Ask In Black Rock Bound

[Nakoa Singh]

Ambria, Approaching Lake Natth
1849 local time

​

Most sane souls would consider Ambria a cursed place. Long ago in ancient days, during the time of the Great Hyperspace War, Ambria was rich with life and culture. A powerful and avaricious Sith Sorceress took the planet for a throne, enthralling its inhabitants to obey and build a great structure. An obelisk of bound black stone, city-wide and tall enough to reach the heavens. Hundreds of years and thousands of lives it burned away for its maker's ambition. Through the power of the Force she would bind the planet to the Dark and to herself.

She failed, completely and utterly. And in her failure so unleashed destruction on the world and nearly every life upon it. Perhaps there was a lesson to be learned, like Icarus and his wings. Infested with hungry and wrathful ghosts it lay still and forgotten for a thousand years. Until a Jedi Master landed on the barren surface and, with his power, sealed the slavering spirits beneath the surface of the only remaining body of water, Lake Natth. No natives approached the sand-lapping waves nor slept near its shore. Cursed it was, with its serpents and black water. Cursed would be those who dreamed of its depths.

Or, so it was said.

Arla and Nakoa had landed on Ambria all the same, passing over the Obelisk's shattered ruin along the way. Sunset was quickly approaching over the partly underground lake complex, the magic hour that superstitious said spirits rose to gather and revel in their strange spirit fashion. Bathed in the red-orange light of the falling sun the two Sith would approach. The mystic wind went by, murmuring in macabre melody. It carried songs of promise and of terror, of fright and tremulous delight.

Water and shadow of a wild lake, with black rock bound. And they were going to swim in it.

Nakoa was just then setting up a temporary camp, a walk away from the lake water's edge. Basic tent, firepit, a border totem hand-carved from driftwood adorned with hanging trinkets. The usual stuff. Supplies were stored under their own tarp, bags and backpacks, things like that. His ship wasn't difficult to spot out in the sands, but then again, not many ventured close to the lake. Also, his ship was trapped. Naturally.

"Seen anything like it before?" he asked his companion, standing up to gaze out at the distant water. It resembled nothing insomuch as a broad, black mirror that didn't quite reflect all the light that touched it.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

To most this planet might have been a terror or a curse, something to avoid and flee from, but to Arla it wa almost like a little piece of home. Dathomir was a nexus point for spirits that passed from this world to the next, a place where the Veil between life and death was thin. It was why so many of her people from every Clan were trained as Shaman and taught rituals and rites for the dead.

This place, too, was a place in which many spirits were gathered, but unlike the souls of Dathomir, those here seemed tormented and angry. Perhaps it was the nature of them being Sith spirits or perhaps it had something to do with the way they were bound and entombed. It was difficult to say, but it was part of what they were here to find out.

She looked out over the still waters and reached out with her feelings, sensing the waves of pain and anger that seemed to radiate off of the waters. It left a sense of unease on anyone who came near and to a Force-user like her, it was quite clear why even if the locals didn't really understand it.

Not so large, she said in response to his question. The inky black of the water seemed as if it was waiting to consume them and she couldn't help walking over and reaching down to touch it.

On Dathomir we have some black pools in the depths of the mountains. They lead to underground oceans. We also have spirits in abundance, but they don't have this energy to them. The spirits aren't bound beneath the pools, she said.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Nakoa Singh]

His fingers brushed the totem's trinkets, rattling them gently. He patted the top of it and softly clapped twice, then turned away to walk toward the water's edge. Amber-gold eyes looked past Arla to the water itself, lingering in one place or another like a cat that spotted something unseen in the corner of a room. "Underground oceans?" he asked curiously, latching onto a subject he hadn't explored before. Dathomir wasn't exactly a place one could look up on the holonet.

The still water rippled slightly at the Dathomirian's touch. It possessed a cold deeper than its own temperature, a spiritual chill that pervaded the water and the air around the lake. Even those not sensitive to the Force felt that Lake Natth was a dark, dangerous place. "Where I am from, places like this can be in the deep ocean. Glad this is a lake with only serpents." At least, that's all anyone knew of it. Most didn't really explore the lake.

