Ask Visiting the Ancients

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

Caerllion watched Arla use her exotic-looking lightsaber to carve symbols on the floor. He recognized some of the runes from tomes of sorcery that he had read some time ago, but never had the opportunity of using it. The Annfyn decided to memorize what she was doing, this way he could replicate it in the future.

“Wait, what?” he asked, while staring at Arla with confusion. “Do you want me to be possessed by it?” if the half-Sephi failed in the ritual, the spirit could destroy his personality and possess him. He was going to refuse, but looked at her eyes. The two had worked together before and she proved to be a powerful sorceress, to the point of the Annfyn trusting on her abilities. Her abilities had saved them in the past. Besides, he also wanted the knowledge that the ghost could offer to them.

“I trust in your abilities.” Caerllion stared at Arla’s eyes and smiled. “Perhaps you can teach me some of it, if we survive.” he walked toward the circle, sitting cross legged in the middle of it. Taking a deep breath, the Annfyn opened himself to the Force. He felt the spirit’s presence lurking among the shadows, watching them with amusement.

The Annfyn could even imagine that he had a smug look at their face.

If they had a face and wasn’t a disembodied voice.

“Can you stop and come out already?” Caerllion said to the spirit, which immediately laughed. The presence started to get close. Now the success was at Arla’s hands.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

No! Not possessed, just... possession bait, she said. Yes, that was obviously much better. He decided to go along with her plan, and she was glad about that. After all, she probably wouldn't have gone along with it if she were in his shoes, but that was a totally different story.

As Caer began to open his mind up to the ghost, Arla began to focus herself on the Veil beyond. Her eyes glowed with green fire as she reached out to look at the dead beyond. There was only him. Whatever being this was, she could make out the darkness lingering within him, and next to Caer on the ground, she set a stone on which she had carved runes as well. Binding runes.

She could see it drawing closer, preparing to slip into her friend. Caer would begin to feel darkness pull at the edges of his vision as the world threatened to fade out of his grasp like losing consciousness after running too hard for too long.

And that was when Arla unleashed her trap. She tapped the amulet around her neck, and from it all the power of Raze flowed into her. The room became almost oppressively overwhelmed with darkness, A power and darkness that didn't fully belong to Arla, but flowed through her then seized control of the creature. Arla liked to trade on her own power rather than that of her parents, but in this case, the risks were too high. Caer was risking himself, and Arla wouldn't let him die for her pride.

Those same tendrils of power latched onto the specter and ripped it free from Caer's mind. He would feel a spike of pain shoot through his head, but the darkness would receded instantly as Arla forcibly shoved the creature into the runestone, struggling and grunting as she strained to fell the creature and finally shove it down into its newfound prison.

As she finally let out a breath, her face turned from the strained, bright red color it had turned and her legs felt wobbly beneath her, but it was done and finished.

Are you okay? she asked a moment later. He still looked like himself, so she had to assume he was fine, but it was still something she needed to confirm.

@LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

While he waited, Caerllion felt the darkness around him growing. During his time as an Acolyte, the Annfyn had learned to not fear the darkness and that it was the tool of a Sith. However, he never felt it so oppressive, so suffocating. It was as if all the warm and light were being constricted, until there wasn’t anything remaining. Even his life seemed to be being crushed.

The Annfyn’s vision was close to becoming completely covered by shadows, while his head became dizzy. He could hear whispers, words from an ancient tongue, being said in his surroundings. They were getting closer and louder. By this point, Caerllion felt completely alone in the darkness, not being able to remember what was happening around him. There was only him, the dark and the whispers.

They were dreadful, but he was starting to discern what was being said. Promises of power in the Dark Side, secrets about these ruins and about the Rakata. Caerllion started to notice that the whispers were becoming only one voice. With horror, he immediately recognized it.

It was his voice.

Suddenly, he felt the presence being pulled away from him. The voice was shattered, once again becoming indiscernible whispers. Caerllion screamed, feeling as if something that had been close to becoming part of himself was ripped away. For a moment, he wondered if everything really came out.

The Annfyn fell with his back in the circle, eyes staring at the ceiling. He would remain this way until Arla’s voice broke his trance. “I’m fine.” he said, while sitting again. Caerllion turned to look at the half-Sephi. She was looking exhausted. “And you? You look really tired.” he would rise from the floor and approach her, allowing his friend to put her arm around him if she wanted.

“Thank you for not allowing it to possess me.” Arla showed to the Annfyn that she was powerful and he could trust her. “I think that now we can talk with our prisoner.”

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

I am fine, she said, already beginning to feel better. The waves of power that had flowed through her were beginning to subside, but even as they did, she could feel a darkness lingering within her. The temptation to simply take and destroy and dominate anyone and anything around her.

She simply nodded at his thanks, her face still a serious scowl that while it wasn't entirely out of place, seemed different than only hours ago when they had arrived. She could be a vicious and deadly enemy, but she was seldom one to lie or deceive particularly to her friends.

