Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,406
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
Traffic Light: Blue
|
Post by Dragus on Jun 24, 2023 17:02:51 GMT -8
SSSSSSSSSHHHHHHRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAA!!!!!!! A horrid inhumane shriek sounded from the carnivorous giant orchid as Lassix's lighting electrified its thorny outer layer, but only for a moment as it soon channeled the electrical current into the ground through its vast network of roots. Smaller green buds began to peel back at the center all across the bush at the base of the seemingly sentient plant, appearing to bloom as they pulsated and fired rapid streams of acidic sap, filling the air with green globs of burning ooze like machine gun fire.As Lyne's flaming chakrams sliced through the vines holding the Dark Apothecary aloft, he felt the immediate pull of gravity as he fell towards the open fanged maw of the mutant murakami flower. On instinct alone he twisted in the air, time seeming to slow as his predatory senses kicked into high gear, flooding his veins with adrenaline. His arms stretched out as far as he could extend them, past his head until the butchers hooks he had for finger talons hooked into the side off the creature's open mouth. Simultaneously his tail also extended out towards his feet as far as it could go, spearing its tail blade into the side of the plants bottom jaw. Dragus hung precarious over its open maw, bubbling with acidic digestive fluids that tickled his nostril slits. Well, this wasn't an ideal position to be in. Twisting slightly he ripped one of his claws free from the top of the orchids leafy jaw and reached into the satchel of alchemical supplies hanging from his chest. His talons slick with plant sap, clumsily spilled the majority of the sacs contents into the plant monster's awaiting gullet, bursting as they were forced down its throat to explode inside its stomach.BBBBBRRRRWWWWAAAAA!!!! The mutant murakami orchid let out a terrible gaseous belch, the air pressure flinging the Famine Lord back up into the air where he tumbled head over tail, until he completed a flip and landed in a crouch on the ground some distance away. Most of his attire appeared to have been burned from his scales, the combination of foul substances now mixed inside the creature's stomach clearly possessing a hazardous nature. Dragus turned back towards the flailing flower, scraps of his ruined feathered robe falling from his scales in wilted clumps. Before his eyes he could see it changing, the planet appeared to be growing, sprouting more vines as it rose higher and higher into the air."Uh, that'z not good." Hissed Dragus, clearly taken back by the reaction his unintended mix of potions was having on the monstrous murakami. In a moment his lightsaber was back in hand, reengaged as he squatted into a combat stance. SNAP/HISS! The black scaled barabel spun the caterwauling crimson beam around in a figure eight flourish before sweeping it across the grass by his feet, searing a black line across the ground. "Be with the Eye!" He snarled and lunged, hurting towards the mutant flower like a heat seeking missile. His screaming blade sang a song of ruin and woe, splitting vines in erupting fire and scattering its ashes in a symphony of shrieking sonic pulses. His overlong tail fought with a mind all its own, sweeping this way and that, parrying barbed vines and a hail of spewed razor leaves.<< We mussst hack off the main blosssom. It actz az a transssmitter of psssychic intention. Lisssten closssely and you can feel the reverberationz when you focuz your mind. >> Wielding telepathy as efficiently as only a true lord of the Eye could, he did his best to turn his thoughts into words, broadcasting his sinister hissing voice directly into Lyne and Lassix's minds. It was the only way he could see to bring this monster down, and they would have to do so quickly. Already the hordes of the recently reanimated were encroaching on the centre square. |
|
Karnac
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 208
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Karnac on Jun 30, 2023 5:40:34 GMT -8
The girls leapt back as the second cry resonated from the orchid, the very sound not suggesting one of pain as the first had. And with such uncertainty, they didn't want to be caught up like Dragus had already been. Not a moment or two later, they watched as the drake was sent flying from its maw. And from there, in but a blink, the bloom began changing and growing.
Lassix gave a frustrated groan.
"Won't this thing just die?"
Suddenly, Dragus was back in the fight, a new focus setting over him as reality set in. This wasn't good as he had explained. The girls jumped away from each other as the vines began flailing about, attacking as they could to remove the threat to itself. Dragus then spoke into their minds, telling them what needed to be done. Slicing a few plants, Lassix and Lyne gathered back up, hearing and beginning to see the undead making their way towards the square. Time was running out.
"Be the center of the storm, Lassix" It was all the she said to the Pantoran. They knew the meaning, the words of Gavin resonating in their minds. A state of mind of letting go of themselves and drowning out the world and letting the flow of the Force guide them. A very difficult technique and certainly not rooted in dark-side teachings, but effective if it could be mastered.
Another groan came from Lassix.
"You know how much I hate doing that. I prefer the chaos and agonizing screams. But I guess we don't have much of a choice."
Closing their eyes, they lowered the arms to the side, letting go of their guard as they sought to let go of the present and worked to drown out everything. The chaos, the panic, the excitement, everything worked to be washed away. Even more dangerous was how little time they had, meaning that the slightest slip could cost them in entering this state. But they did. The sounds and sights exited their minds, their senses almost severing from reality as they began to latch back on to something else, the flow of the Force around them. They could "feel" the movements, not bound by sight or perception of everything around them. And above it all, the reverberations that Dragus spoke of.
