SWRPF Archive Like a red rose: a Monastery of the Jedi - Now Accepting Players

Like a red rose: a Monastery of the Jedi

-----
Preliminary Poem

At least I have the flowers of myself
and my thoughts, no god
can take that;
I have the fervour of myself for a presence
and my own spirit for light;
and my spirit with its loss
knows this;
though small against the black,
small against the formless rocks,
hell must break before I am lost;
before I am lost,
hell must open like a red rose
for the dead to pass.

~Helen Doolittle

-----
On a quiet backwater world far from the Republic and civilization there is a valley. Trees grow there ? some tall and beautiful, others crooked and dark. Flowers bloom from time to time, though not now. Water flows through it carrying silt and the changing seasons. When ice, it becomes the repository of little fish and frogs waiting for the spring. They wait there now, though not for spring but something else. Something dark. Darker than crooked and evil-looking trees. Darker than the deepest night on Malestare. Only the deep places of the evil mind know this darkness, and someone has brought it to Tatooine.

In this valley for thousands of year has stood a monastery of the Jedi knights. The farmers on Tatooine respect the wizards and stay away, coming only once a month to trade for advice and healing. Jawas come and barter spare parts, Sandpeople come with nerfs and the occasional bantha, humans come with crops and sometimes their children. It is said that only they are touched by the Gift that the knights so revere. Those priceless bargains were what brought the Jedi to this world, though they stay now for other reasons.

Far away in the palaces of empire, down the corridors of power the Jedi and the Republic long ago forged a deal. The former will protect the latter in return for all the children of the galaxy who can touch the Force. For a time, the Jedi knew detachment. But as history became myth and philosophy, dogma, the Jedi became a part of the Republic, an organ of the great system of the galaxy. Only in monasteries like Sublime Rose on Tatooine can Jedi knights experiment and pray, teach and learn as they once did. Madmen go there from the Core to find themselves, and often they return with fantastical stories. Those who stay discover not stories, but dreams both beautiful and terrible.

This is one of them.

-----

Background Information

1. I am ignoring certain historical information about Tatooine (the technological level of the inhabitants for instance) for the sake of story. The Rakatans never came here and the Kumumgah do not exist. Jawas and Sandpeople do as well as a human population (presumably brought when the Jedi found the planet, although this is in dispute)


2. We are at least 10,000 years before the events of the first Star Wars film, so no lightsabers I'm afraid


3. This story will bare some slight resemblance to Umberto Eco?s The Name of the Rose in tenor, tone, and inspiration (I offer my gratitude to the Professor for the idea). Bare that in mind, or better yet throw it out with the trash to let your story flow un-harassed by Professor Eco?s work.


4. A period of one month will pass from the beginning of this little story to the end. The passage of time will be marked by the GM. Do not stray from the confines of the time of time of day I have set except in the minds of your characters. Feel free to look backward and forward at your will ? indeed, glimpsing ahead may be an amusing and even enlightening prospect. Maybe your character?s visions will become reality.


5. I would prefer that you choose to be Jedi as the other groups lead lives away from the monastery and only come once a month (the sum length of our little game); however, if you wanted to be a non-Force using character we could find a place for you. Perhaps you tend to the monastery or have a relationship with a Jedi. I?ll entertain interesting ideas and turn the channel on the mundane.


6. *If you

 

Some people have already taken an interest in the monastic life, which pleases me. I suspect we will begin seeing some character sheets being posted anytime this weekend. For now, I would only encourage any more questioning seekers to send me a private message with a character sheet -- I would be only too happy to have to deal with far too many players than with perhaps too few. Any questions you may have feel free to send to me via PM.

