Open Screams in the Night

[Vanya]

Open to Jedi. Please keep to 48h per posting round.​

At the request of the government of Yabol Opa, a group of Jedi had been sent to investigate "strange occurrences" in the swamps that bordered the capital. At first, local police had reported vandalism with strange symbols that didn't appear in any database. Then it was shouts and screams of people that sounded neither human nor bestial in nature. The locals no longer felt safe venturing out at night.

After that, it was sightings of strange people wearing tribalistic outfits topped with animal head "hats", bones, and teeth. Strange and unsettling to the locals, but not outright illicit. Then it started with ritualistically mutilated corpses. The police had investigated but come up with no answers.

The final straw was when one of the local fishermen spotted a group of these strange people seemingly levitating a massive stone in the swamps one night under a full moon. He went back to the police to give his report only to be found dead the next day.

The day after that, the Jedi were deployed. Apparently Vanya had become one of the go-to people in the Jedi Order for "wow this is spooky, someone should look into it" stuff. First it had been Raze's abominations, then it was the Lich King, after that it was that mech zombie, and now it was this. Vanya reached up and rubbed her face as she started looking around the long-abandoned building that had once served as a transfer station for hovertrains.

The fog of this place obscured visibility to almost nothing, and the strange markings could be seen covering the building. Vanya, however, didn't recognize them either.

 

[Natalie Hope]

It had been a while since Natalie had gone somewhere creepy. Ever since her adventure with Ezra she hadn't been so keen to walk into abandoned temples to kick the hermits out. Not that she didn't day dream about it from time to time. It was a simple life, kicking old hermits that thought they could hear the Force out of temples that were used to living sacrifices and not actually the Force. Until of course they ended up knowing the Force, then it was a battle of the ages- usually literally. Sneeze on an old hermit and they crumble. Pitiful.

Dressed in a dark t-shirt and jeans with a black leather jacket, Natalie followed just closely enough behind the other Jedi as to not lose sight of them. Her EZPhone was stuffed in her front pocket, and her lightsaber was hidden in the small of her back by the leather jacket. She flipped the polarized aviators up into her long chestnut hair. Nope, still couldn't see a thing. Just her luck; not only did the Jedi not have good food at basically any temple, but they also never sent her anywhere nice and not creepy or under attack. Maybe now that she was actually a Knight, she'd get to choose more often. A beach resort sounded great. Plenty of people need help at beach resorts... right?

"I think I slept through the class where they went over evil looking markings," Natalie blurted, shifting her hazel gaze from symbol to symbol. There was no thinking about it; she absolutely had slept through that class. Between being hungry most of the time and the classes being so awfully boring, it was hard to Natalie not just nap right through the class and call it a day. Thankfully, she barely passed. No more classes! "Any idea what they could be?"

@Phoenix

 

[Koemi]

Where some Jedi found thrill in the element of terror and things that go 'bump in the night', Koemi had discovered that she was simply not one of them. She was keenly at home with more basic altruistic tasks. Helping refugees, volunteering in hospices and the like. Murder investigations certainly were within her scope but the ambience of this world, the circumstances surrounding the specific situation that had cause of their arrival, was one she perhaps should have considered further.

”Fuck it,” she grumbled under her breath as she approached the abandoned tram station, taking cautious and measured steps up the stairs. Koemi knew none of the companions personally, names only familiar in passing, but she was pleased to learn that at least one was well versed in mysteries such as this.

While others examined the markings that decorated the walls of the building, Koemi peered out into the thick mist. No matter how tightly she squinted, nothing materialized in the distance. Seeing it as a hopeless endeavour, she turned back to the others. ”Strange graffiti?” she responded jokingly. ”I've seen better,”

@Phoenix @TheDudeMike​

 

[Myrell’anay]

Better Jedi than civilians. Worrisome as this was, the Order wouldn’t long stay on the galaxy’s good side by ignoring people’s concerns. Especially when they were better equipped to deal with them.

