Ask Korriban Horrors In The Making

[Nevizkas]

The scorching sands of Korriban offered little solace to life itself through the millennia. Thousands of years before the Je'daii arrived, the Sith Purebloods craved and coveted the mysteries and wonders that the dark side offered. Perfecting their art and drawing upon its limitless power to create the most obscene and dangerous beasts. The Sith after them crafted even greater works, seeming all but unstoppable before perishing with their masterpieces.

To say that Cyutadakyr was disappointed in her own inability to thus far master its artistic flair, was an understatement. The Acolyte had been away from home for so long, far longer than she had imagined when the Empire fell. Not until the news had reached her of the chaotic collapse of Imperial rule did she find her way back. Fresh from her recent failure, the deep scar tissue upon her chest beneath her black robe painfully reminded her of the price for failure.

Her people had lived here forever, pulled down from their mighty seat of power and subjugated by what would become the Sith Order. Almost driven into extinction, the many clusters of purebloods existed among the Sith core worlds, and an intriguing possibility existed for their rise once more. But that wasn't one of Cyu's priorities right now, for there was much work and power to be seized.

Looking out across the sands that seemed to stretch in all directions, waiting for her companion to join her today. They were a short walk from an ancient ruin, bare but a few Sith markings, but this would serve as a guide on where they would need to go next on their little spiritual journey. Although it was certain to be a difficult task and one that would prove to be quite frustrating if she couldn't master its potent attributes. When she finally did arrive, Cyu was not impressed with what she initially saw.

With a sarcastic tone, she scoffed. "Are you really a Sith, little one? Prove it. Hit me right here." The pureblood incited violence, craving its raw power to strike her in the chest. Her eyes watched curiously, eager to see what kind of reaction could be drawn out of her new toy.

@lizziie

 

[Ambrosia]

When Ambrosia arrived, she was like a drop of blood in the snow, so to speak. She was in stark contrast with the endless desert sands with her porcelain, white skin, and her white hair. But next to Cyutadakyr, she was the snow and the Sith pureblood was the- well, blood. Where Ambrosia was soft, Cyu was sharp. While Ambrosia's pale violet doe-eyes whispered of false innocence, Cyu's white almonds were sharks in the water - a moment from frenzying. The two could not look so different, but looks could be deceiving.

Cyu, however, did not seem to be very impressed with the smaller Ambrosia. She scoffed, called Ambrosia by a pet name that immediately irritated the Arkanian offshoot, and challenged her to hit her square in the chest.

"Since you asked so nicely," Ambrosia responded, her voice a murmur and spoken with dry indifference. Without a second of hesitation, she balled her hand into a fist, tucking her thumb into position, and channeled the Force into her punch as her fist struck forward. Provided Cyu didn't have second thoughts, she would feel the breath knocked out of her chest as Ambrosia's fist struck right into her sternum. It was likely, too, that she would lose her balance and fall backward into the sand.

The strike itself would immediately split the skin on Ambrosia's knuckles, and as she pulled her fist back and stood straight up, she would flex her hand, watching the blood congeal around the cut with unblinking eyes. "My name is Ambrosia," she said, looking over to wherever Cyu was laying, sitting, or standing.

Almost launched into a good- no, better mood by the stinging pain on her knuckle, Ambrosia asked another question. "What do you go by?" Just based on appearances alone, she expected a strong name from the woman. Something that channeled the predator-like sharpness in her face, and the cruel, almost seductive glint in her eyes.

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

The pureblood might have come off as stark raving mad if there wasn't a method to her madness. The ruins of Korriban were no playground for the faint of heart and although she did suspect the innocent-looking pudding was hiding something beneath those soft delicate features, she couldn't have been more pleased when the strike came.

Taking it in her full stride, Cyutadakyr braced with the support of the force and allowed the momentum to carry her backward and avoid taking any serious damage to her chest. Though the sudden impact did leave her wanting for breath, the illicit laughter that burst forth quickly alerted the other woman to her feelings on the matter.

"Welcome to Korriban, Ambrosia. My name is Cyutadakyr." The pureblood pulled herself up off the sandy floor and dusted herself off with a bit of a smile. "You are a Sith, as am I. Come let us walk together, there is much to do and discuss. Tell me, what do you seek?"

