Star Wars CLOSED Epitaph Between Prologue

IC: Jin Long
Clock Tower Temple

There was both Light and Sound as the crystal spoke its answer to the Protector Monk. A new harmonic tone joined with that of the soft wind, creating a new harmonic chord, while a beam of white light appeared, bright, yet soothing.

In that moment, Jin Long knew the crystal and his Forcesaber, and they knew him. The bond was formed by their free will and of their mutual choosing. A peaceful joy encompassed the monk, a feeling made evident by the sustained white glow now present in his conductive tattoos.

With gentle grace, the forcesaber settled in the palm of his outstretched hand, even as he opened his eyes at the moment of contact.

A powerful charge in the force went through him then, suffusing him, offering him bits of revelation as he regarded the blade colors of his fellow Protectors. Purple, Red and Silver. The words of the Master also lent him understanding of things present and things to come.

Light was the whole, comprised of many colors. Different wavelengths and different points of view were still part of the whole, and just as necessary. They each had a part to play, something to Protect. But Dark; it was the absence of color and the absence of light.

Jin Long looked in wonder at the others and smiled faintly, as he shared, at least in part, in their feelings, even as they dwelt upon their own revelations, for Light revealed mysteries, while darkness concealed them, but even those came to light in due time. The Master himself hinted as much.

The monk took a moment to bow his head and silently thank the village Abbot, as well as his brothers and his sisters, for setting him on the right path; the path of a Protector.



Tag: @Sinrebirth, @darthbernael, @QueenSabe7, @TheAdmiral

 

IC: Her
Clock-Temple, Nouane

She felt the energy build within her heart, her mind, her soul. Muscles clenched as a final surge raced through the very marrow in her bones, her fingers beginning to throb as they squeezed their tightest over her chosen forcesaber hilt. Voices – human and otherwise – echoed in her thoughts, none of them familiar. And in some dimly lit place of logic, she attributed them to the act she was currently instigating - the pairing of herself to her crystal.

There she sensed it; an emotion emanating from the mystical stone, one of… sadness? No, uncertainty. Maybe she was projecting too much. But everything inside and around her abruptly quieted, noise snuffed out by her concentration and a singular focus on what she felt. It became more defined and understandable, sifting out the unreadable so that she could hone in on one thing, and one thing only.

A single tear rolled down her cheek, prying free from her closed eyes, tracing a damp line to her jaw. It hung there, before finally dropping away…

The hilt vibrated intensely, heating her fingers to the point of jerking her back to reality. Her eyes flew open and for the briefest moments all she saw was red. Her vision sharpened but a second or so later, revealing a crimson blade that stretched out before her, originating from the weapon held fast within her grasp.

“Mine,” she whispered in awe, unsure as to what this particular hue signified but it was without a doubt hers.

She did not look back to the Master’s holographic form as it wrapped up its lecture, nor to her Holo that still hovered lightly in place - its glow amplified curiously as it mingled with its matching color of her blade. Her lips parted as she had many, many thoughts on what had just been bestowed upon her, some of them encouraging, and some of them rather frightening.

Red seemed rather ambiguous to her. Did it symbolize great strength?

Or great fear?

TAGS: @Sinrebirth @darthbernael @greyjedi125 @TheAdmiral

 

Sheel Ix
Location: Market place - in a strange city in southern Nouane (north of Pala Que)

Sheel Ix nodded as she regarded the holocron. The description Vydra had given the Force... elements reminded her of tales from some of the elders from the different villages. Inner sight, second sight, hunter's vision. Whatever it was, there was some consistency between them and some of her own experiences. She didn't know how it works or why but she had found it… elemental. A part of her and also by instinct. Second nature.

And this was the Force?

She held up her hand, took a few deep breaths and bit her bottom lip. Her eyes flutter then closed.

The sea of movement about her, a noisy distraction and the holocron presented itself as a bright beacon, shining from amongst it all. She gently stretched out, her hand lightly touched the surface.

