The Sacellum Of Ilum: United With Zeal

[The Confessor]

[fancybox2][/fancybox2][fancybox2]

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ILUM : 2200 Hours

Anger can be a powerful ally, but in these caves one must keep their cool. Escort Miss Fox through the wasteland and into the caverns.
---Special Reward: Unknown

Mission Page ; @Faded Truth (DM)
@EmilyHuene ; @Yuan ; @Xannytoes [/fancybox2]

Finally her efforts have been paid off. Eriana Fox, a Sith woman in the Imperial Republica, had received a vision of a church she was to lead that was given to her by the Dark side of the Force. Eriana did not quite fully understand the vision's purpose when she'd seen it, but with time she interpreted the task as such: seek out a system rich in the Force and create a place to unify the children of the Dark side. Both Imperial Republica Sith, as well as their fallen brethren in the Old Empire. Now was the time to unite against their common enemies and realize that the Dark side is a gift to all; squabbling with one another would only lead to their common destruction.

Her first system under her sights was a planet known as Iktotch. This is where she was given the vision in the first place. But as Eriana returned to the system she found the same Force nexus that had come to her had vanished. Iktotch would not be the planet for her. She then tried Dathomir. A placed where the Dark side existed, but was not cultured. There she met a fellow Sith, although he had chosen to stay on the side of the fallen. Still, Eriana knew this planet was not yet right for her dreams to come to fruition.

And then she heard of Ilum. A frozen planet where Kyber crystals were literally growing from the ground. The place had far greater connection to the Force than Eriana had ever seen before; she'd also never been to Korriban or its sister world Morriban due to her growing up within the Core. But as Eriana sent scouts to investigate the reports were becoming more and more prominent. There was only one more test to go through and so Eriana brought her ideas up to the council on Coruscant.

Agreeing to support her expedition, Eriana sent task forces out to Ilum to investigate. One such duo was a capable team of Sith warriors that were sent to search out the caves and take down any enemies to their faction. The Dark side was strong with the brotherly duo and together they cut down a team of Jedi who had been seeking solitude and sanctuary within the icy walls. The Light side proved that it once again was no match for the Dark and the peaceful knights fell to the blade of the mighty Sith. Even five hundred years after the war the Dark still proved superior to the Light.

With the planet clear of any threat, Eriana Fox would travel to Ilum herself. Her tiny star fighter would dock with a borrowed malfeasance class corvette of the Imperial Republica that was coasting gently in outer space above the frozen system of Ilum. There, Eriana made plans with two other agents to escort her down to the planet so she could see the caves herself. She was waiting for them in one of the briefing rooms aboard the corvette, sitting patiently in one of the chairs. Like anyone who grew up in the Core who had a proper education, she was displaying a perfect representation of posture. Her legs were crossed over one another, her hands were folded in her lap, and her back was straight up against the chair. Her head faced the large back wall of the room where surveillance photos and holograms were being played on a repeating cycle.

Dressed as the Sith warrior she was, Eriana had come gowned in Sith maurader armor only hers was tailored to have a more domineering look to it. Her shoulders were bare from plate metal and the torso from her chest down was fitted like a corset; this also gave her a more hourglass figure rather than a bulky chest plate that was heavy to wear and awkward to look at. Under the armor she still wore a strong and durable leather that could stop a knife or any sort of rough impact, should say she fell off a speeder or some moving vehicle. This was the only different part about her armor as she still sported the arm gauntlets and shin guards for combat. Around her waist were her two curved lightsabers that would each produce red beams when ignited. They would also show a certain prestige toward her personality in the way they were designed. Both blades were perfectly cut and identical in parts, meaning she didn't just throw together two blades with whatever parts she had lying around. Her sabers were custom made to be perfectly the same and with the cut and pristine curve to them, they were probably expensive. Only the best for someone of her clout.

There was one thing different about Eriana today and that was the fact she'd brought one more piece of her armor with her. Her helmet she had placed on the table for the journey ahead. She didn't often bring the heavy protective gear with her, but she also knew they were going into very harsh temperatures. The reason she didn't like to bring it with was because it dulled her other senses. Eriana liked to feel the wind against her face and brush against her hair. These slight changes let her know when something was around her, which helped some in combat. She also could not smell anything once the helmet had been placed on and that sense -while not being helpful to some- also gave Eriana an edge when tracking and fighting her prey. Lastly, her hearing was cut short in the helmet and that was Eriana's greatest edge when fighting. That particular sense was amplified far greater than her other ones since she was born without the use of her eyes.

Eriana hated not having that sense about her because she would often feel blind within the helmet. Under normal circumstances, Eriana could actually get by without using the Force to guide her. It was an easy trick to master at even a young age. She was even more so determined to learn it because it helped her to simply get around. Because that trait had been developed for such a long period of time, she did it now as second nature. Eriana could see the world around her in a near three hundred and sixty degree sight. She saw everything around her and never had to turn her head to see what might be creeping up from behind.

As such, she knew her new partners were coming up to the door before the electronic hiss went off from the change in pressure as the doorway opened up. Her backs were to them, and she wouldn't bother to turn her head toward them. She simply kept staring ahead. Her hair fell down around her face and her bangs covered much of her forehead down to her eyes so neither of her new teammates would see the blindness in her eyes until they came around front and specifically looked toward her.

Her two new acquaintances were male and female. The man was a human, just like Eriana. She'd never met him, but she imagined he was much like her in terms of personality. The second was a woman who could not be more different. This girl was a Pantoran, a blue skinned female from the system known as Pantora. The yellow eyed Sith chose to display certain Electro-Luminescent Tattoos, or EL-Tats for short. While the woman might have believed them to be beautiful and a part of her, the radiant display would be lost on the blind woman from Coruscant. Which was a true shame really because Eriana loved to look at things that had a certain beauty to them: a sun set, a full moon on a starry night, a pool of water reflecting her face back at her. Now she couldn't see these things normally, she had to do a tricky Force power that enabled her to mesh with another person's mind so she could see what they saw. But unless her El-Tats were even brought up this sharing experience would probably not come up.