Myrell’anay wore her usual long, white robes, like embodying the light. On Coruscant the old healer had shown her worth, keeping her allies shielded and valiant and fighting. She had a feeling this would be much of the same. Not letting the darkness take hold.

“They may be new,” she suggested. “So far nothing indicates this group has connections to others beyond this planet.”

 

[M'Akio Beastmaster]

Here Akio was at another spooky location. Hopefully this time he didn't have to deal with some weird robotic force monster. He acquired a vibrosword and backup vibroknife so he wasn't useless on the mission. He had yet to make a lightsaber or even get assigned a knight.

He had dressed comfortably for the mission. An EZpod in his ear bumping music as he followed the others with him. The only one in the group he recognized was on the haunted station as well.

He stopped at the strange markings with the others. "Looks like a crappy graffiti artist is our quarry." He leaned in trying to make out any identifiable points, but noticed nothing. He straightened back out pulling out his phone and taking a picture of it. He wasn't about to have to remember what they looked like.

@Phoenix @TheDudeMike @Tulos @Volene

 

[Vanya]

If she were being honest, Vanya was glad to have so many other people with her for this operation. One might be able to argue that it was a bit of overkill, but with multiple Padawans and freshly-not-Padawans among them, there was a real argument to be made that some of them were as much liabilities as helpful. Not that Vanya was judging per se, but she'd seen and heard some of the stories of the decisions that even Knights made at times.

Still, it was nice to have the extra eyes and a healer with them because... well, that was likely to be necessary at some point.

Vanya took a closer look and it seemed that no one else knew what any of these symbols were either. Natalie was the first to point out that she had no idea what it was, and based on Koemi and M'Akio's responses, Vanya guessed they didn't know either.

Yeah, crappy graffiti artists who skin people alive, she reminded them. Maybe it was the stifling nature of this place, but Vanya felt a grimness in their task here.

I agree, she said to the Twi'lek whose name Vanya had great difficulty pronouncing. I've never seen markings like this before, she said. Not that she was an expert on every language in the galaxy, but it didn't look like Sith or even any arcane runes she had seen before.

She moved along to the fallen tree leaning up against the building, carefully climbing it to get a better view of the surroundings... only to see mostly fog.

Well, poodoo, she grumbled. Anyone see any signs of tracks or... I don't know, other life? Recent camps or anything? she asked.

@TheDudeMike @Javier esschoolbus @Volene @Tulos

 

[Natalie Hope]

"They really didn't practice their art skills before sharing their work, did they?" Natalie added to the strange graffiti remarks. She turned a hazel gaze to M'Akio with a raised brow. The use of the word quarry from a fifteen year old was something she was definitely not ready for. Well, let's be honest, Natalie wasn't ready to hear the word quarry from anyone. It was just so... proper and icky and stuff. She turned back to the wall, following her fellow Knight (@Phoenix )

"Kind of inefficient to skin people alive," she said, then realizing that sounded horrible she decided to clarify. "Uh... means they're powerful enough to not care about resistance, or it's ritualistic." For all her sleepy shenanigans in classes, she was still privy to how people worked. Path of least resistance, almost always, unless tradition or ritual dictated otherwise. Or they were were masochistic. Natalie wasn't going to judge someone for liking a bit of pain, but this all seemed excessive.

Natalie was not going to follow the Knight up the fallen log, but she did stay on the ground level and look around. Fog, fog, and wait, is that somethi- nope that's fog too. "This fog makes it impossible to see anything," she said, turning to the group. "The reports said the masked dudes were levitating rocks and shit, right? Maybe they're drawn to the Force? One of us uses the Force to heat the ground and we could lift the fog around us, maybe draw them in too?"

@Phoenix @Javier esschoolbus @Tulos @Volene

 

[Koemi]

“Yea, crappy graffiti artists who skin people alive,”

Koemi never knew why exactly she had the subconscious need to imagine such things but as Vanya made the comment, her mind immediately ran to what the sensation would feel like. Within a fraction of a second, her whole body shuddered from head to toe in disgust.