@lizziie

 

[Ambrosia]

'Cyutadakyr?' Ambrosia twirled the name around her tongue, though she didn't open her mouth to speak it aloud. It was exactly the kind of name Ambrosia expected from the woman.

"The Dark Side." Her answer was simple and fell from her soft lips with the sort of conviction that almost sounded alien coming from such a wide-eyed doll. "Korriban - it has an extensive history with it?"

Admittedly, Ambrosia's knowledge of the planet was... lacking. She knew there was an old Sith academy here, and she knew that it was a place that had been ravaged by the Dark Side for millennia. She knew nothing about the Sith people, or much of its more specific history.

Walking on sand reminded her of walking on snow. Though they were very different, each surface required much more effort to walk across them normally. Snow required high knees to tromp through it; sand required heavy steps to maintain stability on it.

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

The Dark Side was more than in abundance on Korriban, that wasn't even something that had to be said as the Champions would easily feel its presence as they walked. Cyu could only imagine what it was like to experience the planet for the first time in all its natural beauty. The burning sands were only one part of the fiery ecosystem, one could spend a lot of time just discussing how life had evolved to survive in such harsh conditions.

"Yes, for thousands of years, the Dark Side has grown stronger here than perhaps in any other place. If you cannot find your answers here, at the very least you will start your journey from what you uncover."

The walk they needed to take wasn't a particularly long one before they would come across the first series of historical relics. Huge stone obelisks littered the area as monuments to Sith long since dead giving hints to the length of time that they had been present here. Scratchings of Sith language were written across them, incantations or deeds done who could be sure.

Coming across a larger still stone hill, they would see a carved entrance with elaborate markings across it. Cyu looked at Ambrosia with a smirk, drawn to the dark energies lingering from it. "Do you feel that?" she whispered.

@lizziie

 

[Ambrosia]

Experiencing the planet for the first time was an experience. Just as the hot desert wind rolled off her skin, so did the subtle hum of the Dark Side. She almost felt like she was at the beginning of a high, much like the runup of spice or the buzz of alcohol made her feel.

The feeling only grew stronger as the two approached a hill in the sea of sand. Her pale violets met Cyutadakyr's as the champion whispered her question. Ambrosia didn't respond; she didn't need to. There was no missing the pull in the Force.

Ambrosia climbed up the hill, steadily approaching the entrance with no hesitation. "I don't recognize this writing," she muttered under her breath. She ran the pad of her fingers along the carvings, dirtying her skin with old sand, dirt, and dust. She turned to look back at the Pureblood behind her, watching the woman climb with wandering eyes until she closed the distance.

"Do you know what this says?" she asked of the other woman while she, again, studied the strong features of Cyutadakyr's face, her voice neutral.

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

The pureblood looked at the writing in front of them, stealing a glance around the rest of the entrance for any other clues that she could gleam before shaking her head. The writing was in a script that she understood, but either through damage or some strange reason, what was written didn't make a whole lot of sense.

"It mentions blood, but the rest is confusing. Perhaps it was some kind of protective seal, meant to keep the likes of us away from the secrets buried within?" Cyu smirked, answering with a hint of humor. Approaching just behind Ambrosia, the entrance appeared to be quite well secured and nothing happened while the latter began fidgeting with the door.

If they were sufficiently powerful in the force one might have opted to just pry the door open with overwhelming force, but that could also be stupid if the designer had considered that possibility. If anyone just barged in there remained a possibility that whatever was inside could just simply vanish without a trace and they would be back to square one.

Cyu herself now moved closer to the entrance and slid her hand across it. Nothing remarkable or interesting happened for the most part. Looking back to Ambrosia the pureblood wondered aloud. "Blood. Perhaps the door hungers?" It was worth a shot and they hadn't much else to go on. Taking out a small knife, she gingerly sliced one hand until droplets started to form and smear across her hand as she made a fist.

Placing the now bloodied hand against the same spot, she waited and hoped that she'd been right.