"Welcome to The Rememberance, Acolyte Shikari Gale and Acolyte Aerak Medus. I wish to congratulate you both on your endeavors here so far on Ilum. Your hard work and devotion will bring the Imperial Republica to new heights."

​

 

[Shikari]

Shikari had arrived a little after her host Eriana, her Crux-class star fighter coming out of hyperspace in orbit around Ilum and locking on to the beacon from the Republica corvette. "Acolyte Shikari Gale, on final approach." She called into her comms. "We see you on scan Acolyte Gale. Proceed on the approach vector indicated. You'll be in bay two. Welcome to Ilum." Shikari typed the coordinates on her screen into her nav computer and kicked back as the autopilot brought her in to the corvette which was slowly growing larger in her viewport. Now this was classy. She was impressed that Eriana had managed to requisition the use of such a vessel from the Republica courts. It was difficult for Republicans of their level to get vessels such as this, even sith agents were not given much lee-way or special consideration. Eriana must carry a bit more clout than Shikari had initially realized. Or perhaps it was a sign that this campaign she had conceived was gaining more traction within the upper courts. One way or another, it was quite nice to have a capital ship waiting for you with an open dock when you arrived for the mission. Most of the time she just had to land her fighter on the planet and haul off on the job straight away. She wondered if there would be time for her to shower and get cleaned up before they departed? Flying across the galaxy in a fighter had plenty of drawbacks and it was truly beginning to get on Shikari's nerves. She knew it was a pipe-dream to get her hands on a corvette like this for her own use right now, but maybe she should look into acquiring a shuttle? Shuttles usually had at least basic facilities.

As her fighter pulled into the corvette's dock and landed, Shikari glanced over and saw a beautiful custom-made fighter sitting in the other hangar. Was that Eriana's, she wondered. It was gorgeous. This woman must really have some connections to have all of this high-end tech available to her. Shikari was going to have to try and mind her manners around this woman. If she could get on her good side, then maybe she could benefit from the relationship. It was a little troubling, though. In her communiques with Eriana about the mission, the woman had come off sounding a little preachy. Shikari believed in the dark side of the force and the power it brought. But bowing down and worshipping it? Seemed like a bit much. In Shikari's eyes, the dark side, and indeed the force in general, was a force of nature. To respect it's power and it's influence was smart. Even to be mindful of the living spirits of the deceased that lived within it made sense. But to treat the whole thing like a living entity with a conscience seemed a bit much. By that line of thought, if the dark side and the light were both of the same entity, how would that entity respond to having too much of one or the other? Would it not try to right itself in some way? These thoughts ran through Shikari's mind on more than one occasion.

As she hoped down from her fighter, Shikari gave Eriana's fighter one last look of envy and then made her way through the doorway and further into the ship. Shikari hadn't expected much of a fight from her missions as a part of the Ilum campaign. Hadn't the planet been abandoned ever since it was virtually destroyed hundreds of years ago, before the Empress Andraste had even formed the first Empire? But she had heard a report from her contact Wes Thul Drast that he had actually found Jedi hiding out on the force-rich planet and he had killed one of them and taken their saber-staff as evidence. That being the case, Shikari had come a little better prepared for this venture. She wore her Ranger Scout Armor for this mission, minus the helmet. Her grieves were strapped tightly to her legs and her arm-guards to her forearms. Her chest plate was in place over her simple tank top. Over top she wore a long dark trench coat with fur lining which hugged her figure in a complimentary fashion. Pantorans had a significantly higher resistance to cold than humans did, so the ice and snow of Ilum didn't bother her all that much, but it was still a little chilly. Strapped to her thigh was her ZA-13 Blaster Pistol, across her back was her Gladius Blaster Rifle, on her waist were two canisters of CZ Riot Gas and two concussion grenades. And last but not least, hanging from the back of her waist were her twin Lightsabers, their curved hilts resting comfortably against the small of her back. She had come heavily armed, but if there were jedi about here on Ilum, she wasn't going to be caught off guard.

Shikari reached the door to the briefing room where she was to meet Eriana and their other companion and stretched her arms over her head before walking through. She hoped that they would have a couple hours before departure for some R&R. She could use it after that long flight. But that wasn't the vibe she was getting from all of this, so she went ahead and walked in, the door hissing open behind her. As her yellow eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room, she saw the figure of Eriana standing across the room, facing away from her. She had heard that Eriana was blind and used the force to visualize the world around her, so she wasn't surprised that she wasn't turning around to greet her, but it still felt kind of weird introducing yourself to a person's back. Nevertheless, Shikari opened her mouth to do just that, when she became aware of another presence through the force coming from behind her. It must be the third member of their party arriving. Shikari glanced back over her shoulder as the door hissed open again, and before she could say anything, Eriana greeted the both of them aloud, still without turning to face them. It made the whole process seem more dramatic than it really needed to be in Shikari's opinion, but to each their own. Shikari slid her hands into the pockets of her coat and shrugged as her EL-Tattoos glowed somewhat brightly in this dim room. "It's a pleasure to finally put a face with the name, Miss Fox. I can't say for sure that I agree with the decision to focus so much of the state's resources on such a campaign... But with the resurgence of the Jedi, I suppose I can understand the necessity for the Republica to turn their attention once again to these force nexus locations. If all of this will aid the Republica in the destruction of it's enemies and it's continued conquest across the galaxy, then I am certainly happy to be here supporting the venture."

