Ask Twisted Grove

[Sol Kenuk]

The alter was right where he had left it a few weeks ago. Within the twisted grove deep within the wet jungle of Dromund Kaas, a makeshift ritual circle had been drawn from crude rock. The alter itself was sturdy, formed by bare hand, and still stained with the blood of the Kel'dor's first victims. The rats that he had used to experiment with Sith Alchemy had not survived initial trials, forcing the Sith to gather more. Whether or not it was because the rats themselves were too weak, or because Sol was simply too inexperienced with alchemy for any success, he didn't know. The Kel'dor was inclined to believe the latter. But with practice, he hoped to improve his knowledge of the art. At least that evening, it wasn't raining. The air still felt heavy and electrified, but that was typical from the stormy world.

His datapad, with all the notes he had since taken on Sith Alchemy, is clipped to his belt as the dark robed Sith approaches the alter. Several rats scrabbled from within his robes, domesticated, but nonetheless disturbed by the darkness of the grove. Sol had tainted it with his experimentation. The first rat is drawn from this sleeve, placed upon the stained rock alter as the Kel'dor once again speaks in words foreign to most. This time, he is confident he had bettered the pronunciation, and his talons once again scrape through his own skin to bleed upon the alter. A familiar sensation rips at his spirit, tingles at the edges of his frayed mind. The Dark side warps around the grove, flickers with each ancient word spoken. But once again, the rat twists on itself, and dies.

Sol breathes heavily, frustration leaking into the air. For a time, he stands silent there, regaining his composure. Learning Sith alchemy could take years, he understood, but the Sith still felt impatient with the process. With another rat, he tries again, fuels the darkness with cruel emotion. Another dead rat. Another failure. Sol was doing something wrong. It was inevitable, with his inexperience, but ultimately, until he understood the cause, he was doomed to failure, or worse. Sol wasn't too keen on the idea of dying over a failed attempt, but alchemy could be volatile, particularly for those who did not fully understand what powers they were playing with.

@LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

While the jungles of Dromund Kaas weren’t his favorite place to be at the moment, the Acolyte was curious to know what was happening here. During a trail in the outskirts of the forest, Caerllion had felt a slight disturbance in the Force that had caught his attention.

Through the use of his magick, Caerllion was able to find this place. To his surprise, it was an altar made for some type of Dark Side ritual inside a grove. He recognized the symbols carved in it from the books that he had read about Sith Alchemy. During his first visit, the Annfyn found nothing besides the empty place. He decided to return another time, hoping to talk with whoever was working here.

In his next visit, the Acolyte found Sol working with the transmutation of rats. When he arrived, the Annfyn saw that the Kel Dor was having trouble with his efforts. Apparently, the Kel Dor have killed the rat. “Hello! How are you going, Sol?” the Annfyn said, while walking toward the Champion.

“I stumbled on this place some time ago and was curious to know who was working here. I can go away if you want to stay alone.” the Kel Dor seemed to have a fiery temperament, Caerllion didn’t want to start an unnecessary conflict for nothing. He watched the dead rat for some more time, before moving his hands.

They became covered with red energy, which soon formed an aura around the dead rodent. The rat started to move like a puppet. “Or you could allow me to stay and maybe we can find a way to make what you want to do.” he stopped using his magick and the rat fell limp on the ground. “What do you want to do? Make super rats?”

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

There's a presence in the damp jungles nearby, the gentle footfalls of another, lurking beyond shadowed vision. The Kel'dor is drawn from his glaring, eyes snapping away from the rat to shift toward the swamps. Another Sith, he thinks, as the figure draws into view, not a complete stranger, but an Acolyte that Sol had met before. His eyes flicker with fire behind his goggles as the other draws close with a bold greeting. Caerllion had stumbled upon the ritual circle before? Sol supposed it would be easy enough, if one were taking a stroll through the dangerous wilderness of Dromund Kaas. The grove bled with the dark side, Sol's doing.

The red energy conjured by the man sweeps around the corpse of the rat upon the alter, and the beast began to twitch and move as it was a sock puppet upon someone's hands. Sol is unamused by the antics, but nor is he bothered by it. His gaze dances between the rat and the Acolyte, contemplating his response.

Then, with a sweep of his hand, his talons bat the dead rat off of the carved alter, clearing the stone for another victim. It was why he had started his experiments with rodents. The beasts were plentiful, and considerably less dangerous than other things he could have practiced with. Even a mutated rat would probably be easily killed. Unless, of course, he could replicate the dog-like size of the one he, Vahliri, and Altair had been forced to face down in the underground of Nar Shaddaa.