”Inefficient?” Koemi mirrored of Natalie, her mouth twisting into a horrified frown. Fortunately, the clarification somewhat eased the wary side eye she struggled to restrain. "Oh good. I was worried you had some expertise in that field," she tried to joke, hoping to break her own discomfort. While deep down she knew this was all just conjecture, or at least she hoped it was, the topic was unsettling all the same and she was relieved when they moved on.

Once more Koemi began to scan through the fog and once more she could make out nothing. The fog of this world was thick and shrouded everything it touched. It almost felt... unnatural. Preparing to give up and concede to Natalie's proposition, Koemi began to turn back to the group when a faint light caught her eye. Like a hound on the scent, she snapped back around, facing the direction she witnessed it but it was gone shortly after.

”Did anyone see that?” she asked, squinting once again. ”It almost looked like the glow from a lamp. Maybe a fire,” Whatever it was, it had disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. Perhaps a luminescent insect? Whatever it was, her instinct urged her to investigate at the very least.

Spoiler

14/20 for detecting a clue

@TheDudeMike @Phoenix @Volene @Javier esschoolbus​

 

[M'Akio Beastmaster]

Akio quirked his head towards Vanya as she reminded them of the grimness of the mission. A slight sigh escaping him. Did she have to bring the mood back down? He didn't forget the reason they were here. He just hates when the mood is terrible, it's way too draining.

He answered the question about inefficiency almost instantly, "Yeah, it's much easier to skin prey dead." As an avid hunter he was used to having to skin animals. He then heard the correction and realized he may have spoke too soon. He shrugged, "I've never skinned anything alive, so it must be ritualistic."

He looked back into the fog his ears swiveling around to pick up noises. He couldn't hear or see anything himself until the other Padawan called out about seeing something. His gaze flicked over to where she was looking, "I don't see anything. Are you sure you aren't imagining it?" He hated the idea of members of their band going crazy from the fog.

@TheDudeMike @Phoenix @Volene @Tulos

 

[Myrell’anay]

The fog made it hard to see much, but Myrell didn’t let it disquiet her. She wasn’t the type to ascribe moral meaning to a natural phenomenon. Their mission was their mission, and water droplets were water droplets.

“I doubt it was a fire, if it went out so quickly,” she said. “That said, I suggest we investigate. We know they operate in the swamp. Markings or no, I find it unlikely they left anything important in the station for us to find. We have the numbers to watch everyone’s backs.”

Inwardly, she was grateful for Vanya’s recentering. The task usually fell to her. The Jedi weren’t here to quip about graffiti. For the people, it was time to act.

 

[Vanya]

Vanya turned quickly toward the direction that Koemi had motioned to, squinting into the fog but seeing nothing. She held a gaze in that direction for several more seconds, but still... saw nothing.

She did actually snicker a bit as Natalie made her comment that made her sound like a sociopath only to realize that it made her sound totally nuts.

Might not want to mention your habit for skinning people around the locals, she said.

Or yours! she added to M'Akio, who she recognized at least in passing from that horrid space station. He seemed as unlucky as she was in that regard, but they had both made it off, so maybe the Winged Spirit was with them.

I agree, she said to Myrell'anay and descended from her perch only to head off toward the mysterious light. Yes, mysterious lights were never a bad sign.

Slow and careful picking through the area at first didn't seem to reveal anything.... At first. And then, Vanya wished that it hadn't revealed anything.

Vanya actually jumped slightly as she stumbled upon - and nearly stumbled over - a... well she didn't know what to call it. An abomination of sorts. It was - or had been - a human. It was now missing a head and the better part of its internal chest organs, which now squirmed with some sort of leech-like creatures and parasitic bottom feeders. Vanya covered her face to stifle a gag, but as she looked at it, she couldn't help but notice it looked like the cuts were just that... cuts. Made wit ha knife.

Is this... where you saw the light from? she asked, fearing she already knew the answer. She didn't know what the light had come from, but she could guess it had something to do with someone coming to look at... this.