@EmilyHuene @Xannytoes

 

[Aerak Medus]

Meanwhile, Aerak Medus had just finished with his own efforts on Ilum. Three Jedi dead. A blow to the order. He'd just dropped off the two lightsabers he'd acquired, in promise of a "reward".

He'd also finished speaking with Wes Thul Drast, his companion on his last mission. The man was currently occupied with other matters but mentioned about the coordinates leading to an interesting target. A future mission for them, it would seem. If it meant slaying more Jedi, Aerak was happy to do it. It'd be a welcome boost to his reputation. Already, senators were reluctant to send him on "clean-up missions", mostly involving acquiring intimate photographs. Then again, it might have been because Aerak leaked the last few he'd acquired to the HoloNet.

His Crux-class pulled up alongside the corvette hanging above the planet. A mixed sight. Extra firepower was never to be criticised, but the last report Aerak had received from Hutt Space was that the Mandalorians were inflicting massive devastation at every turn. If they lost it, it would be the most crippling blow the Republica had received in centuries. Perhaps even pushing those hu'tuun to launch a grand crusade against the Empire.

"This is Acolyte Aerak Medus, requesting permission to dock."

"Roger that Acolyte Medus. Proceed to bay one."

***

A short while later, and Aerak had entered the briefing room, his cloak wrapped tightly around him. To his right was Shikari Gale, the alien a known sight to Aerak. In front of them was a robed figure Aerak had never seen nor met. Of course, that wasn't saying much. The figure had their back turned, before welcoming and complimenting them without so much as glancing at Aerak and Shikari. Was this supposed to impress him? Shikari was quick to put a name to a hood though. Miss Fox. Oh, that Miss Fox.

"Don't mention it," Aerak shrugged, "it was a welcome challenge. Ilum is now free of Jedi."

He said nothing more, seeing no reason to delay their mission any further.

 

[The Confessor]

Between the two new associates of Eriana Fox, the girl would speak first. Eriana realized that neither of them were going to come further into the room, but that was their choice. She also didn't like speaking to people from behind her. She had figured they would come in and take a seat at the table. But perhaps they were ready to leave and get this mission over with. Eagerness. Eriana respected that. Standing up from her chair she would push it aside and turn around to face them. Her calm demeanor reflected in her eyes stared at Aerak's shoulder. No disrespect to Shikari, he just happened to be standing in front of her.

"You are wrong about one thing," she would say gently so as not to offend the girl. "The resources were of my own funding. Our glorious council merely supported the cause in name only. What you see around us has put me back quite a great deal. Which is why I am eager to see it through."

She would then smile and cup her hands in front of her lap as she stood there before the both of them, "The council was more than happy to agree to me proposal once they heard that Jedi were lingering on Ilum. And we have Acolyte Medus here to thank for that. Their extermination that is. I will see to it you get properly compensated for returning their sabers to me."

Eriana would then gesture to the door and allow them both to leave; if neither did she would walk past them and take the lead. She made sure to grab her helmet off the table as she did. After exiting the doorway, she would explain one slight issue she was having with the mission, "Now, speaking of resources, I did not come in any ship that could fit the three of us. Would one of you care to led yours for the cause? Or should I borrow the use of this corvette's? I'm sure the officers here would be more than willing to donate to someone of our stature."

Once the three of them worked out how they were getting to the planet they would make the short journey down to the icy caverns. The ship could get nearly right up to the wall now that they didn't have to worry about any unwelcome guests bothering them. And thanks to her agents' previous missions they already had the coordinates to the perfect caverns entrance. On the way, Eriana stayed eerily quiet. The others might have thought she would want to talk about the mission, but she stayed absolutely silent. In fact, she seemed almost nervous. Her hands were clasped tightly in her lap and her head was hung low to the point her hair covered her face. The others would almost certainly feel a rather upsetting amount of fear coming off of the girl, a display that she hadn't shown to either of them as having been capable of doing so.

Sure, fear led to the Dark side and was an amble reserve of emotions meant to trigger a Fight instinct when one's life was on the line. But why was she feeling so afraid now? The answer was simple: Eriana hated flying. The reason for it was her blindness. It was similar to that when she wore her helmet in that she couldn't sense things as well around her. In any normal situation, she could only sense the immediate area around her. This was slightly boosted when she was on land, but it still held true when on a space craft. But when the shuttles she were on happened to be smaller in size she couldn't see anything beyond the durasteel walls. And that frightened her. At any moment an asteroid could come crashing into them or the pilot could accidentally drift off course sending them hurling into some mountainside.

Eriana was able to keep it together around any normal person; she would simply look like she was resting or silently praying to herself. In truth she was praying, praying to the Force that she would survive another journey under It's care. But the other two Force users around her would be able to tell she was not alright and would be glad the moment the shuttle touched down. It was even more apparent as they went through the atmosphere and for a minute had some rough turbulence. Her hands nearly turned white from gripping them so tightly.

When they finally landed, Eriana was the first one off the ship and out into the cold. She'd placed her helmet on now so the gruesome cold did not get to her. Now that her feet were touching solid land that anxiety she felt had gone away and her purposeful demeanor returned to her. She walked quickly into the caves so they were out of the cold. She would wait until the others had joined her before taking off the dreadful thing one more.

"So this is Ilum. I can already sense the Force flowing through the walls like veins. Countless of our kind have come to this frozen land. I somehow feel like I can connect with each and every one of them. Do either of you feel that? The Force is such a wonderful thing." Her voice would take on that religious tone that both of the others didn't seem to care for. "I am forever humble to be here. I only hope I am worthy."