Smooth, ridges, tiny details… patterns. Cool at first, then warming. Tingling… energy… Something moved… turning… kinda reminded her of a key... unlocking some mechanism…

Her eyes slowly blinked open, looking to the holocron. She thought she saw a faint glow emitting from inside… or maybe it was a trick of the light. Her gaze shifted to Vydra for verification.

TAG: Vydra Delomeux

 

IC: Lagertha Atreus
The Clocktower Temple, Nouane

The silver color of her blade did not surprise her much. She had dreamed of it in the past. In those dreams she was holding a burning sword, but the flames were made of silver. The village shaman and the elders did not know how to interpret it. After all there were limits to what they could see or understand. The Force had guided her to this moment and it had concealed the meaning from them.

Lagertha was aware that this was only the first step on her journey. Technically the third one, given that she had met that Vydra character and came to this Temple. Either way, she was in the beginning. Her life before that was… to use one of the fancy words the city folks liked… a prologue. See! She is not the uncultured barbarians those pampered people thought of her! She restrained a grin.

She was getting aware that she was feeling unlike herself, or to be precise unlike her current self. She had not felt so giddy since childhood. Outwardly she tried to keep a calm and composed appearance. The problem was that she was surrounded by Force users and they could read emotions. Lagertha hoped that there was a skill to hide them. Something to think about and explore.

She looked around and saw a couple of purple blades, a white one and a … red one? She felt unease coming from that one. Maybe it was from the confused woman? She took note that she should keep an eye on that one. The Master mentioned that there were good and bad colors, which was kind of strange, hopefully he will reveal more in due time. How could a color be good or bad? Yes, people attached meanings to these things, maybe it was a symbolic thing?

Another mental note, more things to research. If only her tutor, Torvi, could see her now, thinking of doing research. Hopefully there would be more books than the “sacred texts” (OOC: ) she had her study. The red-skinned alien started speaking, what he said… or the manner he said it almost made her roll her eyes. Another over-eager hothead. Great…

Despite herself she listened and smiled thinly at the mention of Vydra. Green suited him. Hopefully they would meet again… He would be able to help her with her research and filling the gaps in her knowledge. The last question took her out of her thoughts.

“Cool!?” she tried to keep her annoyance out of her voice “We as Protectors must not care for such trivialities.”

TAG: @Sinrebirth @QueenSabe7 @darthbernael @greyjedi125

 

IC: Her
Clock-Temple, Nouane

"Well this is exciting. Not quite as heroic a colour as I wanted, but..."

She looked up, startled at the red-skinned man’s words, just in time to catch her Holo from the air as it shut down and was posed to drop to the floor. Her crimson blade hummed loudly as it whooshed down to her side at the same moment, an involuntary reaction that jarred her even further. A defensive maneuver, but what was she protecting herself from?

She deactivated it quickly, nervously shoving the hilt into her jacket pocket.

"Isn't this cool?"

Her head shook quickly side to side in dissent, her dull-hued locks beginning to come undone from the haphazard bun at the nape of her neck. She dare not speak, for how suddenly sick she felt, the floor rippling like water beneath her feet. One of the others, the woman with a blade of silver, did express her dismay at the other’s choice of words but she was calm. Too calm.

And here she was, unable to subdue the rising panic she felt clenching at her heart.

Cool, she thought, now fully pulled inward on her own thoughts so far that she didn’t hear the hissing creature’s response that followed. Terrifying, she corrected. Her world had been so confined and small up until this moment, dreams and tales from her holocron suddenly becoming reality. Her stone walls had kept her safe, even if she felt trapped at times they had kept her safe. And now she had climbed up from the depths to discover… all this?

There was so much she just didn’t know.

And now there was a mission, a purpose she couldn’t grapple with, and a blood saber - that was what she would call it now, because she decided right then that she didn’t approve of the color she had conjured from the crystal.

Crumpling down into the nearest chair, she wiped a sheen of sweat that had appeared on her cheeks, suddenly feeling very hot.

Breathe, she instructed herself. Just breathe…

TAGS: @darthbernael @greyjedi125 @TheAdmiral @Sinrebirth

 

Sheel Ix
Location: Market place - in a strange city in southern Nouane (north of Pala Que)

Vydra had reassured that she was doing it correctly, that she was capable of accessing the holocron. She returned the smile as he moved away and returned her eyes to the holocron.