Just then a vine darted at them, ready to remove two pieces at once. It seemed they'd be struck down accept for at the last minute, they shifted slightly to the side and sliced the vine clean. Another screech came from the plant as it flailed and went of the attack, the hordes pushing in. Yet the girls seemed unbothered, hacking away with a new grace. At least, it seemed that way at first. It was a rocky state of mind, though Lyne was fairly stable. It was Lassix that could be felt barely hanging on. Whether it was a state she had trouble entering or her particular desire for combat caused a clash that the short amount of time wouldn't be enough to enter the state properly was unknown.
After a few moments, she wavered enough. Unable to move swiftly enough she wasn't able to avoid the vine coming at her. She was able to bring her saber up to dodge and still cut through, but it caused her to stumble to the ground and the sudden slam back to reality made her head spin as she looked around in a small panic as she tried to focus herself once more. The hoards had begun to surround the pair as Dragus was still hacking away to try and get to the main blossom to cut it free. She couldn't maintain the state and as much as Lyne was right about it, it was pointless for her.
Still, she could keep fighting, though it needed to end now. They were not fully skilled with the state of mind and it wouldn't be much longer before Lyne broke. The deeper and longer Lyne went, the more jarring the return would be if not eased out. And that would spell doom. But she had an idea. Would was highly risky, meaning if this didn't work, they'd be teetering on physical exhaustion and no Force energy left. Still, they didn't have many options left.
Closing her eyes, she let her mind touch Lyne's, their link allowing for easy communication without words or anything distracting. And it was clear the message was received as Lyne stopped her attacks, lifting a hand above her, the chakram within turning on its side and beginning to spin faster and faster. The idea was for Lyne to turn her weapon into a burning buzzsaw and use it to cut the main root. But it would take a bit of time to build the momentum and the flames as the red wisps grew and expanded.
In the mean time, Lassix, now focused with her normal senses kept her friend safe. She, too, was gathering up all the power she could to release at once and hopefully lift the orchid enough to expose the root and allow Lyne a clear shot. She used the connection Dragus started to ensure he knew what they were planning.
We need to expose the stem so Lyne can take a clear shot. We only have one chance. If you have a different idea, now's the time. |
|
Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,406
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
Traffic Light: Blue
|
Post by Dragus on Jul 1, 2023 19:02:47 GMT -8
<< Ssseeing az though we don't have a giant weedwhacker at claw, I'm content to try it your way. >> He brought his shrieking crimson blade up as the lightsaber hilt twisted in his claw, twirling in a hellish flourish that spit a lashing vine into smoking halves. Everything that sinister blade touched turned to ash and flaked away to volcanic grit, dispersed by a steaming exhalation of poisonous breath from the drake lord's flaring nostril slits. Even over the scent of burning shrub, Dragus could detect the odorous reek of the undead horde closing in. That presented another problem. His prey sight spotted the cold masses of rotting tissue creeping and in some cases crawling towards them, drawn by the orchids psychic call like an alarm bell. << I'll leave the hedge trimming to you ladiez. >>
As scraps of scorched robe fell from the Famine Lord's scales, he turned to face in the direction of the undead horde, raising his fiercely hissing energy blade up in a two handed grip. His tail curled up behind his head like a scorpions stinger, the vibro-blade on its end glowing a hateful orange as it distorted the air around it. Dragus split his jaws in a desirous grin as he looked on the approaching tide of reanimated villagers he was responsible for creating. Yet it wasn't guilt that he felt in that moment as he stared them down, his toe talons carving furrows in the soil at his feet as his stance deepened and his saurian muscles tensed. The Dark Apothecary felt pity that he now must destroy his precious work, such irreplaceable samples, such curious evolution of life...or unlife. It did not stop him from lunging snout first into the wall of zombie mountain folk, dragging his wicked blade across their line and atomizing the first row of their ranks in a terrifying clash of sound and destruction. One movement carried into the next and the reprehensible reptile was spinning, slicing his screaming tail blade across the next row to sever a dozen heads before he spun back around and delivered another incredible explosive saber strike.
While it might have seemed at a glance that his attacks were erratic, unnecessarily savage and carried out with reckless passion, there was a cold calculation to the way he conducted his murder-make. He-Who-Hungers had drawn a line in the sand, literally, leaving a smoking black patch of scorched grass from one side of the street to the next. Heaped at its edge were shredded body parts and mulched carcasses, all the handy-work of the twisted terrorsaur, who hadn't let a single murakami mutant past its border yet. Blood sizzled as it dripped from his claws down the hilt of his lightsaber and onto the super heated blade, evaporating into filthy smoke that caused the repulsive reptile's glands to salivate.
"Well thiz iz familiar." His memory flashed back to the destruction of the City of the Eye, which was been preceded by an undead outbreak that had required a cleansing of the city's population. He exhaled a red mist as he bared his fangs and prepared to meet the next wave. Some of the bigger ones were with them. "BLOOD AND SSSINEW!"
Dark tendrils bled off the Famine Lord's glossy scales shrouding the draconian in a robe of shadow as he removed his right claw from the hooked saber hilt and channeled a measure of arcane might into his fingers. Blue forks of electrical current danced between his talon tips, scorching the scales of his palm as he lifted his arm and squealed an incantation in a primitive dialect of Gamorrese in use only by the mutant cannibal gamorreans of Clan Morlock. The lightning changed colour from blue to green as Dragus put a Gamorrean shamanistic spin on a Sith classic, unleashing a thunderous bolt of crackling lighting that pulverized the undead horde even as it set their husks ablaze. His blade work continued, brutally efficient like a dejerik champion and as unforgiving as a servant of the dark gods. Even the big ones as they charged towards him like angry gamorrean war boars quickly fell to his precision strokes and remarkable serpentine agility.