Spoiler: OOC

@Faded Truth will respond after both @Yuan and @Xannytoes reply

 

[Shikari]

Shikari glanced around as Eriana told her about how she had funded the use of this corvette and the rest of the Ilum campaign herself. Alright, that certainly was a little impressive given how much it must have cost just to get this ship and it's crew out here on a slightly whimsical mission such as this. But, it did make sense that, if they had found jedi hiding out here (which apparently they had from what she had heard from Wes), the council and all of the sith involved would have jumped at the chance to intervene here. Still, wiping out a few jedi outliers hiding on an abandoned planet didn't seem to be the big-picture response that Shikari had been looking for when the jedi had revealed themselves and attacked Corellia. It was a wonderful feat, to be sure, and she didn't wish to besmirch Wes or Aerak (who had also apparently been involved) for their kills. But it still kind of felt like the jedi had run in and struck at the heart of the Republica and escaped largely unscathed, while they had simply found some wayward jedi out in the sticks and killed them for their own satisfaction. But, she supposed a win was a win.

She followed Eriana out of the meeting room as they made their way to the hangars. "Unfortunately, I only brought my Crux with me. I've been looking to requisition a shuttle for myself, but I haven't been back to the core for a little while now. If the corvette came with a shuttle, I would suggest we take that. Much more comfortable." As they continued down the hallway, Shikari began to wonder how the blind Eriana even managed to fly her own ship. It wouldn't be impossible with modern technology, but it would still be extremely difficult. She must have an astromech that does most of the flying for her or it would be insane to even try. Even then, it wouldn't be very fancy flying.

It seemed that they were in luck. The corvette did in fact come with a shuttle, and the three sith were able to board along with the pilots and catch a ride down to the planet surface. As they prepared for takeoff, Shikari walked up to the cockpit where she could see the planet as they approached. In all honesty, she would have preferred to pilot the shuttle herself. She was almost itching to. But she held herself back. To step in and demand the pilot's seat for herself could be rude to Eriana who had apparently really shelled out for this mission. As they flew down towards the planet, Shikari glanced back at the blind woman. She was startled. Eriana was clenching her hands tightly and seemed to be trying hard to stop herself from shaking. She was radiating a feeling of fear and doubt that was palpable through the force. How interesting, Shikari thought to herself. She must be afraid of flying. It made sense for a blind person to be so. To have one's position be largely out of one's own control could be a daunting feeling for anyone, but to not even be able to see what was happening to one's self would double that issue. Shikari decided to be polite and pretend like she hadn't noticed. She was, after all, wanting to get on Eriana's good side if she was able to pull this kind of influence. Instead, she turned to Aerak. "I met Wes Thul Drast on a mission recently. He told me a bit about your victory against the jedi that were found here. Congratulations on the kills. I'm envious."

As the shuttle made it's final approach and landed, Shikari felt a rush of relief flow out of Eriana and she was the first to rise and exit the shuttle in something of a hurry. Outside, in the cold, Eriana donned her helmet and quickly made her way to the cave they had landed near. Shikari walked down the ramp behind her at a more leisurely pace. She wore no helmet. Pantorans had a higher resistance to cold than humans did. It was slightly annoying when the wind whipped her pink hair around her face. Her yellow eyes followed Eriana's form as it raced through the snow. "She's certainly in a hurry. I didn't expect her to get so excited. She seemed so prim and proper back on the Remembrance." Shikari commented to Aerak as she stepped off the ramp and began trudging through the snow.

Shikari caught up with Eriana in the cave as she was removing her helmet. Listening to what she had to say, Shikari raised a pink eyebrow slightly. Sure, she could feel the force all around them. This planet was definitely a force-rich place. And sure, there was a slight feeling as though there were many old footsteps crossing over this place. But feeling them all within her?... No, that wasn't a sensation Shikari was looking to experience. Eriana was getting a little too religious for Shikari's taste, so she just stood back and let the woman have her moment. She was happy for her. Super happy. But then, as Eriana finished talking, something she said caught Shikari's attention. "I'm sure your devotion won't be found lacking, Miss Eriana. I can think of no one who is more deserving of this than you." Deserving of what, Shikari wasn't sure. "But, if I may ask as one of your guardians on this mission... What exactly is going to happen here? I'm more than happy to escort you wherever you need to go... But what is it you need us to protect you from? What are you hoping you're worthy of?"

@EmilyHuene @Xannytoes @Faded Truth

 

[The Storyteller]

.

Ilum

A world that had mostly been forgotten since the age of Andraste; Jedi and Sith battled for centuries though many events had transpired in the chronicles of time that molded the galaxy and the factions at war to what they are now. One of which was the rumors surrounding a dark Force Nexus hidden deep within the Icy world's cavern system. These rumors also spoke of the tremendous danger that one would find themselves in within these hollow grounds. Dark and tattered energies surrounded them, tainting of the stench of death and vile horrors that would likely surface soon. The force signatures were undeniable however and grew stronger with each step the trio took further into the epicenter of the Nexus.

Wails of tortured souls would echo through the cavern and as they made their way closer, they would find hundreds of humanoid corpses embedded within the stone and dirt of the wall architecture. Seemingly, most of these tormented bodies appeared to have been mutilated and horrendously disfigured pre-mortem. Whatever death had come for them certainly wasn't pleasant.

And so they continued, for now, things appeared peaceful but be weary...calm before the storm.

@EmilyHuene @Yuan @Xannytoes

Spoiler: OOC

It's been several days so I skipped Xannytoes, he can catch up in this posting round. Otherwise, this thread will take forever to get done. Be warned, once combat or conflict begin, it will turn on a 48 hour posting window.

 

[The Confessor]

It surprised Eriana that Shikari would say something so kind to her. "No one who is more deserving than you." Eriana couldn't help but to smile as their faintest blush appeared on her cheeks. She would then prod a little further and ask why exactly she'd been needing an escort at all on this mission. A reasonable question. Why would a Sith ask for help? It was unheard of. Eriana wouldn't admit the truth, that she was afraid of running into any Jedi here. Her skirmish on Nar Shaddaa had left her in a rather doubtful mood about her abilities. She was more than confident when fighting soldiers or the like, but a fellow Force user was not something she ever hoped to cross blades with again.