Also, here is my character sheet:

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Name: Jaran Pai
Age: 62
Race: Human, though not of this planet
Biography: Jaran is the Jedi Master and abbot of Sublime Rose and has been since its previous caretaker passed away fifteen years ago. He hails from off-world, though he has held his homeworld a secret from his brothers and sisters. Jaran is one of the Jedi knights trained by the Republic and left the order when he was twenty-three to find peace or inspiration on the Rim. Upon discovering the monastery at Tatooine, Jaran dedicated himself to probing the Force and communing with the other Jedi-monks. His graying hair and wrinkling face show the scars of decades at Sublime Rose. He is a quiet man, and certainly the spiritual leader of the monastery, though his weakness politically has lead other knights to prominence under his tenure. Jaran tends to bristle under upstart, younger knights playing leader in his monastery. He is often found in the great library of Sublime Rose.
How long have you been at Sublime Rose: Four long decades

 

Game Master Approved

Name: Aeron Toron
Age: 34
Race: Human
Biography: Aeron is a Jedi Knight at Sublime Rose. As a child, he was always one who enjoyed learning. He was continually ordering books and reading them at his small ranch on the planet of Tattooine. He grew to become quite the wise Jedi, yet he likes to keep to himself. Aeron also spends much of his time training in hand to hand and sword combat.
How long have you been at Sublime Rose: Aeron came to Sublime Rose twenty two years ago at the age of 12. He was born and raised halfway across the planet and stumbled upon it by chance while venturing cross planet with his family. He decided to stay and study amongst the wizards. For twenty two years he has studied the Force and has become a Jedi Knight.

 

GM Approved

Name: Tyrael Phntom
Age: 36
Race: Human
Biography: Tyrael, he knows not of where he was born but he does know he is special.He has found peace in the force, those who are decades older struggle to find, but in doing this he has recieved a tantalizing mutation, he recieved several tentecals that reach out from his back.
How long have you been at Sublime Rose:All his life
PIC: [image=http://galeon.hispavista.com/acetres/img/TYRAEL.jpg]

 

Approved for gameplay

Name: Tsubame Komiya
Age: 20
Race: Human
http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm118/rosario-virus/1175370248910.jpg
Biography: Tsubame was born to refugees who had fled their home system nineteen years ago. She was born within the monastery and she and her parents were welcomed with open arms. She matured within the monastery and her parents found work within and around the monastery itself. Tsubame is kind and warm to those she knows but rather distant and reserved to strangers, especially newcomers to Sublime Rose.
How long have you been at Sublime Rose: Twenty standard years



Rosario + Vampire is a great anime. Please watch it!

 

***Approved***

Name: Annate' Curan
Age: 35
Race: Human female
Biography: Annate' started her path to the Force late in life. She started her life on the streets as a thief. A very talented one at that, but she found that while she was able to use certain abilities, it was painful, to be anywhere near other Force users when they used their abilities. When it reached the point that it was driving her close to the darkness, she was 'rescued' by another Jedi who found her, and realized the problems she was having.

It took a long while to build up a relationship, but eventually he convinced her to come with him to the Sublime Rose, and learn how to block out the excessive emotions and blasts of raw energies she was encountering. Besides a bit of healing, her major stuides tend to be in mental controls, and advanced meditation techniques. She also is 'cursed' with visions from time to time, but she tends to block those out. A bit of a rogue, she has decided to stay, and continue her studies. She finds a bit of interest in others who seek the Monestary, so called madmen, and others who are troubled. She could be a Knight, but prefers to avoid the title. What is a title anyway? It would keep her from her continuing stuides, and she tends to bury herself if not in the books, within the meditation areas.

How long have you been at Sublime Rose?: Ever since she was about 15. (20 years total)
How and why did you come here?: A young Jedi Knight, seeking to help her with her problems, brought her to the Rose. She started living out in the village, and then slowly managed to work her way into the Monastary, until she finally learned to tune out the 'buzz' she was receiving from the others.

 

GM NOTE(s):

It looks like this RPG is approaching its carrying capacity, so I'll let anyone else who wants to submit a character sheet before we begin do so over the next two days.

We will begin in earnest, then, on Thursday -- most likely with a start-up scenario post with some more background information and the placement of your characters. It's not clear if that post will be in the AM or PM on Thursday.

I will be more than happy to accommodate new players after we have begun, although you may have either a disproportionately high or low chance of being the murderer -- and it would be zero if one of our fine players above is the murderer ( ).

I want to thank you all for your participation and patience, and am excited to get started.

~DS5

 

GM Approved!