Sadly even a lord of the Eye had a limit to their stamina. Fewer quick evasions led to more shoulder checks and more close quarter scuffles as the prehistoric predator grew weary the longer the fight dragged on. Though still expertly delivered, his blows were just a fraction slower, his timing just a little bit off. The lightsaber in his hands sputtered as the emitter became too soaked in blood, shortening out his caterwauling blade. Dragus used the base of the hilt to pulp the skull of one zombie before unleashing with his bare claws, using those monstrous butchers hooks that tipped his scaly digits and shredding through wave after wave. It appeared as though possibly some of the undead were attempting to turn and flee the other way, only to be savagely set upon by the Great Devourer, who was set upon in turn. He disappeared beneath a sea of mutant flesh.
|
|
Karnac
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 208
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Karnac on Jul 5, 2023 12:49:37 GMT -8
It was all the confirmation she needed as Dragus switched gears, turning his attention on the approaching hoards. With him there, all that was left was for Lassix to focus on the vines and defend Lyne as she charged up her attack. All she could do was hope on the matter. Not a very Sith thing as it was the goal of such beings to guarantee, yet this scenario was well outside anything they could have prepared for. Despite what was possible in the realms of the Force and the Dark-side, everything happening felt like it was straight out of some screwed up horror vid. But it was time to bring the nightmare to a close, one way or another. What would the final turn of the page bring?
As the pair continued to hold off the barrage of the orchid and the assault of the hoard, Lyne let go of everything, having no grasp of what was happening around her. Trust was her key to survival. Pouring everything she had into the chakrams, the blaze grew in a wider radius and a greater heat. Minutes passed, most likely an agonizing eternity for Dragus and Lassix, but before long, she had given everything to the flames, holding out just enough to send the inferno flying at high speed towards it target. All she saw now was the resonating point. The sensation of completion was sent to was sent to Lassix who slashed the final vines before jumping back beside her friend. She, too, had been focusing all she had and after replacing her blade, she unleashed it all in a massive Force Wave, that moved like a tsunami, the flow controlled under her finger tips. It rushed low, before surging upward in all its fury underneath the orchid, allowing it to reveal the root that kept it planted.
With that action, Lyne let her chakram fly, spinning forward at high speed, the blaze burning through the vines that attempted to stop it. It was lined perfectly. All that was left was to hold their breath and hope their attempts weren't in vain. |
|
Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,406
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
Traffic Light: Blue
|
Post by Dragus on Jul 6, 2023 7:48:03 GMT -8
Maybe they did have a giant weedwhacker after all. As Lassix exposed the root and Lyne made her hail-mary throw at just the right moment, her flaming chakrams left a trail of scorched vines in their wake, slicing through the meat of the monstrous mutant murakami orchid's root like some sort of spinning sharpened Sith lawnmower blade. A terrible ear piercing shriek sounded from the fanged flytrap maw of the altered flower as its entire body from its petals down to its severed root shuddered and shook, before visibly beginning to wither and wilt. The undead horde that had been creeping closer dropped where they stood, whatever force had animated them moments ago had been silenced, returning the cadavers to their previous immobile rotting state. Acid bubbled from the opened root, spilling across the village square as the giant plant that had caused them such trouble began to dissolve.Dragus clawed himself out from beneath a pile of corpses, wiping rotten flesh from scales in sour need of a good scouring. With the tips of his talons he tweezered out a few budding stems from his scales where the mutant villagers bites had finally managed to infect even his incredibly disease resistant immune system. The danger was largely gone now that the orchid had been killed. Without its psychic will, the undead were no different than B1 battle droid without a droid control ship, destined to rot until the bugs picked their bones clean. Nostril slits flaring, the saurian Sith scented his lightsaber hilt amongst all the bodies and retrieved it from under a bloated dead woman in an ugly sundress. He brought the hilt to his lips and blew into it, causing sticky blood trapped inside to sluice out the other end. The Hungering One then tucked the filthy hilt back into his satchel, which was the only thing he was wearing now that his clothes had melted off.Stalking over to where Lyne and Lassix were recovering, the mad alchemist brought his scaled palms together in a loud clap. "Well done, my dearz, well done indeed." Behind him his tail wagged back and forth enthusiastically, flinging bits of clinging gore. "For a moment there I wasssn't confident we'd sssucceed but I'm glad to sssee it all turned out for the bessst."Some of the fire from Lyne's flaming chakrams had spread to the surrounding buildings, causing orange flames to slowly engulf the remaining structures, destined to eventually turn the town into a pyre. The acrid scent of burning orchid tickled the Famine Lord's nostrils."Well, I sssuppose we are done here. Az much az I am certain Ssspite would enjoy flying uz the ressst of the way to the fortresss, I think I'll call in a transssport with appropriate accommodationz. You two look like you could do with a sssonic shower."He was hardly one to talk, completely coated in pestilent ichor. Even so, Dragus was good to his word, calling for a Personal Luxury Yacht 3000 members of the Black Fang had stolen during the Famine Lord's raid of SoroSuub. It featured private rooms with attached full bathrooms for Lyne and Lassix, as well as a heated jet pool near the aft section of the ship. An assortment of fresh clothes was provided, allowing them to pick whatever suited them while their current outfits were thoroughly washed with a plasma torch for good measure. The crew in charge of operations were all ranats; however, the servants attending to their needs were ewoks, waddling between them as they carried silver platters of blumfruit and jogan fruitcake, gamorrean ale and Pzobian bloodwine, as well as all manner of vice to be snorted or smoked. After having his scales scoured in chemical wash and scrubbed clean by several eager ewok lads with course bristled scrub brushes, the Dark Apothecary could be found seated in the bubbling jet pool. He reclined submerged up to his neck in the water, sucking on a fat stogey he had pilfered from the Supreme Leader's personal collection, while nursing a crystal goblet of red wine as he relaxed.