"The answer is simple," she would say with the first lie that came into her mind. "I have no idea what I will find on Ilum." Well that much was true. "I wish to have friends whom I can count on to overcome these obstacles and record the events that have come to place. Plus, I wish to share in the experience. Only the heavens know what we will come to see down in these caverns and I cannot wait to see what the Force will show us. It is a miracle waiting to happen and I for one do not wish to see this miracle alone."

Her voice would then take on a sly tone, "You know how people get when they claim to have seen a miracle, after all." she was referring to the countless stories of religion and the like where unthinkable things happened but no one else was around the validate the occurrence. If something were to happen here, Eriana wanted a witness. Someone like minded in the Force that could vouch for her when bringing her findings to the council back on Coruscant.

"Come. Let us go and find a miracle."

Strutting into the caves Eriana would trudge on. Leaving her helmet behind, she kept her hands folded behind her back, but under her coat. Her sabers were right there on her hips should something jump out at them, but between two (three) Force users it shouldn't be a problem. Eriana took a deep breath and smelled the cold air coming off the crystals. It was so pure. It was like filtered water, only even more fresh than that. The air here even seemed to give off life. Maybe that's what brought form and shape to the unholy beings several stories below them.

After several minutes of walking, nearing their first hour, Eriana began to pick up something that was not so pleasant. A stale and putrid odor would come slowly to her nose. At first it was mixed in with the heavenly smell of the frozen water, so she couldn't quite place where it was coming from. And then it hit her. Eriana reflexively closed her nose and made a rather unpleasant face; she'd sense this before the others due to her other four senses being heightened. That was one benefit when it came to being blind. And usually her sense of smell was a good thing. But not today.

"Something is....something is wrong," she'd say to them. She had no other way of knowing what was to come.

Reaching out further with the Force Eriana tried to paint herself a mental picture of what it was she was seeing. The Force was all around her. It felt angry. It felt pained. The torment of the souls before their deaths had caused a pall on the air and Eriana felt like she was walking into a place that had just seen war and combat. That was the feeling she got. True despair. It made her uneasy. What could cause something like this...? Nothing human could make so many things die so quickly. The answer was obvious, but in her state of mind it was lost to her.

Her voice was now fully of worry, "Shikai, please tell me what you see."

With so much around them, moving about in ghostly forms, Eriana couldn't get a steady picture in her head of their path. It was like looking at traffic, two sides rushing past one another and impossible to see straight ahead. The walls felt like they were screaming at her, and Eriana couldn't let go of the sound of their screams. She ended up losing her balance and falling slightly into the wall to her left, her hand resting upon some poor man's skull. The bone cracked under her sudden weight and Eriana shrieked in surprise. She caught herself and stumbled back, afraid of what she'd just broken.

"What was that!" she screamed at Shikai. A moment of fear, brought on by the sound and sensation of the bone. But it startled her enough to shake her.

Eriana shook her head and again tried to make sense of what she was seeing. It didn't make sense. Burning. Everything seemed like it was on fire. But how was that possible? With all this ice around them it didn't make sense that such a place could ever catch fire. But that's the image the Force was trying to tell her. The screams echoing in her mind made sense if they were being burned alive. In her loss of focus, she began to make tremors within the walls causing the ice to crack and the floor to shake.

 

[Shikari]

Eriana certainly was one for the dramatic. She had come to this forsaken planet despite it's history of death and destruction looking for something. She didn't even know what it was she was looking for, but she had come anyway. Perhaps she had been called here. Perhaps she was just searching for a conduit deeper into the force so that she could feel it call to her. For her the force seemed to be a living thing with a will of it's own. For Shikari, the force WAS life, plain and simple. She felt it had no willpower, no sentience. The fight for life. The power of death. The resurgence of new life. This cycle took place all across the galaxy and the force powered it all. It did not take sides. It did not push one way or the other. It simply WAS. That was how Shikari viewed it at least. Some opinions differed apparently.

As they made their way further into the cave, things became darker and harder to see. Shikari thought about lighting a magnesium torch, or even her lightsaber perhaps for some light, but she didn't want the noise to disturb Eriana, as she seemed to be deeply concentrated. Plus, Eriana didn't use the light to see anyway, so she might find it annoying. Shikari instead reached out with the force lightly to feel the way ahead. She could tell Eriana was doing the same, though with a much greater power and focus than Shikari was using. It was then that Shikari felt it. Death. The dark side was emanating from this place as it fed on, or perhaps was generated by, the massive amount of death and destruction that took place here. But it was stronger here than she had felt it anywhere else on the planet.

Shikari pulled out her lightsaber and ignited it. The red light it generated lit up the walls, and there Shikari could see countless skeletal remains encased in the ice and the rock around them. The echos of their tormented souls reverberated through the dark side of the force. Anger, hate, confusion, pain, these souls were not filled with these feelings, they were made of them. It was all that was left. Shikari quickly disconnected herself from them. She put up a mental block against their influence, filtering the force through. But Eriana was apparently not so quick to do so.

Shikari walked over to Eriana as she screamed and her connection with the force began to go wild, shaking the cave around them. She placed her hand on Eriana's head and sent a strong pulse of mental energy through her body. It shouldn't harm the woman, though she might find herself with a headache a little later. The point was to create a ripple through her strong enough to drown out the emotions of the dead surrounding them. To almost forcefully clear Eriana's mind. "Do not lose your control so easily Mrs. Fox. We are surrounded by the results of the cataclysm that took place here so long ago. The remains of sith and jedi alike fill this place, and their souls are still trapped within the force here. They are but shadows of their former selves though. Echos from the past. All they should be able to do is cry and scream at us. We are living, breathing beings channeling the force through ourselves. We can brush them aside and tune them out if we choose. Do not let them overwhelm you." Shikari stepped back and turned to the wall again, raising her saber to see better. "For so many jedi and sith to have died here so suddenly... Truly unbelievable. Perhaps we are nearing the epicenter of the cataclysm that ended the ancient war so long ago?"