 

[Natalie Hope]

"Almost, but only because my ex-boyfriend puked in my hair at prom," Natalie said to Blondie (@Tulos ). She watched the yet-to-be-nicknamed Knight come down from her perch. Two responsible Jedi Knights, two Padawans, and a Natalie. What could go wrong? Luckily the key word for the Knights was responsible. Her idea was safely ignored, but they were probably right. There wouldn't be anything around the station anyway, even if they were to lift the fog.

Natalie wasn't one to fright easily; growing up on Ord Mantell had steeled her to a lot of horrible things. Hell, she almost had militia firing into the backs of fleeing bandits had it not been for Ezra stopping her. Now all that was to say, she was thoroughly unprepared mentally for the sight that Responsible-One (@Phoenix ) stumbled upon. Natalie pursed her lips and covered her nostrils and mouth before the smell could hit her.

Lifting her eyes from the carnage, she swept her gaze through the fog. The hairs on her neck and arms were officially standing up. Why someone would live in a foggy-ass place like this was beyond her. Either there was a non-foggy season, or this place had some rockin' spicy food that kept them here. It was the only explanation. Be that as it may, the Jedi had a job to do. Natalie shivered and crouched next to the headless body and examined it.

"They're missing a good chunk of thier spine and meaty organs," she said without looking up. A shiver ran up her spine. "Hey ShinKicker (@Javier esschoolbus ), you're a hunter." She paused for a moment. Natalie took the context clues of the boy saying the word "prey" and mention that he'd never skinned anything alive to mean he was some sort of a hunter. She just took it upon herself to assume that he hunted shins. And if she was wrong, well... it was a good thing Mr. Jawline didn't talk to anyone because she would NOT be living up to her nickname of Hopeless today. "You know of any hunting traditions that require a head, spine, heart and lungs?"

Spoiler: OOC

52/100 on details of the body.

 

[Koemi]

While Koemi had still held the disgusted expression at the concept of skinning a living being, it quickly moulded with sincere (yet still repulsed) delight as Natalie added on. 'Prom' was just another of those regular kid activities she never had the opportunity to participate in but given the other woman's experience, maybe that was for the best. ”Your knight in sticky, shiny armour,” she replied, her nose still scrunched. ”I hope you smashed his face in for that,”

”I'm not crazy,” Koemi replied to M'akio abruptly, but as she desperately searched for any indication of the light she would find there to be none. ”At least I don't think I am,” Her tone changed, a sliver of doubt shining through. ”I better fucking not be... It's bad enough having me in my own head. I don't need to start sharing it with a stranger,”

It seemed that Vanya and Myrell'anay were the voices of reason; anchors to what appeared to be a somewhat dysfunctional group of Jedi. While a group of functional Jedi had proven a rare occurrence, the Raxian was at least happy that there were responsible adults to corral their efforts and keep them on the task at hand. She would fall in behind, cautiously making their way through the fog towards the area she had been drawn towards.

It was the smell she noticed first. Repugnant and foul, her scowl deepened as her hand came to shield her nose. A futile endeavour, the smell relentlessly assaulting her senses. When she finally saw the source, the blood drained from her face. There was assisting in medical situations, where blood and screaming was the norm. This was something different entirely.

”I wish it wasn't,” she replied to Vanya, still smothering her lower face with her hand. The fact that maggots and other insects had begun feasting on the remains suggested it had been here for some time but it was no accidental death. The wounds were far to clean and meticulate.

Natalie seemed interested in what M'akio's thoughts were but Koemi stepped back, hopefully looking to Myrell'anay and Vanya. There was clearly no hope in helping this unfortunate soul but if anyone could shed some light on what had transpired here, she would put her faith in a healer and someone who came from a ritual driven background over a Padawan any day.