|
|
Karnac
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 208
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Karnac on Jul 6, 2023 12:43:09 GMT -8
The moment the horrid screech filled the air, both girls collapsed to a knee, barely enough strength to keep themselves upright. While they had gone through intense training with Karnac, they had yet to delve into the full intensity that he had undergone during the course of his fifteen years of training. Outputs like this would have been trivial to he and his peers. But the true take away was the had survived, meaning that though they still had a ways to go, their training was, indeed, paying off.
Breathing heavily, their eyes simply watched as the blossom began to wilt and dissolve, part of their minds never releasing their guards until they were certain the wretched flora had been eliminated. It was then they heard Dragus speak, their heads turning. A slight scoff came from Lassix.
"Well, amongst everything our master taught us, big and flashy was certainly involved. But good. I doubt either of us would have the strength to hold on to her without being strapped down."
Lyne simply nodded before looking around to the flames that were consuming the buildings around them. Still small, they'd grow quickly with the remaining vines and undead that scattered the area. If she had the strength, she'd diminish them so the town would be saved. Then again, there were none left to tend to the Dark Apothecary's work in his absence that lived here. So, perhaps it was for the best. If anything, it would cleanse the area and allow for a fresh start. Perhaps what remained would make for good fertilizer for his next attempt or project.
In the time it took for the transport to arrive, the girls had regained some of their strength, allowing Lyne to locate the chakram she threw. Upon arrival and with the mention of private rooms and showers, they were quick to get cleaned up. They took their time, unconcerned about the Famine Lord's fascination with small furry mammals as his servants. To each their own, as it were. Before long though, they had finished cleaning up and both elected for simple, dark robes until their clothes were ready.
Joining up, they found the drake within the jetted tub.
"It's unfortunate that you ended up losing that which you spent a fair amount of time on. What's next?" |
|
Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,406
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
Traffic Light: Blue
|
Post by Dragus on Jul 10, 2023 8:11:41 GMT -8
Unfortunate was an understatement, though this was hardly the first experiment to go south during his tenure with the Sith Eternal, nor would it be the last. He-Who-Hungers had his claws in a number of different projects at any given time, so there was always potential to discover something new or as was the case this time, for things to go terribly wrong. One setback would not dissuade him from trying again, and again after that."Unfortunate, yez." He admitted, stubbing the burning end of his cigar in a flame jewel studded ash tray, grinding the nub into its surface until it was outed. "But we ssstill learned sssomething, I think." Dragus briefly sank beneath the bubbling surface of the water, dunking himself before rising up out of the jet pool as an ewok servant handed him a towel. He padded off his scales before wrapping the rectangular piece of wooly fabric ridiculously around his hairless head rather than around his naked waist, not that there was anything to see. The barabel did not seem to possess any obvious reproductive organs. "Imagine if we could encourage that sssort of growth in an horticultural crop rather than a uniquely propertied organisssm sssuch az the murakami orchid, we could potentially increassse production yieldz of grain, which in turn we could ussse to increassse the longevity of our slavez."It was a constant problem for the Sith Eternal's cortosis mines. The slaves they sent down into those carcinogenic tunnels often expired faster than they could be replaced. More so, Dragus' homunculus Headmaster Draggledore was running into the same problem with the ryll spice production on Ryloth. Apparently the nutrient gruel they were being fed, which was made from processed slave cadavers, was not providing enough nutrition to sustain them."They die much too quickly, you sssee." He swished a sip of wine around in his mouth for a moment before swallowing. "But that'z not your problem. No, you two have been more than helpful. I sssuppose we ought to try and track down that massster of yourz. You mentioned earlier while we were in the sewerz that you had sssplit up upon arrival. While Roon admittedly haz a few sightz worth taking in, I sssuspect if any part of it haz drawn the notice of your massster, it iz the Fortresss of Tawntoom we sssent your comrade on ahead to." His meaty tail thumped on the deck behind him. "Squeakerz!"Almost instantly, a greasy grey furred ranat with dark beady eyes appeared at the threshold of the room, standing at attention with a gnarled paw pressed against its brow in mock salute. While it shared the same name as the rat creature the Spectres had helped Dragus kill in the rodent warrens beneath Nime, this most certainly was not the same rodent. Almost definitely."Ah, there you are. Be a good lad and ssset a courssse for the Fort."
|
|
Karnac
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 208
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Karnac on Jul 10, 2023 12:12:52 GMT -8
Lassix raised an eyebrow when Dragus mentioned the growth rate of the orchid in other plates simply for the sake of providing food. True, it was for the sake of keeping slaves alive, but the idea felt very Jedi in nature. But still, it had its dark intentions. Keeping slaves alive meant they weren't plowing through such a resource to keep their operations alive. It was boon for the Sith and wise choice at that.