@lizziie

 

[Ambrosia]

As she carried no sharp weapon herself, Ambrosia opted for a much more... primal method. Rather than cutting herself with a broken rock or merely asking Cyutadakyr for her knife, the Arkanian offshoot pulled back her sleeve, lifted her forearm to her lips, and sunk her teeth into her porcelain skin. She pulled away as soon as she felt the warmth of blood against her lips. She held out her other hand, flexed her arm, and let droplets of blood drip bit by bit into her open palm until the wound began to congeal.

The moment Ambrosia placed her bloodied palm against the door's surface, a deep rumbling began to vibrate the ground beneath them. The sand danced, the wind almost seemed harsher, and there was a noticeable pulse in the Dark Side just before the stone door began to scrape and slide open.

Before them was now a dimly lit staircase, leading down so far into the darkness that even Ambrosia couldn't discern the shape of stairs after a certain point. She, with a hand placed firmly on the bite wound on her forearm, looked at Cyu and asked, "Shall we?"

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

The pureblood watched as the little white-haired treat bit into her own skin to draw the blood out. It wasn't often that she came across people that would instantly incur her respect but that little act had gone a long way toward this. How remarkable that the door reacted in the way that it did, the dark side presence was strong and they would both feel its pulses.

Nodding once more, Cyu took the first few steps into the short hall of sorts. Even only a few feet into it, questions began looming about what they might be walking into. Assuming that the entrance had been closed for some time, how then was there any light at all? Perhaps it was a natural source or some kind of magiks that fueled them. Alternatively, it could have been someone before them, lurking ahead somewhere.

Step by step they broke further into what felt like a stone vault, locked and buried under a mountain of stone. Curiously they soon found themselves reaching a dead end. No more than five feet from the bottom of the stairs was a vast expanse of nothingness. With only the dim light to guide them, and with a bit of focus they could just barely make out a stone archway level with them across the distance but with no apparent easy way to cross.

Looking down into the darkness below, without even a whisper of light they would have no way to know what was down there.

"Another test already?." Cyu's face contorted. Of course, they would, but what exactly did this one test them on?

@lizziie

 

[Ambrosia]

Ambrosia stepped immediately after Cyu, taking over a moment to look back toward the bright, harsh sands the two of them were leaving behind. She had a feeling that there would be no turning back after this point.

"I've heard that these crypts have an annoying amount of tests," she commented after Cyu's rhetorical question. Ambrosia stopped just behind her and closed her eyes, allowing the Darkness to envelope her so that she could reach out through it and into the void before them. She sensed... nothing.

Ambrosia opened her eyes again, finding it easier to see as her vision adjusted to the dark. She still couldn't perceive through the blackness before them. By design, she assumed.

"My turn to go first, I suppose," she mused. As she stepped into the darkness, she pulled the Force around her like a blanket. Her foot fell, and fell, and fell, but suddenly found purchase on the ground below. To Cyu, however, it would appear the Arkanian offshoot had vanished into the shadowy floor before her.

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

The mysterious darkness hid the path before them, with neither sight nor the force revealing which to take. Cyu couldn't shake the feeling that there was something across the expanse but with no way to cross, nor the means to know for sure it would be a fool's errand to try. To jump could be a similar design, the masters could have laid any number of traps to befall the wandering traveler, or as Ambrosia so neatly put it, another annoying test.

The pureblood's eyes flicked over as the fair-skinned companion promptly made her decision to test fate itself and dive into the void for the sake of curiosity. With neither sight nor sound of her immediate departure from life itself, Cyu brought herself over to the very same ledge and dove in with enough momentum to arrive feet first. Sadly there would be no style points awarded as Ambrosia would not see her land nearby, but with a light thump on the ground, she would know she had been followed.

With nothing to guide them but the ever-increasing pull of the dark side in the pitch-black hole, Cyu slid her foot forward to check her footing, before taking a step, and another. "There must be an exit. A puzzle must always have an answer."

After a few steps, the artificial darkness absconded to reveal the pair had landed on a narrow path that crossed the vast expanse. In this they had trusted in themselves, the desires, knowledge, and power propelling them to seek the answers to questions yet posed.

Cyu would stare back at Ambrosia and say nothing unless the other spoke, recognizing what had happened. The path forward continued for some time, a slight descent bringing them lower and lower into the earth below. As they walked, the pair would notice the temperature rising and at first it was merely uncomfortable but gradually, painful. To proceed would require both a test of the strength of will and endurance, to fail was to deny themselves the power that lay below.