"Super rats would be a start. Bigger, stronger, faster." And aggressive, but that would have to come later. "In truth, I am merely practicing. The rats are my first experiments, but my ambitions go well beyond mutant rodents." Sol wanted to create diseases, wanted to conquer worlds upon a throne of lifeless, rotting corpses. Glassings were too quick, too impersonal. Wildly effective, nonetheless, but it didn't send quite the same message that the Kel'dor desired. What he intended would cause considerably more suffering, and force other worlds into line lest they face the same nightmare. Ah, but young Caerllion hadn't earned the right to know Sol's plans just yet. So, for now, he would keep focus on twisting the rats.

"Do you have experience with alchemy?" The Champion had pulled another rodent from his robes, several more squirming from within. It would probably disgust some, but Sol doesn't mind it. The rodent is dropped upon the alter, pinned there with firm fingers. His vision returns to Caerllion as he awaits a response.

@LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

”Interesting.” Caerllion muttered, while Sol explained what he wanted to do. He was very aware that the Champion wasn’t giving him all the details, but he wasn’t going to press for more answers. At least not for now, but if they started to work together he would eventually ask the Kel Dor.

“Not so much. I have started to study about, but since I’m still an Acolyte, I don’t have access to more complex works.” hopefully this would change soon, when he finally became a Champion. “So far I’m better with the use of magick. The two aren’t so different from each other. I know that some Sith already used both together.”

He watched Sol remove the dead rat for one that was alive. The Acolyte wondered how the Kel Dor acquired so many rodents. This type didn’t seem to be the one that someone would buy in a pet shop. Then the image of the Champion running through the sewers of Dromund Kaas after the animals crossed his mind. If he didn’t have self control, the Annfyn would have grimaced. Hopefully he took a shower before coming here.

They were Sith, not pigs. You could be a Dark Sider and still have a good hygiene. Even the old carcass that was Palpatine used to take showers.

“Maybe if I use my magick combined with your alchemy, we could find a way to maintain it alive. I could pour some of it inside the rat, strengthening him. When you start the procedure, it could be strong enough to survive.” while he had no idea if it was going to work, Caerllion’s suggestion could be a good start.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

Magick. That was Dathomirian stuff, Sol thinks. At least the only sort of magick that he really knew most about. Sol had always been more of a sorcerer, but the arcane he utilized was the pure force itself with little tricks inbetween. To Sol, there was nothing better. His vision flickers back toward the Acolyte, thoughtful as he makes his suggestion to strengthen the rat. It could work, and even if it didn't, at least they had tried something. Trial and error was hardly useful without attempting new tricks, after all.

"Alright, worth a try, I suppose." The Kel'dor agreed. What was the worst that could happen? Well, besides a giant mutant rat trying to eat them. With Sol's luck, something like that wouldn't even surprise him. "Focus your magick on the rat." Sol demands simply, and he's eager to see it in play. Perhaps the Champion could learn a thing or two from the magick, and in turn, Caerllion would learn a bit of alchemy for himself. Once the rat was strengthened, Sol would once again begin the ritual, and they would see how successful this turned out to be.

@LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

”Then, so be it.” he said, before stretching his hands in front of the rat. The Acolyte closed his eyes and called the Darkness for him. His hands would start to glow with the red energy, the same that was on his eyes when he finally opened them. Looking at the animal, the Annfyn would mutter a spell in Ancient Sith.

Soon, the rat would be covered by a red aura. He could feel the poor thing trying to fight against his infusion of energy, but he wasn’t sentient. Its efforts were futile. The animal would be completely covered by it, with its eyes shining with a carmesin light.

As a side effect of this spell, the rat had become more aggressive. It was furiously moving around the altar, constantly biting the stone. The Annfyn already expected it, after all this enchantment was to empower an ally with the Dark Side, giving them more strength and stamina.

“Now.” Caerllion ordered the Champion to start the proceeding. He couldn’t say more than that or the spell would be broken. Now they would need to see if this was going to work or the rat would perish.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

The rat squirms beneath his grip as the crimson light devours it. Sol can sense the change in the force, can feel the magick that warped the rodent. He can even feel it's struggles grow stronger, as it bites wildly at the bloodied stone that it was pinned against. The Kel'dor insures that the head of the beast is kept well away from his own flesh. When the Acolyte was confident that the spell was at it's strongest point, his vocals snapped Sol back into action, this time with a bit more eagerness than before.