"We'll need a serpent," Nakoa asserted, leaning slightly over the water. By all accounts, the water was full of them. But beneath the lake's aura, it was impossible to detect the inherently stealthy Hssiss, even if the two Sith had stronger senses. "For safe passage," he added after a couple of seconds. Another thought occurred to him and turned into a follow-up question.

"Diving gear?"

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla nodded at his inquiry. It was a paradox that the more that people asked about Dathomir, the less she told them, but when given the opportunity to speak of it of her own free will, she enjoyed the feelings of warmth that talking about her home brought to her.

Yes, they often play a critical role in our rites of passage, she said, though didn't expand on that detail further. Additionally, they provide water to our people. The planet's surface... has water, but few large, standing bodies, she said. It complemented the waters gathered from mists and dew that their people had learned to harvest from the air over the years.

Snakes? she asked in confusion before popping back to her feet and slipping into the remainder of her diving gear. With a zipping sound, the wetsuit zipped back up and she threw her breathing apparatus over her shoulder, waiting until they were going under to put it on.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Nakoa Singh]

"That makes sense," Nakoa replied to Arla's brief exposition with a casual air. To someone like him, particular areas of water being culturally important was the way of the galaxy. It seemed true no matter how much of it was present on a world. Water was life, a universal truth—even the dark, spirit-bound waters of Lake Natth.

His face scrunched up a little as he shook his head. "Not snakes, serpents- oh, hold on." A cramped-looking, thick-spined, and visibly well-used notebook, bound in treated sharkskin with pages of an unknown paper-like material, was pulled out from a belt pouch. Nakoa flipped through the pages, a couple of strays fluttering to the wet sand like autumn leaves, before pulling out a rough, reptilian sketch. A pair of tortoise-shell glasses were flipped out and held in front of his eyes.

"Hssiss," was the clarification, spoken as he flicked his held glasses like a wand. The Force returned the fallen pages to his notebook. Whatever they were made of was clearly water-repellant. Looking up again, he saw his question about diving gear was unnecessary. Tucking his things back where they belong, Nakoa unceremoniously removed his shirt and pants and tossed them onto a folding camp chair. He was already barefoot, leaving him solely in diving shorts and his utility belt.

Beneath his coverings was a collection of mixed scars and tattoos from varied sources across muscle built from aquatic life, as well as his gills, now exposed to the air but sealed shut. "It's suggested a dead Hssiss discourages others. Like sharks," he finally explained as if Arla had any of frame of reference for that statement. "At least, with a little oomph." Nakoa winked and wiggled his fingers in a vaguely mystical sort of way. He approached the water's edge, staring intently at the surface. After a few moments, he shrugged and turned to look at Arla.

"We'll figure it out. Want help with that thing?" He asked breezily, indicating the backpack tank and mask arrangement for her suit.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Hssiss, yes she'd heard about those before. She wasn't exactly the most confident underwater, but she would make it work. So what? We kill one and then drag its corpse around with us? she asked skeptically. She double checked her lightsaber just in case.

I... I guess, she said begrudgingly. She didn't want to need help, but she was not exactly experienced with diving equipment.

They got it sorted out with his help, and she fitted the mask into place. Thanks, she said before moving over to the water and sliding in up to her waist.

It's... warm, she said, surprised at it and attributing it to the energy that pulsated through. It... it reminded her of Anzat. There were whispers of the dead that permeated this place and had its own mind.

With one final deep - and unnecessary - breath, she took the plunge below the surface. It was dark and murky, almost stifling in how it seemed to swallow her up, but they plunged on and she checked the depth gauge to make sure they were not too deep too quickly.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Nakoa Singh]

The Wrean shook his head with a smirk at the mental image. "No dragging of large lizards needed. Just a piece," he explained while he checked the pressure seals on Arla's suit. With a simple nod and 'Mm' noise of acknowledgment, he stepped into the water alongside her. "Like an overcrowded pool," Nakoa agreed, exhaling as Arla inhaled before the plunge.