@lizziie

 

[Ambrosia]

"Lucky drop." Ambrosial looked back at Cyu as the darkness cleared, her pale eyes wide and sparkling with sick excitement in the dim light.

She began to walk, just slightly ahead of the Sith Pureblood. Her pale skin began to glisten the deeper they descended, sweat droplets forming on her brow as the air around them assaulted them with heavy bouts of heat. Not only was the heat... discouraging, but the path remained thin, so every step the two of them made had to be deliberate and careful.

"Is this typical?" Ambrosia asked, turning her head to the side so that Cyu could more easily hear her. She was not complaining; she sounded more curious than anything. The heat was most certainly affecting the pale woman, and she could feel her breaths grow heavy.

Further ahead, the path began to descend even more.

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

The burning pain was difficult to bear, but Cyu supposed that was all part of the trial that they were undertaking. The pureblood, in turn, looked back at Ambrosia as the question was posed. "Not particularly, although I feel that we are close."

The heat intensified as they continued, the path slowly reached its end as a room came into view. A tentative view from the outside revealed the source of the heat, an open volcanic vent that ran deep into the earth below. Curiously, the room had not been occupied in some time and as the pair made their way into it, they would spot several areas of interest.

Cyu glimpsed around and felt pride in what she saw, a smile beaming on her face. "It's a forge, a Sith forge." Walking around slowly to take in the full view of things, they would spot an area where the swords themselves, bare and primitive, were constructed. Ambrosia would feel the strong tug of the dark side towards the other end of the room where a collection of tomes and stone slabs were carved into.

Lest the heat destroys the knowledge, the creator had instilled his knowledge into stone. Cyu couldn't help but look for herself, translating some of the texts if her companion could not read the language herself.

"The basic principles of Sith Alchemy are best learned through trial and error on inanimate objects. With an understanding of what it is you wish to achieve, and the proper incantation, the dark side can mould and shape the object to the master's desire."

Even though it must have been some time since the last master had taught an apprentice down here, the information for the pair to try and self-learn themselves was readily available. Whether they would be able to achieve anything was still up for debate, but they hadn't come this far to turn back now.

"It doesn't say that it has to be a weapon, just something that isn't alive as it is far simpler to manipulate. What do you wanna try first?"

@lizziie

 

[Ambrosia]

Though it was still almost unbearably hot in the Forge, the heat itself grew suddenly less intense, almost as if the coalescence of the Dark Side lessened the effect of it on the two of them. Ambrosia finally felt as if she could breathe again, and the heavy weight on her body was replaced with an invigorated feeling of excitement as her pale eyes drank in her surroundings. Swords, a forge, tomes, and stone slabs... it was like something out of a novel or even a holomovie. She felt like they were someplace they were not supposed to be, and yet, they had passed the tests that led them here. She felt a buzz tingling her skin.

"Sith Alchemy?" Ambrosia approached the side of Cyutadakyr, her violets trained on the writing she could not understand. Though she'd heard of Sith Alchemy before, its existence was hardly spoken of by her instructors on Adumar. To them, it was something only accessible to the most committed and powerful of the Sith. Darth Veles was a name that came to mind.

Excited by the prospect, Ambrosia reached out her hand and pulled an ancient hammer lying by the forge to her hands. "What does it say to do?" she asked, turning the hammer over in her hands. It left stains of dust and ash on her skin, but the Arkanian didn't seem to mind.

There was a glint in the woman's eyes. She wondered in Cyutadakyr felt the raw energy in the air, too.

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

The pureblood started to get a little lost in the awe and wonder of such a place, at its core it represented a significant part of her heritage, and while it wasn't the grandest nor the most prominent, it was Sith.

The dark energies filled the room, swaying and weaving itself through their creations as they would later draw upon it. "Yes, something my ancestors used to do before the...convergence. Now anyone with the right training and proclivity with the Dark Side can attempt."

Watching Ambrosia grab the implement with something akin to admiration brought a smirk to her own face. "Watch." An outstretched hand pulsed with energy as the pureblood telekinetically removed the large stone block holding back the molten liquid. A viscous fluid bubbled and filled a heating chamber with an incredibly white-hot heat, which they would even feel from where they stood.