Lyne nodded in response.
"Even in loss or failure, there is something to be learned if one desires to see it. And such a development would indeed be a boon, not even simply for slaves, but any soldiers as well. Keep an army happily filled and they can more easily give more of themselves. Plus, if you truly have a surplus, it could be sold for extra profit if desired."
When speaking of Karnac, Lassix spoke up as the order to head back to the Fortress was given.
"I have little doubt that Karnac has already arrived. His intention would have been to find the source of the darkness here. Be it simply searching or drawing the Sith's attention to locate him, he would have quickly found his way and handle any business required of him." |
|
Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,406
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
Traffic Light: Blue
|
Post by Dragus on Jul 11, 2023 8:55:16 GMT -8
Shortly thereafter as the fires consumed the quaint little mountain village, leaving only a pyre of ashes to be forgotten as the cold winds blew in from the North, the luxury yacht rose from the still smoking dust. Its repulsors scattered debris as it accelerated away from the charcoal remains, streaking across Roon towards the Fortress of Tawntoom.Our villains adventure continues here.
|
|
Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,406
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
Traffic Light: Blue
|
Post by Dragus on Aug 13, 2023 6:11:44 GMT -8
Wreathed in flame and smoke as it hurtled towards the sun baked surface of the planet, the meltmassif coated core ship looked more like an alchemical cannon ball than a true space vessel, plummeting downwards on a course for Roon's bantha graveyard where the Sith Eternal maintained their cortosis mines. Repulsorlift systems growled to life, awakening in a deafening roar as they belched curtains of air and trailed foul chemical fumes from their exhaust nozzles. Sections of the hull hissed and squealed as large mechanical landing struts extended from its sides, reaching towards the surface as the last of the super heated flames breathed from its underside finishing licking the bone strewn floor black. A rising tide of dust and ash swept the desolate landscape, kicking off a layer of sediment that had settled over the morbid site, leaving the air hazy as the Occulori touched down. Landing struts groaned in pneumatic protest as they accepted the weight of the absurdly altered battleship.Gaseous eruptions took place across the surface of the hateful red sphere as numerous hangars across its ruby hull unsealed, mixing the humid atmosphere inside with the drier climate of the surrounding environment. Leathery gliders crafted from tattered hide and gnawed upon bone launched from open decks, taking to the sky in the form of goggled ranats strapped to bat shaped wings, circling the solar bleached valley as they joined the swarms of vulturous hawk-bat carried on thermal winds all the way from the volcanic caldera of Mt. Tawntoom. Spread out before the landed core ship was a valley full of bantha bones and expiring examples of the species, left behind to rot and decay after the migratory herds passed through the region on their annual journey. A potent carrion reek wafted off the valley of the dead and dying, greeting the Dark Apothecary's flaring nostril slits as his blurrg drawn carriage came to a halt at the top of the Occulori's long boarding ramp.Squeakers hurry scurried to open the carriage door, allowing Dragus and Xitan to disembark just as the XoXaan research vessel was lowered to the deck behind them by the conveyer system on the ceiling."Can you tassste it?" Inquired the feather swathed draconian as he stalked across the top of the boarding ramp, observing a sea of skulls with ribbed lengths of curled horn jutting from their crown. "The finality of death, heady with jussst a hint of sssour like grave-mould on the tongue. Millenia of decay haz poisssoned the sssoil and the ssslow drip of dessspair haz ssserved to weaken the barrier between reality and the aether." He smiled wickedly. "It setz a delightful tone for our operation here. Keepz the slavez from becoming too comfortable."
|
|
Darth Xitan
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 235 
Affiliation: The Cult of the Eternal
|
Post by Darth Xitan on Aug 13, 2023 21:26:51 GMT -8
Xitan didn't visit this place much. It was a bunch of bones after all, hardly something of note. He gazes out at the fields upon fields of the carcasses of the immense beasts of burden, the Bantha. Sith Eternal had an interest in the area as some of the cortosis mines had entrances dug here. One could see the immense operations as they approached the site from a higher point in the atmosphere. Stormtroopers didn't patrol the graveyard though. Not out of fear or anything, just cause who would want to be out here and not in some protected facility? As Dragus said, it kept the slaves from becoming too comfortable.
I don't have a Saurian's... exotic tastes, Lord Dragus. All I see is bones and a sense of death lingering in the air.
His mask looks upward slightly, noticing the industrial plums of smoke that rose, indicating where the mining and refinery facilities were.
I suspect your words of 'finality of death and grave mould on the tongue' is likely cause of those.
The industrial poison that was all too familiar on planets like Eriadu and Hypori now. Especially on Phelar where it was covered in an musky haze from all the factories that churned out all kinds of products and waste on a daily basis. Xitan had once visited Raxus Prime with his father, ages ago, and never once found delight in the fumes of metallic decay. Dragus, on the other hand, seemed to like everything.
So why, exactly, did we come here?
Xitan glances back at the newly arrived vessel that was being lowered to their level.
Don't think bones will make these ladies like us any more than they did before.