Under the surface, his gills opened to filter the water and his amber-gold eyes shined softly in the murk. Webbing on his hands and feet propelled him smoothly. Nakoa swam nearby and slightly ahead, frequently moving around Arla or back and forth and matching Arla's downward pace. He looked around despite there being nothing obvious to see, his gaze fixing at times on what appeared to be nothing at all.

More than a few feet down it was nearly impossible to tell up from down without a reference point. A mixed sensation of heat and cold would steadily increase, along with the vaguest sensation of being perceived in the most basic way by something other. After a short while of downward travel, the Wrean's head tilted, then snapped to his right, limbs turning him in the water. "There's one," came his voice through the water, one part melodious overtones paired with an undercurrent of monotone rumbling more obvious through a liquid medium. He pointed into the murk for Arla's benefit, although he didn't know if she could actually see anything since that wasn't how Nakoa noticed it.

Another complication; the water was infused with the Force, and Hssiss were a species adept at hiding within its ever-present undercurrents. Detecting it that way wouldn't work either. Without much warning, he swarm in the direction he'd indicated with a passing "Don't hit me" and disappeared into the black, humming something that sounded suspiciously like 'What's Gonna Work.'

Nakoa returned after a few tense seconds in a rush of water and sound, corkscrewing one way through the water and then another. Not far behind him was a massive reptile at least four meters from snout to tail tip. It seemed very determined to snap up the Wrean, almost certainly because of the copper-handled knife sticking out of its face. His path was bait, passing by Arla and her lightsaber. Nakoa would pass by, then a moment later, the Hssiss.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla didn't like this. She had swum in the dark pools under Dathomir before and had managed to navigate that inky blackness, but that wasn't the same. On Dathomir she could sense the world around her and see through the spirit realm beyond the Veil. But here, everything was muddled and her senses were no better than her eyesight.

She found herself... angry about it. She didn't like not being able to tell where she was or feeling as if she was about a half step away from being helpless.

He seemed to not be having any trouble, and she found herself a bit resentful of that despite the fact that she knew it was petty, she knew it was dumb, and she knew she should have been glad.

She pushed the immaturity aside and her lightsaber ignited in her hand, not really sure what he was planning next. And he didn't really... warn her, either.

Fortunately, she seemed to pick up on the idea pretty quickly as he moved past her and she swept her saber upward... except she was swinging through water, and nothing moved quite as quickly through water.

Rather than cleanly take its head off, it turned into more of a sweep along the side, still carving a nasty gash, but not quite the lethal blow she'd hoped for.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Nakoa Singh]

Contrary to what Arla might believe, Nakoa wasn't exactly free of troubles. He had an inherent sense of direction and could pick up on living things to a degree, absolutely. But he still couldn't really see in this half-unnatural murk and underwater close combat was a pain in the ass no matter how used to it one was even if could use his eyes right. He wasn't keen on brawling with a four-meter lizard in the dark. Probably should have gone over a plan, in hindsight. Whoops.

Still, he heard a lightsaber ignite, water boil, and the burning of flesh joined by a reptilian screech. The Hssiss turned to snap at the water a meter above Arla where her weapon had struck as Nakoa whipped himself up and around, saw the beast was still alive and reversed to swim straight at it. Now thoroughly pissed off and having definitely noticed Arla's presence, the Hssis sliced a path in the water to charge at her instead, long claws outstretched and maw open to bite.

In came the Wrean like a torpedo from the side, legs tucking up close to his body and arms briefly spiraled to rotate him feet-forward. With the Force coursing strength through him he rocketed recklessly to slam his heels into its wounded side with the kind of impact one felt through the water, worsening the injury but not exactly taking it down. It was big, and it was durable. Screeching, the beast turned to snap at him, and in doing so its tail slapped him roughly across the left side.

But now it was focused back on the Wrean and with its momentum halted in the water within Arla's reach as it thrashed about in an attempt to get hold of the slippery little nuisance.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla tried to move aside from the incoming creature, but she was not so adept underwater as a maritime species. Why had she agreed to come and do this? Probably hubris in hindsight, but it was too late now, and there was no getting out of it.

As it charged toward her, she once again found herself thankful for her partner who came yeeting himself in and directly into the creature's path. It turned on him next, and she kicked herself forward, but decided that wasn't quick enough.