What a curious thing...

She looked back up to Vydra but he was already gone. One moment he was there and now... his presence seemed to have-

A glow erupted from the holocron, it produced an image which startled her.

"Ute mei-aui!" Sheel Ix hissed and caught herself from dropping the holocron.

She glanced about though no one took much notice of her. She stepped away from the street and around a column of the colonnade. Boxes of supplies were haphazardly stacked as a make shift supply room for the market vendors, it gave some privacy as she studied the holocron and the glow that came from it.

She wasn't familiar with such apparitions, only observed from a distance. They usually belonged to those so called archeologists and treasure hunters when they come to her territory looking for some lost things. 'The Lost Kingdom'… 'The Lost City'… 'The Lost Treasure'... Lost is how they usually end up.

The figure in the glow paced back and forth, the attire was a representation of the 'Master' but was it really him? The Master spoke. The voice was unmistakable his as he greeted her and proclaimed himself an ill omen as he shrugged. Her eyes narrowed a fraction as the 'spectral' representation went into further detail.

The War of Twilight. Holocrons of Heresies... Holocron of Prophecy. Darkness of Seven. Names. She did not know the meaning behind it all, only that there were some significance.

Comrades...? The others Vydra had mentioned? Were they like her? Who were these 'Old Ones'? The chance to learn further of what came before and what it was all about is welcoming. Maybe buried in these archives are clues to how she came to be.

The miniature figure of the Master bowed. "I thank you for your attention and your service. May the Force be with you, my friend.”

"May the Force be with you, my friend." She repeated his words. Many things to ponder until further instructions. "I will keep it safe." She avowed and placed the holocron in the cloth sling and felt it slide and nestle against her abdomen.

"What are you doing here?!" A hand fell on her shoulder and pulled out into the sunlight.

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Jin Long
Clock Tower Temple

For the moment, Jin Long chose to keep his peace, as he basked in the feelings his fellow Protectors radiated forth in the Force. Indeed, he would get to know them by their words and later by their deeds, now they had been gathered together. But for now, he wanted to ‘feel’ what they felt, to crystalize this moment within his mind.

Though they were all individuals, with their own distinctiveness, as evidenced by the various colors of their shining blades, they were still well in balance, in harmony, and part of the greater whole.

At least that’s how this moment felt to him.

The Master had bestowed upon them a great charge. It was only natural that they still had questions, despite the lessons - still, as Protectors, he could sense that they were unified in purpose.

Hearing the growing banter and exchange between the others brought a faint smile to his face. The blue reptilian, he spoke wisely. Jin Long nodded in silent agreement at his words as he extinguished his blade, then rose from his lotus position.

The monk took two steps towards the few who were gathered, but before he could take a third, he felt a palpable shift in the Force.

Darkness?

Not only did it cause him to pause, but also to frown reflexively; he felt himself go on ‘alert’ and ‘on guard’.

“What….?”

Suddenly and without warning, the clock-tower shook.

“A quake?”

No. Not a quake.

The Clock came crashing violently to the ground. A voice was heard shouting in that same moment.

“Protectors! I come with your Destruction.”

A district looking man in black robes revealed himself, hands out, lightning crackling about his arms.

“I am Darth Caedus, The Dark Lord of the Sith.” he declared ominously.

“Come out, or I shall start the killings.”

It would seem the troubles the Master had spoken about had come to find them much sooner than expected.

Jin Long’s conductive tattoos glowed yellow as did his aura. Without hesitation did the monk move, graceful and with incredible swiftness, even as he came to stand before their uninvited guest.

“HOLD!” He announced.

“We are here, there is no need for bloodshed, Dark Lord.”

“Peace be with you.” he stated with utmost sincerity, hoping to disallow the onset of needless violence.

“I am called Jin Long. How can we assist you?”

The monk was uncertain as to how the other Protectors would react to this man and his aggressive posture, but if he could be an example to them, perhaps more could e revealed before coming to a conclusion.

At least that was his hope.