Felt like a waste of time. They ought to have been brought to some place more significant on Roon, like the Pits at Tawntoon or perhaps the cities of Nime and Nunurra which had quite the presence of Dark side persons and citizens that were heavily aligned with the Sith.
|
|
Darth Sirona
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 338 
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Darth Sirona on Aug 14, 2023 9:43:21 GMT -8
Feeling the brush of the makeshift handkerchief being pushed into her hand, Sirona quickly took it and used it to clean the running eye shadow. As she was busy making herself presentable again, the ship around them lurched. They were moving at a great speed, faster than would be recommended with in the confines of another ship. The Echani woman caught herself on a now empty book shelf as she stumbled. Briefly looking over her shoulder to Elarinya, she then looked to the small porthole of a view port in her cabin. She had been to absorbed in her own self doubt and emotions to have noticed the rather gentle and gradual movement before. But now it was clear that they had been secured in some form of cargo mover and were being taken deeper into the ship, and then finally, barely crossing the threshold into the Core Ship, before it was sealed. Before long the movement stopped with another lurch. Again, she steadied herself on nearby furniture and straightened herself up. I- I- Lost for words at her whole ship having been abducted and dragged along. Sirona pushed her way past Elarinya, as the whole ship began to rumble from the larger vessels decent. The other occupants of the XoXaan also seemed concerned from the movement. Sirona did her best to wordlessly communicate that everything was under control as she made her way to the boarding ramp. But soon the rumbling stopped, and as she reached the exit to her craft, a wall of blinding light flooded the whole hanger bay as the doors opened. The historian could see the dark silhouettes of her hosts down below, peering out at the vista beyond. The next thing Sirona noticed was the stink rolling in on the 'fresh' air. Her stomach almost turned at the unexpected bouquet of death and decay, somehow pairing with that already aboard the ship. Then, through the Force, came the sense of dread and foreboding, it was something oddly enticing for the darksider. Once more, attempting to bury her meekness and fear, and with a health dose of curiosity, Sirona boldly stepped back out of her ship and onto the filth covered hanger floor. Using one hand to form a visor for her eyes, she tried her best to avoid stepping her knee-highs into any of the larger piles of putrescence that lay between her and the two Sith. Soon she was standing next to them, gazing out over the vastness of Roon's Bantha Graveyard. After muscling past her initial retching, she saw this as a place of infinite possibility. Fresh and ancient bones alike covered the plain. Her eyes glistened in the sunlight from the fresh tears that had just rolled down them and inspiration, as her hand not providing shade, still gripped her newly minted holocron. As lovely as you said, Uncle. Sirona forced a small grin as she glanced over at the reptilian.
|
|
|
|
Post by Elarinya on Aug 14, 2023 19:06:26 GMT -8
What brief moment of calm they'd shared was rudely and dangerously interrupted by the crude movement of the XoXaan. She cursed the saurians name as she grabbed at the nearby bed to hold onto whilst the magnetised grip in her boots engaged to stop her from flying around. Dragus was a conundrum she was pretty sure she would never solve completely, but if ever there existed an agent of pure chaos, he was it. One moment you hated him, the next he was a reasoned ally, before the cycle repeated. When at last the movement came to a rest, she summoned her tossed about helmet to her hand and replaced it upon her head before following Sirona through the ship. Ymir gave a grumble through their link, rather unhappy that her bed had now been upturned, but otherwise she was uninjured. Catching one of the Nightsisters, she requested they task Tesh with tending to the bed. It would help keep the youngling busy and out of the way and let her spend time with Ymir.
She quickly emerged out of the XoXaan a few moments later just behind Sirona, the suits system warning her about the air quality and automatically kicking in to filter it out. She pulled her hat back up into place, with the broadbrim providing shade across her vision as she surveyed the Graveyard. It wasn't really her thing, but Sirona definitely seemed to be in her element here. At least she seemed to have recovered once more, which was the important part. Ela crossed her arms as she stood off to Sirona's far side
:: That's... not the word I would use to describe it, but... to each their own. ::
|
|
Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,406
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
Traffic Light: Blue
|
Post by Dragus on Aug 16, 2023 7:37:43 GMT -8
Sirona was sweet where Xitan was dour, while Elarinya seemed a fireball of barely contained fury at times, fiercely protective of the Historian. They were all so different in their behaviours and ways, yet all still Sith when reduced to their ethereal reflections. An oozing rope of drool hung from the end of the Dark Apothecary's beak covered snout as he twisted his vulture's visage around to observe all three of them. The unnatural gem set in his left socket distorted their image across its multifaceted surface, displaying ghoulish parodies of each that would not soon slip from memory. He held out a claw and waited for his rodent assistant Squeakers to hand him his ornate saber-cane. The scabrous rodent did just that, prostrating itself before him as it extended gnarled paws, holding out the Gorgon's Eye. Obsidian talons curled around the charcoal stained length of Pzobian oak, feeling the whorl markings of the inscriptions that ran the length of its surface, before turning it around and using the potent alchemist rod like a walking stick as he began to lead them down the ramp and into the desolate valley.
"Aye, Xitan. Tiz bonez; I don't deny it." Admitted the slowly shuffling draconian with some irritability in his tone, offering the masked Acolyte a scowl even before directing a claw at the graveyard before them. "That iz what your eyez tell you, but they blind you to a deeper truth. Look here." Hissed the drake as they reached the bottom of the ramp, lowering to a knee to scoop something from the ground, before rising again to turn and show the three what he had just found. Presented on his palm were a collection of tiny finger bones that had been engraved, each carved in a different language, no two pieces looking exactly alike. "Ssscrimshaw, left behind by the slavez. The whole valley iz littered with it, painssstakingly fashioned with fingernailz and stonez, left behind to ssserve az an offering." Tucking his cane under his arm, he held out one of the bleached bones pinched between his claws. "Thiz one waz made by a Duroz, rather obviouz given that the inssscription iz in Duressse, but it iz more than that. The sssuffering the slavez endure here servez more purpose than jussst sssadism, it leavez a mark."