Instead, as it spun toward him, she reached out to the Force, linking to the creature. Either she would pull the creature toward her or herself toward the creature. Or a little of both. It seemed to drag the thing momentarily through the water and closed the rest of Arla's distance to it as well.

It was a big boy, wasn't it? In fact, she almost had a sense of pity for killing it, but it needed to be done. It was no different than her hunts on Dathomir... except it was underwater.

She put her feet out to brace against its carapace and plunged her saber through its side. It let out another hideous screech and started to swim off at a slower pace this time and trailing blood. It was wounded - mortally so - but if they needed a piece, they needed to keep it here.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Nakoa Singh]

Grinning a cocksure grin despite the nasty bruise forming up his left side and trickles of blood from the reptile's tail spikes, Nakoa had begun to back up through the water to start up more harassment when Arla did something clever. "Yes, that's the way!" he complimented with a short, barking laugh distorted through the water. The Wrean maneuvered forward after the wounded beast, injured so gravely it left a trail of blood in its wake. How convenient.

Irirangi spoke four words with authority, right arm sinking into the blood trail, the Force rushing through him and into his focus. "Mulzamat bialdam, silsilat hadidiatun!" Red light arced through the blood trail, crackling and solidifying into a crimson cable that manifested as coils around the beast's midsection. With the conjured binding anchored to Nakoa around his right arm, he pulled backward. The cable steadily reeled short like a fisherman's line. Helpfully, the glow of magic also made the blood trail and Hssiss more visible in the dark water.

It fought, dragging the lighter Wrean forward. But the harder it struggled, the more it bled its life out into Lake Natth. The more it bled, the more tightly the coils seemed to bind it. On the other hand, boy did this hurt after that tail slap, even if the line itself was half the anchor. "Get over here," he grunted as the beast quickly grew more still, pulling it back toward the two Sith and using his legs to swim himself closer to Arla.

Not technically dead yet, but its heart had stopped. A given since a lightsaber had gone through it. Nakoa scooted himself over to it and, without a moment's hesitation, shoved his entire arm into the reptile's ventilated abdominal cavity and started feeling around like he'd lost his keys behind some couch cushions. "Gimme a sec. Smart move there," Nakoa said conversationally as if he wasn't shoulder-deep in a deadly predator. "Sure you haven't-? Ah hah!" With that exclamation, his hand re-emerged with most of the Hsiss' liver.

"Keep an eye on that." He left it to float like an especially bulbous fish in the water while he got to extracting a claw.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla watched the rest of the fight unfold, maneuvering herself for a follow-up strike that didn't seem to be necessary. What she did note, however, was that interesting trick he seemed to have with the blood. She'd seen things done like that before, but not my normal Sith.

She could only assume this meant he was versed in something more unusual, and she made a mental note to ask him about it later.

As the creature bled the rest of the way out, he quickly went to work extracting the pieces they needed.

He started spouting off a question, but never finished it, and Arla moved to intercept the floating liver.

She grabbed it as it started sinking downward, looking it over and thinking it was an odd pick.

I assume there's a reason for the liver? You still haven't really told me what the plan is here other than "get piece to keep others away, she said skeptically. She wasn't one that liked to take things on blind faith.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Nakoa Singh]

Nakoa braced his feet against the corpse for leverage to yank his knife free from the beast's skull, then used it to extract one of its nasty-looking foreclaws. He floated back to Arla looking distinctly pleased. "Well, yes. Liver is full of nutrition," he answered casually, pausing for effect. Then he grinned. "Kidding." Pulling the organ over to himself, he explained while examining it.

"Aquatic apex predators like Hssiss flee when they feel another was killed by something. But they are Dark things and will forget before we come back up." Nakoa wiggled the bulbous liver. "Liver is a hunter's prize. Stores blood and bile. Better than heart for gris-gris." Another pause. "Talisman."

"Whatever. An object-" he held up the claw, "Can temporarily carry the scent of blood. Keeps them away from us." Which he got to without further yapping. Nakoa got a firm grip on the claw, let the liver float free for a bit, then firmly thrust the claw through the soft organ meat. There was a flash of red behind amber-gold eyes that quickly spread to the bloody water around them.