Ancient words bite the air, not so dissimilar from those spoken by Caerllion. Sol presses into the dark side, twists it around the alter until it, too, surrounds the rat. It's efforts grow more frantic as power surges through the currents of the ritual. Then, with the talon of his free hand, Sol once again draws the natural weapon across the hand that hovered above the rat, his own blood akin to payment to the darkness. Whether or not the added strength from the Acolyte's magick was the cause, or Sol's newfound confidence in his own abilities, the rat does inevitably appear to change. In size, it seems to grow, fangs and fur alike. Thorny rodent claws grow to pocket knives, and beady eyes glow with hostility.

The ritual draws to it's end, and the Kel'dor had taken a step back, still pinned the rat not with his hand, but with the force, even as it struggled with rage, all slashing claws and snapping teeth. Sol would not allow it to leave the alter, the grip of the force was resolute. Sol's eyes are glowing with delight. His first successful attempt, after so many failures. Sol locks eyes with the beast, sends his demands through the force, and it quiets, peers at him as if with expectation.

"It worked." Sol's voice is measured, but even still, there was a delighted edge. The rat had nearly tripled in size, and looked considerably more imposing. It's not something the Kel'dor would take into battle with a Jedi, to be sure, but it was certainly something. Perhaps Altair would like to see it.

@LouJoVi (rolled a 15 for success)

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

While he maintained his spell, Caerllion barely heard the words that Sol was saying. He also didn’t pay much attention when the Kel Dor added his own blood to the ritual. However, as soon as the substance touched the rat, the Annfyn could feel that something was going to happen.

The Annfyn could feel how the rat was distressed, with its body contorting due to the effects of the ritual. Caerllion was sure that if he didn't strengthen the rodent, it would not support the procedure. Perhaps what Sol wanted to do was too much for these small animals to support.

When the rat calmed down, Caerllion ended the spell. Like Sol, he was also pleased with the result. The rodent had changed into a more imposing creature, but wasn’t something proper to be used in a battle. “Good job. I think that several of these in a dungeon could deal with undesirable prisoners.”

“What do you want to do now? Try it with a large creature?” he asked, very interested in doing more experiments. Caerllion could see that it had great potential. “I think that if you use a nexu or a charhound, we could make some powerful and mortal creatures.” the Galaxy was full of possibilities.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

With the spell and the ritual ended, Sol is left peering at the oversized, mutated rat with renewed interest. The success of the experiment was almost intoxicating, as if the darkness itself were a drug tempting him to start again, to do something worse, or, in the Kel'dor's line of thinking, better.

Finally, his wintry vision returned to the Acolyte, thoughtful. Indeed, he could make several more of the rodents, utilize them as the perfect means of torment within a captive population. They weren't something to be thrown at a Jedi, but the mutated rat was nightmarish nonetheless.

"A larger creature would be interesting, provided we can safely obtain one." They could head into the city and see what they could find, or they could dive into the jungles on their own hunt. Ultimately, it would be difficult to drag something larger, particularly if it was aggressive, back to the ritual circle.

"I'll need to set up a more secure ritual area, something with restraints." Sol wasn't too inclined to get mauled by an angry nexu. For now, he would try the ritual on another rat.

The mutant, bonded with it's creator, is ushered off the pedestal as Sol produces another squirming rodent from his robes. There were only a few left, but they'd might as well keep practicing to insure that when they did get to the bigger creatures, less mistakes would be made.

"What ideas do you have for a rat?" Sol questions the other Sith as the rodent is placed upon the stone. They had already made an oversized mutant, no sense in trying the same thing twice, at least not when the purpose of Sol's presence was to experiment.

@LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

Caerllion watched Sol out of the corner of his eye, noticing how the Kel’Dor seemed to be very interested in this successful result. He could even feel how the Champion was excited about it and even somewhat prideful with his creation. The Annfyn wondered if he was having some type of power trip only because they mutated a rat without killing it.

While it was a good work, the Annfyn expected that it would be only the beginning. Unless Sol desired to become the King of Rats and conquer the Galaxy with an army of rodents. If he wasn’t in the presence of the Champion, Caerllion would have laughed with this thought. Only an idiot would try to do something like that.

“Yes. You could try to locate a smuggler, maybe they could offer something.” he still remembered how these Arkanian smugglers were able to sell him an Arkanian dragon’s egg. While they only found it in the wreckage of a hunter’s ship, there could be others that followed with this line of work.

“We can also use a loth cat. They are larger than a rat, but smaller enough to not risk our lives. Besides that, they can be found at any alley.” Caerllion said, while watching Sol place the next rodent in the altar. “Maybe we could try to give it large claws and sharper teeth. The Sith of old used to weaponize creatures, we could try the same with this one.”