Closing his red right eye, since the left could not, the Hungering One waved his talons over the indicated finger bone. His throat hummed audibly, more of a rasping wet rattle really. To the naked eye, Dragus was performing another parlor trick from his magicians playbook, but what went unseen were the layers of time he was peeling back, delving into the skeins of fate to playback events and relive moments forever locked in history. In his mind he saw the hunched over duros, large red pupil-less eyes transformed to a sour yellow as starvation had forced it to indulge in...unnatural, substitutions to its diet. It scraped a barely remembered prayer into the finger-bone it had found, using a broken fingernail ground down to the boney nub. Still he hummed, turning back time further, the course of the bones collective history replaying in his mind. Those events could be witnessed by the others, shining in the gem set in his eye, or broadcast in the meltmassif orb capping his cane. He saw a child, frightened and surrounded by other terrified townspeople, forced from their homes by malevolent invaders and packed like sardines into the belly of ramshackle transports. The child, a human girl, was beyond horror as she was led at rusted spear-point off the black ships, half starved and ill. The last time she saw the light of the sky was as they were being herded through the desolate valley with skulls of curling horns, before the villainous vermin led her down into the dark of the mines...
Vanishing much the same way it was conjured, the image faded both from Dragus' ocular implant and from the ruby head of his cane as his ethereal claws released their grasp on the folds of time, smoothing out the wrinkles he had just created. The scaled lid over his right eye slid back into his skull, once more exposing the smouldering coal set there, slit down the centre by an onyx iris. A hideous smile crept across his parting jaws.
"Roon iz littered with hissstory, if one knowz where to look, and az it happenz..." He winked his bloody eye. "...I do. But, I absssolutely will not ssstand for my darling niece wasssting her time on thossse Brotherhood of Darkness ruinz." He waved a claw dismissively. "I have ssstudied them at length and found little to be gleaned from itz ghostz, which iz why I had mossst of it sssmashed into gravel to ussse az driveway stonez for my new sssummer home on the edge of the mudflatz. No, our sssubject of ssstudy for todayz lessson will delve much deeper into Roon'z hissstory than that." He pointed the pure cortosis tip of his cane at a gaping dark wound in the landscape, surrounded by toiling rat-men with sticky red whips and wooden mallets studded with broken teeth. It was one of the entrances to the cortosis mines. Emaciated forms coated in dark filth emerged from the black gash in Roon's surface, pushing iron carts full of unprocessed cortosis ore on rickety tracks, under the supervision of albino furred storm-vermin with leather masks of man-hide worn over their fiendish yellow fanged snouts. "But in order to KNOW deep, firssst we must GO deep."
|
|
Darth Xitan
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 235
Affiliation: The Cult of the Eternal
|
Post by Darth Xitan on Aug 17, 2023 18:56:55 GMT -8
Xitan looked to where Dragus had pointed. Strange markings left upon bone. Namely upon the Bantha bones. Seemed the slaves still wanted to be remembered somehow, even if it was hiding in plain sight. These lesser caste must have developed a whole language to tell a story to the newcomers... could be dangerous if it told the means to break out and get off Roon. And yet, considering how Dragus' ranats handled the mines, there shouldn't be too much of a problem. If the slaves got out, the ranats got to them and they were never heard from again. Xitan's gaze turns to one such bone before him, utilizing the Force to bring it upon his gloved palm.
Even the smallest mark can leave the biggest impact... it speaks to the future more than the present.
The Sith muttered before tossing it back among the rest. By now, Ela and Sirona had joined them. The masked male looked out at the graveyard, eyeing the plums of industry and listening to the distant clanking of machinery as the mines churned out all sorts of minerals, namely cortosis. The Supreme Leader had chosen a good world to be the focus and center of the Sith Eternal. Roon had cortosis, Roonstones, flame jewels, and spice. A vein that kept giving rich blood. And, upon that, as Dragus remarked, it had a history, one deeply rooted with the Sith of the past. The only stain being Darth Kaan's Brotherhood of the Sith.
Xitan would glance as Dragus spoke, in his usual eloquence, would explain why they came here. Not for Sith ruins, not for the Bantha Graveyard, not for anything else but the mines. The one that he gestured at which was guarded by storm-vermin and patrolled by Stormtroopers. The Acolyte's eyes narrowed a bit before glancing at Dragus. The Sith was insane, but if anyone else had suggested it, the Sith would have actually thought them more insane.
Cortosis poisoning... how affectionate.
Xitan remarks in a mocking tone as he proceeds to follow Dragus towards the entrance.
|
|
Darth Sirona
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 338
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Darth Sirona on Aug 17, 2023 21:32:00 GMT -8
Watching with great anticipation as Dragus unfolded the history of the single knuckle bone, bending time itself with the Force. Sirona's eyes glistened as she watched and tried to memorize what it was Dragus had done, for such an ability would be invaluable for her work. As the scene played out, Sirona couldn't help but feel the smallest ping of pity for the young girl, no doubt dead or worse in the mines below. But she kept such feelings hidden and to herself. As the vision faded Sirona looked up at the Mad Lizard and asked, sounding more eager and genuine that she had since being brought aboard, the most important question of the trip. Can- Can you teach me how to do that!