"If you're forging a metal instrument, you'd stick the block of metal and heat it in that chamber, and bash it with a hammer over there on that big metal thing until it was in the shape you desired while drawing from the Dark Side into it. I'm not sure how well we'd fare at making anything particularly useful on our first go, but I'll watch if you want to try."

It might be quite the spectacle, and potentially dangerous making it all the more fun to see.

"Once you're done playing, I'm sure we can try enchanting some objects laying around in here, perhaps even that hammer itself if you wish." Cyu may have been toying with her a little, but deep down somewhere inside she was feeling a tiny bit proud of Ambrosia's curiosity, even if her own knowledge of what they were doing was lacking.

@lizziie

 

[Ambrosia]

"Yeah, the hammer." That was kind of why she'd picked it up in the first place. Blunt weapons, for some reason, always caught her eye. She wasn't sure how she felt about the noticeable lack of even weight distribution, but the purpose of a hammer was much different than the purpose of a baton. With a small smile to herself, she thought about how the momentum from its swing would hit much harder.

Notably, Cyutadakyr didn't actually answer her question either, so maybe her words had been misinterpreted. This sort of irked Ambrosia, but she pushed that aside for now.

"I can't read the text. What does it say to do?" she asked, repeating herself from before with the hammer held up in her palms.

@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

Distracted by the forge and all this new information, Cyu had clearly missed what Ambrosia was trying to say. "Oh." In a rare case of the pureblood being wrong, obviously, she hadn't seen that the answer to the question lay within the question itself.

Dropping everything and instead focusing completely on the texts, she read the literal text once, and again just to make sure that she understood it. It was one thing to read about doing something you hadn't done before and an entirely different beast all together enacting it in the real world. They were meddling with forces far beyond what they understood at the time, but that hardly would deter Cyu and she imagined Ambrosia would feel similarly.

"It says that we are but the conduits of the Dark Side, its servants, and disciples. You are meant to fully embrace the darkness and let its power guide you, concentrate and focus your mind until you can conjure a miasma potent enough to enact what you are trying to change about the object. Then, as an extension of yourself and with full confidence you will extend your consciousness to wrap the darkness around it, bending and mending it to your will until it is finished."

Of course, that was easier said than done. A living subject would reject such manipulation and would require such force of will and mental strength that they would surely fail in all attempts. An inanimate object, however, had no such resistance and would only be limited by her ability to press her imagination upon it, and by her ability to work with the Dark Side.

@lizziie

 

[Ambrosia]

"Conduits?" Ambrosia was unfamiliar with the word, but she could imply its meaning from the rest of what Cyu said. Fully embrace the darkness, let it guide her, and focus her mind to enact her will. In a way, it sounded like meditation. That Ambrosia could do.

The Arkanian set the hammer on whatever surface was closest in front of her, then stood before the object with closed eyes and a hand hovering just above. Falling purposefully into meditation was worlds easier when the very planet around her was alive with the Dark Side, and the Forge itself was even heavier with it. She opened herself up completely to the Dark Side, and Cyu would feel the electric hum of it around the Arkanian.

'Strength.' That was her only thought as Ambrosia sought out the hammer in the Force, surrounding it with her will and visualizing it in her mind. She wasn't sure if she was doing things correctly, but it felt right. There was something almost primal in the way she could perceive the object through the Force, as if she could feel every bit of its components. She could feel its weight, its shape, and its purpose. She could change it. 'Strength.'

Slowly, the hammer rose from the surface, surrounded by a physical manifestation of the Force that seemed to extend from Ambrosia and the air around them. It shook violently in place and glew as the cracks in its material became almost rune-like in their reforming. Whatever Ambrosia was doing, it was working. And when she felt she had completed whatever she was doing, it fell back to the stone and the Sith opened her eyes.

"That was...interesting." Though she had barely moved, the woman felt drained. Physically, from the heat. Mentally and spiritually, from whatever she'd done. But the hammer seemed to have its own presence now, and it was even more obvious when she picked it up from the ground. "I think...it worked?"