@EmilyHuene @Xannytoes

 

[The Confessor]

Feeling the intruding anchor in her mental state, Eriana at first wanted to push back. It was like any other screaming voice trying to get her to lose her control. The person fought back, and that's when the blind Sith realized Shikari was standing beside her, a hand on her shoulder. Eriana latched onto this feeling as tightly as she could; her arm would reach up as well and physically grab onto her wrist for support. A sense of clarity came to her and the loudness of all the cries began to quiet some. They were still there, it just felt like someone was muting them.

She heard her new friend speaking to her and Eriana let herself get washed away with the words. They calmed her down, eased her spirit. They were surrounded by hundreds and thousands of lost souls who'd perished in the cataclysm some centuries ago. Eriana remembered reading about that somewhere in the records of Ilum. She'd just forgotten it until now. It all made sense. The ancestors of the Sith, the Exiles as they'd been called. And the Jedi. Both factions had died here letting even the purest of lights come and be tainted, falling into horror and death.

Shikari continued, saying how their screams were all that were left of their miserable lives trying to be heard in death. Something started to stir in Eriana's chest as she began to then chuckle lightly to herself. The thought grew louder and louder until her slight chuckle turned into a loud and terrifying laugh that would put anyone off if they'd listened to it. The creepy laugh of hers echoed down the halls as she leaned backwards spreading out her arms as if she were holding them open to the gods themselves.

"SPLENDID!" she'd scream at the top of her lungs. "TRULY SPLENDID!"

Eriana straightened herself and spun twice with her arms still wide open, "Yes! There can be no other place! The Dark side existed here for a reason. Everything is falling into place. All the tasks at hand are now cleared. Here I shall make my church!"

Continuing to laugh for another solid ten seconds she'd finally stop spinning and turn to face Shikari. The doubt and momentary fear she felt no longer existed. She was no longer afraid of any spirits. This was the perfect place for the church. She would overcome whatever was here and then return to build a new home. This was her mission given to her by the Dark side.

Spoiler: OOC

@Faded Truth shall go next please

 

[Shikari]

Shikari raised here eyebrows as Eriana quickly transformed from frightened little girl into psychotic overlord. That was a rather dramatic shift. But, then, some sith were like that. The sith were motivated by their emotions. Some were collected and calculating like Shikari, but many were highly dramatic and prone to fits of exuberance like Eriana apparently was. Still it surprised Shikari a bit to see the calm and cool Eriana break out in maniacal laughter.

Shikari disengaged her saber and hung it back from her belt. Crossing her arms she looked at Eriana. "A temple of the dark side is all well and good, I suppose. But, i hope that you and your followers will not forget our military situation. Without proper defenses our enemies will burn your temple to the ground just as we once did to the old Jedi temples."

Shikari glanced around at the dark cavern. "Is that what we came here for? To find a location to establish your temple? Or was there something else here you expected to find?"

@EmilyHuene

 

[The Storyteller]

.

The force energies were powerful in this dark cavern, almost as if the two young women had stumbled upon a conduit. However, surprisingly, all the decorated corpses and bone skeletons likely indicated that something had already feasted upon visitors before and actively drew into the conduit, thus nourishing itself. The feeling was eerie as the stench of death continued to radiated through narrow corridors and a soft rumble rippled at the cavern floors.

Eriana's laughter was most amusing, as if the young Sith grew possessed by the tantalizing darkness engulfing her. It was an almost addictive property but one that led to significant dangers throughout. As the duo continued to speak, they would hear faint whispers in the distance. Oddly enough, the voices were children and conversation was intermixed with giggling. Footsteps suddenly charged forwards at them but nothing came to greet them from the void. It all fell silent for several minutes...


Then came the red hiss of a single lightsaber in the near distance. Cackling red electricity dripped across the length of the blade as the cloaked figure advanced upon them. A freezing chill swept through the entire chamber, plunging the cavern into a rigid nightmare; the unknown entity drew from a powerful force signature, one as strong as Eriana but considerably more sinister. His face was putrid and disgusting, decades of corruption had worn down what appeared to be a previously healthy pureblood Sith. Red skin diseased into a faint yellow, while venomous drool seeped from his nostrils. He snarled viciously at the two while making his way towards them.

Reaching up to a distance of approximately 10 meters from the two women, the cloaked figure lifted its free left hand and released a violent surge of red lightning towards the meaty torso of Shikari @Yuan . The right handed blade remained ready to defend in case the more powerful sith crusader dared intervened.

@EmilyHuene

Spoiler: OOC

This is a level 2 Sith NPC, he has a single lightsaber for armament and is wearing customized Sith Marauder Robes with cortosis laced forearm length gloves and armor over the chest/back. He has no helmet, allowing one to easily see his deformed physical features

 

[The Confessor]

Behind her, the doubtful Sith would advise Eriana on their military predicament. The same one that she'd brought up to the council back on Coruscant. If there was yet another planet to take charge of, what fleet would be the one stationed here? Their enemies would slip right through whatever pitiful force Eriana could muster on her own and bring the fight right to her home. Eriana scoffed, not wanting to hear it.

"It matters not. Once the Sacellum is established I will bring both Sith from both sides of the war into its temple. You even had this same idea. We must unite under one banner, lest our enemies will destroy us for good. My church is the first step towards that goal. Everything else will fall into line behind that."