Tag: @Sinrebirth, @darthbernael, @TheAdmiral, @QueenSabe7

 

IC: Lagertha Atreus
The Clocktower Temple, Nouane

Lagertha bit back a retort towards the lizard man. Begrudgingly she admitted to herself that he had a point, but was proud enough and stubborn enough not to admit it. Though she still kept the belief that their role as Protectors was not to be taken lightly. It was not about having fun, they had to beat the encroaching darkness.

Then something happened, the building shook. She almost jumped when the the clock was knocked down, crashing on the floor. She could see the tiles cracking. That was exactly why she was there. They were to defend all that is good and beautiful. The dark brought only ruin and destruction.

They were approached by a dark figure. It… he reminded her of a twisted version of the Master. This self-proclaimed Lord of the Sith surely loved theatrics. But before she could do anything the bald tattooed man stepped in front of them, facing this Darth Caedus. What was he doing!?

Lagertha drew her shield in front of her. She reached for her sword, but decided against it. Lagertha activated her lightsaber instead. It felt weird as she was used to the weight of the metal sword. The shield felt redundant but she was used to it. She would use it for both defense and offense. Lagertha would slam her opponents with it and then cut them down with the sword. The problem now was the weight difference as the hilt of the lightsaber was much lighter than her older weapon and the shield weighted a lot. Hopefully she would manage to deal with the enemy.

She circled behind the bald man looking for an opportunity to strike at the enemy…

TAG: @Sinrebirth @darthbernael @QueenSabe7

 

IC: Her
Clock-Temple, Nouane

Holo buzzed in her tight embrace, a soft but prominent alert that brought the girl-with-no-name back from the brink of panic. Her breath caught in her throat as the airway was nearly cut off by surprise, the floor and walls and ceiling shaking far worse than any minor earthquake would create. That and besides, she could feel the shimmering in the very air around her that the Force itself was quaking, a malevolent darkness spreading out and reaching its icy cold tentacles right for her heart that was hammering away in her chest.

She sprung up from her chair a mere second before a thunderous roar began from far above, echoing down louder and louder through the tower until it culminated with a crash someplace outside that shook the ground at her feet once more.

“What is happening?” she shouted to no one in particular, her eyes staring upward, wide as saucers. Then, they snapped shut as she was drawn inward by…. something. Someone.

"Protectors! I come with your Destruction."

The voice that called for them radiated within the Force, much in the way she had sensed it moments ago – black with hate, a wound in the energies she had always associated with warmth and brightness. It wasn’t natural.

"I am Darth Caedus, the Dark Lord of the Sith. Come out, or I shall start the killings."

“Dark Lord of the Sith,” she whispered back to herself, eyes still sealed off to the world so that only her thoughts and feelings were of use. The hysteria of beings outside their doors was palpable. It was not difficult to be hammered by the growing waves of distress and fear this ‘Caedus’ was supposedly creating but even then she found herself wondering instinctively…

Why is this my problem?

“Selfish!” she barked suddenly with a gasp, her eyes now reopening as a hand came up to cover her mouth that was hanging open in shock. Though, it didn’t seem like any of the Protectors heard her. One of them already rushed headfirst to confront the Sith Lord while the woman and strange reptilian creature followed suit. They left her all alone momentarily, cradling her glowing holocron like a child might hold a babydoll for comfort.

She couldn’t move.

It was terror and confusion, gluing the soles of her feet to the floorboards. The warped sensation of the turmoil and darkness was turning her into a coward, she could tell. Allowing whatever Caedus was sewing into the Force to affect her, weaken her, harm her. It was truly something to behold, power of this magnitude. She had never experienced anything like it – I think – and it was disorienting to her heightened emotions.

But… the others… they had taken action without a second thought. They had bravely confronted this supposed threat. Like the Protectors she had learned about.

Was she like them? Was she brave?

A little shift in her confidence and her body relaxed just enough to allow for one step, and then another, towards the main doors the others had fled through. She walked up to it and peered cautiously out over the threshold to see the confrontation a short ways down the walkway, then swallowing roughly, she finally moved out into the world, though she did stop there. Just outside.

