath as she increased their pace, they had hit the tree line at this point, Agailia continued to lead as she hopped over fallen trucks and mounds of earth uprooted by some insect. The forest itself was breathtaking, towering trees held up a canopy that kept their journey cool, and the rest of the forest was peppered with flowering trees that let loose pedals of amethyst. It was as if the forest was celebrating their arrival. Coming to a cliff that had recently become victim to a mudslide, Agailia led up a truck that served as a ramp to the new elevation, keeping her feel sure the knight opened her stride to use her momentum to keep her pace.

After around thirty minutes the two Jedi found themselves on a decline, which made it easier to run, but harder to regulate their speed. The decline became increasingly pronounced until Agailia fell into a slide concentrating on staying on course as she aimed for their target, A sheer drop into a gorge was before them, and they did not have a lot of time to react. “Stay with me!” Agalia shouted as she guided herself toward an upright tree that stood close to the edge of the fall. Reaching out with her body and the force Agailia grabbed for the tree (Rolled an 87). With herself balanced she grabbed the tree and leaned out an arm for T’vana to aim for. “Take my hand!” Agailia said with a smile, she was ready if her student faltered but T’vana seemed to be used to these kinds of activities. Agailia would trust her student, and in turn, she hoped the young one would trust that she would not let her slide over the cliff into oblivion.
@Remileah

 

[T'vani]

As Agialia explained the purpose and importance of the station, T'vani followed close behind her. It sounded like Takodana was as old and storied as it looked, which fascinated the young girl. As she followed her trainer, her mind wandered to the stories and myths of her planet. Fiana had a culture built on telling stories, embellishing them with eccentric and exciting details to make them more enthralling to listen to. Takodana lacked the extravagant details Fiana had, but it still had plenty of stories.

All the while, the two jogged through the forest, and T'vani kept up easily. She had no struggles hopping through the various elevations, and her capacity to dodge multiple obstacles like trees and rocks was something to applaud. In some ways, traversing this type of terrain was simpler than on Fiana. Her homeworld had nearly perpetual snow, adding the extra hazards of slipping or stepping through ice not strong enough to support your weight. Takodana had nothing like that, and it made managing progress through the forest easier.

Being accustomed to those dangers had a price, however. As the two descended the mudslide once they crested, T'vani's instincts overpowered her ability to adjust. Descending a snow-covered slope was far more treacherous than her current task, and her body instinctually overcompensated. As T'vani increased her momentum, her right foot fell too firmly, causing her ankle to twist and send her staggering forward.

«Ba nei!» T'vani yelped in her native tongue as she stumbled, barely succeeding at catching herself before falling into a full tumble down the embankment. Either with practised recovery or through blind panic, T'vani lunged for Agialia's arm. One hand grabbed her mentor's while the other grasped her arm, leaving T'vani in a precarious situation where one wrong move would send her careening into the chasm below. Panting, T'vani looked up at Agalia, whining and whimpering piteously in a plea for her to pull her up.

@Darius

 

[Agialia Galenus]

Agailia’s eyes blinked wide as she watched T’vani turn her ankle as she slid down the slope. Reaching out she grabbed one of the lower branches to brace herself, And with her other hand she caught her student as she slid by. Her smile was gone now, T’vani’s overconfidence put her at elevated risk of an accident like this happening again. Agailia could completely understand being confident in moving cross country but the way you move across different terrain matters, T’vani should have known this. Using her legs, she pulled up the young student and sat her back to the tree.

Agailia caught her breath and began to look T’vani over, at first glance she seemed fine, a little spooked, but that ankle would not due if they were to continue. “Sometimes our past experiences can blind us to the current reality we are interacting with. Never forget where you come from and what you have learned, these things shape who we are. Just remember every step in this life will be different." Agailia looked down at the T’vani’s ankle. Wiping her hands on her robes she then stretched them out over the initiate (58). Slowly Agailia felt the pulled and slight torn fibers of T’vani’s leg begin to come back together. Agailia released her connection and laid back on the tree, healing with the force was taxing even with smaller injuries like this, Agailia knew she would sleep well once they got to the mountain.

“Now this is one of those moments where you could choose a better path, Before us we would have to climb all the way down, cross the river, and back up the other side.” Agailia sat up into a crouched position, “Reach out with the force, feel the forest and the cliffs around you. Feel the presence of the animals, how are they tackling the cliff? Are they showing us a better way? Trust in their experiences just as you trusted in yours.” Agailia looked on encouragingly, Agailia personally did not mind the climb, but as a teacher, she had to give an opportunity for growth.

@Remileah

 

[T'vani]

"I'm sorry, Master. I don't know what happened," T'vani apologised, panting as she nestled herself into a comfortable position. "I'm so used to dealing with snow that my instincts took over, and I—"

T'vani stopped. It was pointless trying to explain why it happened, no matter the reason. The past was in the past, and she needed to attend to the future. She needed to accept that it happened and do her best to ensure it didn't happen again. If she could do that, it would prove the sincerity of her apology more than any amount of words could.