After a few seconds, it retreated into the claw and left the liver looking notably drained of liquid. Quite unceremoniously he offered the claw, now with a vague red tint to it, over to Arla. She'd likely be able to tell it carried magic. Weak, but simple and stable. Nakoa figured she was slower than him in the water and, thus, should be the one carrying it. "Also makes a good souvenir."

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

As he mentioned that livers were full of nutrition, she got mildly annoyed. Not shocked that he was planning to eat it, but annoyed that he'd led her to believe it had some value to them and now she was here holding his dinner.

As it turned out, he was just joking. Well, good thing she didn't actually say anything, then. His explanation of why he wanted the liver made more sense, and she nodded, though in the water exactly how perceptible it was was qustionable.

Talismans? she couldn't help but ask, eyebrow quirking. That was unusual, and suddenly she was far more curious about his upbringing. His term for it was not ur-Kittât, which meant it must have had its origins in his own people or history.

What is it? she asked, frowning and taking the claw into her hand, turning it over several times. Her eyes began to glow slightly as she examined it through Second Sight. She could sense the power of the ur-spirit clinging to it, but it was trapped through some... unusual means. Not quite like the magick of her people, and it was only more interesting.

I guess we should get moving, she said, slipping it away and pressing on deeper into the murky water. She could make out what looked to be some sort of rocky range below them, and she saw multiple cave entrances all along it.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Nakoa Singh]

It took Nakoa a few seconds to get the right descriptive words in Basic, but he ended up elaborating 'Talisman' as, an "Embodiment of idea." The Wrean was clearly appreciative of Arla's curiosity if a bit surprised. Outsiders usually got squeamish around squidgy organ bits and general corpse knifing. Maybe she got the idea better by staring at the makeshift gris-gris. Arla certainly gave it a good looking over.

"It represents the reptile's death, and so carries it." He could probably go on at length but agreed they should continue on. Reassured by the lingering scent of fresh blood from the claw he finned through the water after Arla, then slightly ahead, albeit with somewhat less showy enthusiasm. His side hurt. Amber-gold eyes squinted what resembled underwater mountains dotted with caves. Down into the dark they went.

Nakoa slowed to a floating stop before one of the caves, flipping upside-down to examine the edges and then cautiously peeking through the entrance. He was still for a short while before looking up again at Arla, eyes flashing in the poor lighting. "Water minerals taste different here," he stated. After another moment he remembered to elaborate. "The rock's different from the rest" Which meant, hypothetically, they were on the right track toward Kyber.

"Few fish here," Nakoa added for Arla's benefit. Neither of them could see much, but the Wrean could pick up life in the water. There was an odd lack near the caves. After a brief bout of pensiveness, he flashed a charming grin. "Have I mentioned that I appreciate you showing up?" Then he swam through the entrance, making sure to wait for Arla to be close behind and keeping an eye on the open water behind her.

Caves could be dangerous places, but instinct said open water was often worse and Nakoa had a vaguely bad feeling about something.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla may not have been able to see much down here, but she had other tricks to rely on. Namely she had the Shadow and she had her Magick. The former could guide her and the latter could tell her about things that the eyes simply couldn't see.

As they approached the cave, she, too, grabbed onto the ledge and pulled herself to look down. Not a good sign, she said as he mentioned there were no fish. She may not know a ton about underwater things, but she did know about animals. She knew they avoided things that were dangerous or going to kill them.

You sense anything here? she asked, closing her eyes for a moment and focusing. She opened her eyes and let the Spirit world flow through her, seeing the faintest outlines of fish, and something... else. Something larger that she didn't recognize, but a distinctive impression.

There's something down there, she said, stiffening slightly and understanding that she was very much in something else's domain. She was not on land or in a jungle, she was the prey down here, and it unsettled a part of her deep in her heart.

She was a little surprised when he said he appreciated her coming along, and her head bobbed back slightly in surprise. Well, maybe you can make it up to me by talking to me about your people's traditions, she said. Not that she probably would have done the same if asked. She wouldn't be offended if he said "no" but she didn't know how closely guarded of a secret it was. All she could do was ask.