It was then she realized two things; the first being the forcesaber hilt she had in her other hand, her fingers wrapped tightly around its silver cylinder… as if she might actually use it.

The second being something else in the chaotic currents surrounding her, something altogether different than the Sith just down the path, purple tendrils of lightning dancing menacingly in the palms of his hands. Despite the severity of the situation unfolding right here at the Clock-Temple, and despite the fact that she couldn’t recall ever being outside of this structure once in the entirety of her existence, her dull and colorless eyes drifted to a spot far way upon a hillside that overlooked her location. So far, in fact, that nothing beyond the green of the grass that covered it was distinguishable, but to her mind, she was looking at whatever it was that had called her attention.

She was looking directly at it.

TAGS: @Sinrebirth @darthbernael @TheAdmiral @greyjedi125

 

Sheel Ix
Location: Delta - north of Pala Que - Southern Nouane

The rain had eased up, for now. The sky was still shrouded with dark clouds, threatening to release more rain. Sheel Ix looked away from the sky and adjusted the hood of her cloak to cover her face. The sound of hooves clomped upon the worn wooden wharf as Sheel Ix lead her mount to the activity at the far end.

The ship, itself, was larger than the boats she had seen before in the area. To guess the length would be roughly thirty metres. It has a mast and sails, two banks of oars... Sheel Ix presumed was to propel it through the water when the wind would not. The crew were tending to both the ship and packing up cargo crates.

"Misthios!" A coarse voice called out to her as she approached the ship. "Back for more, eh?"

Her lips parted as she looked up to the aft section and saw a solid built man. Greying black hair. Skin cracked and weathered from the elements. Harsh tone but hint amusement to it too. The figure reminded her of her mentor, the one whom raised her so long ago.

"Back with more, Andreas." Sheel Ix corrected and pointed to the cart her mount was pulling. It was laden with pelts and food.

"You have a knack for finding us. Or maybe it is us who keeps finding you." Andreas let out a good natured chuckle. "Climb aboard, what can we do in return for such a generous gift?"

Sheel Ix leapt up the gangway and made her way to the quarterdeck. Andreas outstretched his hand and she clasped his forearm with her hand as he did to hers and shook in greeting.

"Your grip has gotten stronger." He remarked.

Sheel Ix smirked. She bit back saying that it was the same, that he might have gotten softer since the last time.

"Your ship is quite far from the coast." Sheel Ix remarked.

"When its monsoon season, the banks swell-"

"And floods." Sheel Ix grimaced.

Andreas nodded. "It allows the Tartessos to go further inland to a market, ah, people in need."

"Suppose there is profit to be made in providing aid to the afflicted communities." Sheel Ix observed. She heard her mount whinny and she glanced over the railing to some of the rag tag crew prodding the goods in her cart. She looked back to Andreas who then grinned and shrugged as though there was nothing wrong with that.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence, Misthios? Surely you didn't come here just to ask how my day was?"

"I need to look at your charts. Possibly hire your services."

"You? Hire me?" Andreas gave a hearty laugh. "If you're going my way then I'm sure we can be accomodating. Come with me."

He lead her to a chest and started pulling out some strange tools and tattered scrolls. Finally he unfurled one of them and placed a golden disc to weigh down the opposite side.

"We are here." Andreas pointed to the delta.

Sheel Ix eyes travelled from that point to the coast and across to that settlement where she had met Vydra and was presented the holocrons... and her first encounter with Andreas.

Her gaze shifted further south, her finger trailed the course of the river from the delta to the deep jungles. What was not listed were the locations of several tribes she knew to dwell around the main point of interest there, Pala Que. Her 'home' was around there. She frowned as she looked to the far east. Wide stretches of 'unexplored jungle'.

"No body really goes there." Andreas said softly. "I heard that some think there might be untapped resources... some survey teams have gone in but I haven't heard anything official yet." He leaned closer as her expression shifted. "What is it?"

She reached into her sling and pulled out a her notes. She unfolded and compared her sketches to his chart. It pulled back some of the natural veil of the canopy and filled in some of the central gaps to the map.

"Where did you get that?" He asked. "What are those points here?"