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

Smugglers were certainly an option, but the downside of that was the weakness of the offspring, and the time it would take for them to grow fit for the ritual. Obtaining grown specimens was the harder route, but ultimately, it was the shortest. As for a loth cat, it was certainly something to consider. When the Acolyte gave his idea, Sol didn't bother to respond. Their mutant rat already had pocket knives for claws and teeth three times longer than before. It was, after all, a dog-sized mutant rat, monstrous and frightening. Sol peers down at the creature from where it cleaned itself on the moss of the damp ground nearby.

Then, an idea. Teeth and claws were all very good, but what about something far more potent?

"Rats are small, breed fast, and can quickly overwhelm civilizations if they're not eradicated." Little war machines, or rather, vectors of death. "A disease." He thinks. "Something that spreads quickly through the rat population, making them hyper-aggressive to anything they might come across." Swarms of flesh eating, disease ridden rats was certainly a curious prospect. While Caerllion might think that focusing on rats was foolish, Sol recognized the potential of a deadly outbreak of plague, carried and transmitted by swarms of fast breeding and fearless rodents.

Without proper measures to contain an outbreak, millions would die. Most would not notice the rats. Initial attacks would be written off as rogue occurrences. By the time their potent bite was finally understood, it would be too late. Scores would die, and infected sentients would go on to infect more. This was a far more enticing idea than creating oversized rat hulks.

@LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

”Right, infected rats.” Caerllion said without much enthusiasm. “Are you aware that if we create such a thing not only the enemy, but also our people will die? Perhaps ever ourselves?” he was starting to think that Sol was one of those Sith maniacs that only thought about destruction without thinking about the consequences.

“If you want to create a disease transmitted by mutated rats, we should make a vaccine first. Then we give it to the Imperial population. How would the Empire exist if everyone is going to die?” different of Sol, the Acolyte was more focused and realistic. Sometimes Caerllion thought that some few members of the Empire needed to learn how to apply logic and common sense.

“Besides that, such an operation would need to receive Imperial approval. The risk of us releasing another AMS over the Galaxy is too great.” they barely escaped a pandemic and now the Kel Dor wanted to unleash another. He wasn't going to be part of something like that, unless the Empress gave her approval.

“Why we not try to give the rats other characteristics? Perhaps a pair of wings? We could try to fuse a bat with it. Imagine a swarm of oversized and rabid bats flying against a bunch of Jedi. They could even feed on blood.” Caerllion said, trying to move the conversation out of the craziness of a Sith made pandemic.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

The Kel'dor snorts, though irritations ebbs within the force, torn from his corrupted veins. With an icy expression, he turns his cold gaze upon the Acolyte as he mewled like some loth kitten about the potential lives that would be lost. It was too late, Sol already knew what he wanted. Pestilence would dominate the galaxy under the whim of his talons, and Caerllion would either accept this, or die. At least now he knew that the Acolyte could not be trusted.

Now, that polite tone is gone. Sol's voice is hard, distant, and entirely unfriendly. It was not furious, it was not loud. It was the chilling hiss of ice grating stone, a gravled and freezing drawl, "Do you think me so foolish? Obviously, there would be a fail-safe to insure control was maintained." Because it should be obvious, because Sol was not some foolish child that would threaten his own Empire. He speaks as if talking to a child. No longer was Caerllion worth the Kel'dor's respect, not if he would critisize everything the Sith intended to do. Weak Sith were better off in graves than they were in the order.

As for unleashing AMS over the galaxy all over again... now that was an idea. Sol quite liked that one. He'd have to insure some level of control over the illness, of course, but that was simply part of the process.

"I'm not interested in creating off-brand vampire bats." Sol still doesn't raise his voice in anger, but his vocals are certainly not warm. "But clearly, our goals do not align. I am not interested in small schemes. I do not care for useless toys that are little more than vanity. I want something substantial. Something that will decimate any who oppose the Sith." And perhaps most importantly, Sol himself, even if that meant purging entire worlds. This was a power that would have to be gained over time, and by that point, Sol fully intended to be on the dark council. The only approval he would need was that of himself.

The Acolyte was simple minded. Naïve. And the Kel'dor wanted more. Flying rats and mutated animals would never be enough.

As for the lowly Acolyte, the audacity to insult Sol's intelligence and lecture him was more than enough to earn the Kel'dor's ire. If Caerllion wanted to learn alchemy, then he would just have to teach himself.