But soon the rush of excitement was replaced by a feeling like a trapdoor opening under someone. Sirona could have fainted upon hearing what Dragus had done to the former headquarters of the Brotherhood of Darkness. The historic site, turned to gravel. Pulverized by the mad scientist. This historian did feel at least one of her legs buckle under her at the thought of it. Even with the Brotherhood's failures and shortcomings, that was one of her key philosophies, was that all those that had come before contributed to the whole of the Sith, and should thus be studied and preserved. As soon as the weakness came about, Sirona recovered. What was done, was done. And Dragus was probably right, that anything of value he did not get some other scavengers 500 years ago probably had. A... A drive... A driveway you say? She takes a few steps after her saurian uncle, but is still to distracted by the lose of such a landmark, and trips over a bantha horn. A cloud of dust and quiet Hells! drift up into the air.
|
|
|
|
Post by Elarinya on Aug 18, 2023 2:41:20 GMT -8
She wasn't sure what she had expected of this trip to a graveyard, perhaps some ruins and bones for Sirona to gawk about and raise her spirits. Instead, she was forced to watch the Saurian Sith Lord reach into the past and replay events long since passed. Slaves were all part of the natural order of things, the weak serving the strong. But it was the child that tore at her heart. Of all the cruelties she had ever inflicted upon others, it was always upon those whom were adults. She had been created, born, and raised for one purpose and one purpose only. It was not a fate she would ever inflict upon another.
Her fist clenched tightly away from the others, until finally the vision retreated and Dragus spoke of Roon's storied past and the ruins he had turned to gravel and used as a driveway. She rolled her eyes, but was surprised by the composure that the Historian showed in her comments. But the exclamation she let out a few moments later was undoubtedly not entirely about the injury she had incurred. Following close behind, she reached into a compartment on her armour and extracted a face mask which she held out toward Sirona:: Here, You'll want this. It'll stop you breathing in a lung full of poison... ::She'd learned early on as an Uvak rider that carrying a spare mask was useful for any unexpected, or even expected, passengers that one might pick up. Ymir could fly in a number of conditions that were quite adverse to those she was carrying, so protective equipment was important. Thankfully now it was going to be quite useful to be prepared
|
|
Dragus
The Sith Eternal
In front of the Empire, to all you Vader haters out there. We'll blow your planet up.
Posts: 1,406
Affiliation: Sith Eternal
Traffic Light: Blue
|
Post by Dragus on Aug 19, 2023 6:24:06 GMT -8
Can- Can you teach me how to do that! |
|
Darth Xitan
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 235
Affiliation: The Cult of the Eternal
|
Post by Darth Xitan on Sept 7, 2023 19:41:49 GMT -8
Why would one feed a slave? A lesser and weak individual whose sole purpose was to bow to their betters and greaters? That would be like declaring the Sith cultists, the faceless masses beneath the Acolytes, were given equal rights to Sith Masters by some act of divine decree. While Vitiate declared the superiority of Sith Purebloods, and Sidious allowed Humanocentrist, the Sith Eternal promoted the superiority of those who proven themselves. They had the right to be supreme and above others. Competition and rivalry ran strong within the blood of the Sith and convenience was a natural factor. Those who failed or proved otherwise were cast into the faceless ranks below, meant to be nothing more than the shields and fodder for the ranks above. Slaves and Cultists, they were equals. In the sense of being nothing more than a means to an end.
Though, the fact that it was a ground rule indicated that there attempts. Xitan wouldn't ask as his mask glanced about, looking at the mining operations within this vein of cortosis. There were organics and inorganics alike, watched over by those strange Ranat creatures and Stormtrooper patrols, both on foot and upon small walkers. The Sith even spied a pair of Sentry Droid models, from the First Empire, which lumbered about the larger areas, more likely used for transporting the goods to the surface and onto the refineries. Still, why come down here? Roon was a Sith World, one with a history that dated before Lord Kaan's time. Even Taung had come here at one point, according to the histories. So... this meant that Lord Dragus had found something buried beneath the layers of cortosis and earth. Or it was a secret experimenting facility. Perhaps even both.
You always seem to have some sort of "but" in all your plans.
Xitan glances at Lord Dragus.
Just like that Sarlacc you parked on Eriadu last time you visited.
The thing was thriving and not causing devastating was good news.
|
|
Darth Sirona
The Sith Eternal
Posts: 338
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Darth Sirona on Sept 11, 2023 6:49:03 GMT -8
Sirona is quick to pick herself up off the ground and dust off as best she can, but no amount of hand brushing would get the dust fully off of her. She gratefully accepted the mask from Elarinya. Thanks... Still feeling embarrassed, Sirona watched the Saurian carefully and listened as best she could, however the thought of a monument of such age and historic importance, having been ground down into... a driveway, still plagued her thoughts. Sirona was quick to forgive though, at the promise of lessons in Psychometry. Sirona afixed the mask to her face and shrugged and nodded to the rule Dragus laid out for them. It wouldn't be hard to follow, as Sirona hadn't thought to bring any food with her. With another glance at Elarinya, she made ready for follow the crazy lizard down into the mines.
|
|