"Ah... some call them Tzonot...? these four and those two are connected under the water-"

"Cenotes? Carsus? You've mapped those places?"

"That's not important," she hushed. "What is... is that something in that area over here is causing harm to the region. "

"We don't know what's there."

"I don't either. I haven't been able to venture properly... I just... can't seem to track it. Only traces of it and it is spreading."

"What type of harm?"

"A shadow... a sickness... a madness." she shook her head, she didn't know how to describe it. "Twisted forms. But there's something else at work…" Sheel Ix straighten up, her eyes half close as she took a breath. There was something else, a pressure... similar to the 'beacon' that had called to her those weeks ago but this was different. She turned her head to face where it felt the strongest and then pointed. "Which direction is that from here?"

"North..." Andreas took the disc from the chart and flipped open the lid, the dial turned as he turned. "north-west."

Sheel Ix looked back to the chart, her finger trailed from the delta in the direct he said. "There's something happening over here…"

"Nouane City?"

Sheel Ix frowned. She had heard that name before... was it from Vydra? Or someone else? "I don't know…" her finger circles around the area close to the city there. "I need to be closer to tell. It feels significant... but I don't know if it is connected."

"These feelings..." Andreas spoke cautiously. "... are hunches... intuitions?"

"It's more something than nothing." She answered cautiously.

Andreas nodded, studying her face. "We were planning on heading to Nouane in a few days time. With the goods you graciously gifted to us as payment, we can get you there sooner."

"Why would you alter your schedule for me?" She looked to the older man. Her arm press lightly against the sling and felt assured by the the presence of the holocron shift against her.

He glanced to her sketches and then smiled as he looked to her. "You intrigue me, Misthios. Maybe we strike fortune, maybe not. Life is full of chances and I'm curious to see what you might unearth."

Two hours later, the Tartessos pulled away from the wharf. Sheel Ix stood on the quarterdeck with Andreas as commands were shouted to guide the ship a safe path through the flooded network of reeds and hidden sandbars. She only half listened as the man explained how the course changed every time they come here.

Everything has changed. Sheel Ix reflected as she folded her arms and leaned on the railing, watching as the landscape slipped past as the Tartessos made its journey to open water.

The weeks since that fateful day had turned her world around and upside down, for better or worse.

There was more to the world outside the cluster of villages and ancient remains in the deep jungles of Pala Que. The shadow encroaching deeper into the jungle, getting closer to the settlements. The trees becoming more twisted, plants withered, some of the wildlife more feral, behaving outside of their norm. It was festering in some places. Cases of madness from some of the villagers yet she could not work out what could it be from, nor the source of it. There were still many places left to search but that would take time and supplies she did not have yet.

The holocron that was given to her, it taught her how to become more attuned to her surroundings and also with herself. The moment she received it, she had almost lost it, if not for Andreas intervening with the merchant who had accused her of being a thief. To settle it, she had to do a job for them.

He called her a misthios, a mercenary. That didn't bother her so much. She had been earning some currency that way and been able to bypass Ymir's dishonest practices in order to get some of what she needed.

Flashes of lightning in the far distance brightened the sky. A flock of birds flew past, cawing loudly.

"It'll be rough at sea." Andreas said from behind her.

She looked over her shoulder to him.
"I'm sure you've braved worse."

"Aye." He chuckled and patted her shoulder. "We'll get there Misthios. Don't you worry."

TAG: @Sinrebirth

 

IC: Jin Long
Clock Tower Temple

"I am here to destroy this City, to undo what has been done before it is done."

Darth Caedus, The Dark Lord of the Sith spoke strangely.

‘Undo what has been done before it is done??’ What did that even mean?

But before another thought or action could be processed, Jin Long found himself being throttled with the Force.

In an instant, he felt the Dark Lord’s power assault him as his throat began to close. He was being choked, strangled. He felt darkness, arrogance, anger, malevolence. Still, Jin Long remained calm and centered. He’d learned not to panic in such situations since before he was a pre-teen back at the monastery.