The captive rat leaps off the alter to flee as Sol releases his grip, turns on his heel to leave. The mutant rat trotted after his heels. Caerllion could try to stop him, but nothing short of an apology would work. The simple fact of the matter was that what little trust Sol had offered had been shattered. Repairing it would be no easy task. Otherwise, it seemed the two would part ways for now. The Kel'dor saw no reason to reveal more of his intentions to someone who could not be trusted.

@LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

”Good, so you are one of the smart ones.” Caer said, raising an eyebrow with how the Kel’Dor was being dramatic. People used to call the Annfyn a princely brat, but at least he didn’t do all that drama because of a misunderstanding. “With all many stupid Sith running around these days, when you started to talk about spreading a plague I thought that you was one of them.” the Empire already needed to deal with Jedith and there were also these maniacs. It needed to be cleaned from these types.

“I shouldn’t have judged you so fast, but could also have explained that detail first.” it would be the closest thing to an apology that the Kel’Dor would receive from him. Caerllion had learned from Arla that a Sith should do it very rarely, even less in front of another one. It was a signal of weakness. "It's dangerous to say half things nowadays. They can be took of context easily. Then the next thing that you see is Darth Raze coming to you."

“Perhaps, while you want to kill beings, I want to control their minds.” he moved his left hand to the mutated rat that was following Sol. The creature became covered with a red aura and ran back to the Acolyte. “Slaving their leaders and forcing them to bring their worlds to the Empire is my desire. With the right spell, I could make them do anything, even if it goes against their nature.” the rodent started to act like a cat, curling at the Annfyn feet. Then it got in its hind paws and started to shake, as if it was dancing.

“Still, our objectives could still align. My sorcery can still increase the chances of your creatures surviving the procedures, while your alchemy could help me create the tools to control minds.” he wondered if the Kel’Dor would be too dramatic to even see that together they could do much more.

“Besides, I noticed how you seemed to dislike Vahliri. At least we have that in common.” he smirked, before releasing the rat from his spell. Confused with what had happened, it ran back to his mother. “If you want to continue discussing experiments, you can contact me.” with a flick of his fingers a papper with the mumber of his conmlink appeared in the floor in front of Sol. Then, he walked away.

@Nevermourn

 

[Sol Kenuk]

The words of the Acolyte are of little mind to the Sith. One of the smart ones, he thinks with only mild amusement. How quick the other was to make assumptions, to lecture one higher than him as if Sol were some foolish little child. The Kel'dor wonders what nonsense the other must have bore witness to, to have such suspicions. Despite how many might call the pale skinned Kel'dor deranged, or looked upon with fear and disgust, the purpose of everything he did was ultimately for the Sith, and in turn, himself. Sol has no desire to decimate the entire galaxy with uncontrolled madness. No, he wanted submission. Control. Power.

And there was no power to be had in a galaxy full of corpses.

Regardless, it seemed the Acolyte had some understanding of his mistake. He didn't have any right to lecture those above him, no matter his opinion. At the very least, Sol was not the type to kill useful Sith for minor outbursts. He would not fly into a fury over nonsense. Such energy was better put to use elsewhere, such as furthering his studies. With success finally under his belt, the future looked brighter.

As for the threat of Darth Raze, Sol is unconcerned. Half-truths didn't matter when the Dark Lord could simply decipher the true meaning for himself with a mere flick of his hand. The Kel'dor had seen what Raze had done to Caelian, and he's confident that should the Dark Lord decide to pry through Sol's mind, that he would be spared. As it was now, the Champion had nothing to hide.

Tricks of the mind, demonstrated upon the rat, were all well and good, but not if neither side trusted the other for assistance. The Kel'dor wanted domination over the minds of his people just the same, but he intended to use fear where the Acolyte would utilize his magick. Together, they could conquer worlds, but that would take time. For now, it seemed, Sol was distrustful of the other. Ultimately, the Kel'dor's shared dislike of Vahliri would not be nearly enough to repair the already brittle relationship that the two Sith had briefly formed at the ritual circle. Actions were, after all, louder than words. The Acolyte would have to show that he was worth Sol's time.

In the meantime, he would focus on securing a better location to perform the rituals, somewhere secure and enclosed, to insure that no accidents got loose. Now that he knew he could augment the strength of the rats, he would likely manage it on his own. Then again, there was always the prospect of using larger animals to begin with. Ultimately, Sol didn't need the Acolyte. Now that he had succeeded once, he could feel the singsong ripples of the alchemy through the surrounding force. Sol knew what do to, and he knew what to look for.

And so, it seemed, they parted ways, a bit less friendlier to one another than before. If Caerllion wanted to practice alchemy, then he would have to reach out to Sol on his own.

@LouJoVi [end thread]