Shikari would then ask her if that was all they had come for. In truth, it was. Would that bother the girl if she said it? Who cared the manner of the mission, so long as she followed it. Eriana wanted to see the truth of this planet for herself. And after hearing the dangers her other crews had had, it only made sense for her to want to come armed with friends. In fact, it would be stupid not to. And before Eriana could explain as such, those very dangers came to make themselves known....

Whispers. Childish laughter. Echoing footsteps. Eriana's lips fell silent as she reached for her blades and held her finger against the ignition switches, not yet bringing to life the red beams. Her senses reached out, trying to gain a clear picture of what was around her. So far...nothing. But Eriana wasn't fooled. She moved around Shikari and went to move further into this cavern; she was no longer bothered by the screams of the dark or the horrors that tried to get into her mind. They were no more a bother to her than a slight breeze on a summer day.

The lightsaber however, that would be a threat. Eriana paused when she heard the beam come to life. Someone else was down here. She hadn't sensed them until now. Was this being hiding his presence? He'd done an excellent job doing so up til now. The room seemed to get colder. Eriana let the Force build within her, keeping her body from freezing in the sudden drop of temperatures. The owner of this dark and sinister power then came into view (though to Eriana he was only a burning flame of dark energy). The gross disfigured being hissed at them as it began moving closer.

Eriana knew there would be no words to say to this person. She could sense he was twisted in the Force and lost to any social means. The Darkness had taken over him. He was no longer human. Diplomacy would hold no gain here. The man raised one hand and summoned a blast of red lightning past Eriana. She was unable to block the initial stream, but she could save Shikari from the rest of it. Her blades snapped into existence as her thumbs pushed down on the activation buttons. Eriana cut into the beams and held them in the path so the rest of the lightning would not be a burden to Shikari.

Why had she protected this girl? It wasn't a very Sith thing to do. Was it friendship? Something else? Duty? Honor? Shikari wouldn't know. And Eriana wouldn't bother to explain. All that mattered now was bringing down this demon. Eriana would continue to block the lightning as it came at them, temporarily stuck in her place as long as the Sith was attacking. But she'd use less energy than him summoning that storm. This was Shikari's turn to advance.

 

[Shikari]

As the dark figure strode out of the darkness, Shikari reached down slowly and retrieved her lightsabers from her belt once more. Both of them this time. "Lady Eriana, I would love to continue conversating on our numerous topics, but I believe that this may require our full attention." Without warning (other than the lightsaber ignition) the ancient sith suddenly raised his hand and fired off some powerful force lightening straight at Shikari.

"Shit!" She barely had time to ignite her sabers as she crossed them in front of herself. The lightening hit her growling red blades and knocked her back, her feet skidding on the dirt below. But then, just as suddenly as it had started, the attack stopped. Shikari had been so focused on holding her sabers back against the onslaught, that she hadn't seen what had happened. She looked up and saw Eriana blocking the sith's attack with her own sabers. Why had she done that for Shikari? It was highly unexpected for a sith to aid anyone, even if they we're allies, but nevertheless, there it was. Sith we're all motivated by different influences. Love and caring were motives as well, Shikari supposed. Any emotion or ideal that could drive a being to sell their souls for power.

Speaking of selling one's soul, they still had an ancient sith to deal with. Shikari flipped her right-handed saber around to point at the ground and brought the two ends of her curved sabers together, the hilts forming an S-shape.

​

The bases of the hilts clicked as the link was made and Shikari spun her wickedly curved saber staff in a glowing red circle. Shikari glared at the pure-blood for a moment and then spun herself around and hurled her saber staff at the beast in a force-infused throw. The twin blades spun like a buzz saw, slicing through everything they touched. The throw swung wide of Eriana and cut straight towards the ancient one.

@EmilyHuene

 

[The Storyteller]

.

Vorek, the ancient one; He was an aged Sith Lord who had forsaken the rule of Imperial Republic and Old Empire alike. Instead, he craved power and knowledge; thus, had relegated himself to isolationism as well as living a life of simple desires as a nomadic hermit. However, despite such simplicity, his power in the force was not to be challenged and he was here to inflict punishment on the two young warriors who dared disturb his solitude.

Vorek simply extinguished his own electricity as he saw Eriana being able to block a large portion of it; shifting his attention towards the other Sith momentarily, a dark chuckle came to his face as she threw her saberstaff. He had his single lightsaber already prepared in a defensive position and simply just twirled it in an clockwise arc, blocking the incoming weapon and diverting it's trajectory towards the ground. Open palm reached outwards and used the force to draw the fallen weapon to his own grasp; the saberstaff had been thrown with force push and thus wouldn't be able to recoil so quickly. Additionally as his force power towered over Shikari, he would likely be able to resist and overpower any attempts the acolyte could muster to reclaim her weapon.

Now with both weapons armed and Shikari for the time being weaponless, he coldly shifted his attention once more to the stronger Crusader. A snarl coming to yellow-stained dentures, as he shot towards her with the force at his back. Drawing the metaphysical energies around him, he planted firmly and slashed at Eriana with a horizontal attack from his right handed primary saber aimed to cut her from her left to her right. The saberstaff of Shikari remained in his left grasp, held closely to his body to guard and protect his left flank.

@EmilyHuene @Yuan

 

[The Confessor]

Eriana felt the rush of wind and the sound of the whirling blades as they arched around her and toward the unsuspecting Sith. At least, it seemed that way. The man carefully struck at the spinning disk and the saberstaff deflected in its trajectory. What happened then surprised Eriana greatly. The Sith pulled the blade back to him and was now in possession of Shikari's two blades. That....was not good. For the briefest of moments Eriana thought about tossing one of her own blades to her, but knew that would not be wise. Not when her own opponent was now using dual blades himself. If Shikari was to stay in this fight, she'd have to use the Force. That was her true ally anyways. As it was for all Sith.