Character Sheet

Name: Koda Pall
Age: 27
Race: Human
Appearance: Blue-black hair and very light blue eyes. Lean but stronger than he looks. About 6' tall.
Biography: Koda Pall is rather unfortunately, quite a dull person when it comes a biography as there is nothing especially peculiar or interesting about him. He happens, however, to be one of the very few Sublime Rose members that is still considered a 'learner'. When he was four years old his parents came to the Monastery, left him there, and went away themselves for reasons unknown. It was said it was for his "protection". From what is unknown and it seems Sublime Rose is no longer the haven his parents had thought.
How long have you been at Sublime Rose: 23 years.

 

DarthSeti5 Approved

Name: Owen Kurn
Age: 32
Race: Human
Appearance: A handsome man with black hair and a neatly trimmed goatee.
Biography: Owen Kurn is the son of two farmhands on one of the largest ranches on Tatooine. As a young boy working on the ranch, he was very sociable and made friends with everyone he talked to. He was kind and generous, and most people took a liking to him.

At the age of thirteen, he accompanied his parents on their monthly trip to the Jedi monastery. It was there that a Jedi knight met with him and discovered his potential with the Force. He asked Owen to stay, though Owen did not want to leave his parents. So they all decided that Mr. and Mrs. Kurn would stay on as gardeners.

Since then, Owen has grown into a respected, and friendly, Jedi knight.

How long have you been at Sublime Rose: Nineteen years

 

Let us begin...

First, some vocabulary (I may begin some posts with a lesson like this). I can't be certain that everyone knows what I'm talking about. Some of these terms are important for the game.

1. Plenum: the opposite of void; matter throughout space
2. Refectory: the dining and celebration hall of the monastery
3. Chorale: the monastery choir
4. Flaying: the removal of the skin from the flesh

Tatooine, The Ancient Monastery of Sublime Rose, Early Morning, the First Day

---

A binary sunrise. Two-toned rays of light cast across the winter forests of Tatooine. Icicles drip motionless from tree branches in the [b]valley of Ifir[/b]. A squadron of scavenger birds circle overhead in anticipation of the coming of spring. One sights a small vole, hiding between two rocks, devouring a worm. It sweeps down and pierces the creature's neck, a puff of wintery powder splaying into the air. It's two flighted companions light in the snow and begin to peck at the bloody mess. A shadow covers their breakfast -- the hilltop of [i]Sublime Rose[/i].

A flight of birds pass overhead, much larger, attracted by something else. The three scavengers pick away what is left of the flesh and join their ilk in the sky.

Bells toll throughout the valley calling the monks to rise. Most have been awake for a hour or more in silent meditation, contemplating paradoxes like voids of plenum and pleasure in suffering. They await to hear the music.

For centuries, the [b]chorale[/b] has sung the sunrise with a chant or song of ancient heritage. Some are Jedi themes for peace, others are exotic melodies from faraway worlds. Each has a meaning and a purpose and each is beautiful. The chorale-monks file on to the steps of the refectory. Each is hooded and without any sheet music. They know the hymns and songs by heart and are aided through their own deep connection through the Force.

They begin their morning chant:

[blockquote][b][link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5p_U8J0iRQ&feature=related]Salve Regina[/link][/b]

Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiae, (Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy)
vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve. (our life, our sweetness and our hope.)
ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevae, (To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;)
ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes (to thee do we send up our sighs,)
in hac lacrimarum valle. (mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.)

Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos (Turn then, most gracious advocate,)
misericordes oculos ad nos converte; (thine eyes of mercy toward us;)
et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, (and after this our exile,)
nobis post hoc exilium ostende. (show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.)
O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria. (O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.)
[/blockquote]

The chant echoes out, compelling the Jedi-monks out of their cells. They move about the monastery grounds silent.

[b]Jedi master Jaran Pai[/b] leaves the abbot's house and begins to walk the path to the temple -- the place of invocation and benediction, the seat of the brother's and sister's abiding friendship. Daily he leads the assembly. First the chorale forms behind him, then the [b]elder-monks[/b] (only five in number) followed by the [b]knights[/b] and finally the [b]learners[/b]. Elsewhere, the servants and guests of [i]Sublime Rose[/i] work in chambers and the kitchens, preparing for the day.

As the assembly moves up the hilltop, a chill breeze moves through the air, stirring up snow and dead leaves (as well as old memories). The suns are cold today.