The tattooed monk closed his eyes and let the aggression flow through him. He did not meet it with his own aggression, but guided the force of it, redirected the current. He could feel the strength this Darth Caedus possessed, a strength on a level he had never faced before, but Jin Long had faced foes stronger than himself before and prevailed.

The choking sensation slacked to a point where he could breathe with a halting effort, instead of not at all, but he had yet to be free of the strangling attempt itself.

Jin Long’s tattoos brightened as he redoubled his efforts to free himself. All the while, he bore witness as the Sith Lord shot lightning from his fingertips at the blue one, the Kwa, N’tael.

‘No!’

Jin Long knew the others were far from defenseless, but this man had caught them by surprise. He'd not expected this level of aggression, or this level of power so soon after their induction as Protectors.

And then, the Dark Lord became distracted for some reason he could not readily glean. Jin Long did not hesitate to act as soon as he felt the grip on his throat slacken. With a mental pulse of the force, he defused the invisible grip around his neck, in that same instant, he gestured with an open palm to force push the Dark Lord away and against the closest wall.

Absently, Jin Long massaged his neck with his free hand, while his right hand still held his unlit weapon. He tried to speak a warning to the others, but only managed a hoarse sound. The monk needed a moment to recover, but was afraid that the others would respond to the attack with violence and events would spiral beyond their control. He took notice that the Warrior Woman seemed strong and capable in equal measures- but he was not yet certain if 'force' was the real answer required in their present situation.


@Sinrebirth, @darthbernael @TheAdmiral, @QueenSabe7

 

IC: Her
Clock-Temple, Nouane

Staring with such intensity, thrusting her mind outward in a way she didn’t even know she was capable of, she met the unfamiliar signature in the Force with an almost inappropriately intimate welcome. Instead of retreating, her thoughts grasped and enveloped the stranger as they searched within her, albeit with practiced caution that she did not possess. The presence was guarded, but clear.

What can I do?

The woman gasped, releasing a clawed hand from the door frame she had unknowingly been clinging to. Through her mind’s eye, like a magnifying glass or a telescope, even, she zoomed in figuratively and formed an incredibly vague picture of whom she had just met in feeling - A man, strong and fierce in the Force but oddly misplaced… like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. It was too much for her to truly understand but she didn’t dwell on it. He had just spoken to her through their haphazard connection…

Could she respond?

I… um… she stammered mentally, eyes twitching back and forth between the Sith Lord down the walkway who was beginning to physically attack the others, and to the hillside where the mysterious man was seemingly perched. While the main threat had yet to target her directly, she suddenly felt very caught in the middle; help here herself, or seek help elsewhere. Which would be more effective? Which would be quickest?

Well… Do you know how to defeat a Sith?

Silly question and unthought out, but what else was there to say?

She pressed out at him harder, straining until her head began to throb in hopes of relaying her worry and all-around confusion. However, it was readily apparent there was another power at work where her mind was concerned. There was… someone else there, an intruder, a…. “Ahhhh!” she whined aloud, abruptly clutching at her head with her hands as she doubled over. It felt as though her brain were being scrambled by unseen fingers and stabs of pain zinged down her spine, the unknown power taking hold of her fractured thoughts.

Visions flew through the front of her mind, things thought of often and things she had only confronted once. Still she fought to reach for the man on the hill, pleading with him now to help her, too, because it would come to her belatedly that her lost memories were being used as a tool to defeat their foe.

Their foe.

TAGS: @greyjedi125 @darthbernael @Sinrebirth @TheAdmiral

 

IC: Lagertha Atreus
The Clocktower Temple, Nouane

What did the man mean by undoing what has been done, before it is done? Maybe that was a ploy to distract them? She had more pressing concerns, he intended to destroy the city. They were being tested, they had to defend all those innocents. The problem was that the person seemed to be a fully trained individual and they were still novices.

The bald student was being choked. She noticed that the attacker had reached for something, a weapon maybe? Good, he did not seem to be carrying it. So he was not so prepared. It was foolish to attack someone without carrying your weapons. But he seemed to be strong enough in the Force, so not so defenseless after all.

The lizard managed something that could prove useful. He managed to absorb the lightning that was shot at the monk. Ugh, another negotiator. Can’t they understand that they were under attack and there was no time to investigate. Fight now, ask later. At least they were distracting him.