 

[Nakoa Singh]

He tilted his head, edging closer to the cliff just so. Even with second sight, the impressions were vague and blurred, water thick with ancient echoes. Yet there was surely something there in the deep, leading Nakoa to retreat from the ledge and closer to the underwater caves. "It is still. Let's keep it that way," he stated. If it'd been moving it'd be easier for him to notice. In the Force it was alive, but his natural senses barely picked it up at all.

In the cave entrance, his head tilted as he observed Arla, looking amused. Wrea was hardly a tourist destination, but the Tethysian people were more fiercely independent than secretive. Nakoa's expression slipped into a sly little grin. "Where I'm from, it is usual to share a meal cooked from the prey after hunting." Arla's question was utterly vague, so he picked a relevant tradition. "Hunters are expected to know how to do this. If not, they will learn together." There was a brief pause as he floated lazily through the cave waters, curiously examining a section of wall. Fingertips brushed up against the dark stone, ink-black hair floating loose and mane-like around him.

"What of your people?" he asked, departing the wall to swim a little further inward. A second time he stopped by an area of the ordinary-looking cave wall and examined it intensely.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla pulled herself down into the cave, kicking off as she pushed onward toward whatever sleeping giant lay within the cave. She had a sense of unease, but there was not a lot of options other than to see what lay within.

My people have a long tradition as guardians of the dead, she said. We'll share a meal after this, she said, matter-of-factly as he described the tradition. It would be a better chance to talk than this anyway.

As she kicked in deeper, she felt something shift in the water, a new current rising that had nothing to do with the natural flow of water. Something had moved and when it had, it had moved all the water as well.

We used to have an animal - or creature - that required subjugation with the Shadow. I think we'll need to do that now, too, she said. The Sleeper had died long before Arla was born, but she had heard the stories from the spirits of her Sisters.

One of us will need to dominate while the other finds the path ahead to the Kyber, she said. I think you may be faster on the scouting, she said.

 

[Nakoa Singh]

Filing away the concept of 'Guardians of the Dead' for later, Nakoa responded with, "Just so," to the meal. He was clearly on edge in a way that wasn't present before with only the Hssiss. The random wall examinations had stopped, and when the water moved he froze where he was, expressing abject discontent. He glanced toward Arla, thinking to himself.

Arla's suggestion sounded vaguely self-sacrificial. Or maybe just efficient, he couldn't tell yet. But the fact was it put in greater probable danger than himself. Assuming her competence, Nakoa said, "Agreed. Don't die." As they swam onward the water continued to flow back and forth with the movement of some giant creature deeper within. Before long they'd hear the water-dulled sound of something scraping against stone. Ahead, a bend in the cavern opened into a much larger chamber in the rock.

Through that yawning portal lay a beast. Fully aquatic, unlike the Hssiss, this thing had made these caverns its den. It was also notably larger than the lesser reptilians prowling the waters close to shore. It looked to be just waking up, many crimson eyes sweeping about its den as if searching for something. The two little intruders, most likely. It didn't quite know they were there yet, but it would pick up their presence sooner rather than later.

"Ready."

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla could sense it even if she couldn't see it. She could feel its presence in the water, and she could discern certain things about it from that. For instance, she knew that it was old or perhaps "ancient" was the better word. It was a fierce beast and despite not retaining sentience as one might think of it, it was intelligent. She could also tell that it, too, had a connection to the Shadow. It was... just like the stories of the Sleeper of old.

But Arla was a Nightsister and a Sith. She was the daughter of the Empress and had spent time among the beastmasters of Dathomir. Her will was a match for this creature.

She reached out into the void, plucking the strings beyond the Veil that tethered this creature to the rest of existence. It would play her tune, and it would submit to her.

It reeled against her intrusion, and she could sense it shoving back against her mind. She was distantly aware of it snapping in the water, trying to bite her. She nearly lost her concentration and felt the jaws snap even further, a surge of anger and fear pulsing through her.

Ty budesh' podchinyat'sya mne! she commanded, the words echoed in the Force, oozing with the power and demand for obedience. The creature recoiled for a moment, relenting its attack like a scolded puppy, but still she could feel it seethe with rage in the Force.