@Phoenix @Volene @TheDudeMike @Javier esschoolbus

 

[M'Akio Beastmaster]

Akio gave Vanya a quizzical look as she mentioned him skinning people. “I never said I skinned people. What do I look like a psychopath?” He shrugged at the other suggestion to wander into the fog towards the mysterious light. “Yes let’s just head towards the disappearing light in the fog. I’m sure nothing will go wrong.”

He picked up the smell of rotting flesh before they even reached the corpse. Luckily growing up on a farm and being the primary hunter in his family the smell was at least bearable. The sight of the mutilated corpse though he wasn’t used to, he immediately turned away from the body not exactly sure how to take it.

The other accused skinner in the group called out to him about his hunting knowledge. Did she just call me ShinKicker? He looked over to her with an annoyed look. “Well Mrs. Puke in my hair, the heart and lungs are sometimes used in medicine or food. But I’ve never seen the head or spine used for anything other than trophies.” He actually had never really seen anyone keep the spine before, but it wasn’t that important of a detail.

@Phoenix @TheDudeMike @Tulos @Volene

 

[Myrell’anay]

“Children. Please.”

Blood and gore had long since stopped fazing the aging healer, but there was the slightest crack in her stoic façade as most of the five Jedi present seemed more eager to discuss prom and puke in hair rather than progress their investigation—or deal with the grim subject matter at hand. Who even trained these younglings? They weren’t even watching each other’s backs, so busy they were coming up with clever lines.

Not that there was much for Myrell to shed light on. The body had been dead for some time, although hot and humid climates like this swamp could accelerate the decomposition process. The marks were clear. If they weren’t the cause of death, Myrell doubted she’d find one, with the missing organs and the state of the corpse.

“I have,” she spoke up. “On M’haeli, some years back. Some cultures believe removing the head and heart from their enemy’s corpses will deny them an afterlife. Condemn them to an eternity of aimless wandering. It is the ultimate insult.”

“Of course, that is not to say this is the case here. We have no grounds to connect these happenings to anything off-planet.”

Believing nothing further could be found from the remains, Myrell instead turned her senses outward for more evidence of a presence, or that elusive light. They had to be getting closer; the body was proof of it.

@Phoenix @Tulos @TheDudeMike @Javier esschoolbus

 

[Vanya]

M'Akio pointed out that things could definitely go wrong if they went after the light, but that was why they were here: to tackle the irregularities and horrors that were out here. They did it so that others didn't have to.

Vanya continued to struggle against her gag reflex mostly because of the smell than anything, and she fancied herself as having a strong stomach in most situations.

Vanya actually snorted slightly when M'Akio called Natalie Puke in my hair even though it probably wasn't appropriate, but Natalie had kind of started it.

Trophies, Vanya thought, shooting a glance over at the senior most Knight with a look that said "oh I don't like the sound of that."

The healer's analysis didn't make Vanya feel any better either.

A curse, Vanya muttered quietly, understanding now precisely what it was when boiled down to a single word. Myrell'anay was right, of course, that there was no connection to the off world, but that didn't make Vanya feel any better.

As they looked around the area, the party would notice several sets of footprints, but... they weren't exactly normal. One was the foot of a human with seemingly a bare foot while the other looked like... a hoof print?

Vanya blinked down at it for a moment to try to confirm what she was seeing was right.

This... looks like someone with one normal foot and one... hoof foot, she said. There were species in the galaxy that had feet and species that had hooves, but Vanya didn't know of any that had one hoof and one foot... yup, totally normal.

 

[Koemi]

”Maybe someone took it literally when they were told to grow a backbone,” Koemi struggled to joke with M'akio.

“Children, please,”

While Koemi was far to enveloped in trying to keep her lunch in for any outward displays beyond vomiting, Myrell's comment reminded the young Padawan of the Caregivers back on Raxus. Even if it had not been the Twi'lek's intention, the words came across as condescending. Focus, pay attention, do your homework.

Well, maybe not that last one. Still, they did come here for a purpose. She wasn't wrong in trying to keep them on the task at hand.

Koemi's eyes fell to the odd tracks that Vanya had found, back to the corpse, then back to the tracks once more.