Like an organism, the assembly stops -- terror bursts through the Force and down each monk's spine. Coldness seeps down their backs and an intense fiery pain burns in their stomachs. Their eyes are fixed on the bell tower. There, a Jedi knight [b]Col Fareer[/b], one who worked in the library, is skewered by poles. His hands and feat are akimbo in a great

 

Annate' Curan
The Ancient Monastery of Sublime Rose, Early Morning, the First Day - Tatooine

Annate' woke up with the toll of the bells. She was glad to be awake. She had had another disturbing night, her dreams coming to her once more. She threw back her covers, and ran her fingers through her hair.

From a window, she could hear birds, as she got up. She did not get up early like the other monks...for she would be in meditations for most of the day. But she did get up for the morning meal, and to listen to the choir.

Soon, she was dressed, and she joined the others as they walked th path towards the temple.

As the assembly moves up the hilltop, a chill breeze moves through the air, stirring up snow and dead leaves. The suns are cold today. Suddenly the group stopped, and Annate' suddenly feels a strangeness in the Force.

Terror, as cold and real as a Kryat dragon bursts through the Force and down each monk's spine. Coldness seeps down their backs and an intense fiery pain burns in their stomachs. Their eyes are fixed on the bell tower. Annate' turns to look - and wishes that she had not. There, a Jedi knight Col Fareer, one who worked in the library, is skewered by poles. His hands and feat are akimbo in a great 'X' bisected by his torso and head. A pole each for his hands and feet, another through his chest, and a last through his mouth, open in mid-scream. He has been flayed.

As Annate's mind wheeled at the shock of that sight, her eyes rested on another. At the base of the tower, the mad Tusken -- once the caretaker of Sublime Rose -- lies bowed and whispering. It is no language, merely his jumbled thoughts expressed through sound. He has assumed a praying stance. 'OH FORCE!!', Annate's thought reel about. Of all creatures to be standing there, why him? Upon Master Pai's arrival at the tower, the Tusken jumps up and spits at Pai's feet. He runs off down the hilltop. The Tusken follows a schedule as well. He will begin his perambulation between the monastery and the frozen river.

Annate' felt a firely pain in her temples. Something she had not felt in quite a long time. It made her reflectively take a step back. She barely heard Pai tell the group to not be afraid...and to go to the refectory. At first, no one moved, too much in shock were they. Annate' made the first movement, as she quickly whirled about, and headed for the Refrectory, trying to burn the image out of her mind. She was more worried about seeing the Tusken.

What could it possibly mean?

But right now, she simply wanted to get away from the others. Her control sliped slightly, and her head pounded. She needed to get away and meditate. Her footsteps moved quickly, as she headed for the Rrefrectory. Once she made it there, she immediately found herself a quiet corner, and began to meditate.




TAG: Any

 

IC: Aeron Toron
~Sublime Rose - Tattooine~

As usual, the bells toned early in the morning in order to wake all the Jedi within the monastery. And, as usual, Aeron had already been awake as the bells sounded. Almost every morning, the Jedi would awake in order to delve himself into a deep meditation. It cleared his thoughts, and allowed him to think clearly throughout the day. This day, however, was different. Something in the Force was strange on this day, but he could not quite figure out what. The Force did that at times; it was a very mysterious thing, a part of life that would not be mastered in his lifetime. He made a note to talk with the Masters within the Monastery later in the day.

As usual, Aeron stopped his meditation at the sound of the chorale. This was the time where he would leave his compound for the first time every morning and gather with the other Jedi. He did so once again, his thoughts not as clear as he would have liked. Aeron was still wondering what the Force was telling him. Within moments, he had met up with the rest of the Jedi monks.

The group, led by Jedi Master Jaran Pai, made their way along a pathway that eventually led to the Temple atop the hill. Suddenly, a feeling of fear, sadness and a mixture of several other emotions ranging from shock to rage made its way down the line of monks. Aeron nodded, wondering exactly what was happening but realized that whatever it was was most likely the cause of his strange feeling upon his meditation. When he finally caught a glance of the cause of the fear and guilt, he understood why the group of Jedi felt like they did.