"I understand, Master. Thank you for helping me," T'vani said, glancing down at the gaping chasm below. She would be at the bottom if Agailia hadn't been there to help her. The thoughts sent shivers down the girl's spine.

She snapped back to the real world as she felt the peculiar warmth of the Force wash over her, her attention immediately darting over to Agailia. T'vani looked just in time to see Agailia's outstretched hands, channelling the Force to accelerate the natural healing process of her body. Despite how quickly it happened, there was no pain. As much as T'vani wanted to ask, she innately knew what was happening. Her attunement to the Force was strong. That much had been proven repeatedly, and she didn't need to ask how it was happening. As Agailia finished mending T'vani's leg, the girl smiled, said her quiet thank you, and turned her attention towards the forest.

T'vani closed her eyes. Her familiarity with the Force had increased during her stay here, and she knew she could discover safe, passable terrain. The Force bound all living things together, and that bond connected her to the plants and wildlife around her. The initiate reached out to feel her environment, detecting the faint echoes of the creatures that traversed these wilds day in and night out. She could sense the gentle plodding of hooves and the patter of paws. She could see hazy ripples dotting the landscape, heading...

"...that way," T'vani said, pointing down the cliff's edge. "If we walk about half a mile that way, there's a natural land bridge connecting the two sides of this valley that animals use all the time. It's stable, and it's safe. I felt numerous animals crossing it without any problems," she finished with confidence and a smile.

@Darius

 

[Agialia Galenus]

"Very well done young one!” Agailia exclaimed as she watched the initiate point out the land bridge deep in the fog of the forest. It brightened Agailia’s day to feel the student reach out into the force so aptly. “Let's keep moving, we can rest at the base of the mountain before the climb to the main road.”

Agailia was careful not to lose her feet on the cliffside, looking down she could see their steps knocking wads of mud and stray branches into the river below. Agailia rechecked the rope hanging on her shoulder, if she needed to make a last-second rescue she would be ready to pull her student to safety. Running the gauntlet of the cliff reminded her of the fjords on her home planet, there were times she missed the days on the boats, or hunting in the thicket og the hills, and it seemed like T’vani grew up in a similar other that being much more used to the cold.

Making it to the land bridge Agailia led the way across as she outstretched her arms to keep her balance, Keeping her stride he crossed tro the border of the forest and into another large field that led directly to the mountain before them. Large Fauna began to clear the area as they burst into the high grass and gentle hills. The blades of grass whipped in Agailia's face as she sped up with a grin as she tried to keep up with the large beasts. These large herbivores brayed and lunged their tusks to warn off the two jedi, Now was not the time for too much madness so Agailia kept a good distance so they would not try and buck them out of the way. The two Jedi would run like this for another six miles, they did not stop until the herd split at the base of the mountain. Agailia fell into a jog and stopped leaning on a rock as she caught her breath. “We will rest here for a moment; we should be fresh for the climb.” Agailia breathed as she rested with her arms over her head to open her lungs. “I'd recommend putting something on your stomach, we don’t want and cramps on the way up.” Agalia said as sat down on the rock finally able to rest her shoulders.

The plan of the day so far had been going very well, the duo was making good time on their journey, and if they kept this pace, they would be on track to arrive before nightfall. Agailia took out a few pieces of fruit and began to slowly eat them as she mindlessly studied the produce in her hand. She relaxed a bit as the sound of the animals around her began to drown out the wind coming off the mountain. “ For me, it was the light that caused me issues, my home planet has a night cycle of four years, and the daylight only lasts for about a month. It was very bright, to say the least for my first few years as a student, but we all have our challenges." Agailia shrugged as she continued to eat, swatting a few flys away as she went.

@Remileah

 

[T'vani]

___Agailia's praise sent T'vani's tail in a fit of elated wagging, thumping against the tree. She emphatically nodded as they decided they would keep moving, grabbing her belongings to situate them and dutifully following behind her Master.

___T'vani remained aware of her balance and surroundings as the two traversed the cliffside and forest. She would not allow another situation like what had happened before to happen again. The woods of Takodana, while similar, were still different. There was no snow to compensate for, so adjusting how she traversed these wilds was necessary. This trip had turned into more than physical exercise. It had turned into breaking herself of old habits.

___When Agailia said they would rest, T'vani slowed to a job, then a walk. As she came to a complete stop, the Fiani entered into a set of stretches similar to Agailia's to help herself breathe slowly and leisurely. She nodded as her Master recommended food. T'vani shed herself of her equipment and sat on a nearby trunk that had collapsed, opening her bag to rummage through it. She pulled out a meal of salmon, some rice, and asparagus.

___"I suppose a lot of people from different planets might need to adjust to different things," T'vani responded, ensuring that she kept her breathing level as she lightly partook of her meal. "For you, it was the light. For me, it's that there's no snow or ice. I wonder what others may have had to go through," she mused. "No matter the challenges, I know I can do them."

@Darius