An idea sprung to mind. Lagertha brought her shield up. She focused… Her leg muscles tensed then she sprung forward propelled by the Force. Her intent was to first strike at the man with the shield and then, when he was dazzled to impale him with the lightsaber.

TAG: @Sinrebirth @darthbernael @greyjedi125 @QueenSabe7

 

IC: Jin Long
To Serve and Protect

It became clear that this Dark Lord was experienced in fighting several attackers at once. Very experienced.

Jin Long reflexively braced himself for impact when he saw N’Tael hurtling in his direction, but the Kwa managed to nimbly control his trajectory and turn an impending crash into a rebound off the monk’s shoulders.

“Sssssorry.” The Kwa warbled as he rebounded back into the fight. Jin Long offered a quick nod as he rejoined the encounter. The monk found the use of innocent bystanders as hostages or shields to be a cowardly tactic, and was glad to see that effort thwarted by Sek’nos.

How this Caedus managed to disarm No Name so easily was concerning, but Jin Long was confident that her weapon would not respond to the Dark Lord’s command. Now, Darth Caedus found himself under a barrage of crude missiles, courtesy of N’Tael. Jin Long gestured as he exerted his Force Power in order to completely arrest the Dark Lord’s movements, or at least slow him down for a moment.

“Yield!!” He shouted.

“Why are you attacking us!?” He demanded, even as he continued to try and hold the man in place.

Peripherally, he was aware that someone else was bounding down the hill towards the battle. Someone strong in the force- whether he was friend or foe remained to be seen. In his mind, he reasoned that Atreus would neutralize the newcomer if he presented himself as a threat. Right now they needed to focus on stopping the Dark Lord’s rampage before innocent blood was spilled.



Tag: @Sinrebirth, @darthbernael, @TheAdmiral, @QueenSabe7

 

IC: Lagertha Atreus
The Clocktower Temple, Nouane

Being hurled using the Force was both painful and humiliating. Lagertha managed to “soften” the crash, but still hurt. Her shield took the brunt of the attack, it was dented in the center. She threw it on the ground with a loud clang. Lagertha could feel Sek’nos sending his support via the Force. She grunted in appreciation.

Her mind was racing, trying to find an opening. Clearly their opponent was skilled and experienced enough. That made things both difficult and paradoxically easy. A seasoned warrior was more prone to repetitive action, action that they had practiced for years. The problem was that she needed more time to analyze him.

The lizardman was hurling things at the attacker. Good idea! Maybe he would be distracted enough for her to strike at him. Then things changed. The Kwa focused on something behind them. Lagertha expanded her awareness. There was another newcomer coming towards them. “Take care of Caedus, I will cover N’Tael.” she said at the Sith. Lagertha took a defensive stance ready to strike if needed.

TAG: @Sinrebirth @darthbernael @greyjedi125 @QueenSabe7

 

IC: No-Name
Nouane

All Sith are afraid; you need to strike at what they fear, and focus on protecting what they seek to destroy. I am coming.

The man, the one she did not know but was suddenly clinging to for her safety, spoke to her through their strangely strong connection. The girl-with-no-name felt him make his move; he was closing in from his far off perch on the hill. He would help, surely, because she had no idea what to do next though the others were leaping into action like they had done this several times over - you know, battling a freakishly powerful Sith Lord.

Her eyes were trained on where she knew he was coming from, still clinging to the door frame of the tower and disregarding the reptilian Protector's attempts at using her for their own aid. She almost forgot the seriousness of the situation for a moment as she waited, until she felt the unnatural tug at the hand that still held her saber hilt. Due to the fact that she was already tense and her knuckles were white with strain from her grip, the weapon only slipped the smallest bit before she halted its progress out of her hand.She looked around wildly then, catching the Sith in her sights.

"Nice try," she brazenly shouted, again reaching for the man that was now so close she could almost feel him in a physical sense.

Hurry, she pleaded just as the bald man commanded the Sith to yield.

TAGS: @Sinrebirth @darthbernael @greyjedi125 @TheAdmiral