He would then launch himself at her and Eriana snapped to action. She would shift her weight and spin into him counterclockwise. Her right arm would come and block the blade coming at her from his right. Her back was now toward the blade and to him and with her left arm would elbow him in the chest and/or go to slash at his torso if he moved backwards. His most likely method of dodging would be to jump back and avoid the strike altogether. But he could use his left hand to block the blade too. Then they'd be at a contest of strength between both of their arms. If this were to happen, Eriana would then lower her center of gravity by extending her legs and trying to reach one leg behind one of his to trip him up. As he was the one moving toward her (assuming he didn't step back) she would have the stronger defensive stance and would be able to get the upper hand.

@Yuan ​

 

[Shikari]

*Tsk!* Shikari sneered as the ancient sith hermit blocked and caught her saber staff. This kriffing piece of fodder was placing his disgusting hand that reeked of decay all over one of her most prized possessions. It was annoying enough that he had been able to swat away her attack so easily, but the fact that he was now defiling her treasure with his pestilence was more than she could stand. She didn't care that both she and the twisted being before them were of the dark side. He was a disgusting failure of a master who had been overpowered by the very same power that he had sought to control. She wasn't intimidated at all by the thought that he might be stronger in the dark side than she. The force was a neutral power in the universe and it didn't care who wielded it. In Shikari's eyes the power was a weapon, and a weapon was strongest in the hands of the one who was wisest in how they used it.

Shikari raised her hands and channeled the force through herself. She did not direct it at the hermit, however, but rather at her saber staff. Using only a tiny movement, the locking mechanism in the two hilts of her twin sabers that made them one clicked open and the saber staff would come apart into it's two pieces in the old hermit's hand. Shikari twisted her hands in the air and her twin sabers spun inwards to slice in midair at the arm and body of the ancient hermit who had dared to place his hands on them so brazenly.

@EmilyHuene @Faded Truth

 

[The Storyteller]

.

He had to give it to these young women, they showed courage in the face of inevitable doom. An admirable quality though woefully mistaken. He smirked as he engaged in a melee match with the Crusader; his right blade blocked by her but as the woman spun into his body, he would retaliate with an almost immediate counter. Eriana had momentum in her favor but she lost line of sight and thus nullified any force powers she could use on him as well as potentially defend against. Vorek did not step back but rather forward into her strike, welcoming it with a solid bash from his own armored forearm that would meet her elbow as it jabbed towards his torso.

A second prior to this defense, he felt the middle of the saberstaff flicker as if it were attempting to rotate apart. However, as he brought his left hand inside to hit Eriana, the crusader's body would be in between he and Shikari, thus disrupting the acolyte's line of sight and therefore voiding the force attack before it could complete. As Eriana was now in close proximity to him with her vulnerable back exposed and his left fist near her elbow and paraspinal region, he simply assaulted with agonizing brutality. Crackles of red energies covered the surface of his left gauntlet and exploded into Eriana's back as a painful cone of lightning. The attack wouldn't be life threatening but painful nonetheless and likely incapacitating for a short amount of time. @EmilyHuene @Yuan

 

[The Confessor]

What the Sith hermit failed to realize, was that Eriana did not fight via line of sight; she was blind. The world to her existed in a way no person could normally comprehend. Eriana Fox saw the world around her as like a sonar from all angles. So when the man thought she'd turned her shoulder to him, and thus could not see his attack, she saw it coming a mile away. Their arms clashed and Eriana finished her move, crouching low and extending her leg between his to trip him. She dropped low, moving out of his forearm as lightning then crackled and tried to shock her. Too close.

Shikari was then able to finish her move, separating the two ends of her sabers. It allowed Eriana to then duck under the right arm and spin her body with an upwards arc using her left arm to slice the man clean across his waist. At this close range, there was no way he could avoid her. And she hoped her trip and slash were enough to throw him off guard. Plus whatever Shikari planned to do....

@Yuan ​

 

[Shikari]

Shikari leapt into action as her attack failed to connect. As her sabers broke apart and fell to the ground, she dashed forward and reached out with the force, pulling the hilts back to her hands as the blades disengaged. Hanging the twin hilts back on her waist, Shikari ran to the side of the two dueling sith and as Eriana slashed at the old hermit, Shikari raised her hands and sent a blast of force lightening at the old sith's side. She tried to focus it more toward his back so as not to hit Eriana. Shikari's lightening was not as strong as the other two sith, but that did not mean it was dismissable. Even if it equated to nothing more than a stun gun, it would prove effective in tandem with Eriana's strike.

@EmilyHuene @Faded Truth

 

[The Storyteller]

.

Well it seemed that he had misjudged his opponents, not realizing that the stronger crusader was not blessed with the gift of sight and thus her other senses were likely sharpened to a far keener degree. He saw as she ducked underneath his cone of lightning, allowing him to abandon the attack before it fully took effect. He attempted a counter however her sweeping leg extended between his own feet, causing the ancient former lord to stumble backwards a few steps before claiming a proper footing. As Shikari's attack resumed, he felt the two edges of the blades slowly come apart within his grip. Instead of attempting to hold onto them, he merely flicked them away and shot a force blast towards Eriana as well as the two blades that would be coming undone in front of him.

The attack would serve several purposes; first of, it would interrupt Eriana's slash upon him as well as hurl back the stronger Sith and the collective blades into Shikari's direction. As his two opponents would make contact with each other, it would undeniably disrupt Shikari's force lightning upon him as well. His saber now held defensively, he drew the force back upon himself and prepared. The telekinetic attack wouldn't last long as the two women likely were able to recover rather easily; regardless of their next attack on him, he would be ready.

@EmilyHuene @Yuan