Yes, she agreed, but instead of going over to interrogate the stone, she let Caer do that, simply listening to whatever they said as she perused the items and scripts that were within the room. She recognized beakers and measuring equipment with datacards and a variety of other artifacts in the room.

She started flipping through an old book, half-expecting that it might fall apart if she shook it too hard.

@LouJoVi

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

Caerllion smiled when the half-Sephi said that she was fine. “You are amazing. Not even this spirit had a chance.” he was amazed with how Arla’s power increased. It had increased in the same proportion as her beauty. This thought made the Annfyn’s ears twitch, like the young Acolyte from so many years ago.

He turned to look at the rune, which now exuded darkness. The spirit was now their prisoner and they could interrogate it. With Arla’s consent, Caerllion would start with the questions. The Annfyn approached it with careful steps. Even if he trusted the half-Sephi’s abilities, he still remembered the feeling of having his mind being violated by their prisoner.

“Spirit, you are now under our control. I order you to reveal your name.” Caerllion said, using the Dark Side to amplify his voice and give it an imposing tone. He was rewarded by silence. The Annfyn took a deep breath, before trying again. “Spirit, you are our slave! Reveal your secrets!”

Rather than silence, a loud laugh filled the room, coming from the rune. “Hahaha, this was good. You are so hilarious doing all this theatrical speech that I couldn’t resist hearing it a second time. Reveal your secrets!” the voice started to laugh again. Caerllion crossed his arms and muttered that his way of talking wasn’t theatrical. The worst part was that he was being embarassed in front of Arla.

“Okay, that was a good laugh.” the voice said, before becoming serious. “You two caught me and I’m now bound to your will.” the way that it was said made Caerllion think that he was still being taunted. “My name is Ebrayn, a Sith from the lineage of Darth Bane.”

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla found herself somewhat caught off guard by his complement and found herself uncertain how to respond to it. She recalled that he had once had a crush on her when they were younger, but that was years ago.

Well, thank you, she said. She could still only see the work she still needed to do. The progress she needed to make to live up to her legacy. There was a small piece of her soul that still recoiled at the thought, but she reminded herself that the life she was living was the one she was choosing. She enjoyed it and... she was happy.

She let him go about interrogating the spirit as she kept sorting valuable items from those that were not. Particularly, she took the book and set it aside, knowing there was information to learn from it about rituals and artifact creation.

Her ears twitched slightly at the mention of Bane. The Banite Sith were a different breed in many ways compared to most of the Sith that had risen and fallen through the generations.

You were killed by your apprentice, then? she asked.

Yes, he rose in power and killed me here in this very place. My spirit has maintained it ever since, she said.

Arla looked over to Caerllion and shrugged. There was no doubt things to learn from it, but this wasn't the place or time. She'd rather load up what they could and investigate it over time at her leisure.

We should pack it all up and go, she said.

 

[Caerllion of Cyfnos]

Like Arla, Caerllion also became more interested in the spirit's backstory when he mentioned that he had been a Sith. It was obvious by the darkness that lingered on this place that Ebrayn was a Dark Sider, but there were many other cults around the Galaxy beside the Order. As far as he knew, the owner of the voice could have been a Rakata.

“What have you been doing here?” Caerllion asked after Ebrayn explained the circumstances of his death. He was curious to know what the machines around them were used for. He already noticed that Arla was searching for useful things. The Annfyn decided to do the same, approaching a shelf that was on the opposite side of the room.

“I worked in genetic experiments using the Dark Side, this place was my laboratory. The terentatek that you two killed was the last of a batch that I made.” the confirmation that this room was indeed a laboratory, made Caerllion eager to search it. He found some old books, which seemed to be falling apart. He carefully opened them, seeing that they had notes about some experiments.

These were going with him.

“I agree.” he said, while picking the books and some old datapads that maybe could be repaired. “This visit here ended up being better than I expected. First I saw you again and now we found data for my search and experiments.” he said, while carrying the items in his arms. “I want to see you more times.” he smiled at Arla, while his ears twitched. Looking at her, the Annfyn finally had courage to say what he should have done years ago. “Maybe we could go out together, grab some…”

“Hey! Don’t leave me here. After all these years, this place was getting boring.” Ebrayn interrupted Caerllion, which made his courage be replaced by annoyance. “ If I go with you, I can even show where I hide my Holocron. Including that of my Master.” this was an interesting revelation.

“Maybe we could carry him with us? These holocrons can be good.” perhaps they carried more information about experiments.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla had no intention of leaving behind the stone. Taking it with her was precisely the reason she had trapped her.

Yes, I'm going to take it all, she said. And true to her word, she packed up all the equipment that wasn't nailed down and took it to go. She was sure there was more to this world to see, but this was as good a starting point as any.

//Thread