A man, a former Jedi Knight Col Fareer, had been pierced by numerous poles. Aeron was forced to look away, not able to stand seeing one of his close friends so brutally murdered like he was. Jedi Knight Fareer had been a caretaker of the library within the monastery, a place that Aeron visited very often - more than twice a day. Each time he went, Aeron would engage in a conversation with Col, each conversation intellectually stimulating.

"Be not afraid," Pai says to the crowd gathering around the deceased Jedi right after the Tusken ran off in a very mysterious way. "Brother Fareer is one with the Force now. Gather in the refectory, I will join you after..." Aeron nodded, and turned as the Jedi Master let loose a sense of horror and unease through the Force.

Aeron walked slowly towards the refectory, wondering how this horrendous event took place. The Jedi had been murdered right under the nose of the entire monastery. It had gone undetected by the numerous amount of Jedi within Sublime Rose. The perpetrator had been able to get away unnoticed. And the biggest question on Aeron's mind was: why? Why would someone enter the monastery of the Jedi and kill one of the respected Knights? It was certainly a question worth answering as quickly as possible. Whatever the reason, whoever did it, there was one thing for sure: the Dark Side was at work.

TAG: Any/all

 

IC: Tsubame Komiya

It was early and Tsubame was already awake. It had become routine for her to awaken before the bells, but not because she wanted to. There was always some nightmare that kept her form enjoying a full nights rest. She stood slowly and donned her clothes, first stripping of her nightclothes and putting on her undergarments. Her long dress and stockings followed, and soon her boots and her hat. Tsubame brushed her hair gently in a small mirror as the bell began to toll. She sighed, noting her routine was far too... routinely. Standing up, she moved towards the door and exited, checking the sheath beside her boot. "Yes, its still there."

Suddenly something struck her like a blow to the lower spine. Tsubame's back arched and she turned around towards the direction of the hilltop temple. She couldn't see it through the walls of the dormitories, but she knew something was wrong. Her instincts, if you could call them that, drove her towards the outside as she located the procession of monks heading towards the Refectory. Rushing up, her arms flailing at her waist as she ran, she stopped beside them.

"What's wrong? Is everyone okay?" Her thoughts weren't on the monks, but more on her parents. She hoped nothing was wrong, and she was told before that the Force would react when one close to you had passed on. That twinge before, she worried so much and it showed in her eyes...

Tag: Monks, anyone

 

OOC: I am here, went on a little trip with the family, and am back now.
Expect my post in the morning!!

 

Koda Pall IC:

The wind softling blowing. The walk. The morning. The relaxing meditation. A silence.....


...and it was over suddenly. The results of murder. Poor Col Fareer. Horror...Terror spiking through the Monastery now...the Tusken running off...

Koda blinked himself out of it, shutting out the rewind and replay in his mind, realizing he had briefly gone in his own version of shock.

Master Pai...had said to go to the refectory...With a small tremble, which Koda stilled after some concentration, he glanced back at the body.

There is something horribly amiss here...

He clutched a hand deep into his robes to grasp the one thing that helped calm him despite its mystery, taking a deep breath and letting the Force run through him to help, though shaken it was itself. He could feel it, even as a learner.

Quickly, Koda Pall hustled after whom he spotted was Aeron, Annate (who was moving quite fast though he couldn't blame her), and others.

As he progressed with the others, young Tsubame came running up, her arms flailing like wild mynocks.

"What's wrong? Is everyone okay?"

Koda was quiet a moment, they all were, but was the first to respond.

"A...tragedy of which has never occured before...has taken place..."

He dared not to say anymore...but instead slowly looked back toward the murder scene, letting the girl follow his gaze. His eyes once more locked onto that nightmare scene, transfixed. Horrorified.

And his mind thought back to the Tusken.

Why...?

Again he clutched his mystery object in his clothing for comfort and desperately tried to calm himself, though he was still mortified enough to not move from his location.

~"He's coming here for protection...please...help him...he is, after all...~"

"Protection..." he whispered, heard only by himself, and almost with a depraved and manic chuckle at the irony of it now.

What am I, mother? Why here...? Force help me.

Tag: Tsubame, Aeron, Annate, Master Pai, Others

 

OOC:

WITHDRAWING FROM GAME...since GM hasnt been online since 6/22.

Laters, all!