”You don't think that...” she began, her brow furrowed with equal parts disgust and contemplation. The body was cleanly dissected, albeit crude in method, and with purpose. The pieces that were missing weren't taken on a whim. Who needed someone else's spine? The tracks and the inconsistent feet that made them, further planted the seed of a theory. ”I hope someone isn't piecing together literal people...”

Whether it be a curse or experiment, it was clear that whoever had made these tracks were likely the source of light she had witnessed. If true, they were all likely being watched...

@Javier esschoolbus @Volene @Phoenix @TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

Natalie stood up from the body, having her had her fill of the smell and sight of it. While GreenMom's (@Volene ) chastising was appropiate, Natalie had already moved on from the conversation. Stepping back, Natalie could see the footprints. ResponsibleOne's (@Phoenix ) mention of a curse did the exact opposite of comforting the brand new Knight, but that was the life of a battle nun, wasn't it? Just as she opened her mouth to say something, Blondie (@Tulos ) beat her to it.

And Natalie immediately wished she hadn't. Piecing actual people together should be impossible right? Then again so should levitating boulders over lakes. Unless there was some sort of Force magic or alchemy happening, at least. I wonder if they could-NATALIE! Focus. People dead! Right.

"Is that... possible?" Natalie asked, turning so that she could shift a questioning gaze between ResponsibleOne and GreenMom. Out of anyone there, they would know. Her senses began to reach out to try to find anything that would be using the Force. "I have a feeling I'm going to regret asking this, but assuming someone is stitching together parts of people... why?" Terror was one aspect, ritual could be another. Natalie couldn't wrap her head around having someone with a normal foot and a hooved foot. Why would someone build something mis-matched like that? The only question is really answered was why the people were being attacked.

@Phoenix @Volene @Tulos @Javier esschoolbus

 

[M'Akio Beastmaster]

He gave a huff as the Mom of the group told them to stop basically. Why did older people have to be so dull. He looked over having a curious yet shocked expression at the explanation of the ritual or practice she had heard about. Why would anyone want to deny someone the afterlife? Seems rather irrational to punish someone expressly because you disagree.

As he backed away from the corpse he heard the disturbing news from Vanya. One human foot and one hoof how did that happen? “I don’t think it should be possible. I don’t like the idea of a half goat man.” He was just as lost as puke hair. Nothing he’d ever known or seen actively shown it was possible. He just looked on at the more mature members of the group as she inquired about why this might be happening.

He began shifting his foot in the mud. He knew the only way for an explanation was to investigate it. Yet he didn’t want to see what creature had made the tracks. “I uh guess we have to follow the tracks to know. But I’m open to any other suggestions that you might have. I know you have to have another idea right?” Please let someone else have something else to do instead of this awful idea of his.

@Phoenix @TheDudeMike @Volene @Tulos

 

[Myrell’anay]

As much as Myrell hated jumping to conclusions over a single set of prints, when the stitching hypothesis was brought up, she had trouble keeping it out of her mind. She always strove to avoid tunnel vision, to consider every option and not only the obvious one, especially over evidence so flimsy. Yet she kept coming back to it. Like circling a drain. She hated how plausible it was.

The why was irrelevant. Any reason would be beyond the comprehension of any being with a normal amount of empathy. The how, that was the chilling part. Mismatched bodies only alive through Sith magic or a perversion of it.

“It is not the tracks we should follow,” Myrell called out. Her voice was clear, practiced at keeping her fear at bay, but underneath it all, it was there, growing. “Our interest is less the creature than those who made it. How long ago was that light?”

Her implication was clear. They couldn’t have gone far. Myrell’s eyes saw nothing out of the ordinary, but her reason, too, told her they were being watched. Her hand would have long been on her lightsaber if she was more of a fighter. Instead she stood ready to unleash the power of the light. Inspire, summon a barrier. She had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before it was needed.

@Phoenix @Tulos @TheDudeMike @Javier esschoolbus