Whatever she'd done had not been significant. Even with her first try having gone well, Ambrosia couldn't imagine that much had changed. But she was curious to see Cyu try now. Her eyes met hers with anticipation.

roll for alchemy success: 14/20
@Xorism

 

[Nevizkas]

The Sith Pureblood watched in intense silence as Ambrosia conducted the ritual. The dark energies flowed so freely around them, unguided and without purpose, just waiting to be called into the champion's service. She could quite easily sense the strength and determination that the offshoot wielded, it was quite the sight to feel the whipping and lashing of the Dark Side strike and meld the hammer along her intentions.

Cyu opened her eyes and studied Ambrosia to see what effects the ritual had impacted her. "It seems so. Well done." Even if what she had achieved had only a minor effect on the object itself, the very fact that she had any impact at all was both a sign of her power and inner strength.

"My people could spend their whole lives working on improving one weapon, amulet or other object of their desire. As your strength grows, so does your ability to shape it to your will. Perhaps you will find out how your hammer has changed, now that you are connected to it. In the future, perhaps you will be able to protect it with alchemy, to the point where it can strike out against lightsabers or serve you in other ways."

She imagined the hilarious look a Jedi or some other rodent knight would give someday when the little innocent Ambrosia blocked their attack with a hammer, of all things. That would only be beaten of course, by the look on their face as the hammer made its final swing. With the right ritual, it might even be possible to channel her force powers through the weapon, causing a clever and surprising attack to catch a foe off guard.

In the meantime, Cyutadakyr wanted to find something for her own enchantment. Taking a brief stroll down the length of the room she came across a small series of clay containers, opening them each to find small necklaces of varying interest until suddenly, the last one caught her eye. Reaching down and grasping the item in her hand she examined it and decided that it would do.

Taking her place next to Ambrosia, she softly lowered the stone down in front of them and closed her own eyes. With an outstretched hand, Cyu started to focus her mind and energy on the necklace as her body drifted into the calm and meditative state required.

With such a powerful nexus nearby, the Dark Side flowed freely once more between the pureblood and the object. Her mind poured over each and every one of its surfaces, leaving nothing unscathed or overlooked. It was not enough to simply shape the object, no, she felt the urgent need to impress upon it. A very real part of her imprinted upon the object, forging a strange and bewildering connection in a way that left her uncertain as to what she should do next.

The difficulty of the task was steadily becoming apparent as the strain on her face increased and finally ended as the necklace fell from its levitating position and into her waiting hand. "That....that was ...I don't know how to describe it." The experience was invaluable for both women, now that they had both tasted the power that lay at their fingertips, the insatiable desire to explore its depths and limits would only grow.

Whether they continued to experiment down here, or elsewhere, the wonderous world of alchemy had at last unlocked its first secrets for them.

@lizziie

roll for alchemy success: 18/20

 

[Ambrosia]

Ambrosia turned the hammer over in her hands a few times, scrutinizing the instrument until Cyu began her attempt at the alchemical process. Rather than a blunt weapon, the Sith pureblood had chosen a necklace that seemed to hold an arrowhead or something as its pendant. She stared - almost forgetting to blink - as she witnessed the process from the other side.

There was something about watching someone channel the Force in its most pervasive, primal ways that sent a tantalizing shiver down the Arkanian's spine. The Darkness pulsed around Cyu as she imprinted her very will upon the object, and Ambrosia found herself wanting to reach out toward her as if she could grasp it. The strain upon the Pureblood's face, the way her fingers extended toward the pendant, and the way Cyutadakyr channeled the Force from the necklace into it... suddenly, alchemy was not the only thing the doll wanted to experiment with.

"It feels like reaching for a drink of something you can't quite yet swallow," Ambrosia murmured, her voice barely a whisper. Though they'd both managed to succeed to varying degrees of success, neither of them had harnessed alchemy in a way that was even close to its greatest potential. "I feel parched but entirely invigorated." She had never used alchemy before now, but it had inspired her greatly.

"What is the language this is written in?" she asked, her gaze steady on the woman in front of her before briefly turning to regard the instructions. She studied it for a few more moments before stepping away from the Pureblood, running her fingers along the edge of the forge as she walked further into the room. Perhaps ancient artifacts remained here still, ones that they could study for themselves.

@Xorism